Moomba

The Photos

After a few very wet days in Vancouver it was time to head on back to YVR for our flight back to the UK.

I was able to secure a 4pm checkout of our hotel but that still left us with 2.5 hours before we could even think about getting to the airport so we went to visit the art gallery of Vancouver.

A lazy coffee at the hotel and it was time to grab a cab to the airport.

The check-in area was virtually empty and the premium check-in area was not open. We were quickly processed by the agent and headed off to the security line.
We were able to go through the fast track lane after explaining we were in Business class.

There was no queue at the x-ray machines and were through in a jiffy. A bit of a browse around the duty free was in order before heading down to gate 64 to find the lounge.

We took the elevator up to the lounge area and were invited into the First class section after I flashed my gold card.

The lounge is not all that large and had similar furnishings to the lounges in London. There was Pol Roger champagne and other wines, a coffee machine and a long bar of premium spirits all of which was self-service.

We started with the obligatory champagne and I had some crackers and cheese. There was not much in the way of food on offer. Some crisps, cheese, cakes, fruit and a tray of sandwiches came out a couple of times whilst we were there.

After the champagne I decided to have one last Caesar before leaving Canada.

The lounge agent called the flight at 21:20 and the lounge emptied out into the elevator to get down to the gate.

At the gate they were utilising the priority boarding lane and we were able to walk up and have our BPs swiped before walking down to the plane.

Flight BA0084 YVR-LHR Seat 62A
Aircraft: 747-400
Departure time: 21:45

I was welcomed at the door and directed upstairs which was where I headed next. The crew up there greeted me and I settled myself into the seat. My friend took her coat and my jacket up to the crew who hung them in the closet.

The same drinks offer as on the outbound were made. Again no prizes for guessing what I selected.

We pushed back at 21:53 a few minutes late which was a surprise as the plane pulled up to the stand quite late and were expecting a longer delay.

We took off at 22:10 into the night sky with Vancouver passing us by on our port side.

After the belts sign was switched off a round of drinks was made. I went with a G&T this time to sup with my cashews.
A hot towel round was made after the drinks and then the dinner was served.

Menu

Starters
Smoked salmon tartar sampler
Or
Portobello mushroom carpaccio on asparagus with asiago cheese

Fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette

Main
Stir-fried chicken with chilli garlic sauce and jasmine rice

Atlantic halibut with olive tarragon crust, roast potatoes and vegetables

Mini ravioli stuffed with butternut squash

Chilled main course salad of ham, turkey, applewood smoked cheddar, piccalilli and branston pickle

Dessert
Lemon curd tart

Cheddar and Stilton cheese

A selection of fruit

Drinks
Complimentary bar service, including alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, is available throughout the flight. See inserted wine list for today’s selection.

Ground coffee, decaffeinated coffee or tea
Selection of herbal teas includes green tea with jasmine, peppermint, blackcurrant and camomile with honey

Club Kitchen
Between meals, please help yourself to a drink or a tasty snack. Please visit the Club Kitchen and choose from the selection on display.

Snack salads, sandwiches, filled rolls and wraps

Fresh fruit salads and fruit smoothies or juices

Choice of luxury cakes

Crisps and chocolate, including organic chocolate

If seated in the upper deck, you can visit the Club Kitchen downstairs.

Wines

Champagne
Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve

Champagne Cocktails
Kir Royale
Buck’s Fizz

White
Hahn Estates Monterey Chardonnay 2006

Chateau Thieuley Francis Courselle 2006
Or
Pouilly-Fume La Moynerie 2006, Michel Redde

Red
Cline Cellars Cool Climate Syrah 2005, Sonoma Coast

Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso 2005, Tommasi

The upstairs purser took our orders whilst we were still supping our drinks.

I went with the Salmon starter which was pretty nice (for BA) and then the chicken which was at least edible unlike the shepherd’s pie on the flight out.
I drank one of the whites which was quite nice but am not sure which one it was.

After dinner it was lights out and I finished watching my movie before turning down the bed and attempting to get some kip.

In the seat behind me was a business man who talked non-stop with his colleague from the minute we got on the plane until well after I was trying to sleep which would have been around 2.5 hours into the flight. My friend and I were talking but I am sure no one else could hear us but this guy could be heard by half the cabin.

Before turning in I was given a bottle of water which I needed to sip on quite a bit during the night. I did get some sleep and awoke about half an hour before the lights were turned on.

A crew member came around with hot towels again and this was followed by the breakfast service. He also walked down the cabin spraying air freshener!

On offer for breakfast was:

Breakfast

Starters
Chilled fruit juice

An energising fruit smoothie

Fresh seasonal fruit
Or
Cereals with chilled milk

Fruit yoghurt

Bakery
Warm bacon roll

Selection of warm breads and breakfast pastries

I had the cereal with a smoothie and some yoghurt to start.
I couldn’t resist having the bacon roll to follow the cereal.

After breakfast I watched a TV program which was continuously being interrupted by the myriad of announcements that BA seem to like to make before coming in to land.
I managed to just catch the last of the show before the system was turned off.

The 20 minute announcement was made and the belt signs went on and we made a straight in approach to Heathrow over Windsor. We landed at 13:37 which was ahead of scheduled time and taxied up to T5 and our gate.

We had to wait an age for the First cabin and then the World Traveller Plus cabin to empty before we were able to disembark through door 1L.

We had pulled up at the B gates which required our having to go down to the bowels of the airport again for the train trip over to the main terminal. I walked up to immigrations and said goodbye to my travelling companion. I was able to use IRIS this time and was in the baggage hall by around 14:00.

As usual with BA the premium tags meant nothing and a lot of bags appeared before mine finally showed up. I grabbed it and walked down to customs and out to the HEX elevators. I had just missed a train so had to wait 15 minutes for my journey to Paddington. Once there I grabbed a cab home which is where I will be staying for the next 6 weeks!!!

Any trip to Vancouver could only be described as Passion not matter how you get there.


The Photos

HIDDY

Almost?.....Some job you have?


Yet again another pleasant report with super pics Moomba. There were a few place names in it that I remember fondly from a cycle/camping expedition I had on Vancouver Island many years ago.......BC is beautiful. ^

Moomba

The Photos

At last a journey that doesn’t leave LHR at early morning or late in the day.

Usually I am up and out the door or taking advantage of a late flight and working all or part of the day. This time a 13:35 departure meant I had the luxury of sleeping in and pottering around for a while at home before heading out to the airport.

This final trip for the calendar year was supposed to be a shopping and tourist jolly to New York. The pound tanking against the greenback sort of tempered that aim somewhat.

The trip was booked with a combination of a Gold Upgrade voucher and a J sale fare on BA. This meant I and a friend could travel in First for the price of J.

I made my way to Paddington where I sat for a while doing some last minute Christmas card writing. When I was finished I went to the post box only to find a woman gently teasing her letters into it as it was jam packed full. I decided to not even bother with that and went down to the HEX platform and caught the 10:25 to LHR T5. On arrival I found a member of staff and enquired as to the whereabouts of a post box. For anyone interested it is just to the left of the Club Customer Service/Check In desks.
I deposited my cards and walked down to the F check-in area which ironically enough is zone J.

