TR – Chongqing for 3 days (MAN-HEL-CKG-HEL-MAN, AY J)
Jun 5, 2013, 4:13 pm
#1
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TR – Chongqing for 3 days (MAN-HEL-CKG-HEL-MAN, AY J)
So on to my fifth trip report, which isn’t bad going since I posted my first one back in March. If you want to read some of my travelling background (and the first trip report as well) then there is some information at the start of this TR:
TR - Far East inc. Beijing, HK, KL, Singapore & Hanoi (BA J, CX Y, KA Y&J, MH Y, MI Y)
Planning
Back in December 2012 a very good Finnair deal was highlighted on the Head for Points blog. Finnair were offering business class return flights to Chongqing for just over Ł800, with connections to HEL from LHR or MAN, with tickets having to be booked by 17 December, and the return by end of May 2013. This caught my eye mostly because of the large haul of tier points I would get for a relatively small price, 440 TPs in total. I am on a bit of a mission this year to get a BA gold card and needed 1500 TPs in total, so to get almost a third of them in one go like this was very attractive. I had to book the flights for right towards the end of the offer period as I was already going to have quite a busy first few months of 2013 travelling around. Also, I couldn’t use up too much annual leave, so booking across the weekend and the public holiday in the UK on Monday 27 May would be important. So I pulled the trigger and booked.
I must admit that before this offer I had never heard of Chongqing before, which is a reflection on my ignorance of the country. I soon learnt that it was a massive city of around 25 million, the 4th largest city in China, and considered one of - if not the - fastest growing city in the world. As I was only planning to be in China for 3 days I didn’t really want to fly to CKG only to connect to somewhere else on a separate ticket. I had already arranged to go to Beijing in March this year, and felt I could manage to go around the city by myself. However, I felt Chongqing was a different matter and I would probably need a local guide for at least some of the trip. After some searching on the internet I managed to find a local guide who suggested spending one day in the city, then driving out to the Black Valley area outside the city for a walk around there. This sounded perfect for what I was looking for. Cost of the guide for the three days, and the driver and car to the Black Valley came to about 2,100 RMB in total (around Ł225).
Until this trip, all my previous long haul flights in J have been on BA so I was also keen to get another perspective and see what AY had to offer, especially as they often seem to have J fare offers to Asian cities.
My usual report style is to focus only on the travel bit itself and not too much on the destination or hotels, but in this case I decided to write a bit more due to the trip being a bit out of the ordinary.
Also, if you want to have another perspective here is another trip report done by an FT
Flight Costs
Finnair, MAN-HEL-CKG-HEL-MAN in J - Ł806.10
Manchester & Best Western Plus Pinewood on Wilmslow Hotel
So after a few months of planning and sorting everything out with my guide (Kevin) the trip finally was underway. The flight to HEL on the Friday was at 10:25, so rather than drive across to MAN in the morning, I decided to book a room close to the airport for Thursday night and drive over after work. On previous occasions staying near MAN I had booked in to one of the nearby Premier Inn’s, but I fancied a change so tried a nearby Best Western. The hotel seemed ok, but I felt at Ł65 including breakfast not as good value as a Premier Inn. There was plenty of free parking, and it was easy to find being about 10 minutes off the M60. One major negative was that the wi-fi seemed very unreliable and kept dropping out or simply not responding.
My single room at the Best Western.
For a hotel close to the airport breakfast started very late at 7am, so this is no go if you want something before a very early flight. I decided to get breakfast served in my room as I was still trying to do some work in the morning before heading off.
Breakfast to start the day.
I think based on the price I will probably stick to the Preimer Inn in future which is typically about Ł30 cheaper.
MAN & Escape Lounge
I headed off to the airport, and the drive took about 10 minutes. I had pre-booked the T1/T3 long stay car park which I had used many times before. After parking up the shuttle bus to the terminal came within a few minutes. On arrival at T1 I made my way to the AY desks to drop my bag, and was surprised to find no other passengers there at about 90 minutes before departure. As a result I was quickly checked-in, and I was also told about which lounge I could use and to use the security fast track lane.
I headed straight to security through the fast track lane, and with only one other person in front I got through quickly, although normal security looked quiet anyway. I had pre-ordered some Chinese currency from Travelex so went to pick that up, and headed off to duty free to get some “British” presents for the guide.
Present for the guide. I am not an MUFC supporter, but I reckoned he would have at least know them as opposed to my local team Leeds United.
I headed upstairs to the lounges. The Escape lounge is a third party lounge which AY J passengers can access. I believe you can pay to get in to the Escape lounge as well if you want.
Entrance to lounge.
The lounge angel was very welcoming, and asked whether I had been there before which I hadn’t. She explained the various areas of the lounge and what items were complimentary. The wi-fi username and password were also displayed at reception.
I must admit after my largish breakfast I didn’t eat or drink anything in the lounge, and instead caught up on some emails and watched the news about LHR being close due to the emergency landing of a BA plane – I was glad not to be on BA connecting at LHR for once.
The quieter area away from the bar.
Another bit of the lounge with Eames type chairs.
The dining part of the lounge.
The lounge was ok, nothing special. Unfortunately I can’t comment on the quality and quantity of food and drink as I didn’t have any.
Finnair AY2934
MAN(T1)-HEL(T2)
OH-LKE, E190
Business, seat 2A
24 May 2013 - 10:25d, 15:10a (scheduled)
Duration - 2h 45m (scheduled)
Once the gate came up on the screens in the lounge I headed off. The flight would be leaving from gate 10. I heard priority boarding being called as I was about 100m away from the gate taking photo of plane.
The E190 operated by Flybe for AY.
By the time I put my camera away and got to the lounge priority boarding seemed to have finished so I just made my way directly to the front of the queue. Onboard the seating arrangement is 2 rows of 2+2 in J, and 2+2 through the rest of the plane for Y. A pillow and blanket were offered before pushback, as well as a paper. There were four people in the J cabin, and all of us were solo travellers so we each occupied a pair of seats.
Pushback was on time, and whilst we were taxi-ing I saw the suitably marked 1000th 777 (a 77W belonging to Emirates) take off. We had a slightly bumpy climb out, and the seat belts remained on for just under 30 minutes from take off.
Hot towel offered just after seat belt signs extinguished.
I was also asked by one of the CC to fill in a survey which I agreed to do. A drinks service followed and I got champagne and some still water. The menu was also handed out.
What is the point of a menu when there is no choice?
The AY style glasses.
I had thought the service seemed a bit slow but perhaps I was wrong as by 1 hour in to the flight the meals had been served, I had finished it, and I was on to the coffee.
Meal which was ok, if a bit heavyish for that time of the day?
The service overall was very comparable to BA Club Europe. The major negative for me seemed to be the lack of choice of the meal. The CC were friendly and they were as attentive as you would want. After coffee I went on to the whisky. The CC didn’t know exactly what they had so went off to check returning with miniatures of Glenfiddich 12 year old and Chivas Regal, I took the Glenfiddich.
Strangely wide glass for whisky – they reappear later on the long haul flight.
The whisky was served in a very wide glass which is probably the worst choice for whisky as the aroma gets completely dispersed.
Snack menu in the seat pocket, for Y passengers really.
One thing I noticed was that the curtain between J and Y never got drawn during flight, although not many Y passengers came forward to use the forward toilet in the end. As I had a free seat next to me I had plenty of room, but obviously it would not have been good if the cabin was fuller and someone was sat next to me.
Overall the flight passed fairly quickly and was reasonably comfortable. On its own I think a AY J short haul is difficult to justify cost wise over Y, but as part of a connection on to a long haul J flight it is a bit easier to swallow.
