Seat 2A

You know, I remember reading this report last summer and thinking I'd wait til the end before I commented. Then it got lost in the shuffle and now here it is found again! Thank goodness, for it is yet another superior collection of text and photos that those of us who share your addiction will always look forward to. Thanks for another fine effort!

wbasc

I usually subscribe to RTW threads, just so I can keep tabs on them over the course of however long they take.

Moomba

Thanks avm2806

My pleasure. As you can hopefully see from the pictures the new CX J is a lot better than the seat you tried in your last report.


You won't have to subscribe too much longer to this one. The remaining 7 sectors will be complete within the next 10 days.

HIDDY

Gosh CX J certainly looks the business. The food presentation is just as good if not better than other airlines F class offerings. Like the new seat as well.

Great stuff Moomba. ^

Moomba

Thanks HIDDY

Moomba

The Photos

After spending a nice weekend in HKG with a particularly nice room at the W it was time again to head on out to HKG airport.

I checked out and heading down to the Kowloon terminal of the airport express train which was directly below the hotel. I checked my luggage in as the in-town check-in desks and proceeded down another level to the platform. A train turned up 3 minutes later and I was soon on my way to the airport in comfort. One thing I noticed was how quiet this train is.

At the airport I headed directly to the security check point. My BP and passport were checked before entering and joining a non-existent queue for the security checks. Emigration was next where I took the advice of an FTer and joined the queue next to the HK resident’s line. Sure enough as the residents line emptied the queue dragon pulled people over from my line.
Once the formalities were dispensed with I exited the processing hall and made a hard left heading for the CX F lounge.

I handed over my invite and was welcomed inside. I took a seat by the edge of the balcony and asked the waiter for an iced coffee. I peered over the edge and watched the last of the passengers for the morning flight to MEL boarding. Not quite yet. A few more days before the second half of my city pairs will be MEL.

After eating a huge breakfast at the W, BTW their spread in the Kitchen is very extensive and you would be hard pressed to go hungry after eating there, I wasn’t in the mood for food.

Time soon moved on and I walked on out of the lounge and down to gate 25 that wasn’t too far down the spine of the airport. My CX 747 was waiting and long queues of people were lined up in the economy line. There was a shorter queue for the premium cabins. My passport and BP were checked and the BP stamped just as the premium cabin line started to move on board.

The guy in front of me who was a Sapphire OW member got the red light and was moved up to 4D, my Emerald BP got the green light and I was resigned to my business class seat.

Flight CX0739 HKG-SIN Seat 11K
Aircraft: 330-300
Departure time: 11:20

I settled into the now old CX long haul business class seat. I was offered magazines, newspapers and a pre-take off drink. I of course selected a glass of bubbly. A hot towel was handed out. As we settled in the person in the middle 11 seat asked if I was travelling alone. I confirmed I was and she asked if I wouldn’t mind swapping with her son who had been assigned a seat upstairs. I said it wouldn’t be a problem as long as the crew were OK with it.
The crew thanked me for making the move as too did the woman who asked me.

Upstairs I settled in again to seat 88K.
We pushed back at 11:20 and taxied down to the end of the runway for an 11:50 take off roll.

Once the ding was heard in the air the crew got about the business of serving the cabin drinks and then some lunch.
On offer for lunch today was:

Lunch
Starters:
Seared tuna with asparagus and wasabi mayonnaise
Mesclun salad with citrus vinaigrette

Main Courses:
Stir-fried prawn paddy with asparagus, steamed jasmine rice and Shanghainese pak choy with chilli

Grilled beef tenderloin with Béarnaise sauce, deep-fried new pototaes, buttered romanesco and roasted carrots with parsley and black pepper

Roasted duck in rice vermicelli soup

Cheese and Dessert:
Cheese selection

Fresh seasonal fruit

Chocolate and caramel mousse cake with vanilla sauce

Tea and Coffee

Praline

Wine List:
Champagne:
Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne
The house of Billecart-Salmon, founded in 1818, is one of the few to remain family owned. The grapes of this cuvee come from the very best vineyards in Marne. The aromas are of ripe pears with a delicate touch of cut hay. It offers fine freshness with an elegant fruity flavour, leaving a clean fresh taste in the mouth.

White Wines:
P. Ferraud & Fils Vire-Clesse 2008
This is a refreshing wine from Vire-Clesse, a relatively new appellation to Burgundy. The P. Ferraud & Fils Vire-Clesse 2008 has attractive aromas of a classic burgundy wine, underlined with characters of citrus fruit, and a good balance of fruit and acidity. The finish is long and delicate.

