amolkold

Or just not flying UA. My return from LHR had the most mediocre meals ... I even resorted to pulling out snacks I had in my bag for sustenance. In F!

Danile_Cher

Waa..
Now I am kind afraid that I would Experience that while I am flying SFO-ICN
Hopo it would not happen

gpeso8

Great report. It is really epic.

FlyerTalker7654

Great TR! Really enjoyed reading it!

On a side note, I have flown my fair share of various airlines in J class and F class over the years, and every time I fly a new airline I almost feel embarrassed for the likes of United and US Airways. Your write up and pics on EK is stunning, its how flying First class should be....even the J class looks amazing. I flew US Air envoy from PHL-LHR back in Dec and it was just "average"....everything from the food, to the FA.....I just don't get it!

The flight from HGK to BKK was only 3 odd hours and look at that meal, looked great! Yet I flew J class from HNL - SFO with UA a year and a bit ago and was only offered a crappy dirty salad...when I asked if I could buy some food I was told "no sorry we don't have anything"????

If only EK or QR flew LHR to the States!

ORDnHKG

Not sure about that with LH, many people said they have inconsistent service, it is really hit or miss, and I had proved that is true indeed. I had awful service on LH F FRA-KIX, and excellent service for LH F MUC-ORD. The two FA on my FRA-KIX flight hide in the galley the entire flight once the meal is finish, no one approach me if I need something when I wake up, even when I asked, they lied about no mid-flight snack at all, food is lousy for Japanese option.

I don't know about west coast to Europe, but on a 10 hours MUC-ORD, only PJ top was given.

Well, *A can go to many places, and more options for just one route. With *A you can use miles even for F on LH's 380, F or TG's 380, and soon will be F on OZ's 380. With DL you won't be able to do F or AF or KE's 380.




It is the hard product better than TG or CX, nothing else. From your photos, EK's own lounge in HKG is really pathetic, TG lounge and especially CX's F lounge wins hands down. For TG, you will always have a cart ride with escort to the plane, then another cart right with escort once you arrive. You don't even need any pass for immigration, the escort will bring you to the immigration for diplomats, or to wherever you need to go. TG F lounge in BKK is also the highlights, I am not sure EK F would even have access to that.

From you photos, I am not sure if it because it is short haul, I saw a tray, you shouldn't see a tray in F at all, it seems like J class service, everything in one tray. TG or CX certainly set everything up on your table without any trays for HKG-BKK, and you even get a bread basket !

Sure the suite and shower on EK's 380 is nice, but I can't see anything beyond that is better than TG or CX at all.

amolkold

Thanks gpeso8!

Thanks, SgtRyan. Indeed, wait for my final part, UA 777 new F LHR-LAX. It was terribly lousy, a sad ending to an otherwise great trip. My EK F segments were terrific, though the flight is a rare one (a stupendous A380 on such a short flight, with heavy competition on the sector driving down fares). However, even my 3h15m SIN-HAN flight on SQ J blew both of my 11h UA F flights out of the water.

LHR to the States is a tough one, since you're pretty much restricted to US and UK carriers if you don't want to backtrack (plus AC if you can connect or NZ for LHR-LAX). But I feel that even VS/BA/NZ J to LAX would have been better than my UA F flight.

I would rather have hit or miss than likely miss. From now on, I'm avoiding UA internationally like the plague. I'll take chances with LH.

MUC-ORD is westbound. All eastbound flights from the west-coast are overnighters. I think you'll get more on those.

Like I said, there's more to Delta than the miles. I like it as an airline so long as I have status, even after leaving ATL.

Actually with 2 TG F segments later on, I never got the cart ride within the airport. At either HKG, BKK, or FRA. The TG F lounge is great, but the product on my HKG-BKK flight on TG was rather old.

There was a tray in the set up, but I don't really care. The faster the meal service on a short segment, the better. Let me enjoy the rest of the suite. My HKG-BKK TG F flight didn't have a tray and the meal service took a lot longer. There's also absolutely nothing else to do on the plane.

The EK flight also continues on to DXB and most people sleep through the 1-hour ground time. I'm sure that has something to do with it as well. My LX F flight had a tray, but that was only because I ate when 7 other pax in the cabin were sleeping and the FA wanted to minimize clinking.

