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Prelude

Allow me to begin this trip report by saying how grateful I am of Flyertalk ever since I accidentally discovered it three years ago. Without this vast community of savvy travelers, I could not have learnt so much about mileage runs, award travels, achieving status to name a few. Indeed, I did not realize that there is actually a whole group of people who share a similar queer hobby of mine. Wow! I’m getting off topic, so…back to the report.

The initial plan was to fly from San Francisco to Hong Kong in the quickest possible manner back home for vacation. But…..as soon as this crazy kid found out that multiple segments are allowed on the same itinerary, there was no stopping it. Researching day and night on all possible routings, segment after segment were added to my imaginary itinerary until it was downright insane, whilst chanting in a monotone buddhist fashion the words of my Econ professor”utility measures satisfaction, total utility is maximized when marginal utility=0″. Basically, fly till you drop. The plan was to fly until marginal utility equals absolutely dead zero, to the point in which I would beg to get out of the plane and airport. The call agent at United was happy to make changes to my flight arrangements, but was increasingly confused as he had never met a person who would rather fly 3000 more miles instead of taking a direct flight. However, he did manage to put together an itinerary that looked somewhat similar to what I had in mind, and so I was indeed quite satisfied.

You would think that the hardwork is over. Nada. Work had only just begun. My trip this summer began with a four day bombardment of the United Reservations hotline early on in January. It all started when I became suspicious of United with the fact that my itinerary was not “officially” issued(Apparently United gives you fake itineraries with fake confirmation codes?). Concerned, I quickly called United but was reassured that the ticket would be issued in the next 48 hours. Tick tock, tick tock. 3 days later, my United itinerary showed that the ticket was confirmed, but my SQ itinerary displayed otherwise. Another friendly call to United, and I was responded by an agent who frankly informed of my cancelled reservation. Whilst trying to keep my cool, I kindly asked him why and he cited Singapore Airline’s schedule change as being the reason. The excuse didn’t end there. A few taps on the computer and he changed his answer to the following:

1. All the seats on the plane are broken

2. Change in crew rotation

3. Singapore Airlines not a member of Star Alliance

4. No business class seats are sold on that route

After exhausting all possible excuses, he finally settled on one in which the booking was a mistake and that there were no more award seats left. Enraged in a manner similar to the person below, I yelled(well not really….. more like raised my tone) “So I am supposed to take the blame when one of your colleagues made a mistake? I don’t care what you do, you will get me on that flight. NOW”


A few minutes later, well….almost 15 minutes later, the telephone agent informed me that his supervisor contacted Singapore Airlines and “begged” for an extra award seat. I was not about to ask how he did it. But hey! This celebrity chef in Hong Kong got 40K just for complaining about a cancelled flight, so I don’t think what I’m asking for is too out of line. Of course, I thanked the agent for his assistance in this matter. If there’s one thing I learned from my dad, who travels quite often in the region, it is that if you don’t start complaining and making a scene, nobody is going to give a s**t about you(Excuse my language).

Anyhow, enough of the negatives! I was able to secure a seat in the first class cabin for the Asiana segment, bulkheat seats for the ANA and Singapore Airlines segments. Perfect! Seems like everything is in order, all that’s left is the long process of waiting.

http://www.gcmap.com/map?P=SFO-NRT-I...X=720x360&PM=*

Trip Report Index

San Francisco to Tokyo Narita NH 007

Short Layover in Tokyo and a visit to ANA Lounge, United Club

Tokyo Narita to Seoul Incheon OZ 105

Another Short Layover in Incheon and a trip to the Asiana Business Class Lounge

Seoul Incheon to Singapore SQ 603

Breakfast in Singapore Airline’s Business Class Lounge

Singapore to Hong Kong SQ 890

5 Cities, 4 flights, 2 days on 1 itinerary. This trip report is not intended for the faint-hearted! So for those unwilling to go on, now is the time to click the go back button. For the rest of ye brave souls, pour yourself a glass of nice wine, get comfortable, and let the journey begin!

btang

Ah! San Francisco International Airport, which in my opinion is one of the best international gateways within the States, especially considering the dreaded IAD, which I shall again visit in August. Dropped off by Supershuttle at around 9:30 a.m. in front of the international terminal, I was quite excited for the journey, the journey that I had planned for nearly a month and had waited for nearly six. As I approached the ANA check in counters within the terminal, there was only one agent preparing for the counters to open, yet there were already lines forming in front of the business and economy class counters. I therefore took a seat in one of the benches until the counters open. Sure enough, ten minutes later, an army of Japanese agents had some sort of morning cheer and then marched uniformly towards their respective counters. ANA’s first class counter checks in both First Class passengers and Star Alliance Gold members. Seeing as there was only one person in the line, it was a no-brainer, and within seconds, a friendly agent called me over to check in for the flight.



