'Mr Red Eyes’: Re-Qualifying for *G on TK, SAA, ET in Y (live)
Nov 23, 2016, 1:55 pm
#16
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interlude / lounges
My qualification year for Aegean (in common with all the ‘old’ Golds) ends on November 23rd, ie today, and this flight tonight, at 23:35, will push me over the 24k miles for requalification, with 25 minutes to spare. There is some scepticism on the A3 board that this will actually happen automatically, but I have faith in Greek IT 
This is on a separate ticket to the previous flight into JNB, but with the number of CPT-JNB flights I’m very comfortable with a three hour connection, and have in the past booked two hour connections when needed. The extra hour gives me time to stop off at the Keg & Aviator to have a couple of decent beers and a burger for dinner, except it’s not called that any more; I was confused by Ditto’s reference to ‘Airport Craft Beers’, but apparently that took over the K&A space in December.
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The beer was good, the burger was crap – if anyone cares, my go to recommendation for a good simple burger in ZA (with decent beer) is Rocomamas, branches all over the place.
I head from the domestic side to the international side, checking the ‘other’ security queue on the way and it’s superquiet, so I figure that I’ll head back once I’ve got my BPs. Except I do checkin (and I love the way that ET really take care of *G, the checkin agent forcefully stopping a ‘nobody’ and waving me forward) and swing past the usual security queue…
And it’s empty. Literally empty. As is emigration behind it. So I’m in the lounge about 10 minutes after leaving the pub, of which 8.5 minutes was walking. I’m used to the queues at 5-7pm, which can be horrendous, and by 9:30 it’s super-easy.
So into the lounge and my second shower for the day. I did think about asking the mods to change the title to ‘across Africa in lounge showers’, after I take my fourth lounge shower in 48 hours, but then I realise that there is no showering available in ADD or ACC… And I’m taken by the differences in the international and domestic lounges for SAA at JNB. As I mentioned back in post 12, the toiletries in the domestic lounge showers are Aigner (‘made for SAA’, admittedly, but still branded Aigner) while in intl they are out of unmarked vats on the wall. And while the domestic lounge had no bottled water, and I at first thought it was the same in int’l
There’s another fridge around the corner
The bar staff laughed at my request for ‘a brandy, with another brandy to keep it company’ – and when they asked about ice I suggested putting another brandy in there instead. And when I came out of the shower to watch the CL Arsenal-PSG game and type this, they asked if I wanted a topup.
To which I said yes.
More tomorrow.
This is on a separate ticket to the previous flight into JNB, but with the number of CPT-JNB flights I’m very comfortable with a three hour connection, and have in the past booked two hour connections when needed. The extra hour gives me time to stop off at the Keg & Aviator to have a couple of decent beers and a burger for dinner, except it’s not called that any more; I was confused by Ditto’s reference to ‘Airport Craft Beers’, but apparently that took over the K&A space in December.
[/urlThe beer was good, the burger was crap – if anyone cares, my go to recommendation for a good simple burger in ZA (with decent beer) is Rocomamas, branches all over the place.
I head from the domestic side to the international side, checking the ‘other’ security queue on the way and it’s superquiet, so I figure that I’ll head back once I’ve got my BPs. Except I do checkin (and I love the way that ET really take care of *G, the checkin agent forcefully stopping a ‘nobody’ and waving me forward) and swing past the usual security queue…
And it’s empty. Literally empty. As is emigration behind it. So I’m in the lounge about 10 minutes after leaving the pub, of which 8.5 minutes was walking. I’m used to the queues at 5-7pm, which can be horrendous, and by 9:30 it’s super-easy.
So into the lounge and my second shower for the day. I did think about asking the mods to change the title to ‘across Africa in lounge showers’, after I take my fourth lounge shower in 48 hours, but then I realise that there is no showering available in ADD or ACC… And I’m taken by the differences in the international and domestic lounges for SAA at JNB. As I mentioned back in post 12, the toiletries in the domestic lounge showers are Aigner (‘made for SAA’, admittedly, but still branded Aigner) while in intl they are out of unmarked vats on the wall. And while the domestic lounge had no bottled water, and I at first thought it was the same in int’l
There’s another fridge around the corner
The bar staff laughed at my request for ‘a brandy, with another brandy to keep it company’ – and when they asked about ice I suggested putting another brandy in there instead. And when I came out of the shower to watch the CL Arsenal-PSG game and type this, they asked if I wanted a topup.
To which I said yes.
More tomorrow.
