Trip Reports - U.S. to Asia (mostly CX First, in installments)

BOS-YYZ AA #4746 Y
YYZ-HKG (w. stop in ANC) CX #829F
HKG-TPE CX #406 F
TPE-KIX BR #2132 Y
KIX-NRT (not yet known)
NRT-HKG CX #521 F
HKG-LAX CX #880 F
LAX-BOS AA #222 P


6/22 3:15 PM AA (Eagle) #4746 BOS-YYZ Y ERJ-135
Well, not a good start…but it could have been worse. They couldn’t get the bathroom door on our intended plane closed and had to switch us to another. We departed one hour late, all-in-all not too bad. I’m not enjoying my seat in the Embraer but I tell myself that this will make me appreciate my CX flight all the more. I spent an hour in the Flagship Lounge in Boston before this flight…nice and empty unlike the usual evening periods I’m there with all my fellow LHR/CDG/LAX passengers.

AFTERNOON MEAL:
WINE
(none)

APPETIZER
(none)

LIGHT OPTION
(none)

MAIN COURSE
Pretzels or Harvest Whole Grain Energy Bar (new one for me, not bad!)

SNACK SELECTION
(none)
CHEESE SELECTION
(non)

DESSERT
(none)


6/22 11:30 PM CX #829 YYZ-HKG F A340 (Anchorage leg)
Well, this is the last time I connect through Toronto! I was disappointed to see that I had to clear immigration and then make may way through security again to get to my gates. I don’t know if this is usual but it took my 75 minutes to get through security and over to the BA lounge. They only had three checkpoints and were working very slowly. People were crammed in like cattle trying to get to the checkpoints and many were late for their flights. The security personnel didn’t know what to make of my CX ticket/boarding pass on AA stock. There was no gate printed on it and multiple personnel had to be consulted to ok me. This was worse than any of the security situations I saw last fall and I wasn’t even going through check-in in Toronto (got checked in at Boston). On top of that, I had to deal with a 5.5 hour layover that couldn’t be avoided. I guess all this is the price of getting the cheaper CX YYZ gateway rather than the more expensive U.S. ones, but next time I will think twice before subjecting myself to this. Anyways, I was thinking of going into Toronto for a few hours but I decided to plant myself in the BA lounge and get all my work done so that I could totally relax on the CX flights.

Everything about CX F class lived up to its billing. The CX Studio system worked perfectly, the problems some people had about disturbances from J class in the A340 did not come to pass, the sleeper seats were MUCH MORE comfortable than the cocoon sleepers I’ve had on AA’s 777s, and the service was perfect – not too intrusive but completely attentive. I had dinner, saw a movie, and took a short nap. The food was excellent, ordered “a la carte” and served whenever I pleased. My only minor complaint is that there is generally only one F class bathroom available and it is on the right side of the plane. People (like me) sitting on the left side had to cut through the galley to access it. There is a second bathroom up further on the left near the cockpit but access is generally not allowed. The FA's were good, however, about letting me use it when the primary bathroom was occupied. Future advice to other travelers on CX's A340 F class would be to sit on the right side of the plane.

APPETIZER
Iranian Sevruga Caviar and Fine Smoked Salmon served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche

LIGHT OPTION
Mushroom Asparagus Soup
Teriyaki Chicken with Caesar Salad served with Caeser Dressing

MAIN COURSES
Medallions of Veal with Sauteed Portabello Mushroom Cream Sauce werved with Mashed Red Potatoes and Seasonal Parcels.
Rigatoni with Spicy Grilled Tomato Saude


CHINESE FAVOURITES
Steam Cod with Preserved Vegetables served with Egg Fried Rice and Stir-fried Pak Choy
Noodles with Wonton and Shui Gaw in Soup
Cantonese Style Chicken and Abalone Congee
Hot Pot Rice with Daily Soup
Lo-hon Vegetables with Bean Curd served with Steamed Rice

SNACK SELECTION
Vegetable Pizza
Smoled Salmon, Prosciutto with Melon orn Zucchini Parmigiana

CHEESE SELECTION
ICE CREAM
PRALINES AND COOKIES


I was awoken by the announcement of our approach to Anchorage – another problem with the YYZ gateway…I thought. But then I opened my shade and was greeted with a spectacular moonlit view of snow-capped mountains seemingly just feet below me! With the 2:00 AM Alaska June twilight, I have to say this was the most beautiful approach I have witnessed (followed by a sunset approach from the south over Boston harbor – not that I’m biased!). (Aside: this is probably a good subject for a new thread. What is the most beautiful/spectacular/interesting approaches in the world?)

Anyways, despite being annoyed at being awoken, I actually found the stop in Anchorage a welcome break to stretch my legs. They got everybody off the plane and through a passport checkpoint right outside the gate (a post-9/11 item I believe). We were then free to roam the surprisingly populated concourse (it was 2:30 AM local time!). I was told they get four flights a night so the duty free shops were open (do people never tire of shopping these places?) as was the snack bar. I didn’t check for a lounge as I was sure it would be closed.

More, later....

6/22 11:30 PM CX #829 YYZ-HKG F A340 (Hong Kong leg)
Nothing additional to say about this leg other than to note CX’s continued great service. I slept about 6 hours on this flight, watch a couple movies and had breakfast. I am a little disappointed in myself to note that on my second flight in CX F, I have already become a little jaded and am thinking that this level of service and accommodations is “normal”. The thought occurs to me that the space taken up by my first class seat is probably the equivalent of at least eight economy seats (4 “window lengths” times 2 across). This quickly revives my appreciation of this experience! Breakfast (served at my selected time) revived my appreciation too. Getting REAL toast and freshly made eggs is simply a treat that I have never had on an airplane. Yes, having this at my kitchen table would be no big deal but for some reason, it tasted 10 times better getting it 30K feet above the Pacific!

