Carfield

Dear all,

Welcome to my series of summer travel reports on both transatlantic and transpacific fronts. I will divide the report into the transatlantic and transpacific sections, as they are quite different in terms of service. The transpacific ones will be more simple and the photo albums are more into the catering aspect, except the CX ones, which have a series of approach pictures into HK due to good weather, and some plane pictures and a brief introduction to the Sky Deck, the new observation deck that most aviation enthusiasts cannot miss.

Due to a last minute wedding, I scrambled to look for a decent fare to get me to Germany at the end of July. Without a Saturday night stay, everything seems extraordinarily expensive especially I only had two to three weeks advance notice. I was about to give up and accidentally ran into an interesting I fare between LAX and BRU, which costs $2000 RT including tax (JFK is lower at $1600RT) and immediately used the “HOLD” function at aa.com, which I was glad that I did so, as the fares disappeared shortly. I assume that “I” fares between US and BRU exist but only limited to a few number of seats per flight. So it is a no brainer, as a Y ticket between LAX and FRA are even higher than that.

Well I finally got to fly AA’s brand new business class on a longer flight and was sad to report that the new seats are simply disappointing and still like the first generation of sliding flat bed seats. There are lots of gadgets, but it is extremely disappointing that it takes AA years to develop an older generation business class seats. I can’t see how these new seats will bring AA more revenue, especially UA will bring in the new flat beds, as well as Delta down the road.

(I am going to skip the transcon LAX-JFK flights because most of us are familiar with it. But I am sad to report that no hot towels are offered on my morning AA 34 LAX-JFK flight on July 24 and the one tray breakfast was pathetic for business class, and the business class bathroom on N332AA was broken mid-flight. I don’t know how AA plans to compete with Virgin and United p.s. in terms of service wise.)

July 24, 2007
AA 172 JFK-BRU Lv1805 Arr0735+1 Boeing 767-300ER N355AA (NGBC)
Photo link: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...=8QbNHDNy5bt8Q

My flight from LA arrived a bit late due to the lack of tail wind today, but weather in JFK looked beautiful and as historically, AA 172 performed quite poorly according to flightstats.com and I was expecting some delays and my connection time at Brussels is more than sufficient. Of course, the reason for the poor performance of AA 172 is because of the aircraft rotation. The 763 used on BRU route came in from SFO, which was a problematic airport from time to time, and the 6pm rush departure time does not help either.

With the lateness of my LAX flight, I assume the same for my BRU flight, so I had a bit more time at the new JFK Admiral Club. Unfortunately, the flagship lounge was not ready yet. The new Admiral Club is certainly nice and the décor is simple and modern. Food offering remain the poorest of all US airlines’ lounge – only pretzel nuggets and some fruits, and other foods are available for purchase. I got two free drink chits, but did not use them. I got a diet coke and then settled in one of the few free and working computers (Internet-connected) at the business stations. The printer even worked today. Then I saw my BRU flight finally shown a 6:20pm departure time and spent more time checking emails and last minute details on the wedding that I was attending.

Since I am flying on an “I” ticket and on American Airlines, expectations remained low and the flight just turned out to be what I expected. A much better meal experience due to the two-class nature and the F/As rushed through things because they wanted to maximize their galley chit chat time. But to give them credits, they were pretty quiet throughout the evening and the front galley design was pretty good with lots of walls separating the galley from the first row.

Boarding finally began at 6:02pm, after a number of wheelchair passengers made it on board. The flight was not too full in business and economy looked full, but not 100%. Already on each seat were an amenity kit, a pillow and a blanket, and the F/A actually collected the unused amenity kits at each unoccupied seat after boarding was completed. That still makes me wonder… that amenity kit costs possibly less than $5 per piece and this F/A must be really hardworking or AA is so into cost-cutting. Anyway, the usual champagne, orange juice, and water was offered and the menus were passed out quickly. We pushed back at 6:25pm and guess what, we were able to take off from R/W13R at 6:50pm. This was definitely not a norm here at JFK especially this hellish summer.

