sftrvlr

Hey there, olafman!

No. No bathtub, but the shower is indeed tremendous. I want one at home now. I'm going to try to book a CX trip in F next year to experience the Wing and compare the two places.

Kiwi Flyer

Great report sftrvlr ^ (If only I had more restraint and printed it off to read onboard - oh well.)

IIRC only a couple of the shower rooms in the first class terminal at FRA include a bath.

sftrvlr

I think the FlyerTalker dream vacation ws losing it's shine for mjmsf at this point. His look said it all. In fact he then said it all.

"Do we have to go to Colombo?"

"Yes. And you're damn well going to enjoy it."

How dare he?! He was going to be pampered in First Class while I was slumming in in Raffles Class . Mjmsf had been kind enough to invite me into the First Class side of the SilverKris lounge at Changi where I begged and pleaded for an upgrade at the customer service counter . We were both on paid tickets, but at Singapore Airlines the rules are the rules. No go for moi. Couldn't they ask one of the monks to move back to Raffles and give me his seat? .

Silk Road was still catering a special selection of food in the lounge tonight, so I had my fill of delicious small bites and noodles, then moved onto the satays again. I simply can't help myself. The (full service) bar was open this time of night and they were pouring Bombay Sapphire, so mjmsf was soon back in the swing of things. It appeared that every flight was delayed this evening with the exception of Colombo. A good thing since we'd been traveling for 32 hours. We left for the gate 45 minutes before scheduled departure.

SQ 468 / SIN-CMB / Boeing 777-200
Seat 11F / Raffles Class
Scheduled 2245-0030+1 / Actual 2245-0020+1

We parted ways as mjmsf stopped at row 2 and I continued all the way back to row 11, albeit just behind the curtain separating the last row of First (2) and the bulkhead row in Raffles (11.) His flying partner of the last 33 hours promptly forgotten, mjmsf coldly ignored me as he struck up a conversation with his new seat mate and sipped his glass of Dom . What can I say? SQ enforces the rules and maintains the integrity of their premium cabins. Good for them. Raffles is one of the best business class products in the world, although I much prefer the seat in United Business. The forward Raffles cabin was completely full this evening, save for the seat next to me. I sipped a glass of Charles Heidsieck 1995 and filled out my arrivals card for Sri Lanka in case I fell asleep later. Headsets, slipper, eyeshades and menus were offered, as were hot towels.

singapore >> colombo

supper menu

A Savoury Note

Scallops with mustard flavoured coleslaw

The Main Event

Chicken with ceps forcemeat with roasted vegetables and sauteed gnocchi
*Exclusively created by Gordon Ramsay, London

Fried noodles with seafood and vegetables, shrimp dumpling

Warm sandwich with tandoori lamb, grilled vegetables and fried potatoes

A Sweet Note

Coconut creme brulee with mango

A Connoisser's Choice

Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea

The wines on offer:

Charles Heidsieck, 1995
Montagny 1er Cru, 2002
Dr. Loosen Qualitatswein Reisling, 2003
Chateau Coufran Haut-Medoc, 1998
Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina, 2001
Taylor's Late Bottled Vintage Port, 2000

Can somebody please tell me what ceps forcemeat is? Sounds quite dreadful. After my experience with the Gordon Ramsay "special" going to Frankfurt a few days ago, I decided to stick with the Asian selection. The noodles weren't bad. A dab of KrisChili sauce livened them up considerably. I've actually had this dish before, as well as the lamb sandwich, and both are acceptable. I'm sick of drinking Dr. Loosen wine on SQ, so I stuck with the champagne this evening. This aircraft had the old KrisWorld entertainment system as well, so I just listened to music and napped for an hour or so until descent into Colombo. We actually landed at 1205AM and to my delight, we docked at a real gate in the brand spanking new terminal. It's finally open! No more remote gates and busses. Unfortunately, the gate staff were still learning how to operate the jetway, and they didn't get the door open until 1220AM.

The entire arrivals area has been redesigned with two or three times the number of immigration stands. With nobody in line we were through immigration in 2 minutes and into the still dingy customs area. With only carryon baggage we zipped outside and found the driver from the Holiday Inn holding a sign with my name on it. We wilted in the heat and humidity outside as we waited 15 minutes for him to bring the car around, but the drive into Colombo was a speedy 45 minutes at that time of the night. By 130AM we were searching for the air conditioner controls in our room at the Holiday Inn Colombo. A bargain at US$38/night. It appeared that nobody had used the room in some time, but soon enough the aircon kicked in and we were ordering a bucket of ice for a celebratory toast for reaching the finishing line. We then both collapsed into bed, not stirring until almost 1PM the following afternoon.

