45,000 miles in 8 days on KL, SQ and NW
Aug 14, 2003, 3:01 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northampton, England
Programs: KL Explorer
Posts: 110
45,000 miles in 8 days on KL, SQ and NW
This is my first trip report and I hope that you’ll find at least something of interest, although Mrs Live2Fly fell asleep half-way through reading it.
The background to the trip was my lurking on Flyertalk for a couple of months and becoming more and more convinced that the special business class fares on offer from Colombo to San Francisco would be a good introduction to doing a mileage run. By using KLM flights to get out to Singapore I would be able to make Platinum with them, and by joining United’s scheme I’d almost make Premier. I tagged on a San Francisco to Washington return on Northwest to make use of the one day layover. I used 80,000 FD miles to upgrade Amsterdam to Singapore and return. My plan was to avoid using hotels, and to try and sleep on the aircraft, so I ended-up with an 8 day trip planned which would take me three-quarters of the way round the world and back again covering almost 45,000 miles with only 1 night in a hotel.
22 July 2003, 15:05, BHX – AMS, KL 1428, G-UKFA, F100 operated by KLM Cityhopper
I had arrived by train at Birmingham having taken the Silverlink 12:47 train from Northampton and used the ‘Sky Bus’ – an elevated cable-driven shuttle between the rail station and Terminal 1. Check-in was easy, with only one person in front of me at the Gold/Platinum desk. I was given seat 5A and also 72A for my onward flight to Singapore. I’d decided to go with only hand luggage, having too many bad experiences of non-connecting baggage at Amsterdam.
The (Aviance operated?) lounge was not busy, and I settled down to a cold beer and some snacks.
The flight was called 20 minutes before departure and I made my way to gate 54 where there was a short queue. I don’t know if elite boarding was called first, but it made no odds to me.
The door was shut at 15:04 and we pushed-back on schedule at 15:05. Take-off was from runway 15 at 15:14 with a 37 sec roll. We passed overhead Coventry airport (05/23) at 15:18, but then climbed above cloud and I was then relying on my GPS to align before I could get another fix. Unfortunately, the satellites weren’t playing ball, and I didn’t get a position until 100 miles from Schipol, over the North Sea.
KLC were using 3, yes three, F/As on this 100 seat aircraft which looked about 85% full. I guess a few people are still being re-routed following the difficulties BA have been having with strike action at LHR recently. A small sandwich (cheese or ham) was served with choice of drinks. I chose apple juice, but later asked if I could have a Glenfiddich Solera Special Reserve 15 yo whisky (to drink later) that was described in a pamphlet given out with the meal. Apparently KLC are featuring a “United Kingdom inflight-catering theme” at the moment. Unfortunately, not on this flight, but I was brought a miniature of the standard 12 yo Glenfiddich anyway.
We touched down on 36L at 17:00, which is miles away from gate D31, which we reached at 17:12. The door was opened, but no gate agent was available to operate the air bridge, so we didn’t disembark until 17:17.
Knowing that I had a long period of inactivity ahead of me, I forsook the travelators, and walked round to the pair of KLM Crown lounges at F pier. The one I went in (the first on the left) was quiet, with a few well behaved kids. Crown lounge fanatics will be pleased to know that the sparkling wine, nachos and ‘Cup-a-soup’ were there, but I couldn’t find any almonds.
At 18:25 I decided to check-out the other lounge in this area and made my way back towards pier E. The ‘lounge dragons’ were in a good mood, and although I’m only Gold, they checked my account and said that as I was nearly Platinum, they would let me take a shower. Refreshed, I just had time to sample the mini salami snacks before making my way down to the gate for the next sector.
22 July 2003, 20:45, AMS – SIN, KL 837, 747/400
Gate F4 was heaving when I got there, and they were already calling for volunteers to take a flight tomorrow via NRT, with overnight accommodation and €350 compensation. I was glad that I hadn’t assumed a light load and the possibility of a row to myself, and had used FD miles to upgrade to C. I’d picked 72A, the front row on the upper deck, having enjoyed being upstairs on LHR-KUL-SYD flights with MAS earlier this year. Just before doors shut, Steve, returning to SYD took the seat next to me. He was feeling very lucky. He’d been in Hamburg, but decided not to fly his first sector and took the train to AMS instead. He’d phoned KLM to check with them, and they’d said it was fine, there was no need to re-confirm. At AMS he was told that his reservation had been cancelled and he would have to go on the standby list. Someone must have taken pity on him, because he got the business seat despite having no status with KLM. He told me that there were about 80 people still waiting for seat assignment when he left the gate, so I reckon something went seriously wrong with yield management.
An amenity kit, featuring ‘Somo’ products, was given out prior to push-back, along with menu cards for dinner and breakfast. We were asked to fill-in our breakfast selection card before sleeping, so that the F/As could arrange the trays. A choice champagne, water and OJ with assorted (cold) nuts was offered prior to departure – I enjoyed the ‘Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut’, but don’t claim to be an expert on wines.
Pushback was at 20:52 and we took off from runway 24 at 21:07 with a 40 sec roll. There’s not much to say about the flight, though I’ll summarise the dinner and wines section for those of you who like to see what the competition’s offering. All I can say is that after my flights with Malaysian, the KLM business service was perfectly adequate, but uninspired. I didn’t hear anyone being addressed by name, which the MAS crew did routinely, even though there pronunciation was interesting (but not nearly as bad I suspect as my attempts at their Malay names)!
Appetiser
Smoked salmon with crab mayonnaise
Main courses
Beef with Soubise sauce
Navarin of lamb
Hake with red cep sauce
Dessert
Tart, cheese or fresh fruit
Champagne
Piper-Heidsieck, Champagne Brut
White wines
Chablis Saint Martin 2001, Domaine Laroche
Albarion 2002, Martin Codax, Rias Baixas, Spain
Red wines
L’Enclos de Lezongars 2000, Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux
Legaris 2002 Crianza, Ribera del Duero, Spain
Port
Noval 1997, Late Bottled Vintage Port
Dessert wine
Kasergarten Beerenauslese, Neusiedlersee, Austria
I had the braised fillet of beef with risotto and caramelised onions, which was tasty, but looked unappetising – just a glutinous mass in various shades of beige and brown. Knowing that I was going to be eating pretty unhealthily for the next week (who said ‘what’s new with that?’) I finished with a dish of strawberries (without the cream). Perhaps I fell asleep too quickly, but I don’t think that the ‘stickies’ were offered after the dinner service.
The AV choices seemed quite extensive, including about 10 films, but not ‘on-demand’. KLM are falling way behind the competition and need to update. Between dozing, I dipped into “Head of State” and “The Recruit”, but ended up with audio behind the airshow. On this flight, the crew didn’t want me to use the GPS, so I don’t have an accurate record of our routeing. However, we stayed north of both Iraq and Iran (on MAS I’d overflown Tehran), then cut down to Delhi, and fairly direct to Phuket and SIN.
Touchdown was at 14:41 and we were on-stand , terminal 1, gate D44 at 14:49.
I went straight to the transit hotel and paid SGD8 for a shower. I then was left with 7 hours before my next flight from terminal 2 on SQ. As this was going to be in economy, I knew that I had no chance of getting into any of the SQ lounges, so I decided to try my luck at the CIAS one in terminal 1. As long as I left a couple of hours to collect my tickets from T2, I should be OK. The CIAS staff were fine. I explained that I had arrived in business on KLM and was Gold and asked if they would mind if I killed a few hours with them. They said that officially I couldn’t, as it wasn’t an arrivals lounge, on this occasion it would be OK. As others before me have said, this lounge is small, with a limited amount of food, but on this occasion it was almost empty, and I was able to secure a quiet corner with a (UK style) power socket.
23 July 2003, 20:40, SIN – CMB, SQ 402, 777/200 Jubilee, 9K – SVQ?
Collecting tickets from the SQ transfer desk was easy – I just had to show the credit card I’d paid with – and then wait will they were fetched (I guess from ground side). I asked for a window/exit but as the exit line was already full, I was happy with 33A in Y.
The flight which I’d estimate to be about 70% full, was boarded at gate F52 in seat row order. The captain said that there would be a short delay because we were waiting for passengers and luggage from an inbound from Australia: doors were shut at 20:47 and pushback at 20:58. Hot towels were distributed, and we took from 20L at 21:13 after a 36 second roll.
