Seat 2A

“Where the heck is Kalgoorlie?!”

That’s how most people responded when I told them where I was headed to next. And, I suspect more than a few of you are scratching your heads right now and wondering much the same thing.

Kalgoorlie is located at Latitude 30.79 S, Longitude 121.45 E. In plain English, that puts Kalgoorlie approximately 320 miles east of the most remote major city in the world. That city would be Perth, the capital of Western Australia.

Why Kalgoorlie? Why not? Though I’ve passed through Kalgoorlie on Australian National Railways’ Indian Pacific enroute to Perth, I’ve never actually visited the town. Truth be known, Kalgoorlie will be a starting point for my travels through Southwestern Australia, an area I’ve yet to spend a proper amount of time in. The coastal regions of southwestern Australia comprise one of the more beautiful corners of the country and, because of its remoteness, it is not nearly so affected by the scourge of modern day tourism as Australia’s East Coast.

Perhaps a little personal history would be in order about now. Back in 1988, I arrived in Australia with just my backpack and a sense of adventure. As soon as I’d cleared customs, I headed over to an information kiosk and started calling various bus and railroad companies. With no real itinerary or pre-made plans to hold me up, I was free to go anywhere that suited my fancy, not to mention budget. That budget, as I’d designed it, would allow me travel anywhere between Tasmania and Northern Queensland. I was checking out train fares down to Canberra and Melbourne when I asked the agent how much the train fare was aboard the Indian Pacific, Australia’s sole transcontinental train traveling between Sydney and Perth. At that time, the Indian Pacific was considered the premier train in Australia. It was generally operated in an all Pullman configuration, i.e. no Economy Class seats, and I assure you the normal price for one of its rooms was well beyond the humble means of a budget minded traveler such as I. As such, the spirit of my request was borne of idle curiosity, nothing more.

Well, imagine my surprise when the agent informed me that if I were willing to have a roommate, I could make the trip to Perth for only about $320.00 in US dollars. He seemed genuinely surprised at the price and stressed that this was likely not an offer one could expect to see every day. Indeed, based upon the fares he was used to quoting, it might be a good long while before anything as good were offered again.

I love train travel and had always wanted to see Western Australia. Australian domestic air fares were prohibitively expensive back in 1988 and, under normal circumstances, so too was the Indian Pacific. $320.00 was a lot more than I’d originally planned to spend, but as the agent said, opportunities like this didn’t come along all that often. Carpe Diem! I swallowed hard and said “Let’s do it!”

As things turned out, my “roommate” never showed up and so for the next three days I enjoyed a nice large room to myself along with complimentary meals and plenty of camaraderie in the lounge car.

I spent a couple of weeks in the country south of Perth, visiting towns like Bridgetown, Quindallup, Mary’s River and Donnybrook before heading two thousand miles up the coast to Darwin and beyond. On that first happy-go-lucky excursion out to Western Australia, I never got any further south than Pemberton. Albany and the southwest coast have always beckoned. And now, sixteen years later, I respond.

Once again, I am cashing in some of my hard earned award miles towards a First Class ticket aboard British Airways, an airline who’s First Class is consistently ranked amongst the very finest in the industry. Those of you who’ve read my past trip reports are well aware that I enjoy travelling there every bit as much as being there. This is particularly true when the journey involves international First Class travel aboard one of the world’s premier airlines.

This is also the third year in a row that I have written about First Class travel aboard BA between the US and Australia. Indeed, many have asked why do I keep going back to Australia?

Aside from the fact that I genuinely like Australia and its people, equally important is the fact that I’m also getting the maximum value for my Alaska Mileage Plan award miles by using British Airways to Australia rather than Qantas. To appreciate my logic, you’ve got to understand that I value the First Class experience every bit as much as the destination. I truly enjoy having a comfortable window on the world 39,000 feet above the planet whilst being wined and dined in a fashion far nicer than I generally experience while earthbound.

This trip will cost me 150,000 award miles. I’ll fly Alaska Airlines down to Los Angeles and connect to British Airways onward to London, Singapore and Melbourne. Roundtrip, the total mileage flown in First Class on BA comes to 31,940 miles. By comparison, I could fly Qantas down to Australia for 135,000 miles, but then I’d only get to enjoy about 15000 miles worth of their First Class over the course of the round trip. I wouldn’t waste the 120,000 miles required for a First Class award to Europe because the flights are too short and I can always buy an Economy Class ticket there for $500.00 or less and rack up additional miles. Cathay Pacific’s 140,000 mile First Class award to South Africa is quite tempting, however. The trick is finding an available seat! Someday…

Bottom line: BA’s Australia award, as available through Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan, offers me the most possible time aloft relative to miles expended.

Even if I were to take the most direct route from Alaska across the Pacific and Australia to Kalgoorlie, it is still a long way to travel. My routing, from Fairbanks via Anchorage, Seattle, Los Angeles, London, Singapore, Melbourne and Perth will include seven flights on Alaska, American, British Airways and Qantas, followed by a train journey between Perth and Kalgoorlie. I’ll be well fed, with four dinners, one lunch and four breakfasts being served enroute.

Here now is the tale of my journey from Fairbanks, Alaska to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. 20,610 miles aboard four airlines and one railroad, First Class almost all the way.

Oh yeah, there’s pictures, too. You find them
RIGHT HERE.


PREFACE

This past week has been incredibly hectic. Seven days ago, on Wednesday, February 25th, I began the day in Nashville, Tennessee by boarding an American Eagle Jungle Jet bound for Chicago. I continued on to Los Angeles and Seattle, arriving in Seattle at 4:25pm. At 6:00pm, I flew back down to Los Angeles and, after a three hour layover, caught the red-eye back to Chicago. After an hour’s nap on the floor of Gate K-11, I continued on to Kansas City, then back to Chicago, Los Angeles, and finally, Seattle. Due to a delayed departure out of Los Angeles, I missed the last flight of the night back to Fairbanks and so had to fly up on Friday morning. Thus ended my most recent Mileage Run. Already this year I’ve logged 49,570 miles on fifty flights. Thanks to Alaska and American’s Double Mileage promotion, I’ve also added just over 126,000 miles to my Mileage Plan account.

Upon my return, I had to pack up and move out of my cabin. This was not an easy task. Despite having sold or given away everything from amplifiers to CDs to clothing to appliances, I still seem to have acquired two or three additional boxes of stuff that I was forced to find a place for in my little 5X10 storage unit. Believe me when I tell you that that storage unit is a monument to my organizational prowess! So long as we don’t have any major earthquakes like last year’s 6.9 shaker, I should be alright.

I particularly regretted moving out of this cabin because I really liked the place. It was in a beautiful setting, nestled amidst tall white spruce, and the late winter sun had only just returned to shine through my windows in the afternoon.

Because I take Employee Housing during the summer while I work in Denali National Park, I won’t be needing a place to live in the Fairbanks area until next September. I simply can’t afford to pay six months rent for what would essentially be a giant storage locker. Still, I'll really miss both the cabin and my friends in “the neighborhood”.

My ride to the airport pulled up just as I was applying the final touches to a good and proper cleaning. I like to leave places I’ve lived in as clean or cleaner than they were before I arrived. Good karma and all that, you know. Mission accomplished.


03 March
FAI-ANC Alaska 164 First Class
737-900 N303AS Seat 2F
100p-200p Flight time: :47

It’s a short flight from Fairbanks down to Anchorage. Last week I made the northbound run in just 37 minutes. Today’s flight took ten minutes longer but the clear skies north of the Alaska Range allowed me to notice a couple of interesting points…

I have driven between Fairbanks and Denali Park literally hundreds of times. The park is located just 120 miles south of Fairbanks and the drive generally takes a couple of hours. Fifty-five miles south of Fairbanks is the town of Nenana. It normally takes me about 55 minutes to get there. Thirty minutes farther along is the Clear Sky Lodge, one of my favorite watering holes and home to two of the finer pool tables in the state. In any event, I set my watch during the take off roll and noticed that it took us only six minutes to reach Nenana, clearly visible at the confluence of the Tanana and Nenana rivers. Three minutes later we were parallel with the Clear Sky Lodge, and over the Denali Park area after just fourteen minutes. Very impressive.



Approaching Anchorage


ANC-SEA Alaska 102 First Class
DC-9-83 N982AS Seat 1A
350p-812p Flight time: 2:47

This flight was sold out in First Class when I booked this trip and remained so right up through last night. This morning, rather than check on itn.com, I figured it couldn’t hurt to actually call Alaska and see if there might have been any last minute cancellations. Click click click, tap tap tap … why yes, we have one seat available. I’ll take it! There was even a choice of seats still available for assignment. 1A, please.

A light snow had begun to fall by the time boarding was announced. It looked quite pretty out on the tarmac, not unlike one of those old Currier and Ives prints, but with airplanes and support vehicles replacing the children and sleighs.

As always, I’d booked a window seat on the left side of the airplane in hopes of seeing the spectacular glacial scenery off Alaska’s coast. Unfortunately, the same storm that was dropping snow in the Anchorage area had socked in the entire region from south central Alaska all the way down to Seattle and beyond. On the plus side however, my location on the bulkhead meant that with nobody to recline into me, I was able to pull out my laptop after dinner and put in some work on this report.