Mjmsf relaxed by the pool and ordered lunch while I went for a shave at the barber shop in the hotel and stopped by the transportation desk to arrange a car back to the airport at 4PM for my flight to Chennai. A couple of beers and a nap by the pool later, it was time for me to head back up to prepare for my departure to Incheon, Korea. Via Chennai and Singapore, of course! I bid adieu to mjmsf since he was headed back to SIN on the nonstop SQ flight from CMB later that night and headed downstairs to my awaiting car and driver. The drive back to Colombo airport took a little over an hour with the traffic, but I there was nobody in the Sri Lankan Airlines business class check-in line, so I was checked in and headed for passport control by 515PM. I think the agent who checked me in for my Emirates flight the last time I left Colombo was the same one who checked me in this time. Not a word. Not a smile. Nothing. Just pulled my coupon, glanced at my passport and handed me my boarding card. She must have been trained by the United Express counter in Raleigh-Durham . I was a little surprised that she didn't ask me about a visa for India since I was traveling on a one way ticket from Colombo to Chennai. I was only in transit in Chennai, but if she had boarded me without a visa and I was trying to stay in India, Sri Lankan Airlines would have been fined. Oh well.

No line at passport control meant I was into the departures hall by 520PM. What a difference since the last time I was there. With the new terminal now open, the old upstairs area that contained a mini shopping bazaar has been opened up into a spacious seating area. Shopping was now concentrated into one place in the center of the terminal and houses new shops with an expanded duty free section. I noticed that the old gates were still in operation so I assume some carriers still use remote stands. Can't think why since there are at least 10 gates in the new terminal and it's not like CMB is a busy airport.

The new Sri Lankan Airlines Serendip (spelling?) Lounge is lovely. Floor to ceiling windows offer a view of the ramp area and the runway. There is a stand up, full service bar as well as a dining area with tables and chairs. A hot buffet station offers a decent selection of appetizers such as samosas and satays, along with a couple of curries, some pasta and rice. There is a cold buffet offering sandwiches, a cheese board, vegetable crudite and salads. And another cold buffet offering cakes, sweets and other desserts. Comfortable leather armchairs are arranged along the window side of the lounge, around coffee tables. A large screen plasma television was tuned to CNN International, and a smaller one in the bar was on the cricket match. Departure information was displayed on a screen in the main lounge, and there were clocks showing the current time at various cities around the world. Six computers were in a little business center with high speed internet access. The walls were adorned with a variety of Sri Lankan artwork, and other objets d'art were scattered throughout the lounge. The ceiling was painted with a stylized version of the bird on the tail of Sri Lankan's airplanes. All in all, a very distinguished business class offering. Thirty minutes prior to departure I was escorted from the lounge to the gate, thanked for choosing Sri Lankan, and wished a pleasant journey. Most impressive!

Security is individually operated for each gate, the same as Changi in Singapore, and there were about 10 people in line ahead of me. Your bags were x-rayed, you passed through the magnetometer and then were wanded regardless of whether you "beeped" or not. Some carryons were selected for additional screening. Sri Lankan Airlines boards Economy Class, then Business Class. I tried boarding with Economy Class, but was asked to wait. They were operating an A340 for this short hop to Chennai this evening, and it appeared to be a full flight. After a 10 minute wait, with only 7 of us left in the lounge, Business Class was called for boarding. Another security check was located down the jetway and some passengers were selected for a hand search before entering the aircraft. Boarding was by 1L and 2L with 1L reserved for customers in Business Class. I was shown to my seat and assisted with stowing my rollerboard, then offered champagne, a hot towel, headset and menu by a graceful, smiling flight attendant in a flowing sari. What a fabulous uniform!

UL 123 / CMB-MAA / Airbus A340-300
Seat 2K / Business Class
Scheduled 1900-1950 / Actual 1900-1950

It simply floors me that this is what was offered on a flight with a block time of 1 hour and 20 minutes:

Colombo-Chennai

Aperitifs
Served with warm nuts

Main Dishes

Grilled Salmon
Topped with hollandaise sauce, accompanied with buttered broccoli, grilled peppers and lyonnaise potatoes

Vegetable Biryani
Aromatised vegetable masala and basmati rice enhanced together with onions & condiments, served with tempered lentil & spinach*
*Spinach is a dark green curled or smooth leafy vegetable, native to Asia, now grown extensively all over the world because of its pronounced flavour and food value. Spinach is used as a classic accompaniment particularly in South Asian cuisine. It is extremely digestible and rich in minerals especially iron & vitamins

Curried Lamb with Dal
Tender lamb & lentils cooked in spices, served with okra & onion, and steamed rice