There I waited until the arrival of my friend who was on a bus from the long term parking lot by this time.
We sauntered up to the F check in podium and after confirming we were in F we were then directed to a free agent. I handed over my passport and put my case on the belt. Instead of asking where we were going she said ‘Help me out here. I need to know where you are going.’ I said New York and she said ah that would be the 15:30 flight I said no the 13:35 flight. She said ‘Oh I thought you said Newark’. Finally she was able to check us both in and said ‘I see you have been upgraded that is nice isn’t it?’ Not wanting to let this nitwit off I said no it is a Gold Upgrade and we have been in these seats since we booked the flights. She seemed not to understand so I let it go.

Don’t BA staff even know what products the company offers?

We went back down to security where a long queue had formed leading up to the BP check point. Someone said ‘isn’t there a fast track?’ I said 'you’re in it welcome to BAA airports'.

The queue moved quickly though and we were through to the security check in a few minutes. I was surprised to find that the queues on this side where not long and they even had two channels for Fast Track. We were directed to the queue that did not require the removal of shoes. Small wins. Small wins.

For the first time since T5 had been opened I was actually entitled to use the door just to the right of security. After the agent checked our BPs she opened the door and invited us in. Inside another agent swiped out BPs and welcomed us to the lounge. I noticed that she had a wad of US immigrations and customs forms on her desk and asked if she had any of the green ones. She said there were more over at the other desk. We grabbed some forms and headed on into the lounge. My first impressions of the Concorde Room were that it was nice but nothing brilliant. It was quite busy inside and we had to wait a few minutes before someone was able to show us to a table at the dining section.

The staff member took our drink orders and came back a few minutes later with two glasses of bubbly and some sparkling water. We both ordered Eggs Benedict and filled in the US immigrations forms whilst we waited.
The bubbles in the lounge today were Pol Roger and Lanson Rose.

After eating brunch we headed out to the terrace area which was much less crowded. After the lounge agent ignored us we decided to go and get our own champagne.

We then noticed to our joy and delight that we had been assigned a bus gate which meant getting the extra special treatment from BA. This meant no priority boarding and having to queue with the civilians and be crushed on a bus to get to the plane. Oh how I love flying BA First, it makes you feel so special.

The flight was called early of course as we had to be bussed out to the plane. We left it as late as we dared and by the time we got to the gate the queues had dissipated. We were two of the last few on the bus that was preparing to leave. BA seemed to think we were heading to the Caribbean or something as the bus was swelteringly hot.

After an eternity driving out to Terminal 5C where I plane awaited whilst stuck behind very slow moving cargo tugs we eventually were let out of our hot cell and invited to climb the stairs to door 2L of the aircraft.

Flight BA0177 LHR-JFK Seat 1A
Aircraft: 747-400
Departure time: 13:35

The crew member at the door escorted me as far as the F galley where she handed me over to one of the F crew who then led me to seat 1A. I was ensconced in my seat by 13:12 awaiting that first glass of champagne. It seems BA has a problem understanding what is appropriate kit required for long haul flights. On my YVR flight earlier in the year I didn’t get PJs or pillow even though the flight arrived after midnight LHR time. Yet for this relatively short flight arriving early evening LHR time I was given PJs, slippers, pillows etc.

My champagne arrived with a small plate of cashews and macadamia nuts. Newspapers were also offered pre-takeoff. My champagne glass was re-filled before we took off. The captain announced a rather long fight time of 7 hours and 50 minutes due to strong headwinds. We pushed back at 13:45 and the crew waited until the last possible minute to take my glass from me.

My vid screen was not working for the safety demonstration which made me wonder if I was going to be entertainment deprived on this flight.
After take off the menus were given out and a drinks order for post take off was taken. I asked for a JW Blue to get the ball rolling. The champagne was the much derided, on the BA board, Cattier.

Lunch

Starters
Smoked duck with celeriac remoulade and a watercress and pomegranate salad

Roast onion tarte Tatin with pine nut and marjoram dressing

Seasonal Soup – Pleas see you menu insert for details of today’s seasonal soup.

Winter Salad – Please see you menu insert for details of today’s seasonal salad.

Main
Liam Tomlin’s confit of chicken with sautéed potatoes, black pudding and bacon

Catch of the Day – Please see your menu insert for details of today’s fresh fish selection.

Irish-style lamb shank stew with poached winter vegetables

Warm goat’s cheese and poached pear salad with caramelised walnut dressing

Dessert
Sticky toffee pudding with date and pecan sauce

Warm chocolate fondant with chocolate sauce and winter berry compote

Seasonal Dessert – Please see you menu insert for details of today’s seasonal dessert.

Cheese Plate
Coastal Cheddar

White Stilton with Cranberries

Somerset Rustic

A basket of fresh fruit

Snacks
Vegetarian Glamorgan sausages with fig chutney

Penne pasta with puttanesca sauce

Classic chicken club sandwich

A selection of biscuits

A selection of cheese and fruit

Beverages
Twinings Teas – Traditional English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Ealr Grey or Pure Green

Twinings Fruit and Herb Infusions – Pure Camomile, Pure Peppermint, Lemon and Ginger or Blackcurrant, Ginseng and Vanilla

Coffee – Freshly roasted and ground, decaffeinated, espresso or cappuccino

Winter Specialties – Insert
appetiser
Broccoli and stilton soup with crumbled stilton

salad
Fresh winter salad with choice of honey mustard vinaigrette or ranch dressing

main
Catch of the day with vegetable spaghetti, creamy risotto and caper parsley butter

dessert
Mulled fruit lasagne

Wines

Champagne
Cattier Clos du Moulin Brut Premier Cru Champagne

White
Puligny-Montrachet 2006, Joseph Drouhin

Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion 2005, Pessac-Leognan

L’Ecole No 41 Columbia Valley Semillon 2006

Red
Chateau Langoa-Barton 1999, Grand Crus Classe, Saint Julien

Chateau D’Esclans Rose 2006, Cotes de Provence

Cline Cellars Los Carneros Syrah 2005, Sonoma County

Dessert
Chivite Coleccion 125 Vendimia Tardia 2007

Warre’s 1988 Colheita Port

My IFE looked fine on starting it up and I was able to see all that was on offer. However when I fired up a CD I discovered that the sound was all distorted. My friend had brought his own Bose headset so I grabbed his BA headsets and gave them a whirl. Still no good. I told the crew who reset my seat.

Our lunch was served starting with the soup. Well it seems the credit crunch is really hitting BA hard. My soup had about 5 spoonfuls in the bowl. It was nice though. I told the crew member that my IFE was still not working and she said she would look after lunch.

I had the salad which was, err salad greens only. I then had the lamb shank stew which although it looked quite dry was not as an unappetising as it appeared. Don’t get me wrong here, BA First and Business class food is amongst the worst I have had and this did nothing to counter that.

I drank the St Julien with the meal which was quite nice indeed.
For dessert I switched over the dessert wine which was fine with the mulled fruit lasagne.

To finish off the meal I had a double espresso.

Of course the crew never came back to look at the IFE. I spent the time listening to my Ipod instead.
At around 1.5 hours out of NYC afternoon tea was served.

English Afternoon Tea

Snacks
A selection of sandwiches featuring –
Egg and watercress
Chicken and vine tomatoes with pesto and rocket
Herbed soft cheese with cucumber
Mature Cheddar and red onion marmalade

Salmon en croute

Patisserie
Plain or fruit scones served warm with clotted cream and strawberry preserve
Farmhouse fruit cake, Paris-Brest and raspberry sables

I went with the sandwiches and the fruit cake which I washed down with a cup of EB tea.
I asked the crew for a feedback form to complain about the lousy IFE and a form was quickly presented. I had great delight filling out the form using my AA pen.

