April 11, 2017
Air China Auckland to Beijing 700p – 410a Boeing 787-9 Business Class
If there were any one thing that I’d like to see Air New Zealand add to its already stellar Business Premium product, it would be the ability to fast track through International Transfer and Security/Immigration. The line of humanity waiting to clear transfer security was huge – well over one hundred yards long. Thankfully it moved at a slow but steady pace and after about fifteen minutes I was free to proceed to the lounge.
Oh No! Did everyone from the transfer line also relocate to this lounge? It was packed! The bar, the seating areas, the food and beverage court – all were filled with travelers. After sweating it out in the humid hallway leading to transfer security, I decided now might be a good time to take advantage of a shower. Thankfully – perhaps even amazingly – one was available without any wait at all.
By the time I emerged from the shower, there wasn’t much time left for lounging. I wandered over to the buffet island to have a quick look but resisted the temptation to snack on anything more substantial than a small plate of nut mix. There was a nice variety of both hot and cold foods available and – had there not been so many people milling about – I would have taken a couple of photos for your benefit.
Boarding was well underway by the time I arrived at the gate. Thankfully there was a premium lane available to which I immediately availed myself. You know, I once read that luxury - once experienced - becomes a necessity. How true. Aside from the obvious trappings we associate with luxury, I really appreciate the little things that are also attendant to luxury travel such as the ability to avoid lines most of the time. As such, I presented my boarding pass and strolled unimpeded halfway down the jetway before encountering the crowd. True luxury would have included a separate jetway for the forward cabin, but hey – this is Business Class.
A reception committee of two flight attendants was stationed at the L2 door. After a thorough inspection of my boarding pass, one of them issued a pretty smile and instructed me to head down the aisle to her right. Turning left, I continued into a fairly nice looking Business Class cabin populated with thirty purple and fuchsia patterned seats set in off-white molded plastic housing. The arrangement was 2-2-2 and – opposite from the seats on Air New Zealand – these seats were canted slightly toward the windows. It all looked reasonably spacious and efficient yet, under the cold white light emanating from the ceiling and wall panels … a bit cold as well. A large blanket and pillow at each seat added a bit of warmth but I suspect a bit of mood lighting would have helped the tone of this cabin considerably.
Air China’s 787-9 Business Class Cabin
Photo courtesy of ChinaAviationDaily.com
For comparison purposes, here is the Business Class cabin aboard China Airlines’ 777-300 – a much warmer, welcoming and spacious cabin in my personal opinion.
China Airlines’ 777-300 Business Class Cabin
Photo courtesy of China Airlines
China Airlines’ 777-300 Business Class Cabin
Photo courtesy of China Airlines
Unbeknownst to me, my seatmate was trailing right behind me having followed me since back in the concourse when we stepped aboard the escalator down to the gate. She was an American lady who’d been living and working out of Nagoya, Japan for the past few years. Her job as a teacher had taken her to a conference in Auckland and she was now returning home. Her seat was at the window, mine on the aisle. While I had no complaints about this arrangement, attempts to procure a seat assignment prior to this flight had proven futile. The Air China website indicated that changes to seat assignments could only be done with tickets that had been issued by Air China. Mine had been issued by United. Okay, I’ll call Air China directly, then. That’s how I found out I’d already been assigned 3B. My primary concern had been avoiding a seat that forced my feet into a narrow little cubicle such as those found in these new modular Business Class seats. The best seats are in row one where – with no molded housing in front of them – they have a more open bench at the end when the seat is in lie-flat mode. Unfortunately, seat changes were not possible until day of departure - even for Business Class. And of course, by the time the day of departure had arrived, all of the seats – including those in my desired row 1 - had already been assigned. Sigh…
Thankfully, the actual seats on this ten month old 787 were pretty comfortable to sit in. A flight attendant stopped by with slippers and an amenity kit, then returned shortly thereafter with a selection of newspapers. I’ll take the international New York Times please. Let’s see what our new president’s been up to today. After all, it seems like every day is an adventure in this administration!
The menu and wine list were presented next. I quickly put down the New York Times in favor of the menu, which was very attractively housed in a large artistic binder. More on that in a moment though…
Safety announcements were made in both Chinese and English – first in person with the flight attendants going through the motions at the front of the cabin, then again played out in the animated version on our IFE screens. Even during the latter animated version, two flight attendants stood at attention at the front of the cabin and – at the end of the presentation – bowed in unison.
