2022 was quite a hectic year for travel with many airports being overwhelmed with the number of passengers while still being short staffed. It seemed everyone was traveling to Europe over the summer and businesses were making up for 2 lost years of in person meetings and conferences.
In the last quarter of 2021, I was upgraded on pretty much every domestic flight but as soon as 2022 started, I was regularly 15th or lower on the upgrade list. It was very clear this year that the top status tiers are overcrowded now so in my opinion, it's good news that the airlines will make achieving status more difficult next year.
The prices of flights also seemed to be a complete crapshoot - I took a trip to Portland, Oregon and the flights from Chicago were over $900 in cash! (Thankfully I got it with points). It would have been cheaper to fly to Europe.
My 2022 travel was up slightly from 2021 to 60,000 miles which consisted of a couple leusire trips to Europe and South America and some work travel to Minneapolis (only 334 miles each way)
2022 flights courtesy of MyFlightRadar24
Puerto Rico
Isla Verde Beach
Just a couple weeks into the new year, we were able to escape the Chicago cold to the warm beaches of Puerto Rico for a friend's wedding. We made sure to take advantage of the warmth as much as possible and spent as much time on the beach as we could.
As always, I also made sure to eat as much as possible including paletas, roast pig, and the most amazing whole red snapper (twice).
London
Neal's Yard
In May, Gwen had another work trip to London for a week so I decided to tag along again. We must have just beat the summer rush to Europe because I was able to get a cheap roundtrip ticket and my upgrades cleared both ways.
I also was able to use my free Hilton night at the Biltmore, an excellent hotel I've been wanting to stay at for a while.
During the mornings I went to a few attractions in London I haven't been to before like the British Museum and Neal's Yard pictured above and then worked in the afternoons/evenings.
We ended the trip with a dinner at Tamarind which I have been wanting to go back to since I was last there right before COVID.
Paris
Arc de Triomphe
Following our work week in London, we went to Paris for the weekend before flying home. We stayed 2 nights at the Prince de Galles, which instantly jumped into my top 5 favorite hotels I've ever stayed at.
Apart from a day trip to Versailles, we just strolled around the city drinking wine and eating baguettes.
New York
Brooklyn Bridge
In September, Gwen had a short work trip to New York. I was able to get tickets for 5,000 Delta miles each way and a room at the Andaz 5th Avenue with Hyatt points so I tagged along.
After work during the day Gwen had work events, so I entertained myself by eating pizza at L'Industrie and going around the city looking for good photo locations including this sunset shot of the Brooklyn Bridge from Pebble Beach. We also were able to squeeze in a dinner at Sushi Nakazawa and at Il Cortile in Little Italy during the Feast of San Gennaro.
Argentina
Isla Martillo
A two week trip to Argentina was our big trip in 2022 which I had booked many months in advance, but spent many hours re-arranging due to flight schedules constantly changing and canceling. The final itinerary might be one of my most impressive considering how many times I had to change it. The only negative was we had to change from Business to Economy on the way there, although we were able to keep our Business seats on the way back.
We spent 4 days in Mendoza drinking wine, eating steak and staying at one of the cheapest Park Hyatt's in the world using free night certificates and points.
The next 4 days we spent in Ushuaia exploring the "end of the world and relaxing in the evenings at the Arakur Ushuaia.
Our final 4 days we spent in the capital of Buenos Aires at the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires including a stop at Don Julio, one of the best steak restaurants in the world.
This was my first trip to South America and I loved every minute of it!
In Summary
Travel in 2022 picked up so quickly, many airlines and airports didn't have the staff to keep up.
Because the airlines made status much easier to earn and flight prices were so, the top-tier statuses are clearly overcrowded now.
I found locking in itineraries to be very difficult with the constantly changing flight schedules.