We landed at 16:50 where they actually know how to deal with First customers correctly. Door 1L was used and the first cabin was let off first. The immigrations hall was empty when we arrived and we were processed in no time. The bags came out pretty quickly and we were on our way to Manhattan within 40 minutes of landing. The drive took forever but we eventually pulled up at the Westin Times Square at 18:20.

The Photos

Moomba

The Photos

Well New York turned on its charms for me yet again. A winter storm blew in on the Friday dumping several inches of snow on the city and temperatures dropped to below freezing. My last 3 stays in New York have delighted me with two snow storms and a blackout that lasted for 48 hours. At least the snow storms left me with some lovely images of the big apple all dressed in white.

We had a 19:00 flight out of JFK and we took advantage of the SPG elite late check out option at our hotel.

We caught a cab back to JFK and crawled along at a snails pace yet again.

At T7 check-in we waited for a couple of people before us and then in a short queue at the BA dedicated security check. At the top of the ramp was the Concorde Room where I entered at 17:00 a little over 1.5 hours after leaving the hotel.

I grabbed a glass of the Piper Heidseck Brut bubbles and attempted to use the internet on one of the two PCs in the lounge. This was a fruitless exercise as the connection is so slow you can’t remember what you were going to do once the page eventually loads.

I had decided as I was going to go straight to work on arrival that I would eat in the lounge and then hunker down for some sleep as soon as I was able to on board.

With this in mind we made our way over to the dining section. I am sorry I didn’t copy down the full menu.

I started with a Caesar salad and then had the oddly named veal saltimbocca that had no resemblance to this classic dish apart from the fact that it contained veal. I supped on a lovely Adelaide Hills Shiraz whilst having the meal.
For dessert I decided I couldn’t leave NYC without having some cheesecake. Unfortunately this was not a baked cheesecake but was OK and was accompanied by some espresso.

I took off from the lounge to do some duty free and noticed that the flight was in pre-boarding as I walked past the gate. I made my purchase and waited at the gate until I saw the duty free store guys wander past with their cart. I then used the Fast Track lane to board, stopping on the way to collect my purchase.

Flight BA0174 JFK-LHR Seat 1A
Aircraft: 747-400
Departure time: 19:05

I was escorted to my seat where my coat was taken and a drink was offered. Of course I went with bubbles again despite it being the Cattier stuff.

The usual kit was scattered around the seat including, slippers, blanket, duvet, pillow etc. An amenity kit was given out along with PJs.

On my flight out I was freezing most of the way whilst my friend in 2A was saying he was too warm. I dressed appropriately this time and had a t-shirt, shirt and sweater on and was still cold during the night on this flight. Is it something about 1A that it gets an extra arctic blast??

We were all set and pushed back early at 18:58 and taxied out towards the runway. The captain announced a short flying time of less than 6 hours. We then sat and sat and sat. Welcome to JFK departures. The captain didn’t announce anything for almost an hour when he finally came on and said that we should be in the air within 10 minutes. The crew came around with the menus and took post take-off drinks orders.

We finally took off at 19:07.

After the crew were able they came out with hot towels and the drinks along with some canapés. The CSD came by to say hello and asked to let her or the crew know if I needed anything.

Dinner

Starters
Smoked salmon with crème fraiche

Tomato potage

Fresh salad leaves with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette or creamy Greek dressing.

Main
Seared thyme-scented fillet of beef served with haricot vert and mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and Mascarpone

Miso-flavoured sea bass and yakisoba noodles in green tea broth with baby bok-choy

Oyster mushroom risotto

Smoked duck with four cabbage slaw and caramelised onion salad

Dessert
Fig frangipane with crème anglaise

Cheese Plate
Rouge Affinee

Gorgonzola Picante

Wensleydale

A basket of fresh fruit

Lighter Option
Mushroom stuffed chicken with Japanese sweet potatoes, sautéed spinach and Korean barbeque sauce

Snacks
Warm bacon roll

A selection of biscuits

A selection of cheese and fruit

Hot Chocolate with warm chocolate chip cookies

Beverages
Twinings Teas – Traditional English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Ealr Grey or Pure Green

Twinings Fruit and Herb Infusions – Pure Camomile, Pure Peppermint, Lemon and Ginger or Blackcurrant, Ginseng and Vanilla

Coffee – Freshly roasted and ground, decaffeinated, espresso or cappuccino

Wines

Champagne
Cattier Clos du Moulin Brut Premier Cru Champagne

White
Puligny-Montrachet 2006, Joseph Drouhin

Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion 2005, Pessac-Leognan

L’Ecole No 41 Columbia Valley Semillon 2006

Red
Chateau Langoa-Barton 1999, Grand Crus Classe, Saint Julien

Chateau D’Esclans Rose 2006, Cotes de Provence

Cline Cellars Los Carneros Syrah 2005, Sonoma County

Dessert
Chivite Coleccion 125 Vendimia Tardia 2007

Warre’s 1988 Colheita Port

I had one more glass of bubbles with the canapés and then set the bed down pulled up the blanket and was out to it for most of the flight.
The lights were turned on about an hour and a half out of London but I still kept snuggled under the blanket. Around 40 minutes out I emerged and headed off to the loo. When back at my seat the crew mostly ignored me and for a moment I thought I might have been on AA. Then the F purser came by and offered me some juice, smoothie or a hot drink. I was too late for breakfast but I knew I would be able to partake in the arrivals lounge.

Breakfast

Starters
Chilled fruit juice

An energising fruit smoothie

A selection of yoghurts

A selection of cereals

Fresh seasonal fruit plate
Bakery
A wide selection of warm bread and breakfast pastries

Warm bacon roll

Main
English breakfast of scrambled eggs, Irish bacon, bangers, mushrooms, tomato and roast fingerling potatoes

Omelette filled with chopped tomatoes, jalapeno peppers and red onions

Granola-crusted French toast with blueberry compote

I asked for the smoothie and when the purser arrived he said it seems to be the consistency of a paint emulsion this morning. He was right it was very thick indeed but hit the spot.

Soon after this the seat belt sign came on and the crew busied themselves clearing the cabin.

We landed into LHR at 07:00 and pulled up to the same bus gate we had departed from a few days earlier. Again door 2L was used and the front section of J were off before the F passengers could disembark. Of course it didn’t really make much difference as we were all stuffed onto a bus to go to the terminal.

One of the two IRIS machines was operational and I had to wait for around 4 people before I got my turn. In the baggage hall the bags from our flight started to appear around 10 minute later at 07:35. My bag came out eventually whilst my friends was taking longer.
I decided to head up and get a shower as I wanted to get to work sooner rather than later.

In the arrivals lounge I had a shower in one of the slurping, burping suites and then settled into the CR breakfast room for another eggs Benedict. My friend eventually joined me berating BA’s priority baggage handling which is non-existent. People on the BA board love to hate a certain US carrier but they certainly know how priority baggage works. I have never waited long at the belt for bags coming into T3 at LHR.

After I finished breakfast I said goodbye to my friend and went down to the HEX to catch that and one tube to work where I was busy at my desk by 09:45.

Well that is it for this calendar year of my passionate addiction. I will be back in the new year where I will finish of this year of madness with the final legs of my RTW.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

The Photos

RTW4

Very funny trip report.. especially the part in the last section that said that " I thought I was on AA..." how true!...