Is a bread basket great? Yes. But with EK's flight attendant's constantly roaming, my plate was never empty, except when I declined more.

The TG F lounge at BKK is great, but of course it is, it's their main hub. So is the CX F lounge at HKG, but the same thing there. I can fly wherever I want ex-BKK on TG and ex-HKG on CX using my miles. Without an AS chart, I have no clue how to redeem for EK F, a product I've been wanting to try for a while. This HKG-BKK flight was the best option I had for the time-being.

I'll take the very small shortcomings on EK's flight (a tray and no bread basket) for the very superior A380 product. It was a fun flight. I'm glad I took it.

amolkold

For some reason, my mind had it that my flight to Mumbai was at 12:30am so I made it back to the airport at around 10:30 pm. It wasn’t until then that I realized it’d be quite a long time until we’d depart. On weekends, SQ 422 leaves at 2:30am and arrives close to 5am in Mumbai. I don’t think I’ve ever arrived to India at a normal time.

There are plenty of worse places to sit out a long airport stay than Changi airport, with or without lounge access. All the cool stuff is in T3, but India and Southeast Asia flights all depart T2, so I was relegated to the older terminal on this itinerary. In fact, I didn’t know if I could have gone to T3 … I imagine so, but didn’t question it until close to boarding time, way too late to go visit another terminal. It’s alright though, I’m scheduled to visit T3 again later this year in SQ Y, and with no *G status for the time-being, will just have the slum it out in the world’s best airport. Although I'm crossing my fingers on a potential status-match ...

But tonight I’m in J, so like a good business class passenger I kept to the lounge. A shower in a rather mediocre shower room was refreshing, while the food selection was satisfactory. I forgot to take a picture in my tired state. My mind was too focused on the breaking news on CNN that US had plans to merge with AA.


T2 SKL. Business to the left, First to the right.


Can't get enough of this table!


Noooooooooo!

After a while, it was apparent that the only two departures remaining were mine to BOM and SQ 406 to DEL. Both have departures past 2am on the weekends, which I can’t say for any other flight that departs T2. Since the SKLs are for only Singapore Airlines pax, the lounge was full of passengers heading to the subcontinent on either of these flights. Already, I was being reintroduced to the motherland.

With eyes drooping, I tried to get some shut-eye in the far corner of the lounge, devoid of any other passengers. This worked for about 10 minutes until a group of Delhi-ites joined the seats near me and started speaking loudly in Hindi. I asked them in their native tongue to keep it down, but got dirty looks instead.

So I moved to the other side of the lounge, where I was soon joined by a family of 6, including 3 playfully excited and loud children. Needless to say, I got up as soon as possible (and prayed they were on the DEL flight and not the BOM one).

After a quick dose of caffeine via the coffee machine, I decided to whip out my computer and check/respond to emails before being disconnected for lord knows how long. The business center in the SKL is right near the entrance – some of the stations have computers in them, while others are simply desk areas for work. I took one of the latter and was actually productive for 15 minutes, until getting distracted by a gentleman behind me who was blasting Indian Premier League cricket video highlights at full volume. Seriously, dude?? I tried to ask him to lower the volume, which he would do momentarily before raising it again a short while later. When his child joined him and began playing internet games at similar volume, I packed up my things and left the lounge and joined the peaceful serenity of an empty Terminal 2.

I made a visit to the duty-free store right below the lounge to get some chocolates for my family in India (and to get rid of the remaining Singaporean dollars I had). By then, it was 1:00am, and the two India flights were assigned F gates in the high 50s, about 15 minutes walk away. Frankly, I don’t blame SQ for sticking us at the end of the terminal. The behavior in the SKL shows we’re a loud bunch.


T2


Indoor gardens and koi ponds. Non-lounge serenity.

I made the walk to gate F58 and was greeted by a long line for security check. It took about 10 minutes in line, but I was quickly let in and took a seat toward the gate, surrounded by all sorts of folks with green boarding passes denoting Economy.

