Many will have noticed, how the situation in China is changing after the Corona-Virus is spreading. Many airlines have stopped flying to China and governments are getting their citizens home.
For me that added an uncertainty to my travel plans in March, which I was not willing to accept. So my option was to cancel my holidays (possible, because I booked a bonus ticket and could cancel all hotels) or make changes to avoid any Chinese city. That is easier said than done…
First I had to search the internet for possible connections. I tried everything from Molde, from Oslo, via Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, from Munich, Frankfurt, London, Brussels… Called in to SAS customer service with a Lufthansa flight from Munich – not available… Back to the beginning.
Most business-class bonus tickets are with Chinese airlines stopping in Chinese cities… It took me 3 hours to find the right routing, which is now as follows:
| Route | Class | Plane |
| Molde – Oslo | SAS Economy Plus | B737 |
| Oslo – Frankfurt | SAS Economy Plus | B737 |
| Frankfurt – Bangkok | Thai Business | A350 |
| Bangkok – Seoul | Thai Business | B777 |
| Seoul – Osaka | Asiana Business | A350 |
| Osaka – Tokyo | ANA Economy (no bonus) | ??? |
| Tokyo – Zürich | Swiss Business | B777 |
| Zürich – Oslo | Swiss Business | ??? |
| Oslo – Molde | SAS Economy Plus | B737 |
As you can see, this are quite a lot of flight to get to Osaka. That includes a 10 hour overlay in Frankfurt, which I will use for a tour into the city (never been there) and about 10 hours in Bangkok which also opens for a short trip into the city. But that also means, that I will be in planes for 2 nights in a row. I hope, that they still offer massages in Bangkok for free at the lounge. 🙂
This trip costs me 88.000 Eurobonus points more than the flight I booked before. As a result, I have to change my planes about traveling to Australia next year, as I don’t think I will get the points needed until then. But I have alternatives that are on the rise now.
A lot of good things to say about the customer service at SAS. Very friendly staff and the new trip was in the box after 10 minutes on the phone. Big thumbs up here.
Now I have to cancel the hotel in Shanghai and find 2 more nights in Osaka. But that is not a problem. As always, there will be more on the blog and a travel report for the trip.