Paneer Cashew nut Khorma
Cottage cheese cubes cooked in a corriander hinted cashewnut paste served with vegetables & yellow rice

Dessert

Chocolate Truffle Gateau

Freshly Brewed Ceylon Tea & Coffee

Espresso & Cappuccino are available on all A330 & A340 aircraft

I think this takes first prize for catering on a short flight. To offer a bar service with nuts, followed by a hot meal with four choices, dessert and coffee or tea service when we would only be at cruising altitude for about 45 minutes. And they came through with duty free as well. I had a glass of Arrack with my nuts and liked it so much that I stuck with it during the meal. Arrack is a Sri Lankan liquor made from the sap of a coconut tree, and tastes like a cross between rum and whisky. Delicious with ice and water. We had seven passengers in Business Class and four flight attendants this evening, which made the service fast and efficient. The purser stopped by after the meal while we were in descent to thank us for flying Sri Lankan and asking if everything had been to our satisfaction. Emirates is obviously teaching them a little something about customer service at Sri Lankan! After the (mostly) negative reports I had heard, I was pleasantly surprised by the superb service I'd received this evening. We arrived at the gate in Chennai exactly on time, and I was off the plane and into the terminal by 8PM local time.

Everyone else was turning left towards arrivals, so I followed the signs for connecting passengers and turned right. I walked and walked and walked, finally seeing a sign pointing to the left for connections. The door was padlocked shut! I turned around and almost walked head on into a police officer who had been following me (I think.) He had a rather stern look about him and enquired as to what I was doing. To which I replied that I was connecting to Singapore Airlines and was following the signs for connecting passengers. He asked where the airline representative who had met me at the aircraft had gone. To which I replied that nobody had met me at the aircraft. He told me to follow him and we walked and walked and walked all the way back to the gate where the Sri Lankan Airlines representative said she only had one connecting passenger, and that she was standing right here. Why had I not identified myself as a connecting passenger she asked? How was I supposed to know I replied . Then she asked for my boarding pass and asked me to confirm that I had traveled in Business Class from Colombo this evening. Suddenly a complete change of tune! She apologized for the confusion and asked what carrier I was connecting to this evening. Singapore Airlines. She asked if I was in Business or Economy on SQ, to which I replied First . At this point she becomes flustered and starts calling someone on her walkie-talkie. The only part of the conversation I understand is, "SQ," and "First Class, First Class!" The four of us then walked and walked and walked back to the padlocked door where I was standing 10 minutes ago. The guard unlocked it. The other connecting passenger was directed to the Lufthansa connections desk. I was escorted to the Clipper Lounge and asked to have a seat. My passport and ticket were taken, and I was told that a Singapore Airlines representative would return them to me shortly, along with my boarding pass. Now that's more like it ^.

My passport was duly returned about an hour later, along with boarding passes for Chennai-Singapore and Singapore-Incheon, as well as a lounge invitation . The agent apologized for any misunderstanding but they had not been aware that I was a transit passenger. Not a problem, I smiled. She asked if there was anything further she could assist me with, and bid me a pleasant journey. The lounge attendant then asked me for my invitation, which he carefully placed in a desk drawer at reception. I noticed that the invitation was to the Le Meridien Lounge and questioned the attendant. He said I was welcome to use either one. I was in the Le Meridien lounge last time, and the Clipper lounge was better. It was wonderfully airconditioned, and empty when I arrived, but almost full when I left since Lufthansa and Delta use it for their Business Class customers. There is a small buffet set up with sandwiches, samosas and fried potatoes, along with an assortment of fresh juices. Lounge attendants take orders for any other beverages. Business Class passengers are restricted to one free alcoholic beverage, then have to pay after that. First Class passengers can order whatever they wish. Two gin and tonics and a couple of very tasty curried chicken sandwiches later, I headed for the gate. Anxious to get this show on the road.

SQ 409 / MAA-SIN / Boeing 777-300
Seat 2F / First Class
Scheduled 2330-0600+1 / Actual 2325-0600+1

I had been handed Singapore Airlines First Class Cabin Baggage tags in the lounge, but did not attach them to my carryons, and the security guard looked like he was going to have a coronary when he couldn't stamp them at the security checkpoint. He insisted that I had been given them and kept asking where they were. I explained that I had left them in the lounge because I didn't want them. This seemed incomprehensible to him, and a Singapore Airlines gate agent was called to bring me new tags so the guard could use his stamp. Everyone did the metal detector routine, followed by a pat down, with additional "random" screening in the jetway. Now I'm a travelin' fool, and treasure every minute of these far flung trips, but even I was ready to curl up in the luxury of the Singapore Airlines First Class cabin and sleep my way to Singapore. Shown to my seat, assisted with stowing my rollerboard in the overhead, I slumped into 2F and ordered a glass of Krug. Unfortunately, Indian government regulations forbid serving alcohol on the ground, so iced water would have to do. Since this was an overnight flight, the full amenity kit was offered, along with sleeper suit, slippers and eyeshades. I again asked for the female kit. The stewardess kindly brought me one of each. We were buttoned up and ready for pushback five minutes early, and airborne for Singapore moments later. Sadly this route is now operated by a 777-300. It used to be a 747-400 with SkySuites, but alas no longer. The product is still comfortable though, and tonight there were only eight out of eighteen seats taken, including 2 SQ pilots in uniform, and 2 monks, also in uniform.

