LHR-SFO United First (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins.html#post12197344)
SFO-LAS US Airways First (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins.html#post12197354)
Las Vegas - 1st night at Excalibur and then 4 at The MGM Grand (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins.html#post12197408)
Dinner at Joël Robuchon (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins.html#post12197492)
LAS-SFO UA Economy Plus (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins.html#post12197509)
SFO-HKG Cathay Pacific First (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins.html#post12197601)
Hong Kong - 4 nights at the Harbour Plaza North Point (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins.html#post12197639)
HKG-PVG Dragonair First (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins.html#post12198089)
Shanghai - 1 night at the Sofitel Shanghai Hyland (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins.html#post12198171)
PVG-HKG Shanghai Airlines Business (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins.html#post12198284)
Hong Kong - 1 night at the Novotel Citygate (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins-2.html#post12198356)
HKG-LHR Air New Zealand Business Premier (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/983426-diy-ow-rtw-2009-top-cabins-2.html#post12198376)
Planning
The planning of my summer holiday 2009 was somewhat erratic. Back in September 2008 I had booked myself and my wife outbound to Hong Kong on a rather tasty set of BMI redemptions:
LHR-FNC TP Business
FNC-LHR TP Business
LHR-SIN SQ First
STOPOVER
SIN-BKK SQ First
BKK-HKG TG First
HKG-PEK CA Business
STOPOVER
PEK-DME CA Business
DME-LHR BD Business
For some stupid reason, I decided to cancel these tickets and Mrs TEX277 would head off alone. I later jumped at the BA 50% off all redemptions and booked a First Class LHR-LAX ticket with the intention to sort out onward transport to Las Vegas.
In June 2009 I decided that actually I would like to see my wife in Hong Kong during her 5 week stay there. I was surprised to be honest to be able to string together award flights at relatively short notice for travel during the busy summer months. So my final itinerary (as detailed at the top of this post) consisted of four tickets: 2 Bmi issued *A award tickets, 1 BA issued OW award ticket and a purchased United ticket.
TEX277
Aug 9, 09, 5:09 am
London Heathrow T1 – San Francisco
United Airlines
UA 955
777-200
First Class
Seat 2A
I arrived at LHR T1 just under two hours before departure and soon located United’s First Class and Global Services check-in area. This was my first time departing T1 with United and I also realised, that despite my former 1K status with UA, this was the first time that I had departed LHR in F with them! The F/UGS check-in is afforded some privacy from the main check-in area by the erection of frosted (IIRC) glass screening. I was greeted by the agent, who quickly issued my BPs, took care of my checked baggage, pointed me in the direction of ‘Fast Track’ security and explained how to get to the Star Alliance lounge. Credit to BAA, it must have taken just a little more than 1 minute from saying farewell to the check-in agent to successfully navigating security.
Once airside I did a little duty-free shopping and then made straight for the Star Alliance lounge. Holding a First Class BP I was entitled to take a guest into the lounge with me. I made a half-hearted attempt to spot any suitable looking solo travellers to guest in but left it at that.
I was greeted at the reception desk and, after having my ID and BP checked, directed to the First Class section of the lounge. The lounge itself was certainly nicely presented. I liked the fact that having some dividing wooden panels avoided the open-plan loss of privacy. I located the Champagne and then headed for the computers. I could not log-on and asked one of the lounge attendants. She went off to check and then came back to inform me that the internet was not working today.
I was browsing the food offering and had just spotted a smoked salmon bagel as the lounge attendant approached and asked if I would like a sausage or bacon roll! My order went in immediately and I returned to my seat eagerly awaiting the arrival of my bacon roll. It arrived and I was a little shocked to note the amount of fat hanging out of the roll. It certainly detracted from the presentation. The sauce (the two small rolls came only with a small cup of red) was inserted before all was devoured.
Around an hour and a quarter after I had entered the lounge, I departed. As mentioned earlier, the lounge is nicely presented. However, I would not really have liked to have had to spend much more time in there.
By the time I had arrived at the gate, most of the passengers were already onboard, meaning that there was no queuing for me. I was straight onto the aircraft and settled straight into seat 2A. I was greeted and offered a glass of Champagne, OJ or water and opted for the latter. I was dismayed to hear the captain thank everybody for turning up not just only time but early which gave them the chance to get away early. With a 4hr 30min connection in SFO, I was hoping for a delay!!! We taxied out to 27L, accelerated down the runway, climbed and then headed for SFO.
Another first for me - I decided that I was not really that hungry on departure (those bacon rolls had certainly filled that hole!) and informed the cabin crew that I would prefer to sleep some more before eating lunch which was to be served soon after departure. The crew were understanding of this and allowed me to sleep whilst they catered for the rest of the cabin. A cabin, it has to be said, that was full to capacity despite the fact that just the day before plenty of availability was still showing.
Anyway, I managed to sleep for two to three hours before waking and asking the crew to prepare my lunch.
Menu
First Course
Appertizers
Moroccan spiced swordfish
Lemon saffron chicken brochette
Chili mint sauce
http://images52.fotki.com/v1554/fileqJzz/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103536.jpg
Soup
Roasted carrot and swede soup
http://images49.fotki.com/v1555/filer6zn/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103538.jpg
Salad
Fresh seasonal greens with asparagus, cucumbers and sun-blushed tomatoes
Served with your choice of dressing:
Creamy peppercorn Balsamic Vinaigrette
Main Course
Grilled Filet Mignon with Béarnaise Sauce
Twice baked potato with sautéed spinach
http://images50.fotki.com/v1558/fileqqYz/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103540.jpg
Herb marinated seared salmon with Beurre Blanc
White and wild rice medley with mixed vegetables and mushrooms
Indian Curry
Chicken Passanda, rice with cardamom and mustard seed, methi peppers and yogurt lentil potatoes
Mizuna pasta with spinach and cheese
Sautéed vegetables and a tomato cream sauce
Dessert
Ice Cream
With your choice of sundae toppings: hot fudge caramel, summer berry compote, sliced roasted almonds, whipped cream
Cheese Selection
Served with red grapes and crackers
Cashel Blue – similar in style to Roquefort, but softer, more moist and less salty
Coastal Cheddar – extra mature with a surprising crunch from the calcium crystals
Capricorn Goat – soft cheese from Somerset, sweeter than French varieties, slightly nutty
Assorted Fine Chocolates
Tea Service
Your selected entrée will be served with a fresh fruit appertizer, warm scones, clotted cream and fruit preserves
Trio of Tea sandwiches and Apricot Stilton Cheese
Tuna niçoise
Beef pastrami
Chunky hummus and carrot
Cheese Plate with fresh seasonal fruit
Black Stick, Butler’s Secret
Wine List
Champagne
Cuvée Diamant 1998 Champagne
White Wine
Bouchard Les Clous 2006 Meursault (Chardonnay)
Laetitia Chardonnay 2006 Arroyo Grande
Mount Nelson Sauvignon 2007 Marlborough
The remainder of the flight was filled with either watching the flight info/map or films. I had wanted to see Gran Torino and Taken when they were on at the cinema but never got around to it. However, despite not normally finding anything of interest in the UA First video cassette tray, they were both there!
