Better late than never (and only the first part of my trip).

Before starting reading I've to warn you: this trip report IS long. It contains 22 flights on 10 different carriers. I bought a STAR-RTW-ticket in C-class (worth 29.000 miles) and added three additional flights.

I give a short overview what will follow:

Carriers
Air British Columbia
Air Canada
All Nippon Airways
Augsburg Airways
British Midland
Lufthansa
Mexicana
Singapore Airlines
South African
United

Itinerary
STR - FRA - JNB - CPT - JNB - SIN - KIX - HND/NRT - YVR - SEA - LAX - MEX - TGA/VSA - MEX - MID/CUN - MIA - ORL - IAD - MAN - LHR - AMS - FRA - AGB

Planes
A319
A320
A330
A340
B727
B737
B747
B757
B767
Dash 8
Fokker 100


Stuttgart - Frankfurt (STR - FRA)
Lufthansa LH041; 06:25 - 07:20+; 15.10.2001
B737-330; Seat: 4A; C-Class
Registration: D-ABEM (Eberswalde Finow)

It was very foggy in Ulm (as often in autumn) when I stood up at 02:45. 1:15 hours later Mr. Moch (airport transport) picked me up to drive me to the airport in Stuttgart. We arrived at 05:00. The airport seemed to awake slowly at that time. Staff was coming to open the check-in counters. I had to wait until Lufthansa opened. The young lady at the check-in counter was quite surprised about my pile of tickets which she pulled apart just like an accordion. She recommended to go straight through the security before the crowds would arrive. She quickly fastened a priority-sticker on my suitcase. I've never noticed that this sticker had an effect within Germany. At least the luggage owner may feel important when he sees the red sticker. I immediately went to the security. The search was really thorough. Even my shoes were examined. During my trip I had never such a thorough check. That's real Swabian thoroughness.


I went upstairs into the LH Business class lounge. But the smoke inside drove me away. So I waited at the gate until boarding started at 06:05. After the first call I went immediately into the plane to go into my window seat. I hate it if people on window seats enter late on planes with a single aisle and only one door: then a ceremony with standing up and sitting down begins and time passes away.
A Condor waited for boarding next to us. This machine was scheduled to Jerez - one of the many charter flight departing in the early morning.

An FA passed through the cabin with a variety of magazines. Of course I chose "Der Spiegel" on this Monday morning flight. Music by Phil Collins could be heard in the background. The C-cabin had a load of 100%; Y was full, too. Soon the plane taxied to the runway. We started to the east and made a turn to the left around Stuttgart.
An FA came through and offered the usual choice of sandwich: cheese or sausage. The FA then disappears in the Y-cabin and starts the service in the Y-cabin. The sandwiches were in paper bags that had a yellow stripe for the sandwiches with cheese and a blue stripe for the sandwiches with sausage. LH introduced these new bags this month. The two remaining FAs came for beverages.
The approach flight started 15 minutes later. Landing was at 07.00. The plane taxied to a position near terminal 2 from which a bus transfer is necessary. During these bus transfers in the early morning it is possible to see the big Jumbos that arrived about one hour earlier: Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, South African, Air Namibia, Malaysian, Air Canada etc.

I went to the luggage claim in order to see that the priority sticker once again was a dummy. But this time my luggage arrived as the first one - and also as the last one. Nobody else had checked in luggage from STR to FRA. So I picked up the luggage and brought it to the left-luggage office until Wednesday when my holiday will actually start. I had to work the three remaining days in Frankfurt and stayed at an airport hotel.


Frankfurt- Johannesburg (FRA - JNB)
Lufthansa LH572; 22:00 - 08:10; 17.10.2001
B747-430; Seat: 9A; C-Class
Registration: D-ABTE (Sachsen-Anhalt)

Finally it was Wednesday, 17.10.2001. I stood up at 04:00 in the morning. I finished some work and at 07:00 I went to the airport to check in my luggage and to ask for a window seat in an exit row: indeed I could get seat 9A. So I could go to work good-humoured. At 17:00 I said good-bye for the next 3.5 weeks. At the airport I went immediately through security before the passengers for the evening/night flights would arrive. The Business lounge in terminal B was quite empty. There I relaxed and took a shower before boarding began.

