Last leg
PEK-LAX CA F 777-300ER
So I took a cab to the airport, way early for the flight. I could have had the hotel hold the bag and explored the city more but I was a bit tired.
The cab ride was interesting. I opted to sit in the front seat with the driver as the back seat did not have seatbelts. The price was good at about 85 CNY ~$14USD for an hour ride in traffic.
The F check in area wasn't anything special. Just some counters. After check in walked to the train to the international section and then through immigration/security. I did not see any special lines for premium pax, although I had plenty of time so I didn't mind much. There was no wait at immigration, maybe 10 minutes at security.
After that I walked around the duty free a bit but didn't see anything that appealed to me. Then I went up to the lounge which is one floor above the duty free area. If you use the path of the train to make a line through the middle of the terminal, F is on the left and I believe business is on the right, but they are not connected as there is a large open area inbetween.
The lounge was very large. It easily had seating for 100, probably 200+, so everyone could spread out. They had some nice selections for food/snacks/non alcolohlic drinks and a couple brands of beer. I didn't see a bar, but there could have been one. Also there were sleeping areas that I should have tried out but didn't. No showers that I could see.
Boarding was fine and I was the first F pax onboard. Shortly after another sat on the other side of the plane. Here I was hoping it would be 2/8 when at the last minute a group of 6 people got on. They were chatting with the FA's quite a bit, and my initial thought was that they must have been non-revs or friends of the FA getting a free upgrade to F.
Anyway just before dinner service two of them moved to the companion seats in the middle seats of row 2, which are available when the table is slid toward the main seat. This actually made a very nice area for 4 people to sit/talk/eat.
Also, a large bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label appeared on one of their tables... strange CA doesn't serve that.
My food was a bit better quality than the previous flight, but it still had a business class feel. Maybe that's what I get for ordering the western option.
Dinner
breakfast
Anyway, I noticed that the FA's were brining food to the group to my right in the plastic catering tubs. Very strange indeed. One of the guys notices my glances and motioned me over just as they were ordering a special bottle of Martell Cordon Bleu 100th anniversary from the duty free to enjoy on the plane, which they were kind enough to share.
As it turns out they were high rollers heading to the MGM in vegas, my guess would be in paid F on mgm's dime. We chatted a bit but the language barrier made it hard.
Landed on time and the immigration line in T2 was empty so I was through in about 30 seconds (take that TBIT!) but had to wait about 20 min at bag claim.
Overall, great trip. Lots of fun.
Now I have to decide if I should leave in 2 days on CX F to SIN for a few days (as booked) or put it off for a bit. Decisions decisions.