EVA Air, Japan Asia, and AA LAS-LAX-TPE-NRT-SJC-LAX-JFK in F and J
Apr 1, 2004, 12:21 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,347
EVA Air, Japan Asia, and AA LAS-LAX-TPE-NRT-SJC-LAX-JFK in F and J
March 19, 2004
AA 1059 LAS-LAX Lv1222 Arr1327 McDonnell Douglas MD-80
Las Vegas was crowded with people everywhere. Lines… Please allow at least two hours prior to departure… the check-in counters were not bad, but the main wait was at the security line. Don’t linger around! Go straight to the security lines after check in. Also, there was a separate first class line (not elite line). It may worthy for you to use some coupons to upgrade to F. The agent rejected some elite passengers… admitted only first class passengers. Just want you to be aware. The aircraft arrived slightly late from Los Angeles, and due to three handicapped passengers (one requiring oxygen). Boarding began at 12:00pm and despite a full flight in F and Y, door was closed at 12:18pm, and we pushed back a minute later. We taxied to Runway 25R a few minutes later, but there was already a line, and then takeoff was held up for a few minutes. We took off at 12:40pm. Flying time was forty minutes with a cruising attitude of 26,000ft. A full beverage was then offered with a pack of pretzels and also almonds. Not too bad… Soon descent began at 1:02pm and we landed on R/W25L at 1:20pm. We parked at gate 49A a few minutes later. Just as we were taxiing into the gate, a Qantas’ Boeing 747-400ER VH-OEF and a Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 747-400 9V-SMS were both pushing back. Lufthansa’s D-ABTE Boeing 747-400 and Cathay Pacific’s B-HOR just arrived from Frankfurt and Hong Kong respectively.
BR 11 LAX-TPE Lv1530 Arr2150 Boeing 747-400 B-16410
TBIT was not that busy this afternoon, as there were fewer departures at these hours. The main crowd area was at British Airways and Lufthansa, especially LH’s Munich flight was delayed for three hours. EVA Airways’ counters were empty at best. Due to the Presidential election on March 20, most Taiwanese hurried back home the day before, and our flight (also CI pm flight) arrived after the election closed (the voting was from 8am till 4pm). Our flights went out with two passengers in Super first, a half full business class cabin, and less than 30% in Deluxe and economy class. The check in agent was friendly, and my bag was handled carefully by TSA and was tagged soon with a first class priority tag. I went to have a lunch in the food court and found out from the screen that our flight was delayed till the late arrival of the inbound flight (which arrived at 2:21pm). I watched a bit of planes crossing between the west and east complex. I saw Qantas’ Boeing 747-400 VH-OJI towed to the gate area. I then saw a United’s Boeing 747-400 William A. Patterson N107UA heading to Runway 24 for takeoff (I guess it was the Denver flight), and AVIASCA’s Boeing 737-200 XA-NAV, Asiana’s Boeing 747-400 Combi HL7415, and Aer Lingus’ Airbus A330-200 EI-LAX “Mella” heading to the gate at Terminal two and TBIT respectively. It was a great spotting day. Then I proceeded to the security area, which was deserted at best, and then headed to the Evergreen lounge – just to see what they are up to. The agent was nice and lead me to the first class section, which was two sets of sofa blocked off in the back. She offered to bring me beverage, but I told her that I would help myself. There were some cup noodles, sandwiches and fruit plate. There were junk food baskets at each table stations with Baked chips, cookies, and some other stuff. There was a full bar. The lounge was crowded, despite of the light load. I really could not imagine what the lounge would look like at rush hours, especially when BR had two flights departing back to back on some evenings. I would not bother with the lounge. If you miss it, that is fine. You did not miss much! Then I headed back downstair, and saw a Korean Air’s Boeing 747-400 HL7495 just arrived at gate 105, and then a Swiss’ Airbus A340-300 HB-JMF ready to go to ZRH at gate 103.
Boarding finally started at 3:41pm. The Super first class cabin was located at the nose section for this particular Boeing 747-400, and there were three rows of seats. The seats were not the fancy suit or full flat type, but was fairly comfortable and it reclined to an almost flat position. A clean pillow (and nice one too) and the typical BR blanket was at seat with a noise-canceling headphone in a leather case, and a pair of slippers at the seat pocket. Newspapers were set up at the center console and I was disappointed that LA Times was not available, since most passengers were Chinese. Of course, this flight was very different, since the other passenger was an American businessman. Two F/As were assigned to first class and introduced themselves to us. A beverage was offered and menus and wine lists were passed out. Due to the light load, door was closed at 3:57pm, and we pushed back at a minute after four o’clock. Just as a Lufthansa’s Airbus A340-300 D-AIGL arrived from Munich and headed to gate 103, we began our roll to R/W25R. After a United’s A319 (N818UA) took off, we lifted off at 4:17pm. Flying time was thirteen hours and thirty-eight minutes, and our flight path first took us along the Californian coast – Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez valley, Santa Maria, where we leveled off at 28,000ft, San Luis Obispo, Monterrey, and San Francisco, where we climbed again to 32,000ft. We climbed to 34,000ft right along the Alaskan coast, and further to 36,000ft after passing South of Cold Bay, and then 38,000ft after crossing the International Date Line, and then 39,000ft before hitting the Japanese coast. The lights at various Japanese cities were beautiful – Tokyo, Nagoya, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima.
Service began shortly after takeoff. I was fortunately to sit on the right side of the plane and had the dinner service while viewing various Californian cities. San Francisco was beautiful and the coastline was as beautiful as ever. CNN and Taiwanese news were first shown on the main screen, as we had our first beverage service. The entertainment system was minimal at best. There was personal TV, but the classic ones with six channels… nothing fancy at all. The movies were updated, but I was just not in the mood. I listened to the Taiwanese music channels a bit and watched the Sky Map. The following was the menu transcript and wine list.
Los Angeles to Taipei
Wine List
Champagne
Cuvee Dom Perignon 1995
Burgundy White Wine
Domaine Laroche Chablis Grand Cru “Les Blanchots” 1999
German White Wine
Franz Kunstler Hochheimer Kirchenstuck Riesling Spatlese 2002
California White Wine
St.Supery Meritage White Napa valley 2001
Bordeaux Red Wine
Chateau Rauzan-Segla 1997 Margaux Second Growth, Grand Cru Classe
California Red Wine
Geyser Peak Reserve Alexandre Meritage 1998
Australia Red Wine
Stonehaven Limestone coast Shiraz 2000 South Australia
Dinner
Canapes to Accompany your Apertif
Smoked Pork with Orange Slice
Boursin Cheese Puff
Boat Tart with Shrimp and Sundried Tomato
Tasted fine… all cold… better than the regular mixed nuts option…
Hors D’Oeuvre
Choice of
Lobster Medallion and Crabmeat Salad
Or
Caspian Iranian Oseietre Caviar
I had the caviar last time and chose the lobster appetizer. There were three slices of lobster with crabmeat in the middle. It was fresh, but it could use a sauce though.
Soup
Braised Black Chicken and Cordyceps Soup (4)
The black chicken soup was a very Chinese one, but the soup was hot and “sweet” – not in a literal sense but Chinese way – it meant that it was well cooked and the taste of the ingredients blended into the soup. Black chicken was better for making soup, than eating it. If you are brave, try the chicken soup and enjoy the broth.