The next announcement was from the cabin security officer and was a bit more ominous in tone. He enumerated a variety of offenses ranging from the usual stuff like interfering with the cabin crew or smoking to odd stuff like damaging the aircraft or grabbing seats, whatever that meant. Those who might engage in such activities were put on notice that penalties ranging from fines, possible detention and even criminal prosecution could be imposed. Further, in the interests of a safe flight, he promised that and his crew would perform their duties in a diligent manner.
Well alrighty then.
Beijing sits 6,480 miles to the north-northwest of Auckland. Tonight’s flight, scheduled for thirteen hours and two minutes, would be flying along a slightly longer routing as we diverted farther to the west in an effort to avoid weather that had shut down operations at Noumea earlier in the day. The planned mileage varied but at one point the Sky Map stats showed it totaling out at 7,107 miles!
Even in a fuel efficient 787, it takes a lot of fuel to fly from Auckland to Beijing regardless of routing. As such, our heavily laden aircraft required a 44 second take off roll before achieving sufficient velocity to take to the heavens. As the nose wheel retracted into its housing beneath us, I once again took notice of how remarkably quiet the 787-9 is up in the forward cabin. Normal conversational tone was all that was needed to chat with my seatmate.
Heavy turbulence started shortly after we’d reached cruising altitude, and continued – at times quite vigorously – for the next 45 minutes. Throughout the turbulence there was never an announcement from the flight deck as to how long it might last. Even the flight attendants were surprisingly silent. Looking at the flight map, I was beginning to wonder if we might have been better served to have diverted to the north initially. During my flight into Auckland from Fiji earlier this afternoon, the conditions had been unremarkably smooth.
Only 12 more hours to go!
Still, we powered on through it - heading west-northwest toward the Australian coast at about Brisbane. Eventually we changed tack and adopted a more northerly heading, paralleling the Australian coast. I watched the lights of Rockhampton pass by before clouds once again obscured the view.
Meanwhile, due to the turbulence the cabin service didn’t actually materialize until we were an hour and eighteen minutes into the flight by my watch. Surprisingly, service began not with the drink cart but rather with the amuse bouche trolley. Both the hot and cold versions were plated together and presented atop a plain white tablecloth.
Cold scallop with dill mayonnaise bread
Hot Cornish Pasty filled with a mixture of potato, lamb and carrot
The drink cart followed about 5 minutes later. I’d better have a quick look at that wine list before they get here…
WINE LIST
Champagne
Beaumont des Crayères Grande Réserve Brut, France
White Wine
Château Jacquet Bordeaux Blanc, France
Château des Mouins au Vent, Graves, France
Domaine Martin, Première Cuvée, Bourgogne, France
Paringa Chardonnay, South Australia
Red Wine
Château Putnard Premières Côtes de Blaye, France
Les Sources du Château de la Rivière, Fronsac, France
Paringa Shiraz, South Australia
A glass of the Paringa Chardonnay really hit the spot in companion with the flaky Cornish pasty and a small bowl of mixed nuts. I asked for and received a refill in order to take the picture below…
Cocktail hour on Air China
Now then, let’s check out that dinner menu…
DINNER
Auckland to Beijing
CHINESE DINNER
Amuse Bouche
Cold scallop with dill mayonnaise bread
Hot Cornish Pasty filled with a mixture of potato, lamb and carrot
Appetizer
Tea smoked duck and salmon
Served atop cucumber ginger salad
MAIN COURSE
Braised Chicken with Black Mushrooms and Carrots
Served with steamed rice and assorted vegies
Stir-Fried Beef with Bell Pepper and Green Onion
Served with steamed rice and assorted vegies
Stir-Fried Gailan with Snow Peas and Peppers
Served with steamed rice
DESSERT
Lemon Raspberry Cake
~or~
Millionaire Shortbread
~or~
Selection of Cheese with fruit and veggies
* * * :-: * * * :-: * * *
WESTERN DINNER
Amuse Bouche
Cold scallop with dill mayonnaise bread
Hot Cornish Pasty filled with a mixture of potato, lamb and carrot
Appetizer
Salmon mousse with spicy radish salsa
Salad
Mixed leaf salad
Offered with Italian or Honey Mustard dressing
MAIN COURSE
Pan-Fried New Zealand Cod
Accented with lemon chive sauce
Stir-Fried Gailan with Snow Peas and Peppers
Served with steamed rice
DESSERT
Lemon Raspberry Cake
~or~
Millionaire Shortbread
~or~
Selection of Cheese with fruit and veggies
It didn’t seem to me that there was all that much difference between the Chinese Meal and the Western Meal - at least, not compared to what I’ve seen offered on airlines from Japan or Korea that often serve scary sounding delicacies from the deep such as succulent seaweed, marinated moray eel or juicy jellyfish along with other similarly unpalatable sounding morsels. I decided to go with the Chinese meal, opting for the Stir-Fried Beef with Bell Pepper and Green Onion as my main course.
