Kiwi Flyer

Thanks eoinnz, some FTers are happy about power being available in the best seats. The shoulder belt only for take-off and landing was not made clear to us.

Kiwi Flyer

Prelude

Apologies for the delay in getting onto the round the world part, but I just have a little more to post first.

It was a bizarre week leading up to the trip, and one in which I put into good use some of the tips learned on FT.

Rules change, miles expire

I logged into one account for the first time in a year to check an upcoming booking. It was for a frequent flyer program (FFP) in which I have no status and only use infrequently. Nonetheless I have a decent amount of miles accumulated - enough for a business class award or some upgrades to business or first class. I was startled into action by noticing a good chunk of the miles were about to expire.

In the time since I'd earned the miles, the expiry rules had changed for this FFP to something different and more harsh than many other FFPs. So I wasn't expecting any upcoming mileage expiry issues. I should have been paying more attention to the definitive list of FFPs mileage expiry thread (and which I maintain ). I'm sure the FFP did let me know of the change in rules, but since this particular one is perhaps my tenth most used FFP I had put it out of my mind.

Yes, this is too many FFPs and will be a horror to some FTers for whom the motto is don't spread yourself too thin. However, there are a couple of good reasons for having so many FFPs. Some airlines I fly a few times a year have no suitable partners to which I can credit the flights. In both oneworld and star alliance I have multiple FFPs since I fly enough to support high status in more than one program. By spreading my earning I can abritrage the benefits and also take advantage of any extra bennies reserved by the airlines for their own elites.

Back to the expiring miles. In the short time until the miles expire I have a lot of travel already booked, but of course you can book now for flights later than the expiry date*. So after some thought I have booked a business class award that represents about the best value I can for the miles that would otherwise have expired. If I'd realised earlier I could have gotten a much better value from them, but at least I'm still getting reasonable value and not nil (if they expired).

*There is, however, a trap for the unwary in booking future travel before the miles expire, where the date of the flights is after the expiry date. If the award is unticketed at expiry date then you'll lose the miles. If the upgrade is unconfirmed, on some programs the request will still be honoured (subject to availability) as the miles/vouchers are deducted at time of making the request. However, on some programs an unconfirmed upgrade request is lost at date of expiry as the miles/vouchers are not deducted until the upgrade is confirmed.

Lesson learned : keep up to date with program changes, and log into even the minor accounts at least a couple of times a year (I plan to do this when daylight saving changes to make it easier to remember).

Hotel stay or flight cancelled without notification

Some may recall a Lufthansa flight which had been cancelled without notifying me. The same thing can happen with hotel stays. I had a stay booked at the IC Mauritius, for which I had a confirmed reservation several weeks after its opening date. I appreciate hotel opening dates are vague, but I waited until only a couple of months before the supposed date and booked my stay which was several weeks later. Unfortunately while checking if I could replace my eye-wateringly high paid rate (booked fully flexible of course) with an award I discovered my booking had been cancelled. Further investigation revealed the hotel had significantly deferred their opening date.

In many places and times of year, this would be of minor annoyance and no concern. Unfortunately this was for peak season and almost every hotel I checked was either completely sold out or had a six or seven day minimum stay requirement! Ouch.

Through stunning good luck I have found another hotel that accepted the one-night stay I need, so I have avoided the potential need to sleep at an airport. I am very glad I spotted the issue now and not be facing a building site instead of reception, and stuck for options in a place I haven't been to, is difficult to get around, and is sold out almost everywhere.

Lesson learned : check upcoming reservations (flights and hotel stays) earlier than my usual check just days before a trip.

Schedule changes

I had a message from Qantas about an upcoming booking. As they didn't say which booking, I checked all of my too many bookings for upcoming trips on Qantas (about a dozen tickets) and found schedule changes for half of them on all sorts of different routes.

Lesson learned : make sure programs have my contact details, and check all reservations rather than assuming there is only an issue with one.

Next up, back in my second home (up in the air).

serfty

From reading this, lesson learned [#3]:

• If you make a reservation for a new property for a stay several weeks after its publicised opening date, ensure you have a cancleable back up booking ... just in case ...