Or
New England Fish Chowder (4)
Seasonal Salad
With your choice of dressing
It was a mesclun salad with cucumber slices, and there was a choice of miso, ranch or vinaigrette. I had the miso dressing, which was a very spicy one. The salad was very fresh though.
Main Courses
Stir Fried Scallop with Lily Bulb (2)
Tung Po Pork with Brown sace
Baby Bok Choy and Carrot Flower
Steamed rice
Or
Rack of Lamb with Walnut and Herb Crust with Mint Jelly sauce (2)
Zucchini Boat Courgette
Anna Potato
Or
Deep Fried Cod with Taro (2)
Chicken with Ham and Mushroom
Kailan
Stir Fried noodle
I had this option – it was nothing special… I should have chosen the lamb.
Or
Chicken and Sage with Orange Sauce (2)
Yellow Squash and Baby Carrot
Ducheese Potatoes
Cheese and Seasonal Fruit
I had the fruit – pears, apples, mango, and grapes, which were ripe, but I think fruit slices were recommendable, especially plastic knives were really awful to slice pear or apple’s skin. .
Dessert
Torte with Raspberry Sauce
Or
Haagen Dazs Ice Cream
Only ice cream was offered, which was a strawberry ice cream served on a glass bowl.
After dinner, there was another round of hot towels and water bottles (Evergreen or Evian) was handed out. I went to take a nap and then stayed awake for nine hours. I watched magazines and books, and listened to music. I filled out a survey for the flight attendants and she kept asking me if I need any beverage or snack. I was really not hungry and the snack choice was not that attractive. I had orange juice and then had Jasmine tea for the rest of the flight. Of course, I kept drinking water. The amenity kits and the toothbrush sets were handed out at mid-flight. I guess the F/As forgot… the Lancome amenity kit was pretty nice, with various moisturizing products.
AA 1059 LAS-LAX Lv1222 Arr1327 McDonnell Douglas MD-80
Las Vegas was crowded with people everywhere. Lines… Please allow at least two hours prior to departure… the check-in counters were not bad, but the main wait was at the security line. Don’t linger around! Go straight to the security lines after check in. Also, there was a separate first class line (not elite line). It may worthy for you to use some coupons to upgrade to F. The agent rejected some elite passengers… admitted only first class passengers. Just want you to be aware. The aircraft arrived slightly late from Los Angeles, and due to three handicapped passengers (one requiring oxygen). Boarding began at 12:00pm and despite a full flight in F and Y, door was closed at 12:18pm, and we pushed back a minute later. We taxied to Runway 25R a few minutes later, but there was already a line, and then takeoff was held up for a few minutes. We took off at 12:40pm. Flying time was forty minutes with a cruising attitude of 26,000ft. A full beverage was then offered with a pack of pretzels and also almonds. Not too bad… Soon descent began at 1:02pm and we landed on R/W25L at 1:20pm. We parked at gate 49A a few minutes later. Just as we were taxiing into the gate, a Qantas’ Boeing 747-400ER VH-OEF and a Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 747-400 9V-SMS were both pushing back. Lufthansa’s D-ABTE Boeing 747-400 and Cathay Pacific’s B-HOR just arrived from Frankfurt and Hong Kong respectively.
BR 11 LAX-TPE Lv1530 Arr2150 Boeing 747-400 B-16410
TBIT was not that busy this afternoon, as there were fewer departures at these hours. The main crowd area was at British Airways and Lufthansa, especially LH’s Munich flight was delayed for three hours. EVA Airways’ counters were empty at best. Due to the Presidential election on March 20, most Taiwanese hurried back home the day before, and our flight (also CI pm flight) arrived after the election closed (the voting was from 8am till 4pm). Our flights went out with two passengers in Super first, a half full business class cabin, and less than 30% in Deluxe and economy class. The check in agent was friendly, and my bag was handled carefully by TSA and was tagged soon with a first class priority tag. I went to have a lunch in the food court and found out from the screen that our flight was delayed till the late arrival of the inbound flight (which arrived at 2:21pm). I watched a bit of planes crossing between the west and east complex. I saw Qantas’ Boeing 747-400 VH-OJI towed to the gate area. I then saw a United’s Boeing 747-400 William A. Patterson N107UA heading to Runway 24 for takeoff (I guess it was the Denver flight), and AVIASCA’s Boeing 737-200 XA-NAV, Asiana’s Boeing 747-400 Combi HL7415, and Aer Lingus’ Airbus A330-200 EI-LAX “Mella” heading to the gate at Terminal two and TBIT respectively. It was a great spotting day. Then I proceeded to the security area, which was deserted at best, and then headed to the Evergreen lounge – just to see what they are up to. The agent was nice and lead me to the first class section, which was two sets of sofa blocked off in the back. She offered to bring me beverage, but I told her that I would help myself. There were some cup noodles, sandwiches and fruit plate. There were junk food baskets at each table stations with Baked chips, cookies, and some other stuff. There was a full bar. The lounge was crowded, despite of the light load. I really could not imagine what the lounge would look like at rush hours, especially when BR had two flights departing back to back on some evenings. I would not bother with the lounge. If you miss it, that is fine. You did not miss much! Then I headed back downstair, and saw a Korean Air’s Boeing 747-400 HL7495 just arrived at gate 105, and then a Swiss’ Airbus A340-300 HB-JMF ready to go to ZRH at gate 103.
Boarding finally started at 3:41pm. The Super first class cabin was located at the nose section for this particular Boeing 747-400, and there were three rows of seats. The seats were not the fancy suit or full flat type, but was fairly comfortable and it reclined to an almost flat position. A clean pillow (and nice one too) and the typical BR blanket was at seat with a noise-canceling headphone in a leather case, and a pair of slippers at the seat pocket. Newspapers were set up at the center console and I was disappointed that LA Times was not available, since most passengers were Chinese. Of course, this flight was very different, since the other passenger was an American businessman. Two F/As were assigned to first class and introduced themselves to us. A beverage was offered and menus and wine lists were passed out. Due to the light load, door was closed at 3:57pm, and we pushed back at a minute after four o’clock. Just as a Lufthansa’s Airbus A340-300 D-AIGL arrived from Munich and headed to gate 103, we began our roll to R/W25R. After a United’s A319 (N818UA) took off, we lifted off at 4:17pm. Flying time was thirteen hours and thirty-eight minutes, and our flight path first took us along the Californian coast – Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez valley, Santa Maria, where we leveled off at 28,000ft, San Luis Obispo, Monterrey, and San Francisco, where we climbed again to 32,000ft. We climbed to 34,000ft right along the Alaskan coast, and further to 36,000ft after passing South of Cold Bay, and then 38,000ft after crossing the International Date Line, and then 39,000ft before hitting the Japanese coast. The lights at various Japanese cities were beautiful – Tokyo, Nagoya, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima.
Service began shortly after takeoff. I was fortunately to sit on the right side of the plane and had the dinner service while viewing various Californian cities. San Francisco was beautiful and the coastline was as beautiful as ever. CNN and Taiwanese news were first shown on the main screen, as we had our first beverage service. The entertainment system was minimal at best. There was personal TV, but the classic ones with six channels… nothing fancy at all. The movies were updated, but I was just not in the mood. I listened to the Taiwanese music channels a bit and watched the Sky Map. The following was the menu transcript and wine list.