Menus were distributed:
Appetiser
Salad with baby sweetcorn
Main courses
Pan fried chicken served with coriander sauce, buttered vegetables and roasted potato
Indian style fish fillet in masala spices with vegetable korma and steamed basmati rice
Dessert
Green tea jelly with red beans
A pre-dinner drink of French white or red wine, OJ or water was offered. The white was a little too sweet for me, so I changed to red for the meal.
The fish was excellent – I enjoyed it more than the meal served in KLM business! I don’t think the green tea jelly was designed with western tastes in mind, well, certainly not mine.
The F/As continued to offer drinks as they cleared the meals – overall I consider SQ Y service to be good.
The Wisemen video on demand system looked impressive but wasn’t working except for the “internal” news also being shown on the main monitors, and the games. Perhaps this was because of the length of the flight, but I’ll find out on the return.
We arrived at Colombo at 00:24 on RW22 and parked a short distance from the terminal at 00:29. I was one of the first at immigration, and out of the terminal in under 15 minutes.
I’d booked an award room at the Colombo Hilton for the night, and had requested on the booking for the courtesy bus mentioned in the website information, to collect me. The Hilton representative in arrivals new nothing about me, and said that there was no courtesy bus, but a special Hilton taxi would cost LKR2300. I could alternatively take an ordinary taxi for LKR1400. I took the cheaper option and was in a small suite by 01:30 having been upgraded, I suppose as a Hhonors Gold perk.
I slept well and got to the Club Room on the 14th floor at 10:10. They’d just packed away breakfast (which finished at 10) but said that wasn’t a problem, and offered me a selection of cold cuts, cheese, bread & pastries and offered to cook eggs which I declined. Sri Lankans I found, without exception, to be extremely helpful and friendly. Breakfast over, I decided it was time to explore Colombo.
If I can, I like to use all available modes of transport in each place I visit as it gives me some small insight into the local people. I took a Tuk-Tuk to the Singapore airlines office to get my CMB-SFO-CMB tickets issued, but when I got there they checked my documentation and said that my ticket had been sent up to the airport and I could collect it there that night.
The Tuk-Tuk then took me to a Hindu temple. The Gungaramaya is nothing special from the outside, and I was puzzled as to why the Moslem driver was so insistent that I should go to this one. Once inside I understood. The statues of The Buddha were stunning, and outside there were (if I understood correctly) some 80 smaller statutes of Him from around the world. There was also a rather sad looking elephant, who had apparently been rescued after he had “gone mad” and couldn’t be trusted with work in the forests. I kept my distance.
Then back to the hotel for a “power nap” and a cup of tea and some cake in the Club Room. Again, it wasn’t officially serving food at 14:30, but the staff’s “can-do” attitude shone through. I checked-out at 15:00, and asked the concierge for directions to pick up the public airport bus. He looked at me like I was insane, but after I’d explained my reasons (and perhaps because the English cricket supporters – “The Barmy Army” had visited last December) he gave me directions for the 187 bus. It took a while to locate the stop, but sure enough a 187 came along and I hopped on. After ˝ mile, the conductor came to collect my fare and said that the bus didn’t go to the airport and I should get off. Fortunately, this was right outside a main bus station, so I asked the dispatchers where to pick up the bus I needed. I was directed to the bus stops for the 240 on the opposite side of the road, where an equally helpful dispatcher told me to go back to the other side and wait for a 187! A this point I wondered whether to just get a taxi, but after wandering around the terminal, I found a 240 bus going to Negombo. There are several classes of bus taking this route, from luxury service (air-conditioned) down to normal (through draught as there are no doors). The bus waiting was of the later style, and I got on after checking with the driver that he went to the airport. For 10 minutes hawkers passed through selling fruit, snack and sealed, bottled water. I got some water, and the conductor sold me the ticket for LKR18 – under $0.20!
The Sri Lankan style of driving on the main Colombo – Negombo road, a 4 lane “highway” with no median, is to straddle two lanes. This gives every vehicle that aims to pass the opportunity to sound their horn. Of course, if you wish to overtake a vehicle which occupies only one lane, you can sound your horn anway, like the driver on my bus did. I would advise anyone contemplating hiring a vehicle, not to do so. The roads, even the main ones, are poorly signposted, and there seem to be no rules (or at least no-one obeys them). Perhaps because this is my first experience of motoring in this part of the world, my views are a little extreme, but I’d drive through London at rush hour for a year rather than do it one here.
We passed a couple of 187 buses, so it seemed like both these routes went to the airport. However, when we passed the turning for the road leading to the airport (1˝ miles) and kept going, I realised that this bus was going to Negombo town. The driver stopped and I got off. I admit at this stage I gave in. I was extremely hot and perspiration was running from me (>30C, 90% humidity) so I paid LKR110 to complete my journey.
Inside the terminal building the Singapore Airlines desk wasn’t open. I’d hoped to get airside and go to the transit hotel and shower, but clearly this wasn’t going to happen. I explained my needs to one of the airport security staff, who said that he couldn’t let me through, and that the SQ desk would open around 10-11pm for the 01:35 flight. I said, “no problem, I’ll wait” and started to head for some seats underneath the air conditioner. He then came running up to me and suggested I went up in the lift to the restaurant which was very quiet and wash and change in the restrooms where I wouldn’t be disturbed. TSA please note – this is called customer service. Cleaned-up, I now had a few hours to kill. Very pleasant smells were coming from the servery, so after writing some notes on my day in Colombo, I bought chicken curry and rotti for LKR90. Although very spicy, even for my tastes, this small meal was great value and kept me going until the flight.
25 July 2003, 01:35, CMB - SIN, SQ 401, 777/200 Jubilee
The Singapore Airlines check in for SQ401 opened at around 22:30, and it took me a few minutes to explain to security that the scrappy piece of paper I proffered with the e-ticket information was adequate to let me get through to the check-in. This negotiated my one piece of luggage was hand searched (as was everyone’s’). At first the SQ staff seemed surprised that I was expecting to fly with them that night, but they called across to the station manager, and within minutes I’d got a paper ticket and was checking in. Clearly, internet bookings with ticket on departure, are handled well at CMB. I was given a voucher for the “Althurian”? lounge, and headed down to pay (or more truthfully avoid paying) the embarkation tax. I knew that as my stay in Sri Lanka was less than 24 hours (calculated from clearing immigration to emigration) I may not have to pay. Unfortunately, when asked my destination and country of departure I replied Singapore to both, and this meant to them that I had not been “in-transit”. Of course, I could have said UK and USA, as I hadn’t legally entered any of the countries I’d passed through. I paid my LKR1000 tax, had my boarding card and passport checked again, and went up to the lounge which is just a bamboo screened area in the main departure lounge. I was brought a selection of tasty snacks and a glass of wine. The public address system must have failed at some time, so the airport staff started going round calling out for passengers for each flight as boarding time approached. All hand luggage was x-rayed before we boarded the bus out to the aircraft – I took my seat, 11A, and C remained vacant. I was definitely looking forward to my first taste of Singapore Airlines J service after my positive experience in Y.
Hot towels were distributed, and a choice of champagne or OJ. The F/A took supper choices, addressing each passenger by name. We left the stand at 01:32 and took off at 01:43 on RW22 after a 34 second roll. The monitor in front of bulkhead seats 11AC was not working so it had been impossible to see the safety presentation. I have “a thing” about safety presentations and make a point of following them. I know a lot of regular fliers don’t, but having done flight safety training myself in the past, I have had it drilled into me that familiarity does not “breed contempt”, but automatic responses that might just save your life in an emergency. Sermon over!
Krisworld was working, but this aircraft was not equipped with video on demand. The menu for the flight follows:
Appetiser
Prawns with lentil salad
Main courses
Chicken with lemon and rosemary crust, carrot, snap peas and potato puree
Sri Lankan style fish with tomato and capsicum curry, garlic rice
Stewed lamb in red wine and herbs, sautéed seasonal vegetables and potatoes
Dessert
Fresh fruits
Champagne
Piper Heidsieck rare cuvee reservee
White wine
Rully 1999 Chartron et Trebuchet
Red wines
Chateau Clement Pichon haut medoc 1998
“Rive” Barbera d’asti superiore 1999
Port
Taylor’s late bottled vintage 1996
The prawn appetiser was succulent, sharp and tasty. Olive oil was offered as a healthy alternative to butter for the rolls. The fish was good and “meaty” – at first I wondered if it was chicken. I finished with a green tea, something new to me, which I’ll probably have again as it was very refreshing.