Flying time was six hours and twenty-seven minutes with an initial cruising attitude of 35,000feet. There was sky map on the main screen video, but since there are no personal TVs in Y, the main screen was showing the usual CBS Eyes on American, two movies – Astronaut Farmer and the Bourne Supremacy, as well as more 60 Minutes and sitcoms throughout the whole flight. Individual entertainment units that fit on top of the tray table were passed out after the double chime. Things were sped up due to the short flying time this evening and the two-class meal service was quite nice. Appetizer and salad were served separately, and the entrées were individually plated at the galley, but the cheese plate looked pretty pathetic and there is not really any “real” fruit service, but sundaes are nice. Here is the wine list and menu transcript.

Wine List
Champagne
Pommery Brut Champagne

White Wines
Vincent Sauvestre Chablis Premier Cru “Beauroy”
Sileni Estates Hawkes Bay New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Red Wines
Chateau Cantemerle
Clos Du Val Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Sherry
Emilio Lustau Sherry

Dessert Wine
Graham’s Vintage Port

Dinner
To Start
Warmed Mixed Nuts
Or
Marinated Cheese Antipasto

Seafood Appetizer
Smoked Salmon and Herb-marinated Shrimp

Salad
Fresh Seasonal Greens and an assortment of fresh vegetables offered with Sour Cream and Herb dressing or Castello Monte Vibiano Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Bread Basket
Assorted Gourmet Breads offered with a choice of Butter or Olive Oil

Entrées
Beef Fillet
Filled of beef featured with a Red Wine Onion Sauce, offered with Cilantro Mashed Potatoes, grilled Asparagus tips and roasted Cherry tomatoes
Or
Barbecued Chicken
Breast of Chicken flavored by a Barbecued Marinade accompanied by Whipped Potatoes with Chives and creamed Corn
Or
Crab Cakes
Crab Cakes complemented by a White Wine Cream Sauce and served with Roasted Red Peppers and grilled asparagus
Really nice crab cakes – there are definitely crab meat used here… not just potato and flour and little crab… not bad for an in-flight cuisine
Or
Four Cheese Ravioli
Ravioli Pasta filled with four Cheeses accented by herbed Wild Mushroom cream sauce

The Cheese and Dessert Cart
Saga Blue and Jarlsberg Cheese served with seasonal grapes and walnuts
Beyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream with a choice of Hot Fudge, Butterscotch, or seasonal Berry toppings, whipped cream and Pecans
Or
Key Lime Pie

To Finish
Assorted Lindt Chocolates

After dinner, bottled waters were passed out and lights turned off and time to test the seat, which I have to say that it is extremely disappointing and for a product that was introduced only a year or two ago, it was unacceptable. Here said about the good things first:

1. The seats look a bit more modern and less outdated. The seat is a bit softer to sleep in.
2. I like all the additional tray tables and make them into a larger one.
3. The memory position is pretty cool.
4. I like the new grey cotton duvet-style blankets because I hate the old red wool/polyester blankets.
That’s about it…

The horrible aspects:
1. It is so cramped and there is no way that the passengers at the window can use the bathroom without crossing their neighbors’ lap in a very invading way and the situation is worst than the current CX’s and SQ’s current business class seats (not the new generation). Not to mention that the magazine stowage make the seats look even more crowded.
2. Also be warn that you really cannot put any carryon in front of your seat because when you recline your seat, the carryon will block your space and you can’t put your seat in any reasonable recline position.
3. The sliding factor is still there and that is unacceptable for a so-called new generation of business class seat. If this seat was introduced five years, it will be a major hype, but for now, it is simply outdated. The full flat sleeping position is definitely not the best.
4. I hate sleeping so closed to the floor and it is just so cramped.
5. The lighting is still not good enough. I don’t know why… I like bright reading lights when I am reading.

If I have to rate the AA NGBC seats, I rate it above China Airlines’ three class Dynasty class, EVA Air’s Premium Laurel and Continental’s BusinessFirst, but worst than Northwest’s World Business Class, Finnair’s new Business Class, Cathay Pacific’s currently sliding beds and Singapore Airlines’ Skybed. I even enjoy Delta’s Business Elite seats over these sliding and cramped beds. It really reminds me of the original/first generation of Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class sliding beds (not the current ones… the first sliding ones)… With United’s new flat beds, as well as the new generation of real flat beds and BA’s New Club World, how does American Airlines expect to win new business and revenues with these new seats are beyond my comprehension? I am harsh but it is really bad for a so-called “new” seat and how can AA expect to compete. Delta is introducing real flat beds on the 777s soon and I am sure Continental is possibly coming up with something new soon. It is just a bad move on AA’s part.