Moomba

The Photos


Well it had been 4 weeks since I last set foot on an aircraft so it was time to once again head out to London’s Heathrow airport to the home of BA terminal 5.

As you may recall the RTW ticket was parked in SIN in September and it was time to pick up the journey for the final 4 sectors. But first I had to get to SIN. A OW Award on AA did the trick and I was booked on to BA F to HKG and CX F to SIN. That is until CX decided that SIN doesn't deserve F anymore and pulled the 3 class from that route on the day I wanted to fly. I could have re-jigged things slightly and secured F all the way but that would mean another day off work. I simply could not justify that - even to feed my addiction.

I worked the better part of the day and headed out for my new 1 tube and HEX journey to the airport. I caught the 15:40 HEX and was at T5 by 16:05 where I made the long walk to the zone J desks at the other end of the terminal.

I was checked in quickly for my flight to HKG and headed off to security. The queues were very short and I would have been through in a couple of minutes except for Metal Woman. A woman who set off the metal detector was being wanded for several minutes. Meanwhile her x-ray items just sat at the end of the rollers holding up the rest of the items from being sent through. As a few of us started to gather one guy went to lift a tray off the dumbass machines and got told off. I said to him ‘you don’t need to do that can’t you see how efficient this new system is?’.

Eventually metal woman was let by and collected her stuff the rest of the trays started moving again. I went up to the white door and was invited into the CR. Inside I got the usual indifferent greeting BA gives to all their First class travellers. I went over to the dining area where I waited whilst about 5 staff members had a little chat. Eventually I was directed to a table and ordered a glass of champagne and a burger for my lunch.

No sooner had I got my Pol Roger when the phone rang and BA1A was waiting for me to guest him into the lounge. I went outside and escorted him in. The inner lounge dragon gave us some spiel about letting him in this time as he really should be on the same flight, which of course is bollox. It is about time that BA lounge staff actually knew the rules about access to their domains.

We had to call over a member of staff to get BA1A a drink as they seemed to be having another chat session oblivious to the fact that they actually had customers to attend to.

My burger was larger than I expected but I managed to eat it all whilst sucking down another glass of Pol Roger.

We then went out into the main part of the lounge and chatted while waiting for our flights. BA1A was first to depart and I had a glass of sparkling water to water down some of the alcohol I had been consuming.

When my flight showed as boarding I made my way down to the inter-terminal train to take the ride over to the B gates. On once again emerging from the subterranean world I walked to my gate and straight up to the fast track agent who checked and passport and BP and sent me onboard.

Flight BA25 LHR-HKG Seat 2A then 5K
Aircraft: 747-400
Departure time: 18:35

My jacket was taken and PJs and amenity kit were handed out. I was asked what I would like to drink. I had heard that the Cattier stuff was still on board in January but I decided to go with bubbles anyway. I was pleasantly surprised when the bottle of Pol Roger 1999 was brought out. A bowl of cashew and macadamia nuts were handed out after the drink.

The captain informed us of a delay of 25 minutes due to ATC and flight time of 11 hours. My glass was refilled not long after this.

The CSD came around introduced herself and gave us the menus for the flight. A while later while taxiing the dinner order was taken.

We eventually pushed back at 19:10 and crawled down to the take off end of the runway where we queued until 19:38 when we eventually took to the sky.

After the seat belt sign was turned off a drinks order was taken and I discovered that my IFE was stuffed again. This time all I was able to view were the looped programs. I also discovered that my overhead reading lights were inoperable. Just to top of the BA First service the IFE route map had us going to JNB and not HKG.

Despite the cabin being full, 14 of 14, the F purser insisted that I change seats with the man in 5K. I can only presume that it was a non-rev that I was kicking out.

With my drink of choice came a small plate of appetisers which seem to consist of the same handful of different options that are mixed and matched on each flight.

After I changed seat the dinner service began.

Dinner:
Starters:
Smoked duck with celeriac remoulade and a watercress with pomegranate salad

Butler’s Secret cheese and chive soufflé with caramelised apple chutney

Seasonal Soup – Cream of Jerusalem artichoke

Winter Salad – fresh winter salad with your choice of pomegranate dressing or creamy stilton dressing

Main:
Liam Tomlin’s roulade of chicken with parsley mash, roasted parsnips and red wine sauce

Soy-braised sea bass with steamed bok-choy and jasmine rice

Irish-style lamb shank stew with poached winter vegetables

Salad of warm wild mushrooms and confit of baby leeks with crumbled Cashel Blue cheese

Dessert:
Sticky toffee pudding with a date and pecan sauce

Coffee Mousse with mocha syrup

Seasonal Dessert – White chocolate mousse with rhubarb and redcurrants

Cheese Plate:
Cornish Camembert

White Stilton

Dovedale Blue

A basket of fresh fruit

Snacks:
Fragrant cauliflower and broccoli biriyani

Warm Brie and roast red pepper quiche with tomato compote

Classic chicken club sandwich

A selection of biscuits

A selection of cheese and fruit

Beverages:
Twinings Teas – Traditional English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Earl Grey or Pure Green

Twinings Fruit and Herb Infusions – Pure Camomile, Pure Peppermint, Lemon and Ginger or Blackcurrant, Ginseng and Vanilla

Coffee – Freshly roasted and ground, decaffeinated, espresso or cappuccino
Chocolates


Wines

Champagne
Pol Roger Brut 1999, Vintage Champagne

White
Meursault Les Clous 2006, Domaine Bouchard Pere et Fils
Backsberg Babylons Toren Viognier 2007, Paarl
Knappstein Ackland Vineyard Riesling 2007, Clare Valley

Red
Chateau Talbot 1996, Grand Crus Classe, Saint-Julien
Montes Alpha Syrah 2006, Apalta Vineyards, Colchagua Valley
Rosenvale Reserve Shiraz 2004, Barossa Valley

Dessert
Chateau Coutet 1998, Premier Cru Classe, Sauternes-Barsac
Warre’s 1988 Colheita Port

I started with the soufflé as I had never seen this offered on a flight before and wanted to see if they could pull it off. Well they did it was quite well done and tasty.

Next up I went with the chicken as I had eaten the lamb stew on my flight to JFK.

I saved room for some of the white chocolate mousse for dessert with an espresso.

I watched a movie after dinner and then went to the loo to clean my teeth prior to retiring. On the way one of the crew asked if I would like my bed made up. I agreed and when I got back to my seat my cocoon awaited. I settled in and slept for a good while and was eventually woken by the smell of warm croissants.

I fired up the IFE again to watch some TV shows and true to my BA IFE luck the screen kept going black every few minutes. I was asked if I would like some breakfast I said yes and an IFE that actually worked would be nice too.

Breakfast:
Starters:
Chilled fruit juice

An energising smoothie

A selection of yoghurts

A selection of cereals

Fresh seasonal fruit plate

Bakery:
A selection of breakfast pastries and rolls

Main:
English breakfast of scrambled eggs, grilled bacon, Cumberland sausage, sautéed mushrooms, tomato and Irish potato cake

Cheese and chive omelette with sautéed mushrooms and Irish potato cake

Waffles with apricot compote and toasted pecans

Beverages:
Twinings Teas – Traditional English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Earl Grey or Pure Green

Twinings Fruit and Herb Infusions – Pure Camomile, Pure Peppermint, Lemon and Ginger or Blackcurrant, Ginseng and Vanilla

Coffee – Freshly roasted and ground, decaffeinated, espresso or cappuccino


After breakfast I asked for a comments card I was really beginning to get peeved with the state of BA’s IFE offering.

