YVR Cockroach

O.K. so I didn't walk all the way....

Family visit trip came up because NW offered WBC for a stunning USD 1,511 (inc. taxes and fees).

1 January NW 7 SEA - NRT 747-200

After leaving the very-empty HGI in Renton on this very rainy 1st day of the year, I was dropped off at the arrivals level of SEA, web check-in BP in hand, to unintentionally avoid the first day of check-in baggage screening (vulcan who I was to meet in NRT later that "day" told me it was a zoo in JFK).

Security was quick and the longest wait was for the train (still unidirectional but one of last days before they switched to going around the long way via the closed B terminal stop).

The NW lounge was busy with both Asian and MSP-bound pax but not as crowded as could be.

Boarded at the first call to get to my upper deck window bulkhead seat (85A). My first impression of the NW 747-200 is how incredibly roomy the seating is (compared to QF and CP 742s) with just 3 rows (see seat and IFE comment below). The bulkhead row is still the one to go for (though the other rows aren't bad) if one isn't in the 3 or more S.D. of height. The side bins are nice and deep (one for each pax) and there's a stowage area for FAs that pax a 85 A can use if the FAs don't.

The U.S.-based FA provided very attentive service on this flight. She first gave menus and headsets - taking the meal order before takeoff - and then an offering of ear plugs, eye shades (not the cheapest nylon ones), toothbrush & paste, and a razor & cream (NW has dispensed with the amenities kit), and a choice of sockettes or slippers.

Departure was delayed an hour as the flight was oversold and the reservations computer had crashed so seating had to be done by manual count. Not too sure how many were op. upgraded but this cabin was 12/12.

Pushback was close to 13:45 (scheduled departure time varied by 10 minutes - between 12:40 and 12:50 depending on your boarding pass or gate information. I noticed this for all 5 flights of my itinerary followed by a takeoff towards the south (requiring taxi to the north end of the airport). The flight was quite bumpy for the first 1/2 hour of flight.

After takeoff (delayed half hour as there was significant turbulence until 1/2 way past Vancouver island) drinks were served (I stayed with the Billecart Salmon champagne for all 4 WBC flights) with the dish of nuts (reduced in quantity from my AMS-JFK flight in WBC in June 2001). Nuts were still almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and cashews. No peanuts. Sometime before meal service, the FA had changed her jacket to the ivory serving jacket that most of the WBC FAs wear. A rather nice elegant touch. I'm glad to see NW rid itself of the hideous maroon uniform used in the '80s.

The route today was straight up to Alaska pushing just south of ANC and over some of the Aleutians with a maximum latitude of just under 60 N.

Menu for Dinner (photos of all meals will be posted at www.airlinemeals.net ):

Western Dinner

Hors d'ouevres

Grilled Smoke Salmon and Asparagus spears with roasted pepper dill sauce

Salad

Redleaf lettuce and iceberg wedge with Roma tomato and Kalmatta olives

Assorted Breads

Main Course

Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast in Pinot Noir sauce with mushroom risotto and carrots

Cheese stuffed Rigatoni in Alfredo Sauce topped with three tomato sauce and crumbled goat cheese

Smoked scallops and shrimp with papardelle pasta in white butter sauce.

Japanese Style dinner

Shokado

Chuka salad with baby octopus
Assorted Japanse steamed vegetables
Barbecue eel and tomago
teriyaki quail with leeks and miso sauce
accompanied by rice, pickles and soup


Selection of fresh fruit and cheese

Dessert

Silk tuxedo cheesecake
gourmet coffee
fine chocolates


I choose the Japanese meal which was presented in a 4-compartment Bento box with 4 dishes, with the rice package on top, and tea and miso soup on the side of the tray. There was also one of those small fished-shaped containers of soy sauce and a ceramic tray with about 3 types of pickles. Utensils were a chopstick as well as the usual forks, spoons (look very old and cheap) and plastic knife, and a tooth pick. I had the Eisen sake to accompany the meal. While not a sake connaiseur by any means, this was smoother than the turpentine-like quality of some others.

