Here We Go Again...A HUGE Circle Around The Pacific in CO/CA/TG/SQ/NZ whY
Jul 27, 2011, 12:18 pm
#1
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Here We Go Again...A HUGE Circle Around The Pacific in CO/CA/TG/SQ/NZ whY
Where do I begin?
At the moment I'm trying to do several things at once. I'm doing some last minute studying for a final that I have to take in a few hours. I'm also running around the house doing laundry, finding random cables, and packing my bags for a three week trip where I will need clothes for summer and winter. All this is going on while I anxiously wait for the UPS guy to drop off some last minute items to make the trip easier.
Most of the necessary preparations are taken care of. I requested 2 sets of extra passport pages and received them about a week ago. My Chinese visa from my March MR to PEK/PVG is still valid and my Australian ETA was provided by a very generous FTer. Flights and hotels are booked and confirmed so everything is in order...right? It seems like I'm forgetting something...
Oh yeah, my sister. You see, a couple of years ago I told my baby sister that I would take her anywhere she wants to go as a graduation gift. Well, she graduated in June and both of our schedules had free space for July and August so I started making arrangements. Her travel experience is US + Mexico and she doesn't fly enough to understand the rules and procedures associated with complex itineraries so there was some initial disappointment when the original plan (F/J instead of Y) didn't work out. SQ will always behave like SQ and their dominance in Southeast Asia is unavoidable when trying to fly on *A. Still, a trip involving 7 countries (including Malaysia by land) is an accomplishment when booked on relatively short notice!
So now I have a travel companion who wants to pack like she is moving and taking all of her worldly possessions along. I have this image in my head where she is trying to carry 3 bags up/down stairs in subway stations and falling flat on her face. Actually, I would probably be the one carrying all of the bags and falling down. Where's my first aid kit? I negotiated the bag count to a more manageable number but it will still be high enough to provide some entertainment.
More details will follow in different sections but I'm afraid I have to go for now! There's still a lot of work to do before Friday morning!
Routing
IAH-EWR CO 737-700
EWR-PEK CO 777-200ER
PEK-ICN CA 737-800
ICN-HKG TG 777-200ER
HKG-SIN SQ 777-200ER
SIN-BWN SQ 777-200ER
BWN-SIN SQ 777-200ER
SIN-SYD SQ A380-800
SYD-AKL NZ A320
AKL-LAX NZ 777-300ER
LAX-IAH CO 738-800
. Ugh, someday I'll be where you guys are! Have fun and I can't wait to read it!
Jul 29, 2011, 8:25 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2003
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Subscribed...and jealous! My old passport is about to retire, so good to know when I get the new one I can ask for two extra sets of pages at once as long as (I assume) I'm willing to pay twice?
Jul 30, 2011, 7:30 am
#5
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I'm in Beijing right now and the next update is ready to go but a certain photo sharing site isn't working, if you know what I mean. 
Thanks - traveling is simple once you take the plunge!
Thanks! I'll try to post an update within 48 hours if my internet cooperates.
Thanks! The passport form has a box to request 2 sets of pages but there is a disclaimer stating something like "if you already have extra pages there may not be room for 2 sets". There isn't an extra charge - the price is a flat $82 for 1 or 2 sets. An extra 48 pages for $82 feels like a bargain even though they were free just a few months ago.
Thanks! I'll try to post an update within 48 hours if my internet cooperates.
Thanks! The passport form has a box to request 2 sets of pages but there is a disclaimer stating something like "if you already have extra pages there may not be room for 2 sets". There isn't an extra charge - the price is a flat $82 for 1 or 2 sets. An extra 48 pages for $82 feels like a bargain even though they were free just a few months ago.
Jul 30, 2011, 8:21 pm
#7
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PEK continues to impress me. As we were standing in the Business Class line with my 1K card visible a very nice Air China agent approached us and escorted us to the First Class line. Everyone is incredibly kind and tries their best to help out. We're boarding PEK-ICN in 15 minutes.
We wanted to visit a place in Asia that was off the beaten path. Since the ticket was booked at the last minute it was hard to get flights to Thailand and Malaysia so BWN became the best option. We're going to use this stop to relax for a few days and I need to catch up on school work!