The rest of the flight went fine and the F/As hid in the galley until breakfast time around midnight time. I don’t know why AA thinks that it will take them an hour and twenty minutes to serve a one tray and no choice continental breakfast. I think they can wait till an hour prior to arrival like most airlines.

Continental Breakfast
Fresh Seasonal Fruit
Yogurt
Cereal

Breakfast Bread Basket
An assortment of warm Breads

Pre-arrival Beverage
Chilled Sparkling water with a fresh citrus Garnish

7/07
2Cls, Business, US-BRU, Dinner-Cold Breakfast
210C105-1 12

The breakfast tray contains a tub of strawberry yogurt, a bowl of CHEX cereal, a fruit plate contains melon, cantaloupe, papaya, raspberries, blueberries, and orange slices, and the breakfast basket has a choice of croissants or plain bagels.

Also there is no hot towel service prior to breakfast, which is pretty low in my international business class standard book.

Descent began at 6:45am local time and glasses of sparking water with lemon were passed around at 7am. I was pretty excited about this trip because all these European airports are brand new experience for me. We landed on R/W25L at 7:17am and arrived at gate B4 at 7:22am. This aircraft will turn back to Chicago O’Hare in three hours. The immigration was pretty open at these early hours, as we were one of the first flights in. My first impression of the Brussels Airport is very nice. The airport is pretty easy to use and navigate. The check-in halls are a bit crowded but after immigration control, everything looks pretty good. The airport restaurant is quite nice with a big view over the airport apron itself.

For the continuing LH regional flights, I will write an abbreviated report and you can look at the pictures for more information.

July 25, 2007
LH/CL 4603 BRU-MUC Lv1115 Arr1230 (Actual: Lv1132 from R/W25R Arr1232 at R/W26R)
CRJ-200 D-ACJJ “Helmstedt”
Connect to
LH/IQ 1184 MUC-PAD Lv1305 Arr1420 (Actual: Lv1322 from R/W26R Arr1421 at R/W24)
Dash 8-Q400 D-ADHB
Photo link: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...=8QbNHDNy5bt8y

July 26, 2007
LH/C3 4654 HAJ-BRU Lv1845 Arr2005 (Actual: Lv1849 from R/W27L Arr1958 at R/W25L)
ATR 42-500 D-BSSS
Photo link: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...=8QbNHDNy5bt9U


Check-in: I checked in at both Brussels and Hanover, and used the quick check-in machines/kiosks at both airport, which were pretty simple to use and I really like the ability to pick the seats I want. The whole process is very streamlined and the agents were familiar with the procedures (print the luggage tag, check the weight and smile), but priority tags were only tagged on the return flight (well I dragged the suitcase over to the Star Gold line to make sure I got a tag). The agents were very friendly, polite, and really different from some US airlines. Well I guess they don’t need to handle five kiosks at one time… and no need to teach passengers how to use the kiosks.

Lounge: I only used the lounge at Hanover, and I was directed to the Senator lounge. The food buffet is quite nice with the usual European cold cuts and salad spread, with some warmed sausages and bread. There is a full self-service beverage station but the lounge gets really crowded towards the later in the afternoon/evening rush. The staffs were friendly in general and knew the rules pretty well. The

Boarding: no priority boarding in Europe but for the regional jet flights, it does not matter much.

Seats: For the first two flights, the classic LH grey seats were used… and Contact Air uses a blue leather upholstery for the seats. Legroom is pretty basic 31 inches – not too bad and I got a free seat next to me on the BRU-MUC and HAJ-BRU flights, which make the flight a bit more comfortable.

Meals/Snacks: Except on the German domestic flights, a sandwich was offered on the BRU-MUC and HAJ-BRU flights. Both meals feature choice of cheese or chicken sandwich with a mini-Twix bars. Alcoholic beverages were also available for free. The German domestic flight has a beverage service.