Los Angeles to Taipei
Wine List
Champagne
Cuvee Dom Perignon 1995
Burgundy White Wine
Domaine Laroche Chablis Grand Cru “Les Blanchots” 1999
German White Wine
Franz Kunstler Hochheimer Kirchenstuck Riesling Spatlese 2002
California White Wine
St.Supery Meritage White Napa valley 2001
Bordeaux Red Wine
Chateau Rauzan-Segla 1997 Margaux Second Growth, Grand Cru Classe
California Red Wine
Geyser Peak Reserve Alexandre Meritage 1998
Australia Red Wine
Stonehaven Limestone coast Shiraz 2000 South Australia
Dinner
Canapes to Accompany your Apertif
Smoked Pork with Orange Slice
Boursin Cheese Puff
Boat Tart with Shrimp and Sundried Tomato
Tasted fine… all cold… better than the regular mixed nuts option…
Hors D’Oeuvre
Choice of
Lobster Medallion and Crabmeat Salad
Or
Caspian Iranian Oseietre Caviar
I had the caviar last time and chose the lobster appetizer. There were three slices of lobster with crabmeat in the middle. It was fresh, but it could use a sauce though.
Soup
Braised Black Chicken and Cordyceps Soup (4)
The black chicken soup was a very Chinese one, but the soup was hot and “sweet” – not in a literal sense but Chinese way – it meant that it was well cooked and the taste of the ingredients blended into the soup. Black chicken was better for making soup, than eating it. If you are brave, try the chicken soup and enjoy the broth.
Or
New England Fish Chowder (4)
Seasonal Salad
With your choice of dressing
It was a mesclun salad with cucumber slices, and there was a choice of miso, ranch or vinaigrette. I had the miso dressing, which was a very spicy one. The salad was very fresh though.
Main Courses
Stir Fried Scallop with Lily Bulb (2)
Tung Po Pork with Brown sace
Baby Bok Choy and Carrot Flower
Steamed rice
Or
Rack of Lamb with Walnut and Herb Crust with Mint Jelly sauce (2)
Zucchini Boat Courgette
Anna Potato
Or
Deep Fried Cod with Taro (2)
Chicken with Ham and Mushroom
Kailan
Stir Fried noodle
I had this option – it was nothing special… I should have chosen the lamb.
Or
Chicken and Sage with Orange Sauce (2)
Yellow Squash and Baby Carrot
Ducheese Potatoes
Cheese and Seasonal Fruit
I had the fruit – pears, apples, mango, and grapes, which were ripe, but I think fruit slices were recommendable, especially plastic knives were really awful to slice pear or apple’s skin. .
Dessert
Torte with Raspberry Sauce
Or
Haagen Dazs Ice Cream
Only ice cream was offered, which was a strawberry ice cream served on a glass bowl.
After dinner, there was another round of hot towels and water bottles (Evergreen or Evian) was handed out. I went to take a nap and then stayed awake for nine hours. I watched magazines and books, and listened to music. I filled out a survey for the flight attendants and she kept asking me if I need any beverage or snack. I was really not hungry and the snack choice was not that attractive. I had orange juice and then had Jasmine tea for the rest of the flight. Of course, I kept drinking water. The amenity kits and the toothbrush sets were handed out at mid-flight. I guess the F/As forgot… the Lancome amenity kit was pretty nice, with various moisturizing products.
Apr 1, 2004, 12:26 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,347
Part II
Snack
Minced Meat in Spicy Peking Sauce with Noodle (4)
Creamy Seafood Pancakes (2)
Cup Noodles
Hot Chocolate and Cookies
Hot Refreshment
Fresh Fruit
Choice of Bread
Soft Roll, Herb Panini, Whole Wheat Roll
Served with Butter
Main Courses
Taiwanese Style Congee (4)
Diced Pork with Preserved Vegetable and Soy Bean, Dried Pork Julienne, Ferminted Bean Curd, Braised Gluten, Shrimp with Foo Young Egg, Steamed Meat and Stuffed Egg Roll
Or
Pasta with Seafood and Chunky Tomato Sauce (2)
Or
Braised Soya Chicken and BBQ Pork Slices with Soup Noodle (2)
Assorted Pralines
About two hours prior to arrival, lights were turned on and hot towels were passed out before the second main meal service. First, the fruit plate was served – pineapples, orange slices, melon and strawberries, which were excellent, except the strawberry – truly eye-opening. I had a soft roll as well. Then I had the congee, which was offered with many side dishes. Refills were available and I got extra condiments as well. I enjoyed this meal very much. I had some tea and godiva chocolate after the meal. I think some of you are interested in how EVA catered first class. I jogged down how many of the entrees and various dishes were loaded, and I would add a parentheses after each dish with the number of that particular dishes loaded. After another round of hot towels, lights were dimmed and soon descent began at 9:28pm Taipei local times. Mints were passed out and jackets were returned. We landed on Runway 06 at 9:55pm and parked at gate C1 ten minutes later. Taipei airport was very quiet and there was no line at the immigration counters. Bags came out at 10:15pm and soon I was out of the secured area. I took the AirBus to my hotel, Imperial hotel, which was an okay hotel with nice rooms, but the location was not good. It was far from MRT (Subway) station – the only good thing was that I was dropped off in front of the hotel.
March 22, 2004
EG 278 TPE-NRT Lv1055 Arr1450 Boeing 747-200 JA8162 (JL livery)
Taipei airport is the same as ever, despite of the renovations at terminal one. Lines were everywhere especially everyone wanted to go home after the voting at the Taiwanese election. Japan Asia Airways counters were located at the other end of the terminal, and with Air Macau group ticketing was next to us, it was simply chaos. Just a warning for those with connections to North America, you have a separate line, next to the business class line. China Airlines handles ground for Japan Asia Airways, and the agent was very helpful and efficient. I got the boarding pass to Tokyo, and my bags were tagged through to LA via San Jose. The blue business class priority tag was included. Then I headed a few last minute shopping, and went to the recent opened JAA lounge at fourth floor inside of the security area. The new JAA lounge was much larger, but still pretty crowded. There were ASDL for computer users and many computer booths. Snacks were still limited to crackers, but there was a full alcoholic and non-alcoholic bar. Unfortunately, bathrooms were located outside of the lounge. Well, our aircraft arrived late from Kaoshiung and I was surprised to see a Classic Boeing 747-200LR with the Japan Airlines livery. I don’t think too many of them are flying in passenger version these days. Next to it, it was another Japan Asia Airways’ Boeing 747-300 from Hong Kong (JA8189) and heading to Osaka, and then there was the CX’s Boeing 777-300 (B-HNF), and then I saw the landing of a KE’s Airbus A330 (HL7686) – the Taipei to Seoul charter route is doing very well and KE upgrades it from a Boeing 737 to Airbus A330. Due to delays, our flight did not board till 10:41am and the gate agent kept us updated about boarding time and explain about the late arrival of the inbound aircraft from KHH. Boarding began at 10:41am, and the purser welcomed us aboard with the typical Japanese bow and brought me to my seat. Jacket was hung immediately and newspapers were offered. Three F/As serving the J cabin (two Japanese and one Chinese) checked on each passenger, at least once within the twenty minutes boarding time. Slippers and headphones were already placed in the seat, but unfortunately, there was no pre-takeoff beverage. I began to think that it was a Japanese airlines’ policy for not serving a pre-takeoff beverage. Door was closed at 10:54am and I was the only passenger at row 1. Menus were passed out after the inflight safety demonstration, and soon we were heading to Runway 06 for takeoff. We bid farewell to a rainy Taipei city at 11:11am.
