Business Class *A Award Flight Report: AC / SQ / TG (YLW - BLR part 1)
Jan 7, 2005, 11:31 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Programs: AC.SE
Posts: 2,578
Business Class *A Award Flight Report: AC / SQ / TG (YLW - BLR part 1)
I set out from Canada to India for a 3-week holiday in early November. The complete itinerary was YLW-YYC-SFO-(HKG)-SIN-BLR-BKK-(TPE)-ICN-YVR-YLW. I’ve already lied—the YLW-YYC and YVR-YLW segments were in economy, as two-class aircraft do not serve these city pairs very often.
This is my first attempt at a report. It’s probably too long (first clue: I had to divide it)—my apologies in advance. I haven’t fully entered the digital age, so no pictures. This first part details YLW-BLR.
November 4, 2004
Kelowna – Calgary
AC 8398 / Y class / tiny snack
de Havilland Dash 8 / seat 7B
1410 – 1626 (Flight time 1 hour 16 minutes)
I had an unhurried early afternoon departure from Kelowna. At the airport, I waited patiently in the two-deep Executive Class check-in line. I had a large, heavy suitcase and an average size, but still surprisingly heavy, duffle bag to check in. I smiled at the AC agent, who greeted me indifferently. I pulled out my ticket and asked if my bags could be checked all the way through to BLR.
She advised me that no, they could not. She gave me a reason which sounded patently untrue—something about having to check in again in SFO because my flight to SIN was technically leaving the following day (the flight to SIN was leaving just about 3 hours after my arrival in SFO). I narrowed my eyes discreetly at her, but said nothing. Much to her chagrin, the printer spewed out tags marked with my final destination. To add insult to injury, all of the necessary boarding passes followed in short order.
I gave her another chance. Would I have to exchange the relevant AC boarding passes for SQ passes? No, she said confidently, underlining the words ‘Singapore Airlines’ and ‘Raffles Class’ with her finger for emphasis. She spoke to me gently, as though she thought I might be unstable. I made a mental note to consult with SQ once at SFO.
Kelowna airport is small, clean, and boring, though surrounded by charming hills. The one shop has some duty-free goods, as Horizon Air offers a flight to Seattle. Absolutely no lounge. I made my way quickly through security and read a little until the flight was called. Passengers made their way onto the tarmac and clambered into the waiting Dash-8. Boarding was quick on this small, one-class plane. Once all passengers had been accounted for, the stairs pulled up, and the door armed, we trundled off to the runway and clattered into the sky in great haste.
I rejected the choice of snack mix or cookie, settling instead for a glass of water. I craned my neck a bit over the guy next to me so I could get a few glimpses of the Rockies below. Because of the considerable lack of on-board entertainment I decided the sensible approach would be to fall asleep. That I did—pervasive vibrations from the prop engines notwithstanding—to be awakened only by the pre-landing announcements.
YYC is larger and more crowded than I remember—it’s been years since I was last there. The Maple Leaf Lounge was bloated with travelers; not even standing room around the tall tables. I chewed on some cheese and melba toast, then tried unsuccessfully to have the agent in the lounge change my seat assignment for ICN-YVR later in the month.
Disconsolately, I rolled out to the US departure area. Lines were medium-long at security, but immigration was just a formality. I bought some unnecessary items at duty-free, then threw myself into a nice, overstuffed leather armchair near one of the WestJet gates. I brooded a bit about the fact that there’s no transborder Maple Leaf Lounge—not even a small one.
US and domestic departures actually use the same gates. However, passengers departing for the US are segregated from domestic passengers by code-accessed doors, no doubt modeled after a prison. Once at the gate, there was no turning back. Fortunately, boarding proceeded in short order.
November 4, 2004
Calgary – San Francisco
AC 578 / Executive Class / “light meal”
Airbus 320 / seat 2C (and then 3F)
1915 – 2058 (Flight time 2 hours 43 minutes)
Executive Class passengers, AC Elite/SuperElite, and other *G members were allowed to board first. Seating in the front cabin is 2x2, with this plane featuring the comfortable older-style seats. Pitch is decent; definitely enough room for average-height travelers to give their legs a good stretch. Not a stunning degree of recline, but enough to prevent your head from snapping painfully forward and cruelly waking you as you try to doze off.