Ah, dinner! Right. Service commenced with cocktails and peanuts. Apparently the Eco-Snack bags of almonds, mixed nuts and honey roasted almonds have fallen victim to the bean counter’s axe. In their place is the bag of blanched peanuts that has been the standard offering in Economy Class for years. Interesting that it should now become a hand me down to First Class. Here is the menu transcript:


Anchorage to Seattle

DINNER

To Begin
A packet of peanuts to accompany the beverage of your choice

Salad
Crisp romaine lettuce accompanied by shredded carrots and cabbage, radishes and a tomato slice. Served with Honey French Dressing

Dinner Roll

Entrees

Stuffed Turkey Breast
A breaded turkey breast is stuffed with Havarti cheese, then baked and topped with barbecue sauce. Served with rice, peas and a medley of red, green and yellow peppers

Beef Brochette
Complimented by a flavorful mushroom sauce and served with roasted parsleyed potatoes and green beans almondine

** ** **

Dessert
Lemon Tart with a shortbread crust


I chose the beef brochette because it was an entree I’d not yet seen aboard Alaska. It consisted of four or five chunks of marinated beef separated by red and green peppers and placed on a skewer. Although it was decent enough, I found myself looking longingly at the plates of Stuffed Turkey Breast being presented across the aisle. I guess I hadn’t been paying proper attention when the entrees were described and so had confused it with the Turkey Tenderloin, one of my least favorite entrees. I’ve had the Stuffed Turkey Breast before and it really is one of the nicer entrees in Alaska’s repertoire.

Coffee and Bailey’s accompanied a delicious Lemon Tart for dessert and, after a flight of just two hours and forty seven minutes, we touched down in Seattle on a cool, rainy evening. A winter storm warning had been issued for the Cascades and I was thankful for a nice warm bed awaiting me at the Red Lion SeaTac Inn.


04 March
SEA-LAX Alaska 524 First Class
737-900 N317AS Seat 2F
100p-328p Flight time: 1:51

I arrived at SeaTac two hours early hoping to take advantage of an internet connection and a late breakfast in Alaska’s Boardroom. They really do have the most magnificent scones! Unfortunately, a mass exodus from Seattle seemed to be the order of the day as evidenced by the large crowd that had besieged the Alaska check-in counter. Even the First Class/MVP line had a sizeable queue and it was a good twenty minutes before I was finally checked in and on my way. Had there not been an Elite Express lane at the security check point, it might have been another twenty minutes before I finally made it into the sanctuary of the Boardroom.

Boarding was from Gate N-8, over on United’s North Satellite. Our little 737-900 was dwarfed by United’s huge 777-200 parked next door at N-9. It was pushing back for an on-time departure to Tokyo and I paused and watched for awhile as the huge engines came to life with a small puff of smoke. As a kid, I’d occasionally ride my bike fourteen miles out to Denver’s Stapleton International Airport and roam the concourses, checking out everything from Western 720Bs to North Central DC-9s as they loaded passengers and took off to exotic destinations. Back then, destinations like Salt Lake City and Minneapolis certainly seemed exotic. After all these years, I still enjoy watching airliners, especially the big jets, fire up those big high bypass turbo-fans and slowly taxi away, bound for the heavens. It never fails to instill in me a great sense of anticipation and longing for flight.

As expected, this early afternoon flight down to Los Angeles was completely full and boarding was a lengthy affair. We took off to the south and minutes later broke through the clouds into bright sunshine as we made our way up to our cruising altitude of 33,000 feet.



Climbing out of Seattle

Once we’d leveled off, drinks were served by a rather giggly and absent minded flight attendant. Neither I nor my seatmate had managed to get our jackets hung yet, so we got that taken care of first. Fifteen minutes into the flight. When my MacTarnahan’s arrived, it had been poured into the glass so rapidly that it was 80% foam. I commented on this to the FA who giggled and said it was because of the altitude. Right. Got any peanuts? Oh yeah. Giggle.

The luncheon choices (giggle) were as follows:


Seattle to Los Angeles

LUNCHEON

To Begin
Two small bags of peanuts accompanied by your choice of beverage

Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Accented with Provolone cheese and artichoke tapenade on sourdough bread
Served with Gemelli pasta with fresh tomato

Chef Salad with Cheddar and Jack Cheese
Presented with turkey, ham, egg, tomato and olives
Served with Ranch dressing

And Finally…
A Ghirardelli chocolate mint


I’ve had that chicken sandwich before. I think it sounds a lot better than it ultimately is because the bread is quite thick and the chicken quite thin. The salad, however, was excellent!

We landed in Los Angeles on a hazy and humid afternoon. On our way into the gate, we taxied past four Qantas 747-400s parked in fleet formation away from the terminal. Let’s see now… one to Sydney, one to Melbourne and one to Auckland. The New York flight’s already left. Where’s that other one going?

As I hiked on over to the Tom Bradley International Terminal, I couldn’t wait to get checked in and settle into the air conditioned splendor of BA’s First Class lounge. In only five more hours I’d be back in my favorite seat aboard BA’s 747-400. Little did I know that things would ultimately turn out quite differently.

(Ominous music rises in the background as we break for a commercial… G’wan! Get a beer or a sandwich or something! It’s a long report.)


LAX-LHR British Airways 268 First Class
747-400 Seat 2A
900p-315p

After taking a moment to change into a fresh shirt for the long, overnight flight into London, I headed on over to the British Airways check-in area. I arrived to find a fairly good sized crowd at the Economy Class counter, and perhaps half a dozen people in the Club World line. I was the only one in line for First Class. Interestingly, no one was manning the First Class check in counter. I waited as two different agents, one of whom was right in front of me, waved on the next passenger from the Club World line. I said nothing, assuming that perhaps the agent working the First Class counter had been temporarily indisposed. A few minutes later, when the agent in front of me had finished with his charge and still no one had shown up to work the First Class counter, I snuck in a quick approach and discretely asked if perhaps I was in the wrong area for First Class check in. Oh no, he replied. I’ll be happy to help you. Hmm…

I handed him my tickets and indicated I was on the 9:00pm departure to London. At the time, it was about 4:15pm and most of the passengers present were still being checked in for the 5:40pm departure. He looked over my tickets and typed in a couple of entries into his computer, then excused himself and disappeared into the back with my tickets.

Two minutes went by. Four minutes… five minutes… I was beginning to wonder if the agent was either unfamiliar with the booking code for First Class award travel or if it were perhaps too early to check in for my flight. Finally, he returned and, apologizing profusely, explained that BA 268 was oversold in First Class but that BA had an alternative offer for me. Do tell, I replied. Well, he continued, BA had found seats for me on American Airlines’ 7:00pm departure to London and would also compensate me with $1,400.00 for my trouble. One Thousand Four Hundred Dollars! Wow! Somehow, I managed to maintain my best poker face while asking if my accommodation on American would be in First Class. Oh yes, I was assured. Well, I replied, American is quite a step down from BA, but… (and here I allowed a slight pause for suspense, followed by a small sigh of resignation), yes, I will accept your offer. We discussed the payment arrangements for the $1,400.00 and he again disappeared into the back with my ticket.

Truth be known, when I heard that I would be given $1,400.00 in addition to a confirmed First Class seat aboard American’s 777 nonstop, I’d already started making plans on how I was going to spend my new found wealth. Besides that, I’d never before flown in one of American’s Flagship Suites, so I was definitely looking forward to that. Above all else, I was amazed and thankful that BA should see fit to offer such generous compensation to one traveling on an award ticket. Some of my transportation and accommodation options will most certainly be upgraded as a result of this windfall. Thanks, BA!

With regard to the cash pay out, I was given what’s called a Chip Cash card. It looks just like a credit card and has the agreed upon compensation value pre-programmed into it. It can be cashed for either the total amount or in increments at a wide variety of airport currency exchange kiosks around the world.

Interestingly, as I was awaiting my new ticket and cash card, a couple from the First Class line arrived at the counter and were subsequently informed of the oversell situation. The man was not at all pleased and informed the agent in no uncertain terms that his reservation was a paid contract with BA and that they’d better come up with his seats. To back up his point, he produced a printed receipt from BA as evidence. So, there! His seats were promptly honored, his bags were checked, boarding passes were issued and off he and the missus trotted to the First Class lounge.

Finally, after a wait of close to half an hour, an agent returned with my Chip Cash card and Trip Interruption Manifest. I thanked her and the first agent who’d attempted to check me in and wished them both as pleasant an evening as possible, given that both this evening’s flights to London were oversold in Business and First and they’d be evidently be replaying this scene a few more times before the night was through.

By now it was approaching 5:00pm and I wanted to get over to American and get checked in as soon as possible lest an oversell situation develop there as well. BA was, for the moment at least, sending all of its oversell passengers to AA. Thankfully, American’s Terminal 4 was located right next door, just a four minute walk away.


LAX-LHR American 136 First Class
777-200 N754AN Seat 4J
705p-315p Flight time: 9:37

Surprisingly, American does not offer a dedicated International First Class check in area at LAX. Instead, they operate a separate check-in area for all Premium Class passengers. Premium Class means domestic and international First and Business Class. As such, I took my place at the end of a line of about a dozen people.

Check in went smoothly enough and, at my request, I was assigned the last available window seat at 4J. Because I had been a last minute switch from BA to American, my boarding pass was imprinted with the dreaded SSSS, so at the security checkpoint I was obliged to join a large queue of passengers awaiting enhanced screening. Interestingly, there were more of us in this line than in the regular line!

Bearers of International First Class tickets are entitled to visit American’s Flagship Lounge, located just off the main Admiral’s Club. I’ve visited American’s LAX Admiral’s Club and it is one of the nicer domestic airline lounges I’ve been in. The Flagship Lounge is much, much nicer! It is located on one side of the Admirals Club complex and admission is via a special key card, which was immediately collected by an attendant as I entered.

