April 6, 2004
Hobart to Melbourne
Qantas 426 Economy Class – Seat 28B – B767-300
=========================================

Other than a three hour flight delay due to fog in Sydney, I had another pleasant Qantas flight. Upon arrival in Sydney, I caught a ride on the free Ibis Mascot Hotel shuttle; a small eight seat van. The Ibis Mascot
is located just a few minutes drive from the Domestic Terminal. Check-in was quick and efficient. My room on the fourth floor was of average size and nothing special. The décor was plain, the furnishings simple, but the room was clean. The bathroom was small but had a very large shower due to the efficient design of the bathroom. An iron and ironing board were provided. For US$68 per night I thought this was good deal. The hotel had a bar, with a pool table, and bistro on the ground floor next to the hotel entrance. Although I did not visit either the bar or restaurant, there were quite a few people there and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I used the fee for use Internet terminal in the lobby for a short time then met some friends in Sydney for dinner at their home. Later that evening I made use of the guest laundry facilities in the hotel. Before going to bed I called the front desk to inquire about the shuttle times in the morning as I needed to be at the airport by 6:00AM. The clerk told me the shuttle leaves the hotel every half hour beginning at 5:30AM but the earliest shuttle with a seat available was 8:00AM, too late to meet my needs. If you plan to take the hotel shuttle to the airport, I highly recommend you make a reservation when you check-in to the hotel. The clerk told me a taxi to the International Terminal would cost me about A$20. Since the Mascot train station was only a seven minute walk, I decided to take the train to the airport. The next morning I simply dropped off my key at the front desk as I departed. I was required to pay for the room at check-in. I walked to the train station and purchased my ticket from the automated machine. The cost for a ONEWAY ticket was A$11 for the very short trip. It was interesting to note a ROUNDTRIP ticket to downtown (nearly three times the distance) was only A$6. I guess we now know who funds the airport train service. I only had to wait three minutes for the train and within six minutes I was at the International Terminal.

April 7, 2004
Sydney to Auckland
Thai Airways 991 Business Class – Seat 16A (Upper Deck) – B744
================================================== =

I made my way to the Thai Airways check-in counter which was literally deserted. Two agents were working behind the counter. One greeted me and said she could assist me with check in. I had earlier consulted the Thai seat maps and determined I would be flying on one of the older 747-400 aircraft. The map indicated row 16 was the exit row. I asked the agent if seat 16A was available. She mentioned that Thai uses two different configurations of 747 aircraft and that she would check to make sure 16A was an exit row seat. Indeed it was, so she said she would be happy to assign me to that seat. ^ She gave me my boarding pass and said I could use the Air New Zealand lounge once I cleared immigration and security.

I had read posts from other FTers that raved about the ANZ lounge so I was looking forward to my visit. Upon entering the lounge a very pleasant hostess greeted me and told me I was the first visitor of the morning. She checked my boarding pass, then directed me into the lounge and wished me a pleasant flight. The business class lounge was large and spacious with tasteful contemporary décor and offered a nice view of the tarmac. I could see several 747 aircraft parked at their gates right below the lounge. I noticed there was a separate area behind a glass door for first class passengers. I found a nice seat near the window and made my way to where the food and beverages were located. There was an impressive selection of hot and cold foods. I think the hot foods included scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, potatoes, and oatmeal but I can’t recall for sure. The cold selections included cereal, pastries, fresh fruit, and yoghurt. Coffee, tea, and a variety of juices were also offered, in addition to a nice selection of alcoholic beverages. I can tell you I enjoyed a very pleasant and satisfying breakfast before my flight. I used one of the two Internet terminals to check on some future ANZ reservations, then headed for the gate.

Near Gate 60 I noticed there was a kiosk with three Internet access terminals that anyone could use free of charge. At Gate 60 there only appeared to be about 100 people waiting to board this flight. About thirty minutes before the scheduled departure the gate agent announced pre-boarding for first and business class passengers. A small group of passengers presented themselves at the gate and we were allowed to board the aircraft. The purser greeted me as I boarded the aircraft and directed me to the upper deck where a very pleasant FA assisted me with storing my bag behind the last row of seats. As I settled into my seat she brought me a bottle of water and a glass and offered me another beverage of my choice. I had read other FTer posts mentioning the seats on the older 747 aircraft (known as 744) did not have leg rests or PTVs. I was surprised to see the seats on this aircraft had both. Although the seats did not have all the gadgets and comfort of the United business class seats they were nevertheless quite comfortable. If I recall, the IFE offered a selection of three or four movies and some other programming in addition to several audio selections and the in-flight map program. No amenity kits were distributed, but I did find, in the magazine pouch, a folder with some Thai Airways stationary and postcards. The postcards were nice if you are a postcard collector. We departed on time and shortly after takeoff one of the FAs passed through the cabin to tell us about the meal offering and to note our selection. No menu was distributed. The meal offering for this flight was:

Fresh fruit plate
Western style omelet or lightly fried fish with fried rice and vegetable
Coffee, tea, juice, water

There may have been a dessert offering but I don’t recall. Since I had eggs earlier while in the lounge, I decided to try the fish. The fruit plate was excellent (can’t really go wrong with fruit, right?). The main dish consisted of chunks of fish that were battered, fried, and covered with a sweet and sour sauce. The fish was accompanied by white rice mixed with slices of ham and green bean pieces. The fish was edible but the rice was awful. After reading mostly positive comments about Thai in-flight cuisine I had expected more. Although the quality of the food was marginal the service was great. This was the only meal service of the flight, however, the FAs passed through the cabin several times throughout the flight to replenish water and other beverages passengers were drinking. I thought it was nice that instead of providing passengers with water out of a large bottle, each passenger was given an individual 8oz. bottle and a drinking glass. Since I’m not a wine or alcohol drinker I don’t know what alcoholic beverages were available and I didn’t bother to ask. I watched “Stuck on You”, starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear, which ended about thirty minutes before our arrival. Overall the flight was pleasant. I found the business class seats comfortable and the service attentive. The only negative was the quality of the food.