The Executive Class cabin was not even half full, so I abandoned my port aisle seat for a starboard window. As a bonus, no one was sitting in front of, next to, or behind me. I took the very pleasant flight attendant up on her generous offer of pre-takeoff water. We pushed back in good time and taxied off to our runway. The juvenile whine of the twin CFM56-5As spooling up reminded me that there were greater planes to come this evening.
Once we had left the ground far below, I hauled out my Sennheiser PXC-250s. The reduction in ambient noise was quite evident with the NC on. Not as good as the Bose QC2s, but good enough for me. I ordered a glass of Shiraz, after several attempts at communicating the phrase ‘red wine’ to the ever-smiling FA. Said wine arrived complete with small floating object—cork, I assumed. The FA cheerfully brought me a fresh glass.
I made a quick trip to the lav, and was disturbed to discover a dark red liquid floating in the bowl. My first thought was that the guy who had just left had quietly hemorrhaged, then managed to make his way nonchalantly back to his seat. But rational thought prevailed, and I decided that the FA had flung my tainted glass of wine into a convenient receptacle.
As Shiraz goes, the wine tasted like a Merlot. It nicely heralded the “light meal” to which we were soon treated. A scoop of potato salad perched on a radicchio leaf, a slice of roasted chicken breast (cold), and a container of chopped lettuce studded with hints of arugula and a few strips of red onion. Two Lindt chocolate truffles, crackers, and packaged cheese rounded out the feast. All in all, not a bad snack. At least it left me thankful that I didn’t have to pay to sit in J on that flight.
I reflected for a while on nothing in particular, while listening to the in-flight audio. I then watched something so unremarkable on the main screen that I can’t even remember what it was. It certainly wasn’t a movie—a sitcom, maybe? Anyway, it laid the groundwork for another nap. Once again, the pre-landing announcements served as my wake-up call. The captain tried to inject a little excitement into the proceedings: “Those passengers on the left side of the aircraft will see…” (quick dramatic pause) “…THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE!” Not a voice nor a creature stirred at this revelation, but I give him full credit for the attempt.
We touched down uneventfully at SFO. The indefatigably upbeat FA thanked me for flying with Air Canada as I passed her on my way out the door.
Terminal 1 at SFO deserves very little mention. It was so cold inside that I had to put on my jacket. The end.
I made my way to the international terminal. It’s quite an appealing structure from the inside: massive polished stone, gentle but effective lighting, tastefully contemporary. The airline desk area reminded me somehow of Grand Central station, without the seething hordes.
The SQ counters were cheerfully disorganized. Small knots of people were scattered here and there. Economy travelers checked in at the Raffles and First desks, or wherever there was an agent to help them. There seemed to be many agents, though, and no line had more than five people in it. At the Raffles check-in, the agent earnestly informed me that yes, my AC boarding passes were no good and needed to be re-issued on SQ stock. No problem. The exchange was quickly made. He also gave me a photocopied map—the original almost certainly hand-drawn by a third-grader—showing the way to the SilverKris Lounge.
The SFO SK Lounge is quite small, and the Raffles section gets cramped in a hurry when people start to arrive (I’ve never seen the First section). Still, it’s nice that SIA bothered to put a lounge there at all. I cast a quick glance at the available food—some suspect chicken wings under a glass dome, some doubtful noodles in a chafing dish under a steel dome. No matter, as I was saving myself for dinner on board. I passed on the small selection of alcoholic beverages as well.
I went to the closet-like business center and tried unsuccessfully to send an e-mail from one of the computers. I first had to enlist the aid of one of the lounge attendants to log me in. After some agonizingly slow page-loading, the computer froze to death, as I imagine it has many times before. Disappointed yet again! Off I went to duty-free to buy one more thing I didn’t really need. After that, I took a little tour of the concourse, stopping for a moment at gate G93, where SQ 1 awaited in all its majesty. Also seen were 744s bearing UA and BR livery. Feeling a little fatigued, I thought I should return to the SK Lounge, then went to the UA RCC instead.
The SFO RCC initially seduces you with its automatic sliding-glass doors, a suggestion of exclusivity. I walked in and presented proof of my *G status to a woman at the desk. She looked quickly at my card and boarding pass, said “Okay”, and went back to chatting with a friend. I strode over and stepped onto the escalator, and was briefly reminded of the Simpsons episode in which Homer gets the key to the executive washroom.