TR - Far East inc. Beijing, HK, KL, Singapore & Hanoi (BA J, CX Y, KA Y&J, MH Y, MI Y)
Planning
Back in December 2012 a very good Finnair deal was highlighted on the Head for Points blog. Finnair were offering business class return flights to Chongqing for just over Ł800, with connections to HEL from LHR or MAN, with tickets having to be booked by 17 December, and the return by end of May 2013. This caught my eye mostly because of the large haul of tier points I would get for a relatively small price, 440 TPs in total. I am on a bit of a mission this year to get a BA gold card and needed 1500 TPs in total, so to get almost a third of them in one go like this was very attractive. I had to book the flights for right towards the end of the offer period as I was already going to have quite a busy first few months of 2013 travelling around. Also, I couldn’t use up too much annual leave, so booking across the weekend and the public holiday in the UK on Monday 27 May would be important. So I pulled the trigger and booked.
I must admit that before this offer I had never heard of Chongqing before, which is a reflection on my ignorance of the country. I soon learnt that it was a massive city of around 25 million, the 4th largest city in China, and considered one of - if not the - fastest growing city in the world. As I was only planning to be in China for 3 days I didn’t really want to fly to CKG only to connect to somewhere else on a separate ticket. I had already arranged to go to Beijing in March this year, and felt I could manage to go around the city by myself. However, I felt Chongqing was a different matter and I would probably need a local guide for at least some of the trip. After some searching on the internet I managed to find a local guide who suggested spending one day in the city, then driving out to the Black Valley area outside the city for a walk around there. This sounded perfect for what I was looking for. Cost of the guide for the three days, and the driver and car to the Black Valley came to about 2,100 RMB in total (around Ł225).
Until this trip, all my previous long haul flights in J have been on BA so I was also keen to get another perspective and see what AY had to offer, especially as they often seem to have J fare offers to Asian cities.
My usual report style is to focus only on the travel bit itself and not too much on the destination or hotels, but in this case I decided to write a bit more due to the trip being a bit out of the ordinary.
Also, if you want to have another perspective here is another trip report done by an FT
Flight Costs
Finnair, MAN-HEL-CKG-HEL-MAN in J - Ł806.10
Manchester & Best Western Plus Pinewood on Wilmslow Hotel
So after a few months of planning and sorting everything out with my guide (Kevin) the trip finally was underway. The flight to HEL on the Friday was at 10:25, so rather than drive across to MAN in the morning, I decided to book a room close to the airport for Thursday night and drive over after work. On previous occasions staying near MAN I had booked in to one of the nearby Premier Inn’s, but I fancied a change so tried a nearby Best Western. The hotel seemed ok, but I felt at Ł65 including breakfast not as good value as a Premier Inn. There was plenty of free parking, and it was easy to find being about 10 minutes off the M60. One major negative was that the wi-fi seemed very unreliable and kept dropping out or simply not responding.
My single room at the Best Western.
For a hotel close to the airport breakfast started very late at 7am, so this is no go if you want something before a very early flight. I decided to get breakfast served in my room as I was still trying to do some work in the morning before heading off.
Breakfast to start the day.
I think based on the price I will probably stick to the Preimer Inn in future which is typically about Ł30 cheaper.
MAN & Escape Lounge
I headed off to the airport, and the drive took about 10 minutes. I had pre-booked the T1/T3 long stay car park which I had used many times before. After parking up the shuttle bus to the terminal came within a few minutes. On arrival at T1 I made my way to the AY desks to drop my bag, and was surprised to find no other passengers there at about 90 minutes before departure. As a result I was quickly checked-in, and I was also told about which lounge I could use and to use the security fast track lane.
I headed straight to security through the fast track lane, and with only one other person in front I got through quickly, although normal security looked quiet anyway. I had pre-ordered some Chinese currency from Travelex so went to pick that up, and headed off to duty free to get some “British” presents for the guide.
Present for the guide. I am not an MUFC supporter, but I reckoned he would have at least know them as opposed to my local team Leeds United.
I headed upstairs to the lounges. The Escape lounge is a third party lounge which AY J passengers can access. I believe you can pay to get in to the Escape lounge as well if you want.
Entrance to lounge.
The lounge angel was very welcoming, and asked whether I had been there before which I hadn’t. She explained the various areas of the lounge and what items were complimentary. The wi-fi username and password were also displayed at reception.
I must admit after my largish breakfast I didn’t eat or drink anything in the lounge, and instead caught up on some emails and watched the news about LHR being close due to the emergency landing of a BA plane – I was glad not to be on BA connecting at LHR for once.
The quieter area away from the bar.
Another bit of the lounge with Eames type chairs.
The dining part of the lounge.
The lounge was ok, nothing special. Unfortunately I can’t comment on the quality and quantity of food and drink as I didn’t have any.
Finnair AY2934
MAN(T1)-HEL(T2)
OH-LKE, E190
Business, seat 2A
24 May 2013 - 10:25d, 15:10a (scheduled)
Duration - 2h 45m (scheduled)
Once the gate came up on the screens in the lounge I headed off. The flight would be leaving from gate 10. I heard priority boarding being called as I was about 100m away from the gate taking photo of plane.
The E190 operated by Flybe for AY.
By the time I put my camera away and got to the lounge priority boarding seemed to have finished so I just made my way directly to the front of the queue. Onboard the seating arrangement is 2 rows of 2+2 in J, and 2+2 through the rest of the plane for Y. A pillow and blanket were offered before pushback, as well as a paper. There were four people in the J cabin, and all of us were solo travellers so we each occupied a pair of seats.
Pushback was on time, and whilst we were taxi-ing I saw the suitably marked 1000th 777 (a 77W belonging to Emirates) take off. We had a slightly bumpy climb out, and the seat belts remained on for just under 30 minutes from take off.
Hot towel offered just after seat belt signs extinguished.
I was also asked by one of the CC to fill in a survey which I agreed to do. A drinks service followed and I got champagne and some still water. The menu was also handed out.
What is the point of a menu when there is no choice?
The AY style glasses.
I had thought the service seemed a bit slow but perhaps I was wrong as by 1 hour in to the flight the meals had been served, I had finished it, and I was on to the coffee.
Meal which was ok, if a bit heavyish for that time of the day?
The service overall was very comparable to BA Club Europe. The major negative for me seemed to be the lack of choice of the meal. The CC were friendly and they were as attentive as you would want. After coffee I went on to the whisky. The CC didn’t know exactly what they had so went off to check returning with miniatures of Glenfiddich 12 year old and Chivas Regal, I took the Glenfiddich.
Strangely wide glass for whisky – they reappear later on the long haul flight.
The whisky was served in a very wide glass which is probably the worst choice for whisky as the aroma gets completely dispersed.
Snack menu in the seat pocket, for Y passengers really.
One thing I noticed was that the curtain between J and Y never got drawn during flight, although not many Y passengers came forward to use the forward toilet in the end. As I had a free seat next to me I had plenty of room, but obviously it would not have been good if the cabin was fuller and someone was sat next to me.
Overall the flight passed fairly quickly and was reasonably comfortable. On its own I think a AY J short haul is difficult to justify cost wise over Y, but as part of a connection on to a long haul J flight it is a bit easier to swallow.
Last edited by KARFA; Jun 11, 2013 at 2:27 am
Jun 5, 2013, 4:16 pm
#2
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Join Date: Apr 2012
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HEL T2 & Non-Schengen Lounge (between gate 36-37)
On arrival to HEL we parked at a remote stand and disembarked to a waiting bus.
On the bus looking back at the plane.
The drive to the terminal was very quick, and once there I went straight up the escalator and in to the main departure hall - no boarding pass check and no security check.
Lounge access printed on the boarding pass.
The gate number for my CKG flight (gate 35) was already up on the screens. I headed straight to the lounge which is situated between gates 36 and 37.
Lounge entrance.
The lounge has showers, toilets, and lockers opposite the reception area and on the right side on entry. The food and drink area was on the left side of the lounge. There is a raised part with some funky chairs overlooking the apron.
