By now I had reviewed my travel options for the rest of the trip. I have booked (because it was all that was available) KUL to NRT via HKG. Not good on 2 counts - firstly the flights were over it, so two short flights with a 2 hour connection between them is not a good way of sleeping, and secondly the two shorter flights would be only 40TP each, and a direct would be 140! I did briefly consider the now available KUL-SIN-NRT but given I was landing in KUL at 04:30 and now considering leaving on the same day I thought fading around with a short flight and a connection at midnight was not worth the hassle, and anyway KUL-SIN was only available in Y so only 10TP! So I booked KUL-NRT direct on JAL. Because I had brought this flight forward a day (didn't really fancy Kuala Lumpur all that much - I am probably doing it a disservice) and also I did not end up landing in MEX until 22:05 on Monday, and was chairing a meeting at 08:30 next morning, so I thought it made sense to give myself a bit more time. So I move flights to JL NRT-LAX and AA LAX-MIA MIA-MEX with an overnight in MIA. This then arrived in MEX at 15:00 ish - which gave me some breathing space. Also earned me more TP than NRT-SAN-DFW-MEX. I don't quite get to Gold (need another 40TP) but quite frankly this trip was busy enough without adding more legs. I have a couple of European flights coming up which will get me over the hurdle before my next longhaul.
After 4 busy working days in Sydney it was time to move on, and after returning to the hotel to pick up by laundry (forgot to put it in the day before!) and settling the room bill, I headed to the railway station. The train journey back was just as easy as the way out, except the train was busier and there were no straw boaters in sight!
As I was in the middle of changing my tickets, I had received a message from the corporate TA (who had been super helpful) asking me not to check in just yet as they were still working on the ticket, so I stayed landslide and had a bite to eat. Soon enough the mail from the TA came through with all the new ticket details (I hadn't changed the next flight so it wasn't risky to be at the airport) and I wandered over to the check-in. Only one person ahead of me, but the queue moved slowly. When I got to the counter, the process was simple and the girl very friendly and chatty. I got my boarding card and a fast-track pass for security, and this time remembered to pick up and fill in my leaving card - last time I got to the counter without it!
Security was quiet, and a new line opened up just as I got there, but I was selected for the nude-o-scope. So after reading about CWS' technique (at least I think it was his) I stood arms above my head, middle fingers raised, as a token of protest, and was soon declared good to go. However, random explosive screening then kicked in. Why am I not surprised! I obviously look suspicious to Australians, as on all 4 occasions I have been through Sydney departures in the last 2 years I have been 'randomly selected' - I guess it is random, but always me. Anyway, it turns out I had not been near any drugs or explosives, and can headed to the Malaysian lounge.
Not sure that was such a good move. The lounge 'dragon' (more appropriate for a Far East airline I guess), was welcoming, but frankly the lounge was underwhelming. If BA had have fixed my TP reclaim from my AA flight earlier in the year, which was still under dispute, I would be silver by now, and would have headed for the QF lounge, but I didn't think as an MH business passenger I would have got in - so I found a quiet corner and went in search of a drink.
The lounge was quiet, dark and a bit dingy. The food seemed minimal, although there were some hot dishes cooked to order, but it was a few mangy sandwiches, and some salad and crackers. Drinks were hidden round the corner, behind a screen, and the chilled drinks were in a cupboard below,so not so easy to find, or maybe I am just a bit useless as I looked confused.
I charged my phone and ipad as the lounge got busier, then it was time to head to the gate, via the duty free to buy some TimTams as requested by a friend at home. Lets hope they don't melt in my bag before I get back.
The boarding process was smooth, and I headed straight on board to 2K, which turned out not to be too bad a seat. 36 business seats, and the cabin was full. The seat. Itself felt quite comfortable, but there was not much storage space. Also, the seat in front felt very low, and the therefore the placement of the IFE screen felt low - not sure why it was designed that way. On the other hand the cabin was very clean and well maintained.
After eating at the airport and needing sleep, I opted for the satay starter, as the airline signature dish ( apparently SkyTrax signature food award winner for the last 2 years) and a dessert, skipping the main course.
The satay was served quickly after the first drinks round, and honestly was delicious. A mixture of chicken and beef (you could choose one or both) and a sauce that was not overwhelmingly peanut. Excellent. More drinks rounds followed, and the main courses looked pretty good as they were served to the people around me. The flourless chocolate cake at followed was very good - and I was almost tempted by another one, but as any readers who are still with me already know I struggle to fit in some seats, so it is not a good idea to have extra cake!
Given the early arrival time (did I mention it was 04:30!) I need some sleep, so I reclined the sleep and hoped they dim the lights soon. Once again the sloping seat was a bit tricky to get comfortable in, but I think it was better than the Qantas one.
We actually landed about 30 minutes early at 04:00, and obviously the airport was quiet. Customs and immigration were straight through, and I picked up a cab to take me to the Shangri La. I had booked in from the night before, and was originally staying for two nights, but with the flight changes this was reduced to just a few hours in the room, before a shower, breakfast and the office. It was only a few hours, but the room was great, and the bed was fantastically comfortable - even after 3 hours sleep I felt properly refreshed.