Nov 23, 2016, 2:09 pm
#17
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Nov 24, 2016, 10:47 am
#19
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I don't think that there's anywhere else at JNB, either landside or airside, with any craft beer/beer beyond Castle/Hansa/Heineken, so on that basis (only) I would recommend ACB. I'd be delighted to find out that I was wrong.
Nov 24, 2016, 10:51 am
#20
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I tend to stick to the excellent and very good value wines in S.A.
Nov 24, 2016, 10:54 am
#21
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i've run out of vaguely relevant references from ELO songs...
ET848, B767
Scheduled: 23:35-06:00
Actual: right around there-05:45
Seat: 20H
This is my first flight on ET in more than a year – while part of me wants to see how they perform, most of me couldn’t give a rat’s ... and will try to get to sleep +/- on takeoff.
I hadn’t really noticed when checking the a/c allocation, but we have a 767 for tonight’s flight to ADD. Those in the front are cursing, but we in Y are cheering – these are such super comfy seats, designed before airlines sacrificed botty comfort for measurable inches ( and as I write those words I realise that there’s the makings of a filthy joke in there!). I board latish, after walking out towards the A380-capable gates of A10-18 – force of habit after taking BA56 many times – and only realise when I get to the end of the pier that A8 is back towards security. The gate is quiet, and I guess that many people started their trip in CPT (as did I, but fancied a longer layover in jnb and needed the extra miles on SAA @150%) – there’s not a lot of space left in the overheads, but I do some shuffling and find space for mine.
I have an aisle middle, with the middle middle next to me free (it’s a near full flight, so maybe a perk of status?) and I chat briefly to my seatmate in the other aisle. Turns out that he has just started as the country manager for AN major infrastructure company in DRC, based in Kinshasa, to where he is returning. We bemoaned the corporate cost-cutting that leaves him in Y, and laughed about how loud Congolese are, before I prepared myself for the night. I’d learnt my lesson from Monday, so it was pillow/eyemask/nc earbuds/hypno track and next thing I know we’re on final descent.
I vaguely think that there might have been some food served at some point, but honestly all the nights and services are blending and maybe there wasn’t. Anyway, I have no photos at all of this leg.
We landed into a beautiful Addis dawn, at a bus gate (obviously), and the air was warm and African (those who’ve spent time there know what I mean). I have a 2 or so hour layover, so I’m quickly into the lounge, which I see hasn’t changed. Actually, it has a bit – there is a relatively new lounge for Cloud 9 (ET business class passengers) and I think their own elites, which apparently is nicer than this one, for the *G lice. [This is a contrast to LH, who put Senators into nicer lounges than biz customers, but makes much more sense to me]. Because of that, the lounge seems quieter than I remember, but as time ticks by and the morning rush builds it does get busier.
Refreshments are pretty much as I recall (ie dire), and while the ‘beef with onions’ was okay, the sausages were just
I knew that I wouldn’t get a shower here, so stay in my pajamas and yesterday’s shirt. It makes me look very scruffy in comparison to all the Africans, but I don’t care.
Addis really is a ‘one airline’ town!
Although the airport is getting upgraded!
Scheduled: 23:35-06:00
Actual: right around there-05:45
Seat: 20H
This is my first flight on ET in more than a year – while part of me wants to see how they perform, most of me couldn’t give a rat’s ... and will try to get to sleep +/- on takeoff.
I hadn’t really noticed when checking the a/c allocation, but we have a 767 for tonight’s flight to ADD. Those in the front are cursing, but we in Y are cheering – these are such super comfy seats, designed before airlines sacrificed botty comfort for measurable inches ( and as I write those words I realise that there’s the makings of a filthy joke in there!). I board latish, after walking out towards the A380-capable gates of A10-18 – force of habit after taking BA56 many times – and only realise when I get to the end of the pier that A8 is back towards security. The gate is quiet, and I guess that many people started their trip in CPT (as did I, but fancied a longer layover in jnb and needed the extra miles on SAA @150%) – there’s not a lot of space left in the overheads, but I do some shuffling and find space for mine.
I have an aisle middle, with the middle middle next to me free (it’s a near full flight, so maybe a perk of status?) and I chat briefly to my seatmate in the other aisle. Turns out that he has just started as the country manager for AN major infrastructure company in DRC, based in Kinshasa, to where he is returning. We bemoaned the corporate cost-cutting that leaves him in Y, and laughed about how loud Congolese are, before I prepared myself for the night. I’d learnt my lesson from Monday, so it was pillow/eyemask/nc earbuds/hypno track and next thing I know we’re on final descent.
