sftrvlr

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and fellow FlyerTalkers . Once again we’re off across the vast Pacific in high style, testing the limits of luxury aboard United Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, Thai, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines. Well okay, United lags a little behind in terms of luxury, but as you’ll see, they can really pull it together when they want to. We’ll also take a peak at how Swiss treats Star Alliance Gold customers when a flight is oversold, wander aimlessly through Bangkok’s new but poorly signposted Suvarnabhumi Airport, and see how many times we can be pulled over by machine gun toting police on the road into Colombo. So recline to a comfortable position, order that second beverage, and settle in for the ride …

UA142 / Los Angeles-San Francisco
Boeing 757-200 / Seat 2A / United First
Scheduled 1059-1221 / Actual 1055-1247

It was less expensive to do a one way car rental between my home near San Diego and LAX than to park for 17 days. Southern California traffic being as unpredictable as it is, I had allowed three hours for the drive, just in case. Of course that particular day it was smooth sailing, and I covered the 120 miles in less than two hours.

That left me plenty of time to stand in the lengthy line at the United premium check-in area in Terminal 7 at LAX (it has recently relocated to Terminal 6 ... again.) It took me almost 40 minutes to check in for a simple LAX-SFO-HNL routing because there was only one agent checking in United First. And I was lucky. I dread to think what the United Business customers were experiencing since there was only one check in agent for them, too. I understand that they have cut back on staff at LAX, but this is ridiculous. Upon seeing the length of the line, I asked dragon-lady enforcer whether I could use an Easy Check-in machine since I had no bags to check, was only traveling to Honolulu, and there were 6 open machines with an agent standing behind them doing nothing. She said that since I had “chosen” to have a paper ticket, I would need to stand in the paper ticket line. I informed here that my itinerary was not e-ticket eligible, so it was not by choice, but she just looked at me blankly.

When I finally reached the counter, the agent advised that I was double booked on UA930 at 1034AM as well as UA142 at 1059AM to San Francisco, and started to lecture me about it. I asked her to kindly check the history of the record, and sure enough, when I called the evening before to move myself to the earlier departure, UA930, the agent at United double booked me! The reason I had done this was because it was raining in San Francisco that day, and I wanted a cushion so as not to miss my connection to Honolulu. Her only response was that I was “lucky” to even had a seat. My journey was not off to a good start, but it wasn’t worth an argument, and I was, after all, headed to beautiful Hawaii for dinner with friends, so I refused to allow two grumpy United employees to spoil it from the get go.

The actual flight was uneventful. The usual round of drinks by a pleasant crew, some horrid snack mix, and 30 minutes of circling to land in San Francisco, but nonetheless comfortably in time for my connecting flight to Honolulu.

UA75 / San Francisco-Honolulu
Boeing 767-300 / Seat 3F / United First
Scheduled 1350-1724 / Actual 1444-1755

A warm welcome aboard was offered by the senior ladies that day. I settled into my extra narrow first class seat with a plastic cup of iced water and patiently waited as seemingly all 210 United Economy passengers passed my seat and hit me with their carryon baggage. But as is always the case with the Honolulu flights, everyone was in a fine mood, looking forward to leaving the gloomy weather in the Bay Area behind us for balmy temperatures and palm trees in a few hours. The door was closed five minutes early, and the captain had announced an anticipated early arrival into Honolulu, but then they decided to rearrange the entire cargo hold, and we took a one hour delay. The crew put NBC In-flight on to keep people amused, and the time passed quickly.

The purser that day, Mary Rose, was absolutely one of United’s best! She personally went around to each customer and greeted them, offering a special thank you to the UGS and 1K customers aboard. Service began about 40 minutes after takeoff since the captain had requested the flight attendants to remain seated during climb out with the bad weather. United crams 34 seats into the first class cabin of this high density configuration aircraft they use for Hawaii, and service can be erratic if not coordinated properly. Mary Rose’s crew was on it. Warm nuts and drinks were offered first. Then a small appetizer consisting of a shrimp and tomato skewer with the second round of beverages. During this time, Mary Rose was taking lunch orders, asking for first and second preference between a beef filet and grilled fish. No printed menus were offered. As I normally do, I informed her that I preferred the beef, but really didn’t care if she needed it to keep another customer happy. It’s all airplane food anyway . I got the beef after all, and it was surprisingly tasty. I also noticed that they offered sparkling wine and Mai Tais on the Hawaii service. Along with the shrimp skewer appetizer, this seemed to be an increase in service since the last time I flew this route about two years ago. I don't know why, but I can't for the life of me remember what dessert was. Probably ice cream sundaes.

