Originally Posted by
SFO777
Epic and amazing report,
Francis. Outstanding pics.
Would be interesting to tally up how many meals and kilos you consumed here.
Thank You
SFO777 
Interesting Question, I wonder if we have a FT Dietitian to calculate that one for me
Bet it won't be a pretty number
Originally Posted by
Linda VH
Wow! Sad the trip is over - I enjoyed reading sooo much. Thank you!
Without One Trip Ending, another cannot,
Linda VH. @:-)
Don't worry, there will be another
SHF report at some time
Originally Posted by
thearmada
Great trip report!
Thank You
thearmada, glad you've enjoyed it
Originally Posted by
Calchas
Great report as usual.
Additionally, there are 2 BA flights per day (one is an A380) and a VS flight.
LHR-HKG is a popular route. Last year HKG was the sixth most popular destination from LHR, with about 1.38 million passengers, just ahead of the most popular domestic route (domestic for now!) LHR-EDI, which had 1.36 million pax. For comparison, the most popular route is LHR-JFK which gets about twice as many pax (3 million).
Great to Hear
Calchas, I prided myself in writing the most detailed TR (especially on flights) as best as I could.
Thank you for reminding me on the LHR-HKG, at least we know HKG doesn't only serve Mainland Chinese visitors nowadays
Originally Posted by
LH4116
Well
SH Francis it has finally come to an end, and I can't believe I've been following this report for six months. It must surely go down the annals as one of the more epic reports here on FlyerTalk as you've pretty much (or well almost…'ish
) managed to sample every premium product under the sun. Evangelisthood? Tell me where to vote!
After seeing Etihad's jaw dropping new products on the A380 the other day I can't help but think of today's Business/First cabins as dorm rooms, which technically they are albeit of the fancier kind. But needless to say the new Cirrius seats on Cathay still look like a fabulous product, and easily one of the top 5 Business Class products in the world. The reverse herringbone configuration is a real winner in my opinion, and I can't wait to try it out on EVA Air this summer.
What made me a little curious though was that you mentioned that the seats on the A330 are smaller than those on the 77W. Is this really true? To me they look pretty much identical in terms of size.
After having a look at the menu, I personally would have chosen the indian option as I tend to avoid red meat on planes. But then again I'm guessing that ordering an indian dish ex-Australia is a recipe for a bad meal? Nice enough that the crew found you the Chinese option, but I suppose it must've been a leftover from the inbound flight?
Anyways thanks for taking the time to finish up the report. I am eagerly awaiting the next one, but since you're a busy guy I guess it will take a while
6 Months for 60 Parts, I guess that is fair number when you've reminded me
LH4116
Would've that be a pipe dream, sampled every premium product known to man
Evangelist? I don't see myself having 10000 post anytime soon, I'm not the type to reply on every little thread out there.
Etihad, well I wonder what will happen at some point in time when they run out of oil, it's almost mocking to be so decadent and wasteful
I doubt they will allow mileage redemption in the immediate future for that product similar to how SQ Suites originally came out
Cirrus is by far my favorite Business Product as I already listed
Of all the most recent J products out there, I have to say I concur with one of
SFO777 TR, I hated that staggered, Delta 763 BusinessElite Seat
In photos, you probably can't tell very easy the differences for 333 vs. 77W Cirrus.
You can tell the difference while you're seated, It's usually an easy giveaway for me since I tend to sit crossleg while having the seat full flat, and my legs feel constricted a bit more on the 333 vs. on the 77W.
It's just one of those I can't explain very easily but it's like, when it's missing 1/2 or 1 inches, you know it's missing.
Plus the Angle of the Reverse Herringbone pointing towards the window is different as well^
I'll see if I can find some pics later on this topic!
Indian Option, problem is I'm not really a great eater of "Spicy" Food hence you don't tend to see that in my selections.
I think Red Meat is probably a safer choice ex-Australia
Not sure when the crew pulled out off the menu Chinese Option but I'll take it
We'll see about the next TR, it will happen in some points in time and I have a really good amount of photos sufficient for a TR, it's all about finding time.
Originally Posted by
Markagh
Superb report, thanks for takig the time to write it.
Thanks
Markagh, great to hear
Originally Posted by
SFore
Wonderful report SHF...I must ask, is it always so hazy/foggy in HKG? I've flown into HKG 3 times in the last 6 months and it always looks like your pictures and it's nearly impossible to take in the scenery. Looking forward to trying out the QF F lounge next winter!
Again, like some of the others, thanks for sticking around and the continual contribution
SFore
HKG isn't necessary always foggy/hazy but it's days of having blue skies is limited yes.
The Monsoon plays a big part in this and so does local pollution.
Winter is going to be affected with the dominating North and Easterlies which tends to bring pollution from the Mainland, and the lack of rain won't help either.
Spring is well, right now I think we've had like 3 good weather days in the last 30 days,
It just rains and rains and if not raining it's overcast.
Summer might be your best bet for clear skies here, pro-dominantly Southwest Winds from the South China Sea (moist but clean) and some showers here and there will clean the skies up.
Only problem is can you 1) Deal with 32C with 70%+ Humidity
2) The Occasional Typhoon
Fall brings drier Northeast Winds and generally the Sunny Weather but the winds battle it out and if you're really lucky,
Your most optimal HKG days are likely to be in here.
Precursor is to have rain the day prior and have a sunny day after and you will have a clean Blue Day.
It's not as easy as it seems since HKG is usually either dry or wet and not bouncing back and forth.
The Blue Skies only seem to hold up 2 days max since even local pollution will start to haze the skies after that.
However, even putting all that in prospect, blue skies doesn't even do that much good in HKG.
75% of the time, they are using 7L for landing, 7R for take-off
Coming into 7L, you come in around Lantau Island, up the Pearl River Delta and make the right turn in, all you can grab photos of is on the left side is faraway photos of Macau with this approach.
Right side gets Lantau Island
Departing 7R is your best bet, provided your destination (Taiwan/Japan/North America), you should be able to get some pics of Victoria Harbour
If you are heading towards a Westward or Southward Destination, they will make the right turn around Tsing Ma Bridge and chances are you won't get much of a view.
As for the 25% of the time, mostly Summertime
25L for Takeoff, all you get is the Lantau and under construction Hong Kong - Macau - Zhuhai Bridge
25R for Landing is an oddity, it's rare and your best shot for photos.
Your best chance of getting the HKG skyline is here when they make their gradual descent if you're seated on the left side.
The only issue is Lion Rock and the surrounding mountain tends to block a good portion of Kowloon when you try to take photos.
Hope that was a good insight for your use and a reasoning as to why I don't usually get a non-hazy HKG departure/arrival photos