The one and only hot towel for the flight was handed out just before landing.

After a long detour out past HKG, half way to the Philippines it seemed, we landed out 14:25.

I disembarked and made my way to the transfers desk to get my BP for the flight to SIN. I then joined a very long queue for transfer passenger security check. Although the queue was long it moved quite fast and I was up to the departure level at around 15:00.
I walked down to the Pier first class lounge and entered. I made a bee-line for the showers and asked for some deodorant from the agent before taking a nice warm shower.

After my shower I sat for a few minutes before needing to head out to my gate. On the way out I asked the agent if she was able to check that my bag made the connection. She informed me the bag was already on the plane. ^

I then walked down to the gate where boarding had already started. I was able to go straight up to the dedicated F/J entrance and onto the aircraft.

Flight CX711 HKG-SIN Seat 14A
Aircraft: 777
Departure time: 16:00

I walked onboard and sat at my seat and my jacket was promptly taken from me. I was offered champagne, orange juice, water or a cranberry cocktail from a tray of drinks. I was sitting supping on my champagne at 15:38 a little over an hour after pulling up to the gate on my previous flight, after having had a shower and freshening up. I just love HKG airport.

I noticed that the second row of seats on this configuration had more leg room due to the strange angle of the seat in front.

A hot towel was handed out on the ground and blankets and newspapers were offered.

We pushed back at 16:03 and the captain announced a flight time of 3 hours and 13 minutes.

After the seat belts sign was extinguished there was a cocktail service which started from the rear of the cabin. There were only around 10 people in business on this flight so that meant excellent and attentive service from the crew. The ISM came around and introduced herself and wished me a pleasant flight.

I opted for one of the CX signature drinks a Cloud Nine to go with my warm cashews.

Next up came the dinner service of 5 course plus pralines.

Dinner:

Starters:
Pan-fried prawns with roasted red and yellow peppers

Mixed salad served with citrus vinaigrette

Main Courses:
Lamb chops with leeks gravy steamed jasmine rice and Chinese mixed vegetables

Pan-fried ling fish with tomato concasse mashed potatoes, carrots, asparagus and French beans

Spinach and ricotta agnolotti with spinach cream sauce and root vegetables

Cheese and Dessert:
Cheese selection

Fresh seasonal fruit

Cherry cheesecake

Tea and Coffee

Pralines

Wine List:

Champagne:
Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne

White Wine:
Grand Enclos du Chateau de Cerons 2006

Moon Mountain Chardonnay 2007

Weinguter Wegler Rudesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spatlese 2002

Red Wines:
Peter Lehmann Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Vieux Chateau Landon Cru Bourgeois 2005

Port:
Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003

CX Signature Drinks:
Oriental Breeze – A sour-plum tea and cranberry juice based non-alcoholic drink with honey and fresh lemon juice and hint of rose water

Cloud Nine – A refreshing combination of Vodka, Cointreau and Sprite with a refreshing touch of lemon flavour


The prawns were quite tasty although a little on the tough side but the salad was OK.

I opted for the Lamb chops for the main which were really quite nice and went well with the Cabernet I was drinking with the meal.

I had some of the blue cheese and port prior to completely making a pig out of myself having the dessert and coffee.

After the meal a hot towel was given out. I listened to the looped music channels on the IFE and watched the sun set outside the window.

We landed at SIN at 19:34 and taxied up to our gate. There was a short queue at immigration and I was through to the baggage hall in around 5 minutes. I noted the carousel I needed and then went to the loo. On the way back to the designated carousel I noticed my bag had just exited the bowels of the airport.

I grabbed my bag and was out at the taxi rank all within 22 minutes of landing.

There was a lot of traffic on the way into the city and it took around 50 minutes to get to my hotel.

That is it for now I will be back soon with the next sector of my RTW from SIN to MEL.

The Photos

kchika

Once again, brilliant! Now you've got me addicted to reading this TR

Moomba

The Photos

After a few days in Singapore attending a couple of the very popular SIN Do it was time once again to head to an airport.

I was able to take advantage of the late check out for SPG Platinum members and did so at 16:00 from the ST Regis.

I grabbed a cab to the airport and was there in no time in the Monday afternoon traffic. I headed for the SATS premium check-in counter where the gentleman asked me if I was flying J or F and I said yes in F on QF. He checked my name on his list and directed me to the QF agent inside.
I sat down on one of the chairs provided and waited while the agent did the necessary typing away. F BP in hand I then went outside to clear emigrations and on up to the QF/BA F lounge.

Inside I made myself comfortable for the long wait until fly time.

The lounge has various spirits; wines etc and had some Pol Roger Brut champagne. There was very little in the way of food apart from some cheese and crackers and fruit however as the BA/QF flight times approached more food was put out. This included soup, salads, spring rolls, mini pizza slices and the staff came around with a hot dish for people to try.

There was free wireless in the lounge. I spent my time checking emails, reading my book and supped on a Scotch and Dry or two.

There was a delay in boarding (due to passenger becoming ill on the inbound) and the flight was eventually announced in the lounge at 21:05. I walked down to the gate and there was a short queue to get through security. This became even shorter when they quickly opened up a second scanner.

There was a long queue at the gate in the lounge but I walked to the front and flashed my seat 3K BP and the agent ushered me on through to the plane.

Flight QF10 SIN-MEL Seat 3K
Aircraft: 747-400
Departure time: 20:15

On board my jacket was taken immediately, olives and almonds delivered and drinks orders taken. Of course I had to have the champagne which was the Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires, not sure of the year.

PJs, amenity kits and menus were all handed out and post take off drinks orders were taken.

We pushed back at 21:43 and made our way to the end of the runway for a 21:58 take off. The captain came on the horn and informed us of a 6 and a half hour flying time to MEL.

After take off the dinner requests were noted and the first round of drinks were delivered along with some satay.

Light Dinner:

Canapes:
Chicken Satays with Peanut and Tamarind Sauce

Tartlet of Broad Bean Puree and Parmesan

Entrees:
Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Mustard

Barbecue Pork Salad with Asian Style Coleslaw

Light Meals:
Penne with Spinach, Peas and Pesto

Big Bowl of Duck and Shiitake Mushroom Soup

Our signature Steak Sandwich with Tomato and Chilli Relish

Main Courses:
Seafood in Malay Style Broth with Yellow Noodles, Choy Sum and Sambal

Chicken with Cherry Tomato and Oregano Sauce, Char Grilled Pumpkin and Eggplant

Side Salad:
Salad of Baby Leaves with your choice of dressing
Aged Balsamic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Lemon Juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinaigrette

Cheese:
Hand selected blue, soft and hard cheese served with accompaniments

Dessert:
Black Sticky Rice with Coconut Sauce and Fresh Pawpaw

Apple and Cinnamon Pie with Cream

Beechdean Ice Cream Tubs

Whole or Sliced Fresh Fruit

Petits Fours:
Handmade Chocolate Truffles
Orange and Crystallised Ginger Biscotti
Tiramisu Tartlets

Wine List:

Champagne:
Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires

White Wine:
Main Ridge Estate Chardonnay 2005, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