BREAKFAST

JUICES
Fresh Orange Juice, V-8 Vegetable Juice or Strawberry Smoothie Drink
Fresh Seasonal Fruits
Rasin Bran, Corn Flakes, or Rice Crispies
Low Fat Fruit Yoghurt

BREAKFAST DISHES
Freshly Made Eggs: Fried, Scrambled, or Boiled
Broccoli and Chees Egg Tart
Assorted Chinese Dim Sum, Pan Fried Turnip Cake served with Soya Sauce

ACCOMPANIMENTS
Grilled Canadian Ham, Turkey Sausage Patty, Hash Brown Potatoes, Grilled Tomato and Broiled Mushrooms

FROM THE BAKERY
Croissants, Muffins, Begels, Bread Rolls, and Fresh Toast served with Preserves, Honey, and Butter

A major highlight of this trip so far is my visit to the Wing after the flight. We arrived approx. 6:00 AM and I proceeding straight to a Cabana. What a treat! Perhaps my fellow CX world travelers who have been here several times will get a kick out the comments of a newbie like me but this alone justified my decision to take the CX route to TPE with the extra connection and all rather than an AA/EVA combo through NRT or SFO.

I’m not usually a bath guy but that deep tub drew my right in! After the long flights and connections, I spoiled myself with a bubble bath and sank! Accompanied by Bach/Handel/or something soothing, soaking in that tub with a cool soda in my hand, I became completely rejuvenated. I then spent an hour overlooking the “river” on the lounge chair, surfed the web a bit on the wireless connection, and then got dressed and headed out to explore. HKG airport was nice but I was a little disappointed to see the same retail outlets we are now seeing in every airport in the world. I took a stroll down to the other end of the airport (intentionally avoiding the tram to stretch my legs a bit) to check out the Pier.

The Pier was also a great place. I check out a day-break room for about an hour to compare with the Cabana. This is smaller than the cabana but is perfect for its intended use – a day-break. No bath facilities but this is a private room with a lounge chair, an LCD TV on the wall in front of me, and an touchscreen control panel at my left. The menu items on the control panel are as follows: Service (drinks, food, etc), lighting adjustment, air conditioning adjustment, blind open/close, alarm , TV on, TV channel, and TV volume. And, of course, a wireless internet connection that I had no trouble using. After my (second!) rest, I went over to the Pier restaurant and had some very tasty dim sum and croissants. Now, it’s off to my last leg today to TPE...(it's now Monday morning local time...I left Boston Saturday afternoon!)

6/24 11:30 AM CX #406 HKG-TPE F A340
This is a short flight (1:15) but with the same accommodations as the long-haul YYZ-HKG flight. The FA’s promptly tried to ply me with food but I had had enough! They came right up to the edge of being too intrusive on their offers of food but backed off when they perceived I just want to relax and be left alone. They adapted well to my attitude however bringing me simply a glass of ice water and a bowl of fruit. This I welcomed. For this hour, I just reclined back and relaxed watching an old episode of Friends (yes, I admit it!) on the Studio system. We then landed promptly and I was off to my hotel. Next will be my economy flight on EVA from TPE to KIX. This will be an interesting contrast I think!

APPETIZER
Chicken Roulade and Marinated Prawns with Mango Salsa

MAIN COURSES
Lobster and Salmon with Lobster Sause
Braised Beef Brisket in Hunan Style

ACCOMPANIMENTS
Boiled Potatoes with Parsley, Steamed Rice, Mixed Vegetables, Fresh Seasonal Vegetables

DESSERT
Baked Ricotta Cheesecake served with Raspberry Sauce

BREAD BASKET
Assorteed Bread and Rolls

After your wonderful report, I truly miss CX. Last time I flew them was last year. Oh well...,..

That layover in YYZ is really inconvenient, isn't it? You'd think AA could throw us a bone and put in a 8pm or 9pm flight from somewhere in the eastern half of the US.

Glad you enjoyed the CX First experience. It's also one of my favorites.

It wasn't really the length of the layover Plato90s, it was the difficulty in simply getting from my in-bound American Eagle flight over through Immigration and through Security and over to the lounge/gate. If I could simply step of the plane and walk over to the lounge, the ~4 hour layover would have been tolerable!

[This message has been edited by RKDuke (edited 06-25-2002).]

Sometimes I wake up dreaming aboput CX FC!

Great reports. Any wine lists?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RKDuke:
It wasn't really the length of the layover Plato90s, it was the difficulty in simply getting from my in-bound American Eagle flight over through Immigration and through Security and over to the lounge/gate. If I could simply step of the plane and walk over to the lounge, the ~4 hour layover would have been tolerable!

[This message has been edited by RKDuke (edited 06-25-2002).]</font>

You're coming to CANADA. It's another country.

geo1004: sorry, I didn't keep the wine lists. I'll get the ones from my remaining CX flights posted later in this thread.

Guy Betsy: Canada is another country? Connecting through HKG or NRT or just about any other major international gateway does not involve the difficulties that connecting through YYZ involved. I suppose this is simply and indication that YYZ is more of a destination that a connection hub....

These reports have me feverishly collecting AA miles for another CX FC trip to BKK next year, when I have yet to complete my first R/T this Dec.

The Flights and the right lounges might be becoming more important then the destination, as it is to so many on Flyertalk. Hence, the Mileage Runs, which I am avoiding without taking a few days to enjoy the favored destinations.

CX will be a delightful contrast to NW for the annualLAX-BKK Holiday trip.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by geo1004:
Sometimes I wake up dreaming aboput CX FC!

