*Alliance F Class Award Trip to Australia & New Zealand
Jun 23, 2003, 10:50 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Here and there...
Posts: 1,501
*Alliance F Class Award Trip to Australia & New Zealand
I meant to post this for a while, but I just did not have a chance or was simply lazy? Anyhow…
I redeemed UA miles (120,000) for *Alliance F award trip to Australia and New Zealand. Since it was mid/late April and it’s not the peak season, I had no problem securing my seat. I booked UA/F for LAX-SYD, NZ/J (Business) for SYD-AKL, and NZ/P (First) for AKL-LAX. They were all my favorite 744s!
On April 19, I was heading to LAX for my flight, UA815. By the way, UA removed the Int’l F checking-in room earlier this year, so I did the check-in at the regular F class counter. The agent was friendly, but she did not know much about the procedures. Also, I wanted to change my SYD-AKL flight (you can change it as long as it’s before the first segment usage), so I requested her to book me on the earlier flight on the same day. She had a hard time doing and was making a couple of calls asking how to do it.
15-20 min later, finally my check-in was completed and I went to Int’l F Lounge.
There were only 3 other people in the lounge since UA815 was the last flight for the day. The munchies and drinks were much better than Red Carpet Club (of course!) – and free. The super friendly lounge attendant (he really was!) announced that we should be boarding, so I left the lounge.
The flight was light – F: 50%, C: 50%, Y: 40% - so I heard. I received very consistent service from the F/As. I was glad to see Dom Pérignon again.
Then I was given a meal menu…
Dinner main selection consisted of;
* Filet Mignon with béarnaise sauce and sautéed shrimp with garlic
* Grilled lamb chops with cranberry orange demi-glace
* Ricotta and artichoke filled ravioli
I had lamb and it was very tasty and tender to my surprise. When I finished my meal, my seat stopped to operate all the sudden. The F/As were trying to figure it out, but they could not fix it and told me to get other available seat. I moved to 4J. The movie selections were not great and I decided to sleep so that my morning in SYD would be productive. I slept 9 hour straight.
Before arrival, breakfast was served. The choices are;
* Scrambled eggs with chives and smoked Gouda cream sauce
* Banana nut French toast with creamy maple syrup
I had French toast (they did not call ‘freedom toast’ BTW) and was tasty. Then I discovered the LAX check-in agent booked me on SYD-AKL flight in Y class! The F/A told me that I could talk to an Int’l Concierge at SYD. Upon arrival, I was greeted by the Int’l Concierge. I explained the situation to her and she said, “No worries. I will take care of it and leave you a voicemail at your hotel.” This never happened and I had to make several calls to local UA and NZ office to fix it.
After having a great time in Australia (SYD & MEL), I was heading to SYD for my flight NZ118. BTW, I posted a mini hotel report for AU & NZ in Starwood section. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum74/HTML/007112.html
Also, I was able to meet up with RichardMEL to thank his kindness to give me a SWU last May.
My favorite restaurants:
SYD – Otto (attached to W Sydney Hotel)
MEL – Donovan’s (St. Kilda)
The check-in agent at NZ J-class in SYD was super friendly and helpful. I was directed to their Int’l lounge. It was huge and the view from the lounge was very nice – you get to see a lot of airplanes! Various munchies and drinks were available – I was enjoying bubblies.
When the boarding announcement was made (my flight was delayed a bit), I headed to the gate. I heard the flight was full. My seat was 13J, which is aisle & last row on the upper deck. My seatmate was working throughout the flight – too bad, someone had to work.
They served very good AU & NZ wines on board. The dinner selections were two kinds of meat (beef or lamb), salmon (cold plate), and other fish (I forgot the name – hot plate). I had the hot plate fish and it was very hearty. I was impressed they had 4 choices of meal for only 4-hour flight.
As for Customs/Immigration areas, NZ had set up express lines for their First and Business class passengers at both SYD and AKL, which were very convenient and efficient.
Again, after having another fantastic week in NZ, it was about time to go back home. My Kiwi friends who work for NZ waited and greeted me at the entrance of the Int’l terminal. NZ has a separate check-in room for their Int’l First and Business class passengers – I assume *Gold members can use as well. Oh, NZ does not call "Coach Class" - it's "Pacific Class."
After very smooth check-in (well, after I paid the airport tax of NZ$25), I was escorted to their lounge. There were two doors – the right one is for First class section, the left one is for Business and other partner airline pax. Of course, they stocked good booze and munchies, and the food was replenished from time to time – well-maintained! The First Class section was cozy but quiet. I also toured the Business Class section – it was huge and very busy.
