Trip Reports - my around the world trip in AA, BA, CX first class

After reading about the possibility of doing an around the world trip on flyertalk, I finally decided to do it. I only had a couple of weeks vacation, so my trip would be a quick one and I would only visit three continents, but it gave me the miles I needed and a chance to check out the One World rtw options. I will try to get the rest of the segements posted quickly. But my itinerary was: LAX-DFW-ANC-DFW-YVR-LHR-DXB-LHR-HKG-CGK-HKG-SIN-HKG-JFK-LAX. Total miles flown was a little more than 40,000.

When the alarm clock began to ring at 6:45 a.m. I thought to myself, "What am I doing?" The early start was difficult, but well worth the adventure of an around the world trip.
I arrived at LAX at 7:45 and went to the American Airlines first class check in line. There were many agents so I waited only a couple of minutes in line. The agent was bewildered when I handed her my thick book of flight coupons. After flipping through them she finally asked, "Where is your final destination?" I wasn't too helpful by responding, "Los Angeles." Well it is around the world... So, I told her to just check my luggage through to Anchorage and that would be fine. Then I waited 20 min. to have TSA check my luggage. The AAgents were trying to encourage the TSA to work faster, but to no avail. After that, I went through security and made it to the Admirals Club at 8:30 a.m. and had a couple of mini blueberry muffins and read part of the newspaper.

AA Flight 2430 LAX-DFW
June 23, 2004Scheduled dep. 9:21 a.m. Actual: 9:21 a.m.
Scheduled arrival: 2:32 p.m. Actual: 2:15 p.m.
MD-80 seat 4B
This flight was almost full in coach and all 14 first class seats were taken. I boarded and was offered a pre-departure drink, not just the water, o.j. or champagne routine. I had an apple juice. The MD-80 (or Super 80 as American calls it) holds just over 100 passengers. In first class the seating is 2-2 while in coach it is 2-3. The first class seats were nice blue leather with limited recline. The cabin was clean and did not look runned down; they had expanded the overhead bins on one side which seemed to help people get their carry-on's loaded quickly. We pushed back right on time at 9:21 a.m. and then waited in line to take off for 10 minutes.
After departure the flight attendant, Cheryl, came by asking for drink orders. Since it was the first leg of my trip I decided to have champagne. She offered to make a mimosa for me, which although tempting, did not seem to fit the idea of making a private toast for the trip. After bringing by the drinks she took our breakfast orders and distributed the hot towels. The breakfast choices were Special K cereal or a Southwestern style cheese omelet. I chose the omelet which was accompanied by a mild salsa (kind of like Taco Bell's), corn, black beans and small pieces of potato. Additionally, we were served a fruit plate with grapefruit, honeydew and strawberry. Then we were offered a warm bagel with cream cheese or jam. The breakfast was very good and the portions were well balanced. During the meal, the man next to me told me that he was on his way home from flying around the world for business meetings. He did his trip in 10 days which included Houston-Dallas-London-Aberdene-Singapore-Sydney-LA-Dallas-Houston. We had a nice conversation about airplane seats, amenity kits, etc.
Once breakfast was cleared, I fell asleep until the pilot announced final approach. We arrived at the gate at 2:15 p.m. So far, a wonderful trip.

While in Dallas I went to the admiral's club and checked my email as well as took a hot shower. There have been many discussions on Flyertalk about the whether the cost of the Admiral’s Club is worth it. I find that just for the chance to take a nice shower after a long flight, or the chance to check my email, it is worth it. Any extra service the attendants give is a bonus in my book. After being on the plane I frequently feel grimy so the shower is very refreshing.

As the time approached for boarding I headed to the gate only to find that the gate had changed. A couple of minutes later I arrived to the new gate and heard that the flight was delayed. As it turns out, our plane was coming in from San Juan, Puerto Rico. After it arrived, the gate agent told us that planes from San Juan look like there was a long party inside so the cleaning crew needed additional time. In so far as I was doing a turn around in ANC I asked if I would be allowed back on the return flight since I would have to check my luggage. The gate agent told me that I should not have trouble getting back from Alaska even with the delay. After an additional 20 minutes we finally were able to board:

June 23, 2004
AA Flight 278 Dallas-Anchorage
Scheduled departure: 4:39 p.m. actual: 5:55 p.m.
Scheduled arrival: 8:23 p.m. Actual: 9:30 p.m.
Seat 3 E on a 757

The agents were very good about explaining that we would be boarding by group number. As soon as first class was called I went to my seat and was offered a pre-departure drink. A Maker's Mark and Sprite seemed to fit the bill. This flight was completely full and so the Agents upgraded three Army guys on leave from Iraq. One ended up sitting next to me and told me more than I needed to know about his life. Luckily, he was not obnoxious and he had an interesting story so I didn't mind.

Once we took off the flight attendant came by for drink orders. As I had a long night ahead of me, I chose a simple Sprite. They were accompanied by warm nuts. By the way, I believe that United is trying to upgrade their service and is now offering this enhancement which has been on AA for years. I really like the mixture of the nuts AA serves: Mostly cashews, almonds and pistachios with a smaller number of pecans, brazil nuts and filberts. The flight attendant offered refills of drinks and nuts as she took our dinner order (according to FEBO--asking those in front on even flights and starting with the back on odd numbered flights). The options were mango grilled chicken, roast beef and provalone sandwich (this has just been rolled out within the last couple of weeks and seemed very popular), or a beef filet. I ordered the filet.
The salad cart came down the aisle and we were offered a choice of sesame or herb vinaigrette dressing, sourdough or wheat roll. I skipped on the roll. The salad came with proscuitto, pineapple and a little cilantro served in a frosted glass bowl. After the salad course I was offered my filet paired with sweet potato and vegetables. I am not a sweet potato fan, but these were pretty good. They offered wine, but I passed on that as well.
After the main course we were offered Hagen Daz vanilla ice cream with a cruncy almond topping and after dinner drinks.
The movie was Cody Banks II which seemed pretty stupid (and I tend to like the dumb comedies) so I brought out my cd player and Bose noise canceling headphones (a gift from AA) and listened to a Zamphir cd that a friend loaned to me and spent some time reading and taking a nap.
As we were flying over Alaska the scenery was stunning. We saw mountains, glaciers and hills bathed in what we would experience as late afternoon sun. I spent a good amount of time just looking out the window. As I was looking out, the flight attendants came by with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies (probably my favorite food of all time) and cold milk. I watched a couple episodes of "Everyone Loves Raymond" and enjoyed the cookie.
We arrived at 9:30 p.m. and I went to the gate agent to explain that I was just arriving and needed to pick up my luggage and check in. She told me that TSA would not allow me to do so as they insist that I be present 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. I thought, "Uh oh!" :( She didn't seem to offer too much help until she asked my name and read whatever the computer had to say about me. She then typed a few things and said that I could fly to Chicago and connect there to Vancouver and get in a few minutes early. She called the ticketing desk downstairs to tell them what I would be doing and told me to ask for Heidi and not to worry, it was worked out. I waited for my luggage went to the ticket counter and Heidi offered me the Chicago option (leaving in an hour) or just flying Alaska directly to Vancouver. Telling her I was in Alaska only for the miles, I would stay with the Chicago option, but thought that she was great in coming up with additional solutions. So, it all worked out fine, thanks to AA's great staff.

As I now had a few minutes before the Chicago flight, I took a walk outside. At 10:30 p.m. the sun was still out and the evening was pleasantly cool. After passing through security, I headed to the gate. The gate agent saw me and asked if everything turned out alright with my other connections. I told her it had and was grateful for their help.

We boarded a couple of minutes late as the incoming flight had arrived slightly late. Soon enough they called:

June 23, 2004
AA flight 726 ANC-ORD
Seat 3B on a 757
Scheduled departure: 11:30 p.m. Actual: 11:50 p.m.
Scheduled arrival: 8:20 a.m. Actual: 8:17 a.m.


This flight was full in first with 4 of the pax being non-revs. Coach was 75% full.

Before takeoff we were offered bottles of water for the flight, but no pre-departure drinks. Once we were at a cruising altitude, the flight attendant came by and took our drink and snack orders. The options were tortellini in an Alfredo sauce or a Cesar chicken wrap. Within a couple of minutes she was by with our warm nuts and drinks (I had a sprite). After the drink service, the snack was served on one tray. Mine consisted of pieces of white meat chicken, lettuce and tomato on a flour tortilla type wrap. This was accompanied by a roll and butter and chocolate cake. The wrap was a good size and tasted good. The chocolate cake was very moist. While eating I watched "Starsky and Hutch" which although funny at times, was not funny enough for me to take off my headphones after dinner and go to sleep.
This was my first domestic red-eye flight and it was difficult to sleep more than an hour without waking up to sit in a different position. I can't imagine the agony of people sitting on the LRTC (less room through coach) 757 in the back. I guess I got a good 4 hours of sleep on the flight. However, I noticed that the f/a frequently came through the cabin to refill drinks, or in my case, refill my water bottle. Even though we departed late, we arrived a couple of minutes ahead of schedule :) as the tailwinds were quite strong. I was grateful for the extra time as my connection was only 31 minutes.

Good stuff, but waiting for the International F reports! :cool:

This is a wonderful Start. I took the same flight to ANC last year. Menu sounds exactly same however...right before landing we were also served cheese and crackers with some great port...I did not have any check in baggage so I made the turnaround flight without problems.. I agree as well that the Alaska scenery is fantastic.. It was so beautiful that I cannot wait to bring my family back .

The cheese, crackers and port would have been great. On most of my international flights I was able to enjoy some great port wines.

Although I arrived a few minutes early from ANC, I did not have much time to connect to the next flight. Thankfully, I already had my boarding pass so simply had to get onto the plane. When I arrived at gate, the majority of the pax had already boarded for:

June 24, 2004
AA flight 2297 ORD-YVR
seat 5B on a 757
Scheduled departure: 8:51 a.m. Actual: 8:51 a.m.
Scheduled arrival: 11:15 a.m. Acutal: 11:04 a.m.

Once I sat down I was offered a drink. As it was very early, I chose orange juice. On this 757, first class had 13 pax, the one next to me being an unaccompanied minor who was going to snowboarding camp. He was very well mannered, using "please" and "thank you" throughout the flight.

We departed on time at 8:51 a.m.

The movie was again, "Cody Banks" but they also played a few more "Everyone Loves Raymond" and the CBS produced, "Eye on AAmerican" with clips from Letterman, 60 minutes and a comedy about an ups driver.

For our meal selection we were offered either the cheese omelet or pancakes. As I had eaten the omelet yesterday, I selected the pancakes with a couple pieces of sausage. This also came with a fruit plate consisting of honeydew, grapefruit and strawberry. The pancakes were good although it was a lot of bread as I also had a bagel with cream cheese (the other option was a blueberry muffin.)

Once breakfast was over, I put on my Bose headphones, listened to the Zamphir CD, and quickly fell asleep. After a little bit of a nap, I began watching the “Everybody Loves Raymond” shows. The flight attendant came through offering more drinks and I noticed a number of people were still drinking coffee. We arrived 10 minutes early into Vancouver and then had to wait 15 minutes for immigration. In line for immigration, I was talking to a few people that were on their way to an Alaskan cruise. My first cruise was an Alaskan cruise and so the time in line passed quickly as we talked about the different activities and sights to see in Alaska. When I arrived at the baggage carousel, my luggage was already there. Rolling my luggage past customs I found the signs for the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel which is connected to the terminal. They offered a day room rate on the internet and my spacious room overlooked the runway. The windows were very thick as I did not hear the roar of the engines. After eating lunch, I came back and took a 3 hour nap followed by a shower so as to be ready for my next flight.

June 24, 2004
British Airways Flight 84
747 seat 2K
scheduled departure: 8:50 p.m. actual: 8:47 p.m.
Scheduled arrival: 2:05 p.m. (June 25). Actual: 2:03 p.m.

When I walked to the check-in counters from the hotel, my first impression was disappointment. BA had lumped the first and business class check-in all together with 4 agents at work. Luckily, I only waited a couple of minutes in line. After weighing my luggage, the agent issued me a new boarding pass as the AA issued pass, "just does not look as nice." So I received a nice blue and white boarding pass and the first class tags were added to my luggage. Then I received an invitation and directions to the lounge.
I headed over to security and was amazed at how nice the security people were. The made me feel embarrassed for the way our TSA people act. They had plenty of lines open, so there was no wait to go through the x-ray equipment and get wished a pleasant flight.
Once past security I took the elevator up to the lounge floor. The BA lounge is a combined business/first lounge. The agent was nice and told me she would get me when it was time to leave for the gate. Once inside the lounge I noticed that it was hot!!! It turns out the air conditioning broke. It must have been in 80 degrees in there. I selected a comfortable chair by the window and looked at our nice, traditionally painted BA 747 parked at the gate. I do not care for the 747's that are painted with the weird designs on the tail; I guess | am not artistic enough. Once settled in, I explored the lounge. The lounge was tastefully decorated and well lit. At the entrance there was a large magazine rack with a variety of newspapers and magazines. There was a small TV area, a number of chairs and tables along the window, a couple of other clusters of tables and chairs. By the larder/food and drink area there were restaurant style tables and chairs. The drink selection was average. I poured myself a Jack Daniels and Sprite (I thought they would have also had Crown Royale, but they did not). The food consisted of prepackaged cheeses, crackers, peanuts and a variety of prepackaged cookies. After having my snack and two drinks, I headed down toward the gate as I was getting warm.
As | arrived at the gate, they were preparing for boarding. There was a large crowd milling about the entrance area of the immediate boarding area. First they called those who needed assistance. 3 or 4 elderly people boarded at that time. Next they called those in first class. I was having difficulty getting through the crowd and a few other passengers were trying to follow me to the front. The gate agent then requested all those not in first class to have a seat and wait until they were called. I wish other airlines would ask people to stay in their seat until they are called. If I fly coach, I stay away from the boarding area to let those in front of me have easy access. After showing my passport and nice looking boarding pass, I headed through the jet way to door 2 left. I was greeted by name and directed across the galley and then asked to turn left I was able to see the club world/business section and it looked strange on first sight as the seats are in pairs with one seat facing forward and one seat facing backward. I don't know if I would like flying backward, although on flyertalk some state that they prefer this to facing forward. At the entrance to the first class cabin another flight attendant escorted me to my seat. The cabin has 15 seats. Five along each side angled slightly toward the window and four seats in the middle section, 2 each in rows 4 and 5. There is a nice use of wood paneling and shades of blue. In the nose of the plane, between seats 1 A and K is a closet. In between seats 3 A and K is a 3 foot high magazine rack and table surface that had a variety of newspapers on it. It's a good thing I got on board right away as there was so much to do before takeoff. :) On the seat was a small back pillow, a sleeping pillow and a blanket. Once settled in the flight attendant offered me a BAg amenity kit which had a large variety of goodies inside. Then I was offered a sleeper suit. This suit is light gray and had the BA First logo on it. The fabric is very soft and comfortable. As others had already changed into their suits, I went to lav, which had a window, to get into mine. I opened the window before changing just to see what was outside, once airborne the window was open throughout the flight and it was fun to look out. :cool: I put my clothes on the hanger and the f/a hung it in the wardrobe for me. Then, we had pre-departure drinks (I chose Woodford Reserve Kentucky Whiskey and sprite. I had never heard of Woodford Reserve before, but it was excellent. If I had more class, I would have sipped it rather than ruin it with Sprite, but I just like my Whiskey with Sprite/7 Up. The drink was served with a plate of cashews. While looking at the video and movie options a menu was distributed. The av system is very good with 25 selections for movies on demand as well as 18 movies/tv channels that are in a continuous loop. I selected Pedro Almodvar's "All About My Mother" which was immediately brought to me. Then the CSD came by and introduced herself and asked it I would mind completing a survey. She seemed surprised when I said yes. She would come back at the end of the flight to pick it up (and when I deplaned she thanked me by name.) Lastly, we were given immigration forms and then it was time to fly.