The noise-cancelling headphones helped me get some sleep and I was woken at 06:50 and offered a choice of tomato, apple or orange juice. We arrived at Singapore on 20R? at 07:09 and gate E4 at 07:13 with doors open at 07:15.
So my first thoughts on SQ J? Friendly, efficient service. Personal, without being over attentive. Seemed pleased to be there and I didn’t find the smiles to be false.
With only 1 hour 40 minutes between flights I didn’t want to risk having a shower and missing my connection, so I had a wash (boy did I need it) in the restrooms between the lifts and the Silver Kris lounge. I then had time for a latte and a Danish pastry before joining the end of the queue at gate E24.
25 July 2003, 09:05, SIN - ICN, SQ 16, 777/200, 9V-SVF
The usual choice of tomato, apple and orange juices were offered followed by a hot towel. I accepted a Foxs Glacier mint which didn’t tasted too good after the juice. I was asked by name what I’d like to drink when we got airborne, the door was shut and I had the seat next to me in 16K free. There was a five minute delay to pushback as another aircraft was blocking our path, and we took off from RW20L and 09:24 with a 38 second roll.
Continental breakfast
Apple, tomato and fresh orange juice
A selection of fresh fruit
Assorted breakfast rolls, butter, fruit preserve
Having eaten a pastry just before the flight I skipped the rolls.
Sleep came easily to me in the “Space Beds”. The fabric that has now covered the armrests to discourage people from putting drinks on them and getting soaked if they recline the seat was looking tired and had several small tears.
I woke up as the smell of lunch wafted down the aisle.
Appetiser
Seared tuna and soba salad
Main course
Ah Yat’s braised beef brisket with beancurd sticks in five spice sauce served with assorted vegetables and steamed rice
Pan fried chicken breast served with cream of rosemary sauce, roasted vegetables and potato
Pan seared pesto flavoured scallops served with tomato sauce, roasted asparagus and mashed parsnip with potato
Cheese board
A selection of fresh fruit
Ice cream
Champagne
Peter Heidsieck rare cuvee reservee
White wines
1999 Lockwood vineyard chardonnay
Dr H Thanisch riesling hochgewachs 2000
Red wines
St Francis cabernet sauvignon 1999 sonoma
“Rive” barbera d’asti superiore 1999
Port
Taylor’s late bottled vintage 1996
I’d not had fish cooked as rare as this tuna, but I really liked it. I’ve noticed writing this report that I seem to be eating a lot of fish, so on the return segments I’ll try and vary my selection. The scallops were cooked to perfection – it’s too easy to spoil them by over-cooking. The Chardonnay went well with both of these dishes. I passed on the cheese board, but took some apple and couldn’t refuse the Haagen Daaz Belgium chocolate ice cream.
The Wisemen system was working OK, and I watched episodes of Frasier, Friends and a documentary on Sir Isaac Newton. Although there is a lavatory immediately behind 16HK, the noise of it flushing didn’t disturb me, particularly when wearing the noise-cancelling headphones. The SQ ‘phones are comfortable and I chose to keep them on with the sound off for most of the flight.
We landed at Seoul on 15L at 16:25 and got to gate 43 at 16:34.
The planned transit time for SQ16 is only 1 hour 5 minutes, so after passing through the security checks I only had a short time in the Silver Kris lounge. I checked my e-mails, declining several offers for Herbal Viagra, and drank some chilled water.
25 July 2003, 17:30, ICN - SFO, SQ 16, 777/200, 9V-SVF
Back in 16K, I now had a travelling companion Ron from San Jose who was returning home after a few days in Seoul. He had booked his outward travel at short notice and had only been able to get a seat in business, having previously flown only in economy. He was now converted to the J experience because he had slept so well that he had not suffered any jet lag.
Despite having the same occupant in 16K as on the previous sector, new blankets had been put out and the headset had been replaced. The pre-take off drinks were served and hot towels given out. We took off from RW 15R at 18:09 after 37 seconds.
I’d seen the menu for dinner on the earlier flight so I was looking forward to the next meal.
Dinner menu
Satay with onion, cucumber and spicy peanut sauce
Appetiser
Prawn with eggplant caviare salad
Main courses
Seared ribeye in red wine sauce, roasted vegetables and sautéed potatoes with capers
Dak jchim. Korean style braised chicken with mushroom, spiced vegetables and steamed rice.
Pan roasted cod fillet served with chunky tomato, mustard seeds and coriander sauce, capeline pasta with vegetables
Seafood noodle soup. Egg noodles in rich chicken broth garnished with prawns, scallops and vegetables
Cheese board
A selection of fresh fruit
Baked cheese cake with raspberry sauce
I had developed a taste for satay on the MH flights, though by the fifth sector I’d had just about enough. Three months later I was ready for them again, and the selection of chicken and beef were delicious. Fish again (sorry!) was moist, though the pasta was a little sticky. Ron seemed to enjoy his soup which included generous hunks of various seafoods. I skipped the cheese board and cheese cake.
We now settled down for the night, and I tried to watch the last five minutes of the Isaac Newton programme I’d missed, but sleep overcame me, and I woke up some 4 hours later.
I wasn’t feeling hungry until the smell of the coffee got to me, and that got my gastric juices going.
Before touch-down menu
Apple, tomato and fresh orange juice
Cereal
Main course
Oriental style fried rice with prawns and crabmeat
Grilled beef fillet, chicken breast, veal sausage with herb jus, sautéed tomatoes and mushrooms and roesti cheesecake
Scrambled egg with chorizo sausage, onion, capsicums and mushroom served with roasted tomato and hash brown potato
Assorted breakfast rolls
The order for main course was taken, and the orange juice, hot drinks, cereal and rolls served. I didn’t bother with the cereal but had a couple of pastries and felt nicely full. I’d forgotten the eggs I’d ordered, but managed to enjoy them even so. Just as well I hadn’t asked for the full fry!
I tried to catch up on the news through the CNN pages on Wisemen, but although the first screen says that it is updated hourly, the latest date was 25th June 2003. Have SQ forgotten to pay their subscription?
SQ16 landed at 12:27 on runway 10L (I think) and after a short taxi, was at gate G93 at 12:32.
It was with a little trepidation that I joined the queue for immigration as I didn’t know how my mileage run would be seen. Also I didn’t have a proper address for where I would be staying as I would only be going to DCA and turning straight round. The immigration officer was phased at all, and asked how many bonus miles I’d be earning and wished me a safe time. Customs was more sceptical, especially as I’d spent a day in Sri Lanka, but after five minutes of questions he was satisfied and I headed round to terminal 1 to check-in for my domestic flights on NorthWest.
There was only one person in front of me at the First Class check-in, but it was about 10 minutes before I was served as the boarding card stock ran out and had to be replaced. I was called across to the next ordinary desk, which caused a regular passenger to complain, but the agent handled it well explaining that the rules she operated under required FC customers to be dealt with first. I said that this must be a bit awkward for her, but she didn’t seem to be to bothered. Anyway, we’d ‘connected’ so when I asked if I (as KLM gold) could go on the waiting list for FC, she said that she’d try and upgrade me straight away (which she did). Hooray! I was sort of relying on this for the red-eye otherwise I was going to end up seriously short of sleep. She also suggested that as the domestic WorldClub would shut at 5 p.m., I would be better off going back to the International terminal where the club would remain open to midnight.
I grabbed a shower at the “SFO Hairport” in concourse G and then made my way to international only to discover that the WorldClub there was beyond the security check, and I couldn’t go through unless I had an international boarding pass. So, back to terminal 1.
I had a chat with the NorthWest representative at the domestic WorldClub who said that I’d been wrongly advised, apologised and said that she’d try and find out who was giving out this bad information and correct them. She then phoned through to the Continental President’s club and asked them if they’d accept me after the WorldClub closed. Unfortunately the answer was no, but I think she deserves full credit for trying to resolve the problem.
