From my first low cost redeye to a first class trifecta - an insane fortnight

[Kiwi Flyer]

BANGKOK to SYDNEY (BKK-SYD) on Thai A340-600 in first class, flying solo

As I walked through the lounge lobby I was stopped with a request to wait a few moments for a buggy which will be here soon. Apparently the gate is almost the furthest possible from the lounge (almost at the end of E pier). The buggy turned up a few seconds later.

When the Suvarnabhumi airport opened you could easily transfer between piers on the lower level and clear security at the pier. The lower level has lots of space and moving walkways to allow relatively quick traverses of the long distances. Some time back they changed security to be at the main and transfer entrances to the departure level, and so now transfers between piers is on the upper level with narrow concourses between shops and gates. The result is a rather slow buggy ride at barely walking pace. Even though I could walk to the far gate just as quick, it is still advantageous to take the buggy for it means they know exactly where I am and will not close the flight without me.

By the time we reached the gate it was after scheduled departure time. A quick sign on the form and I was escorted down into the gate and along the airbridge. The gate was deserted and I was warmly welcomed by name - come along, we're expecting you.

For the second time in a couple of days I was informed I was the only passenger in first class and to take my pick of the seats. This time they wouldn't allow my carryon to be stowed on the floor inside an adjacent suite but insisted it be stowed in the overhead bin when I wasn't using it.

The crew in the cabin tonight consisted of one very experienced lady and a more junior guy who confessed this was his first first class service. I didn't mind the service inconsistencies that are to be expected when someone is still new and being trained up, nor the disparaty in the treatment I got from the new guy vs from the old hand. It all made the flight go quickly, with fun and more interest for me than normal.

I was fairly tired and so, no matter how hard I tried, I could not test out whether my previous Thai flight was an aberration in having more than 2 bottles of Dom Perignon loaded, or if the Australia route has more loaded than the Europe ones (sorry MAN Flyer).

I toyed with the IFE while savouring the fabulous food, drink and service on hand. I did feel bad when a huge trolley laden, nay overflowing, with food would come by. For instance the whole top of the trolley was fill just with cheeses and some suitable drinks, which just followed moments later by another filled with fruit. The crew did their best to tempt me to try lots of it but really there was no way I could but sample the tiniest portion.

Eventually I succumbed to tiredness and drifted off, awaking a couple of hours before landing to the smells of breakfast being prepared. I was still full from the feast earlier in the flight and so had some fruit and a few coffees but otherwise settled in to reading some papers and watching the landscape go by below.

Once we got close to the Great Dividing Range a thick layer of cloud blanketed the land. We had made up some time en route and looked to be arriving on time, however near Bathhurst we turned and headed by Canberra before turning back towards Sydney. Our odd approach path was due to a late change in runways and we had the rare (in my experience) distinction of landing on the shorter cross-runway, towards the east. As best I can recall I've only been on a small aircraft (Dash 8 or 737) that uses this runway not a large one.

Our taxi was slow as all 3 runways were in use and aircraft taxiing by in all directions, and we also had to wait for the Jetstar A320 which landed behind us on the east-west runway to take a shortcut and pass in front. By the time we reached our gate on the non-oneworld pier we were rather late. Fortunately my connection was ample to get checked in for the onward flight, or so I expected.

[Kiwi Flyer]

Thai Airways
First Class menu
Bangkok to Sydney
April 2010


Dinner

First Serving

Hors D’oeuvre

Press of Vegetable with Goose Liver

Tomato Stuffed with Balsamic and Hazelnut Vinaigrettes

Eel Served on Potato and Wasabi Japanese Style, Mesclum

First Course

Oscietra Caviar with Garnitures

Main Course

Slowly Braised Lamb Shank with Red Wine and Fresh Herb Sauce
Tossed Pappardelle Noodle
Celeriac Puree Scenteed with Truffle Oil

or

Ravioli stuffed with Ricotta and Spinach
Beef and Veal Bolognaise, Grilled Mixed Vegetables

or

Stir-fried US Scallop with Yee Heong Sauce
Egg Noodle, Mixed Vegetables

or

Tub-tim Fish in Curry “Chu-chee”
Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice, Mixed Vegetables