Kiwi Flyer

When I made the booking every other hotel I could find had either sold out or a 6/7 night minimum stay. If it came to it, plan B would be standing by to change flights (currently sold out), and plan C sleeping at the airport

serfty

I agree

Kiwi Flyer

AUCKLAND to SYDNEY (AKL-SYD) on Air New Zealand 767-300 in business class

This RTW has had an unusually large number of changes, the first flight which changed was this one. Originally I routed through Brisbane. However, some changes to later flights freed up enough mileage under the 39,000 limit to allow me to switch Sydney for Brisbane. This is good - better connection, and better product out of Sydney.

I could have taken a later flight instead of the early morning one. However, I have a sequence of flights coming up that a misconnection in Sydney would result in misconnecting the next few flights also. So, I played it safer and opted for the early flight. I can grab a bit to eat in the lounge and sleep on this short trans-Tasman flight. At least that was the theory.

After significant sleep deprivation during the days leading up to this next leg of the trip, it was a struggle to get up when the alarm bleeped at 0300. It felt like I'd just gotten to bed. But I had to get up for I had been so busy that I had not yet packed, and I wanted to catch the 0430 airbus.

I freshened up, grabbed all the stuff I thought I'd need, and headed out the door. My bag does seem rather light, even by my standards. I hope I haven't forgotten anything important.

The early airbus schedule is a piece of fiction - the drivers often seem to run late, sometimes very late. This was the reason I was aiming to catch the 0430 bus ... to give myself a small time cushion in case of delay. As it turned out today they were on time and by the time I awoke from the gentle dozing when we arrived at the airport it was a good time to be checking in. Too late to catch the big queues of those who try to check in at the earliest possible time, and too early to catch the queues of those trying to just beat the check in deadline.

I headed for the Air NZ premium check-in lobby. This was deserted so I was quickly checked in. The agent checked me in for 3 flights but only handed me 2 boarding passes. The next flight had the wrong FFP assigned but the agent was unable to change it for me. Note to self, change this in Sydney. In my hurry to pack I had not pre-filled out the departure card which I normally do (I have a stash of arrival and departure cards for a few different countries). Check-in was so quick I still hadn't completed filling the card, but this only took a few moments longer. All the details are jotted down from memory.

Immigration inside the check-in lobby was the usual efficient service and up the escalator there was no queue at security. Normally this means a good chance of being "randomly" selected for wanding and pat-down, but I managed to evade it once more.

A quick walk to the lounge where I search for a newspaper - only yesterday's is available, but that is not unusual first thing. Next is some food so I can sleep most of the flight. The breakfast offering has gone way downhill since I was last here at this hour. The only bread is white. The hot food is bacon and some rubbery pancakes. Fruit is some pears and apples. Cereals all sugary and sweet. Where has the selection gone? And the decent stuff?

I hop on the computer to check my messages and check in for some flights tomorrow. Unfortunately OLCI is unavailable for those flights. I'm not sure if it is due to a codeshare (which was forced upon me by the airline), or because it has somehow linked the booking with my other ticket and realised I'm not checked in for all the prior flights, or because the 2nd flight on that ticket is too far away in time to allow check in, or because of the country I'll be passing through, or... Yes complicated. Too complicated.

While at the computer an american is in the phone booth next to me gushing about how good this lounge is. I guess it is, if you are used to Red Carpet Clubs and the like. However, it is getting a bit tired being several years since the last significant changes, and overcrowded at times (but not this time).

Kiwi Flyer

Boarding was called. A few passengers were using the SmartGate machine positioned outside the lounge. This is a newly installed machine to process the first half of Australian immigration process, available for Australians and New Zealanders with e-passports. The way down to the first departure gates on the left was crowded, with widebody a/c at gates 2 and 4, and a few more parked at remote gates accessed by bus from the ground floor, all boarding at the same time. The LAN flight to Sydney was running late again, but at least only 90 minutes or so late today.

The load wasn't too high so we completed boarding slightly early. I lucked in again, for this 767 was one of the few that have had the new AVOD installed. The monitor is considerably bigger than the old PTVs in business class, although still smaller than on Air NZ's 747/777. The seat width has been reduced by 1/2-1 inch, making it no more comfortable width-wise than economy. I plugged in my headset and used the touch-screen controls to save mucking around with the handset which would need to be restowed for take-off and not so easily accessible. I managed to watch a fair bit of the movie while boarding was underway and pre-departure preparations went on around me. After the drink (choice of water, juice or sparkling wine) was cleared away, and the safety video played, we had to stow the screens for the remainer of taxiing and take-off.

