mgm

I don't normally post trip reports (not enough time) but I thought this one was worth it. The reason for the trip was, ummm, well let's just say it was personal - an assignation of sorts (the details of which are probably inappropriate for this forum ).

The trip was a four day weekend in London for which I would burn some AA miles. I called the Executive Platinum desk to work out the options. I really wanted to fly BA direct but their flights from NRT leave during the day meaning I would have to take more time off from work than I could afford. So, it turned out that a oneworld award using Cathay and BA would do the trick. The 10,001 - 14,000 mile award applied at 150,000 miles for first class (ouch). So I would catch an early evening CX flight NRT-HKG, then connect to an overnight flight HKG-LHR. (Interesting note for AA members - the oneworld awards imply that you must take AA and two other oneworld carriers. The actual rule is the award must have at least two non AA carriers, regardless of whether AA is used or not).

The AA Executive Platinum agent was brilliant in working out all the options (hi Deb if you are reading!). Even better, I was booking this on a Tuesday for departure on Thursday night and space was available (more on this later). Deb set the booking up for same day ticketing and gave me the address of the AA office in Tokyo (picking the ticket up was a saga in itself - let's just say that having recently moved to Tokyo I learnt my lesson never to leave the office without a map that shows how to get back).

I really wanted to fly BA from HKG to LHR so that I would have a sleeper seat. Unfortunately, their flights were booked solid right up to the day I ticketed (day of departure). A little dissapointed, I accepted my fate with the CX flight.

Leave the office just in time to catch the Narita Express from Tokyo station. Arrive at Narita with a little over 45 minutes before departure. Check in was very efficient. Boarding passes and lounge passes issued for both flights. Even though this was an award ticket the boarding passes showed my oneworld Emerald status. Interestingly, CX now uses the AA arrivals lounge at LHR Terminal 3 - so at least I knew I would have somewhere to freshen up after a long flight.

Getting through immigration at NRT is dreadful - no matter what time of day I have been there the queues are always long. Not too bad this time, got through in 15 minutes. Leaving just enough time to visit the CX lounge. The decoration is similar to their other lounges around asia (except HKG). Plenty of liquid refreshments, a little light on in the way of snacks.

Time to board the flight, a 747-400. Very friendly crew. Have seat 1H with 1J empty. Seats are reasonably comfortable if a little old. Quite a nice recline and leg rest extension - enough for me to catch few winks on the 3+ hour flight. There were only a couple of seats free in first. I asked what the load was like on the rest of the plane - totally full!! (How did I manage to secure an award ticket???). The meal service was good - lots of choices. In particular, the pumpkin soup served in the shell was brilliant. Also sampled from the Japanese menu - had a very nice Japanese green apple wine liqueur.

The CX crew certainly know how to make FF's from other oneworld carriers welcome. The head purser came to personally welcome me as an Emerald customer, as well as each of the FA's in first. During the flight I got to know them a little better and sneaked a look at the passenger manifest. In first there was one CX Marco Polo Diamond member and me as an AA EP/Emerald. The rest were regular passengers. A few of the passenger names had a handwritten triangle against them - mine excluded. When I asked what that meant the FA was very coy. "Let's just say they are not as friendly as you" she smiled. Aha - a black list!!

Arrive on time in HKG. Manage to be first off the plane. Quite a long walk to the transit area and the moving sidewalks were going in the opposite direction . Seemed like I was the only passenger transiting at that time so I got through security and into the departure hall very quickly. I quite like the new HKG airport - very airy with lots of facilities. The only thing I'm dissapointed with is the shopping. I think they could have more variety (but then I have been spoilt by Singapore).

Head off to "The Wing" first class lounge. I've been here before but only for about 30 minutes. This time I have about 2.5 hours to kill. Let me say that this lounge is the best I have ever experienced (and I have visited far too many over the years). The design (by Conran) is excellent (well to my taste at least ). It has such a calm atmosphere. I have enough time to take a shower and freshen up for the next flight. An attendant escorts me to an available bathroom. Wow! I have been in so called five star hotels where the bathroom comes nowhere near the standard in The Wing. Very zen like with stone, frosted glass, and white walls. A full size bath tub if you want to take a soak. A shower with a huge rose that makes for a quite a drenching experience. Plenty of bathroom amenities. Separate closet to hang your clothes, with a plush terry cotton robe and slippers. A bar fridge stacked with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. I could have spent the whole 2 hours there. Needless to say, I left in a state of pure bliss.

Just enough time left for a quick snack and a drink. In the first class lounge you are not allowed to get your own food or drinks. There are waiters hovering around waiting for your order. A menu is offered and I choose some dim sum items and a glass of champagne. There is also a separate restaurant style area should you wish to sit at a regular table. I take my refreshments in the comfort of a plush leather lounge. The dim sum were excellent! Just the thing to perk me up.

Before I board the flight to LHR, I ask the customer service agent how full the flight is. Overbooked in all classes!! I cannot believe it. The award travel gods were certainly smiling on me when I made the booking only two days before.

Off to the plane. I like the fact that there are two entrances to the gangway, making entry for first and business passengers very efficient. Enter the plane and I am stunned. I had heard that CX was planning to refit some of their 747-400's with a new first class cabin. I ended up on the first flight of the second one refitted!! It is great. They have fitted sleeper seats similar in style to the BA/QF ones but with many improvements. The layout of the cabin is like QF's (as opposed to BA's angled layout). Four single seats on each side of the plane and two rows of two in the middle. I'm in 3D - one of a pair in the middle. I normally like a single seat on the A side if I'm flying BA or QF - but hey, I'm not looking this gift horse in the mouth. The pilot announces that we will get to London in just over 10 hours! We all look at each other quizically - I was sure it would be at least a 12 hour flight. Oh well, maybe he made a mistake.