Welcoming me with a friendly smile, it’s apparent that she was a little dumfounded when she took a closer look at my four-segment itinerary. Whilst printing out my boarding pass and tagging my bags, she asked whether I loved flying and travelling, to which I gave her a definite yes. She was also a little surprised that an airline called Aegean Airlines is part of Star Alliance, and that I was a *G. Nevertheless, she handed me my boarding pass and wished me a pleasant flight. This seems to be a good start to my two-day journey.

Security though was relatively hectic, with a fair amount of traffic heading towards Asian destinations such as Seoul and Osaka. Fortunately, flying in business meant that I was entitled to use the priority security lane, but even that was quite long. However, a TSA agent walked up and down the line asking for first and business class passengers only. Eventually, a few of us followed her to use the faster crew lane, which seemed to upset the United 1K elite lining up in front of me when he was not invited to join the queue.



After security, I headed towards the newly branded United Club. Looking around, I saw nothing but a long line leading towards the doors. There was surely nothing premium about this facility to the point that it almost felt like I was waiting in line at a McDonalds. Heading up a flight of escalator, I entered into the main lounge area. Now I know that there are mixed reviews about this facility, but maybe because I travel mostly in Asia, it was a little underwhelming. The lounge was extremely crowded, with kids running up and down the aisle. People were fighting for the few pieces of bread on the counter, and there was no evidence that the lounge staff would replenish the food anytime soon. No matter, I got myself something to drink and caught up on some work in my computer.



Leaving the so-called lounge at exactly 10:30 a.m., I switched to Singapore Airline’s Silver Kris Lounge for the rest of the duration. All in all, the United Club was a disappointment. It was overcrowded, had bare minimum food and beverages as well as operated by staff that did not seem to take pride in their jobs at all. The Silver Kris Lounge, on the other hand, was quite a world apart. Despite its small facility, I actually like the most recent renovation. There were no longer separate sections for first and business class passengers. Instead, it was one combined facility, with the food and drinks counters at the center of the lounge. I was pleased to see that although people funneled in and out, the lounge was relatively quiet for the rest of my stay. Right about 11:45 a.m., I left the lounge and headed towards the gate for my ANA flight. Today, NH 7 was boarding from G99, which was the furthest gate from the cluster of lounges.




The gate was practically a livestock holding area, and the boarding lanes were unclear due to curvature of the gate area. For some odd reason, there were two first class lines, no business class lane and only one economy lane. When the gate agents first invited Star Alliance Gold members and first class passengers to board, everyone, and I mean everyone rushed to the first class lines. At that moment, the gate agents stopped everyone, and announced that there were only 8 first class seats and there should not be hundreds of Star Gold passengers. It was only then when people were redirected to the proper lines. Of course, I boarded along as a Star Gold pax, and as soon as I stepped onboard, all the stress prior to that melted away. In spite of the civility of the passengers, this Japanese flight was still not immune to the U.S. boarding debacle known as “gate lice”.



Welcoming me onboard was a cheerful group of FA’s, to which one of them personally escorted me to my seat. Wow! Talk about personalized service. I quickly settled in to my seat and was surprised to see how much room there was in my little enclave for the next 10 hours. Duvets, Slippers and a shoehorn were already placed at the seat, and I asked one of the wonderful ladies for a pair of pajamas. This request was of course obliged and moments later she returned with a size that I later found out fitted perfectly.




Let me talk a little about the seat itself. It was the usual staggered type seats you find on the A380 with Emirates, or on all wide bodies with Etihad, but with some ANA custom modifications. I’ve been on the EK version and I must say I like ANA’s version better, because the feet cutout area felt larger and the padding of the bed made it comparatively more confortable. There was also this cool blue lighting around the side table that was more ornamental than practical.