Next of Kin Margaret River Chardonnay 2008
This lovely wine, from the Margaret River wine region, Western Australia, displays lively citrus and stone fruit characters with hints of apples. The palate is rich with a creamy texture and a bright acidity followed by a crisp dry finish. It is fresh and fruit driven, an ideal accompaniment to white meat or pasta dished in cream sauce.

Red Wines:
Moonvine McLaren Vale Shiraz Cabernet Merlot 2007
By strict adherence to the biodynamic principles, the renowned winemaker Walter Clappis in the McLaren Vale, South Australia, is able to produce this wine without any chemical pesticides or fertilisers. The resulting wine is rich and flavourful, with a hint of chocolate on the finish. It is smooth with plenty of body. It can be enjoyed with or without food.

L’Esperance du Retout Haut Medoc 2009
This is a modern style Haut-Medoc wine which displays loads of round, generous red and black current notes intermixed with spice box notes. Fleshy texture, plenty of succulence and length make for a nicely textured wine to drink now and up to the next decade. This wine can be enjoyed with most dishes offered inflight.

Port:
Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2005
This wine is sourced from the same vineyards that in exceptional years product Dow’s renowned Vintage Ports. It is aged solely in oak casks and bottled 5 to 6 years after the harvest. It is a full rich Port with spicy fruit flavours and an elegant aromatic nose, well rounded on the palate and has the traditional Dow’s drier finish. This makes it one of the finest Late Bottled Vintage Ports available.

Aperitifs and Cocktails:
Gin, Rum, Vodka, Martini Rosso, Martini Extra Dry, Campari, Sweet and Dry Sherry, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver

Whiskies:
Chivas Regal 12 Years Old, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Jack Daniel’s, Canadian Club

Cognac:
Hine ‘Rare and Delicate’ Fine Champagne

Liqueurs:
Drambuie, Cointreau, Bailey’s Irish Cream

Beer:
International selection

CX Signature Drinks:
Cathay Delight
A kiwifruit based non-alcoholic drink with coconut juice and a touch of fresh mint

Pacific Sunrise
A refreshing combination of champagne and Drambuie with the zest of orange and lemon.

Drink List:
Juices:
orange, apple, tomato

Soft Drinks:
Coke Zero, Coke, Coke Light, Sprite, Perrier water, tonic water, soda water and ginger ale

Coffees:
freshly brewed coffee, espresso, cappuccino and caffe latte regular or decaffeinated

Teas:
Hong Kong style milk tea
Ceylon, Japanese, jasmine
organic selection: camomile, earl grey and peppermint

Hot Chocolate

A drinks run was done prior to lunch and I opted for a scotch and dry to go with my mixed nuts.
Next up the lunch service began with the tray containing the starter and salad.
The tuna with wasabi mayo was a pretty good way to start the meal I must say.
The trolley was wheeled to my seat with the main course selections on display. I opted to once again give the beef a go. Bad move. This was not up to the same standard of the long haul flight. The breadbasket made the rounds of course and of course I opted for the garlic bread. I chose the Moonvine red from South Oz that, IMHO was a good one.
The cheese and port offering were presented next along with an option for some fresh fruit. Finally the dessert was offered and once again, despite my ever expanding waistline, it looked too good to refuse.
The little boxed praline was then given out to finish the meal. Once all food was consumed the crew were out again with some more hot towels.

I settled back to continue watching my movie trying not to shed a tear. Word of warning, if you are an old softy and are tired and a little emotional don’t watch The Blind Side.
My movie finished around 35 minutes out of Singapore so did the usual music and inflight map thing until it was time to prepare for landing.

We landed at 15:00 and taxied forever to get to the gate. I was quickly off and on my way to immigrations. There were no queues and I was quickly processed into the country. I needed to wait around 10 minutes for the bags. Mine did not appear in the first batch but was soon enough out and I was in a taxi and on my way to the St Regis by 15:25

That is it for another day. I will return shortly.

The Photos

Genius1

Some more great updates Moomba - I do love reading your RTW reports, although must admit I enjoy the F ones the best

The new CX J seat and service looks really very good - not quite on a par with SQ, but very close. Considering CX are oneworld, if they operated the route I wanted and the price was not substantially different from BA/QF (which it invariably is unfortunately) I wouldn't hesitate to try them

CX F, on the other hand, is the second product on my list of things to do (after SQ F ).