We arrived into Honolulu about a half hour late, but without checked luggage I was on the Alamo shuttle and into my $13 Alamo car (bid on Priceline) in no time at all. As is always the case at Alamo, they started the check-in conversation with, "what type of car do you want to drive today?" To which I replied, "the cheap, small one I reserved," already knowing the up-sell was coming. Wouldn't I prefer a full size? Perhaps an SUV? No and no. As is often the case at Alamo (and other rental companies) they had no sub-compacts available. In fact, they had hardly anything available at all. The agent said I would have to pay to upgrade or wait for a sub-compact to come in, to which I replied firmly but politely that this was not my fault, and that I fully expected a complimentary upgrade to whatever car they chose, and expected to be in said car within the next five minutes. Three minutes later I was leaving the lot in a brand new Pontiac (?) Torrent SUV, and motoring towards the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, where I was pleasantly surprised to be upgraded from the usual lower floor, parking lot view room they give travel agents, to an ocean view room on the 29th floor. Very nice! Time for a quick wander along Waikiki before heading out to dinner, humming the “Pina Colada Song.”

I woke up early with the sunrise and took a quick walk to Waikiki Beach and back, nursing a Starbucks latte, before heading for the airport, feeling somewhat nostalgic about leaving my birthplace, and a city I had lived in for several years, behind after such a brief visit. The drive took only 15 minutes at that time of the morning, at which point I realized that the gas tank on the SUV was showing 3/4 full. How can that be? I had driven a total of 22 miles! I put in $5 worth of gas (which isn’t much at Hawaii prices) and took the car back, fully expecting a confrontation with Alamo, but I was presented with a zero balance receipt, no questions asked. Whew!

The Alamo shuttle dropped me at the United check-in area, where one person was waiting in the United First line, and seven people were in the United Business line. They had only a single check-in agent handling first and business class, and she was helping all the first class customers first, to the understandable irritation of all the people standing in the business class line. While I was standing in line, a gentleman tapped me on the shoulder to ask about my Flyertalk bag tag ^. He looked very familiar, and it suddenly clicked that we had sat next to one another on a Chicago-San Francisco flight last year, and enjoyed a most interesting conversation. I also remember how cute he was . But apparently unavailable, since he was seeing his girlfriend off to Seoul that morning. Small world, though.

I approached the United First desk to a chorus of groans from the United Business line, and quickly had my boarding pass in hand, as well as instructions for the fast track lane at security, which turned out to be a joke, since all the flight crews use that line, too, taking priority. It was a pretty dismal performance by the TSA that they only had two checkpoints open at a peak hour of the day. United alone has flights to Tokyo, Osaka, Los Angeles and San Francisco early in the day. All on wide bodies. It took 35 minutes to clear security, and I headed up to the Red Carpet Club for a morning pick-me-up Bloody Mary with a fantastic view of the ramp and active runway. No drink chits at this Red Carpet Club. You simply show your international boarding pass to the bar tender. The flight was called at 9AM, and by the time I gathered my things, finished my very spicy but delicious libation and headed downstairs, the gate was empty! Either the flight must be extremely light today, or Honolulu ground staff extremely efficient. It was the latter. Every single seat on the flight was occupied.


UA879 / Honolulu-Tokyo
Boeing 777-200 / Seat 2J / United First Suite
Scheduled 0940-1325+1 / Actual 0933-1244+1

I showed my boarding pass at the door (2L) and was (rather curtly, I thought) told to turn left. A pointed finger giving emphasis that the first class cabin was “that way.” Prior to stowing my bags and settling in, I placed the seat all the way into the bed position, then back up again. The seats are so old now that you have to make sure everything is in working order before the aircraft departs, or suffer the consequences later. Everything was in order, or at least functioning. The seat was dirty looking, the video screen hung to one side, and there were scuff marks all over the place, but it was my comfy home for the next eight hours, and I was going to make the best of it. Rollerboard into the overhead, pillows into the handy bin next to the seat, blanket onto the ottoman in front of the seat, plastic glass of sparkling wine in hand, and I was ready to relax for 8 hours. Menus, noise reduction headsets and amenity kits were nicely positioned in the seating area, and the Purser came over to introduce himself and say, “We haven’t seen you on this route for a long time, Mr. sftrvlr. Welcome back.” A nice touch. Bodes well for service I thought to myself. Turns out I was wrong about the service, but I’ll get to that. The captain came on to welcome everyone, say that Channel 9 would be available, and that we had favorable winds to Narita for our crossing. We pushed back several minutes early, taxied for ages, made a rolling turn onto the Reef Runway, and a hard right turn after takeoff, nose pointed to Japan.

During climb out, we had tremendous views of Kauai and Ni’ihau, through surprisingly cloudless skies. The captain made an announcement about the view, and several passengers got up to look out the right side of the aircraft, despite the fact that the seatbelt sign was still illuminated. Even more surprisingly, the cabin crew made no effort to have passengers return to their seats.

