Platinum A332

Botox and Cosmetic Surgery gone right

Royal Jordanian RJ 183
2nd July 2008
Dep Bangkok 0030 (0050)
Arr Amman 0515 (0525)
Airbus 310-300 (18J/183Y) – 13/18 in J
Forgot to grab the registration again – thanks Bangkok airport staff!
My seat – 2G (but moved to 1K after take-off)

Finally, after an exhausting 75 minutes in Bangkok Airport, we were nearly the last people to board the Royal Jordanian A310 to Amman. Just so you all know, RJ fly a daily operation to Bangkok, and the flight continues three times per week to Hong Kong. Today’s flight was continuing from Hong Kong and in Crown Class anyway, it seemed only one other passenger was originating in Bangkok.

The aircraft seemed fresh upon boarding, and it is clear that the cosmetic surgery the aircraft interior went under was definitely for the better….unlike certain celebrities which shall remain nameless. Crown Class now features 3 rows of Recaro seating, similar to that found (I believe) on American Airlines. The seats are upholstered in grey leather and look rather professional. Economy class features Recaro seating also….however….there is no personal entertainment system installed on the aircraft (even in Crown Class – more on this later). There is, however, laptop power in each of the Business class seats, but did not use it on this particular flight. Although comfortable, I felt they were a bit ‘cheap’ when compared to the British Airways seats….

Prior to take-off, a selection of juices and Champagne was offered. I needed something as refreshing as possible, so went for Apple Juice *ducks for cover yet again*. The flight attendants on first impressions seemed friendly and professional and were from a mix of backgrounds. The purser was a Thai national, the other female flight attendant was Indonesian and a male that served both Economy and Crown was a Jordanian national. It was actually quite easy to strike up a conversation with the Thai flight attendant….and joked that the cabin floor didn’t shake when she walked, which was a refreshing change. She also apologized for what happened in Bangkok airport.

As it became clear no other passengers will be joining the flight in Crown….4 seats out of 6 in Row One were empty. I asked immediately if myself and my sister (in Row 3) could move to the seat pair on the window which was not a problem

As I was sipping on my juice….I heard an announcement from the captain along the lines of

“Sorry for the delay…we were waiting for some connecting passengers…we will wait a further 5 minutes before we will take-off for Amman” *hangs head in shame*

I immediately noticed….that RJ seemed quite proud of joining the oneworld alliance. All the flight attendants were wearing oneworld pins. The napkins had the oneworld logo. Most announcements feature “a oneworld alliance member”. Yet the service continued to retain its old-fashioned charm. Before take-off, the flight attendants came through with a trolley featuring the menus for today’s flight, a selection of Thai and Jordanian newspapers, as well as Bvlgari amenity kits. At this time, the flight attendants introduced themselves to the passengers…but I had already introduced myself. Around 20 minutes late, it seemed all passengers had boarded and we taxied to the runway for the flight to Amman.


Apple Juice

Bulkhead of the A310 cabin

Bangkok Airport at night time in the rain

Straight after take-off, portable devices were distributed for the entertainment system. From what I remember, the music selections were quite decent (not just Western, but Arab Pop, traditional Jordanian, Indian etc which made it more interesting than your usual selections I guess). Hot towels were also offered, with perfume also offered for the hot towel. Sure, it was no DKNY Be Delicious, but it was a nice touch!


Entertainment System

Soon after this, the extensive Dinner service began and the menu was as follows below.

Dinner

Appetizers & Salads
Smoked Salmon
Prawn with Pomelo Salad
Saffron Fennel

Seasonal Mixed Salad

Main Courses
Beef Steak with Tomato Lemon Sauce
Rolled Duck with Pa-lo Sauce
Prawn with Fried Rice
Ravioli Ricotta with Spinach and Tomatoes

Buttered Garden Vegetables
Duchess Potatoes
Steamed Rice

Cheese and Fruits
Selection of International Cheeses
Fresh Fruit in Season

Desserts
Assorted Fancy Cakes….(lol…)

Also not on the above menu was that for Appetisers, one could choose to have an option of French Onion or Cream of Mushroom soup (seemed like packet soup to me, however…). In regards to the Beverages menu, Royal Jordanian had some options I personally have not seen onboard an aircraft – such as Nespresso coffee, Jordanian wines, Mango Juice, Guava Juice etc. However, being a Jordanian airline….I was disappointed as there was no Arak/Araq (basically…a potent aniseed based drink…that has to be blended with water in order to consume it!!!). If anyone would like me to type up the Beverages menu, feel free to ask =). What intrigued me though, is the menu had not changed from when we last flew in early 2005…..not to complain if the food is good though.

