As I mentioned in the introduction, I needed to be in Hong Kong the day after I left Vietnam for my grand uncle’s funeral. There are a multitude of non-stop options between Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong, including a plethora of low cost carriers and the usual suspect, Cathay Pacific. Cathay is a fine airline, and I have been very fortunate to flown them many times. But why not check out something new? There was one particular airline that caught my eye, Vietjet. Vietjet gained a bit of notoriety a few years back for trying to become the more successful Hooters Air. With a very attractive fare of $85 including baggage and seat selection, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to see what all the fuss is about, right?
I rolled up to the airport about two hours prior to scheduled departure. Vietjet, like many other Asian low cost carriers, separates their check in lines by flight. The line for the Hong Kong line was long, but it moved rather quickly. I was beckoned to approach the counter by a smiling agent about 20 minutes after I arrived. When she furrowed her brow after a bout of furious typing, I knew something was very wrong. She then asked to see my confirmation. Once I pulled it up on my phone, I immediately figured out what the problem was. I have flown over 1,000 flights and 1,000,000 miles, and this was the first time I have ever booked a flight for the wrong day. There was nothing else the agent could do, so she shipped me off to the ticketing counter to see what they could do. The far less friendly agent at the ticketing counter informed there was exactly one seat left on the flight, that could be procured by paying an additional 11.4 million dong, or ~$500. No thanks!
The terminal didn’t have free wifi, so I headed downstairs to the Burger King in the arrivals area and purchased a drink so I could use their wifi and figure out my options. For whatever reason, all of the remaining flights that day to Hong Kong were pretty much sold out. Cathay was still selling seats on their late evening departure, but they were asking for an absurd $1,600 dollars. Of course, there wasn’t any award space available either. Flights departing the following day were far cheaper; however, it wasn’t an option as the funeral began at 10 AM. However, Cathay was offering award seats in both business and economy on their redeye from Singapore to Hong Kong. Debiting my AAdvantage account 22,500 miles secured me a Business Class seat on that flight. And $80 secured me a seat on Tiger Air’s 5PM departure to Singapore. Add checked bags and an assigned seat, the cost was a palatable $100. Of course, I wish I didn’t have to spend the extra cash and miles, in the end it was relatively small price to pay for my mistake.
Check in for my Tiger Air flight to Singapore opened two hours before departure, so I still had about an hour to kill. Say what you want about the evils of smartphones, but there is no better way to mindlessly kill time.
Check in was a breeze, as was security and immigration. And now off to find a lounge. Lounge options were scarce at Ho Chi Minh City Airport to begin with. But thanks to Priority Pass, I had access to what appeared to be the best out of the sorry bunch, the Orchid Lounge, which also happened to be near my gate. The Orchid Lounge was nothing special, but it had some free hot food, drinks, and wifi. So it did the trick. I setup shop near a window, and enjoyed the tarmac views while downing a few somewhat cold Chang beers to calm my nerves.
On the way to the airport, I noticed dark storm clouds begin building up in the distance. Rain began coming down in buckets sometime before I was able to check in to my TigerAir flight. It was still coming down at a heavy clip by the time I reached the lounge, so I figured my flight would be delayed but I still headed to the gate about 30 minutes before departure. Scheduled departure time came and went with no sign of the plane or an announcement for that matter. I decided to stick close to the gate things to be on the safe side. I wasn’t too worried about self-connecting in Singapore as I had about five hours to do so. Just in case, I bought a six pack of Chang to preemptively prepare myself for anything that might go wrong for a whopping $1.50.
TigerAir 2329
Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) – Singapore (SIN)
Depart: 5:05PM
Arrive: 7:30 PM
Aircraft: Airbus A320-100
Seat: 2F (Economy Class)
April 1, 2017
About an hour after scheduled departure, a break in the storm arrived bringing with it the Airbus A320 that would be taking me to Singapore. And immediately, the ground crew sprinted into position to turn the aircraft around. The speed with which the crew turned the A320 around was impressive, and it would have made even a crack Southwest Airlines ground crew take notice. Fifteen minutes after the chocks were set, the plane was cleaned, catered, refueled, and ready for boarding.
