NM

Well its that time of year again ...

The booking process for my DONE4 was all too smooth to be true. And yep, I was right - it was not true. When my wad of 5 books of tickets arrived (yes, the old carbon paper coupons), I found I was supposed to find my own way from LHR to FRA as it was showing as a ground sector. So I had to Express Post the tickets back to the TA in Sydney for them to be re-issued - with an additional cost of $106.10 for the extra taxes. Maybe I should have taken the train instead.

So with my tickets correct and in hand, I was concerned that such a large book of tickets would put me way over the carry-on luggage allowance. But I seem to have managed to get away with it so far .

As soon as the tickets were issued, I used my QF Platinum status to request seat 16K on my QF29 MEL-LHR flight and to secure 2F on my QF51 SIN-BNE flight (the only QF flights I can pre-allocate). Then I called asked my TA to remove the QF FF number and add my AAdvantage number for all airlines/sectors. Once I confirmed it was showing correctly on CheckMyTrip.com (the old view) it was time to request an upgrade to F on the MEL-LHR flights.

The QF Premium Desk agent wanted to add my QF Plat FF number back into the booking and could not understand why I was adament I did not want her to do that. I just want to use my QF FF account to waitlist an upgrade for an eligible family member - me! She finally relented and did as I asked. My upgrade was showing as requested and CheckMyTrip showed she has not tampered with my FF details.

The flight planning was done - now for the hotels and car rentals etc. The TA was great and got to know me pretty well over the weeks of planning this trip.

As the departure date approached, I was watching the F seating for the MEL-LHR flight multiple times a day. It was looking good on Friday afternoon with F5 available and the seat map reflecting this also. Then on Saturday night, it dropped to F2 (ouch) and the seat map also reflected this change. Now who booked 3 F seats on a weekend? Oh well, at least I have 16K allocated. But this will be my first sojourn on the upper deck in many years. I guess time will tell.

Sunday night and at T-24 hours I have a look again on EF. No change. I wake at 2am restless in the knowledge that someone at QF is working hard processing upgrade waitlists and sneak out to the PC to have a look. Hmm, no change and my QF FF points balance is unchanged ... hmm not looking good.

NM

When I rise at 6:30am, I again head for the PC to check on the waitlist condition. First place to check is EF and it shows all seating maps as unavailable. Hmm, seems the flight is full - very full. Its showing F1 now.

So I check my QF FF balance and am shocked to see that someone has stolen 60K points from my account sometime between 2am and 6:30am. Then I realise my heart has stopped pounding and I am safe in the knowledge that my QF Plat status has worked and I will be enjoying the front cabin for a long flight later tonight.

So with family goodbyes in order and taxi arranged, its time to ensure all the packing is complete. Plastic bag for liquids, gels and pastes - check. Power adapters for all countries - check. Wad or tickets and passport - check. DVD's and iPod - check. Peace-offering shoping list - check.

The trip to the airport at 8am on a Monday is always slow. But I had plenty of time so its just a matter of grinning and baring, and noting how pleased I am that I normally work from home and don't have to put up with this commuting stuff each day.

Check-in at BNE is quick. Just one family ahead of me in the Plat/Business Class check-in line. The check-in agent made a comment about my wad of tickets and how much better e-tickets are. He was not aware of the 16-sector limit on e-tickets and as he thumbed through my wad he just shook his head.

Bag was tagged through to LHR even though I have a 10 hour connection in MEL, during which time I will visit our Melbourne office. However, he was unable to issue my MEL-LHR boarding pass. He said it was due to the way the Melbourne people had set-up the flight. I would need to collect my 2F boarding pass in MEL. I think I will do this when I first arrive into MEL rather than wait until 9pm tonight when I return to the airport after dinner with the lads.

No delays at the security screening in BNE (as usual) and I avoided the metal detector that triggered once on my shoes. All the others are fine with this shoes. I walk straight through without issue and note the explosives tester is occupied so its a quick and direct departure from there.

So its into the BNE QP for a brief breakfast, knowing I will be fed on board the BNE-MEL flight.