Wow! What a beautiful facility! The main lounge area is at once spacious and airy as huge floor to ceiling windows flood the room with plenty of natural light. High rounded ceilings add a sense of grandeur to this effect. The seating areas are comprised of numerous small couches set around low tables situated alongside the windows. Large potted plants were placed between each seating area. The windows offer a spectacular view of the tarmac between Terminals 3 and 4. In terms of overall ambience, this is one of the nicest lounges I’ve ever been in. It certainly was a definite upgrade over the small facility which serves as the First Class Lounge for Qantas and British Airways.

After dropping my gear a seat near one of the big windows, I took a stroll around the lounge. Bathrooms and showers were at the far end, along with a small, private conference room. No internet or work stations were available, though I was informed these could be found over in the Admiral’s Club.

Along one wall was a large food and beverage station. It featured a well stocked self service bar and a nice buffet area offering a good selection of both hot and cold items. Hot selections included crab puffs, breaded mushrooms and something else that I never did quite discern either by taste or appearance. Turkey and ham sandwiches on Focaccia bread were next, followed by platters of fresh vegetables and fruits and an array of pastries, cakes and cookies. The bar offered all the usual top shelf liqueurs along with three types of Grey Goose Vodka and Johnny Walker Gold Label 18 Year Old Centenary Blend Scotch. Wines included Geyser Peak Sonoma County Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 and Rutherford Hill 2000 Merlot. With the exception of Guinness, the beer selection was a bit of a letdown. Budweiser, Miller Lite, MGD, Corona, and Amstel Light. Where’s the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale?! Or even Sam Adams? There was however a nice big bowl of mixed nuts to offset the flavor, or lack thereof, of most of the beers.

I put together a small plate of food and returned to my seat just as a shiny new American 767-300 was being towed into the gate outside my window. The sun was just setting and it looked to be a beautiful evening for flying. Telephones, plugs and laptop connections were available at each seating area so I spent the next hour catching up on correspondence before finally heading down to the gate to board the flight.

** ***** **

Despite a pretty good sized crowd in the gate lounge, boarding proceeded in an orderly fashion. I arrived just as they’d begun boarding Business Class passengers and so decided to beat the rush and head aboard right away. From this point on, the differences between flying British Airways and American were manifest at every turn.

At the door, I was greeted by an elderly lady – oh, she was a flight attendant?! – and directed to cross the aircraft and turn left. No FAs were in sight as I entered the First Class cabin, but I located my seat and began to get settled in. At the seat were a pre-bagged pillow and blanket along with a First Class Amenity Kit.

For you Amenity Kit buffs, the kit was housed in an attractive dark blue suitcase style zippered box about 6” x 8” x 2.5”. Here’s a list of the ingredients:

 A small package of tissues
 A small box of earplugs
 A packet of Dazzling Fresh Breath Mints
 A packaged Dental Toothpick
 Eye Shades
 Socks
 An opaque plastic box containing the following Origins Products:
Urgent Moisture – Instant Relief for super-dry skin
Mint Wash – cooling Gel that lathers clean
Lip Remedy – Kiss dry lips goodbye
Sprinkler System – Instant Refreshment for your face
Toothbrush & Rembrandt Superior Whitening Low Abrasion Toothpaste

Based upon what I’ve read on FlyerTalk about most other airlines’ amenity kits, this one seemed quite nice. As ever though, I had no real use for any of the products save the toothpaste and toothbrush.

The First Class cabin on American’s 777 is reasonably attractive, though hardly elegant. Sixteen Flagship Suites are arranged 1x2x1 in stunted rows. The suites are separated from one another by a grayish beige plastic faux tweed wrap around barrier. Unfortunately, the barriers are lower than the seatbacks, so rather than a sense of individual privacy, I felt like I was sitting in an office of small cubicles. First Class checked in full this evening and from my vantage point at row 4 in the back of the cabin, I could see the heads of thirteen other passengers.

Aside from the diminished sense of privacy, my Flagship Suite was as comfortable as it was functional. During take off and landing, the seat had to face in the forward position. Any other time however, it could be swiveled twenty degrees to face the built in ottoman or ninety degrees to face the windows. There were two different tables that could be used - one a large food and beverage type table that could be pulled up from the side wall, the other a smaller one that folded out as you faced the windows. When your seat is swiveled towards the windows, you’ll have the best office in the sky since the smaller table that folds out from in front of the windows has ample room for a laptop or simple writing needs while at your side the larger dining table provides plenty of room for a briefcase with ample space left over for a drink and snacks.

During the time that I spent checking out the suite, not one Flight Attendant approached to welcome me aboard, hang my jacket or offer me a drink. Interestingly, once we got airborne, I counted three ladies working the First Class cabin. Where were they during boarding?

After about ten minutes, one of them appeared with a tray of orange juice, Champagne and water. Ah, this must be the pre-departure drink selection. I accepted an orange juice and sat down to peruse the personal video selections. Eighteen different movies were offered, but none of them particularly excited me. When the next FA arrived to take movie orders, I declined but did finally get my jacket cleared out of my seating area.

Shortly thereafter, a well known television personality, seen every couple of weeks on one of America’s most popular morning news programs, showed up to visit with a friend of his in 4G. He was happy and buoyant and appeared to be on a first name basis with a couple of the crew who also stopped by to visit. He and his friend carried on for a few minutes in a rather boisterous fashion (This person has one of those voices that carry well) and I was a bit concerned that, on the assumption he was seated in First Class, their excited conversation might continue all night. Thankfully, he was booked somewhere in the back and since he had to return to his seat before we could pushback, it wasn’t long before peace and quiet once again prevailed.

Now, before any of you go and peg me as an irredeemable snob, I could care less if anyone from Coach or Business Class comes up to First Class to visit with a friend before the flight. I’m sure this celebrity is a very nice guy but all of this ongoing noise and activity right next to my seat was a bit disconcerting. I can be as noisy and boisterous as the best of them in a bar or at a football game but for me at least, one of the nicest benefits of travelling in First Class is the peace and quiet I enjoy relative to the back of the plane. Visit? By all means. Just keep it to a dull roar, please.

Pushback was right on time and as we taxied past the Tom Bradley International Terminal, I got a nice glimpse of 747-400s from EVA, China, and Philippine Airlines. They were parked in a row right down the concourse, but the real star of the evening was Singapore Airlines’ beautiful new Airbus A340-500. A bevy of service vehicles surrounded the big Airbus while preparing it for its 8760 mile nonstop voyage across the Pacific to Singapore – the longest flight in the world. I’d sure like to write a trip report on that flight someday!

Takeoff was to the west, and as we climbed away from LAX and made the big left hand turn back towards the coast, I got a spectacular view of the lights of Southern California stretching all the way down to San Diego and beyond.

I was surprised at the cabin noise level as we continued climbing towards our initial cruise altitude of 35,000 feet. Unlike the 747, where the First Class cabin sits substantially forward of the engines and as a result is exceptionally quiet even during climbout, the 777’s engines emitted a deep bass growl, as if it were powered by Evinrude or Mercury rather than Pratt & Whitney. Eventually, as power was throttled back, the noise subsided to a more acceptable level. Even at cruising speed however, the 777’s First Class cabin is substantially louder than that of the 747.

Service started about 35 minutes after takeoff with the presentation of our drinks, accompanied by a ramekin of mixed nuts and a wineglass filled with sliced carrot and celery sticks served with ranch dressing. Soon after I received my Champagne, menus were presented along with a round of hot towels. Here is the menu transcript:


Los Angeles to London

DINNER

To Start
To accompany your preferred Cocktail or Beverage:
Warm Roasted Nuts
And
Fresh Vegetables in a Pesto Ranch Dressing

Appetizer
Smoked Salmon accompanied by capers, Red Onion and Sour Cream.
Garnished with Lemon wedges and served with Toast Points.

The Salad Cart
Please select any combination of the following, offered with Uno’s Focaccia Bread:

Fresh Seasonal Greens
With creamy Garlic Dill Dressing or Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Lobster Tail and Claw with Lemon wedges

Your choice of vegetables including julienned Zucchini, Yellow Bell Peppers, Button Mushrooms and Cherry Tomatoes

Bread Basket
Assorted warm Breads

** ***** **

ENTREES
The following a la carte vegetable options are available with your entrée:
Buttered Asparagus, Grilled Yellow Squash and Whipped Potatoes

Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Slow roasted Tenderloin of Pork, enhanced by Caraway Seeds and a Fennel Jus, accompanied by a Potato-Celeriac Gratin and roasted Carrots and Rutabagas with Whole Grain Mustard and Fresh Chives

Wild Mushroom Tortelloni
Cheese Tortelloni tossed with Shiitake Mushrooms and Spinach, enhanced by a creamy Mushroom Sauce

Breast of Chicken
Seared Chicken Breast enhanced by a Leek and Watercress Sauce, served with a Medley of Carrots, Parsnips and Haricots Verts and a Cambozola Cheese Potato Soufflé

A Signature Dish by Nancy Barocci:
Brasato di Manzo with Gnocchi
Stew of braised Chateaubriand and Wild Mushrooms in a Red Wine Demi-Glace, topped with fresh Spinach and Gnocchi

** ***** **

LIGHTER FARE
Presented as an alternative, your Lighter Fare entrée may be created from our Salad Cart or from our selection of a la carte vegetables

DINE UPON REQUEST
You may choose any of the above entrées to be served with a Crab Salad Appetizer and a specially prepared dessert, presented all at once, at any time you wish.

