Moomba

Thanks mattm199 Hmm the photos do look good. I am tempted to lick the screen.

jerry a. laska

Fantastic trip report Moomba! Work has impacted my aonex travel the last few years but am in the process of booking a new one now and your report is the perfect motivation. Thanks!

SW7London

Great report and pics Moomba!

I flew QF32 to SIN early March in Business and the menu was almost identical. I agree the steak was disappointing, though since I couldn't decide between the pancakes and the scrambled egg dish for breakfast the lovely stewardess gave me both - both were sensational ^

What were the loading's in F on both legs?

Moomba

Thanks jerry a. laska. I find planning these trips to be half the fun.

Thanks drb1979
I have heard others say much the same about the J & F similarities. It seems QF are not unique in this either as I believe it also happens on CX and AA and I am sure others too. The two A380 sectors had 9 & 12 passengers IIRC.

Moomba

I woke early and put in some time uploading my photos and publishing the previous portions of this report. It was time then to check out and head out to the airport. This time the economic version was used and I caught the train from Wynyard station to the airport. It took just over 20 minutes and I was ascending from the depths up to the terminal building.

I made my way to terminal 3 where the QF domestic flights depart. Once on the surface I was greeted with a truck load of self service check in stations and next to no manned desks that had queues at them. OK, I give in Qantas I will use your silly machine.

I entered my PNR and it pulled up both of today’s flights and I was able to print out both BPs at this machine. I headed over to the security section and the Business/Elite line was longer than the normal lines so I joined one of those.

I was through in minutes but was chosen for the explosives swab which delayed me all of 2 minutes. Next stop the QF Business lounge. Inside my BP was sighted with the Business moniker and I was let in.
I settled in a seat by the window and noticed my ride being towed to the gate.



I grabbed some breakfast from the selection on offer. There were cereals, pastries, yoghurt etc as well as hot offerings in the form of sausages, scrambled eggs, baked beans and mushrooms. I grabbed some apple juice and the hot selection and returned to my seat. In the mornings at SYD business lounge they have a proper barista serving coffees to order. I asked for a double shot cappuccino that was promptly delivered.



The lounge was quite busy for a weekday morning but not heaving. I surfed for a while and checked my emails. I decided to leave the lounge early and wander around the terminal for a while. Golly who said there is an economic downturn? The main gate areas were packed with people off to who knows where. I wandered around a few shops before depositing myself in a seat near my gate at the end of the terminal.

The time on my BP for boarding came and went and then the crew showed up for my flight. There was an announcement that the flight was going to be delayed because the crew had only just arrived.

At 09:55 they finally started to board and I joined the Business / Elite queue.

Flight QF0581 SYD-PER Seat 16A
Aircraft: 747-400
Departure time: 10:10

At door 1L I was directed back and up the stairs. Once upstairs the crew informed me of a flight time of 4 hours and 8 minutes and I took my exit row window seat in the internationally configured 747 aircraft.

I stashed my stuff in the window bins and took my seat. My jacket was taken away and I was offered orange juice or water as a PDB.

We finally pushed back at 10:30 and taxied out. We stopped midway down the field and waited to cross the active runway for an age. Finally we were on the move again and we continued out taxi down to the end of the runway out in the bay. We didn’t stop but taxied straight onto the runway and began our roll at 10:51. During the taxi the two crew were discussing who was who on the manifest in the jump seats opposite my seat.

It was full upstairs on today’s flight and it seems there were some op ups in the cabin as well.

After the seat belt sign was extinguished the crew came around and asked for a drinks order before the meal. I went with the usual scotch and dry. A while later the chivas regal and ginger ale were delivered along a small packet of almonds and wasabi peas.



The CSM dropped by and introduced himself and said if I needed anything to let him know.
The meal service started soon after and the tray was pre-plated with the starter of a spicy chicken, aubergine and humus. I was offered bread and went with lovely crusty sour dough. It seems bread on QF is always of great quality. Some carrier’s bread offerings should be banned from human consumption but on QF I am never disappointed. I was also offered wine with the meal. They had a chardonnay, Semillon or a Shiraz. I went with the Shiraz that hailed from the Bishops label. The spicy chicken forgot it was supposed to be spicy but the dish was tasty none the less.