One thing I love to do when I’m on my own is people-watch, and with the amount of people in the gate area, that was an easy task to do. While mostly Indians, there was a diverse array of folks around. Next to me was a young couple with a kid not older than 3-years-old. They were filling out the immigration cards and talking to their child in their native Marathi tongue, asking him if he was excited to go on the plane but also telling him to keep quiet when he shouted answers. Across were a couple of older Indian grandmothers, adoring the young couple’s child, mentioning that they each had grandchildren his age. On the other side was a group of three Australians, all excited to visit India for the first time on a volunteering trip. It’s surreal to think that I’d share a airborne vessel with these people for the next 5+ hours, yet would probably not see them due to a curtain separating our seating areas. They all seemed to have interesting stories, stories I’d never probably get to know deeply, yet knew only barely due to being outside the confines of a lounge. It’s easy to get jaded with all this premium class travel … sometimes a seat amongst the masses can be just as invigorating.

Oh what's that? Business class is boarding? Out of my way, everyone!

amolkold

SQ 422
SIN-BOM, 5h00m
Boeing 777-200
Seat 18K, regional J

On this 777, SQ has just business and economy. There is a large business class cabin at the front separated from a smaller business cabin at door 2L. I decided on the smaller cabin at the back, which turned out to be a good choice since there were only 4 of us compared to about 14 in the front. I was able to get a window seat and an empty aisle seat next to myself.

I guess this gate had just 1 jetway, so all passengers boarded at door 2L. This was the main reason I chose a seat on the starboard side, to avoid heavy traffic down the port side aisle during boarding.


Smaller rear J cabin


Row 18


18K


Bulkhead Row 17, for comparison


View from 18K

I was welcomed by an Indian FA, who had the biggest smile of the trip so far. No matter whom the FA flies for, if he/she has a great smile, it’s definitely a positive and welcoming feeling. I could be flying Allegiant Air in Y, it's still good. Though it helps if it comes from a SQ girl in J.

She offered some champagne and confirmed my Book the Cook meal selection. For both my ex-SIN flights, I went with Singapore Chicken Rice. A great decision. I was also given an “amenity kit,” which on SQ is just a sorry set of eyemask and odd-fitting booties to put over your feet. I know this is only business class, but I expect better. Some airlines, like Turkish, have better amenity kits in economy.

The regional business class seat itself is comfortable, more so than the old J seat, though it is an angled lie-flat product and not fully lie-flat like the new business. There are various places for storage but they all seem to be pretty useless. Rather than have one large storage place in the seat in front, SQ decided to place two small storage units that can’t really hold anything. The charging port is awkwardly placed in an area on the side of the seat, although they did put a good-sized space to keep a laptop computer.


Charging port/laptop slot


Seat control panel within the armrest. Apologies for the blurriness


Reading light, off and on.


Flowers in the lav. A nice touch.

Before takeoff, the FA came by to ask what I’d like to drink after takeoff, as I expected (I’m getting used to the SQ J routine). Since Mumbai is India, I asked for my Masala Chai that was previously unavailable, but due to the heat in the cabin (no individual air vents on SQ), asked for it iced. The FA acted as if I had requested the ice to be flown in from the north pole, commenting that “I don’t know if I could do that.” This despite the menu clearly saying that Asian teas are “[a]vailable hot or with ice.”


The disappointing thanda cold chai tea. I'll stick to hot from here on out.

Our Boeing 777 took off toward the southwest with an incredible amount of thrust, pushing me back into the comfortable J seat. Somehow I think that Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor was part of the Boeing and Rolls Royce design teams … “MORE POWER” followed by lots of grunting. This plane is the anti-A340.

As soon as the seatbelt sign turned off, the sound of seat belts clicking open emanated from the galley and jump seat areas. Given the late departure and supper service, the FAs put on a quick service. Here’s the menu, for both this flight and the return:

Delicious starter. You can't go wrong with salmon on a plane!


I don't know why I took this picture. In my tired state, I must have forgotten that I took one before digging in.


AMAZING S'pore Chicken Rice. Look at those chili sauces!

A great meal – I definitely recommend the Singapore Chicken Rice for a BTC meal. After my setting was cleared, I put the bed down for 3 hours of solid sleep, or about as solid as one can get on angled lie flats. They’re not bad for a nap, but I wouldn’t want them on 8+ hour flights.