I note the only flight delay is the QF953 BNE-CBR flight. There is an announcement that it is delayed due to mechanical requirements. Soon there is another announcement that there will be a change of aircraft and a new departure time is posted.

About 5 mins later there is an announcement that my QF615 BNE-MEL is to be delayed .... due to mechanical requirements. Hmm, I wonder which aircraft they swapped for the CBR flight . So we are now scheduled to board at 10:20am, 30 mins late. So looks like I will be too late for lunch with my colleagues in MEL, but will still get to the office around 2pm, so long as I am not delayed further or run into problems with getting my MEL-LHR boarding pass in MEL.

NM

QF615
BNE-MEL
VH-VXE
Seat 2C
737-800

After the delayed boarding, the CSM (Susan) was busy apologising to every passenger as they boarded. The captain explained the reason for the delay was that the aircraft had been hit by lightning the previous day and had to undergo extensive systems tests before it could be returned to service. The tests were apparently completed successfully. The captain also mentioned they had taken on some extra fuel and would be fling faster than usual to try to make up some of the lost time.

The snack on this flight was a choice of fruit salad or a ricotta bake with ham and gourmet sausage (whatever that means??). This was offered with the usual bakery items and beverages.

There were 9 passengers in J (out of 12 seats). Next to me was a Qantas flight attendant on her way to Melbourne to start her day’s work. Her first duty flight for the day was to be MEL-BNE. The economy cabin was probably around 65% full.

We landed around 1pm, a little under an hour late.

After arriving into MEL I wandered over to the International terminal to try to get my boarding pass for the MEL-LHR flight later in the evening. I wandered past all the QF check-in desks looking for the First Class check-in desk, but could not find it. Then I spotted the new F check-in facility near the main entrance to the terminal. There were two counters, with one agent processing check-ins and a porter on hand.

I asked about the possibility of a window seat, knowing the 2F is probably my least preferred F seat (not there are no bad F seats ). I was offered 1A or 4K for the HKG-LHR leg, but 2F was the only options available to me for MEL-LHR as the F cabin was completely full. I took the option of two different seats for the two sectors. I like 4K as it has a very wide storage area between the seat and the window where the bassinet is located. This comes in very handy for storing things like pillow, sleeper suit, laptop, reading material etc. It is also easy to catch the FA’s attention when I need a top-up.

Then it was back down to the domestic arrivals level for a taxi into Melbourne for an afternoon in the office. At Beer O’clock it was off to the pub next to the office for a few quiet ales with my Mexican colleagues, and a little after 7pm I headed back to the airport to sample the new FLounge.

On arrival back at MEL, I again stopped by the F check-in room and asked if anything had changed in the way of window seat availability. Again it was clear the cabin was full (as was the whole flight), but they did manage to swap me with 3K, for which I expressed my gratitude.

Immigration was a breeze at that time of night, with no waiting at all. X-Ray screening was also fast, but of course since I was the only person passing through, guess which person was “randomly” selected for explosives trace testing and pat-down. Oh well, at least it only took a few minutes. Then it was through the Duty-Free maze and up to the new FLounge.

NM

The new MEL FLounge is very swish and a big improvement over the old lounge. The first thing you notice is the open feeling that comes with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the tarmac (the only FLounge had no windows at all). There is a living wall (wall of plants) opposite the entrance desk. This wall did not seem as large as the pictures I have seen of the new SYD FLounge.

At 7:30pm, the FLounge was very quiet. After having my BP swiped at the entrance desk, I was escorted into the lounge by one of the staff and asked where I would like to sit and what I would like to drink. Much improved service over other QF lounges where they just swipe the BP and point you at the appropriate door. I was given a menu that included food and wine selections.

The scotch offering was disappointing – JW Black or Black Douglas. So I decided to start with some bubbles while waiting for my Veal Schnitzel to be prepared. When it was ready, I was invited to sit in the “restaurant” section or to have it in my lounge chair. I chose to sit at a table to eat. The Schnitzel was served as a “sandwich” with coleslaw and was very good indeed. I followed that with Boysenberry Ice Cream.

There were seven tables for two people and two tables for four people in the dining area, so not a huge amount. But while I was there, only one other table was being used. I expect it got a little busier later in the evening.