When the Club closed I went through security to gate 45 where my next flight was due to depart. The first TSA guard asked me to remove my shoes, but I said I’d prefer wanding if it was necessary. “That’s fine”, and of course the alarm went off. It only took a minute, but I suppose at a busy time, too many people refusing to remove shoes would cause a big tailback. My hand luggage was then swabbed, and I was allowed to proceed. All the TSA personnel had been firm, but also friendly and polite and I had no complaints about the way I was treated. Hopefully, this will continue through the rest of my travels.
Well, having celebrated at getting the upgrades all the way to DCA, I’m celebrating even more, by getting bumped and a $300 TCV. I’m now routed through MSP and only down the back for the first sector, but it’s a good seat and of course a slightly shorter flight than to DTW. Of course, it also means I’ve got an extra 2 hours to kill and all the concessions in terminal 1 have closed, so it’s back to international to grab a coffee there.
The TSA team have changed over when I return to gate 45, and this lot is even more thorough, but still in good humour and we have quite a laugh. The guy who wands me says that for every 3 co-operative passengers they get one who’s difficult. I sympathise, and say that people must find it frustrating when there’s a long queue.
Back at gate 45 I see if I can swing a second bump – the flight is oversold and the supervisor is willing to give me a hotel as well as another TCV but I’ll only be able to get as far as Detroit. Continuing to DCA would be too risky as the return only gets back at 23:20 and there are no re-routing possibilities. In the end, they don’t need me so I take seat 5A ready for the next flight.
26 July 2003, 00:45, SFO - MSP, NW 362, A320, N349NW
First class and elite passengers were boarded first, and I can hear pre take-off drinks being served just in front of me. Boarding was quick and we pushed back early at 00:41 and taxied to RW 01L? The aircraft was airborne at 00:52 after a 35 second roll, and I reckon that I was asleep 35 seconds after that.
The Y seats weren’t quite as comfortable as Space Beds, and I kept waking up for no real reason. The F/As went about their work quietly, because around me were empty water cups, but I must always have been asleep when they came round. The cabin lights were turned on half hour out of MSP, and a final round of water was given out.
We landed at 06:00 on runway 12R and taxied to gate G12.
26 July 2003, 07:10, MSP - DCA, NW 1700, 757-300, N554NW
First class and elite passengers were pre-boarded, and pre take-off drinks supplied. Clearly the USA is a much more infectious place than Singapore, as there are no hot towels. Doors were shut at 07:10 and push back seemed a long time coming at 07:17. The reason soon became apparent – heavy rain showers (with lightning some distance away) had caused a bottleneck through which all departing aircraft had to pass, and we were about 15th in line for departure. We eventually got airborne at 08:10 from runway 12L after 28 seconds.
A choice of breakfast was offered: Cheerios or cheese omelette, sausage and potatoes. Then a choice of bagel with cream cheese or blueberry muffin. I had the full works, and it was very good.
With the flight’s late departure, I was worried that I wouldn’t make the return to MSP, but the lead F/A told me this aircraft was the return service, so I would have no trouble with gate changes etc. We were confined to seats at exactly 200 miles out of DCA ‘for security reasons’. Five minutes later we were asked to stow luggage, and so people got out of their seats to comply! The approach was almost as exciting as my memories of Hong Kong before the new airport opened where the aircraft weaved in between buildings before a steep turn onto finals. We seemed to almost avoid overflying VIPs in their golf carts before landing on RW19 at 11:13 and getting to gate 5 at 11:17.
26 July 2003, 11:35, DCA - MSP, NW 683, 757-300, N554NW
I was surprised when both of my upgrades for the return sectors to SFO and both cleared. The F/As were congratulating the gate agents for a speedy boarding when the captain noticed that some paperwork had been taken off the aircraft before he’d signed it, so the doors had to be reopened. We left the gate at 11:56 and were airborne from RW 19 at 12:02 after a 24 second roll. No pre-departure drinks were offered.
After take-off drinks were accompanied with spinzels and cheddar snack mix. Lunch was a choice of chicken pasta salad or ham & cheese sandwich followed by cheesecake. Following favourable comments in other trip reports I had the salad and agree that it’s a good meal. As I thought there’d be another meal on the next sector I just tasted the cheesecake – under normal circumstances I’d have had the lot.
We made up time to MSP and landed on runway 30R at 13:12 and got to gate F6 at 13:18.
26 July 2003, 14:32, MSP - SFO, NW 369, 757-200
I swapped seat 1A for 4B to allow a couple to be seated together. On this flight both pre and after take-off drinks were served. Doors shut at 14:27, and we were away from gate F13 2 minutes later.
The cheddar snack mix and glazed walnuts were in the basket this flight. The walnuts were OK, but not worth their huge fat content. The meal choice was an excellent plate of anti-pasta comprising salami, ham, turkey, cheese and peppers or a turkey & ham sandwich with a chocolate cake to follow. I don’t know exactly why, but the crew on this flight were the best on my NW sectors. They were working well as a team and had a really good attitude to the passengers.
We landed at 16:02 on runway 28R and arrived at gate 47, 20 minutes ahead of schedule, at 16:05.
With 10 hours until my flight back to Singapore, I had to decide on what to do. I’d met Ron from San Jose on the flight from Seoul, and he’d suggested watching a game at Pac Bell down by Bay Bridge as an alternative to the usual tourist trail (which I’d done on previous visits). As I’d taken the bump I’d missed most of the afternoon, so I explored the exciting possibilities offered by the Airtran elevated railway. But first, I went into the WorldClub in terminal one to write-up so more notes before it shut at 5pm. Heading out to the Airtran, Richard, the NW G/A supervisor who’d done the re-routing for my bump recognised me and said hello. Round the terminals on the red line, and out to the rental cars and back gave good views of the airport, but wasn’t going to keep me amused for 5 hours until check-in opened and I could get airside and into the Silver Kris lounge. At the BART station I bought a $4 ‘excursion’ ticket that would allow me to travel around the BART network as long as I only left the system back at SFO. This seemed like a good plan, and might give me some good views of the city. I chose to go round to Coliseum, the return journey would take 2˝ hours and from there you can get a bus to OAK. It was a pity that where the train was above ground in the East bay there was thick fog, and I’d not realised that so much of the time it ran underground. I felt safe, there were plenty of other people around, so I dozed a fair bit.
Back at the airport, I grabbed a snack in the international terminal. Cheese topped fries and coffee knocked another few days off my potential lifespan – sometimes you just have to have what you fancy. There was no queue at the Raffles check-in and I was quickly on my way towards concourse G security, documents in hand. There was only one airport worker heading through the lines ahead of me and no one behind. The TSA woman shouted out “Passport and boarding card” repeatedly as we approached. Obviously, the guy in front didn’t have either of these, just his airport pass and was allowed past, but I asked her why she’d let him through without them (obviously I knew why). So were you shouting at me then? I wasn’t shouting at you. I just looked around at the empty queue behind me. I think she got the point.
The entrance to the SQ lounge is well hidden, and if I hadn’t been given a small map I don’t think I’d have risked heading through what looked like an employee only door and down a maintenance corridor. The lounge itself is small and filled-up as the night progressed, but I didn’t have to wait too long before I could get a shower and change. There was a selection of snacks and sandwiches, but I stuck mainly to drinking water.
I’ll post the second part of the trip as soon as I’ve finished typing it up.
The background to the trip was my lurking on Flyertalk for a couple of months and becoming more and more convinced that the special business class fares on offer from Colombo to San Francisco would be a good introduction to doing a mileage run. By using KLM flights to get out to Singapore I would be able to make Platinum with them, and by joining United’s scheme I’d almost make Premier. I tagged on a San Francisco to Washington return on Northwest to make use of the one day layover. I used 80,000 FD miles to upgrade Amsterdam to Singapore and return. My plan was to avoid using hotels, and to try and sleep on the aircraft, so I ended-up with an 8 day trip planned which would take me three-quarters of the way round the world and back again covering almost 45,000 miles with only 1 night in a hotel.
22 July 2003, 15:05, BHX – AMS, KL 1428, G-UKFA, F100 operated by KLM Cityhopper
I had arrived by train at Birmingham having taken the Silverlink 12:47 train from Northampton and used the ‘Sky Bus’ – an elevated cable-driven shuttle between the rail station and Terminal 1. Check-in was easy, with only one person in front of me at the Gold/Platinum desk. I was given seat 5A and also 72A for my onward flight to Singapore. I’d decided to go with only hand luggage, having too many bad experiences of non-connecting baggage at Amsterdam.
