billiam

I'll be posting to this thread throughout our odyssey through Asia for the next few weeks.

Our flight to NRT was delayed by an hour due to late and missing pax, thus causing the removal of the missing pax bags. Also, we missed our "slot" into NRT, so our pilot had to talk with dispatch to get another slot before we can takeoff.

Once in the air, it was a bumpy ride for a good portion on the journey. We were on UA, and our pilot had turned on channel 9, and there was constant chatter among the pilots of various planes looking for a smoother ride at different altitudes.

We got into NRT, and found that our continuing flight onto BKK has been delayed by 1:30 hrs. Off to the UA RCC for a rest and drinks The NRT RCC is the best I've seen for RCCs. The SFO one pales to this one. We saw the much noted beer machine, though neither of us liked beer. There were also showers available as well.

Our flight to BKK didn't really leave till more than 2 hours after the scheduled time, and we got into BKK at about 0045. We saw the Thai 744 with the Royal Barge livery at LAX while taxing out, and we saw the same plane at BKK already at the gate when we got there! Guess it had a much quicker connecting time at Osaka. It took off after us and got to BKK before us. Grrr

Currently, we are waiting to leave BKK for MLE on Bangkok Air. We spent yesterday shopping at MBK and Fortune IT. Went to the Grand Palace today for our sightseeing activity. For those of you staying near Sukhumvit MRT or Asok BTS stations, the Time Square mall has a internet cafe for 40 Baht an hour. Its on the 2nd floor and its called "Asia Net". Our hotel wanted 150 Baht for 15 minutes!

Can't wait to see the Maldives.

billiam

Our flight left a bit later than scheduled, and took longer than expected, and ultimately, we got into MLE 1.5 hours late!
The in-flight service on Bangkok Air was quite good though. The meal service started with hot towel service, and then an appetizer set which had a cooked shrimp sushi, cooked salmon sushi, and a quiche(sp?) like round thing. My wife and I thought that is all the meal service was going to be until they rolled out another cart. The main dish was chicken with mash potatoes, or fish and noodles. Naturally, I picked one and my wife the other so we can taste both The noodles were better

After we landed in MLE, our luggage took forever to come out. The majority of the pax on our flight were NOT tourists. I say there was maybe 10-20 pax that were tourists, the rest were Maldivians, bringing back tons of stuff, I even saw a big car part, like the whole front steering frame of a car!

After getting our luggage, our resort's rep met us and walked us to the speedboat which will take us to the resort. The ride to the Taj Coral Reef was about an hour. It was night time, so not much to see. The resort was quite nice, and we left just in time. We left on the 24th, before the tsunami came to the Maldives on the 26th!

MLE-TRV on Indian Airlines
We snagged biz tickets on IC for this flight, and were amazed by the full meal service served on such a short flight. The choices were chicken curry and a veg curry dish. We both got the chicken curry (gotta have protein), which was pretty good. The was also a small package of pickled fruit or veg, that was quite spicy as well. Just before landing, a FA went down the aisle with an aerosol can held high towards the ceiling of the cabin, and sprayed what I guess to be "deorderizer" An announcement was also made which said that photography within Indian airspace and Indian airports is prohibited, however, this photo ban was recently lifted, I guess the crew was not made aware yet.

After getting our bags and exchanging some money, our local agent met us and took us to our destination, Kottayam, where we sit at an internet cafe connected by one 56k line We were very lucky to be in places that were not affected by the tsunami. Hopefully, our next flight to CMB will be uneventful

SMART51

My heart goes to all the people hit by the tsunami

Rejuvenated

Same here too

billiam

After a week in south India, we left for CMB, on Sri Lankan Air in biz class.

The boarding process at TRV is a mess. Everyone just runs to the gate when the announcement is made, and on the bus we go.

This flight was quite short, 45 minutes. However, a full lunch was still served on the flight! We received a menu with many wine choices, and 4 choices for the lunch as well. Chicken curry, mutton, steak, and a veg. dish. There were also curtains that separate the biz section from the Y, and also on the window on the partition in front of the FA jumpseats. A bit nostalgic for those who no longer see these things on US flights

Arriving in CMB, we were taken in our very own bus (sort of, we had 2 un-accompanied minors with us as well), to the terminal, while the y pax had their own bus.

There were donation stations setup in the airport, as well as some hotels in Colombo, to allow people to give to those in need after the tsunami. While we feel lucky to have escaped the tragedy, we also felt said about those who fared much worse

After touring Sri Lanka, we are now checked in for our flight in F on SQ. F pax are given passes to the Lotus lounge, one of 4 lounges at CMB. I think J pax are routed to the Palm Strip Lounge. There are also Peacock and Serendib lounges, the latter for UL pax. So I will go wait now for my flight to SIN, where I will have about 5 hours before going onwards to HKG, and if things are as scheduled, on a 744, in SkySuites

billiam

Well, we're in SQ's F lounge in T2 at SIN!
Our flight was quite bumpy from CMB-SIN. We were offered the following "dinner" at 1:35am:

Oven roasted tomato soup

A choice of main courses:
Sauteed chicken in red wine sauce.