I retired back to my lounge chair overlooking the tarmac and settled on the Noble One wine. I love sweet desert wines and this is one of my favourites.

I had a bit of a wander around the lounge and noted about 6 PCs to the left after entering the lounge. There is also a self-serve fridge for water, soft drinks, beer and wines. Beers included James Squire, Coopers Sparkling and Pale Ales, Cascade Premium and Premium Light, and Crown. Sorry, apart from the Noble One I did not take much notice of the wines on offer. The Champaign was Moet.

There are showers at the end of lounge past the computers. These were nice, but not lavish. I had a quick shower just before boarding.

The toilets are in behind the entrance desk, through a smoked glass door. Note the door is automatic and swings outwards into the lounge. It is quite slow, so don’t be a rush to go through to the loos.

In all the time I was in the FLounge, I was never asked for my boarding pass or flight details as others have reported from the SYD and MEL FLounges. Perhaps the staff all noted my arrival early when the lounge was empty so al knew my details already?

NM

QF29
MEL-KKG
VH-OJU
Seat 3K
747-400

Boarding was called at about 10:20, 30 mins before scheduled departure. We used Gate 9 which is close by the bottom of the escalator, so a very short walk. F and J passengers were invited to use the left queue while everyone else was processed through the right queue. Boarding was quick and painless.

As usual, we were offered champaign (Charles Heidsiech Blanc des Millenaires 1995). I know many people rave over this one, but I found it just ok – to dry for my pallet.

I changed into my sleeper suit before take-off. I usually wait until after take-off to change, but there was plenty of time and I was not interested in sitting there consuming the champers until departure. The new PJs are a strange dull green colour. I think I like the old ones better. Why do they always hand out sizes that are too big? Note to self, ask for Medium next time instead of the Large they will hand me.

Push back and takeoff were pretty much on-time and we set course for Hong Kong through the night sky.

Although I had eaten in the FLounge, by the time we were airborne, I was ready for the famous Steak Sandwitch. It was as good as usual. That was accompanied with a glass of The Glenlivet 18yo and followed by Maggie Beer Ice cream (Vanilla Bean and Elderflower).

Then it was time to break out the duvet and settle down for some sleep. I slept reasonably well for a plane, and declined breakfast before arrival, just asking for a refill of my water bottle. Arrival into HKG was on-time.

The new F amenity kit is quite different to the older ones. It is a zippered oblong case covered in brown suede type material. It contains ear plugs, mints and a small draw-string bag with 3 Payot creams. There is a toothbrush and paste, eye mask, socks and comb in the sleeper suit package. So the only thing “missing” is the shaving kit which is available on request.

Menu: Melbourne to Hong Kong

Supper

Canapes

Entres
Shitake Wontons in Oxtail Broth
Prawn and Celeriac Remoulade

Light Meals
Pork and Shrimp Stir Fry with Rise and Gai Lan
Our Signature Steak Sandwich with Tomato and Chilli Relish

Main Course
Ricotta, Sun Dried Tomato and Smoked Garlic Calzone
Seared Salmon with Radish, Celery and Lemon Salsa and Kipfler Potatoes
Steamed Chicken with Szechuan Pepper, Chilli Eggplant and Noodles
A salad of Baby Cos, Radicchio and Frisee is available to accompany your meal, or can be enjoyed as an entrée, dressed with your choice of Aged Balsamic Vinaigrette, Palm Sugar Vinaigrette, Blue Cheese Dressing or Lemon Vinaigrette

Cheese
Blue, soft and hard cheese, hand selected by Will Studd, Maitre Fromage Calendar Cheese Company, served with accomplishments

Dessert
Nice Cream Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Poached Pears and Toasted Almonds
Quince Frangipane Tart with Spiced Syrup and Double Cream
Whole or Sliced Fresh Seasonal Fruit
Maggie Beer Ice Cream Tubs

