Round-the-world SAS EuroBonus challenge part 4: 6 European airlines and Aeromexico

A day after Christmas, I started the final stretch of the SAS EuroBonus million-point challenge, where I would end up taking 20 flights on 16 different SkyTeam airlines over the course of 25 days in order to nab 1 million SAS EuroBonus points.

My first leg was a jaunt from Portland, Oregon, to Seoul, South Korea, via Seattle on Delta Air Lines, Korean Air and Garuda Indonesia. From there, I visited Bali before taking Vietnam Airlines to Ho Chi Minh City and on to Hanoi, Vietnam.

My third week included stops in Taiwan, China and Thailand followed by an overnight in the United Arab Emirates. I flew a combination of carriers including China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Kenya Airways and Saudia.

Finally, it was time to head to Europe for what would be a whirlwind climax to my journey, flying seven different airlines over the course of just a few days and ending my odyssey in Mexico City.

I had only hit a few snafus so far, including one flight that I could not credit to my SAS EuroBonus account (and thus wouldn’t count toward the challenge). That meant rescheduling some flights, adding a last-minute round trip between the U.K. and Norway on an airline I hadn’t planned to fly, and then hoping everything else would run smoothly as the clock ticked down to 2025 and the end of the challenge period.

Would I make it all happen under the wire? Here’s the conclusion to my round-the-world trip and the things I learned along the way.

I was very excited to experience Virgin Atlantic from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) since this would be my first time flying the airline. Because my Kenya Airways flight from Guangzhou, China, to Bangkok had been delayed by a day and then did not end up counting toward the SAS challenge due to a fare code issue, I had pushed my Virgin Atlantic flight up by a day so that I would have extra time to take an additional flight once in Europe.

Check-in at Dubai was seamless, and I upgraded to an Economy Delight seat for the extra legroom — these seats have 34 inches of pitch versus just 31 inches in the regular economy seats.

It just so happened that the seat next to me was free, too, so I knew I would be comfortable on this 7 1/2-hour flight.

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Once on board the Airbus A330-900neo, the vibe was very upbeat. As it was the day after Christmas, they were playing some recent Sabrina Carpenter releases and other Christmas pop hits.

There was one main meal served on the flight shortly after takeoff and then an afternoon tea service about 90 minutes before landing. For the first meal service, there was a special Christmas dinner or a vegetarian option. I went for the Christmas dinner, which included turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberries and some assorted vegetables. It wasn’t a home-cooked Christmas dinner, but it got the job done at 30,000 feet in the sky.

In addition to nonalcoholic beverages, passengers were also offered complimentary wine, beer and spirits, even in economy.

There was Wi-Fi, but it did not work at all during the entire flight. The inflight entertainment was solid, however, with an excellent selection of content, including plenty of new-release movies.

The afternoon tea service was near the end of the flight and included a cheese sandwich, a scone and a drink of my choice.

After the tea service, I was quite embarrassed because I fell into such a deep sleep that the flight attendants had to wake me up after all the other passengers had deplaned. It had been a long few days on the road. I guess those Economy Delight seats were more comfortable than I thought, too.

For the two nights I spent in London, I stayed at the Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel for just under $100 a night. I was upgraded to a deluxe room, which was small but plenty spacious for one person. The hotel did have spectacular runway views, and I got to see various aircraft taking off, including multiple Airbus A380s.

Flights 14 and 15: Scandinavian Airlines

The morning after my Virgin flight, I arrived back at the airport for a same-day round trip to Oslo Airport (OSL) aboard SAS Airbus A320neos. This was a last-minute addition to my itinerary since I had to make up for my Kenya Airways flight not earning credit. I had booked my ticket on Kenya Airways through Amex Travel and assumed that it would not be a basic economy fare since American Express doesn’t tend to sell those, but for some reason, that’s what I ended up with and there was no way to remedy it. So, off to Oslo I headed!