I was a bit taken aback when ten minutes later, my meal arrived – all on one tray. I guess I’d been spoiled by three straight flights on Air New Zealand which managed a five course meal served course by course on a trio of three hour flights. Here we were with almost eleven hours left in this flight and the flight attendants couldn’t be bothered to provide a more gracious service. Then again, maybe the service was never designed to be served course by course. This being my first flight aboard Air China, I didn’t have enough experience with their service model to know otherwise. Maybe more turbulence was forecast ahead. (None ever materialized, however)
Regardless, there are worse things in the world of inflight service than an expedited meal service. I received all the foods that I had requested and they were all very good. Garlic bread was offered and I even managed a small bowl of hot sauce to heat up the beef and peppers.
Stir-Fried Beef with Bell Pepper and Green Onion dinner
For dessert I tried to order the Lemon Raspberry Cake followed by the fruit and cheese plate. No can do. The cheese plate was considered one of the three desserts, so it was one or the other but not both. I thought about asking if it might be possible to have a cheese plate if one were left over but something about the flight attendant’s rigid interpretation of the menu suggested no good could come of this. I might even attract the attention of the cabin security officer. I briefly entertained an unpleasant vision of myself sitting forlorn in a Chinese prison…
“你在干什么?”
“Excuse me?”
“What you in for?”
“Um… I… I asked for an extra dessert.”
“Oooooo – very bad!”
I settled for a cup of decaf coffee and a portion of the Lemon Raspberry Cake. Perhaps as a consolation prize, the dessert was served with a plate of fruit.
Coffee and Hot Towel Service
Lemon Raspberry Cake
After dinner, I took my customary stroll to the back of the airplane. I kept my boarding pass with me just in case there were any problems – which there weren’t. Seating was the standard 3-3-3 configuration you see on all 787s, but there was no Premium Economy section. The flight was pretty full back here though, and many people were already asleep. I walked past one elderly Chinese woman whose mouth was open into an almost perfect “0” as she slept. For some reason Edvard Munch’s famous painting “The Scream” came to mind, but the woman slept silently if not blissfully.
Back in the forward cabin, I decided to have a look at the IFE. Aside from the Sky Map, I never could figure out how to select the movies. This may say more about my technological ineptitude than it does about Air China’s IFE, but I’ve flown on a lot of different airlines and until now have never had any problems figuring out their IFE’s. In any event it wasn’t that big of a deal since I’d be trying to get some sleep in the next hour or two. As such, I just left the IFE on the sky map which indicated we were flying north at 34000, making not so good time at just 482 mph. On a positive note, at least conditions were smooth and remained so for the rest of the flight.
Now then, what to do on a 6500 mile long flight which won’t be returning to terra firma for another ten hours. For some people this is a real problem. Not me. I’ve been keeping myself happily entertained for over fifty years. As long as I have a pen and paper, even if I didn’t have anything else to do I could think of something to do. These days however, with tablets and laptops, not to mention a little advance planning with books and magazines, I am at even less of a loss for things to do. This is particularly true when you’re in the middle of writing an 93000 word trip report with over 500 pictures to imbed. There’s always something that needs to be done. As it is, I’ll be lucky if I get this report finished by mid-June, so it’s a good thing I don’t publish incremental reports as I’d be waaaay behind and some people might be frustrated while waiting for timely installments. As it is, for the time being most of you don’t even know I’m writing a trip report, so I can labor at my own pace in blissful anonymity.