Some time ago I tried to get an upgrade to F for that flight. That would have been possible with the miles on my Miles&More account. But there was no chance. The F cabin was full. Indeed all classes had a load of 100%. The route to South Africa must be very profitable for the airlines during high season. LH started recently three flights a week from MUC to JNB.

After I entered the aircraft through the front door I was greeted by two FAs. My seat was right from the door with plenty of leg room. The cabin filled rapidly and soon OJ or champagne was offered. The front door was closed at 21:45. 15 minutes later the captain told us that we had to wait some more minutes for two missing pax. At 22:10 the plane started it's way to runway 18W (Startbahn West). Soon we were airborne and a long climbing began. Light was turned on 20 minutes later and the captain informed us about the plane (weight of 360t, name of the plane is "Sachsen-Anhalt") and supplied a detailed routing (Zurich - Milan - Sizilia - Tripolis - Chad - Zaire - Zambia - Zimbabwe). In the meantime beverage service started. I had a campari with ice, an OJ and almonds. I switched on my favourite program: the airshow.

The LH menus for october were created by Michel Guérard, a famous chef in Paris:

Hors d'oeuvre
Terrine with Eel, Salmon and Angler Fish offered with Sweet and Sour Cucumber Slices

Hot-smoked Breast of Duck served with Ratatouille Salad and Porcini Mushroom Crème

Salad

Frisée and Radicchio presented with Basil Olive Oil Dressing

Bread, Rolls and Butter

Entrees
Lamb Medaillons served on herbed Jus accompanied by Polenta and medley of Beans

Pike Soufflé and Jumbo Shrimb featured with Green Asparagus and Potato Balls

Mushroom Ravioli complemented by Morel Cream Sauce and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Cheese and Dessert
Cheese with Chives, Bresse Blue, Comté and Grapes

Chocolate Coffee Mousse Michel Guérard

Fresh Fruit Salad


Beverages: Champagne
Heidsieck Heritage

Beverages: White Wine
2000 Thüngersheimer Ravensburg Kerner Spätlese trocken, Winzergenossenschaft Thüngersheim, Franken, Germany

2000 Valle de Limari Sauvignon Blanc Coquimbo, Santa Andrea, Chile

Beverages: Red Wine
1997 Vina Cobranza, Bodegas Anano S.A., Rueda, Spain

1997 Chateau d'Aiguilhe, Cotes de Castillon AC, Comtes de Neipperg, France


The menu was really delicious (I had the duck, the lamb with excellent spices, the Chilean white wine and the mousse); metal cutlery was supplied. Two hours after take-off we reached Africa with 970km/h and a cruising height of 10.100m. Tripolis could be seen on the left side. This was the first time I reached Africa. Now it was time for a sleep.

1.5 hours before landing the lights were turned on. The FAs brought hot towels and water. Afterwards the usual caravan moved towards rest rooms until breakfast began:


Breakfast
Forest Berry Compote with Quark

Cold Plate featuring Turkey Pastrami with Dill, Bresaola, Edam, Bresso Cream Cheese and Grapes

Roll and Croissant with Butter and Preserves

Hot Specialities
Omelette filled with Chicken Ragout

Potato Mushroom Soufflé

I chose the omelette for breakfast and I didn't regret it. Time ran very fast. The approach flight began about 30 minutes before landing. We arrived in JNB in time. The approach was from the south to runway 03R. During taxi I could see B747s from BA and KLM, an A340 from CX and of course many planes from SA and BA/Comair. The flight continued later to Capetown: the passengers to CPT were asked not to leave the plane. I was really surprised about this flight. I hadn't expected such an excellent service from LH in C-class. Everything was really perfect. In recent years I flew LH only within Germany.

After immigration I went into Hotel Protea Balalaika in Sandton, Johannesburg. This hotel is also used by crews from Malaysian airlines. I saw several crews arriving and departing. Two nights later I left for Kruger National Park. Spotting wild animals in this park is really great. Time was over soon; I had to continue to Capetown.