"a comedy about a UPS driver" LOL That is King of Queens another CBS program.

Nice report so far. Look forward to more.

After takeoff we were offered a beverage and canapés. To celebrate my first BA flight, I chose champagne which accompanied by a plate with three items: caviar and smoked salmon, roast beef and a cheese. I have never understood the attraction of caviar, but thought maybe I should give it another try and thought that this might be better than other times I have tried it. I still have not acquired that taste. As the flight was full, all 15 seats were occupied. We had 3 flight attendants to assist us in First.

The menu is as follows:
Starters:
-Shrimp in a Monoucher bread sandwich with Marie Rose sauce and mache
-Black olive gnocchi in Gorgonzola cheese sauce
-Thai coconut curry soup
-Fresh salad leaves with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette or Blue cheese dressing
(I chose this and it was quite large with a creamy blue cheese dressing, baby carrots, cucumber, tomato and a Parmesan crouton.)

Main:
--Mushroom and Parmesan cheese crusted fillet steak with ale jus, asparagus, scorched peppers and truffled risotto.
--Maple glazed breast of duck with roast apricots and balsamic sauce on crushed redskin potatoes
(this consisted of two large breast pieces and whole red potatoes on the side.) I was only able to eat one of the pieces of duck. The f/a asked me if there was a problem with the duck or if I would prefer something else. I told her that it was fine, but too much for me.
--Penne pasta with your choice of spicy roast garlic sauce or creamy pesto sauce topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
--Spinach salad with pumpkin crusted salmon toasted pine nuts and shaved onions.

Dessert and Cheese:
--Lemon soufflé on chocolate sauce
--Warm fruit compote with vanilla ice cream
--A selection from our cheeseboard
(I wanted to try both dessert and cheese, but could not do it so I chose the cheese. Surprisingly, this was pre-plated with 3 or 4 different types of cheese. I was expecting a cheese board or even the trolley. The f/a presented an attractive biscuit basket and I selected a variety of biscuits/crackers. I also had a dessert wine with this that was very nice.)
--A basket of fresh fruit

Snacks:

--Bacon roll served with tomato ketchup
--Thai coconut curry soup with a side salad
--A selection of cheese and fruit
I did not have any snack as I was still full from dinner.

Breakfast:

Starters:
-Chilled fruit juice
-An energising fruit smoothie (very tasty!)
-A selection of fruit, plain yoghurts and cereals
--Fresh seasonal fruit plate
(I was still full from dinner so had this instead of a heavier breakfast. This consisted of orange, grapefruit, strawberry, cantaloupe and pineapple.)

Bakery:
A wide selection of breakfast pastries and rolls

Main:
Scrambled eggs, grilled bacon, pork sausages, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomato and hash brown potatoes.

During dinner, I watched the Almodovar film and shortly after dinner put my seat into the recline position. The BA first class seats make into a 6' 6" bed. I think that the AA flagship suite is a little wider, but the BA seat was a little softer. There is very little engine noise in the front of the 747, but I put on my mask and earplugs in case other passengers made noise. Within 3 or 4 minutes I was sound asleep and only woke up twice in order to drink more water. As soon as I finished the bottle, the flight attendant gave me another one. In order to stay healthy, I try to drink a lot of water on these long haul flights.
In the morning, I woke up and finished the last 15 minutes of the movie while eating breakfast. Then I changed into my regular clothes and cleaned up. Again, I enjoyed looking out the window of the lav as we were flying. Once back in my seat I put on the flight map. Since I was arriving in Britain, I listened to a David Bowie CD while watching the scenery. We flew directly over London and we had a bird's eye view of the palace, the parks, Big Ben, the Thames etc.
We arrived 20 minutes early, but had to wait for a gate to open, so we ended up at the gate on schedule. The immigration fast track line had closed, so I waited 50 minutes to clear formalities and then collect my luggage which was already on the carousel. Overall, it was an impressive effort by BA. I think I still have the wine list, if you are interested in the particulars of the wine.

Great looking Trip Report so far. What a routing! Thanks for those menu transcripts, too. This definitely looks like one for the collection book!

Nice report! ^^^ Whenever reading these I am tempted to book myself on a F RTW :cool:

I've flown in CW backwards a few times now and get it out of preference. The novelty of it at take off :p and the safety procedure is slightly different; when adopting the brace position you lie back into the seat with hands across chest. Unsurprisingly during cruise unsurprisingly there is little difference

NB. 14 seats in BA F on the 747, 5 down the window on each side and four in the middle.
BA have now finished repainted all the 747s in the new livery, looks much better in my opinion

I'm amazed that even a topnotch F operation like BA would be serving woodford reserve bourbon - it is indeed a wonderful bottle - pure vanilla on the tongue. But Sprite??? :eek:

I opened the window before changing just to see what was outside, once airborne the window was open throughout the flight and it was fun to look out. :cool:

Windows that OPEN on the BA744?! The fresh air must be nice!
;)

Excellent report ... awaiting more ...

Great TR, can't wait for the next segment.

Seat 2A, John MD, and all: Thanks for the kind words, this is my first trip report!

fbgdavidson: Interesting about the CW seats, I remember on the safety video they mentioned to sit back in the seat when the f/a called, "brace". By the way, I noticed this on both BA and CX, but not on American carriers. Do any of you know why we don't have the, "Brace" component in our videos?

Carbonchaser: I agree about the Whiskey, but old habits die hard. Perhaps it means I need to fly BA First a few more times so that I can get used to drinking Woodford Rerserve straight. :)

sftvlr: Good joke! :)

In London I stayed at the Euston Plaza Hotel because I found a great deal using Tripadvisor.com The room was pretty large for London and the service was good. The hotel is a two minute walk to the Euston Tube and Train station, so I was able to get around London with ease. After a wonderful time in London, it was time to get back on a plane and earn some miles. I had hotelink pick me up from the hotel at 8:15 a.m. and we arrived at 9:30 a.m. Hotelink is similar to super shuttle van service, so we made a couple of stops on the way to the airport.

June 27, 2004
British Airways flight 107 London-Dubai
777 seat 2A
Scheduled departure: 12:20 p.m. actual: 12:45 p.m.
Scheduled Arrival: 10:20 p.m.

BA has a separate first class check-in in terminal 4 that is very nice, with comfortable chairs for family/friends to use while one is checking in. There was no line when I arrived and so quickly I received my boarding pass, made sure that the priority baggage tags were on my luggage and received my Fast Track immigration sticker and directions to the different lounges at my disposal.
Passing by the regular security it seems like they had a good sized line, but in Fast Track I had no line. Again, the agents were extremely friendly and polite. Passing security I went to the BA lounge complex and presented my boarding pass to the agent. In this complex there is a business class lounge (Terraces), a first class lounge (I believe for short haul first as well as top level oneworld elites) and the Concorde room (for first class long haul pax). I was invited to the Concorde room, but due to the good advice I received on the BA board, I first went downstairs to the Moulton Brown Spa to book my massage. :cool: The spa offers a number of free treatments including facials and massages, but I opted for the back/neck massage at 11 a.m. Then I headed back upstairs.
The Concorde room is very spacious, with a wonderful view. Sadly, part of the view was a KLM jet. In the corner on the far right is a smoking room which is sealed off from the rest of the lounge. Near there is a dining area and bar as well as a self-serve area for snacks. The middle part of the lounge has a number of very comfortable chairs, coffee tables and end tables. There are two magazine racks in this section. On the left are restrooms and a business area. I looked over the menu, even though I knew from reading other flyertalk posts that I would try the bacon baguette. The waiter was surprised when I told him that I only wanted one along with some orange juice. The baguette was as good as has been described by the people on flyertalk. ^ I wish I could have these more often. After my breakfast, I read the newspapers and magazines while looking out the window.
At 11 a.m. I went to the spa for my massage. The therapist was waiting for me and gave me a great massage. Finishing at 11:30, I started wandering toward the gate which opened shortly after I arrived. As there are so many flights, our plane was parked away from the terminal and we boarded a bus to get to the plane. This was kind of a pain as I my ankle was with by a stroller twice by a woman who kept rocking the baby’s stroller while we were driving. :( A couple other pax also got hit. Thankfully, the bus ride was short and I emerged unharmed. BA is building a new terminal that should resolve this issue. Once at the plane we boarded through door 2L and I had the wonderful experience of turning left as the f/a escorted me to my seat. He then asked, "once you get settled, may I bring you something to drink?" Of course I chose the Woodford Reserve Kentucky Whiskey and Sprite. This was served with warm cashews and almonds. Twice I was offered refills on the drinks and nuts but declined. While enjoying the drink, I was given the BAg amenity kit, chose my movie ("The Witches of Eastwick"), then I was offered a date and coffee from a traditional silver coffee pot. I don’t drink coffee but enjoyed a couple of dates. After the drinks I was offered a hot towel.
The 777 cabin has 1-2-1 seating, totaling 16 suites, with lots of woods, gray fabrics and tan accents. On our flight there were 4 pax. In the front of the center section is a black and white scenic photo while in back there was a vase with some flowers in it.
As we taxied to the runway we passed one of the Concorde planes and I regretted never having flown on it, but was reassured that at least I was fulfilling one of my dreams by flying around the world.
The CSD came by and asked if I would mind filling out a survey on the flight. I stated that I was willing but also filled one out on the way to London. No problem and I was able to give BA even more input on their excellent service but make a pitch for noise canceling headphones in First.

Once airborne I had another Woodford and Sprite along with some canapés. This time they included pate, which is my favorite, so I was very happy. :) The rest of the menu was:
Starters:
--Prawn and tabouleh salad with chermoula dressing
--Glazed Pecorino cheese and potato tart with parsley and truffle oil dressing
--Cream of watercress soup
--Fresh Salad leaves with choice of dressing.
I had the balsamic on the salad which was quite nice.

Mains:
--Rib-eye beef steak, roast shallots and balsamic butter
(This was perfectly cooked and was very tender.)
--Halibut with red pepper and citrus coulis
--Fresh pasta with your choice of creamy rocket, basil and pesto sauce or arrabbiata sauce.
--Duck confit salad with foie gras, fresh beans and bitter orange dressing.

Snacks:
--Grilled fillet of beef and red onion marmalade toasted sandwich
--Cream of watercress soup and side salad
--Selection of cheese and fruits

Dessert and Cheese:
--Pistachio creme brulee
(although a little rich, this was excellent) The dessert wine was very nice (Chateau de lon Mulonniere, Coteaux du lLayon Beaulieu, 2000) and I had four glasses of it! :D
--lemon tart with clotted cream and Mascarpone
--Brie, stilton, Fountains Gold, unpasteurized Lincolnshire Poasher Adan Meulusine Goat cheese.
--fresh fruit

For Afternoon Tea we were served a selection of sandwiches (a fish one which I did not eat, a roast beef and a tomato and cheese sandwich)
This was followed by either warm fruit scones with cotted cream and strawberry preserve or Raspberry creme brulee tart, mille feuille and chocolate brownie or pralines. I was quite full so I opted for the pralines.

After lunch, I finished reading, "The Loved One" by Evelyn Waugh and then took a nap. During the tea service I listened to my CD of Akhnaten by Philip Glass. I tried to pair music with the location to which I was flying. Akhnaten lived in Egypt and so was as close to the UAE that I had musically in my collection. Akhnaten was the last of a trilogy of modern operas by Glass about influential people (the others were about Gandhi and Einstein).
While flying to Dubai, I noticed on the flight tracker that we went around Iraq and then headed South, but we arrived on schedule into the airport. The immigration process was quite pleasant and then after claiming my luggage I was greeting by the Fairmont Hotel rep. who guided me to meet my car and driver.

If you ever saw the episode of Absolutely Fabulous when they go to Morocco, you may remember the characters walking out of the airport into the heat. That is how I felt--just about knocked over by the heat and humidity. Luckily, I was in the car in a matter of minutes and then to the hotel, where I was greeted by name outside and taken to the lounge for check in formalities. This was a great hotel and I would recommend it for anyone not interested in staying on the beach. After settling in, I went to the club lounge and sat overlooking the city of Dubai drinking a glass of wine while waiting for sleep to hit after another great flight.

