Gold in one go - the Finnair monster
Jul 14, 2015, 8:46 pm
#61
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YVR
Posts: 60
We arrived 15 minutes after schedule because of bad weather (landings restricted due to low visibility), so touch down approx 07:25. I was one of the first entering immigrations and had no luggage to pick up, and I guess I was back in departures hall approx 07:50 or so. Finnair check in for the returning AY56 opens 07:20 (and closes 08:50) and it was semi-busy when I arrived.
I didn't look at the time, but guessing she was cleared well before 08:50.
Like you say, at CKG people tend to check in early (except fellow FT'er RemyMartin who managed to check in even after desk closed, but that is a whole different story). Around 8am or so it is pretty calm at check in.
I didn't look at the time, but guessing she was cleared well before 08:50.
Like you say, at CKG people tend to check in early (except fellow FT'er RemyMartin who managed to check in even after desk closed, but that is a whole different story). Around 8am or so it is pretty calm at check in.
Jul 15, 2015, 8:08 am
#62
Moderator, Finnair
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,172
5a) Asiana Business lounge Incheon
Asiana has several lounges at ICN and they are all large. Arriving in the main terminal, I opt to just go to the nearest one even though my next flight is from the concourse. Going to a lounge far away from the departure gate sometimes renders some biting comments from the lounge, but not here.
-You are very welcome to stay here, I just want to inform you that your flight leaves from the concourse and we do have the exact same lounge there!
- OK, good to know, but now that I'm here, I think I'll stay. How much time will I need to get to the gate?
She gives me a fair number of minutes needed, and then greats me to enter either side of the lounge. They do look the same, and I choose the one closest to the exit.
It is very large and not very busy. And what can be seen in this picture is just one wing of the lounge.
Noticed how similar airport ceilings are? Acoustically challenging, I guess.
I grab a few bites of food, mostly to have something to do while waiting, and get online to see what is happening in the world outside the metal tubes I've been living in.
Now might be a good time to introduce the Mood-ometer. Flying on an itinerary like this, the mood is bound to swing from one end to the other. From the moments when you think to your self "What am I doing?!?" to the frivolous (as in self-indulgently carefree) on fluffy clouds of happy travelling.
I am now 1 day and 20 hours into the trip, totalling 30 hours in the air. Distance travelled is 22 831 km (some 57% of a lap around the world). Here is is how my mood have swung so far:
Not too bad.
Starting out pretty grounded, with normal excitement over a trip. A terrible exit seat experience to HEL brings me down, but easily recuperated by lounge and a nice flight to YYZ. The delay, oversold-chaos at YYZ and jetlag issues renders a new low, but getting a shower at HEL was what was needed to keep me going. Arriving into CKG everything is just peachy, but the 5 hour layover is boring. Nothing that an excellent OZ flight can't cure!
Things are peachy again!
-You are very welcome to stay here, I just want to inform you that your flight leaves from the concourse and we do have the exact same lounge there!
- OK, good to know, but now that I'm here, I think I'll stay. How much time will I need to get to the gate?
She gives me a fair number of minutes needed, and then greats me to enter either side of the lounge. They do look the same, and I choose the one closest to the exit.
It is very large and not very busy. And what can be seen in this picture is just one wing of the lounge.
Noticed how similar airport ceilings are? Acoustically challenging, I guess.
I grab a few bites of food, mostly to have something to do while waiting, and get online to see what is happening in the world outside the metal tubes I've been living in.
Now might be a good time to introduce the Mood-ometer. Flying on an itinerary like this, the mood is bound to swing from one end to the other. From the moments when you think to your self "What am I doing?!?" to the frivolous (as in self-indulgently carefree) on fluffy clouds of happy travelling.
I am now 1 day and 20 hours into the trip, totalling 30 hours in the air. Distance travelled is 22 831 km (some 57% of a lap around the world). Here is is how my mood have swung so far:
Not too bad.