The food was pretty much as advertised and was good. The only exception was that the quail seemed to resemble, taste and feel like beef. Maybe the hunters had a dey spell? There was also only just one baby octopus.

My seatmate had the western meal which looked good. The pasta main seemed a bit large and overwhelming (he only ate about 1/3rd despite being a bigger guy).

During the meal service, the FA offered tea and champagne refills.

The FA took the tray away and returned with a tray of fruit and cheese (can't even remember what types - Port Salut and Brie and cheddar?) and the cheesecake. The cheesecake was a little bit strange - not silky for one. The cups used for coffee need to be heated as one gets a cold cup. The tea - brewed in a metal "silver" pot - was weak but bitter but at least an attempt to impart flavour nonetheless.

Didn't notice the chocolates being offered as I dozed off shortly after the meal service. Small bottles of water was distributed. The FA pretty much disappeared after this meal service and crew from the main cabin came up to check on pax every now and then.

A cart with "Sky Break" snacks which included cheese (2 types of Tillamook?), chocolate, fruit and Japanese snacks was placed by the galley. Drinks were self-serve though the liquors seem to be hidden (NW doesn't make an effort to offer liqours) though the wine was out there.

About 1/2 way (flight was 9 1/2 hours due to lack of headwinds) the FA did come back to offer a Haagen-Daaz ice cream. This is a sherbet bar with an icecream core. The sherbet was a raspberry which overwhelmed the core. Not a good combination.

About 1 1/2 hours before arrival, the 2nd meal service was offered:

Fresh Seasonal Fruit
Assorted Breads

Scrambled Eggs, Italian Sausage and diced potatoes topped with chedda cheese

Peppered Smoked Salmon and Smoked Trout with Cheddar Cheese

Cold cereal, fruit yoghurt and Banana


The fruit salad was remarkably good as it has been sitting open in the cart that the Sky Break snacks were placed on. I can't remember the other fruits but the ripe papaya half house them. The salmon and trout were good while the cheddar could have been presented other than in wedges.

ATC placed the flight just offshore so the flight orbited for about 10 minutes before given clearance to land, approaching from the south. Weather over Japan was clear with a nice view of Fuji on the portside. Despite crosswinds and warnings of turbulence, none appeared and the landing was one of the better 747 ones.

Shortish taxi to the gate which was 26 or so getting there just after the scheduled arrival time of 1630. At any rate, well away from satellite 4 that most other NW flights use and just adjacent to satellite 2. The SEA (continuing onto or from ICN) flights seem to like this gate.

It was quite a haul to get through a security point to get to the Akebono lounge where I was to meet Vulcan who was also flying on the discounted fare from JFK to SIN. Both the Akebono (modern but sparse) and Azume (didn't visit) lounges are non-sterile so one has to go through security (again) if one uses them. Vulcan was already there (he was looking for my a/c) and we talked about our travel plans before he had to go for his 1815 flight to SIN. I got to check out the much-mentioned beer machines offering Sapporo and Kirin (too bad they're not great beers).

Heard some U.S. pax complain about the lack of a t.v. in the lounge. I like the lack of one for the quietness and tranquility.

Seats:

The upper deck seats on NW 742s (and nose section of 744s) are the ones of choice as they are the old FC ones. While controls are simple (just recline and balky seat rest extension buttons), the seat back is relatively flat and reclines to about 80 degrees off horizontal and the leg rest comes up to nearly horizontal - allowing for a "170 degree" or so recline. It makes for a better seat than QF (pre and Dreamtime), AC, CP, US Envoy, BA cradle and CX non-bed seats. I had one of my better sleeps on these flights.

IFE
IFE selection is limited and the screens are small. The last channel had the "air show" display (information differed between 742s and 744s). I didn't watch any of the movies and just listened to the classical channels on this flight (didn't even open the headphone bags on the other 3 747 flights).

Lavatories

I like the lavatory on the upper deck. Using the stairwell recess to house the head, the toilet is slightly larger than average. The sink was however recessed and a bit awkward to reach.