First to the appetizers, and although everything is brought out on a tray, I found the crockery and cutlery RJ use to be quite nice and distinctive. I especially loved the salt and pepper shakers….but I forgot to let them slip accidentally into my carryon luggage….The appetizers were nice, the saffron fennel however seemed to be replaced by grilled Zucchini….which I think I would have preferred anyway. I also found the way they cut the lime to be quite cute. The bread selection was quite extensive too, and the bread basket was not shoved in my face….although I was forced to take two several times. My sister took French Onion soup…and I must say, my appetizer looked much better in my opinion!


My appetiser

My sister’s soup

Now, the main courses were definitely the highlight of the meal service. In a throwback to yesteryear, where I probably wasn’t even born, all the mains were served from a trolley…and you could mix and match what you want. Being a foodaholic….I think I overindulged…but it looked all so appetizing. I went for the Steak, Prawns with fried rice and some vegetables. The steak was great! Not an ounce of fat and tender…much better than my braised beef thing from Sydney-Bangkok. My sister went for the Ravioli and carrot battons. I also finished half my Dad’s duck….and I kept being asked to take more (you’re young….you’re thin…we don’t like to see wastage etc etc)….but….I needed to leave room for the “Assorted fancy cakes”….Sorry but I forgot to take a photo of the actual trolley!!


Yes, that is a coke there…..but I had a glass of Jordanian Red wine too…complemented the steak quite nicely….

My sister’s ravioli…quite nice too

Before the dessert trolley….was the Cheese and Fruit trolley. Quite an extensive array of fruits was offered including Dragon fruit and Grapefruit among others. I know this is an unfair rant, but BA’s fruit selection from Sydney of just Apples and Bananas paled in comparison…Just a note that the trays were removed after the main course, with fruits and dessert served on just the table cloth. I sort of felt like I was at Yum Cha at 35000 feet….the food just kept on coming on trolleys!


A selection of fruits

And then, as I was feeling like a little fat kid who spent two hours in a candy store…out came the dessert trollyey featuring “Assorted fancy cakes”. There were about four different types of cakes on the trolley, as well as coffee and a selection of teas and herbal teas. For some reason, I forgot to ask for a specific Nespresso coffee and just had what they offered. I chose what looked like a milk and white chocolate mousse combination, which definitely beat the Pecan tart on British Airways, then again, I am a chocoholic. The coffee was quite strong and well-made too. Although the picture showed creamer, regular milk was available.


And finally….dessert and coffee…*can't move*

I wanted to get some sleep now…as I hadn’t slept for a while....however before I went to the bathroom and changed into my pyjamas (brought onboard myself), I took a couple more photos.

Across the cabin

I think all that food went straight to my thighs in this shot…

And then, I struggled to move to the bathroom to change into my PJ’s, before reclining the seat into the lie-flat position and falling asleep. Now to the seat – it is an angled lie-flat seat which may not suit some people. However, I slept on my side and within 10 minutes I was asleep. My mum didn’t sleep that well….and she had a friend who flew a week laterish who actually asked the flight attendant “is the seat broken???”. I was fine, and slept for a solid 5 hours.

As I woke up, I noticed that a glass of water had been placed on the armrest by the flight attendant overnight, and in less than two minutes after I woke up, both of the flight attendants came and asked if I had slept well and if I needed anything. I was still full from all the food I had consumed earlier, so decided to go freshen up before the “arrivals rush”. I was glad I freshened up a little bit early, as I got to witness something quite “interesting”.