Starting out pretty grounded, with normal excitement over a trip. A terrible exit seat experience to HEL brings me down, but easily recuperated by lounge and a nice flight to YYZ. The delay, oversold-chaos at YYZ and jetlag issues renders a new low, but getting a shower at HEL was what was needed to keep me going. Arriving into CKG everything is just peachy, but the 5 hour layover is boring. Nothing that an excellent OZ flight can't cure!
Things are peachy again!
Jul 15, 2015, 3:28 pm
#65
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: TK Elite Plus, SAS EBG, QR Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,297
Great report so far, the moodometer really gave me a laugh! Didn't know salmon was a popular fish in Finland, in fact my impression is that most Finns were afraid of eating raw fish due to worms. But I guess us Swedes don't have a problem with that.
Oh and also, couldn't you have maximized your routing with your A3 miles? Last year I flew HND-SIN-HKG in SQ Business Class using Aegean miles. Surely you could have come up with a similar routing.
Looking forward to the rest!
Oh and also, couldn't you have maximized your routing with your A3 miles? Last year I flew HND-SIN-HKG in SQ Business Class using Aegean miles. Surely you could have come up with a similar routing.
Looking forward to the rest!
Jul 16, 2015, 2:21 am
#66
Ambassador: Finnair Plus
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+ Plat, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist, Priority Club Plat Amb, Miles and Smiles Elite
Posts: 5,294
That applies to fresh water fish. Salmon etc., no problem.
Jul 17, 2015, 1:47 am
#67
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: TK*G (E+), IHG Plat Ambassador
Posts: 7,884
Me: Good evening! Here is my boarding pass.
Agent: Good evening. (Looks at boarding pass) Eh, sir, are you travelling with BA today?
Me: Eh, no. (thinks to myself: "what, she can't read?!")
Agent: Only travellers on BA can access the lounge.
Me: Aha. Did you finally leave the oneWorld alliance?
Agent: Eh?
Me: I'm just saying, I can access any oneWorld lounge I'd like. So you've left oneWorld?
Agent: I better call my supervisor.
Me: Oh, please do.
Agent (on phone): Eh, I have a Finnair platinum and oneworld emerald customer here, he is flying on Finnair (so she was able to read!) and he says he wants to enter the BA lounge. Aha? Aha. But how do I do it, just scan the BP?!
Agent: Good evening. (Looks at boarding pass) Eh, sir, are you travelling with BA today?
Me: Eh, no. (thinks to myself: "what, she can't read?!")
Agent: Only travellers on BA can access the lounge.
Me: Aha. Did you finally leave the oneWorld alliance?
Agent: Eh?
Me: I'm just saying, I can access any oneWorld lounge I'd like. So you've left oneWorld?
Agent: I better call my supervisor.
Me: Oh, please do.
Agent (on phone): Eh, I have a Finnair platinum and oneworld emerald customer here, he is flying on Finnair (so she was able to read!) and he says he wants to enter the BA lounge. Aha? Aha. But how do I do it, just scan the BP?!
Amezing report! So much for sharing....
Jul 19, 2015, 5:36 am
#68
Moderator, Finnair
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,172
Asiana Seoul-Tokyo OZ108 on A321 HL-7790
Cabin and Seat: Business, 1A
Getting onboard, to my surprise I find the overhead above 1AC full. I find other bins empty, so not a problem. But there is no one i 1C and 1F have not arrived yet.
At this point (based on earlier events), I'm a bit more reluctant to measure seats exactly but I do a quick and rough measurement and find pitch to be an excellent 110cm/43" and width 55cm/21,6". I guess bulkhead seats are the way to go on this plane.
I'm presented with the menu and I chose Bibimbap. The reply is "Okeeey", almost like she expected me to order the western option.
The flyer in 1F has by now fallen asleep and the FA puts the menu card in the seat pocket and is writing down a message for him on a post-it. She puts it on the bulkhead wall for him to see when he wakes. Nice touch.