BTW, I purchased some NZ wines downtown Auckland (NZ Winemakers Centre). The store did all the packing and sent the box to the airport. I just had to stop by a little office at the airport and tell them to put the box on the plane – I really liked the service!
After the final boarding call of NZ4, I left the lounge for the departure gate. Depends on your departure gate, it could be a bit of walking from the lounge. As soon as I took my seat (2J), I was offered a drink by an F/A. Dom P. was served in a glass right away! (not in a plastic cup) The F/As were very professional and the service was excellent throughout the flight. NZ does not have sleeper seats in F; however, my seat was comfy enough. They provided two amenity bags; one was with regular toiletry stuff, and the other one (cloth bag) was with socks, eye mask, etc. Then dinner time has come…!
Dinner (course) consisted of Appetizer, Soup, Main Selections, Salad, Desserts, and Cheese & Fruit.
Appetizer:
* Tasting plate (Thai mussel + angel pasta, calamari, and scallops)
* Goat’s cheese on lentil salad
Soup:
* Potato, saffron and leek broth
Main Selections:
* Herb marinated New Zealand lamb
* Warmed Asian style barbeque duck salad
* Pan seared fillet of New Zealand hapuka
Vegetarian Choice:
* Roasted eggplant and potato
Salad:
* Freshly tossed salad with aioli dressing or extra-virgin olive oil and red vinaigrette
Desserts:
* Warmed caramelized pineapple tartin
* Ginger-passion and chocolate ice cream
Cheese & Fruit:
* A selection of fine New Zealand cheese and seasonal fruit
I had Hapuka and it was sooo good. In addition to the personal video thing, NZ provides you Sony Watchman for additional movie selection. I actually spent much time watching since they had good collection (unlike UA).
Before landing at LAX, breakfast was served.
Selection for breakfast (Main Selection)
* Three egg tomato omelette
* Poached eggs with hollandaise
* Creamy scrambled eggs
* Tender sautéed lamb kidneys
I had poached eggs – very good.
In conclusion, it was well worth redeeming 120,000 miles out of my UA account. I was glad that I had a chance to experience and compare UA with NZ service on the same trip. I really hope NZ will maintain its service offering and the quality for a while – it was real First Class. I would definitely fly them again – hopefully in a near future and their summertime!
[This message has been edited by FlyMan (edited 06-23-2003).]
I redeemed UA miles (120,000) for *Alliance F award trip to Australia and New Zealand. Since it was mid/late April and it’s not the peak season, I had no problem securing my seat. I booked UA/F for LAX-SYD, NZ/J (Business) for SYD-AKL, and NZ/P (First) for AKL-LAX. They were all my favorite 744s!
On April 19, I was heading to LAX for my flight, UA815. By the way, UA removed the Int’l F checking-in room earlier this year, so I did the check-in at the regular F class counter. The agent was friendly, but she did not know much about the procedures. Also, I wanted to change my SYD-AKL flight (you can change it as long as it’s before the first segment usage), so I requested her to book me on the earlier flight on the same day. She had a hard time doing and was making a couple of calls asking how to do it.
15-20 min later, finally my check-in was completed and I went to Int’l F Lounge. There were only 3 other people in the lounge since UA815 was the last flight for the day. The munchies and drinks were much better than Red Carpet Club (of course!) – and free. The super friendly lounge attendant (he really was!) announced that we should be boarding, so I left the lounge.
The flight was light – F: 50%, C: 50%, Y: 40% - so I heard. I received very consistent service from the F/As. I was glad to see Dom Pérignon again.
Then I was given a meal menu…Dinner main selection consisted of;
* Filet Mignon with béarnaise sauce and sautéed shrimp with garlic
* Grilled lamb chops with cranberry orange demi-glace
* Ricotta and artichoke filled ravioli
I had lamb and it was very tasty and tender to my surprise. When I finished my meal, my seat stopped to operate all the sudden. The F/As were trying to figure it out, but they could not fix it and told me to get other available seat. I moved to 4J. The movie selections were not great and I decided to sleep so that my morning in SYD would be productive. I slept 9 hour straight.
Before arrival, breakfast was served. The choices are;
* Scrambled eggs with chives and smoked Gouda cream sauce
* Banana nut French toast with creamy maple syrup
I had French toast (they did not call ‘freedom toast’ BTW) and was tasty. Then I discovered the LAX check-in agent booked me on SYD-AKL flight in Y class! The F/A told me that I could talk to an Int’l Concierge at SYD. Upon arrival, I was greeted by the Int’l Concierge. I explained the situation to her and she said, “No worries. I will take care of it and leave you a voicemail at your hotel.” This never happened and I had to make several calls to local UA and NZ office to fix it.