Thunderroad

Have only read your CX new J trip report so far, but it's great. Thanks for sharing it.

avm2806

CX F is definitely worth a try. Love the 74A product (even the 77A is great, but there is a certain something for being in the nose of the gorgeous bird)

Moomba

Thanks Genius1. Funnily enough I enjoy the F ones more as well

Thanks Thunderroad

Moomba

The Photos


After a quick pit stop in Singapore I was off again to an airport for yet another stupid routing. This time is was back to HKG and then on to AKL.

Originally I had a SIN-NRT-SIN mileage run at this point but decided to re-route after recent events. I figured the last thing Japan needed was a nut doing an MR to NRT just for the miles.
My re-route was mostly based on the desire to squeeze as many miles out of the change as I could. The SIN-NRT-SIN is a great money-spinner when it comes to mileage accrual.

I hopped in a cab from the St Regis at around 14:00 and did some low flying in order to get the airport in double quick time.

Once there I located the CX check-in desks and was called over to an agent. She informed me of a 15 minute delay to the flight and tagged my bag through to HKG. I said I was travelling on to Auckland.
She did some more tapping and said can you show me your ticket please? I said I checked in online and it is the same PNR. I was getting my laptop out to show here the booking and asked if the CX Ref for the first flight started with HQxxx and she said it did. I said that is the same one!
She asked me to wait for a minute and when to check with the ticket desk. A while later she came back and typed away, this time producing an extra BP and a new baggage tag plus another lounge invite for HKG. She did not explain what had gone wrong.

I went through the SIN emigrations procedure and headed up to the contract lounge that CX use in SIN. I could have gone to the QF lounge but was hungry and at that hour of the day the QF lounge usually has meagre offerings.

The lounge did indeed have a chicken red curry, a spicy beef brisket dish and some egg fried rice. I sampled all 3 and took a seat along with a wee glass of some red wine from Oz.

I amused myself for the next hour or two doing whatever it is one does to amuse themselves in an airport lounge; that’d be eat and drink I suppose.

I took myself on down to the gate which was about as far away from the main part of T3 as you can get before ending up in another terminal. Security was quick and painless. My BP was swiped and I entered the lounge and took a seat. After around 10 minute boarding commenced with chillen’ and olden’s followed by a call for business and OW elites.

Flight CX0734 SIN-HKG Seat 16K
Aircraft: 330-300
Departure time: 14:05

I had chosen this flight initially as it was a 333 fitted with the newish J seat but CX did a CX and switched the aircraft for the older 2-2-2 seating variety.
All passengers had the seat next to them blocked, even those travelling together. I noticed one couple asking the crew if they could sit next to one another as they had been split. The crew confirmed it was fine for them to move.

My jacket was taken as soon as I got to my seat and a while later drinks were offered, including the Cathay Delight. However I went with the Moomba standard pre-flight tipple.

As boarding was winding down the crew in the J cabin were running around counting heads (there weren’t really that many to count), again and again. They then had copies of the manifest and were ticking off the passengers.

Finally they decided they did have the correct number on board but it took them a good ten minutes to do so.

The Captain announced a flight time of 3 hours and 19 minutes. We pushed back at 16:23 and taxied out to the runway. Another wide-body was waiting to take off but they slipped in 3 lightweights before the two heavies were allowed to take off.

In the air the menus were handed out and a round of hot towels was made. The meal serviced commenced soon after with a round of drinks being offered.

One of the crew came around and asked me to fill in a CX survey and gave me another 5USD voucher for inflight duty free.
I received the never missed out visit from the ISM welcoming me back to CX and wishing me a pleasant flight. She saw me filling in the survey and said you don’t have to fill it all in, it is too long and too detailed. I agreed. She suggested I write on it that it should be shorter and allow for comments rather than the standard tick box stuff.

The menu for tonight’s flight was:

Dinner:
Starters:
Duck liver terrine with red onion jam and corn salsa
Mesclun salad with oriental dressing

Main Courses:
Braised pork with preserved vegetables, steamed rice, carrots, mushrooms and pak choy

Brasied lamb shank with dried fruit cous cous and grilled vegetables

Stuffed beancurd and fish dumpling in noodle soup

Cheese and Dessert:
Cheese selection

Fresh seasonal fruit

Banana cheese cake with raspberry coulis

Tea and Coffee

Praline

Wine List:
Champagne:
Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne
The house of Billecart-Salmon, founded in 1818, is one of the few to remain family owned. The grapes of this cuvee come from the very best vineyards in Marne. The aromas are of ripe pears with a delicate touch of cut hay. It offers fine freshness with an elegant fruity flavour, leaving a clean fresh taste in the mouth.