Food arrives and it looks very nice. It is a lovely set of china and every part of the meal is put in individual bowls with lids.
The FA asks if I know how to eat Bibimbap and I reply "yes, I will put the rice on top and then mix". Perhaps I don't fully convince her of my capabilities, or it is just a nice gesture, but she then proceeds to remove all lids and shows me the condiments and explains some things. (Too bad, because I wanted to get a picture of the complete china set, with the patterns on the lids). Anyway, it looks good and I snap a quick picture before digging in.
I tastes as good as it looks and I soon have finished everything. Coffee and tea arrives in silver pots (or perhaps steel pots in the design of classic silver, it is a very classy look and feel anyway)
It is just a 2h flight, and there are not much more to be said. The Mood-ometer is reaching new highs. For someone being on the road for over 2 days (50,5 hours and been flying for 32 of those) the mood is a lot higher than to be expected. Naturally, it is helped by finally arriving at destination. I am now about to spend 3 days/4 nights in Japan and I'm really looking forward to some time on the ground. But the funny thing is, at this point I don't really feel the miles - it feels almost like I came here a normal route. Strange, isn't it?
Segment results:
BIS: 1 257
TP: 0 (award redemption)
AP: 0
Totals, so far:
BIS: 24 088 km
TP: 42 813 (48% of Zero-to-GOLD-requirement)
AP: 57 813 (approx. equivalent of 3 shorthaul award roundtrips or one longhaul business upgrade voucher)
Getting onboard, to my surprise I find the overhead above 1AC full. I find other bins empty, so not a problem. But there is no one i 1C and 1F have not arrived yet.
At this point (based on earlier events), I'm a bit more reluctant to measure seats exactly but I do a quick and rough measurement and find pitch to be an excellent 110cm/43" and width 55cm/21,6". I guess bulkhead seats are the way to go on this plane.
I'm presented with the menu and I chose Bibimbap. The reply is "Okeeey", almost like she expected me to order the western option.
The flyer in 1F has by now fallen asleep and the FA puts the menu card in the seat pocket and is writing down a message for him on a post-it. She puts it on the bulkhead wall for him to see when he wakes. Nice touch.
Food arrives and it looks very nice. It is a lovely set of china and every part of the meal is put in individual bowls with lids.
The FA asks if I know how to eat Bibimbap and I reply "yes, I will put the rice on top and then mix". Perhaps I don't fully convince her of my capabilities, or it is just a nice gesture, but she then proceeds to remove all lids and shows me the condiments and explains some things. (Too bad, because I wanted to get a picture of the complete china set, with the patterns on the lids). Anyway, it looks good and I snap a quick picture before digging in.
I tastes as good as it looks and I soon have finished everything. Coffee and tea arrives in silver pots (or perhaps steel pots in the design of classic silver, it is a very classy look and feel anyway)
It is just a 2h flight, and there are not much more to be said. The Mood-ometer is reaching new highs. For someone being on the road for over 2 days (50,5 hours and been flying for 32 of those) the mood is a lot higher than to be expected. Naturally, it is helped by finally arriving at destination. I am now about to spend 3 days/4 nights in Japan and I'm really looking forward to some time on the ground. But the funny thing is, at this point I don't really feel the miles - it feels almost like I came here a normal route. Strange, isn't it?
Segment results:
BIS: 1 257
TP: 0 (award redemption)
AP: 0
Totals, so far:
BIS: 24 088 km
TP: 42 813 (48% of Zero-to-GOLD-requirement)
AP: 57 813 (approx. equivalent of 3 shorthaul award roundtrips or one longhaul business upgrade voucher)
Last edited by intuition; Nov 15, 2016 at 4:27 am Reason: Image re-linking
Jul 19, 2015, 4:13 pm
#71
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: trash airline program here
Posts: 83
Love the report.