I like the Aveda handwash, toning mist and hydration lotion. Toothbrush & paste and razor and shaving cream were stocked on he way out.


[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 01-12-2003).]

[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 01-12-2003).]

Montys_Mayhem

That's an amazing fare -- $1511 SEA-BKK r/t (I assume) in WBC. Are you willing to give us any tips as to where you got that fare? I'm planning a trip to BKK and could sure put that fare to good use!

Thanks,
Monty.

YVR Cockroach

2 January NW 1 NRT-BKK 747-400

Walked Vulcan to the security checkpoint to get to his SIN flight. He came on a 744 and is going on a 742 and I had it the other way. Returned to the lounge for a few more minutes before heading back to the gates where the security line had now disappeared.

It looks like NW1 was full and lots of opups were going on.

Don't be among the first to board

Just a word of caution. NRT has random security and there are 3 stations (at least for NW and possibly for UA too). The security people will wand your shoes and feet, then body wand and an incomplete bag check.

After this inconvenience, I got to my seat of 1K. There's no overhead locker so I put my bags in the nose closet. Various papers and magazines were available in front of the centre pair of seats. Service was the same as SEA. A Japanese FA offered preflight drinks and distributed menus, Thai landing cards, slippers/socks and headsets, as well as took the meal order before flight. A male U.S. FA (possibly the purser) was serving my side after takeoff.

The flight deck only made a few announcements preflight and nothing until descent into BKK as most passengers slept enroute.

Dinner menu was

Champagne (express) meal

Roast beef, dill salmon and white asparagus served with assorted warm breads, salad and dessert


Full Meal Service

Hors d'Ouevres

Grilled scallop, crab meat sushi, shrimp and Japanse egg omelet with grilled eel

Salad
Seasonal greens with cucumber and tomato

Assorted Breads

Main Course
Beef filet madiera sauce with mashed potatoes, baby carrots and broccoli

chicken with hot spicy sauce and steamed rice

Selection of fresh fruit and fine cheese

Dessert
Fruit Tart


The meal service was served by the purser(?) who had changed to a serving jacket as had the Japanese female FA serving the port side. Hors d'ouevres and salad came on the tray together. There was a packaged dressing though a very nice Japanese dressing was offered from a container.

The scallop came with its shell - nice presentation. The salad was made by the japanese dressing (miso and oil based). There were two breads on the bread plate - one a cheese-encrusted garlic french bread-like thing.

The main course (I choose beef) was offered in the bowl NW likes to use (presumably it preplated). The main course was o.k. but presentation was poor to say the least.

Parmesan and frozen apples?

After the main tray was cleared, the fruit & cheese and dessert tray came. The cheese plate had 2 cheeses. I can't remember what one was but the other was an odd choice of parmesan. The apple slices were immemorably frozen. The fruit tart was o.k.

Only on this flight was I offered any liquor and took a Grand Marnier. I slept, as did most of the front cabin did to BKK. Flight was mostly uneventful with a direct line to Taiwan, skirting HKG and then over Vietnam and Cambodia to BKK. Landing into BKK was from the north. It was a remote gate as usual and in the far end of the cargo terminal. Got onto the first bus and was one of the first to get to immigration (still clearing laggards from the UA flight) and found a free immigration agent. BKK has installed passport scanners and the agents are marginally faster than previously.

No bags so I had a quick stop at customs to declare a camera and out for a taxi to the J.W. Marriott which I had secured at SGD 105 through Priceline Asia.

{edited to correct destination}

[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 02-24-2003).]

YVR Cockroach

That was a X'mas fare valid 16 Dec to 9 January. It was offered through NWA.com and was posted at the NW board.

YVR Cockroach

2-8 January at the J.W. Marriott

The Marriott is a nice and decently located hotel (unfortunately it's located midway between the Nana and Ploenchit BTS stations). The rooms are decent sized for a newer Bangkok hotel (see comments on the Conrad as a comparison). While the rooms are smaller than the Regent's, rates are also lower especially if you source it through Priceline.