Service began about 20 minutes after takeoff with warm nuts and beverages. I indulged in another Bloody Mary as the Purser took my meal selection first, and then made his way around the cabin in order of Mileage Plus status. I personally prefer this method to the first choice/second choice method. It seems easier. The menu was as follows:

to begin

Join us in a sampling of appetizers:
Hot wild mushroom and goat cheese strudel with Madeira herb sauce
Balik-style smoked salmon with caramelized red onion compote
Yukon potato and cheddar chowder

Salad
Fresh seasonal greens
Country ranch or balsamic Dijon vinaigrette

main course

Pan-seared filet mignon with port wine sauce

Pecan-crusted chicken with black peppercorn cream sauce

The above entrees include your choice of:
Twice baked cheddar potato, rice pilaf with caramelized shallots or steamed rice
Green beans with red pepper and marjoram or a mixed vegetable sauté

Shiitake mushroom shrimp cake with sweet chili sauce
Chow mein noodles and kalian with red peppers

Please advise the flight attendant if you prefer to have sauce served on the side

Japanese Obento selection
An appetizer of crabmeat in layered eggs, shrimp sushi, chicken sansho-yaki, scallions with miso paste, broiled tuna and cha-soba noodles
A main course of steamed snapper with five kinds of mixed vegetables, beef tenderloin with mushrooms, hakusai with fried bean curd
Steamed rice with sesame seeds
Served with green tea

Items in this meal may contain traces of MSG

dessert

To complete your dining experience:
Ice cream with sundae toppings
Cheese selection: Kerrygold Vintage Cheddar, Port Salut, Wensleydale with cranberry
Fresh strawberries with brown sugar sour cream dip

prior to arrival

Stir-fry chicken with mushrooms and oyster sauce
Fried chow mein noodles and kalian

or

Fresh seasonal fruit plate with creamy yogurt

When making reservations on future flights to and from Japan, you may secure the Obento meal service by preordering

The white wines offered included Pommery Grand Cru 1995 Champagne, Bouchard Beaune du Chateau Premier Cru (white) Burgundy and Wild Horse Chardonnay 2004 Central Coast. The reds consisted of Sticks Shiraz 2003 Yarra Valley and Brancott Classic Pinot Noir 2004 Marlborough. Gekkeikan Sake Daiginjo and Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto rounded out the list.

After only one round of drinks with no refills, tables were individually laid from the cart. The appetizers rolled around next, starting on the port side with the A seats and the center section, and ending with the J seats. I was next to last to be served, and despite the fact that there were several portions of each appetizer on the trolley, my request for both the salmon and the goat cheese strudel was denied. They were only “allowed” to serve one or the other . I chose the salmon, which was delicious. Unfortunately, neither bread nor wine was offered, and I sat there staring at my food until the Purser came back to ask if everything was OK. I reminded him about bread and wine, and asked for a glass of white. He asked which one I would like, and I asked which were on offer that day. This seemed to bother him somewhat as he made his way the entire 11 feet back to the galley and rummaged through the drinks cart, returning with a completely frozen bottle of the white Burgundy, and an almost frozen bottle of the Chardonnay. I was informed that I could wait for the Burgundy to thaw, or take the Chardonnay. Not being a fan of Chardonnay, and becoming rather annoyed with the rushed service (or lack thereoff) on an eight hour flight, I asked to see the wine list from United Business, only to be told that they didn’t have enough wine to “share” with United First. I guess my mind was made up for me then, wasn’t it?

The Shiitake mushroom shrimp cakes turned out to be a disaster. Rubbery and tasteless with a horribly sweet chili sauce that didn’t taste of chilies at all. Washed down with an over-oaked California Chardonnay. The Purser now made a big fuss about coming by my seat every two minutes with the bread basket asking if I needed more, but he wasn’t a good enough actor to hide his disdain for a paying customer who had dared to ask that the meal service be conducted to the standards one would expect in an international First Class cabin. I finished with the cheese selection, served far too cold to have any flavor, and a glass of Port wine.

Shortly thereafter, water bottles were offered and the crew retired to the galley, behind the (surprisingly) closed curtain, until a couple of hours before landing at Narita. I napped for a few hours, then watched the sophomoric comedy, “You, Me & Dupree” starring a Matt Dillon, who’s aging well, I might add. I declined the pre-arrival meal service since the catering quality had been so appalling thus far that I didn’t want to try anything else. That and I knew I had a 5 hour layover in Narita where I would probably nibble on the rather tempting snacks in the United International First lounge.

We arrived about 45 minutes early into Tokyo, and were the first United flight to pull up to the terminal. The Purser was all fake smiles as I stood waiting for the door to open, and his chitchat merely came across as insincere and forced. Or maybe he really was happy now that the passengers were getting off. United doesn’t need a person like him working the international premium cabins. This was just a bad experience all around.

