Introduction
Hello fellow FT-ers! In November and December of 2009 I flew on this itinerary:
17 Nov 09: Air Canada AC156 Vancouver - Toronto in Executive Class
18 Nov 09: Air Canada AC015 Toronto - Hong Kong in Executive First
22 Nov 09: Thai Airways TG628 Hong Kong - Incheon in Royal Silk (Business Class)
23 Nov 09: Asiana Airlines OZ112 Incheon - Osaka Kansai in Business Class
27 Nov 09: All Nippon Airways NH144 Osaka Kansai - Tokyo Haneda in Economy
06 Dec 09: Air Canada AC004 Toyo Narita - Vancouver in Economy
I'm presenting to you my trip report for the
bolded flight segments, since I think that they would be the most interesting. Please enjoy, and leave your comments for me! I will do my best to respond!
Toronto International Departures Maple Leaf Lounge
Note:
No check-in details at YYZ since I had arrived the morning of departure on AC156, the red-eye from Vancouver. AC had cancelled my original flight (AC007, YVR-HKG) and the alternate routing (via NRT) would have put me into HKG too late in the day for my dinner plans. So it would be extra miles and a pain in the neck to fly 4.5 hours East and then double back (well, actually we flew North from YYZ but I digress...) Not going to detail the domestic segment since I have done so twice already on FT, please check this TR for more info on YVR-YYZ and vice-versa: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...yvr-77l-j.html
Arrived into YYZ with about three hours to kill before the HKG departure. Easy connections for domestic-international at YYZ. The infamous high-speed moving walkway was in service (you can hear that thing from the escalators!) so my "walk" was actually quite short.
Breakfast at the MLL was quite nice actually, much better than I have had in the past. Here are the offerings:
Cereal selection
Yoghurt selection
Fruit cocktail (they need some real "fruit salad" here!)
Freshly baked muffins (warm) and granola
Bread and a toaster
My breakfast selections
Food was quite nice for a North American airline lounge. Much better than my previous experiences in AA Admirals Clubs, CO Presidents Clubs or UA RCC.
The lounge started out quite empty but began to fill with people for the morning HKG and the daytripper LHR flight, along with a couple Airbus narrowbodies off to sun destinations.
Note: liquor and beer were locked up until 11am, well after my departure time of 10am. Not really a concern to me but there might well be some people who are "living" in far-off time zones who wouldn't mind some of the JW Black or a Bloody Mary... in any case, there are no sparkling wines available, which would have gone well with my orange juice. I would just have to wait until I get on board!
Nice open space with lots of seating
Flight Details At-a-glance
Aircraft: Boeing 777-233/LR
Registration: C-FIVK
Fin Number: 704
Departure (Scheduled/Actual): 1000/1040
Arrival (Scheduled/Actual): 1430/1520
Priority Boarding and Departure
Priority Boarding enforcement has, in my experience, been much stronger in the last 5-6 months -- and it's something that, as a top-tier member, I truly appreciate. There were three lines with one being dedicated to Executive First, Super Elite, Elite, and Star Alliance Gold. I was through the gate and down the first jetway (there were two boarding bridges used for this flight) in no time at all.
Nice to know you don't have to queue in the jetway!
One of the two Service Directors waits to welcome the J passengers
I was greeted by name and shown to my seat by one of the two SD's on board. I was in seat 3K, my companion in 4G. The rows are mis-aligned on the 77L and 77W in the forward J cabin.
XX - 1D 1G - XX
1A - 2D 2G - 1K
2A - 3D 3G - 2A
(and so on, until the last row of the forward J cabin)
6A - XX XX - 6K
EXIT GALLEY EXIT
LAV GALLEY LAV
XX - 7D 7G - XX
8A - 8D 8G - 8K
(and so on, until the last row of the rear J cabin)
Note:
More details can be found at http://seatexpert.com/seatmap/12/Air...ing_777-300ER/
My seat, 3K, with headphone sanitary covers, pillow, "duvet," amenity kit, and 600mL bottle of water
I did not think to take a photo of the amenity kit at the time, since I have a couple of them already, but they contain:
"Deserving Thyme" products
- Refreshing facial towelette
- Mouthwash
- Lip care balm
- Mega moisturizing body butter
Other products
- Colgate toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Ear plugs
- Mentos brand mint
- Eye-cover
- Sock/slippers
It's not in the most attractive packaging (blue and green tri-fold toiletry case) but it does get the job done.
Note:
If I remember correctly from ACYYZ/SD, AC is phasing in a new amenity kit ("Silver Kit", I believe) to replace the current long-haul and short-haul kits, so this information probably out of date by now. The kit I received is the "Blue Kit" (longhaul).