The room (9th floor, 2nd lowest) had a partial view, one of the pool and a bit of the BTS line. Road noise from Sukumvit Road was not too noticeable. A fruit amenity of banana, guava, rose jambu and sapodillas was provided daily and chocolates presumably from the bakery on turndown.

Bottled drinking water was supplied. Tea (black and green) and coffee were supplied with the inroom coffee maker. The coffee is Thai coffee and may be a bit too strong for N. American taste (needs a lot of condensed milk).

The bathroom was fairly large with a large shower cubicle, bath tub, and large sink countertop area. Toiletries included house brand shampoo, conditioner, lotion and mouthwash in fairly-large bottles, as well as bath salts. Cotton balls and tips were supplied in a box along with the shower cap and showing kit.

T.V. channels included TV5 (France), Deutsche Welle (Germany) and BBC.

The fairly-large and well-equipped gym is free for hotel guests and is open from 0530 daily. There's a T.V. with headset for each CV station. There's a rather nice pool deck, in the middle of the city above a busy road, though the outdoor spas have unheated water.

Highly recommended is the buffet lunch at the White Elephant. The bakery sells off pastries after 6 p.m. for 33%.

In Ploenchit Centre across the side road (soi 2) by walkway is a supermarket where you can get most groceries (competitive prices) as well as a gew other things. Thai massages (of the normal variety) are available at two shopfront stores. Just THB 500 for 2 hours (1/2 as much if not less, than the Marriott's inhouse rate).

IndustrialPatent

Great trip report, terenz! Thanks!

LH738

Thanks for a detailled report about NW WBC and the JW in BKK. I especially was interested about your description of the JW.

YVR Cockroach

Addenda to previous posting:

The outgoing SEA-NRT flight was also delayed by having to offload the bags of bumped passengers, which the flight deck reported was found in the very first container loaded.

IFE: An irritatng feature is the video channels resetting to the base channel after every crew announcement.

Meal Service: Forgot to mention NW has a towel service before each meal.

Now, for the rest of it:

The new Conrad Bangkok

Got to the newly-opened Conrad Bangkok which was a very nice hotel. Pictures to come.

9 January The long road back home

Layover time on this trip back home was to be something ghastly: 7 hours in Narita, 6 hours in Honolulu, overnight in Seattle before taking the bus back to Vancouver.

NW 2 BKK-NRT 747-400

Anyway, it was a restless night as I knew i had to leave the hotel at 4am to make the 0610 flight to NRT. Getting to the lobby of the Conrad, I waited until the van driver showed up just before 0400. Ah Peng is someone known to my family and is very reliable (FWIW, he charges THB 1,600 for 10 hours or THB 600 for airport dropoff/pickup inc. tolls if applicable. The caveat is that he only speaks Thai and Mandarin chinese). With little traffic at this hour (he managed to get to BKK T2 within 20 minutes of leaving the Conrad without using the expressway. After being dropped off, I now faced the

Running the 5 Hurdle Security Gauntlet

Getting to the NW checkin area, I found quite a hideous line for baggage screening. The delay wasn’t too bad but the Thai security system is to make people line up while 3 lucky parties get pre-X-ray baggage screening. When those being screen are cleared, 3 more lucky parties are picked for this while the rest get to proceed to baggage X-ray. The staff now simply tag bags instead of wrapping a plastic strap around the bag making for a much faster process. After these 2 hurdles (one certain, one possible) one came to the two NW checkin lines, one for BC and one for EC pax with both lines beng served by 3 agents. WBC checkin took me some 5 minutes wait. While waiting, there was a security screener (hurdle 3) who asked why I was heading back through Honolulu (usual answer of “for the miles” which seemed to work). She took off with my passport and came back a few minutes later, presumably to check about my visaless status.

Among the passengers were several British scouts (the Scout Jamboree - attended by the Swedish monarch among others - in Thailand had just ended) on this flight and I’m not sure if they were headed to the U.S. for a break before home or simply heading back via the U.S. (which makes for a long and hideous journey in economy).