At around 12:38, NH 7 pushed backed slightly behind schedule and a short taxi led us towards our departing runway.



As we leveled off at cruising altitude, the flight crew immediately began the service preparation. The lunch service today started with a choice of drink and canapés, with which I chose a glass of champagne. The canapés were delicious, and it goes to show that ANA catering, even originating from foreign destinations, is top notch. In the meantime, I was asked what my choices for appetizer and main course were, and I decided to have the full Japanese meal experience.

Zensai
Assortment of seasonal appetizers

Kobachi
Braised scallop and bamboo shoot in soy-based sauce

Sumonomo
Marinated deep-friend salmon in nanban spicy vinegar sauce
This assortment of seasonal appetizers combines several dishes, including beef-wrapped vegetables and tofu preserved in miso, for one luxurious plate. A small bowl contains seasonal foods: bamboo shoots and wakame.

Shusai
Grilled sablefish with citron soy sauce
Sablefish is prepared by marinating in soy sauce, mirin, and other seasonings and then grilling. A traditional technique in Japanese cooking from the Edo period. The tender and slightly fatty meat of the sablefish creates a simple by distinct flavor.

Rice
Freshly steamed rice, miso soup, and assorted Japanese pickles

Original Parfait
Mocha Parfait
Coffee and vanilla ice cream are accompanied by pear and banana cake for a rich taste






As you can see, although this was not some ten-course meal as advertised by Emirates, it was quite an elaborate affair. The appetizers were quite unique, and I thoroughly enjoyed the main course. That plate of fish was probably the best seafood I have ever had in a pressurized metal tube, flying 36,000 feet in the air. The Mocha Parfait was also extremely tasty and I heard that flight attendants, while in the air, individually assembled these desserts. All in all, the entire meal service was simplistic yet beautifully arranged; add in a dose of Japanese hospitality, attentive service and it was just perfect. At the end of the lunch service, the leading FA I believe came around and explained the anytime dining concept, and that the last meal order would be taken at 1:00 Tokyo Time.




Knowing ANA’s weakness that is its inflight entertainment system, I did not bother to check out the selection. After lunch, I reclined my seat into lie flat mode to take a little nap, so I would be able to stay awake until the Incheon red-eyed flight. A few hours of undisturbed sleep and I found myself with just four hours of flight time left. I decided to start writing this trip report, while sipping on ANA’s original drink, Aromatic Kabosu. From time to time, various crewmembers came around to offer me a snack, or to ask if I wanted a refill. When my computer was running out of battery and my charger didn’t fit the power outlet, they were happy to bring out an assortment of cords to see which one fitted. Service was really where ANA shined, and today’s 80% load certainly helped.




Around two and a half hours before landing, one of the lovely ladies came by to inform me that my previously ordered lobster curry would soon be ready. I thanked her for that reminder, and a few moments later she returned with a tablecloth and a wet towel that was nicely presented on a tray. I can’t believe how good the curry was, and there was actually a whole lobster tail (along with the shell) beside the rice. Take that SQ with your fake slipper lobster thermidor! Obviously, I happily enjoyed the meal along with some fresh fruits.



Time flies when you’re enjoying ANA’s service. With an hour to go before landing, the captain announced that we were approaching Tokyo Narita. I headed to the bathroom and changed out of my pajamas into my regular clothing. Before beginning our descent, the cabin manager came around to handout sweets and an aromatic refresher card. She asked about the flight and I had to take the opportunity to commend her team’s efforts in making my journey a really pleasant one. She also asked whether this was my first time flying with ANA, to which I said no, but I dared not say that most of the time I flew at the back of the bus. The descent into Narita was really bumpy, but we were on the ground at approx. 3:22 p.m.

Next up, three hours of transit time at Narita, Tokyo. Stay tuned!

btang

Arriving at Narita on a rainy day, I could instantly feel the humidity the moment I stepped off the plane. My first stop was a visit to the ANA lounge at Satellite 5, and luckily it was just a short walk from the transit security area. I was completely exhausted after the eleven-hour flight, and so decided to use one of the showers to freshen up. I know most people here think that the United Club has better showers, or perhaps better toiletries, but to be honest, after my visit to the one in San Francisco, I was not in a mood to try my luck. The showers at the ANA lounge were fairly decent, and although the toiletries were not famous brand names, they were more than adequate. Feeling rejuvenated, I headed into the main lounge area and check out ANA’s flagship facility at Narita.