Timf10.

I think you made a mistake. There should only be 14 F Class seats on the BA744.

Always love people who want to maximise the miles of the Oneworld RTW ticket.

I did the following last year in J Class:

SYD-JFK(QF F Class)
PHL-DFW-IAH-DFW-YVR (AA F Class - really bad!)
YVR-JFK (CX - excellent!)
JFK-LHR-CDG-LHR-DXB-LHR-SIN (BA, really good)
SIN-HKG-KIX-HKG (CX)
HKG-AKL (CX F Class, the best)
AKL-MEL-PER-SYD (QF)

Total Miles earned = 61,000miles!!
Total sectors travelled = 20

I hope you enjoy the CX F Class expereience. I must say after you experience the F Class lounge in HKG for CX, you will think what a TRASH AA provides!

Enjoy

He then asked, "once you get settled, may I bring you something to drink?" Of course I chose the Woodford Reserve Kentucky Whiskey and Sprite. .

Ouch, it happened again. ;) I may have to stop watching this movie.

BTW, great report. Looking forward to another opinion in the great BA vs CX war

NewCX12345: You are correct, the BA f747 irst class has 14 seats. How I came up with 15 when adding 5 + 5 + 4 is beyond me. Thanks for the correction

carbonchaser: The good news is that instead of 1/2 Sprite I cut it down to 1/3 Sprite, so at least I was making progress. ;) I still think I need to take another trip in First in order to get into the habit of drinking Woodford straight. Actually, I was looking to buy some at the store tonight, but they did not stock it. I will have to try somewhere else, as it is the best I have had.

After a relaxing night at the Fairmont Hotel, I was up early to get back to the airport. After a quick breakfast in the club lounge, I was off to the airport the driver I had was great and gave me a strong sense that I should come back again to Dubai as it is very safe and there is a lot to see and do. On this trip I had to promise that I would not wander far away from the hotel as my family was worried that something would happen to me. As much as I tried to explain that each country is different, there was no reasoning with them. Anyway, I hope to return soon to enjoy this great city.

June 28, 2004
BA flight 108
777 seat 2A
Scheduled departure: 9:30 a.m. Actual: 9:30 a.m.
Scheduled arrival: 2:15 p.m. Actual: 2:10 p.m.

In the departures area I found the BA check-in area with ease and then went to the combined first and business class check-in. There were only two people working this section and I think it may have been quicker to go to the coach line as they had a lot of agents working and their line went very quickly. I waited close to 15 minutes in order to check in. Once there, the check-in was efficient and then I went through emigration and security. There were no lines for either of these processes. Dubai is known for its duty free shopping and there were huge shopping areas in the airport. I did not see anything that was worth hauling half-way around the world so did not buy anything, but decided to go to the Terraces lounge. The Dubai lounge was fairly large with a similar layout as the other lounges. To be in the spirit of the lounge, I took one of the chaise lounge chairs and helped myself to more chocolate croissants and orange juice. :cool: I read the various newspapers and then headed toward the gate.
At the gate I had a scare: I presented my boarding pass and the agent asked where my ticket was located as normally it is in the sleeve of the boarding pass. I checked my pockets and they were empty. Maybe the check-in agent kept it? :eek: As it turns out, he forgot to insert it in the boarding pass and it was still in my ticket book. For a few seconds, I had visions of missing the flight. After the 30 seconds of fright were finished, the agent apologized for the oversight of the check-in agent and sent me through the secondary security screening that all pax were required to walk through. This x ray machine was much more sensitive than any I had experienced so far on the trip and people were surprised as it was picking up anything metal. I waited in the departure lounge for a couple of minutes before they began boarding the flight. The airport at Dubai has two doors for each gate so we used doors 1 and 2 L. I was greeted by name and escorted to my seat. For a pre-departure drink we were offered water. Then I had the movie selection form to complete, review the newspaper options, receive my BAg amenity kit, and receive the date and coffee service (no coffee for me).
In my last report I described the cabin. On this flight first had 9 of 16 suites occupied. To serve us we had 3 male flight attendants--a ratio of 3 to 1. Once the doors were closed we were sprayed with insecticide according to WHO rules. Luckily we were not individually sprayed, rather the f/a walked down the aisles spraying in the air. The CSD asked if I would take another survey, so I was able to again suggest they distribute Bose headphones in first and comment that the new f/a uniforms looked too casual to me. The flight attendants also told me that did not like the new uniform either. They agreed that for first or business class the male flight attendants should wear a regular suit coat, not just a waist coat. One of the reasons I like BA is that they have some of the formality that to me looks and feels classy. I hope they don’t parrot the low fare carriers.
Once airborne, we began the meal service which began with continental breakfast. I chose:
Orange juice
Fruit plate which was rather large composed of grapefruit, orange, a couple of types of melon and strawberry.
Some additional pastries and rolls.
While eating I began to watch the Daffy Duck movie that was out a few months ago as I heard that the mixing of live action and animation was well done.

A few hours later we had lunch served. After a round of hot towels we ordered drinks (I chose sprite) accompanied by warm cashews and almonds.
The lunch menu was:
Starters:
--Smoked salmon, gravlax Adan prawns on warm spring onion pancakes with sour cream dressing.
--Red and yellow tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, fresh mint tabouleh salad with lemon olive oil dressing.
--Green bean and herb broth with olive oil and cheese toasts.
--Fresh salad leaves with your choice of citrus creme fraiche mayonnaise or balsamic olive oil.
(I chose the salad, figuring I have to eat something that appeared healthy.)

Mains:
--Grilled fillet of beef with horseradish ccremefraiche, sspinachand potato fans.
--Skewered fresh swordfish with lobster fish cake Adan Hollandaise sauce
--Fresh pasta with your choice of mushroom sauce or basil and tomato sauce
--Mediterranean chicken salad
(I selected the fillet and asked that it be cooked medium well. The f/a timed it perfectly and the potato was steaming hot when it arrived. I drank the Sancerre Les Chasseignes 2002 Domaine Fouassier Chardonnay with this and my glass was refilled every time I drank 25 % of the wine. I am not a wine expert, but found this wine to have a wonderful flavor, even with the red meat.)

Dessert and Cheese:
-Coffee torte
-Warm Plum cake
--Cheese plate
--Fresh fruit
I started with the plum cake and was surprised how nice it tasted. I also ordered the dessert wine and the f/a brought me a choice of two: The one on the wine list which I had enjoyed on an earlier flight or a sauterne from Australia. I tried the Australian wine and was not disappointed! :D If only I could remember the name! It was fantastic.
After the dessert I had cheese and port wine (Warre's 1986 Reserve Tawney Port) which made a nice finish to an excellent meal, I thought. However, once I was finished with the cheese course, the f/a brought around pralines which blended perfectly with the port although I was tempted to have the pralines with another glass of that wonderful Australian dessert wine.

After the movie, I read various magazines and again listened to David Bowie to get me back into the British mode. For a while I also watched some of the TV, but don’t remember the details of what I saw…sorry.

As we approached London, the CSD thanked me for the survey and gave us information about the Fast Track immigration, telling us that usually the airport closes it at Noon, but just in case it was open he wanted us to have the invitation. The lane was closed, but immigration was not as long as the time I arrived from YVR. Again the luggage was waiting for me.

I decided to stay at the airport and to take the Hoppa bus. I did not realize how difficult it would be to get from T4 to the other terminals and get the bus. It seemed like I walked a mile after the Heathrow express dropped me off. Once on the bus, it was very convenient. The Renaissance Hotel is your typical airport hotel--nothing extraordinarily good or bad but I had a great night's sleep and was able to watch the planes take off from my room. In fact I went to the club room during happy hour to eat some appetizers and to watch for the CX plane that I would be taking the next day. Once she was airborne, I headed out to dinner at a local restaurant for some pizza. After dinner I had a good 45 minute walk. The next day I was able to sleep late and did not hear any airport noise until the alarm sounded at 11:00 a.m.

newcx12345: I was rather unimpressed by the first class section of the Wing. As you will read when i get the reports finished, the Wing was the worst part of the CX experience for me. For example, I wanted to have a western type breakfast and the first time I ended up with fruit yogurt, a piece of toast and some juice. No eggs or any western style hot food. The second time, there were three people working there: 2 talking with each other in the corner (never left there the brief time I was there) and a lady who asked what I wanted to drink as I started to arrive at a table. I said, "Orange Juice" and she pointed to the buffet area, said "It's over there" and walked away. :mad: Again, nothing Western to eat (not even fruit flavored yogurt :( ). So, I had a pastry and juice. Then I asked if there was a McDonalds or someplace where I could get either some fruit yogurt or any type of breakfast with egg or meat and was told that the best choice was Burger King and then was given directions how to get to Burger King. After eating at Burger King, I went back and waited to get to a computer as 1/4 of them were out of service. Anyway, enough ranting....sorry.

I am surprised at your ill treatment at the Wing. Did you goto the F Class section?

They do have a full English BReakfast menu there (A La Carte) normally. It is actually werid they didn't offer you anything cooked.

Also I am not sure did you get to try out the Cabanas?

Anyway, next time you are in HKG you should try out the Pier and hopefully you will have a better experience.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I will post this up onto the CX Board and hopefullly someone from CX can rectify this.

But other than the Lounge experience, how do you find the F Class service on Board the plane? Enjoy the caviar or and the Balik Salmon.

Congradulations... This is one of the best trip reports that I have read....The details about the BA flights are wonderful. Thanks for all of the information and especially the menus.

NewCX12345: You are correct, the BA f747 irst class has 14 seats. How I came up with 15 when adding 5 + 5 + 4 is beyond me. Thanks for the correction

carbonchaser: The good news is that instead of 1/2 Sprite I cut it down to 1/3 Sprite, so at least I was making progress. ;) I still think I need to take another trip in First in order to get into the habit of drinking Woodford straight. Actually, I was looking to buy some at the store tonight, but they did not stock it. I will have to try somewhere else, as it is the best I have had.

If you are SNA based - try trader joe's. They have it off and on.

I'm really enjoying your report. BA First is simply amazing and is definitely at par with Cathay Pacific, Singapore, and Qantas. Can't wait for the next segments :) ^

Enjoying it. Awaiting more ...

Wow....I am reaching 40 in a couple of years and I guess I should do this before my mid life crisis.... :D Does any one know the price of one of this trips?

What a wonderful trip report to read. I don't know how, but you manage to write in an interesting way without making me too jealous. :)

Wow....I am reaching 40 in a couple of years and I guess I should do this before my mid life crisis.... :D Does any one know the price of one of this trips?

USD 8600 for an Oneworld Explorer 3 Continent First Class if you start your trip in the U.S.

(Less if you buy your ticket and start you trip in some other countries)

I am surprised at your ill treatment at the Wing. Did you goto the F Class section?

They do have a full English BReakfast menu there (A La Carte) normally. It is actually werid they didn't offer you anything cooked.

Also I am not sure did you get to try out the Cabanas?

Anyway, next time you are in HKG you should try out the Pier and hopefully you will have a better experience.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I will post this up onto the CX Board and hopefullly someone from CX can rectify this.

But other than the Lounge experience, how do you find the F Class service on Board the plane? Enjoy the caviar or and the Balik Salmon.

I was in the First Class section twice on this trip; I did not go into the business class section of the Wing. In my mind BA's lounges were far, far superior to the Wing. In the BA lounges there were people around to assist me, they were polite and helpful. The sense I had in the Wing was that I was a burden or interuption as the employees were there primarily to talk to one another and I found the staff to be rude, cold or indifferent. Once in the plane, CX was fantastic but the terrible Wing experiences have made me think about using Singapore Air or Thai Air if I am not on a RTW trip (even through I am a Oneworld person.) As you will read, once in the plane CX was fantastic, but it took me a while to calm down from being in the Wing.

Thanks for all the positive comments! Reading my notes and writing this report helps me to relive the great experiences I had.

Carbonchaser: I will check out Trader Joe's this week; thanks for the tip.

romcarlos: I turned 40 last fall and shortly thereafter the idea came to me, so be ready to pack your bags. :)

After a long night's sleep, I walked a couple of miles and then got ready to go to the airport. This time the Hoppa bus was very convenient as I was departing out of T3.

June 29, 2004
Cathay Pacific (CX) flight 250
747 seat 2A
Scheduled dep: 6:25 p.m. actual: 6:25 p.m.
Scheduled arrival: 1:20 p.m. (June 30) Actual: 1:43 p.m.

Arriving at the airport, I saw that CX had a separate check in desk for first, another for business, another for their Marco Polo members and then another area for the economy class pax. There was no one in the first class line, one for business, a couple for M.P. but the economy class line snaked clear out of the CX ticketing area. Within a couple of minutes I had my boarding pass, my fast track security sticker and my Flagship Lounge invitation. I headed upstairs and found no line for the fast track security, whereas the regular section had a quite a line. After security I strolled through some of the duty free shops and then went to the Flagship Lounge.

CX uses the AA Flagship Lounge in London, however CX is supposed to open their own lounge soon. The Flagship Lounge has a shower area, two internet connected computers, a couple of work stations, a tv area, a number of comfortable chairs with coffee and/or end tables, a dining area and a self-serve food and beverage bar. To eat, the lounge offered a couple types of quiche, cheeses, nuts, finger sandwiches, rice crackers, brownies, cookies, etc. I only ate a little as I was saving my appetite for the flight. I did drink a lot of water so that I would be well hydrated before the 12 hour flight.

As the boarding time approached, I started walking toward the gate. They had just opened up the departure area a minute or so before I arrived. CX had two lines for passport/boarding pass inspection: First/business and econ. There was no one in line in the first area so I breezed right through. Once seated near the gate, a lady from the airport asked if I would be willing to take a survey. Given that I was asked on every BA flight and now at the airport, I began to think that I have an opinionated look on my face. :) We finished the survey on telecommunications options in flight (would I like to be able to use my cell phone while in flight?, etc.) and then they began pre-boarding first class. This flight was completely full, but first and business boarded thru 1 L while the rest used 2L. It was nice to be able to turn left again. :) I was welcomed by name and escorted to my seat. The first impression of the cabin was that it was more spacious that BA's.

