dat4life

It�s been five long years since I�ve been in Asia. Not entirely by choice. There was that little COVID thing which made returning a no go. And generally Asian countries were slower than the rest of the world in easing COVID restrictions, so I ended up finding other places to go. Then life happened, and I got super busy. Still, I missed my extended family and had loosely planned a re-return to Asia at some point in 2024. But the passing of my grand aunt in Hong Kong accelerated some point to the following week.

This is usually the time where I bore y�all with the gory details about how hard it was find a way to Hong Kong. But it was surprisingly easy. I was beyond pleased to find award space on Japan Airlines relatively new service from Dallas/Fort Worth to Tokyo Haneda. And it wasn�t just any award space. But First Class. I couldn�t have ticketed that flight quickly enough with 80,000 AAdvantage miles. I was surprised that there wasn�t a non-stop flight from Haneda I felt comfortable connecting to on separate ticket. So I ended buying a Business Class ticket on Asiana with a connection in Seoul (naturally) for $600. Considering Hong Kong Express wanted at least $300, I thought it was a pretty good deal. The only catch was that the Haneda to Seoul segment was a ridiculously short red eye. But it seemed to be a better overall deal than Hong Kong Express, and the timing was ideal as I would arrive in Hong Kong at the same time as my mom.

My return was slightly more complicated, though not because of the lack of award space. I had a work obligation in Washington DC right after, and it was tough finding award space that would get me back in time. I ended up burning some orphan Alaska Mileage Plan miles for Japan Airlines Business Class from Hong Kong to San Francisco, with a connection in Tokyo. That ended up being a stroke of luck for American people.

You see, in the weeks leading up to this trip, just about every media outlet from the tabloids to the Wall Street Journal (which is basically a tabloid) fretted over whether or not it was possible for a certain pop star to make the EPIC journey from Tokyo back to the western US over the course of 1.5 days in time to attend THE pinnacle game of American football. In fairness, I�m not sure whether it�s amusing/concerning that resources were spent to researching this or that the public at large actually provided clicks for such articles as no one in the history of mankind has made this journey in 1.5 days. At any rate, thankfully I was flying from Tokyo back to the US a week before the aforementioned pop star. So I can prove once and for all if such a journey is possible. You�re welcome, America!

To get to Washington DC, I then bought a ticket on one of United�s non-stops from San Francisco to Dulles and burned 15,000 miles to upgrade to �United First�.

As an added bonus, I had long layovers in Tokyo both ways which gave me time to explore. it�s been nearly a decade since I�ve been in Tokyo. So I was looking forward to that. Though this was a sad trip, I was excited to see my family for the first time in five years and have a little fun on the journey.

Previous Trip Reports

2024: The Engagement (AA J ; BA P)
2023: From Shire to Sea (AA F; EI J/Y; BA Y)
2022: The Holy land and an Irish Wedding (AA/BA/EI J; DL Y)
2022: A Slow Boat and Fast Cars (AA P)
2022: The Dam Weekend (SQ/AA J; U2/AF Y)
2021: Chasing Bourdain and Perfect Tinder Pictures (AA/A3/LH J; BA Y; UA Domestic F)
2021: How The Turntables: MQD Running With My Parents (AA Domestic F; AM J; UA Y)
2020: Purgatory: Tales of Pandemic Travel in the U.S.
2020: The Last Dance (CX F)
2019: An Unexpected Jaunt Around The World (UA/CX/TG/BR/OS J; AK Y)
2018: Pilgrimage to the Fatherland (CX/MU J; CX W; WN/MU Y)
2017: The Ultimate Flake (AA F; SQ F and Suites; CX/MS/CA/MH/KL/JL J; TK Y)
2017: The Earth IS Round (UA/LH/HU/CZ/TR Y; CX/BR J)
2017: Something Old and Something New (SQ A350 J / AA J)
2015: Christmas in Asia (AA/CX/UA J; BA/AA/CX Y)
2015: A Manic Fall(AA/WN/UA/CX/FD Y; CX F; AA F)
2015: An Apartment in the Sky (Etihad Apartment First Class, AA Y, BA J/Y, QR Y)
2014: The End of An Era (JL/CX/TG/QF A380 F, OZ J, KA Y, and a Chinese Bullet Train!)
2014: A Tale of Two Cities (AA 77W J BA Y IB Y AF J)
2013: It�s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year (AA/MQ F AS Y)
2013: Geeking Out Across America (AA F)
2012: Around The World and From Sea to Shining Sea (AA F/Y, CX F, SQ F, UA F, DL F, WN Y)
2011: Everybody look at me because I'm sailing on a boat (KL J and DL Y)