Great reports. Any wine lists?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif</font>
Wine list from CX F:
1. Deutz 1995
2. Lynch Bages 1993
3. Gevrey Chambertin La Justice 1995
4. Taylor's St. Andrew Shiraz 1998
5. Henry Bouachon St. Joseph Roquebrusanne 1998
6. Louix Max Chablis Grand Cru 1996
7. Voyager Estate Margaret River Chardonnay 1999
Ramos Pinto Port (disappointing) and Hennessy XO (makes up for the port).
The Lynch Bages is superb but too young to drink. The Voyager Estate is an incredible wine (in fact Margaret River area is great!).

Business class list:
1. Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne
2. Louix Max Pouilly Vinzelles 1996
3. McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Chardonnay 2000
4. Mondavi Chardonnay 1997
5. Mecurey Domaine La Marche 1998
6. Chateau Fourcas Hosten, Medoc Listrac 1998
7. Dow LBV 1994

Overall an excellent wine list, well chosen with lots of scope and depth. The Deutz and Lynch-Bages are over USD 100 per bottle, so CX is not skimping on the wine budget (like some airlines). List changes monthly but the Deutz and Lynch-Bages are CX staples (thank goodness).

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RKDuke:

Guy Betsy: Canada is another country? Connecting through HKG or NRT or just about any other major international gateway does not involve the difficulties that connecting through YYZ involved. I suppose this is simply and indication that YYZ is more of a destination that a connection hub....</font>

Sure Canada is another country. Japan and Hong Kong didn't have a 9-11 accident happened on or near them, which means security is arguably slightly less on the minds of people. Of course, they also don't have the threat of dirty bombs or anthrax everyday or two. A friend from Japan visiting us last month was totally puzzled why his camera (battery is dead) is considered a potential lethal weapon that the security absolutely won't let him pass for a domestic Montreal-Vancouver flight with that camera. He had to go back to the check-in counter and check that as a luggage or forfeit the camera. Had this happened in Asia, after some quick checks, they most likely will let you through, maybe causing less delays but more risky IMO.

I agree connecting through YYZ from the USA or other non-Canadian airports can be a hassle - but it all depends on the time of your arrival. Sometimes it's like a zoo but very often, it makes you understand why on average there is less than 3 people per KM square of inhabitants in Canada. In any case, Toronto by all definition is not a "destination" airport - unless, they somehow manage to win the bid for a Summer Olympic Games as they so desire. For your info, Toronto, is the 2nd or 3rd largest Star-Alliance Hub in North America. A hub is made for connections. If I can change one thing, I wish all pax connecting through Canada to go to a non-Canadian destination (e.g. LHR-YYZ-LAS or BOS-YYZ-NRT) do not have to clear the Canadian customs as they are simply connecting, not entering Canada. This is logical but not doable at this time due to the way the airport is designed.

YYZ has always been like that, as people who live there can tell you. There has never been a sterile transit area, the way that most major airports do.

So it's not a reaction to 9/11.

Thanks number-6!

With that wine list they might have a hard time getting me off the plane http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by number_6:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by geo1004:
[b]Sometimes I wake up dreaming aboput CX FC!

Great reports. Any wine lists?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif</font>
Wine list from CX F:
1. Deutz 1995
2. Lynch Bages 1993
...Overall an excellent wine list, well chosen with lots of scope and depth. The Deutz and Lynch-Bages are over USD 100 per bottle, so CX is not skimping on the wine budget (like some airlines). List changes monthly but the Deutz and Lynch-Bages are CX staples (thank goodness).

number_6:
Glad to discover another fan of Deutz! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif But I'm curious ... at over US$100/bottle, can I presume that you are referring to either the 1995 "Amour de Deutz" or the 1995 "Cuvée William Deutz"? Deutz's two other 1995 cuvées should sell for about half as much.

(edited to correct problem in quoting previous post)

[This message has been edited by bbinchi (edited 06-25-2002).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Glad to discover another fan of Deutz! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif But I'm curious ... at over US$100/bottle, can I presume that you are referring to either the 1995 "Amour de Deutz" or the 1995 "Cuvée William Deutz"? Deutz's two other 1995 cuvées should sell for about half as much.
</font>
Yes, CX does serve the Cuvee William Deutz (it alternates with Krug, which I also love dearly). CX keeps a great wine cellar, including some excellent "cheaper" wines. In fact their Australian wine selections are superior to QF's!

[This message has been edited by number_6 (edited 06-26-2002).]

[This message has been edited by number_6 (edited 06-26-2002).]

Royal Hsinchu Hotel – Checkout Experience and EVA flight:
Before I comment on this surprisingly fine flight this morning, I’d like to take a minute to describe my experience this morning at my hotel. I had not intended to discuss my hotel stays in these reports as I think they are generally not of as high an interest as the flights. Nevertheless, this morning’s experience at the Royal Hsinchu Hotel is something I’d like to describe as it represents, I believe, an extremely high level of service that I rarely encounter – certainly not in the U.S.!

This experience may sound trivial to many, but my fellow road warriors know that it is often the very small, seemingly-trivial details that take on greater importance on a long road-trip. What happened this morning was as follows. I got off of the elevator in the hotel lobby at 5:40 AM to checkout and catch a reserved 6:00 car to the airport. I had taken no more than one step out of the elevator when a bellhop offered to take my luggage and hold it for me by the hotel entrance. It occurred to me later to wonder how the bellhop happened to be right outside the elevator so quickly. The answer is that he must have been primed and triggered by the elevator bell before the doors opened. Big deal one might say as I would certainly be happy to roll my own luggage out to the entrance. No, this took on more of a symbolic significance to me as I was impressed that the bellhop operated in this fashion – at 5:40 AM for that matter!

I then checked out with the clerk and knowing that the restaurant didn’t open until 6:00, I asked if any coffee was available (fully expecting a very sincere apology but a “no”). Instead, the clerk picked up the phone and called up to the staff opening up the restaurant and asked them to bring down some coffee. I had a seat and within 3 minutes, a waiter came down the stairs with an excellent cup of coffee – no charge and no tip expectations. This was then topped off when the bellhop returned with an English newspaper for me to read while I drank my coffee and waited for the airport car to show up. I noticed that this newspaper had a sticker on it with my name and room number meaning it would have been the one they hung on my door if I had not been checking out so early. This also impressed me as it means that the bellhop took the trouble to find out my name and to locate my newspaper – all without being asked.