Raised bit with funky chairs.
Overlooking lounge from one end, food & drink area on opposite side.
I went and sat on one of the chairs overlooking the apron and caught up on some work emails on my laptop as well. I wasn't in mood for more food and drink so didn't get any. I did notice there were lots of dirty plates and glasses left on several tables which remained there during my stay. Also, there is no dedicated wi-fi for the lounge and you are told to use the free airport wi-fi. Whilst the airport wi-fi is reliable and reasonably fast, it does disconnect after about 2 minutes of no use, which is very annoying.
About an hour before departure I decided to head in to the departure area and wait near the gate. Gate 35 is right on a corner of the building, and as other flights were departing from the neighbouring gates it meant the whole corner area was pretty rammed with no spare seats.
This is the best view I could get of the plane which would operate AY55.
Finnair AY55
HEL(T2)-CKG(T1)
OH-LTP, A330-300
Business, seat 2A
24 May 2013 - 17:40d, 07:10+1a (scheduled)
Duration - 8h 30m (scheduled)
Boarding was called about 50 minutes before departure. There was a separate queue for J and status passengers. I somehow managed to be the first passenger onboard, although it seems there is no prize for that. Boarding was by door 2L so I turned left after stepping aboard.
The old J seats.
My seat 2A for the flight.
Only storage is the magazine holes, you can’t put bags under the seat in front for take-off and landing.
I don’t know if this was just me, but it seemed that the overhead lockers are quite shallow over the A&B seats, although my bag fitted fine. The ones over the centre seats seemed a bit deeper. Whilst we were waiting I was offered champagne, juice, or water. I picked champagne of course. An amenity pack was also handed out which contained an eye mask, earplugs, and socks. There seemed to be a lack of toothpaste or other toiletries – although I found some packs of toothpaste & toothbrushes in the toilet later on. We also got handed a large grey bag which I was told was a shoe bag - seems a bit pointless.
Bottle of water handed out, nifty holder on side of seat.
Seat controls.
Each pair of seats has two power sockets and two USB sockets in the front of the dividing armrest. Headphones were handed out as well. By the time boarding finished I noticed that there were only 7 passengers spread across the forward business cabin – which meant I could use the seat next to me for storage to make up for the lack of it on my own seat. One nice feature was the live forward camera which was shown on the IFE for during pushback and take off.
After we were airborne we were subjected to a rather long video promoting finnair before the IFE became fully usable. Whilst the screen itself was perfectly large and nice to look at, the content selection was pretty poor so I simply stuck to my iPad.
Drinks order were taken, I ordered champagne again. A tasty nibble was brought out as well. Linen was put directly on table. Bit of turbulence during start of dinner service so seat belt signs came on.
Champagne and amuse-bouche in a glass which looked surprisingly like the one I had been served whisky in on my MAN-HEL flight!
Enjoying the excellent view
Menu and wine list.
Food menu in detail.
Drinks menu in detail.
On arrival to HEL we parked at a remote stand and disembarked to a waiting bus.
On the bus looking back at the plane.
The drive to the terminal was very quick, and once there I went straight up the escalator and in to the main departure hall - no boarding pass check and no security check.
Lounge access printed on the boarding pass.
The gate number for my CKG flight (gate 35) was already up on the screens. I headed straight to the lounge which is situated between gates 36 and 37.
Lounge entrance.
The lounge has showers, toilets, and lockers opposite the reception area and on the right side on entry. The food and drink area was on the left side of the lounge. There is a raised part with some funky chairs overlooking the apron.
Raised bit with funky chairs.
Overlooking lounge from one end, food & drink area on opposite side.
I went and sat on one of the chairs overlooking the apron and caught up on some work emails on my laptop as well. I wasn't in mood for more food and drink so didn't get any. I did notice there were lots of dirty plates and glasses left on several tables which remained there during my stay. Also, there is no dedicated wi-fi for the lounge and you are told to use the free airport wi-fi. Whilst the airport wi-fi is reliable and reasonably fast, it does disconnect after about 2 minutes of no use, which is very annoying.
About an hour before departure I decided to head in to the departure area and wait near the gate. Gate 35 is right on a corner of the building, and as other flights were departing from the neighbouring gates it meant the whole corner area was pretty rammed with no spare seats.
This is the best view I could get of the plane which would operate AY55.
Finnair AY55
HEL(T2)-CKG(T1)
OH-LTP, A330-300
Business, seat 2A
24 May 2013 - 17:40d, 07:10+1a (scheduled)
Duration - 8h 30m (scheduled)
Boarding was called about 50 minutes before departure. There was a separate queue for J and status passengers. I somehow managed to be the first passenger onboard, although it seems there is no prize for that. Boarding was by door 2L so I turned left after stepping aboard.
The old J seats.
My seat 2A for the flight.
Only storage is the magazine holes, you can’t put bags under the seat in front for take-off and landing.
I don’t know if this was just me, but it seemed that the overhead lockers are quite shallow over the A&B seats, although my bag fitted fine. The ones over the centre seats seemed a bit deeper. Whilst we were waiting I was offered champagne, juice, or water. I picked champagne of course. An amenity pack was also handed out which contained an eye mask, earplugs, and socks. There seemed to be a lack of toothpaste or other toiletries – although I found some packs of toothpaste & toothbrushes in the toilet later on. We also got handed a large grey bag which I was told was a shoe bag - seems a bit pointless.
Bottle of water handed out, nifty holder on side of seat.
Seat controls.
Each pair of seats has two power sockets and two USB sockets in the front of the dividing armrest. Headphones were handed out as well. By the time boarding finished I noticed that there were only 7 passengers spread across the forward business cabin – which meant I could use the seat next to me for storage to make up for the lack of it on my own seat. One nice feature was the live forward camera which was shown on the IFE for during pushback and take off.
After we were airborne we were subjected to a rather long video promoting finnair before the IFE became fully usable. Whilst the screen itself was perfectly large and nice to look at, the content selection was pretty poor so I simply stuck to my iPad.
Drinks order were taken, I ordered champagne again. A tasty nibble was brought out as well. Linen was put directly on table. Bit of turbulence during start of dinner service so seat belt signs came on.
Champagne and amuse-bouche in a glass which looked surprisingly like the one I had been served whisky in on my MAN-HEL flight!
Enjoying the excellent view
Menu and wine list.
Food menu in detail.
Drinks menu in detail.
Last edited by KARFA; Jun 6, 2013 at 1:42 am
Jun 5, 2013, 4:18 pm
#3
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Join Date: Apr 2012
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Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,917
One thing I noticed with AY is that on long haul you can select and order your main dish on MMB prior to check-in. I could download the menu for both the outbound and inbound legs. In addition to what was listed on the menus handed out, the online menu also had further options:
WHEN DEPARTING FROM HELSINKI, YOU CAN ALSO ORDER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MAIN COURSES:
Food Lover´s Treat
Herb seasoned bratwurst sausages
- Roasted potatoes and onions with fresh tomatoes
Chef´s Gourmet
Roasted fillet of reindeer with ale-cranberry sauce
- Potato gratin
- Grilled vegetables
Wellness and Energy
Grilled chili marinated prawns with cashew nuts
- Jasmine rice
- Fresh vegetables
I had ordered the roast reindeer. Meals were brought individually direct to the seat rather than being served from a trolley. I don't know if this is typical for AY J, or a result of the low load.
Salad course.
Salad was served, along with bread. A drink was offered so I went for the Italian red wine which wasn’t that good to be honest. The salad was quite nice and tasty, and presented well.
Reindeer main course.
The reindeer was served, and I was not impressed. I had expected it to taste like deer which I had eaten before, but it was very tough and overcooked, and very tastless. The sauce was very rich and actually tasted great, but the meat wasn’t good.
Dessert and cheese.