CX only has 12 seats while BA has 14. So, in the CX cabin there are four suites on each side and two rows of 2 in the center. The cabin uses a lot of greenish fabric, black trim and wood paneling around the TV sets. In the front is a black and white picture (each plane has a different picture). In the back behind the last two seats in the center section is the CX logo of the bird in flight. Each suite has a large TV that can be moved 12-18 inches toward the pax and can be angled up or down depending upon the height of the person. The seat is a little larger than BA's and makes into a fully flat bed. Additionally, the armrest may be lowered to create more space while sleeping. In front of the center seats is a large black marble table that had a display of 12 newspapers and an equal number of magazines. Most of the papers were in English or Chinese, but there were a few other languages available as well.

The CX audio/video on demand (avod) is fantastic. In addition to the regular programming, I was able to choose from 28 movies, 40 or 50 TV programs and 99 audio CD's that could be played on demand. The choice was varied and in case that was not enough, the system offers a choice of 8 games to play. The noise canceling headsets are already in the side compartment.

Once seated, I was offered champagne, orange juice or water. After reading the comments on flytertalk about the Krug champagne offered by CX, I knew that would be my choice. Unfortunately, they were out of Krug, :( but the champagne they poured was very good. The champagne came with a large scallop appetizer plate. Then I received my Shanghai Tang pajama kit which included matching slippers and eye mask. These are black with a green trim and look quite stylish. After the p.j's, we were give a menu and wine list and offered more champagne, which many accepted but I refused.

By this time we were ready to depart and so the plates and glasses were cleared.

After takeoff, we were offered another round of drinks and I decided to stick with the champagne. This time it came with warm almonds. Our dinner orders were taken and then the flight services director gave us our immigration and health forms that we would be presenting in Hong Kong. This was followed by another hot towel.

As it was time to order, I will give you the transcript of the menu along with my comments:

Dinner:

Caviar and Balik Salmon Delight. Oscietra Caviar and Balik Salmos “Tsar Nicolaj” served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche.
This was served from the cart but I skipped this as I have not been able to acquire this taste. Others were taking a lot of it.

Soup: Asparagus and Pancetta soup.
Although I am not a big fan of asparagus, I found this to be very good.

Salad: Mixed salad with Cherry tomato and shaved Parmesan with balsamic dressing.
The salad was large and had a variety of greens and a good number of tomatoes.

Bread Basket: Assorted Breads and Rolls.
I chose the sourdough roll, which was warm without being dried out.

Mains:
--Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Oven Roasted Root Vegetables.
--Stir-fried Prawns with Chili Sauce, Steamed Rice and Baby Pak Choy
--Salmon Fillet with Herb Lemon Crust, Celeriac, Potato, Kenya Beans and Baby Corn
--Gnocci with Gorgonzola and Sun Blushed Tomato Sauce.
I chose the Gnocci and it was much better than many good Italian restaurants I have visited. The sauce was not overpowering and had a nice flavor

Cheese Board
The cheese board had a selection of 4 cheeses that were plated with dried fruit, celery, carrots, and nuts. I only chose 2 types of cheese as I was getting full. The Ramos Pinto Quinta de Ervamoira 10 Year Old Tawney Port was delicious. :p

Dessert:
--Summer Pudding with Cassis Coulis
--Lemon Posset with Short Bread Biscuits
--Vanilla Ice Cream with Butterscotch Sauce and Mini-Marshmallows
As I felt as though I might explode, I decided to go light for dessert and had the butterscotch sundae which just hit the spot. :)

Pralines
When the pralines were served, I limited myself to two in a feeble attempt of self discipline. We were given yet another hot towel after this meal service.

During the meal I watched the movie, "The Girl Next Door" and then "3rd Rock from the Sun" followed by "Bewitched".

When I went to the lav to change into my Shaghi Tang p.j.'s the flight attendants put a duvet and pillow on my seat for me and was waiting with a clothes hanger to hang my clothes for me. As soon as that was accomplished, I was given a water bottle (which I would have refilled or replaced two more times on the flight.) I had read that it seems that the lav is cleaned after every use on CX and I must agree. Never did I find so much as a drop of water on the sink or the floor. These f/a's are amazing! ^

I did not take advantage of the refreshment service that was available throughout the flight which offered:

--Noodles in Soup with Wantons, Black Mushrooms and Pak Choy
--Grilled Ciabatta with Chicken and Bacon
--Ice Cream

To prepare for sleep, I listened to "Kundun" by Phillip Glass. Although I never saw the movie, I really enjoy the soundtrack and it is a good way to transition into Asia. After a nice long sleep, I woke up and went to change clothes. The f/a waited outside to take my hangar and then came to my seat with a warm scented towel. Now it was time for my breakfast order. After ordering, I was asked what time would I like to have it served.

Breakfast consisted of:

Juice selection

Appetizer: Large variety of fresh fruits

Yogurt: Natural, Fruit or Low Fat Fruit flavored

Cereals: Corn Flakes, Muesli or Rice Crispies

Mains:
--Eggs: Freshly Scrambled, Fried or Boiled
--Stir Fried Noodles
--Poached Smoked Haddock

These came with:
Bacon, Sausage, Biarritz Potatoes, Boiled Tomato, Mushrooms,

Bread Basket: Breads, Rolls, Danish Pastries, etc.

I had orange juice (tasted freshly squeezed), the large fruit plate, corn flakes, scrambled eggs (I was asked if I liked them a little runny or completely dry), bacon, sausage and Danish. They also have a toaster on board and were offering hot toast, which I declined. Every time that any beverage glass was less than 3/4 full, the flight attendants were there refilling it.

During breakfast I listened to the CD a friend loaned to me entitled "Symphony of Butterflies" (I think) by a Chinese composer. We were delayed by air traffic control as there had been a thunderstorm earlier in Hong Kong so the airport was experiencing some delays. Before long (20 minutes) we were beginning our descent into Hong Kong after a flight that proves that Cathay Pacific has the best first class in the skies.

After landing, I went through immigration (again no line) and my luggage was waiting for me on the carousel. In fact, the only luggage I saw at that point was that tagged with the first class label. I had reserved a car through the Peninsula Hotel to pick me up and the representative was outside the arrivals hall with a sign ready to take me to the car.

"I was in the First Class section twice on this trip; I did not go into the business class section of the Wing. In my mind BA's lounges were far, far superior to the Wing. In the BA lounges there were people around to assist me, they were polite and helpful. The sense I had in the Wing was that I was a burden or interuption as the employees were there primarily to talk to one another and I found the staff to be rude, cold or indifferent. Once in the plane, CX was fantastic but the terrible Wing experiences have made me think about using Singapore Air or Thai Air if I am not on a RTW trip (even through I am a Oneworld person.) As you will read, once in the plane CX was fantastic, but it took me a while to calm down from being in the Wing. "

TimF10, I am still surprised at your treatment in the Wing. I must say don't even try TG! It is like 10 times worst than CX. The Wing and the Pier is actually 10 times better than the BA lounges I have being to, I guess it must've being a bad day ( is it due to the recent typhoon?).

Definitely try CX again and you won't be disappointed.

"I was in the First Class section twice on this trip; I did not go into the business class section of the Wing. In my mind BA's lounges were far, far superior to the Wing. In the BA lounges there were people around to assist me, they were polite and helpful. The sense I had in the Wing was that I was a burden or interuption as the employees were there primarily to talk to one another and I found the staff to be rude, cold or indifferent. Once in the plane, CX was fantastic but the terrible Wing experiences have made me think about using Singapore Air or Thai Air if I am not on a RTW trip (even through I am a Oneworld person.) As you will read, once in the plane CX was fantastic, but it took me a while to calm down from being in the Wing. "

TimF10, I am still surprised at your treatment in the Wing. I must say don't even try TG! It is like 10 times worst than CX. The Wing and the Pier is actually 10 times better than the BA lounges I have being to, I guess it must've being a bad day ( is it due to the recent typhoon?).

Definitely try CX again and you won't be disappointed.

I have to agree. I have found the facilities in the Wing/Pier outstanding, and the staff cannot do enough for you. Whereas BA lounges are good, but crowded, and the staff are just doing their job. That includes the Concorde Room at LHR.

I just bought my first bottle of Woodford Reserve this weekend. I have to say, I was a little disappointed. While Woodford is much more expensive, I found it to be a bit on the bland side, not quite as tasty as Knob Creek.

Great trip report, however.

USD 8600 for an Oneworld Explorer 3 Continent First Class if you start your trip in the U.S.

(Less if you buy your ticket and start you trip in some other countries)
Thank you daniellam for your information... I told my wife already, and she seems ok with it.....the only weird thing is that she called 411 asking for family lawyers.... :p But anyways, this report is as good as Spiderman 2

Newcx12345 and Alect: I am glad to hear that my time in the Wing seems to be an anomaly. One day I did try the Pier and although I did not eat there, the staff were much friendlier and seemed interested in their job.

Doppy: Having not tried Woodford Reserve by itself, :o I did enjoy the flavor; whether it is worth the cost will be another question. I hope to pick some up this week.

Romcarlos: I hope you are able to do this trip. One thing I am considering for next time is to use ff miles one way to Bangkok and then start it there as it is a couple thousand dollars less there. If you do a seach in the Oneworld forum, you will find a list of all the countries and the price if you ticket and start there. Maybe that will disuade your wife from calling the lawyers. :)

I am glad that you are enjoying the report!

The stay in Hong Kong was great! I decided to spoil myself and stay again at the Peninsula Hotel. This hotel continues to amaze me although some do not like the fact that it is on Kowloon rather than in Central. Every member of the staff there was outstanding and there are technological innovations that I do not remember being in place when I stayed there two years ago. Dinner in Gaddi' s restaurant continues to be one of the standards by which I measure other meals. Although I did not try Felix this time, I heard that it continues to be one of the places to have a drink or dinner. Two years ago I dined at both Gaddi’s and Felix and just enjoyed the formality of Gaddis better. Felix is a great restaurant and wine bar in its own right. This stay was an experience where all expectations would be consistently exceeded. However, after a few days, it was time to collect more mileage so the hotel's car took me to the airport at 7:00 a.m. for my mileage run to Jakarta. Once we arrived at the airport, the driver wanted to take my luggage to the check in counter for me. However, I was storing my luggage so I had to explain that I was not checking the luggage and that I would take care of it. The driver seemed disappointed but let me take my baggage cart and roll away from the CX desk.

July 2, 2004
Cathay Pacific flight 777 Hong Kong-Jakarta
747 seat 2A
Scheduled departure: 9:30 a.m. actual: 9:30 a.m.
Scheduled arrival: 1:10 p.m. actual: 1:00 p.m.

After leaving my luggage at the airport I went back to the CX desk and was greeted by a first class check in representative who took me to the concierge style check in area. There were three representatives just waiting at the entrance to the check in area to escort pax to the check in consoles. I was given my boarding pass, told how the transfer will work in Jakarta and then given my invitation to the first class lounges. This morning I went to the Wing. The Wing has a restaurant, shower cabanas (which I did not use), a fair number of internet connected computers, a tv area and a large library of world newspapers/magazines. When I arrived at the lounge, the agent was talking on the phone and so I just left my invitation on the counter after waiting 30 seconds. :td: I went to the restaurant and had fruit flavored yogurt, and a pastry, o.j., and tea. I was disappointed in the food selection and the fact that after bringing me my tea, the server disappeared. Another person stood by the entrance, but was involved in some book or manual. :td: After breakfast I checked my email and asked for a glass of water. Five minutes later, I was given some water and a hot towel. Soon enough it was time to walk over to gate 1 for boarding.

Cathay has a separate boarding desk for first and business class pax at all gates in Hong Kong. Then there is a separate ramp that takes one to the first/business class jet way which boards through door 1 L. The economy class people board through door 2 L. As I boarded I was greeted by name and taken into the first class cabin. The flight attendant told me that I was the only one in first, so I could sit wherever I wanted. She said that I would be well taken care of, which I was. :cool: Even though I was the only pax, everything was done, for example the whole spread of papers was laid out. I was offered a drink but only took water and was served warm almonds with a hot towel. Then I met the other flight attendants that would be attending me. I had three f/a's for this flight. They were surprised when I told them that I was flying round trip to Jakarta just for the miles. Within a couple of minutes the FSD was up front talking to me as well about the mileage run! We talked about routes, future CX plans, load factors, FF programs, etc. the FSD excused herself in order to check on the other cabins. I was given a menu and an immigration card, just in case I would need it.

After take off, I was offered another drink. This time I took a glass of fresh orange juice. As soon as I turned on the tv, the flight attendant asked if I would like all the window shades closed in the cabin. I told her not until after breakfast, at which point she took my order and asked when I would like to dine. I decided to try some Dim Sum and the f/a convinced me to also have the noodles breakfast as I was the only one up front. The brunch menu was:

Juice

Appetizer: Fresh Fruit

Main Courses:
--Pancake Filled with Smoked Salmon, Egg and Sour Cream Sauce
--Chinese Dim Sum
--Stir Fried Noodles with Shredded Chicken and Vegetables

Accompaniments:
--Grilled Breakfast Steak and Chicken Sausages, Fried Potatoes, Vine Ripened Tomato, Sautéed Fresh Mushrooms.

Dessert:
Baked Ricotta Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

Assorted pastries, breads, rolls, toast.

The fruit plate had 6 types of fruit and could have been a meal in itself. The Dim Sum comprised 4 large pieces that were each very good. The plate of Stir Fry was large and had a nice flavor to it. I also received my own bread basket with rolls and pastries. By the end of that, there was no way I could eat the cheesecake.

I was asked by the FSD if I would be willing to complete a survey, which I gladly filled out with excellent ratings of the in flight experience.

While dining, I enjoyed Absolutely Fabulous (a new episode I have not seen), Friends and I Love Lucy. By the end of Lucy, I was ready for a nap. Once my chair started reclining, the flight attendant appeared with a blanket and pillow. ^ I don't know how they do it! By the time I got the seat into the full bed position all the window shades were closed and the cabin lights were dimmed.

