UA_Flyer

Thanks for this excellently put together report. ^

As you stated in the opening introduction, this report definitely gives me the feel that I am sitting next to you during your travel.

Excellent photos, but I enjoy your writingseven more. I do appreciate matthandy and your TRs for achieving the right balance in photo and narrative contents.

I do short business visits to HK frequently and never really have had the chance to being a tourist there. I hope to be able to be a HK tourist one day, and perhaps to do a photo TR. Definitely no time for writing because of hectic work schedules.

I am almost an exclusive *A flyer, and it is refreshing to "experience" sitting in the BA F with you while going through this report. I am already looking forward to the return flight.

Moomba

Nice report Genius1

A face washer in a BA operated facility? Never seen one and have moaned about it many a time in my TRs.

You seem to have an aversion to the word salmon?

Genius1

Thanks for all of the comments

I don't think you can, sadly, as they are the original seats (albeit slightly modified) from one of BA's Concorde aircraft. They are lovely though to look at, but surprisingly not that comfortable.

It's as E3A300 says - BA fares from continental Europe tend to be cheaper in J and F than from the UK/Ireland. BA had a particularly good sale in J from Amsterdam to most longhaul destinations when I booked.

I did wander the area around Tsimshatsui at night (closest to my hotel), but to be honest markets are not my kind of thing, so I gave the Temple St one a miss.

No flannels in the Galleries South showers either on my return trip, so I guess BA don't provide them. Silly.

As for the 'salon' - that's what you get for typing out menus quickly. Duly corrected now

SFO777

Wow, fabulous TR and great photos. ^
I must say that the new BA First cabin looks very, very nice. OK, I think you've convinced me to give BA First another shot, right after I get this year's companion cert. Thanks for sharing!

baggageinhall

Top notch report as always Genius1. A really enjoyable read.

High praise indeed! I didn't think anything short of Wille Walsh carrying SFO777 over rose petals into an empty New First cabin, for free, would convince SFO777 to back to BA First!

SFO777

Touché!

Genius1

HKG-LHR, BA First

So my time in Asia’s World City had regrettably come to an end, and it would soon be time to face the world of work once more. However, thanks to a very late flight departing at 23:15 and a hotel check-out that had been extended until 16:00, I had the majority of the day free in the city, before making my way to the airport in good time thanks to a quick taxi ride to Kowloon Station and the marvellously efficient Airport Express.

I arrived at the airport at around 17:00, a good 6 hours or so prior to departure. This gave me ample time to do the oneworld lounge tour of the three CX lounges (not counting the former Dragonair Gate 16 lounge, now operated by CX, which by all accounts is rubbish) and joint BA/QF lounge.

The BA check-in desks don’t open until 3 hours before departure, but as I had hand baggage only and had printed my boarding pass in the Grand Stanford’s Club lounge, I was able to go straight through security (with the minimum of wait times, despite there being no Fast Track) and emigration (around a three minute wait, again with no Fast Track). I opted to go through the left hand zone for these two checkpoints, as this would bring me out closest to Cathay Pacific’s flagship ‘The Wing’ lounge complex. Much like the CCR at LHR T5, there is a private entrance to The Wing’s F section on Level 7 immediately on the left after passing through emigration. Those wanting the J section must descend to Level 6 and walk back through the shopping mall.


Entrance to The Wing F lounge, pictured from within the lounge

Taking this ‘private’ entrance, I was welcomed at the reception desk to The Wing F lounge, and passed through into the relatively small lounge space, with the washrooms and ‘The Library’ (quiet seating area) on the left, followed by an open plan balcony seating area with a few PCs on the right, before reaching the end of the lounge with ‘The Haven’ (food buffet) and cabanas on the left. Ahead at this point is the larger J section of The Wing, with a smaller J section on Level 6.