I was in the process of transcribing the menu from this flight when I came to the following service:
MOVIE SNACK
The following snacks are available at any time
Assorted fresh fruit
Whittaker’s chocolate
Sandwiches
Potato C hips
Biscuits
Candy
What?!! No hot noodles? That’s alright – I’m not hungry anyway. Closing up the laptop, I reclined my seat into a more comfortable position and read for a bit before trying to get some sleep. “Trying to get some sleep” would be the operative words here as I was never able to get truly comfortable. At just a hair under 6’, I’m not overly tall though I’m certainly not short either. Still. I was too big for this seat. My toes touched the end of the cubby hole and although I was able to lower the armrest on my right side, my shoulder still rubbed up against something.
Meanwhile, seatmate slept peacefully beside me. She was smaller and appeared to fit comfortably into the space provided by her seat. With her pillow and blankets strewn about her, she looked like a little chipmunk curled up in her nest. Well good for her. Sometimes I wish I were small. Most of the time I’m perfectly content with my normal size. Tonight however, I wouldn’t have minded being 5’6”.
As I tossed and turned, I couldn’t help but think back to some of the best sleeps I’ve ever had on airplanes. Two come immediately to mind – both on United – one in First Class and one in Business Class. The First Class flight was aboard a 747SP with the old 2nd generation sleeper seats. They didn’t lie flat but they were wide, soft and comfortable. We were flying from Los Angeles to Sydney and I fell asleep about two hours into the flight. The only reason I woke up was because of an announcement that due to headwinds we’d be making a refueling stop in Nadi, Fiji. Were it not for that, who knows – I might have slept for a solid nine or ten hours. The Business Class flight was back in 1999 aboard a United 777 flying between Miami and Buenos Aires. United’s 1990s era Business Class sleeper seats were of the cradle variety and remain to this day amongst the most comfortable seats I have ever sat or slept in.
Lie-flat technology is all well and good but from my experience, many of the Business Class platforms are too hard, too narrow and not long enough. Luddite that I am, I would gladly sit in one of the old, well-padded cradle seats from 30 years ago.
Since lie-flat wasn’t really working for me, I decided to treat the seat as a recliner – not unlike the Business Class seats of old. I reclined the back of the seat about 70° but kept my leg rest tucked into the seat. In this way I actually managed to get comfortable enough to knock off about six hours of intermittent sleep.
As always, what woke me up were the sounds and smells of the breakfast service. Throwing off my blanket, I padded to the lav for a quick visit and then returned to fold up my blanket and return my seat to its upright position. Now then, where did I leave that menu…? Ah, there it is behind the newspaper.
CHINESE BREAKFAST
Congee Garnish
Pickled Chinese Nuts with Chilli Oil
Egg Salty
Pickled Chinese Black Fungus with Mustard
HOT ENTRÉE
Congee Chinese Plain
Baked Pork Bun
Beef Suimai
Spinach Dumpling
Fresh Fruits
* * * :-: * * * :-: * * *
WESTERN BREAKFAST
Fresh fruits
Cereal
Yoghurt
Milk Jam
HOT ENTRÉE
Cheese Omelette with Pesto and Parmesan
Served with smoked chicken sausage, hash browned potato, grilled tomato
Breakfast rolls with butter
Oh My Gawd! I just couldn’t see myself eating Pickled Chinese Black Fungus nor the pickled nuts. And what’s an egg salty? Maybe it’s a typo and they meant to say a salty egg. Yes, but what kind of egg? I decided to go with the safe Western Breakfast and was not disappointed.
Air China’s Western Breakfast
Now I reckon this is about as good a breakfast as you can expect in Business Class these days! Indeed, as compared to First Class transcon breakfasts which I’ve been served many times on Alaska Airlines, this is a superior meal. The omelet is larger and more filling and is served with real breakfast bread, not just a cheap Danish. Further, Alaska’s meals don’t include cereal and yogurt.
Well done, Air China!
By the time the last of the breakfast trays were cleared off, there was only about an hour left in the flight. Seatmate and I chatted for a bit and it turned out we’d both be flying onward to Shanghai together. She already had her onward boarding pass whereas I’d need to get mine issued at Beijing. Alas, the “seamless” interaction touted between fellow Star Alliance member airlines was not possible via the check-in counter at Nadi. As a result, they were only able to issue me boarding passes for my first two flights.
