This trip was taken on January 2023. I originally had planned this Spain trip back in 2019 with flights, hotels, and activities booked for March 2020. Ultimately the trip did not pan out… for some reason. (get it? pan as in pandemic). I started the trip in Frankfurt. And followed it with a couple days in Madrid before arriving in Barcelona.
I took a United Airlines (UA) flight from SAN > EWR to reposition myself to fly JFK>FRA in Singapore Airlines (SQ) business class (J). I stayed overnight at an old friend’s apartment and had long overdue catch up with a couple high school friends. Shouts to Chris and David!).
I read SQ J is top tier and is one of the most common churner flights, so there isn’t much for me to say that others haven’t said. Customer service was great, offered champagne when I got to my seat, asked if I wanted a refill on any drinks I had any time it was low. I had shrimp wonton soup for dinner and seafood noodle right before arrival- both are the best airline food i’ve had. I was sad that they didn’t have an amenity kit. It was great experience and definitely lived up to the hype.
American Airlines (AA) J BCN-MIA was ok. SQ J definitely skewed my expectations. The plane was showing it’s age. Had the flank steak for dinner and it was bland. Go for the salmon, that seems to be what everyone ordered. I liked the little amenity pouch they gave. Also liked their snack cart that you have access to any time during the flight. The flight attendant informed me I finished their Glenlivet 12, oops.
AA First Class (F) MIA-SAN was ok. I was tired at this point and just wanted to get home. First time flying F domestic- the extra space was nice but don’t think it’s much of an upgrade. Don’t remember what I ate for dinner, but I do remember liking it more than the AA J. Real shitty part though was the bathroom got clogged 2hrs before arrival lol.
Stayed one night in Frankfurt. Arrived 10 am so i figured I could spend a day here, but really you only need a few hours. The b’mine airport hotel is nice though, would recommend it if you need to stay in FRA. There was a farmers market happening so I grabbed a curry wurst for breakfast, walked through Römerberg, took a picture of the Frankfurter Dom, and walked the Eiserner Steg. For dinner I ate a plate of bratwurst with sourkraut and washed it down with apfelwein. The time was about 1800 and decided I didn’t want to hangout at the hotel the rest of the night. I ended up going to a bar called Plateau to pool and spent like 2 hours there. There really isn’t anything to do in Frankfurt lol. Staying one night was a big regret, should’ve flown to Madrid the same evening as arrival. I really feel like I wasted a day on this trip.
| Travel Expense/ Redemption Item | Cash Price | Points Used | Cents per Point (CPP) | Out of Pocket Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN>EWR United Airlines X | $ 209.33 | 14,000 Krisflyer | 1.49 | $5.60 |
| JFK>FRA Singapore Airlines J | $1,554.00 | 81,000 Krisflyer | 1.92 | $5.60 |
| 1 night b’mine hotel Frankfurt Airport | €119.00 (+€70 for early check-in) | 22,400 Krisflyer | 0.53 | €70 |
| FRA>MAD Iberia X | $79.80 | n/a | n/a | $79.80 |
| Thompson Madrid | €1094.00 | 12,000 World of Hyatt + Cat 1-4 Certificate | 4.56 | $0 |
| 5 nights Hilton Barcelona | €608.00 | 108,000 Hilton Honors | 0.56 | $0 |
| BCN>MIA American Airlines J MIA>SAN American Airlines F | $6,570.00 | 110,000 Aadvantage | 5.97 | $42.88 |
Kicking Twigs 
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