Both the cheese and the dessert were offered rather than having to choose between the two. I also had a few glasses of the sweet Sauternes wine which was really nice – I love Sauternes with cheese.
Empty J cabin. The CC had put some of the shades down next to the empty window seats, and put them all down later before dimming the lights.
View.
After dessert I went for a stroll to the back of the aircraft and up other side. I found that the rear J cabin had 2 passengers, and the Y cabin was around 60-70% full so many passengers spread themselves across a few seats, with some able to lie across the 4 centre seats. I asked for some whisky on way back to my seat. After doing a few more notes for the trip report on my iPad, I changed in to my comfortable pyjamas and settled down to get some sleep.
Wonderful sunset, photo doesn’t do it justice.
Darkened cabin, although there is a lot of light from the forward lights near the toilets, better to be towards the rear of the J cabin if it would bother you.
Seat in the bed position.
My verdict? I am not convinced about the AY slopey J beds I am afraid. For those who haven’t tried them before, or similar ones on other carriers, basically your head ends up at the level your bum was at, and your feet are more or less at floor level. Apart from the sliding thing which I managed to control, I just didn’t find sleeping at that kind of angle particularly pleasant. I did manage to sleep for 3 hours but it was uncomfortable.
I ended up waking at around 2 hours to go, with the cabin lights put on shortly after I woke. I went to the toilet to get changed back out of the pyjamas. After returning to my seat one of the CC came within a few minutes to offer breakfast.
Breakfast, nice, substantial, and not greasy.
Our approach in to CKG was a bit bumpy. We landed and taxied to a gate in the old terminal 1, the new terminal at CKG is for domestic flights only. The jetway was attached to door 1L and the Y passengers held back to allow J passengers to disembark first. As I was more or less th e first off there was no queue at passport control, and I was quickly through.
Bags took about 15 minutes to appear on the belt. When leaving the baggage area there was a security guard who checked your baggage receipt against bag itself.
Saturday
I had booked in at the Hilton hotel in Chongqing, which is right in the centre of the city. My options for getting in to town from the airport were either taxi, or getting line 3 of the metro from the airport, it stopped at Lianglukou station which was a few minutes from the hotel. As the metro station is part of terminal 2 and involved a bit of a walk I decided to go for the taxi option instead. The taxi rank was just outside the main door to the terminal, and there were plenty waiting so not a problem to get one. I had printed the address of the hotel in mandarin, so handed that to the taxi driver. The taxi had no seat belts in the back – which is pretty standard in Chongqing I believe. We set off from the airport at 7.15am and the driver pulled up about 25 minutes later. He dropped me off on a road with no Hilton in sight and outside what looked to be a local hotel. Anyway, I paid the fare (about 45 RMB I think) went in to the local hotel and asked one of the reception staff who advised the Hilton was about 100m down the road, so off I trundled with my luggage.
I had already emailed the hotel a few days before to request a very early check-in, and fortunately they agreed to it – I think the HHonors gold card did its job. I got checked in to my king executive room on the 32nd floor. I had arranged to meet my guide in the hotel lobby at 10.30am, so I had about 2 hours to have a shower, unpack, and sort myself out.
View from room when I arrived.
I met my guide, Kevin, at 10.30am. He had already told me a few days before that his friend was getting married on the Saturday and would I like to go. He said he had asked them and that it would be fine, and there was no need to bring any gifts. I agreed to it so off we went in a taxi to the wedding venue which was the folk culture centre near the old town (ciqikou). I learnt that he was actually the groom’s best friend and had been asked to be best man but had declined because he had accepted the booking from me already. I was feeling quite guilty at that point and said that he could have said and I would have been happy to look after myself on the Saturday.
Anyway, the ceremony (actually a confirmation as I discovered they had already had the proper ceremony some time ago) was in a restaurant where we were sat around large circular tables with about 10 around each one. After some music and dancing by the bride and groom (including “if you’re happy and you know it” in English) the food was brought out. Dish after dish kept being brought on to the table and piled in to the middle – and this kept going for well over an hour. I thought the food would never stop coming. The food wasn’t to my tastes really as there were a lot what we would consider cheaper cuts of meat (things like pork trotters, chicken joints etc.), along with more unusual things like boiled soft shell turtles. I didn’t have that big an appetite after a long flight, and this food wasn’t tempting me much. I did eat some though.
After around 2 ˝ hours of this, and me trying to stay awake, Kevin and I headed off. It was raining heavily now, and like a fool I didn’t have an umbrella or raincoat on me. Kevin did try and hold his small umbrella to cover us both, but mostly it funnelled the rain on to me rather than keeping it off. It was relatively warm anyway, so getting wet wasn’t too bad.
Kevin mentioned that next door to the wedding venue was the tea market so we headed off to sample a few teas. We sat in one of the tea merchant shops and tried around 4 teas, mostly green ones but one black tea. I do try and like green tea, but I just don’t think it is my type. I prefer English breakfast tea blends, and strong builder’s tea at that. Anyway, we had a chat with the owner for around an hour whilst sampling some tea. It was all free as well, and looking back I wish had bought some as one of my colleagues at work enjoys green tea.
We then headed off to the ciqikuo by taxi. Even though it was raining heavily still, we headed for a walk around the ciqikou. The ciqikou was the only time in Chongqing where I saw any other westerners (apart from in the Hilton and the airport). It is worth a walk around, but most of it are now shops selling the same kinds of things for tourists. However, if you do go down some of the less busy alleys there are a few interesting places to look at such as the Po Lun temple. We also had a look in to a tea house which was full of locals gambling on mah-jong games.
I have to apologise for not taking any photos whilst going around Chongqing on Saturday. As a guest at the wedding I didn’t really want to get my camera out and start taking photos as I though the idea of a crazy foreign stranger pushing his camera everywhere wouldn’t be very polite. Once we were outside I didn’t want to get my camera out as it was raining heavily.
By about 6pm, I was pretty shattered and wet. The plan had originally been to have a bit of local food in the evening, and try some Chongqing hot pot, but I think Kevin realised that I needed to sleep at this stage. We headed off to the metro station for the ride back to the hotel.
I got back in to my room about 6.45pm and just went straight to sleep.
Sunday
I ended up waking at 3am on Sunday, so pottered around for a few hours and did a bit of reading. There was breakfast available in the executive lounge which was on my floor, but I decided to head down to the main breakfast area on floor 2 at 6am. There were a few hot western breakfast options and a few local options as well. I ended up going for the western options though.
Kevin had arranged to meet in the lobby at 8.30am, and we went outside to find the driver and the car. We headed out of the city and in to the countryside for 2 hours, eventually coming to Longlinshihai park where we spent a very pleasant couple of hours walking around.
Some views around Longlinshihai park.
WHEN DEPARTING FROM HELSINKI, YOU CAN ALSO ORDER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MAIN COURSES:
Food Lover´s Treat
Herb seasoned bratwurst sausages
- Roasted potatoes and onions with fresh tomatoes
Chef´s Gourmet
Roasted fillet of reindeer with ale-cranberry sauce
- Potato gratin
- Grilled vegetables
Wellness and Energy
Grilled chili marinated prawns with cashew nuts
- Jasmine rice
- Fresh vegetables
I had ordered the roast reindeer. Meals were brought individually direct to the seat rather than being served from a trolley. I don't know if this is typical for AY J, or a result of the low load.
Salad course.
Salad was served, along with bread. A drink was offered so I went for the Italian red wine which wasn’t that good to be honest. The salad was quite nice and tasty, and presented well.
Reindeer main course.
The reindeer was served, and I was not impressed. I had expected it to taste like deer which I had eaten before, but it was very tough and overcooked, and very tastless. The sauce was very rich and actually tasted great, but the meat wasn’t good.
Dessert and cheese.
Both the cheese and the dessert were offered rather than having to choose between the two. I also had a few glasses of the sweet Sauternes wine which was really nice – I love Sauternes with cheese.