Assorted Breads, Butter

Assorted Cheese, Fresh Fruits

Dessert

Lemond Almond Tart

Tea, Coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino


Breakfast

Second Serving

First Course

Fresh Fruit

Yoghurt

Cereal

Main Course

Tomato and Mixed Capsicem Frittata, Schweinswurst Sausage
Grilled Bacon, Roesti Potato with Bacon and Onion
Pan-fried Prawn Scented with Oregano
Roasted Tomato with Olive Oil and Herb

or

Scrembled Egg with Tomato on Farmer Bread
Breakfast Cheese Sausage, Parsley Potato
Grilled Bacon, Grilled Oyster Mushroom

or

Cold Cuts Platter

Wild Boar with Pistachio
Black Forest Pepper Salami, Butcher Ham
Emmenthal Cheese, Sweet Gherkin Pickle

Assorted Breads, Butter, Jam

Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate


Snacks

Yellow Noodles Soup with Fish Balls and Shrimp Balls and Garnitures
(Available upon request)

TG 477 F – MENU A : JAN/APR/JUL/OCT

Wine

White Wine

Motzenbacker Dem Himmel So Nah 2008
Graceful Riesling full of life. Aroma of flowers (lilies, roses) and fruits, such as apricots, vineyard-peach and red apple. Well-constituted with a smart, noble suave mouth-feeling.

Pouilly Fuisse Cuvee Armand Cottin 2008
Pretty pale yellow colour. The bouquet starts with mineral notes then develops into smoky, toasted notes prior to revealing aromas of orange blossom. The mouth is straightforward and lively with elegant woody complexity with a lemon finish.

Red wine

Chateau Haut-Sarpe Grand Cru Classe St Emilion 2004
Full bouquet where matured tannins are mixed with a rich woody note. Nice length in the mouth.

Chataeu Dauzac Margaux Grand Cru Classe 2003
A huge and very evocative nose, packed with red and black berries, with a little note of cherry too which is a common theme with this vintage. Deeply rounded, ripe fruit profile. With such initial superficial pleasure the palate seems quite vacuous thereafter, with a huge wall of peppery tannins and insufficient texture to match.
(Available after Chateau Haut-Sarpe Grand Cru Class St Emilion 2004 has been depleted.)

Nuits-Saint-Georges 2003
It has a deep, bright red colour. Very fresh, is very delicate with plum, raspberry and strawberry in fresh jam and fallen leaves (typical), even tobacco. Its body is fat, big and spirited with good background.

Champagne

Dom Perignon
Each vintage offers a new aspect of Dom Perignon, reflecting an assemblage that isa unique act of creation for the winemaker Richard Geoffroy. Dom Perignon constantly insists on choosing only the best harvests and thereafter, on a long, slow ageing of the wine on its lees. In its constant quest for the ultimate balance between Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the Dom Perignon style traces, vintage after vintage, a complex structure made up of aroma and sensations, silky smooth, light as air and full of sensuality.

Dom Perignon Vintage 2000
Fresh, crystalline, and sharp, the first nose unveils and unusual dimension, an aquatic vegetal world with secret touches of white pepper and gardenia. The wine then revcals airy, gentle richness before exhaling peaty scents. The attack bursts forth, and matures into a sensual fullness that winds around itself, like a tendril of foliage. Notes of aniseed and dried ginger linger on the skin of fruit (pear and mango), more textured than ripe. The finish gradually unfurls and then settles, smooth, mellow, all-encompassing. An indefinable je ne sais quoi, never upsetting the integrity of the wine, has worked its charm.