The (Aviance operated?) lounge was not busy, and I settled down to a cold beer and some snacks.
The flight was called 20 minutes before departure and I made my way to gate 54 where there was a short queue. I don’t know if elite boarding was called first, but it made no odds to me.
The door was shut at 15:04 and we pushed-back on schedule at 15:05. Take-off was from runway 15 at 15:14 with a 37 sec roll. We passed overhead Coventry airport (05/23) at 15:18, but then climbed above cloud and I was then relying on my GPS to align before I could get another fix. Unfortunately, the satellites weren’t playing ball, and I didn’t get a position until 100 miles from Schipol, over the North Sea.
KLC were using 3, yes three, F/As on this 100 seat aircraft which looked about 85% full. I guess a few people are still being re-routed following the difficulties BA have been having with strike action at LHR recently. A small sandwich (cheese or ham) was served with choice of drinks. I chose apple juice, but later asked if I could have a Glenfiddich Solera Special Reserve 15 yo whisky (to drink later) that was described in a pamphlet given out with the meal. Apparently KLC are featuring a “United Kingdom inflight-catering theme” at the moment. Unfortunately, not on this flight, but I was brought a miniature of the standard 12 yo Glenfiddich anyway.
We touched down on 36L at 17:00, which is miles away from gate D31, which we reached at 17:12. The door was opened, but no gate agent was available to operate the air bridge, so we didn’t disembark until 17:17.
Knowing that I had a long period of inactivity ahead of me, I forsook the travelators, and walked round to the pair of KLM Crown lounges at F pier. The one I went in (the first on the left) was quiet, with a few well behaved kids. Crown lounge fanatics will be pleased to know that the sparkling wine, nachos and ‘Cup-a-soup’ were there, but I couldn’t find any almonds.
At 18:25 I decided to check-out the other lounge in this area and made my way back towards pier E. The ‘lounge dragons’ were in a good mood, and although I’m only Gold, they checked my account and said that as I was nearly Platinum, they would let me take a shower. Refreshed, I just had time to sample the mini salami snacks before making my way down to the gate for the next sector.
22 July 2003, 20:45, AMS – SIN, KL 837, 747/400
Gate F4 was heaving when I got there, and they were already calling for volunteers to take a flight tomorrow via NRT, with overnight accommodation and €350 compensation. I was glad that I hadn’t assumed a light load and the possibility of a row to myself, and had used FD miles to upgrade to C. I’d picked 72A, the front row on the upper deck, having enjoyed being upstairs on LHR-KUL-SYD flights with MAS earlier this year. Just before doors shut, Steve, returning to SYD took the seat next to me. He was feeling very lucky. He’d been in Hamburg, but decided not to fly his first sector and took the train to AMS instead. He’d phoned KLM to check with them, and they’d said it was fine, there was no need to re-confirm. At AMS he was told that his reservation had been cancelled and he would have to go on the standby list. Someone must have taken pity on him, because he got the business seat despite having no status with KLM. He told me that there were about 80 people still waiting for seat assignment when he left the gate, so I reckon something went seriously wrong with yield management.
An amenity kit, featuring ‘Somo’ products, was given out prior to push-back, along with menu cards for dinner and breakfast. We were asked to fill-in our breakfast selection card before sleeping, so that the F/As could arrange the trays. A choice champagne, water and OJ with assorted (cold) nuts was offered prior to departure – I enjoyed the ‘Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut’, but don’t claim to be an expert on wines.
Pushback was at 20:52 and we took off from runway 24 at 21:07 with a 40 sec roll. There’s not much to say about the flight, though I’ll summarise the dinner and wines section for those of you who like to see what the competition’s offering. All I can say is that after my flights with Malaysian, the KLM business service was perfectly adequate, but uninspired. I didn’t hear anyone being addressed by name, which the MAS crew did routinely, even though there pronunciation was interesting (but not nearly as bad I suspect as my attempts at their Malay names)!
Appetiser
Smoked salmon with crab mayonnaise
Main courses
Beef with Soubise sauce
Navarin of lamb
Hake with red cep sauce
Dessert
Tart, cheese or fresh fruit
Champagne
Piper-Heidsieck, Champagne Brut
White wines
Chablis Saint Martin 2001, Domaine Laroche
Albarion 2002, Martin Codax, Rias Baixas, Spain
Red wines
L’Enclos de Lezongars 2000, Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux
Legaris 2002 Crianza, Ribera del Duero, Spain
Port
Noval 1997, Late Bottled Vintage Port
Dessert wine
Kasergarten Beerenauslese, Neusiedlersee, Austria
I had the braised fillet of beef with risotto and caramelised onions, which was tasty, but looked unappetising – just a glutinous mass in various shades of beige and brown. Knowing that I was going to be eating pretty unhealthily for the next week (who said ‘what’s new with that?’) I finished with a dish of strawberries (without the cream). Perhaps I fell asleep too quickly, but I don’t think that the ‘stickies’ were offered after the dinner service.
The AV choices seemed quite extensive, including about 10 films, but not ‘on-demand’. KLM are falling way behind the competition and need to update. Between dozing, I dipped into “Head of State” and “The Recruit”, but ended up with audio behind the airshow. On this flight, the crew didn’t want me to use the GPS, so I don’t have an accurate record of our routeing. However, we stayed north of both Iraq and Iran (on MAS I’d overflown Tehran), then cut down to Delhi, and fairly direct to Phuket and SIN.
Touchdown was at 14:41 and we were on-stand , terminal 1, gate D44 at 14:49.
I went straight to the transit hotel and paid SGD8 for a shower. I then was left with 7 hours before my next flight from terminal 2 on SQ. As this was going to be in economy, I knew that I had no chance of getting into any of the SQ lounges, so I decided to try my luck at the CIAS one in terminal 1. As long as I left a couple of hours to collect my tickets from T2, I should be OK. The CIAS staff were fine. I explained that I had arrived in business on KLM and was Gold and asked if they would mind if I killed a few hours with them. They said that officially I couldn’t, as it wasn’t an arrivals lounge, on this occasion it would be OK. As others before me have said, this lounge is small, with a limited amount of food, but on this occasion it was almost empty, and I was able to secure a quiet corner with a (UK style) power socket.
23 July 2003, 20:40, SIN – CMB, SQ 402, 777/200 Jubilee, 9K – SVQ?
Collecting tickets from the SQ transfer desk was easy – I just had to show the credit card I’d paid with – and then wait will they were fetched (I guess from ground side). I asked for a window/exit but as the exit line was already full, I was happy with 33A in Y.
The flight which I’d estimate to be about 70% full, was boarded at gate F52 in seat row order. The captain said that there would be a short delay because we were waiting for passengers and luggage from an inbound from Australia: doors were shut at 20:47 and pushback at 20:58. Hot towels were distributed, and we took from 20L at 21:13 after a 36 second roll.
Menus were distributed:
Appetiser
Salad with baby sweetcorn
Main courses
Pan fried chicken served with coriander sauce, buttered vegetables and roasted potato
Indian style fish fillet in masala spices with vegetable korma and steamed basmati rice
Dessert
Green tea jelly with red beans
A pre-dinner drink of French white or red wine, OJ or water was offered. The white was a little too sweet for me, so I changed to red for the meal.
The fish was excellent – I enjoyed it more than the meal served in KLM business! I don’t think the green tea jelly was designed with western tastes in mind, well, certainly not mine.
The F/As continued to offer drinks as they cleared the meals – overall I consider SQ Y service to be good.
The Wisemen video on demand system looked impressive but wasn’t working except for the “internal” news also being shown on the main monitors, and the games. Perhaps this was because of the length of the flight, but I’ll find out on the return.
We arrived at Colombo at 00:24 on RW22 and parked a short distance from the terminal at 00:29. I was one of the first at immigration, and out of the terminal in under 15 minutes.
I’d booked an award room at the Colombo Hilton for the night, and had requested on the booking for the courtesy bus mentioned in the website information, to collect me. The Hilton representative in arrivals new nothing about me, and said that there was no courtesy bus, but a special Hilton taxi would cost LKR2300. I could alternatively take an ordinary taxi for LKR1400. I took the cheaper option and was in a small suite by 01:30 having been upgraded, I suppose as a Hhonors Gold perk.