There was nothing fancy about the lounge itself, but then again the design was in line with the simplistic yet elegant style of ANA’s services, both in the air and on the ground. There was a main lounge area, a sake bar, a self-serve food and beverage corner, business center and a noodle bar. I was feeling a little peckish, and so went to check out what was on offer at the noodle bar. The tempura soba was really tasty, but maybe because I was just hungry from the jetlag that started to kick in. After maybe an hour in the lounge, I went for some sushi at a place where I always pay a visit when transiting in Terminal 1, Sushi Kyotatsu.





Sushi Kyotatsu is probably the only sushi joint after security in Terminal 1 South Wing, and the quality of its offerings are consistently pretty good. I ordered a Chirashi Sushi set, one piece of uni (sea urchin) and one piece of otoro (semi-fatty tuna). In the end, I was pretty satisfied with the meal and the pricing.




With an hour left before boarding time, I headed to the gate to see if I could get my boarding pass for the flight. Of course, I also checked to make sure that my bags made it through from the ANA flight. In a matter of minutes, I was handed my boarding pass and was assured that my bags were already loaded into the aircraft. I thanked her and proceeded to the ANA lounge in Satellite 4, which I spent for the rest of the time.



ANA’s lounge in Satellite 4 is pretty much an exact replica of the one in Satellite 5, with the exception that there were no windows for a good view of the tarmac. I got myself a glass of Diet Coke, and checked my email for a little while until around 6:20 when I decided to trek back to the gate where my flight would be leaving tonight.

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OZ 105 was boarding from Gate 41 tonight, and judging from the size of the crowd, this was going to be a lightly loaded flight. At exactly 6:35 p.m., the gate agent announced that they were priority boarding Business Class passengers, OZ Diamond Club elites as well as Star Alliance Gold members. I waited for a little bit until the lines got shorter before walking up front to surrender my boarding pass. This was my first time riding in the nose of a 747, and I was more than excited to try out Asiana’s long haul first class product with a business class ticket.



Warmly greeting me at the door were three flight attendants, and one of them personally escorted me to my seat 2K. I thought that I was one of the last to board and was surprised to see that only 3 people in the first class cabin. I wasn’t expecting this as I had checked the seat map the night before, and there was only one empty seat in the 10 seat first class cabin. Slippers and economy class headsets were already placed at my seat, and I was immediately offered a choice of departure drink after I settled in.



Asiana’s first class seats on the 747 are not really cutting edge. In fact, the entire cabin was beginning to show its age, with bits of my side storage on the edge falling apart. However, the seat itself was very comfortable thanks to the padding, and I would argue that the product as a whole is still fairly up to par on fiercely competitive transatlantic premium routes. A choice of orange juice and water was then offered by one of the friendly FA’s, and I chose to have a glass of orange juice, as it was early morning San Francisco time. When we finally pushed back from our gate, the entire first class cabin was less than half full, and very luckily the crew to passenger ratio was a mere 1:2.



The takeoff out of Narita was very rough, and it almost felt like the plane was about to disintegrate as the window panels shook violently. As we raced across the skies and approached our cruising altitude, the inflight service manager came to my seat, as well as every other passenger in the cabin, to distribute the menu for tonight and thanked me for choosing Asiana. I know for a fact that they only do this in First Class when flying with Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines, but I was really impressed that on Asiana they do this even to business class passengers. Then again, today’s flight was quite empty in the pointy end, and thus it was more than reasonable to assume that this would probably not happen on other routes.

Tonight’s menu for the Narita to Incheon flight featured two dinner options, a one tray meal that included an appetizer, main course and dessert, as well as a lighter option that featured a salad and fresh fruits. I was beginning to feel tired and so informed the crew that I would like the prosciutto appetizer only as well as a glass of shiraz to go along with it.