I didn’t know it at the time but because Beijing to Shanghai is a domestic flight, I’d have to go through immigration, take the train all the way back to the main terminal and then check in at the ticket counter. Then it’d be back out to the Domestic Departures Terminal for a bit of lounging. More on that in a moment.
Our scheduled arrival time was 4:10am and, weather diversion notwithstanding, we were operating pretty much right on time. We must have picked up a tailwind somewhere during the night. Unfortunately it was still dark outside but even so, I felt like another lap around the airplane would get the morning off to a good start. I didn’t get far what with the meal carts blocking the aisles but from what I could see, the folks back in Economy were eating pretty nicely as well.
Just prior to landing, the flight attendants positioned themselves throughout the cabin, staring straight ahead while another announcement was made thanking us for having flown Air China. Then they all bowed and returned to their quarters. Though it seemed a bit formal in this day and age, I thought it was a nice gesture.
Even though I was on the aisle, I watched through the 787’s large windows as we glided smoothly over the airport perimeter and then the runway threshold, touching down lightly after a flight of twelve hours and fifty-two minutes.
And so ended my first flight aboard Air China, the 191st airline I’ve ever flown on. While I’m glad I got a chance to finally fly with CA, if I had a choice on a long international route, I think I would likely go with the competition. Then again, that might depend upon the competition. There’s little chance I would ever subject myself to “service” from those tired old war horses masquerading as senior Delta flight attendants ever again. But seriously, Air China was … okay. The service is pleasant though not particularly refined or inspired. Similarly, the seats, while meeting all the basic criteria of Business Class seats – are nothing special. If, however, breakfast is served… all bets are off.
April 12, 2017
Air China Beijing to Shanghai 800a – 1015a Airbus A330-300 First Class
As usual, we parked at the last gate at the end of the concourse and departed from the furthest gate down an opposite concourse on my connecting flight. I’ll bet I walked a good mile or more as I made my way all the way over to immigration, then caught the train to the main terminal, walked down to the First Class check-in counters, then made my way back to the train, on to the new terminal and then searched for and located the lounge pavilion, located upstairs above the busy terminal commons.
Domestic flights on Air China are marketed as First Class – so, it was off to the First Class side of the lounge for me. Along the way I noticed a separate room for Platinum Card holders. The chairs looked a bit more comfortable in there and who knows – maybe there were nicer food offerings as well. I tried not to stare as I walked by.
Air China’s First Class Lounge – Domestic Departures
The view from on high
Air China’s First Class Lounge – Food Offerings
There are some noodle cups and hot beverages on the other side
Over the years I’ve made a couple of visits to Air China’s Business Class Lounge in the new International Terminal 3. It is a comfortable and well-stocked facility that would compare nicely with most Business Class lounges. This facility on the Domestic Departures side of Terminal 3 reminded me of a United Club on a bad day ten years ago.
The seating was comfortable enough but the food and drink options were extremely limited. Food offerings were comprised of packaged snack items such as crackers as well as some hot noodle cups. Drinks were tea and coffee and refrigerated bottled drinks that were not really refrigerated. Oh – the refrigerators looked nice enough but in checking each and every one of them, I found that none of them put forth any cold or even cool air. They were just nice looking display cases for bottled drinks.
I grabbed a bottle of water and found an open seat where I finished reading yesterday’s edition of the International New York Times. Lastly, before starting out for the gate, I stopped by the Business Class Lounge across the way. Given the utilitarian ambiance of the First Class Lounge, I was curious as to how much drop off might be expected in the Business Class Lounge. Truth be known, there was none really. In terms of furnishings and food and beverage offerings, it was identical to the First Class Lounge but twice as big.
The departure gate for my flight down to Shanghai was C1, so I’m thinking “Oh Boy! That should be close by.” It wasn’t. Instead it was a good third of a mile hike down to my waiting A330, parked as usual per this trip at the very last gate on the concourse. Gate 1. Right. Along the way I passed another much smaller Business Class lounge. It was small enough to be considered quaint, and if I find myself flying out of the C gates again, I’ll definitely keep that lounge in mind.
Air China has painted some of its A330s in beautiful liveries reflective of nothing in particular – just colorful, flowing Chinese art. I was hoping that I’d get one of those birds this morning but alas, the A330 waiting at the gate looked like a tired old veteran of many a domestic flight. It wore the standard old Air China livery, most of that a carry-over from the CAAC days. A separate boarding lane was available for First Class passengers – indeed there was even an agent calling out to the crowd trying to identify any First Class passengers. This was a good thing because the line of humanity waiting to board this flight stretched well back into the concourse.