I slept well and got to the Club Room on the 14th floor at 10:10. They’d just packed away breakfast (which finished at 10) but said that wasn’t a problem, and offered me a selection of cold cuts, cheese, bread & pastries and offered to cook eggs which I declined. Sri Lankans I found, without exception, to be extremely helpful and friendly. Breakfast over, I decided it was time to explore Colombo.
If I can, I like to use all available modes of transport in each place I visit as it gives me some small insight into the local people. I took a Tuk-Tuk to the Singapore airlines office to get my CMB-SFO-CMB tickets issued, but when I got there they checked my documentation and said that my ticket had been sent up to the airport and I could collect it there that night.
The Tuk-Tuk then took me to a Hindu temple. The Gungaramaya is nothing special from the outside, and I was puzzled as to why the Moslem driver was so insistent that I should go to this one. Once inside I understood. The statues of The Buddha were stunning, and outside there were (if I understood correctly) some 80 smaller statutes of Him from around the world. There was also a rather sad looking elephant, who had apparently been rescued after he had “gone mad” and couldn’t be trusted with work in the forests. I kept my distance.
Then back to the hotel for a “power nap” and a cup of tea and some cake in the Club Room. Again, it wasn’t officially serving food at 14:30, but the staff’s “can-do” attitude shone through. I checked-out at 15:00, and asked the concierge for directions to pick up the public airport bus. He looked at me like I was insane, but after I’d explained my reasons (and perhaps because the English cricket supporters – “The Barmy Army” had visited last December) he gave me directions for the 187 bus. It took a while to locate the stop, but sure enough a 187 came along and I hopped on. After ˝ mile, the conductor came to collect my fare and said that the bus didn’t go to the airport and I should get off. Fortunately, this was right outside a main bus station, so I asked the dispatchers where to pick up the bus I needed. I was directed to the bus stops for the 240 on the opposite side of the road, where an equally helpful dispatcher told me to go back to the other side and wait for a 187! A this point I wondered whether to just get a taxi, but after wandering around the terminal, I found a 240 bus going to Negombo. There are several classes of bus taking this route, from luxury service (air-conditioned) down to normal (through draught as there are no doors). The bus waiting was of the later style, and I got on after checking with the driver that he went to the airport. For 10 minutes hawkers passed through selling fruit, snack and sealed, bottled water. I got some water, and the conductor sold me the ticket for LKR18 – under $0.20!
The Sri Lankan style of driving on the main Colombo – Negombo road, a 4 lane “highway” with no median, is to straddle two lanes. This gives every vehicle that aims to pass the opportunity to sound their horn. Of course, if you wish to overtake a vehicle which occupies only one lane, you can sound your horn anway, like the driver on my bus did. I would advise anyone contemplating hiring a vehicle, not to do so. The roads, even the main ones, are poorly signposted, and there seem to be no rules (or at least no-one obeys them). Perhaps because this is my first experience of motoring in this part of the world, my views are a little extreme, but I’d drive through London at rush hour for a year rather than do it one here.
We passed a couple of 187 buses, so it seemed like both these routes went to the airport. However, when we passed the turning for the road leading to the airport (1˝ miles) and kept going, I realised that this bus was going to Negombo town. The driver stopped and I got off. I admit at this stage I gave in. I was extremely hot and perspiration was running from me (>30C, 90% humidity) so I paid LKR110 to complete my journey.
Inside the terminal building the Singapore Airlines desk wasn’t open. I’d hoped to get airside and go to the transit hotel and shower, but clearly this wasn’t going to happen. I explained my needs to one of the airport security staff, who said that he couldn’t let me through, and that the SQ desk would open around 10-11pm for the 01:35 flight. I said, “no problem, I’ll wait” and started to head for some seats underneath the air conditioner. He then came running up to me and suggested I went up in the lift to the restaurant which was very quiet and wash and change in the restrooms where I wouldn’t be disturbed. TSA please note – this is called customer service. Cleaned-up, I now had a few hours to kill. Very pleasant smells were coming from the servery, so after writing some notes on my day in Colombo, I bought chicken curry and rotti for LKR90. Although very spicy, even for my tastes, this small meal was great value and kept me going until the flight.
25 July 2003, 01:35, CMB - SIN, SQ 401, 777/200 Jubilee
The Singapore Airlines check in for SQ401 opened at around 22:30, and it took me a few minutes to explain to security that the scrappy piece of paper I proffered with the e-ticket information was adequate to let me get through to the check-in. This negotiated my one piece of luggage was hand searched (as was everyone’s’). At first the SQ staff seemed surprised that I was expecting to fly with them that night, but they called across to the station manager, and within minutes I’d got a paper ticket and was checking in. Clearly, internet bookings with ticket on departure, are handled well at CMB. I was given a voucher for the “Althurian”? lounge, and headed down to pay (or more truthfully avoid paying) the embarkation tax. I knew that as my stay in Sri Lanka was less than 24 hours (calculated from clearing immigration to emigration) I may not have to pay. Unfortunately, when asked my destination and country of departure I replied Singapore to both, and this meant to them that I had not been “in-transit”. Of course, I could have said UK and USA, as I hadn’t legally entered any of the countries I’d passed through. I paid my LKR1000 tax, had my boarding card and passport checked again, and went up to the lounge which is just a bamboo screened area in the main departure lounge. I was brought a selection of tasty snacks and a glass of wine. The public address system must have failed at some time, so the airport staff started going round calling out for passengers for each flight as boarding time approached. All hand luggage was x-rayed before we boarded the bus out to the aircraft – I took my seat, 11A, and C remained vacant. I was definitely looking forward to my first taste of Singapore Airlines J service after my positive experience in Y.
Hot towels were distributed, and a choice of champagne or OJ. The F/A took supper choices, addressing each passenger by name. We left the stand at 01:32 and took off at 01:43 on RW22 after a 34 second roll. The monitor in front of bulkhead seats 11AC was not working so it had been impossible to see the safety presentation. I have “a thing” about safety presentations and make a point of following them. I know a lot of regular fliers don’t, but having done flight safety training myself in the past, I have had it drilled into me that familiarity does not “breed contempt”, but automatic responses that might just save your life in an emergency. Sermon over!
Krisworld was working, but this aircraft was not equipped with video on demand. The menu for the flight follows:
Appetiser
Prawns with lentil salad
Main courses
Chicken with lemon and rosemary crust, carrot, snap peas and potato puree
Sri Lankan style fish with tomato and capsicum curry, garlic rice
Stewed lamb in red wine and herbs, sautéed seasonal vegetables and potatoes
Dessert
Fresh fruits
Champagne
Piper Heidsieck rare cuvee reservee
White wine
Rully 1999 Chartron et Trebuchet
Red wines
Chateau Clement Pichon haut medoc 1998
“Rive” Barbera d’asti superiore 1999
Port
Taylor’s late bottled vintage 1996
The prawn appetiser was succulent, sharp and tasty. Olive oil was offered as a healthy alternative to butter for the rolls. The fish was good and “meaty” – at first I wondered if it was chicken. I finished with a green tea, something new to me, which I’ll probably have again as it was very refreshing.
The noise-cancelling headphones helped me get some sleep and I was woken at 06:50 and offered a choice of tomato, apple or orange juice. We arrived at Singapore on 20R? at 07:09 and gate E4 at 07:13 with doors open at 07:15.
So my first thoughts on SQ J? Friendly, efficient service. Personal, without being over attentive. Seemed pleased to be there and I didn’t find the smiles to be false.
With only 1 hour 40 minutes between flights I didn’t want to risk having a shower and missing my connection, so I had a wash (boy did I need it) in the restrooms between the lifts and the Silver Kris lounge. I then had time for a latte and a Danish pastry before joining the end of the queue at gate E24.
25 July 2003, 09:05, SIN - ICN, SQ 16, 777/200, 9V-SVF
The usual choice of tomato, apple and orange juices were offered followed by a hot towel. I accepted a Foxs Glacier mint which didn’t tasted too good after the juice. I was asked by name what I’d like to drink when we got airborne, the door was shut and I had the seat next to me in 16K free. There was a five minute delay to pushback as another aircraft was blocking our path, and we took off from RW20L and 09:24 with a 38 second roll.
Continental breakfast
Apple, tomato and fresh orange juice
A selection of fresh fruit
Assorted breakfast rolls, butter, fruit preserve
Having eaten a pastry just before the flight I skipped the rolls.