The lounge itself is very long, and part of it was roped off. According to a sign on the wall, this RCC is capable of accommodating 500+ people. Symbolic of the airline itself, I thought—once huge and bustling, now abbreviated and nearly deserted. I decided not to gorge on the celery sticks and foil-wrapped Camembert chunks. Instead, I approached the lone attendant at the upstairs reception area and asked him for a few sheets of blank paper on which to start writing my report. These he kindly handed over to me, and I sat down and started to write.
Restless after a while, I headed back to the SK lounge. About 10 minutes after that, I glanced at my watch and decided to make my way to the gate to see what was happening. As it turned out, they were calling the First and Raffles passengers to board just as I arrived. I went straight through to the gate, presented my boarding pass, and stepped onto the airbridge.
November 5, 2004 (arriving November 6, 2004)
San Francisco – Singapore (via HKG)
SQ 1 / Raffles Class / Supper – Breakfast – Brunch
Boeing 747-400 (9V-SMZ) / seat 11A
0005 – 0650 (SFO – HKG); 0800 – 1145 (HKG – SIN): Total flying time about 18 hours 30 minutes
There were separate bridges for F/J and economy passengers. I was greeted by name at the door and directed to the stairs to the upper deck. The flight attendants upstairs were pleasant and cordial, happy to escort passengers to their seats. Once most of the passengers were seated, a trolley with a large selection of newspapers and magazines was brought around. Orange juice, Champagne (Heidsieck), and water were offered pre-takeoff. Then, menus were distributed and orders taken for post-takeoff drinks and dinner. No amenity kit, save for a nice little draw-string bag containing socks and eye shades.
I had bulkhead seat 11A. I think it’s an excellent seat with great legroom. Having the PTV recessed into the bulkhead may bother some, but I had no problem with it. Others may worry about the proximity of row 11 to the lavs, but on this night flight, there turned out not to be a great deal of toilet traffic. And of course, the FAs pull a curtain to separate the lavs from the seating area. Neither I nor the passenger seated next to me were disturbed by other passengers on their way to attend to their needs.
Enough has been said about KrisWorld and the SpaceBed that I won’t add my two cents. Except to say that I think the SpaceBed is better than Lufthansa’s PrivateBed. Take that, LH!
Once all the passengers were on board, the captain announced over the PA system that we’d be staying put at the gate until we received clearance to leave. This would involve a short delay in departure. I wasn’t especially concerned—just happy to be able to wait out the delay in a nice seat. When we did push back, I sat there with my face glued as well as possible to the window. It’s a bit difficult to see out of the upper deck windows, so I was slightly contorted in my seat. There wasn’t much traffic since it was past midnight. We took a convoluted route to the appointed runway, the flight crew skillfully guiding the massive craft through a dark, tarmac maze. We eventually slowed down before a sharp left-hand turn, and then I heard something near us begin to thunder down a runway. I wasn’t observant enough to see what it was, or which runway. Behind us, though, were China Airlines and EVA B744s.
It was finally our turn to take off. Captain Menon pointed the nose down the centerline, pushed the four PW4056s to stabilization, and then to takeoff thrust. The high-pitched, urgent shriek became almost inaudible, giving way to a roar. The 744, loaded with a lot of travelers and thousands of pounds of fuel for the transpacific odyssey, slowly but decisively attained takeoff velocity and gracefully rotated.
Now for the supper menu and wine list (there was a good selection of teas, coffees, specialty coffees beverages which I omitted):
San Francisco >> Hong Kong
Supper Menu
A Savoury Note
Marinated prawns and baby artichoke served with tomato salsa
The Main Event
Roasted chicken breast served with pinenut oregano relish, sautéed mushroom and mini mushroom ravioli (exclusively created by Nancy Oakes of Boulevard, San Francisco)
Wanton mee
Egg noodles in rich pork broth garnished with shrimp dumplings and leafy greens
Grilled swordfish steak served with creamy garlic sauce, buttered asparagus and gourmet potato
The Cheese Board
Gourmet cheese with garnishes
A Sweet Note
Apple crème brûlée with persimmon and Asian pear salad
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
Champagne
Piper Heidsieck Rare Cuvée Réservée
White wines
2000 Wente Bros. Riva Ranch Reserve Chardonnay
2002 Lockwood Vineyard Monterey Chardonnay
2001 Hattenheimer Riesling Kabinett Balthasar Ress
Red wines
2001 Jekel Vineyards Monterey Cabernet Sauvignon
2000 Barbera d’Asti Superiore “La Luna e i Faló” Terre da Vino
Port
1998 Taylor’s LBV
This is my first attempt at a report. It’s probably too long (first clue: I had to divide it)—my apologies in advance. I haven’t fully entered the digital age, so no pictures. This first part details YLW-BLR.