Unfortunately we landed early, so early that our gate was still occupied. Soon enough I was off the aircraft and heading for US Immigration. I was the fourth person off the plane and probably (considering the time that I had to kill between my connection) around tenth (it was a very short walk to Immigration) to arrive at Immigration. It looked like an Emirates flight had arrived just before us and as usual, I got totally shafted being processed.
Despite being tenth out of over 300 passengers on my flight, despite looking back and seeing the queue snaking out of the queuing system, I was one of the last 5 people get through. They were taking people from the back of the queue and sending them down to the US Citizen desks once they were clear. The two agents for whom I was queuing only ended up processing me from my flight!!! I was not really in a jovial mood and initially this was not really helped by the Officer looking through my passport, seeing all of my US entry stamps and then asking if this was my first time in the US! However, I could not help a bit of a chuckle when he noted that I was going to Vegas, circled the ‘Are you carrying over US$10000’ question and sternly asked me to clarify that I was making the correct declaration. I wish I was carrying over US$10000!
I had spent 30 minutes waiting to get through Immigration, I know I had time to kill but it was still infuriating, and was expecting my priority tagged luggage to be waiting for me at reclaim. I was surprised when I got there and could not see my luggage! It took a further 15 minutes for mine to come out. I’ll be honest and confess to watching my bag go past me for one more lap of the carousel before picking it up and heading to Customs. The customs agent picked up on the circled currency question and asked if I had more than US$10000. I denied it and was sent on my way.
As I was connecting on US, the UA lady would not take my recheck bag and directed me over to US in T1. US took the bag and I headed off to kill some time. The AirTrain around SFO certainly helped with that mission. There are some good views of the airfield and the nearby hills. They looked fantastic as you could see the clouds coming over the top and then descending down the hills.
TEX277
Aug 9, 09, 5:14 am
San Francisco – Las Vegas
US Airways
US471
A319
First Class
Seat 2F
Reluctantly I headed for security at T1 and was now left with the 2hr 30mins to kill. I figured I’d give the US Club a shot, considering that I was not technically entitled to admission despite being having arrived on a *A flight in F and connecting onto a US flight in F. Uncertainty was soon eradicated when I realised that there was no US Club at SFO anyway!!! I found a quiet area fairly close to my gate which had a view over part of the airfield. There I sat, looking at the planes on approach and my watch alternatively. Finally, time up!
Boarding was called for those requiring additional assistance as well as First Class passengers. I waited a few seconds to give way to those with special needs but didn’t see anybody make a move, so I headed to the gate agent and was first onboard.
I stowed my bags above my seat and waited as the planed filled up to see if I would have a seat mate or a spare seat beside me. When the door closed, there were only 6 of us in the 12 seat First cabin. I had a spare seat beside me! I had a pre-departure drink on Bacardi and Coke and settle in for the ride to Las Vegas. The flight itself was rather uneventful. The FA offered me another Bacardi and Coke (which I took). The choice of snacks from the snack basket was comical, but I took a packet of crisp type thingies and a granola bar. A third offering of Bacardi and Coke was politely declined – well my body clock was telling me that it was now 03:30am and I was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded.
For my first night in Vegas, I am booked into Excalibur hotel. I knew the reputation of the place but all I needed was a place to sleep before my Sterling Brunch at Bally’s the following morning. At $86 for a view room on a Saturday night I couldn’t complain. I was ready for the taxi driver to long-haul me (which they invariably do with me being a foreigner – they seem to think that this is your first time – this trip is my 24th to Vegas since 2002!) but was actually surprised to see him heading for Swenson!
Check-in was handled well with a lovely lady not only confirmed my ‘view room’ but also stated that I had a ‘courtesy upgrade’. I headed for Tower II noticing, it has to be admitted, a couple of well toned but poorly concealed go-go dancers on a stage right beside one of the blackjack pits. I found my room in the 12th floor but noticed a ‘Do not disturb’ sign on the door! I thought that there had been a mix up and I was given the key for an occupied room. I looked for a house phone to call reception but I couldn’t find one. Rather than carting all of bags back downstairs and through the casino to reception, I’d give the door a knock. Nobody responded. I knocked again but louder this time and again, no response. I inserted my key and opened the door half expecting to find a couple ‘at it’ on the bed. This was not the case and room was empty. Quite what a ‘Do not disturb’ sign was doing on the door, I’ll never know!!!
After settling into the room, I decided it was too early to go bed (9pm local time – 5am body clock time) and that there must be a spot on a blackjack table for me. I took US$100 and headed for the casino. After a quick walk around I noticed an empty table right beside the go-go dancers. Rather than stand and stare, I figured I’d get comfy and play some blackjack at the same time! A wise choice and I was soon colouring up my US$200 worth of chips (I had been tipping rather liberally too!) and walking back to my room with a free t-shirt that I had won as a prize for one of my many blackjacks being suited.
I still can’t believe what happened on the first full day in Vegas! As I was in Vegas on a Sunday morning, I figured that I just had to have the Sterling Brunch at Bally’s (US$91 after tax).
Once that I was finished there, I walked over to Bellagio and found a seat at a blackjack table. That was at 11am. It was not until 3am that I left and headed to the MGM Grand to check-in for my stay there!
Instead of a strip view room, I had a great view of McCarran!
After drinking nonstop from 09:30am to 03:00am, the next day was a bit of a write-off as I recovered. In fact after that session, I did not touch a drop of alcohol for close to 60 hours!!!
I had attempted to secure a reservation at this 3 Michelin starred restaurant through online reservations but, for the date that I desired, it stated that it was not possible to book. I visited the restaurant itself and had no problems gaining a table for the date and time that I preferred. I had thought that perhaps the reason for the problem of reserving a table online was that the restaurant was going to be busy but this was clearly not the case.
I was greeted upon arrival and led to my table close to the fireplace. The fireplace, it has to be said that, was for visual impact only as I did not detect any heat coming through the glass screen. I was the first person to be seated and kicked off with a glass of Champagne. Gosset I believe. As I still had the place to myself I asked whether it would be ok to take a few photos before the other diners arrived. My request was granted without hesitation and I began snapping.
The menu arrived and I slowly deliberated over the various prix fixe options. There was a choice of five options costing $89, $115, $148, $195 and one for over $300. I originally had planned to take the $115 option but ultimately ordered the $148.
Four Course Menu $148/Person
L’Amuse-bouche
Une Entrée
Appetizer
Une Soupe
Soup
Un Poisson ou une Viande
Seafood or Meat
Dessert
Dessert
Moka ou Thé
escorté de mignardises
Coffee or tea served with mignardises
The wine list arrived and I opened it up fearing the excessively high mark-up that I had read about in reviews online. However, I never made it past the Champagne section at the front. There was quite a choice of Champagne with several around the $100 mark. I was thinking about ordering the Veuve Cliquot at $110 but it was recommended that I go for the apparently more refined Mumm de Cramant at $135.