After having a great time in Australia (SYD & MEL), I was heading to SYD for my flight NZ118. BTW, I posted a mini hotel report for AU & NZ in Starwood section. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum74/HTML/007112.html
Also, I was able to meet up with RichardMEL to thank his kindness to give me a SWU last May.
My favorite restaurants:
SYD – Otto (attached to W Sydney Hotel)
MEL – Donovan’s (St. Kilda)
The check-in agent at NZ J-class in SYD was super friendly and helpful. I was directed to their Int’l lounge. It was huge and the view from the lounge was very nice – you get to see a lot of airplanes! Various munchies and drinks were available – I was enjoying bubblies.
When the boarding announcement was made (my flight was delayed a bit), I headed to the gate. I heard the flight was full. My seat was 13J, which is aisle & last row on the upper deck. My seatmate was working throughout the flight – too bad, someone had to work.
They served very good AU & NZ wines on board. The dinner selections were two kinds of meat (beef or lamb), salmon (cold plate), and other fish (I forgot the name – hot plate). I had the hot plate fish and it was very hearty. I was impressed they had 4 choices of meal for only 4-hour flight.
As for Customs/Immigration areas, NZ had set up express lines for their First and Business class passengers at both SYD and AKL, which were very convenient and efficient.
Again, after having another fantastic week in NZ, it was about time to go back home. My Kiwi friends who work for NZ waited and greeted me at the entrance of the Int’l terminal. NZ has a separate check-in room for their Int’l First and Business class passengers – I assume *Gold members can use as well. Oh, NZ does not call "Coach Class" - it's "Pacific Class."
After very smooth check-in (well, after I paid the airport tax of NZ$25), I was escorted to their lounge. There were two doors – the right one is for First class section, the left one is for Business and other partner airline pax. Of course, they stocked good booze and munchies, and the food was replenished from time to time – well-maintained! The First Class section was cozy but quiet. I also toured the Business Class section – it was huge and very busy. BTW, I purchased some NZ wines downtown Auckland (NZ Winemakers Centre). The store did all the packing and sent the box to the airport. I just had to stop by a little office at the airport and tell them to put the box on the plane – I really liked the service!
After the final boarding call of NZ4, I left the lounge for the departure gate. Depends on your departure gate, it could be a bit of walking from the lounge. As soon as I took my seat (2J), I was offered a drink by an F/A. Dom P. was served in a glass right away! (not in a plastic cup)
The F/As were very professional and the service was excellent throughout the flight. NZ does not have sleeper seats in F; however, my seat was comfy enough. They provided two amenity bags; one was with regular toiletry stuff, and the other one (cloth bag) was with socks, eye mask, etc. Then dinner time has come…! Dinner (course) consisted of Appetizer, Soup, Main Selections, Salad, Desserts, and Cheese & Fruit.
Appetizer:
* Tasting plate (Thai mussel + angel pasta, calamari, and scallops)
* Goat’s cheese on lentil salad
Soup:
* Potato, saffron and leek broth
Main Selections:
* Herb marinated New Zealand lamb
* Warmed Asian style barbeque duck salad
* Pan seared fillet of New Zealand hapuka
Vegetarian Choice:
* Roasted eggplant and potato
Salad:
* Freshly tossed salad with aioli dressing or extra-virgin olive oil and red vinaigrette
Desserts:
* Warmed caramelized pineapple tartin
* Ginger-passion and chocolate ice cream
Cheese & Fruit:
* A selection of fine New Zealand cheese and seasonal fruit
I had Hapuka and it was sooo good. In addition to the personal video thing, NZ provides you Sony Watchman for additional movie selection. I actually spent much time watching since they had good collection (unlike UA).
Before landing at LAX, breakfast was served.
Selection for breakfast (Main Selection)
* Three egg tomato omelette
* Poached eggs with hollandaise
* Creamy scrambled eggs
* Tender sautéed lamb kidneys
I had poached eggs – very good.
In conclusion, it was well worth redeeming 120,000 miles out of my UA account. I was glad that I had a chance to experience and compare UA with NZ service on the same trip. I really hope NZ will maintain its service offering and the quality for a while – it was real First Class. I would definitely fly them again – hopefully in a near future and their summertime!
[This message has been edited by FlyMan (edited 06-23-2003).]
Jun 23, 2003, 8:20 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: ADL, AKL & SIN
Programs: QF WP/LTG
Posts: 854
Thanks Flyman for the interesting trip report, especially the Air NZ segments. I flew AKL-SIN in C class last Sat, and the Hapuka also appeared in the C class menu. It was served with lemon thyme risotto and asparagus spears with ratatouile. Catering on Air NZ is very good, and usually exceptionally good ex-AKL
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Qantas - Air New Zealand
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Qantas - Air New Zealand