In the meantime, I put on the headphones that were distributed to all passengers, and explored Asiana’s inflight entertainment system for a little bit. Again, Asiana’s interface was not really as user-friendly as its Cathay Pacific or Emirates’s counterparts. Besides, the selection was again very similar to those of ANA’s. I am starting to suspect that the videos are all supplied by the same company and standardized across different airlines.



It was not long before the requested appetizer was placed on my sturdy table. Closely following after was a flight attendant holding a bottle of Shiraz. She poured a little for my tasting, before continuing to fill the glass, which was all done gracefully at my seat.



After dinner, it was almost 4 a.m. San Francisco time, and I was completely exhausted. I did not bother to have any dessert and reclined my very comfortable seat to sleep for the rest of the flight, which was uhmm…. less than an hour. Nevertheless, it was a much appreciated nap before arrival into Incheon. With less than 15 minutes before landing, I was gently woken up and served a glass of water.

FA: “Mr. Tang, we’ll be landing soon and I hope you have enjoyed the flight with us!”

Me: “Absolutely, the pleasure is all mine. It’s too bad the flight is too short, I wouldn’t mind another couple of hours.”

The lovely flight attendant chuckled and thanked me profusely. It’s a shame that the flight was only two hours long, but I am grateful to have flown in the nose of a 747 at least once. This majestic creation is becoming something of an endangered species as more and more airlines continue to retire then in favor of the more fuel efficient wide bodies. Unlike the descent into Tokyo, the flight’s final approach into Incheon was relatively smooth. It was only a short taxi before we arrived at one of the terminal gates. All three of the crew were at the door greeting us passengers as we disembarked into the building.



Coming up is a review of Asiana’s business class lounge at Incheon. If you’re still reading this, thank you for your support!

btang

It was a nice cool evening in Seoul, but of course that mattered little to a passenger transitting in the temperature-regulated Incheon airport. It is no wonder why this airport is consistently ranked one of the top three airports in the world. The moment I stepped off the aircraft, all signs were clearly marked and the entire transit experience was hassle-free. Security check was conducted politely, which was a much appreciated change from the TSA agents that often bark at you for not taking off your shoes.



All foreign carriers in Incheon depart from Concourse A, which is accessible by unmanned people movers that run every five to seven minutes. After arrival into the concourse, I proceeded to have my boarding passes printed out from the Star Alliance counters manned by Asiana staff members. Of course, this process again was very quick and in no time, I found myself at the doors of the Asiana lounge just a short walk away.

I could instantly identify the signature grand piano that can also be found in Asiana’s main terminal lounge. The rest of the lounge itself seemed to be modeled accordingly, except for the fact that it was enclosed and had weird lighting. Now at this point I must comment on the decor of the lounge itself. While each airline has its own unique style in terms of lounge design, Asiana’s flagship lounges in Incheon seem to be a hybrid between a British club and a modernistic Korean restaurant. Then again, I am not an interior designer, and this eclectic design might appeal to to the taste of a certain category of business class passengers in which I apparently do not fit.
(This isn't a very good picture!)


Of course, there was a fair amount of food and liquor on offer, as the lounge itself was quite busy. This surprised me a little because the entire concourse was relatively quiet, even when it was only 11:00 p.m. I guess I’m used to the late night congregation of flights heading to European destinations at HKG.



I was really tired at this point, and so decided to take another shower in one of their bathrooms. This shower suite was not quite as fancy as ANA’s in Narita, but it was more than adequate. One little thing that caught my attention was that amongst the amenities provided were a pair of nice slippers that I didn’t find in Narita’s shower suite. All of the shower gels were stored in wall-mounted dispensers, unlike ANA, which provided a set of brand new toiletries for each user. By the time I got out of the shower, it was getting close to boarding time, and so I took a leisure walk, albeit short, towards gate 102, where SQ 603 was departing tonight.

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Now this was something I had never seen before, a few minutes past scheduled boarding time, and only a handful of people were waiting at the gate. I almost pulled out my boarding pass to check if I had arrived at the right gate, or head on over to the display screen to see if there was a delay. Nope! SQ 603 would be departing on time, and yes, gate agents were busy preparing for the boarding procedure, obviously in a very relaxed manner.