I placed my orders and waited patiently for the meal to start and, as the restaurant remained relatively empty throughout my stay (only four couples in there with me), I was able to take photos discreetly of the dishes served.
Epinard
petites feuilles en salade, émulsion aux graines de sésame
Salad of baby spinach with sesame seed vinaigrette
Oursin, poulpe et crevette
dans une infusion en gelée vinaigrée aux algues
Sea Urchin, octopus and Tiger prawn in a seaweed gelée
Maquereau
mi-fumé mariné à la moutarde à l’ancienne et agrémenté de primeurs au yuzu
Lightly smoked mackerel marinated in old fashion mustard, baby vegetables with yuzu
Noix de Saint-Jacques
à la plancha, condiment au kumquat et au caviar
Sea scallop a la plancha with a sauce of kumquat and caviar
http://images51.fotki.com/v1544/fileUafV/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103632.jpg
LES SOUPES/SOUPS
Le Soja
germes en cappuccino sur une royale tremblotante de shimeji
Cappuccino of soy bean on a shimeji royal
La Laitue
en fin velouté à la noix de muscade sur une fleurette d’oignon doux
Lettuce velouté with nutmeg and sweet onion foam
http://images49.fotki.com/v1556/fileLlit/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103637.jpg
LES POISSONS ET CRUSTACES/SEAFOOD
Saumon
en aiguillette au miel de soja, mangue, pomme verte et curcuma
Thinly sliced salmon, mango, green apple and curcuma
Langouste
dans un court-bouillon de sake, petits navets et pousses de shiso
Spiny lobster in a sake broth, turnip and shiso sprouts
http://images23.fotki.com/v766/filerq9k/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103639.jpg
Crevette Royale
en macaron de shitakes, nage de daïkon au gingembre
Shitake mushroom stuffed with a tiger prawn mousse, ginger and shrimp broth
Bar
et poulpe au jus de citronnelle, jeunes poireaux et artichaut
Seabass filet, octopus with lemon, baby leek
LES VIANDES/MEATS
Poulet
laqué Teriyaki en brochette Maryland
Teriyaki chicken kebab Maryland
Joue de Veau
confite, jus Thaï épicé et légumes croquants
Braised veal cheeks with Thai herbs and green curry
Bœuf
noix d’entrecôte émincée, épinards au wasabi et poivrons arlequins
Beef ribeye, spiced spinach and crispy vegetables
Canard
et foie gras à l’aigre doux de cerises et amandes fraîches
Duck and seared foie gras in a cherry sauce and fresh almonds
LES DESSERTS/DESSERTS
La Cerise
clafoutis tiède accompagné de son sorbet
Warm Bing cherry clafoutis and cherry sorbet
La Framboise
perle de chou, crème Madame à la vanille de Tahiti
A perle of chou, Tahitian vanilla cream with fresh raspberry
La Fraise
au Champagne rosé, granité de mangue, croustillant de fruits rouge
Strawberries and Champagne rosé over fresh mango granité, crunchy red fruits
Le Chocolat
chaud Grand Cru, rafraîchi de menthe
Melting Araguani chocolate refreshed with a hint of peppermint
http://images23.fotki.com/v766/file4fsF/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103640.jpg
As a treat
http://images112.fotki.com/v1532/file9XjR/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103641.jpg
Moka ou Thé
escorté de mignardises
Coffee or tea served with mignardises
http://images50.fotki.com/v1557/fileJLYy/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103642.jpg
At the end of the meal, as a nice touch, diners were given a small gift bag to take away with them.
http://images49.fotki.com/v855/fileauOQ/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103689.jpg
The bill ultimately came to $400 including tip and I have to say that it was very much worth every penny. I promised myself that if I ever get my wife back to Vegas with me, I shall bring her to this restaurant for a very special treat!
TEX277
Aug 9, 09, 6:29 am
Las Vegas – San Francisco
United Airlines
UA993
A320
Economy Plus
Seat 2F
This ticket was purchased with the idea of getting me to SFO to start my Cathay/Dragonair itinerary. This flight was due to arrive at SFO nearly 4 hours before my Cathay flight departed. However, when I arrived at the self check-in machine at LAS I noticed that it stated that the flight may be delayed due to possible ATC/weather restriction at SFO. I paid $50 to check-in my new Samsonite suitcases, received my BPs and then approached the lady on the bag drop desk fearing that my bags would be over the 23kg limit with my all of my Las Vegas shopping. If they were, she didn’t say anything and pointed me in the direction of security.
I sat at the gate whilst chatting through Facebook with my wife in Hong Kong. Announcements were made about the delay and rather than departing at 08:33, it was not until 10:40 that we got airborne. I had paid the extra $24 to sit in Economy Plus and had seat 2F allocated. The plane was around 50% of capacity and I was glad to have an empty seat beside me. Service onboard consisted solely of one pass of the drinks cart.
The flight would take 1hr 12mins getting us into SFO around 11:50. This was only 1hr 45mins before the departure of the Cathay flight which was on a separate ticket. It was not until we were around 30mins from SFO that it dawned on me that I should have asked UA to interline my bags onto CX, therefore avoiding the need to waste time waiting to collect them before making a dash for the international terminal.
We made an exit from the runway and very quickly parked at our gate. As we were 2hrs late, an announcement was made asking SFO terminating passengers to hold back to allow those with tight connections to get on their way. Sat in row 2, I was able to make a quick exit. However, I had to stand around watching the time tick past at the baggage carousel. I was joined by quite a few other passengers before the bags started to arrive. I just knew that my bags were going to be the last off! However, I was happy to see them come in the first batch. I had my trolley loaded and headed quickly for the international terminal.
greenwichgolf
Aug 9, 09, 6:58 am
Tex,
Looks like a great restaurant. I look forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.
Thanks,
TEX277
Aug 9, 09, 7:07 am
San Francisco – Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific
CX879
747-400
B-HUI
First Class
Seat 3A
I found the Cathay check-in area around 1hr 10mins before departure! I had made it! I presented myself and asked about the second flight on this itinerary. I had a missed call from BA (who issued the award ticket) at 3am one night in Vegas advising me that my Dragonair flight to Shanghai had been cancelled. I looked up the reservation on checkmytrip and noted that they had put me onto a Cathay flight instead which only had business and economy onboard. As I had wanted to sample The Wing at HKG again, I was not happy with this and wanted to be put on a Dragonair flight that left a couple of hours after my original flight. The check-in agent took care of that for me and confirmed me on my desired flight.
He issued my BP and lounge invite before pointing me to security. The security line was huge. I had a quick look for a priority line but could not find one. I joined the back of the queue and was impressed with how quickly it was moving. Having cleared the security, I made straight for the BA lounge not being too bothered about the lack of time that I’d get in there.
I was greeted at the desk and led into the First Class section of the lounge. This was a small rectangular room that brought back memories of the First Class lounge at Tel Aviv. I sat at the bar and had a glass of Champagne (Pommery) and enjoyed the view of our 747-400 waiting outside.