** ***** **

THE CHEESE AND DESSERT CART

Caciotta and Cheddar Cheese
Offered with seasonal Grapes and dried Apricots

Ice Cream Sundae
Vanilla Ice Cream with a choice of Hot Fudge, Butterscotch or seasonal Berry toppings. Served with Whipped Cream and Pecans

Grand Marnier Fruit Salad
Presented with Haagen-Daz Lemon Sorbet

WINE LIST

Champagne
Perrier-Jouet “Belle Époque” Vintage Champagne

White Wines
Louis Latour Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru
Kenwood Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc

Red Wines
Chateau Batailley1999
King Estate Oregon Pinot Noir

Sherry
Emilio Lustau Sherry

Dessert Wine
Graham’s Vintage Port


Unlike British Airways, American’s Dine Upon Request option does not apply to the entire menu. As such, if you want to enjoy the full dinner service, you must eat when the crew is ready to serve you. On the positive side, this means that American can and does employ a trolley for its appetizer, salad and dessert courses. I love service from the trolley, if only for the added panache to the presentation!

I was happy to see smoked salmon as an appetizer because I’m a big fan, especially when it’s accompanied by capers and red onion. The initial portion proffered looked a bit meager but I was successful in coercing the FA to relinquish a couple more slices. Later in the flight, I saw her chowing down on a plate of that same salmon. Hmm…

Next up came the Salad Cart and, at my direction, the FA put together a fabulous veggie and lobster salad, accented with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. I’d never had lobster as an addition to a salad before and I don’t think I will again. Mind you, I think it’s great that American offers it but in the future I’ll have it on a side plate.

For my entrée, I chose the Roasted Pork Tenderloin. It was surprisingly good, with a flavorful sauce made all that more exotic with the addition of Caraway seeds. I also really enjoyed the Potato-Celeriac Gratin, though truth be told, I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like.

The only disappointment of the meal came with dessert. Actually, had I chosen the Ice Cream Sundae or the Grand Marnier Fruit Salad, I would have been quite pleased because both items looked wonderful on the dessert cart. Still, I’d eaten a pretty good sized meal and really didn’t feel up to a full dessert course, so I opted for the cheese plate and a glass of the Graham’s Port. On a six inch dessert sized plate, I received two wedges of fairly bland and tasteless cheese accompanied by two little apricot pieces, a few grapes and four crackers. I’ve seen better cheese plates in Business Class! As for the port, it was okay but nowhere near as robust and nutty as BA’s fabulous Warre’s 1986 Reserve. The simple truth of it is that I’ve been spoilt by the quality of BA’s cheese presentation, along with that peerless port. BA generally offers six different varieties of delicious cheese accompanied by an entire basket of crackers and a wider selection of accompanying fruit and vegies.

Next time I’ll save room for the sundae.

Overall, this was a pretty decent meal. The service was adequate, though not particularly polished and certainly not inspired. The one exception was a lady who I’ll call the Third Flight Attendant. I think she might have spent most of the meal working in the galley, but when she did emerge to lend a helping hand, she defined gracious in both her bearing and her manner.

** ***** **

For most people, the 9 ½ hour flight between Los Angeles and London would be considered pretty long. From my First Class perspective however, it is just too short. Here’s why: We took off out of Los Angeles at 7:30pm. By the time we’d finished dinner, it was approaching 9:30pm. If I were to be up for breakfast and catch a view of Ireland as it passed beneath us, that would leave me only about six hours to sleep. I for one don’t like to sleep on a full stomach, and after a full sized meal such as that generally served in International First Class, I prefer to kick back, read a bit or maybe watch a movie, after which I’ll think about bed. Ideally, that would be a good hour and a half to two hours after the meal. Of course, on a flight of this length I’d be left with only four hours to sleep. That’s why I’d much prefer a 13-14 hour flight!

Our ground speed was 700 miles per hour as we crossed into Canada at Sault St. Marie. It was almost 11:30pm LA time, still two hours before my usual bedtime in Alaska. Desperate for sleep, I popped a Melatonin and called it a night somewhere near Thunder Bay, Ontario. Unfortunately, Seat 4J is located right in front of the Business Class galley and so is not the quietest seat in the house. Still, once the Melatonin kicked in, I slept pretty soundly until the sounds and smells of the breakfast service awakened me. We were about fifteen minutes off the Irish coastline. Unfortunately, cloud cover obscured any views. Following is a transcript of the breakfast menu:


BREAKFAST

Chilled Orange Juice

Seasonal Fruit

Cream Cheese and Chive Omelette
Served with Filet Mignon and O’Brien Potatoes

Yogurt

Cereal

Assorted Breakfast Breads

** ***** **

Of course, I just had to check out the Cream Cheese and Chive Omelette. Alas, it was not such a great choice. The omelette was clearly one of those pre-fabricated jobs that had been molded and cooked up many hours before. It was okay by McDonalds standards, but really, nothing beats a plate of freshly scrambled or cooked eggs.

Our approach and landing at London Heathrow was routine, and as we taxied in to our gate at Terminal 3, I marveled at all the foreign aircraft I rarely see in North American airports. A 767 from Air Mauritius, an Egyptair Airbus, an Air Jamaica A340, a Gulf Air A330… my eyes widened like a small child’s on Christmas day as I took in this veritable treasure trove of exotic airliners!

Overall, American offers a good though hardly great First Class product. This is a shame because it wasn’t that many years ago that Pan American and Trans World Airlines were the torchbearers for quality service both in the air and on the ground. Aside from offering innovative inflight service and amenities, these airlines also provided well trained, polished and professional flight crews. While I appreciate that American was flirting with bankruptcy only a year ago and that some cutbacks to its once lavish service were necessary, the real problem as I see it on this flight was with the crew, not the amenities. Though I know American has some excellent and dedicated personnel in its employ, the two ladies providing the primary service in the First Class cabin on this flight did so in a fashion better suited to the New York – Boston Shuttle than a prime International market. I suspect much of the problem may be due to union work rules in America that have resulted in a situation where seniority rather than ability seems to be the sole factor determining one’s eligibility to work International First Class. Unfortunately, I don’t see this problem improving any time soon.


March 8, 2004
LHR-SIN British Airways First Class
747-400 G-BNLO Seat 2A
945p-630p Flight time: 12:37

I spent three fun, though rather chilly days in London and Bracknell. Although I’ve passed through Heathrow on numerous occasions, I’d never actually visited the city of London until this trip. It is a wonderful city to just walk around, what with all the magnificent old buildings, statues, restaurants and pubs. The highlight was an afternoon spent wandering about the cavernous and fantastic British Museum of Natural History. This was rivaled only by my going undefeated over two straight days on the billiards tables at the Pine Ridge Golf Club despite being plied with all manner of fine British Ales. Alas, it wasn’t easy leaving Britain after such a short stay, but my disappointment was softened considerably with the promise of thirteen hours of pampering and fine food aboard British Airways’ nonstop 747-400 service to Singapore. I’ll certainly look forward to my next visit to London in addition to meeting up with one or two of the local FlyerTalk contingent.

** ***** **

I received a bit of a shock upon checking in to discover that I no longer held a reservation for this or any other BA flight! Apparently, when I was taken off of BA’s oversold flight from LA last week, my onward reservations were not protected and so the computer automatically cancelled them when I didn’t show up on my originally ticketed flight out of LAX. An assumedly rare, albeit amateur error on the part of BA’s LAX staff but thankfully one that was easily rectified with a visit to BA’s dedicated First Class reservations desk at Heathrow. Soon, I was free of my cumbersome backpack and on my way to that wonderful airport oasis known as the Concorde Room.

Despite the retirement of the beautiful Concorde, the fabulous Concorde Room lives on to serve BA’s International First Class clientele. It is a wonderful facility, peerless amongst the many airline lounges at Heathrow. Materials such as limestone, marble, walnut, oak and etched glass lend a contemporary elegance to the main lounge area and, like American’s Flagship Lounge at LAX, floor to ceiling windows afford a superb view of the tarmac. The Concorde Room also offers a menu from which one can order anything from a full breakfast to a sizeable snack or salad. I settled for a chicken sandwich with a pint of London Pride and sat myself down at one of the work stations where I spent the next two hours bringing this report up to date.

Boarding for Flight 15 to Singapore took place from Gate 22 at 9:00pm. Gates 22-25 are located in an annexed wing from the main Terminal and it’s a good ten minute walk to reach the first of the gates. Three 747-400s, each of them wearing BA’s new stylized Union Jack livery, were parked in a line down the short wing. It was an impressive sight.

Although I arrived at the gate lounge about 25 minutes before departure, there were only a couple dozen people still in line to board the aircraft. Boarding was through door 2L and as I entered the aircraft I took that fabled left hand turn and headed toward the First Class cabin. Club World looked to be filled to capacity this evening. Most of the passengers were up and moving about, storing their gear and generally getting settled into their new home for the next thirteen hours. The ambience felt crowded and mildly hectic. I encountered a brief delay as three people traveling together blocked the aisle while debating everything from placement of their carry on baggage to who would sit where. A Flight Attendant appeared and expedited matters, at least concerning their baggage placement.

Once I’d passed the galley and entered the First Class cabin, the mood improved tenfold. Compared to anywhere else on the aircraft, BA’s First Class cabin is immediately spacious and peaceful. The lighting is considerably softer and more pleasing than that encountered back in Club World and the ambient noise level is considerably less. Light classical music floated softly through the cabin, adding to an overall sense of peace and well being.

I hadn’t been at my seat more than 30 seconds before an FA approached, relieved me of my jacket and inquired if I’d care for anything to drink. A glass of Champagne would be marvelous, thanks. Moments later, I was presented with a glass of the bubbly libation along with a small plate of roasted cashew nuts. Ah… back to civilization…

On my seat was BA’s attractive black and maroon pillow, while under the ottoman – or guest seat – were a blanket and duvet. Also present was a listing of BA’s personal video selections for March and April. There were twenty five titles available and the selection contained more than a few movies I’d really like to watch someday. Seabiscuit, Radio, The Shining, Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Open Range – there just aren’t enough flights!