Since we were so early into Narita, I zipped through security and was the first person into the lounge. I was offered a coupon at the reception desk inviting me to use either the United International First Class lounge, or the ANA First Class lounge. I was happy enough where I was, and remained there for about four hours, filling the time with a long hot shower, a few gin and tonics, and some small bites. The liquor selection is decidedly mid-shelf, but the food was varied and delicious. They offered soba noodles, assorted sushi, finger sandwiches with things like smoked salmon and roast beef, crudités with dipping sauces, cheese and crackers, cocktail snack mix, and a variety of cakes and cookies. The showers are stocked with Crabtree & Evelyn products.

About 90 minutes before the scheduled departure to Singapore, I left the lounge to wander the shops, and explore the newly opened parts of the terminal. There was a MIAT Mongolian Airlines flight leaving, and the gate area was full of exotic looking folks, preparing to board a tiny Boeing 737 for the flight to Incheon, and onto Ulan Bator. That’s about an 8 hour journey on a 737 … yikes! It’s unusual to see such a small aircraft at Narita since almost all the movements are wide bodies. I noticed that the United flight to Bangkok was cancelled, and the line at the transfer desk was long as they protected everyone on Thai, ANA and JAL. I imagine there were a good few folks who ended up in middle seats in economy. Not a pleasant move from their upgraded seats in United Business. Tokyo being Tokyo, boarding of the onward flight to Singapore was smooth and efficient. We were buttoned up and ready to go 10 minutes before scheduled departure.

UA803 / Tokyo-Singapore
Boeing 777-200 / Seat 2J / United First Suite
Scheduled 1730-2359 / Actual 1730-2324

This sector had a crew based at the newly reopened Singapore domicile, and what a pleasure it was! The service was on par with Singapore Airlines. The uniform is slightly different, with a dark blue shirt. They also had a full complement of flight attendants (16, I believe) for the completely full aircraft. Sparkling wine was offered in plastic cups, with refills as necessary. Noise canceling headsets and individual video tapes were offered, followed by eye masks, socks and earplugs, then a selection of newspapers. Menus were next. Even though we closed up early, we did not push back until 1730, right on schedule. The captain announced that Channel 9 was available, and that he anticipated an early arrival into Singapore. A short taxi and immediate takeoff found us airborne and southwest bound by 1744.

Service began as soon as the double chime sounded. Warm nuts and cocktails (I miss the Japanese snack mix they used to offer within Asia.) I was addressed by name each and every time, and refills were offered on both the drinks and the nuts. During this time, the Purser came around to introduce himself, acknowledging by 1K status, and thanking me for my business. He took dinner orders and recommended the Thai chicken curry. I took his advice, and I’m glad I did. The menu was as follows:

On today’s flight, you may choose our traditional dinner, served in courses, or enjoy our Express Dine service – a complete meal served at the time of your choosing so you can maximize your time while on board. Please inform the flight attendant of your choice.

to begin

Shrimp cocktail, tuna nigiri and vegetable sushi

Fresh seasonal greens
Roquefort or Asian citrus dressing

main course

Savory braised lamb shank with mushrooms and onions
Mashed potato with chives and green beans with carrot batonnets

Thai chicken curry with pumpkin
Chicken rice and green beans

Poached sea perch with seafood chili broth
Chinese egg noodles and baby bok choy

Warm eggplant and turkey bruschetta with fire roasted red pepper sauce and a creamy spring vegetable soup

Please advise the flight attendant if you prefer to have sauce served on the side

Express Dine
Today’s Express Dine features your choice of any of the above entrees, fresh seasonal greens with Asian sesame ginger dressing and Eli’s brown butter apple tart for dessert

dessert

Haagen-Dazs ice cream with sundae toppings

The wines offered included Pommery Grand Cru 1995 Champagne and a New Zealand sauvignon blanc that was not on the menu. I’m not sure what reds were carried. I stuck with the New Zealand white, and it was acceptable if a little on the warm side.

The service was impeccable. It was amusing to listen to the flight attendant trying her best to pronounce the word “Roquefort” when offering the salad dressing. It just wouldn’t come out properly no matter how many times she said it, and her cheeks reddened more each time she tried. It was funny in a charming way. I had the Asian citrus to spare her another mouth contortion . The Thai chicken curry was the best main course I’ve had on United in ages! Beautifully plated with a mound of rice in the center of the plate, surrounded by the chicken curry, pumpkin and green beans. It was just spicy enough so as not to overpower the wine, and it reminded me of Singapore Airlines. Both the food and the service. Kudos to United for reopening the Singapore base. Now if only they could staff all the trans-Pacific flights.

We arrived early into Singapore after a wonderful flight. I was sorry to leave, but made my way through Terminal One to the Ambassador Transit Hotel for the night.

Well folks, we’ve made it to Singapore. Upward and onward to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phuket and Colombo in the next installment … stay tuned!

fumitani

Enjoying the report so far Hopefully you are using the last of the last CMB cheap tickets to your advantage

couscous

Great start !!! Loving it.. keep it coming PLEASE..

sftrvlr

Indeed I am! This was the return portion of my United ticket issued on the old "D" fare that allowed stopovers.

