Flyingfox

Thanks for the report.

The food in BA business class looks ridiculous. It has really gone downhill in the last 5 years.

There was no sign of "beetroot" in your starter. The presentation looks terrible.

The main (steak) looks exactly like something that would be served in economy.

BA should be ashamed of themselves. Even AA's soft product product puts them in the shade now!

oneworld82

Hi Flyingfox,

AA's food and wines have improved a lot in the past year or so in business class, but BA has still an edge when it comes to service and (excluding the 77W) hard product.

chris1979

great report and nice to see the QR F cabin - thanks for posting!

oneworld82

thank you!

mpkz

Good stuff so far, keep it coming!

FlyerBeek

Fantastic read so far. Thanks for sharing!

-FlyerBeek

BUT777

Thanks for the report! I was flying the same route from CDG to Doha few days ago in F also, the menu looks exactly the same except mine was without the Palate pleasers. When was your flight was taken? Just wonder how often do they update the menu.

And the presentation of the caviar was different too.

oneworld82

Hi there,

it was in June - and it's shameful that they didn't change the menu at all. This just tells me QR doesn't believe much in First Class.

oneworld82

+++As always, please follow my blog. I get nothing from it but the gratification of knowing that people enjoy reading it.+++

Once landed at the new Doha airport it was a rather long walk to the transfer desk where I got my connecting boarding pass to Philadelphia. This time I would be seated in row 13, on an old-version business class seat.

I went through security and then I explored the terminal duty-free area a bit – it was quite impressive to see how many people there were at midnight at the airport, a reminder of the huge night-time bank characterizing Qatar Airways departures. The new terminal is sleek, modern, with lots of shops. It’s a nice area where to spend a hour or so shopping around.

I proceeded to my gate about 45 minutes before departure, and within minutes we started boarding.

I took my seat – located in the mini-cabin behind the main business class cabin – and it turned out I was seated next to a Jamaican QR pilot who was going back home for Father’s Day weekend. That ensured good conversations for a good chunk of the flight.





My assigned flight attendant came by shortly after I had sit down to introduce herself – she was Chinese and it turned out she spoke Italian, as her fiancé was from my same country or origin. That set the mood off right.

I got a glass of orange juice pre-departure, and then I started taking a look at my seat. While the 2-2-2 configuration doesn’t guarantee complete aisle access, the cabin is very comfortable and luxurious. The color palette and seat-finishing are top notch, and so are the seat features. Good lighting, lots of reclining options, easy-to-use IFE system. While the seat is not as private as AA’s business class seat (or Cathay Pacific’s), this is overall a great seat.













After take off, the flight attendant came around taking dinner orders. While I originally did not plan to eat too much, the menu looked so appetizing that I ended up getting a full meal.

I started with some amuse bouche and a glass of Dom Perignon. It was some sort of dumpling with fish roes and a dipping sauce – I honestly do not remember how it tasted.



That was followed by a fastastic mushroom soup. It was a clear, broth-y soup that was extremely flavorful and not heavy in the least! I really enjoyed this dish.



After the soup the appetizer followed. It was basically a mix of samosas – very tasty.



The the main dish followed – lamb over pilaf rice. It was very nicely presented, and it tasted great.



So far the meal had been excellent. How to top it off? Why with a Laduree chocolate cake, of course!





After brushing my teeth and lying my seat flat in bed mode, I fell asleep for a good 6 hours – some of the longest sleep time I have ever gotten on a plane. The seat was very comfortable, and the cabin temperature was just right. Turn down service was not offered though, which was a tad disappointing (although this was only business class, I understand that QR offers turn down service on these flights).

I woke up with about 4 hours to go, and after watching some Big Bang Theory I was ready for some breakfast.



The menu was pretty exhaustive, but I wasn’t too hungry. I opted for a Middle Eastern breakfast of foul medames, lebneh, and halloumi, together with some orange juice and a cappuccino. I also asked for some scrambled eggs, but the crew was out of eggs – quite an oddity on a U.S.-bound flight if you ask me. Anyways, food quality was very good.







After watching some more TV…



…I proceeded to the restroom to change and freshen up. We landed in PHL on time, and off I went to take my connection to Dallas.



Overall, this was an amazing flight on Qatar Airways – definitely the best business class product overall I have flown to date. Great service, great F&B, comfortable seat, great amenities (same kit as on QR F)… My fourteen hours to Philadelphia literally flew away. Qatar Airways offers, comparatively, a better business class experience than a first class one, and the product is slightly better than Etihad Airways in J.