Onboard the aircraft, I made my way back to row 14K – on the window. The seats were pretty standard looking Business Class recliners – reminiscent of those found on Asiana’s A330s but not quite as nice. In particular, the IFE screen was this almost square 10” thing housed in the grey plastic molding of the seatback in front of me. It looked like something out of the 1960s.
First Class checked in full this morning, as did Economy I should imagine. Orange. apple or tomato juice was offered followed by hot towels and then an impressive selection of newspapers. The flight attendant even saved a copy of the English language China Post for an old waigouren like me. Very nice.
The safety briefing was next, complete with the behavioral warning from the cabin security officer. I wondered what might have happened aboard these flights in the past to warrant such warnings. The flight attendants then bowed in unison and returned to their stations for taxi and takeoff. Being the attentive guy that I am, I dutifully watched the safety demonstration and couldn’t help but notice that all of the women wore essentially the same hairstyle – hair pulled tightly back and tied into a bun. There were no pony tails, no bangs, no curly hair and certainly no dreads. As popular as the latter are becoming, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a flight attendant wearing them before, and certainly no Chinese woman - regardless of profession.
Flight time down to Shanghai was a leisurely one hour and forty-five minutes, cruising along at thirty-some odd thousand feet. Sorry, detail freaks, but I’ve never paid much attention to altitude unless it’s very high or very low. With the average flight operating at 35-40000 feet, it’s all the same to me.
I was curious what we’d be offered on this flight being as the distance between Beijing and Shanghai is 660 miles, about the same as New Orleans to Miami. My answer came quickly as the flight attendants wasted no time in coming through the aisles to take meal requests featuring either a Chinese or Western breakfast. Linens were laid, drinks served and breakfast trays were then delivered.
I was impressed. The overall service was very efficient and the Western Breakfast was very good. I received a nice omelet accompanied by two red sausages, hash browns, a flaky croissant, a fruit dish and a bowl of that old All-American classic – Corn Flakes. Very nice, and again - way more than we’d ever see stateside on a flight of similar length. Now if only I could find an airline that offered Lucky Charms for breakfast!
Breakfast over China
When I was just six years old, we flew from Denver down to Phoenix aboard a Western Airlines 720B. The distance flown is similar to Beijing – Shanghai but the difference in perception of time and space was considerable. At six years old, flying was so exciting that I could hardly sleep for nights before our departure. Once we took to the air, the flights just seemed to last forever. From my six year old perspective, that was a good thing.
Fast forward to today and over 5,200 flights since and it seemed like this hour and forty-five minute flight just flew by! Breakfast was enjoyed at a leisurely pace, after which I’d just gotten into a good long article in the China Post when my ears alerted me to our initial descent. Shortly thereafter an announcement confirmed that fact and twenty minutes later we were on the ground, spending about fifteen minutes taxiing the long and scenic route around the 10,000 acres upon which sits Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport. The airport is the second busiest in China and the ninth busiest in the world, so when I reference the “scenic route”, I’m talking plane spotting.
In yet another example of how the “seamless” connections between Star Alliance member airlines is more fiction than fact outside of Europe and North America, when I’d checked in earlier this morning in Beijing I was unable to have a boarding pass issued for my connecting flight on EVA from Shanghai to Taipei. As a result, from where we parked at gate 85 I had to walk all the way out of the terminal (A sign indicated I’d have to walk 850 meters to where you turn for arrivals. From there another sign indicated it was a further 300 meters to baggage claim) and then make my way over to the International Departures area, a distance I’d guestimate at about 300 meters. From there it was a simple matter to check in for my EVA flight but then I had to wait in quite the line to re-clear security and immigration.
The Star Alliance has been touting its seamless interaction for years now. I wish they’d put more effort into ensuring that this were really true. I’m curious if things are any better over at OneWorld or SkyTeam?
EVA Business Class passengers departing out of Shanghai are invited to visit Lounge 71, so named because of its proximity to Gate 71 – the very gate from which my flight would be departing this afternoon. I was thankful for that because I was getting a bit tired of all this unplanned exercise while navigating my way around China’s Airports.