The security process at U.K. airports seems to have gotten much more efficient over the past year. I didn’t have to remove anything from my bags when I went through the checkpoint. Since I was just flying to Oslo and back for the day in order to prove I’d flown 15 SkyTeam carriers per the challenge conditions, I didn’t have any checked or carry-on luggage, just my backpack and laptop. Clearing security was an absolute breeze.

The outbound flight was full and I had a middle seat in the exit row, but a nice lady was kind enough to let me have the aisle seat so she could sit next to her partner.

The first flight was short and uneventful. There was no meal service, but there was a beverage service and a cart did come by with snacks and alcoholic beverages for purchase. If you booked an SAS Plus or Go fare, some snacks and drinks were included.

There was no inflight entertainment, but each seat did have a USB-A port to charge your devices. There was Wi-Fi, but once again, it wasn’t working on this flight. At this point, I began to wonder if it was just my luck on this trip.

The flight back to Heathrow was very similar to the first one, and I was on board the same A320neo that I’d flown earlier in the day.

The hourlong hop to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) was aboard an Air France Airbus A220-300, one of my favorite aircraft. I wish more U.S. airlines would add these to their fleets to replace their aging regional jets.

This A220 was equipped with USB-C outlets for charging devices. There was Wi-Fi, too, but since it was such a short flight, I didn’t check to see if it was working. There was also no meal or beverage service, though crew members do sometimes come through offering water and snacks on this route.

Flight 17: TAROM

TAROM is by far the smallest carrier in SkyTeam, with a fleet of just 18 aircraft and no long-haul flights in its network. As I mentioned earlier, my ticket was booked with Air France, so my bag was supposed to go all the way through to Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP). However, that did not happen, as it got left at CDG.

The flight was also delayed two hours and the Boeing 737-800 was showing its age.

Surprisingly, this was the first time I had flown on a 737 on this trip. Neither the inflight entertainment nor the power outlets worked, so the overall flight experience was less than stellar.

When I arrived in Bucharest, I had to file a missing baggage claim. Despite there being two more TAROM flights operating that day from Paris to Bucharest, the TAROM agent I spoke to claimed they couldn’t send the bag until the next day, and it wouldn’t get to me in time because I had a midday flight the next day and I would already be on my way to my next destination. So, I asked if they could have it delivered back to the U.S. instead. I’d just catch up with it a few days later at the end of my trip.

Luckily, I had a couple of changes of clothes and everything I needed for a day or two in my carry-on. I didn’t mind the imposition so much, as I would not have to check bags in Amsterdam and Madrid, some of the busiest airports along my journey, especially during the end of the year. What I thought would be a relief ended up being a nightmare, as it would take five days before I was reunited with my bag. Thankfully, I had one of my travel essentials, an AirTag, inside it.

I could see my suitcase going back and forth between Bucharest and Paris. After four days of not receiving it, I had to call the Air France and TAROM customer service lines and plead with them to just send my bag to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as I had originally asked. I’m still seeking compensation for the extra clothes and toiletries I had to purchase.

Despite my luggage issues, I was determined to enjoy Bucharest and spent Saturday afternoon exploring the beautiful city. I stayed at the Sheraton Bucharest Hotel, paying $81 for the night, and was even upgraded to a deluxe suite.

Flight 18: KLM

I arrived back at the airport late the next morning. The check-in lines were long, but that was to be expected just two days before the new year.

A KLM Boeing 737-800 was my ride this day for the three-hour flight to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).

The flight was fairly long, so there was a beverage service, with complimentary wine and beer offered, and everyone was given a cheese sandwich that was unfortunately bland and a dessert. There was also free working Wi-Fi on this flight, which was a major plus for me. The service on this flight was great, too, friendly and efficient while still leaving passengers in peace for the most part.

The only downside about this flight was the lack of legroom, especially when the passenger in front of me reclined their seat. Being 6 feet, 4 inches, legroom is always a major concern for me when flying, and these seats felt a little tight, though not much more than you’ll find on U.S. airlines in coach.