We wanted to visit a place in Asia that was off the beaten path. Since the ticket was booked at the last minute it was hard to get flights to Thailand and Malaysia so BWN became the best option. We're going to use this stop to relax for a few days and I need to catch up on school work!
Aug 1, 2011, 11:06 am
#8
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Flight I: IAH-EWR
There are three simple ways to reach Beijing from Houston. The shortest is through SFO while a connection through ORD would increase the travel time just a little. The third option is the CO direct flight, CO89, via EWR. This option takes the most time and doesn't involve aircraft with E+ but it was the only way to get seats. Oh, and it departs at 6:00 AM.
I guess I shouldn't complain too much since there are some positives. The CO birds have DirecTV or AVOD and the elite seats offer as much room as E+. Also, the direct IAH-EWR-PEK flight only counts as one segment on our tickets.
The day began at 3:30 AM - way too early for me. The journey to the airport took about 45 minutes without traffic and we pulled up to Terminal C. After saying goodbye to our chauffeur/mother we grabbed the luggage and found the Elite Access lanes. IAH has the "new United" kiosks but has yet to receive the new "Premier Access" branding. Our kiosk froze after printing the IAH-EWR BPs so we abandoned the glitchy system and went to security, but there was a problem. No one was enforcing the elite line. Even worse, one doc checker, one Nos, and 2 x-ray belts were in use with at least 75 people in line. The doc checker was the type who demanded respect for his Authoritah and asked everyone to pronounce their name. Seriously? With 75 people in line? After 30 minutes of waiting they finally opened a second line without the NoS so we were able to self select and rush to the gate. By this time all rows had been called and it was almost impossible to find bin space.
Continental Airlines Flight CO89 Houston, TX (IAH) to Newark, NJ (EWR)
Departure: 6:00 AM
Arrival: 10:20 AM
Equipment: Boeing 737-800
Takeoff was on time and the flight was completely full. Drink/Buy-on-Board service began as soon as we leveled off and that was the last time we saw the flight attendants until Newark. The flight was chaotic and little kids kept running back and forth between the F and Y cabins. No one seemed to care...
When we landed the weather in Newark was foggy with a light amount of rain.
I guess I shouldn't complain too much since there are some positives. The CO birds have DirecTV or AVOD and the elite seats offer as much room as E+. Also, the direct IAH-EWR-PEK flight only counts as one segment on our tickets.
The day began at 3:30 AM - way too early for me. The journey to the airport took about 45 minutes without traffic and we pulled up to Terminal C. After saying goodbye to our chauffeur/mother we grabbed the luggage and found the Elite Access lanes. IAH has the "new United" kiosks but has yet to receive the new "Premier Access" branding. Our kiosk froze after printing the IAH-EWR BPs so we abandoned the glitchy system and went to security, but there was a problem. No one was enforcing the elite line. Even worse, one doc checker, one Nos, and 2 x-ray belts were in use with at least 75 people in line. The doc checker was the type who demanded respect for his Authoritah and asked everyone to pronounce their name. Seriously? With 75 people in line? After 30 minutes of waiting they finally opened a second line without the NoS so we were able to self select and rush to the gate. By this time all rows had been called and it was almost impossible to find bin space.
Continental Airlines Flight CO89 Houston, TX (IAH) to Newark, NJ (EWR)
Departure: 6:00 AM
Arrival: 10:20 AM
Equipment: Boeing 737-800
Takeoff was on time and the flight was completely full. Drink/Buy-on-Board service began as soon as we leveled off and that was the last time we saw the flight attendants until Newark. The flight was chaotic and little kids kept running back and forth between the F and Y cabins. No one seemed to care...
When we landed the weather in Newark was foggy with a light amount of rain.
Aug 2, 2011, 8:27 am
#9
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Flight II: EWR-PEK
Our connection in Newark was just over 1.5 hours so we had time to visit the President's Club. The closest location was the one on the upper level so we decided to use it even though it isn't my favorite. The lounge was packed and it took us several minutes to find a seat.