I vaguely think that there might have been some food served at some point, but honestly all the nights and services are blending and maybe there wasn’t. Anyway, I have no photos at all of this leg.
We landed into a beautiful Addis dawn, at a bus gate (obviously), and the air was warm and African (those who’ve spent time there know what I mean). I have a 2 or so hour layover, so I’m quickly into the lounge, which I see hasn’t changed. Actually, it has a bit – there is a relatively new lounge for Cloud 9 (ET business class passengers) and I think their own elites, which apparently is nicer than this one, for the *G lice. [This is a contrast to LH, who put Senators into nicer lounges than biz customers, but makes much more sense to me]. Because of that, the lounge seems quieter than I remember, but as time ticks by and the morning rush builds it does get busier.
Refreshments are pretty much as I recall (ie dire), and while the ‘beef with onions’ was okay, the sausages were just
I knew that I wouldn’t get a shower here, so stay in my pajamas and yesterday’s shirt. It makes me look very scruffy in comparison to all the Africans, but I don’t care.
Addis really is a ‘one airline’ town!
Although the airport is getting upgraded!
Nov 24, 2016, 11:01 am
#22
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Join Date: Mar 2002
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Posts: 4,235
And now, the end is near
ET921, B777
Scheduled: 08:30-11:10
Actual: 08:45-11:05
Seat: 20H (deliberately, to reduce chance for confusion!)
I’ve commented often on the ‘other African airlines’ board that ET really treat elites properly, and I’m reminded of this by the over the top Star Gold security area.
Boarded early, using the red carpeted and velvet roped ‘Cloud 9/Star Gold’ lane, and found that this again was one of the older planes, with old seats – but this time not the squishy armchair feel of the 767 but rather with a well used and rather flattened cushion. The upside is that the recline is ‘generous’ – good for sleeping, but bad for laptop screens, which is probably why it’s been restrained.
It was also baking inside the cabin, and I hoped that once the plane powered up and the a/c kicked in that the temperature would come down. Again I had a free middle seat next to me, I don’t think related to status as the flight was only half full. I dozed from the outset on this flight, waking just enough to turn down a rather dodgy looking ‘ham’ roll offered (I guess as breakfast) shortly after takeoff. The a/c did indeed kick in, and by mid-flight it was positively glacial – cool enough that I looked around for a blanket, but didn’t see any.
An hour or so out we got served lunch – interesting to see ET serving Habesha beer, which is from a new brewery, a co-operation between the government and Bavaria of the Netherlands. Double interesting to see that this Habesha is brewed in Netherlands, presumably by Bavaria, which indicates that their brewery is still not up and running. Or that they have no canning facility in Ethiopia (which they don’t, yet) and that ET asked for cans rather than bottles. Actually, that bit might actually only be interesting if you have a professional interest in FMCG in Sub-Saharan Africa
Lunch was ‘chicken’, tasty although the pink desert reminded me of this morning’s sausages.
But turned out to be more like Angel Delight.
Coffee was delicious (as you’d expect) and I had a refill.
We landed at ACC slightly ahead of schedule, but sadly about three minutes behind the KQ flight, so the Visa on Arrival area was its usual shambles, loads of Chinese communicating by sign language, and some poor French bloke being told that ‘he was being put on the next flight back’. Gawd knows what he’d done/not done, I’ve always found Ghana immigration easy although dishevelled, and before too long I’m out in the hot sun waiting for my Uber.
And time for a quick afternoon snooze in my second bed of the week.
And now I get more than 24 hours off, my next and last flight tomorrow night, on BA in WT+ (oohhh!), cashing in some Avios to get home early Saturday. And before anyone thinks I’m getting ideas above my station, there was no availability in Y! Saturday is my son’s birthday, so I won’t be updating this with that flight and some comparisons until Monday.
Stay tuned.
Scheduled: 08:30-11:10
Actual: 08:45-11:05
Seat: 20H (deliberately, to reduce chance for confusion!)
I’ve commented often on the ‘other African airlines’ board that ET really treat elites properly, and I’m reminded of this by the over the top Star Gold security area.
Boarded early, using the red carpeted and velvet roped ‘Cloud 9/Star Gold’ lane, and found that this again was one of the older planes, with old seats – but this time not the squishy armchair feel of the 767 but rather with a well used and rather flattened cushion. The upside is that the recline is ‘generous’ – good for sleeping, but bad for laptop screens, which is probably why it’s been restrained.