November 4, 2004
Kelowna – Calgary
AC 8398 / Y class / tiny snack
de Havilland Dash 8 / seat 7B
1410 – 1626 (Flight time 1 hour 16 minutes)
I had an unhurried early afternoon departure from Kelowna. At the airport, I waited patiently in the two-deep Executive Class check-in line. I had a large, heavy suitcase and an average size, but still surprisingly heavy, duffle bag to check in. I smiled at the AC agent, who greeted me indifferently. I pulled out my ticket and asked if my bags could be checked all the way through to BLR.
She advised me that no, they could not. She gave me a reason which sounded patently untrue—something about having to check in again in SFO because my flight to SIN was technically leaving the following day (the flight to SIN was leaving just about 3 hours after my arrival in SFO). I narrowed my eyes discreetly at her, but said nothing. Much to her chagrin, the printer spewed out tags marked with my final destination. To add insult to injury, all of the necessary boarding passes followed in short order.
I gave her another chance. Would I have to exchange the relevant AC boarding passes for SQ passes? No, she said confidently, underlining the words ‘Singapore Airlines’ and ‘Raffles Class’ with her finger for emphasis. She spoke to me gently, as though she thought I might be unstable. I made a mental note to consult with SQ once at SFO.
Kelowna airport is small, clean, and boring, though surrounded by charming hills. The one shop has some duty-free goods, as Horizon Air offers a flight to Seattle. Absolutely no lounge. I made my way quickly through security and read a little until the flight was called. Passengers made their way onto the tarmac and clambered into the waiting Dash-8. Boarding was quick on this small, one-class plane. Once all passengers had been accounted for, the stairs pulled up, and the door armed, we trundled off to the runway and clattered into the sky in great haste.
I rejected the choice of snack mix or cookie, settling instead for a glass of water. I craned my neck a bit over the guy next to me so I could get a few glimpses of the Rockies below. Because of the considerable lack of on-board entertainment I decided the sensible approach would be to fall asleep. That I did—pervasive vibrations from the prop engines notwithstanding—to be awakened only by the pre-landing announcements.
YYC is larger and more crowded than I remember—it’s been years since I was last there. The Maple Leaf Lounge was bloated with travelers; not even standing room around the tall tables. I chewed on some cheese and melba toast, then tried unsuccessfully to have the agent in the lounge change my seat assignment for ICN-YVR later in the month.
Disconsolately, I rolled out to the US departure area. Lines were medium-long at security, but immigration was just a formality. I bought some unnecessary items at duty-free, then threw myself into a nice, overstuffed leather armchair near one of the WestJet gates. I brooded a bit about the fact that there’s no transborder Maple Leaf Lounge—not even a small one.
US and domestic departures actually use the same gates. However, passengers departing for the US are segregated from domestic passengers by code-accessed doors, no doubt modeled after a prison. Once at the gate, there was no turning back. Fortunately, boarding proceeded in short order.
November 4, 2004
Calgary – San Francisco
AC 578 / Executive Class / “light meal”
Airbus 320 / seat 2C (and then 3F)
1915 – 2058 (Flight time 2 hours 43 minutes)
Executive Class passengers, AC Elite/SuperElite, and other *G members were allowed to board first. Seating in the front cabin is 2x2, with this plane featuring the comfortable older-style seats. Pitch is decent; definitely enough room for average-height travelers to give their legs a good stretch. Not a stunning degree of recline, but enough to prevent your head from snapping painfully forward and cruelly waking you as you try to doze off.