Empty J cabin. The CC had put some of the shades down next to the empty window seats, and put them all down later before dimming the lights.
View.
After dessert I went for a stroll to the back of the aircraft and up other side. I found that the rear J cabin had 2 passengers, and the Y cabin was around 60-70% full so many passengers spread themselves across a few seats, with some able to lie across the 4 centre seats. I asked for some whisky on way back to my seat. After doing a few more notes for the trip report on my iPad, I changed in to my comfortable pyjamas and settled down to get some sleep.
Wonderful sunset, photo doesn’t do it justice.
Darkened cabin, although there is a lot of light from the forward lights near the toilets, better to be towards the rear of the J cabin if it would bother you.
Seat in the bed position.
My verdict? I am not convinced about the AY slopey J beds I am afraid. For those who haven’t tried them before, or similar ones on other carriers, basically your head ends up at the level your bum was at, and your feet are more or less at floor level. Apart from the sliding thing which I managed to control, I just didn’t find sleeping at that kind of angle particularly pleasant. I did manage to sleep for 3 hours but it was uncomfortable.
I ended up waking at around 2 hours to go, with the cabin lights put on shortly after I woke. I went to the toilet to get changed back out of the pyjamas. After returning to my seat one of the CC came within a few minutes to offer breakfast.
Breakfast, nice, substantial, and not greasy.
Our approach in to CKG was a bit bumpy. We landed and taxied to a gate in the old terminal 1, the new terminal at CKG is for domestic flights only. The jetway was attached to door 1L and the Y passengers held back to allow J passengers to disembark first. As I was more or less th e first off there was no queue at passport control, and I was quickly through.
Bags took about 15 minutes to appear on the belt. When leaving the baggage area there was a security guard who checked your baggage receipt against bag itself.
Saturday
I had booked in at the Hilton hotel in Chongqing, which is right in the centre of the city. My options for getting in to town from the airport were either taxi, or getting line 3 of the metro from the airport, it stopped at Lianglukou station which was a few minutes from the hotel. As the metro station is part of terminal 2 and involved a bit of a walk I decided to go for the taxi option instead. The taxi rank was just outside the main door to the terminal, and there were plenty waiting so not a problem to get one. I had printed the address of the hotel in mandarin, so handed that to the taxi driver. The taxi had no seat belts in the back – which is pretty standard in Chongqing I believe. We set off from the airport at 7.15am and the driver pulled up about 25 minutes later. He dropped me off on a road with no Hilton in sight and outside what looked to be a local hotel. Anyway, I paid the fare (about 45 RMB I think) went in to the local hotel and asked one of the reception staff who advised the Hilton was about 100m down the road, so off I trundled with my luggage.
I had already emailed the hotel a few days before to request a very early check-in, and fortunately they agreed to it – I think the HHonors gold card did its job. I got checked in to my king executive room on the 32nd floor. I had arranged to meet my guide in the hotel lobby at 10.30am, so I had about 2 hours to have a shower, unpack, and sort myself out.
View from room when I arrived.
I met my guide, Kevin, at 10.30am. He had already told me a few days before that his friend was getting married on the Saturday and would I like to go. He said he had asked them and that it would be fine, and there was no need to bring any gifts. I agreed to it so off we went in a taxi to the wedding venue which was the folk culture centre near the old town (ciqikou). I learnt that he was actually the groom’s best friend and had been asked to be best man but had declined because he had accepted the booking from me already. I was feeling quite guilty at that point and said that he could have said and I would have been happy to look after myself on the Saturday.
Anyway, the ceremony (actually a confirmation as I discovered they had already had the proper ceremony some time ago) was in a restaurant where we were sat around large circular tables with about 10 around each one. After some music and dancing by the bride and groom (including “if you’re happy and you know it” in English) the food was brought out. Dish after dish kept being brought on to the table and piled in to the middle – and this kept going for well over an hour. I thought the food would never stop coming. The food wasn’t to my tastes really as there were a lot what we would consider cheaper cuts of meat (things like pork trotters, chicken joints etc.), along with more unusual things like boiled soft shell turtles. I didn’t have that big an appetite after a long flight, and this food wasn’t tempting me much. I did eat some though.
After around 2 ˝ hours of this, and me trying to stay awake, Kevin and I headed off. It was raining heavily now, and like a fool I didn’t have an umbrella or raincoat on me. Kevin did try and hold his small umbrella to cover us both, but mostly it funnelled the rain on to me rather than keeping it off. It was relatively warm anyway, so getting wet wasn’t too bad.
Kevin mentioned that next door to the wedding venue was the tea market so we headed off to sample a few teas. We sat in one of the tea merchant shops and tried around 4 teas, mostly green ones but one black tea. I do try and like green tea, but I just don’t think it is my type. I prefer English breakfast tea blends, and strong builder’s tea at that. Anyway, we had a chat with the owner for around an hour whilst sampling some tea. It was all free as well, and looking back I wish had bought some as one of my colleagues at work enjoys green tea.
We then headed off to the ciqikuo by taxi. Even though it was raining heavily still, we headed for a walk around the ciqikou. The ciqikou was the only time in Chongqing where I saw any other westerners (apart from in the Hilton and the airport). It is worth a walk around, but most of it are now shops selling the same kinds of things for tourists. However, if you do go down some of the less busy alleys there are a few interesting places to look at such as the Po Lun temple. We also had a look in to a tea house which was full of locals gambling on mah-jong games.
I have to apologise for not taking any photos whilst going around Chongqing on Saturday. As a guest at the wedding I didn’t really want to get my camera out and start taking photos as I though the idea of a crazy foreign stranger pushing his camera everywhere wouldn’t be very polite. Once we were outside I didn’t want to get my camera out as it was raining heavily.
By about 6pm, I was pretty shattered and wet. The plan had originally been to have a bit of local food in the evening, and try some Chongqing hot pot, but I think Kevin realised that I needed to sleep at this stage. We headed off to the metro station for the ride back to the hotel.
I got back in to my room about 6.45pm and just went straight to sleep.
Sunday
I ended up waking at 3am on Sunday, so pottered around for a few hours and did a bit of reading. There was breakfast available in the executive lounge which was on my floor, but I decided to head down to the main breakfast area on floor 2 at 6am. There were a few hot western breakfast options and a few local options as well. I ended up going for the western options though.
Kevin had arranged to meet in the lobby at 8.30am, and we went outside to find the driver and the car. We headed out of the city and in to the countryside for 2 hours, eventually coming to Longlinshihai park where we spent a very pleasant couple of hours walking around.
Some views around Longlinshihai park.
Jun 5, 2013, 4:19 pm
#4
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After Kevin talked to a local he realised that the cave complex in the park was open and taking visitors, so we quickly headed over.
Spectacular caves, all lit up.
The caves were quite nice to go through, and lit up as well for extra dramatic effect.
On exit from the caves we were ready for a late lunch, and there were two local eateries nearby. We headed in to the first one where Kevin took a look at the menu and suggested we went to the other one. The driver, who had stayed by the car, then arrived himself guided by the son of the owner of the first place we turned down. Anyway, we sat outside and enjoyed some very nice local food. The fun started when we were getting ready to leave. As the driver was turning the car a middle aged lady stood in front and started yelling at him. Then the son came out and joined in yelling at the driver and at Kevin. The son headed over to where we were sitting and started really having a go at Kevin and banging the table, at one point trying to pull him off his seat. As you may have gathered I don’t speak Mandarin, but I had worked out that clearly they were upset we hadn’t eaten at their place. I didn’t really intervene as I wasn’t confident that would help. Also I imagined they didn’t speak English so it would have been a fairly wasted effort. After 5 minuets of this shouting and arguing the driver (god bless him) managed to coll things down a bit and ‘buy’ the owner of the other eatery off. We headed off pretty sharpish, and Kevin explained that I had guess correctly about what the argument was about. Apparently there was some assumption in their minds that as the son had guided the driver up, we would eat at their place. The lesson learnt was that wherever you are in the world, there are always ......s who can’t seem to behave themselves.