dat4life

I have a confession to make. Something has been eating at my very core of my experienced traveller existence. You see� I�ve been flying Spirit. Yes, it�s that Spirit. NK. The butt of the travel industry. In fact, I�ve been flying them A LOT and� I kinda like it. You see, for the past couple of years I�ve been working in Louisiana and more or less living in Texas. It takes a little less than five hours to get from my house in Houston to my office in Baton Rouge. Sometimes I don�t want to make the round trip drive every week. So enter Spirit and their $30 fares.

Not only do I fly Spirit, but I have Gold status with Spirit thanks to a super generous status match last year. It�s not the status I�ve ever wanted, but it�s the status I needed. Believe it not, Spirit status is actually pretty darn useful. My AAdvantage Executive Platinum status got me Spirit Gold, which got me out of most of Spirit�s most onerous fees and made the entire experience somewhat humane. Spirit Gold includes free checked and carry-on luggage, free seat selection including exit row, and most importantly change fee waiver.

I spent the the week before the trip in my south Louisiana office trying to get decently caught up before disappearing for a week. So I tried to tack on a New Orleans to Dallas/Fort Worth segment on my American award ticket, but there wasn�t any award space. Failing at that, my options for getting to Dallas were either spend ~$280 on ticket with American or Southwest or $81 with Spirit. I chose the latter. I ended up leaving my truck at a great friend�s place, and he even gave me a lift over to Louis Armstrong International Airport.

The Club at MSY is actually a fairly nice Priority Pass lounge.







The crawfish etouffee and bread pudding is pretty passable.



Then it was off to board.

Spirit Airlines 669
New Orleans (MSY) � Dallas/Fort Worth
Depart: 3:35PM
Arrive: 5:15PM
Aircraft: Airbus A320-200
Seat: 13F (Economy Class)

Spirit�s interior are a bit sterile and generic. But they�re usually fairly clean.



I selected seat 13F, an exit row window seat.



Legroom is pretty solid in the exit row though.





It was a pretty typical Spirit flight. The flight departed and arrived on time. The flight attendants were a bit rough around the edges, but they were super friendly and helpful. I enjoyed my Spirit Gold snack and drink.



Wi-Fi is fast and cheap.



I haven�t quite seen a world famous Spirit brawl yet, though I always have my phone at the ready!

We departed and arrived on time. My checked bag made it. All in all, it was a perfectly decent experience.

I rented a Tesla Model 3 from Hertz. It�s not quite as fun as my own EV, but it�s a generally acceptable rental if you ignore how it sounds like you�re standing next to a 777 at full throttle at highway speeds.





I headed over to Frisco to meet my sister and a few friends at Hutchin�s Barbecue, which I think is one of better barbecue joints in the DFW Metroplex.





After a fantastic few hours catching up, I ended up crashing at Hyatt Place The Colony. It�s your run of the mill fairly new build Hyatt Place.





I was up at the crack of down the next morning so I could grab coffee with a friend before going back to the airport. We met up at a coffee shop in old town Grapevine, which is pretty much next door to DFW. It�s a cool place to kill some time.







Then I stopped at Founder�s Plaza before returning my rental. It was a pretty quick visit as lighting wasn�t great for pictures.







Here�s my obligatory proof of return just in case Hertz tries to have me arrested picture.



While waiting for the terminal bus, I heard a plane on final approach and looked up to see JA733J, the Boeing 777-300ER that was slated to take me over to Tokyo.



JAL operates out of Terminal D at DFW, as do most international flights. I�ve never flown any airline besides American out of Terminal D, so it took awhile to find JAL�s counters at the far end of the terminal. A friendly agent quickly checked me in and took my bags off my hands.





Thought it was pretty cool that they had a luggage tag with my name on it already.



Security was fairly quick, and I found myself back at American�s Flagship Lounge.