The Executive Class cabin was not even half full, so I abandoned my port aisle seat for a starboard window. As a bonus, no one was sitting in front of, next to, or behind me. I took the very pleasant flight attendant up on her generous offer of pre-takeoff water. We pushed back in good time and taxied off to our runway. The juvenile whine of the twin CFM56-5As spooling up reminded me that there were greater planes to come this evening.
Once we had left the ground far below, I hauled out my Sennheiser PXC-250s. The reduction in ambient noise was quite evident with the NC on. Not as good as the Bose QC2s, but good enough for me. I ordered a glass of Shiraz, after several attempts at communicating the phrase ‘red wine’ to the ever-smiling FA. Said wine arrived complete with small floating object—cork, I assumed. The FA cheerfully brought me a fresh glass.
I made a quick trip to the lav, and was disturbed to discover a dark red liquid floating in the bowl. My first thought was that the guy who had just left had quietly hemorrhaged, then managed to make his way nonchalantly back to his seat. But rational thought prevailed, and I decided that the FA had flung my tainted glass of wine into a convenient receptacle.
As Shiraz goes, the wine tasted like a Merlot. It nicely heralded the “light meal” to which we were soon treated. A scoop of potato salad perched on a radicchio leaf, a slice of roasted chicken breast (cold), and a container of chopped lettuce studded with hints of arugula and a few strips of red onion. Two Lindt chocolate truffles, crackers, and packaged cheese rounded out the feast. All in all, not a bad snack. At least it left me thankful that I didn’t have to pay to sit in J on that flight.
I reflected for a while on nothing in particular, while listening to the in-flight audio. I then watched something so unremarkable on the main screen that I can’t even remember what it was. It certainly wasn’t a movie—a sitcom, maybe? Anyway, it laid the groundwork for another nap. Once again, the pre-landing announcements served as my wake-up call. The captain tried to inject a little excitement into the proceedings: “Those passengers on the left side of the aircraft will see…” (quick dramatic pause) “…THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE!” Not a voice nor a creature stirred at this revelation, but I give him full credit for the attempt.
We touched down uneventfully at SFO. The indefatigably upbeat FA thanked me for flying with Air Canada as I passed her on my way out the door.
Terminal 1 at SFO deserves very little mention. It was so cold inside that I had to put on my jacket. The end.
I made my way to the international terminal. It’s quite an appealing structure from the inside: massive polished stone, gentle but effective lighting, tastefully contemporary. The airline desk area reminded me somehow of Grand Central station, without the seething hordes.
The SQ counters were cheerfully disorganized. Small knots of people were scattered here and there. Economy travelers checked in at the Raffles and First desks, or wherever there was an agent to help them. There seemed to be many agents, though, and no line had more than five people in it. At the Raffles check-in, the agent earnestly informed me that yes, my AC boarding passes were no good and needed to be re-issued on SQ stock. No problem. The exchange was quickly made. He also gave me a photocopied map—the original almost certainly hand-drawn by a third-grader—showing the way to the SilverKris Lounge.
The SFO SK Lounge is quite small, and the Raffles section gets cramped in a hurry when people start to arrive (I’ve never seen the First section). Still, it’s nice that SIA bothered to put a lounge there at all. I cast a quick glance at the available food—some suspect chicken wings under a glass dome, some doubtful noodles in a chafing dish under a steel dome. No matter, as I was saving myself for dinner on board. I passed on the small selection of alcoholic beverages as well.
I went to the closet-like business center and tried unsuccessfully to send an e-mail from one of the computers. I first had to enlist the aid of one of the lounge attendants to log me in. After some agonizingly slow page-loading, the computer froze to death, as I imagine it has many times before. Disappointed yet again! Off I went to duty-free to buy one more thing I didn’t really need. After that, I took a little tour of the concourse, stopping for a moment at gate G93, where SQ 1 awaited in all its majesty. Also seen were 744s bearing UA and BR livery. Feeling a little fatigued, I thought I should return to the SK Lounge, then went to the UA RCC instead.
The SFO RCC initially seduces you with its automatic sliding-glass doors, a suggestion of exclusivity. I walked in and presented proof of my *G status to a woman at the desk. She looked quickly at my card and boarding pass, said “Okay”, and went back to chatting with a friend. I strode over and stepped onto the escalator, and was briefly reminded of the Simpsons episode in which Homer gets the key to the executive washroom.
