What the heck is that? In a nutshell, some keen volunteer members of our very favorite travel website, FlyerTalk, in co-operation with Randy Petersen, the FT founder and frequent flyer guru, have set up a trip of a lifetime for serious travel geeks like us. A DO, by the way, is what FlyerTalkers call a gathering or get-together, a usage borrowed from British / Canadian English.
The Star Alliance Mega DO is a whirlwind tour that starts in Chicago and ends in Frankfurt. We'll be hosted by various airlines in the Star Alliance along the way, United, Continental (just joining the Star Alliance), Lufthansa, and SAS. In Frankfurt we'll board a charter flight which travels takes us first to OSL (Oslo Norway)and then to TLS (Toulouse France) before returning to FRA (Frankfurt). A highlight will be a tour of the Airbus factory in Toulouse France.
It's turned into quite a big deal, and there are rumors of some major media coverage. We know for sure that it represents an amazing feat of organization, largely by volunteers.
Here's an overview of the trip. We're already trying to get lots of sleep in advance of this schedule:
November 3rd
730AM United Airlines welcomes us to their home at Chicago O'Hare International Airport
1055AM Flight UA678 takes us to EWR
3PM Continental airlines welcomes us for a pre-flight tour at EWR. Space will be limited to participants that are on the official party flight, LH405. CO Insider will join the entire DO and I'm working with him to make an event to welcome Star Alliance new Star, Continental.
6:30PM Busses courtesy of Star Alliance will transport us to JFK
8:00PM Arrival at JFK. We take over the brand new LH lounges at JFK
9:45PM The official party flight, LH405 departs JFK with the two front sections of business class and half of coach filled with Flyertalkers!
November 4th
Program TBD, among things planned are: Watch the FT moderators go through Flight Attendant training, check out Lufthansas flight training facilities. Dinner with Jaan Albrecht, CEO of Star Alliance will start at 2000. (dinner is included in the charter price)
November 5th
0615 Pick up from the Sheraton
0730 FRA-OSL flight
0800 Participants starting at OSL gets welcomed by SAS
0930 The charter arrives OSL, parking at the SAS hangar
Program continues
1130 Main DO flight OSL-TLS
1430 Arrive TLS
The exclusive inside tour of the Airbus factory
1930 The charter flies TLS-FRA
2100 Arrive FRA
Official DO reception at LHs First Class facilities.
Friday November 6th
A day at LHs main base. Pick up at the Sheraton at 9AM
Overnight at LH Seeheim Conference Training & Conference Center.
3 comments:
Wow, that sounds awesome!
What happens after November 6th? When do you get back? Why not meet us in Nice? Greg
We'd love to meet you in Nice but we'll have to do it some other time. Our return flight is already booked and we're planning to return to Birmingham just a couple of weeks later to welcome a new grandchild.
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