It was also baking inside the cabin, and I hoped that once the plane powered up and the a/c kicked in that the temperature would come down. Again I had a free middle seat next to me, I don’t think related to status as the flight was only half full. I dozed from the outset on this flight, waking just enough to turn down a rather dodgy looking ‘ham’ roll offered (I guess as breakfast) shortly after takeoff. The a/c did indeed kick in, and by mid-flight it was positively glacial – cool enough that I looked around for a blanket, but didn’t see any.
An hour or so out we got served lunch – interesting to see ET serving Habesha beer, which is from a new brewery, a co-operation between the government and Bavaria of the Netherlands. Double interesting to see that this Habesha is brewed in Netherlands, presumably by Bavaria, which indicates that their brewery is still not up and running. Or that they have no canning facility in Ethiopia (which they don’t, yet) and that ET asked for cans rather than bottles. Actually, that bit might actually only be interesting if you have a professional interest in FMCG in Sub-Saharan Africa
Lunch was ‘chicken’, tasty although the pink desert reminded me of this morning’s sausages.
But turned out to be more like Angel Delight.
Coffee was delicious (as you’d expect) and I had a refill.
We landed at ACC slightly ahead of schedule, but sadly about three minutes behind the KQ flight, so the Visa on Arrival area was its usual shambles, loads of Chinese communicating by sign language, and some poor French bloke being told that ‘he was being put on the next flight back’. Gawd knows what he’d done/not done, I’ve always found Ghana immigration easy although dishevelled, and before too long I’m out in the hot sun waiting for my Uber.
And time for a quick afternoon snooze in my second bed of the week.
And now I get more than 24 hours off, my next and last flight tomorrow night, on BA in WT+ (oohhh!), cashing in some Avios to get home early Saturday. And before anyone thinks I’m getting ideas above my station, there was no availability in Y! Saturday is my son’s birthday, so I won’t be updating this with that flight and some comparisons until Monday.
Stay tuned.
Nov 24, 2016, 11:10 am
#23
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,181
Thank you for the pictures. You are doing a fabulous job.
I love the one with the flowers on the car.
Pretty impressive that SAA give a full hot meal on a domestic flight.
Cape Town airport is fairly quiet with not too much traffic even in daytime.
So is JBurg. Reminds me a bit of Montreal.
Anyway that potato salad / pasta is better than the lettuce we get in the US and on Swiss.
I love the one with the flowers on the car.
Pretty impressive that SAA give a full hot meal on a domestic flight.
Cape Town airport is fairly quiet with not too much traffic even in daytime.
So is JBurg. Reminds me a bit of Montreal.
Anyway that potato salad / pasta is better than the lettuce we get in the US and on Swiss.
Last edited by Bretteee; Nov 24, 2016 at 11:15 am
Nov 24, 2016, 12:37 pm
#25
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Good is quite subjective. Compared to a properly kept pint of draft London Pride or Deuchars IPA or Ramsbury Gold then, no, it wasn't good, it was like pish water. Compared to a CBC Amber Weiss or Citizen Diplomat or even Staropramen, then it wasn't good.
Compared to Bud or Miller or Coors then yes, it was pretty tasty
Compared to Bud or Miller or Coors then yes, it was pretty tasty
Nov 24, 2016, 1:45 pm
#27
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I know what you mean! I'm on a 30-day road trip in America at the moment and have been resorting to Heineken and Stella Artois!That said, my hotel for the next 3 nights does have some interesting looking craft beers I might be interested in trying.
To put this in context, I live in Austria and usually slip over the border into Bavaria to buy my beer.
Nov 24, 2016, 8:52 pm
#28
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: JNB
Programs: Flying Blue, Miles and Smiles, Hhonors, ICHotels
Posts: 1,307
I hate to think what that is.......
SAA Lounge catering seems to be dependent on who is on duty that day.
Kudos to your trip though - I have changed from a Corporate role, to running my own Business, so currently, all travel is in the back of the bus and wow, it does hurt. Especially the African regional trips.
Nov 25, 2016, 1:33 pm
#29
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My kids are quite used to the bouncing around random bits of Africa bit, and it's good practice for their geography. Regarding the week away bit - they hate it when I'm away, but the flip side is that when I'm home, I work from home, and get to do drop off/pick up.... plenty of their friends have dads who commute to London and who they don't see all week.
It's a balance, and generally works okay for us
It's a balance, and generally works okay for us
Nov 25, 2016, 1:37 pm
#30
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Similar - this is for me, otherwise I'd have told the travel dept to eff off when they first mentioned that TK red eye. But when it's not opm, then suddenly sucking up and coping with y is possible. I did some fag packet sums and worked out that our flights budget if we flew j would be c £130k vs £30k...