Houghton Museum Release Riesling 2003, Franklin River, Western Australia

Stella Bella Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Margaret River, Western Australia

Red Wine:
Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz 2001, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Giant Steps Tarraford Vineyard Pinot Noir 2005, Yarra Valley, Victoria

Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2003, Margaret River, Western Australia

Dessert Wine:
De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2004, Riverina, New South Wales

Hot Beverages:

Giancarlo Coffee:
Caffe Latte
Cappuccino
Grinders Decaffeinated
Espresso
Flat White
Long Black
Mocha
Liqueur Coffee

T2 Tea:
English Breakfast
Peppermint
Chamomile
Sencha
Lemongrass and Ginger

Hot Chocolate:

Beverages:

Aperitifs:
Bloody Mary
Campari
Noilly Prat French Dry Vermouth

Spririts:
Bacardi White Rum
Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin
Chivas Regal 18yo Scotch Whisky
The Glenlivet 18yo Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Inner Circle (Green Dot) Dark Rum 57.2%
Wild Turkey Rare Breed 108° Bourbon
Wyborowa Single Estate Polish Vodka

Beers:
Hahn Premium Light
Crown Larger
Heineken
James Squire Golden Ale
Little Creatures Pale Ale

Liqueurs:
Baileys Irish Cream
Cointreau

Fortifieds:
Grant Burge 20yo Tawny
Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Tokay
Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Muscat

Cognac:
Martell Cordon Bleu

Non Alcoholic:
Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Sunraysia Mango Liquid Fruit
Sunraysia Pear Liquid Fruit
Spicy Tomato Juice
Tomato Juice
Mineral Water
Soda Water
Tonic Water
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Cola
Diet Cola
Ginger Ale
Lemonade
Solo – Lemon Squash

After the satay I decided to go with the soup which was very nice indeed. For the main I went with the chicken which was delivered with the salad. The chicken was a big disappointment and was tough and dry and well and truly over cooked. I am not sure if this was as a result of the late departure but I wasn’t the only one who left most of the bird behind on their plate.

I just had to have some dessert so that I could have a glass or two of the Noble One. Both of which were delicious. I even managed to secure a refill on the Noble One after finishing the pie. I also ordered a double espresso which came with some biscotti.

I went off the loo and asked one of the crew to make up my bed for me.

When I got back the crew member was laying down a lovely soft lambswool under-blanket. He then covered this with a sheet and finally a very nice large and thick duvet was placed on top. Talk about a nice little cocoon in which to enter dreamland. A bottle of water was delivered to my seat and I was wished a goodnight.

That is exactly what I did until I woke the next morning. The IFE map was showing 0:28 minutes to landing so I thought I had better get changed into my civvies. On returning to my seat I was offered a drink and I opted for a smoothie.

Continental Breakfast:

Orange Juice
Apple Juice
Tomato Juice
Sunraysia Mango Liquid Fruit
Sunraysia Pear Liquid Fruit
Strawberry Energiser Drink

Citrus Fruit Salad
Bircher Muesli
Toasted Muesli
Cereal Selection
Yoghurt and Honey

Toast
Croissant
Pain au Raisin
Strawberry Jam, Orange Marmalade, Vegemite


The crew started to get the cabin prepared for landing and I packed my gear away. We flew down the western side of Melbourne out over Laverton and turned back up towards the airport. We touched down at 07:35 and taxied to the gate.

It was a long hike to immigrations via the duty free shop which you must navigate on the way. I used the new biometric entry system for Aussie and Kiwi travellers to Australia. You put your passport in the machine and it asks you if you have been in Africa in the last 6 days (IIRC). It then issues a little cardboard ticket. You then place this in another machine and stare into the camera. The machine decides you look enough like the image stored on your passport and lets you into the country.

The bags took around 10 minutes before they started spewing forth and my First tagged bag was one of the first few down the line.

I walked up to the customs guy who grilled me a little and then let me straight out into the arrivals hall.

I was in a cab to my parent’s home by 08:15.

Next up a shorter than expected side trip to Auckland.

The Photos

Jenbel

I can't believe BA are serving jerusalem artichokes on a plane that's an even worse idea than the deep fried bean SAS used to do a snack!

Welcome back

Moomba

Thanks Jenbel

Very tired after my last bit of nuttiness. More on that later.

Moomba

The Photos

A voice mail message greeted me when I turned on my mobile phone one morning at my parent’s house. It was Qantas asking me to call them with regard my SYD-JNB flight. I knew what it would be as there had been previous reports that QF keep subbing in 3 class aircraft on this route instead of the 4 class. Sure enough when I rang I found I had been downgraded to J but could fly either the day before or the day after in F. I opted to go the day earlier and also pushed my AKL-SYD flight a day earlier in order to connect.

I then spent the next hour changing hotel reservations, checking to see if I could get my award flight from JNB-LHR changed to a day earlier also.

BA.com was showing 1 seat available so I rang AA and got the ticket changed. So far so good.

Of course this meant my full day stay in AKL suddenly became an overnighter. Terrific.

My father drove me out to the airport for my flight to AKL and away from the heat of Melbourne. The day I arrived the top temperature was 42 C!

At the airport I said my goodbyes to my folks and walked into the dedicated F check-in room. I was greeted and my bag taken from me. I was given a departures card to fill out whilst the agent sorted my baggage tag and BP.

When I was done I was asked if I knew where the lounge was and I said I did and the agent wished me a pleasant flight. I walked down to the emigrations and security where there was no wait at either point. I walked on through to the lounge where I was invited inside. I was carrying my jacket and the lounge agent offered to hang it for me and gave me a coat tag.

Once inside I sat down and was immediately approached by a staff member who asked if I wanted a drink or some food. I started to leaf through the lounge menu and she said to wait a minute and she would also bring over the restaurant menu. She came back with the other menu and enquired about a drink. I ordered a double espresso to get me going. She went off to sort out the coffee and I perused the two menus. The staff member came back and I ordered the omelette with ham, leeks and gruyere.

A while later my coffee arrived. After that the omelette was presented to me. The agent moved a small table on front of my chair on which I was able to place the plate.

The omelette was extremely nice as seems to be the norm for any food presented in the QF F lounges in Australia.

There was free wi-fi in the lounge which I took advantage of to check mail etc. I did some reading and watched the aircraft pass by the window. A QF guppie pulled in right in front of my seat. This was the A380 that would be LAX bound later in the morning.

Some time before the scheduled boarding time the lounge agent came around the lounge personally informing people of a delay of 15 minutes to the AKL flight.
She said she would announce the flight when the gate agents had started boarding the flight.

The boarding announcement came at 12:40 and I headed on out. I picked up my jacket and the agent wished me a pleasant flight.

Down at the gate I had to crash through the gate lice in order to find the priority boarding lane. The agent there was dutifully kicking out civilians from the priority boarding queue. I approached and he saw the blue stripe on the top of the BP and immediately let me on through. My BP and passport were checked and I was on my way down to the aircraft.

Flight QF25 MEL-AKL Seat 3A
Aircraft: 747-400
Departure time: 12:40

I was on board by 12:45 where I was relieved of my jacket straight away and offered OJ, water or Champagne as a pre-take off beverage.

No prizes for guessing what I asked for.

The captain announced a flight time of 2 hours and 50 minutes. The J cabin in the nose section of this 3 class plane had only 9 passengers installed. I am not sure how many there were upstairs or further back on the main deck. This flight goes on to LAX from AKL and is fitted with the angled lie flat skybed in J.

