gba

Ok, I’ll admit it. This trip report is overdue. Way overdue. I’m lucky none of the airlines in the report have disappeared. And yet flipping through the files on my computer I realized that taking pictures of airline food and then NOT posting them on the internet is even weirder than taking the pictures in the first place, so I feel like I still have to share. Needless to say, a year after the fact my memory is a little fuzzy and I’ve got to rely on the few scribbles that I have that pass for notes. But here goes.

If you’re interested, my prior reports are
1. AS/BA F SEA-SFO-LHR-BKK-SYD-SIN-LHR-SEA plus LDH
2. DBV and OTP in Dec. via DL J and LH F: SEA-AMS-ZAG-DBV-ZAG-VIE-OTP-FRA-SEA
3. The world is round! SEA-SFO-PVG-BKK-HKT-SIN-PVG-ZRH-FRA-ORD-SEA on UA, LX, LH F, TG, SQ C, and 3K Y
4. SEA-IAD-MUC-VCE-FRA-BKK-HKG-DPS-BKK-BRU-FRA-SEA on UA/TG A380/LH/CX C, TG, the JW Marriott Hong Kong, Conrad Bali, and GM Chedi Club

May 4, 2013
United 238, SEA-IAH
757-200, N533UA
Depart: 11:52am
Arrive: 5:58pm
Duration: 4:06
Seat: 2F

Unless there’s a good rant to be had, nobody reads trip reports to hear about the United segments. The only thing to rant about today would be the TSA who noticed that I was holding a connecting international boarding pass and denied me access to PreCheck even though I got the mythical three beeps. A few weeks later the rules were changed to allow PreCheck access on international itineraries. Where are you Alanis Morissette? That is ironic.

Although a legacy CO route, today’s flight would be operated by a legacy UA aircraft and would be my last flight out of the historically United gates in SeaTac’s north satellite. After a brief final visit to the window-less dungeon lounge in the basement of the satellite and, unlike pre-merger United, actually boarded a few minutes before the boarding time posted on our boarding pass. (I’ll admit this isn’t a change I especially like, in fact, the general preference of people wanting to board early, for reasons other than claiming overhead bin space, has generally confused me).

By United standards, the flight was fairly decent. We took off to the north and made a U-turn over I-90 towards Houston. Hot nuts and drinks were quickly presented and lunch was a choice of a salad or burger. Anticipating the caloric extravaganza that was coming on TK I opted for the salad. Although the portion seems to shrink every time I fly it adequately kept my stomach from grumbling for a few hours and wasn’t at all repulsive (that’s a compliment for domestic airline food)



An hour and a half out of Houston, the flight attendant came around again with warm cookies and a final drink service. We flew past the airport and then turned back north before landing right on time.

Turkish doesn’t have its own lounge (or even its own contact lounge) in IAH so we poked our noses into a couple of United Clubs to kill time as we made the rather long walk from the C gates where we arrived to D11 where our flight to Istanbul was departing from.

May 4, 2013
Turkish 34, IAH-IST
777-300ER, TC-JJJ
Depart: 7:50pm
Arrive: 3:55pm+1
Duration: 12:05
Seat: 2J

As we approached the TK gate, our names were paged to come up to the podium for an additional passport scan and we were issued new boarding passes on TK stock. Boarding began over an hour before scheduled departure and, seeing as how there was no lounge we could use in the general vicinity of the gate, we made our way on board as part of the first group. One advantage of the early boarding was the opportunity to take a few pictures of the cabin before it got too crowded (maybe that’s why everyone always crowds around for early boarding).


Our seats


Looking across row two

We were quickly offered pre-departure drinks from a tray which included water, and a unique raspberry soda and mint lemonade conveniently labeled in both Turkish and English.


Pre-departure beverages

After a bit once the cabin had filled in a bit more the onboard chef (aka the flight attendant with the poofy white hat) came through offering small boxes of Godiva truffles and another flight attendant wheeled the newspaper trolley through the cabin. Headphones, amenity kits, and slippers were also distributed prior to departure.