Now I realize all this stuff may sound like not a big deal but it was too me this morning. Instead of checking out, having to wait another hour until I could get coffee at the airport, and having a 15 minutes wait in the lobby staring at the wall, I had coffee served too me at a table with a newspaper as well. This was a case of what marketing people like to call “delighting the customer” by going beyond all expectations but is something that I find is very rare. I was very impressed by all this and do not think this would happen in 99% of the hotels in the U.S.

TPE-KIX BR #2132 Y 767
As I was flying coach on this non-oneworld airlines, I did not have lounge access. This turned out fine as I stopped in a café in the terminal and had very excellent wonton noodle soup while I watched the crowd. Something I found interesting was a group of Americans of Asian descent trying to figure out what the various food selections were, struggling to order the right things, and clearly not feeling comfortable in their foreign surroundings. I found this an interesting commentary on how our world is shrinking with a high level of cross-cultural/geographic interaction. A good thing I think.

It also occurred to me that it was good to get out from the lounges for a change and back into the “mainstream”. I think sometimes us business travelers become too sheltered as we travel in our premium class cabins, check-in in premium-level lines, and spend our times in airport lounges. On the other hand, us business travelers are traveling to do business, not to sight-see! So, I suppose I could debate either side of this issue. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my 90 minutes out the “real world” this morning and was glad I didn’t hole myself up a lounge (although I will be right back at the Wing/Pier upon my return flight through HKG)!

OK, now about this flight. I had no idea what to expect as I have never flown EVA Air before, I was flying in coach, and was bracing myself for a less comfortable experience after my CX F flights. I am glad to say that I found this flight very pleasant! The seating was very comfortable – I couldn’t be sure but the seat pitch seemed similar to AA’s MRTC. Also (again I’m not sure) my impression was that the seat had more cushioning than the AA seats. I got a quick glance at the Business section on my way back to coach (it was empty by the way). It looked similar to AA’s domestic F class as far as I could tell. No personal video screens but simply larger seats and more space.

As far as I could tell, I was the only Westerner on this flight. The announcements were done in Mandarin as well as English and the FA’s were very attentive and courteous. The meal was a little bit of an adventure but that is part of traveling abroad that I like. The menu is below. The food was pretty good, comparable I think to AA international coach. The usual host of beverages were served along with wine.

All-in-all, I would compare this flight in coach to be similar to AA’s international coach service – not a bad standard I think and better IMHO than international BA/LH/SWISS coach offerings I’ve experienced with the major difference being the decent coach seating. On a two hour flight like this one, I would not hesitate to fly EVA again in coach (no AA miles however!).

Next up for me is a couple days in Osaka followed by a flight to Tokyo that has been booked for me already (don’t know the details yet). A couple more days in Tokyo and then it is CX again going home!

MENU
Chicken curry with noodles , broccoli, and carrots
Soba noodles
Pineapple, watermelon, and cantelope
Octopus with some hard vegetable I couldn’t identify in a peanut sauce

I know it is a bit off-topic (perhaps in line with CX's excellent service), but I have had excellent service in hotels in Asia overall. It puts anything I've seen in the West to shame.

A couple of instances come to mind that are worth mentioning. Once at the Park Hyatt Tokyo we left some bags and and some clothes in a hanger for a few days while we went traveling in the south of Japan with just a small duffel bag. When we came back to the PHT, in addition to the stuff already being in the room (which BTW has always happened at the PHT, the Oriental in BKK and similar level properties), they had pressed the suit and put it in a cool black PHT suit bag!

Another time, at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap Cambodia, I forgot a calendar I had bought in the room. I remembered that already at the airport, once I had cleared immigration and was just waiting to board the plane. As I was looking for a way to call the hotel to tell them, an immigration officer approached me with a cellphone, telling me that I had a phone call. It was the hotel, who tracked me down to tell me that I had forgotten my calendar. They sent a car over with the calendar within 10 minutes! I still don't know how they were able to explain to the immigration officer who I was and what I looked like. Now, that's service.

Pickles,
Your example with forgeting the calendar is incredible! Even more impressive is that things like this are done without being motivated by any expectations of a tip...I believe it is a pure desire to provide service.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Guy Betsy:
You're coming to CANADA. It's another country.</font>

Yeah. Whatever..

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

If you still have your boarding pass for the EVA flight, you might want to check if it says Evergreen Deluxe.

A full Y-fare will get you into the ED-class, which has superior legroom to EVA's standard coach product, as well as wider armrests.

Plato90s, I don't still have my EVA boarding pass but I did not notice a "premium" coach class on the plane. It appeared to me only to be coach and business.

6/27 7:30 PM JAL #372 Fukuoka – Tokya Haneda 777
Contrary to what I thought, this flight was not Osaka-Tokyo Narita. After doing some business in the Osaka area, I and my Japanese colleague took a train over to the island of Kyushu for a day of business there. We then concluded the day with this flight back to Tokyo. This was my first domestic Japanese flight and I found it very interesting. This was not so much for its luxury but rather for its many differences from all other flights (U.S. domestic, intra-European, and international) I have taken.

To begin with, there was the incredible efficiency of the check-in and boarding procedures. We arrived at the airport about 20 minutes before the scheduled departure and my companion had absolutely no concerns about catching the flight. Qualifier: it was obvious that the Japanese are not nearly as concerned about security on domestic flights as all other flights I have taken since, say, 1970. Upon arrival at the airport, we walked up to a well-manned (actually “womanned”) counter and checked-in in about 60 seconds (no luggage to check). There was no check of IDs and no security questions. We then breezed through a standard security checkpoint with extremely polite personnel that thanked each and every passenger for honoring them by passing through their checkpoint (I don’t know what they actually send but it sounded polite, thankful, and appreciative. There was actually a person at the output of the x-ray machine snatching each peace of luggage the instant it emerged and handing it to the passenger.