Anyway, after the excitement we headed off towards the hotel where I would be staying on the Saturday night. On Kevin’s recommendation I had booked the Days Hotel & Suites St. Jack Resort which is right at the start of the walk we would do on Sunday.
Room in the Days Inn.
Air con in Mandarin – after some random button pressing I managed to get it turned on and at the temperature I wanted.
After getting me checked in, and leaving my bags in the room, Kevin and I went for a little walk around the resort. We then stopped off at a nearby tea house, called the driver over, and had some tea. The owner of the restaurant came out and showed us some photos he had of a few Swedes who had been there recently. He asked if he could have a photo with me, and I was happy to oblige.
I headed back to the hotel about 7pm, and Kevin and the driver headed to their guesthouse which was a short drive away. We agreed to meet at 8.30am in the hotel lobby the next day.
Spectacular caves, all lit up.
The caves were quite nice to go through, and lit up as well for extra dramatic effect.
On exit from the caves we were ready for a late lunch, and there were two local eateries nearby. We headed in to the first one where Kevin took a look at the menu and suggested we went to the other one. The driver, who had stayed by the car, then arrived himself guided by the son of the owner of the first place we turned down. Anyway, we sat outside and enjoyed some very nice local food. The fun started when we were getting ready to leave. As the driver was turning the car a middle aged lady stood in front and started yelling at him. Then the son came out and joined in yelling at the driver and at Kevin. The son headed over to where we were sitting and started really having a go at Kevin and banging the table, at one point trying to pull him off his seat. As you may have gathered I don’t speak Mandarin, but I had worked out that clearly they were upset we hadn’t eaten at their place. I didn’t really intervene as I wasn’t confident that would help. Also I imagined they didn’t speak English so it would have been a fairly wasted effort. After 5 minuets of this shouting and arguing the driver (god bless him) managed to coll things down a bit and ‘buy’ the owner of the other eatery off. We headed off pretty sharpish, and Kevin explained that I had guess correctly about what the argument was about. Apparently there was some assumption in their minds that as the son had guided the driver up, we would eat at their place. The lesson learnt was that wherever you are in the world, there are always ......s who can’t seem to behave themselves.
Anyway, after the excitement we headed off towards the hotel where I would be staying on the Saturday night. On Kevin’s recommendation I had booked the Days Hotel & Suites St. Jack Resort which is right at the start of the walk we would do on Sunday.
Room in the Days Inn.
Air con in Mandarin – after some random button pressing I managed to get it turned on and at the temperature I wanted.
After getting me checked in, and leaving my bags in the room, Kevin and I went for a little walk around the resort. We then stopped off at a nearby tea house, called the driver over, and had some tea. The owner of the restaurant came out and showed us some photos he had of a few Swedes who had been there recently. He asked if he could have a photo with me, and I was happy to oblige.
I headed back to the hotel about 7pm, and Kevin and the driver headed to their guesthouse which was a short drive away. We agreed to meet at 8.30am in the hotel lobby the next day.
Last edited by KARFA; Jul 31, 2013 at 6:30 pm
Jun 5, 2013, 4:20 pm
#5
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Monday
I was up early the next day, and ready to go at 8.30am. The Black Valley walk is 13 km long, and is advertised as China’s most beautiful valley. We went off to buy tickets first and then went to the South gate where we went in. Unlike national parks in the UK, the Chinese ones can seem a bit sanitised and regulated. You have to buy a ticket to get in, go through an entrance gate, and there are paths and steps which have been built for you when you get in. Hiking boots aren’t remotely necessary. Every 1km there is a nice looking toilet block, and there are stalls where you can buy food along the way.
Some photos taken during the walk through the Black Valley.
I really enjoyed the walk which took us a good few hours. There were a few locals around as well, although it wasn’t too busy. Some of them came and spoke to me and wanted me in their photos as well. The park itself is very nice and picturesque. It is perhaps a bit less rugged than I am used to, but it was a nice contrast from the city and noticeably cooler as well.
After getting to the exit of the park we met up with the driver and headed back to Chongqing. We stopped off at place to eat on the way back as well. Once we arrived back at the Hilton I paid Kevin and the driver their money, and went up to my room to get the gifts I had bought at Manchester airport to give them to Kevin.
My room in the Hilton.
I didn’t have plans for the evening, but in the end decided to go and graze in the executive lounge and watch the sunset over Chongqing.
I was up early the next day, and ready to go at 8.30am. The Black Valley walk is 13 km long, and is advertised as China’s most beautiful valley. We went off to buy tickets first and then went to the South gate where we went in. Unlike national parks in the UK, the Chinese ones can seem a bit sanitised and regulated. You have to buy a ticket to get in, go through an entrance gate, and there are paths and steps which have been built for you when you get in. Hiking boots aren’t remotely necessary. Every 1km there is a nice looking toilet block, and there are stalls where you can buy food along the way.
Some photos taken during the walk through the Black Valley.
I really enjoyed the walk which took us a good few hours. There were a few locals around as well, although it wasn’t too busy. Some of them came and spoke to me and wanted me in their photos as well. The park itself is very nice and picturesque. It is perhaps a bit less rugged than I am used to, but it was a nice contrast from the city and noticeably cooler as well.
After getting to the exit of the park we met up with the driver and headed back to Chongqing. We stopped off at place to eat on the way back as well. Once we arrived back at the Hilton I paid Kevin and the driver their money, and went up to my room to get the gifts I had bought at Manchester airport to give them to Kevin.
My room in the Hilton.
I didn’t have plans for the evening, but in the end decided to go and graze in the executive lounge and watch the sunset over Chongqing.
Jun 5, 2013, 4:22 pm
#6
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Tuesday, CKG & Lounge
I would be heading back on Tuesday, and I was aiming to check out and be on my way by 7.30am. I woke up early and headed off to have breakfast downstairs, and after some re-packing headed to reception.
Last view of the city before leaving the hotel.
Once in the taxi, the driver set off at a rate of knots for the airport. However, after 10 minutes he just randomly pulled over on a main busy road, got out, and opened the bonnet of the taxi. After a few minutes he came back to me and spoke in Mandarin. I didn’t understand, but it was clear I wasn’t going anywhere in this taxi anymore. I was having visions of missing the flight and being marooned on the side of a motorway somewhere in Chongqing. Fortunately there was an empty taxi pulled over close by, so I took my luggage over and climbed in. Despite clearly failing to get me to the airport the first taxi drive came over and demanded the 15 RMB fare for the bit of the journey he had completed. I thought that was a bit rich, but wasn’t going to argue over such a small amount so paid him and set off in the second taxi. The second taxi driver seemed very keen to try and get another person to share the ride so kept slowing whenever he saw people waiting at the kerbside and shouting at them through his open window. At this point all I wanted to do was to get to the airport, so I was very relived when I spotted it. He tried to drop me at the domestic terminal first, but after some persuasion I got him to go to the international one instead. Fare 40 RMB.
I arrived at the airport at 8.10am. The customs post was just before you enter in to the check-in area. I headed to the business class check-in desk and was quickly processed. After leaving my bag, I headed to passport control, and then on to security. Both were pretty quick. I went to do some shopping for sweets for my colleagues back in the office, and then went to the lounge.
Sweet haul, some turned out to be very much inedible.
The business class lounge is on the left straight after security. My boarding pass did say that I could use the first class lounges, and there are two in this terminal. However, I checked and both were closed. The business lounge was deserted when I entered, although a few other people turned up later on. There are a few computers for use, toilets in the lounge, and a drinks & snacks area.