At approximately 11:55 p.m., all staff lined up to make one choreographed bow and proceeded to invite business class passengers to board on the right, and economy class passengers row something to something to board on the left. Ehm……nobody went up, which was a slightly embarrassing situation. I was apparently wrong in assuming that people would spring up and fight to get onboard. I guess now I’m so used to the North American domestic boarding procedure which always end up in a mess. Seeing as nobody was in a hurry to get onboard, I boldly walked up, sort of like the elephant in the room, and approached the desks to have my boarding pass scanned. More time for me to enjoy a glass of champagne and newspaper. Why not?

Flying me to Seoul tonight in six and a half hours was Singapore Airlines A330-300, fitted with the new regional business class lie flat product and new long haul economy class. I was again glad to be using the first jetway on the left, and was warmly received by the lead stewardess, who kindly escorted me to my seat.




This was not my first time travelling with Singapore Airlines in J. Last Christmas, I was fortunately upgraded to business on the SFO-HKG flight and was really impressed with the service. Will this mid-haul flight be any different? I guess you’ll find out soon enough!



I made a quickly scan and found that only one other passenger was present after storing my bags overhead. Soon, one of the flight attendants came by to offer me a choice of champagne, orange juice and water. Ah the iconic Singapore Girl! I think it’s a love-hate relationship since I love the fact that all the usual routines such as offering a welcome drink, newspapers, taking meal orders are done courteously and efficiently. I hate the fact that since this routine is so standardized, it lacks just a touch of warmth. Nevertheless, this set of crew did nothing to shatter my previous expectations, obviously because the flight was a red-eye and I did not require much service.



An amenity bag containing a pair of eyeshades and sock-shoe hybrid was placed at my seat, which I had deemed unacceptable in my previous trip report.

As we began our taxi for takeoff, the lead stewardess came by and asked for my choice of meal arrangement. Tonight’s menu featured a choice of five different main courses that came with fresh fruits, and was served either after take off or two hours before landing. I wanted to sleep right up till landing, and so chose to have my dinner/breakfast immediately after takeoff. I also made a request for a glass of orange juice to be served thirty minutes before landing. Both of my requests were cheerfully obliged, so its probably a good sign that this was going to be a good flight.

I think I fell asleep somewhere between take off, and by the time I awoke again, I was served my midnight dinner by the lead stewardess. For tonight, I chose to have the Korean short ribs with rice. I was extremely tired, but I still managed to stay awake long enough to finish off the entire dish. However, I wanted to have as much as sleep as possible so as to better deal with my jetlag. There was nobody sitting next to me, and so I decided to sleep in the window seat for more privacy.



Of course, the angled lie flat bed was still slightly inferior to that of ANA and Asiana’s flat bed seats. Nevertheless, it came very close to that and for a regional flight, I felt that it was more than sufficient. I didn’t bother to use the amenity kit, as none of its contents really suited for my purpose.



I had no problem trying to fall asleep, and as our flight began to approach Malaysia, I managed to wake up feeling invigorated and refreshed. Instantly, I was offered a wet towel and was informed that “we should be beginning our descent in about twenty minutes”. My pre-ordered glass of orange juice was soon delivered, and I was pretty satisfied that they still remembered my request, albeit a small one. Overall I was very satisfied with the crew’s service. They didn’t do anything astounding like writing a personalized card, but they got their job done in a professional, courteous and attentive manner.



The descent into Singapore was nothing short of turbulent, with lightening streaking in the distance, and gusts of crosswind making our approach slightly scary. Nonetheless, we arrived in Singapore safe and sound, fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. Entering Singapore’s Changi terminal, I was a little happy that with one more flight I would be back at home, but a little sad that my two day journey across the Pacific and three Asian cities would soon be coming to an end.

btang

I’ll be honest. After taking pictures of food, lounges and seats for the past maybe 15 hours, I was getting a little sick and tired of it, so I apologize if there aren’t that many pictures of the Singapore Airlines flagship business class lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 3. Before heading up to the lounge itself, I went to have my SIN-HKG boarding pass printed out again. Why was I doing this? So I could keep the original complete boarding pass issued in Incheon. Haha! I love collecting these kinds of stuff.



