ac/elite

I've traveled on 4 Int'l J flights in the past month. On the first 3, I received the standard amenity kit in the green or blue case which included socks, eye cover, earplugs, lip balm, temple balm, toothbrush and toothpaste and face spray (and maybe some other stuff I can't recall now). Yesterday, on LHR-YVR, I was handed a kit I hadn't seen before. It is clear plastic and contains just the socks, earplugs and toothbrush/toothpaste. None of the other stuff.

I asked the flight attendant if AC is cutting back and she just rolled her eyes and said that this is the first she's seen of these new kits, but she doesn't usually do this route. Another flight attendant told her she thinks these are just given on the inbound to Canada from LHR, not on the outbound. Is this the new standard?

ylwae

I believe daytime flights typically feature the small amenity kit. I don't remember ever getting the overnight amenity kit on LHR-YVR.

exAC

Same here. Although I haven't taken an amenity kit in about two years.

ylwae

And I should qualify "ever". I've only been travelling in J on that route for about three years--may have been different before.

ac/elite

Well maybe that's it then, but it makes no sense to me. Your lips or skin don't get dry on a 9 hour daytime flight? I recently flew HKG-YVR departing HKG at about the same time of day as the LHR-YVR flight does and they did give out the full kit.

Stranger

It was. Up to about that time, they were giving the same thing both ways on European routes.

Used to be the greenish rectangular boxes. Then small black cell phone cases, which were real crummy. Then the current ones.

ylwae

No argument from me. If I were to speculate, I would say that AC feels that passengers are more likely to feel dryer after they've been unconscious for a while.

And HKG-YVR is "overnight" at some point anyway, isn't it?

YOWkid

Yeah, the daytime kits suck. I always ask for the night kits. I usually use them as presents as well and give them to my friend who picks me up from the airport.

luxury

Weren't there ones which became a fanny pack or something similar and the kit itself (not the contents) was customised for the ladies and gents ? I am sure I saw a lady using her AC J amenity kit as a fanny pack a few years ago....... am I hallucinating?

YOWkid

You've been spending too much time writing that chapter for your prof.

Stranger

No.

ypqRD

I got the nice one on a Canada-Europe J trip and the not-so-nice one on the return and I assumed it was because most trips are return, you don't use that stuff up on a single flight, so on the way home they just top you up with the minimums. (Not so nice is maybe unfair, I actually keep the toothpaste and brush, in the little plastic thing, at the bottom of my regular briefcase/bag for emergencies.) I am pretty sure both flights were overnight. The socks from those kits are among my favourites, though I like the Luthansa socks even better. My children will steal my "plane socks" given half the chance.

Shareholder

The modified kits have been provided for at least a year and a half since the green bags were intrdouced on daytime flights. The full kits are only given out on overnight flights, in part to save money. BTW there are no overnight frlghts from Europe on AC, though I suppose some think of it that way when taking the 9:30pm ex-LHR. The only true overnight flights AC has across "the Atlantic" from east to west are those from TLV and DEL. And full kits are given out on these two services.

To read this thread though, reminds me of an old Woody Allen joke about the meals in the summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in NY where everyone would complain about how bad the food was. And how small the portions were!

yyzgurl

I got one of the cheap kits on a flight from yyz-hkg a couple of months ago. Got the regular kit on the flight back. Asked attendant about it and she had no idea why the change in kits.

karachi

I flew Emirates from FRA-CGK last month in J class .. and their amenity kit kicks .... real shaving razors, shaving cream, cologne etc.