After a nice nap, I woke up and was asked if I would like a drink and/or cheesecake. I simply had some water and was brought a hot towel as all the window shades were opened. Soon enough we were arriving in Jakarta, where I was amazed to see houses just a few hundred feet away from the runway. I can only imagine the noise of the 747's for those poor people. Once at the gate, I was greeted by an agent who took me to the first class lounge, took my passport and ticket and said she would go off to get my next boarding pass. I was a little nervous about my passport being out of site, but the agent was back within a few minutes with all my documents.

As far as I could tell, there were two lounges in Jakarta, both shared by a number of airlines. The lounge that Cathay Pacific uses had a smoking room in one corner, a couple of TV areas, a few restrooms and a large buffet area in the middle of the lounge. At the bar, I got a couple of bottles of water and continued reading my Dominick Dunne book. After a while I looked at the buffet table. I was very impressed with the variety of foods offered, and thought it was much better than the Wing in Hong Kong. The buffet had a soup or two, salads, a number of Asian and Western Hot foods, a variety of desserts and other snacks. ^ Consistently everything was restocked. I ended up grabbing a number of Asian style shrimp flavored puffy chips, a couple of finger sandwiches and a mini éclair.

After reading for a while it was time to head back to the plane. At the gate there were 2 security counters where my passport was reviewed again and when boarding began there were two lines: One for first and business and the other for coach.

Once on board, I was told by the same flight crew that I was again the only pax in first class :cool: for:

Flight 776 Jakarta-Hong Kong
July 2, 2004
747 assigned seat 2K, but I sat in 1K in order to get a better view of what was in front of the plane.

Before departure, the f/a's put out the entire newspaper and magazine supply in case I had decided to look at another periodical...Amazing! I was offered a drink and continued with water, which came with warm almonds. After a couple of minutes, I was given my menu and wine list.

After takeoff I had a glass of the Cuvee William Deutz 1996 champagne. Twice I was offered refills but only accepted once. For dinner I was offered:

Appetizer: Beef Skewer and Shrimp Cake
The beef skewer had been marinated in a flavorful sauce. I thought about asking for an additional skewer but decided to wait for my main course. The shrimp cake was o.k., but I left half of it.

Antipasti Buffet: Marinated Peppers, Tomato Parmigiano, Italian Style Sea Prawn Salad, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad, Char Grilled Octopus, Smoked Lamb Loin and Vine Leaves Stuffed with Rice.
For antipasti I was offered a platter with all 6 items, but only chose the prawn salad, the tomato parmigiano, and the mozzarella salad. This could have been a dinner in itself! To drink with this, I chose the Vincent Girardin Meursault, Vieilles Bignes 2001 from the French Gold Coast which was a nice complement to the salads

Mains:
--Grilled Marinated Lamb Chops with Natural Jus and Roasted Garlic
--Sauteed Scallop with Medlars and Steamed Shrimp Mousse in Marrow
--Garganelli with Olive, Caper and Tomato Sauce
I was offered a tasting menu that would include all three entrees :D but could not imagine eating so much, so I stuck with the pasta that was amazingly not the least bit soggy. Twice I have had pasta on this trip and both times they timed it just right. ^

Accompaniments:
--Roasted New Potato Wedges, Steamed Rice, Selection of Western and Oriental Vegetables.

Assorted Breads and Rolls: I chose hot garlic bread to go with the pasta.

Cheese Board
The cheeseboard offered a selection of four cheeses, but I only chose two which came with Carr's water crackers and a glass of the port wine.

Valrhona Chocolate Tart with Raspberry Coulis
The chocolate Tart was out of this world!!! I regretted eating so much pasta as I would have loved to eat another slice and have another glass of port, but was afraid it would be too much

Pralines

Throughout the flight, I talked with the f/a's and the FSD about Hong Kong, Singapore and the U.S. During these flights, there was never a moment that a glass was not refilled or a need anticipated. After dinner I asked about the reaction of the pax regarding the new business class seats. With that we were back in the business cabin getting a tour and trying out the seat. The other passengers must have thought I was crazy, a thought that would be echoed by a number of my friends who don't understand the thrill of flying or of frequent flyer programs. :confused: I had a great time with this crew but unfortunately, they will not be on my other flights. However, one suggested I change my Singapore flight and fly the next day to China on her flight. As tempting as China sounded, I was looking forward to revisiting Singapore.

Once we landed, again on time, I noticed that the flight attendants closed the curtain between business and first class until I had deplaned and walked to the end of the jet way. I had no line for immigration and was quickly checking into my room. The Regal Airport is probably a 3 star airport hotel. The rooms are functional and clean, but there is nothing memorable about the hotel other than it provides a good night's rest at the airport.

This has to be a report against which all others are measured. It is fabulous. Congradulations..and what a trip it is too!

TimF10,

I am surprised that they offered F Class to CGK on CX. I thought they only offer J Class on that route. Also the menu they offered you sound like J Class
"Cuvee William Deutz 1996 champagne"

I always look forward to my afternoon read! Excellent report. I don't think I've ever been the only person in first class on any airline ... ever.

RTW4 and sftrvlr: Thanks for the kind words, I am enjoying writing about this!

newcx12345: I believe that CX had one flight per day to Jakarta that had first. I am not sure if this is year round or seasonal, but I am glad I made it.

As I was just a couple of minutes walk to the check in counter, I was able to sleep a little later and still check in with ease. When I arrived at the Cathay Pacific check in area, three agents were standing at the entrance to the area ready to bring first class pax to the concierge style podiums . Again, my luggage was taken for me while I received my boarding pass. As the agent was checking me in, she asked me if I would prefer the non-stop to Singapore which left at the same time. I told her that I did not want that flight as it only had business class. She agreed that the first class service is wonderful and understood why I would not want to downgrade. ;) Within a couple of minutes I had my boarding pass as well as my lounge invitation. The agent suggested that I might consider using the Pier as it is near gate 62 and I would be leaving out of gate 60. I appreciated her suggestion and wanted to give the other lounge a try.

At the Hong Kong airport, there is a train that departs every three minutes to the more remote area of the terminal. This journey is just a couple of minutes long.

After the quick train ride, I found the Pier lounge to be rather decorated rather tastefully. They also had a number of computers and refreshments. I did not try the food service and just checked my email. By the time I finished that, it was time to walk to the gate, avoiding the crowd gathering around a nearby gate for a UA flight that was about to begin boarding.

July 3, 2004
CX flight 713 Hong Kong – Singapore with a stop in BKK
Seat 2K on a 747
Scheduled departure: 8:55 a.m. Actual: 8:50 a.m.
Scheduled arrival: 3:05 p.m. Actual: 3:03 p.m.

This was the 747 that was painted with the “Hong Kong: Asia’s World City” exterior. The colors are attractive, although I prefer the traditional livery. Again, there were two check in areas and those in first or business boarded through door 1L while the others boarded through 2L. I was greeted by name and escorted to my seat by the flight attendant. This flight had one other pax in first class, seated in 2A. He had arrived on the JFK-YVR-HKG flight. He did not know about the non-stop flight that CX had started on July 1. The two of us looked through the newspaper and magazine display and took our selections. As soon as we had returned to our seats, the flight attendants set the counter up with a white cloth, an ice bucket with champagne, a pitcher of orange juice, a bottle of water and a tray with the ramekins of warm nuts to prepare our pre-departure drinks.

This is the flight which puts me over the Executive Platinum threshold on AA or Oneworld Emerald. :cool: At that level I will receive unlimited domestic upgrades on any published fare as well as 8 one way system wide upgrades. To celebrate my first time at this top level, I ordered champagne in so that I could toast the special occasion. After the scented towel and champagne, we were given menus and our breakfast orders were taken.

Once airborne we were given more champagne and another hot towel to prepare for our meal. The breakfast menu consisted of:

Juice Selection: I chose Orange Juice

Fresh Seasonal Fruit: This was a large plate consisting of 6 types of fruit

Yoghurt Selection (natural or fruit flavored): I asked for Blueberry and the flight attendant said that she would see if it was on board as she did not have that flavor in first. Sure enough, I received my Blueberry yoghurt ^

Cereals: Muesli, Corn Flakes or Rice Crispies: I skipped this course.

Main Course: Omelet with Mushrooms or Mini Glutinous Rice Dumpling and Assorted Dim Sum
I selected the Omelet with Mushrooms and was impressed at the quality of this. I ordered ham and sausage to accompany the omelet and was offered additional meat part way through the meal.

Accompaniments: Grilled Ham Slices, Nurnberger Sausages, Fried Potatoes, Vine Ripened Tomatoes, Sautéed Fresh Mushrooms.

Bread Basket: Assorted Breads, Rolls and Danish: The individual bread basket had enough for three people. I ate a couple of Danish, but did not have any of the addition breads.

On the short haul flights CX offers the TV and audio on demand. I watched an Australian comedy that was excellent, something like, “Kim and Kathy” and then “Yes Minister” from the BBC.

Upon arrival in BKK, the other gentleman left and I asked if there would be anyone else coming on board in first. The flight attendant told me that coach was overbooked, and business was pretty full but I was the only one scheduled for first. She said there was a chance that some of the J class pax might be bumped up to first. As it turned out, there was a sufficient number of no-shows so that there were a couple of empty seats in business class and I ended up the only one in First. While they were getting ready to board, the FSD announced the number of pax and it was something like: First class: 1, business: 43, coach: 320.

I was fascinated watching the cleaning crew, the flight attendants and the security people at work prepping the plane. I was the only pax on board and was offered continuous drinks and snacks during this process. I stayed with water and juice along with some nuts. The cleaning crew was very thorough and the flight attendants had a fair deal of work. Once the cleaning crew was finished vacuuming, dusting, sanitizing, etc. the cleaning crew deplaned and the security check began. They checked every overhead compartment, the bathrooms, each seat and the areas/compartment around it, the shelves, galleys, etc. Once that was completed the boarding process began for the continuation of flight 713.

I was offered BKK newspapers in addition to those papers left from the first segment. Once airborne, it was time for lunch. I ordered a Gentleman Jack and Sprite to drink. The menu offered:
Appetizer: Gravlax Salmon with Honey Mustard Dressing (which I skipped as it seemed as thoug I had just eaten a large breakfast.)

Main Courses: Stir-fried Lobster with Black Bean and Chili or Veal Steak with Boletus Mushroom
Sauce.
I chose the veal which was very tender and came with Duchesse Potatoes and a selection of vegetables. The sauce was flavorful and I dipped some of the potato in it.

Bread Basket: 3 types of rolls and a whole loaf of warm garlic bread. I love the CX garlic bread and ended up eating three pieces on this flight. :eek:

Cheese Board: A selection of 4 cheeses with dried fruits, nuts and crackers (which I had with a couple of glasses of Port wine)

Fresh Fruits: A healthy dessert. I normally don’t eat this healthily and thought my body might go into shock eating all this fruit. Interestingly, this selection of fruit was different from the breakfast selection. :)

Pralines: To counteract the healthy food, I selected 4 of these with another glass of port.

I watched an episode of CSI during this meal and then went back to listening to my CD of Philip Glass’s “Kundun” and reading my book. Before long, we were descending into Singapore for our on time arrival at 3:05 p.m.

The Immigration process was very easy: No line and I was given a piece of candy in addition to my immigration card. ^ Again my bags were already waiting for me when I arrived at the carousel. At the airport, one can get a Mercedes Taxi to the city’s hotels for $22 U.S. so I took that to the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Previously I had stayed at the Raffles Hotel, which I enjoyed. However, reading about the views from the Ritz Carlton on Flyertalk convinced me to give this hotel a try. The hotel is nicely appointed with fantastic views. My room had a number of mechanical problems and I spent the better part of three hours waiting around while different engineers worked on the air conditioning and tv, with minimal success. :mad: I was to the point of leaving the hotel to go back to Raffles or the Mandarin Oriental and asked a man in the lobby for walking directions to these hotels as I wanted to see what types of rooms both hotels had available. The guest relations person was very sincere, sorry about what I had experienced, and asked for a chance to rectify the difficulties. In less than five minutes he had proposed something that made me give the hotel a second chance. To be honest, I am not sure if I stayed more for the proposal offered or the sincerity of the guest relations person. The views from the hotel are very nice and I was impressed that this gentleman and a coworker continued to check on my throughout my stay at the hotel. ^ If it were not for his attitude I imagine my first and last stay at a Ritz Carlton would have been less than four hours. Now I look forward to returning to that hotel in the future. I wrote a letter of commendation to the Hotel and hope that they value this employee.

You've made me fire up the computer on a Sunday, which I'm loath to do!

So ... alone in first ... again ...
I should start travelling with you! But wait, then you wouldn't be alone in first!

I'll be in SIN soon ... staying almost next door at the Conrad. Can't wait.

Keep up the good work ...

... just browsing through this report in the CX F lounge here in Taipeh. I'm on a trip somewhat similar to yours, and will also post a trip report later on.

For now, let's say that I share your impressions of CX First, and was somewhat disappointed with the Wing as well. It wasn't exclusively negative though, as I liked the Dim Sum breakfast offers they had in the Haven. But no "a la carte" menu as someone had suggested. :confused:

Keep the reports coming!

The above post is mine. Apparently nologic was here using this PC lately and did not log out! Flyertalkers are everywhere.... ^

Sorry I took so long in getting this up on the board. Thanks for your kind words and encouragement!

After an enjoyable visit in Singapore, visiting the museum, China Town, the Indian District, as well as enjoying the hotel, I was headed back to Hong Kong to prepare for the new Hong Kong – New York flight the following day.

July 6, 2004
CX flight 716 Singapore – Hong Kong
747 seat 2K
Scheduled departure: 5:55 p.m., actual: 5:55 p.m.
Scheduled arrival: 9:40 p.m., actual: 9:30 p.m.