Pre-departure accumulation of stuff

We pushed back on-time and taxied to runway 15L just as the sun was setting. My preference for any trip across the Atlantic from the West coast is to try to leave as late in the day as possible and not only was the Turkish flight and the relatively late departure (admittedly, it was only 6pm Pacific Time but this is still much better than the 1-2pm departures from the West Coast which are timed to arrive in Europe in the early morning) definitely earned this flight bonus points. Also, unlike Western Europe, the relatively long flight time to Istanbul provides enough time to eat, sleep, and then eat again without feeling like any activity needs to be rushed.


IAH at Sunset

Once we were airborne, the crew came through the cabin with a yummy tray of Turkish Delight followed by menus. Drink orders were taken by a regular flight attendant and then the chef came through taking meal orders. The physical menus themselves were as large as I’ve seen in business class and consisted of a large folder which included the menu for the main meal service, the breakfast menu, a non-alcoholic beverages menu, and a separate wine list. Here’s a summary of the beverages:

White Wines
Prestige Narince 2011
Chablis Premier Cru Les Beauroys 2008

Rose Wines
Kavaklidere Egeo 2011

Red Wines
Doluca Karma Cabarnet Sauvignon Okuzgozu 2006
Chateau Lamothe Pontac Medoc 2009
Bodegas Beronia Crianza 2008
Bodega Norton Privada 2009
Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage 2007

Champagne
Gosset Brut Grande Reserve

Aperitives
Chivas Regal 12 years
Ballantines Blended Scotch 12 years
The Glenlivet French Oak 15 years
Jim Bean Bourbon Black
Smirnoff Black
Beefeater Gin
Raki "Efe Yaş Üzüm Rakisi"

Digestives
Grand Mariner
Baker's Irish Cream
Hare Sour Cherry Liqueur
Hennessy VSOP

Beers
Efes Pilsen
Carlsberg

Hot Drinks
Black tea
Herbal tea selections
Instant coffee
Filter coffee
Espresso
Cappuccino
Turkish Coffee
Hot chocolate

Juices
Orange
Tomato

Selection of Sparkling soft drinks
Cola
Cola Light
Fizzy drink
Mineral water

Here’s what the chef was cooking up in the galley for dinner (MK_ER_IAHIST_BC_1):

Assorted canapés

Selection from our trolley
Smoked salmon / horseradish cream
Mediterranean prawn salad
Beef meatballs in tomato sauce
Chicken Caesar salad / croutons
Fried eggplant and green pepper with tomato sauce
White cheese and cherry tomatoes
Fried zucchinis
or
CORN SOUP
Croutons

Please choose from our selection:
GRILLED FILLET OF SEA BASS
Lemon butter / Mediterranean vegetables / buttered potatoes
or
LAMB CHOPS
Herbed butter / sautéed polenta
Green asparagus / roasted red pepper
or
SPAGHETTI WITH TOMATO SAUCE
sun-dried tomato
Arugula / roasted pine nuts
Assorted cheese, fresh fruit and dessert from our trolley

TURKISH DESSERTS
BAKED FRUIT CREPE
Vanilla sauce
GLITTER CAKE
VANILLA ICE CREAM

SNACK SERVICE
Smoked salmon sandwich
Cheese cake

Coffee and/or Tea
Digestives from our Trolley
Petits desserts

Yum! Drinks were promptly served with both mixed nuts and a plate with three canapes. The flight attendants came through with a cart that contained place settings, as well as a personal bread basket, and then the impressive appetizer cart rolled through separately.



It’s a matter of some debate as to whether service is better from a cart or from the galley but given the number of appetizers on offer (and given how mezze are often presented in Turkey) the cart service in this case seems better because it allows you to look at what’s on offer and point to what you want. And point I did.


Is that one of everything? Nope, I skipped the Caesar salad

Although the menu suggested that there was to be a choice of appetizer cart “or” corn soup (world’s easiest choice, BTW), after appetizers were finished the crew presented everyone with a yummy bowl of corn soup by default. Although it doesn’t look like much in the picture, the soup was excellent.