The lounge was only a short walk from the transit area, on the upper level. Guarding the lounge were not “Singapore Girls”, but rather a group of maybe SATS agents contracted by Singapore Airlines for all ground operations at Changi. My boarding pass was quickly scanned and I turned left to enter the main business class lounge area. First order of business was to take another shower. Now unlike the ANA lounge and Asiana lounge, the SilverKris lounge’s showers were located in the bathroom itself, instead of a separate secluded area. One of the staff asked if I was going to take a shower, and assigned me to one of the shower suites. The amenities provided were nothing special, most of which you can probably find on the planes’ lavatories.



I can’t think of another term to describe my shower, since I’ve already used “refreshing”, “invigorating”. I guess I’ll just use “good”. Okay! Enough of that. After shower, I headed out into the main lounge area to find myself a seat. At this point, the lounge was practically empty, and I chose a pair of seats that were close to the buffet area. Breakfast was already set up, and consisted of an assortment of western, singaporean and chinese delicacies such as french toast, ham, chinese dim sum and laksa. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I grabbed a little bit of everything, something to drink and headed back to my armchair.



I also took the opportunity to check my email for a little while, and since transit time was only two hours, time flew by in a jiffy. Around fifteen minutes before the scheduled boarding time, I decided it was time to leave the lounge. On the whole, the lounge was huge, the facilities were pretty modern, but it lacked just a bit of taste and sophistication. Will I visit this lounge again? Sure, if I am one day forced to transit in Singapore. But would I intentionally schedule my flights around just to pass through Singapore? Probably not.

Oh dear! It turned out the gate in which SQ 890 would be departing this morning was the farthest contact gate from the lounge. Therefore, I had to take the airTrain if I wanted to bypass the fifteen minute walk. Luckily, the frequency of the train and my decision to leave the lounge early meant that I arrived at the other side of the terminal with time to spare. Whew, close one!

Here at Changi, security was done just prior to entering the combined boarding area. Since the lines weren’t that long, there were no dedicated lines for premium passengers.

btang

Here we go! Final leg of my adventure, SQ 890 from SIN to HKG. By the time I arrived at my gate, boarding had just only begun. Business Class and PPS passengers were invited to board through the left hand side of the gate, while Krisflyer Elite and Star Alliance Gold passengers to board on the right. It’s a shame how some people fly more than 50,000 miles a year, only to get the privilege of using the economy lane to board. Oh how Singapore treats its elite members!

That of course did not affect my experience in the slightest bit, maybe with the exception of jetlag, which made me felt just a bit tired. I was excited to end my trip on a positive note, and boarding from the left jetway, I was again warmly received and escorted to my seat 14F.



Here came the well orchestrated pre-flight formalites again! Bags offered to be stowed for you, jacket offered to be hung, welcome drinks presented for your choosing, newspapers and magazines fanned out to satisfy your reading craves and towels distributed to get you settled in for the flight.



When the doors were closed, the entire business class cabin was full with not a single seat left. Moreover, after doing a quick headcount, I was the only passenger under 35. Most of my fellow passengers fit the profile of a management level road-warrior: suited, owned a 22 inch roll-aboard, carried a blackberry+iPhone, read the Wall Street Journal or Straits Times. The list goes on and on.

During taxi, I was asked about my meal choice. This surprised me a little bit since I had make a Book the Cook selection weeks ago. Nevertheless, I reiterated this to the flight attendant, who apologized profusely and asked for my drink choice to go with my Dim Sum Book the Cook.



After a very very long taxi, SQ 890 passed through the low clusters of clouds and soon approached cruising altitude. I decided to recline my seat and try the lie-flat function for a little while before breakfast. Now mind you, this is Singapore Airline’s old long haul business class seat, which is still sometimes used on Auckland and Amsterdam flights. While it did not compare favorably with the newer mid-haul regional seats, it was adequate for this short hop. I don’t think I would want to travel in these seats for any longer than 6 hours though.



Breakfast today started off with a plate of fresh fruits, orange juice and a choice of breakfast pastries. I really liked the croissant served on my previous flight with SQ, and so I chose that. It was exactly how I remembered it to be, piping hot and flaky.



After the fruits, I was offered a choice of cereal and museli, and asked for a cup of coffee instead. My main course was soon delivered by a cheerful flight steward, accompanied by a plate of chili sauce. However, he forgot to get me a pair of chopsticks, and apologized for the mistake before dashing back to the galley to get it for me.