Johannesburg - Capetown
South African SA373; 20:00 - 22:10; 22.10.2001
B737-85F; Seat: 4F; C-Class
Registration: ZS-SJJ

I arrived at the airport at 19:15. There was no queue at the check-in counter. I got the boarding pass and went to gate 50. There weren't any people but a monitor that showed boarding for that flight at gate 13. Gate 13 is on the first floor and the way is really long. Some people waited there. At 19:30 an agent told us that boarding is not here but on gate 50. So all the long way back. Grrrr.

Boarding into a bus was already in process. The bus started to the parking position of the B737-800 - my first flight on a next generation B737. SA has 7 rows in C-class with 2 seats on the left side and 3 seats on the right side. The bulkhead seats offer plenty of leg room. I sat on the right side. I found the seats very uncomfortable: head rest was rather a neck pressing and the backrest was too soft. The seat pitch is ok but the seat itself is terrible (I'm neither extremely big nor extremely small: 1.8m).


The choice of newspapers was: take it or take it not. "The star" was the only one offered at 19:50. I took it to have anything to read. OJ, water or champagne were offered. I was quite happy with nobody seating next to me until 19:55. The bus came again with a lot of passengers. Many c-class passengers arrived. "My row" was fully occupied now. The load in C-class was about 90%.

Push-back was at 20:04. The taxi to runway 3L began. Take-off needed about 30 sec and soon we disappeared in the clouds.
The lights were turned on 8 min after take-off. Hot towels were distributed and beverage service started. I took a red wine (Pinotage) which I could taste before. The wine was really good so the FA filled the glass.
TV screens were dropped from overhead and showed mainly short stories with jokes.

Meal service started soon with choice of chicken, lamb or vegetarian. I preferred the chicken that was served on a tray with salad, rice, spinach, carrots, a wrapped roll, crackers, a mini-cheese, some chocolates and a small cake. A lot to eat: more quantity than quality. At least we got metal cutlery.

The flight deck announced decent at 21:42. We flew over the sea and made a turn in order to approach from the south. Landing was at 22:05.
There was a short bus transfer to the terminal. Soon the bags arrived. I really have to point out that the bags arrived very, very fast in Johannesburg and in Capetown.

The FAs were first-class, the food below average and the seats ... South African isn't a member of star alliance. Therefore I had to buy a separate round-trip ticket JNB - CPT. It was possible to credit miles to my Miles&More-account: so SA was my first choice. The other possibility was to fly with BA/Comair. The ticket price was almost the same. Nationwide Airlines would have been cheaper but didn't have so many connections.


The days in Capetown were over. I had a good time with sight-seeing and the well-known table cloth on the table mountain. My next destination was Tokyo with a routing via Johannesburg, Singapore and Osaka.


Capetown - Johannesburg (CPT - JNB)
South African SA318; 09:30 - 11:25; 25.10.2001
B737-85F; Seat: 2A; C-Class
Registration: ZS-SJI

I learned on the outward flight that the first row on the left side is the sunny seat (plenty of legroom, only two seats). So I tried to get a window seat on the first row (first row on the left side is numbered with 2; first row on the right side is numbered with 1). I arrived at about 8:00 at check-in and I got it: seat 2A. I also asked the agent to check my bags through to Tokyo. That wasn't possible. He only was able to check the bags through to Osaka. In this case I preferred to checked-in the bags to JNB where I wanted to try again.

I had a short look into the business class lounge. The lounge was big and offered a lot of drinks. Cookies and chocolate bars were available. I couldn't see any other food.

Boarding started at 9:00 with a bus transfer. Soon OJ or water were offered. The newspaper "Cape Times" was available. A Malaysian B747 arrived from a short stop in JNB. I also spotted a British Airways B777 that arrived in the early morning directly from London; BA also operates a flight from London to JNB. The other airlines (LH, SQ, MH) fly to JNB and continue with the same plane to CPT.

