Sand Wedge
Mar 31, 02, 3:59 pm
Wednesday, March 27th
CO 472 COS – IAH
Scheduled Dearture: 11:40AM
Actual Departure: 12:20AM
Scheduled Arrival: 2:54PM
Actual Arrival: 3:07PM
Boeing 737-500
Seat: 2F
Arrived at the COS airport at 10:30AM. Shortly after checking in at the CO Elite line (staffed by NW/HP agents) an announcement was made that all personnel in the concourse (the only one in the COS airport) had to exit the concourse due to a security incident. I heard that the concourse was swept by security personnel and dogs as a result of a problem with an X ray machine. They resumed security screening at approximately 11:15. It took approximately 45 minutes to clear security. Of course I was selected for the up close and personal screening. Flight time to IAH was 1:45. A nice lunch of cream of mushroom soup and a reuben sandwich was served. To ease the pain from the delay I had a couple of Bloody Mary’s with lunch. First was 9/10 and coach appeared to be about two-thirds full. Stayed overnight at IAH at the airport Hampton. Functional room with an adequate continental breakfast.
CO 7 IAH – NRT
Scheduled Departure: 10:40AM
Actual Departure: 11:05AM
Scheduled Arrival: 3:54PM
Actual Arrival: 4:05PM
Boeing 777-200
Seat: 4L
Checked in at the International portion of IAH in Terminal C. Security was fast and painless. Checked email at the Terminal D Presidents Club over a cup of coffee. An announcement was made that changed the gate from D-9 to C-14. I arrived at the gate at 09:50 expecting boarding to be underway. It wasn’t and didn’t start until 10:15. It was either the first time they had boarded a 777 from that gate or a significant portion of the IAH CO ground staff were auditioning for positions with Ringling Brothers.
Once on board, the menus and amenity kits were distributed. Slippers were in the seat pocket, a nice touch on a 14 hour flight.
Approximately one hour after takeoff the meal service began. Here’s the transcript of the menu from the CO website.
TO BEGIN
Warm roasted nuts or Japanese snack mix
served with your preferred
cocktail or beverage
APPETIZER CART
Herbed and peppered smoked salmon loin
accompanied by creamy horseradish sauce
Assortment of sushi offered with wasabi and soy sauce
SALAD
Fresh garden greens
including romaine and Boston lettuce and radicchio
garnished with cucumber and tomato slices
Offered with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette
or buttermilk ranch dressing
Freshly baked bread
and assorted rolls with butter
EXECUTIVE MEAL OPTION
If you should prefer more time to work or relax,
we suggest this complete meal presented all at once,
whenever you wish.
Appetizer Salad
Fresh garden greens
including romaine and Boston lettuce and radicchio
garnished with cucumber and tomato slices,
topped with herbed and peppered smoked salmon loin
Offered with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette
or buttermilk ranch dressing
Entree
Please choose your main course
from the entree selections featured on this menu
Chocolate
MAIN COURSES
WESTERN CHOICES
The Chef's Selection
Grilled Sterling SilverTM New York sirloin steak
enhanced by morel mushroom sauce and roasted garlic,
accompanied by mashed potatoes with minced black truffle
Sautéed spinach with butter Grilled cherry tomatoes
Breast of Chicken
Breast of free-range chicken complemented by lemon butter sauce,
served with a ragoût of artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and capers
Toasted polenta Asparagus spears
Red Snapper
Fillet of snapper with a potato crust, accented by lemon herb sauce,
offered with char-grilled jumbo shrimp and sautéed plantain
Fine green bean, red bell pepper and carrot julienne
or
JAPANESE CHOICE
Bento Box
For those customers who prefer a Japanese meal,
we offer this selection featuring traditional specialties
served in a traditional bento box,
accompanied by a premium Japanese sake
Simmered duck
served with potatoes, snow peas and carrots
Eel and cucumber
Clear soup
Tofu presented with hijiki and inari
Fried eggplant with sesame sauce
Shrimp, scallops and chicken
Chilean sea bass saikyoyaki
Japanese pickles
Steamed white rice
FRUIT AND CHEESE
Select American and imported cheeses
accompanied by fresh seasonal fruit, assorted gourmet crackers and bread,
served with Port wine
DESSERT CART
Featuring Blue Bell® Homemade™ vanilla ice cream
offered with your choice of toppings
or warm fruit cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream
Freshly brewed Timothy's Custom Roasted Italian Blend Gourmet Coffee
Timothy's Verona Blend Decaffeinated Coffee
Selection of teas with a choice of milk or lemon Hot chocolate
Enjoy a cup of freshly brewed Timothy's Italian Blend Espresso or Cappuccino
available exclusively in BusinessFirst on our 777 and 767 aircraft.