After the safety check chime, the F/As swung into action, especially the F/As were told to remain seated for the last thirty minutes of the flight, due to moderate turbulence. The captain was definitely right about the turbulence… it was pretty nasty on the descent. Hot towels were first passed out and then a green linen was placed on my tray table, followed by a beverage service, accompanied by a box of Otsumami and natto (fermented Soya beans). Extra boxes were passed out after the first beverage service. Entrée choices were taken next and I decided to try the Japanese meal. It was still the same one tray service, but at least, dessert was served separately. Here is the wine list and the menu transcript (JAA no longer has its own distinct menu cover, but shares the same menu cover as JAL Seasons menus):
JAA Wine Selection
Champagne
Piper Heidsieck Brut
White Wines
Chablis Laboure Roi (Bourgogne)
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riseling Spatlese 2002 (Moset)
I tried the Riseling, which was fine and the F/A did warn me that it was kind of sweet. JAL F/As were well trained in wine tasting and knew much about it.
Red Wines
Chateau Haut Madrac (Bordeaux)
Japanese Shochu “Goku”
Japanese Sake Dai-Ginjoshu
Ozeki “Osakaya-Choubei” Gekkeikan (Hourin)
Western
Hors d’Oeuvre
Prawn Aspic & Seafood Mousse
Marinated Scallop
Main Course
(We are using the Beef from New Zealand)
Fillet of Beef with Black Pepper Sauce
Anna Potato/Asparagus/Mushroom/Carrot (440 Kcal)
Or
Sauteed Cod with Leek sauce
Boiled Potato/Broccoli/Carrot (320 Kcal)
Salad
Salad in Season
Sesame Creamy Dressing
Cheese
Camembert Cheese & Crackers
Roll
Assorted Special Breads and Butter
Dessert
Panna Cotta (120Kcal)
Japanese
Sushi-Gozen
Assorted Sushi
It contains Ika (Squid), Sake (smoked salmon), eel, crabmeat, spinach, and uni (sea urchin) rolls. The sushi was fresh and delicious and plentiful.
Dainomono
Deep Fried Pork with “Miso” Sauce
Fried food was never a good idea on the plane, because they got soggy. But the taste of the pork chop was great and tender. It was a fine entrée.
Kobachi
Smoked Salmon with Marinated Radish
Nimono
Baby Prawn & Marinated Vegetables
Wan
Miso Soup
Dessert
Panna Cotta (120Kcal)
It was a light dessert, surrounded by apricot jam.
The meal was really nice in general and the F/A was good in refilling my glasses, and keeping on serving us drinks during this short flight. There was personal TV in the armrest, but was not used. There was not even the typical Sky Map, but the pilot gave us some descriptions – we flew over Kagoshima today, and our cruising attitude was 37,000ft. For entertainment, NHK Japanese and TVBS Chinese news were shown first, followed by Duty free promotional videos and a short Japanese tourist video. Hot towels were passed out after dessert trays were collected, and duty free cart also passed through. Seat belt sign was turned on at 1:06pm and descent began at 1:08pm. The F/As had already prepared the cabin for landing, as of that point, and soon it was the rock and roll time – not fun for the rest of the flight, till we broke the clouds layer and was literally minutes before touching down at Runway 16R. We landed at 2:40pm Tokyo local time and slowly taxied to gate 86. If you love the Boeing 747, you will love NRT – all kinds of Boeing 747, from the classic 200s to 300s, and –400s and all the freighter versions. We parked next to our sister Boeing 747-200 (JA8130). For planes fan, we passed by the new JAL painted Boeing 747-400 (JA8912), Continental’s Boeing 777 (N79011), Asiana’s Boeing 767-300 (HL7515), two Air China’s Boeing 777-200s side by side (B-2063 and 2064), and interesting opponent sitting next to it, China Airlines’ Boeing 747-400 (B-18209), and an Iran Air’s Boeing 747SP EP-IAA.
Minced Meat in Spicy Peking Sauce with Noodle (4)
Creamy Seafood Pancakes (2)
Cup Noodles
Hot Chocolate and Cookies
Hot Refreshment
Fresh Fruit
Choice of Bread
Soft Roll, Herb Panini, Whole Wheat Roll
Served with Butter
Main Courses
Taiwanese Style Congee (4)
Diced Pork with Preserved Vegetable and Soy Bean, Dried Pork Julienne, Ferminted Bean Curd, Braised Gluten, Shrimp with Foo Young Egg, Steamed Meat and Stuffed Egg Roll
Or
Pasta with Seafood and Chunky Tomato Sauce (2)
Or
Braised Soya Chicken and BBQ Pork Slices with Soup Noodle (2)
Assorted Pralines
About two hours prior to arrival, lights were turned on and hot towels were passed out before the second main meal service. First, the fruit plate was served – pineapples, orange slices, melon and strawberries, which were excellent, except the strawberry – truly eye-opening. I had a soft roll as well. Then I had the congee, which was offered with many side dishes. Refills were available and I got extra condiments as well. I enjoyed this meal very much. I had some tea and godiva chocolate after the meal. I think some of you are interested in how EVA catered first class. I jogged down how many of the entrees and various dishes were loaded, and I would add a parentheses after each dish with the number of that particular dishes loaded. After another round of hot towels, lights were dimmed and soon descent began at 9:28pm Taipei local times. Mints were passed out and jackets were returned. We landed on Runway 06 at 9:55pm and parked at gate C1 ten minutes later. Taipei airport was very quiet and there was no line at the immigration counters. Bags came out at 10:15pm and soon I was out of the secured area. I took the AirBus to my hotel, Imperial hotel, which was an okay hotel with nice rooms, but the location was not good. It was far from MRT (Subway) station – the only good thing was that I was dropped off in front of the hotel.
March 22, 2004
EG 278 TPE-NRT Lv1055 Arr1450 Boeing 747-200 JA8162 (JL livery)
Taipei airport is the same as ever, despite of the renovations at terminal one. Lines were everywhere especially everyone wanted to go home after the voting at the Taiwanese election. Japan Asia Airways counters were located at the other end of the terminal, and with Air Macau group ticketing was next to us, it was simply chaos. Just a warning for those with connections to North America, you have a separate line, next to the business class line. China Airlines handles ground for Japan Asia Airways, and the agent was very helpful and efficient. I got the boarding pass to Tokyo, and my bags were tagged through to LA via San Jose. The blue business class priority tag was included. Then I headed a few last minute shopping, and went to the recent opened JAA lounge at fourth floor inside of the security area. The new JAA lounge was much larger, but still pretty crowded. There were ASDL for computer users and many computer booths. Snacks were still limited to crackers, but there was a full alcoholic and non-alcoholic bar. Unfortunately, bathrooms were located outside of the lounge. Well, our aircraft arrived late from Kaoshiung and I was surprised to see a Classic Boeing 747-200LR with the Japan Airlines livery. I don’t think too many of them are flying in passenger version these days. Next to it, it was another Japan Asia Airways’ Boeing 747-300 from Hong Kong (JA8189) and heading to Osaka, and then there was the CX’s Boeing 777-300 (B-HNF), and then I saw the landing of a KE’s Airbus A330 (HL7686) – the Taipei to Seoul charter route is doing very well and KE upgrades it from a Boeing 737 to Airbus A330. Due to delays, our flight did not board till 10:41am and the gate agent kept us updated about boarding time and explain about the late arrival of the inbound aircraft from KHH. Boarding began at 10:41am, and the purser welcomed us aboard with the typical Japanese bow and brought me to my seat. Jacket was hung immediately and newspapers were offered. Three F/As serving the J cabin (two Japanese and one Chinese) checked on each passenger, at least once within the twenty minutes boarding time. Slippers and headphones were already placed in the seat, but unfortunately, there was no pre-takeoff beverage. I began to think that it was a Japanese airlines’ policy for not serving a pre-takeoff beverage. Door was closed at 10:54am and I was the only passenger at row 1. Menus were passed out after the inflight safety demonstration, and soon we were heading to Runway 06 for takeoff. We bid farewell to a rainy Taipei city at 11:11am.