More to the point, Shanghai sits at about 31°N, about the same as Jacksonville, Florida. It’s a potentially if not realistically humid area that would seem to have realized its full potential for that condition on this day. Because of the 1600 meters (about 1 mile) that I’d walked since deplaning at Pudong, by the time I presented myself at the reception desk I was a sweaty mess. Like a man requesting water after a week in the desert, the first thing I requested of the receptionist was the availability of a shower. I was directed upstairs and told to check with the shower attendants at their desk.
Presenting my bedraggled self at the shower desk, I was asked to present my boarding pass whereupon almost immediately a lounge attendant appeared and beckoned me to follow her into the back recesses of the lounge. There, in a nicely air-conditioned hallway, was a collection of four shower suites. Cue the harp glissando and the chorus from the heavens! In keeping with today’s exercise regimen, I was led to the one farthest down the hall, handed a key and told to return it in exchange for my boarding pass.
Ahhhhhhh…….
There wasn’t much time for lounging once I emerged from the shower suites. I had a quick look at the surprisingly extensive food offerings – at least seven different hot pans plus a nice variety of open sandwich and snack trays – but settled for a cold glass of water and a copy of that day’s New York Times.
I apologize to any lounge lizards who might be dismayed at the lack of photos of this impressive facility. It was certainly worthy of a few shots but it was also filled with a lot of passengers. The food center in particular was a constant hub of activity to the point where I felt trying to get a photograph would be more intrusive than was really called for. There are a couple of pictures of Lounge 71 on the Priority Pass website but they really don’t do it justice. My best advice would be to get over to Shanghai yourselves sometime and experience this lounge on your own time. Come early.
April 12, 2017
EVA Air Shanghai to Taipei 110p – 300p Boeing 747-400 Business Class
I’ve been looking forward to this flight since the day I booked it way back in early November. Flying aboard a Boeing 747 is becoming an increasingly rare and cherished experience, especially for flights under 500 miles. Back in the 1970s we used to see 747s being flown on all sorts of improbably short routes here in the U.S. such as Chicago to Detroit or Minneapolis, Los Angeles to Phoenix or my all-time favorite – the Seattle to Portland route, on which I flew aboard a Northwest 747 back in 1976.
But I digress.
I’ve always thought one of the most exciting sights in all of commercial aviation is gazing upon the distinctive nose of your 747 parked at the gate – especially when you know that your premium class seats will be up in that nose.
Your 747-400 Awaits
As such, I wasted no time in joining the line when boarding was announced for Premium Laurel Class passengers on this afternoon’s flight to Taipei. The walk down the jetway, the warm greeting from the flight attendants at the door – it’s all very nice – but nothing beats the excitement of walking into that spacious forward cabin of the 747. There’s a real intimacy to the high ceilings and tapered fuselage of the forward cabin that to my mind at least has no parallel amongst any other jetliners. It is my favorite place to be while up in the air.
As I type this, I’m trying to figure out a way that I could effectively convey all of these thoughts via photographs but alas, nothing comes to mind. That probably says more about my deficiencies as a photographer than my abilities as a writer but at this stage in life, I’m unlikely to change my style. Perhaps someday – if I ever learn how to take good photographs – I can submit these reports in photo form like most everyone else in the Trip Report forum but until then - you know the drill – you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. As such, I submit to you this meager photograph of my seats in row 6 – the very first row of the forward cabin.
EVA’s Premium Laurel seats aboard the 747-400
The distance between Shanghai and Taipei is 420 miles. Imagine then that you are flying from New York to Cleveland or from San Francisco to San Diego. Or even from Sydney to Melbourne. As is so often the case, you’ve been upgraded to First Class. What then would you expect for inflight service on a 1:00pm departure? I’m pretty sure First Class passengers in Australia could still expect a meal, though it being the luncheon hour it would probably be a light meal. Here in the U.S. however, we could expect no more than a bag of pretzels and a free drink or two.
Following is the wine list and menu from my one hour and ten minute flight between Shanghai and Taipei.