*****
SKYSNACKSTM
A selection of light snacks and refreshments will be available.
*****
MID-FLIGHT REFRESHMENT
Tea sandwiches
Udon noodles with rice
Cherry almond tart
LIGHT MEAL
Will be offered prior to landing
Fresh seasonal fruit
Assorted breads including garlic bread,
croissants, cinnamon rolls and crusty rolls
with butter and strawberry preserves
Breakfast Pizza
Featuring sausage, egg and cheese,
enhanced by tomato concassée
Italian chicken sausage Grilled pork loin
Pasta Bowl
Ravioli filled with mushrooms and goat cheese
complemented by piquant eggplant arrabbiata sauce
with toasted pine nuts and pesto sauce
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese will be offered with your pasta
Japanese Choice
Egg cakes
offered with wasabi and cucumber
complemented by asari clam, lightly salted salmon,
spinach and red and white fish cakes
Clear soup Japanese pickles
Steamed white rice
*****
Chocolate
Freshly brewed Timothy's Custom Roasted Italian Blend Gourmet Coffee
Timothy's Verona Blend Decaffeinated Coffee
Selection of teas with a choice of milk or lemon Hot chocolate
Enjoy a cup of freshly brewed Timothy's Italian Blend Espresso or Cappuccino
available exclusively in BusinessFirst on our 777 and 767 aircraft.
I had the steak and it was your typical airline steak. A bit overcooked and a bit tough.
The light meal was served approximately two hours out of NRT. The breakfast pizza was terrible and CO should remove it from the menu.
Our routing to NRT took us over DFW, Liberal Kansas, Kearney Nebraska, Western Montana, and Anchorage Alaska. Being seated on the right side of the aircraft provided some stunning views of the beautiful Alaskan terrain.
My seatmate was a young Japanese man who lives in Pittsburgh and told me he makes two business trips per month to Tokyo in BF. He certainly doesn’t have any problems maintaining his Platinum status.
After landing at NRT, took the shuttle bus from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1. Spent a few minutes at the Azuma lounge and boarded the NW 747 200 for the flight to SIN. Had seat 87A upstairs. What wonderful seats. They recline almost flat, the leg rest is superior to the CO 777 and the pitch looks like 72”. A young Japanese attendant was serving the upper deck (11 of 12 seats filled). Her service was extraordinary in spite of her limited English. The meal service was as bad as I anticipated it would be. The choices for dinner were beef and a sweet and sour chicken. I selected the beef and it was without a doubt one of the worst meals I have experienced in a premium class. The meat was without flavor and very tough. I don’t recall how the potatoes were described on the menu, but they were basically mashed. As a rule, I don’t eat dessert (QL TM), but I did have the cheese, fruit, and cheesecake.
Prior to takeoff the captain indicated we would be in for a rough ride the first 45 to 60 minutes. So bad, that he instructed the flight attendants to remain in their seats until he released them. The captain’s predictions rang true. It was extremely turbulent for the first 60 to 75 minutes, but thankfully abated. Landed at SIN ten minutes late at 12:45AM. Breezed through immigrations and my priority tagged bag was among the first off loaded. Met my driver who took me to the Conrad Centennial. Check in was prompt and within 30 minutes I was fast asleep after a 27 hour travel day.
Met Dogstar, transpac, and mpc1 for dinner Saturday evening at the Boat Quay. They were on mileage runs to SIN. Had a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant on the waters edge. This was my first encounter with fellow FT’ers. I enjoyed meeting them and sharing dinner with them. Guys, I hope the upgrades cleared on your return flights.