We then walk about 3 minutes to the gate where I saw 4 lines of people in front of card reader machines with each machine having a staff person standing behind it. We got in one of the lines. About 10 minutes before departure, there was an announcement and the four lines started moving. If people have been on the Japanese train system, this worked exactly the same way. Each person simply inserted their boarding pass into the reader, walk through, and at the other side was handed a smaller ticker with the seat assignment on it. The lines moved through at a clip of, say, 1 person every 2 seconds (for an overall rate of 2 people per second considering all four lines) and the staff people never touching any paper – just watching. Now you would think that a bottleneck simply gets created at the entrace to the plane so I was curious to see why this wasn’t happening. The answer was that there were two entrances into the plane, one for the front half and one for the back half. Then, considering that this was a twin-aisled 777, four streams of people were effectively formed headed to their seats. On top of that, the Japanese people were extremely well “conditioned”, to stow their bags and move out of the aisle as quickly as possible. The entire 777 was loaded in about 10 minutes and the door was closed. I don’t know what the implications of all this is for gate layout, security, and staffing but other airlines could sure learn a thing or two from the Japanese about moving people quickly!

The flight itself was fine, nothing special other than the cockpit camera view being shown on the video screens. No meal was served on this 1.5 hour flight but just beverages and a bag of some snack food. I found it surprising that a 777 would be used for this short-haul flight but I was told this is not unusual for Japan (the flight was 75% full).

Upon landing, I was very happy to be in Tokyo rather than out at Narita and only having a short cab ride to my hotel. I had never been at Haneda airport and found it much more convenient to Tokyo (obvious statement) than Narita.

Great report! Thanks for the menu transcripts!! Because of them, I am off to the Golden Shanghai restaurant tonight!

Duke I agree with you that AA Y transatlantic is better than Swiss or BA.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RKDuke:
Plato90s, I don't still have my EVA boarding pass but I did not notice a "premium" coach class on the plane. It appeared to me only to be coach and business.</font>

EVA's 767s do not feature Evergreen Deluxe; only the 747s and MD11s do.

6/29 5:20 PM CX #521 NRT-HKG F A340
A-h-h-h-h-h, back with Cathay Pacific! After a couple coach flights within Asia, I once again am in the lap of luxury of FX First Class (actually, the two coach flights I had within Asia were very comfortable and I’d be extremely pleased if my U.S. domestic coach flights were always to be at this level). I spent about an hour at the Narita CX lounge. It was no great shakes as far as lounges go but nothing wrong with it either. I had already been spoiled by Hong Kong’s Wing and Pier lounges. What it does have going for it is that it was much less crowded than I have found Narita’s Admirals club to be in the past.

The flight itself was a bit of a disappointment. I boarded the A340 expecting the same sleeper-bed configuration I had on my previous CX legs but, alas, this was an older configuration with seats similar the AA business class 767 flights I’ve had BOS-LHR and BOS-CDG. They reclined a bit further back than the AA seats but did not go fully flat. My seat creaked very loudly as I positioned the seat back up or down and I noticed at least one other seat in the largely-empty first class compartment with badly frayed fabric. The seats lacked power ports and the video was one of those pull-out and fold up screens that were on AA’s A300 flights from BOS-LHR/CDG before they switched to 767s (I understand they have or about to switch again to 777s). There was no video on demand but rather nine channels of pre-programmed video. The video quality was quite poor with white horizontal lines through the display. The heads phones were a rather cheesy plastic type with only so-so audio quality. All-in-all, this was quite a come-down from the luxurious configurations on my flights to Asia.

As disappointing as the physical accommodations were, the service and food was up to Cathay’s normal standards – no complaints there. The dinner menu and wine list are below. I had the Japanese meal as I was feeling like having a final Asian culinary adventure before I return to the land of pizza, burgers, steak and potatoes, and Chinese take-out! I didn’t know what half the stuff I ate but it was good with the exception of a very dry fish dish and sushi that had just come out of the refrigerator and was too cold. After a quick nap, I awoke to a very impressive night view of Honk Kong upon our approach. It didn’t have the pure, serene beauty of the 2:00 AM Anchorage approach but it was impressive nonetheless (note to myself, I really need to start a thread about approach views worldwide). Coming up next, I’ll have a couple hour layover and then that little 13¼ hour, 747 dash over to LAX!

DINNER

SAVOURIES
A selection of cold canapés to accompany your aperitif.

APPETIZER
Assorted Seafood

SOUP
Pumpkin Cream Soup with Alaskan Crab Meat served with Cheese Straws

MAIN COURSES
Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Glaze and Sauteed Field Mushrooms
Baked Salmon in Puff Pastry Pouch with Creosa Sauce
Imperial Soya Chicken

ACOMPANIMENTS
Boiled Potatoes
Egg Fried Rice
Shanghai Pak Choy
Turned Carrots with Asparagus Tips

CHEESE BOARD
International Cheese Selection

FRUIT
Assorted Fruit Slices

DESSERT
Orange and Chocolate flavoured Ice Cream Parfait served with Mango Sauce

BREAD BASKET
Selected Bread and Rolls

TEA AND COFFEE

PRALINES


JAPANESE MEAL

SUSHI
Seasonal Sushi for aperitif

LIQUEUR
Green Apple Wine with Soda

APPETIZER
Grilled Duck rolled with Baby Leak
Black Bean with Sweet Potato Pouch
Smoked Salmon rolled with Fish Paste
Deep-fried Bean Curd Skin and Vegetable
Enoki Mushroom mixed with Plum Paste

