What happened
One Mile at a Time reports a writer layering Turkish Airlines’ Six Continents Challenge onto already planned travel was hit by a live metal sink support in Ho Chi Minh City and a cancelled EgyptAir award out of Dubai. Staff at reception offered a lesser room or a towel over the fixture. A manager then switched the writer to a different suite.
The Ho Chi Minh City to Istanbul sector ran on schedule on a Turkish A350 with Collins Horizon business seats. The writer booked the Dubai Airport Holiday Inn at $40 a night as a first mattress run after the 1220 arrival, ahead of EgyptAir to Cairo at 1900. Online check-in before arrival showed the Cairo flight gone, with a replacement the next morning. EgyptAir would not reticket at the airport and pointed the writer to Avianca Lifemiles. The Lifemiles phone system kept hanging up after a request to move to the 1620 departure. An overnight rebooking left a two-hour self-transfer in Cairo.
On a challenge routing, inspect the room before unpacking and save a working contact for the program that ticketed any self-transfer award.
- Numbers
- $40: Dubai Airport Holiday Inn mattress-run rate
- 1220 local time: scheduled Dubai arrival
- 1900 local time: original EgyptAir Cairo departure
- 1620 local time: same-day EgyptAir departure requested
- Where
- Ho Chi Minh City, Hotel Indigo Saigon, Dubai, Cairo, Istanbul
- Takeaway
- If you chase a challenge routing, confirm hotel safety on arrival and keep a working contact for the program that actually ticketed any self-transfer awards.