Soon, I was presented with BA’s amenity kit, or BAg. Designed by trendy handbag designer Anya Hindmarch, each BAg contains the general basics of socks, eyeshades, Carmex lip balm, Eve Lom eye gel, Aroma Therapeutics sleep enhancer, Aroma Therapeutics moisture mist, toothbrush, Elgydium toothpaste and D R Harris mouthwash. Extras such as razor and shaving cream are available upon request. On the outside of my taupe and white zippered bag was a photograph of a Short C-Class Flying Boat, as operated by predecessor BOAC in the 1940s. It’s hard to imagine a more complete or attractive amenity kit. Well done, BA!

As I sipped my Champagne and perused the amenity kit contents, the First Class menu was presented. Oh, good! I made sure to come hungry for this flight and BA has rarely disappointed. I immediately stashed the amenities kit and opened the menu. The menu booklet has undergone some design changes since last I flew. Instead of the all white, 8” square presentation of the past two years, the new booklet is approximately 8” wide by 12” tall. On the cover are four small reproductions of classic Imperial Airways and BOAC travel posters. BA’s First logo is embossed in silver towards the bottom of the cover. Now, let’s see what’s for dinner:


London to Singapore

DINNER

Smoked Salmon
Loch Fyne salmon with dill crème fraiche

Tarte Tatin
Chicory tarte Tatin

Soup
Butternut squash and coconut soup

Salad
Fresh Salad leaves with your choice of citrus vinaigrette,
Pommery Dijon mustard mayonnaise or extra virgin olive oil

Beef Sandwich
Grilled fillet of beef sandwich

** ***** **

Veal
Sirloin of veal with caramelized apples, Calvados sauce and seasonal vegetables

Chicken
Pandan Chilli Chicken with fragrant rice

Pasta
Fresh pasta with your choice of creamy rocket, basil and pesto sauce or Arabbiata sauce

Duck Confit Salad
Duck confit, foie gras and fresh beans with bitter orange dressing

** ***** **

Bread and Butter Pudding
Bread and butter pudding with vanilla sauce

Chocolate
Chocolate and caramel pear tart with Mascarpone and raspberry coulis

Cheese
Brie, Hereford Hop, Pyrenees Tomme de Chevre, Shropshire Blue and Butler’s Secret cheese

Fruit
A basket of fresh fruit

Beverages
Espresso, Cappuccino, coffee, decaffeinated coffee, tea or herbal tea


WINE LIST

Champagne
Perrier Jouet Belle Époque Brut 1996

White Wines
Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Les Cortons 2001, Roux Pere et Fils
Pouilly-Fume Les Griottes 2002, Jean-Pierre Bailly
Starve Dog Lane Chardonnay 2000, Adelaide Hills

Red Wines
Chateau Grande Pontet 1996, Saint-Emilon Grand Cru Classe
Chateau de Fieuzal 1996, Grand Cru Classe Graves
Cornish Point Pinot Noir 2001, Central Otago
Ebenezer Barossa Valley Shiraz 1999

Dessert Wines
De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 1996
Warre’s, 1986, Reserve Tawny Port

Without a doubt, there have been a few cutbacks in the meal service. Menus from the past two years on this London – Singapore route included four main entrees and two or three lighter choices in addition to the Pasta option. Gone is the beloved Krug Champagne, replaced by the pleasant, though decidedly inferior Perrier Jouet. Overall however, this is still a very good selection of food and drink and I’m already looking forward to my first taste of that delicious Loch Fyne smoked Salmon along with my first sip of the wonderful elixir known as Warre’s 1986 Reserve Tawny Port!

Just prior to departure, the Captain issued a warm welcome aboard and, after introducing himself, his fellow crewmembers, and the Purser, wished us all a “quiet and peaceful time aboard”. The doors were then shut, the jetway retracted, and off we went to Singapore.




Thirteen minutes after takeoff, Paul, one of two excellent FAs working the First Class cabin, quietly appeared and took my drink order. I always enjoy trying out new red wines and, at Paul’s suggestion, began tonight’s tasting with the Cornish Point Pinot Noir from New Zealand’s Central Otago region. Although New Zealand is perhaps better known and revered for its marvelous white wines, its red wines are beginning to garner favorable mention as well. I found this Pinot Noir to be quite tasty indeed and in fact favored it over the highly regarded (at least judging by the menu description) Chateau de Fieuzal Grand Cru Classe claret.

Sixteen minutes after takeoff, a small plate of canapés was delivered and the service began in earnest. I should mention that I don’t usually note the time at which each aspect of the service is begun, and I likely won’t again. However, I do so in this instance because I wanted to offer some sense of comparison to the First Class service I experienced on American Airlines. You may recall from earlier in this report that I didn’t receive a drink or anything else until over thirty minutes into the flight.

Soon, it was time for dinner to begin. Although BA is happy to serve you anything off the menu at any time, most of the passengers on this flight opted to eat as soon as possible after takeoff so that they could have plenty of time to sleep before our arrival into Singapore.

The tables in BA’s First Suites are approximately 24” X 18” and afford plenty of room for the meal or work. Linens were laid and my table was set with salt and pepper shakers, a bread plate, a glass of water and a blue cloth napkin containing the dreaded white plasticware. I hope that someday the British government will rethink its policy on plastic only utensils for flights in and out of Britain. After all, a properly wielded ballpoint pen can be every bit as lethal as the relatively non-pointy, serrated edge knives that have always been used by most airlines. Even some U.S. carriers are starting to return to metal cutlery and, given the quality of most international First Class meal services, the return of proper cutlery would be most appreciated.

My salmon appetizer consisted of a small cross section of lightly cooked and neatly sliced salmon served cold with a lightly flavored dill cream sauce on the side. It was really good - refreshing even - particularly with a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon.

Although the Butternut Squash soup sounded very good, I decided to go with a salad instead. The Pommery Dijon Mustard Mayonnaise dressing made a delicious accompaniment to a salad that could have benefited from the addition of a few more vegetables.

Ah… the main course. I really wanted the veal entrée but decided that I’d probably sleep better on something a bit lighter. As such, I chose the Pandan Chilli Chicken. It was presented in a shallow bowl and consisted of an artistic scoop of fragrant rice surrounded by a decent portion of chicken breast and green onions sitting in a flavorful broth. I didn’t detect any chilli and though I like my food on the spicy side, this entrée was still very good indeed.

Meanwhile, a nice selection of breads were offered early and often and my wine glass was always attended to in a timely fashion. The service was quiet and unobtrusive, and I wanted for nothing during the meal. This is, to me at least, how First Class service ought to be. From my experience, British Airways is one of its finest practitioners.

Dessert was a rich and delicious Chocolate and Caramel Pear Tart served atop a zesty raspberry coulis. I followed this with a small plate of Shropshire Blue Cheese, elegantly washed down with a glass of the Warre’s port.

Afterwards, I reclined my seat and took stock of my lot in life. Ahhh… what a sublime existence! Indeed, sitting here cruising 35,000 feet over southern Turkey whilst comfortably reclined in a big lounge chair sipping fine port after a delicious meal, well - life just doesn’t get much better than this. At least, not in a commercial jetliner! I must do this with Seat 2B sometime, whoever she next turns out to be!

While there’ve been plenty of Seat 2Bs on shorter trips, the biggest problem for most people traveling with me on these longer trips is my willful lack of plans and impulsive nature. Though compromise is always an eventual necessity for two people traveling together, most people I know like to set their sights on an area, come up with a general idea of how they’d like to go about their time there, and off they go. I on the other hand like a little freer approach. I may start out with a specific destination in mind, but it’s a small world these days and if something comes up that sounds good at the time, even if its on the next country or continent over, and I can pull it off, why not? For me at least, this is the stuff of which adventure is made!

But I’m wired that way. Not everybody is. A friend of mine once pointed out how many well known travelers and travel writers often traveled alone. Theroux, O’Hanlon, Stevenson, Danziger, Cahill, Bryson et al. Be it travel or just going out to eat lunch, some people do well on their own, others require constant company. At the same time, some people, by virtue of the way they go about their travels, are best suited traveling alone. While it’s great fun to travel and share new adventures with friends, I’m hardly isolated on trips like this. I meet all kinds of people. But I also really enjoy time to myself. As such, I don’t mind one bit doing these longer trips alone.

It should be noted that the nature of my mostly seasonal employment allows me to take trips like this instead of mere vacations. In this regard I am truly blessed. Whereas most people, by virtue of their jobs or families have only two or three weeks available in which to travel somewhere, I can stay out a lot longer. Without a doubt, if I, like most people, had only two weeks to visit say, Italy, I’d be a lot less likely to suddenly wing it on down to Victoria Falls or the Marquesas Islands.

** ***** **

After dinner, I plugged in my ancient Toshiba laptop (which I saw on Ebay the other day going for only $75.00 because nobody would bid any higher for it!) and put in some time on this report. I suppose I could have watched a movie but I really do enjoy writing these reports, all the more so for the appreciative audience that I have at FlyerTalk. From my perspective, the whole idea of the Trip Report is to take you along for the ride. If, through my writing, I can make these First Class cabins large enough for us all to upgrade, I’ve done my job. For those of you who’ve never experienced International caliber First Class service, hopefully I can impart some sense of what it’s really like. And, for you seasoned veterans, perhaps my reports will rekindle some fond memories.