Twenty minutes later we were called for boarding which is done directly from the lounge. I very much liked the look of the cabin and realised how much of a good job Cathay had done in creating privacy without the useof a sliding door. I was offered, and took, a glass of Krug. I thought that I had read of Flyertalk about the withdrawal of this on US flights! Anyway, I was delighted to see it although it must be noted that it was not advertised on the wine list! Shanghai Tang PJs and Bally amenity kits were distributed along with the wine list and menu.
Caviar, Smoked Salmon & Champagne
Caviar and fine smoked salmon with Amour de Deutz, Blanc de blanc 99
http://images50.fotki.com/v1558/fileKUCS/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103717.jpg
Heart of romaine with crispy prosciutto and Caesar dressing
http://images50.fotki.com/v1558/fileX0NZ/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103722.jpg
Main Courses
Braised lamb shank with fava beans and garlic mashed red skin potatoes
http://images49.fotki.com/v1555/filec1wo/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103724.jpg
Spinach ricotta ravioli with balsamic tomato ragout and arugula
Chinese Favourites
Double boiled Chinese ginseng and lean pork soup
Cold plate – marinated bean curd with long bean and mushrooms
Sea bass with enoki mushroom roll and black bean sauce
Or
Braised chicken and abalone with oyster sauce
Served with steamed rice and vegetables
Cheese and Dessert
Cambozola, Yellow Cheddar, Munster, Herb Goat Cheese
http://images52.fotki.com/v1554/fileqdO6/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103726.jpg
Fresh seasonal berries with sweet rose water
Crème caramel
Devil’s food cake with vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis
http://images50.fotki.com/v1558/filewVgd/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103727.jpg
Red bean soup with lotus seeds
Tea and Coffee
Pralines and Cookies
Dinner Menu
Starter
Fresh seasonal fruit
http://images52.fotki.com/v1552/filee17p/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103732.jpg
Main Courses
Chicken breast with puy lentils and ricotta, wax and green beans, steamed parsley potatoes
Abalone and black mushroom congee with spring onion pancake
Chinese Favourites
Stir-fried prawns and scallop with tangerine peel, steamed jasmine rice, kalian and carrots
Dessert
Mandarin Orange mousse cake with berry compote
http://images51.fotki.com/v1546/filel5wh/53db5/0/1054440/7829767/SS103733.jpg
Tea and Coffee
Pralines and Cookies
Wine List
Champagne
Champagne Amour De Deutz, Blanc de blanc 1999
White wines
Cavaison Estate Selection Chardonnay Napa Valley Carneros 2004
Bouchard Père & Fils Meursault Les Clous 2005
Red Wines
Possums Vineyard McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004
Felipe Rutini Reserve Malbec 2006
Château Lynch Bages 2001
Port
Ramos Pinto Qunita da Evramoira 10 year old Tawny Port
I again decided to delay my meal, I’d take the caviar and smoked salmon immediately though, go sleep and then have my lunch later on. The FA made my bed while I changed in the lavatory. I jumped in bed and set about catching up on some much needed sleep after staying up all night in Vegas.
I awoke 4 hours later and asked for the FA to prepare my lunch.
I thought that the Cathay First seat was very private and offered plenty of length and width. I prefer to sleep face down and was able to do this without my feet touching the end of the bed (a pet hate of mine). I was able to sleep well. It has to be said though, that the second time that I tried to sleep I couldn’t as there seemed to be a part of the seat running across the width protruding and digging into my ribs. Perhaps the first time, I was so tired that I just did not notice it.
When dinner was served, I was not feeling particularly hungry. I took the fruit salad but informed the FA that I did not feel like a full meal. She returned after the main course service, waving the dessert under my nose (metaphorically speaking) saying that I may want to take a look at the dessert before turning it away. She was right - it did look good. To be fair, it also tasted good!!!
The flight seemed the quickest ‘long’ flight of my life. I enjoyed it so much that I was genuinely disappointed to have to disembark.
Having a couple of hours free time until I was to meet up with my wife at the hotel, I decided to freshen up and check out the Cathay Pacific/Dragonair arrivals lounge 'The Arrival'.
It was smaller than I was expecting at the home base of two carriers but nonetheless certainly did the job. There was a general seating area, a mixture of PCs and Apple computers, shower facilities and a dining area.
I didn’t really do much of the tourist thing whilst in Hong Kong as the purpose of my Hong Kong stopover was to see my wife who was spending the UK school summer holiday teaching English as a foreign language for the British Council.
The only thing of ‘touristy’ note was a visit to the J. W. Marriott for their Sunday Bruch! For HK$610 (or HK$510 – without champagne), you had a fantastic array of food including caviar, lobster, foie gras to choice from. The champagne served was Piper Heidseick. The caviar was served by a member of staff and the protocol was to give two blinis and to top each with a modest serving of caviar. It looked like it would take a while to get some true value from this buffet! However, I soon discovered that a request for ‘one of each’ of the four types of caviar was always granted.
Hong Kong – Shanghai
Dragonair
KA876
A330-300
B-HYQ
First Class
Seat 1A
I rang BA Hong Kong the day before departure to ensure that I was all set for this flight after the cancellation and subsequent change of flight. The agent said that he needed to check with Cathay, took my contact details and rang back a few minutes later to confirm that all was taken care of.
I arrived at the Dragonair check-in desk around two hours before departure. The agent manning the First counter welcomed me and set about calling up my reservation. After several minutes of tapping away at her keyboard, she eventually became satisfied that all was in order and asked if I preferred a window or aisle seat. I asked for an window. The BP was spat out and she handed it to me. I saw the seat allocation and asked whether 2D was really a window seat. She said it wasn’t and reissued the BP but with 1A showing this time. That’s more like it!
I endured a relatively lengthy queue for security and then immigration (I am surprised that there is not a priority queue at HKG), bought some duty free and then headed back up the escalators to The Wing. It was a lot more busy than on my only previous visit to this Cathay/Dragonair First Class lounge so much so that I headed straight through to The Long Bar. Once I had seen the sign stating that the bar did not open until 11:30am, I thought I’d try to get a table at the restaurant.
I only had to wait about a minute before I was seated. I indulged in both Chinese and Western breakfast items before trying my luck at the cabanas. I was led straight in and given a quick tour of the facility. It was only my intention to have a shower but after seeing the bath and the relaxation area I changed my plans.
I soaked and relaxed but all too soon it was time to board. I headed for the gate and was amazed at just how few passengers there were in the gate area considering that boarding was imminent. At a guess I would say that they could not have been more than 50 in and around that gate area. It certainly made me understand the reasoning for the cancellation of my original flight!
First Class on this Dragonair A330-300 consisted of 12 seats (two rows in a 2-2-2 configuration) and was well presented. I opted for a pre-departure glass of champagne. The only other passenger in First on this flight was a female who seemed to be a Cathay/Dragonair employee that was known by both pilots, as they both popped over to chat with her before we pushed back.
The night before departure, it had been windy and raining quite heavily - T1 apparently. T1 signs were still showing as I arrived at the airport and, although the weather was not too bad when we boarded, it began to close in again as we approached the runway for take-off.