Breakfast selection was actually pretty solid.







I enjoyed a spot of breakfast with great views.







Premium passengers produce a lot of trash.



After pleasant couple of hours at the Flagship Lounge, I headed over to the gate. I got there in just in time to hear the gate agents apologize profusely for a whopping ten minute delay of boarding. Gotta love Japanese airlines.

dat4life

Japan Airlines 11
Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – Tokyo (HND)
Depart: 10:45AM
Arrive: 3:25PM+1
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 2A (First Class)

It’s been 10 long years since I’ve flown JAL First Class, and it’s been 4 years since I’ve last flown international First Class. Saying I was excited would have been an understatement.

A couple of flight attendants warmly greeted me at the door, and escorted me over the sanctum that would be my home for the next 14 hours. Well… this is a smidge better than Spirit.



This looks familiar. The seat was just as wide and comfortable as remembered.







There was plenty of storage.



Man have I missed having four windows to myself.



Flight attendants trooped by one by one and introduced themselves. One of them offered me a choice of water, Perrier, or mixed juice. That sounds kinda cheap for international First Class, but it’s a big improvement over not too long ago that Japanese carriers did not serve drinks before departure.



Before long, the plane lurched as the tug began pushing us back.



We passed by a then still grounded United 737-9 MAX on the way to the runway.



The gorgeous bird was soaring over Grapevine Lake 22 minutes after pushing back.



Menus were already at each when we boarded and placed in these nice folders. Immigration forms were already in the folder too, which I really appreciated. There was also a voucher for free Wi-Fi in the folder. But Wi-Fi didn’t work at first, which the flight attendants apologized profusely for.





JAL’s weakest spot has to be the IFE. While I’m sure it’s far better on their brand new A350-1000s, the screen resolution on the 777-300ER was pretty bad by 2024 standards. Content selection is limited, and the interface is pretty frustrating. The only way scroll through content is on the small touchscreen controller, which is small and not intuitive.

Since I watched American Nightmare on Netflix the weekend before, it seemed fitting that I watched Gone Girl.



When I pre-ordered the Western meal, I didn’t realize I would be getting the entire Western menu.

Lunch kicked off with canap�s, which were fine. The Billecart Salmon 2009 was very tasty.



Weirdly, JAL serves packaged snacks in between canap�s and appetizers. They were quite good though.



Then came the full setup.



The breadbasket was then offered, and featured sunflower, garlic, and wheat bread. JAL’s garlic bread is far too mild for my tastes. But the sunflower bread was pretty good, and it paired perfectly with the olive oil.



The amuse bouche was good. I really liked the chilled celery root & apple pottage.



The next course was tuna steak with shallot confit & black olive pistachio tapenade. It was delicious



Veal osso bucco ragout followed. That was tasty, but I didn’t care for the saffron risoni.



Chilean bass was the first of two main courses. It was fantastic



And finally, steak. I switched to the Chateau Lagrange 2017, which paired well with the steak.



It too was delicious and cooked to a solid medium just like I asked for.



By the time I cut into the steak, we were cruising above the Rockies.



As if I needed anymore food, I still had dessert coming. The chocolate caramel miso tart was amazing. The ice cream was rock solid enough to double as a baseball, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.



And to finish off lunch, green tea and a hot towel.



And then after that came a bottle of water and a skin care kit.



My bed was made while I changed in the lavatory. I managed to grab a few hours of sleep before waking up with about 7 hours to go.



Feeling peckish because I was working so hard putting away lunch and napping, I took a glance at the snack menu. After the main meal, JAL offers an a fairly extensive a la carte menu. Caviar isn’t offered with the main meal anymore, it’s on the a la carte menu. Caviar and a movie really sounds delightful, so that’s what I ordered.



I followed up with monkfish liver, which was delicious.



I then spent the rest of the flight having a little Star Wars marathon and drinking the plane’s supply of Hibiki dry. It’s been hard to find Hibiki at home after the pandemic, so you bet I took full advantage of it.



Figured I should probably sober up a little as we neared Japan, so I ordered a coffee. I really appreciate the individual French press and dang cool First Class mug.