Return trip report to follow.
CO 472 COS – IAH
Scheduled Dearture: 11:40AM
Actual Departure: 12:20AM
Scheduled Arrival: 2:54PM
Actual Arrival: 3:07PM
Boeing 737-500
Seat: 2F
Arrived at the COS airport at 10:30AM. Shortly after checking in at the CO Elite line (staffed by NW/HP agents) an announcement was made that all personnel in the concourse (the only one in the COS airport) had to exit the concourse due to a security incident. I heard that the concourse was swept by security personnel and dogs as a result of a problem with an X ray machine. They resumed security screening at approximately 11:15. It took approximately 45 minutes to clear security. Of course I was selected for the up close and personal screening. Flight time to IAH was 1:45. A nice lunch of cream of mushroom soup and a reuben sandwich was served. To ease the pain from the delay I had a couple of Bloody Mary’s with lunch. First was 9/10 and coach appeared to be about two-thirds full. Stayed overnight at IAH at the airport Hampton. Functional room with an adequate continental breakfast.
CO 7 IAH – NRT
Scheduled Departure: 10:40AM
Actual Departure: 11:05AM
Scheduled Arrival: 3:54PM
Actual Arrival: 4:05PM
Boeing 777-200
Seat: 4L
Checked in at the International portion of IAH in Terminal C. Security was fast and painless. Checked email at the Terminal D Presidents Club over a cup of coffee. An announcement was made that changed the gate from D-9 to C-14. I arrived at the gate at 09:50 expecting boarding to be underway. It wasn’t and didn’t start until 10:15. It was either the first time they had boarded a 777 from that gate or a significant portion of the IAH CO ground staff were auditioning for positions with Ringling Brothers.
Once on board, the menus and amenity kits were distributed. Slippers were in the seat pocket, a nice touch on a 14 hour flight.
Approximately one hour after takeoff the meal service began. Here’s the transcript of the menu from the CO website.
TO BEGIN
Warm roasted nuts or Japanese snack mix
served with your preferred
cocktail or beverage
APPETIZER CART
Herbed and peppered smoked salmon loin
accompanied by creamy horseradish sauce
Assortment of sushi offered with wasabi and soy sauce
SALAD
Fresh garden greens
including romaine and Boston lettuce and radicchio
garnished with cucumber and tomato slices
Offered with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette
or buttermilk ranch dressing
Freshly baked bread
and assorted rolls with butter
EXECUTIVE MEAL OPTION
If you should prefer more time to work or relax,
we suggest this complete meal presented all at once,
whenever you wish.
Appetizer Salad
Fresh garden greens
including romaine and Boston lettuce and radicchio
garnished with cucumber and tomato slices,
topped with herbed and peppered smoked salmon loin
Offered with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette
or buttermilk ranch dressing
Entree
Please choose your main course
from the entree selections featured on this menu
Chocolate
MAIN COURSES
WESTERN CHOICES
The Chef's Selection
Grilled Sterling SilverTM New York sirloin steak
enhanced by morel mushroom sauce and roasted garlic,
accompanied by mashed potatoes with minced black truffle
Sautéed spinach with butter Grilled cherry tomatoes
Breast of Chicken
Breast of free-range chicken complemented by lemon butter sauce,
served with a ragoût of artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and capers
Toasted polenta Asparagus spears
Red Snapper
Fillet of snapper with a potato crust, accented by lemon herb sauce,
offered with char-grilled jumbo shrimp and sautéed plantain
Fine green bean, red bell pepper and carrot julienne
or
JAPANESE CHOICE
Bento Box
For those customers who prefer a Japanese meal,
we offer this selection featuring traditional specialties
served in a traditional bento box,
accompanied by a premium Japanese sake
Simmered duck
served with potatoes, snow peas and carrots
Eel and cucumber
Clear soup
Tofu presented with hijiki and inari
Fried eggplant with sesame sauce
Shrimp, scallops and chicken
Chilean sea bass saikyoyaki
Japanese pickles
Steamed white rice
FRUIT AND CHEESE
Select American and imported cheeses
accompanied by fresh seasonal fruit, assorted gourmet crackers and bread,
served with Port wine
DESSERT CART
Featuring Blue Bell® Homemade™ vanilla ice cream
offered with your choice of toppings
or warm fruit cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream
Freshly brewed Timothy's Custom Roasted Italian Blend Gourmet Coffee
Timothy's Verona Blend Decaffeinated Coffee
Selection of teas with a choice of milk or lemon Hot chocolate
Enjoy a cup of freshly brewed Timothy's Italian Blend Espresso or Cappuccino
available exclusively in BusinessFirst on our 777 and 767 aircraft.