Quick turns are all the rage in the airline industry for good reason. Back in 2014, American Airlines began service from their hub in Dallas/Fort Worth to Hong Kong. The inbound flight arrived in Hong Kong around 6 o’clock in the evening, and the aircraft didn’t depart Hong Kong until the following afternoon. The aircraft operating the flight is a Boeing 777-300ER, which has a list price of a cool $248 million. While the actual sales price is nowhere near that list price, American didn’t invest nine-ish figures on an aircraft to have it sit for over 15 hours at an one of the most expensive airports in the world to park a plane. To improve aircraft utilization, American began a second daily flight to Hong Kong from Los Angeles in 2016.
Judging by the crowd in the gate area, the flight would be packed. Not sure how I found such a great fare at literally the last possible moment, but I’m not complaining. Since I purchased a preferred seat assignment, I was in the first boarding group. Once onboard, my first impression of TigerAir was quite positive. The black leather seats and dark gray carpet looked generic and rather boring, but everything seemed fresh and to be in good repair. I found my seat, 2F, quickly and settled in. Legroom was tight even for my average height self, which was expected. Seat padding was surprisingly decent, and downright generous compared to Lufthansa’s slimline seats.
The efficiency of the boarding process was much appreciated. Twenty minutes after boarding began, the cabin door was shut. Compared to flights back in the US, the lack of massive carry on bags was very noticeable. Tigerair is a true low cost carrier charging for everything from seat assignments to checked baggage. However, their fees are very reasonable. I can’t say for sure there’s a direct correlation, but it is certainly amazing how much more quickly the boarding process is.
The sky darkened rapidly during boarding, and by the time the cabin door was closed sheets of torrential rain was falling again.. I thought for sure we’d be delayed further because of the latest round of weather. But the wing walkers braved the rain to make an appearance, and pushback occurred in what like seconds after door closure. I was rather impressed with that the ground crew still gathered to waive good-bye to us, as is the norm at many Asian airports in my experience, given the weather.
Rain was still pelting the fuselage and the winds really picked up while taxiing. Thankfully, takeoff went without a hitch. Winds continued to buffet the plane during climb out, making for a rather rough ride. The plane did breakthrough the top layer of the storm over Ho Chi Minh City several minutes after takeoff. The ride didn’t improve, as there were lines of storms all the way to Singapore. I passed the flight watching lightning bolts illuminate towering thunderheads and pierce the inky black night sky. The light show was mesmerizing, and truly a testament to the beauty and power of nature. While it was beautiful, it was also a potentially deadly situation. Good thing our flight crew skillfully weaved us around the thunderheads allowing me to enjoy the show from a respectful distance.
I say “me” because it was apparent I was the only one in my general vicinity that actually had my window shade open. The rest of my fellow passengers seemed to be engrossed with the tablets and/or phones. I’m as guilty as the next guy when it comes to using electronic devices to waste time, but I also know there’s a time and place to disconnect and smell the proverbial roses. This was one of those times. As much as fly, this was the first time I’ve ever witnessed something of this magnitude. Those poor saps don’t know what they’re missing.
The flight attendants braved the rough ride to conduct in flight service, which consisted of buy on board everything. Some of the hot meals they were hawking actually looked pretty good and were reasonably priced. But the flight was only 90 minutes long, and I would have plenty of time to get a nice dinner at Singapore. So I passed.
Weather improved as we approached Singapore. The lower level cloud cover gave way to scattered clouds, and the twinkling lights of ships below became visible. As we began our descent over the Singapore Straits, those lights became more and more clustered. It looked like one could just walk from ship to ship into Singapore by the time we were making our final approach to Singapore Changi Airport. Landing was exceptionally smooth on Runway 20R. Unlike Singapore Airlines, the arrival announcement didn’t include a “warm welcome home” for Singaporeans. I’m sure they were very disappointed.
We parked at Terminal 2 in between a Scoot 787-8 and a Singapore Airlines A330-300. Because I had checked bags, I needed to clear immigration to claim them and check them back in with Cathay Pacific. Immigration was a non-event for me, and the immigration officer even encouraged me to hop the MRT into town and get dinner. While tempting, I was tired and decided to stick it out at the airport. The lady at the counter next to me didn’t have the same luck with her immigration officer. From what I overheard, she didn’t have proof of an onward ticket and the immigration officer wasn’t having it. There are “rules” and then there are RULES. I suppose immigration rules are in the latter category. That said, my immigration officer didn’t ask me for my onward ticket taking my word for it.