I was handed a menu that basically had two meal options; Chinese or Western. Call me boring if you like, but I went for the latter.
Menu
Chinese Menu
Appertizer
Red Scallop with Red Beancurd Sauce
Soup
Seafood Soup in Winter Melon
Main Courses
Sautéed Fresh Prawn with Mayonnaise
And
Chicken Roll with Chinese Meat Sauce
Steamed Rice
Dessert
Double Boiled Sago and White Fungus and Dried Logan
Coffee and Tea
Western Menu
Appertizer
Prawn Salad with “Aurora” Liqueur Cocktail Sauce
http://images49.fotki.com/v1556/fileUgjx/20326/0/1054440/7829767/SS103811.jpg
Main Course
Rolled Beef with Fontina Cheese and Spinach
Herbs Mashed Potatoes
http://images52.fotki.com/v1551/filey8Y4/20326/0/1054440/7829767/SS103815.jpg
White Wines
Murrieta’s Well Meritage 2005 California
Divinus De Château Bonnet 2006 France
Red Wines
La Chapelle de Saint Dominique, Languedoc Roussillon, France 2003
Murrita’s Well Meritage 2005 California
I had been asked whether I’d mind completing an onboard survey and put up no resistance (it did get me a free Dragonair pen!). The flight and service was pleasant enough. I barely touched my main course and when the FA came around and saw my plate, she immediately asked if I would like the vegetarian option instead.
We arrived at Shanghai on schedule. 1L was opened first and both of us First passengers were allowed to disembark before the curtain separating First from Business was pulled back and the handful of Business Class passengers were set loose.
The health checkpoint as well as Customs and Immigration were both easily navigated and, having no bags to collect (I had left them in Hong Kong), I was quickly in the arrivals hall and following the signs for the Maglev train.
TEX277
Aug 9, 09, 9:55 am
Shanghai
I purchased my Maglev ticket (RMB 80 for the return ticket in 'economic' class), excitedly boarded and had my camera at the ready as we sped into Shanghai at 431kph!! It was unbelievable to think that in the 8 minute journey we had covered 19 miles!
The taxi driver was not quite as speedy or efficient. I should have realised I was in for one of them trips when he spent 2 minutes reading the sheet that I gave to him that stated the name of the hotel I wanted to get to. It was not a small hotel (The Sofitel Shanghai Hyland) that I was staying at but this guy had clearly never heard of it. To be honest, it was only when I realised he didn’t have a clue that I said ‘Nanjing Road’ and began driving. To be fair to the guy, he did get us the People’s Square before he had to park (in the second lane on some roundabout!) to make a call to find out where the hotel was. Only a minute or two later, we arrived at the hotel.
I was quite impressed with the quality of the hotel. It looked much better than I was expecting for a £60 stay. Check-in was performed by some new recruit who apologised for his slowness and then it was straight up to the room to catch up on some sleep.
First off, I headed out of the hotel and turned left heading west down Nanjing Road. The rain was light but persistent. At People’s Square, I turned around and headed back to the hotel. What I found quite amazing was that people with umbrellas were walking in the 2 metre wide area alongside each building that was covered from the rain and just would not move out!
On my second sortie onto the streets of Shanghai, I headed east towards The Bund. The clouds were low, restricting the view of the Oriental Pearl Tower but I managed get a few pictures anyway.
I then paid my RMB 50 for a return ticket on the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. I shared a small capsule with a couple and a young lady who evidently worked at the tunnel who was on her way home. She was nice and said hello and ‘Welcome to Shanghai’.
Once on the other side of the river I headed for the Oriental Pearl Tower following all of the other tourists getting off of their buses. I paid my RMB 100 and headed up the tower. Low clouds really spoilt what was, I am sure, a fantastic view of the city!
Not really wanting to either walk back to the hotel or go through the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel again, I thought I’d prepare myself for the trip back to the airport with my initiation of the Shanghai Metro system. The ticket machines had an English option and purchasing a ticket was relatively straight forward. Signs were also in English and soon enough I was back at the hotel.
gleff
Aug 9, 09, 9:58 am
Love the meal reports especially as a nice component of the overall trip report!
And really do appreciate all reports on CX F, as I'm anticipating my first CX new F myself :)
I do want to explore one thing further, if I might?
I looked up the reservation on checkmytrip and noted that they had put me onto a Cathay flight instead which only had business and economy onboard. As I had wanted to sample The Wing at HKG again, I was not happy with this and wanted to be put on a Dragonair flight that left a couple of hours after my original flight.
I've been told elsewhere on FT that CX will permit arriving F pax to the a first class lounge @ HKG, even if departing in J.
For my upcoming trip I'm scheduling to arrive into HKG in F and depart in J myself, so I emailed CX and they seemed to confirm this.
Have you had a different experience?
Thanks!
Gary
TEX277
Aug 9, 09, 10:25 am
Shanghai – Hong Kong
Shanghai Airlines
FM809
767-300
B-2566
Business Class
Seat 2A
Another early departure and not really wanting to get out of bed, I left it as late as I felt comfortable with. Check out was swift and I was soon back out on Nanjing Road. I paused briefly to capture the scene at 7am on the street before heading off to the nearby Metro station.
I caught the metro to the Maglev station and then waited patiently for the train. There are not many times when I have been 20 miles away from the airport with only 1hr 15mins until departure and felt quite as at ease.
Business Class check-in was quick and I was soon through Immigration and security and heading for the Gate 77 lounge. This lounge is run by Shanghai Airlines and serves as the Star Alliance Lounge at T2. The Business Class section is spacious enough with various seating areas. Food and drink (no wine or champagne) offerings are little more than satisfactory.
I went through the priority lane again and straight onto the aircraft. I was welcomed onboard and pointed towards my seat. The Business Class section of this aircraft had 28 seats in a 2-2-2 layout with five rows (the centre column only had 4 rows). The pre-departure drink was a choice of water or juice. I took the juice.
It was announced around 10 minutes before scheduled departure that the flight was going to be delayed by 1hr due to weather at Hong Kong. The cabin crew took the opportunity of the delay to offer us (only two other passengers with me in Business and one of those was an employee) our breakfast at the gate and the Hong Kong arrival card. There was no menu, just a choice of Chinese or Western. Again I was boring and chose a have a beer with my meal. The beer, a Carlsberg Chill (rather ironically) was served at room temperature!
After only serving half of our delay, we pushed back and headed for the runway. We waited for an Asiana A320 to land and then commenced our take-off roll. As we headed towards our cruising altitude the cabin crew made an improvised curtain to separate the Business cabin from the galley with a piece of cord and a blanket.
Other than a passing of the duty free trolley, there was no service by the crew for the entire 2 hour flight.
caelus
Aug 9, 09, 10:32 am
thx for the report! I've never seen dragonair's F before :)
TEX277
Aug 9, 09, 10:34 am
Tex,
Looks like a great restaurant. I look forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.
Thanks,
It really was a fantastic restaurant in which to dine. Like I say in the report, it really was worth every single penny. I do hope you enjoy the rest of the report!
