Growing up between Tokyo, New Zealand, and Canada, Star Alliance was simply the default. Air New Zealand, Air Canada, ANA — that was the world I knew. It wasn't until I returned to Japan and started working that I began thinking about building my own status, and discovered what was waiting on the other side with JAL and oneworld. This is the full story of my airline loyalty journey, from the status run year of 2018 through COVID extensions, re-qualifications, and a world tour built around oneworld emerald. Where it stands today, and where it's headed.

This trip report follows Cathay Pacific CX543 from Tokyo Haneda to Hong Kong, a route and airline that have become a familiar part of my travel over the years. Flown in economy in January 2026, the journey included an early-morning Haneda Terminal 3 routine, a quick stop at the JAL Sakura Lounge, a first visit to the Centurion Lounge, time at my favorite lounge in the terminal, Cathay Pacific’s own lounge, and then a straightforward five-hour flight to Hong Kong.

A slightly late but factual recap of my 2025 flying, pulled from my Flighty year review. The year totals: 48 flights, 157,505 km (3.9x around Earth), and 225 hours 47 minutes in the air across 25 airports, 12 airlines, and 20 countries and territories. I break down the longest sectors by distance and time, then look at which aircraft types defined the year, from an A330-300 workhorse year to an unexpectedly high amount of 777-200ER time. I also include a few flights that stood out: Emirates First Class (DXB–CAI), Qantas A380 (JNB–SYD), British Airways’ fifth freedom hop (EZE–GIG), and Cathay’s HKG–JFK, my longest flight of 2025.