WINE LIST
Champagne
Champagne de Castelnau blanc de blancs Millésime 2007
White Wine
Petit Clos Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Marlborough, New Zealand
Prinz von Preussen Reisling Kabinett 2013, Rheingau, Germany
Red Wine
Château Paloumey 2012, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Diemersfontein Pinotage 2014, Wellington, South Africa
Fortified Wine
Cuesta Fino Sherry
Taylor’s LBV Port
Spirits
Kavalan Single Malt Whisky
Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky
Camus XO Excellence
Bacardi Light Rum
Bombay Sapphire Gin
Smirnoff Black Label Vodka
Liqueurs
Campari
Kahlua
Bailey’s Irish Cream
Melon Liqueur
Cointreau
LUNCHEON
Shanghai to Taipei
Hors D’Oeuvre
Salmon Roll with Cream Cheese
Smoked Duck Brest
MAIN COURSE
Green & Safe – Steamed Sticky Rice & Scallops
With Tainan’s Super Grandma’s Ragu Sauce
Wrapped in Lotus Leaf with Mixed Vegetables
Simmered Pork Belly and Abalone
Mixed Vegetables and Steamed Rice
Pan-Fried Beef Steak in Mushroom Demi-Glace
Mixed Vegetables and Potatoes
DESSERT
Fresh Fruit
Coffee and Tea
Wow! Check out the artwork on this wine list and menu:
EVA Air Premium Laurel Wine List on a 1 hour flight
EVA Air Premium Laurel Menu on a 1 hour flight
So many choices! So little time! What would you order?
My mind drifted back to my last set of flights aboard EVA Air back in 2013. On two occasions my seatmate had ordered the Green & Safe special while I opted for one of the more traditional choices. In both instances I remember looking on with envy as seatmate tucked into a magnificent spread of food while my meal – though hardly a bad meal – seemed to pale in comparison to the Green & Safe entrée.
So – this time I played it Green & Safe and ordered accordingly. I was not disappointed.
EVA Air’s Green & Safe Steamed Sticky Rice & Scallops wrapped in Lotus Leaf
EVA Air’s Green & Safe Close Up
EVA Air’s Excellent Hot Sauce Accompaniment
Picture an Asian burrito filled with rice and veggies and the occasional scallop. Add to that a healthy portion of Tainan’s Super Grandma’s Ragu Sauce along with a side order of EVA’s own special brand of hot pepper sauce and you’ve got one of the better airline meals I’ve ever been served aloft – regardless of the distance flown. Check out the scale of the “burrito” relative to the wine glass or the roll and you’ll appreciate that this was a fairly substantial amount of food. I accompanied it with a glass of the Riesling which – as usual – did not disappoint. When it comes to white wines - by my tastes at least – the Germans rarely disappoint. Indeed, I can’t remember when they ever have.
Much like a kid at an amusement park riding aboard his favorite ride, this flight ended all too soon. I’ve seen EVA’s 747s in Vancouver over the past year. If this airplane is still being employed on the long Vancouver to Taipei trans-Pacific route, well – that’s one flight I’d love to be on someday. Even though these Premium Laurel seats are not 180° lie-flats, I would still rather enjoy 13 hours in the unparalleled ambiance of the 747’s forward cabin than in the new Royal Laurel lie-flat suites aboard EVA’s 777-300s.
Whaaaat?! Has old Seat 2A finally lost it?! I’d like to think not but for me at least, sitting in a Premium Class seat up in the nose of a Boeing 747 is truly one of life’s great travel experiences. From this point on I will count myself extremely fortunate for each and every opportunity I get to sit there once again. And believe me, I will try!
Once I’d cleared immigration at Taipei, I headed outside in search of a taxi to my hotel – the enticingly named Pleasant International Hotel in the “nearby” suburb of Taoyuan. When I flew through here ten days ago, my “Taoyuan” addressed hotel was only a six or seven minute taxi ride away. Tonight I watched as we sped past it on the motorway and continued another six or seven minutes before we turned off onto a main thoroughfare taking us into the heart of Taoyuan. I became increasingly uneasy as the driver continued on – he spoke no English so I had to trust that the taxi assistant at the airport had given him the right address to my hotel. Whereas my last taxi fare cost just 175.00 NTD, I watched with growing unease as the meter spun over 300, then 400 NTD. I breathed a sigh of relief when I watched us make a turn on Daxing Road – from there it was only another couple of minutes, though y the time we arrived the meter read 490 NTD. Although the hotel did not provide a shuttle from the airport, I was thankful that it did provide a free shuttle back to the airport the next morning – even if the only morning departure that would work for my flight was at 6:30am.