Ty Vil

wow what a trip so far.

jef7

Excellent report so far sftrvlr.

Given the dedication and hardwork of many UA employees, it's disheartening when one has to experience a FA like you had from HNL to NRT. Unbelievable!

But then I saw NRT-SIN, and like you I don't think I could rave enough about UA FAs on this route. They are simply amazing and I am glad you had a good experience on this flight as well.

Looking forward to your next installments.

Gatwick Alan

I totally agree with you about the poor quality of the UA premium staff at LAX, i had a similarly poor experience a few weeks ago, they were by a long way the worst i encountered anywhere on my world trip.

upgrade lover

Great report so far. Your experience from LAX to NRT is why I left UA years ago. I am glad that the SIN based crew provides great service and style. Can't wait for the next installment.^

sftrvlr

And on we go ...

After a restful night at the Ambassador Transit Hotel airside at Changi, I checked out at 9AM, and made the leisurely stroll from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2, bypassing the connections counter, and proceeding to the Silverkris Lounge to check in for my flight on the Shuttle to Kuala Lumpur. This is one of the last remaining "pool" services in the world where revenue is shared and tickets are fully interchangeable between Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines. Flights are frequent, and the first class fare is a bargain at around US$350 round trip. SQ actually operates a 2 cabin 777 on the route, but the premium cabin is marketed as First Class, allowing entry into the first class section of the Silverkris Lounge where the food and drink are always delectable. Likewise in Kuala Lumpur, one is allowed entry into the first class section of the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge if flying on MH, which I considered to be the world's best first class lounge until the advent of the Lufthansa First Class Terminal at Frankfurt Rhein Main.

After declining the invitation to travel on the earlier departure, I settled into the Business Centre at one of the dozen or so computer stations to catch up on email and FlyerTalk. The lounge was packed at this point, but I knew from experience that a bank of flights would soon depart and things would quiet down, allowing me to find a more private space to relax before my flight. For those who haven't had the pleasure, the Silverkris Lounge in Singapore is one of the best in the world. Enormous although at times over crowded, it offers the perfect haven for rest and relaxation before your flight. Not that you really need to "get away" from Changi Airport.

Check-in is available in the lounge for onward journeys. Showers are available. There is a separate smoking lounge for those who need to feed the addiction. There’s a relaxation/quiet room with lounge chairs, a TV room with lounge chairs, and self service bar area with mid-shelf booze, as well as a full service bar that opens in the afternoon. The food area has a cooking station that is staffed at various times of the day offering cooked to order items. The buffet is stocked with hot appetizers as well as main courses and soup. That morning the appetizers were spring rolls, vegetable dumplings and curry puffs. There was rice porridge in the soup section, and tomato sauce pasta or stir fried tofu and vegetables for a main course. In addition, there were cheeses, salads, fresh fruits, pastries and ice cream. Oh my! I had some congee and green tea.

My flight was leaving from F60, which is about as far away from the Silverkris Lounge as you can get, and they made an announcement reminding passengers of this. I left about an hour before scheduled departure to wander the shops and have a leisurely stroll to the gate. As I was passing the shop that sells all things Singapore-related, I glimpsed quite a sight from the corner of my eye. Is that behemoth parked over there an A380?! Can't be. It's not in service yet, is it? On closer inspection, it was indeed! The airplane was making test flights around Asia, and happened to be in Singapore the day I was there. It was shorter than I expected, and rather ugly IMHO. The ramp rats appeared to be testing equipment such as baggage conveyors, food service trucks, etc. Here are a couple of photos:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/p...=2EcN2TJq0YuRA

Being the nosy FlyerTalker that I am, I walked over to the gate to see how close I could get. The gate area was filled with crew members from various airlines, a bunch of executive types in suits and some media folks. I recognized flight attendant uniforms from Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines. Strangely though, I passed two pilots, one female, one male, both captains, carrying their flight bags discussing the performance of the aircraft. They both had what sounded like American accents, and the uniform looked very much like American Airlines, but I don’t think any US passenger carrier has ordered the A380. I wonder what airline they worked for. A few minutes later, as I was waiting to clear security at gate F60, an announcement was made over the PA system about the A380 “experience” starting here in Singapore, and inviting travelers to come over and take a look at the airplane.

SQ108 / Singapore-Kuala Lumpur
Boeing 777-200 / Seat 15K / First Class
Scheduled 1235-1330 / Actual 1247-1339

I noticed that Singapore is now requiring you to remove your laptop computer to have it sent through separately, just like here in the US. I don’t recall that before. As usual, the flight was packed. Gate F60 seems almost an afterthought to the terminal. It appears to have been added on after the fact, so you walk down a glass corridor quite a way, and then turn into a very long jet-bridge to board the aircraft. Both the first and second doors were used for boarding. I was greeted at 1L and shown to my seat in what is really the Raffles Class cabin with the intra-Asia seat configuration (i.e. not the Spacebed.) Hot towels were offered, as well as an assortment of newspapers and magazines, and various fruit juices or water. No champagne on Shuttle flights. We were a little late boarding and pushing back due to the late arrival of the inbound aircraft, but the taxi and takeoff were quick, so we ended up arriving only a few minutes behind schedule. What absolutely amazes me is that they manage to serve a meal on a 35 minute flight! There was a choice of a smoked salmon salad or a fruit plate. I wasn’t hungry so had a gin and tonic instead.

