cricketer

A little housekeeping first - I usually post all in one go, but although it's already 6 weeks later, I'm going to post as I write this time. Please bear with me if you find it interesting, and if you don't, well then it doesn't matter anyway

My prior trip reports, should they be of interest:

1. Thanksgiving wedding in Sri Lanka: SFO-SEA-NRT-SIN-CMB-SIN-ICN-SFO on UA and SQ in F
2. My Lucky Day: SFO-HKG-SIN-PER on UA C/F
3. The unplanned non-emergency: SFO-NRT-SIN-BKK-MAA and back on UA/TG in C
4. Dinner at Tetsuya's and Quay: SFO-HKG-SIN-SYD and back on UA/SQ in C (A380)
5. The oft-forgotten small pleasures of short-haul flying

cricketer

As a cricket fanatic, I try to make an annual pilgrimage to somewhere to watch some proper Test match cricket. More often than not, this takes me to Perth, where I have watched some top quality Test matches in recent years, and with the South Africans in town, it was a no-brainer.

Once the schedule for the Tests was announced, much later than it usually is, I looked into my flight options. Not cheap, was the first conclusion. Time to use my miles, was the next one. And as a FlyerTalker, that’s when it got interesting.

I don’t know how many award bookings I’ve made, altered and cancelled over the last four months, but my credit card statement is littered with charges and refunds, some as small as 50 cents for a change in taxes, that net out to next to nothing. If there’s an award for lowest average line item on a credit card statement, I won it hands down in both September and October.

If there is one perk that makes attaining 1K status worthwhile, the ability to do all of this for free is it. Without status, I’d have been flying SFO-NRT-SIN on UA in F, SIN-PER-SIN on SQ in C, and SIN-HKG-SFO on UA in F. Not a shabby way to travel, to be sure. But in comparison to what I ended up booking, ignoring the fact that it required an extra day off work, really a no-brainer.

SFO-ORD on UA in domestic F
ORD-FRA on LH in new 747-400 F
FRA-NRT on LH on the A380 in F
NRT-BKK on TG on the 744 in new-old F
BKK-SIN on TG on the A380 in new C
SIN-PER on SQ on the 777-200 in C
PER-DOH on QR on the 777-200LR in C
DOH-JFK on QR on the 777-300ER in C
JFK-SFO on UA on the p.s. 757-200 in C

Really if you think about it, I was on my way to watch a Test match. Five days of one game, with the quintessential lunch and tea breaks thrown in for good measure. Taking the long way round to get there really is quite apposite.

A couple of days before departure, I had my bag packed – the one rollaboard with three days of clothing in it. Plus my binoculars, camera, and electronic menagerie, of course.

Then came the moment I’d been dreading. Mrs Cricketer came down the hallway with a look that could only spell trouble.

Her: “Looks like you’re all packed and set to abandon us for a week”

Me: “You can come along too if you want, only I don’t know if Lufthansa will release any more seats for you in First Class”

Her: “I’m not going anywhere. Anyway, you’re going to need a bigger suitcase.”

Me: “Umm, why?”

Her: “Well, my parents ordered a few things off Amazon that they’d like you to take for them.”

Me: “Of course they did! Now I’ll have to check a bag in. And I’ve got 5 connections on the way to Perth. You know the trouble I had with 3 connections last time!”

Her: <complete silence, of the sort that only a married man can truly comprehend>

Me: “Right, I’ll take the small black suitcase”

Her: “Probably the big red one actually”

She was right, as usual.

Still, despite the added challenge of having to check a bag all the way through, the truth was that more than the cricket, it was the prospect of all the flight experiences that had me counting down the minutes to departure. One of my travel objectives is always to add to the number of unique airline+aircraft+seat combinations that I’ve flown on. 6 new ones in one trip – that’s Flyertalk nirvana.

enki

Looking forward to the report! I've got some similar flights/routings in April, and can't wait to get another preview.