After grabbing my bags, I hopped on the train to Terminal 1 where Cathay Pacific’s check in counters was located. Check in was thankfully open more than four hours before my flight. Free of the burden of my massive bags, I headed back through immigration and into the cavernous terminal. An invitation to the Danata Lounge was issued at check in, which is a fine facility for a contract lounge as I found out later. But I decided head to the Qantas Lounge, which I could access by flying Cathay Business Class or my with
oneworld Emerald status. My experiences with Qantas Lounges have been very positive with respect to food, liquid nutrition, and facilities. This was no exception. I was welcomed into the excellent facility after quick check of my boarding pass. The first order of business was hitting up the spacious and well appointed shower rooms for a nice hot shower, followed by delicious dinner of carrot soup and chicken curry accompanied by several glasses of a nice Australian chardonnay. My immediate needs sated, I found a quiet corner of the lounge to settle down in the comfortable seats. There were plenty of USB and universal power ports available, which I appreciated.
I left the lounge an hour before departure to take a way around. Singapore Changi Airport is considered to be one of the world’s finest airports. It spacious, airy, and one of the most attractive designs I’ve ever seen. If there were an airport I actually want to have a long layover without lounge access, it would be Changi. With the luxury
shops boutiques, such as Tiffany’s, Gucci, and Fendi, dotting the terminals in between gates, Changi resembles a high end shopping mall. In fact, it’s far nicer than many of the high-end malls I’ve visited in the US. Far better food and views too. People watching is fun. But people watching while sneaking peaks out the window to see a Singapore Airlines A350 pushback and an Emirates A380 touching down on Runway 20R… That, my friends, would heaven for me. If the Houston Galleria is anything like Changi, I’d be happy to go shopping with you all weekend long, honey!
Although this was just a short redeye flight, I was very much looking forward to this very unexpected Cathay Pacific flight. I can’t say I’ve flown Cathay very much. In fact, it’s actually one of the airlines I’ve flown least, logging only 22 flights covering 51,272 miles. But Cathay Pacific is by far my favorite airline, because it’s just driving a Honda Accord. I’m sure someone in Cathay’s marketing department just had a coronary, but hear me out. I certainly don’t intend that as an insult, after all I love Accords. I learned to drive in my dad’s 1996 Accord. When I graduated high school, I was the proud owner of a new 2004 Accord, which I for over ten years and 200,000 miles before trading it in for a 2014 Accord Hybrid. Another 100,000 miles later, I still love my Hybrid. The Accord isn’t class leading in many respects, but it does everything consistently well. That’s why I love them, and that’s why I love Cathay Pacific. Cathay doesn’t have the best or flashiest product, but they do everything so consistently well resulting in a great all around product.
On the way to the gate, I decided to stop by the Danata Lounge to check it out and put my invitation to good use. I was pleasantly surprised to find a good-sized lounge, with plenty of hot and cold food options. It was a little dim in terms of lighting, but it was a perfectly acceptable contract lounge.
Security is done at individual gates at Singapore. Once clearing that, my boarding pass was scanned before I could actually enter the completely packed gate area. The flight tonight would definitely be packed to the gills, and I was more than glad to have ponied up the extra miles for Business Class. While there was plenty of people at the gate, there was no plane as the inbound flight was delayed due to the same line of storms that delayed me in Ho Chi Minh City. It finally arrived a couple of minutes before scheduled departure time. Boarding finally began 40 minutes after scheduled departure time.
Cathay Pacific Airways 714
Singapore (SIN) – Hong Kong (HKG)
Depart: 1:15 AM
Arrive: 5:05 AM
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 14K (Business Class)
April 2, 2017
Operating our flight this evening, or morning rather, was B-KQQ a Boeing 777-300ER equipped with Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy. As with every Cathay flight, a smiling flight attendant greeted me at the door and I was passed off to another flight attendant who showed me to my seat, 14K.
On their longhaul fleet, Cathay uses reverse herringbone seats for Business Class arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. It’s equipped with all the bells and whistles, including in seat universal and USB power ports, which is very much appreciated. Also appreciated is the overall level of comfort, space, and privacy the seat provides. This is the exact same seat American uses on their 777-300ERs, though I find Cathay’s to be far better padded.