Coats were taken and newspapers offered (Canadian and Hong Kong selection) almost immediately as we got settled into our seats. Tina, who would be taking care of our side of the forward J cabin, would give us some pretty great service on this 15.5 hour flight.
Sparkling wine and orange juice were offered in stemless champagne flutes, along with a napkin and our flight's menu. I knew from reading other FT-er's TR's that AC, like many other carriers, offers a sparkling wine instead of Champagne for pre-departure drinks unless you specifically request the Champagne. With this in mind, I was happy that the FA offered the drinks as "Sparkling wine or orange juice?" instead of trying to pass it on as "Champagne," as I have experienced on other carriers.
Sparkling wine, not mentioned on the menu but from California or Spain. The most current offering is Domaine Ste. Michelle from California, I believe
After push-back, we didn't make it very far before the SD made an annoucement that, due to a passenger who had fallen ill in the few minutes it took for us to push back, we would have to return to the gate. It took more than a half-hour for the ground crew to return and search for the luggage that belonged to the passenger (and his companions) who deplaned. I used this time to wander around the aircraft and visit the flight crews, who were in good humour about this being their shortest "gate-to-gate experience" in all their flying years and joked that it was time for the relief crew to take over.
View from the flight deck of this majestic 77L, thanks to the great crew for this opportunity
A little bit of Canadi>n along for the ride!
Following our delay, taxi and departure was normal and we took off from 06L. Our polar flight had finally begun!
Menu
Also you can see that I mixed some of my companion's orange juice together with my sparkling wine to create a mimosa, since for me it was still very early in the morning, Pacific time!
Lunch
Appetizer
Hot-smoked peppered Salmon served with Organic Field Greens
Choice of Main Courses
Braised Beef accompanied by Pumpkin, steamed Rice, Kailan and Carrots
Roast Chicken stuffed with Goat Cheese, Spinach and Sun-dried Tomatoes complemented by Pesto Butter, Redskin Mash with Garlic and Chive and Ratatouille
Braised Black Cod (NutriCuisine Choice) on a Tomato, Saffron, and Potato Broth
Artichoke Ricotta Agnolotti with Red Pepper Sauce accented by Mushrooms, Basil, and Parmesan Cheese
Additional seasoning is available
A selection of fresh Breads with Butter
Selection of Cheese with Crackers
OKA with Mushrooms, Britannia medium Cheddar and Chevrita Goat's Cheese
Dessert
Berry Brulee Tart
Fresh Fruit (NutriCuisine Choice)
Mid-Flight Snack
Choose one or more of the delicious snack options we will be offering between our two meal services. You can also request them at any time, so should you fall asleep, do not hesitate to let us know your selection upon waking up.
Dim Sum Selection of Pork and Shrimp Siomai, Har Gau, and Beef Ball
Smoked Chicken Focaccia with grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Wrap
Smoked Salmon, Barbecue Beef, and Chicken Brochettes complemented by Brie with Cracked Pepper and Balsamic Fig Chutney
Nissin Instant Noodle Cup
Ice Cream
At your leisure, fresh Fruit and a variety of Packaged Snacks are available between services. Feel free to help yourself!
Pre-Arrival Service
Choice of Main Courses
Stir-fried Prawns with Fish Veloute Sauce and Walnuts, presented with Chinese Noodles, Broccoli and Pumpkin
Breaded Pork Loin topped with Chili Garlic featured with steamed Rice, Eggplant, and Broccoli
Grilled Herb Chicken accompanied by Penne Pasta with creamy Tomato Sauce and Zucchini, Eggplant, Artichoke, and Cherry Tomatoes
Served with fresh fruit, a selection of fresh Breads with Butter and Chocolates
Wines
Champagne Drappier
Carte d'Or Brut, Reims, France
Danie DeWet, Sauvignon Blanc
DeWetshof Estate, Robertson, South Africa
Colio Estate Proprietors' Reserve
North Shore, Lake Erie, VQA, Canada
Ironstone Cabernet Sauvignon
California, United States
Pago de Cirsus, Tempranillo/Merlot/Cabernet
Navarra, Spain
Port
Dow's Port, Portugal
Bar List
Beer
Heineken
Molson Canadian
Coors Light
Spirits
Smirnoff Vodka
Bombay Sapphire Gin
Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch
Crown Royal Whisky
Jack Daniel's Bourbon
Bacardi White Rum
Liqueurs
Courvoisier V.S.O.P. Cognac
Grand Marnier
Baileys Irish Cream
Cold Beverages
Orange Juice
Apple Juice
Tomato Juice
Cranberry Cocktail
Extra-spicy Clamato
Coca-Cola
Sprite
Ginger Ale
Club Soda
Tonic Water
Perrier
Bottled Water
Hot Beverages
Freshly brewed Second Cup regular or decaffeinated coffee
Selection of tea and herbal teas
Served with cream, milk, or lemon