As I approached the CX ticketing area, I saw security officials next to a large X ray machine. All checked luggage had to be X-rayed before presenting oneself at the ticket counter. CX had separate desks for each of the three classes and another for Marco Polo members. In the first class section there was no one in line, so I went right up to the agent. I was given my boarding pass, an invitation to the lounge and directions to find the lounge. Passing through the immigration area, I noticed there was no line and again found bowls of candy at each station. After completing the formalities, the immigration agent expressed his hope that I would visit Singapore again, which I will gladly do again on my next AONE trip. :)

The Cathay Pacific lounge is rather large with seating on either side of the entrance. In the center area was a bar area with a wide selection of liquor, sodas, juices, snacks, hot appetizers, noodles and soup. The food was very good and I ended up hitting the buffet twice. ;) There were TVs on each side of the lounge, two internet equipped computers and two additional work stations. At one point the agent quietly went to each person to confirm that their boarding pass had the correct gate information as one of the flights had been moved to a new gate. ^ I thought this was much classier than announcing it over and over on the loudspeaker as I hear other airlines do.

Boarding was through doors 1 and 2 L. On this flight there were seven pax in first, with five empty seats. Before departure I had a glass of champagne and some warm almonds. I was offered additional almonds and champagne, but wanted to save my appetite for dinner. We were also presented a large variety of newspapers and magazines. Over the course of these flights I have noticed that CX is always getting the newest issue of each magazine to present to their passengers. After the newspapers we were offered menus.

Once airborne, our drink orders were taken. I had a Gentleman Jack and Sprite. After the drink order we were given our second hot towel of the flight. I do not know what they use to scent these towels, but it sure is refreshing. Our drinks were served with a beef and chicken satay from the cart. I opted for only one of each which were accompanied by a flavorful peanut sauce. Truthfully, I could have had an entire meal from the satay as it was so good. :o The flight attendants were willing to do that for me, but I did not want to miss the other treats that were in store. These meal services are exercises in delayed gratification. After the satay service I ordered dinner. As usual one could have dinner at whatever time one preferred, and a couple chose later dinner service. For dinner we were offered:

Soup: Hot and Sour Soup Szechuan Style (I am not one for this type of soup as sometimes it is too spicy for me, but this was delicious, it had a kick to it but did not burn my tongue or make me break out into a sweat).

Salad with Italian or Blue Cheese Dressing: This was a large salad comprised of a variety of greens, tomatoes, carrots and a few other vegetables, tossed with the Blue Cheese Dressing. I also chose the garlic bread (I held myself to only two pieces this time.)

Main Courses: Roast Lamb Loin with Red Wine Sauce and Tomato Confit
Stir-fried Lobster and Scallop in Black Bean Sauce
Green Chicken Curry Thai Style.
I selected the lamb with some hesitation as many times it tastes to strong for my tastes. I ended up eating all three large pieces. The sauce was flavorful and the meat was very tender. The Duchesse Potatoes were perfectly cooked, not to hard or too soggy. We also had the choice of rice and a variety of Eastern and Western vegetables.

Cheese Board: There were four cheeses on the board tonight and I tried three of them with some water crackers and port wine.

Dessert: Cassata Napolitain with Raspberry Coulis—once again I debated about eating a second one even through I felt as though my stomach might explode. I decided not to attempt this as the image from the Monty Python film of the man at the end of the banquet eats just one “wafer thin after dinner mint” leading to a rather unhappy end.

I did have two pralines since the flight attendant told me which were her favorites, so I had to comply :D

During the dinner service, I watched Mr. Bean, Absolutely Fabulous, and The Jaime Kennedy Experiment. The Experiment was pretty good; I had not seen it before but will watch it in the future.

We arrived in Hong Kong at 9:30 p.m.—10 minutes early. I tried to race the luggage to the carousel and so raced through the terminal, jumped on the train just as it was leaving and ran up the escalator to immigration. There was no line in immigration but sure enough, the luggage was there a mere 8 minutes after deplaning!! ^ ^ ^ By 9:45 I was at the Regal Airport Hotel again for a good night’s rest before my long flight the following day. Again, the Regal is a typical airport hotel…decent service and a decent room good for a night’s rest.

USD 8600 for an Oneworld Explorer 3 Continent First Class if you start your trip in the U.S.

(Less if you buy your ticket and start you trip in some other countries)

What about in J and Y?
---------------------------------------

TimF10, AWESOME TRIP REPORT!

TimF10

Really enjoy reading your F Class TR.

Sorry about the confusion about CGK, They do offer the 744, but I think sometime during this month for a few days, they will only offer 2 class.

Anway!! Hope to read you remainder TR!

So given you tried the Oneworld carriers, do you agree CX has the best F Class???
hahahaha!

TimF10, fantastic trip report... makes me want to do my RTW soon!


What about in J and Y?

For those interested in the intricacies of RTWs, there's a lot of discussion of these in the oneworld and Star Alliance forums.

A few links:

oneworld RTW FAQ (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=338667)

oneworld prices (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=330537) or here (http://qsi.cc/users/wbt/OWFares.xls)

Star Alliance prices (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=328799)

All of the following were posted by the original poster.

Once seated, I was offered champagne, orange juice or water. After reading the comments on flytertalk about the Krug champagne offered by CX, I knew that would be my choice.

Hmm, that's odd. They should be asking you what you want to drink, not
offering you choices.

Caviar and Balik Salmon Delight. Oscietra Caviar and Balik Salmos “Tsar Nicolaj” served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche. This was served from the cart but I skipped this as I have not been able to acquire this taste. Others were taking a lot of it.

Actually, sometimes they don't serve it from the cart if there are only 2 out of 8 in the cabin (out of 12 for the 747).

Newcx12345 and Alect: I am glad to hear that my time in the Wing seems to be an anomaly. One day I did try the Pier and although I did not eat there, the staff were much friendlier and seemed interested in their job.

I've always favored the Wing over the Pier for obvious reasons. The Pier is much too gloomy, and I love the cabanas. I might it a point to soak myself before every flight. I also find the Wing staff to be friendlier than the Pier's! Maybe because I'm kind of familiar with them, haha.

All in all, great report! :)

It seems like many times you are like royalty, being up front, all alone, waited on hand and foot. I'll bet it is nice to be part of the elite for once. ;)

Enjoying the report. ^

Keep it coming ...

TimF10

Really enjoy reading your F Class TR.

Sorry about the confusion about CGK, They do offer the 744, but I think sometime during this month for a few days, they will only offer 2 class.

Anway!! Hope to read you remainder TR!

So given you tried the Oneworld carriers, do you agree CX has the best F Class???
hahahaha!

I do agree that CX has the best first class in the air. After noticing another member's comments about the service in the Wing, I hope that CX will try to improve the service there.

All of the following were posted by the original poster.

Once seated, I was offered champagne, orange juice or water. After reading the comments on flytertalk about the Krug champagne offered by CX, I knew that would be my choice.

Hmm, that's odd. They should be asking you what you want to drink, not
offering you choices.

Caviar and Balik Salmon Delight. Oscietra Caviar and Balik Salmos “Tsar Nicolaj” served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche. This was served from the cart but I skipped this as I have not been able to acquire this taste. Others were taking a lot of it.

Actually, sometimes they don't serve it from the cart if there are only 2 out of 8 in the cabin (out of 12 for the 747).

Newcx12345 and Alect: I am glad to hear that my time in the Wing seems to be an anomaly. One day I did try the Pier and although I did not eat there, the staff were much friendlier and seemed interested in their job.

I've always favored the Wing over the Pier for obvious reasons. The Pier is much too gloomy, and I love the cabanas. I might it a point to soak myself before every flight. I also find the Wing staff to be friendlier than the Pier's! Maybe because I'm kind of familiar with them, haha.

All in all, great report! :)

I didn't think of asking for anything else to drink, but imagine the f/a would have gotten whatever I had wanted as they were great.

With regard to the Caviar on the cart, I was surprised at this but thought that it was a nice touch. I wish airlines would use the cart more often as I like to look at my choices before selecting.

I hope that my experiences at the Wing were the exception as I found the Pier staff much more invested in their job than those at the Wing.

Thanks for the compliment!

It seems like many times you are like royalty, being up front, all alone, waited on hand and foot. I'll bet it is nice to be part of the elite for once. ;)

Enjoying the report. ^

It was nice being part of the elite, although sometimes I felt bad for the f/a's doing all this work as I just sat around. But, then I figured it's only for two weeks and then its back to normal life. ;)

July 7, 2004
Cathay Pacific flight 830
Hong Kong – New York
Seat 2A on an Airbus 340-600
Scheduled departure: 10:15 a.m. Actual: 10:15 a.m.
Scheduled arrival: 2:05 p.m. Actual: 1:55 p.m.

After a night at the airport hotel, it was time to take the new Hong Kong – New York nonstop flight which is around 8,000 miles. I walked over to the airport and most of the first class check in agents were occupied. However, there were two ready to greet me and another took my luggage for me. I noticed that there were more people throughout the check in areas than on my other times through Hong Kong, even though it was a Wednesday. I was given my boarding pass and lounge invitation as well as directions to the lounge. In that I was departing from gate 3, the agent suggested I use the Wing which is located near the gate. For the first time, there were a few people in line for immigration formalities and I waited 5 minutes in order to get to security. When I arrived at the Wing, the desk agent was speaking on the phone. After 30 seconds or so, I just left the lounge invitation on the counter and walked in. :td: I thought I would see if there was a better selection of food this time, but unfortunately, it was worse. There were a couple of workers standing in the corner talking. As I approached a table a lady asked me what I wanted to drink. I responded, “Orange Juice.” She pointed to the buffet area and said, “It’s over there” and walked away. This time I ended up with only one pastry as they did not even have fruit flavored yogurt out and no hot Western style food. So, I went and asked another staff person if there was a McDonalds or anyplace were I could get something like eggs or fruit flavored yogurt, or any Western style food. She told me that the best place would be at the Burger King outside of the lounge if I wanted Western food. :( Luckily the Burger King was not far from the lounge. Before leaving I checked to make sure that I would be able to get back in and explained what had happened to the agent at the front desk. She asked for my boarding pass and stamped something on it and said that after breakfast I could come back into the lounge. So, after a Burger King breakfast I went back to the lounge, checked my email, and got a glass of water. Before long, I realized that boarding had begun ten minutes prior. So I grabbed my carry on and headed to the gate. Most people had already boarded when I arrived at the gate. Nonetheless, both check in stations were still staffed and I boarded through door 1 L.

This was my first time on an Airbus 340-600. I have a general bias against the airbus planes as the few times I have flown them I have found them to feel more cramped. The flight attendants on my previous flights commented that some pax did not like the 346 as well as the 747 as there are only two rows in first in a 1-2-1 configuration and the galley is in front of the cabin. The suites are identical and the color scheme is the same as on the 747. On my flight there were only 3 of us with 5 empty seats. However, if first was full, it would seem that the other pax would be closer than on the 747 and there is not as much overhead space for carry on luggage. I was thinking that it might be better to take out a row or two of coach and stagger the center section seats so that they are 2 or 3 feet behind the window seats. That way, one would not look across the aisle at the person and it might eliminate noise if the two people were holding a conversion in the center section. Nonetheless, on my flight we were all in window suites so there was no problem. But I do prefer the 747!

As I arrived on the plane I was shown to my seat and as I was walking there a flight attendant that was in the other aisle greeted me by name and reminded me that she had been on my London – Hong Kong flight. What a fantastic memory!! ^ We were able to get caught up about where we had flown during the prior few days and talk about the various cities we had visited. As we were talking, I was offered a pre-departure drink and I opted for the Krug champagne, following the advice of so many helpful people on flyertalk. The champagne was paired with a few pieces of fruit that had been marinated (wrong word, but I can’t think of the correct term.) We were offered Hong Kong, British, US and European newspapers. Then we were given our sleeper suits and Decleor amenity kits, menu, wine list and customs card.

Once we were airborne the flight attendants closed and snapped the curtains shut that separated our cabin from the business class cabin. Then the FSD director came by to visit and we had a great conversation about the airline and frequent flyer programs. Drink orders were taken and I chose more champagne which came with warm cashews.

The meal service on this flight had three components: First we had lunch. Half-way through the flight we were offered Dinner. One hour and a half before landing we were offered a refreshment service. I will post the entire menu at one with comments about my selections, keeping in mind this was over the course of 15 + hours.

First the cover of the menu was had an apple on the cover with the phrase “big apple” on it. I asked that lunch be served at Noon.

Lunch:
Oscietra Caviar and Balik Salmon “Tsar Nicolaj” served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche.—I skipped this.

Light Options:
--Manhattan Clam Chowder
(I prefer New England style but this was very good; one of the best I have had. The flight attendant told me that they chose this style not just for the name but because the New England could be a little too heavy for some pax.)
--Grilled Vegetable and Crostini Salad with Roast Sweet Garlic served with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing (I skipped this, but was offered it again before dinner, but skipped it then as well)
--Ricotta Cannelloni with Semi-sun dried Tomato Sauce and Baked Vegetables

Cathay Pacific was introducing a new red wine, Chateau Branaire-Ducru 1996 4eme Cru Classe. The wine consultants spent more than a year researching and tasting various wines and selected this vintage. It was very nice, although I am not a connoisseur.

Mains:
--Sautéed Prawns and Cucumber with Chili Paste, Steamed Rice and Baby Cabbage with Straw Mushrooms and Medlars.
--Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Natural Jus and Forest Mushrooms, Potatoes with Shallot and Mustard, Roasted Carrot and Zucchini Wedges.
This was very tender and a large portion. The vegetables were not soggy and quite tasty.
--Roasted Cornish Game Hen with Natural Jus, New Potatoes and Peas French Style

Cheese Board: I think there were four cheeses available, but I only chose three to go with a glass of port wine.

Dessert:
--Vanilla Ice Cream
--Lemon Crème Brule Tart
--Almond Chocolate Pudding.
This was almost like a soufflé and was served warm with some cream. I really enjoyed this dessert. Another time on CX I was tempted to have two desserts. :D

Pralines: I had a couple of these to tide me over until dinner.