*****
SKYSNACKSTM
A selection of light snacks and refreshments will be available.
*****
MID-FLIGHT REFRESHMENT
Tea sandwiches
Udon noodles with rice
Cherry almond tart
LIGHT MEAL
Will be offered prior to landing
Fresh seasonal fruit
Assorted breads including garlic bread,
croissants, cinnamon rolls and crusty rolls
with butter and strawberry preserves
Breakfast Pizza
Featuring sausage, egg and cheese,
enhanced by tomato concassée
Italian chicken sausage Grilled pork loin
Pasta Bowl
Ravioli filled with mushrooms and goat cheese
complemented by piquant eggplant arrabbiata sauce
with toasted pine nuts and pesto sauce
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese will be offered with your pasta
Japanese Choice
Egg cakes
offered with wasabi and cucumber
complemented by asari clam, lightly salted salmon,
spinach and red and white fish cakes
Clear soup Japanese pickles
Steamed white rice
*****
Chocolate
Freshly brewed Timothy's Custom Roasted Italian Blend Gourmet Coffee
Timothy's Verona Blend Decaffeinated Coffee
Selection of teas with a choice of milk or lemon Hot chocolate
Enjoy a cup of freshly brewed Timothy's Italian Blend Espresso or Cappuccino
available exclusively in BusinessFirst on our 777 and 767 aircraft.
I had the steak and it was your typical airline steak. A bit overcooked and a bit tough.
The light meal was served approximately two hours out of NRT. The breakfast pizza was terrible and CO should remove it from the menu.
Our routing to NRT took us over DFW, Liberal Kansas, Kearney Nebraska, Western Montana, and Anchorage Alaska. Being seated on the right side of the aircraft provided some stunning views of the beautiful Alaskan terrain.
My seatmate was a young Japanese man who lives in Pittsburgh and told me he makes two business trips per month to Tokyo in BF. He certainly doesn’t have any problems maintaining his Platinum status.
After landing at NRT, took the shuttle bus from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1. Spent a few minutes at the Azuma lounge and boarded the NW 747 200 for the flight to SIN. Had seat 87A upstairs. What wonderful seats. They recline almost flat, the leg rest is superior to the CO 777 and the pitch looks like 72”. A young Japanese attendant was serving the upper deck (11 of 12 seats filled). Her service was extraordinary in spite of her limited English. The meal service was as bad as I anticipated it would be. The choices for dinner were beef and a sweet and sour chicken. I selected the beef and it was without a doubt one of the worst meals I have experienced in a premium class. The meat was without flavor and very tough. I don’t recall how the potatoes were described on the menu, but they were basically mashed. As a rule, I don’t eat dessert (QL TM), but I did have the cheese, fruit, and cheesecake.
Prior to takeoff the captain indicated we would be in for a rough ride the first 45 to 60 minutes. So bad, that he instructed the flight attendants to remain in their seats until he released them. The captain’s predictions rang true. It was extremely turbulent for the first 60 to 75 minutes, but thankfully abated. Landed at SIN ten minutes late at 12:45AM. Breezed through immigrations and my priority tagged bag was among the first off loaded. Met my driver who took me to the Conrad Centennial. Check in was prompt and within 30 minutes I was fast asleep after a 27 hour travel day.
Met Dogstar, transpac, and mpc1 for dinner Saturday evening at the Boat Quay. They were on mileage runs to SIN. Had a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant on the waters edge. This was my first encounter with fellow FT’ers. I enjoyed meeting them and sharing dinner with them. Guys, I hope the upgrades cleared on your return flights.
Return trip report to follow.