And while I'm certain I can't beat your lowest line item average on credit card statements, I did get a $.09 refund on a routing change made recently for that April trip. That's almost a rounding error...

greatmoosy

i'm also looking forward to this!

i have framed the most odd refund i ever received - AT&T sent me a check for $0.02 due to an overcharge of taxes, six months after I cancelled service with them. but having a bunch of line item refunds is something i shall now aspire to!

cricketer

To be honest, it’s pretty underwhelming to start a journey like this on a United A319, even in domestic First. I figured the best way to go about it would be to treat it as an opening act. I was pretty secure in the reckoning that there was no chance of it stealing the show, unlike when Annie Lennox surprised me and countless others by outperforming Sting at the Shoreline Amphitheater many years ago.

My primary concern leading into this leg was whether or not pre-check would work on a one-way ticket. It took me about three months to convince the system that having more than one middle name doesn’t automatically mean you’re part of the axis of evil, so I had reason to be nervous.

It worked flawlessly, and I have to confess to inwardly gloating as I walked past the 30 or so people in the Premier Access lane and waltzed through security in about half a minute. My ego would like to think that they were all staring at me and wondering why I was so special, but unfortunately not one of them even deigned to look over.

I’ve been using pre-check for a while now, and it’s incredible to think that a dozen years ago, this was how it was for all of us. I suppose sometimes you don’t know how fortunate you are until things get taken away from you.

Anyway, I chose to take this as a good sign. The one other thing on my mind was whether or not I’d get the new F that I was hoping for on LH on the ORD-FRA sector, but if TSA could let me through in 30 seconds, then surely everything else on my trip would work out?

The majority of the flight itself was happily uneventful. I generally prefer them that way, although it doesn’t always make for the most entertaining trip reports!

The service was as good as I could hope for on a domestic hop. My glass of water never reached empty (and yes, I was actually drinking it), which is about as good a measure of in-flight service as I can think of.

The meal though, was poor, much to nobody’s surprise. My options were presented to me with all the excitement of a McDonald’s cashier at the end of an eight hour shift, so my expectations never really climbed above mediocre. The choice was “Beef with mashed potatoes” or “Pasta with spinach and tomato sauce.” The “tomato sauce” caused me a couple of seconds of consternation, as always, because to me those words refer to a product made by Heinz, but of course I realized that she meant a marinara sauce, or some attempted facsimile there of.

As it turned out, the truth was neither. My dinner tray comprised of a dried out garden salad, the shreds of carrot more white than orange; a bowl of shrimp which provided a clear illustration of why the word is informally used to mean diminutive; and a bowl of simultaneously crisp and leathery gemelli (I think – I’m no pasta nerd). Atop the gemelli was a little pile of spinach, and a few drops of red here and there hinted at what might once have been a hearty marinara. I'm guessing the single slice of tomato in the salad was used to make the pasta sauce, which would explain the small quantity and the absence of any liquid content in the tomato wedge. Unfortunately I couldn’t at any point get enough of the sauce together to confidently ascertain its provenance.

Dessert was a rather dry chocolate chip cookie – spot the trend – and after that I settled down with a good Jasper Fforde which got me through to arrival at ORD, all of 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

Dry pasta with a dash of red and green

cricketer

I landed to the great news that Faf du Plessis had guided South Africa to an improbable draw in Adelaide, which meant that there was everything to play for in Perth. Risk of a dead rubber averted, and in essence, the entire trip was now a little more rationalizable, to use today’s random neologism.

The wait at baggage claim wasn’t a long one – for the first time in a very long time, my bag was the first one to appear. This was another one of those moments in life as a consequence of which my ego attempts to convince me that I am truly special. I’m easily persuaded, incidentally!

The next question was whether to take a cab or call the Aloft and have them send over a shuttle. Considering that I’m not exactly known for my desire to spend an extra penny, it’s amazing that I debated this, but I did. I had no reason to wake up early the next morning, so a few minutes wouldn’t hurt.