The Kuala Lumpur International Airport is fabulous. Well designed with lots of natural light and open spaces. Fast track forms are provided for first class passengers allowing you to bypass the lengthy queue for foreign passports at Immigration. I was through and onboard the KLIA Ekspres train in 15 minutes, which at 70 Malaysian Ringits (about US$20) round trip is a bargain. It takes only 30 minutes to cover the 70 or so kilometers into town, and deposits you at the KL Sentral station where you can grab a cab to almost anywhere for another 10-15 Ringits. Or connect to the monorail or subway. I checked into the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur, and then checked right back out again. Dreadful hotel! I called up the Regent and booked a club level room for 410 Ringits per night, about US$114, which included complimentary internet access, breakfast in the lounge and evening cocktails and snacks. Malaysia is a bargain! After a couple of days shopping and meeting up with an old friend from school for some superb dim sum and excellent Indian food, it was back to the KLIA Ekspres and out to KLIA for my return flight to Singapore, where I would connect to Swiss up to Bangkok and meet up with fellow FlyerTalker mjmsf.

SQ113 / Kuala Lumpur-Singapore
Boeing 777-200 / Seat 16K / First Class
Scheduled 1700-1755 / Actual 1717-1814

Check-in was a breeze with nobody in line for first class (or any other class for that matter) and I was soon on my way to the Silverkris Lounge to wait for the flight. There was nobody at the front desk so I just wandered in, took a quick look around, and left to look for another Star Alliance Gold lounge. The Silverkris Lounge was the poorest one I’ve ever seen. Small in size and very full with minimal food and drink. I noticed the Thai Royal Orchid Lounge across the way, and asked to take a look. It was far superior at about three times the size, with a better selection of food and only two passengers present. I settled in with a gin and tonic and a couple of spring rolls from the selection that included vegetarian samosas, pasta with tomato sauce and mini pizzas. There were also finger sandwiches with egg mayonnaise or vegetables, and a variety of cakes and cookies. Not a dish of flesh in sight. Certainly not a buffet for carnivores. I had an entire corner of the lounge to myself and sat for an hour or so watching the (not very busy) ramp. KLIA appears to be the most under-utilized airport in Asia.

I left about an hour before departure time to wander the shops for a bit before proceeding through security and into the lounge. The inbound aircraft arrived at 1655 so it was obvious we weren’t going to make our 1700 departure time. No announcement was made to tell us what was going on. I must commend Singapore Airlines for managing to turn a completely full 777-200 in 30 minutes, though. Quite a feat. When they announced boarding, they asked everyone to please take their seats as quickly as possible, and everyone obliged. The door was closed 11 minutes after boarding began. That would NEVER happen in the US. The Singapore Girls and Guys serving first class appeared as calm and unruffled as ever, providing the entire pre-departure service with hot towels, newspapers and magazines, and a beverage selection. And once again a meal was offered on the 40 minute journey back to Singapore. This time it was a chicken wrap or a salad. I again chose a gin and tonic.

The level of service on these short shuttle hops simply floors me. I flew SQ both directions this time because I needed miles to make 1K again this year, but next time I will go back to taking Singapore Airlines SIN-KUL, and Malaysia Airlines KUL-SIN. The service is comparable on both airlines (MH may have just a slight edge) but the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge at KUL far, far outdoes the meager offerings of the Silverkris Lounge.

We arrived into Singapore just a few minutes behind schedule, and I made the long, slow walk from one end of the airport to the other to check in for my Swiss flight up to Bangkok. It is literally the farthest place to get to from the Singapore Airlines F gates in Terminal 2, but I had plenty of time, so didn’t bother with the Skytrain. I enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the concourses with some people and plane watching, passing gate after gate with departures to distant corners of the world and remembering how much travel still thrills me.

I approached the transfer desk for Swiss at the beginning of the C concourse in Terminal One. There was nobody in line and still more than two hours until scheduled departure. The agent tapped away furiously for a few minutes, then handed me a card and said,

“Here’s your standby card, Mr. sftrvlr. Come back in about an hour and we’ll let you know.”



“Excuse me?”

“Your reservation shows that you are on standby for tonight’s flight.”

“Um, no. My CONFIRMATION shows that I’m CONFIRMED on tonight’s flight, and my e-ticket shows OK in the status box.”

“Hmmmmm … that’s not what is showing in the computer.”

“Well I think you need to check again. Could you look at the history and tell me when I was removed from the flight?”