As we lifted off into skies clearing from the overnight showers I pondered the days ahead. Will it work out smoothly? There is potential for things to go badly wrong. Will I get the rest I need? I have a number of middle of the night transits to endure. Will I enjoy it all? Yes, I think, for there is a lot to be thankful for and I really love to travel. Already I feel the stresses gently easing away as we climb further away. After a few moments day-dreaming and thinking, I realise I can lift the monitor back out of the armrest to resume watching the movies, and I have some papers to read that I'll need to respond to later today. As quickly as it started, my reverie is broken.

A hot towel and a fruit smoothie before breakfast. The movie ends and I select another. I realise I won't see the end of this second movie for the trans-Tasman flights are fairly short (except Perth), but I am just chilling out watching an old classic, reading some papers and drinking some water.

We have a quick flight time, plus our early departure means we arrive early. Despite an announcement that we'd be landing on the furthest runway we get the main runway and very direct approach path. The only time I can remember such a short arrival path was earlier in the year on United when a medical emergency was declared and we got priority clearances all the way in. The downside of arriving early at Sydney, as I'm all too familiar with, is there is a wait for a gate to become available. So while everyone around me is gathering up stuff readying to leap out of their seats, I quietly continuing reading my papers.

After a 15 minute wait the gate is clear and we pull in. At transfer security I again get the "random" explosives test and pat down. Yup, despite my efforts to delay and let someone else go first there was no one else connecting. Ah crud.

Kiwi Flyer

Air New Zealand
Business Class menu
New Zealand to Australia
October 2008

Breakfast

Wake-up Drinks

Start your day with a fruit smoothie or your choice of juice

Fruit and Cereal

Continental selection with fruit, assorted cereals, bircher muesli and yoghurt

Bakery

Croissants, muffins, Vogel’s, brioche or fruit toast served with fruit conserve

Hot Breakfast

Bacon and onion potato cake with poached eggs, gruyere cheese and roasted tomato relish

Pan seared beef fillet and chicken tenderloin with mushroom ragout, vine ripened tomato and roasted potatoes

Wine

Our wine list showcases some of the best wine New Zealand has to offer – from a country that celebrates its zealous passion for producing top quality wines.

The premium wine selection onboard this flight has been chosen by our wine consultants : John Belsham of Foxes Island Wines, Kate Radburnd of CJ Pask Winery and Jim Harré, nationally recognised wine judge.

The fine wines served on this flight have been chosen to complement today’s menu style. Your crew will be happy to discuss the selection and help you choose wines to accompany your meal.

Spirits

Glenfiddich Malt Whisky
Chivas Regal Blended Whisky
Jack Daniel’s Black Label
Gordons Gin
42 Below Vodka
Courvoisier VSOP
Captain Morgan Rum
Ron Bacardi Superior

Port and Liqueurs

Portuguese Port
Grand Marnier
Baileys Irish Cream

Beer

A selection of beer featuring Steinlager, Export Gold, Heineken and low alcohol lager

Soft Drinks

Mineral water, orange juice, apple juice, tomato juice, cola, lemonade, L&P (sparkling lemon drink), tonic water, ginger ale, diet cola and diet lemonade

Hot Drinks

Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, herbal tea and hot chocolate

everywhere

How have they reduced the seat width?

Moomba

OH! I thought that was your first home.

I know this feeling. As soon as I am in that seat and we are taking to the sky an instant feeling of relaxation comes over me and in my case I know I am on holiday.

Kiwi Flyer

The middle armrest contains the TV screens, which takes up more width than the old ones.

Kiwi Flyer

SYDNEY to SINGAPORE (SYD-SIN) on Singapore Airlines 747-400 in business class

For all the times I've flown this route I had somehow managed to not fly Singapore Airlines. Alas it was not the way I envisaged on A380, for that would have taken a whole day out of my schedule on this trip.

I think Singapore Airlines is the 9th airline I have flown into/out of Sydney (not counting subsidiary airlines separately). This ties for 3rd spot with Singapore for the most airlines flown to or from an airport, behind Auckland and Los Angeles (both with 11 airlines).

