YVR Cockroach
Jun 28, 01, 5:49 pm
Summary: flight delays for unknown reasons and upgrade to FC due to a broken seatbelt.
27 June CX 889 JFK 2215 (actual 2355) YVR 0055 (actual 0210) 744
After meeting friends in Manhattan, I took the A train to Howard Beach which took long enough. Had to wait for the bus driver to finish a smoke before the shuttle would go to the terminals. When it did, he was racing through the LT parking lot before heading to JFK - I'll be glad when the billion dollar light rail is functional. I had to go to T1 to get my bag ($10/day) I had stowed there rather than drag it to CDG & AMS and then back. Fortunateloy, there was a inter-terminal shuttle bus outside when I went out again (there was another when I got off 2-3 minutes earlier and I figured with the bus drivers' union, I'd had to wait 30 minutes for the next one). I wasn't worried timewise as I'd checked the CX timetable and the incoming flight had gotten into and departed YVR some 2 hours late. Departure from JFK was to be at least an hour late.
Got to Terminal 7 and was duely checked in by BA staff. Went to the Terraces lounge. I am not sure if I like it better than the old one. Plenty of drinks available but not much in the way of snacks other than junk food. Secured a beach lounge chair and was rather irritated that the cushion kept sliding off. Also had a shower and noticed BA uses the same Moen(?) shower units used in LHR T4 lounges. You have to almost pull the teeth of the attendants to get any amenities out of them to use.
Boarding was eventually called just before 2300 and was nearly complete by then so one smply had to walk on.
The Broken Belt
After boarding, I got to my seat of 11A. Tried to fasten the belt but noticed that the friction device wasn't working and it'd just slide to the end. I notified an FA who called one of the "engineers" (i.e., mechanics). They had no spares and asked if there was spare seat. J was completely full so CX must have oversold Economy (there were at least 9 J/D and 3 F/A inventory seats available the day before). So the engineer said there were no spares and it'd have to wait until Vancouver and asked the CSD if there were any spare meals up front. There were so I was asked to move to seat 4A. Service was rather spotty as I had come up late. No menu was offered until after takeoff and when they had already taken my dinner order. No preflight drinks (other than the one I brought with me from the back) and I was given a BC amenity kit. They did take a post takeoff drink order at some point.
After takeoff, the FA came around to set up the table (couldn't figure out how to do it and wasn't in the mood to explore what the Betsy setup was at it had been 24 hrs since I left my hotel in AMS to checkin to fly to JFK) with the tablecloth, split egg porcelain pepper/salt shaker, dish of butter and 2 nice glasses for wine and water. The cutlery is set for each course and is of a nice heavy weight.
Menu:
I'm a bit confused what was actually available:
Oscietre Caviar
This was served from the trolley with a choice of chopped onions, egg whites, egg yolks, mayonnaise and melba toast and blinis. The half lemon was wrapped in mueslin cloth. No drink offered with the caviar.
Light Options of
Crab meat and sweet corn soup
Had this which was o.k. but a bit bland. FA did offer freshly ground pepper but it didn't work too well.
Teriyaki Chicken with caesar salad served with caesar dressing.
Main Courses
Medallions of veal with sauteed portabello mushroom cream sauce served with mashed red potatoes and seasonal vegetable parcels.
Had this which was two small veal medallions. The meat was overcooked and a bit tough.
Gnocchi with Chanterelle tomato sauce erved with Green Asparagus
Cheese selection:
4 choices: had a chevre and a brie filled with some unknown/unidentified substance - served with crackers, apple wedges, red and wine grapes and vegetables - port offered which I declined.
Dessert:
New York Style cheesecake served with strawberry sauce
Had this with decaf coffee which was served on it's own little tray with a little coffee pot full, evaporated milk (this is the preferred creamer in east asia) and sachets of brown sugar in its own container.
Wines:
I'm not all the impressed by CX's wine selection. Offerings seem to be the same as BA's FC but there's one less of red and white (3 reds and 2 whites - no dessert wine).
The wines on the list were Krug Grande Cuvee champagne, Chateau Lynch-Bages 1988 (Pauillac), Chateau Sainte Michelle Columbia Valley Merlot 1996, Gevrey Chambertin La Justice 1995, Dry Creek Reserve Chardonnay Sonoma 1998 and Louis Max Chablis Grand Cru 1996.
The FA offered me a duvet after the meal which is supposed to cover you rather than to sleep on like on BA. I slept on mine and was fast out until the announcement was made for landing at YVR.
Got out of the a/c quickly but still had to wait for the bags that took just about 15-20 minutes. Had a quick secondary inspection as I had come from the Netherlands with my bags being x-rayed for food.