I will now have to try Emirates business class to have the full picture, but I consider myself very lucky to have tried this great product on a ultra-long haul route.

oneworld82

Oh boy… here we go.

Thuy and I met about a year ago in Dallas, and ever since it’s been growing love between us. So much so that I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I have never been good at formalizing things and respecting traditions (my bad), because I think that following one’s heart is more important than conventions, but I did want to try to make this one right, to surprise her, to spoil her for our engagement.

I don’t like and I do not mean to bore anyone out here, I just want to write down how that special weekend went so that one day we can look back and read how everything went. Because, let’s face it, that was a pretty magical weekend for us. And as we are expecting a baby (yes!!!), it would be cool if he or she would read how mom and dad got engaged (or at least, we think it would!).

I had spent a fair amount of time planning this weekend – coincidentally, it was July 4th weekend – and everything was made more challenging by the fact that I had been traveling so much for work lately.

On the 2nd of July Thuy and I were to meet in the Bay Area. She flew in from Dallas, while I flew in from NYC, on AA’s A32T (in First Class, nonetheless).

Let me tell you a bit about that flight. I was able to get a seat in what is an amazing plane for a domestic (albeit long) flight. The 1-1 configuration in first class makes it very exclusive and private – and it helps that the seat is the same that AA uses for its 77W fleet in business class.

The flight boarded about one hour late due to some issues with a couple of seats in first class. Once those issues were fixed, first class passengers were invited aboard and I took my seat, 4G.

Flight AA177, JFK-SFO
July 2nd, 2015, 06:00p – 09:44p
Airbus A32T
First Class, Seat 4G

AA’s product on this plane is pretty much industry leading in terms of premium cabin. 1-1 configuation in first class with international business class seats, and 2-2 configuration in business class (with lie-flat seats as well). The cabin was 9/10 full.

The seat is exactly the same found on the B77W’s business class: spacious, private, comfortable, with a big TV screen. As I have reviewed this product before, I will not go into too much detail, but I will just say that I can hardly imagine a better way to fly across the US than this.



















A very nice feature of AA’s first class on this flight is the amenity kit – same as the ones provided in international J class. Again, a very nice touch.









I like the fact that AA now offers champagne in flute glasses and not in the steemless cups anymore.

The table was promptly set about 15 minutes after the nuts were served, and dinner started. As appetizer, I chose the salmon dip, served with toasted baguette. It was very good.





Afterwards, a salad followed.



Then, the main course arrived. I usually don’t order fish on planes, but this time I decided to try the halibut (also because the chicken was already sold out).



What can I say… this dish was a winner! The fish was moist and flavorful – a rare occurrence on planes. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Next, dessert came – butterscotch sundae for me, please!



One of the best features of the A32T is an onboard Nespresso machine in premium cabin; that meant I had an espresso to end the meal properly.



The meal was, in all honesty, very good. In a trend I have noticed in the past few months, AA’s catering has improved quite a bit in its premium cabin – at least domestic long haul and international. The wines and other beverages still aren’t on par with top foreign carriers, but hopefully AA will get there.

After this filling meal I finished watching an Italian masterpiece movie (Rome, Open City directed by Roberto Rossellini) before reclining my seat in bed position and falling asleep until 40 minutes outside of SFO. The cabin got pretty warm at a point, but that happens during most flights (at least to me) unfortunately. The sleep quality in these seats is rather good.

Before landing, warm cookies and fruit were offered, but I skipped as I was still very full from dinner. Also, during the flight snack baskets were left near the first seat row for customers to enjoy. Another nice touch.

The cabin crew was attentive and polite throughout the flight – a good note of this flight as well.

In conclusion, I have to say that the First Class on the A32T is an excellent product – especially since this is a domestic service. It really feels like an international service, a first probably among U.S. carriers. While I wait to try the business class in the same equipment, I have to say “good job” to AA and hope that they will keep out to good work up!

oneworld82

Thanks for all the comments so far!

oneworld82

Once landed in SFO, I proceeded to Alamo, got my rental through very useful self-service kiosks, and then drove to SJC to pick up Thuy, as her flight was landing there. After picking her up we drove back to Redwood City, where we stayed for the night (it was midnight already) at the Hyatt House.