While the f/a was taking my lunch order I was looking at her menu which had the number of each item that was catered. For the three pax, they had nine lunch entrees as there were four main course options for lunch. There were two or three of each entrée for the three of us. I wish other airlines would do this in first class! @:-)

Dinner:

Appetizer: Lobster Tail with Mango Salsa.
The salsa was very good as it had a little kick but was also sweet. The lobster was nicely prepared.

Mains:
--Grilled Marinated Lamb Chops with Roasted Garlic Potatoes with Olive Oil, Roasted Pumpkin and Green Beans.
--Steamed Seabass with Preserved Vegetables, Steamed Rice and Stir-fried Pak Choy
--Mushroom Ravioli with Tomato Basil Sauce.
This was excellent; the sauce was delicious and I used some of my garlic breadsticks to soak up some of the sauce.
I selected the Franciscan Oakville Estate Chardonnay 2001 for dinner.

Although not on the menu, I was offered a selection of cheeses, which gave me the opportunity to try a couple other types of cheese and some more port wine. :D

Dessert: Baked American Cheesecake served with Cherry Sauce (I skipped this)

Pralines—I couldn’t even eat any more of these…


Refreshment:

--Noodles in Soup with Braised Beef Brisket.
I thought this might be lots of noodles and a little diced beef. I was wrong! It was lots of noodles with a lot of large pieces of tender brisket in a beef broth.
--Wild Mushrooms Ragout with Asparagus on Toasted Ciabatta
--Congee with Shredded Chicken and Lettuce served with Stir-Fried Barbeque Pork, Bamboo Shoot and Green Peppers in Plum Sauce
--Hot Pot Rice with Stewed Spare Ribs and Preserved Vegetables served with Prawns and Snow Fungus and Chrysanthemum in Clear Broth

Ice Cream: I chose Hagen Dazs Cookies and Cream.

The Chinese dishes were part of the “Best Chinese Food in the Air” program which features selections from the Spring Moon Restaurant, located in the Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong.

For entertainment, I watched, “50 First Dates” during lunch and then was given my duvet and water bottle before taking a nap. Every time my water bottle was less than half full, it was replaced or refilled without me even noticing.

Before dinner, I chose a glass of Sprite for my drink which came with warm cashews and what must have been the forth hot towel. While dining, I watched a variety of the tv programs, mostly comedies.

After the dinner meal (second meal) meal, I read while listening to Laurie Anderson’s “Big Science” and Neil Diamond to get in the US mood. Then I took another nap. After a couple hours of sleep, I began watching, “A Fish Called Wanda” which I continued to view during the refreshment service. After that, it was time to change out of my sleeper suit, brush my teeth and get ready for landing. We arrived 10 min. ahead of schedule and used the BA terminal. The sixteen hours passed very quickly, although I think I would have gotten bored if I had flown a few hours longer without getting the chance to walk around. The CX flight attendants were great and I wish I had the chance to fly with them again. CX really shines in first class! There was no line for immigration and the wait for my luggage was approximately 2 minutes. I took the airtrain to catch the shuttle to the Doubletree Club Hotel near JFK and after a quick shower went into Manhattan for the afternoon. The Doubletree Club Hotel is a small airport hotel. They have typical sized rooms, a four internet connected computers, a bar, restaurant and work out area. The shuttle from the Airtrain usually takes over 20 minutes to arrive, but the staff at the desk are generally quite helpful. They gave me great directions on how to get to the World Trade Site as it has been a while since I last visited there. The front desk people also answered my other questions regarding how to get to various places around town.

Tim,

Your report is great stuff. Well done! Looking forward to the next parts... ^

P.S. You don't seem to have much luck with the lounges, do you? :) Like many others have said, both the CX lounges in HKG were great of the times I've been there.

What a marvellous TR. I recently did a similar itinerary in F on a business trip and enjoyed every minute of the flying. In particular, I loved the coffee and date service on the BA LHR-DXB leg.

A while back you mentioned that you enjoyed an Australian "sauterne" on BA. I believe it would have been De Bortoli Noble One. The Australian Wine and Brandy Act does not, of course, permit us to call it "sauterne", so you will find it is referred to by many names, depending on one's preference. Australians love to call what the English call "pudding wine" and what the Americans call "dessert wine", "sticky".

Most of the De Bortoli Noble One served in the air is too young. On the LHR-DXB leg I flew I think it was a 1996. QF is serving the 1998 which is almost infanticide. It is, however, a noble wine indeed. I absolutely adore it and I have a couple of vintages hidden away in a friend's wine cellar. We will enjoy it in several years time. By then it will have turned a deep honey colour, and the flavour will be out of this world. It pairs unbelievably well with a steamed marmalade pudding.

I cannot wait until I have my next bottle!!!!!!

I find it unbelivable that this amazing trip report still hasn't received a five-star rating. Well, here is my vote anyway:
:-: :-: :-: :-: :-:

Continue the great work TimF10, this report is one of the best I have read here so far, I just wish there were some pictures to go with it.

So sorry/mystified to hear of your repeated poor experiences at the Wing. The nearly 50 or so times I have been there have been uniformly excellent--both as to doting service, as well as to 5* catering. There is no question that the morning fare pales to afternoon evening selections; however--and perhaps you were unaware of this--if you don't see something you like, you simply need to ask for it, and if it is at all humanly possible, the CX staff will make it appear.

In the air, there is no experience more gratifying than flying up front with CX--even more so, if the cabin is not full. The FAs are absolutely incredible--and sincere--in their desire and intent to serve you. Little welcome cards introducing themselves, generous servings of any/all offerings whenever you want...all without being made to feel that you are "inconveniencing" them...just great. ...and when was the last time you walked into a lav mid-flight to find it not only spotless, but with the toilet paper had been creased into a neat triangular point, a la hotel service?

CX (together with SQ) are far ahead of the pack, in this regard...I just hope they do not cut back too drastically on their flights offering FC.

TimF10

I am now addicted in reading your TR! you must do another AONE4 again!!!

Totally agree with you on the 346 and 34C!!

Hate them with a passion!


I presonally prefer the 744 in both J and F Class. Definitely more space and a lot more exclusive!

I think this is the one weak link in CX! the dreaed 34C/6

Also that CX830 (HKG-JFK) Non Stop have being given pretty ORDINARY reviews lately so glad you got a good trip.

I would've suggested you took the CX838 to YVR, stay at the fairmont again and then get the CX888 to JFK

But I guess you went to YVR already therefore you can't stopover there again? However if you get the CX838 then you it doesn't can't a s a stopover!

I cannot wait until I have my next bottle!!!!!!

I love the De Bortoli too - sadly BA are no longer serving it with a substantially infereior Sauternes having taken it's place. :(

BTW, great report Tim.

Really excellent reports!

About the "Wing," I agree with you concerning flexibility of the staffs, and sometimes, the staffs only give lukewarm welcomes. However, this only happens once in a while... Sorry about the food selection, I think a letter to CX will be appropriate... I can't understand why eggs can't be served -- they are relatively easy to make.

Thanks for all the menu transcripts... it is good to read about the HKG to JFK menu... I guess it will be better than the JFK to HKG segment.

Thanks again,
Carfield

I didn't think of asking for anything else to drink, but imagine the f/a would have gotten whatever I had wanted as they were great.

With regard to the Caviar on the cart, I was surprised at this but thought that it was a nice touch. I wish airlines would use the cart more often as I like to look at my choices before selecting.

I hope that my experiences at the Wing were the exception as I found the Pier staff much more invested in their job than those at the Wing.

Thanks for the compliment!

I normally request Perrier with Lemon and Ice. I know that some people dislike ice with Perrier, but I happen to like mine that way. I don't like the cart at all. Straight out from the galley is more first class.

No problem, you totally deserved the compliements.

I just read your recent report for the JFK leg, and here's what I have to say:

I thought I would see if there was a better selection of food this time, but unfortunately, it was worse. There were a couple of workers standing in the corner talking. As I approached a table a lady asked me what I wanted to drink. I responded, “Orange Juice.” She pointed to the buffet area and said, “It’s over there” and walked away. This time I ended up with only one pastry as they did not even have fruit flavored yogurt out and no hot Western style food ... Before leaving I checked to make sure that I would be able to get back in and explained what had happened to the agent at the front desk. She asked for my boarding pass and stamped something on it and said that after breakfast I could come back into the lounge.

You should have complained to a senior staff member at the center of the first and business class lounges (where you get out from the lift). Pointing to the buffet area and saying "It's over there" is completely rude. Walking away is even worse. You can ask for Fruit flavored yogurt and hot western style food because I have been to the haven PLENTY of times and these items have always been available for breakfast. As for leaving the lounge, you shouldn't bother wasting your time at the front desk. Just leave the lounge and get back in with your FIRST CLASS boarding pass. It will be fine.

This was my first time on an Airbus 340-600. I have a general bias against the airbus planes as the few times I have flown them I have found them to feel more cramped. The flight attendants on my previous flights commented that some pax did not like the 346 as well as the 747 as there are only two rows in first in a 1-2-1 configuration and the galley is in front of the cabin. The suites are identical and the color scheme is the same as on the 747. On my flight there were only 3 of us with 5 empty seats. However, if first was full, it would seem that the other pax would be closer than on the 747 and there is not as much overhead space for carry on luggage. I was thinking that it might be better to take out a row or two of coach and stagger the center section seats so that they are 2 or 3 feet behind the window seats. That way, one would not look across the aisle at the person and it might eliminate noise if the two people were holding a conversion in the center section. Nonetheless, on my flight we were all in window suites so there was no problem. But I do prefer the 747!

I've never liked the 747. Personally, the 747 is too crowded. 12 is far too many people to be in first class (if it's a full flight). I love the 2 rows of 1-2-1 and I usually sit in 2A. I have no problem with the galley being in front of the cabin either. There is SO much overhead space on the 346! I'm taking this flight to JFK and back in a few weeks for leisure, and I'm looking forward to the 346.

For entertainment, I watched, “50 First Dates” during lunch and then was given my duvet and water bottle before taking a nap. Every time my water bottle was less than half full, it was replaced or refilled without me even noticing.

I watched "50 First Dates" in June, I think. On CX. I have never had any of my water bottles refilled. They just give me a new one. Hmm, how did they carry out the refilling? From a 1.5 liter Evian bottle into your smaller one?

--- I'm sure you're tired of this, but you do have a knack for writing! :)

When I arrived at the Wing, the desk agent was speaking on the phone. After 30 seconds or so, I just left the lounge invitation on the counter and walked in. :td: I thought I would see if there was a better selection of food this time, but unfortunately, it was worse.

Very odd. I had a totally different experience in May on at least three different occasions. People were as friendly as usual, though I admit that the people in the resto are a bit stoic, and the lounge was fine. They did take out the fruit and fridge from the Cabanas, which I was disappointed about since I wanted a glass of water after the long flight, and I did not check the computers because I had my laptop. The wireless there is pretty nice. I dont know if they still loan laptops for the wireless but they did at one point. I am a bit of an oddity because I dont think the food at HKG or on CX is as good as many of the others. Therefore my standards might be lower. I guess I am more used to Chinese workers food and not some of the other things that are offered. Their tea is good, though, as I am a bit of a fanatic. I am surprised, however, taht you were unable to get a meal. As someone else said, its usually buffet style.

Too bad about your experience. I too like the wing better than the pier because it feels less like a prison. Good trip report, though, and sounds like overall you had an enjoyable but tiring trip.

I feel so envious when TimF10 rejects the Caviar, with chilled Vodka at 35,000 feet it really is one of lifes greatest delights. Wonderful report by the way.

In the city, I was very impressed with the progress that has been made around the World Trade Center site as well as the attitude of the many people who came to the site. A large number of people were quietly reading the names of the fallen and looking at the pictures that were posted. After that, I wandered around the city and then had a light dinner before heading back to the hotel. Surprisingly, I did not have jet lag as I was able to stay awake until close to midnight and slept soundly until the wake up call at 9:15 a.m. After getting ready, I took the shuttle to JFK in order to check in for my last flight,

July 8, 2004
AA flight 3
JFK-LAX
Seat 2D on 767
Scheduled departure: 12:00 actual: 12:05 p.m.
Scheduled arrival: 2:33 p.m. actual: 2:30 p.m.

The check in area was more crowded than I had seen at JFK in a number of years. Luckily, there was no line for first class check in so I was able to get through very quickly. The agent told me that it had been this crowded almost every day for the last three weeks and their loads were looking good for the rest of the month. ^ I hope that American can survive the increased fuel costs and make a solid recovery.

After checking in I went up to the Admiral’s club and enjoyed a bagel and some juice while reading the New York newspapers and checking my AAdvantage mileage. Then it was time to walk to the gate. When I went up to the club, there was a long line for security, but now there was no line and I walked right through the screening. Boarding was delayed due to some additional cleaning time from the prior flight and I thought we would be quite late. However, boarding began at 11:45 a.m. and we departed only five minutes late. Before allowing anyone to board, the agents explained the boarding process two times and had people look at their boarding passes in order to verify their group number. ^ As first class was then called, I headed onto the plane. First class only had 6 of 9 seats occupied on this flight. While the rest of the passengers were boarding, we were offered drinks (I selected more orange juice) and menus. Later we were asked if we would like an individual DVD player and almost all of us said yes. The DVD player comes with 15 or 20 DVD’s that one can use while in flight. Then our post take off drink and lunch orders were taken following FEBO (starting in the front on even numbered flights and from the back on odd numbered flights). Boarding went smoothly and we were airborne shortly after our scheduled departure.

Once at a cruising altitude, my Makers Mark and Sprite arrived along with the ramekin of warm assorted nuts and then crudités with a ranch style dressing. We were offered refills on drinks and nuts, but I declined both. After that, the salad cart was prepared and our salads were made for us. On our salad we had the option of adding:
--Lobster Tail and Claw with Lemon Wedges
--Thai Chicken
--Oven-roasted Vegetables
--Red Wine Vinaigrette or Creamy Garlic Dill Dressing

I selected the lobster and was given a large and tender lobster tail along with the mixed greens and dressing.

We were then offered whole wheat or sourdough rolls, but I declined this option.