White Wines:
P. Ferraud & Fils Vire-Clesse 2008
This is a refreshing wine from Vire-Clesse, a relatively new appellation to Burgundy. The P. Ferraud & Fils Vire-Clesse 2008 has attractive aromas of a classic burgundy wine, underlined with characters of citrus fruit, and a good balance of fruit and acidity. The finish is long and delicate.

Next of Kin Margaret River Chardonnay 2008
This lovely wine, from the Margaret River wine region, Western Australia, displays lively citrus and stone fruit characters with hints of apples. The palate is rich with a creamy texture and a bright acidity followed by a crisp dry finish. It is fresh and fruit driven, an ideal accompaniment to white meat or pasta dished in cream sauce.

Red Wines:
Moonvine McLaren Vale Shiraz Cabernet Merlot 2007
By strict adherence to the biodynamic principles, the renowned winemaker Walter Clappis in the McLaren Vale, South Australia, is able to produce this wine without any chemical pesticides or fertilisers. The resulting wine is rich and flavourful, with a hint of chocolate on the finish. It is smooth with plenty of body. It can be enjoyed with or without food.

L’Esperance du Retout Haut Medoc 2009
This is a modern style Haut-Medoc wine which displays loads of round, generous red and black current notes intermixed with spice box notes. Fleshy texture, plenty of succulence and length make for a nicely textured wine to drink now and up to the next decade. This wine can be enjoyed with most dishes offered inflight.

Port:
Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2005
This wine is sourced from the same vineyards that in exceptional years product Dow’s renowned Vintage Ports. It is aged solely in oak casks and bottled 5 to 6 years after the harvest. It is a full rich Port with spicy fruit flavours and an elegant aromatic nose, well rounded on the palate and has the traditional Dow’s drier finish. This makes it one of the finest Late Bottled Vintage Ports available.

Aperitifs and Cocktails:
Gin, Rum, Vodka, Martini Rosso, Martini Extra Dry, Campari, Sweet and Dry Sherry, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver

Whiskies:
Chivas Regal 12 Years Old, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Jack Daniel’s, Canadian Club

Cognac:
Hine ‘Rare and Delicate’ Fine Champagne

Liqueurs:
Drambuie, Cointreau, Bailey’s Irish Cream

Beer:
International selection

CX Signature Drinks:
Cathay Delight
A kiwifruit based non-alcoholic drink with coconut juice and a touch of fresh mint
Pacific Sunrise
A refreshing combination of champagne and Drambuie with the zest of orange and lemon.

Drink List:
Juices:
orange, apple, tomato

Soft Drinks:
Coke Zero, Coke, Coke Light, Sprite, Perrier water, tonic water, soda water and ginger ale

Coffees:
freshly brewed coffee, espresso, cappuccino and caffe latte regular or decaffeinated

Teas:
Hong Kong style milk tea
Ceylon, Japanese, jasmine
organic selection: camomile, earl grey and peppermint

Hot Chocolate

The meal service then began with the now usual tray with starter and salad. The breadbasket came around and I couldn’t resist the delicious CX garlic bread.
The mains were wheeled out later showing the choices available for the main meal. I went with the pork dish.
Of course wines were offered with the meal and yet again with CX I was not disappointed. I never seem to get a duff wine when flying with CX in J. I wish I could say the same for others.

Cheese was next on the agenda and a little tipple of port to go with.
After this we hit some pretty bad turbulence and the crew had to take their seats for a while. Sometime later they were out and about again with the dessert offering. They promised they would do a hot drink for me a soon as the seat belt sign was extinguished. They took orders for hit drinks although they could not as yet deliver them.

The sign went off and the coffees started to appear. After this a hot towel was again offered prior to clearing up for landing.

We touched down at 20:12 and taxied to gate 26. At the top of the ramp an agent informed me the AKL flight was due to leave from gate 71. I cleared security again a short walk away near gate 25 and the hotfooted it down towards the 60s gates. I snuck into the F lounge for a quick pit stop (read loo break) before exiting out through the back door, i.e. the business lounge. It had been so long since I had been in there I had forgotten how big it was. Hmm as a sign of a status junkie, ‘What does the business class lounge look like?’

I climbed up the escalator and continued down to the end of the pier. I joined the queue and the passport checker escorted me to the correct queue, that being the elite one. It was hard to tell as it was the end of the pier and the usual queuing lines at HKG were not that obvious.

Boarding started almost immediately and my BP was scanned and I walked down the ramp and on board.

Flight CX0107 HKG-AKL Seat 15K
Aircraft: 340-300
Departure time: 21:05

Once on board my jacket was taken and I was offered the usual pre-take off tipples. No prizes for guessing what I chose.