Petit Fours
A Selection of Manna from Heaven chocolates and petit fours

Wines
Charles Heidseich Blanc des Millenaires 1995
Howard Park Riesling 2005
Lost Valley Cortese 2005
Willow Creek Tulum Chardonnay 2003
Tarrawarra Estate Pinot Noir 2003
Torbeck ‘The Strule’ Shiraz 2004
Setanta ‘Black Sanglain’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2004
Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Muscat & Tokay

Beverages

Aperitifs
Bloody Mary
Campari
Noilly Prat French Dry Vermouth
Seppelt DP116 Dry Amontillado

Spirits
Bacardi White Rum
Bombay Sapphire Dry London Gin
Chivas Regal 18yo Scotch Whisky
Glenlivet 18yo Mald Whisky
Iner Circle (Green Dot) Dark Run 57.2&
Wild Turkey Rare Breed 108 proof Bourbon
Wyborowa Single Estate Vodka

Beers
Crown Larger
Hahn Premium

Liqueurs
Bailey’s Irish Cream
Cointreau

Cognac
Martel Cordon Bleu

NM

Upon arrival into HKG, I received the usual transit card and Qantas sticker on my shirt. We used gate 15, which is the first gate on the wing below the Qantas Club lounge. So it was a short walk to the E1 transfer area where boarding pass is checked and security screening. I was then directed to take the lift up to level 7 for the Qantas lounge. Well I know better than to follow that suggestion and instead of turning left out of the lift I went right and walked over to The Wing Cathay Pacific FLounge, where my QF boarding pass was swiped and I was welcomed to the FLounge.

First stop was the dining area for some Chinese Dim Sum for breakfast. Much nicer breakfast that I was going to get on board QF, even in First. Then to the Cabanas for a shower, shave etc. With all that done, it was time to head back to gate 15 for boarding my next leg to London.

NM

QF29
HKG-LHR
VH-OJU
Seat 4K
747-400

A new crew is ready to greet me and welcome me back on board for the next leg to London. Jane shows me to my seat and we son establish she comes from the same area in the north-east of England as my parents. A new sleeper suit is offered, so this time I ask for Medium size. However, it goes into my bag and I use the same one I wore for the previous flight. A new amenity kit is also delivered to me with my glass of champagne (still the same Charles Heidseick.

The F cabin is supposed to be 13 out of 14 for this flight, but when the doors are closed I am the only person in row 4. All other seats are taken, so we have 11 in the F cabin. Its fairly lightly loaded down the back this time (215 in Y, not sure of the numbers in J but I can see quite a number of empty seats on the lower deck).

Breakfast is offered and I just ask for a Pear Juice, Late, Fruit Salad, Smoked Salmon and some cheese. The cheese was a problem as it is loaded in the lunch cart down the back somewhere, but Jane manages to locate it and delivers.

This is a day-time flight. But as is often the case with Qantas, once the meal service is finished they close the window shades and encourage people to sleep. Well I chose this flight because it’s a daytime flight and I want to be awake for the duration. If I wanted to sleep I would have chosen an overnight flight. So my shades stay up and out comes the laptop. Hmm, no power. A quick word with Jane and she reminds the CSM to turn it on and off I go typing up this trip report.

Time now to watch some DVDs on my laptop while the rest of the cabin sleeps.

After about 8 hours of watching DVDs it was time for lunch. Some components of the lunch menu were the same as the supper menu from the previous flight.

Entres
Deep Fried Bean Curd and Black Fungi Soup
Hong Kong Yellow Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing

Main Courses
Tagine of Pumpkin Dumplings with Almond Couscous and Coriander Yoghurt
Seared Blue Eye with White Wine Sauce
Slow Cooked Duck with Water Chestnuts
Spice Rubbed Beef Fillet with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

A Lighter Main Course Choice
Seared Blue Eye with Fresh Lemon Juice and Olive Oil

Side Dishes
Rosemary Tomatoes
Bok Choy
Braised Porcini
Grilled Fennel
Fragrant Rice
Roast Potatoes

Dessert
Banana and Caramel Crumble with Creme Anglaise
Assiette - a tasting late of desserts
Cliced Fresh Seasonal Fruits

NM

We had experienced favourable winds and landed about 30 mins ahead of schedule. However, as apparently happens 9 times out of 10 (according to Jane, the FA) we were parked at a remote stand and herded onto buses for the trip to Terminal 4.

