mini-TP run Frankfurt-Madrid-Frankfurt with LAN

Not a Hawaii tier points run as such, but is relevant to anyone who's trying to get to the magic 1500 tier points for BA Gold, as unless you are very clever you'll need to top up any Hawaii run with a few more TPs.  Thanks to headforpoints.com for pointing me at this one.

LAN Chile fly Boeing 787s Madrid to Frankfurt and return on a daily basis, the special offer fare being £117 return in business class which generates 40TP each way.  I booked on the LAN app.  

**update 26-July: Note that there is another offer currently active until 30-September-15, the fare being available nearly every day in September.  ITA shows a fare of £138, Expedia £148 and the LAN website £174.  So shop around!**

I was hoping to position to Madrid via the Iberia A340-600 using Avios in business, but availability was skinny so instead booked to start in Frankfurt with BA in economy for 3500 Avios plus £35 return.  

8-July

The lounge at Heathrow was fairly busy, I'd read about the bacon grabbers before, but was amused to see people taking the bacon out of the rolls in order to create a plate of bacon.  I guess that there is a chance that the now empty rolls can be refilled, rather than someone take several rolls away, remove the bacon and bin the rolls....


The trip to Frankfurt was uneventful, I'd forgotten how spacious the exit row seats on a 767 are.


I enjoyed the sunshine on the Terminal 2 terrace for a while then later repositioned to Terminal 1 to see if there was any lounge access for LAN passengers.  I wasn't hopeful, as T1 appeared to be a * Alliance stronghold.

Through security I tried my luck at an information desk, where a very nice lady said that she'd had this question before and wasn't sure what to do.  She spent a while on the phone to several different lounges and drew a blank; then suggested that I should have a lounge invitation issued at check in?  No, because I checked in online and had hand luggage.

I thought I'd try my luck with asking the same question at the Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge, where I was told that I was in the right place, LAN pax are allowed in, but where is my invitation.  Anyway, I was in.

  

                       

Nice views of the ramp and runway, catering not too bad.  Very quiet.


Boarded on time to be greeted by some absolutely charming and giggly crew to find I have the whole rear business cabin to myself.

   

Champagne, a pleasant meal, enjoyable wine

LAN seem to use the mood lighting to the max, it wasn't exactly subtle but I loved it.  I don't actually recall how BA use the lighting, perhaps because my only 787 trips have been in economy where one's preoccupation is with terribly narrow seats that are a claustrophobe's nightmare.  Or anyone who doesn't enjoy being heated by an adjacent passenger's body.  

I digress.  The LAN business class seats did seem a bit firm but as the crew gave out duvets once airborne, they served as padding and I have no complaints about the seats or the IFE.

We arrived in Madrid to find it 38C at 11pm and I retreated to the hotel.

9-July

Today was my first experience of Terminal 4 at Madrid (aside from yesterday when I arrived in something of a blur).  Very swish, but you really wouldn't want to cut it fine time-wise as the furthest gates are a long way from landside.

After yesterday's Frankfurt experience, I stopped at the LAN desk to collect a lounge invitation and after some exploration settled into the Iberia lounge which, despite having acres of glass, was cool.  

On this flight the business cabin was half full; I was in 3K which doesn't have a window.

  

On arrival at Frankfurt it seemed that the Oneworld lounge was landside; as I didn't have masses of time I went through security to find the BA flight home delayed.  Hey ho.

A normal, full, BA A319 economy trip home.  Whilst the crew did their service OK, sat in the last row, I found their audible loud-voiced chat (I had ipod on max volume) quite irritating.  But sort of alluring.  In the end I took the headphones off to listen to their BA management and colleague-slagging tales, issues of theft of watches from the trolley while they were doing food service, tales of nightstops past....  

All in all, a most enjoyable trip, with the objective of 80 BA tier points achieved at minimal cost.