While I was talking to the flight attendants, about how they find living in Jordan, how is Royal Jordanian and lots of other stuff, there was a couple, unsure of nationality, who came through the Crown Class cabin from economy – insisting that they needed to use the Crown Class galley to pray! Now, the area is quite tiny…so if two passengers used this area it would become unusable, and access to the bathrooms would be restricted – let alone safety hazards! The flight attendants handled themselves extremely professionally reaffirming that “Sorry, this is the Crown Class area and not a designated praying area”. The couple kept insisting that they had to pray in this specific area! Thankfully, the couple eventually relented and went back to their seats. Well done, Royal Jordanian crew, for handling the situation well.

While talking to the flight attendants, the topic of the Boeing 787 (which RJ ordered 12 of) and the Airbus 380 came up, as they were asking me about who I flew with to Dubai in January etc…and why I did not fly Royal Jordanian! I got the camera out of my bag, and began to show them photos of the A380 and my trip to Dubai, Vietnam and Singapore, while getting advice on what to do in Jordan. I must have spent about half an hour talking to the flight attendants….sorry if service suffered other passengers hehe. *angelic face* The flight attendants however did walk round the cabin ever 5-10 minutes though

Soon after, I took a photo with the flight attendants, as they were such friendly people. Little did I know, that the Thai purser would also be the leading purser on the return flight too (more on this in another post)


I never realized how tired I looked….and how bad my hair is in this photo OMG >.<. Don’t worry…I made sure I looked better on the return journey.

Before arrival, a continental breakfast was served consisting of basically fruit and pastries. I went for one muffin only….and the flight attendants were shocked “Is that all??” I only even ate half the muffin….I have become everything I’ve hated….not eating *sigh*


Breakfast service

Now, I knew that when going to Jordan, I would be seeing a couple of my cousins for the first time….who looked so cute from pictures (and cuter in real life! ). So, I asked he flight attendant if I could have a couple toys for them. Later, she came back, with literally a BAG of toys and remarked “I hope that they like them”. I took a photo of them…but I cannot find it right now. Before I arrival, I took a couple more photos and gifts were distributed to each passengers. I think on this flight it was a glass vase filled with dead sea salts…a nice touch


My seat

Jordanian landscape…desolate much?

As the plane was about to land, and the Indonesian crew member was going to take her jumpseat in economy – she personally came up to me and said “Thank You so much for flying with us today, it was a great flight, and I hope that you have a fun trip in Jordan – don’t forget to go to Petra”. I thanked her for the great flight too, and said that I made a positive comment about the crew on the surveys they handed out beforehand. She was happy =)

Soon enough, we were arriving into Amman

About to land - I stole the window seat off my sister

It was a smooth landing….and the announcements began “Welcome to Queen Alia International Airport….time is…temperature is….if you need any assistance feel free to contact us or any of our oneworld alliance partners.”…..Ummm….last time I checked, no other oneworld airlines fly into the airport….but OK….=)

Soon enough we reached the gate – and I knew we had arrived in Jordan, when my parents with the other Jordanian passengers exchanging the term along the lines “glad we arrived safely”. No, this is just a traditional thing – and nothing to insult the safety record of Royal Jordanian…which actually is quite good.

And soon enough, I was off the plane (the Thai purser thanking me along the way and wishing me a great trip and best of luck with my first semester University results – what a fantastic memory!). I took a photo of the plane as I walked into the dilapidated room….I mean terminal. This airport will be replaced I think in 2010 by a new building – about bloody time!


The aircraft I just arrived on

Arrival procedures were quite fast - there was no one waiting at passport control. Our bags did come out a bit later….as they weren’t tagged from Sydney due to BA policy. But it was OK, most passenger seemed to be transferring to Tel Aviv, Beirut and Europe anyway. As a matter of fact, the aircraft we arrived on continued onto Tel Aviv less than one hour after we had arrived. Oh no…another duty free shop…so our exit was delayed quite a bit…..and then onto the arrivals hall…where certain family waited…..I hoped (internally not externally) not too many people, I can’t stomach so many people before 6am. Thankfully, only a select few =).