CLEAR SOUP
Abalone in Kuzu Starch
Junsai Vegetable
Sweet Corn

BRAISED DISH
Steamed Tail Fish with Kelp Sheet
Shimeji Mushroom
Green Beans
Carrot
Starch Sauce

GRILLED DISH
Grilled Rock Fish with Sea Urchin
Grilled Scallop and Prawn

SIDE DISH
Dried Radish Slice with Herring Roe
Marinated Scallop with Sesame Paste
Mibuna Green
Fish Roe

NOODLE
Inaniwa Udon Noodle, Crab Meat, Prawn served with Soba Sauce and Condiments

RICE DISH
Steam Rice with Red Miso Soup and Assorted Pickles

FRUIT
Fresh Seasonal Fruit

BEVERAGES
Ginyo-Sake
Green Tea
Mineral Water


WINE LIST

CHAMPAGNE
Cuvee William Deutz 1995

RED WINES
Chateau Lynch Bages 1993
Gevrey Chambertin La Justice 1995
Henry Bouachon Saint Joseph Roquebrussane 1998

WHITE WINES
Louis Max Chablis Grand Cru 1996
Voyager Estate Margaret River Chardonnay 1999

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RKDuke:
I had the Japanese meal as I was feeling like having a final Asian culinary adventure </font>
The catering cost of that Japanese meal (kaiseki) is reputed to cost CX about USD 100. They only offer it on a few flights (non-stop F). Their kaiseki is better than JAL's on the trans-pacific F service. The same meal at a Tokyo restaurant can easily exceed USD200 per person. Of course melons can cost that, too, in Japan!

6/29 11:25 PM CX #880 HKG-LAX F 747
Before boarding time, I took a quick trip to the Wing, took a shower in a Cabana, and relaxed by the “river” for an hour (boy, do I love this aspect of CX but they have to fix that plumbing problem that causes that hammering noise!). I then went down to the gate and boarded the aircraft. The 747 had the same excellent seat configuration as my YYZ-HKG legs with a few exceptions. First, I was dismayed to find that there were no power ports! On a 13+ hour flight, this is a big problem for me as I tend to use my PC a lot on these flights. On top of that, the attendants wouldn’t let me charge up my PC in the lavatories (I snuck in later and tried but the outlet had no juice). Secondly, there was no Studio Cx system. Instead, there was the same pre-programmed video system as on the NRT-HKG flight. There were also video cassettes available for on-demand watching that pretty much made up for the lack of a Studio Cx system. The third (minor) difference was that the shelve on the left side of the seat lacked the handy storage compartments that the A340 YYZ-HKG flight had. And finally, there was no personal seat light so when I wanted to read or work in the middle of the flight, I was forced to turn on my overhead light that I felt may have been disrupted to fellow passengers. All-in-all, I was disappointed that the 747 configuration was not up to the level of my outbound A340 configuration. Are all CX’s 747’s like this or did I just get unlucky?

The food and service, of course, was excellent (see below). I had the grilled lobster which was just ok by normal standards (New England boy here), but given that we were 37,000 ft in the air, I thought it was pretty good. For breakfast, I had the Dim Sum selection which was excellent. Given that this was my fifth (and last, alas) CX leg on this trip, I don’t really have anything further to report. I’m now about to spend the night in the LA Airport Hilton so that I can watch the World Cup final at 4:30 AM before my Boston flight (given that I am still on Asia time, this was no big deal)! Hopefully, the game will not go into overtime as I need to catch my 7:40 flight to Boston. After experiencing CX’s best, tomorrow’s flight on AA’s Premium (is that what it is called) will be an interesting comparison. I have flown AA F to NRT and LHR but never first on a 3-class plane domestically.

DINNER

CAVIAR AND FINE SMOLED SALMON
Iranian Sevruga Caviar and Balik Salmon “Tsar Nicolaj” served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche

LIGHT OPTION
Hungarian Goulash Soup
Traditional Caesar Salad served with Caesar Dressing

MAIN COURSES
Grilled Lobster and Scallops with Lobster Sauce served with Boiled Potatoes and Vegetable Casserole
Baked Vegetables and Mushroom Lasagne with Tomato and Basil Sauce

SNACK SELECTION
Wild Mushrooms Ragout with Asparagus on Toasted Ciabatta
Ciabatta filled with Smoked Turkey, Cheese and Tomato

CHEESE SELECTION

MOVENPICK ICE CREAM


CHINESE FAVOURITES
Stir-Fried Chicken with Abalone, Black Mushrooms and Pak Choy served with Stir-fried E-fu Noodles and Stir-fried Pak Choy
Noodles with Shrimp Dumpling in Soup
Shanghai Noodles with Marinated Beef in Soup
Shredded Pork and Century Egg Congee accompanied by Spring Onion Pancake
Steamed Pork with Black Bean Sauce on Rice in Hot Pot Chicken Soup with White Fungus and Coconut
Lo-hon Vegetables with Bean Curd served with Steamed Rice

DESSERT
Baked Red Bean and Sago Pudding

TEA AND COFFEE

PRALINES AND COOKIES


LIGHT MEAL
JUICES
Fresh Oranges Juice, Fresh Grapefruit Juice or Mango Health Drink

APPETIZER
Fresh Seasonal Fruits

MAIN COURSES
Omelette with Mushrooms
Chinese Rice Roll filled with Chicken and Shrimps Assorted Chinese Dim Sum
Quiche Lorraine

ACCOMPANIMENTS
Brilled Back Bacon, Breakfast Sausage, Hash Brown Potatoes, Grilled Tomato and Sauteed Mushrooms

FROM THE BAKERY
Croissants, Danish Pastries, English Muffins, Bread Rolls and Fresh Toast served with Preserves and Butter


WINE LIST

CHAMPAGNE
Krug Grande Cuvee Champagne

RED WINES
Gevrey Chambertin La Justice 1995
Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Merlot 1996
Chateau Lynch Bages 1993

WHITE WINES
Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay 1999
Louis Max Chablis Grand Cru 1996

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RKDuke:
The 747 had the same excellent seat configuration as my YYZ-HKG legs with a few exceptions. First, I was dismayed to find that there were no power ports! On a 13+ hour flight, this is a big problem for me as I tend to use my PC a lot on these flights. On top of that, the attendants wouldn’t let me charge up my PC in the lavatories (I snuck in later and tried but the outlet had no juice). Secondly, there was no Studio Cx system. </font>

The lack of power ports and StudioCX goes hand-in-hand. Only the aircrafts refitted with StudioCX has the emPower ports.