Check-in was brief and fast. Next was paying the airport fee which is still THB 500. Passport control lines were short for Bangkok mornings today (just 3-4 parties deep per station). Some eldery Japanese woman flyng on UA was sent to the immigration booth for overstaying. Decided to check out the (Louis Tavern?) lounge which was rather crowded. No fresh unsweetened juices despite Thailand being a large fruit producer. For solid refreshments,there were some pastries and some 3 types of sandwiches.

Decided to head to the gate for security clearance. The standard screening station didn’t have much of a wait. Getting to the gate area took longer as there was a documents and BP check where pax would be randomly picked for secondary screening.

Boarding started just before 0530 for this full flight. BKK nicely uses two ramps for boarding so i boarded through 1L to get to my bulkhead aisle seat of 1J. A Thai FA came around shortly after to offer drinks (took the champagne again). Thai and English newspapers and magazines were placed on a cart in front of the centre pair seats. The FA then proceeded to offer the menu, landing cards for Japan and headphones.

Breakfast Menu

Juice
Fresh Seasonal Fruit
Fruit Yoghurt
Assorted Breads

Main Course

Farmer’s Omelet with asparagus, tomato and Chicken Chiporata

Stir-friend Sweet Basil Chicken with steamed rice and fried egg

Cold cereal and Banana

The first group of items came on a tray. The FAs (the MSP-based purser was serving my side of the cabin) offered a choice of juice and refill of existing drink and a filled glass of water. The juices were only packaged which was disappointing given that Thailand is a major fruit producer. The fruit was pretty much unripe except for the dragon fruit (from a cactus) which again was disappointing. The assorted breads (no choice) was a pastry with filling and a croissant - neither of which was good.

Green eggs sans ham

I chose the chicken before takeoff (orders taken then as for all WBC flights). The course came in the familiar NW bowl. The chicken appeared to be minced which is authentic Thai style when I looked up a cookbook later. It was acceptable given that it was not freshly cooked. However, the omelet looked ghastly from what I could tell (the couple in 1A and 1B hardly touched theirs). It took the shape of a pie slice, looked green more than yellow. I heard another pax complain to the purser about the food and presumably it was about the omelette.

Having not slept well, I (and apparently most of the cabin) made up for it in flight which the WBC seats nicely facilitated.

The 2nd meal was served 1 1/2 hours before arrival into NRT.

Assorted open-faced sandwiches
Thai-style hot snacks and sweet pastry

The sandwiches were immemorable. The Thai snacks consisted of a fried spring roll and a few pieces of marinated chicken. The pastry was a slice of cake.

Descent started shortly after end of the meal service and was uneventful. The Kanto plain was a bit smoggy so there wasn’t a good view of Fuji today.

7 wonderful hours in Narita

Arriving into the NW satellite (4), I headed to the main transit area and the Akane lounge. Noted there were many passengers who had got off a previous flight still waiting to clear security for their connecting flights. The touchscreen info terminals made navigating the cluttered Narita 1 terminal a bit easier. Seanthepilot appeared shortly after enroute from HNL to HKG. We invited me to check out the new UA lounge which has been talked about in the UA section. While the lounge is nice, with a Japanese decor and smelling of freshly-kilned softwood, I wonder if the costs are not something UA needed to spend.
Spending more time in the Akane Lounge after seanthepilot boarded for HKG, I headed to the adjacent gate (27) to board the flight for HNL.


NW 10 NRT-HNL Beach market 747-200

Boarded to 2L to get onto this flight (boarding after the 1st wave to avoid random screening) as the jetway for 1L was inop. Usual NW service. The upper deck was assigned a younger male U.S. FA for this trip. There were 12 FAs for this beach market flight (all economy behind 1L with 12 BC on the upper deck and some 18 in the nose). As economy was oversold, some opUGs was taking place. A presumably-non-rev hung around in the galley until boarding was complete to grab a seat. While waiting, the UD FA, a Polynesian one downstairs and this non-revver had some chocolates which seemed to be identical to the one offered to pax after the main meal. The upper deck was 11/12 (I had no neighbour) with some 8 Japanese passengers. The flight pushed back on time and took off some 15 minutes later.