I feel like I should make a corny joke

For the main course, I opted for the Sea Bass which was pretty good, although perhaps less noteworthy than the impressive starters and soup that had come before.


Sea Bass

Once the entire cabin had finished their mains, the crew came through with the fruit, cheese, and dessert cart. Again, I tried to have a nibble of everything (editor’s note: I shared the desserts with my partner). The fruit and cheese were fairly standard but the desserts, especially the chocolate glitter cake, were stellar.


Finale

A concluding service of coffee, tea, and cordials was offered to wrap up what was, unquestionably, the best business class meal I’ve had on a plane and certainly one of the more enjoyable meals I’ve had on a plane in any class of service.

The meal service wrapped up and the lights in the cabin were dimmed about three hours after departure from Houston. Right after the lights were dimmed, one of the crew came through to collect breakfast cards so the crew would know what to prepare for the second service.

Our route took us northeast from Houston to just west of Cincinnati then due north to Traverse City before turning northeast again towards Europe. We flew north of Great Britain and crossed over the European coastline near Copenhagen on our way towards Istanbul.

I reclined my seat as soon as the meal service completed and managed to get around five hours sleep without much effort. Although the standard and reverse herringbone seats seem to be all the rage these days, these spacious lie flats seem to me to be preferred when traveling with a partner. They seem significantly wider than the various angled seats out there and they allow you to converse with your neighbor. Also, the presence of a true footrest the same width as the seat instead of a foot cubby makes them seem less confining. Alternately, if I were traveling alone, I think I would prefer a different configuration, especially if I ended up in the middle of the 2-3-2 layout in TK’s front cabin.

I began to stir out of my slumber when the lights were turned up about two hours out of Istanbul. I only vaguely recalled what I’d put on my menu card several hours before but what arrived more-or-less seemed to match (I think the crew may have corrected some perceived oversights, which I was fine with). Here’s what the choices were:

Please choose from our selection:
Freshly squeezed orange juice
Melon juice
Strawberry banana smoothie
Tomato juice
Coffee: plain/with milk
Decaffeinated Coffee
Hot Chocolate
Black tea (Turkish blend): plain/with milk/with lemon
Herbal tea selection: Please ask for the tea selections to cabin crew

Milk
Yoghurt with apple mousse
Bircher Muesli
Chicken and turkey breasts

Strawberry jam
Honey

Omelet with cottage cheese
Herbed mushrooms and tomato
Sauteéd potatoes
or
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes and green peppers
Turkey ham and cheese toast
Grilled tomato and green pepper

Additionally we serve:
Seasonal fresh fruit plate
Selection of cheese
Ovenfresh bread selection
Croissant

I don’t think anybody has ever gone hungry in Turkish Business Class. Although often it seems like the “second service” on a long haul flight is a bit of an over thought (and quality certainly suffers on food that has been sitting for 12+ hours) this service was surprisingly decent. Whatever any one component may have lacked, was certainly made up with by the variety of items on offer:


Second service, first course

To start, I had an orange, smoothie, fruit plate, yogurt with apple mouse, and a cheese and vegetable salad (I’m not sure which box I checked on the menu to get this, but it was a nice touch) followed by the scrambled eggs with tomato and green pepper.


Second service, main course

I’ll be the first to admit that the eggs didn’t look like much but they were tastier than the majority of airplane eggs I’ve had and were a bit soft which I enjoy. To conclude the meal, I order a Turkish coffee which was served with a piece of Turkish Delight—a fitting conclusion to a fine service on Turkish Airlines.