As I settled in, I could help but grin. All of my flights up until this point of the trip were in Economy. With respect to the flights themselves, I really don’t have much to complain about. I got exactly what I paid for, point A to point B transportation, with few thrills. But by God, it is so much better up here at the pointy end of the plane. The only thing missing is a glass of champagne in my hand. Fortunately, the delightful flight attendant who escorted me to my seat made another appearance with a silver tray of orange juice, champagne, and water. She playfully suggested a glass of champagne is just what I needed to start the flight on the right foot. Great minds thing a like for sure! I slowly savored the first sip of the delicious golden liquid. Once it hits your lips, it’s so good. You best believe I enjoyed every single sip.
The purser soon came by to say hello and offer menus. I’m sure most folks back home wouldn’t dream of getting a menu on a flight covering just 1,588 miles, especially on a redeye flight. But yes, they certainly do exist and a full hot meal is still served. From what the conversations I overheard, it seemed most of my fellow passengers were Chinese speakers. So it was no surprise when the delightful flight attendant returned to ask if was interested in eating in Cantonese. Her jaw nearly hit the floor when I answered I would like to sleep in my heavily American accented Cantonese. That threw her in a loop, though she recovered admirably and carried on with an embarrassed laugh after asking which language I wanted to communicate in. I don’t have much of an opportunity to speak much Chinese anymore, so I decided to stick with Cantonese.
After the Captain came on the horn to announce a further delay due to cargo loading, she returned for a chat after checking up on the rest of the passengers on this aisle. Understandably, she was curious as to how I spoke Cantonese and proceeded to tell me she found my American accented rather… cute. We ended up chatting until pushback, which finally occurred over an hour after scheduled departure. Before she left, she asked what I wanted to drink after takeoff. I asked for my favorite non-alcoholic drink aboard Cathay, the Cathay Delight.
And then, I don’t remember a thing until waking up at the beginning of meal service. I did find a frothy chilled glass of Cathay Delight next to me along with a glass of water and a bottle of water in the water bottle holder.
Seeing that I was awake, delightful flight attendant scurried over from the cart to ask if I was sure I didn’t want to eat. Positive, ma’am. I quickly downed the drinks, and put the seat into lie flat mode. I didn’t wake up until we were 30 minutes from Hong Kong. Moments after I put my seat back upright, delightful flight attendant was back again and offered to get me something. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I definitely needed some assistance to say awake. So I ordered a cup of coffee and another Cathay Delight, which was kept topped off until we were well into our descent into Hong Kong. After tidying up the cabin, the delightful flight attendant came by once more for chat. She came armed with a duty free bag, which she gave to me with a wink and said it was just a little gift to remember this flight by at the end of our conversation. I opened the bag to find the rest of the plane’s supply of Cathay Delight along with handwritten instructions on how to make it.
Landing occurred just under an hour late, which wasn’t terrible given the delay. The parking brake was set after a short taxi, and it was off to the races for immigration. I thanked the wonderful crew on the way out, especially the delightful flight attendant, before joining the race.
What can I say about Cathay Pacific? Nothing amazing, but it was good. Actually, check that. It was very good, thanks to the wonderful crew. Again, just perfectly consistent well done.
Upon deplaning, it was familiar dance of immigration, claiming bags, and hopping onto the Airport Express. From Hong Kong Station, I got on the free bus for the Admiralty area hotels, including the JW Marriott where I would be staying. Hong Kong is the only city in the world I have never had trouble checking in early, even with an early morning arrival like this. I presented bleary-eyed self at the front desk at just past 7AM. The friendly agent didn’t have any issue checking me in at this hour, and even invited me to grab breakfast at the club lounge even though I wasn’t technically supposed to have access until the evening. Gratefully accepting the room key, I headed up to my room to freshen up.
The room was of very good size, especially for a hotel in Hong Kong, but the decor was rather plain and boring. It was obviously an older hotel, but very well kept. In fact, it reminded me a lot of the Conrad Hong Kong right next door.
After running through the shower, I went to club lounge for breakfast, which I was able to access with my Marriott Platinum status. An excellent variety of western and Chinese options were available. Having not eaten since I left Singapore, I was hungry and grabbed some lox and bagel as well as coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. And then it was off to the funeral and other family functions the rest of the day. While I love seeing my family, I was dead tired. I have no idea how I stayed awake rest of the day, but I somehow did until about 8PM when I finally returned to the hotel after a delicious roast goose dinner. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit pillow and slept soundly until early the next morning.