Trip Reports - First (photo-only) trip report: SFO to CDG & HKG via UA F, TG F, LH 744 F & A380 F!

I went on my first ever international first class award in early May, and it was unforgettable. I have all of you wonderful people in the FT community to thank for sharing your wisdom throughout the many years I've been visiting this site. Just a few years ago I likely would've redeemed these miles for a direct SFO-HKG-SFO itinerary. I'm so glad I know better now. :D

I redeemed 290,000 United miles to book 2 F tickets (since I booked the award in Sept 2010), and my itinerary was as follows:

SFO-FRA (UA F)
FRA-CDG (LH C)
(stop)
CDG-BKK (TG 77W F)
BKK-HKG (TG F)
(dest)
HKG-FRA (LH F)
FRA-SFO (LH A380 F)

When I booked the FRA-SFO leg, it was on a 744, but at the beginning of the year Lufthansa announced that they were going to start A380 service on that route beginning May 10. I got incredibly lucky because my flight was scheduled for May 16 and there were no delays in rolling out the service. It was an incredible experience to be on that brand new plane in such a brand new cabin!

My travel companion is an avid photographer so these are his photos; I do, however, take credit for all the captions. :D The link I'm posting is the gallery of all of our flights; he also has other galleries posted of our time in Paris and Hong Kong, for those interested.

I hope you enjoy!

http://www.jasonwaltman.com/galleries/20110506-FirstClassFlying/

Wow, what amazing photos! Your travel companion has done a fantastic job and it looks like you both had a good time. It's great that you were able to share this experience.

LH F on the A380 looks very nice indeed, that bathroom is out of this world!

Let me add that the photos are exquisite, very professional indeed, especially those of the food. I guess that it helps having a nice, fast lens for this.
Your friend is very talented, I'm jealous ;)

Amazing photos. Thank you for the way trough the first classes ;-)

Love the photos, looks like a very exciting trip it was!

Great photographs and looks like a fantastic trip.

Brilliant, just brilliant. For sure you join the top 3 FT photo trip reports challange. ;)
Congrat!

Wonderful - many thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the trip report. The first seats on the A380 dont look like they offer any privacy?

Fantastic photos - really like your style of photography of the terminals.
Can I ask what camera do you have, and what editing software to you use?

Thanks for all of the kind messages, everyone! I'll be sure to pass them along.

Wow, what amazing photos! Your travel companion has done a fantastic job and it looks like you both had a good time. It's great that you were able to share this experience.

LH F on the A380 looks very nice indeed, that bathroom is out of this world!

Thanks so much, matthandy! Your BA trip report is amazing, by the way - new BA First looks fantastic.

The bathroom really was ridiculous! I couldn't believe there were 2 of them for just 8 of us. Having a urinal in there was awesome - and the sink also has an LED light attached to the faucet to let you visually know how hot/cold the water is before you get wet.

Brilliant, just brilliant. For sure you join the top 3 FT photo trip reports challange. ;)
Congrat!

Ooh a photo trip report challenge? :) How exciting! Thanks so much!

Thanks for the trip report. The first seats on the A380 dont look like they offer any privacy?

I actually preferred the LH A380 F seats to the TG 77W F suites with the sliding doors. It was probably my young TG crew that appeared to be being trained during our flight, but a lot of the time the FAs ignored when our doors were closed and we had the "Do Not Disturb" light on - they'd awkwardly pop their heads over our doors and ask: "Would you like something to drink?" It was odd.

I preferred having the more open space in the LH A380 F cabin - and I didn't feel like there was a lack of privacy because when we put up our electronic privacy sliders, we couldn't see anyone else in the cabin (except if they were getting up to walk to one of the restrooms).

Fantastic photos - really like your style of photography of the terminals.
Can I ask what camera do you have, and what editing software to you use?

Thanks! I'll pass your comments along - he has a Nikon D300S and uses a combination of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to edit photos.

Ive never liked the A380 from the outside but seeing everyone's first class experience, I might have to give the whale a shot.

Those pictures were absolutely incredible! Looks like you boys had an awesome time too! Can I say "slightly jealous" lol ^:D

looking forward to our 2nd F run no 380 yet but TG suites great pix

Great photos. Thanks for posting.

Great photos!

Very enjoyable and impressive report. You managed to make your photos look excellent and artful without coming across as pretentious which is very difficult. Thank you for sharing it!

Fantastic report. It really captured the feeling of being there, and makes me look forward to when I can get an F seat on the 380.

magnificent photography! I enjoyed this very very very much! Thank you for sharing...

Wow, great photos! I really enjoyed them. Thanks.

Wow, amazing photos...makes me almost reconsider my desire to do a TR of LH F on the A380 next month :p

Great photos! I am somewhat of a photo enthusiast myself and was wondering what lenses were used, but I saw that it was posted in the HK gallery, and it seemed like quite a bit of gear to carry. What sort of pack did you and and companion take along?

Wonderful report with some exquisite pictures in there. Thanks for sharing.

I also flew the ex-Jet Airways suite configured aircraft (on Turkish though, not Thai) and found the F cabin incredibly claustrophobic.

