First Class marathon: RTW on Lufthansa, Garuda Indonesia, Korean & Cathay Pacific
Dec 9, 2016, 1:52 pm
#121
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 1,782
We were in either the Wing or Pier in 2014 (can't remember which one) prior to our biz flight from HK to EWR. I remember being upstairs in one of the lounges and it was hotter than hell. Maybe it was a combination of being upstairs and all the windows, but it was a noticeable difference in temperature one we moved downstairs.
Did you experience any of that? Perhaps it has changed.
My cousin lives near/attached to the Element Mall. I remember that she said that she can buy all the super-fancy clothes for the kids, she really just wanted an Old Navy. LOL
Did you experience any of that? Perhaps it has changed.
My cousin lives near/attached to the Element Mall. I remember that she said that she can buy all the super-fancy clothes for the kids, she really just wanted an Old Navy. LOL
Dec 12, 2016, 1:44 am
#122
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Germany
Programs: Some
Posts: 11,522
We were in either the Wing or Pier in 2014 (can't remember which one) prior to our biz flight from HK to EWR. I remember being upstairs in one of the lounges and it was hotter than hell. Maybe it was a combination of being upstairs and all the windows, but it was a noticeable difference in temperature one we moved downstairs.
Did you experience any of that? Perhaps it has changed.
My cousin lives near/attached to the Element Mall. I remember that she said that she can buy all the super-fancy clothes for the kids, she really just wanted an Old Navy. LOL
Did you experience any of that? Perhaps it has changed.
My cousin lives near/attached to the Element Mall. I remember that she said that she can buy all the super-fancy clothes for the kids, she really just wanted an Old Navy. LOL
Dec 12, 2016, 2:37 am
#123
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,662
Dec 13, 2016, 11:48 pm
#124
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 68
Piggybacking on SFO777's thread to say that I am in the last three and a half hours of my flight and Garuda F is even better than advertised. The product and service have been flawless. I hope the airline can keep the F cabin in place because they have this down to a science.
Dec 14, 2016, 12:34 am
#125
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,662
Piggybacking on SFO777's thread to say that I am in the last three and a half hours of my flight and Garuda F is even better than advertised. The product and service have been flawless. I hope the airline can keep the F cabin in place because they have this down to a science.
Dec 15, 2016, 4:08 pm
#127
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver • DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 21,602
Sorry for delay in finishing this report, but here we go...
At around T-50, we headed out for the long, long, long walk back to Gate 4.
Hong Kong - Los Angeles
Cathay Pacific 880
777-300ER (77W)
12:15a-8:40 -1
November 17, 2016
Departed 6/8
Seat 1A
Priority boarding, CX style.
Yeah, the cabin is a little dated and the suites don't have doors, but it is still a very nice and spacious 1-1-1 configuration 6 seat cabin. And Cathay reliably releases F award seats inside the last 7-10 days.
Now that's a pre-departure beverage!
Pre-departure amuse bouche was some kind of chilled salmon mousse. Seriously yuck. The cracker was tasty though.
The current Cathay First Class amenity kit. OK, this is pretty pathetic.
Tonight's menu, not fancy binder, just a paper menu stuffed with a bunch of extra pages...
German wine promotion? Really??
Not that anything on the menu mattered, as immediately after take-off, I asked our FA to make my bed, and please do not wake me. Popped an Ambien and slept like a baby for nearly 7 hours in a very comfy bed.
When I finally surfaced, I was pretty hungry. The cheeseburger was delicious... grilled Australian grain fed beef burger with swiss cheese and pickled gherkin.
Oh yeah!
Almost home.
We arrived LAX on time and our whirlwind 72+ hour RTW trip was history. What an enjoyable trip. Thanks for batmandds for his company along the way. Hope to do something like this again in 2017.
For an HD version of this report please visit SFO777.com
At around T-50, we headed out for the long, long, long walk back to Gate 4.
Hong Kong - Los Angeles
Cathay Pacific 880
777-300ER (77W)
12:15a-8:40 -1
November 17, 2016
Departed 6/8
Seat 1A
Priority boarding, CX style.
Yeah, the cabin is a little dated and the suites don't have doors, but it is still a very nice and spacious 1-1-1 configuration 6 seat cabin. And Cathay reliably releases F award seats inside the last 7-10 days.