We closed up and pushed back at 13:06 and proceeded down to the southern end of the north south runway. We then headed into the air at 13:20.

The onboard entertainment today was being provided by the two passengers in 3JK. A mother and daughter team who were typically loud and boisterous and didn’t stop chatting all through the pre-departure period. Once we made our roll and lifted skyward we were serenaded with ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’ by these two wags.

Once in the air I attempted to get the IFE to do something other than look good. A while later the CSM came on the horn and apologised for the problem and said she would need to re-set the system which would take around 15 minutes.

The crew came around with the menus for lunch.


Menu:

From the Bar:
Marinated Olives
Roasted Nuts

Main Courses:
Chicken with Basil and Parmesan Sauce accompanied with Roast Potatoes, Carrots and Beans
Served with Smoked Lamb, Buffalo Mozzarella and Semi Dried Tomato Appetiser

Grilled Salmon accompanied with Thai Green Curry Sauce, Jasmine Rice and Asian Greens
Served with Smoked Lamb, Buffalo Mozzarella and Semi Dried Tomato Appetiser

Salad of Prosciutto with Artichoke and Rissoni Pasta
Served with Fresh Fruit

Warm Bakery

Selection of Seasonal Cheese and Fruit

Ice Cream and Biscotti

Chocolates


Wine List:

Champagne:
Heidsieck Brut Reserve

White Wine:
Howard Park Chardonnay 2006, Great Southern, South Australia

De Bortoli 2006 Pinot Rose


Red Wine:
Peregrine Pinot Noir 2006, Central Otago, South Island New Zealand

Pertaringa Undercover Shiraz 2005, McLaren Vale, South Australia

Hot Beverages:

Grinders Coffee:
Bodum
Decaffeinated

Dilmah Tea:
Chamomile
English Breakfast
Jasmine Green
Peppermint

Hot Chocolate:

Beverages:

Aperitifs:
Campari

Spririts:
Bacardi White Rum
Chivas Regal 12yo Scotch Whisky
Inner Circle (Green Dot) Dark Rum 57.2%
Tanqueray London Dry Gin
The Glenlivet 12yo Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Wild Turkey 86.8° Bourbon
Wyborowa Polish Vodka

Beers:
Hahn Premium Light
Heineken
James Squire Golden Ale
Victoria Bitter

Liqueurs:
Baileys Irish Cream
Cointreau

Fortifieds:
Penfolds Bluestone 10yo Tawny
Baileys of Glenrowan Founder Liqueur Muscat

Cognac:
Martell VSOP

Non Alcoholic:
Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Spicy Tomato Juice
Tomato Juice
Mineral Water
Soda Water
Tonic Water
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Cola
Diet Cola
Ginger Ale
Lemonade
Solo – Lemon Squash

After take off I ordered a scotch and dry to have with my roasted nuts.

When the IFE was working again I took advantage of a free seat next to me and turned on that seat's IFE and selected a CD to listen to. I then set my IFE to show the moving map. The only IFE I have found that allows you to still listen to a CD and watch the flight map is the Thai Airways one. I wish others would include this capability.

When luncheon was served I inquired as to the reds available on the flight. The menu does not list the wines available on the flight and I had to ask the crew in order to complete this report for you.

I was shown the two bottles on offer and told that the Shiraz was getting favourable comments from customers. I decided to give that a try with my Salmon.

The tray was loaded with the appetiser and the salmon main and my water glass was filled and I was given some of the Shiraz to taste. I commented on how nice it was and the glass was filled for me. I was then offered white or rye sourdough bread.

I settled in to my meal all of which went down quite well with the very, very, very nice red wine. More bread was offered during the meal and my glass was constantly being re-filled without any quarrel from me.

I opted for the cheese and fruit plate for dessert and kept on with the Shiraz for this course. I had a bit of a chat with the crew mid way through the flight and asked about the other wines on board. I mentioned again how nice the Shiraz was and the J purser concurred with her fellow crew member that it was indeed a popular wine.

Coffee came next along with a lovely Patons Chocolate Macadamia.

As I was sitting listening to my music I noticed that the ‘other’ IFE was at it again both talking very loudly to each other without removing their headphones.

The crew member I had been chatting to came up a little later with a duty free bag and said ‘just so you are sure to remember the name’. Inside was a bottle of the scrummy red wine. I thanked him for his kind gesture.

Around 30 minutes out of AKL the first officer came on the blower and said we had made up some time but had to fly out over the city and then back around to land at around 18:15.

A hot towel was handed out before landing which we did almost as predicted at 18:16.

On arrival I was one of the first off the plane and entered an empty immigrations hall and was quickly processed into New Zealand. I then walked into a completely deserted baggage hall. A fellow passenger said he had never seen the place so empty.

The bags started coming out around 10 minutes later and I mine was one of the first out. I then went to customs who gave me the same sort of grilling as the Oz guys and was asked to go to lane 2. My bags were x-rayed and I was on my way out into the terminal arrivals area.

I re-packed precious liquid into my suitcase and proceeded to the QF check-in to inquire as to whether I could check my bag for the following days flight. I was told it was not possible for security reasons.

I then went to the information counter to see if I could store my case somewhere. The answer was affirmative and I was able to store my case and get a ticket for the airbus into Auckland city at the i-Site store just to the left of where the arriving passengers enter the arrivals hall.

I walked back up to the bus stop and boarded the bus for the city. At the quay I alighted and walked to the Westin which was around 15 minutes walk away. There were all sorts of celebrations going on in town for Auckland Day.

At the Westin I was expecting to get a Junior suite as had been indicated on my booking earlier in the day but was instead given a quay side corner room which was very nice but no suite.

That is it for now. Tune in next time for the return to Oz and a night in Sydney town.


The Photos

Kevincm

Sounding like fun as usual Moomba with all the trials and tribulations.

Still a passion from the sounds of it. Defiantly not an addiction

(well to sparking bubbles maybe )

Moomba

The Photos


A very restless night in AKL had me out of bed far too early for my liking at the Westin in AKL. The room had started to heat up too as it got the full blast of the morning sun on its windows.

I went for a walk along the quayside on a most beautiful morning in AKL wishing I actually had the day free to explore some more. Alas that was not to be the case and I needed to get back to my room and get ready to catch a 10:30ish bus back to the airport.

I checked out and walked back to the point where I needed to pick up the airport bus and one was waiting for me when I got there. They run every 15 minutes so there would not have been a very long wait anyway.

The journey back to the airport took around 40 minutes and goes to the domestic terminal first and then on to the international terminal which adds another 5-10 onto the journey.

I arrived at the international terminal around 11:10 and walked the length of the terminal to the arrivals area and the i-Site store to collect my suitcase.

Once retrieved I re-packed a couple of items out of my carry on into the case and then proceeded to the other end of the terminal where the QF priority check-in area is located. This is a separate room that contains a few desks for QF FF elites and a couple of J desks and an F desk. There was only one desk manned and a couple of people ahead of me. Whilst waiting another agent rocked up, logged on and waived me over.

He did the usual stuff whilst I filled out the departure card for NZCS. He stamped my BP with a red stamp stating ‘Customer advised of liquids aerosols and gels requirements’. He then directed me to the NZ immigrations official sitting at a desk behind me where I could be pre-cleared. She did the passport check etc and put a little sticker on my BP stating ‘NZCS Pre-Cleared’ and sent me up to the security area. She let me know that if I looked to the left I could enter through the pre-cleared lane.