Continental Airlines Flight CO89 Newark, NJ (EWR) to Beijing, China (PEK)
Departure: 12:05 PM
Arrival: 1:45 PM (+1)
Equipment: Boeing 777-200ER
I knew from the seat map that the flight would be completely full. We secured the window and aisle seats in row 16 but someone would be in the middle. She turned out to be a nice lady who mostly slept throughout the flight.
Bulkhead in row 16
Beef
Omelet
Route Map
N74007 in PEK
Continental Airlines Flight CO89 Newark, NJ (EWR) to Beijing, China (PEK)
Departure: 12:05 PM
Arrival: 1:45 PM (+1)
Equipment: Boeing 777-200ER
I knew from the seat map that the flight would be completely full. We secured the window and aisle seats in row 16 but someone would be in the middle. She turned out to be a nice lady who mostly slept throughout the flight.
Bulkhead in row 16
Menu EWR-PEK/PVG 7/11
APPETIZER SALAD
Fresh lettuce mix with cucumber, hard-boiled egg and smoked Alaskan salmon
Offered with buttermilk ranch dressing
Dinner roll with butter
MAIN COURSES
TAI CHIN BEEF
Short rib of beef and spicy Tai Chin sauce accompanied by steamed rice, red bell pepper and bok choy
SWEET-AND-SOUR COD
With steamed rice, green onions and sugar snap peas
DESSERT
Cookie
MID-FLIGHT REFRESHMENT
Asian noodle salad
Ice cream
PRE-ARRIVAL SNACK
Fruit appetizer
Roll with butter and strawberry jam
MUSHROOM OMELETTE
With broccoli potato gratin, turkey sausage and a cherry tomato
DIM SUM
Vegetable chow mein with pork pot sticker, vegetable pot sticker and Japanese omelette
Almond cookie
APPETIZER SALAD
Fresh lettuce mix with cucumber, hard-boiled egg and smoked Alaskan salmon
Offered with buttermilk ranch dressing
Dinner roll with butter
MAIN COURSES
TAI CHIN BEEF
Short rib of beef and spicy Tai Chin sauce accompanied by steamed rice, red bell pepper and bok choy
SWEET-AND-SOUR COD
With steamed rice, green onions and sugar snap peas
DESSERT
Cookie
MID-FLIGHT REFRESHMENT
Asian noodle salad
Ice cream
PRE-ARRIVAL SNACK
Fruit appetizer
Roll with butter and strawberry jam
MUSHROOM OMELETTE
With broccoli potato gratin, turkey sausage and a cherry tomato
DIM SUM
Vegetable chow mein with pork pot sticker, vegetable pot sticker and Japanese omelette
Almond cookie
Omelet
Route Map
N74007 in PEK
Aug 2, 2011, 8:54 am
#11
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Flight III: PEK-ICN
Our return to PEK was via Airport Express. It was simple, fast, inexpensive, and offered some nice views of Beijing. Terminal 3 is a short walk from the Airport Express station.
Terminal 3
*G members can use the Air China Business Class lines when flying in Economy. However, as we approached the Business Class area an Air China agent told us that we could use the First Class line instead. Nice!
After security and immigration we took the train to the gate area after passing several restaurants, of course.
No One Escapes The Colonel's Stare...
Air China Lounge
After boarding was announced we went back down the escalator and to our gate.
Our 737 was parked at a remote stand so we had to use a bus.
Air China Flight CA131 Beijing, China (PEK) to Seoul, South Korea (ICN)
Departure: 11:05 AM
Arrival: 2:15 PM
Equipment: Boeing 737-800
The lunch choices were beef or fish. I went with the beef.
To our surprise the FAs made several runs with the drink cart throughout the short flight. You'd never see this on a US carrier! The seats were adequate for PEK-ICN but I would not choose CA for a long-haul even in a premium cabin.
Terminal 3
*G members can use the Air China Business Class lines when flying in Economy. However, as we approached the Business Class area an Air China agent told us that we could use the First Class line instead. Nice!
After security and immigration we took the train to the gate area after passing several restaurants, of course.
No One Escapes The Colonel's Stare...
Air China Lounge
After boarding was announced we went back down the escalator and to our gate.