Now that's a pre-departure beverage!
Pre-departure amuse bouche was some kind of chilled salmon mousse. Seriously yuck. The cracker was tasty though.
The current Cathay First Class amenity kit. OK, this is pretty pathetic.
Tonight's menu, not fancy binder, just a paper menu stuffed with a bunch of extra pages...
German wine promotion? Really??
Not that anything on the menu mattered, as immediately after take-off, I asked our FA to make my bed, and please do not wake me. Popped an Ambien and slept like a baby for nearly 7 hours in a very comfy bed.
When I finally surfaced, I was pretty hungry. The cheeseburger was delicious... grilled Australian grain fed beef burger with swiss cheese and pickled gherkin.
Oh yeah!
Almost home.
We arrived LAX on time and our whirlwind 72+ hour RTW trip was history. What an enjoyable trip. Thanks for batmandds for his company along the way. Hope to do something like this again in 2017.
For an HD version of this report please visit SFO777.com
Last edited by SFO777; Dec 16, 2016 at 7:11 am
Dec 15, 2016, 4:26 pm
#128
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver • DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 21,602
. It was weird then, doesn't look any different from what I had.
Just got to check out one of your best TR's yet, SFO777 - and that's saying a lot in terms of how many other great ones you've posted. I guess I particularly liked this one for the variety of flights you took and reviewed.
I regret (though I'm sure not nearly as much as you did) that you got stuck with that Korean 747 swap and couldn't fly the newer Korean 747 F version.
Interesting that you were disappointed in the LH F on-board wine service. One of the nicest on-board experiences we've had was when a fantastic LH FA served my wine expert wife a great flight/tasting. But that was a couple of years ago and perhaps it was down to that one great FA.
And thanks for the Garuda review! As someone who flew Garuda a lot domestically during the previous decade, I'm still amazed that the same airline has such a wonderful international F product...not to mention getting an SFO777 Top Three rating!
Great pics, as usual...though it did seem that one of your post-meal Garuda photos - after X glasses of Y kinds of wine - seemed just a bit blurred.
A couple of questions, though: It seems as though most of your connections were on separate tickets. Were you worried at all about misconnecting due to a delay or canceled flight, and being SOL for missing the subsequent flight(s)? Or was this somehow set up so that you could avoid that potential problem (and if so, how)?
I regret (though I'm sure not nearly as much as you did) that you got stuck with that Korean 747 swap and couldn't fly the newer Korean 747 F version.
Interesting that you were disappointed in the LH F on-board wine service. One of the nicest on-board experiences we've had was when a fantastic LH FA served my wine expert wife a great flight/tasting. But that was a couple of years ago and perhaps it was down to that one great FA.
And thanks for the Garuda review! As someone who flew Garuda a lot domestically during the previous decade, I'm still amazed that the same airline has such a wonderful international F product...not to mention getting an SFO777 Top Three rating!
Great pics, as usual...though it did seem that one of your post-meal Garuda photos - after X glasses of Y kinds of wine - seemed just a bit blurred.
A couple of questions, though: It seems as though most of your connections were on separate tickets. Were you worried at all about misconnecting due to a delay or canceled flight, and being SOL for missing the subsequent flight(s)? Or was this somehow set up so that you could avoid that potential problem (and if so, how)?
These were indeed separate tickets, 4 of them. While there is always a risk of a cancellation messing things up, I try to leave at least 4 hours between flights on separate tickets just to pad for delays. This time, we had 4.5 to 10 hours so I really wasn't concerned.
QR offers extensive ground services at DOH. From the First Class check-in area, I was escorted through security to the lounge and was then picked up from the lounge and brought to the plane. I don't think they do this at other airports, but the ground experience at Doha - if you start your journey there - is quite good.
We were in either the Wing or Pier in 2014 (can't remember which one) prior to our biz flight from HK to EWR. I remember being upstairs in one of the lounges and it was hotter than hell. Maybe it was a combination of being upstairs and all the windows, but it was a noticeable difference in temperature one we moved downstairs.
Did you experience any of that? Perhaps it has changed.
My cousin lives near/attached to the Element Mall. I remember that she said that she can buy all the super-fancy clothes for the kids, she really just wanted an Old Navy. LOL
Did you experience any of that? Perhaps it has changed.