The lounge itself is very long, and part of it was roped off. According to a sign on the wall, this RCC is capable of accommodating 500+ people. Symbolic of the airline itself, I thought—once huge and bustling, now abbreviated and nearly deserted. I decided not to gorge on the celery sticks and foil-wrapped Camembert chunks. Instead, I approached the lone attendant at the upstairs reception area and asked him for a few sheets of blank paper on which to start writing my report. These he kindly handed over to me, and I sat down and started to write.
Restless after a while, I headed back to the SK lounge. About 10 minutes after that, I glanced at my watch and decided to make my way to the gate to see what was happening. As it turned out, they were calling the First and Raffles passengers to board just as I arrived. I went straight through to the gate, presented my boarding pass, and stepped onto the airbridge.
November 5, 2004 (arriving November 6, 2004)
San Francisco – Singapore (via HKG)
SQ 1 / Raffles Class / Supper – Breakfast – Brunch
Boeing 747-400 (9V-SMZ) / seat 11A
0005 – 0650 (SFO – HKG); 0800 – 1145 (HKG – SIN): Total flying time about 18 hours 30 minutes
There were separate bridges for F/J and economy passengers. I was greeted by name at the door and directed to the stairs to the upper deck. The flight attendants upstairs were pleasant and cordial, happy to escort passengers to their seats. Once most of the passengers were seated, a trolley with a large selection of newspapers and magazines was brought around. Orange juice, Champagne (Heidsieck), and water were offered pre-takeoff. Then, menus were distributed and orders taken for post-takeoff drinks and dinner. No amenity kit, save for a nice little draw-string bag containing socks and eye shades.
I had bulkhead seat 11A. I think it’s an excellent seat with great legroom. Having the PTV recessed into the bulkhead may bother some, but I had no problem with it. Others may worry about the proximity of row 11 to the lavs, but on this night flight, there turned out not to be a great deal of toilet traffic. And of course, the FAs pull a curtain to separate the lavs from the seating area. Neither I nor the passenger seated next to me were disturbed by other passengers on their way to attend to their needs.
Enough has been said about KrisWorld and the SpaceBed that I won’t add my two cents. Except to say that I think the SpaceBed is better than Lufthansa’s PrivateBed. Take that, LH!
Once all the passengers were on board, the captain announced over the PA system that we’d be staying put at the gate until we received clearance to leave. This would involve a short delay in departure. I wasn’t especially concerned—just happy to be able to wait out the delay in a nice seat. When we did push back, I sat there with my face glued as well as possible to the window. It’s a bit difficult to see out of the upper deck windows, so I was slightly contorted in my seat. There wasn’t much traffic since it was past midnight. We took a convoluted route to the appointed runway, the flight crew skillfully guiding the massive craft through a dark, tarmac maze. We eventually slowed down before a sharp left-hand turn, and then I heard something near us begin to thunder down a runway. I wasn’t observant enough to see what it was, or which runway. Behind us, though, were China Airlines and EVA B744s.
It was finally our turn to take off. Captain Menon pointed the nose down the centerline, pushed the four PW4056s to stabilization, and then to takeoff thrust. The high-pitched, urgent shriek became almost inaudible, giving way to a roar. The 744, loaded with a lot of travelers and thousands of pounds of fuel for the transpacific odyssey, slowly but decisively attained takeoff velocity and gracefully rotated.