Menus and after takeoff drinks choices had been taken on the ground.

supper from chennai to singapore

appetisers

Dhuandhari murg chat
Spicy tangy chicken salad
*Exclusively created by Satish Arora, India

main courses

Quillon jhinga biryani
Quillon style prawns biryani, seafood shami kebab, mushroom with cheese, tomato raita
*Exclusively created by Satish Arora, India

Spaghetti with roasted chicken and tomato sauce

Tortilla filled with tandoori lamb and chick peas masala, seasonal salad and lime dressing, served with cream of asparagus

Malbari Paneer
Kerala style cottage cheese, potato with asafoetida and cumin, creamy green lentil, mushroom masala pilaf
*Exclusively created by Satish Arora, India

fresh fruit

A selection of fresh fruit

from the bakery

Oven fresh rolls
with a choice of extra virgin olive oil or butter
Garlic bread

hot beverages

Freshly brewed coffee
Espresso or cappuccino
Selection of tea

The standard wine list was offered. I opted for the prawns and sipped Krug for the rest of the night. Despite the sensible side of by brain telling me I should be sleeping, I found myself wide awake, playing with KrisWorld and very much enjoying the flight. Subconsciously I was probably thinking that I had better make the most of these next two experiences in First Class on Singapore Airlines, since it will likely be a while before I have the pleasure again.

Landing in Singapore was right on time and for once I hadn't brought the rain with me. In fact I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise with puffy white clouds as I made my way back once again to the First Class SilverKris lounge at Changi airport. Silk Road was still doing the food in the lounge. This scene was becoming all too familiar as I breakfasted on a superb bowl of noodles, grabbed a shower, checked email, and headed to the gate for my connecting flight to Incheon. I missed mjmsf by minutes as he arrived from Colombo just before I left for Seoul.

SQ 886 / SIN-ICN / Boeing 777-200
Seat 2F / First Class
Scheduled 0800-1515 / Actual 0800-1505

The aircraft had been switched from a 777-300 to a 777-200 which didn't affect my seat assignment in 2F, and thankfully didn't relegate us to the old KrisWorld entertainment system. The service sequence played out exactly the same as it does on all other Singapore Airlines flights. I like the fact that it is consistent ... every time. Although others argue that it makes it seem robotic in some way, I disagree. Champagne glass in hand, newspapers and magazines, socks & eyeshades (no amenity kit since it's a daylight flight of only 6 hours), headsets, menus and hot towels were offered. After takeoff drinks and meal selection were taken before departure. The aircraft pushed back right on time, and we lifted off after a brief delay for departing traffic ahead of us, climbing through bright white towering cloud formations and out over the South China Sea, ever Eastward.

continental breakfast from singapore to seoul

juices

A choice of apple, tomato or freshly squeezed orange

fruit

A selection of fresh fruit

from the bakery

Assorted breakfast rolls
Butter, jam, marmalade or honey

hot beverages

Freshly brewed coffee
Espresso or cappuccino
Selection of tea

I declined breakfast, selected a glass of Dom Perignon, and napped for a couple of hours after takeoff. The stewardess asked if I would be having lunch before arrival. Yes, please!

lunch from singapore to seoul

appetisers

Chilled petrossian caviar
With melba toast and condiments

King Prawns served with avocado tartare and citrus vinaigrette

soup

Cream of asparagus garnished with lemon spring onion creme fraiche

Oriental soup with bamboo piths and snow fungus

salad

Fine mesclun leaves with assorted tomatoes
French dressing
Sherry vinaigrette

main courses

Steamed salmon trout with crushed olive potatoes and green asparagus, mint hollandaise sauce
*Exclusively created by Gordon Ramsay, London

Stir fried beef with onions in preserved black bean sauce, selected vegetables and steamed rice

Chinese style stir fried prawns in creamy garlic sauce, selected vegetables and steamed rice