Business lounge at CKG T1.
Wi-fi was available, but you needed to register your mobile online to get an access code, and it would not accept non-Chinese mobile numbers unfortunately.
After a while I went for a wander to gate 3 where we would be boarding from.
Our plane back to HEL.
Finnair AY56
CKG(T1)-HEL(T2)
OH-LTN, A330-300
Business, seat 2A
28 May 2013 - 09:50d, 14:05a (scheduled)
Duration - 9h 15m (scheduled)
According to the seat map I had looked at several days ago it looked like I would be in a plane with the new J product. Sp imagine my surprise when I boarded to find the old J product instead – there must have been a late change in equipment. Boarding commenced 40 minutes before departure, and I was first onboard in J. Headphones and amenity kit were handed out. Champagne, juice, water were offered. The menus were handed out before departure as well. The load was 6 in the forward J cabin.
Once airborne and after the initial climb, nuts were given out along with a drinks.
Menu - I ordered the beef.
Starter.
Main course of beef – note the impressive angle on the wine, we were having a bit of turbulence!
Cheese course.
The salad was ok, but the main course of beef was not. It was far too peppery, the beef was too tough, and the creamy sauce didn’t appear to have any cream in it. I had cheese only for dessert, and again took a glass of the sweet Sauternes wine. As I intended to do some work on this daytime flight I had a very nice espresso – why can’t I get this on BA in J?
I went for walk after a second espresso. There was no one in the rear J cabin and around 60% load in Y. Once the dinner service was completed all the window shades were closed and the lights dimmed.
Trying to work.
After a few hours of attempted work I got bored so watched my iPad. Again the IFE selection was still just as miserable as the outbound leg so I couldn’t find anything to watch.
The two gents in 1A and 1B were on the plane with two other passengers who were sat in Y. A few hours in to the flight one of their friends in Y came up and started chatting with the two in 1A and 1B for 10 minutes. The lady then went back to Y, but then returned again. At this point the gent in 1A was being served his dinner which he had obviously decided to have very late in to the flight. The lady sat in 1B and proceeded to have some of his food. Then she and the passenger who was in 1B both moved to middle paid of 2D and 2H and both sat there flipping through the shopping magazine. This whole polava carried on for about 30 minutes. I know I wasn’t trying to sleep, but there was a solo lady sleeping in 1J and I can’t imagine any of this distraction was helping her do this. After a while I went to the rear galley and spoke to the CC who had been serving the gent in 1A his late dinner. I asked whether the lady was a Y passenger, and as soon as I stated to ask she immediately agreed she had been watching the situation and she would do something about it shortly. She explained the lady had come up to help the gents in 1A and 1B do some shopping in the magazine as neither spoke English, but clearly she was now taking the piss. About 5 minutes after I returned to my seat the CC came in and asked her to return to Y. Peace in the cabin was restored, and I had possibly had my first DYKWIA moment.
At 2 hours to landing the lights came on and the CC went and lifted the window shades next to any empty J seats. I took the pasta carbonara light lunch option which was
pretty bland. The accompanying fruit was very good and fresh though.
Light pasta lunch.
We landed about 25 minutes early at HEL and were at the gate very quickly. The Y passengers were held back as we exited from door 2L.
HEL T2 & Non-Schengen Lounge (between gate 36-37)
There was a security check this time when transiting through HEL (there was none on the outbound trip). The security staff actually seemed very friendly and pleasant which makes a change. One of the staff noticed I was heading to MAN and asked whether I supported man u or city. I told him I was actually from Leeds so hated them both! I managed to head off and forget my bad of duty free, so had to go back and collect it.
The terminal and lounge seemed pretty deserted. I went straight to lounge, same one as outbound. I just got some lemonade and caught up on some emails as well as doing a bit of surfing.
I had a look at the food options this time and they were a bit poor really, some salad, crisps, biscuits, and some soup and bread.
Gate 37D eventually showed on the screens for the MAN flight, but I had already been adivised this back onboard the plane, the CC had a list of all the connections along with gate numbers, and was going around the J cabin advising passengers.
Finnair AY2937
HEL(T2)-MAN(T1)
OH-LKF, E190
Business, seat 2A
28 May 2013 - 16:05d, 17:00a (scheduled)
Duration - 2h 55m (scheduled)
So37D is a bus gate. There was no priority boarding pass check, and once it was checked you go in to a small holding area to await the bus. Boarding from the bus on to the plane was done quickly, and we departed on time.
Boarding the E190 bound for MAN.
This time there were three rows of 2+2 in the J cabin, with a load of 4. Hot towels were handed out, then there was a drinks service with drinks brought directly to the seat.
View as we left Finland.
Menu.
Food was quite nice.
The meal service took place around 30 minutes after take off. Coffee and tea were offered about 15 minutes later. The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful. After landing I headed through the terminal and used the e passport gates, and collected my bag which appeared on the belt 10 minutes later. The T1/T3 long stay car park bus turned up a few minutes after I arrived at the gate, and I headed off for the drive home.
I would be heading back on Tuesday, and I was aiming to check out and be on my way by 7.30am. I woke up early and headed off to have breakfast downstairs, and after some re-packing headed to reception.
Last view of the city before leaving the hotel.
Once in the taxi, the driver set off at a rate of knots for the airport. However, after 10 minutes he just randomly pulled over on a main busy road, got out, and opened the bonnet of the taxi. After a few minutes he came back to me and spoke in Mandarin. I didn’t understand, but it was clear I wasn’t going anywhere in this taxi anymore. I was having visions of missing the flight and being marooned on the side of a motorway somewhere in Chongqing. Fortunately there was an empty taxi pulled over close by, so I took my luggage over and climbed in. Despite clearly failing to get me to the airport the first taxi drive came over and demanded the 15 RMB fare for the bit of the journey he had completed. I thought that was a bit rich, but wasn’t going to argue over such a small amount so paid him and set off in the second taxi. The second taxi driver seemed very keen to try and get another person to share the ride so kept slowing whenever he saw people waiting at the kerbside and shouting at them through his open window. At this point all I wanted to do was to get to the airport, so I was very relived when I spotted it. He tried to drop me at the domestic terminal first, but after some persuasion I got him to go to the international one instead. Fare 40 RMB.
I arrived at the airport at 8.10am. The customs post was just before you enter in to the check-in area. I headed to the business class check-in desk and was quickly processed. After leaving my bag, I headed to passport control, and then on to security. Both were pretty quick. I went to do some shopping for sweets for my colleagues back in the office, and then went to the lounge.
Sweet haul, some turned out to be very much inedible.
The business class lounge is on the left straight after security. My boarding pass did say that I could use the first class lounges, and there are two in this terminal. However, I checked and both were closed. The business lounge was deserted when I entered, although a few other people turned up later on. There are a few computers for use, toilets in the lounge, and a drinks & snacks area.
Business lounge at CKG T1.
Wi-fi was available, but you needed to register your mobile online to get an access code, and it would not accept non-Chinese mobile numbers unfortunately.
After a while I went for a wander to gate 3 where we would be boarding from.
Our plane back to HEL.
Finnair AY56
CKG(T1)-HEL(T2)
OH-LTN, A330-300
Business, seat 2A
28 May 2013 - 09:50d, 14:05a (scheduled)
Duration - 9h 15m (scheduled)
According to the seat map I had looked at several days ago it looked like I would be in a plane with the new J product. Sp imagine my surprise when I boarded to find the old J product instead – there must have been a late change in equipment. Boarding commenced 40 minutes before departure, and I was first onboard in J. Headphones and amenity kit were handed out. Champagne, juice, water were offered. The menus were handed out before departure as well. The load was 6 in the forward J cabin.
Once airborne and after the initial climb, nuts were given out along with a drinks.
Menu - I ordered the beef.
Starter.
Main course of beef – note the impressive angle on the wine, we were having a bit of turbulence!