** ***** **

Somewhere over western Afghanistan, I converted my seat into a bed and, after placing the duvet atop the seat cushions, covered myself with BA’s fine wool blanket and dropped off to sleep. I didn’t awake until almost six hours later. The AirShow map indicated that we were flying down the west coast of Thailand, cruising at 39000 feet while enjoying a 9 mph tailwind. Just under two hours were left in the flight and the wonderful aroma of warm Danish pastries wafted up from the galley. Mmmmm! Coffee time! I’ll have one of those Danishes, too, thanks. Here is the transcript from the breakfast menu:


BREAKFAST

Juice
Chilled Fruit Juice

Smoothie
An energizing fruit smoothie

Yoghurt and Cereal
A selection of fruits, plain yoghurts and cereals

Fruit
Fresh seasonal fruit plate

Bakery
A wide selection of breakfast pastries and rolls

Bacon Roll
A warm bacon roll with tomato ketchup

Traditional English Breakfast
Scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomato, sausage and bacon

Poached Salmon
Poached salmon kedgeree

Pancakes
Buttermilk bran pancakes with apple compote

Beverages
Your choice of coffee or tea


As usual, the cabin was dark as about half the passengers were still sleeping. I raised my window shade a notch and was disappointed to see nothing but clouds. This particular portion of the flight into Singapore is, I think, the most beautiful. The Thai coast is wonderfully lush and verdant against the azure blue of the Indian Ocean. On a clear day, its many offshore islands pass by us as if ornate floats in some grand parade of earthly treasures. Alas, not today.

I briefly considered a plate of poached salmon with scrambled eggs but finally went with my old favorite, the Traditional English Breakfast. Paul set up my breakfast table and I happily accepted one of BA’s tasty fruit smoothies along with a refill on my coffee.

By the time I’d finished breakfast, we were less than an hour out of Singapore so I set to filling out the lengthy Singapore Immigration Form. Throughout the flight, Singapore’s weather forecast, as shown on the AirShow map, called for rain. However, as we descended below the clouds to the west of Singapore and circled around to land from the east, there were plenty of little individual clouds but no rain. This was fine by me because our approach into Changi offered some excellent views of the downtown district and the busy Singapore Harbor. I’ve never seen so many freighters and tankers in one place!

Our landing at Changi was, to borrow an old phrase from Thai International, smooth as silk. The carbon fiber brakes slowed us down smoothly and quietly and we then turned and headed into the terminal. From my vantage point on the left side of the aircraft, the airport looked practically deserted. A couple of Singapore 747 freighters, an old A310 with the paint stripped off, and a 727 of indeterminate ownership were parked in the distance. Finally, as we approached the gate, one 747 each from BA and Qantas came into view.

In summation, this flight embodied everything that a First Class flight aboard one of the world’s great airlines ought to. The service, food and comfort were all top notch. Before disembarking, I made it a point to stop by the galley and thank both Paul and his colleague for providing such an excellent service. Well done, guys!!


SINGAPORE

Immigration was a breeze and customs was nonexistent. Despite the beard, the backpack and almost a pound of Colombian (coffee) buried deep in my pack, I was waved through customs without so much as a second glance. Cool! Now, what’s the best way to get to my hotel?

Via Priceline, I’d booked a night in the 4 Star Orchard Hotel, a Millenium Hotels property located in the main shopping district just off Orchard Road. Since I’m one of those people who only goes shopping when I actually need something, the prime location of the hotel held no sway with me. What I really looked forward to was a cool shower and a sampling of the amenities commensurate to such a highly regarded property.

Downtown Singapore is far enough from the airport that few if any downtown hotels offer airport transfers. Most of them recommend taking a taxi, at a cost of about $30.00 Singapore dollars or about $18.00 USD. I did a little pre-trip research and found I could take an air-conditioned city bus from the airport to within half a block of my hotel for only $1.70 in the local currency. Sold! However, on my way to the bus staging area, I stumbled across an airport shuttle service that could get me to the hotel about 30 minutes sooner and cost only $7.00. My recent financial windfall from British Airways notwithstanding, there’s no way I’ll ever pay $30.00 for something that I could also get with a minimum of inconvenience for only $2.00. However, when that difference only amounts to what I might pay for a decent beer, I’ll bite! I was quickly loaded into a small van with five or six other travelers and was delivered to the entrance of my hotel about forty minutes later.

The room itself was everything I’d imagined it would be. Situated high on the 14th floor, it featured beautiful mahogany colored wooden doors and frames to offset taupe walls. It also had a well appointed bathroom and shower, a large and comfortable bed, and a nice big desk. Two comfy chairs and a coffee table were placed near the large window and the color television offered CNN, ESPN and HBO in addition to plenty of local programming.

There was also a mini-bar where a beer went for $5.25 US a can and a bottle of mineral water went for $4.00. I didn’t even open the fridge for fear there might be a fee for that as well!

In the morning, I’d envisioned going downstairs to the Orchard Café, picking up a copy of the Singapore Straits Times and enjoying a nice hot breakfast. Though I was pleasantly surprised to find that a breakfast buffet was available, I was shocked and dismayed to find that it cost $18.00 USD! No thanks! I went out on the street and found a nice air conditioned cafe called The Coffee Bean where I purchased two eggs, sausage, toast and coffee for only about $3.50 US.

Later, I strolled down Orchard Road towards the Raffles Hotel. One of my favorite things about Singapore is all the trees growing within the city. Although the downtown area has plenty of large buildings, the city planners seem to have taken great care to include or maintain plenty of trees along the streets, around the parking lots, and just about anywhere else they can safely grow. The city seems… lush.

When I last visited Singapore back in 1987, I stayed just a few blocks from the Raffles over on Bencoolen Street. On my first night in the city, I crashed at a place called Goh’s Homestay. It came highly recommended in the Lonely Planet’s Southeast Asia On A Shoestring. Shoestring, indeed. I slept on a floor in a big room with about fifteen other people. We were given grass mats to lie upon and air conditioning consisted of open windows and three or four ceiling fans which circled just a little too lazily to have any real effect. In the morning, we were awakened by the screaming of Chinese street merchants as they hawked their wares just below our open windows. Rather than the polite interaction one might expect in more traditional stores (“How much is that viper meat in the window, please?” “That would be $3.98 per foot, sir”) all transactions seemed to involve considerable screaming and shouting by both the buyer and the seller.

The Raffles has undergone quite a makeover since 1987. It retains its original façade however and the Long Bar still serves killer Singapore Slings. I believe its now operated by Westin Hotels and if ever it should become possible to bid a room there via Priceline.com, I’d certainly be willing to spend the extra money.

Getting around Singapore is very easy. There are plenty of mostly air conditioned city busses in addition to an excellent rail system called the MRT that can take you around much of the island for less than $3.00 SIN, or about $1.80 USD. Since the MRT serves Changi International Airport, I decided to try it out. I got quite a few stares as I walked down the crowded street between the hotel and the MRT station. My pack is quite large and I was the only one on the street with anything like it.

Getting to the airport involved transferring to a different line at City Hall and Tanah Merah. There are plenty of system maps posted throughout each train car and a female voice reminds you in English well before each transfer point as to your options. You’d really have to be blind, deaf and travelling alone to get lost. As an added bonus, the trains are wonderfully air conditioned! The entire journey took about 40 minutes and cost $1.60.


March 10, 2004
SIN-MEL British Airways First Class
747-400 G-BNLL Seat 1A
715p-520a Flight time: 6:37

British Airways and Qantas maintain a separate check in area for their First and Business Class passengers. Interestingly, the agents await you while seated at desks rather than standing behind counters. I was encouraged to have a seat while the agent took care of the check in formalities. I was also able to bypass the sizable crowd awaiting immigration because I could proceed there straight from the lounge.

The First Class Lounge in Singapore is operated jointly by Qantas and BA. It is a very nice and comfortable facility that offers pretty much everything the seasoned First Class traveler would reasonably expect. Although I’d showered this morning, walking around Singapore had left me a bit damp and so I welcomed a nice cool shower and a change of clothing before proceeding into the lounge. Prominently placed is a food island that offered a delicious potato soup along with a tray of tasty mushroom vol au vent. Cold items included a variety of breads, finger sandwiches, veggies and dip, a cheese and cracker tray and a bowl of mixed nuts. A refrigerated bar sported Carlsberg Beer from Denmark, along with local favorite Tiger Beer. I put together a nice plate of snacks, grabbed an ice cold Carlsberg and headed over to a work station where I fired off a few postcards. Internet connections were also available for those so inclined.

Suddenly, it was 6:45pm, just a half hour before departure and still I’d heard no boarding announcement! I headed over to the front desk to double check and was informed that the plane was running about ten minutes late due to a late inbound arrival. Even so, I decided to head on down to the gate early since security screening at Changi takes place at the gate and can get quite crowded. Out in the terminal, I glanced at a TV monitor that was flashing LAST CALL for my flight. Wha?! Though my original plan had been to saunter on down to Gate C-24, I immediately upgraded that to a brisk stroll. Thankfully, the TV monitors were in error and boarding had yet to commence. Judging by the number of people present, I’d say this flight was perhaps half full so boarding a much easier affair, all the more so for my early arrival at the gate.

Once onboard, I accepted my traditional glass of Champagne and settled into seat 1A. Normally, seats in row 1 are held for BA’s Gold elite passengers and cannot be reserved by mere mortals until time of check in. I like sitting right up in the nose of the 747 and the fact that you can actually see a bit forward of you is an added bonus. Take off was to the west and once we’d turned our collective noses towards the southeast, we pretty much held that course until our approach into Melbourne.