Immigration FastTrack is not open after about 11am, so I was a little concerned about delays given that all the gates at T4 were occupied. But I should not have worried. After walking past the long line of people connecting to other flights at T4, I found the passport control area was almost deserted. No delay at all. So passport was duly stamped and I was waiting and waiting for my bag on the belt. The F tag didn't seem to work too well for me this time. Once the bag arrived I was out through customs and off to the Avis bus.

Another good thing about arriving on QF29 in he middle of the day is that the M25 is generally not a car park at that time of the day. And I was able to go straight to my hotel and check-in, which can be a problem for the early morning arrivals like QF9.

At the Avis desk, I was told my TA had booked me a 7-seat minivan! Well, that would be nice if I had my wife and 4 kids with me, but this trip is just me, my suit case and carry-on bag. So I was offered a Mini Cooper for half the cost of the booked minivan. I doid not take much convincing. Now I would be dropping it back tomorrow, but noted they offer 1 hour grace and over that I have to pay for a second day. So my pickup time was duly noted as 2:15pm.

I had already programmed the hotel and office addresses into the Favourites of my PPC GSP, so with it all plugged in and operating I headed for the wilds of the M4, M25, M3, A331 etc to Farnborough. At that time of day the drive was easy.

After checking into the Holiday Inn, I called my local colleague and arrange to meet him in the hotel bar when he finished work. After a pint we headed off to his "local", which was a very small country pub about 30 mins drive away. Several pints and a nice meal later he dropped me back at the hotel and we made arrangements to meet at the office the next day.

We had a valuable few hours together in the office and after lunch I decided it was best to leave early to ensure I beat the 3:15pm return deadline for the car - and to ensure plenty of time at the JW Blue lounge (aka T1 FLounge). I was very glad I did leave early as the M3 was a car park for about 8 miles due to a truck roll-over. Using the GPS to get back to the Avis car rental centre was much better than my previous unguided attempts where I ended up driving through the tunnel to T123 and back again to the rental car returns. I put five quid worth of petrol in before returning. Gee petrol is expensive in the UK!

I made the 3:15pm deadline, despite the best efforts of the M3 and the driving rain, and jumped on the bus round to T1 check-in.

The R (Premium) check-in area was deserted at that time of day. I queried about changing my LHR-FRA to an earlier flight and was told I have to take my paper ticket to the ticket desk to have it changed. Since there was no queue, I decided to change to the earlier flight. That would still give me plenty of time in the lounge and get me to my hotel an hour earlier.

The whole process of changing my ticket and checking-in took less than 5 mins. And the security screening also had no delay. Shoes off this time. I had placed all my liquids in my checked bag assuming it was going to reliably delivered and I didn't need anything for the 1 hour flight.

So straight through and to the FLounge. Showed my BP and my QF Plat card and no problems walking into the FLounge. It was not long before I had to gain the attention of the wait-staff to replace the now empty JW Blue bottle.

The flight was delayed slightly, I assume due to the LHR weather. The sideways rain is a fair indication that ATC will be limiting the airport operation somewhat. So it was probably a good thing I changed flights as these delays always seem to get worse before they get better.

Eventually the flight is called and I make my way to the gate via the loo. By the time I am walking down the last part of the concourse, I am being paged. I am the third person to board.

NM

BA914
LHR-FRA
Seat 1A
737-400

Upon boarding, I find two people already sitting in 1A and 1C, deep in conversation. The FA sees that I am holding a BP for 1A and very quickly suggests I slot into 3F and have the row to myself (3D and E are free). I was not in a mood to argue so just stowed my bag and slid into the window seat. Very soon the CSD approached the person sitting in 1A and asked to see if BP. He had noted they were now one person extra in the front cabin. He was told in no uncertain way that he was not allowed to upgrade himself and if he wanted to sit with his friend then they would have to do that down the back. So they got up and moved back to economy. I stayed in my 3F seat.

We have a reasonably long taxi to the active runway, but no further delays and no long queue for take-off as can happen at LHR. There is little view as we very soon climb through the thick clouds.