Linguine with beef filet

Warm onion bread with ham, bacon, and cheddar cheese, seasonal salad and dressing.

And finally, "Fresh fruit"

We were given the menu before take off, and orders were taken during taxi to the runway. My wife ordered the Krug I'm a alcohol lightweight, so tonic water for me. I had the linguine with beef filet, which was overdone. Originally, the linguine was supposed to come with seafood, as in the menu, but the FA came by to say that it was beef, no problem I said. My wife had the chicken, which was better. The soup was good as well. Amenity kits were also handed out during taxi as well, along with the PJ's. Slipper socks and eye covers were also distributed. The PJ's were by Givenchy, and the amenity kit contained Bulgari products: lotion/aftershave, gel eyemask, perfume/cologne, lip balm (women and men received different things in the kit).

The restrooms in the F section feel and seem a bit larger (can someone confirm?). One of the two didn't flush And my wife's headset connection in the seat didn't work (I just let her use mine, since I wanted to nap a bit). All in all, a pretty good first SQ F experience. We're waiting for our next flight on a SQ 744 to HKG SkySuites here we come! Hopefully, there will be no last minute aircraft substitutions

billiam

We are now waiting for our ICN-LAX flight at the OZ F lounge in ICN. This must be a recent addition, since the biz lounge is now located across from the F lounge, but the F lounge still has signage for a biz area, which no longer applies. The food selection is better for the ice cream/desserts than the SQ lounges in SIN/HKG, with Haagen daas as well as green tea and pistachio ice creams from another brand. The hot food is not quite comparable: chicken wings/legs, chicken porridge, bacon wrapped chestnuts (!). There also Korean ramen and udon bowls, which just needs hot water to make ready to eat. Drink selection is good, with cold drinks that include canned lattes, and other local Korean drinks in addition to the regular western choices.

SIN-HKG, SQ F

SQ F lounge
After arriving from CMB, we headed for the showers, since we didn't get a day room to CMB to use before our flight. The food in the lounge included a made to order noodle bowl soup, and other hot food items like a steamed dumpling that wasn't quite like dim-sum, porridge, etc. About 10 computers were available for internet access, in addition to desks that have ethernet connections as well.

Off to the gate we went, and thankfully, its a 744 as schedule. Pre-takeoff drink orders were taken and delivered, and off we went. The purser did not come by at all on this flight, neither to introduce themselves nor thank us for flying with them. Anyway, service was superb otherwise. The FA was able to seat us next to each other when a seat pair was not available during checkin, by asking a lady to switch. I used BTC to order the chicken curry, while my wife had the kyo-kaiseki. Both were great. My wife also liked the Krug better than Dom

I was taking a bit more time to eat than the other pax, and the FA came by to say "take your time, enjoy the service!". ^ And I did. The Wiseman AVOD was great to use as well, but the UI was a bit sluggish. And HKG arrived too soon and it was time to land.

HKG-ICN on OZ F
SIN lounge in HKG
We decided to use the SIN lounge at HKG, even though the checkin agent gave us invites to the KA lounge The SIN F lounge is not too big, but comfortable. 3 pcs were available, but the internet access was not possible for some reason. The lounge manager had me use the 1 computer in the biz side, which did work. Later, I saw that a man was connected to his laptop, and was using video chat, which I surmised was what caused the sluggish connection from the biz lounge computer. Food was great, dim sum type dumpling, beef balls, and steamed buns. Fried rice was also available, as is the usual Haagen Daas ice cream.

HKG-ICN OZ F
We boarded and were a bit let down by the seats, coming from Sky Suites The seats were comfortable none the less, and they did go all the way flat as well. There were no amenity kits, just slippers and headsets handed out. The purser came by and introduced himself, and later came to asked about our meal, and finally thank us for flying with them, and have a happy new year. 2 Choices were available for the meals: a Korean bi-bim-bap set meal, or a western course meal with lobster or steak. I had the bi-bim-bap, which was very good. It came in a hot steel bowl, with kimchi, soup, and other sides. My wife's lobster meal came in several courses: smoked salmon appetizer, salad with creamy mustard dressing, creamy asparagus soup, and the lobster, which was served from a cart! The FA asked my wife what to have with the lobster: veggies, rice, mashed potatoes, placing them on the plate and then serving. Finally, cheese and fruit plate. Dessert was a mouse cake with coffee (Blue Mountain Jamaican) or tea.

On to the homestretch

billiam

All good things come to an end A couple of notes before the flight. The Korean version of the TSA decided that my wife's OFF bug spray could not be carried in her carry-on luggage, and took it away. Surprising since none of the other airports we passed through had a problem, although most "flag" it during x-ray for hand inspection.

Also, the biz signage for the OZ lounge in ICN is current and correct, as the F/J lounges are actually connected by an overhead enclosed bridge, so the area designated for biz class pax is just another area they can use in addition to the area across the main terminal walk way.