I'm not sure how much I like CX's FC product over BA's sample of one vs. sample of 6. There are plusses and minuses in both but I give the nod to BA's for now.
27 June CX 889 JFK 2215 (actual 2355) YVR 0055 (actual 0210) 744
After meeting friends in Manhattan, I took the A train to Howard Beach which took long enough. Had to wait for the bus driver to finish a smoke before the shuttle would go to the terminals. When it did, he was racing through the LT parking lot before heading to JFK - I'll be glad when the billion dollar light rail is functional. I had to go to T1 to get my bag ($10/day) I had stowed there rather than drag it to CDG & AMS and then back. Fortunateloy, there was a inter-terminal shuttle bus outside when I went out again (there was another when I got off 2-3 minutes earlier and I figured with the bus drivers' union, I'd had to wait 30 minutes for the next one). I wasn't worried timewise as I'd checked the CX timetable and the incoming flight had gotten into and departed YVR some 2 hours late. Departure from JFK was to be at least an hour late.
Got to Terminal 7 and was duely checked in by BA staff. Went to the Terraces lounge. I am not sure if I like it better than the old one. Plenty of drinks available but not much in the way of snacks other than junk food. Secured a beach lounge chair and was rather irritated that the cushion kept sliding off. Also had a shower and noticed BA uses the same Moen(?) shower units used in LHR T4 lounges. You have to almost pull the teeth of the attendants to get any amenities out of them to use.
Boarding was eventually called just before 2300 and was nearly complete by then so one smply had to walk on.
The Broken Belt
After boarding, I got to my seat of 11A. Tried to fasten the belt but noticed that the friction device wasn't working and it'd just slide to the end. I notified an FA who called one of the "engineers" (i.e., mechanics). They had no spares and asked if there was spare seat. J was completely full so CX must have oversold Economy (there were at least 9 J/D and 3 F/A inventory seats available the day before). So the engineer said there were no spares and it'd have to wait until Vancouver and asked the CSD if there were any spare meals up front. There were so I was asked to move to seat 4A. Service was rather spotty as I had come up late. No menu was offered until after takeoff and when they had already taken my dinner order. No preflight drinks (other than the one I brought with me from the back) and I was given a BC amenity kit. They did take a post takeoff drink order at some point.
After takeoff, the FA came around to set up the table (couldn't figure out how to do it and wasn't in the mood to explore what the Betsy setup was at it had been 24 hrs since I left my hotel in AMS to checkin to fly to JFK) with the tablecloth, split egg porcelain pepper/salt shaker, dish of butter and 2 nice glasses for wine and water. The cutlery is set for each course and is of a nice heavy weight.
Menu:
I'm a bit confused what was actually available:
Oscietre Caviar
This was served from the trolley with a choice of chopped onions, egg whites, egg yolks, mayonnaise and melba toast and blinis. The half lemon was wrapped in mueslin cloth. No drink offered with the caviar.
Light Options of
Crab meat and sweet corn soup
Had this which was o.k. but a bit bland. FA did offer freshly ground pepper but it didn't work too well.
Teriyaki Chicken with caesar salad served with caesar dressing.
Main Courses
Medallions of veal with sauteed portabello mushroom cream sauce served with mashed red potatoes and seasonal vegetable parcels.
Had this which was two small veal medallions. The meat was overcooked and a bit tough.
Gnocchi with Chanterelle tomato sauce erved with Green Asparagus
Cheese selection:
4 choices: had a chevre and a brie filled with some unknown/unidentified substance - served with crackers, apple wedges, red and wine grapes and vegetables - port offered which I declined.
Dessert:
New York Style cheesecake served with strawberry sauce
Had this with decaf coffee which was served on it's own little tray with a little coffee pot full, evaporated milk (this is the preferred creamer in east asia) and sachets of brown sugar in its own container.
Wines:
I'm not all the impressed by CX's wine selection. Offerings seem to be the same as BA's FC but there's one less of red and white (3 reds and 2 whites - no dessert wine).
The wines on the list were Krug Grande Cuvee champagne, Chateau Lynch-Bages 1988 (Pauillac), Chateau Sainte Michelle Columbia Valley Merlot 1996, Gevrey Chambertin La Justice 1995, Dry Creek Reserve Chardonnay Sonoma 1998 and Louis Max Chablis Grand Cru 1996.
The FA offered me a duvet after the meal which is supposed to cover you rather than to sleep on like on BA. I slept on mine and was fast out until the announcement was made for landing at YVR.
Got out of the a/c quickly but still had to wait for the bags that took just about 15-20 minutes. Had a quick secondary inspection as I had come from the Netherlands with my bags being x-rayed for food.
I'm not sure how much I like CX's FC product over BA's sample of one vs. sample of 6. There are plusses and minuses in both but I give the nod to BA's for now.