Turkish Coffee/Turkish Delight/Turkish Airlines

Our approach into Istanbul had us flying over the Bosphorus before coming in from the south for a smooth landing about twenty minutes ahead of schedule. After quickly grabbing a visa we had about a 5-10 minute wait to get through “fast track” immigration before heading into the City. The general immigration lines were quite long at this time, I’d imagine waits were well over an hour, so we were glad to be able to bypass them given that we only had ~27 hours in Istanbul.

gba

May 6, 2013
Turkish 1025, IST-SJJ
737-700, TC-JKN
Depart: 6:45pm
Arrive: 7:35pm
Duration: 1:50
Seat: 2E

After a whirlwind run through some of the highlights of Istanbul, we were back at Ataturk Airport the next afternoon for the short hop up to Sarajevo. A somewhat disgruntled check-in agent gave us roundabout directions to the much-anticipated Turkish Business Class lounge (through the regular, slow passport control and main entrance instead of through the direct entrance from landside). Once we found it, however, the lounge did not disappoint. I can’t say I’ve been to all of them, but I can say with some confidence that I believe this is the nicest Star Gold lounge in the world. Although a bit crowded during the evening rush, the lounge was so large and so well-catered that the lack of tranquility can be overlooked:


Map of Turkish Business Class lounge, Istanbul

Much has been written elsewhere about this lounge so I won’t spend too much time on except to say that the highlight is definitely the “Gourmet Entertainment provided by DO&CO” which included freshly made pide (Turkish pizza), kabobs, and pasta as well as numerous mezze and cakes.

45 minutes before our scheduled departure we ambled out of the lounge towards our indicated departure gate which was located in the over-crowded basement of the terminal. Upon arrival, we found a long queue but no signs of actual boarding. Eventually, and without announcement, the line started moving and we squeezed onto a bus to make our way out to the plane.
Once on board, the experience improved significantly. This 737-700 was equipped with US-style domestic first class seats rather than the coach seats with blocked middle seats typical of European short-haul flying. We were offered the same pre-departure soda and lemonade that we’d had the day before in Houston and pushed off of our remote stand about five minutes behind schedule.

After taking off from 33L, we were offered hot towels and menus and a one-tray meal was served along with a choice of drinks.



MENU
Stuffed Eggplant Marinated in Olive Oil

Salmon Tartar
Tabbouleh
Humus
Baked Red Pepper, cherry tomato and cucumber

Assorted Cheese

Home Made Vanilla Cream with Mano and Strawberry Sauces

Ovenfresh bread selection

Before I knew it, we’d begun the bumpy decent into Sarajevo. We landed at what appeared to be a nearly-deserted Sarajevo airport and were quickly through customs and on our way to our hotel.

gba

Train from Sarajevo to Mostar

One of the scenic highlights of our trip was taking the train from Sarajevo to Mostar. Limited information about Bosnian trains is available online. Depending on the source, some reports suggested that there were two trains per day on this route while others (including the official-looking website) suggested there was only one. We bought our tickets at the train station the day before and found that, while the schedule on the wall only had one (morning) train listed on the printout, someone had added a second (evening) train to the schedule after it was printed indicating that there are/were two trains, at least seasonally/temporarily.

The train cars themselves are hand-me downs from Sweden and show their age. The route follows the Neretva river system much of the way and includes many scenic lakes, dams, small towns, and more tunnels than I could count. No doubt our trip was enhanced (yes, that word can be used in a positive sense) by the near-perfect weather.

gba

May 12, 2013
Croatia Airlines 410, ZAG-FRA
A320, 9A-CTJ
Depart: 7:40am
Arrive: 9:15am
Duration: 1:35
Seat: 2A

After several days making our way through Bosnia and Croatia, our week in Eastern Europe had come to an end. We arrived at Zagreb airport at an unfortunately early hour and were promptly checked in and made our way through the surprisingly slow security line and Croatian customs before arriving in the new, empty Croatia Airlines flagship lounge. What had stuck in my head from my previous visit to the old lounge was that virtually everything in the lounge was orange so seeing first-world looking furniture was definitely an improvement. That said, the food selection was minimal and unappetizing and the drink selection wasn’t much better.


Zagreb lounge seating area


Zagreb lounge buffet

All of the gates at Zagreb are bus gates and the doors are placed fairly close together which makes for a relatively congested boarding experience. Fortunately, boarding started on time and the bus rides aren’t very long and soon we were boarding our Airbus for the short trip up to FRA. We settled into our “Euro business” seats in row 2 and were a bit overwhelmed by the smell of Lemon Pledge (or, more likely, the Croatian version of Lemon Pledge) aboard the aircraft. I suppose it could be worse.