Bollinger 1999
Bolliner is a champagne house, a producer of sparking (sic) wines from the Champagne region of France. Founded in 1829, the house continues to be run by member of the Bollinger family. Before being a great champagne, Bollinger is a great wine, and the quality of our grapes is a determining factor. Pinot Noir is the basis of our blend and contributes vinosity, complexity and strength. Bollinger favours Grands and Premiers crus. Chardonnay adds a touch of elegance and refinement. Meunier imparts freshness and lightness. La Grande Annee develops a majestic vinosity, intense, rich and complex aromas whose tonality varies according to the nature of the millesime. La Grande Annee ages a minimum of five years (and often more than six in the cellar under cork, prior to shipping.) Bollinger Grand Annee 1999 has more perfume, with aromas of flower petals, rose water, and a trace of toffe-caramel richness. A lovely palate, surprisingly light and elegant in view of that evolving maturity on the nose. Still a little plump at present, yourthful (sic), although with a soft and clean character at the finish.

Cognac

1795 Extra Cognac Otard
1785 Extra Cognac was born in the royal Chateau de Cognac. Stand proudly on the banks of the Charente river. It was here, in 1494, that Francois 1er, famous king of France, was born. In 1795, Baron Jean Baptiste Antoine Otard, of Norwegian and Scottish ancestry, chose to craft his cognac in this royal chateau, in the depths of its unique, vaulted cellars. Otard Cognac symbolises all the richness of their cognacs in the tear-drop shape of their carafes, the distinctive and unique hallmark of the brand for decards. Otard 1795 Extra Cognac offers a rich, complex bouquet of dried fruit (plum, grape and hazelnut), orange peel and cigar box. This profusion of aromas further explodes on the palate providing incomparable pleasure thanks to the mellowness of the old Champagne eaux-de-vie. Its gold and ruby colour is the sure sign of its long years of maturing.

Aperitifs

Campari
Gin Martini
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary
Black Russian
Vodka Martini
Warre's Warrior Port
Bristol Cream Sherry

Spirits

Rum
Gin
Bourbon Whisky
Whisky
Vodka

Liqueurs

Otard Extra
Kahlua
Drambuie
Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge

Beers

Heineken
Chang Beer
Singha Beer

Soft Drinks

Fruit Juices
Diet Soft Drinks
Perrier Mineral Water
A Range of Soft Drinks

Beverages

Espresso
Cappuccino
Decaffeinated Coffee
Special Blended Coffee
Ceylon Tea
Oolong Tea
Earl Grey Tea
Japanese Green Tea
English Breakfast Tea
Peppermint Tea
Camomile Tea
Chocolate Malt 3 in 1

APRIL 2010

[Kiwi Flyer]

Transit in Sydney

It was only a short walk to transit security and thence to the nice Air NZ lounge. Along the way I noticed the transfer desks on departures level were currently closed. As I didn't have a boarding pass I asked to be checked in at the lounge.

After some debate amongst the staff they agreed to check me in here. The check in process didn't go smoothly even with phone calls to a superviser. After about 15 minutes the agent said I could go enjoy the lounge and she'd get the boarding pass to me later.

I grabbed a shower and checked my email and phone messages. There had been no sign of the boarding pass and boarding was to commence shortly so I went to the podium and collected it from there on my way out to the gate. I had decided not to wait until the call in the lounge since I was still hobbling a bit and did not want to be rushed.

[Kiwi Flyer]

SYDNEY to AUCKLAND (SYD-AKL) on Air New Zealand A320 in business class

Despite the aircraft arriving on time there was some hold up and while I wandered around the gate area the Thai, Singapore and Pacific Blue flights departing from nearby gates all started and completed their boarding, and all under the watchful eye of several boys and gals in blue. I'm not sure why.

I should have waited longer in the lounge. Finally our flight was called for priority boarding. Last I'd checked there were only going to be 2 people in business class, including me, but this changed to 5 people with some late upgrades including one onboard.