As soon as the seatbelt sign is off, we are offered drinks. The 15yo Glenlivet is a welcome sight for such a short-haul business class service. This is quickly followed by a light meal consisting of a cold chicken salad and sweet sticky something for desert. It was quite ok for such a short flight.

Another long taxi after landing into FRA and we eventually arrive at the gate. Its a short walk to passport control and as it often the case when arriving on a BA flight in RA there is no queue at the non-EU passport line. Hand over the passport and it is briefly inspected, a quick glance at me to verify the photo and its stamped and handed back. No questions about how long I plan to stay, where I am staying, who I work for, the purpose of my visit or any of the other questions often asked at places like USA.

From my last visit to FRA, I know that the courtesy shuttle bus to the Holiday Inn Frankfurt Airport North picks up from Terminal 1, and the BA flight arrives into Terminal 2. So I head straight for the airtrain to Terminal 1. It is fast and effortless to follow the signs to Terminal 1.

It seems that every time I use airport-hotel shuttles, I must just miss on bus as I always seem to have to wait the maximum time for the next shuttle. But this time I only have to wait a few minutes and the bus arrives. I am the only passenger for the 5 min ride to the hotel.

I have booked an "upgraded room" and am given that room type. I note from my last visit that I am now 2 from 2 stays here with no PC Platinum recognition (no upgrade, amenities etc). But I am only here overnight so its no real issue. I request to be booked for the 8am shuttle back to the airport the following morning and head off to get some sleep.

The following morning, after verifying my flight time, I recall that AA check-in does not open until 3 hours before departure. So that means there is no point in getting to the airport before 8:50am. So I call reception and change my shuttle reservation to 8:30am, again relying on my previous experience to know its a long walk from the shuttle drop-off point at Section A to the AA check-in desk as section C of Terminal 1. The return shuttle is full (8 passengers) so it is good that I had changed my reservation as there are some people who have no reserved and they have to wait behind for the next one.

NM

The walk to the AA check-in area takes about 10 mins, wheeling my bags along the length of Terminal 1. When I get to the top of the escalator I head to the F/J check-in area where I am met by Susan who has the task of pre-screening the passengers before they are permitted to check-in. This is the only place I have ever had such a detailed inquisition about me and my plans for the USA. It really is intrusive and I really don't understand the reason behind the thoroughness, especially when you note the lack of questions for me to enter Germany.

I am asked if I am travelling for business or pleasure. When I answer business, I am asked all about what I do and who I work for. I am asked for a business card of some other form of company identification. I pull out my company photo ID and she holds on to it and says she will need that to show her supervisor (what??).

Next I am asked for proof of when I was staying in Germany. My hotel receipt is shown and again she holds onto this for the time being. Then I am asked about where I will be staying in the USA and can I prove it. Luckily I have a print-out from Priority Club reservation showing a summary of most of my accommodation details for the rest of the trip. That is also held by Susan. I am asked who paid for my ticket and details of the purpose of my business visit, if I am visiting customers, other staff, suppliers etc. This whole question and answer session takes about 10 mins. No wonder the economy check-in queue is so long!

Eventually Susan believes she has collected enough information and takes my tickets, passport, company ID and other collected paperwork over to the supervisor and they discuss for another few minutes. She eventually returns and put a stamp on my flight coupon and scrawls some marks onto the coupon (of course with the 4 layers of carbon this goes straight through to the following coupons making it impossible to read the departure time details for this flights!). Then I have all my papers etc returned and am invited to use the next available check-in agent. Wow, what a process just to get to the check-in desk!

At the check-in desk there is a problem. Susan had only stamped and scrawled on my FRA-DFW coupon. She had not done the same on the DFW-ORD coupon. So she is called over by the check-in agent and asked to verify that coupon as well. Then I am able to be checked in for my flights and boarding passes printed.

The AAdmirals Club is land-side and I am invited to head up the escalator and visit the lounge before heading through security to the gate. The lounge is pretty basic with some comfortable seating and a stocked bar. The only food is some small bread rolls with jam and cream cheese. I have a few Mineral Waters and use the WiFi internet to use call home using my IP Softphone.