A flight time of 10 hours and 20 minutes was announced by the ISM in her welcome speech. Amenity kits were handed out on the ground. Instead of the Murad offering these contained Dermalogica goodies.

OK rant time. I think I have already ranted about this in the past though, so forgive me. Why do people need to faff about so much with cabin baggage? People seemed to be up and down and up and down to their bags right throughout the boarding process. I get on board ready with the things I want at my seat and stay seated once I have put my bag in the overhead. Oh well perhaps I am just anal and organised. Comes with the job I supposed. I am an IT ANALyst.

A hot towel was handed out whilst still on the ground.
We pushed back at 21:06 and left terra firma art 21:20 after a long taxi to the end of the runway.

Once airborne and the crew were able they were out with the menus for the flight. The ISM came by for a visit, welcomed me back to CX and asked me to let her know if I needed anything.

On the menu tonight was:
Dinner:
Starters:
Butterfly prawn with potato and edamame salad, fava bean and capsicum
Mesclun salad with citrus vinaigrette

Main Courses:
Grilled beef tenderloin with Béarnaise sauce, deep-fried new potatoes, buttered romanesco and roasted carrots with parsley and black pepper

Stewed pork belly with preserved vegetable, steamed jasmine rice and Shanghainese pak choy

Sauteed sea bass with spring onion, steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried choy sum

Saffron fettuccine with spinach, chanterelle and roasted pepper sauce

Cheese and Dessert:
Fourme d’Ambert, Arenberger, French Brie

Fresh seasonal fruit

Raspberry swirl cheese cake with raspberry coulis

Tea and Coffee

Praline

Snacks:
Wild mushroom and ricotta cheese pie with grilled zucchini and salad
Shui gow in noodle soup

Haagen-Daz Ice Cream

Assorted Sandwiches
Cherry cream cheese with roasted pecan, smoked turkey with Earl Grey honey butter, smoked salmon with lemon cream cheese

Wine List:
Champagne:
Champagne Deutz, Brut Classic
This award winning champagne features lovely aromas and flavours of pear and citrus fruit. Layered with toasted hazelnut, honey and sweet vanilla notes, the wine is balanced by refreshing acidity with a long, lingering finish. It is a perfect aperitif and goes well with delicate dishes.

White Wines:
Drouet Freres Le Mont Fleuri Sancerre 2009
The Sancerre region of France is located in the Loire Valley. White Sancerre wine is made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape. This ‘Le Mont Fleuri’ offers vibrant green apple, stone fruits and citrus notes with hints of mineral and spice. The palate displays well crafted fruit flavours. It is refined and elegant. Enjoy this wine with appetizers or fish dishes.

Waimea Estates Spinyback Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Sauvignon Blanc is New Zealand’s most popular wine variety. This attractive wine offers aromas of nectarines, gooseberries and limes on the nose, while the palate is characterised by refreshing acidity, fruit concentration, and mouth-filling texture. It goes well with salads in mild vinegar to seafood and white meat dishes.

Red Wines:
Chateau Rocher Corbin Montagne-Saint-Emilion 2004
Montagne-Saint-Emilion (AOC) is situated in the right bank of the Dordogne River. The 2004 Chateau Rocher Corbin is a blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc grapes. It is well structured, with flavours of black fruits and mocha. It goes very well with red meat dishes.

Waimea Barrel Selection Pinot Noir 2008
This award winning wine offers classic New Zealand Pinot Noir aromas of dark berries and plums with a hint of a floral note. The 2008 Waimea Barrel Selection Pinot Noir 2008 is beautifully balanced. It offers a fruit driven palate, complemented by a supple structure. The wine can be enjoyed with red meat dishes.

Port:
Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2005
This wine is sourced from the same vineyards that in exceptional years product Dow’s renowned Vintage Ports. It is aged solely in oak casks and bottled 5 to 6 years after the harvest. It is a full rich Port with spicy fruit flavours and an elegant aromatic nose, well rounded on the palate and has the traditional Dow’s drier finish. This makes it one of the finest Late Bottled Vintage Ports available.

Aperitifs and Cocktails:
Gin, Rum, Vodka, Martini Rosso, Martini Extra Dry, Campari, Sweet and Dry Sherry, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver

Whiskies:
Chivas Regal 12 Years Old, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Jack Daniel’s, Canadian Club

Cognac:
Hine ‘Rare and Delicate’ Fine Champagne

Liqueurs:
Drambuie, Cointreau, Bailey’s Irish Cream

Beer:
International selection

CX Signature Drinks:
Cathay Delight
A kiwifruit based non-alcoholic drink with coconut juice and a touch of fresh mint
Pacific Sunrise
A refreshing combination of champagne and Drambuie with the zest of orange and lemon.