I was awoken as we made our initial descent into the Mumbai area, approaching from the east. I think. It looked like the east. It was dark. Frankly, I’ve never seen BOM during the day so I have no clue what it looks like. We parked next to a TK flight from IST and exited to a busy terminal. Immigration went quickly, mostly thanks to a dedicated business class line (though not that much faster than the line for the special type of Indian visa I hold).


Too early of an arrival. I had half a mind to ask the captain to figure-eight around the Arabian Sea for 20 more minutes.


I'm going to need more boxes for #13

I left the confines of the airport and entered the already 32ºC/89ºF temperature outside. At 5:30am. A quick location of my ground transport to take me to my family's home a couple hours away. I conked out for the extremely bumpy, hot, and loud car ride. Horn OK Please.

I left Los Angeles early on a Tuesday morning and arrived India early Saturday morning. Given the time change, it took in the ballpark of 84 hours to make a journey that normally takes less than 30.

Welcome to India. Finally.

-----
Post-Script:

A few months ago, in the dead of winter (which means 55ºF/13ºC at midnight in L.A.), I was discussing over drinks with a friend about how damn far India is for those of us in the states, particularly from California.

While those on the east coast have recently had more non-stop options, we on the west coast don’t share this. For us, it’s either a long flight to Europe followed by a long flight to India, or the same way around Asia. After a day’s journey, and upon landing in that twilight zone of the clock known as “midnight to 5am,” you simply move your watch a half-hour ahead, switching PM for AM. Lord help you if you’re seated behind the wings.

During that discussion, I pondered what was the furthest journey one could make to or from India. I pulled out my iPhone and brought up our friend, the Great Circle Mapper, and typed in the local LAX for its airport info. The farthest airport was on the island of Reunion, with the true farthest point a bit south of that, in a spot in the Indian Ocean along the PER-JNB route. Like a true travel nerd, I noted that island for the future.

I then searched BOM’s airport info, and was amazed when I saw that the farthest airport from there was none other than IPC – Mataveri Airport on Easter Island, in the South Pacific. The same island that, at the time, I’d be visiting in 2 weeks time. I searched the same information for IPC, to find that its farthest airport was in western India, very close to where I would be heading within India using ground transportation.

The travel geek in me lighted up; on two consecutive trips, I would be at 2 antipodal points of the Earth – from a tiny, isolated island in the South Pacific, home of the world’s most remote airport; to the densely populated motherland, considered one of the cradles of modern civilization. Excuse me while I say – HOW EFFING COOL IS THAT?!?

oliverckhaas

An absolutely incredible report! I can never get enough of reading LX/LH and EK First reports as I mentally prepare for my first stint, which will I soon be able to plan after 7 years of dedicated mile collection.

Your prose is fantastic, as are your pictures. I really thank you for taking the time to share this trip with the community.

My favorite piece was the comparison of various F products to car brands. Awesome!

Flyingfox

Nice report.

The UA food looks like it came straight out of a school canteen, as usual.
I'm sure the service was as good.

Flyingfox

"Mentally prepare" for a flight?
It takes no concentration, really. You just sit back and the pilot does the flying!

amolkold

So I'm ready to write up my next segment (returning from BOM) but I just realized I don't have any pictures from that. I've sent a note to my sister asking if she took any, but looks like it'll be a text report. I'll see if I can have some fun with that one ...

Thank you, oliverckhaas for the kind comments! I enjoy the TR 2.0 formats on yours!

Thank you, Flyingfox. The UA food was by far even worse on my return segment on the 777. Geez. I've heard all the moaning and groaning about US carriers vs. international ones, but now that I've seen it in person, I totally get it.

Not if you're an FTer. When I sent my mom on TG F/NH F out of BKK, I gave her a page-long list of things to make sure to do (like make sure you sign up for a massage pronto since the layover is only 3 hours, make sure you ask for a private living room, make sure ... blah blah blah)

Also, planning out a trip like this takes hours on EF/KVS/award engines, plus more hours with US call center. The LX/TG/SQ segments made them worth it.

wcalvert

Absolutely fantastic and wonderful TR. Really really really excellent.

ThatJohn

Mate, this is an absolute stunner of a trip report. Thanks very much for sharing it with us all!

phillystudent

Absolutely fantastic TR; can't wait for the remainder. Thanks for sharing!