Love the meal reports especially as a nice component of the overall trip report!
And really do appreciate all reports on CX F, as I'm anticipating my first CX new F myself :)
I do want to explore one thing further, if I might?
I've been told elsewhere on FT that CX will permit arriving F pax to the a first class lounge @ HKG, even if departing in J.
For my upcoming trip I'm scheduling to arrive into HKG in F and depart in J myself, so I emailed CX and they seemed to confirm this.
Have you had a different experience?
Thanks!
Gary
The meals did become a bit of a feature of the trip - so I figured I'd include them here.
To be honest, I never contacted CX to confirm my lounge eligibility when moved from KA F to CX J. I really wanted to travel in First and sample Dragonair for the first time so the question of whether I'd be permitted to enter the F lounge with a J BP never really came into the equation.
TEX277
Aug 9, 09, 10:47 am
Hong Kong - 1 night at the Novotel Citygate
I caught the complimentary shuttle to the hotel. I had stayed at the hotel before and knew what to expect. It is a decent hotel attached to the Citygate Outlets at Tung Chung which has its own MTR station.
My wife joined me for one last night and we dined in a Shanghai Restaurant in the shopping centre. Quite ironically, despite visiting Shanghai on this trip, I had never eaten their cuisine. I bottled out of dining alone in a restaurant on the streets of Shanghai and ended up at the hotel's dinner buffet. Which really was not a wise move as it, along with 3 small beers, ended up costing RMB 480 (i.e just short of £50)!!!!
The main thing that will stick in my head about this hotel on this visit is the appallingly slow 'broadband' internet connection that cost HK$120 for 24hrs. Seriously, I recall dial-up back in 1998 being quicker!!!
TEX277
Aug 9, 09, 10:54 am
Hong Kong – London Heathrow
Air New Zealand
NZ39
777-200ER
Business Premier
Seat 5K
I arrived at the check-in desk exactly an hour before departure. To be honest, I didn’t really what to be on this flight, I’d much rather spend a few more days with my wife in Hong Kong. I presented myself to the check-in agent, there were no other passengers at any of the NZ check-in desks, and asked whether he could put me on Monday’s flight instead. He looked into it, made a couple of calls, and then said that they couldn’t change it because the NVB and NVA dates on the ticket meant that I had to fly today. Anyway, he checked me in, handed me my BP and lounge invite and pointed me towards security.
After clearing security and Immigration, I popped into the duty-free shop for my last purchase and then jumped onto the transit down to the far end of the terminal. I headed straight for the gate and boarded immediately. As I looked into the cabin, I realised that my window seat was already occupied. I asked if the passenger was sure that this was his seat. He said ‘Yeah – 5J’. He was in 5K. He apologised profusely and moved across the aisle to his allocated taking his wife who was seated in 4K with him.
I settled into the seat and took up the offer of a glass of champagne. It appeared that the video safety briefing was inoperative and a wry smile spread across the face of FA as she heard ‘Crew – Manual safety demonstration’. After a lengthy wait, the demo got underway in quite a jittery manner.
I was pleased to note that the seat belt sign was turned off very quickly after departure. I think without exception on all of the other flights on this trip it has not been turned off until we were at cruising altitude!
The flight was a day flight and I set myself the target of staying awake for the duration in the hope of minimising jetlag. I was a few films along the way; Leaving Las Vegas, Platoon and W. It has to be said that the NZ selection of films onboard did not really appeal to me, so I watched two films that I had seen before.
The crew were absolutely wonderful, probably the best crew that I have had for quite some time. They were all in their 20s and 30s, had a great sense of humour and delivered excellent service. At one point during the flight, I took my empty champagne glass back to the galley as I wanted to lie down for a while. Just as I got there, one of the crew was pouring a glass for another passenger. When I went to hand back the glass, another member of crew said “You don’t want to do that. Look we’ve only just opened another bottle! Why not have another?” Kind of hard to decline really! Actually, typing this now, I think I will get in touch with NZ and inform them of their wonderful crew.
There were a young family seated on the other aisle at the front of the aircraft, directly in my line of vision. Immediately after the seatbelt signs had gone out, Mum was up and out of her seat catering to her two children. This continued for the majority of the flight and was of no inconvenience as the children behaved themselves quite well. In fact it was a pleasure to watch Mum so frequently stretching to reach the overhead compartments in such a tight fitting almost see-through top!
The son did almost get a bit boisterous once, hanging over the partition and trying to hit his sister. However, Dad shot out of his seat and delivered a crisp slap to the back of the boy’s head. Rather unsurprisingly, the boy behaved after that. I think the crew appreciated how well the kids had behaved and understood as they became a little restless late on in the flight. The crew member with the sweet tray as we descended towards Heathrow recruited the son to perform the task of walking around the cabin and offering the sweets to the other passengers as he escorted him.
Now, I have a bit of a confession to make here. You may notice the lack of photos for this flight. Well, there is a reason for that: some idiot deleted the photos from the camera before they had been transferred to my laptop. No names mentioned of course! Okay, okay - I’m guilty! Come on - at least I did not leave the camera behind this time! ;)
Brunch
Wake-up Drinks
Start your day with a fruit smoothie, your choice of juice, freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, jasmine tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate.
Light Breakfast
A bowl of muesli topped with yoghurt and fresh fruit is available as a lighter option.
Brunch
Fruit and cereals will be offered followed by a hot bakery selection and your choice of hot meal.
Fresh Fruit salad
Yoghurt, natural or blueberry
Alpen muesli, Just Right Harvest Fruit cereal, Weetbix, Cornflakes
Hot Brunch
Spinach and cheddar omelette
With bacon, chicken sausage, mushrooms ragout and blistered cherry tomato by Peter Gordon
Smoked chicken brunch tart
With courgettes, carrots, mushrooms, gruyere, Mediterranean salsa and baby rocket by Geoff Scott
Shanghai noodles
With vegetables and dim sum selection
Hot Bacon Roll
A warmed roll, buttered and filled with grilled bacon, offered with caramelised onion jam and barbecue sauce
Main Meal
Starter
Cured and seared tuna with baby spinach, ratatouille and crayfish mayonnaise by Geoff Scott
Bakery
Garlic bread, laugen rolls or sourdough bread
Main Course
Tamarind braised lamb shanks
With dates, minted lemon and hazelnut pesto, green beans, potatoes and roasted parsnips and carrots by Peter Gordon
Cumin seasoned chicken breast pan roasted
With mushroom glaze, leek and thyme risotto, carrots and sugar snaps by Rex Morgan
Oriental fried snapper
With ginger, garlic and herbs, egg fried rice and steamed pak choy
Dessert
Lemon scented panna cotta
With passionfruit coulis and Florentine biscuit by Peter Gordon
Cheese and Fruit
A selection of fine New Zealand cheese and fresh seasonal fruit
Hot drinks
Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, jasmine tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate.