Our 737 was parked at a remote stand so we had to use a bus.
Air China Flight CA131 Beijing, China (PEK) to Seoul, South Korea (ICN)
Departure: 11:05 AM
Arrival: 2:15 PM
Equipment: Boeing 737-800
The lunch choices were beef or fish. I went with the beef.
To our surprise the FAs made several runs with the drink cart throughout the short flight. You'd never see this on a US carrier! The seats were adequate for PEK-ICN but I would not choose CA for a long-haul even in a premium cabin.
Aug 4, 2011, 4:40 am
#12
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Flight IV: ICN-HKG
We took the KAL Limousine Bus from Seoul to ICN at about 6:30 in the morning. I was amazed by the quantity of Dunkin Donuts locations - one at nearly every street corner!
Driving to ICN
Departures Area
We checked in at the *G line and received boarding passes. The line for Economy Class was extremely long so we were glad to skip it!
We used the Asiana Business Class lounge for about an hour. It is located one floor above the departures area but unfortunately it doesn't offer a view. The food selection was quite large during breakfast time but I couldn't get a photo of the spread after seeing a lounge agent tell another passenger to put his camera away.
We left the lounge about 15 minutes prior to boarding because we wanted to walk around for a few minutes. ICN has the typical assortment of airport shops and we didn't find anything particularly interesting.
Thai Airways International Flight TG629 Seoul, South Korea (ICN) to Hong Kong (HKG)
Departure: 10:20 AM
Arrival: 12:55 PM
Equipment: Boeing 777-200ER
The flight was delayed due to late arrival of the inbound aircraft so we should have stayed in the lounge, right? Nope.
The gate agent made an announcement in Korean and I thought I heard my name but I wasn't certain. When she made the announcement again in English I knew what it meant. My sister couldn't understand her accent so she just stood there with a confused look on her face while I went to the podium with our boarding passes and returned with shiny new Royal Silk boarding passes. An op-up plus a companion op-up on an award ticket? My sister looked at the seat assignment and expressed displeasure about losing her precious window seat. When I explained that the seat change was an upgrade to Business Class she quickly changed her attitude.
New Royal Silk Seats
The flight attendants brought pre-departure drinks (champagne, orange juice, water) as about 250 Y pax boarded. We eventually pushed back about 45 minutes late but my sister didn't care - she was excited about her first flight in a premium cabin!
We both selected the salmon which was quite good and satisfied the world's pickiest eater, aka my sister. The prawn appetizer was a little dry, though.
After lunch I played with the IFE system while my sister played with the seat controls. I explained that TG Royal Silk was nice but not as good as SQ/LX/NH F but I should have kept quiet because now she expects me to take her on another trip!
She likes tosteal liberate any items that aren't bolted down and tried to put the noise canceling headphones in her purse but I told her they would be collected at the end of the flight.
Service quality was excellent and I will continue to book TG flights in the future. Maybe BKK-CDG in 77W F next time?
Driving to ICN
Departures Area
We checked in at the *G line and received boarding passes. The line for Economy Class was extremely long so we were glad to skip it!
We used the Asiana Business Class lounge for about an hour. It is located one floor above the departures area but unfortunately it doesn't offer a view. The food selection was quite large during breakfast time but I couldn't get a photo of the spread after seeing a lounge agent tell another passenger to put his camera away.
We left the lounge about 15 minutes prior to boarding because we wanted to walk around for a few minutes. ICN has the typical assortment of airport shops and we didn't find anything particularly interesting.
Thai Airways International Flight TG629 Seoul, South Korea (ICN) to Hong Kong (HKG)
Departure: 10:20 AM
Arrival: 12:55 PM
Equipment: Boeing 777-200ER
The flight was delayed due to late arrival of the inbound aircraft so we should have stayed in the lounge, right? Nope.
The gate agent made an announcement in Korean and I thought I heard my name but I wasn't certain. When she made the announcement again in English I knew what it meant. My sister couldn't understand her accent so she just stood there with a confused look on her face while I went to the podium with our boarding passes and returned with shiny new Royal Silk boarding passes. An op-up plus a companion op-up on an award ticket? My sister looked at the seat assignment and expressed displeasure about losing her precious window seat. When I explained that the seat change was an upgrade to Business Class she quickly changed her attitude.