Sleep came easily to me in the “Space Beds”. The fabric that has now covered the armrests to discourage people from putting drinks on them and getting soaked if they recline the seat was looking tired and had several small tears.
I woke up as the smell of lunch wafted down the aisle.
Appetiser
Seared tuna and soba salad
Main course
Ah Yat’s braised beef brisket with beancurd sticks in five spice sauce served with assorted vegetables and steamed rice
Pan fried chicken breast served with cream of rosemary sauce, roasted vegetables and potato
Pan seared pesto flavoured scallops served with tomato sauce, roasted asparagus and mashed parsnip with potato
Cheese board
A selection of fresh fruit
Ice cream
Champagne
Peter Heidsieck rare cuvee reservee
White wines
1999 Lockwood vineyard chardonnay
Dr H Thanisch riesling hochgewachs 2000
Red wines
St Francis cabernet sauvignon 1999 sonoma
“Rive” barbera d’asti superiore 1999
Port
Taylor’s late bottled vintage 1996
I’d not had fish cooked as rare as this tuna, but I really liked it. I’ve noticed writing this report that I seem to be eating a lot of fish, so on the return segments I’ll try and vary my selection. The scallops were cooked to perfection – it’s too easy to spoil them by over-cooking. The Chardonnay went well with both of these dishes. I passed on the cheese board, but took some apple and couldn’t refuse the Haagen Daaz Belgium chocolate ice cream.
The Wisemen system was working OK, and I watched episodes of Frasier, Friends and a documentary on Sir Isaac Newton. Although there is a lavatory immediately behind 16HK, the noise of it flushing didn’t disturb me, particularly when wearing the noise-cancelling headphones. The SQ ‘phones are comfortable and I chose to keep them on with the sound off for most of the flight.
We landed at Seoul on 15L at 16:25 and got to gate 43 at 16:34.
The planned transit time for SQ16 is only 1 hour 5 minutes, so after passing through the security checks I only had a short time in the Silver Kris lounge. I checked my e-mails, declining several offers for Herbal Viagra, and drank some chilled water.
25 July 2003, 17:30, ICN - SFO, SQ 16, 777/200, 9V-SVF
Back in 16K, I now had a travelling companion Ron from San Jose who was returning home after a few days in Seoul. He had booked his outward travel at short notice and had only been able to get a seat in business, having previously flown only in economy. He was now converted to the J experience because he had slept so well that he had not suffered any jet lag.
Despite having the same occupant in 16K as on the previous sector, new blankets had been put out and the headset had been replaced. The pre-take off drinks were served and hot towels given out. We took off from RW 15R at 18:09 after 37 seconds.
I’d seen the menu for dinner on the earlier flight so I was looking forward to the next meal.
Dinner menu
Satay with onion, cucumber and spicy peanut sauce
Appetiser
Prawn with eggplant caviare salad
Main courses
Seared ribeye in red wine sauce, roasted vegetables and sautéed potatoes with capers
Dak jchim. Korean style braised chicken with mushroom, spiced vegetables and steamed rice.
Pan roasted cod fillet served with chunky tomato, mustard seeds and coriander sauce, capeline pasta with vegetables
Seafood noodle soup. Egg noodles in rich chicken broth garnished with prawns, scallops and vegetables
Cheese board
A selection of fresh fruit
Baked cheese cake with raspberry sauce
I had developed a taste for satay on the MH flights, though by the fifth sector I’d had just about enough. Three months later I was ready for them again, and the selection of chicken and beef were delicious. Fish again (sorry!) was moist, though the pasta was a little sticky. Ron seemed to enjoy his soup which included generous hunks of various seafoods. I skipped the cheese board and cheese cake.
We now settled down for the night, and I tried to watch the last five minutes of the Isaac Newton programme I’d missed, but sleep overcame me, and I woke up some 4 hours later.
I wasn’t feeling hungry until the smell of the coffee got to me, and that got my gastric juices going.
Before touch-down menu
Apple, tomato and fresh orange juice
Cereal
Main course
Oriental style fried rice with prawns and crabmeat
Grilled beef fillet, chicken breast, veal sausage with herb jus, sautéed tomatoes and mushrooms and roesti cheesecake
Scrambled egg with chorizo sausage, onion, capsicums and mushroom served with roasted tomato and hash brown potato
Assorted breakfast rolls
The order for main course was taken, and the orange juice, hot drinks, cereal and rolls served. I didn’t bother with the cereal but had a couple of pastries and felt nicely full. I’d forgotten the eggs I’d ordered, but managed to enjoy them even so. Just as well I hadn’t asked for the full fry!
I tried to catch up on the news through the CNN pages on Wisemen, but although the first screen says that it is updated hourly, the latest date was 25th June 2003. Have SQ forgotten to pay their subscription?
SQ16 landed at 12:27 on runway 10L (I think) and after a short taxi, was at gate G93 at 12:32.
It was with a little trepidation that I joined the queue for immigration as I didn’t know how my mileage run would be seen. Also I didn’t have a proper address for where I would be staying as I would only be going to DCA and turning straight round. The immigration officer was phased at all, and asked how many bonus miles I’d be earning and wished me a safe time. Customs was more sceptical, especially as I’d spent a day in Sri Lanka, but after five minutes of questions he was satisfied and I headed round to terminal 1 to check-in for my domestic flights on NorthWest.
There was only one person in front of me at the First Class check-in, but it was about 10 minutes before I was served as the boarding card stock ran out and had to be replaced. I was called across to the next ordinary desk, which caused a regular passenger to complain, but the agent handled it well explaining that the rules she operated under required FC customers to be dealt with first. I said that this must be a bit awkward for her, but she didn’t seem to be to bothered. Anyway, we’d ‘connected’ so when I asked if I (as KLM gold) could go on the waiting list for FC, she said that she’d try and upgrade me straight away (which she did). Hooray! I was sort of relying on this for the red-eye otherwise I was going to end up seriously short of sleep. She also suggested that as the domestic WorldClub would shut at 5 p.m., I would be better off going back to the International terminal where the club would remain open to midnight.
I grabbed a shower at the “SFO Hairport” in concourse G and then made my way to international only to discover that the WorldClub there was beyond the security check, and I couldn’t go through unless I had an international boarding pass. So, back to terminal 1.
I had a chat with the NorthWest representative at the domestic WorldClub who said that I’d been wrongly advised, apologised and said that she’d try and find out who was giving out this bad information and correct them. She then phoned through to the Continental President’s club and asked them if they’d accept me after the WorldClub closed. Unfortunately the answer was no, but I think she deserves full credit for trying to resolve the problem.
When the Club closed I went through security to gate 45 where my next flight was due to depart. The first TSA guard asked me to remove my shoes, but I said I’d prefer wanding if it was necessary. “That’s fine”, and of course the alarm went off. It only took a minute, but I suppose at a busy time, too many people refusing to remove shoes would cause a big tailback. My hand luggage was then swabbed, and I was allowed to proceed. All the TSA personnel had been firm, but also friendly and polite and I had no complaints about the way I was treated. Hopefully, this will continue through the rest of my travels.
Well, having celebrated at getting the upgrades all the way to DCA, I’m celebrating even more, by getting bumped and a $300 TCV. I’m now routed through MSP and only down the back for the first sector, but it’s a good seat and of course a slightly shorter flight than to DTW. Of course, it also means I’ve got an extra 2 hours to kill and all the concessions in terminal 1 have closed, so it’s back to international to grab a coffee there.
The TSA team have changed over when I return to gate 45, and this lot is even more thorough, but still in good humour and we have quite a laugh. The guy who wands me says that for every 3 co-operative passengers they get one who’s difficult. I sympathise, and say that people must find it frustrating when there’s a long queue.
Back at gate 45 I see if I can swing a second bump – the flight is oversold and the supervisor is willing to give me a hotel as well as another TCV but I’ll only be able to get as far as Detroit. Continuing to DCA would be too risky as the return only gets back at 23:20 and there are no re-routing possibilities. In the end, they don’t need me so I take seat 5A ready for the next flight.
26 July 2003, 00:45, SFO - MSP, NW 362, A320, N349NW
First class and elite passengers were boarded first, and I can hear pre take-off drinks being served just in front of me. Boarding was quick and we pushed back early at 00:41 and taxied to RW 01L? The aircraft was airborne at 00:52 after a 35 second roll, and I reckon that I was asleep 35 seconds after that.