Eventually the flight is called so I head down to the security checkpoint and passport control. This time I am requested to remove shoes, belt, watch and glasses before going through the metal detector.

Outbound passport control is manned by only two agents and is the bottleneck for outgoing passengers. They have to hold up the security screening because the queue waiting for passport control has backed up to the x-ray machines. When I finally get to the front of the queue, the stamping process is very fast with no discussion. Then its a very short walk to gate C4 for another boarding pass and passport check to enter the gate area. I then head straight onto the aircraft and find I am one of the last business class passengers to board, even though there are still a large number of people milling around the gate (well over 150 people I estimate).

NM

AA71
FRA-DFW
Seat 12A
777-200

I love the seat pitch on AA's 777 and 767 business class. I normaly prefer to fly in an aisle seat, but with AA's very generous pitch, I am happy to take a window seat. There was plenty of room for me to walk to my window seat without encroaching on my 12B seat partner, and can easily slide my roller bag under the seat in front and not come close to touching it with my feet.

Pre-takeoff drinks of champagne, juice or water are offered - champagne is always a good way to start a 10 hour flight. We are soon pushing back and quickly into the air. The Captain tells us the winds are favourable and we should be about 30 mins early into DFW where the weather is clear.

As always for AA long-haul flights, I was careful to select a seat according to FEBO. AA take meal orders based on the flight number of the flight, with even numbered flights having orders taken from the front of the cabin and old numbered flight from the rear (Front Even, Back Odd). But knowing there are two meal services and that serving is always from the front, I like to avoid the back row on odd numbered flights. AA will run out of the most popular meal choice, which is something that I have never had happen to me on any other airlines when travelling in business class (yes, I know there will be people who have experienced this in QF, BA, CX etc, but I have not had that experience or even heard the FAs on my flights telling people they cannot have their first choice.

When the time comes for meal orders to be taken, the FAs head straight to row 13 (the rear of the J cabin) and start taking orders. Hmm, 13A, B, D and E all choose the lamb. The she moves forward and starts with 12D, then 12B who both also request the lamb. Now I know I have made a wise seat selection as I also request the lamb. That is 7 from 7 for the lamb. There is only one lamb dish left for the 3 rows in front of me. At least there were three other choices on the menu for them to choose from. I order a Diet Coke for starters, while my seatmate requests a scotch on the rocks and has two bottle of Dewars poured over a full glass of ice. I consider following his lead and asking for one bottle of Glenlivet poured over 2 ice cubes, but decide to stick with my initial choice for now.

The meal is very good, though lamb cutlets can be a little difficult to eat with airline cutlery - even though the knife was steel, it was blunter than most plastic knifes I have used so far on this trip. I take a glass of Koonungra Hill Shiraz with the meal and once again am reminded why I usually don't have wine with my meal. Dessert is Ben & Gerry's Cherry Choc-Chip Ice Cream.

After the meal I pull out my laptop and watch a few DVDs. Again on this day-time flight the FAs insisted on having all the blinds closed. If I wanted to sleep on the flight I would have chosen a night-time flight. I chose a day-time flight because I wanted to be awake on this flight and sleep in a hotel room at the end of the day.

About 2 hours before landing we are offered a snack. This time the orders are taken from the front of the cabin, which is why I like to be just back or forward of the middle according to FEBO. The choice is Mushroom Pizza or Cold Asian Chicken Salad.

NM

On arrival into DFW, it is evident that several other flights have arrived at the same time, including one other from FRA (LH) and several from South America. It takes about 30 mins to walk to immigration processing and get through the queue. The USA immigration inquisition is much less daunting or through than the FRA pre-check-in checks. It takes less than a minute to hand over the passport, have the I94W form and passport stamped, place two fingers on the scanner and smile for the camera.

By the time I get to the baggage carousel, all the bags have been delivered and the belt has stopped. So I walk around the belt until I find my bag and I am pleased to see there is no queue to exit customs (unlike my last time arriving on this flight into DFW). Outside customs I am directed to the correct belt to drop my already tagged bag for the connection to ORD. Then a quick check of the departures monitors shows I have to head from my arrivals Terminal D to Terminal A for my connection. I allowed plenty of time for my connection and at this time I wish I had booked the tighter connection.