Drink List:
Juices:
orange, apple, tomato

Soft Drinks:
Coke Zero, Coke, Coke Light, Sprite, Perrier water, tonic water, soda water and ginger ale

Coffees:
freshly brewed coffee, espresso, cappuccino and caffe latte regular or decaffeinated

Teas:
Hong Kong style milk tea
Ceylon, Japanese, jasmine
organic selection: camomile, earl grey and peppermint

Hot Chocolate

The dinner service started with the usual nuts and drinkies after which the trays were delivered with the starter and salad on board.
I must say the starter on this flight was quite nice.

I was feeling more than sated at this point and could not face any more food and so I have failed you all miserably as I did not partake of either the main course or cheese or dessert.

I set my seat to bed mode and passed out for a few hours. I awoke 3 and something hours out of AKL. I was tempted to order some of the yummy noodles but decided I should wait for brunch.

I listened to more of my playlist music and dozed a bit waiting for the meal service to begin.
At around 2 hours out the crew turned on the lights and the meal service began with a round of hot towels.

Brunch:
Starters:
Orange or apple juice

Forest berry smoothie

Fresh seasonal fruit

Fruit yoghurt

Assorted cereals

Main Courses:
Omelette with creamy beans, pan-fried Lincolnshire pork sausage, back bacon, potatoes and vine ripened tomato

Dim sum with chilli sauce
Asparagus dumpling, seafood and kung choi dumpling, beef meatball, mini vegetable glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf

From our series of classic Signature dishes
Dace fish julienne with pak choy congee and stir-fried egg noodles with vegetables

Bread Basket
Assorted breakfast bread served with preserves, honey and butter

Tea and Coffee

Next up juices or coffee were offered and I went with the smoothie option. The trays were then deployed with the fruit starter on board. After this I was offered cereal or yoghurt of which I chose the latter. Then the hot meals were presented from trays the crew carried around. I went for the dim sum option that as always was quite good especially with the extra kick of the chilli sauce.
I seem to be forgetting myself lately and omit some facts about these flights. The flight was full in business and the cabin was a 1-1-1 layout with the middle seats emptying out onto the A side of the plane. Service was consistently offered A side first front to back and K side from back to front. So if you are seated in 14K you would be last served on this plane. The 12K seat was reserved as a crew seat, one of whom occupied the seat no more than 5 minutes after take-off.

We touched down on NZ tarmac at 11:41 and taxied to our gate.
I was able to clear immigrations easily by using the biometric passport. AUS and NZ seem to allow each of their citizens to use this method when arriving in each country.
After this came the protracted wait for bags along with a carousel change to boot. Eventually CX bags started to appear by it seems AKL hasn’t got the knack of priority bags as yet!

I exited via the customs channel reserved to NZ and OZ citizens.
Once past that procedure I made my way left to a place where I knew I could store my suitcase overnight rather than carting it into AKL. I caught the el-cheapo option to the city on the form of the Airbus. I was a short 10 minute walk to the Westin where my suite was not quite ready.

They looked after my bag whilst I went for a wander and said they would call me when the room was ready, in about an hour. Golly either the pound has tanked severely or NZ is a most expensive place to buy books, CDs and DVDs. I left all shops empty handed and was on my way back to the Westin when I got the call from the GM that my room was ready.

How different my two experiences of ‘room not ready’ have been. W in HKG; free drink at bar, Westin AKL; we will call you.

Nothing much else to report on this segment of the journey, so until next time, safe travels.


The Photos

Moomba

The Photos

After yet another short stay in AKL it was time to head back out to the airport and check-in for another flight. This time it was a short hop to take me home to my folks for a short visit.

I retrieved my suitcase from the place where I stored it overnight, did some re-packing and then headed for the QF premium check-in area. Inside I was informed of a 45 minute delay to the flight due to late incoming. My bag was checked and I took my BP, completed emigrations form and passport to the NZ immigrations official at the desk within the premium check-in area. She quickly processed my departure and stuck a pre-cleared sticker on my BP.

I then headed upstairs and through the pre-cleared channel where my BP and passport where checked before sending me on to security.
There was a short wait at security whilst they faffed about for a bit. I was through without any beeps but was selected for the random pat down and swab. This useless waste of my time has begun to annoy me of late and I find my form of protest has been to just glare at these people and not say a word to them throughout the whole act. I never acknowledge anything they say to me except to look at them and when done I just take my bag and walk off.