After the safety check chime, the F/As swung into action, especially the F/As were told to remain seated for the last thirty minutes of the flight, due to moderate turbulence. The captain was definitely right about the turbulence… it was pretty nasty on the descent. Hot towels were first passed out and then a green linen was placed on my tray table, followed by a beverage service, accompanied by a box of Otsumami and natto (fermented Soya beans). Extra boxes were passed out after the first beverage service. Entrée choices were taken next and I decided to try the Japanese meal. It was still the same one tray service, but at least, dessert was served separately. Here is the wine list and the menu transcript (JAA no longer has its own distinct menu cover, but shares the same menu cover as JAL Seasons menus):
JAA Wine Selection
Champagne
Piper Heidsieck Brut
White Wines
Chablis Laboure Roi (Bourgogne)
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riseling Spatlese 2002 (Moset)
I tried the Riseling, which was fine and the F/A did warn me that it was kind of sweet. JAL F/As were well trained in wine tasting and knew much about it.
Red Wines
Chateau Haut Madrac (Bordeaux)
Japanese Shochu “Goku”
Japanese Sake Dai-Ginjoshu
Ozeki “Osakaya-Choubei” Gekkeikan (Hourin)
Western
Hors d’Oeuvre
Prawn Aspic & Seafood Mousse
Marinated Scallop
Main Course
(We are using the Beef from New Zealand)
Fillet of Beef with Black Pepper Sauce
Anna Potato/Asparagus/Mushroom/Carrot (440 Kcal)
Or
Sauteed Cod with Leek sauce
Boiled Potato/Broccoli/Carrot (320 Kcal)
Salad
Salad in Season
Sesame Creamy Dressing
Cheese
Camembert Cheese & Crackers
Roll
Assorted Special Breads and Butter
Dessert
Panna Cotta (120Kcal)
Japanese
Sushi-Gozen
Assorted Sushi
It contains Ika (Squid), Sake (smoked salmon), eel, crabmeat, spinach, and uni (sea urchin) rolls. The sushi was fresh and delicious and plentiful.
Dainomono
Deep Fried Pork with “Miso” Sauce
Fried food was never a good idea on the plane, because they got soggy. But the taste of the pork chop was great and tender. It was a fine entrée.
Kobachi
Smoked Salmon with Marinated Radish
Nimono
Baby Prawn & Marinated Vegetables
Wan
Miso Soup
Dessert
Panna Cotta (120Kcal)
It was a light dessert, surrounded by apricot jam.
The meal was really nice in general and the F/A was good in refilling my glasses, and keeping on serving us drinks during this short flight. There was personal TV in the armrest, but was not used. There was not even the typical Sky Map, but the pilot gave us some descriptions – we flew over Kagoshima today, and our cruising attitude was 37,000ft. For entertainment, NHK Japanese and TVBS Chinese news were shown first, followed by Duty free promotional videos and a short Japanese tourist video. Hot towels were passed out after dessert trays were collected, and duty free cart also passed through. Seat belt sign was turned on at 1:06pm and descent began at 1:08pm. The F/As had already prepared the cabin for landing, as of that point, and soon it was the rock and roll time – not fun for the rest of the flight, till we broke the clouds layer and was literally minutes before touching down at Runway 16R. We landed at 2:40pm Tokyo local time and slowly taxied to gate 86. If you love the Boeing 747, you will love NRT – all kinds of Boeing 747, from the classic 200s to 300s, and –400s and all the freighter versions. We parked next to our sister Boeing 747-200 (JA8130). For planes fan, we passed by the new JAL painted Boeing 747-400 (JA8912), Continental’s Boeing 777 (N79011), Asiana’s Boeing 767-300 (HL7515), two Air China’s Boeing 777-200s side by side (B-2063 and 2064), and interesting opponent sitting next to it, China Airlines’ Boeing 747-400 (B-18209), and an Iran Air’s Boeing 747SP EP-IAA.
Apr 1, 2004, 12:28 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,347
Part III
AA 128 NRT-SJC Lv1800 Arr0955 Boeing 777-200ER 7AB N771AN
Well, unlike Continental Airlines, American Airlines does not hire its own bus to transfer folks to Terminal One from Terminal Two, and I have to wait for the regular buses, which run at twenty to thirty minutes interval. After passing through security, I went to the bus waiting area at the lower level. Finally got to Terminal One after thirty minutes and went to the Admiral Club for check in. The staffs were friendly and I was given all my boarding passes and my bag was traced and a premium tag was added surprisingly. It also came out among the first couple bags at SJC too. Well, the Admiral Club was the same old… the only good thing was that there was lots of room, and snack selections have improved a bit with cheese and crackers, fruit cups (pineapple, melon, and strawberry), otsumami, full sized snicker bars, and mini-Oreo. The beer machine was still here, with a limited open bar. Not bad for an American Airlines’ clubs. Planes-wise – so many Boeing 747s ups and downs – I spotted the latest Air New Zealand’s Boeing 747-400 with the Lord of the Ring livery landed on a rainy afternoon at NRT (NBV). CX’s Boeing 747-400 (B-HOU) was in charge of CX451 back to TPE, and B-HOX (without the special livery) came as CX450 and returned nonstop to HKG as CX505. Korean Air’s Boeing 777-200 (HL7574) was in charge of flight number one.
Our Boeing 777-200 was parked at gate 18 and boarding began early at 5:21pm, and there was the separate priority boarding. Three male flight attendants were in charge of first class this evening, and we had the usual pre-takeoff offerings – beverage of OJ/water/champagne, amenity kits and slippers were passed out, and newspapers were displayed at the last row of F-class cabin, as they were the cabin rest seats. First class was relatively full this evening. Hot towels, BOSE headphones, and menus were offered after the door was closed at 5:54pm. We pushed back a minute later, and the rain was not lightening at Narita. Out of the three F/As, only one of them was really friendly and outstanding. He was the only one, who was refilled your glasses, instead of picking them up and storing them. His name is Ron or anyway, he is the head purser. The other two Asian F/As were rushing through the service and were not too keen in working. The definition of excellent F/A was really based on these tiny details, and this AA international flagship flight was relatively disappointing (but not unexpected), especially compared to Japan Asia Airways and EVA, which were very service-oriented. The service was rushed and everything was served together. I guess it was supposed to allow more time for passengers to rest. Well, we headed to runway 34L and joined the queue in the rain. After a Northwest’s Boeing 747-400 (Spirit of Tokyo) took off, we lifted off at 6:22pm Tokyo time. Flying time was eight hours and thirty-six minutes and a very straightforward transpacific flight and we climbed initially to 36,000ft, and then reached 39,000ft. There were chops (moderate) after takeoff, and about mid-flight and then prior to landing. Well, I wanted to choose the Japanese dinners, but since there were only three loaded, it ran out before reaching the second row of first class. I think AA may want to allow folks to reserve Japanese dinners in the future, just like United does.