My starter plate was whisked away and I was offered a choice of 3 main courses.
On offer were a steak dish, snapper or a Serrano ham salad. I risked it all and went with the steak; I was drinking the lovely red. The steak was served with blue cheese butter, beans, slow roasted tomatoes and a cheesy potato gratin.



As usual with QF it was all about taste. The meal was full of flavour and went down a treat with the Bishops Shiraz. More bread was offered during the meal and my glass was topped up.

The tray was cleared away and then dessert of strawberry ice cream with almond bread or a cheese plate. I went with the former and they even had a delicious sticky wine to go with it. They also had a muscat if that was your preferred dessert tipple.



To complete the meal I was offered coffee or tea from huge plungers and went with a nice strong cup of joe. With this I was also offered a small Lindt dark chocolate with orange. Nice!

When I was done the remains of the meal were cleared away and I sat back to write up this report. I had fired up the IFE that on this aircraft was audio/visual on demand. The selection was not as extensive as on the A380 last night but I was still able to find several albums to listed to whilst staring out the window.

Speaking of which the routing we took was west over NSW down through South Australia over Adelaide and out over the Great Australian Bight before tracking back up towards Perth reaching land again somewhere over Esperance.

The crew came around with trays of water during the flight and she stopped by my seat to ask if my picture of the food was for my facebook page. I said no it is for a frequent flyer forum. We had a bit of a chat about my travels and she asked for the name of the forum. I hope you manage to find this in the M.
I asked for another glass of the shiraz and M delivered this with another couple of packets of almonds.
I spent most of the rest of the flight writing this and listening to music on the IFE.

Thirty minutes before the end of the flight the captain announced our imminent arrival into Perth and gave a weather update. A final round of hot towels were passed around and the cabin was prepared for landing. The CSM said his goodbye speech and informed people they could enjoy the IFE all the way to the gate except those with pull out screens that needed to be stowed for landing.

We touched down at 12:00 on the dot and taxied to just short of the gates where we sat. The captain announced a while later that there had been an incident at the gate and there was no other gate to pull up to. He said we expected to sit there for a further 10-15 minutes. We finally got on the move again and pulled up to the gate at 12:20.

I made a brief visit to the Qantas lounge that was busy but not as heaving as the last time I there. After 5 minutes or so in the lounge an announcement was made for my flight. I made my way down to the gate and straight on down the ramp. The gate was a bridgeless one and we were required to walk out onto the tarmac and up the stairs onto the aircraft.

Flight QF0592 PER-ADL Seat 2F
Aircraft: 737-800
Departure time: 12:55

Once on board I was welcomed by the CSM, stashed my bag in the overhead and took my seat. It was a full house again up the front on this flight.
The crew dropped by with juice or water and I opted for a juice. Once all were on board and counted the door was closed and we were prepped for take off. We pushed back at 12:53 and taxied to the end of the runway and the captain was ramping up the power before we even finished the turn and took off at 13:01.

After the belt sign was extinguished a round of hot towels were handed out by the crew. The second crewmember who had been seated up front then went down the back to the lunch service and the CSM worked the business section on his own.

The first officer came on the blower and announced the weather in Adelaide and our routing and gave a flying time of 2 hours and 30 minutes.

The CSM came around to take drink orders and deposited a bag of almonds and cashews on the side table. I went with the usual scotch and dry. A further offer of another drink was made prior to the lunch service beginning.

For my second lunch today I was offered a starter of carrot and dill soup with a garnish of prawns. The soup was a lovely way to start the meal and was served with an offer of a brown roll or sourdough bread. No prizes for guessing what I chose.



The wines available on this flight were a Juniper Chardonnay, Voyager Estate Sauvignon Blanc and a Heathcote Shiraz.