The Wing is currently undergoing a major renovation to bring it in line with CX’s new ‘The Cabin’ lounge. Currently, the Level 6 J section is finished with the new concept, but Level 7 has yet to be touched (both the J and F sections). The décor of Level 7 (identical across both J and F) is really rather dated now, but nevertheless the lounge was spotlessly clean and there were no majorly visible maintenance issues or wear and tear. CX has clearly done a good job of keeping The Wing in tip-top shape.


Main F seating area


Great view from The Wing’s Level 7 balcony areas

I have to say, however, that I was distinctly underwhelmed by The Wing. The F section features (very good) waiter service for drinks, but I was surprised that the food was not waiter service in The Haven restaurant area. Yes, the tables are beautifully laid, the buffet selection comprehensive and of an excellent restaurant-quality, but for a flagship home-station F lounge, I was surprised that this food was self-service.


The Haven







Apart from the extensive buffet and waiter-served drinks, the only other major distinguishing feature of the F side of The Wing are the cabanas. These are much better than the cabanas in the CCR, with a large relaxation space, bath, shower and separate cubicles for toilet and washbasin. The choice of amenities was very good, but these good cabanas are a relatively minor part of any F lounge experience in my view, and couldn’t make up for the remainder of the underwhelming F section of The Wing.


Cabana









At one point, as I was seated on the balcony area, a fellow lounge guest at an adjacent table started giving somebody a tour of the lounge on Skype. This got increasingly louder and louder, to the extent that the man was walking around the lounge holding his laptop so that a person the other side of the world could marvel at ‘the peasants’ (his words) below the lounge and the copious amount of wine the man was drinking. I’m ashamed to say he was British. Needless to say I gave him a glare as I moved to The Library for some peace and quiet.


Annoying Skype man


The Library


Waiter-served drinks in The Wing F lounge



Walking through the J section of The Wing on Level 7, I noted how busy it was compared to the F section, but, as described above, the décor was identical and rather underwhelming. The view of the airfield remained impressive, however. The Wing Level 6, the refurbished area, is quite excellent, however. Despite being a small space, this is a good taste of things to come for Level 7, and I liked what I saw. Slick lighting, very comfortable ‘solus’ chairs, plush furniture and a smart-looking buffet.


The Wing J lounge, Level 6

Genius1

After my fairly unimpressive visit to The Wing, I headed for the furthest lounge from the main terminal area, The Pier – The Wing’s little sister. This is located in one of the terminal ‘fingers’, about a 15 minute walk from the main terminal area. Despite being in the basement and thus having no view, I was pleasantly surprised by this lounge. The Pier is split into F and J sections, both having separate entrances (like The Wing). I didn’t experience the J section, but the F section was very pleasant indeed, with similar décor to The Wing, but somehow with a much more intimate feel. The lighting is softer and the furnishings feel plusher. The Pier also has ‘The Haven’, with an almost identical setup to the area of the same name in The Wing. I had a light dinner here, and was again impressed with the quality and variety of produce on offer. Service, as at The Wing, was very good – The Peninsula hotel-trained staff certainly lived up to their name.


The Pier F lounge









I took a shower in The Pier to freshen up before the long flight back to London – the shower rooms are very nice indeed, with a fairly powerful ‘rain’ type shower, although I found the shampoo and soap dispensers to be a little annoying, as I had to pump quite hard to get anything out (even though they were filled to the top). The shower rooms are of a good size, and as with the rest of the lounge, were spotless.





Heading back towards the main terminal area, I stopped off at The Cabin, CX’s latest lounge offering, a joint F and J lounge located halfway between The Wing and The Pier. As with The Pier, The Cabin is located in the basement, although it does offer a low view of the airfield. I was very impressed with The Cabin, which was similar in design to the Level 6 J section of The Wing (and presumably similar to what will eventually be the design of the whole Wing). Again, being a J lounge, The Cabin was rather busy, and for this reason I didn’t stay long. I did linger long enough, however, to appreciate the ‘solus’ chairs, iMacs and iPads, bar area and comprehensive buffet. Really rather impressive, and if it wasn’t for the more crowded nature of the lounge, I would have preferred The Cabin to both The Wing and The Pier F sections.