Heathrow Arrival
We received the usual welcome. We parked on a remote stand (which I suppose at least saved us the lengthy walk to Immigration), by the time we reached the baggage reclaim the monitors were asking us to ‘Wait’ rather than inform us of which carousel our luggage would be one, despite having priority tags my luggage (as well as many other Business passenger’s) was very late arriving, the baggage belt actually grinding to a halt mid flow and the baggage reclaim area in T1 looks fitting of a third world airport.
Only at Heathrow!
celtic_warrior
Aug 9, 09, 11:25 am
great trip reports. I concur on the NZ staff.
Re your Sunday Brunch at The Marriot in HKG would you recommend it and did they also have lobster and steaks?
TEX277
Aug 9, 09, 11:45 am
great trip reports. I concur on the NZ staff.
Re your Sunday Brunch at The Marriot in HKG would you recommend it and did they also have lobster and steaks?
I would certainly wholeheartedly recommend that buffet. We did have the lobster but I do not recall seeing steaks. To be honest, we were pretty much focused on the seafood and Champagne.
When researching where to have our brunch, I found this excellent article (http://hk-magazine.com/feature/any-given-sunday). It identifies many good buffets according to various criteria. It certainly helped me to decide on the Marriott but after reading the reviews perhaps you'll find one better suited to your preferences.
ylwae
Aug 9, 09, 1:07 pm
Thank you for the report! Glad you enjoyed the meal at Joël Robuchon--we had a good experience there as well.
celtic_warrior
Aug 9, 09, 1:07 pm
I am undecided, the Hyatt looks good.
PhilH
Aug 9, 09, 2:28 pm
Fantastic report TEX277 - particularly fascinated by the Maglev, I'd love to go on that. Must get myself off to Shanghai sometime soon!!
HIDDY
Aug 9, 09, 4:47 pm
TEX277 - You like your grub. :D
I don't blame you, that buffet looks great as does your meal at Joël Robuchon. Another super report and a interesting choice of airlines ysed on your round the world routing. ^
lucky9876coins
Aug 9, 09, 8:03 pm
Incredible report as usual, TEX277! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it.^
rkaradi
Aug 9, 09, 11:43 pm
Great trip report, thanks. Did the UA food taste as good as it looked. I was quite surprised, because I feel there food is so much lower in taste/quality as most other carriers.
B-HXB
Aug 10, 09, 2:25 am
I've been told elsewhere on FT that CX will permit arriving F pax to the a first class lounge @ HKG, even if departing in J.
For my upcoming trip I'm scheduling to arrive into HKG in F and depart in J myself, so I emailed CX and they seemed to confirm this.
Correct. You will be issued with lounge invitations at your point of origin, and the one for Hong Kong will print with FIRST CLASS LOUNGE by virtue of your original flight being in F.
TEX277 - great report.
TEX277
Aug 10, 09, 2:27 am
Thank you for the report! Glad you enjoyed the meal at Joël Robuchon--we had a good experience there as well.
I am surprised that it took me so long to discover this restaurant although I gather it opened back in 2006!!
I am undecided, the Hyatt looks good.
I spent so long looking at the article and looking at each restaurant's website trying to work out which one would suit us best. However, from that list I doubt you could make a bad choice!
Fantastic report TEX277 - particularly fascinated by the Maglev, I'd love to go on that. Must get myself off to Shanghai sometime soon!!
It was basically a free side trip that I had there. I only really needed to get to HK but figured that as I could have a stopover in HK on the way to somewhere else I'd be foolish not to visit a new destination. It came down to a choice between Beijing and Shanghai for one night stay. I guess that the cleaner and more modern image of Shanghai gave it the edge but riding the Maglev was the deal clincher. For around £8 for a return ticket, it represents great value for money too!
TEX277 - You like your grub. :D
I don't blame you, that buffet looks great as does your meal at Joël Robuchon. Another super report and a interesting choice of airlines ysed on your round the world routing. ^
I'll confess to being a sucker for seafood!!
With regards to the choice of airlines, UA/US were a necessity in getting to LAS as I was booking so late. I had only travelled on Cathay in economy and as they are based in the land of my wife's family and are a 5* Skytrax airline, I began to view their First Class as something to aspire to.
Personally, I think 75000 BA miles for SFO-HKG (and on to PVG on KA) represented a fantastic opportunity to fulfil this aspiration that was just too good to pass up. Especially when you consider that a journey from LHR-HKG (which has roughly the same flight time) would have cost 120,000 BA miles!!!
Incredible report as usual, TEX277! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it.^
Thanks lucky^
You must know that report writing is no 5 minute job! It is amazing how much time writing such a report takes when you factor in the writing, proofreading (yes I am sure there are still a few typos in there!), resizing photos, uploading them, formatting the text and inserting the photo links.
I like reading through the feedback that I receive and I know that others will use these reports to research their own travel plans. I know that's what I do! I was a little surprised when researching this trip that there are not too many images of Dragonair F and Shanghai Airlines J kicking about. Hopefully I have gone some way to help rectify those issues.
Great trip report, thanks. Did the UA food taste as good as it looked. I was quite surprised, because I feel there food is so much lower in taste/quality as most other carriers.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food on United. The one exception being the jacket potato! I think perhaps that's just one of those items of food that maybe don't lend themselves to consumption at 38,000ft.
sobore
Aug 10, 09, 5:38 am
I really enjoyed reading the report. Thanks Tex!
Gatwick Alan
Aug 10, 09, 9:21 am
A great report, i really enjoyed reading it. Made me yearn to get away again.
It was such a nice day in Brighton yesterday, i hope you had wireless and sat in the garden.
Moomba
Aug 10, 09, 9:26 am
Nice report TEX277. NZ is a nice carrier. Need to do more with that outfit. But CX still remains my favourite airline at the moment when travelling in the pointy end.
elitetraveler
Aug 10, 09, 9:40 pm
I really enjoy your trip reports ^ Another batch of very good ones! Thanks!
TEX277
Aug 11, 09, 4:50 am
I am glad to hear that people really do seem to enjoy reading the report (or just looking at the pictures)!
A great report, i really enjoyed reading it. Made me yearn to get away again.
It was such a nice day in Brighton yesterday, i hope you had wireless and sat in the garden.
Oh - the infamous Brighton weather updates! Quite a tradition!
Although I do have wireless, I don't have a garden! Maybe one day I should see if I can get a signal from home whilst relaxing in Withdean Park across the road. I could take a picnic too!
Nice report TEX277. NZ is a nice carrier. Need to do more with that outfit. But CX still remains my favourite airline at the moment when travelling in the pointy end.
NZ are quite good and I am glad they are in *A since they ply my well trodden paths between LHR-HKG and LHR-LAX. I do have to say that their flat bed is not compatible with my face down arms under head sleeping style. I find it hard to sleep in any other position.
Whilst on the subject of NZ, I emailed them yesterday providing some feedback about their crew:
I travelled in Business Premier on the above flight and would like to provide feedback on the crew serving this cabin.
I have travelled extensively over the last few years including many First Class flights on the likes of British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways.
Yet the crew that catered to the Business cabin on this flight were probably one of the very best that I have ever had. Each and every member of staff that served in Business on this flight were truly outstanding.
