My Current Solution to Qatar’s Aircraft Swaps on BKK-DOH

A couple of days ago I wrote about how I was a bit annoyed that Qatar Airways had yet again swapped their aircraft on the BKK-DOH flight that I was planning to take. I specifically booked a flight to fly the A380 in first class, then switched to a more inconvenient flight to stay on the A380 after they did an aircraft swap on the original flight I had booked, and then found out that they’re not flying the A380 on any of their BKK-DOH flights  on the day that I’m traveling.

I wasn’t sure exactly what to do, but I realized that 1) Qatar said they’re going to start flying their A380 to Guangzhou starting on July 1, 2016; and 2) China is still part of Asia 2 for American Airlines’ award chart. This means that I can fly BKK-CAN-DOH on one award and still get the chance to fly Qatar’s A380 in first class.

Space in first class on this new Guangzhou route appears plentiful, and I was also able to find space on a fifth-freedom route from BKK to CAN operated by Royal Jordanian to position for the flight. This does mean that my total routing from BKK to SEA is now pushing close to 3 full days, but I’m excited to try out three new airline products and two new first class lounges. Transiting Guangzhou probably won’t be tons of fun, but I’ll also get to check out the lounge offerings there.

Fingers crossed that Qatar won’t swap aircraft on me any more…