After the soup and bread plates were cleared away the main courses were offered. There was a Spanish style chicken with olives served with polenta, a Salmon salad, pan fried pork with mashed spud, salsa verde and ratatouille.

I decided to go with the pan fried pork and chose the Sauvignon Blanc wine to wash it down with. The pork was nicely done but just the slightest bit tough and the accompaniments were quite tasty continuing on the taste theme for QF.



The trays were cleared away and the desserts of a Burnt Fig, Honeycomb and Caramel ice cream or a cheese platter were offered. I chose the ice cream again and asked for a glass of the sticky again. There was also a muscat on board this flight.



Coffee and tea were then offered and I grabbed a cup of coffee to close of the meal along with the nice little orange chocolate.

After the meal I started to fade and dozed on and off for the remainder of the flight. The first officer announced our arrival into Adelaide and gave the gloomy weather forecast. It was cool and grey with drizzle. This is not what I ordered for my Australian holiday!

We touched down at around 18:08 local time and taxied up to the gate. On coming up the ramp into the terminal building I saw the friendly smile in the crowd of my friend I hadn’t seen for 3 years.

jazza1971

Great Trip report Moomba!

Seat 2A

I've seen this report pop up now and then but always assumed that by now you were well done with it all and folks were just leaving their regards. Still, I'd better have a look just in case... By golly, you're still at it - and in grand style, too. Good on ya, Moomba and thanks for the great reporting! ^^

Moomba

Thanks jazza1971

Oh yes this will linger on for a while yet. Current plans have me finishing this RTW late August. This next update is only sector 7 of 16.

Thanks for the comments.

Moomba

After a wonderful couple of days with my friends it was time to move on again and head back to Sydney.

I was dropped off at the ADL terminal building around 10:05 local, said my goodbyes and made my way inside.
The usual QF scene was before me of a few manned desks with long queues and lots of self-service check-in machine. I plugged my PNR into one of the machines and went through the motions. A flimsy boarding pass was then spat out of the machine.

Security had three lines with no obvious fast track so I joined the shortest line. I was through in a few minutes and escaped the swab for cosmetics of mass destruction test.

As usual I put on the blinkers and made my way straight to the QF lounge where I was welcomed inside. I grabbed a seat down the back in the quit zone where mobile phones were not supposed to be used.



I went up the front to grab a juice and a coffee. Then I went to see what was on offer in the eats department. Not much. Toast, fruit, cereals and yoghurt and some pastries about summed up the offerings.

I grabbed some bircher muesli and some toast and went back to my quite zone. Well it should have been except for the tosser wandering around the no mobile phone area jabbering into his phone.



At 10:30 my flight was called and I walked down to the gate and straight on board via a BP check of course.

Flight QF0570 ADL-SYD Seat 2F
Aircraft: 737-800
Departure time: 10:50

On board I was welcomed with a G’day from the CSM who took my jacket I was carrying and directed me to my seat. The plane continued to board and there was once again a full compliment in the business class cabin.
This time I know for sure the guy sitting next to me was an op-up as the CSM later in the flight explained he would only get a choice of what was left from the meal trolley.

Juice or water was offered prior to push back and then the cabin was secured.

At 10:58 we pushed back from the gate and taxied to the end of the runway and started our roll at 11:03.

The usual QF domestic J service swung into operation after the belt signs were switched off with a hot towel service. The CSM then took over the service up front whilst the other crewmember went behind the curtain.

The QF website describes the meal on this flight as a refreshment. The CSM was calling it morning tea. There was no pre food drinks round and he started out handing out the meals. On offer today was a fruit and yoghurt plate or a ricotta pancake with spiced strawberries. I was disappointed that there was no savoury option and decided to continue my decadence trip with the pancakes. A small bowl of fruit was also on both trays, including the fruit and yoghurt option. A small bottle of water was also on each tray.
The CSM offered juice or wine to go with the meal. The wines were Red Claw Pinot Grigio or a Yerring Station Shiraz Voignier. I decided to be a lush and asked for the red wine. The breadbasket came out and had a choice of white sourdough or fruit bread. I know I am totally predictable and yes I did select the sourdough.