Their friendliness to all passengers in the cabin was unyielding, their enthusiasm was infectious and they seemed to really enjoy the job. I was particularly impressed when the Irish chap (I think he was the Pursar/CSD) took the time to have a real protracted conversation with each customer in the cabin rather than just 'Hi, welcome onboard, thanks for choosing to fly with us today etc etc' that is all too common on other carriers.
Likewise the chap who realised that one of the children in the cabin was becoming restless towards the end of the flight and recruited the kid to offer the sweets to the other passengers under his watchful eye.
Please do pass on my heartfelt thanks not only to these truly fantastic ambassadors for Air New Zealand but also please do make their line supervisors aware too.
This morning I received the following response:
Dear Mr TEX277
Thank you for your feedback given below.
It is a pleasure to read your lovely sentiments about the exceptional standard of service that you received and witnessed on your recent flight with us.
We appreciate the time you have taken to write in and share your positive experience with us. It is through the perception of our customers that we are able to monitor and evaluate our performance standards.
At Air New Zealand we strive towards excellence in customer service. It is an expectation that our customers have of us and this is extended to our staff. Our cabin crew are amongst many ambassadors for our airline that exude what we strive for. It is the attention to simple things which are of the greatest value - warm personal welcomes versus a standard greeting. We are extremely proud of their professionalism and dedication!
I will forward your wonderful feedback to our Cabin Crew and their Management. I have no doubts that they will be delighted to read it.
We realise that you have a variety of airlines to choose from and that we must earn your custom. We trust that we will have the opportunity of welcoming you onboard one of our flights again.
Your comment about CX being your 'favourite airline...when travelling at the pointy end' got me thinking about how I would rank the airlines that I have been fortunate enough to travel on.
I find it hard to have outright preference. I do not believe that any carrier that I have travelled with has got the perfect mix of ingredients for a truly superior First Class experience. I think that there are three main ingredients: ground facilities, seat and customer service.
Ground Services
1)Turkish (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/944172-turkish-777-300er-first-class-lhr-ist.html) - Although the F departure lounge in IST is no show stopper, the arrival and departure escort service (so to speak) and the Mercedes S-Class IST-hotel return transfer really does make you feel like a true VIP!!!
2)Thai (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/853737-world-tour-2008-a.html#post10219457) - The escort from curbside right upto the aircraft, the BKK lounge and BKK Spa, and formerly the old limo hotel to airport transfer
3)Lufthansa (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/722072-swiss-lufthansa-first-dubai-abu-dhabi.html#post8176960) - The First Class Terminal feels just so exclusive and the Porsche Cayenne/Mercedes S-Class transfer to the aircraft
Seat
1) Cathay Pacific (http://images52.fotki.com/v1552/filelUv4/91e70/0/1054440/7829767/SS103704.jpg) - Wide, long and private
2) ANA (http://public.fotki.com/TEX277/around-the-world-in/p4180034.html) - Width and length on an airline that I never thought I'd fly (let alone in First)
3) Thai Airways - great seat with a electronically moveable buddy seat. I'll never forget Mrs TEX277 trying to eat her caviar as I was making her seat go backwards and forwards!
Customer Service
1) Thai - Impeccable on the ground at BKK and great in the air - although I gather others have had poor experiences in the air.
Others - I was about to put Singapore Airlines second here but they are in my bad books at the minute for how they handled Mrs TEX277 after she missed her 77W LHR-SIN flight recently. Bunch of prima donnas!
FLYGVA
Aug 11, 09, 6:04 am
Thanks for the reports and the pictures, they are great.
Every time I read through one of your reports (add: while beeing at work), I am miles away from my office :D
airoli
Aug 11, 09, 7:06 am
Many thanks for this excellent report, TEX277. It really resurrected the urge to go to HK again - in CX First of course if I only could!
Also appreciate your comments on the NZ long-haul C service. I had heard good things about them before, and enjoyed their crew on the Trans-Tasman. I think attitude-wise, NZ and CX could make a great fit.
roadwarriorafrica
Aug 11, 09, 7:56 am
Such a great read. I can't wait to plan my next trip. Thanks for the escape
l'etoile
Aug 11, 09, 8:34 am
Nicely done. Thank you.
Bundy Bear
Aug 11, 09, 7:54 pm
Thanks for the trip report, you somehow found some expensive places to eat.
upgrade lover
Aug 11, 09, 11:53 pm
What a great trip report. I loved all the detailed comments as well as the pictures. The inclusion of your letter to NZ and their response was a nice touch. May you and MRS TEX277 always have great travels.
seat_1a
Aug 12, 09, 1:32 pm
Thank you for a very fine trip report ^! Having lived in China, I have had my fair share of both lukewarm beer and Chinese domestic flights. Always nice to read a report from there!
However, a bit surprised to see the tray service in F on the SFO sector. Is that the norm with UA?
HunterSFO
Aug 12, 09, 6:27 pm
Great trip report! I was trying to decide between flying Air New Zealand in business premeir or United in First on my next major award redemption and you pushed me firmly into the side of wanting to take NZ. Not that your trip on UA in first seemed bad. I can't wait. Thanks for taking the time to document everything and include such great photos.
larrywilmot747
Aug 12, 09, 7:22 pm
Many thanks for posting this TR, I very much enjoyed it. I went to Vegas three months ago. I think my whole weekend budget was about the cost of your meal. I'm getting seriously too thrifty in my old age.
Great Report Thanks.
Larry.
zouzy
Aug 18, 09, 9:59 am
Welcome to SHANGHAI!!!
Thank you for your interesting TR!
I was actually shocked by our "Bund Sightseeing Tunnel" when i firstly saw it by myself. What's that? :confused: But as a strange thing, it's worth for a visit, anyway... Some people say they like it.
It's a good idea i think to have a try on the Metro system, which is soooooo cheap and you needn't mind the gap. I have almost become a fan of it...hehe
^ Well Done!!! Thanks!
Flyingfox
Aug 21, 09, 3:01 pm
Thanks for another of your brilliant reports!:D
TEX277
Aug 30, 09, 2:33 am
Again, many thanks for all of the feedback! ^
I had a chat with my wife last night just after she'd flown HKG-PVG in Business on Shanghai Airlines (I flew PVG-HKG with them). I was surprised, especially when you consider the other *A airline lounges, that at HKG FM Business passengers gain admission to Cathay's lounge.
stowaway
Nov 5, 09, 9:01 am
Thanks for the great trip report. Looked like a lot of fun!!
I would love to eat at Robuchon - I have his cookbook and am a great fan. I thought that caviar as an amuse bouche was a bit unoriginal but that probably works well in the US and especially in Las Vegas. The rest of the meal and menu options looked really great.
Thanks again!
G_G
Nov 5, 09, 7:15 pm
I've just discovered this fabulous TR.
It's an enchantment.
You're a real epicurian and thanks for giving the pleasure to share this moments. ^
I will be in HKG in few weeks and I've been happy to read your advices for the sunday brunch.