The new SkyTrain makes it very easy to get between terminals. I went through security screening at Terminal D and then up to the SkyTrain and was at Terminal A in a matter of minutes.

At the Terminal A Admirals Club I hand over the QF Platinum card and my AA BP and am presented with a single drink voucher. Oh well, I am not really in need of multiple drinks and can't be bothered asking for more. Upstairs I make the most of the T-Mobile hotspot and call home again. I exchange the drinks voucher for a bottle of sparking water.

I keep an eye on the time and knowing that boarding starts 30 mins before departure I check the departures display at about 35 mins to go. It shows On Time so I leave the lounge and walk to the nearby gate. Hmm, Gate A21 shows the right flight details and there are lots of people milling around, but there is no aircraft parked at the gate. How can it possibly be on-time when the inbound aircraft has not yet arrived? I decide to take a seat and see what happens.

Soon there is an announcement that the flight will be boarding late and since this is a beverage-only flight, people may like to go and purchase food now. Many people take the advice and leave the gate area. Eventually an MD80 rolls up to the gate and disgorges its passengers.

We are then told that boarding will be at 6pm, though due to storms in the Chicago area we will not be taking off until 7:20pm. It seems they need the gate (or perhaps the on-time departure stats are measured from push-back time) so we will be sitting on the tarmac for over an hour - oh great. I am very glad to be seated in F! At least they offer us drinks while we are on the ground.

NM

AA2364
DFW-ORD
Seat 3A
MD80

Once onboard I ask for a Glenlivet and Ice, and my seat neighbour does likewise. He comments that we have just emptied the bar of the Glenlivet as they only load 2 bottle on the MD80 flights. Of well, its down to Dewars for the rest of the flight, so the next one is requested with ginger ale to make it drinkable.

I made a call to my Chicago-based colleague who was going to meet me at the airport to let him know were delayed and not expecting to arrive until 9:30pm. So I suggested I would just get the courtesy shuttle to the hotel and we made arrangements for him to collect me from the hotel in the morning to drive to the office.

After about 30 mins sitting on the tarma the captain tells us we have been given a landing slot into ORD and we are second in line for takeoff so please turn off all phones and laptop computers immediately.

Soon after take-off we are offered a choice of meals, cheese ravioli or beef salad. This is typical AA domestic F fair. Edible, but not great. The FA (John) is very jovial and chatty which helps to pass the time. My seatmate is also good for some conversation to help pass the time.

We ended up landing about 9pm. By the time my bag arrived on the belt and I found my way to the courtesy bus centre and waited another 25 mins for the hotel shuttle, I found it was 10pm before I reached the hotel. It had been a long day of travel and I was ready for hit the sack.

The check-in agent at the Corwne Plaza Rosemont told me he had provided a complementary upgrade, for which I thanked him. When I got to my room I realised this was not just an upgraded room but a huge King Executive Suite. It was about half the size of my house. It didn't take me long to settle into bed.

Moomba

Excellent report NM.

It seems QF mix and match their food offerings on their various F flights. Many of the items on your menus appeared on my recent F flights on QF also.

I agree about the window shades. I sit in window seats because I like to look out the window not look at a window shade.

LGW has the pre check-in dragons also for AA flights who give you the third degree. Sometimes you just want to say 'Oh and I have Corn Flakes for breakfast too'.

Interestingly enough flying AA out of LHR you don't get the same inquisition.

Perhaps DFW is the common denominator here.

NM

Yes, I have noticed this also. I guess it does provide some consistency and I always enjoy the Steak Sandwich .
I will try that one next time and see what sort of response I receive

I usually just go with the flow and try to stay under the radar. But the "thoroughness" of the inquisition is quite absurd. I can't recall seeing anywhere in the requirements for entry to the USA that says I am required to be able to prove where I stayed the night before I departed for the LOTFAP. And what does it matter to the AA check-in people who I work for or the purpose of my visit to the LOTFAP. That is information for me to share with the USA Customs and Border Security agent when I submit my I94W form for entry processing.