Prior to boarding the CX flight to JFK, all passengers have to go through another security line. Thankfully, if you are flying in a premium cabin you have a much shorter queue (although be prepared for dirty stares from everyone in the Y queue). After a cursory review of my carry-ons, I walked over to the First class boarding queue and was first in line…naturally, I was super excited!
After a few minutes, boarding was announced and I pretty much sprinted down the jetbridge to the plane. When I reached the door (with the other F passengers behind me, once again full cabin), the FA asked me to wait as they were not quite ready for passengers. After a few minutes, she gestured hurriedly and I made my way to 1A. After many months of reading TR and being super excited, the flight had started rather badly. Still, I kept positive and stowed my gear before sitting down on the wide seat. It certainly felt super roomy, and I had the same sensation as I do when flying SQ J. The material was pretty comfortable and firm, which goes to show that F seats do not need to be covered in leather to be luxurious.
Picture of the seat
View of the ottoman and IFE
After about 15 minutes of FAs running around the cabins like they were in a marathon, one finally approached me to see what I’d like for PDB. How else could I answer, “Krug Grand Cuvee” of course! She smiled and nodded, but mentioned that the champagne glasses had not been loaded yet, and it would be a few more minutes. Eventually, she came by with my glass, and a delightful amuse bouche of smoked ahi tuna with mango salsa.
The amuse bouche
A bottle of Evian
Amuse bouche, Evian and Krug
Aesop amenity kit, Bose QC 15 headphones
The lovely FA came by again and gave me the menu, Aesop amenity kit, and the PYE pajamas. The pajamas were incredibly soft and were perfect for the 16hr flight.
The following are menu pictures, I apologize for some of the resolution, my Galaxy S6 does not do too well in low-light.
The Delas was the wine onboard this flight (and was Del-ightful…
)
Soon enough, my table was set for dinner:
And as expected (from reading TRs), the handwritten note
Naturally, I started with the caviar, which was service in a much more fanciful way compared to JAL F.
Followed by the papaya, pork, almond and peanut Chinese soup….so tasty, and very unusual textures.
Followed by the Tuna Niçoise salad. Leafy, varied and delightfully light.
For my main, I had the pan-fried king prawns, with haricot vert, millet with parsley and garlic butter. These were delicious, but the prawns were slightly overcooked resulting in a tougher bite.
At this point, I was stuffed beyond capacity and ready for a nap. So, I asked the FA to make up my bed while I used the restroom. By the time I had come back, the bed was completely set and looked (and felt) incredibly comfortable. I must say, the bedding and temperature of the cabin onboard the CX flight was superior to the JL.
The comfy pajamas, the comfy bed and the comfy temperature made me fall asleep almost immediately, and I slept for almost 8 hours!
Upon waking, I had some delicious Hong Kong milk tea with egg custards.
Followed by the dessert from the dinner service
I did watch a few TV shows on the IFE, including an interesting Jackie Chan movie about the Silk Road and an invasion by the Roman Empire. Adrian Brody and John Cusack were in the movie as well, but….the whole thing felt a bit odd. Still, interesting enough, and the fight scenes were fun!
Soon enough, breakfast came around, and I ordered the eggs (cooked to order) with all accompaniments. I figured that I should eat well since I didn’t want to hunt for food at 11pm in Queens.
Breakfast started with fruit
Followed by the eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes. All accompanied by HK tea, and hot croissants!
JAL v CX: I'm not the type of person who's shy with the attendant call button. However, I must say that the JAL service was far superior to the CX service. They had a tendency to go above and beyond nearly every time I asked for something, whereas the CX crew just followed standard protocol. I suppose I understand why Gary Leff and Ben call it a "consistent" experience. Still, if JAL improved their IFE system, I would choose them over CX every single time. The food was better, the seat was pretty darn comparable, the champagne was better. I'll definitely look for some more award space soon.
We landed without any fuss, and I was through immigration and baggage claim within 15 minutes of landing, a new record for me! Passing through customs, I walked over again to the train to Federal Circle. Thankfully, the bus had already arrived for the Fairfield, and I was promptly on my way to the hotel.
After another, “no surprises, no excitement” night at the Fairfield JFK, I took a Lyft over to LGA. While there was some mild traffic, we made it there in about 1 hour with a total cost of $39. Not bad at all.
After checking in, I made my way up to the LGA Centurion lounge for some quick breakfast.
The Centurion Lounge @ LGA, while small, had a breakfast spread that surpassed that of the DFW lounge! I know, I know, that sounds crazy, but you must try it to believe it. Delicious egg in a hole, crispy French toast, delightful mini-croissants, and a lovely fruit salad made for a yummy and filling breakfast.
About T-20 I went to through security and walked over to my gate…to find out that the flight was delayed by 45 minutes. With a heavy sigh, I walked over to the nearby Admirals Lounge and relaxed for a little bit while charging my tablet.
The flight itself was pretty straightforward, but the service was a little better than usual. The meal was a slice of quiche…which I merely nibbled on. Overall, a pretty standard AA F flight, and soon enough we were back in DFW.
After a great holiday, it was still good to be home.