My cousin lives near/attached to the Element Mall. I remember that she said that she can buy all the super-fancy clothes for the kids, she really just wanted an Old Navy. LOL
Piggybacking on SFO777's thread to say that I am in the last three and a half hours of my flight and Garuda F is even better than advertised. The product and service have been flawless. I hope the airline can keep the F cabin in place because they have this down to a science.
Dec 15, 2016, 8:50 pm
#129
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: AF Plat, DL Gold
Posts: 366
LOL- I totally forgot about that "German wine promotion." I wanted nothing to do with that. But the bottle and a half of Krug was nice before getting some sleep. Thanks for the great company as well SFO777 and let's see what 2017 brings.
Dec 16, 2016, 12:47 am
#130
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
Programs: BA Bronze, Emirates Silver, Virgin Silver, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,403
Thanks for another great TR.
Would you do a similar thing again or do the trip over a longer period so you can enjoy the cities you stopped off at rather than just experiencing the airports?
Would you do a similar thing again or do the trip over a longer period so you can enjoy the cities you stopped off at rather than just experiencing the airports?
Dec 16, 2016, 6:37 am
#131
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London
Programs: Many. Too many. I came here to cut them down. I failed.
Posts: 2,999
I'm late to the party with this review, but I just wanted to say thanks!
Earlier on this year I flew Garuda in J on the same route, and returned in Y (the only day flight from Bali now - but with a great connection in Singapore (as the flight goes LHR-CGK-SIN-LHR).
Both Business Class and Economy are ALSO outstanding - not just the First which looked incredible (I went and had a peek)! In my flying experience only SQ Suites were an improvement on GA J.
Econonmy is a 3-3-3 which is a godsend on a loooooong flight in Y - some smaller issues (cannot prebook seats in Y, a LOT of rice in Y) - but after 56 hours of Garuda flights I can say that only SQ consistently beats GA in economy (i've better flights in Y on TG & QR - but also some poor ones).
And there are some excellent prices in Y,J & F ex-UK -so do jump in and book - Garuda are miles and miles ahead of most peoples expectations! BUT connections are limited which is sad (could be improved with earlier departure ex-LHR and night flight from CGK to LHR).
I wish i'd done a trip report now - but it would be a poor mans versions of SFO777's!
Earlier on this year I flew Garuda in J on the same route, and returned in Y (the only day flight from Bali now - but with a great connection in Singapore (as the flight goes LHR-CGK-SIN-LHR).
Both Business Class and Economy are ALSO outstanding - not just the First which looked incredible (I went and had a peek)! In my flying experience only SQ Suites were an improvement on GA J.
Econonmy is a 3-3-3 which is a godsend on a loooooong flight in Y - some smaller issues (cannot prebook seats in Y, a LOT of rice in Y) - but after 56 hours of Garuda flights I can say that only SQ consistently beats GA in economy (i've better flights in Y on TG & QR - but also some poor ones).
And there are some excellent prices in Y,J & F ex-UK -so do jump in and book - Garuda are miles and miles ahead of most peoples expectations! BUT connections are limited which is sad (could be improved with earlier departure ex-LHR and night flight from CGK to LHR).
I wish i'd done a trip report now - but it would be a poor mans versions of SFO777's!
Dec 17, 2016, 9:34 pm
#135
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
Programs: OW Emerald, *A Gold, NEXUS, GE, ABTC/APEC, South Korea SES, eIACS, PP, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 16,046
SFO,
I hope you do not mind me asking this question in your TR.
I just returned from my first Trans Pacific trip,ATL-BKK and back. All First and Bus Cl.
This is also the first time I have jet lag and it was bad. I am almost 70. Also had to take
3 planes.
When you go RTW is jet lag ever an issue for you ? Do you ever do anything to lessen
the effects of Jetlag or because you fly so much it is not a factor ?
BTW, I am also a big fan and read all your TRs.
I hope you do not mind me asking this question in your TR.
I just returned from my first Trans Pacific trip,ATL-BKK and back. All First and Bus Cl.
This is also the first time I have jet lag and it was bad. I am almost 70. Also had to take
3 planes.
When you go RTW is jet lag ever an issue for you ? Do you ever do anything to lessen
the effects of Jetlag or because you fly so much it is not a factor ?
BTW, I am also a big fan and read all your TRs.