Warm fillo pastry tart spread with onion jam and topped with roasted provence style vegetables and fresh mozzarella, tomato herb salsa
*Specially prepared meatless selection

cheese

Selection of cheese with garnishes

fresh fruit

A selection of fresh fruit

dessert

Warm banana and red bean paste kataifi with vanilla ice cream and vanilla sauce

from the bakery

Oven fresh rolls
with a choice of extra virgin olive oil or butter
Garlic bread

hot beverages

Freshly brewed coffee
Espresso or cappuccino
Selection of tea

pralines

To end on a sweet note

The same old wine list . I had enjoyed the crab and avocado appetizer earlier in the trip, and decided to try to prawn version, which was good, but not quite so rich and decadent as the crab. The Oriental soup was a refreshing light broth. I ordered the Chinese prawn stir-fry with a side of KrisChili sauce to kick it up a notch. The cheese course was boring and the dessert a bit on the sweet side for my liking, but all in all, another superior offering from Singapore Airlines. We arrived into a very chilly Incheon (4 degrees celsius) about 10 minutes ahead of schedule. I love this airport. It's light, bright and airy, and designed with the passenger in mind. Immigration and customs were a breeze, and I walked outside at the exact moment the shuttle for the Hyatt Incheon pulled up curbside. Five minutes later I was admiring the view from my room towards the active runway, deciding whether to check out the spa and pool, or take a quick power nap. Then I remembered I needed clean clothes for tomorrow and called to arrange laundry pickup. A few hours at the lovely pool and spa was followed by a couple of drinks in the lounge, and a rather bland room service dinner. They had obviously toned down the spices for the non-Korean palate at this hotel, and it was most disappointing, especially since a simple meal of Bulgogi was about US$35! My room was US$57 at the travel agent rate, which was a bargain for the quality. My bill came to US$172 at checkout the next day . Between the laundry, room service dinner and room service breakfast, I'd spent twice the price of my room. I must say that it was thoroughly relaxing though, and worth every penny after the hours and hours I'd spent on airplanes. I was fresh and ready to go at 2PM the next afternoon, and headed for the Asiana First Class check-in counter ...

LZ-HMI

This is a stellar report -- I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share your amazing trip with us all!

You write about it so well that I'm beginning to feel exhausted in sympathy, and I think I've put on several kilos just reading....

Steady-EDI

Truly awesome ^ Is there such a thing as an endurance test of pampering?

airoli

It took me the better part of a day to read this fabulous report - but I consider the time very well spent! Thank you so much for writing this up! ^^

BTW it seems appropriate that you started your journey on UA and then continued on to airlines such as SQ. I'd imagine it would have been a lot harder the other way 'round... Also, thanks for the heads up on Sri Lankan, they might come in handy should I ever need to go to CMB for mysterious reasons.

bill63

this is a thoroughly enjoyable thread

thank you

TIMP

Please sir, can I have more???

doc

Wow! To say thanks very much for the wonderfully detailed fine reports would be quite the euphemism! Thanks again.

Mark

G-BOAC

Just finally caught up with the most recent additions...wow is all I can say! You have a very enjoyable and engaging writing style sftrvlr, I've loved every step of this epic journey! Many thanks for sharing ^ I look forward to more too

Phil

sftrvlr

The Hyatt bus dropped me off as far away as possible from the Asiana check-in counters, but the flight wasn't scheduled to depart for 2.5 hours, so I ambled the length of the terminal, finally reaching the well organized, well signed counters for Asiana First Class. Such a pleasant change from the last experience at Tom Bradley Terminal at LAX, where Asiana check-in was a complete disaster. A brief wait for two passengers checking in ahead of me and was greeted with a smile and head bow. My boarding card and lounge invitation had been pre-printed and placed in a rack on the wall behind the counter. The agent asked if I would mind changing from seat 2K to seat 2A so I could have the seat next to me empty. Of course! ^ Another thoughtful touch for passenger comfort that eludes US carriers. The agent also printed my onward boarding card from LAX to SFO, and within 5 minutes I was out of passport control and looking through the duty free shops before proceeding to the lounge.

The Asiana lounges straddle both sides of the concourse, with a large Business Class lounge on one side, and the First Class lounge and another smaller Business Class lounge on the other. I was greeted on lower level and shown to the elevator. Unlike Singapore Airlines, I was not greeted by name at the elevator when I reached the upper level, and I inadvertently wandered into the smaller of the two Business Class lounges . No doubt wondering what had happened to me, the First Class lounge attendant came running to show me to the First Class section. I think I had been "announced" so she was expecting me. There was all of one other customer in the lounge, which was on the small side, but luxuriously appointed. The usual clusters of lounge chairs and sofas with coffee tables, a plasma television tuned to CNN, and four computer work stations with high speed internet. Since you're on the upper level the lounge affords a good view of the ramp and I watched an Iluyshin IL-62 being serviced. Don't see many of those aircraft these days! The bar setup offered a superb selection of top shelf liquor, so I enjoyed a Johnnie Walker Blue as I grazed the buffet which contained finger sandwiches, a meat and cheese platter, smoked salmon, noodles, porridge, quesadillas, bacon wrapped chestnuts (outstanding!), chips, nuts, pastries, cookies, candy and ice cream. We were joined by one other customer. Thirty minutes prior to scheduled departure, the lounge attendant came around to each person to announce that the flight was boarding and bid us a pleasant journey. Downstairs, the other attendants bowed their own goodbye.