I stowed my bag in the overhead bin, pulled out the headphones and started watching the IFE as boarding progressed. I'd chosen row 2 so I didn't have to stow the monitor for takeoff or landing. A quick pre-departure drink and I was pleasantly dozey. We left rather late and had a long taxi to the far runway.

Once we'd completed the initial climb, hot towels were offered, menus were handed out and a pre lunch drink. mad_atta will be shocked at this next bit, so avert your eyes now - you have been warned.




There was no sauvignon blanc!




None of the main options were particularly appealing to me and I regretted not eating something in the lounge. I watched some programs and half-dozed the entire flight. Before descent we were given express arrival cards, but since smartgate was installed there isn't much benefit unless you are ineligible for smartgate.

Immigration was busy but smartgate was quick. I strolled past huge queues in the baggage claim area and through exit A at customs where there was no wait.

It was pouring with rain with no sign of bus and very few cabs even. As I waited for my ride to show up I realised that in the next few days I will have flown 100,000 miles on the Auckland to Sydney route, which is quite a lot but a long way short of the cumulative distance I've flown on Singapore to Auckland (almost 400,000 miles).

[Kiwi Flyer]

Air New Zealand
Business Class menu
Sydney to Auckland
April 2010

Dinner

Starter

Vanilla poached salmon
with cherry tomato, endive salad and dill crème fraiche

Main Course

Lamb navarin and seared cutlet
with truffled potatoes and crushed minted peas

Chinese dish
of three cup chicken with egg fried rice, kai lan, carrot and black mushrooms

Roast beef salad
with turmeric, scented cous cous and eggplant hummus

Dessert

Chocolate lamington cake
with cream and strawberry

OR

Gourmet dessert
of black Doris plum ice cream and cookies and cream ice cream with chocolate almond wafer

Cheese Plate

Fine New Zealand cheese and preserved fruit

Hot Drinks

Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, herbal tea and hot chocolate


Drinks

Our wine list showcases some of the best wine New Zealand has to offer – from a country that celebrates its zealous passion for producing top quality wines.
The premium wine selection onboard this flight has been chosen by our wine consultants : John Belsham of Foxes Island Wines, Kate Radbund of CJ Pask Winery and Jim Harre, nationally recognised wine judge. The fine wines served on this flight have been chosen to complement today’s menu style. Your crew will be happy to discuss the selection and help you choose wines to accompany your meal.

Spirits

Glenfiddich Malt Whisky
Chivas Regal Blended Whisky
Jack Daniel’s Black Label
Gordons Gin
42 Below Vodka
Courvoisier VSOP
Coruba Rum
Ron Bacardi Superior

Port and Liqueurs

Portuguese Port
Grand Marnier
Baileys Irish Cream

Beer

A selection of beer featuring Steinlager Pure, Speights Gold, Heineken and low alcohol lager.

Soft Drinks

Mineral water, orange juice, apple juice, tomato juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, cola, lemonade, L&P (sparkling lemon drink), tonic water, ginger ale, diet cola and diet lemonade.

C2DE_FROZ_MAR10

[mad_atta]

Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer

[b]mad_atta will be shocked at this next bit, so avert your eyes now - you have been warned.




There was no sauvignon blanc!

Quelle horreur indeed! Surely that's a first on NZ in J? I have experienced that sad situation in trans-Tasman Y before now, but in J.... sigh. Perhaps a sign of Works Delux things to come?

[Kiwi Flyer]

I made up for it yesterday. Guzzled quite a bit of the nice SB in SYD lounge. Went down really well.