Now for the supper menu and wine list (there was a good selection of teas, coffees, specialty coffees beverages which I omitted):
San Francisco >> Hong Kong
Supper Menu
A Savoury Note
Marinated prawns and baby artichoke served with tomato salsa
The Main Event
Roasted chicken breast served with pinenut oregano relish, sautéed mushroom and mini mushroom ravioli (exclusively created by Nancy Oakes of Boulevard, San Francisco)
Wanton mee
Egg noodles in rich pork broth garnished with shrimp dumplings and leafy greens
Grilled swordfish steak served with creamy garlic sauce, buttered asparagus and gourmet potato
The Cheese Board
Gourmet cheese with garnishes
A Sweet Note
Apple crème brûlée with persimmon and Asian pear salad
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
Champagne
Piper Heidsieck Rare Cuvée Réservée
White wines
2000 Wente Bros. Riva Ranch Reserve Chardonnay
2002 Lockwood Vineyard Monterey Chardonnay
2001 Hattenheimer Riesling Kabinett Balthasar Ress
Red wines
2001 Jekel Vineyards Monterey Cabernet Sauvignon
2000 Barbera d’Asti Superiore “La Luna e i Faló” Terre da Vino
Port
1998 Taylor’s LBV
Last edited by ylwae; Jan 7, 2005 at 11:36 pm Reason: Added some bolding
Jan 8, 2005, 10:13 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 13,145
Originally Posted by ylwae
Wanton mee
Egg noodles in rich pork broth garnished with shrimp dumplings and leafy greens
Egg noodles in rich pork broth garnished with shrimp dumplings and leafy greens
Jan 9, 2005, 4:03 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: Too many golds, no plat: OZ*G, AC*G, NZ*G, VA Gold, QF Gold, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 5,350
ylwae, what a great report - you have a really entertaining writing style. Looking forward to the ongoing instalments - perhaps you should consolidate them all into this thread rather than creating new ones for each? The trick is just to ensure that each individual post is not too long.
Gatwick Alan, sorry to be a pedant but AZ is Alitalia - no doubt you mean Air New Zealand (NZ)? Could we trouble you for a trip report?
Gatwick Alan, sorry to be a pedant but AZ is Alitalia - no doubt you mean Air New Zealand (NZ)? Could we trouble you for a trip report?
Jan 9, 2005, 5:05 am
#8
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: All the wrong places..
Programs: SQ TPP, BA Gold, Hyatt Life Glob, SPG/Marriott Life Plat,
Posts: 3,371
Alan, while 11A is a decent enough seat, have you tried for 17A or K upper deck exit row ?. 17A is usually reserved for PPS pax but you may get lucky.
Jan 9, 2005, 6:05 am
#9
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Brighton England
Programs: AA Plat, various hotels
Posts: 1,220
Gatwick Alan, sorry to be a pedant but AZ is Alitalia - no doubt you mean Air New Zealand (NZ)? Could we trouble you for a trip report?[/QUOTE]
Sorry, you are quite right, I will post a report when i get back at the end of Feb. My first round the world trip to celebrate (??) my 50th birthday.
Alan, while 11A is a decent enough seat, have you tried for 17A or K upper deck exit row ?. 17A is usually reserved for PPS pax but you may get lucky.
I did try in person at LHR, but no joy. Thai on the other hand were happy to give me 17A for tha BKK-SYD flight. Having an airport pass sometimes has its advantages!!
UPDATE; ive managed to bag 17k, thanks for inspiring me to try harder
Sorry, you are quite right, I will post a report when i get back at the end of Feb. My first round the world trip to celebrate (??) my 50th birthday.
Alan, while 11A is a decent enough seat, have you tried for 17A or K upper deck exit row ?. 17A is usually reserved for PPS pax but you may get lucky.
I did try in person at LHR, but no joy. Thai on the other hand were happy to give me 17A for tha BKK-SYD flight. Having an airport pass sometimes has its advantages!!
UPDATE; ive managed to bag 17k, thanks for inspiring me to try harder
Last edited by Gatwick Alan; Jan 9, 2005 at 6:28 am
Jan 9, 2005, 10:46 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Programs: AC.SE
Posts: 2,578
[QUOTE=mad_atta]ylwae, what a great report - you have a really entertaining writing style. Looking forward to the ongoing instalments - perhaps you should consolidate them all into this thread rather than creating new ones for each? The trick is just to ensure that each individual post is not too long.
Thank you, mad_atta. I didn't know how to consolidate them at first, but Fliar told me how. I will put the next instalment in this thread.
Thank you, mad_atta. I didn't know how to consolidate them at first, but Fliar told me how. I will put the next instalment in this thread.
Last edited by ylwae; Jan 9, 2005 at 10:52 am
Jan 9, 2005, 3:17 pm
#11
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: Too many golds, no plat: OZ*G, AC*G, NZ*G, VA Gold, QF Gold, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 5,350
Originally Posted by Gatwick Alan
I will post a report when i get back at the end of Feb. My first round the world trip to celebrate (??) my 50th birthday.