The pancakes and strawberries were quite nice and were not overly sweet. The red was also quite drinkable and after the tray was removed I had several more glasses during the flight. Coffee and tea were offered after the meals had been dished out.

I had noticed that there had been no communication from the cockpit for this flight and the only time we did here from the guys up front was the 10 minutes to descent message with the weather report and estimated time for arrival.

I spent most of the trip sipping red wine and staring out the window.





The overhead IFE was played two programmes one called Mark Webber’s Tassie Challenge and this was followed by an episode of The Big Bang Theory.

I was offered more wine before landing but decided against it and handed back my glass to the CSM and prepared myself for landing.

We flew out over the coast and back into Sydney airport from the East and pulled off the runway near the international terminal. This meant a long taxi back to the gate at terminal 3. Once we arrived I thanked the CSM on exiting and wandered on down to the train to head back into Sydney.


Before I leave you I need to explain the frugal use of my camera in these last few sectors. I was running low on battery power and when I arrived in Sydney from Singapore I was horrified to find that my spare battery was not even registering anything when I plugged it into my camera. Thankfully I was able to drop my battery off with matthandy after this ADL flight and get it charged before meeting up with a bunch of FTers in the rocks later that day. Thank you Matt!

OK folks this is where the RTW ticket gets parked again and I head off back to the UK tomorrow picking up the return legs of my Etihad F trip and the remaining sector of my Oman Air ticket.

jerry a. laska

Moomba, I noticed that the 747 appears to drop off the SYD-PER schedule around May 4th. Has it been regularly appearing or reappearing at certain times of year?

jazza1971

Back in Feb QANTAS announced changes to some of it's network here is the bit about SYD-PER

OJD might be retired soon I guess.

jerry a. laska

Thanks.

Jenbel

So where should we be looking for the next report of the return leg?

Moomba

They will be in here. I just need to get the time to upload the photos into flickr. Hopefully I will get the final updates posted over the weekend.

Moomba

The limo company rang my Sydney hotel on Friday to confirm a pick up of 14:00 and I was asked to call back. When I arrived on the Sunday the hotel they gave me the message and I managed to call the limo firm on the way to the FT DO at the Lord Nelson in the Rocks area in Sydney.

The limo agent confirmed my pick up and I was all set to be whisked back to the airport in style. Little did I know how much style that would be until the next day.

After a number of pints with some new FT friends in Sydney it was back to my hotel and a booze induced sleep. I woke at 07:00 which seemed to be a common theme on this trip. After checking FT to see if anyone was bothering to read this drivel I made my way up to the lounge at the Westin for a breakfast of fruit and scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and mushrooms. To hell with the diet I am on holiday.

I then went out for a bit of shopping to buy some essential Aussie treats to take home and a DVD of the most un-politically correct TV series I have ever seen. It hails from NZ and was introduced to me by my friends in ADL.
I checked out at around 13:40 from the hotel and informed the bell staff that I was to be picked up at around 14:00. He said he would let me know when the car arrived.

At 13:55 the bellboy let me know my ride had arrived. Oh my god the ride was a spanky new Jaguar XJ. What a sleek looking animal this beast was. My driver introduced himself and opened the door for me. Flippen heck this car was it and a bit. I had stares on the street as I pretended to be royalty as I made my way to the airport. I was actually embarrassed to ride in the back of such a vehicle. Almost as embarrassed as I was when the QF manager escorted me through the throngs at LHR on my outbound trip.