Here is the menu and wine list:
Champagne
Heidseck Monopole Brut
White Wines
Bouchard Aine Meursault
Kenwood Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc
Red Wines
Chateau Lynch-Moussas
King Estate Oregon Pinot Noir
Apertifs
Emilio Lustau Sherry
Choya “Umeshu” Plum Liqueur “Excellent”
Sake
Gekkeikan Horin Daiginjo Sake
Dessert Wine
Graham’s vintage Port
Western Dinner
To Start
An assortment of warm roasted nuts or fresh vegetables served in a cucumber-dill dip to accompany your preferred cocktail or beverage
Appetizer
Smoked salmon accompanied by Capers, Red Onion, and Sour Cream, garnished with lemon wedges, and served with toast points
As great as ever… I like the smoked salmon this evening – not too dry…
The Salad Cart
Fresh seasonal greens with herbed Buttermilk dressing or an individual bottle of Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
Mustard-coated Chateaubriand
Your choice of fresh vegetables including cherry tomatoes, julienned Japanese Pumpkin, Red Onions, Kaiware Radish Sprouts and Green Pepper Ring offered with a warm Garlic Baguette
That is one of the best features of American Airlines’ international flagship service. United abandoned this salad cart service (it is bring it back), but American smartly kept it. I had a nice mixed salad with really tasty chateaubriand with a nice Vinaigrette.
Bread Basket
Assorted Bread or Steamed Rice
Garlic bread was offered too.
Entrées
Salmon with Linguine
Pan-seared fillet of salmon seasoned with dill and lemon, enhanced by a light sauce, accompanied by linguine tossed with tomatoes and scallions
I chose this entrée, which was a disaster. The salmon was overcooked and dried. Thank god, I had a bowl of ramen at the airport and had a great salad and appetizer before it. For some reasons, I think AA’s entrées were very weak, compared to United especially. Everything seemed to be overcooked. AA must had not installed the “French steamed ovens” that other airlines bragged about them.
Or
Pepper Fillet of Beef
Tenderloin of beef complemented by a creamy sauce topped with black and pink pepper, served with an herbed potato, buttered string beans, fresh fennel, and carrot batons
Or
Barbecue Chicken
Grilled Breast of chicken accented by a barbecue sauce, offered with chopped red pepper, celery, and shallot sautéed in a potato hash
Dessert
The Fruit and Cheese Cart
Fine Cheese complemented by fresh seasonal fruits, served with selected crackers and offered with Port and other fine Wines
The Dessert Cart
Ice Cream Sundae
Vanilla ice cream with a choice of hot fudge, butterscotch or seasonal berry toppings, whipped cream and chopped pecans
Well about a year ago, there was a separate fruit & cheese cart, and dessert cart (with actually a choice of pastry). Today they were all served together and the cheese was pre-plated, which was Cheddar and Brie). For fruits, there were green apples and grapes. I had the ice-cream and a cup of tea with lemon.
Japanese
Appetizer Tray
Kobachi Dish
Vinaigrette Halibut and marinated Ice Goby Fish presented with Bracken, enhanced by Vinaigrette Miso Paste and Mustard
Hassun Dish
Nabana Flower rolled in Prosciutto Ham, accompanied by grilled Tilefish with Miso flavor and Prawn with Yam Paste Sushi, Tazuna style
Western Style Dish
Marinated Cuttlefish served with Spring Vegetables, accented by Plum Paste and Cream Dressing
Main Tray
Simmered Dish
Crabmeat offered with lily bulb paste dumpling, turnip, Mibuna leaf and carrot, complemented by starch sauce
Entrée
Simmered Japanese Bluefish and Taro presented with Broccoli, Young Corn and shredded Ginger enhanced by Ni-tsuke Sauce
Soup
Miso soup with Wakame Seaweed and Tofu
Accompanied by steamed rice and assorted seasonal Pickles
After dinner, Evian water bottles were passed out, and lights were dimmed. I went to sleep, since the entertainment system was not too interesting and the sky map was not so excited, as we were over the Pacific the whole night. The F/As did their rounds infrequently but I guess it was fine for a night flight. About 1am Tokyo time, breakfast was served, according to orders we made after dinner. Everything was served in one tray. Personally I think we can have the breakfast thirty minutes later, as not much work was required. I had the hot breakfast, which was eggs made to order. I was never asked, but was given scrambled egg automatically. Thankfully, there was no cheese garnish, which sound a bit odd. Supposed to have cinnamon rolls and crusty French rolls… but nothing but a croissant was offered on your plate. No breadbasket was offered for a second time. Fruit plate features orange segments and strawberries, and there was also a Meiji’s strawberry yogurt on the tray. Here is the transcript!
Breakfast
American Breakfast
Fresh seasonal fruit
Served with warm Croissants, hot Cinnamon rolls, and crusty French rolls
Fresh eggs offered with a Gruyere and Cheddar Cheese Garnish, with your choice of Canadian Bacon or Sausage
Yogurt
Cereal
Preserves and Butter
Descent began at 9:28am San Jose time, and we landed on Runway 30L at 9:58am, and parked at gate A1B a few minutes later. I was really impressed with the new San Jose International terminal, which was many times better than that so-called inspection stations. They were obviously not ready when we arrived. Thankfully, the American Citizens line was opened and I was into the bag claim within minutes. There was only one bag claim, and the bags came out within fifteen minutes – it was a record for AA. Tried JFK… you were lucky if you only had to wait for twenty-five minutes. Custom was a breeze. I dropped off my bag and an AA agent directed me to the TSA line right behind the exit for international flights. Great design!
Well, unlike Continental Airlines, American Airlines does not hire its own bus to transfer folks to Terminal One from Terminal Two, and I have to wait for the regular buses, which run at twenty to thirty minutes interval. After passing through security, I went to the bus waiting area at the lower level. Finally got to Terminal One after thirty minutes and went to the Admiral Club for check in. The staffs were friendly and I was given all my boarding passes and my bag was traced and a premium tag was added surprisingly. It also came out among the first couple bags at SJC too. Well, the Admiral Club was the same old… the only good thing was that there was lots of room, and snack selections have improved a bit with cheese and crackers, fruit cups (pineapple, melon, and strawberry), otsumami, full sized snicker bars, and mini-Oreo. The beer machine was still here, with a limited open bar. Not bad for an American Airlines’ clubs. Planes-wise – so many Boeing 747s ups and downs – I spotted the latest Air New Zealand’s Boeing 747-400 with the Lord of the Ring livery landed on a rainy afternoon at NRT (NBV). CX’s Boeing 747-400 (B-HOU) was in charge of CX451 back to TPE, and B-HOX (without the special livery) came as CX450 and returned nonstop to HKG as CX505. Korean Air’s Boeing 777-200 (HL7574) was in charge of flight number one.