The Cabin’s ‘solus’ chairs






Signage in The Cabin

Finishing my tour of the oneworld lounges at HKG, I headed back up to Level 7 and the opposite side of the main terminal area from The Wing, adjacent to the right security/emigration point. Immediately after coming through this checkpoint area (closest to the BA/QF check-in counters), turning right will reveal a ‘private’ entrance to the BA/QF First lounge (with the Business lounge being located on Level 6, once again necessitating the walk through the shops). I was welcomed inside into a large, open-plan seating space, with a buffet area, TV/relaxation area, washrooms and showers off to the right.


BA/QF F lounge


SQ 777 viewed from the lounge

Whilst the quality and choice of food was unsurprisingly not as good as the CX F lounge options, the décor and overall feel of the BA/QF F lounge appealed more to my taste than the dated Wing. I had a wander downstairs to the Business section, which was possibly the most crowded airport lounge I have ever seen. One to avoid, particularly in the evening with several close-together BA/QF departures.

From my vantage point overlooking the gates, I could see that boarding was about to begin for BA26 back to LHR, and so I left the BA/QF F lounge just ahead of the lounge boarding announcement, heading downstairs to Gate 17.

At this point, it might be useful to provide a quick summary of the oneworld lounge options in HKG. Assuming F lounge access, I would first head to The Wing for some excellent food in The Haven, followed by a nice shower in a cabana. After this, head to The Cabin to relax or to work in stylish surroundings, before heading to the BA/QF F lounge or The Pier F lounge, whichever is closest to your departure gate. If you only have J lounge access, then The Cabin should be your lounge of choice – avoid the BA/QF J lounge, as it’s very crowded. The Wing F lounge will no doubt be very good after its renovation by the end of 2012, and may negate the need to go to The Cabin, which no doubt will become very crowded during renovation of Level 7 of The Wing.

Sensibly, all gates at the main terminal building at HKG have dual airbridges, each with clear ‘First/Business’ and ‘Economy’ signs at the gates. Accordingly, boarding at Gate 17 was a painless procedure, as I bypassed the Economy line to find only one person in front of me having their BP checked. My seat was changed at the gate from 1K to 1A, with no explanation given. I didn’t think anything of it until a little later…

Genius1

Date: April 2011
Route: HKG [Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok] (T1) - LHR [London Heathrow] (T5)
Aircraft: B747-436, G-CIVZ (1998)
Seat: 1A (First)

I was welcomed at Door 1L, and directed (but not shown) to my seat. As I settled into the old First cabin and stowed my things in the central wardrobe, it became clear just how dated this cabin is now looking. It was reasonably clean on the surface, but the control panel was ingrained with dirt, the seat covering had seen better days and the wall panels were scratched in places. This is really not good enough for an international F product, made doubly worse when considering the small IFE screen and broken overhead light. New F fleet-wide can’t come soon enough – latest estimates suggest a Spring 2012 completion date, although JFK and HKG are rumoured to be going all New F by the end of 2011.


The view from 1A in old First


Empty 1K


Filthy seat controls

As the cabin filled up to its almost full complement of 13/14 seats occupied, I was delighted that 1K was the only seat left free. I mentioned to the French cabin crew member serving my aisle that I was supposed to be in 1K, and she couldn’t understand why I’d been moved, as the IFE and seat functioned perfectly well. It remains a mystery as to why I was moved, especially as later Mr 4F occupied 1K for the remainder of the flight due to spilling his drink all over 4F.

Pre-departure drinks were offered, newspapers did the rounds, as did amenity kits and PJs. The seat area was already equipped with headphones, slippers, blanket and cushion.