I proceeded upstairs to the QF lounge complex after this and was invited to use the F lounge, which is a separate room from the J lounge and is off to the right. It dawned on me that I have been rather spoilt over the last few years in that there are many J lounges in the OW network that I have never seen, including this one in AKL.

Mind you this thought mustn’t have bothered me too much as I still haven’t seen the AKL J lounge. Safely ensconced in the F lounge I grabbed a couple of glasses of OJ as I was feeling particularly parched for some reason.

The F lounge had mushroom soup, salads, pies, sausage rolls, quiches, various sandwiches and various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
I logged on to the wireless and did some surfing and checked emails. I checked out EF and noticed the seat beside mine blocked. It seems QF seat blocks OW elites even in the J cabin if the cabin isn’t full. This seems to happen a few days prior to the flights. I notice that my upcoming domestic Oz flight also had the seat blocked next to me.

The flight was called in the lounge and I made my way down to the gate. Boarding has just started when I got there and I was able to go up to the business lane and was processed on board straight away.

Flight QF0026 AKL-MEL Seat 2F Operated by JetConnect for Qantas
Aircraft: 737-400
Departure time: 12:55

It was around 13:30 by the time I was on board. I took my seat and grabbed my gear from my backpack and settled in to my seat. My jacket was taken a little while later and was offered juice, water or champagne. I went with the bubbly of course.
The doors closed at 13:44 and we pushed back moments later. The captain announced a flight time of 3 hours and 40 minutes.

The CSM dropped by to say welcome me on-board and asked me to let her know if I needed anything. A drinks service was then made and I went with the usual Scotch and Dry to go with my cashews and almonds.
The menus for lunch were on the seats when I boarded. On the menu today was:

FROM THE BAR
Roasted Nuts

ENTRÉE
Salad of Chicken and Baby Cos with Ranch Dressing

MAIN COURSES
Hot Smoked Salmon Salad with Artichokes, Baby Peas and Rocket

Thai Style Pork and Eggplant Curry with Jasmine Rice and Steamed Greens

Roast Lamb with Mint Jus, Potato Puree and Braised Peas

Warm Bakery

Selection of Cheeses

Ice Cream and Biscotti

Chocolates

BEVERAGES
CHAMPAGNE
Your Flight Attendant will advise whether today’s menu features Billecart-Salmon Brut or Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve

AUSTRALIAN and NEW ZEALAND WINE
Wine from Australia and New Zealand is renowned around the globe for its intensity of flavour and fine fruit characters. Differences in climate, topography and soil type provide us with a broad spectrum of wine styles and varietals.
For your enjoyment we have a selection of light and full bodied, premium white and red wines onboard today. Your Flight Attendant will advise you on the selection.

APERITIFS
Bloody Mary
Campari and Soda
Gin and Tonic
Vodka and Ginger Beer

SPRIRTS
Bacardi White Rum, Puerto Rico
Bundaberg Dark Rum, Australia
Chivas Regal 12yo Scotch Whisky, Scotland
Plymouth The Smooth England Gin, London
The Glenlivit 12yo Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Scotland
Wild Turkey 86.8° Bourbon, Kentucky
Wyborowa Polish Vodka, Poland

BEERS
James Squire Golden Ale
Heineken
Victoria Bitter
Hahn Premium Light

DESSERT & FORTIFIED WINE
Australian dessert and fortified wine is available for your enjoyment

LIQUEURS
Baileys Irish Cream
Cointreau

COGNAC
Martell VSOP

JUICE BAR
Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Spicy Tomato Juice
Tomato Juice

NON ALCOHOLIC
Appletiser Sparkling Apple Juice
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Coca-Cola
Coke Zero
Lemonade
Lemon Squash
Sparkling Mineral Wine
Soda Water
Tonic Water
Ginger Ale

HOT BEVERAGES
COFFEE
Bodum
Decaffeinated

TEA
English Breakfast
Earl Grey
Peppermint
Chamomile
Jasmine Green

HOT CHOCOLATE

Personal DVD players were handed out to those that wanted them in the J cabin. There was also a movie showing on the overhead monitors. On today’s flight this was The King’s Speech.
I was offered more nuts and a refresh of my drink before the lunch service but declined.

The lunch service started a while later with trays being delivered from the galley to each seat. On the tray was the starter and rye bread or garlic bread was offered from the basket. I was also offered a glass of wine. Today’s choices were Pentaluma Shiraz, Te Tera Pinot Noir, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and Lewin Estate Chardonnay.