The trip to the airport was quite quick and I was soon at the check-in counter. The agent asked me if I was staying in MCT and I said I was travelling onward on Oman Air to London. She asked to see my visa for London and I showed her my other passport with the indefinite leave to remain in it.
She printed a bag tag and asked me to place my bag on the belt. I said I was hand baggage only and she apologised and said that is the only way to travel. She placed a Diamond First tag on my roll-aboard and then gave me back my passports, an express lane pass for emigrations and security and an invite to the Air NZ lounge.
I had already picked up an emigrations card and had started to fill it out. She sent me on my way and I walked around the other side of the desks and continued to fill out my emigrations card. I then realised I was missing a couple of important items; my boarding passes.

I walked back to the desk and she was dealing with another guy. When she had finished she said did I miss something? I said yes my boarding passes. She typed away and then looked down at her machine and walked over to me with two BPs. She apologised profusely with a ‘my bad’ and whished me a pleasant trip.

I then made my way to the emigrations area and the express path. There were only 4 people working the emigrations desks and quite long queues for the civilians. My express card allowed me to jump the queue and I was processed within a few minutes. Security was a doddle with the express pass again and I then had to negotiate the 3 miles of duty free store before making my way to the NZ koru lounge.

I was welcomed into the lounge and found an empty seat, which was no mean feat. It seems everyone and their dog uses this lounge, thank god the NZ AKL flight had been cancelled.

I did the very Australian thing of grabbing a couple of party pies and some dead horse to go with my glass of NZ Sauv Blanc.
I waited it out in the lounge until the flight was showing as boarding. I then wandered down to the gate resisting the urge to buy some Patons chocolate coated macadamia nuts. I was able to use the elite line to board and was on board in no time.

Flight EY0451 SYD-AUH Seat 2A
Aircraft: 340-600
Departure time: 15:50

Once on board I was welcomed escorted to my seat in the second row. I stashed my bags under the footstool. The crewmember hung my jacket in the small closet to the side of the suite. I was asked if I would care for a drink and of course went with champagne.
I was joined on board by a full complement in First including (for you Aussies reading this) Maggie Tabberer and Stewart Wagstaff who were travelling with another couple.

At the seat were the menus, a small welcome card signed by the cabin manager and a small box containing a chocolate and a date with orange peel.

The captain came on the horn and announced a flying time of 14 hours and 10 minutes. The cabin manager dropped by and introduced herself and asked me to let her know if I needed anything.

My champagne was finally delivered by a crewmember who introduced herself and let me know the name of the others who would be working First.



We pushed back at 15:51 and taxied down to the end of the North/South runway at SYD.
The crew distributed PJs, amenity kits and took post take off drink orders whilst we taxied.

We took off at 16:17 and I was able to use the nose cam to watch the take off which is pretty cool.
It was quite bumpy after take off as we made our way through the cloud band above Sydney.

After take off the crew came around with the usual welcome of Arabic coffee and dates.

It took almost a full hour after take off to get my post take off drink order. I seemed to be Mr invisible again on this flight. Others around me were drinking and eating the amuse bouche and I was still sitting there thirsty.

Eventually my mai tai was delivered along with a plate with satay chicken on a skewer served with yoghurt and mint and an olive.



The on-board chef stopped at my seat and asked what I would like to eat. No prompting again and no suggestions.

A LA CARTE
APPETISERS
Smoked duck salad new potatoes, broad beans, gherkin, olive salsa

Traditional Arabic mezze hot and cold Arabian hors d’oeuvres

Arabic chickpea soup vegetable panache

Creamy cauliflower and roasted almond soup double cream

MAINS
Arabic mixed grill kabsa rice, roasted vegetables, Moroccan roasted tomato sauce

Seared fillet of snapper and salmon mashed potato with Parmesan cheese, asparagus spears, seafood mornay sauce

Al dente tagliatelle pasta basil pesto, cherry tomatoes, black olives shaved Parmesan cheese

From THE GRILLE
Beef tenderloin
Rib-eye steak
Mixed grill
Chicken supreme
Duet of hammour and jumbo prawns

SIDES
Ratatouille
Asparagus
Herb-crusted mushroom caps
Roasted chat potatoes
Creamy mashed potatoes
Steamed rice