And this concludes my Royal Jordanian experience. In summary, it was a great flight. The food was great, the cabin crew were friendly, and the acronym of ALIA wasn’t relevant today. I felt sorry for the passengers arriving from Detroit….their 0500ish arrival was delayed till about 0800….I will rate both flights in my next post as a comparison. However, I could feel that there was a change in the air at Royal Jordanian, and this change was refreshing and definitely for the better.

Thank You for reading my report so far. I will post the return flights soon, and if you would like, I shall post some photos from Jordan including Petra, Jerash, the Dead Sea etc.

Platinum A332

Thank you for the kind comment =)

I agree with what you have said. When you do get a good crew on BA (like on my return which I'll write about later), they are really good. As for the food...I think the pictures speak for themselves

I was shocked at how the flight attendant conducted the meal service - and how I still had my salad bowl etc with my dessert (not to mention the hot towel and empty glasses). The RJ sector has just been put up - I hope you enjoy it.

szg

Thanks for the trip report. ^

I am looking forward to fly to AMM next year.

camsean

Thanks for a really interesting trip report. I've never flown RJ but I agree Jordan is an interesting an beautiful country.

1P

Excellent TR. Keep it up! Your experience in long-haul C was infinitely better than my middle-haul C on LHR-AMM route. Sounds as if RJA are pulling themselves together. Looking forward to reading about Jerash, Petra, etc, all of which I visited two years ago. Fantastic places!

MilesDependent

That's one fantastic report. Very entertaining.

But I am MAD at you. After looking at all those delicious cakes I - had no choice but to indulge and just ordered a pizza, garlic bread and gelato from my local. I should be eating salad and vegatables, and I blame... --> YOU.

Look forward to reading about your return.

Platinum A332

Not a problem - if you fly to AMM, don't just stay in AMM. Dead Sea definitely is a must....nice and relaxing....the water and the mud does wonders!

I agree with you - especially given some of the unique wonders in the country such as Petra. Oh, and the food is good too .

Thanks for the kind commentary. I have been a bit busy lately..but hopefully I will upload the Jordan photos and the return flight legs ASAP. Jerash and Petra were truly fantastic, despite the searing summer heat! I would have thought that service to LHR would be quite good....RJ seem to market it as one of their flagship services?

I will gladly take the blame for it..... As the Simpsons episode where Lisa became a vegetarian goes "you don't win friends with salad!". Only one dessert though....*shocked* . I will have the return up ASAP....but not as many cakes unfortunately...

adampenrith

Hey

What a great read.

You should have taken the name of the BA dragon - there is no excuse for poor service. If she does not want to do what she is paid to, she should move on and give the job to someone who does.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

Adam

Bretteee

Why don't Royal Jordanian have Jordanian women crews? I thought it was different than in Saudi Arabia? Egyptair and MEA hire local crews.

1P

They do - certainly on the LHR-AMM route. And very nice they are too.

Platinum A332

Firstly, sorry that I never actually posted photos from Jordan....I will actually post these photos as well as the return flights over the next couple of weeks. If there are any specific photo/reporting requests, feel free to ask

They most certainly do employ Jordanian women crews, but naturally, like all airlines, they have a diversified crew due to the wide range of routes on which the airline operates.

Agreed - I had a fantastic Jordanian crew member on my return journey which I will post about soon (excuse the significant delay in posting).

Thank you for your kind words Adam . I did make a comment about her on my return journey when I was asked to fill out a survey by the BA crew (who were actually fantastic on the return flight). I can sympathise if crew members can be lacking sometimes, they might be having a bad day which we all do. But her approach did take bad service levels to a new level, unfortunately. Come to think of it, the general crew ethic on that flight was rather poor, in that they seemed quite disinterested and so unapproachable, I struggled to strike a conversation with any of them.....which is quite unusual for me

Platinum A332

And the Jordanian Adventure begins.....

Last time I went to Jordan, it was during the winter where the weather was quite miserable to say the least. On this trip however, the weather was *generally* fantastic to say the least – warm every day with cool nights and not humid. Despite the general impression of the Middle East being unbearably hot in the Summer, the weather in Amman at least was not too bad. Then again, given my sleeping patterns in Jordan, I probably escaped the peak of the summer heat most days (Amman never seemed to sleep at night, or atleast, I never seemed to sleep much at night….), except on trips to various tourist destinations (more on this later).