The Y seats weren’t quite as comfortable as Space Beds, and I kept waking up for no real reason. The F/As went about their work quietly, because around me were empty water cups, but I must always have been asleep when they came round. The cabin lights were turned on half hour out of MSP, and a final round of water was given out.
We landed at 06:00 on runway 12R and taxied to gate G12.
26 July 2003, 07:10, MSP - DCA, NW 1700, 757-300, N554NW
First class and elite passengers were pre-boarded, and pre take-off drinks supplied. Clearly the USA is a much more infectious place than Singapore, as there are no hot towels. Doors were shut at 07:10 and push back seemed a long time coming at 07:17. The reason soon became apparent – heavy rain showers (with lightning some distance away) had caused a bottleneck through which all departing aircraft had to pass, and we were about 15th in line for departure. We eventually got airborne at 08:10 from runway 12L after 28 seconds.
A choice of breakfast was offered: Cheerios or cheese omelette, sausage and potatoes. Then a choice of bagel with cream cheese or blueberry muffin. I had the full works, and it was very good.
With the flight’s late departure, I was worried that I wouldn’t make the return to MSP, but the lead F/A told me this aircraft was the return service, so I would have no trouble with gate changes etc. We were confined to seats at exactly 200 miles out of DCA ‘for security reasons’. Five minutes later we were asked to stow luggage, and so people got out of their seats to comply! The approach was almost as exciting as my memories of Hong Kong before the new airport opened where the aircraft weaved in between buildings before a steep turn onto finals. We seemed to almost avoid overflying VIPs in their golf carts before landing on RW19 at 11:13 and getting to gate 5 at 11:17.
26 July 2003, 11:35, DCA - MSP, NW 683, 757-300, N554NW
I was surprised when both of my upgrades for the return sectors to SFO and both cleared. The F/As were congratulating the gate agents for a speedy boarding when the captain noticed that some paperwork had been taken off the aircraft before he’d signed it, so the doors had to be reopened. We left the gate at 11:56 and were airborne from RW 19 at 12:02 after a 24 second roll. No pre-departure drinks were offered.
After take-off drinks were accompanied with spinzels and cheddar snack mix. Lunch was a choice of chicken pasta salad or ham & cheese sandwich followed by cheesecake. Following favourable comments in other trip reports I had the salad and agree that it’s a good meal. As I thought there’d be another meal on the next sector I just tasted the cheesecake – under normal circumstances I’d have had the lot.
We made up time to MSP and landed on runway 30R at 13:12 and got to gate F6 at 13:18.
26 July 2003, 14:32, MSP - SFO, NW 369, 757-200
I swapped seat 1A for 4B to allow a couple to be seated together. On this flight both pre and after take-off drinks were served. Doors shut at 14:27, and we were away from gate F13 2 minutes later.
The cheddar snack mix and glazed walnuts were in the basket this flight. The walnuts were OK, but not worth their huge fat content. The meal choice was an excellent plate of anti-pasta comprising salami, ham, turkey, cheese and peppers or a turkey & ham sandwich with a chocolate cake to follow. I don’t know exactly why, but the crew on this flight were the best on my NW sectors. They were working well as a team and had a really good attitude to the passengers.
We landed at 16:02 on runway 28R and arrived at gate 47, 20 minutes ahead of schedule, at 16:05.
With 10 hours until my flight back to Singapore, I had to decide on what to do. I’d met Ron from San Jose on the flight from Seoul, and he’d suggested watching a game at Pac Bell down by Bay Bridge as an alternative to the usual tourist trail (which I’d done on previous visits). As I’d taken the bump I’d missed most of the afternoon, so I explored the exciting possibilities offered by the Airtran elevated railway. But first, I went into the WorldClub in terminal one to write-up so more notes before it shut at 5pm. Heading out to the Airtran, Richard, the NW G/A supervisor who’d done the re-routing for my bump recognised me and said hello. Round the terminals on the red line, and out to the rental cars and back gave good views of the airport, but wasn’t going to keep me amused for 5 hours until check-in opened and I could get airside and into the Silver Kris lounge. At the BART station I bought a $4 ‘excursion’ ticket that would allow me to travel around the BART network as long as I only left the system back at SFO. This seemed like a good plan, and might give me some good views of the city. I chose to go round to Coliseum, the return journey would take 2˝ hours and from there you can get a bus to OAK. It was a pity that where the train was above ground in the East bay there was thick fog, and I’d not realised that so much of the time it ran underground. I felt safe, there were plenty of other people around, so I dozed a fair bit.
Back at the airport, I grabbed a snack in the international terminal. Cheese topped fries and coffee knocked another few days off my potential lifespan – sometimes you just have to have what you fancy. There was no queue at the Raffles check-in and I was quickly on my way towards concourse G security, documents in hand. There was only one airport worker heading through the lines ahead of me and no one behind. The TSA woman shouted out “Passport and boarding card” repeatedly as we approached. Obviously, the guy in front didn’t have either of these, just his airport pass and was allowed past, but I asked her why she’d let him through without them (obviously I knew why). So were you shouting at me then? I wasn’t shouting at you. I just looked around at the empty queue behind me. I think she got the point.
The entrance to the SQ lounge is well hidden, and if I hadn’t been given a small map I don’t think I’d have risked heading through what looked like an employee only door and down a maintenance corridor. The lounge itself is small and filled-up as the night progressed, but I didn’t have to wait too long before I could get a shower and change. There was a selection of snacks and sandwiches, but I stuck mainly to drinking water.
I’ll post the second part of the trip as soon as I’ve finished typing it up.
Nice report so far, looking forward to reading the rest.
Aug 15, 2003, 6:11 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: between DCA and BWI
Programs: SPG Gold, Hyatt Plat, UA Premier, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,652
Great report, but I have a quick question.
As much as I love flying, I can't understand why would people schedule such a long trip and not try to spend a little time in the places they fly to. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the journey as much as the destination (and thanks to FT, I am already hooked on MRs), but if you are flying to such a different place as SIN or ICN, why not spend some time there?
As much as I love flying, I can't understand why would people schedule such a long trip and not try to spend a little time in the places they fly to. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the journey as much as the destination (and thanks to FT, I am already hooked on MRs), but if you are flying to such a different place as SIN or ICN, why not spend some time there?
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Live2Fly:
My plan was to avoid using hotels, and to try and sleep on the aircraft, so I ended-up with an 8 day trip planned which would take me three-quarters of the way round the world and back again covering almost 45,000 miles with only 1 night in a hotel.</font>
My plan was to avoid using hotels, and to try and sleep on the aircraft, so I ended-up with an 8 day trip planned which would take me three-quarters of the way round the world and back again covering almost 45,000 miles with only 1 night in a hotel.</font>
Aug 15, 2003, 6:27 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 12,148
I really enjoyed reading this excellent first report, Live2Fly. I'll certainly look forward to more from you.
As well, I can definitely commiserate with the reaction you got from Mrs. Live2Fly. Many of my Trip Reports, while generally well received here at FT, are of zero interest to my friends and family. I feel like the guy with a fantastic Liver, Broccoli and Horseradish casserole recipe that's only appreciated in a remote province in northeastern Albania.
As well, I can definitely commiserate with the reaction you got from Mrs. Live2Fly. Many of my Trip Reports, while generally well received here at FT, are of zero interest to my friends and family. I feel like the guy with a fantastic Liver, Broccoli and Horseradish casserole recipe that's only appreciated in a remote province in northeastern Albania.
Aug 21, 2003, 6:39 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northampton, England
Programs: KL Explorer
Posts: 110
yevlesh2,
Yes, you have a good point about not stopping off at SIN or ICN.
If I had more vacation time I certainly would have done so, but Mrs Live2Fly would like me to be able to holiday with her later in the year, so I had to optimise the miles earning at the expense of site-seeing.
It made sort of sense at the time I booked it, but towards the end of the trip I began to think that I'd have been better with a few breaks between the flights.
Yes, you have a good point about not stopping off at SIN or ICN.
If I had more vacation time I certainly would have done so, but Mrs Live2Fly would like me to be able to holiday with her later in the year, so I had to optimise the miles earning at the expense of site-seeing.
It made sort of sense at the time I booked it, but towards the end of the trip I began to think that I'd have been better with a few breaks between the flights.