The dim sum selection consisted of an assortment of intricate little dumplings and delicacies. That small bowl was their interpretation of radish cake. It was ok, but I expected it to be fried, not steamed. Anyways, I finished off with a cup of Pu er, served in a covered chinese teacup.



(I’m a messy eater! Lol)

With more than two hours to go, I tried to go ahead and work on this trip report for a little bit more before I forget all the details. Flight attendants routinely came by to offer a glass of water, and checked to see all of the passengers needs were met. With only thirty minutes left into the flight, I went to the bathroom for one last time, just as the captain came on the PA to announce our descent into Hong Kong International Airport.



We landed into Hong Kong on a warm and humid afternoon. A short taxi brought us to one of the closer gates near the arrival hall. Immigration was hassle free, and my priority tagged bags, which I had constantly checked with gate agents at each stop to make sure that they were loaded on to the continuing flight, came out in no time as previously expected.

With the prompt arrival of the Airport Express, I managed to arrive at Kowloon Station in 45 minutes, which must be a record time for me. Sadly, this also marks the end of my very long trip. Thanks for reading along everyone!

Conclusion

So after flying through four cities, taking four showers, taking my shoes off four times for security check and producing my HK ID card to gate agents quadrice for identity verification(apparently my passport was not enough proof), what are my thoughts?

None………………………………………………………..Nah, just kidding.

The experience was certainly exhilirating. I was able to travel on all of Star Alliance’s finest Asian carriers, fly on both their mid-haul and long-haul premium products and who could forget, experience first hand a variety of Asian hospitalities. For the price of 60,000 miles, I travelled for more than 24 hours in the air and 12 hours on the ground. Minus the taxes, and it was a pretty good case of miles maximization. Will I do something similar in the future? Definitely, I might even make more stops along the way! Haha I guess I’m just crazy about flying. In the meantime, the only thing worth looking forward to is the return trip back to San Francisco. It’s not as ambitious as this one, but flying with Qatar and stopping over in the Middle East. Well, I’d say its another unique experience worth documenting.

GetSetJetSet

While I am certainly a fan of maximizing the segments (I just changed a BKK-CDG direct to BKK-NRT-ZRH-CDG after my proposed BKK-TPE-PVG-ZRH-CDG routing fell apart while arguing with incompetent UA agents), it is also important to avail yourself of the "under 24 hours is a connection not a stopover" policy. This way, you can try to rig it so you get 20-23.5 hours in each of these places and at least a night to explore the city.

Flyingfox

So you said......

"I don’t care what you do, you will get me on that flight. NOW”

This statement actually makes you sound quite naive in dealing with businesses. You are lucky you weren't hung up on. And it is downright rude.

You are very lucky that you were accommodated further with that phone call.

Colour me unimpressed.

btang

I'll keep that in mind the next time I book a trip!

I admit that I was rather on edge. Spending quite a bit of time that day on hold and after talking with 4 different UA agents to no avail left me very frustrated. However, I did thank him in the end for all the trouble.

amolkold

I had a very similar problem with the UA/CO partner award booking engine in January as well, so this wasn't something that happened just to you. My guess is that it had to do with the system rather than the representative. Luckily, my flights remained available, except for one on United that I convinced them to open space on again.

Looking forward to the rest of the report, since I'm about to embark on a similar trip.

ORDnHKG

There are different ways to complain, but by yelling at the agent on the phone certainly isn't one, and it is WAY out of line, it only show you have no class and no manners whatsoever.

What region did you dad travel often ? The only region would apply to "complain and make a scene" only limited to mainland China (except Hong Kong), and it is only because many of them are uneducated, thinking the more you complain, the louder you talk, the more you get.

Whatever you believe is your business, but by saying outloud here the strategy you are using to get what you want is ok are totally unacceptable.


There is never easy to get exactly what you want for booking awards especially involving multi-segments, it always require numerous calls, hours, days to get everything together, but there is still no excuse to be rude.

btang

You would be surprised how much controversy was caused by various recent cases in which HK pax on CX made unreasonable demands(and CX complied!). That said, I don't believe what I'm doing is politically correct, all I am doing is trying to share my experience. That's all.

gwar69

So share! I want to see what NH C is like before I book it.