First class to AKL with EK
Dec 24, 2009 | 8:30 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: Skywards, Velocity Rewards
Posts: 365
First class to AKL with EK
Just arrived in AKL from MEL. Travelled in First with EK for the first time, on the A340-500 in a private suite.
Have to say, not really worth it for the short (3.5 hour) flight but I did make every effort to extract maximum possible value for money, getting well and truly stuck into the Dom and removing from the suite (and FC loo) pretty much everything not fastened down.
On a long-haul night-time flight I reckon the suite would be absolutely lovely as it's cosy, private and has a lie flat bed.
There is room for improvement though, I would have liked to see some less fussy options on the a-la-carte breakfast menu: individual items such as eggs, bacon, grilled tomato etc would have been nice, rather than the fusspot combinations they offer.
Also, EK could have got major brownie points by noting that I'd ordered a GF special meal and taking the initiative to place gluten free snacks in the snack basket, rather than just the standard ones which were almost all unsuitable.
Have to say, not really worth it for the short (3.5 hour) flight but I did make every effort to extract maximum possible value for money, getting well and truly stuck into the Dom and removing from the suite (and FC loo) pretty much everything not fastened down.
On a long-haul night-time flight I reckon the suite would be absolutely lovely as it's cosy, private and has a lie flat bed.
There is room for improvement though, I would have liked to see some less fussy options on the a-la-carte breakfast menu: individual items such as eggs, bacon, grilled tomato etc would have been nice, rather than the fusspot combinations they offer.
Also, EK could have got major brownie points by noting that I'd ordered a GF special meal and taking the initiative to place gluten free snacks in the snack basket, rather than just the standard ones which were almost all unsuitable.
Dec 25, 2009 | 4:24 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 75
Just arrived in AKL from MEL. Travelled in First with EK for the first time, on the A340-500 in a private suite.
Have to say, not really worth it for the short (3.5 hour) flight but I did make every effort to extract maximum possible value for money, getting well and truly stuck into the Dom and removing from the suite (and FC loo) pretty much everything not fastened down.
On a long-haul night-time flight I reckon the suite would be absolutely lovely as it's cosy, private and has a lie flat bed.
There is room for improvement though, I would have liked to see some less fussy options on the a-la-carte breakfast menu: individual items such as eggs, bacon, grilled tomato etc would have been nice, rather than the fusspot combinations they offer.
Also, EK could have got major brownie points by noting that I'd ordered a GF special meal and taking the initiative to place gluten free snacks in the snack basket, rather than just the standard ones which were almost all unsuitable.
Have to say, not really worth it for the short (3.5 hour) flight but I did make every effort to extract maximum possible value for money, getting well and truly stuck into the Dom and removing from the suite (and FC loo) pretty much everything not fastened down.
On a long-haul night-time flight I reckon the suite would be absolutely lovely as it's cosy, private and has a lie flat bed.
There is room for improvement though, I would have liked to see some less fussy options on the a-la-carte breakfast menu: individual items such as eggs, bacon, grilled tomato etc would have been nice, rather than the fusspot combinations they offer.
Also, EK could have got major brownie points by noting that I'd ordered a GF special meal and taking the initiative to place gluten free snacks in the snack basket, rather than just the standard ones which were almost all unsuitable.
Dec 25, 2009 | 5:11 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,977
I think QF might have gluten free friands in First class for snacks (this is a standard option), but I could be wrong here. I guess fruit is always gluten free.
Dec 25, 2009 | 2:05 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: Skywards, Velocity Rewards
Posts: 365
Re your assertion that you can't think of an airline that would offer GF snacks: 1. It's not as hard to do as you'd think - there are a multitude of companies offering GF snack bars and cookies etc these days.
It's not even necessary to source "special" GF items either. EK could have offered ordinary salted crisps which are GF but instead put in Pringles which are not
A Cadbury Dairy Milk bar is GF but EK gave me a Mars bar which is not 2. If it's meant to be a First class experience, isn't that what you should expect to get - and be treated as an individual rather than just another self-loading cargo in Economy?
Last edited by 17thousandkm; Dec 25, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Dec 25, 2009 | 2:12 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: Skywards, Velocity Rewards
Posts: 365
Jan 2, 2010 | 12:51 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: TIP,PDX
Programs: UA 1p, GF Gold, EK
Posts: 404
Just arrived in AKL from MEL. Travelled in First with EK for the first time, on the A340-500 in a private suite.
Have to say, not really worth it for the short (3.5 hour) flight but I did make every effort to extract maximum possible value for money, getting well and truly stuck into the Dom and removing from the suite (and FC loo) pretty much everything not fastened down.
Have to say, not really worth it for the short (3.5 hour) flight but I did make every effort to extract maximum possible value for money, getting well and truly stuck into the Dom and removing from the suite (and FC loo) pretty much everything not fastened down.