Great photos!

+1 ^

Fantastic photographing! Excellent quality ^

Great to see my two favorite F cabins (LH and TG) in such great detail ^

Beautiful pictures!!!

Fantastic pictures, great job!

first time i see the new LH F

Great pictures,
thanks for sharing,

Thanks again for all of the wonderfully kind comments! They're much appreciated.


Great photos! I am somewhat of a photo enthusiast myself and was wondering what lenses were used, but I saw that it was posted in the HK gallery, and it seemed like quite a bit of gear to carry. What sort of pack did you and and companion take along?

To answer your question, future elite - his camera bag is the "Think Tank Photo Retrospective 10" - more gear are listed in the "My Gear" portion of the website.

Wow, amazing photos...makes me almost reconsider my desire to do a TR of LH F on the A380 next month :p

Aww :) You should definitely do a TR! I don't think I've found another one out there on the interwebs, so I wanted to be able to share my experience...

Amazing pictures and looks like an amazing trip. How did you manage finding that trip. Did you book it on united.com ?

you guys are adorable. Congrats on snagging that A380 F!

Your photos are great! I just 'did' the LH747 from BKK-FRA in first, upper deck. Looked exactly like your photos. Did you each get the two seats side by side to yourself? I had two seats. The FA made up the window seat into a bed for sleeping, and the aisle seat was for sitting, reading, dining, etc. LOVE the Rimowa amenities kit!!! And the pajamas!!! Super!

But now I guess I want to try out the A380. I've said time and again that I really have no interest in flying that big huge bird, but maybe in first class I'd enjoy it.

Thanks for sharing.

What a wonderful trip. The photos are sensational. Thanks for posting!!

I redeemed 290,000 United miles to book 2 F tickets (since I booked the award in Sept 2010), and my itinerary was as follows:

http://www.jasonwaltman.com/galleries/20110506-FirstClassFlying/

How did you book this? Did you call UA and just see what was available, or did you use a search engine tool? I have lots of miles, but I find it hard to redeem them because I am not sure how to find these nice itineraries. Thank you!

Incredible!

(note to self: hire photographer to take photos for next flight for trip report....)

Amazing pictures and looks like an amazing trip. How did you manage finding that trip. Did you book it on united.com ?

How did you book this? Did you call UA and just see what was available, or did you use a search engine tool? I have lots of miles, but I find it hard to redeem them because I am not sure how to find these nice itineraries. Thank you!

I knew where I wanted to stopover and where my destination was going to be, so then I just used the ANA website to search segment by segment (it took me many days of searching, but I found it pretty fun to piece together different itineraries) - and then I called UA to book the whole itinerary. You can't book complex partner-award itineraries like this on United.com, so you need to call. I was a 1K at the time, so I was able to book a preliminary itinerary and then make changes for free once other flights opened up. Some changes (like date changes and maintaining the same routing) are free for all MP members.

There are many threads on FT on how best to maximize a United award - it's where I learned everything I know :)

you guys are adorable. Congrats on snagging that A380 F!

Aww thanks! :)

Your photos are great! I just 'did' the LH747 from BKK-FRA in first, upper deck. Looked exactly like your photos. Did you each get the two seats side by side to yourself?

But now I guess I want to try out the A380. I've said time and again that I really have no interest in flying that big huge bird, but maybe in first class I'd enjoy it.

Thanks!! Yep, we got 4 seats among the two of us - basically one entire row on the 747. But we only sat in the window seats for take-off and landing (to get the views) and then sat next to each other to chat and eat meals for the rest of the flight. You should definitely try the A380! As much as I love the 747, the A380 is an experience in itself.

What a wonderful trip. The photos are sensational. Thanks for posting!!

Thanks so much, SFO777! I'm such a huge fan of your trip reports - especially your recent CX experiences and that amazing Four Seasons Tented Resort you stayed at in Thailand. Extraordinary! I'm flying CX F for the first time this coming Thanksgiving, so I'm really looking forward to that. :)

Incredible!

(note to self: hire photographer to take photos for next flight for trip report....)

:)

Fabulous photos.

Thank you to you (or your travelling partner) for the shutter speed / film speed and aperture settings for the photos. It gives the aspiring photographers like us room to learn!!

Excellent trip report! So many good shots! Pretty jealous over here...

Thanks for sharing and the new LH A380 F looks superior. The fact that you guys are able to get a F award seat in A380 is amazing. The A380 is a beauty and the seafood bisque on your FRA to SFO flight looked delicious. All these superior F products really make your first UA 777 flight look inferior. LH is indeed an amazing airline when it comes to first class.

Look forward to the next trip report!

Carfield

Fantastic pictures.It sure looks like you really enjoyed it ( who wouldn't ? ) ;)
Have also been dying to try LH's A380 , but had to settle for Emirates F ( not at all bad...:) )

Thanks for posting - TR's with pictures is the best ^

Just came across this. Fantastic photos, particularly of the planes' interiors and of you guys grinning ear to ear!

Great photo's so a great TR! Keep them coming!