After a speedy takeoff from RWY 07R through the clouds, having reached the seatbelt sign off point, further drinks and nuts were offered (although the usual hot towel was absent). I changed into my PJs before dinner orders were taken, reclined my very comfortable seat (despite its age) and commenced watching The Next Three Days, a good film about a man’s struggle to break his wife out of prison. Here is the Dinner menu for BA26 (April 2011), with my choices highlighted in red;

--

Dinner

Starters
Prawn and halibut with pepper, fennel and macadamia nuts
Goat’s cheese stuffed button mushroom
Red onion and red wine soup
Fresh salad leaves with your choice of caper olive oil vinaigrette or creamy French dressing

Main
Pork medallion with orange miso sauce
Grilled sole with tomato, caper and olive sauce
Sautéed beef tenderloin with wasabi soy sauce
Herb lemon breast of chicken with chestnut porcini mushrooms

Bistro Selection
Potato gnocchi with asparagus sauce and tomato marmalade
Warm bacon roll
A selection of biscuits
A selection of cheese and fruit

Dessert
Chocolate meringue terrine
Dried mango pistachio cheese cake

Cheese Plate
Blue Stilton
Cheddar
Brie

A basket of fresh fruit

--


Table setup for dinner



The canapé, again of an undisclosed variety, was quite delicious, but from then on the catering was sadly woefully inadequate. I opted for two main courses rather than having a starter. First up was the chicken – which turned out to be a few salad leaves with an uninspired sauce and a lump of tasteless warm chicken on the side. Yep, a salad as a main course in international first class, a salad that wasn’t even described as such on the menu! Unbelievable.



The chicken went back to the galley after a few bites, and shortly the potato gnocchi was served, unfortunately smothered in a powerfully horrid sauce that rendered the dish inedible. Oh dear.



The dinner service was partly rescued with a nice dessert, chocolates and good strong coffee, but by then the damage had been done.





After this disappointing dinner, with the film concluding, I requested my bed be made up, and was soon drifting off into the land of nod for six hours.


Old First is still very comfortable

Upon waking, I commenced watching The Tourist, a very enjoyable film despite featuring one of my least favourite actresses (Angelina Jolie). Breakfast was soon served – here is the Breakfast menu for BA26 (April 2011), with my choices again highlighted in red;

--

Breakfast

Starters
Chilled fruit juice
An energising fruit smoothie
A selection of yogurts
A selection of cereals
Fresh seasonal fruit plate
A wide selection of breakfast pastries and rolls

Main
Traditional English breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, pork sausage, mushrooms, tomato and bubble and squeak
Mushroom and leak omelette
Fried noodles with chicken, vegetables and dim sum

Beverages
Teas
Coffee

--


Table setup for breakfast

First I asked what yogurt selections were available. ‘Natural or fruit’ was the response. Unfortunately the ‘fruit’ flavour was unknown, but I plumped for it anyway, and it turned out to be apricot – a minute quantity of which was served in a wine glass. Come on BA, this is really poor.



Being rather brave, I subsequently opted for a hot breakfast from the full English selection. Grisly bacon, undercooked sausages with skin hanging off, rock hard toast and undercooked, tepid scrambled egg were the order of the day. Truly woeful.


It looks better than it was

The ‘muesli’ didn’t appease my frustration at the breakfast, as it was served in some horrid yogurt paste. Maybe that’s where the rest of my breakfast first course went.



Landing onto RWY 27L meant only a very short taxi to Gate B35. The airbridge was connected to Door 2L (against standard operating procedure for arrivals), meaning half of the Club World cabin escaped before First. This did give me time to have a quick chat with the crew, who had been most apologetic about the old F cabin throughout the flight, and were clearly embarrassed by having it onboard BA26, especially since they had worked New F for the past few flights.

LHR-AMS-LHR, BA Club Europe

Connecting was hassle free at this early hour of the morning, with Fast Track in operation for connections but not at North Security. However, the queue was minimal and I was safely ensconced in the CCR within 15 minutes of landing, opting first for a shower in the Galleries South Elemis complex. I noted that flannels were lacking once again, so they must not be provided in BA facilities. Rather odd.