As for the bathroom, laptops draw too much power to use those ports. An electric razer draws a lot less current than a laptop, after all.

6/30 7:40 AM AA #222 LAX-BOS P 767
Last flight! I have to say that even with the very pleasant flights I have had on this trip (except the first AA Eagle flight), I have had enough flying for a while. I am ready to go home!

After a week in Asia, I was not quite ready for the cool, all-business, briskness of American (the country, not the airline) service at the LAX airport and my hotel. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with the service, it’s that the contrast from the warm, delight-the-customer attitude in Asia struck me greatly. To be fair, I have to wonder if part the reason is that it seems in the U.S. service people have a much larger sheer volume of customers to deal with. This may have to do with our large middle-class (or large affluent class), a greater focus on businesses’ part to control costs by limiting the number of service people, or a possible shortage of service labor in the U.S. Whatever the reason, the difference is pronounced (I would place European service characteristics in between the two extremes of U.S. and Asia. I have not been to South America so cannot comment about the service there).

I got up at 4:00 AM local time after 6 hours sleep to watch the World Cup final. Fortunately (unfortunately for Germany) the game concluded in regulation and I had plenty of time to make my flight. Upon arrival at LAX, I was pleased to see that AA First and Business had separate check-in areas from coach but was dismayed to see lines of about 15 people (First) and about 40 people (Business) waiting there. I wondered how many of these people were First/Business flyers and how many were elite members flying coach. I don’t begrudge them as First/Business check-in is the privilege that AA bestows on us which I have often used myself when flying coach. One may wonder why I needed to check in at all? The reasons is that CX couldn’t give me a boarding pass when I checked in NRT yesterday nor would/could the AA people there either. They said I had to check-in in LAX since the flight was the next day. This didn’t make sense to me because on my outbound flight, I checked-in at BOS on 6/22 I received my CX boarding pass for 6/24 from HKG-TPE (two days in advance!). Fortunately, I wasn’t checking luggage so I simply went straight to the Admiral’s Club and got my boarding pass there.

As far as the flight itself, well, it was a waste of a VIPOW certificate (I upgrade my purchased J to A). I had expected a bit of a let-down after my wonderful CX flights, but this was below even my tempered expectations. The flight was a 3-class configuration, but the seating in F was those brown leather seats with furry padding (don’t know how else to describe them) I used to see on the BOS-LHR A300 flights. For what they are intended to be, they are pretty comfortable but they are not the fully-reclining sleeper seats I had been hoping for. The food and service was pretty much what I expected – efficient and informal in an American way. After a week in Asia, it was a bit refreshing to experience this American informality in contrasted with the formal politeness of the Asians. It’s not that one style is better than another, it was just nice to be back in my familiar culture.

Video was provided by DVD players. Instead of a “swing-up” video screen, the slot by my thigh had a platform that swung up on which to position the DVD player. A nice touch, I thought, that is lacking on the trans-Atlantic 767 flights. Breakfast was good but not great (menu below). All-in-all, I would say this flight was comparable to transatlantic J service.

Well, that's it folks! I enjoyed this trip and especially my “virgin” outbound flights on CX. The airlines truly lived up to its billing although they really do need to standardize their fleet on the new configuration I experience YYZ-HKG-TPE. I LOVED the HKG lounges and found them far superior to any other lounge I've ever been in. When I go to TPE again, I would not hesitate to take CX. If I only go to Japan, however, it will be a tough call. Do I take AA with efficient connections, two legs (BOS-XXX-NRT), and get there quicker or do I take CX with its superior service but difficult connections, three legs (BOS-XXX-HKG-NRT), and an overall much longer trip? Probably AA would be the choice for a Japan-only trip.

We arrived in BOS on time and I made a quick exit to my car and home. Yes, it is nice to get away sometimes but it’s always great to come home!

END (MENU BELOW)


BRUNCH

APPETIZER
Fresh Seasonal Fruit

ENTREES
CHEESe OMELETTE
Fluffy Omelette filled with Asiago Cheese, accompanied by Hash Browns and Yucatan Turkey Sausage from Bradley Ogden of One Market restaurant in San Francisco, California

WHEAT-WRAPPED SALMON
Salmon and Boursin Cheese wrapped in a crispy Wheat Crust accompanied by a Spinach, Tomato and Red Onion Salad

HEARTY COMBINATION
Scrambled Eggs and Silver Dollar Pancakes with a Blueberry Compote, offered with Basil-Garlic Chicken Sausage from Bradley Ogden of One Market restaurant in San Francisco, California

FRUIT AND CEREAL
Selected Cereal including Café Fanny Granola Cereal with Almonds and Raisins from Alice Waters of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California presented with seasonal Fruit and Yogurt

BREAKFAST BREAD BASKET

AFTERNOON REFRESHMENT
CHEESE AND FRUIT BUFFET
Fine cheese complemented by fresh seasonal Fruit, fresh Flatbread and French Rolls

ICED BEVERAGES

PRIOR TO ARRIVAL
Freshly baked on board, Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies

WINE LIST
SPARKLING WINE
Domaine Chandon Napa Valley Brut

WHITE WINES
Rusca Gavi di Gavi 2000
Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonay 2001
Santa Rita Valle de Lontue Sauvignon Blanc 2001

RED WINES
Villa Mt. Eden ‘Old Vines’ California Zinfandel 1997
Chateau Los Boldos Requinoa Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Rosemount Diamond Estate Bottled Shiraz 2000

DESSERT WINE
Graham’s Six Grapes Port NV

Excellent report!