Usual NW WBC service:

Dinner Menu

Hors d’oeuvre
Lobster medallions on orzo pasta with pesto garnish

Salad
Seasonal mixed greens with cucumber and tomato

Assorted breads

Main course
Beef tenderloin topped with shiitake cheese crust, served with au gratin potatoes nd green beans
-or-
Grilled chicken breast with plum salsa served with smashed potatoes and asparagus spears


Japanese meal
Shokado
Soba sushi with crab fishcake and salmon sushi
Assorted seasonal Japanese simmered vegetables
Shrimp and crabmeat with marinated seaweed
Grilled sea bream with Kinome miso sauce and eel
accompanied by rice, pickles and soup


Assortment of Fresh Fruit

Dessert
Pear mousse cake


I had the Japanese meal yet again as did most of the pax. It pretty much came as advertised and was good. Serving and presentation was as with the SEA-NRT leg. The dessert and fruit were o.k. and I went to sleep soon after the tray was cleared as the flight time was less than 6 hours.

A light breakfast of fruit and pastries was served prior to arrival.

Tailwinds were very strong on this flight (recorded at 220 km/h pushing the a/c to a ground speed of 1,100+ km/h according to the flight information display) but remarkably there was absolutely no noticeable turbulence in the climb/descent transition. Flight plan was SE out of NRT for a bit before taking a mostly E (very slightly S) course to the Hawaiian chain before turning SE again and approaching and landing from the SW.

With the a/c taxiing to the main terminal, I thought we’d avoid the Wiki Wiki diesel fume-spewing shuttle. No luck. Deplaning through 2L (FAs held back those seated behind 2L), the pax had to run a gauntlet of I.N.S. agents before getting to the bus. One agent asked if I had a visa to which I simply said “Canadian”. Getting onto the first Wiki Wiki trolleys, I didn’t have to suffer the diesel for the short ride to immigration. Got down quickly and was one of the first through. The bags came off soon after and mine came out shortly (I had feared they’d be the last out). After a quick tour through customs (expected to be sent there as I had declared food), the agent let me passed when I gave a satisfactory answer as to when I was going to Canada.

The through baggage check is surprisingly before you exit customs where officers take your declaration card. Two heavy-set female TSA agents swabbed my bag before putting it into a machine and then carried my bags to the recheck and I was gone.

Got time in Waikiki? Go eat a plate lunch!

Out past the final gauntlet of customs officers at around 8, I went upstairs for the $1.50 bus ride to Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch and Crab on Nimitz Highway. If you haven’t been there, go. It’s upscale Hawaiian soul food. I wanted to get the Bento on a Plate but it was still breakfast time so I went for the Hawaiian favorite, Loco Moco.

The bus driver had given me a transfer valid for a generous 3:45 instead of 2:00 so I continued down to Waikiki after breakfast for a walk. On the way back, I took note of passengers heading for the airport and noted their fortune as the bus driver was lax with the no-bags rules. Some boarded with large bags (at least sharing one for a party of 2 or 3). One party, a young couple, were headed off to LAS. Another, a Cantonese-speaing family with an adult presumabed daughter for parts unknown and a german-speaking family (very red, vater replete a tie and maroon jacket) for a few days in L.A. before heading back to Europe. Stranger was an Asian man carrying a rag tag of bags.

My last 3-holer flight? NW 924 HNL-SEA DC-10

I thought I had flown my last journey on a 3-holer years ago but there it was, a rare species from the past and one of my favourite aircraft. Sitting down in 1A, I suddenly remembered how large the windows on DC-10s are compared to Airbus and Boeing a/c. Fortunately, the a/c was a WBC-configured a/c and not the one stray domestic FC configured 10-30s.