[WellingtonFF]

Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer

Air New Zealand
Business Class menu
Sydney to Auckland
April 2010

Dinner

Starter

Vanilla poached salmon
with cherry tomato, endive salad and dill crème fraiche

Main Course

Lamb navarin and seared cutlet
with truffled potatoes and crushed minted peas

Chinese dish
of three cup chicken with egg fried rice, kai lan, carrot and black mushrooms

Roast beef salad
with turmeric, scented cous cous and eggplant hummus

Dessert

Chocolate lamington cake
with cream and strawberry

OR

Gourmet dessert
of black Doris plum ice cream and cookies and cream ice cream with chocolate almond wafer

Cheese Plate

Fine New Zealand cheese and preserved fruit

Hot Drinks

Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, herbal tea and hot chocolate


Drinks

Our wine list showcases some of the best wine New Zealand has to offer – from a country that celebrates its zealous passion for producing top quality wines.
The premium wine selection onboard this flight has been chosen by our wine consultants : John Belsham of Foxes Island Wines, Kate Radbund of CJ Pask Winery and Jim Harre, nationally recognised wine judge. The fine wines served on this flight have been chosen to complement today’s menu style. Your crew will be happy to discuss the selection and help you choose wines to accompany your meal.

Spirits

Glenfiddich Malt Whisky
Chivas Regal Blended Whisky
Jack Daniel’s Black Label
Gordons Gin
42 Below Vodka
Courvoisier VSOP
Coruba Rum
Ron Bacardi Superior

Port and Liqueurs

Portuguese Port
Grand Marnier
Baileys Irish Cream

Beer

A selection of beer featuring Steinlager Pure, Speights Gold, Heineken and low alcohol lager.

Soft Drinks

Mineral water, orange juice, apple juice, tomato juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, cola, lemonade, L&P (sparkling lemon drink), tonic water, ginger ale, diet cola and diet lemonade.

C2DE_FROZ_MAR10

Thanks for the menu KiwiFlyer, it is the same one I had on my recent MEL/WLG flight, and I was going to include it in my trip report, but the menu was whizzed away when I went to the toilet. Plenty of SB on my flight. BTW I thought the lamb was rather tasty.

[MrSydney]

Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer

SYDNEY to AUCKLAND (SYD-AKL) on Air New Zealand A320 in business class

Once we'd completed the initial climb, hot towels were offered, menus were handed out and a pre lunch drink. mad_atta will be shocked at this next bit, so avert your eyes now - you have been warned.

There was no sauvignon blanc!

My god, no SB. Unheard of in J......Y yes.........but never J.

I would have had heart palipitations.

[abeyro]

Palipitations are only induced by lack of sauvignion blanc.
In all other instances they are called palpitations :-)

[vecta]

As always a fantastic TR there KiwiFlyer, thanks once again for sharing your travels with us all.

[aurigakb]

Great report!



From http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/over...nformation.htm

New Zealand citizens travelling on New Zealand passports do not need a visa to enter Australian unless there are health or character concerns.

[B-HXB]

Originally Posted by aurigakb

From http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/over...nformation.htm

New Zealand citizens travelling on New Zealand passports do not need a visa to enter Australian unless there are health or character concerns.

Not quite right. All non-Australians in Australia are required to hold a visa under the relevant Australian legislation.

As correctly pointed out by DownUnderFlyer earlier in this thread, for New Zealanders a Special Category Visa is issued when the New Zealander presents his or her passport for immigration clearance at the relevant Australian port of entry. Only New Zealand passport holders are eligible for a SCV. See Immigration Fact Sheet 17.

The immigration link quoted above is basically saying that New Zealand passport holders do not need to apply for a visa to enter Australia before leaving New Zealand, unlike holders of all other passports who need to pre-apply before leaving their port of origin; i.e. no need to get a "visa" in the usual sense of how people think of a "visa".

[futaris]

Another great trip report, Kiwi Flyer.

When will your 50,000th flyertalk post be?

[Mwenenzi]

Originally Posted by futaris

Another great trip report, Kiwi Flyer.

When will your 50,000th flyertalk post be?

Kiwi Flyer
Moderator: Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, oneworld & Travel Safety/Security
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: hopefully travelling
Programs: up in the air
Posts: 49,999

Very soon or early Tuesday morinng our time is my guess. Its 20:33 in Kiwiland now