OZ 202 / ICN-LAX / Boeing 747-400
SEAT 2A / First Class
Scheduled 1630-1010 / Actual 1715-0955

The gate was a zoo! Contrary to what the lounge attendant had said, they had not started boarding. The First/Business Class boarding line had 47 people in it (I counted while I waited 20 minutes for them to begin boarding.) Not a word about why we were delayed, nor any form of apology, but once the doorways finally opened, the line moved fast, and I was onboard and turning left within a few minutes. Now I'm not sure why, but I actually like the Asiana First Class cabin, even though as I've said before, it draws comparisons to the interior of a Hawaiian Airlines DC8 circa 1975. It has the "old style" seats configured two-by-two in three rows, which means plenty of space in the nosecone for 12 passengers. The seat pitch is about 90 inches, and the recline is 180 degrees. What I like most is the plush duvet, sleeping pad, full size pillow and blanket that are offered when it's time for bed. The seat is soft anyway, and by folding the duvet in half and sleeping on top of it rather than underneath it, you have a cozy, soft cocoon to dream in. I have slept better on Asiana than any other airline I've flown in First Class. Unfortunately, the video screen and movie selection are horrible, and there is no personal VCR or DVD on offer. I'm usually happy enough reading anyway, and the outstanding service makes up for what the cabin lacks physically. Others will disagree with me on this.

The diminutive flight attendant greeted me with a smile, helped me stow my rollerboard in the forward closet, and offered me something to drink. I asked for champagne, naturally . The champagne offered today was 1995 Tattinger Comtes de Champagne, and lovely it was. The cabin topped out at seven customers for the Pacific crossing. There was a couple traveling together in row three and the rest of us were spread out so that we each had the seat next us empty. Very comfortable indeed. A small bowl of cashews was brought along with my champagne, which was topped up prior to leaving the gate. Menus, amenity kit by Bulgari (not gender specific) and slippers were handed out. We pushed back nearly 40 minutes late without a word of explanation or apology from the crew, but were airborne and Eastward bound by 515PM. Once we reached our initial cruising altitude, the captain did make an announcement including an apology for the late departure, which turned out to be due to a late arriving aircraft. He also said that with favorable tail winds this evening, we would actually be arriving 10 minutes early into Los Angeles.

As soon as the seatbelt sign was extinguished, the flight attendants sprung into action. Drinks orders were taken first. I continued with the champagne, which was now served with a small plate of canapes. Main course orders were then taken for dinner. Before I left the USA on this trip I had called Asiana reservations in Los Angeles to request the special Korean Royal meal for this flight, only to be told that this was not necessary since they always carried them onboard for First Class customers. I should have trusted my gut instinct and asked for a supervisor, but didn't, and guess what? They only boarded one of them and guess who got it? The Asiana pilot sitting in 2K! Well now I was really miffed. The flight attendant taking the orders did not speak much English and she just kept pointing to the menu and saying, "Western meal, Western meal." I kept turning the page and saying, "Korean Royal meal, Korean Royal meal." She finally went back to the galley to fetch the inflight supervisor who explained that since I had not pre-ordered the meal, they had already run out when the other passenger chose it. I explained that I was told that pre-ordering was not necessary and that I was very disappointed, but there was no use beating a dead horse, so I chose from the "Western menu." Now you may ask why I didn't request the Asiana employee to give up his meal. I didn't find out he was an Asiana employee until we were about to land in Los Angeles and he went into the restroom in plain clothes and came out in uniform. A poor showing on Asiana's part . Oh well, another glass of Tattinger may help me out of the depths of my dispair .