Flight Attendants:
Out of all the three LH Regional/Cityline carriers, I like Contact Air the best. The F/As actually made a second beverage run on that flight and made sure I was well fed with Coke Light. But all three carriers have very professional F/As, which seem to like their jobs and care about the passengers. They all speak German and English fluently.

Arrival:
Bags arrived within a reasonable time frame, and of course for Paderborn, bags came out so quickly because the airport was so small and the ground handlers worked very efficiently here. Even at Brussels, the waiting time was acceptable and the priority tag bags came out first.

At both BRU and MUC, we had to take a pretty long bus ride to the terminal, so that is perhaps the little minus point.

However, these sets of LH flights were pretty nice and LH proves to be a very efficient airline, and I enjoy these flights tremendously. I also enjoy flying into and from three new German airports. The Munich Airport looks impressive and really modern… too bad I was running to my connection flight and had no time to look around. Paderborn is a small German airport, but closest to my friend’s residence. The airport is very user-friendly and apparently lots of UK passengers use that airport as well. Hanover is a bit more “classic” compared to the other two airports, but is nice enough – not over-crowded and the observation deck is really nice too.

July 27, 2007
AA 171 BRU-JFK Lv1010 Arr1220 Boeing 767-300ER N381AN (NGBC)
Photo link: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...=8QbNHDNy5bt92

Well the return flight went out 100% full and the check-in lines were extremely busy. For the business class line, the wait was ten minutes, and there was the usual security stations asking about your trip and it will be handy if you have the print out of your e-tickets. It will save you time and hassles especially if you connect from another city, in which they want to see if you are truthful and see which city did not arrive from. The check-in agent was nice and my boarding passes were print out in no times (as I had already entered all my passport information at aa.com, which I recommend you doing so as well) and the bags were tagged through to LA with the priority tag. Lounge invitations were provided to the SN Brussels Airline lounge, as well as a stamp for the fast lane (which was actually not available… nice gesture but pretty meaningless), but unlike TSA, Brussels Airport run a very efficient security checkpoint and no one is being harassed and there is a sense of civility over the process. No yelling and everything are civil and you feel safe!

The Passport Control was the worst aspect because there was a pretty long wait for non-EU folks. The Sky Mall was impressive with large duty free chops and chocolate shops, and remember to do your shopping before passing the security checkpoints. There are limited bars and eateries after seurity. The SN Brussels Airline lounge was pretty nice, but foods are limited to pastries and light snacks, and there is no free wifi, but a business center is available.

Boarding was really chaotic at gate B1. Boarding began at 9:26am, and according to group. However, after the boarding pass and passport check, we had to wait in the hallway and the entrance to the jetway was not really opened till ten minutes later. I don’t get it, but whatever! The flight was 100% full and each seat has the blanket, amenity kit and pillow, and the 777 style overhead bins and ceilings were featured here, so the carry on situation is not bad.

Push back at 10:13am and we took off from R/W25R at 10:28am for the short seven hours and thirty minutes flight this afternoon. We actually stayed at 32,000feet throughout the whole flight. IFEs were passed out for business class folks, and coach class was shown the usual CBS Eyes on American, two movies: Breach and the Bourne Identity, and more 60 minutes, Wings, and Cheers till the landing.

Meals were still served in a rather rush pace and I guess it was a full flight and the F/As were more stressed.

Lunch
To Start
Warmed Mixed Nuts
Or
Marinated Cheese Antipasto

Seafood Appetizer
Grilled Shrimp, hot-smoked salmon and poached White Fish mousseline, served with a Chervil Cream Sauce and fresh Lemon

Salad
Fresh Seasonal Greens and an assortment of fresh vegetables offered with Pepper Cream dressing or Castello Monte Vibiano Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Bread Basket
Assorted Gourmet Breads offered with a choice of Butter or Olive Oil
A little bit different from the usual roll selection ex-USA, and the rosemary foccacia bread sticks are quite nice.