I decided to have the udon bowl and the lounge attendant saw me starting to prepare it, and said "I will prepare for you". She took the instant-udon bowl to the back and came out a few minutes later with a the udon in a proper bowl, and pickled radishes and chili pepper on the side! Sorry if I sound a bit "gushing", but I don't fly international F much, much less even biz, so this level of service is quite different than what I see/get at US/EU lounges.

Loads on flights
On our HKG-ICN flight, the only other F pax besides my wife and myself was apparently a Korean diplomat. He had an assistant with him, and was joined by another at the gate on arrival at ICN. His bags were tagged VIP and were the very first to come out (about 4-5 bags). Our bags followed and we followed the "entourage" towards immigration/customs. He went through the diplomat channel without stopping while we waited for our turn

On our SIN-HKG flight in SQ F, the F cabin was full SQ must be making money hand over fist on this flight

CMB-SIN, there were 5 empty seats out of the 12 available. The other pax were from Japan.

We were the only J pax on the short hop from TRV-CMB, but the "Executive class" cabin was full on the IC flight MLE-TRV.

Also, on this trip, the only flights that were on time +/- 20 minutes were the SQ and OZ flights. Great job from them during this busy season. Also, the luggage handling was handled very well in respect to F pax luggage coming out first in HKG, ICN, and probably LAX (we had quite a wait at immigration before getting to baggage claim), since our bags were already on the belt by the time we got there.

ICN-LAX in OZ F
Pre-departure drink orders were taken and served. The F cabin only had 2 open seats for this flight, out of the 12 available. Most were Korean business men, one American/European lady, and us

Amenity kits were handed out, with Bulgari products. There were no separate kits for men and women like SQ, so my wife got aftershave and I got perfume Menus, slippers and regular headphones (NOT noise cancelling) were also handed out.

Dinner Menu:



IFE is not great, with only 3 movie channels, and 2-3 TV type programs, running on loop. I ended up watching the progress of our flight on the map channel most of the time :P

After dinner, the FA's converted the seat into a bed by setting it in the flat possition, and placing a mattress type pad on the seat, and providing a quilt and head pillow. I guess a "turn-down" service if you will. They also turned off all the lights in the cabin after everyone was done with dinner and had their seat turned-down. The temperature was also turned way up, probably to "help" us sleep and not order any of the snacks that were in the menu My wife got so hot that she was sweating and ended up waking 5-6 times during the "sleep" time before brunch was served.

Brunch Menu

OZ configured their 74E (combis) with F in the nose, and biz on the upper deck only, so the Y pax were directly behind us. While this didn't affect boarding at ICN, since they used 2 jetways, one going to door 1L for F/J pax, deplaning at LAX was a problem since the TBIT gate had only one jetway, and docked at door 2L. One of the FA asked if we wanted to be off first, and if so, to follow her to the door before all the Y pax got up. We did so and quickly grabbed our stuff and followed one other gent that took up the offer. Another couple who were a bit slower was stuck quite a few rows behind us since they got their stuff a little slower and Y pax had already gotten up to get their stuff from the overhead bins :P Anyway, not a great end to another wise excellent service from the OZ crew, but it was the best that could be done under the circumstances.

Overall, OZ F, while lacking in IFE, certainly made up in service. The seat was comfortable and can be made flat (180 degrees flat) for sleeping. I don't think I would've slept much if I was in SQ F for the trans-pac flight, as I'll be tempted to watch more movies So I guess thats a plus in helping adjust to crossing the many time zones, as I have no jet-lag.

zrs70

Great report!

Does Asiana have in-seat power?

billiam

Thanks!

I don't recall seeing a power plug on/in the 744 F seat. I love 744s, but sometimes, the older ones that do not have updated interiors makes me wish I was on a 777 instead

mosburger

Fantastic report, the Japan and Korea related parts were especially interesting for me. But for the proud Koreans, Ramen becomes "Ramyong" and Udon "Udong". Just reminding because using the Korean expressions might get your service personnel to put in an extra effort.

billiam

Just wanted to add the following champagne choices were available on our OZ F flights:
'95 Tattinger Comtes de Champagne
Piper-Heidsieck Brut

Also, ICN-LAX meal details have been added as well, enjoy!

SanDiego1K

This is a great report, and timely for me. There are great fares from CMB, and the OZ F fare is one that I am considering. The opportunity to use SQ F on several flights sure sounds nice.

sftrvlr

Excellent report! I'm flying OZ first LAX-ICN in a couple of weeks. Is there a Korean meal available as well as the western meal on that leg?

billiam

sftrvlr, I suggest calling OZ rez line and find out, because on the ICN-LAX leg, there was a Korean meal available only if you called in to request it. The reason we knew was because another pax had a Korean meal and we asked about it :P He was apparently some senior exec type. I would think that would be the same for LAX-ICN, as ICN-LAX did not have a Korean meal listed in the menu for the dinner course.