The hotel was fine – the suites are spacious and well kept, and the hotel felt new. We had breakfast the morning after before leaving – the spread and quality was good, but the place was overcrowded with families.

After filling ourselves up, we then drove to Half Moon Bay on what was a great, sunny summer day. I had chosen Half Moon Bay for this special occasion because I know that the Bay Area – especially on the coast – never gets too hot. And I was right, as we are about to see.



As soon as you cross the mountain range separating the Bay from the Ocean, the weather cools down to a balmy 70F and the sky becomes misty; it’s quite the sight.

True to its reputation, this stretch of highway 1 between San Francisco and Santa Cruz boasts spectacular views of cliffs, coves, and lighthouses. Moss and low vegetation reign in this part of the World, giving the environment a fascinating semi-desert-like feel.

After a little more than a hour we reached the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, a splendid construction that used to guide fishermen in these rugged waters. Next to the lighthouse lies a nice sandy cove, with seals swimming by. Here I proposed Thuy, and she thankfully said yes! And I said thankfully because I had written a whole proposal, that I had dutifully memorized, only to tear up while proposing to her and forgetting half of it… :-O It was a very special, very emotional moment, that reassured me even more that she really is the one. For all the guys out there: whenever you’ll find THE ONE, you’ll know it! Oh, also, because of the anxiety of the moment, I even forgot to kneel down. #totalfail :-P





Even though it wasn’t a total surprise, I know I managed to surprise, as she did not know when or how I was going to propose. Mission accomplished



As a newly-engaged couple, we took a look around this stunning area and took a few pictures before moving north to the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, where we’d stay for the night.











We reached the hotel around 11.30a, and we were stunned right away by the gorgeous locale of the hotel, perched on a long, scenic cliff along the coast. We valet-parked the car and proceeded to check-in; our room wasn’t ready yet, but we were offered a couple of glasses of Napa sparkling wine right away. We walked around the property, and then down the coastal trail that led us to a cliff with a gorgeous view of the vast beach underneath.





The hotel sits on two beautifully-landscaped golf courses, and the grounds in general are beautiful and very well-kept. The resort itself is not too large – a definite plus. The outside courtyard is very nice, very relaxing; we decided to have lunch at the al fresco restaurant overlooking it; I had crab sliders, and Thuy had clam chowder served in a sourdough bowl. Both were good, albeit not exceptional.







Around 2pm I got a call from the front desk, advising that our room was ready. Given that this was a special occasion, the concierge/front desk had upgraded us to a corner ocean view room on the very top floor of the main building. The room was incredible – junior suite-size, elegant and contemporary (just like I like it!). The ocean view made our stay all the more memorable.























As peonies are Thuy’s favorite flowers, I had arranged for a bouquet to be delivered to our room before our arrival. I was very glad when we walked in and the flowers were there already.



The hotel also complimented us with chocolate-covered strawberries.



Shortly after, Thuy went to the salon for a hair do and make up session, as I had hired a photographer for an engagement session later in the afternoon. She was happy with make up but less so with the hair do, as it didn’t last but a few hours. I checked out the gym, which was well equipped.



After changing into our clothes, at 6pm we headed to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, a charming place just north of Half Moon Bay that became the perfect background for our photos. Kudos to Daniel Neil – our photographer – for some amazing shots!



Here are some shots from the photo session:





















After the photo session, we headed back to the hotel for a romantic dinner at the hotel’s seafood restaurant – Navio. While the food was good but not memorable, the experience was fantastic, as service and atmosphere were top notch. Here are some pictures from it, including poke, lobster bisque, grilled salmon, and duck.











After this incredible dining (thanks again to the staff for an incredible evening!), we heded back to our room, where we found a rose petal turndown ready for us.



After a wonderful night of sleep, we woke up at 6am to a beautiful misty morning, and headed downstairs for a tour of a quiet hotel and then a walk outside.

















Next: July 4th in San Francisco!

calvinoeh

Congrats!!

offerendum

Congratulation I stayed at Half Moon Bay in 2013. The Location is great, but I wasn´t too impressed by the hotel. I liked our Suite layout, but Service and atmosphere was not what I expect. But glad your expectations were fulfilled

oneworld82

Thanks a lot. We did like the resort a lot - the staff really went above and beyond to make our stay memorable! Half Moon Bay is really a beautiful place - very underrated.