Flight attendants came around about an hour out to make a last call for food. I ordered the miso Chilean sea bass and steamed rice with spicy cod roe in dashi broth. Both were pretty tasty





Since I succeeded drinking the plane’s Hibiki supply dry, I was forced to switch to Chivas Regal 21 to round out the meal.



I got my first glimpse of Asia in five years on approach to Haneda.



Plane spotting while taxiing to the gate was pretty good.







Overall, it was a fantastic flight. The cabin crew was perfectly friendly and attentive. My glass never stayed empty for long, and the meal service was always delivered to my preferred pace. Well done, JAL!

dat4life

Fortunately, it was a quick walk to immigration and the line was pretty short. While immigration was surprisingly efficient, bags took forever to hit the belt. But eventually I was officially in Japan.

Since I had about 9 hours before my flight to Seoul, I stored my bags and hopped on the Keikyu Line and went into Tokyo. It was awesome being back in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo at rush hour. I might have not been in my fullest capacity after my flight, and the gentle sway of the subway had a bit of an effect on me.



Eventually, I made it to Shibuya and the scramble crossing.













You don’t say?



I found a little ramen shop a little ways from the crossing. It was absolutely amazing.



Eventually, I reluctantly made my way back to Haneda. I could help but marvel how super organized the transfer point at Shinagawa station was.



Back at Haneda, I had to weave through the long check in line for Philippines Airlines before I made my way over to Asiana’s counters.





Check in was efficient, as was security. I was soon through and walking into the ANA Lounge, where my first order of business is to grab a shower.



Afterwards, I hung around the lounge for a bit. The lounge was nothing special. But it was a large pleasant space with plenty of seating.













The lounge closed up at midnight. Afterwards, I packed up my stuff and made a leisurely walk over to the gate.

JAsiana Airlines 177
Tokyo (HND) – Seoul (ICN)
Depart: 1:30AM
Arrive: 4:40AM
Aircraft: Airbus A321 NEO
Seat: 1K (Business Class)

Boarding began right on time. Asiana’s A321 NEOs sport a comfortable 2-2 configuration in Business Class, with just two rows. The load was light that evening with just 3 of 8 seats filled. The seats were comfortable. Padding was on the firm side, which I like.





The seats have an AC outlet and USB charging ports



Legroom is plentiful. Slippers were already placed at each seat.



Service began with moist towelettes on the ground.



Asiana’s older A321 were equipped with AVOD, though this particular NEO only has drop down screen.



Before we pushed, the flight attendant asked if I wanted to be awakened for food. I was dead tired at this point, and I said no and passed out shortly after. But the other flight attendant still woke me up after we were airborne. So I figured, why heck not see what was being served. After all, back home ‘ lucky to get water on a flight of this length. For safety reasons, of course. On the menu that evening was an omelette with bacon or Korean porridge. I went with the latter, which was absolutely delicious.



I passed out again, and woke up to a rather firm touchdown. We ended up parking at the gate 20 minutes earl right next to a company A321

injian

woah - an empty ANA lounge? unpossible!

ianassum

What I really like about your writing style is the ability to find something interesting, curious, positive, enjoyable or funny in a wide range of travel experiences (mindfulness practice &#128514 - It's an important reminder that not only 5* experiences can deliver joy and wonder to us. Looking forward to the rest.

dat4life

Once off the plane, it was a long but pleasant walk to transit security.



I then found an empty spot in one of the airport’s nap rooms for a little snooze as Asiana’s lounge didn’t open until over an hour later. It wasn’t best nap, but it did the trick.







At 5am, I went across the hall to Asiana’s East Business Class Lounge.





The automated entry gates were pretty cool.





This reminded a lot of ANA’s Haneda Lounge. It wasn’t anything special, but it was a large comfortable space to hang out.











Does 5am count as 5 o’clock somewhere? but I couldn’t resist trying out the beer machine. Of course, I didn’t want to let the beer go to waste. So I had to drink it. In hindsight, I should have let the beer go to waste.



Breakfast offerings were continental until 6:30am, when eggs, fried rice, dumplings, porridge, veggies. French fries were rolled out.

The porridge and dumplings were tasty.



Once day broke, the lounge were decent views of tarmac.



I left the lounge an hour before departure to make the leisurely walk to the gate, and take in the views.





Man. I’ve waited a long time to see this again.