Drinks, canapés, menus and hot towels were presented in short order and I reclined my seat a bit as I took the first delicious sips from my glass of Australia’s Starve Dog Lane Chardonnay. Here is the menu transcript:


Singapore – Melbourne

DINNER

Marinated Seafood
Marinated prawns and squid on rocket salad and pine nuts

Mozzarella
Grilled red pepper and Mozzarella cheese salad

Soup
Chicken and sweetcorn soup

Salad
Fresh salad leaves with your choice of balsamic olive oil or herbed crème fraiche

Bread
Selection of warm breads

Chicken Sandwich
Chicken Club Sandwich

Smoked Salmon Salad
Smoked salmon salad

Sandwiches
Selection of finger sandwiches

** ***** **

Beef
Grilled beef medallions, Parmesan cheese and Mascarpone polenta with thyme jus

Salmon
Roast fillet of salmon with yabbie tails and crustacea oil

Pasta
Fresh pasta with your choice of creamy mushroom sauce or tomato, olive and parsley sauce

Prawn Salad
Chilli prawn salad

** ***** **

Berry Fruit
Summer pudding with crème fraiche

Chocolate
Chocolate parfait with macerated cherries and cherry ice cream

Cheese
Selection of cheese

Fruit
A basket of fresh fruit

Despite being about the same length as a New York to London flight, after having flown nearly thirteen hours between London and Singapore, this flight seemed pretty short. Flight time was announced at only six hours and forty two minutes, cruising at 37,000 feet. I decided to go with a lighter dinner since I wanted to get as much sleep as possible before arriving in Melbourne. As such, I ordered the seafood appetizer and a plate of the roast salmon. Normally I would have also ordered the soup since catering out of Singapore is renowned for the spicy quality of its soups. Today’s selection didn’t sound all that spicy though, so I passed.

The seafood appetizer was as photogenic as it was delicious! Three large prawns were artistically arranged around a portion of squid, all of it placed amidst rocket salad and pine nuts. This is certainly one of the more memorable appetizers I’ve had on BA! Delicious!

The salmon presentation was equally impressive. A large piece of salmon was topped with two smaller prawns (yabbies?) and placed amidst a pool of Crustacea oil. What is that – oil of crustaceans? Whatever it was, its subtle flavor complimented the salmon quite nicely. Honestly, from my experience at least, the catering out of Singapore is simply superb! Granted, I’ve never flown anything but First Class out of here so I can’t speak from the perspective of an Economy or Business Class passenger but I’d imagine their food is of a pretty decent standard as well.

Now satisfyingly wined and dined, I reclined my seat into the sleeping position, popped a Melatonin, read for a bit, then turned out the light and didn’t wake up until about half an hour out of Melbourne.

The FAs were whisking about the cabin with admirable vim and vigor, delivering or collecting breakfast items whilst simultaneously preparing the cabin for landing. It was an impressive performance. I sipped on a fruit smoothie and watched as the lights of Melbourne’s suburbs began to appear beneath us. Here’s the breakfast menu transcript:


BREAKFAST

Juice
Chilled Fruit Juice

Smoothie
An energizing fruit smoothie

Yoghurt and Cereal
A selection of fruit, plain yoghurts and cereals

Fruit
Fresh seasonal fruit plate

Bakery
A wide selection of breakfast pastries and rolls

Bacon Roll
warm bacon roll with tomato ketchup

Beverages
Your choice of coffee or tea


After a typically smooth landing, I proceeded through immigration without delay, claimed my pack and headed over to Qantas’ Domestic Terminal to check in for my next flight.

In closing out the British Airways portion of this Trip Report, I would like to say that despite some minor cutbacks in its menu, BA still knows how to provide for its First Class clientele in a world class way. The menus, though slightly less varied than in years past, still offer a good variety of tasty, well prepared and nicely presented food. As for the cabin staff, while FAs from other airlines have been described with terms like “robotic” or “casual and friendly”, I would describe BA’s crews as “professional”. Simply put, I think BA’s First Class staff are the best in the industry. Well done, BA!


March 11, 2004
MEL-PER Qantas Airways Economy Class
A330-200 VH-EBB Seat 23K
815a-920a Flight time: 3:32

In Melbourne, the Qantas Domestic Terminal is conveniently located right next door to the International Departures Terminal. At some Australian airports, the International Departures Terminal is an entirely different building located on the other side of the airport! Thankfully, the Economy Class check-in lines were minimal at 6:00am and I was checked in and on my way in very short order.

The first order of business was to find coffee. This I found, along with a tasty scone at Volare’s, located in the central food court. I also found a wall plug and put in a little more time on this report. Any of you who’ve written a Trip Report, especially a longer one, know how much time they can take. You’ve got to take advantage of moments like these or you’ll be left writing your report days after the fact, usually during a time when you’d rather be doing something else. Long layovers between flights are great times for me to write. Strong coffee and Ginkgo Biloba can also be marvelous accompaniments to writing a good Trip Report, though I’ve gotten by quite nicely with a cold six pack and a bag of mixed nuts as well.

About a half hour before departure, I headed on down to the gate to check out the airplane. Although I’ve flown on the A330 before, this would be my first flight on one operated by Qantas. As such, there’s always a bit of excitement and anticipation as I get ready to board what for me is a “new” plane. What’s it look like inside? What’s Business Class like? What color is the carpet? What color are the seats? I know, I know what you’re thinking. Still, I am unrepentant. This is exciting stuff!

Qantas has been a long time Boeing customer so I found it interesting that it went and chose the A330 over the 767 or 777. With its government backing, Airbus has often been able to offer pricing that Boeing simply can’t match. In addition, the value of the Australian dollar vis a vis the Euro and US dollar at the time the order was placed may have also been a factor. I can’t speak to the operational economics of each aircraft type because I know nothing about that but quite possibly it may have factored into the decision as well. Although I really like the smaller Airbuses, I’m partial to Boeing’s big jets over the A330/340 family. Today’s aircraft looked as if it had just come out of the factory at Toulouse, so bright was its shine in the morning sun. Just below the Captain’s cockpit window was the name “Albany”. Very nice.

Boarding was announced and as I reached the entrance to the jetway I was surprised to find complimentary newspapers available. Despite the fact that we had a full flight this morning, boarding was accomplished fairly quickly because unlike in America, people weren’t all hauling carry on bags that seem to take entirely too long to get stuffed into the overhead bins.

When it comes to interior design, Qantas seems to have borrowed a page from the team at Northwest. All of the seats, both in Business Class and in Economy, were upholstered in the same dark blue patterned fabric. While it looked nice enough, I just think a little color variation adds a nice touch to the overall appearance of the cabin.

Surprisingly, Business Class seating was arranged 2-3-2. As a result, the seats were not much wider than those found in a DC-9 First Class cabin. The legroom was nothing to write home about either. Even Air Canada offers a spacious 2-2-2 configuration in Executive Class on its A330s, with superior legroom as well.

Back in Economy, seats were configured in the standard 2-4-2 arrangement. The seats certainly seemed comfortable enough and the legroom looked adequate as well. The only drawback for me was that my bulkhead seat’s window was slightly behind me. There were no windows ahead of me. On the bulkhead in front of me was a big 16” television screen.

My seatmate was an elderly lady who said hello as she arrived, then pulled out a book and read through the rest of the flight. She didn’t even stop reading during the meal. I’ve read books like that too, the ones you just can’t put down. As for me, apart from waking for breakfast, I slept through most of this flight.

And what about breakfast on this 3 ½ hour, 1680 mile long flight? Surprise, surprise! We were presented with actual printed menus! I can’t remember the last time I received a printed menu in Economy on a US domestic flight. It had to be back in the 1980s or earlier. Anyway, here’s the menu transcript:


Melbourne to Perth

BREAKFAST

Your choice of:

Continental Breakfast
Orange Juice
Bakery
Cereal
Fruit Salad

Or

Hot Breakfast
Orange Juice
Fruit Salad
Bakery
Potato Rosti with bacon and Sausage

A Refreshment will be served prior to arrival


Whaaat?!! No Vegemite?!! Sacrilege! Then again, there wasn’t any toast either, so I guess the lack of Australia’s national spread is understandable. Whenever I’m given a choice between a hot and a cold meal, I always order the hot meal. Especially in the case of breakfast, I like to eat what the flight kitchen prepared rather than what Kellogg’s prepared. I mean, I can eat cereal any day. How often will I have a chance to eat a potato rosti, whatever that might be?

The potato rosti turned out to be a pretty tasty potato and vegetable cake. The bacon and sausage would have been a lot nicer had they not been swimming in sweet tomato sauce. The fruit salad was just perfect! Not a bad breakfast by industry standards in the year 2004. On recent flights of comparable length in the U.S., I’ve received a breakfast bar and a tub of yogurt.

Inflight entertainment consisted of the day’s news coverage followed by a movie. I slept through the majority of both and didn’t fully regain consciousness until the FAs were preparing the cabin for landing and awoke me to return my seat to the upright position. Soon, an FA appeared with a basket of mint candies. Ah… this would be the refreshment the menu alluded to. I wonder what the Business Class refreshment was… An entire candy bar?

Since I haven’t seen any reports of late detailing Qantas’ domestic Business Class product, I made a point of picking up a copy of the Business Class menu as I disembarked in Perth:


BUSINESS CLASS BREAKFAST

To Start
Orange Juice
Berry Energizer Smoothie

Your choice of:

Continental Breakfast
Fruit Compote
Yogurt
Toasted Muesli
A Choice of Warm Bakery Items

Full Breakfast
Fresh Fruit
A Choice of Warm Bakery Items
Poached Eggs with Sautéed Field Mushrooms and Herb Tomato
Vegetable and Potato Cake with Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Bacon


Overall, this was a pretty nice service by Australia’s national carrier. As one now used to modern day American style Economy service, I appreciated the hot meal option and the complimentary newspapers. The printed menus were a nice touch as well. Good on ya, Qantas!