The entrée choices were:
--Chicken Fontina with Risotto: Breast of Chicken stuffed with Fontina Cheese and Mushrooms served over a Broccolini Pepper Saute and Risotto.
I selected this and it was a large chicken breast stuffed with the cheese and mushrooms served with a good size portion of risotto. This was a very good choice.
--Cajun Tuna and Creole Rice: Cajun Tuna accompanied by roasted Tomatoes, Red and Yellow Bell Peppers and Creole Rice.
--Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich offered with Buffalo BBQ sauce and Blue Cheese on a Baguette.
--Vegetable Sacchetti: Vegetable Sacchetti Pasta enchanced by a Tomato Cream Sauce.


For dessert we were offered Caramel Apple Cheesecake or an Ice Cream Sundae (Hot Fudge, Butterscotch, or Fruit topping with Fresh Whipped Cream). I chose the Hot Fudge Sunday and could not finish it all as it must have been two large scoops of ice cream and a generous serving of sauce and whipped cream. While enjoying the dessert, I was given a glass of Port Wine and then we all received our bottles of water which were refilled during the flight.

While dining, I decided to watch “Big Fish” on my DVD player. I had heard good things about this movie, but found it to be a better story than I had expected. I would recommend this film if you have not seen it. Once the movie was over, I read for a while, listened to a song entitled, “The Journey Home” from the “Bombay Dreams” musical which will be opening in New York soon, and listened to Laurie Anderson’s “Big Science” CD. Every few minutes one of the f/a’s would come through offering drinks, but I stuck with water.

Throughout the flight I reminisced about my various flights on AA, BA and CX as well as the wonderful places I was able to visit. Although I was glad to be coming home, I would have liked to have taken a few more flights as I am continually amazed that I am able to be flying over 500 mph in a metal tube some 4 or 5 miles above the earth looking at tremendous scenery. This was a trip to remember and I hope to be able to do this again next year.

Soon, the captain announced our descent into the LAX airport and we arrived right on schedule. I walked to the luggage area and within a couple of minutes the baggage began rolling off the conveyor belt. My luggage was once again among the first to be returned, a happy ending to a vacation that exceeded my hopes and dreams. :D

What a marvellous TR. I recently did a similar itinerary in F on a business trip and enjoyed every minute of the flying. In particular, I loved the coffee and date service on the BA LHR-DXB leg.

A while back you mentioned that you enjoyed an Australian "sauterne" on BA. I believe it would have been De Bortoli Noble One. The Australian Wine and Brandy Act does not, of course, permit us to call it "sauterne", so you will find it is referred to by many names, depending on one's preference. Australians love to call what the English call "pudding wine" and what the Americans call "dessert wine", "sticky".

Most of the De Bortoli Noble One served in the air is too young. On the LHR-DXB leg I flew I think it was a 1996. QF is serving the 1998 which is almost infanticide. It is, however, a noble wine indeed. I absolutely adore it and I have a couple of vintages hidden away in a friend's wine cellar. We will enjoy it in several years time. By then it will have turned a deep honey colour, and the flavour will be out of this world. It pairs unbelievably well with a steamed marmalade pudding.

I cannot wait until I have my next bottle!!!!!!

Thanks for the information on the De Bortoli Noble One. Do you know where I could buy it? I went to a large wine store and they did not know anything about it, although they carried 50 other dessert wines.

I find it unbelivable that this amazing trip report still hasn't received a five-star rating. Well, here is my vote anyway:
:-: :-: :-: :-: :-:

Continue the great work TimF10, this report is one of the best I have read here so far, I just wish there were some pictures to go with it.

Thanks for the kind words. Much to the chagrin (or relief) of my family and friends, I don't even carry a camera while traveling. I will pick up post cards/picture books but apart from that I just enjoy the experience and spending time later reflecting upon what I saw or heard.

So sorry/mystified to hear of your repeated poor experiences at the Wing. The nearly 50 or so times I have been there have been uniformly excellent--both as to doting service, as well as to 5* catering. There is no question that the morning fare pales to afternoon evening selections; however--and perhaps you were unaware of this--if you don't see something you like, you simply need to ask for it, and if it is at all humanly possible, the CX staff will make it appear.

In the air, there is no experience more gratifying than flying up front with CX--even more so, if the cabin is not full. The FAs are absolutely incredible--and sincere--in their desire and intent to serve you. Little welcome cards introducing themselves, generous servings of any/all offerings whenever you want...all without being made to feel that you are "inconveniencing" them...just great. ...and when was the last time you walked into a lav mid-flight to find it not only spotless, but with the toilet paper had been creased into a neat triangular point, a la hotel service?

CX (together with SQ) are far ahead of the pack, in this regard...I just hope they do not cut back too drastically on their flights offering FC.

I agree that CX would be the best in the air! I remember thinking that the f/a's were reading my mind; as soon as I thought of something they seemed to be there asking if I would like it. You are right about the lav's, they are consistantly spotless. I have yet to try SQ so cannot make that comparision, but hear that both CX and SQ are the best.

TimF10

I am now addicted in reading your TR! you must do another AONE4 again!!!

Totally agree with you on the 346 and 34C!!

Hate them with a passion!


I presonally prefer the 744 in both J and F Class. Definitely more space and a lot more exclusive!

I think this is the one weak link in CX! the dreaed 34C/6

Also that CX830 (HKG-JFK) Non Stop have being given pretty ORDINARY reviews lately so glad you got a good trip.

I would've suggested you took the CX838 to YVR, stay at the fairmont again and then get the CX888 to JFK

But I guess you went to YVR already therefore you can't stopover there again? However if you get the CX838 then you it doesn't can't a s a stopover!

I would love to do another AONE soon, but don't think I will be able to do it again until next year. They are quite addictive. ;)
Perhaps CX has worked out the kinks in the new CX830 service. I had no complaints whatsoever with the flight. However, I like your idea of stopping again and staying at the Fairmont in YVR. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks also for your replies; they were helpful to me!

Really excellent reports!

About the "Wing," I agree with you concerning flexibility of the staffs, and sometimes, the staffs only give lukewarm welcomes. However, this only happens once in a while... Sorry about the food selection, I think a letter to CX will be appropriate... I can't understand why eggs can't be served -- they are relatively easy to make.

Thanks for all the menu transcripts... it is good to read about the HKG to JFK menu... I guess it will be better than the JFK to HKG segment.

Thanks again,
Carfield

It seems that I just had bad luck at the Wing, but will consider writing a letter. I don't think I deserve compensation as the flights were fantastic but maybe the mgt. could ensure that my experience is a thing of the past.

I normally request Perrier with Lemon and Ice. I know that some people dislike ice with Perrier, but I happen to like mine that way. I don't like the cart at all. Straight out from the galley is more first class.

No problem, you totally deserved the compliements.

I just read your recent report for the JFK leg, and here's what I have to say:

I thought I would see if there was a better selection of food this time, but unfortunately, it was worse. There were a couple of workers standing in the corner talking. As I approached a table a lady asked me what I wanted to drink. I responded, “Orange Juice.” She pointed to the buffet area and said, “It’s over there” and walked away. This time I ended up with only one pastry as they did not even have fruit flavored yogurt out and no hot Western style food ... Before leaving I checked to make sure that I would be able to get back in and explained what had happened to the agent at the front desk. She asked for my boarding pass and stamped something on it and said that after breakfast I could come back into the lounge.

You should have complained to a senior staff member at the center of the first and business class lounges (where you get out from the lift). Pointing to the buffet area and saying "It's over there" is completely rude. Walking away is even worse. You can ask for Fruit flavored yogurt and hot western style food because I have been to the haven PLENTY of times and these items have always been available for breakfast. As for leaving the lounge, you shouldn't bother wasting your time at the front desk. Just leave the lounge and get back in with your FIRST CLASS boarding pass. It will be fine.

This was my first time on an Airbus 340-600. I have a general bias against the airbus planes as the few times I have flown them I have found them to feel more cramped. The flight attendants on my previous flights commented that some pax did not like the 346 as well as the 747 as there are only two rows in first in a 1-2-1 configuration and the galley is in front of the cabin. The suites are identical and the color scheme is the same as on the 747. On my flight there were only 3 of us with 5 empty seats. However, if first was full, it would seem that the other pax would be closer than on the 747 and there is not as much overhead space for carry on luggage. I was thinking that it might be better to take out a row or two of coach and stagger the center section seats so that they are 2 or 3 feet behind the window seats. That way, one would not look across the aisle at the person and it might eliminate noise if the two people were holding a conversion in the center section. Nonetheless, on my flight we were all in window suites so there was no problem. But I do prefer the 747!

I've never liked the 747. Personally, the 747 is too crowded. 12 is far too many people to be in first class (if it's a full flight). I love the 2 rows of 1-2-1 and I usually sit in 2A. I have no problem with the galley being in front of the cabin either. There is SO much overhead space on the 346! I'm taking this flight to JFK and back in a few weeks for leisure, and I'm looking forward to the 346.

For entertainment, I watched, “50 First Dates” during lunch and then was given my duvet and water bottle before taking a nap. Every time my water bottle was less than half full, it was replaced or refilled without me even noticing.

I watched "50 First Dates" in June, I think. On CX. I have never had any of my water bottles refilled. They just give me a new one. Hmm, how did they carry out the refilling? From a 1.5 liter Evian bottle into your smaller one?

--- I'm sure you're tired of this, but you do have a knack for writing! :)

Thanks for your throughtful comments and ideas.
Regarding the 747 vx. 346, I guess we just have different tastes: If the seats in the center were staggered, I might go with the Airbus. The galley in the front did not bother me either.
I think the water bottle was refilled by using a larger bottle, as it was taken up to the galley to be filled. It was the same bottle that I had been using as the seal was broken. Usually, it was refilled when I had comsumed half the water.
I am kind of embarassed to say that I see more movies on board a plane than in a cinema. But on the other hand maybe it has more do to with the fact that most movies that come out don't seem good enough to get me to want to sit in a cinema.
Thanks for the compliment! I don't mind hearing again :) As this is my first time writing, I am grateful for the feedback and hope that my comments will help others just as reading this board helped me to plan my trip.

Very odd. I had a totally different experience in May on at least three different occasions. People were as friendly as usual, though I admit that the people in the resto are a bit stoic, and the lounge was fine. They did take out the fruit and fridge from the Cabanas, which I was disappointed about since I wanted a glass of water after the long flight, and I did not check the computers because I had my laptop. The wireless there is pretty nice. I dont know if they still loan laptops for the wireless but they did at one point. I am a bit of an oddity because I dont think the food at HKG or on CX is as good as many of the others. Therefore my standards might be lower. I guess I am more used to Chinese workers food and not some of the other things that are offered. Their tea is good, though, as I am a bit of a fanatic. I am surprised, however, taht you were unable to get a meal. As someone else said, its usually buffet style.

Too bad about your experience. I too like the wing better than the pier because it feels less like a prison. Good trip report, though, and sounds like overall you had an enjoyable but tiring trip.

The trip was great and if the worst thing to happen was the experience at the Wing, I feel very fortunate. Now I am already dreaming of doing it again! Thanks for the kind words.

I feel so envious when TimF10 rejects the Caviar, with chilled Vodka at 35,000 feet it really is one of lifes greatest delights. Wonderful report by the way.

I do like the chilled Vodka if that counts for anything. ;)

Timf10,

Again, excellent report! I really like your style of report (not too much useless information and right amount of detail. eg. the menu description and ambience outline etc...)

Just wondering on the AA 767 what type of seats do they have? Suites or just some Old F Class seat?


I am planning fror my DONE4 trip at the moment and just discovered a way to visit a continet TWICE!

I am thinking of the following Itineary:

SYD-HKGx-LHR-MXP-LHR-CDG-EDI-LHR-DXB-LHR-LAX-DFW-MIA-BOS-JFK-YVR-HKG-TPE-NRT-HKG-SIN-HKG-AKL-MEL-PER-SYD

Timf10,

Again, excellent report! I really like your style of report (not too much useless information and right amount of detail. eg. the menu description and ambience outline etc...)

Just wondering on the AA 767 what type of seats do they have? Suites or just some Old F Class seat?


I am planning fror my DONE4 trip at the moment and just discovered a way to visit a continet TWICE!

I am thinking of the following Itineary:

SYD-HKGx-LHR-MXP-LHR-CDG-EDI-LHR-DXB-LHR-LAX-DFW-MIA-BOS-JFK-YVR-HKG-TPE-NRT-HKG-SIN-HKG-AKL-MEL-PER-SYD

On the 767 intl, they have a two class plane with a business/first combination while on lax/sfo-jfk they have three class configuration. On the three class, the seats have a 62 inch pitch. There are no suites on the 767's anymore and the seats do not go flat. :( . On the 777 there are suites on the Atlantic routes and what are called "coffins" on the Pacific routes. I have not flown the "coffins" but understand them to be flat beds in a 2-2-2 configuration while the Atlantic suites are 1-2-1.

Your itinerary looks like a lot of fun. If you have not yet gone to the oneworld board, they can review everything for you. I received a lot of help from the people there. When are you travelling?

I am thinking of doing the trip in December. This will be my 5th Oneworld DONE4 trip.

I am really tempted to go for AONE4 but it is just unjustifiable when there are not that many True F Class Routes left and also I usually get op Upgraded.

But I really enjoyed your report! i hope I can write something similar when I come back!

I am thinking of doing the trip in December. This will be my 5th Oneworld DONE4 trip.

I am really tempted to go for AONE4 but it is just unjustifiable when there are not that many True F Class Routes left and also I usually get op Upgraded.

But I really enjoyed your report! i hope I can write something similar when I come back!

I look forward to reading your report!

I look forward to reading your report!

I, too, am thinking of a RTW starting from HK. Suggestions on what route to take, anyone? :)

I, too, am thinking of a RTW starting from HK. Suggestions on what route to take, anyone? :)
The best advice I can give is to list the cities that you want to visit on the One World forum and they will give you some ideas. That is how I planned this trip and they were very patient with me.
I also think they have mentioned travel agents in Hong Kong that were good--just do a search on the forum.

Have fun planning the trip.