If I’d known that I’d be taking an underground tour of ORD in order to reach the shuttle stop, I might have chosen differently. It was a little bit of a surreal experience. The signage was clear, but the place was desolate. There was no hint of sentient life around me until I arrived at the shuttle stop. In fact, it’s not clear what form of life was around me then, given the proclivity of the two other people waiting for shuttles to keep venturing out into the cold in the hope that, well, I can’t think what they thought that might achieve. I suppose I should thank my mother for reminding me once or twice that a watched pot never boils.

The Aloft was, dare I say it, an Aloft. They are exactly what they are, no more and no less. And a significant part of that no more is usually an Internet connection that really ought to come with this anachronistic audio on the splash screen.

I fell asleep anxiously wondering what lay in store for me the next day, and when I was awoken by the quaint but frankly irritating shrill ring of the alarm clock, my first action was to check to see which plane was flying the incoming LH 430.

And my luck was in yet again. D-ABVY it was, freshly refurbished just two months previously as far as I could tell. Cue a little move that, had someone been around to capture it, would have been making the rounds in a not-quite-Gangnam Style video on YouTube. With due apologies to my wonderful wife and children, this was the moment when I concluded that 2012 hadn’t been a bad year after all.

I skipped breakfast in favour of a giardiniera deep dish pizza with an old friend, and after discovering that I was no longer capable of eating multiple slices of deep dish, it was over to O’Hare and time to really get this show on the road.

vecta

sounds interesting, bring it on!

cricketer

This was my first International departure from O’Hare, and the whole experience at Terminal 1 was a breeze. As I went through the whole process though, something just didn’t feel quite right. It hit me much later – having international and domestic departures all under one roof really does detract from the sense of excitement that would otherwise surround a trip to foreign lands. Granted, you are boarding a 747 that could crush the 737 parked next to it in the same way a three year old would stomp on a bug, but the two simply shouldn’t be parked next to each other in the first place!

I know I travel internationally a couple of times a year at least, and many of you do that in a week. That’s not the case for most people though, and it just seems like they’ve been denied a crucial part of the grand experience.

Anyway, back on topic. Check-in was as much fun as a check-in ever has been, barring the time on my honeymoon when the check-in agent at LHR asked if she could kiss me, much to the amusement (I hope) of my wife!

I handed over my passport and placed my bag on the scale, when I heard “Aaaargh! My toes! My toes!” The ladies at the 4 check-in counters and myself all looked over in horror for a second, only to be greeted by a baggage handler struggling to contain his peals of laughter. Full credit to him too, he had every one of us going for a second or two.

The agent asked if FRA was my final destination, and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I explained that I my bags needed to be checked through FRA, NRT, BKK for retrieval at SIN, where I would be overnighting. She asked if I was sure that I wouldn’t need my bags along the way, which is about when she noticed on the record that I really was just connecting in all those cities. This was apparently amusing enough to bring her colleague in on the act!

My bags were checked through, requiring two tags, and as my boarding pass printed out, she mentioned to me that row 83 was an exit row. You have to love that, as if being in First isn’t enough, you have an exit row as well. I suppose on the old F on Lufthansa that did actually equate to extra leg room, not that anybody needed it.

After everything was done, she leaned across the counter conspiratorially, and whispered to me that although the usual lounge was the United Club, she highly recommended that I take the extra hike over to the GFL, because “there won’t be so many people there.” Rest assured, I had no intention of doing otherwise.

Security was extremely slow, with just one single line for Premier Access. It didn’t really matter to me because at this point I was just excited about flying the new First on the upper deck of the 747. Halfway through though, I realized that I could probably have gone through a pre-check line, but not being 100% certain, it didn’t make sense to back out at that point and walk to the other end of the checkpoint.

I traipsed over to the GFL, which in all honesty is not a particularly exciting lounge at all. But, as promised, it wasn’t crowded – there were just three other people in there, and a super friendly lounge attendant who was quick to offer me champagne or any other beverage of my choice.