Galleries South shower room


View from the CCR to the Concorde Terrace


Concorde Terrace in the morning light

The CCR was practically empty throughout the couple of hours I spent recuperating after the long flight from HKG. I ordered a coffee and three different yogurt varieties (having left much of the breakfast that had been served on BA26). The waitress asked whether I wanted the yogurt in a bowl or not, and I said not to worry, hence the substandard presentation…



The flights to and from Amsterdam in Club Europe were uneventful, with the same aircraft (A321-231, G-EUXM) and crew both ways. The crew were very good, and much amused by my appearance on both sectors. I declined the breakfast outbound, but did indulge in a spot of lunch on the inbound sector (not having time to visit the Galleries Club lounge at AMS during the short turnaround). This salad was very good (in terms of both quality and taste), and put both of the main courses I’d had on BA26 in F to shame, despite being cold.


BA431 Club Europe lunch

After landing back at LHR, I had a few hours to kill before my train from Paddington back the English countryside, and so visited Galleries Arrivals by virtue of my incoming BA26 boarding pass. This is a pleasant space to while away a few hours, even though the food options do disappear from around 12:00 (when I turned up at the lounge). For pictures of this lounge, please see my Australia, Singapore and New York trip reports.

Conclusion

The inbound First flight was a disappointment in almost every regard. The old cabin is no longer up to international F standards, but it was the appalling catering that really made this sector not worth the 40,000 miles to upgrade from J. I have contacted You First, who have forwarded my concerns to Customer Relations and added my comments to their own CEO report for this week. I hope that a satisfactory resolution can be sought in terms of mileage compensation.

New F is a very good product. Comparisons to CX and SQ F cannot be justified, as BA is in a different league to these stellar carriers. However, amongst mainstream carriers, BA is leading the way with such a good hard product. Outbound, the catering was more than adequate and I enjoyed each course as much as the next.

The crew on both sectors were fine – nothing overly special, but nothing terrible either. The CSD welcome on the outbound set the tone for good service on this flight, a level of service that was noticeably absent on the inbound, as were the hot towels. At no point (either on BA25 or BA26) was I called by name, except during the CSD meet and greet on the outbound. At all other times I was addressed simply as ‘Sir’. This is fine by me, but I would expect to be called by name at least initially in international F. It’s these little things that set apart F from J on carriers, like BA, where the hard product is very similar in terms of featuring a good flat bed and the same IFE across both classes.

This is the end of this Hong Kong trip report. I hope you’ve enjoyed it, and any comments and questions are welcome as always.

Prospero

Beautiful report, Genius1. I actually highly rate the muesli BA serves in First - granted it resembles something the dog brought up but I find it really tasty.

Your HKIA lounge report and photography captures the scene, materials and lighting wonderfully. The architects involved in the Wing refurbishment are truly dedicated and incredibly talented individuals. They recognised from the beginning reworking the original John Pawson fit out would be a tall order, so it is comforting to read your praise of the new lounges.

E3A300

Another fantastic trip report and a further reminder of just how bad BA catering has become. I'm astounded a company of BA's size is happy to serve premium customers such slop when not only is it supposed to be quite a sizeable differentiator from its J product but also from some very good F competition.

I recently did a BA F and LX F just weeks apart, and the difference was like night and day, and not in BA's favour. I get the distinct impression many at BA simply stick their head in sand and whistle.

Thanks again for the super TR.

FlyerTalker6245

Let us know how many miles you end up getting for the food...
I'm prepared to make a guess... 0.

Annoying Skype man had me in hysterics though!!!!

great report

BingBongBoy

Very well done!

I look forward to visiting Hong Kong next year with CX...

CX828

Great trip reports, shame you had old F on the way back to LHR. Certainly is not up to today's standard.

Interesting that you were not called by your name on either flights. CX makes an effort to call passengers by the name even in J!

BAViscount

I've been enjoying this over on the "other channel", but do you realise that the programme came to an abrupt end over there?? The last thing I read was "Those wanting the J section must descend to Level", and then it stopped! I would just carry on reading here, but I like how I don't have to click on links to see photos over there!