I opted to stick with my exploration of Pinot Noir and was not disappointed.
The salad was of a reasonably portion and was fresh and tasty. After I had finished the crew member was back offering me the main course. I opted for the lamb this time and had a top up of my wine.

More bread was offered and declined and my glass was never empty.
The meal remains were cleared and I was offered some passionfruit ice cream or a selection of cheeses. I went with the latter and some more of the Pinot to wash it down.

By the time I had finished all this there was not that much longer to go in the flight. I spend my time typing my TRs and listening to my iPod.

Towards the end of the flight the crew member came by my seat with a black bag. She said she was sorry I was not able to have my first choice of meal and here is a bottle of wine by way of apology. I said I got my choice, she said Oh how embarrassing I thought you wanted the Salmon. I said no the lamb was my first choice. She then said Oh well would you like this anyway? I said why not thank you.

I seem to score quite well on Qantas with bottles of wine. There is a bottle of 707 sitting in my friend’s cellar in Adelaide waiting for me to visit her again that was courtesy of Qantas.

The captain came on a little while later and announced our decent into Melbourne. The crew then busied themselves tidying the cabin in readiness for landing.

We landed at 15:40 and pulled up to our gate.

On the way out I thanked my crew and made my way up to the immigrations hall. I was able to use the bio-metric channels to clear immigrations and was through and in the baggage hall within a few minutes of getting off the plane.
Bags started to emerge soon after and mine was one of the first down the chute.
I then was ushered straight out the doors by the customs officials and started in search of my parents.


The Photos

Moomba

The Photos

After a few days catching up with family the usual routine of my father driving me to the airport and a quick goodbye was played out.

I walked into the domestic terminal to find it a changed place from when I was last there. There is now a sea of self serve check-in kiosks and a bank of baggage collection points along the inner wall. It seems QF now want us to print our own BPs and then also print and attach our own baggage tags. Well sod this I walked straight up to the 2 J desks and was greeted and asked which flight I was on.
I dumped my bag on the belt and said I was on the noon flight and stated my name.

She confirmed my full name and said would you like to go on the 11am flight? I stupidly said yes. I then look at my watch and it was 10:30. She tagged my bag gave me my preferred window seat BP and sent me on my way.

Security was swift and I was through the other side at which point I realise that the 11am flight meant no lounge time in MEL. Also I would probably loose my seat block that was still in place on the later flight.

Oh well I get to Sydney sooner. I walked to the gate and boarding had already started so I joined the line.
My BP was processed and I walked down the ramp to the plane.

Flight QF0426 MEL-SYD Seat 4F
Aircraft: 767
Departure time: 11:00

Once I board I settled in to my seat and my jacket was taken by a crew member. A pre-departure drink of apple and strawberry juice or water was offered.
The Captain came on the blower and talked about our routing and informed us of a flying time of just over 1 hour.
Newspapers were handed out by the crew whilst on the ground. We pushed back at just before 11 and taxied out to the nearest runway and were in the air at 11:08.

After the belts sign was switched off, which is pretty quickly on QF flights, the crew were out with a hot towel service.
The meal service then began for this brunch flight. The choices available for the meal were a large bowl of fruit with yoghurt or an egg and bacon pie with sausage, tomato, spinach and mushroom. Pretty decent meal for a non meal time, 1 hour flight and puts the Euro carriers to shame. This was served with OJ and water.

The crew member working my side forgot to hand out bread to the last two rows but I didn’t mind I was sated. Coffee and tea were then offered and re-fills applied as necessary.

I spent most of the flight staring out the window watching the lush green bush scape pass by beneath us. It occurred to me that this same lush greenness has also been witness to some of the most ferocious bush fires the world has seen.

The Captain came on the horn and announced our decent into Sydney and that those on the left would get a good view of the city on the way in.
The crew cleared and secured the cabin for landing.

We landed at 12:14 and taxied to our gate at the domestic terminal.
I exited the plane quickly and made my way out of the secure area and down to the baggage area. The bags started to appear at 12:35 and mine was the fourth bag out.


That is it for now be back with the long trip home at some point in the next few days.


The Photos

Genius1

Another fantastic few updates Moomba. Just love reading your RTW reports - I will definitely being doing one of these (hopefully in F, but more likely in J) as soon as time/money permits!

Which airline are you flying back home?

Moomba

Thanks Genius1

I am in the SIN QF/BA lounge now awaiting the second leg of my flight upstairs on an Airbus A380-800. That should give you a clue as to who I am flying back with.

They gave us all a little chocolate bunny.