Having just eaten some deep dish, I declined food and drink so as to ensure that I could fully enjoy the on board service. People often say that the food on board is never as good as what you can get on the ground, so why waste time on it. That’s true, to some extent, but for me it’s a wonderful way to pass time on a flight, and particularly important if I’m not planning a huge amount of sleep.

I finally turned on my new Canon G15 to play around with it a bit before entrusting it with all the photos of my journey. Needless to say, this is my excuse for any and all photos that didn’t quite come out right.

I headed over to the gate a few minutes early, as I wanted to try and be the first person onto the upper deck, so I could enjoy that feeling of exclusivity and take a couple of photos without bothering other people.

I was surprised when I got there to encounter some sort of orderly queuing arrangement, which was not only there in theory, but was being policed and observed. Odd though that, given Lufthansa’s exceptional ground service for First Class in general, First and Business were lumped together in one boarding lane.


I still don't understand why people in a premium cabin with no concerns about overhead space would be inclined to line up, but on this occasion my inner sheep emerged too!

zcat18

This is a very good and very accurate observation. ORD is my home airport, and UA my preferred airline. 90% of my travel is domestic, so I am conditioned not to be terribly excited by the Terminal 1 experience. This makes it extremely anticlimactic traveling longhaul international out of ORD on United or its partners, because the preflight routine and setting are identical to those for domestic shorthaul flights. T5, while very short on amenities, is a far more exciting terminal from which to depart, since it is almost exclusively visited by foreign widebodies.

Great report, by the way! Can't wait for the rest! ^

cricketer

Boarding started sooner than I anticipated, but I was prepared, looking every bit the gawking tourist with my camera out and at the ready. Sure enough, I was the first person to go up the stairs into First Class. I think I actually held my breath as I walked up, preparing to be dazzled by the new F, and also hoping that the universe wasn’t going to play some cruel trick on me and leave me with old F. Because that’s a real hardship, of course.

As I reached the top, two flight attendants greeted me warmly and showed me to my seat. But not before I took this picture.



They would have done well to remove the overhead bins, as I later discovered there was ample storage in the seating area itself, but nevertheless, there was the unmistakable aura of First Class. There are people you meet in life who just command a room through sheer presence, and I have to say this cabin was right up there with them.

I was fawned over for a while as the other First Class passengers were clearly doing the rational thing and waiting to board at the last minute. Really though, where’s the joy in that? I know that the journey is a means to the end and all that, but where’s the fun in it if you can’t lap up every aspect with sheer childish delight. Quite literally, in the case of First Class travel on Lufthansa, you have to stop and smell the roses along the way.



As I sipped my Pommery Cuvee Louise 1999 champagne and munched on the signature macadamia nuts, I chatted with one of the FA’s. She told me that I was about to have the best flying experience of my life, even better than the new A380 First. At which point, I explained to her that I’d be connecting onto that in Frankfurt. This of course led to a discussion of my routing which in turn led to her bemused assertion that she couldn’t understand why I’d be going such a long way for a cricket match if I wasn’t actually playing in it.



What troubled her more though, was when she asked about my return journey, and I told her that I was planning on taking Qatar Airways via Doha, rather than Lufthansa. She said she’d heard really good things about Qatar, but she would make sure that nothing would beat Lufthansa First Class.

And then reality set in, the other passengers appeared, all three of them, and the process of preparing for departure had to begin. The amenity kits came out at this point, and I have to say, the pyjamas might have been my one disappointment on this flight, but more on that later.


Pyjamas, Sennheiser headseat, amenity kit and double-bagged slippers

gosha83

Loving the report so far! And that bed next to a seat setup is insane!

jtav559

Cricketer, you have a gift my friend. I think you could make a ERJ flight from DFW to Midland sound like a blast in the pants. Keep up the excellent writing/photography. Best of luck on your trip!

cricketer

I settled into my seat as we prepped for departure, experimenting with all the functions and exploring all the nooks and crannies. Everything just worked – this seat was designed by BMW after all.