“It shows that you were never confirmed. Where did you buy the ticket?”

“Swiss.com. Here’s the receipt and a copy of the e-ticket.”

“Hmmmmm ...” (typing away again.) “Unfortunately, we’re overbooked by 7 in business class this evening, and 19 in economy.”

“What about first?”

“Over by 1.”

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t acceptable. I need to be in Bangkok this evening. Can you put me on Thai or Singapore Airlines? They both have departures leaving shortly.”

“I’m afraid they are both fully booked this evening. It looks like I may be able to get you on Finnair in economy.”

“I don’t want to fly Finnair, and I don’t want to fly in economy. I have a business class ticket, and I want to stay on Star Alliance. I can’t believe this is how you treat your Star Alliance Gold customers.”

“You’re Star Gold, Mr. sftrvlr?”

“Yes. Here’s my card. It’s also printed on the confirmation email from Swiss that you have in front of you.”

“Oh. That’s not noted in the record.”

“Are you kidding me? Are you SURE you’re looking at MY reservation? Is this one of those jokes like they do on Candid Camera?”

“No sir. I mean, yes sir.”

"WHAT?"

"I mean, no sir, it's not a joke, and yes sir, I am looking at YOUR reservation."

“Well we need to get a supervisor involved at this point because something is not right.”

“Could you please take a seat over there and leave your documents with me?”

“Not unless you plan to get me on the flight tonight. I don’t have time to sit around here waiting while there are other flights I may be able to get on.”

“Mr. sftrvlr. We WILL get you on our flight this evening. I promise. If you will just have a seat for a few minutes, I’ll be back with you shortly.”

“Thank you.”

Twenty minutes of twiddling my thumbs and I was approached by another lady, apparently the Swiss supervisor. She apologized profusely and handed me a boarding pass for 6G in business class and a lounge invitation to the SATS Premier Lounge. I asked what the problem had been, and she merely said it was some sort of a “mix-up,” offering another apology for the inconvenience. I felt like saying that a more appropriate apology would be a seat in first class, but refrained, and went on my (now) merry way to the lounge in search of gin.

What an improvement since they refurbished the SATS Premier Lounge in Terminal One. It’s now light and airy, well lit, and has a distinct Scandinavian look about it. Light wood finishes and multi-colored leather chairs. There are a couple of televisions tuned to CNN and ESPN, ten (?) computer stations with telephones using Skype for VOIP phone calls, and a separate first class section at the rear of the lounge. A large buffet area offered a self service bar with a reasonable selection of spirits, wines, beers, soft drinks, juices and water. Unfortunately, the food area was almost completely bare. There were 2 finger sandwiches, a couple of wilted salads and some small bowls of fruit. I was actually feeling a bit hungry at this point, and walked up to reception to let them know that the cupboard was bare. They immediately went into the kitchen area and came out moments later with bar snacks (nuts, chips, etc.), two new baskets of finger sandwiches, fresh salads with smoked salmon or cold chicken, and a selection of cheese and crackers. This was followed by a pot of vegetable soup, noodles with Shanghai sauce, and spicy stir fried garbanzo beans (not a good idea to feed people who would later be crammed into an aluminum tube together.) A few snacks and a couple of bevvies later it was time to head to the gate. The lounge was almost full at this point since so many carriers that use it have evening departures.

LX183 / Singapore-Bangkok
Airbus A340-300 / Seat 6G / Business Class
Scheduled 2120-2245 / Actual 2114-2240

They only had one security checkpoint open at gate C26, and the line was lengthy. By the time I got through, the gate was empty and they were making final boarding calls. This is not the norm at Changi. I walked right onboard and was greeted at doorway 2L by the Purser (I think) who directed me through the galley to the right. My seat was 6G in the bulkhead. This was my second flight aboard an A340, and I have concluded that I’m not a huge fan of the airplane. The cabin doesn’t seem as spacious as the 777, although the Swiss configuration in business class certainly had plenty of personal space. The overhead bins are large enough to stow a rollerboard wheels first which means there is plenty of room for everyone’s carryon, but they don't retract into the ceiling the way they do on the 777, allowing a more spacious feel to the cabin. To be honest, the Swiss cabin is rather boring. Seats are configured 2-2-2 so there is never a middle, which is nice. But the grey plaid fabric and grey/brown interior aren’t exactly exciting. I found the seat too hard for my liking, and there was a small bar that seemed to dig into my legs on the front of the seat. The fully upright position is a little too upright, rather like the United First Suite. The personal space was well thought out, and there was plenty of stowage for books, magazines, pillows, glasses, water bottles, etc. The flight was completely full.

I must say that the Swiss flight attendants were really put together. Not that they had been working all that long since they were only doing a Bangkok-Singapore-Bangkok turn that day, but the look is smart and well groomed in their blue uniforms with colorful scarves. Very similar look to Lufthansa, but the service was a little warmer. Champagne, juice or water was offered, along with a moist towelette for refreshment. Standard headsets (not noise reduction,) menus, magazines and newspapers came next. Boarding was completed and the doors closed early, and a relatively short taxi to the active runway meant we were up, up and away to the Land of Smiles in no time.