I'm getting excited about my trip next week on SQ in F after your detailed report. I only have been on CX in J, so thanks for the details. I look forward to flying CX in F one day, but for some reason I have had no luck in getting availability with my AA miles.

I guess I will just have to pay!

Thanks http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RKDuke:
[B]Do I take AA with efficient connections, two legs (BOS-XXX-NRT), and get there quicker or do I take CX with its superior service but difficult connections, three legs (BOS-XXX-HKG-NRT), and an overall much longer trip? </font>

Excellent trip report, thank you.
Your answer may be AA through JFK, but on JL metal.

well, my question has been answered. I do have a trip to Japan in October with no need to go to Taiwan and I have chosen CX again. The ongoing deterioration in AA's premium cabins was the deciding factor for me. Yes, it will be more time and a bit less convenient on CX but much more pleasurable!

i took the trouble of JFK/YYZ a number of times to maximize my 'air time' from bos-hkg on CX.

YYZ: the immigration thing stupid, we are on transit in canada, not "entering the country" technically. i saw from newspaper some poor leisure traveller had been stuck because he did not have a visa to enter canada (but who would have expected so?)

jfk was smoother, but i just read (in this forum) that the oneworld bus has been stopped. that means you have to go through security checks again at JFK. and hop between T7 and T9 on those crowded JFK buses.

if you are on an afternoon/evening flight on AA Eagle, be prepared for some delay though.

at the end i gave up and took BOS-LAX for connection. (as the only 3-class flight, AA11 was still there back then. flurry P seat, i didnt bother). but the good thing of BOS-JFK is to see the grand canyon about 1 hour before landing onto LAX. i always take the morning flight and always take a window seat -- that took my attention away from comparing AA with CX products http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

but of course CX in F is worth all the extra trouble. enjoy your trip!

[This message has been edited by pegasus8228 (edited 08-28-2002).]

Great report.

Which airlines still stopover in Anchorage on their way from the East Coast to Asia? Do they arrive at 2am like CX829 did? How was the weather in Anchorage when you got there?

During the ANC-HKG leg, did the sun go down as you went south?

Does CX829 now stopover in Vancouver? Was it the flight that brought SARS to CAnada?

Is CX880 now operated by an A340-600?

Why did you come to Taiwan?

Btw my high school is just up the hill from Hotel Royal Hsinchu!

------------------
9V-SMU
The 1000th 747
Currently operated by Singapore Airlines

9V-SMU,
Sorry but I don't have the answers to most of your questions as it has been some time since this trip and I am not current on CX's operations lately. I do remember that the weather in ANK was great (it was June). I didn't notice the sun as I was sleeping for much of the ANC-HKG leg.

I came to Taiwan to visit a suppplier in Hsinchu by the way...

RKDUKE

CX 829 no longer used Anchorage as a stopover point. It is using vancouver from now on...

For eastbound East coast flights during the summer, China Airlines is the only one which uses Anchorage as a stopover point (clear immigration and custom too). Korean Air still uses Anchorage as stopover point too on one of its dail ICN-JFK flights. Both CI and KE actually have passengers boarding at ANC for the continuing flights onto Asia (not the JFK flight though). KE used to run a lounge at ANC too, but no lounge at ANC for CX.

Yes, most airlines on their return flights to ANC will stopover at the early morning hours (around 3am). During the summer, there is technically no night at Alaska. It is not bright sunlight, but it is like sunset or dawn throughout the night. Pretty!

Yes, the sun went down as the flight headed towards Asia, but came back up shortly before arrival.

&gt;Does CX 829 now stopover at Vancouver? Was it the flight that brought SARS to Canada?

Yes the flight stopped over at Vancouver on request from the Canadian government. I don't think any flight brought SARS to Canada... it can be any airline flights to canada from Asia...

CX 880/1 used to operate by an A340-600 in the late winter season... now it is operated by an Boeing 747-400, but there are rumors that Airbus A340-600 will return to the LA flights during the summer (of course, if the SARS situation has resolved a bit)

Carfield

I soooo enjoyed this report. May I tag along next time? LOL

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif

------------------
Patrick A. Inouye, CMT
volunteer trip reports moderator

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by 9V-SMU:

Which airlines still stopover in Anchorage on their way from the East Coast to Asia? Do they arrive at 2am like CX829 did? How was the weather in Anchorage when you got there?

I know China Airlines (CI) does stop in ANC from JFK to TPE and only in this direction do they stop. One can speculate that the outbound from North America is slower due to tail wind wheras in the return, no need to stop because it takes less time.

Does CX829 now stopover in Vancouver? Was it the flight that brought SARS to CAnada?

Is CX880 now operated by an A340-600?

For the flight number of the CX flight you want to know, you can check for yourself at www.cathaypacific.com (http://www.cathaypacific.com) as CX is changing its flights like daily now, who knows which flight number it is under now. In any case, there is usually one CX flight stopping in YVR from either direction (JFK or HKG). I don't think CX currently operates any A340-600 at all but I might be wrong. I think the -600 series craft are either on hold or not arrived yet. I heard it was intended for a non-stop JFK-HKG as a 2nd daily flight to HKG but it never happened.


[/B]</font>

If it's any consolation, sterile transit is being incorporated into the design of the new terminal at YYZ, altough it will probably only be used for AC and its *A partners and is a while off yet.