After boardng, the FAs offered mai tais for refreshment. The youngest of the 3 over-45 FAs upfront (6 total) on boarding was being helpful and also trying to be as sexy and glamorous as an FA could be (presumably in denial of her age). She disappeared to the back on pushback and was never seen upfront again.

I noted that the cabin was rather warm before pushback and did not improve much inflight. This was not helped with the cabin a/c side vents behind row 1 seats on the side and NW DC-10-30s not having individual vents.

There were no menus or amenities given out on this flight. IFE was limited to whatever was showing in the main cabin. The headphones were of a much flimsier variety than found in WBC.

Pushback occured pretty much on time but taxiing took a while as an arriving PR 744 rumbled past, and then a HA 767 left and various 737s landed before we could cross the runway (departure to the SW on the left runway). This left us behind a AC 762 which presumably was bound for somewhere in western Canada.

Like 777s?

En route to the runway, I saw and photoed the GE 747 which is flight-testing the GE90-115B engine. This a/c had suffered a fire in the engine pylon (apparently not a fault of the engine) in December 2002. There was a crane being used to facilitate repairs. The engine, which will power the 777-200LR and -300ER models, is the most powerful engines ever built with 115,000 rated pounds of thrust (about the thrust of 2 747 engines depending on version) and nearly 123,000 lbs in tests. The highest thrust GE/P&W engine for the A380 will only be rated for 80,000 lbs by comparison.

Proceeding to the runway, I watched another HA 767 make its approach into HNL - a descent that requires skirting Waikiki as much as possible before a turn to align wth the runway.

Taking off, I saw a navy sub cruising back towards Pearl Harbor - probably a Los Angeles class SSN so that adds to the Ohio SSBN I saw in Puget Sound in July last year.

Being very jetlagged, I slept shortly after and missed at least the cold towel (thoughtfully left on my arm rest) but caught the drink service where I had a glass or red wine (Rosemount from the label - Merlot from the taste).

With a full FC cabin, my seatmate was served first a meal. I didn’t catch the conversation between the FA and him but he may have been a non-rever as his meal only had the entree and salad, while mine came with that and the bowled beef (chicken breast was the other choice). He received his hot main after the other pax had been served. Dessert was vanilla icecream with berry, chocolate and nut topping.

Went to sleep after this and woke up after the flight had flown over the coast range of Oregon, and then started descent after turning over Portland. Landing and approach was from the south. Disembarked at the South Satellite to find a HA 763 also disembarking. Jetway was clogged with wheelchairs and skycaps as there were 7 wheelchair-assist pax.

I hate the SEA satellites

Getting out to the main terminal was a zoo. The satellite was being renovated so only 1 car with 2 doors and 1 car with one door was being used (instead of 3 cars with 2 doors each) and the shuttle was going the long way around via the still-closed B concourse. The wheelchairs got into the door of the one-door car so that left less than 1/2 empty with large numbers of pax being left behind. My bags even came off quickly after a relatively-short wait for SEA.

[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 02-23-2003).]

[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 02-24-2003).]

YVR Cockroach

Pictures of the Conrad Bangko now at:

http://photos.yahoo.com/e36th

mymiles2go

Great pictures - thanks, I look forward to my stay at the Conrad BKK in a few months. Thanks!

9V-SMU

Great Report!!!

Are the WBC seats on the 742s the same as those on the 744s?

Do you know the registrations of the 744s? You could've flown on the first 744 (reg. N661US)

Can you show the pics of the GE 747 plz?

BTW, the 777-300ER is making its first flight at Paine Field today. Are you going to see it?

----------

Alex

LH738

Excellent pictures. Thanks.

YVR Cockroach

They seemed the same to me. I was in the old FC section (u/d 742, nose 744).

It was dark so I didn't make a note.

Submitted to airliners.net so if they publish it, they'll be there is a few days.

Too far but Boeing will be broadcasting it through its website.

CGK

You mean Jan 2 NW 1 NRT-BKK?

YVR Cockroach

Yeah, thanks for catching it. Fiexd it.