Then came the safety briefing. I think I noted earlier that the pyjamas were the one negative of this flight, but I lied. When I had first come on board, I’d noticed that the welcome screen on the monitor at my seat was a little fuzzy, to say the least.



I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but when the safety video started playing, it reminded me of the all too common experience of watching a SD broadcast on an HDTV in a hotel room. As I later flicked through the shockingly limited array of IFE options, I soon realized that I was indeed watching SD video on an HD screen. Incredibly, some of the channels were playing on a loop as well. Clearly Lufthansa cut a corner here, updating the seat in First, but retaining the same old IFE system. I can understand why, but it seems like a serious undercutting of a massive overhaul.

We departed bang on time, with Teutonic precision, and pretty much as soon as the wheels left the ground, the seat belt sign went off, never to be seen or heard from again until a couple of minutes prior to touchdown.

As the flight attendants walked past, I started salivating. Nothing salacious here, I simply took that as the signal that the grand dining experience was about to begin. I know there have been some complaints on here that trip reports have too much food in them. Sorry, but I like my food, and if you don’t, then now’s the time to look away.

The meal service was almost flawless in execution, presentation and content. Even the amuse bouche was surprisingly decent, given Lufthansa’s reputation for producing some rather esoteric creations.



The table was set up, again with care and precision, and out came the bread basket. I helped myself to some excellent garlic bread. I’ve commented in previous trip reports that somehow other airlines seem to nail this where United struggles, but as I write this, I’m at 37,000 feet between SFO and JFK and I’ve just eaten the best slice of garlic bread I’ve ever had on a United airplane. For whatever that’s worth. But I digress.

Then came hands down the best on-board caviar service I’ve ever experienced. Of course, my sample size is of the order of half a dozen, and I’ve never eaten caviar other than in a first class cabin, so I most likely don’t know what I’m talking about.

The three spoonfuls of caviar hit the spot. I noticed that there were no onions visible on the cart, and the flight attendant explained that they had to hide them. Apparently they’re technically not supposed to bring them out on the trolley because of the potential odour. Her solution is to do so, but discreetly, because “90% of the people who have caviar want onions with it.”



The real delight though, was the vodka service that came along with it. Chilled glasses, and the bottle of Smirnoff in a bucket of dry ice for a spectacular in-flight effect. It’s touches like these that really make you feel that you’re getting what you paid for. Speaking of which, I figure that I paid approximately 20-25 thousand hard earned miles for this leg of the trip. Talk about a steal.



Next came the appetizers and salad, which was described as coming with a “delicious dressing.” That had me wondering, but it proved to be completely apposite.



I was asked which appetizers I wanted to try, and naturally I said “all three!” The flight attendant told me that this was a good move on my part. Apparently very few passengers these days ask for all three, and she felt that they may not realize that they can actually do so. I certainly felt no guilt as I was determined to try them all.

And boy was I glad I did. I’m not a fan of beetroot, of ravioli, or of creamy cheeses. However, I learned that day that the three go together unbelievably well. The beet ravioli stuffed with creamy goat cheese was sinfully good. No doubt the “creamy” component had a lot to do with that, but my word was it delectable. As a foodie of sorts, I give it top marks, and if you have the opportunity to try it, don’t pass it up, whatever you may think of the individual ingredients.


The bet ravioli on the bottom - the other two are scallops with pea puree and beef tatami, both of which were good

For my main course, I went for the herb and mustard seed crusted salmon with heirloom tomato gazpacho. I did this secure in the knowledge that if the fish was imperfect, there were four empty seats and bound to be some spares. Needless to say, it was pretty close to perfect. Cooked just right, and not too dry as often happens when you’re eating in a flying metal tube.