OZ really is a wonderful airline. We flew their suites equipped 777 jfk-icn last summer and the service, food and hard product were all phenomenal. Cant wait to fly them again
OZ really is a wonderful airline. We flew their suites equipped 777 jfk-icn last summer and the service, food and hard product were all phenomenal. Cant wait to fly them again
Jul 22, 2015, 5:31 am
#73
Moderator, Finnair
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,172
Some time on the ground
Arriving pretty late into NRT, I had decided to stay close to the airport. There was a promotion for extra points from Accor so the choice fell on Mecure Narita.
In my limited experience, their Mercure brand is usually nice, but this hotel was just like any other Japanese business hotel. Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly fine in a standard Japanese business hotel, I'm just saying this wasn't anything worth paying a premium for.
The only notable thing was the inability to code the door card for the duration of the stay. Since I've had the same issue with Accor/China, perhaps this is an Accor thing. Really very annoying to force customers to go to the counter every day to renew the card, despite room being booked, confirmed and paid in full for the duration.
I spend some time getting used to Tokyo commuter lines. 'Getting used to', in this case, means acting with a confidence without the matching proficiency. Or, in other words, refusing to look at the route map and deciding to get off when I recognized the neighbourhood. Naturally it was the wrong station, and I learned how to exchange a semi-used Keisei ticket for a JR one.
I spend some time in the Ryogoku area, and even though the season was over, there were some Sumo wrestlers walking the streets. I went to the (very large) Edo-Tokyo museum close to the Ryogoku station on the Sobu main line, and it was well worth a visit.
While this part of the trip isn't part of the run, I can't help but at least present one picture. Of food, naturally. New, just in from the creators, was this.
A Danish pastry, topped with soft ice cream, garnished with red bean jam and green tea powder sprinkled all over. Four nice things combined into one - of course I had to try it!
Next up, the TYO-TOY flights. Just love to say that. I partly picked the destination just to lure people into thinking I misspelled the Tokyo code (even though there are interesting things to do in Toyama)
In my limited experience, their Mercure brand is usually nice, but this hotel was just like any other Japanese business hotel. Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly fine in a standard Japanese business hotel, I'm just saying this wasn't anything worth paying a premium for.
The only notable thing was the inability to code the door card for the duration of the stay. Since I've had the same issue with Accor/China, perhaps this is an Accor thing. Really very annoying to force customers to go to the counter every day to renew the card, despite room being booked, confirmed and paid in full for the duration.
I spend some time getting used to Tokyo commuter lines. 'Getting used to', in this case, means acting with a confidence without the matching proficiency. Or, in other words, refusing to look at the route map and deciding to get off when I recognized the neighbourhood. Naturally it was the wrong station, and I learned how to exchange a semi-used Keisei ticket for a JR one.
I spend some time in the Ryogoku area, and even though the season was over, there were some Sumo wrestlers walking the streets. I went to the (very large) Edo-Tokyo museum close to the Ryogoku station on the Sobu main line, and it was well worth a visit.
While this part of the trip isn't part of the run, I can't help but at least present one picture. Of food, naturally. New, just in from the creators, was this.
A Danish pastry, topped with soft ice cream, garnished with red bean jam and green tea powder sprinkled all over. Four nice things combined into one - of course I had to try it!
Next up, the TYO-TOY flights. Just love to say that. I partly picked the destination just to lure people into thinking I misspelled the Tokyo code (even though there are interesting things to do in Toyama)
Jul 22, 2015, 11:38 am
#75
Moderator, Finnair
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,172
Actually I found it to be OK. You have to eat it before the icecream melts, because the danish really loses its appeal when wet... Also, it depends on if you like read beans or not. They are not sweet, so it might be an odd mix for some.
While I'm getting ready to post next segments, here is a bonus video clip from the train to Tateyama. Ticket machine is offering a ticket as soon as the door opens, and if no one takes it, then ... ... well see for yourself.