Service started as soon as the seatbelt sign was extinguished, and was what I refer to as intra-European style business class service. In other words, fast and efficient. Beverage service was provided from carts and went from back to front, with two flight attendants in each aisle. Mixed nuts were provided. Liquor was poured from full sized bottles, and not from miniatures. Next came two carts. One with meals, one with drinks. Again, service was back to front. Meal first, followed by drink and bread. All very efficient. And unlike United, you got bread and wine with your food! The menu was as follows, and was printed in French, English, German and Chinese:

Singapore-Bangkok
Light meal

Mixed vegetable salad with prawns

Breast of chicken in creamy mustard sauce served with sautéed French beans, Vichy carrots and polenta
SWISS Asian-style selection

or

Deep-fried tilapia accompanied by pak choy in oyster sauce, spring onions and vermicelli noodles

A selection of fresh fruits

A total of six wines were offered. Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaique, Riesling X Silvaner 2005, Viognier Finca La Linda 2005, Blauburgunder Spatlese 2005, Malbec Alta Vista Premium Malbec 2004, and a Swiss wine that I did not catch the name of. Very impressive on a two hour flight!

Refills of wine were offered during the meal. Trays were cleared by hand, and the drinks cart made another appearance with coffee, tea and after dinner drinks, as well as small Swiss chocolates. As we began descent into Bangkok, another cart rolled through offering Duty Free goods. We ended up having to circle over Pattaya for about 10 minutes due to the volume of traffic landing at Bangkok, but still arrived five minutes ahead of schedule. A very impressive performance onboard by a group of hard working flight attendants, although I can’t say the food was all that good. They only had the chicken available by the time they reached me, and it was dry and tasteless with overcooked vegetables. The small salad was good though, As was the Swiss chocolate.

The new Bangkok airport is well designed, and a vast improvement over the old Don Muang. It’s still too hot inside though in my opinion. The immigration counters were mere feet from the arrival gate, and I was processed and outside customs in less than five minutes. The Novotel where I was supposed to meet mjmsf is supposedly attached to the airport, but there was not a sign to be seen to direct passengers to it. I finally found a policeman and he told me to go to doorway number 4. Outside, there was a man standing curbside holding a Novotel sign, and he advised me that the shuttle bus was on the way. I could see the hotel from where I was standing, but in order to walk to it, you would need to cross two or three major roadways, and walk through an enormous parking garage. The shuttle bus ends up going out of the airport, circling around on the expressway, then back into the airport, making all sorts of twists and turns to finally get you to the hotel. Who the heck planned this? Not only is it not signposted, but you can’t even walk to it. How stupid.

Poor mjmsf had even more trouble finding the place. His United flight was three hours late, and he ended up taking a cab to the hotel. All I can say about the hotel is, WOW! This is a Novotel? Being brand spanking new obviously helped, but the hotel was more like a Westin inside. The central part of the hotel was housed in a large atrium with plants, trees and even a small stream. In the center was the bell desk, a large lounge area with chairs and tables, and the reception area. Surrounding this were various restaurants and cafes. The rooms had comfortable beds, great bathrooms, and air conditioning that really worked. A huge improvement from that horrible Amari Hotel at Don Muang. And the room rate was around US$115, to boot. We sat and had a few beers and caught up, then headed off to bed at around 330AM since we had to be up for our 1045AM flight to Phuket in only a few hours.

More to come …

couscous

Loving it ^

lucky9876coins

Ditto! Can't wait for more!^

SuperFlyBoy

This is the *exact* same thing happening with LH in India....

They claim *not* to recognize *any* Star Alliance Gold members (I have tried UA*G & TG*G), and therefore do not accord them *A priority on their flights - probably similar to LX as well...

Spoke to the UA BOM GSA, and they stated that this is their method of moving all *A pax to participate in Miles & Less....which I might have to do as well...

They also stated at BOM airport that only if the card was scanned in on their reader would they accord any *A pax any benefits!!

(that's what they did when I flew them last)

SuperFlyBoy

Unfortunately the SIN-based FA's are not allowed to fly US routes...

sporadic

Maybe because UA doesn't want its US-based crew to corrupt the SIN-based crew and hence bring down its intercontinental service standards, when domestic UA is already bad enough... You never know.

peasant

"the white Burgundy, and an almost frozen bottle of the Chardonnay. I was informed that I could wait for the Burgundy to thaw, or take the Chardonnay. Not being a fan of Chardonnay... "

Mr Picky Peasant would like to point out that white Burgundy is Chardonnay. Other growing areas can't use the name (Burgundy) but can and do use the same grape and style.

So, you were screwed every which way if you don't like chardonnay