Our Boeing 777-200 was parked at gate 18 and boarding began early at 5:21pm, and there was the separate priority boarding. Three male flight attendants were in charge of first class this evening, and we had the usual pre-takeoff offerings – beverage of OJ/water/champagne, amenity kits and slippers were passed out, and newspapers were displayed at the last row of F-class cabin, as they were the cabin rest seats. First class was relatively full this evening. Hot towels, BOSE headphones, and menus were offered after the door was closed at 5:54pm. We pushed back a minute later, and the rain was not lightening at Narita. Out of the three F/As, only one of them was really friendly and outstanding. He was the only one, who was refilled your glasses, instead of picking them up and storing them. His name is Ron or anyway, he is the head purser. The other two Asian F/As were rushing through the service and were not too keen in working. The definition of excellent F/A was really based on these tiny details, and this AA international flagship flight was relatively disappointing (but not unexpected), especially compared to Japan Asia Airways and EVA, which were very service-oriented. The service was rushed and everything was served together. I guess it was supposed to allow more time for passengers to rest. Well, we headed to runway 34L and joined the queue in the rain. After a Northwest’s Boeing 747-400 (Spirit of Tokyo) took off, we lifted off at 6:22pm Tokyo time. Flying time was eight hours and thirty-six minutes and a very straightforward transpacific flight and we climbed initially to 36,000ft, and then reached 39,000ft. There were chops (moderate) after takeoff, and about mid-flight and then prior to landing. Well, I wanted to choose the Japanese dinners, but since there were only three loaded, it ran out before reaching the second row of first class. I think AA may want to allow folks to reserve Japanese dinners in the future, just like United does.
Here is the menu and wine list:
Champagne
Heidseck Monopole Brut
White Wines
Bouchard Aine Meursault
Kenwood Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc
Red Wines
Chateau Lynch-Moussas
King Estate Oregon Pinot Noir
Apertifs
Emilio Lustau Sherry
Choya “Umeshu” Plum Liqueur “Excellent”
Sake
Gekkeikan Horin Daiginjo Sake
Dessert Wine
Graham’s vintage Port
Western Dinner
To Start
An assortment of warm roasted nuts or fresh vegetables served in a cucumber-dill dip to accompany your preferred cocktail or beverage
Appetizer
Smoked salmon accompanied by Capers, Red Onion, and Sour Cream, garnished with lemon wedges, and served with toast points
As great as ever… I like the smoked salmon this evening – not too dry…
The Salad Cart
Fresh seasonal greens with herbed Buttermilk dressing or an individual bottle of Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
Mustard-coated Chateaubriand
Your choice of fresh vegetables including cherry tomatoes, julienned Japanese Pumpkin, Red Onions, Kaiware Radish Sprouts and Green Pepper Ring offered with a warm Garlic Baguette
That is one of the best features of American Airlines’ international flagship service. United abandoned this salad cart service (it is bring it back), but American smartly kept it. I had a nice mixed salad with really tasty chateaubriand with a nice Vinaigrette.
Bread Basket
Assorted Bread or Steamed Rice
Garlic bread was offered too.
Entrées
Salmon with Linguine
Pan-seared fillet of salmon seasoned with dill and lemon, enhanced by a light sauce, accompanied by linguine tossed with tomatoes and scallions
I chose this entrée, which was a disaster. The salmon was overcooked and dried. Thank god, I had a bowl of ramen at the airport and had a great salad and appetizer before it. For some reasons, I think AA’s entrées were very weak, compared to United especially. Everything seemed to be overcooked. AA must had not installed the “French steamed ovens” that other airlines bragged about them.
Or
Pepper Fillet of Beef
Tenderloin of beef complemented by a creamy sauce topped with black and pink pepper, served with an herbed potato, buttered string beans, fresh fennel, and carrot batons
Or
Barbecue Chicken
Grilled Breast of chicken accented by a barbecue sauce, offered with chopped red pepper, celery, and shallot sautéed in a potato hash
Dessert
The Fruit and Cheese Cart
Fine Cheese complemented by fresh seasonal fruits, served with selected crackers and offered with Port and other fine Wines
The Dessert Cart
Ice Cream Sundae
Vanilla ice cream with a choice of hot fudge, butterscotch or seasonal berry toppings, whipped cream and chopped pecans
Well about a year ago, there was a separate fruit & cheese cart, and dessert cart (with actually a choice of pastry). Today they were all served together and the cheese was pre-plated, which was Cheddar and Brie). For fruits, there were green apples and grapes. I had the ice-cream and a cup of tea with lemon.
Japanese
Appetizer Tray
Kobachi Dish
Vinaigrette Halibut and marinated Ice Goby Fish presented with Bracken, enhanced by Vinaigrette Miso Paste and Mustard
Hassun Dish
Nabana Flower rolled in Prosciutto Ham, accompanied by grilled Tilefish with Miso flavor and Prawn with Yam Paste Sushi, Tazuna style
Western Style Dish
Marinated Cuttlefish served with Spring Vegetables, accented by Plum Paste and Cream Dressing
Main Tray
Simmered Dish
Crabmeat offered with lily bulb paste dumpling, turnip, Mibuna leaf and carrot, complemented by starch sauce
Entrée
Simmered Japanese Bluefish and Taro presented with Broccoli, Young Corn and shredded Ginger enhanced by Ni-tsuke Sauce
Soup
Miso soup with Wakame Seaweed and Tofu
Accompanied by steamed rice and assorted seasonal Pickles
After dinner, Evian water bottles were passed out, and lights were dimmed. I went to sleep, since the entertainment system was not too interesting and the sky map was not so excited, as we were over the Pacific the whole night. The F/As did their rounds infrequently but I guess it was fine for a night flight. About 1am Tokyo time, breakfast was served, according to orders we made after dinner. Everything was served in one tray. Personally I think we can have the breakfast thirty minutes later, as not much work was required. I had the hot breakfast, which was eggs made to order. I was never asked, but was given scrambled egg automatically. Thankfully, there was no cheese garnish, which sound a bit odd. Supposed to have cinnamon rolls and crusty French rolls… but nothing but a croissant was offered on your plate. No breadbasket was offered for a second time. Fruit plate features orange segments and strawberries, and there was also a Meiji’s strawberry yogurt on the tray. Here is the transcript!
Breakfast
American Breakfast
Fresh seasonal fruit
Served with warm Croissants, hot Cinnamon rolls, and crusty French rolls
Fresh eggs offered with a Gruyere and Cheddar Cheese Garnish, with your choice of Canadian Bacon or Sausage
Yogurt
Cereal
Preserves and Butter
Descent began at 9:28am San Jose time, and we landed on Runway 30L at 9:58am, and parked at gate A1B a few minutes later. I was really impressed with the new San Jose International terminal, which was many times better than that so-called inspection stations. They were obviously not ready when we arrived. Thankfully, the American Citizens line was opened and I was into the bag claim within minutes. There was only one bag claim, and the bags came out within fifteen minutes – it was a record for AA. Tried JFK… you were lucky if you only had to wait for twenty-five minutes. Custom was a breeze. I dropped off my bag and an AA agent directed me to the TSA line right behind the exit for international flights. Great design!