After boarding was finished there were only 6 passengers in C-class (27 seats remained unoccupied). I sat on seat 2A, a Japanese man sat on seat 2C next to me. Obviously we both knew that the first row on the left side was best. The man on seat 2C seamed to be one of the travellers preferring aisle and myself preferring window. Soon he changed to the first row on the right side (aisle). The two seats next to him were available, too. The seats were as uncomfortable as in the outward flight. (SA wants to get rid of their B737-800 according to the current edition of Airliner World (1/2002)).


The way to the runway was very short. We reached the run-way at 9:34 and needed 22 sec for take-off. I sat on the wrong side to have a view towards table mountain. After a left turn the airport could be seen clearly.

Soon service started with hot towels and beverages. TV screens were dropped from overhead and showed the same program as on the outward flight. The FAs served breakfast at 10:00: yoghurt, toast with tomato and sausage, chocolates. There was no alternative choice. Quantity was less than on the outward flight but the quality was above average this time. Metal cutlery was available. The chocolates and myself waited for some coffee to finish breakfast. The OJ was really great with a lot of fruit marks and it wasn't too sweet. So OJ became my favourite drink until landing at 11:25. A bus drove us to the terminal.

Again the bags arrived quickly. I took them and went to the Singapore Airlines check-in counter in order to try to check the bags through to Tokyo. The agent gave ok for the bags but not for me: he printed a boarding pass for the first leg to SIN only. There I had to ask for the boarding passes for my next legs to Tokyo.


Johannesburg - Singapore (JNB - SIN)
Singapore Airlines SQ405; 14:40 - 06:40+; 25.10.2001
B747-412; Seat: 14A; C-Class
Registration: 9V-SME

I had a lot of time before boarding so I went into Silver Kris lounge. The staff was very friendly. The choice of beverages was great. You could also get small sandwiches, fresh fruit and cakes.

Boarding started late from gate 3 at 14:15. I went upstairs and was greeted by two FAs. The male FA showed me the way to my seat. Some minutes later I got the usual pre-flight drink (champagne) and was offered a variety of newspapers and magazines. I chose the "Straits Times". I was asked about my preferred after-take-off drink and order a Silver Kris Cocktail.

Soon the Japanese man which I had seen on the flight from CPT arrived on upper deck. He had again a seat on the aisle with someone sitting next to him. Some minutes later an FA talked to him and both went downstairs. Most likely he got an own row on the lower deck. The load on upper deck was almost 60%. The seat next to me was unoccupied. The load in Y class was low, too. Some passengers were already onboard. Today the plane arrived from Durban.
Every Thursday and Saturday the flight starts in Durban. On Tuesday and Friday the flight starts in Capetown. On Sunday the flight starts in Johannesburg and makes an additional stop on Mauritius.
The passengers from Durban to Johannesburg were offered a refreshment:

light bites
Walnut bread with roasted beef and mustard mayonnaise, leafy salad and chef's dressing

Croissant with smoked salmon and cream cheese, mixed salad with vinaigrette

hot beverages

Coffee - Tea
Rooibos tea

The captain welcomed the passengers at 14:40. He told us that three pax were missing and we had to wait some time. Three pilots were onboard because of an expected flight time of 9:20h. He announced turbulence after take-off.

The plane started to taxi to the runway at 14:58. Take-off took about 60 sec and was followed by a right turn. There was some turbulence but not as strong as expected. The crew started service 15 min later. 3 FAs worked on upper deck.
I got mixed Nuts and the ordered Silver Kris Cocktail. SQ offered several Cocktails - also non-alcoholic ones. Soon we left mainland towards Madagascar and Mauritius. We cruised at an height of 10.100m and a speed of 948km/h.


appetisers
Seafood terrine

salad
Seasonal mixed salad

entrees
Sauteed fish with shellfish coulis on bed of wild rice, snap peas and carrot

Wok fried filled of beef in black bean paste, Seasonal vegetables, Steamed rice

Pan fried supreme of chicken in madeira wine sauce, Seasonal vegetables medley, Dauphinoise potatoes

cheese
Selection of cheese with garnishes

fruit
A selection of fresh fruit

dessert
Ice cream with fruits compote

hot beverages
Coffee - Tea
Rooibos tea


Beverages: cocktails
special cocktail
Golden Spice

cocktails
Singapore Sling
Silver Kris Sling

Gin Fizz
Cloud Nine
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary
Daiquiri
Red or White Wine Cooler
Hazelnut Spritzer

non-alcoholic cocktails
Citrus Royale
Tropical Sparkle
Orange Cooler
Fruit Spritzer
Millennium 2001
Sunrise Surprise