Entrées
Parsley Cheese Crusted Salmon
On this flight we are proud to offer you a taste of European flair. Using only the freshest ingredients, Chef Gregor Hill from our Frankfurt kitchen has created an entrée that captures the essence of his country’s cuisine.
Parsley Cheese-crusted Salmon featured with Riesling sauce, served with Onion, Bell Pepper and Risotto Timbale
Or
Grilled Beef Fillet
Grilled fillet of beef featured complemented by a Plum Demi-Glace, served with Zucchini, Potato Cabbage Flan and Wild Mushroom Ragout
Or
Grilled Chicken Wrapped with Bacon
A grilled breast of chicken flavored with Garlic and Herbs, topped with grilled avocado and wrapped with Applewood smoked Bacon, complemented by sautéed green beans and roasted
Corn rice
The chicken entrée was quite nice and the chicken breast remained moist due to the wrapping and the quality is pretty good.
Or
Mushroom Lasagna
Pasta layered with Eggplant, Root Vegetables, Bell Peppers, Zucchini, Tomatoes and Bechamel Sauce topped with grated Italian cheese, Arugula, Sweet Herbs and Pesto

The Cheese and Dessert Cart
A selection of gourmet cheeses offered with seasonal fruit and assorted crackers
Ben and Jerry’s Vanilla Ice Cream with a choice of Hot Fudge, Butterscotch, or seasonal Berry toppings, whipped cream and Pecans
Or
Key Lime Pie
I have the Key Lime Pie, which was okay too. The cheese plate looks pretty sad.

To Finish
Assorted Lindt Chocolates
It was passed out around 3:52pm (mid flight).

Evian bottled waters were passed out after lunch, and lights were dimmed and I went to bed to adjust to the US time. I managed to sleep for a few hours but the sliding seats were really annoying me and I ended up with a more “recline” position. I have a feeling that I will have a better sleep on the classic sleeper seats. What is missing here is that there should be a snack station like Delta, which has some munchies and junk food. For the overnight flights, you don’t need it but for a day flight, it will be nice to be able to munch on a cereal bar or some dried fruits and nut mix. Around 10:30am JFK local time/4:30pm BRU time, lights were turned back on and the second meal was provided. Pretty basic one tray snack with your choice of beverage… both choices look equally unappetizing and the sandwich was the better of two evils, as I really am sick of AA’s pizzas on the domestic runs. The Turkey sandwich was okay but not a fan of it. After the entrée was served, the F/As rolled out a dessert cart, which was actually quite nice. There was a choice of double chocolate chip cookies or a nice fruit bowl (strawberry, melon, kiwi, pineapple, and mango).

Afternoon Meal
Uno’s Pizza
An individual Chicago-style Deep Dish Vegetable Pizza, accompanied by a Green Salad with Plum Tomatoes and Green Onions
Or
Turkey Sandwich
Sliced Turkey Breast served on a Kalamata Olive Ciabatta Roll topped with Swiss Cheese and roasted Eggplant coated in Tomato sauce, accompanied by Baby Greens with Roma Tomatoes, English Cucumbers and Feta Cheese enhanced by an Olive Oil Vinaigrette

Dessert Cart
Fresh Fruit or Cookies, freshly baked on Board

Pre-arrival Beverage
Chilled Sparkling water with a fresh citrus Garnish

7/07
2Cls, Business, BRU-JFK, Lunch/Dinner – Snack
211C104-1 12

Descent began at 11:24am and we landed on R/W13L at 11:58am and parked at gate 37 ten minutes later. We were among the first couple flights in and the new immigration and custom stations were not busy at all, and I got in quickly.

In conclusion, American Airlines is not bad and for $2000RT, it is an acceptable airline with acceptable quality. The NGBC seats are major failures and the lack of real personal TV units continues to bother me. Compared to my Delta’s transatlantic flights earlier this year, Delta definitely scores better in meals and BizElite lounge at JFK (at least some real food), and new AVOD PTVs are nice. AA is a bit better on the ground experiences (DL is pathetic at JFK) and the F/As are slightly more attentive and I don’t need to witness pathetic F/A behaviors on AA (like chopping on a J salad during take off run and loud gossip sections and inappropriate non-rev behaviors). AA F/As are more personable and professional. They can be less rush but pretty nice F/As in general and consistent with my AA international flight experiences.

The next report will be on the transpacific experience and will be posted later.

Carfield