Once I landed in Amsterdam, I checked in for the penultimate flight on my journey, a two-hour trip down to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) aboard Air Europa. Check-in was seamless, and I was surprised at how short the lines were. I had some time to kill, so I went to the Aspire Lounge, which I had access to since it’s a part of Priority Pass. I enrolled for Priority Pass membership with The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, so I can access more than 1,600 lounges across the globe. It was a comfortable space, but the food options were scant.

Before I boarded the Air Europa Boeing 737, the gate staff told everyone that unless they had purchased priority boarding, all carry-on suitcases would have to be gate-checked because it was a full flight. Despite that, there was plenty of space in the overhead bins, and I ended up having to check my bag for what seemed like no reason.

The flight was pleasant and featured beverage service but no meal. The downside of this flight was again the legroom, which was severely lacking. Surprisingly, however, the seat was more comfortable than most thanks to extra padding.

I’ve flown Air Europa multiple times, and though it is a full-service airline and part of SkyTeam, it feels more like a low-cost carrier in some ways, such as the lack of meal service and other amenities. That said, the pricing is often quite good, and if you just need to get from one point to another, it can be a very good option.

When we landed in Madrid, it seemed as if we taxied for 20 minutes before we finally got to a remote gate, though once we were there, we were bused to the terminal and I was off to enjoy Madrid.

On the last morning of my trip, New Year’s Eve, no less, I arrived back at Madrid’s airport for the final flight of the journey, which would be aboard Aeromexico.

Before my flight, I stopped in the Sala VIP New lounge (T1), which I accessed with my Priority Pass membership via my Amex Business Platinum to grab some breakfast. The food spread was underwhelming, though there were both hot and cold dishes. However, the space was modern and clean and had two outdoor terraces that were great for plane-watching.

Unfortunately, I would be stuck in a middle seat for the 12-hour transatlantic flight to Mexico City International Airport (MEX) aboard one of the airline’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. There was one business-class seat that I tried to purchase an upgrade for, but it was unavailable for sale.

The seat was the least comfortable I had been in during the European portion of my trip due to the lack of padding and the 31 inches of pitch. That’s fairly standard, but given how narrow the seats felt and that I was stuck in the middle, it meant very little personal space for me.

About an hour into the flight, we were served our first meal. We had a choice of a beef or pasta dish served with a roll, an antipasto salad, cheese and crackers, and a brownie crumble cake. I opted for the beef dish, and it was quite good, sort of like a stew with green beans on the side.

All the alcoholic beverages — beer, wine, spirits and cocktails — were free. There was a menu of all the cocktails you could order affixed to the tray table and on the IFE screen. This was the first airline I’ve seen serve tequila in economy. The beverage cart came around multiple times throughout the flight.

I tried to get some sleep during the flight, but I couldn’t get a wink in my middle seat, unfortunately.

The IFE system had a USB-A port to charge my device and was snappy and responsive with a wide selection of movies and TV shows and even some live TV channels. I opted to watch the second season of “Squid Game” on my iPad.

There was also a neat feature that showed all the destinations Aeromexico flies to. There was Wi-Fi, but it didn’t work well — a theme of this trip, unfortunately.

About five hours into the flight, we were served another meal. There was a choice between a sandwich and a tortilla filled with potato and spinach, which I ended up choosing, and which was served with a salad and a brownie. This was the last meal service, and quite odd timing for it as the flight was not even half over.

This meal seemed better suited closer to arrival at Mexico City, and serving it later would have given passengers more time to rest. This flight seemed to go by quite slowly as I was restless but also exhausted from flying nonstop for seven days.

That said, at least the service on the flight was excellent, with friendly flight attendants passing through regularly to see if passengers needed anything.

When I landed in Mexico City, I was ecstatic as this daunting journey was officially complete, and I could take a break from flying for a few days.