I popped into the Silver Kris Lounge only to be told it was closing for about an hour in between flights, and so moved over to Air NZ lounge where I was directed to the Singapore Airlines Silver Kris lounge. I would have thought they would be aware of the opening hours of the lounge next door - it isn't as though they change often.

After checking some messages I headed back to the SQ lounge. I got the FFP corrected and 2 new boarding passes. I enquired about getting a boarding pass for the next flight as well, but the agent was unable to check me in quickly and so invited me into the first class side of the lounge. Later when I headed out of the lounge I was handed the extra boarding pass. I headed out a little early so I could get a walk in, timing it just right to return to the gate just as boarding began.

I boarded early to claim the overhead bin by my upper deck exit row seat. I had been thinking about the chances of an op-up for the flight appeared oversold in business class. However this time revenue management did well with just enough no shows for 1 empty seat and no op-ups required.

We were just a few minutes late in leaving, a chance for a second pre-departure drink Post-departure drink order was taken before we pushed back. This came about 40 minutes into the flight, not long after the headsets were handed out. I don't like this (not very recent) change by Singapore Airlines as it reduces the available time for IFE in the flight by an hour (headsets are also collected well before landing). It contrasts with other airlines like Air New Zealand which have increased the time available for IFE.

Some cold nuts with the post-departure drink, in a small dish. Last time I flew SQ they were in a small packet in business class. Then lunch orders, lunch and a few Kenyan coffees to finish with. A couple of hours before landing we had a light refreshment. Plenty of drinks orders in between, including bottled water mid-flight. On the flight from Auckland to Singapore, which is a couple of hours longer, there is a whole extra meal (ie 2 meals plus a snack).

I watched 4 movies and dozed for the last hour or so of the flight. We landed to a soggy Singapore with the air even thicker with humidity than normal, if that is possible.

Kiwi Flyer

Singapore Airlines
Business Class menu
Sydney to Singapore
October 2008

Lunch

Create your gastronomic experience from our selection of tantalising options.

Starter

Mizuna with marinated scallops and parmesan cheese

Main

Grilled sirloin steak, horseradish butter, bordelaise sauce, celeraic dauphinoise, green beans

Five spice flavoured roast chicken served with chilli sauce, seasonal vegetables and chicken flavoured rice

Penne with arrabiata sauce, grilled salmon, arugula, shaved parmesan cheese

Wanton mee
Egg noodles in rich pork broth garnished with shrimp dumplings and leafy greens

Finale

Apple crumble

Gourmet cheese with garnishes

A selection of fresh fruit


Refreshment

Enjoy a light treat on your journey

To Nibble On

Warm herb focaccia filled with smoked turkey, cheddar cheese and roasted vegetables accompanied with potato chips

Phad thai
Thai-style fried rice noodles with pork, beansprout and chopped peanut


Beverages

Champagne and wines

Charles Heidsieck
Of the three champagne houses based in the historic city of Reims that bear the name Heidsieck, Charles Heidsieck is the most famous, being the oldest and the largest and having coined the name "Champagne Charlie". A perfect blend of the Chardonnay grape for elegance, Pinot Noir for body and a little Pinot Meunier for spiciness, this is a marvellously expressive champagne, lively on the nose, biscuity and creamy on the palate with rounded, dry finish.

Heartland Shiraz 2005
Shiraz is Australia's most famous grape variety. Whilst the traditional style is well established, a new modern take on Shiraz has emerged focusing more on fruit purity than heavy oak ageing. Heartland Shiraz is such a wine. Heartland is a partnership of local wine identities with complimentary skills in viticulture, winemaking and marketing. The wines are made by cult winemaker Ben Glaetzer who was Young Winemaker of the Year in 2004. This vibrant red wine has great concentration and spice. The palate has a wonderful velvety texture and suppleness and successfully combines power with softness.

Chateau Ramafort 2002 Cru Bourgeois Medoc
Chateau Ramafort's vineyard in the northern Medoc was first planted in the 17th century on the orders of King Louis XV. Three centuries later it passed into the hands of the Rothschilds of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild and in 1990 was purchased by the Charloux family, the current owners, who have continued to upgrade the quality. A 50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend, aged for one year in small oak barrels, it has a fine ruby colour, an aroma of black fruits with a touch of vanilla and a harmonious dry finish that shows class and complexity.

Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Marlborough New Zealand
The Marlborough region of New Zealand is home to many of the world's most distinctive Sauvignon Blanc wines. This racy and vibrant style has a strong international reputation and Wither Hills is amongst the most respected producers. Wither Hills believes fine wine is created in the vineyard and this wine, made by winemaker Ben Glover, is blended from 15 different vineyard sites in the Wairau Valley sub-region. It has typical herbaceous lift and with crisp acidity with a pronounced grapefruit flavours.

or

Wild Rock "The Infamous Goose" Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Marlborough New Zealand
The Marlborough region in New Zealand's South Island produces some of the world's most exciting and distinctive Sauvignon Blanc. The style is leafy, racy and highly distinctive. Wild Rock is a youthful modern wine company headed by highly respected viticulturist and Master of Wine Steve Smith and winemaker Matt Murphy. By way of clarification Goose is the nickname of the man who grew the grapes.

Wines and port

Yalumba Unwooded Chardonnay 2007 South Australia
Many Australian Chardonnays are rich and strongly oaked. This crisp unoaked wine from Yalumba is more delicate in style with wonderful fruit purity and crisp refreshing acidity. Yalumba was established in the Barossa Valley in 1849 and is one of the oldest family owned wineries in Australia. This wine was made by young winemaker Philip Lehmann. Sealed under screw cap to avoid cork taint.

Dow 2001 Late Bottled Vintage Port Portugal
A late bottled vintage port, usually shortened to LBV, is port from a single, high quality vintage, bottled after four to five years spent maturing in large oak barrels, or "pipes" as they are known in the Duoro. Deep ruby in colour, with all the spice, bramble fruit and concentration typical of a fine port, and a warm, smooth sweetness of finish, this LBV is of the highest quality.

Cocktails

Golden Spice
Singapore Sling
Silver Kris Sling
Daiquiri
Sunrise Breezer
Sweetness in Darkness
Sky High
Vodka Flush
Solitaire Dreams

Spirits

Campari
Dry Vermouth

Apple Bliss
Fruit Spritzer
Awaiting the Golden Dawn
Tropical Sparkle
Tropical Fizz

Cognac XO Otard
Smirnoff Red Label Vodka
Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky
Bacardi Superior
Johhnie Walker Black Label
Gordon's Dry Gin
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey

Cointreau
Baileys Original Irish Cream

Beer - International Selection

Guinness Stout

Beverages

Brazil Santos Bourbon
Colombian Supremo
Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro

Brewed Coffee
Decaffeinated Coffee
Espresso
Cappuccino
Mocha
Cafe Royal

Pure Ceylon Tea
Earl Grey
Darjeeling
Camomile
Decaffeinated Tea
Japanese Green Tea
Chinese Jasmine Tea
Chinese Oolong Tea
Indian Masala Tea

Hot Chocolate
Milo

Sparkling Mineral Water
Still Mineral Water

Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Pineapple Juice
Tomato Juice

Bitter Lemon
Coke
Coke Light
Ginger Ale
7-Up

Full Cream Milk
Low Fat Milk

Kiwi Flyer

SINGAPORE to MALE (SIN-MLE) on Singapore Airlines 777-200 in regional business class

Since we arrived at T3 I headed for the T3 lounge, feeling a little bit flat. 1 shower and a few drinks later I was revived. While I was writing up some notes StarG crossed paths briefly. I tried OLCI (online check-in) for the next flights, but it was still blocked for OLCI.

I headed for T2 45 minutes before departure and arrived to a lengthy queue at security at the gate.

Kiwi Flyer

Apologies for the interruption.

It was a full load tonight and we departed slightly late. I turned down requests of everything except for a couple of pre-departure drinks, and later some water.

The crew were unusually effervescent - possibly excited at the prospect of a layover in the Maldives?

I needed to sleep, and I managed to get some, albeit not particularly deep due to the near continuous light to moderate turbulence, and not particularly long with a flight time of around 4 hours.

Landing at Male reminded me of flying into Rarotonga. Lights, water, runway very close to the water, short runway so strong reverse thrust and pull up at the end where turn around to taxi back down the runway. We disembark by way of stairs.