Dessert was next, and was perhaps the only minor let down in the meal service. 82K chose this point in time to get into a conversation with the flight attendant, and the pair of them led me on a merry old dance. I could see the warm chocolate cake and yogurt ice cream just a few feet in front of me, but every time the flight attendant looked up as if to move on, 82K would find something else to say. For a while I contemplated desecrating the first class sanctuary with the loud “ding” of a call button, but I settled instead for silently wishing that 82K got downgraded to coach on his next flight. I never said I was a good person!

After 9 minutes (yes I like chocolate cake and ice cream enough that I timed it), the dessert made it to row 83. The cake was warm, rather than hot, but to be fair, that’s what was advertised in the menu. Either which way, both cake and ice cream were gloriously divine, and indeed a match made in heaven.



After the table was cleared, I changed into the pyjamas. No photos of this part. This was when I discovered that the van laack trousers were made of almost paper thin cotton, rather than the thicker stuff that most airlines give out, and that I’ve had from LH in the past.

I clambered into the bed with all the elegance of a lame elephant trying to dance a waltz. Not my fault – I’m not exactly used to climbing into a bed on an aeroplane! Then it occurred to me why they are thin – it’s because Lufthansa keeps the cabin warm. Which of course, is ideal for me. I’m one of those people who usually feels really cold on flights, and Lufthansa is a delight because their flights are the exception to that. So next time one of you is complaining, just remember that there is at least one of me out there who likes it a bit warmer!

Anyway, I lay down, and soon realized that the blood was slowly but surely trickling to my head. This reminded me of why I enjoy flying backwards on United in the new Business Class. And then, because I’m slow with these things at times, it struck me that I was in fact on a bed, and not a seat with a narrow footwell at the other end. So I bemused the flight attendants one more time by getting up, turning around and sleeping backwards. It worked a treat. I got about 3 hours of sleep, and those three hours felt as good as double the time usually would on a flight. We were just off the coast of Ireland when I awoke, and I figured if I was tired, I’d have some time when I got to the FCT.

It was breakfast time soon enough, but strangely no eggs on offer. I opted for the muesli, a bowl of fresh fruit, and a perfectly flaky croissant – another thing that United seems to really struggle with. Three delicious glasses of fresh orange juice accompanied my breakfast. Apparently I consumed the first one faster than the flight attendant had ever seen, which is no surprise, because orange juice is my coffee substitute. Probably not a great substitute, but that’s another matter.







After breakfast it was time to pack up and settle down for the approach and landing. Unfortunately, it was pretty much pitch black as we touched down at 0720, so there really wasn’t an awful lot to look at.

In any case, an incredible flight overall, and I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my trip. My next flight was the A380 in First, and while I figured there was no way it could top this, I was excited anyway. First stop though, the First Class Terminal.

cricketer

Savour every minute of it - it will be fabulous if my experience was anything to go by!

I'm a big fan of having goals in life :-) I got a letter from Uncle Sam saying that if I wanted a 21 cent refund from them, I needed to send them a letter requesting it, as they won't be paying it automatically. They spent 44 cents to tell me that (though I'm sure they get a discount at their local post office). I won't be spending 44 cents to reply, though I'm sorely tempted.

Thanks. Flying out of places like HKG and SIN was always fun, because it's pretty much all widebodies and they're from all over the place. It's changed a little now, with a lot more short hauls to China and India that didn't exist 20 years ago, of course.

Thanks. It really is. I struggle to think how even flying private could be any better than that setup. Not that I'd ever say no to flying private

Thanks for the kind words. I'm no eightblack or SFO777, but I thoroughly enjoy my flying and I'm glad that it comes through in some way!

shogunate03

Great trip report!! Looking forward to the rest of it.

I recently flew the 744 new F and had very similar impressions as you did with regards to IFE and hardware. As you commented on, the bed is incredibly comfortable and I had a really great sleep on it too. IFE is definitely lacking since the selection and video quality are greatly inferior to the A380 and 748 - which I'm sure you realized when you got on the A380.

I think the A380 was my favorite though if your primary goal was sleeping only, it is tough to beat the 744.