Once seated, we were offered a choice of orange juice or water, as well as newspapers. Boarding was quick and we pushed off the stand about five minutes early and were quickly airborne.

Breakfast was quickly served as we approached our cruising altitude and was a significant step down from what we’d had on Turkish, or what we were going to have on Lufthansa, so I only picked at it. Neither looking at the picture, nor looking at my notes, gives me any clue as to what, exactly, we were served


Croatia Airlines breakfast

Service, however, was attentive and beverages were actively refilled and with our quick start out of Zagreb we landed in Frankfurt about 10 minutes early. Frankfurt airport being Frankfurt airport, however, we pulled into our spot at the B gates on schedule. With 4+ hours to wait before our connection, we quickly made our way through immigration and out of the terminal for the short walk to FT paradise: The First Class Terminal.

May 12, 2013
Lufthansa 492, FRA-YVR
A340-600, D-AIHK
Depart: 1:25pm
Arrive: 2:35pm
Duration: 10:10
Seat: 1D

There are some things that will never get old for me and one of those is the First Class Terminal. This was my third visit and, on previous trips, I’d only had a couple of hours before a mid-morning flight the extended midday visit provided an opportunity for a more relaxing stay as well as a chance to try the much heralded wiener schnitzel. When in Germany…

All too soon, however, we were being collected for our flight and, unfortunately, rather than a private Porsche ended up sharing a van transfer to our aircraft with another couple. But who am I to complain? Fortunately, the four of us in the van would be the only four headed to Vancouver in the front cabin of the A340 leaving each passenger with both a center and an outer/window seat, if desired.

Once aboard, jackets were promptly hung and a choice of pre-departure beverages was offered. Before we left the gates, his and hers rimowa amenity kits were distributed along with slippers and the Lufthansa day time “sweater” (why Lufthansa passes out just pajama tops on its daytime long-hauls has me miffed, are bottoms that much more expensive? Is changing tops but not bottoms for daytime comfort a thing in German?)

Our departure was delayed a bit due to some issues with baggage loading and while we waited the Captain came through the first class cabin and greeted each of the passengers individually. We finally departed about 30 minutes late and took off to the west before making a U-turn and heading northeast towards Kassel and then turning northwest towards the North Atlantic.

Once we were airborne, the purser came through the cabin distributing menus and taking drink orders while the flight attendant set up the bar in front of row 1. Before drinks were served, piping hot rose-scented towels were offered.


Bar in front of row 1

Drinks were served along with a raw tuna amuse buche (not pictured)


Old first class…still pleasant

I sipped champagne and perused the lunch menu (LH492 05/13-06/13):

Caviar from Service Cart
Caviar with the traditional Garnishes

Choice of Appetizers
North Sea Crabs with Mustard Dill Sour Cream, Pumpernickel Cream and Cucumber Relish
Prime boiled Veal with Frankfurt Green Sauce, Egg Salad
Mozzarella with Giant Oxheart Tomatoes and Pine Nut Dressing
Salad of Meadow Herbs with Oyster Mushrooms accompanied by your Choice of Yogurt Dill or Tomato Tarragon Dressing

Sorbet
Melon Sorbet with Cucumber Tapioca and Basil Oil

Choice of Main Courses
Asparagus Spears with Sauce Hollandaise, Black Forest Ham, boiled Ham and
Parsley Potatoes
American Rump Steak on White Bean Mash with Feta Cheese
Filet of Char and its Caviar with Grape Seed Oil and mashed Green Peas
Oriental flavored Saddle of Lamb with Citrus Yogurt, Pomegranate and Couscous

Selection of Cheese and Dessert
Brillat Savarin, Gruyère, Reblochon, Goat Cheese and Gorgonzola with Orange
Chutney, Grapes and Celery
Toasted white Chocolate, pickled Pineapple and Curry Crumble
Cream Cheese Mousse and Ice Cream on Rhubarb Ragout with Strawberries

I started with the ever-reliable caviar (note accompaniments in separate bowl, slightly obscured behind plate):



The unremarkable appetizers are now served on a single long plate instead of the tiered carrier:



I don’t remember a sorbet course on my previous Lufthansa flights. I like the concept, but this flavor pairing was a bit strange to me.