March 12, 2004
Perth - Kalgoorlie TransWA Standard Class
“The Prospector” Car 1 Seat 14
230p-1025p

The city of Perth has two railway stations – the large Perth Railway Station located downtown and the smaller East Perth Station, located in, well, East Perth. The main downtown station is served primarily by suburban commuter trains. The only “long distance” train would be The Australind, serving Bunbury, some 200 km to the south. Both the Indian Pacific to Sydney and The Prospector to Kalgoorlie arrive and depart from the East Perth station.

The East Perth Station is neither architecturally stunning like some big city stations nor quaint like some smaller country stations. It’s just a big red brick building that’s designed to be more functional than beautiful. Mission accomplished. It is also wonderfully air conditioned, something I very much appreciated after lugging my pack several blocks through downtown Perth, onto a commuter train, then over a walkway and finally into the station. The outside temperature was just over 30 degrees. Warm, though not as hot as it could have been for a late summer day in Western Australia.

I’ve ridden a lot of Australian trains, but this would be my first trip aboard TransWA’s little workhorse, The Prospector. No doubt the train gets its name from the many thousands of prospectors who headed out to the Kalgoorlie gold fields in the late 1800s to begin mining what has since come to be known as “The richest square mile on Earth”. Recently, the 50 millionth ounce of gold was retrieved from Kalgoorlie’s mines.

The Prospector began service between Perth and Kalgoorlie in 1971. Back then, it was Australia's fastest train and cut travel time between Perth and Kalgoorlie from fourteen to eight hours. Besides being the first train to offer an “airline style” full-meal service, it also introduced the local travelers to such luxurious and unprecedented features as air conditioning, personal call buttons and reading lights.

I booked my reservations over the internet about three weeks ago and my ticket was waiting for me at the ticket window. I asked the agent about checking my pack and was informed that there is no baggage check. You just haul your baggage aboard and place or wrestle it above your seat. Even a pack this size, I inquired? No worries, mate! If you’re strong enough to get it up there, there’s plenty of room. Roight, then. Off I went to buy a sandwich and a cold Emu Bitter from the food concession.

The Prospector pulled into the station at about 2:00pm. I knew that this was not a large train but I had expected at least two or three cars. I should note however that unlike most trains which consist of a number of cars pulled behind a separate engine, The Prospector is a self powered diesel/hydraulic rail car. The pictures I’d seen of it showed two or three of these self propelled cars strung together as one train. Not today, though. Apparently, passenger bookings for today and tomorrow’s return trip required just one train car.



The Prospector

Although there are plans to put an all-new Prospector into service soon, today’s train was right out of 1971. For now, The Prospector is operated in a single class configuration and the seats, arranged 2-2, are large and heavy. Seat pitch was about 40” though the recline was just so-so. Each car was separated into two compartments, each seating 32. Toilets were located at the front of the train, with the galley area in the rear.

Two middle aged ladies served as our train attendants. During boarding, they patrolled the inside and outside of the train very efficiently, assisting some passengers with locating their seats, shooing others from the wrong seats, helping elderly passengers with their baggage and answering a multitude of questions. I had been assigned an aisle seat but when I asked if I might switch to a window, I was told that we were expecting a full train this afternoon so I’d best stay put. Roight.

Somewhere outside the train, I heard a whistle blow. After a gaggle of last minute stragglers clambered aboard, the doors were then closed, some of the passengers waved frantically to family and friends out on the platform, the engineer gave a couple of short toots on the horn and off we went.

The first part of the journey took us through Perth’s eastern suburbs before climbing into the lush hills outside of Perth. They weren’t very big hills and it might be fairer to say that we traveled through a shallow canyon rather than climbed into any hills, per se. By the time we’d gotten a couple of hours out of Perth, the landscape had changed to dry rolling savannah dotted with Eucalyptus trees. It reminded me a lot of Central California and the lowlands of the Western Sierras.

Alas, the days of an on board airline style meal service aboard The Prospector had long since disappeared. In their place a local concession, manned by the car attendants, sold hot and cold snacks such as Australia’s ubiquitous meat pies and sausage rolls along with salads, sandwiches, candy and peanuts, juice, sodas and three kinds of beer. Menus were placed in the seat back pockets and to place an order, all one need do was hit the call button above their seat. The attendants responded with impressive alacrity both in taking orders and delivering food. Nicely done, ladies!

The train made numerous stops along the way, picking up or dropping off all manner of humanity. There were dusty farmers, mothers with children, Aborigines and backpackers and even a guy in a suit and tie! All through this I maintained my aisle seat while the window seat beside me remained empty. Apparently, whoever had booked it never showed up at because that seat remained empty all the way into Kalgoorlie.

In all, it was a pleasant afternoon and evening spent rolling through the pretty landscape of Western Australia. We were treated to a very nice sunset, which I hailed with a couple of cans of ice cold Emu Bitter, and for dinner I had a meat pie and a bag of peanuts. Not exactly British Airways First Class but, in its own way, almost as good.

At ten after ten, the first lights of Kalgoorlie began to appear. Just a few minutes later we made an on time arrival at the little station that serves Kalgoorlie/Boulder, a community of about 22,000. I had booked accommodations at the Gold Dust Backpackers, a large ramshackle facility just five minutes walk from the downtown district. Sue and Paul, the hostel’s managers, were on hand at the station to greet myself and two Czechoslovakian girls who had also ridden in on the train. The night was pleasantly warm and the moon almost full. I think I’m going to like it here.

And so, after 10 days and 20,630 miles, my travels have finally taken me to Kalgoorlie. The long way. I hope you’ve enjoyed this report!

ss278

Another great job. Thank you.

I have been going through Seat2A withdrwal lately, wondering where you have been and when I might get the chance to read another of your excellent reports. It is important for those of us who live vicariously through you that we hear from you regularly!

Reading about your trip was the perfect way to end my pre-St. Pattys' Day dinner. Feet up, cigar in one hand, glass of Bushmills in the other, and a "Seat 2A Classic" in front of me.

[This message has been edited by ss278 (edited Mar 14, 2004).]

pallensf

Seat 2A - This undoubtedly deserves an Academy Award!

Out of the world FABULOUS...

Mahalo...

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Patrick A. Inouye, LMT
volunteer trip reports moderator

unagi1

Another absolutely outstanding Seat 2A report Simply stunning in the level of detail and the nice mixture of fact, observation and humor.

B747-437B

You not only nailed an First Class award for virtually the longest distance possible, but you also cleared $1400 to boot on top of that!

We're not worthy! *bows before Seat2A*

Kiwi Flyer

Another great report Keep it coming.

What a quote! Huzzah!!

GoldFlyer

Now that was a good read. It's so sad in a way that the US majors are so far behind with their F product and service. Maybe the wheel will turn one day when they begin to be more profitable and focus more on their offerings.

I really enjoyed the BA F product as well although again the service was patchy going to SIN but outstanding coming back. I also think the cabin is too hot and stuffy but then that's just my opinion.

Thank you for such a great read and enjoy the delights of WA.

sllevin

Another great trip report!

I can't believe you didn't take the MRT to the hotel though -- how far was it from the Orchard station? $7? Such decadence!

Actually, what's funny is that we took the MRT from Changi to the Sheraton (where we stay, just next to the Newton station), after arriving on RTW tickets in C -- we'll fight for being up front on the plane, but then not be willing to pay money to get to the hotel...

Sorry we missed you by a few days -- we actually were a week behind you, leaving SFO on the 7th for LCY, then doing LHR-KUL-SIN on the 13th/14th. MH First lounge in KUL is nifty and worth of you seeing one day, although MH C class is nothing special.

Steve

goback

Another great trip report. Thanks Seat2A.
I am interested to see how you enjoy Kalgoorlie. Your comments about East Perth railway station are spot on. It seems to be a rather poor place to send off the premier train, the Indian-Pacific.
Have you any plans to come back to take the newly extended Ghan from Adeliade to Darwin? Not only do you get to visit another rather plain out of the way station in Adelaide (though the rest of the city is charming), but you can also ride on what is claimed to be the only North-South transcontinental train journey in the world.

[This message has been edited by goback (edited Mar 15, 2004).]

kpc

Thanks for sharing your travel experiences and for taking the time and effort to write it

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kpc

jerry a. laska

Excellent. Just like getting an extra PFD! Great report.

PresRDC

Another great report.

For the past three years, I have enjoyed your Australia reports. My German friends tell that they have saying "Three times is a tradition," and Seat 2A's March Australia report has most definately become a Flyertalk tradition.

makin'miles

Absolutely GREAT report... I'm banking my AS miles for exactly the same thing

Carfield

Thanks for the excellent trip report, as usual.

The $1400 is too sweet a deal to pass it... AA's service is a bit blend compared to BA or CX. But I think AA's first is a bit better than United, especially the new flagship suites. It is hard to achieve that same glamours as the past, as AA F/As are really overworked and their layover times are relatively short these days. Well, you get an extra $1400 to spend... that is not a bad deal.

But I am surprised that an omelet is served as your breakfast, because AA offers egg freshly made on board on the transpacific flights. I guess it may become history... I am flying AA NRT to SJC in F next Monday and will find it out.

About definition of refreshment, it is really hard to tell. Well on AA's Hawaiian flights, there is a snack service... as you expect something more substantive, it is just a cheese plate. nothing more nothing less... I will not say that it is a snack... it is a refreshment...

Thanks and look forward to the return report! The pictures are beautiful... BA's food look really good.

Carfield

onedog

A most excellent trip report!

Looking forward to additional installments.