DINNER
Seoul-Los Angeles

Selection of Canapes
Cream Cheese with Assorted Nuts
Snow Fish wrapped in Seaweed
Cray Fish and Cream with Salmon Roe

Hors d'Oeuvre
Sliced Gravalox
Parma Ham Cornet
Mixed Beans, Mushrooms, Mixed Pimientos with Italian Dressing in Melon Ball

Pumpkin Soup
or
Boullabaise

Tossed Salad
Saffron Dressing or Paprika Dressing

Main Courses
Poached Lobster
Served with American Sauce

Beef Tenderloin Steak
Served with Madeira Sauce

Grill Marked Salmon
Served with Bearnaise Sauce

To compliment your meal choice:
Chinese Fried Rice
Baked Potato
Broccoli
Carrot Flower
Stir Fried Rice

Selection of Cheese

Fresh Fruits

Dessert
Pumpkin Pie

Coffees
Jamaican Blue Mountain

Tea
Asiana Tea Garden

Assorted Petit Fours

And the meal I wanted ...

Korean Royal Table d'Hote
Seoul-Los Angeles

Starter
Deep Fried Vegetables
Fresh Salad, Ginseng with Boiled Baby Shrimp
Abalone Gruel

Selection of Main Dish
Broiled Amadai
Stewed Abalone, Scallop, Sea Cucumber Roll
Bibimbab
Stewed Seabream with Beef Shank
Beef Tenderloin with Pine Mushroom
Beef Short Rib "Bul-Gal-Bi"
Grilled Black Cod Fish
Steamed Seafood
Beef Short Rid "Bul-Gal-Bi" with Vegetables

To compliment your meal choice
Steamed Rice
Bean Paste Spinach Soup
Various king of Side Dish

Dessert
Fresh Fruit
Korean Traditional Cookie

Korean dishes are available to you onboard Asiana flights from Seoul only on 24 hours advanced order basis. Please to not hesitate to order your favorite Korean dishes on your next travel.

REFRESHMENTS
Seoul-Los Angeles

Famous Korean Rice Soup "Nul-Eun-Bab
Accompanied by side dishes

Hot Ramen

Hot Sandwiches

Assorted Fresh Fruits

We are happy to offer you a range of refreshments throughout the flight upon your request.

BRUNCH
Seoul-Los Angeles

Fresh Orange Juice

Fresh Fruit Appetizer

Cereal
Corn Flakes, Honey Grahams
Served with Fresh Milk or Low Fat Milk

Fruit Yogurt

Korean Royal Cuisine "U-Geo-Ji-Gal-Bi-Tang"
Famous Korean Bean Paste Soup with Beef and Cabbage
Accompanied by Steamed Rice and various side dishes

Seafood Pancake

Beef Canelloni
Served with Tomato Sauce

To compliment your meal choice
Roesti Potato
Mixed Vegetable
Canadian Bacon
Precian Sausage
Baked Tomato
Sauteed Button Mushrooms
Broccoli with Almonds

Croissant, Almond Danish, Raspberry Muffin
Butter, Honey, Jam, Marmalade

Coffee
Jamaican Blue Mountain

Tea
Asiana Tea Garden

Wine and Beverage Selection

Asiana Bar

Aperitifs
Sweet Vermouth
Dry Vermouth
Campari
Medium Dry Sherry Sandeman

Spirits
Scotch Whisky Johnnie Walker Blue
Bourbon Whiskey Jack Daniels
Canadian Whisky Canadian Club
Vodka Smirnoff
Gin Beefeater's
Rum Bacardi

Korean Traditional Liquor
Ginseng Wine
"Hwarang" made from Rice and Herbs
"Mae Chuy Soon" made from Plums

Beer

Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Champagne
1995 Tattinger Comtes de Champagne
Piper-Heidseck Brut

White Wines
2001 Chablis Permier Cru, Fourchaume
2001 Raymond Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay
2003 Wehlner Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslee

Red Wines
1999 Chateau Leoville Poyferre, 2e Cru Classe, Saint-Julien
1998 Vougeot Premier Cru, Domaine Bertagna
2000 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau

Dessert Wines
Port Sandeman 20 Year Old Tawny Porto
2003 Jackson-Triggs Vidal VQA Ice Wine

Cognac & Liquers
Hennessy XO
Drambuie
Cointreau
Bailey's Irish Cream
Creme de Menthe
Benedictine D.O.M.
Grand Marnier
Tia Maria

Coffees & Teas
Jamaica Blue Mountain brewed coffee
Decaffienated coffee

Asiana Tea Garden
English Breakfast
Earl Grey
Darjeeling
Chamomile
Oolong
Ginseng
Green
Tea enriched with the sweet taste of Peaches