SAUCES
Bernaise
Veal jus
Herb cream sauce
Café de Paris butter

TASTE OF ARABIA
A tasting menu of chef’s Arabic signature dishes
Traditional Arabic mezze hot and cold Arabian hors d’oeuvres
Arabic chickpea soup vegetable panache
Arabic mixed grill kabsa rice, roasted vegetables, Moroccan roasted tomato sauce
Warm Middle Eastern semolina pudding double cream, saffron infused lemon syrup

DESSERTS AND DIGESTIFS
CHEESE
Selection of international cheeses

DESSERT
Fresh fruits with strawberry coulis

Providore ice cream

Quattro of desserts
warm Gorgonzola bread and butter pudding, vanilla panna cotta with stewed berries, avocado smoothie with walnut chips, triple chocolate petit cake
Warm Middle Eastern semolina pudding double cream, saffron infused lemon syrup

Lamington cake mascarpone, meringue, passion fruit coulis

DESSERT WINE
Domaine Grange Neuve 2009 Monbazillac, France

DIGESTIFS AND LIQUEURS
Taylor’s Select Reserve Port
A.De Fussigny XO Cognac
Cointreau
Kahlua
Baileys
Villa Massa Limoncello

APERITIFS AND SPIRITS
Martini Extra Dry
Martini Bianco
Royal Salute 21 year old Scotch Whisky
Glenlivet 12 year old Single Malt Whisky
Jameson Irish Whiskey
Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennesee Whiskey
Grey Goose Vodka
Absolut Vodka
Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin
Bacardi Superior Rum
A. De Fussigny XO Cognac
Taylor’s Select Reserve Port
Lustau Deluxe Cream Capataz Andres Sherry

BEERS
Foster’s
Stella Artois
Victoria Bitter

COCKTAILS
Strawberry Daiquiri
Pomegranate Cosmopolitan
Pacific Mai Tai
Mojito

LIQUEURS
Baileys Irish Cream
Cointreau Orange Liqueur
Kahlua Coffee Liqueur
Villa Massa Limoncello

LIQUEUR COFFEES
Irish Coffee
Cointreau Coffee
Baileys Iced Coffee

SOFT DRINKS
Seasonal Fresh Juices
Spiced Tomato Juice
Mix Fruit Mocktail
Pepsi
Diet Pepsi
Mirinda Orange
Everness Soda
Everness Tonic
Everness Ginger Ale
Pocari Sweat

WATERS
Voss Still Artesian Water
Voss Sparkling Artesian Water
Champagne
Bollinger La Grande Annee 2000, Champagne, France
Taittinger Prestige Rose Champagne, Champagne, France

WHITE WINE
Chassagne Montrachet Le Divin 2007, Laboure-Roi, Burgundy, France
Lenz Loimer Riesling Kamptal, DAC 2010, Austria
Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011, New Zealand

RED WINE
Chateau Kirwan 1998 Grand Cru Classe Margaux, Bordeaux France
Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Alexander Valley, California, USA
Morgenhof Estate Merlot 2007, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Kim Crawford Pinot Noir 2010, Marlborough, New Zealand
Tyrell’s Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz 2009, Australia

DESSERT WINE
Domaine de Grange Neuve 2009, Monbazillac, France

COFFEES
Espresso
Macchiato
Latte
Cappuccino
American Filter
Decaffeinated Filter

TEAS
Udawatte Single Region Ceylon
Elegant Earl Grey
Arabian Mint and Honey
Berry Sensation
Fragrant Jasmine Green Tea
Italian Almond
Lively Lime and Orange Fusion
Rose with French Vanilla
Sencha Japanese Green Tea
Chamomile
Decaffeinated

I did my usual flight mode thing of selecting a range of albums from the extensive selection and added them to my playlist. On E-Box the EY IFE you can select a range of albums and play the tracks randomly, which is a real treat. You are also able to listen to them whilst watching the flight path or sky cam.