The airlines should give you two free tickets so that you continue submitting to TR's.

What a pleasure to see what you saw - the photo's are brilliant.

We're flying F in Dec to europe on BA and after looking at that A380 will it makes our cabin look.......

Happy travels

Great photos.
Thanks for posting.

Aw, thanks for all of the kind comments, everyone! I'm glad people are still enjoying the photos :)

The airlines should give you two free tickets so that you continue submitting to TR's.

What a pleasure to see what you saw - the photo's are brilliant.

We're flying F in Dec to europe on BA and after looking at that A380 will it makes our cabin look.......

Happy travels

Thanks, amaroo!! Enjoy your trip on BA F! I've never flown it before, so I look forward to your trip report :)

Aw, thanks for all of the kind comments, everyone! I'm glad people are still enjoying the photos :)

I've just come accross this as well - great pics - looks like you both made the best of it!!

Thanks!

Just stumbled upon this now. I really enjoyed it! Thanks.

Just stumbled upon this now. I really enjoyed it! Thanks.

Thanks!! As a long-time reader of your blog, your compliment means a lot :)

Awesome awesome pics. Cheers for posting!

Just came across this. Wonderful photos (and good explanatory captions as well). Thanks for sharing them!

I went on my first ever international first class award in early May, and it was unforgettable. I have all of you wonderful people in the FT community to thank for sharing your wisdom throughout the many years I've been visiting this site. Just a few years ago I likely would've redeemed these miles for a direct SFO-HKG-SFO itinerary. I'm so glad I know better now.

Hey jonman21, I am new to the FT community, and love traveling. Am I right in deducing from your comment (quote) that there are better ways to use FF points whereby you can select better routes than a direct trip. If so, can you point me to any specific threads that I can start to read about on this forum and maximize my travel opportunities. I recently did a BNE - HKG J on CX with points and am now wish I knew about this forum then. BTW I was not impressed with the herring bone CX J design.

Loved you photos, looked like a great trip.

Thanks in advance. :)

Wow. Great TR! I've read so many of these on these forums, but never felt compelled to post a compliment until now. I really got a sense of the entire trip experience and not just the product or amenities. Your partner is incredibly talented and takes beautiful photos! Looking forward to reading more in the future!

Great pictures. I'm deciding between several UWA lenses. After reading your post, 11-16 Tokina is definitely back up my list. Got to love the F/2.8.

I have a Think Tank Retrospective 10 and it's a great bag, but you couldn't have possibly gotten all your equipment in that! Which lenses did you take? The "latches" on the bag aren't particularly secure…no problems on that for such an adventure?

Awesome awesome pics. Cheers for posting!

Just came across this. Wonderful photos (and good explanatory captions as well). Thanks for sharing them!

slodki & Thunderroad - thanks for the sweet comments!

Hey jonman21, I am new to the FT community, and love traveling. Am I right in deducing from your comment (quote) that there are better ways to use FF points whereby you can select better routes than a direct trip. If so, can you point me to any specific threads that I can start to read about on this forum and maximize my travel opportunities. I recently did a BNE - HKG J on CX with points and am now wish I knew about this forum then. BTW I was not impressed with the herring bone CX J design.

Loved you photos, looked like a great trip.

Thanks in advance. :)

Hey ryamca, thanks for the compliment! And welcome to FT! Yeah, I can point you to some of my favorite blogs' posts that will give you a quick introduction on this phenomenon. :) These particular posts are specific to awards using UA miles, but if you do some Google searches you can find more information on award tickets using other airlines' miles.

I've never tried the CX J seat myself so I can't speak for that, but I definitely loved the CX F seat and experience (which I recently got to try in August).

Enjoy!
http://milevalue.com/how-to-book-free-stopovers-online-united-airlines/
http://thepointsguy.com/2011/07/maximizing-stopovers-transfers-and-open-jaw-ticketing-on-us-airways-awards-2/

Wow. Great TR! I've read so many of these on these forums, but never felt compelled to post a compliment until now. I really got a sense of the entire trip experience and not just the product or amenities. Your partner is incredibly talented and takes beautiful photos! Looking forward to reading more in the future!

Thanks so much, spikyone! Definitely flattered that we inspired you to post a reply :) We recently took a trip in August 2012 (SQ F, NH C, CX F) but the photos haven't been fully edited yet - will post when they're ready!

Great pictures. I'm deciding between several UWA lenses. After reading your post, 11-16 Tokina is definitely back up my list. Got to love the F/2.8.

010010, thanks! If you have a crop sensor camera, the 11-16 Tokina is a must-have!

I have a Think Tank Retrospective 10 and it's a great bag, but you couldn't have possibly gotten all your equipment in that! Which lenses did you take? The "latches" on the bag aren't particularly secure…no problems on that for such an adventure?

BrianMinn - nope, no problems with secureness using the velcro on the latches. Brought, along with the D300S body, these four lenses: 70-200 f2.8, 11-16 f/2.8, 17-55 f/2.8, and 35 f/1.8. They fit fine in the Think Tank Retro 10.

Great photos ... thank you!