Beverages: champagne
duval leroy blanc de chardonnay 1995

Beverages: white wines
l'ormarins sauvignon blanc 2000

montagny 1er cru 1998 labouré-roi

Beverages: red wines
rive barbera d'ast superiore 1997

chianti superiore docg 1997 poggio al casone

chateau d'agassac 1998

Beverages: port
taylor's late bottled vintage 1995 port


I ordered the sauteed fish and the French red wine. Metal cutlery was supplied. The food was good - but nothing special to mention. The wine tasted very good though an white wine would have been the normal choice for the fish. After the main dish I continued with cheese. An FA offered cheese from a cart. He had whole parts of different cheese and cut small pieces. The cheese tasted really good. I also got a Port and some fruit.
I finished with a cappuccino. SQ offered real coffee/cappuccino and not a black water as many other airlines. SQ has a cappuccino machine on board. The dessert wasn't offered.
Duty free was announced and I ordered some items. Only the selected watch was available - all other items weren't. The FA suggested to order the missing items per mail.

I found the temperature quite high during night compared to other flights. I wore short-poor sweaters so it was quite ok. I couldn't sleep for a long time but suddenly ...
I woke up at 4:45 - 1:45h before landing. Head wind was quite strong at the moment - so the cruising speed was 887km/h only (cruising height: 11.300m). 45min later light was turned on and breakfast was served.

juices
A choice of apple, tomato and freshly squeezed orange

fruit
A selection of fresh fruit

light starters
Cereal with low fat or full cream milk

wholesome beginnings
Golden pancakes with maple syrup, glazed tomato, chicken sausage and scrambled egg

Braised egg noodles with prawns, fish and vegetables

Omelette "Nature", Broiled bacon and sausage, Grilled tomato with parsley, Hash brown potatoes

from the bakery
Assorted breakfast rolls
Butter - Fruit preserve

hot beverages
Coffee - Tea
Rooibos tea

I ordered the noodles but they've gone out. So I tried the omelette which was the wrong choice. The sausages looked very fat. I couldn't see this gloss on the sausages this morning. I tried the omelette but it was dry and without any taste. I really couldn't eat it though I was hungry. So breakfast was finished for me very soon. I also found the time for breakfast quite short (1 hour before landing light was turned on) but today it didn't matter.

Landing was at 6:32. As always it was a pleasure to fly with SQ. The Ultimo seats in Raffles class were very comfortable. Economy measures and service cuts were obvious. The FAs worked hard and systematic.


In the meantime I got very hungry. So my plan was to get boarding passes for the next flights (to Tokyo via Osaka), then store my cabin luggage in a lounge and refill my stomach.

I went to the transfer desk in terminal 1. The staff told me that they couldn't print the boarding passes now. I would have to wait until 20:30. I went upstairs to the ANA lounge and was disappointed: opening time at 20:30. So I wanted to try the Silver Kris lounge which was in terminal 2. The way was in vain. I wasn't allowed to enter. Ok, way back to terminal 1 where I left my cabin luggage in a left-luggage office. Now I was ready for breakfast.


Changi airport offers a free sight-seeing tour. I joined the morning tour and was glad to see some places again. A short river cruise was included, too.

Back at the airport I had plenty of time to spot planes (Bouraq - I didn't know this airline before; Burma International with new colours which remembered me of my last holiday in Myanmar, and many others that are well-known), take a shower at the airport hotel, do some surfing in the Internet, ...


Punctually at 20:29:59 I was present at the transfer desk. I got a boarding pass to Osaka only and the desired invitation into Club ANA lounge. The lounge is operated together with EVA (different opening hours). A variety of beverages were available. But nothing to eat (except packed cookies, nuts, ...). The lounge was used by passengers to Tokyo (direct flight) and Osaka.