For the purposes of the following sections, I will write a section on each of Amman, Jerash/Ajloun, the Dead Sea, Religious Sites (specifically Mount Nebo and Bethany beyond the Jordan), and, of course, one of the seven wonders of the world, Petra. I may also post photos of food in general, although I’ll try my best to ensure that people such as MilesDependant don’t feel the need to go indulge in unhealthy foods. I won’t post a chronology, as I was in Jordan for about three weeks, and personally, I am too lazy to write 21 separate entries…hehe. I will however, post my impressions upon exiting the airport

In general, I think I balanced the “need” to see family members as well as my desire to explore Jordan rather well in that I got to explore the tourist sites that I wanted to see. More details in the specific sections.

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First Impressions and my Passport adventure....

Upon exiting immigration, normal practice would be to find your way to a taxi and go into the city, or possibly be met by a couple of family members who would meet you. However, this is Jordan, and in the arrival halls, you see a swarm of family members greeting families etc. My family group seemed relatively small by comparison, with only about 10 people to meet us. However, you did have the dispute as to which person should travel with who, which person's bag should go in which person's car....and the debate of the millennium....where to go for Breakfast??? To be honest, I was a bit jet-lagged and wanted to get some rest.....however as my day would turn out, I wouldn't get the chance to sleep until about 3am the next morning.

My first impressions on Amman driving from the airport....it's changed! There seemed to be a sense of economic progress and modenrity in the air compared to my last visit. There was a lot of construction work going on. Advertisements on the road such as those for "maharajan al-urdan" (Jordan Festival) seemed more reflective of those of a western cultural festival. However, the city still seemed to retain its charm, you would still see males in traditional dress, you could still see kebab and falafel stands scattered....and most obviously....the motorists were still crazy (more on this in my reflection of Amman).

I didn't take many photos today, mainly as I didn't even have enough time to recharge my camera. . First, it was off to my Uncle's place for Breakfast, where a buffet spread was offered that would put the Sheraton to shame. At this point I realised, I probably have to adopt a dedicated work-out routine during my holiday....

After breakfast, it was decided by my Dad that I should go get my Jordanian passport done.....easy enough process I thought. I could go get that done, be back at the apartment by midday and get a bit of rest before spending the afternoon leisurely. How wrong was I....getting my passport done was an epic procedure that took about 8 hours driving all over Amman to random locations!!!

First, I had to go get my photo taken....simple enough, took about 20minutes. The photographer even retouched the photos, removing the dark circles and blemishes off my face.........I didn't know if I should appreciate his effort, or to be slightly insulted.

The rest of the day was a bit of a blur, as it involved visiting random buildings across the city that highlighted bureaucracy at its best (or worst). At one stage, we someow ended up at an office in some valley on the outskirts of the city....where I had to get the form signed, before returning to the equivalent of the CBD to get the same form signed again...before driving back to the office in the valley to get the form stamped! Eventually, by 4pm...the paperwork for my passport was done, and the next day, I had my passport and ID card....I am now officially a dual-national .

Now, you might be wondering, why did I put myself through torment on the day of arrival. Basically, it wasn't my choice . Everyone felt the need that since I had turned 18, I should get my own passport and not be on my mother's passport. It soon turned out that having a Jordanian passport/ID card had its pros and cons. The pros included significantly discounted entry into tourist sites. The cons....will be highlighted in the report detailing my return journey (just to keep you all in suspense! ).

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Still to come -
- Jordan Photos
- Nearly being banned from departure
- So....we meet again.....
.....and much more!

SFflyer123

The food on RJ looks better than the BA club world food. The BA club world looks just like United international business class. Taht is probably not so good for BA, but good for United. But RJ definitely looks better by the photo. How was the taste compared to BA?

BahrainLad

I find it anything but. There is a lot of space that simply isn't used, particularly around the doors. During the day, the amount of light flooding in from the windows and through the gaps inbetween the seats makes it feel very light and airy.

SFflyer123

Have you flown BA club world compared to the new United C? Which do you prefer?