Asiana Airlines 721
Seoul (ICN) – Hong Kong (HKG)
Depart: 9:00AM
Arrive: 11:50AM
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER
Seat: 6K (Business Class)

Asiana’s color palette is pretty dang bad.



I picked seat 6K, which is the very last business seat on starboard side of the plane.



The seat was alright. Padding was pretty worn. The finishing touches were a touch outdated and a bit cramped. It was fine for a short haul flight, but nothing more.







I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen air phone.



Service was phenomenal though. Immigration forms, PDBs, and moist towelettes were delivered with a smile and in rapid successions.



Flight time was announced as 3 hours and 40 minutes. After an on time pushback and a couple of laps around the airport, we took off from Runway 34R



The entertainment selection was eclectic.



Flight attendants started taking order pretty much right after the 777 rotated off the runway. The menu impressive for short flight

















The nicoise salad was excellent.



Asiana’s garlic bread is far better than JAL’s.



I chose the curry for my main course. It was damn good.



The cheese course was fine.



I thought I had to choose between cheese or dessert, but apparently both are offered. It too was delicious. W



By the time coffee and tea were offered, just one short hour elapsed since we left Seoul which is pretty dang impressive considering the full cabin.

After lunch, I conked out and woke up on final approach.

It was as smoggy as I’ve even seen in Hong Kong.





Funny enough, we parked next to the BR 787 my mom just arrived on.



And with that I was finally back in Hong Kong.



A cousin picked us up from the airport and brought us over to our home for the next few nights: the newish Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour Hong Kong.



The check in long was 50 deep by the time we made it to the second floor lobby. Luckily there was an agent patrolling for Globalist and club guests, and she escorted up to the club for check in. Our room wasn’t quite ready just yet, so we had drinks in the club, which was pretty nice.











I booked a standard two twin bed room for $1,400 HKD a night. Got a Globalist upgrade to a Harbour Twin room. Rooms are on the small side here, but that didn’t bother me as we spent very little time in the room besides sleeping. The room is well appointed. There are plenty of outlets and USB B charging ports throughout the room. Also props for the rainfall shower head and excellent water pressure.













Views from our room was pretty good once the smog lifted.



We didn’t really partake in breakfast other than coffee and tea. But it is served in the hotel’s restaurant and the buffet is huge, varied, and of decent quality though not quite to the level of the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.
We didn’t use club either other than for drinks. Afternoon tea is pretty impressive with a good variety of hot and cold stuff, including sushi, charcuterie, and pasta. Again, we didn’t partake, but it looked good. I would encourage y’all to skip the hotel fare and try out many of the fantastic restaurants nearby.

The hotel’s infinity pool overlooks Kowloon, Hong Hom, and Lion Rock, and it’s awesome to hang out at on a clear day. Just get there early, or it’s overrun by influencers trying to get their perfect shot.







Service was good, thought not as polished as the Grand Hyatt. But that’s why there’s a massive difference in price point there. I’ve stayed at both the Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency TST many times before. I have to say this might be my new favorite Hyatt property in Hong Kong. Rates are reasonable. The location is fantastic. It took just five minutes from my room to the A1 entrance for the North Point MTR station, and it’s also just a couple of minutes away from the tram line and bus stops.

dat4life

It was great being back in the familiar sights and smells of Hong Kong, and more importantly seeing my family. We spent most of our time with them, so here are some obligatory random shots around Hong Kong.



























Of course, we ate damn good.

dat4life

Not so impossible when you show up right before closing! 😂

Totally agree, and thanks ianassum!

offerendum

Sure, the plane is dated, but I would be so happy to fly such a product on a short or even mid-range flight in Europe.

stevie

Great TR so far. HK food can't be beaten. Also great to get a fun few hours in Tokyo.

zip10001

Great TR!
Nice seeing some pictures I recognize among others WanChai, that fairly new shopping street by Johnson st.

SFO777

Great report with excellent pics and your always humorous narrative. From Spirit to JAL First, now that quite a contrast.
JAL can be a little quirky at times. And being served that entire western menu was a shocker to me as well.

757

Great report and I am very much enjoying your photos. Thank you for sharing everything so far, and looking forward to the continuation of your report!

chongl

Awesome writeup so far. Really makes me excited to return to HK later this year