Finally the main was a very nice piece of well-prepare fish over a somewhat unexpected pea and caviar broth (I wasn’t expecting something so soupy). My partner had the lamb and she enjoyed it.



Finally, cheese and dessert were served from a cart. I had the white chocolate option which was fairly average. On the whole, however, I’d say this was probably the best meal I’ve had in Lufthansa F (sample size 3).



Following the meal service the lights in the cabin were turned off about three hours after takeoff from Frankfurt and, following the early start out of Zagreb I was able to sleep for 4 solid hours (Can you believe it! Even in a first class seat that was behind the times 15 years ago!) which certainly made the 10 hour flight go by quickly. We took a very northerly route across the Atlantic flying well above Hudson Bay before turning south towards Vancouver.
The second service on the flight began with hot scented towels about an hour and a half before landing. Unlike past Lufthansa flights, the menu for the second service on this trip was in the same menu as the main meal. The menu was entitled “Mexico:”

Cold and Hot Specialties
Dialogue of Bell Pepper and Tuna with creamy Pine Nut Sauce
Wrap filled with King Prawns and Cilantro flavored Mayonnaise
Guacamole with Ricotta Cheese and Pomegranate, Mango and Tomato Salsa
Tortilla Chips

Achiote Corn-fed-Poulard wrapped in Bamboo Leaf served with Citrus Salad and fried Polenta Diamonds
Grilled Tenderloin of Pork in light Manchego Cheese Sauce, Leaf Spinach

Dessert
Chili flavored Chocolate Tart
Fresh Fruit

I was a bit confused with how the service aligned with the menu. While the menu suggests maybe two courses, the meal was served as three with all of the cold items (everything but the Poulard and Pork) being offered as a first course from a trolley, then a choice of Poluard and Pork for the main, and finally dessert.


Second service, first course – best presentation of tortilla chips ever


Pork in cheese sauce with spinach. Tasty but a bit overcooked


Chocolate tart and fruit, a great way to end a great flight

Before I knew it we were descending into Vancouver for landing. With our delayed start out of Frankfurt and a relatively lengthy flight we only had about an hour to make our connection to the US. We were met by a Lufthansa representative who offered to escort us to our connection but unfortunately it was her first day on the job and she was only able to walk with us, not help us cut lines (what’s the point?). After being denied entrance to the short cut to US immigration from YVR international arrivals (apparently because Lufthansa doesn’t pay for that to be open for their flights?!?) we sprinted through Canadian immigration and customs, then back through US immigration and customs, and out to the finger trailer used for short flights to the US.

We arrived at the gate for the short flight home to SEA, huffing and puffing, just as boarding was beginning. The gate agent was surprised to see our Lufthansa-issued boarding pass stock (having assumed that anyone connecting off our flight would miss the connection) and then looked up to see our sweaty, out-of-breath faces and laughed and said “congratulations, you made it!”

jpetekYXMD80

Great report!! I still really want to fly Turkish J. Baklava. That is all that needs to be said.

Great pictures of Bosnia. I briefly stopped in Neum while driving up the coast last month. I'd like to explore more sometime.

Interesting to see your Croatia flight as I was debating taking that flight ( instead went with Adria from LJU)

MatthewLAX

^ Thanks for the report. TK catering looks outstanding - much better than LH F.

Bear96

Yes, I imagine that was quite a surprise!

offerendum

Great Report! While the food at TK looks nice, the hard-product is not so great. Good you were satisfied with LH old-First, I never would pay for it.

gba

LOL, this has been corrected.

jpetekYXMD80

Transcript plz.