Because we had an 8pm departure from HKG we decided to leave the downtown around lunch time. We took the free shuttle to Kowloon station and used our "Handy" Metro tickets to access the highspeed Airport line. We arrived at HKG within 25 minutes and proceeded to the baggage storage area. We stored our bags and proceeded back to curb side to take the bus to Tung Chung station. We had pre purchased the Ngong Ping 360 from klook travel agency online and had almost immediate access to the check in area. The views of HKIA alone are worth the gondola ride as you can see the entirety of the Chek Lap Kok airport. Also of interest is the new Hong Kong-Macau highway under construction in the area. We completed our tour of the big buddah and proceeded back to the base taking the same bus line back to the airport. All in all Public transit was very easy, and cheap to use.
View of HKIA from Ngong Ping 360 Gondola
Leg 5 : HKG-YVR-YEG
Flight 1:
As we returned back to HKIA we proceeded to retrieve our bags from the storage area, and we returned our metro cards to at the airport metro customer service desk to get our HKD50 refund of the Octopus cards. We proceeded to our terminal and checked in. Check in was very quiet as we had returned around 4pm. We proceeded to security that was a breeze but again at customs there where very long line ups, caused by only having 3 lanes open, similar to our arrival.
After spending ~25 minutes in line we proceeded to the Terminal train to get to the SQ SilverKris lounge. The lounge had EXCELLENT food, and had the bonus of having a shower available which we used as well as charging devices for our phones. We spent a good 3 hours sampling all of the different offerings and even indulging in the ice cream. We got to watch AC15/16 come and go and after a few hours of quiet relaxation we proceeded to our gate area.
Inflight Map
Flight/Origin-Destination: HKG-YVR
Date: 3/1/2016
Cabin: J
Status: AC*SE
Airline: Air Canada
Aircraft: Boeing B777-300ER "HD"
Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Online Check-in; Yes (Online_
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Not available but security was quick.
Did you use the lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? We spent approx 3h in the SilverKris lounge, and it was excellent.
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes but a queue formed 10-15min prior to boarding.
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? No delays
Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? N/A
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes
Did crew offer to hang your jacket? N/A
Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Yes, Meal orders taken after take off.
Did crew offer a hot towel prior to the meal service? Yes
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service to be completed? (From takeoff to all items collected) ~3h
How was the quality of all the meals? Not as good as SQ, but good non the less.
Did the cabin crew continuously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? No they did not, the only way to get a refill or get them to dispose of used items where to deliver them to the front galley.
Overall experience/any other comments:
After having flown TK, SQ, SQ, SQ and back to AC, the difference in service level was very clear. The crew did not make regular rounds or make any attempt to remove any used service items, they spent their time mostly lounging and talking in the galleys. The food however was good. This flight was operated by the 77H (High density) which business class features a 2x2x2 1x1x1 2x2x2 "coffin" config. While at my height (5'7") it was fine, and I was traveling with a companion I can see why those who travel alone or are much taller would have something to complain about when compared to the 1x1x1x1 config offered on the B77W, B77L aircraft.
The real downside to this flight and at no real fault to the airline, turbulence. The flight was bumpy from Japan all the way to Alaska and made for a very poor nights sleep. While rarely being jet-lagged, after this trip I was jet-lagged for what seemed to be a week.
Inflight Map