My table was eventually set for the meal and a breadbasket was placed at the table. Others around me were being given a starter plate of dips and vine leaves yet I seems to miss out on this. Likewise I was given water but no wine. Eventually my soup was delivered and I asked why I was not given the starter plate. The crew apologised and said she forgot me and brought back the small tray with Olive dip, a spicy dip, some Arabic version of a dolmades and cream cheese filled small pepper.





After I had finished these the plates were removed and a blood orange sorbet was offered up as a palate cleanser. I then waited, and waited.



The cabin manager came around and informed me that the ovens were playing up and the main would be a while longer. Eventually my main course was delivered and it was not what I ordered. I had asked for the Salmon and Snapper combo. Instead the plate before me had the hammour and prawns.

I rang the call bell and explained that this was not what I ordered. The Cabin Manager took the meal and came back explaining that the chef had plated the wrong thing. Several mintues later the chef came by and explained he had dropped my meal and could he get me something else and suggested the rib-eye. I said OK with the asparagus and mash. He said it would take a few minutes to prepare.

During this long delay my glass of Sauv Blanc was being refilled constantly. My glass was empty at this stage and the cabin manager asked if I would like to change wines for the main and I said I would like a glass of the Shiraz.

The shiraz was then delivered and a while later the main course eventually came out. In the meantime the post meal hot towels were handed out before I had even had my main.





The steak was not too bad, but still not up to JAL standard. I think they will be hard to beat I fear.

After the main the dessert I had ordered was delivered along with a glass of the dessert wine.





After the dessert I asked for a double espresso and a glass of limoncello. She asked if I wanted ice and I said no.
My coffee and a chocolate were delivered along with a highball glass full of lemoncello and ice!



I started to write up this report at this point and finished my coffee and chocolate.
The Cabin Manager dropped by with a bowl of cashews and almonds for me to much on whilst I drank my gallon of lemoncello.

For those of you that don’t realise how big the Australian continent is we flew across the continent from Sydney to Broome and only left the country behind just under 4 hours after take off.

The chef dropped by to apologise again for the meal debacle and ask if I enjoyed my steak.

After the meal and the humungous glass of limoncello I was feeling a little sleepy. I went to the loo and wanted to ask someone to set up my bed. No one to be seen in the F galley. Aren’t there rules about this?
I went back to my seat and set the seat down to a bed and pulled the blanket out of its wrapping and went down for a bit of kip.

Around 6.5 hours later I awoke and downed the bottle of warm Voss water that was in the cubbyhole at my seat. I got up and went to the galley and asked for some more sparkling water. This was delivered by the chef and he asked me if I wanted a snack or sandwich.

KITCHEN anytime
Garden salad styled by your in-flight chef
Toasted bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese
Chef’s sandwich with your choice of filling
Fish and chips, minted mushy peas, tartar sauce
Chicken and mushroom pie mashed potato, rosemary gravy
Cheese selection of international cheese
Traditional lamington double cream
Fresh fruit platter
Providore ice cream

NIBBLES
Potato crisps - selection of flavours
Baked cookies and madeleines
Swedish crisp breads
Arabic baklava

I said I had been eyeing off the chicken and mushroom pie. He then asked if I wanted wine with it and I thought what the heck. More of the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc if you please.
The wine was delivered and then another crewmember came along to set my table.

My chicken and mushroom pie was then delivered with some mashed potato. Despite the service issues on Etihad and apart from the first steak on my way from AUH to SYD, the food has been quite tasty. This was no exception the pie was lovely and mash creamy and flavourful.





I was offered more wine and accepted whilst I continued to write up this report.

After topping up this report and refusing one more top up of wine I just settled back and watched the flight path on the IFE and listen to my music selection.

Ok lets see what the seat can do:








Around an hour before landing I changed back into my civvies and prepared my stuff for landing. I don’t know why I do this so early all the time but that seems to be my habit. The crew and cabin manager dropped by to thank me for flying with them and hoping I had a good flight.
We landed at 23:25 and taxied to the gate and the jetway was connected to door 2L. This meant half of J getting off before the F passengers.

Continued...


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