Since I was taking a chance on a "Western" meal anyway, I went with the poached lobster, which wasn't half bad. A vast improvement over Singapore Airlines' offering a few days before. It was beautifully presented in the shell and the sauce kept it from being too dry. Asiana serves everything from the cart, course by course, which makes for a leisurely presentation. Truly First Class dining at 35,000 feet. Their version of "Bouillabaise" was an insipid saffron broth with a shrimp in it. Not what I'd call Bouillabaise. The cheese tray was also uninspired. However, the wine selection was awesome and the overall service superb. I finished off with another Johnnie Walker Blue on the rocks (well, maybe two ) and then napped comfortably for about 5 hours. My individual water bottle was refreshed each time it was empty, and the center console was filled with a variety of snacks and beverages if we wanted to help ourselves. The dinner was actually rather light, despite the multitude of courses, and I awoke hungry, ordering a bowl of Ramen and a sandwich to tide me over until brunch in a couple of hours. The sandwich, served hot, was filled with grilled vegetables and goat cheese, and the steaming bowl of Ramen was accompanied by Kimchi and other Korean side dishes. It was spicy and delicious. About 90 minutes before landing, out came the carts, and the bruch service. The seafood pancakes were tasty. I skipped the coffee and had my last serving of champagne for a while.

As promised, we landed ahead of schedule, and I zipped though immigration and customs in record time for the Tom Bradley International Terminal. It's normally mayhem at any time of the day with jumbo jets disgourging vast quantities of people from distant parts of the planet into a terminal that was not built to handle the volume of today's LAX. But today there was nobody in line and all the booths were open at immigration. Without checked baggage, I was over at United in Terminal 7 and begging the agent not to make me fly up to San Francisco and back down to LA in order to connect to Palm Springs. My ticket was originally written back to San Francisco where I was living earlier last year. However, since I began the ticket I had made a move to Southern California. Star Alliance awards do not permit any changes after departure, so I couldn't change the routing to bring me back to Palm Springs instead of San Francisco. Since a ticket from Los Angeles to Palm Springs is three times the price of a ticket from San Francisco to Palm Springs (via Los Angeles!) I figured I would simply fly up to SFO, back down to LAX, then home. When I arrived at the United terminal though, I saw a United Express flight to Palm Springs departing in 40 minutes and thought I'd see if I could find a United agent who could think outside the box. To my amazement, I did! She thanked me for my loyalty to United, asked if I could get to the gate quickly, and printed me a boarding pass on the 1105AM departure to Palm Springs. Yahoo! Much as I love flying, a trip up and down the coast wasn't at the top of my list today, and I arrived home to a glorious 75 degree day at 1230PM instead of 745PM as originally planned. 40,000 memorable miles after departing 2 weeks earlier.

Well ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls (and fellow FlyerTalkers ), the time had come to say, "Thank you for flying with us these past few weeks. I know you have a choice of FlyerTalk Trip Reports, and I'd like to thank you for choosing mine. I hope you've had an enjoyable journey, and look forward to sharing many more high flying tales in the not too distant future."

Until next time ...

Kiwi Flyer

Great finish to a great report sftrvlr ^^^^

f4freeJunior

What a wonderful report!!! I had the feeling to be on your trip as well Unfortunately my university homework suffered a little bit because of the time it took me to read your posts. But hey, that's Flyertalk! I love it!
Thank you very much for having taken the time to write down this excellent trip report!

mjmsf

I was waiting to read this much anticipated trip report so I could live the journey all over again
I'm exhausted just from reading it! No wonder I was yawing all the time

Well done!

Seat 2A

Thanks sftrvlr for a nicely detailed trip report. So many reports here in the Trip Report Forum offer basic commentary and little detail on the flight itself. I understand and accept this in as much as most people, including more than a few members of FlyerTalk, don’t really like flying so much as they like traveling.

Even so, more often than not we have to fly to get where we want to go and I don’t know of any FTers who wouldn’t appreciate a seat in First or Business Class. I’ve often seen posts in other forums asking what to expect in this or that airlines’ First or Business Class. Often the intent is to find out whether the service rendered is worth the expenditure in money or miles. The answers given can often mean the difference between one’s traveling in Business Class or spending more to go First Class or perhaps even not traveling on that airline at all.

When most people describe what it is that makes the service on Cathay or Singapore so much nicer than the service rendered on other airlines, the most common answer is that airlines like Cathay and Singapore do a lot of little things that all add up to create a superior flight. The same holds true in a trip report. If you want to write a superior trip report, whether it be primarily about your flights or your journey through Europe or Africa, detail is appreciated.

We all know that some trip reporters provide a bit more detail than most of us really want, but for anyone desiring a well rounded picture of what to expect whilst flying in premium class aboard any airline, taking the time to not only mention but also add detail to such mundane things as lounges, pre-departure onboard service or menu transcripts is a nice touch. In this regard sftrvlr, your trip report is totally first class.

Not only is this trip report an enjoyable read, but it will also serve as a resource for anyone curious as to what to expect in the forward cabins of the airlines you’ve described. Thanks again! ^