Everyone in first is impressed. The seat itself operates in a similar manner to BA's - but has a greater degree of softness. There are privacy partitions inbetween the seats and at the side, so when you are sleeping you don't have anyone looking at you from another seat. The armrest on the aisle side pushes down so that you can swivel out of the seat with ease. The inside surfaces of the unit are wood panneled. Each seat has a control unit for audio and video as well as noise cancelling headphones. They have also installed video tape players with a reasonable selection of movies (though not as extensive as BA or QF). The best part of the system is the video screen - huge!! About 14 inches I would guess. It is mounted directly ahead of you and can be moved closer and angled as you like.

The food on the flight was excellent. It is an ala carte menu - eat what you want, when you want (like BA). The quality of the food approaches the excellence of QF. Good wine list I think (but I don't really drink wine, just the Krug thanks!). On board espresso machine (for any Australians out there, if you want a long black ask them to use a regular size cup and just keep pressing the button until it is almost full, don't change the cartridge - very decent cup of coffee).

O.K. time to sleep. Change into the sleeper suit - feel like a bit of a dork but it is so comfortable. The FA brings out a very soft feather down quilt covered in the smoothest cotton. I set the bed to full recline and stretch out - and at 6'2" there is ample room. Bliss. Start to feel a bit hot under the quilt so I request a regular blanket, beautiful soft new wool. Sleep on top of the quilt with the blanket over me - just right.

FA gently wakes me for breakfast (previously arranged). I find out that the galley has completely lost power during the flight. The FA's are very upset and keep appologizing for how long it is taking them to serve the food. (Imagine having to run back and forth between the business class and first class galleys and trying to keep your customers happy). They were brilliant. So much so that I was prompted to fill in one of CX's forms nominating them for a crew award.

Get ready for landing - we arrive over an hour early!! Well done. Always very efficient at LHR, I am off the plane, through immigration, pick up my bags and through customs in just over 20 minutes. Overall, an A+++ for CX.

Hmmm - now my assignation was to take place in terminal 3. My date's flight (BA coming in from an unspecified 3rd world country) was to arrive before mine. What to do? Catch the Heathrow Express to terminal 4. I'm there in matter of minutes to discover that the flight has been delayed by an hour. What now? Wander over to the BA Arrivals Lounge. Speak to a friendly rep on the front desk, explain that I was supposed to be met by someone coming in on one of their flights but it is delayed. Further explain that I flew in on CX but I have an Emerald card. Could I please use the lounge??? "No problem at all, and by the way sir would you like us to get a message to your party on arrival and have them meet you in the lounge?" Thank you very much .

I really like the BA lounge - so fresh and cosy. Get stuck into a nice English breakfast of bangers, baked beans, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, hash browns (well there has to be some consideration to our US friends) and toast (white bread of course). Bit of a glutton I know after the breakfast on the flight - but I can't resist.

Decide to wait for my date outside. Seems to take forever after the plane landed. Finally, we meet! Back to the lounge for a few more refreshments and then into the car for London proper. Let's just say the weekend was wonderful - a blur of catching up with friends, visiting sites, little bit of shopping, and... The weather was glorious - I even sunbaked (a first for me in England).

Sadly, all good things must come to an end and I prepare on Monday for the BA flight back to NRT. Usual efficient checkin at the First counter in terminal 4. Interestingly the boarding pass has my AA ff number but not the Emerald status message. Ask the check in agent but he cannot explain why. Zip through the fast track and to the lounge. Have to say it is starting to look very tired. Reasonable range of liquid refreshments, very minimal food items. Have to catch up on my email and attempt to use one of the phones to connect using my calling card - no luck can't figure out what is wrong so call the helpline. They finally figure out that the tollfree number I need to use is barred and there is nothing they can do about. Call my card provider, "sorry we don't have a regular number you can call". Now I have about 15 minutes before I am about to board. Only one thing for it, dial direct using a credit card. I'm on for less than 8 minutes and charged a whopping GBP37. Figured out if I could have used the calling card it would have been less than US$10. This, I think, calls for a letter of complaint to BA - an absolute ripoff.

Off to the flight, board with seconds to spare (BA have started closing flights 10 minutes before scheduled departure). The plane is almost empty in First and Club World (not a single Club World passenger on the main deck). Economy is full. Expected high standard of service from BA, efficient, reasonable food - but sorry BA, as loyal as I have been to you on my long haul Asia - Europe flights I think I will be defecting to CX.

Arrive at NRT on schedule. Get to the immigration hall and it is a zoo. There must have been at least another 3 or 4 flights arrive from Europe and there are only 3 windows out of 16 open for processing foreigners. Takes over an hour to get through. At least the bags are there and I can get through to the limosine bus as quickly as customs will allow. (If you are a foreigner you will be stopped and asked why you are here and what is in your bags - often they will want to look in one of them. I've also been asked on several occassions if I have any porno magazines - wonder if I fit the profile of a contraband smuggler, most of my freinds think I look like a preppy geek!).

On the bus and the long ride to TCAT. Can't wait to do it again.


[This message has been edited by mgm (edited 08-04-1999).]