Upstairs I located the appropriate entrance to the security area and navigated my way to an empty machine and proceeded to unload my pc from my bag.
Once through security I kept to the right and where the All Blacks store is took a right and headed up to the lounges.
The QF lounge was straight ahead at the top of a set of escalators. The NZ lounge was back to the left and behind and I assume would have had great views over the airport.

On entry the agent checked my BP and directed me to the door on the left hand side leading to the separate F section of the lounge.

Inside there were some computers, a self serve area with food and drink including top shelf liquor. There was some mushroom soup and various other sandwiches and nibbles on offer. The bubbles were Lanson and I didn’t have any!!

I settled in and grabbed a juice and a bowl of soup with a mini bread loaf.

Later in the morning I went out to the entrance desk and grabbed a slip of paper with the codes for free internet access in the lounge and fired up my laptop to check on mails etc.

Soon enough it was time to head on down to the gate to board my flight. I navigated my way down to the departures area and on out to the gates.

When I found my gate I had to descend a level to get to the gate lounge. I loitered there for a few minutes before pre-boarding started. A couple of minutes later at around 13:25 they announced those with young children, business class and OW elites could board the flight.
I walked up to the gate flashed my passport and BP and was wished a pleasant flight and went on down to the aircraft.


Flight QF114 AKL-SYD Seat 3F
Aircraft: 737-800
Departure time: 13:35

Once on board my jacket was taken and OJ, water and Bubbles were offered. Fear not I have not completely gone troppo and I did in fact partake of a glass of the bubbly before take off.

The J cabin was completely full with 12 passengers vying for the crew’s attention.

We pushed back at 13:50 but the tug did not let go its embrace on our aircraft and we sat back off the gate for a few minutes. Finally the captain came on the blower and announced that there was a discrepancy with the bags in the hold versus the paperwork and that we would need to go back to the gate.

When we arrived back at the gate he announced that there had been a palette incorrectly loaded onto our aircraft and they would need to unload the bags to retrieve the palette and then reload the bags.

At 14:26 we pushed back for the second time and this time made it to the runway after a second going over of the safety demo which the CSM said was due to air safety regulator requirements.

We took off at 14:39 and flew out over the coast towards Australia.

After the belt sign was switched off the CSM came around asking for drinks orders. I asked what wines they had and opted for a nice Voyager Estate Shiraz to have with my almonds.

Following the drinks service lunch was served from the trolley.

Menu:

From the Bar:
Marinated Olives
Roasted Nuts

Main Courses:
Thai Duck Curry accompanied with Jasmine Rice and Asian Greens
Served with Feta Cheese, Roasted Pumpkin, Pine Nuts and Baby Spinach Appetiser

Ravioli in a Rich Tomato Sauce
Served with Feta Cheese, Roasted Pumpkin, Pine Nuts and Baby Spinach Appetiser

Salad of Barbecue Tandoori Lamb
Served with Fresh Fruit

Warm Bakery

Selection of Seasonal Cheese and Fruit

Ice Cream and Biscotti

Chocolates


Wine List:

Champagne:
Heidsieck Brut Reserve

White Wine:
Seppelt Jaluka Chardonnay, Great Western, Victoria

Sauvignon Blanc


Red Wine:
Voyager Estate Shiraz, Margaret River, Western Australia

Hot Beverages:

Grinders Coffee:
Bodum
Decaffeinated

Dilmah Tea:
Chamomile
English Breakfast
Jasmine Green
Peppermint

Hot Chocolate:

Beverages:

Aperitifs:
Campari

Spririts:
Bacardi White Rum
Chivas Regal 12yo Scotch Whisky
Inner Circle (Green Dot) Dark Rum 57.2%
Tanqueray London Dry Gin
The Glenlivet 12yo Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Wild Turkey 86.8° Bourbon
Wyborowa Polish Vodka

Beers:
Hahn Premium Light
Heineken
James Squire Golden Ale
Victoria Bitter

Liqueurs:
Baileys Irish Cream
Cointreau

Fortifieds:
Penfolds Bluestone 10yo Tawny
Baileys of Glenrowan Founder Liqueur Muscat

Cognac:
Martell VSOP

Non Alcoholic:
Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Spicy Tomato Juice
Tomato Juice
Mineral Water
Soda Water
Tonic Water
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Cola
Diet Cola
Ginger Ale
Lemonade
Solo – Lemon Squash

Even though I was in the last row of Business I was still able to get my choice of main meal and went with the Duck Curry.

This was served plated on the tray with the appetiser. I was offered rye or white sour dough bread rolls.

There were repeated offers of rolls and my wine glass was topped up often during the flight. The food wasn’t the best I have had but was none the less tasty and filled the gaping hole in my stomach. The only thing I had eaten all day was the soup in the lounge.

After the meal tray was removed I was offered cheese and fruit or some ice cream. This time I decided to give the ice cream a whirl. As it was delivered I asked for some of the Muscat and a coffee. They were at my seat a few minutes later. The ice cream was divine and consisted of a mixture of vanilla and passionfruit and was served with some almond biscotti.

We soon enough hit land again and proceeded to fly in from the north with those people on the A side enjoying the spectacular views of Sydney city.

We landed at 15:32 on the left most runway and stopped our roll about as far away from our gate as you could possibly get at SYD. Needless to say we taxied for an eternity before coming to a stop at the gate. We needed to use the stairs to exit the aircraft but were able to walk into the terminal building and on up to immigrations.

The crew had given out landing cards and eTrack passes to the J passengers to fast track it through immigrations and customs.

I was able to walk straight up to an immigrations official who processed me into the country. I asked if they had the biometric readers in SYD (which I am sure I used last time I arrived there) and she said they only had then in the other immigrations hall.

On proceeding through to the baggage hall the passengers from our flight were directed right down the other end of the building. This is where the other immigrations hall spews out its passengers.

We waited for an age before the bags started to appear. Whilst waiting customs officials grilled people and after answering correctly I was given a green stamp on my arrivals card and relieved of my eTrack card.

My bag was out pretty quickly once they started to roll and I walked down to the ‘green stamp’ exit where I was directed out into the public arrivals hall.

A short Saturday afternoon ride in a cab had me checking in to ‘an oversized executive room’ at the Westin in SYD. The bellhop showed me to my room and on entry I complained how it stank of ciggie smoke. He rang down and organised a new room for me. He then let me into the new room and went away to get a new key for me. He returned a few minutes later with the new key. I thanked him and gave him a nice tip.

Now sad as it may seem my only task in SYD was to go shopping, but not for what you would expect in a big cosmopolitan city such as this. I needed to find a supermarket to stock up on Aussie food items to take back to London.


Next up the long, long, long trip home to the UK

The Photos

Kiwi Flyer

It is Africa and South America they ask about. So far MEL, BNE and CNS have these machines but not SYD. AKL even has a few (one outside the QF lounge and 2 more before you reach gates 2 & 4 on the upper level) so trans-tasman pax can do this bit on the way to the a/c to save even more time ^

Kiwi Flyer

F purser on 2-class a/c?

Ditto, except I normally do it the other way around - set the next seat to flight map and watch a show or listen to a CD using my seat's IFE. BTW there is at least one other airline that allows music to be selected while showing airshow - but I forget which one(s).