Apr 1, 2004, 12:30 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,347
Final
AA 3198 SJC-LAX Lv1116 Arr1230 EMB-140RJ N830AE
Well things went down hill from here. Due to fogs at the Californian coast this morning, flights were delayed, and my LA flight was first delayed till 12:30pm, and then 12:50pm, which resulted in a very tight connection at LAX. What can I do? I sat in front of the window, and watched planes going up and down. Got a sandwich form Max! Finally the plane landed from San Diego around 12:10pm, and was taxied to gate A16 a few minutes later. We were allowed to board at 12:29pm and it was no surprise to see many people from my NRT flights. No wonder AA wants a separate LAX nonstop flight. Door was closed at 12:45pm and we wasted no time in taxing to R/W30L for takeoff. We left San Jose at 12:57pm. Flying time was fifty-six minutes with a cruising attitude of 27,000ft. A beverage was offered, accompanied by pretzels. Descent began at 1:28pm and we landed at Runway 25L at 1:53pm, and parked at gate 44I a few minutes later. An EVA-air’s Boeing 747-400 B-16412 parallel landed at Runway 24 with us, and I saw it taxiing to its gate, passing CX’s Boeing 747-400 B-HUD. We passed by El Al’s newly painted Boeing 767-200 4X-EAF, and Korean Air’s Boeing 747-400 HL7404.
AA 22 LAX-JFK Lv1500 Arr2306 Boeing 767-200ER N338AA
It was a very full flight this afternoon, and boarding began at 2:31pm at gate 49A. Pre-takeoff beverage was offered, as well as headsets and printed menus. We pushed back at 2:55pm and took off from R/W25R at 3:07pm. Typical American flagship service and the two F/As were very familiar with the service. Here was the transcript!
Dinner
To Start
Warm mixed nuts to accompany your preferred cocktail or beverage
Appetizer Salad
Spicy Mustard Chicken accompanied by an oven-roasted vegetable salad and seasonal mixed greens with a Simple Red wine vinaigrette or creamy Garlic-dill dressing
Bread Basket
An okay salad and the breads were the typical sourdough or wheat!
Entrées
Tomato-Marinated Fillet of Beef
Tomato-marinated tenderloin of beef enhanced by a Demi-Glace, complemented by a vegetable medley, garlic and chive potato hash
Or
Memphis Barbecued Chicken
Grilled chicken flavored by a Memphis Barbecue Marinade, served over a bed of Wild Rice Salad, complemented by a sweet Dipping sauce
Or
Chilled Lobster Plate
Lobster tail, cooked and served over a bed of lettuce filled with lobster salad, enhanced by a creamy sauce and garnished with two Crab Claws and cocktail shrimps
I had the lobster plate, which was described many times at this site. It was nice!
Dessert
Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Or
A scoop of Blue Bell Premium ice cream
Well no caramel apple cheesecake was offered, but a marble cheesecake was served. It was delicious. For ice cream, it was an almond hot fudge flavored ice cream.
Well Movie, “Duplex” was showed and the usual CBS Eyes on American. Final beverage was offered at 7:12pm, and descent began at 7:16pm. As an American flagship service, there was a second hot towel service prior to landing, which was nice. We landed on Runway 31L at 10:49pm and soon parked at gate 44. I made it to the city before midnight, which was nice.
Well I hope you enjoy this long report!
Carfield
Well things went down hill from here. Due to fogs at the Californian coast this morning, flights were delayed, and my LA flight was first delayed till 12:30pm, and then 12:50pm, which resulted in a very tight connection at LAX. What can I do? I sat in front of the window, and watched planes going up and down. Got a sandwich form Max! Finally the plane landed from San Diego around 12:10pm, and was taxied to gate A16 a few minutes later. We were allowed to board at 12:29pm and it was no surprise to see many people from my NRT flights. No wonder AA wants a separate LAX nonstop flight. Door was closed at 12:45pm and we wasted no time in taxing to R/W30L for takeoff. We left San Jose at 12:57pm. Flying time was fifty-six minutes with a cruising attitude of 27,000ft. A beverage was offered, accompanied by pretzels. Descent began at 1:28pm and we landed at Runway 25L at 1:53pm, and parked at gate 44I a few minutes later. An EVA-air’s Boeing 747-400 B-16412 parallel landed at Runway 24 with us, and I saw it taxiing to its gate, passing CX’s Boeing 747-400 B-HUD. We passed by El Al’s newly painted Boeing 767-200 4X-EAF, and Korean Air’s Boeing 747-400 HL7404.
AA 22 LAX-JFK Lv1500 Arr2306 Boeing 767-200ER N338AA
It was a very full flight this afternoon, and boarding began at 2:31pm at gate 49A. Pre-takeoff beverage was offered, as well as headsets and printed menus. We pushed back at 2:55pm and took off from R/W25R at 3:07pm. Typical American flagship service and the two F/As were very familiar with the service. Here was the transcript!
Dinner
To Start
Warm mixed nuts to accompany your preferred cocktail or beverage
Appetizer Salad
Spicy Mustard Chicken accompanied by an oven-roasted vegetable salad and seasonal mixed greens with a Simple Red wine vinaigrette or creamy Garlic-dill dressing
Bread Basket
An okay salad and the breads were the typical sourdough or wheat!
Entrées
Tomato-Marinated Fillet of Beef
Tomato-marinated tenderloin of beef enhanced by a Demi-Glace, complemented by a vegetable medley, garlic and chive potato hash
Or
Memphis Barbecued Chicken
Grilled chicken flavored by a Memphis Barbecue Marinade, served over a bed of Wild Rice Salad, complemented by a sweet Dipping sauce
Or
Chilled Lobster Plate
Lobster tail, cooked and served over a bed of lettuce filled with lobster salad, enhanced by a creamy sauce and garnished with two Crab Claws and cocktail shrimps
I had the lobster plate, which was described many times at this site. It was nice!
Dessert
Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Or
A scoop of Blue Bell Premium ice cream
Well no caramel apple cheesecake was offered, but a marble cheesecake was served. It was delicious. For ice cream, it was an almond hot fudge flavored ice cream.
Well Movie, “Duplex” was showed and the usual CBS Eyes on American. Final beverage was offered at 7:12pm, and descent began at 7:16pm. As an American flagship service, there was a second hot towel service prior to landing, which was nice. We landed on Runway 31L at 10:49pm and soon parked at gate 44. I made it to the city before midnight, which was nice.
Well I hope you enjoy this long report!
Carfield
Apr 1, 2004, 3:15 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: South Bend, IN
Programs: AA EXP 3 MM; Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite
Posts: 18,562
Great report as always, Carfield.
I will be flying NRT-JFK on AA in F in a few months and appreciated the update on the service.
I too have noted the elimination of the cheese cart in international first class on AA. It is a tragedy and a travesty and not at all first class. Needless to say, I have complained to AA.
I will be flying NRT-JFK on AA in F in a few months and appreciated the update on the service.
I too have noted the elimination of the cheese cart in international first class on AA. It is a tragedy and a travesty and not at all first class. Needless to say, I have complained to AA.
Apr 3, 2004, 1:00 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SYD and (sometimes) MEL
Programs: QP Silver; CX MPC Green; Virgin AusRed
Posts: 694
Another great report Carfield! ^
Needless to say, but reading this trip report almost makes me wanna go out straight away!
Once again, Thanks for the report!
Needless to say, but reading this trip report almost makes me wanna go out straight away!
Once again, Thanks for the report!
Apr 11, 2004, 11:08 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada / Moving to NYC
Programs: AC SE; AA Executive Platinum; NW Platinum; SPG Platinum; InterConti Royal Ambassador
Posts: 121
Nice report. I always feel like traveling after I read your report! I'm in SYD right now but will be taking off for NRT tomorrow. Great report as usual. ^
JP
JP