Final reflections on the SAS EuroBonus challenge

After flying through so many time zones, it’s safe to say my sleep schedule was nonexistent, and I was running on fumes. All the early morning flights and late arrivals had really exhausted me. I flew more than 80 hours and 37,000 miles across the world in a short window of time, which is not for the faint of heart. Thankfully, I did get to spend some time in destinations that had been on my wish list and enjoyed some extended time in Asia before jumping into the sprint part of the challenge, where I was flying daily.

A few days after my round-the-world challenge was complete, I looked back on the experience and tried to pinpoint both a few highlights and some low points of the journey.

• Favorite meal: Bibimbap on Korean Air
• Least favorite meal: Tie between Xiamen Airlines’ breakfast porridge and KLM’s cheese sandwich
• Most comfortable economy seat: Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330
• Least comfortable economy seat: Tie between Air Europa Boeing 737-800 and Aeromexico Boeing 787
• Friendliest service: Garuda Indonesia, by a (frequent flyer) mile
• Least friendly service: TAROM
• Favorite airport: Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX)
• Least favorite airport: Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP)
• Longest flight: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Incheon International Airport (ICN), 12 hours and 25 minutes
• Shortest flight: Portland International Airport (PDX) to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), 42 minutes
• Largest airplane flown: Korean Air 777-300ER
• Smallest airplane flown: Air France Airbus A220-300

Most of my flights went smoothly, with no major delays or cancellations. The one major snafu was that Kenya Airways flight — a cornerstone of my itinerary — not being eligible to accrue points. Aside from that, all my flights have been posted to my SAS account, and I will be notified of the results by early February … when my 1 million SAS EuroBonus points will hopefully be deposited into my account.

Things I learned

Looking back, I learned a few lessons on this trip that should serve me well in case I undertake another round-the-world challenge (though it’ll be a minute!).

First, I would not suggest checking a bag, even if you have to go through multiple climates as I did. I could have saved myself hours at check-in counters and at baggage claim by doing carry-on only. If given the opportunity to do this again, I’d strategize about how to pack lighter and budget for some hotel laundry splurges.

When I was planning my routing, I thought starting in an easterly direction from the U.S. to Asia, on to Europe and back to the U.S. would be more efficient. However, traveling west instead would have been much more efficient, starting off in Portland and then heading to Mexico before Europe and Asia, and ending up back in the western U.S. For instance, flights from Seattle to Seoul are around 12 hours, whereas in the other direction flights are only around 10 hours.

The three SkyTeam airlines I couldn’t fly were Middle East Airlines, Aerolineas Argentinas and ITA Airways. The first and the latter were not eligible for the promotion — always be sure to read the fine print of any challenge you undertake so you know the rules inside and out.

I earned elite status and a haul of bonus points along the way. I started with 0 points in my SAS account as I hadn’t flown with SAS in more than two years, and now, not only will I get 1 million SAS EuroBonus points, but I earned more than 24,000 points from all the flights I took. That was enough to achieve Silver elite status with SAS, which will not expire until January 2027.

The biggest perk with Silver status is a 5% discount on award bookings, which, if utilized correctly, can almost get me another one-way business-class ticket to Europe. Additionally, I will receive an extra checked bag with SAS; 25% more bonus points; a 10% higher bid on SAS upgrades; priority boarding, check-in and customer service; and SkyPriority with an extra baggage allowance when flying on SkyTeam partners.

My Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card was my workhorse card for the majority of my travel and dining purchases. Putting all my trip costs on this card earned me a nice haul of one of the most valuable transferable currencies. This card also waives foreign transaction fees, so I wasn’t dinged with extra charges for making purchases while abroad.

Thanks for tagging along with me on this journey around the world. Hopefully, I’ll see my million points in my SAS account earlier than February so I can plan some trips during off-peak travel season to popular destinations. Once the million points are posted, I will write a post on how I plan to use them.

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