New Royal Silk Seats
The flight attendants brought pre-departure drinks (champagne, orange juice, water) as about 250 Y pax boarded. We eventually pushed back about 45 minutes late but my sister didn't care - she was excited about her first flight in a premium cabin!
Royal Silk Menu Seoul - Hong Kong FEB/MAY/AUG/NOV
First Course
Grilled Prawn, Bean Curd and Vegetable Roll
Main Course
Grilled Salmon with Pesto, Oven Baked Chateau Potatoes, Carrot, Green Bean
or
Stir-fried Prawn with Black Pepper and Bell Pepper Sauce, Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice, Pak-choy
or
Stir-fried Pork Loin with Chinese Yellow Noodles, Pak-choy
or
Marinated Chicken Thigh with Hot Spicy Sauce, Steamed Rice, Broccoli
Assorted Bread, Crackers, Butter, Cheese
Dessert
Vanilla Cream Cheese Cake
Tea, Coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino
First Course
Grilled Prawn, Bean Curd and Vegetable Roll
Main Course
Grilled Salmon with Pesto, Oven Baked Chateau Potatoes, Carrot, Green Bean
or
Stir-fried Prawn with Black Pepper and Bell Pepper Sauce, Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice, Pak-choy
or
Stir-fried Pork Loin with Chinese Yellow Noodles, Pak-choy
or
Marinated Chicken Thigh with Hot Spicy Sauce, Steamed Rice, Broccoli
Assorted Bread, Crackers, Butter, Cheese
Dessert
Vanilla Cream Cheese Cake
Tea, Coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino
After lunch I played with the IFE system while my sister played with the seat controls. I explained that TG Royal Silk was nice but not as good as SQ/LX/NH F but I should have kept quiet because now she expects me to take her on another trip!
She likes to
Service quality was excellent and I will continue to book TG flights in the future. Maybe BKK-CDG in 77W F next time?
Aug 4, 2011, 8:32 pm
#15
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HKG Departure
We used a taxi to get back to HKG and arrived about 2.5 hours before our flight was scheduled to depart. After experiencing the OZ lounge in ICN my sister is now a lounge snob and asked me which lounge we would be using in HKG. I told her that there were actually 3 lounges (SQ, UA, and TG) so she wanted to try them all. I wanted to stay in the SQ lounge but agreed to take her to the TG lounge first. I tried explaining that the SQ lounge was better than the TG lounge but after flying TG C she thought that my opinion didn't matter. I have created a monster!
Drive to HKG
Counters
Planes - sorry for the glare
KE A380
Home
TG Lounge
The TG lounge is my 2nd favorite in HKG because it has better food than the UA lounge. Lounge snob was not impressed so we left after about 10 minutes. I made sure to let her know that I'm always right and she should listen to me next time.
The SQ lounge was packed so lounge snob secured a table while I procured some dumplings and champagne. It was 11:00 AM but I didn't care...
Lounge dragons were on camera patrol so I only took a couple of stealthy iPhone shots which didn't come out well at all, sorry. Lounge snob wanted to go to the gate early to get an upgrade but I kept explaining that the TG upgrade was very rare for an award ticket. She didn't care (and I reminded her that Bryan is always right...) so we went to the gate.
Drive to HKG
Counters
Planes - sorry for the glare
KE A380
Home
TG Lounge
The TG lounge is my 2nd favorite in HKG because it has better food than the UA lounge. Lounge snob was not impressed so we left after about 10 minutes. I made sure to let her know that I'm always right and she should listen to me next time.
The SQ lounge was packed so lounge snob secured a table while I procured some dumplings and champagne. It was 11:00 AM but I didn't care...
Lounge dragons were on camera patrol so I only took a couple of stealthy iPhone shots which didn't come out well at all, sorry. Lounge snob wanted to go to the gate early to get an upgrade but I kept explaining that the TG upgrade was very rare for an award ticket. She didn't care (and I reminded her that Bryan is always right...) so we went to the gate.