Hong Kong - Jakarta
1 July
Cathay Pacific and Dragonair are gradually repainting their planes as part of their livery rebranding. That means I have to photogaph the old liveries as much as possible before they become a part of history. I'm not a big fan of their new colours. The old red, green, and white contrasted each other very well. Why mess with something that works?
Jakarta and Manila are good routes to bet on an upgrade, thanks to domestic helper traffic that fills up the planes. I was upgraded to Premium Economy today due to an overbooked Economy class. While I don't see a business case to buy a ticket here on a short flight, I suppose the airline folks want to safeguard their premium Business Class cabin with this hybrid. The 2-4-2 configuration here is only 1 seat less than cattle class out back.
While I was hoping for a window seat to capture some aerial photos, it was not possible with this upgrade. Nevertheless, I got some much-needed rest in this more comfortable seat so I could be prepared for a long day in Jakarta.
I didn't have much expectations for Jakarta's airport. I couldn't find the immigration queue for foreigners, signage was horrible, and the baggage carousel was too small for a widebody flight.
With over 6 hours to go before my next domestic flight, I headed to Garuda's premium counter and successfully checked my bag and got my boarding pass. The staff were cheerful but I didn't get an upgrade from Economy class today. My friend had gotten a Business Class ticket and the agent didn't mind checking me in there as well.
Jakarta - Yogyakarta
1 July
Jakarta's airport is connected to the city by a dedicated highway. During regular times, it can take hours to get into the city. Luckily, the city emptied out with an imminent long weekend on the horizon. Too bad I couldn't try the new terminal - it would open weeks after my visit.
Similar to airports in less secure countries, I had to go through a first level of security screening before being able to enter the check-in area.
The check-in area is functional. It didn't seem like an old and ugly terminal here, unlike at arrivals.
Plane spotting is nearly impossible here since the gates are in pods away from the main terminal area, which are not accessible due to the official security check for those gates only.
So instead, browse around the shops and restaurants. Sunset had not arrived yet so Muslims would still need to fast.
Once sunset had arrived, food and drink boxes were distributed to break the fast.
The gate's dedicated holding area is after the official security check. But there were not enough seats for everyone. The toilets are downstairs so at least you are not too trapped in here. The security guard initially didn't let me in too far in advance, probably knowing I would be bored in there.
I dread bus gates, but tonight's experience was not so bad with the bus not packed to the brim and rather pleasant weather.
My first flight on Garuda was a pleasant surprise. The crew were friendly, professional, and a food box was given to us despite the short flight. I got the exit row for free and stretched very well while watching TV on my dedicated screen. My prior perceptions were heavily influenced by the EU ban that was only partially lifted for Indonesian carriers. This was the lesser evil compared to more incident-prone local airlines such as Lion Air.
Welcome to Yogyakarta. No gates. Walk outside to the terminal.
Yogyakarta - Denpasar
4 July
Yogyakarta's airport is also a blast of the past. Don't come here too early before your flight. You'll quickly run out of things to do.
The domestic lounge is an uninspiring area. All passengers board from the tarmac. There are no jet bridges here.
However, there are some windows where there can be a bit of plane spotting to appreciate Indonesia's many, many airlines.
Like a library, borrow a newspaper and remember to return it to the rack.
False advertising is rampant around the world. I have never seen this brand in Hong Kong. Maybe the city name is part of its name and not really where it is supposed to be from.
Today, I try Garuda again for a short domestic flight to Bali. With beautiful blue skies, Merapi was fully visible and we flew very near it!
Living in Asia, we have the expectation of a meal even on short hops. We got another box meal today.
The seat was comfortable enough and not having a personal TV was OK when the scenery was so good.
We landed on the over-touristed resort of Bali, which was far more busy and beautified than the more "authentic" Indonesia.
Denpasar - Hong Kong
5 July
Bali's new international terminal is world-class, a marked improvement from my last visit several years ago.
There is a rising number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Bali, but I was still surprised a bottle of booze needs to be wrapped in a flag to get someone's attention.
Bali is probably the least Indonesian part of Indonesia. Looking at this photo, it could be anywhere in the West.
Yet in a predominantely Muslim country, would this store be appropriate?
Great to be here during dry season. There were lots of nice views as we departed and headed north. This elevated causeway across the water has helped alleviate traffic and improve travel times significantly in the southern part of the island.
Short driving distances can still take a long time due to narrow and winding roads. It would have taken hours to get to this mountain from the airport.
First World problems. For a 5 hour flight, I wished a premium carrier's meal wouldn't be so basic. There were barely any vegetables and way too much rice. I got much better fare on SQ for a shorter flight a few months earlier.
Hong Kong - Seoul Incheon
10 July
A few days later, I was back at the airport. The skies were grey this morning, but it was red hot for spotting. Rebranding has edged closer with a few more planes in the new liveries.
Settled in my window seat, I was initially happy to see us push back 1 minute ahead of schedule. But we eventually were grounded for an hour and a half due to a technical issue which forced us to return to the gate. It was my first time experiencing such a tarmac return.
Lucky I had secured a good spacious seat at the front of cattle class, so was still very comfortable during the delay. After we took off, we were served a late breakfast. The options were omelette or congee. I opted for a congee, which had chicken and mushroom bits in it. It tasted good but the portion was fairly small so even with the yogurt, fruits, and bread, I was still hungry after.
With the delay behind me, I looked out to enjoy the views. These short flights are typically uneventful anyway.
There was also plenty in the IFE to keep me entertained.
Soon, Dragonair as a brand will disappear.
I then turned to the written entertainment options. The Pearl River Delta consists of several large cities, anchored by Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. This graphic showcases the development quite nicely.
But then, this was a redemption booking in the optimal dry season. Happy that it was a cheap free flight! That cleared out my expiring Asia Miles nicely!
Seoul Incheon - Hong Kong
22 July
I have used Incheon many times over the years. The key difference nowadays is the sheer number of shoppers from China that have swarmed Korea. I caught these self-serve tax refund machines for the first time in the departures hall. Luckily, the tax on my personal purchases was deducted at the shop already, so I didn't need to line up here.
Duty-free could also be picked up once past immigration at dedicated counters. You pay in the duty-free shop in the city first, then use the receipt to line up at that shop's counter to get the goods for hand-carry.
Once these shopping formalities were over, the terminal was otherwise quiet.
Plane spotting is decent here, although nothing compared to Hong Kong or Bangkok.
I have gotten more and more disappointed with Cathay's Economy Class catering. Since I had a bite in the terminal already, I opted out of the main dish and settled for appetizer and cookie only.
I have always wanted to take aerial photos of Hong Kong on arrival, but never really got lucky with different flight paths and bad weather. Today was exceptionally clear and I finally got what I wanted.
Beautiful all the way to touchdown!
More photos on my website :
http://www.globalphotos.org/flightreports.htm