End of an era

Returning home to New Jersey with Austrian Airlines in April 2008, the clock ticked over and I was upgraded to Star Alliance Gold with SAS. Since then, I have kept requalifying year after year, although I was granted the standard exemption during the pandemic. Over the years, I have traded SAS for BMI and BMI for Turkish Airlines, but the gold card has always been there, scoring me some incredible complimentary upgrades along the way, most recently on a transatlantic flight in April. But all good things must come to an end, and in four days my status with Turkish Airlines will expire once and for all.

As such, it felt fitting to mark the end of nearly two decades with a visit to the Star Alliance Lounge in Vienna and then the Senator Lounge in Frankfurt as William and I make our way back to Gothenburg.