Cheese course.
The salad was ok, but the main course of beef was not. It was far too peppery, the beef was too tough, and the creamy sauce didn’t appear to have any cream in it. I had cheese only for dessert, and again took a glass of the sweet Sauternes wine. As I intended to do some work on this daytime flight I had a very nice espresso – why can’t I get this on BA in J?
I went for walk after a second espresso. There was no one in the rear J cabin and around 60% load in Y. Once the dinner service was completed all the window shades were closed and the lights dimmed.
Trying to work.
After a few hours of attempted work I got bored so watched my iPad. Again the IFE selection was still just as miserable as the outbound leg so I couldn’t find anything to watch.
The two gents in 1A and 1B were on the plane with two other passengers who were sat in Y. A few hours in to the flight one of their friends in Y came up and started chatting with the two in 1A and 1B for 10 minutes. The lady then went back to Y, but then returned again. At this point the gent in 1A was being served his dinner which he had obviously decided to have very late in to the flight. The lady sat in 1B and proceeded to have some of his food. Then she and the passenger who was in 1B both moved to middle paid of 2D and 2H and both sat there flipping through the shopping magazine. This whole polava carried on for about 30 minutes. I know I wasn’t trying to sleep, but there was a solo lady sleeping in 1J and I can’t imagine any of this distraction was helping her do this. After a while I went to the rear galley and spoke to the CC who had been serving the gent in 1A his late dinner. I asked whether the lady was a Y passenger, and as soon as I stated to ask she immediately agreed she had been watching the situation and she would do something about it shortly. She explained the lady had come up to help the gents in 1A and 1B do some shopping in the magazine as neither spoke English, but clearly she was now taking the piss. About 5 minutes after I returned to my seat the CC came in and asked her to return to Y. Peace in the cabin was restored, and I had possibly had my first DYKWIA moment.
At 2 hours to landing the lights came on and the CC went and lifted the window shades next to any empty J seats. I took the pasta carbonara light lunch option which was
pretty bland. The accompanying fruit was very good and fresh though.
Light pasta lunch.
We landed about 25 minutes early at HEL and were at the gate very quickly. The Y passengers were held back as we exited from door 2L.
HEL T2 & Non-Schengen Lounge (between gate 36-37)
There was a security check this time when transiting through HEL (there was none on the outbound trip). The security staff actually seemed very friendly and pleasant which makes a change. One of the staff noticed I was heading to MAN and asked whether I supported man u or city. I told him I was actually from Leeds so hated them both! I managed to head off and forget my bad of duty free, so had to go back and collect it.
The terminal and lounge seemed pretty deserted. I went straight to lounge, same one as outbound. I just got some lemonade and caught up on some emails as well as doing a bit of surfing.
I had a look at the food options this time and they were a bit poor really, some salad, crisps, biscuits, and some soup and bread.
Gate 37D eventually showed on the screens for the MAN flight, but I had already been adivised this back onboard the plane, the CC had a list of all the connections along with gate numbers, and was going around the J cabin advising passengers.
Finnair AY2937
HEL(T2)-MAN(T1)
OH-LKF, E190
Business, seat 2A
28 May 2013 - 16:05d, 17:00a (scheduled)
Duration - 2h 55m (scheduled)
So37D is a bus gate. There was no priority boarding pass check, and once it was checked you go in to a small holding area to await the bus. Boarding from the bus on to the plane was done quickly, and we departed on time.
Boarding the E190 bound for MAN.
This time there were three rows of 2+2 in the J cabin, with a load of 4. Hot towels were handed out, then there was a drinks service with drinks brought directly to the seat.
View as we left Finland.
Menu.
Food was quite nice.
The meal service took place around 30 minutes after take off. Coffee and tea were offered about 15 minutes later. The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful. After landing I headed through the terminal and used the e passport gates, and collected my bag which appeared on the belt 10 minutes later. The T1/T3 long stay car park bus turned up a few minutes after I arrived at the gate, and I headed off for the drive home.
Last edited by KARFA; Jun 6, 2013 at 7:21 am
Jun 5, 2013, 4:23 pm
#7
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,917
Thoughts about Chongqing
Chongqing itself is an interesting city, and I am sure will become more widely known in the next couple of decades. As a tourist there is not a great deal to see in the city apart from the old town. You can use it as a starting point for Yangtze river cruises as well. I was really impressed by the countryside though. It is simply not a side of China I had seen before, and it is very impressive.
AY J vs. BA J
I am not convinced about the AY slopey beds I am afraid. Apart from the sliding thing which I managed to control, I just didn’t find sleeping at that kind of angle particularly pleasant. I had been hoping to try the new horizontal business seats on the way back (as indicated by the seat map) as I think they would be a lot more comfortable, but didn’t due to an equipment change.
Overall I would say the soft product is comparable to BA, but the hard product just isn’t at least for the existing J product. The BA J seat wins for comfort whether sitting and especially when sleeping, and is a lot more private. On both the outbound and inbound there were only a few people in J so privacy and room was not an issue. However, on a near full J cabin the window seats on BA still feel private, whereas I would imagine the seats in AY don’t. Once the fleet is completely fitted with the new J product though (I have heard the target date is summer 2014) I think the balance will certainly move in AY’s favour a lot.
The plus points for AY are that they often have some very cheap fares in J going to Asia (although this one was exceptionally cheap). Also you do get a very nice tier point haul of 440 (80+140+140+80) whereas on BA in J you would get 140+140 with no domestic or short haul connection, or 20+140+140+20 with a domestic, or 40+140+140+40 with a European connection.
Postscript
So a week after the flights all my tier point have posted from AY, and I have managed to do what I set out to do last December, and that is get my BA gold card. My online BAEC account has now turned all gold – very pretty.
Mission accomplished.
I should be able to get a status match for Star Alliance Gold via Turkish Airlines as well for a year or so, which may be useful. I can concentrate on burning some avios over the next 18 months as I only have to worry about earning tier points again to keep silver status in 2015. I’ll retain gold now until December 2014, and soft land to silver for 2015. I already have some reward trips booked to Stockholm, Olso (off to Tromso for northern lights), and Istanbul during Easter 2014, and hopefully should be adding a trip to Japan in March 2014 as well.
I’ll leave you with this little ditty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSq8ZBdSxNU
Trip reports coming up …
BA CE for a weekend in Jersey in July – yes the refuge of the tier point gatherer.
Long weekend in Verona travelling in BA Y (LBA-LHR-LIN-LHR-LBA) in late August.
Weekend in Stockholm in October BA Y (LBA-LHR-ARN-LHR-LBA)
Chongqing itself is an interesting city, and I am sure will become more widely known in the next couple of decades. As a tourist there is not a great deal to see in the city apart from the old town. You can use it as a starting point for Yangtze river cruises as well. I was really impressed by the countryside though. It is simply not a side of China I had seen before, and it is very impressive.
AY J vs. BA J
I am not convinced about the AY slopey beds I am afraid. Apart from the sliding thing which I managed to control, I just didn’t find sleeping at that kind of angle particularly pleasant. I had been hoping to try the new horizontal business seats on the way back (as indicated by the seat map) as I think they would be a lot more comfortable, but didn’t due to an equipment change.
Overall I would say the soft product is comparable to BA, but the hard product just isn’t at least for the existing J product. The BA J seat wins for comfort whether sitting and especially when sleeping, and is a lot more private. On both the outbound and inbound there were only a few people in J so privacy and room was not an issue. However, on a near full J cabin the window seats on BA still feel private, whereas I would imagine the seats in AY don’t. Once the fleet is completely fitted with the new J product though (I have heard the target date is summer 2014) I think the balance will certainly move in AY’s favour a lot.
The plus points for AY are that they often have some very cheap fares in J going to Asia (although this one was exceptionally cheap). Also you do get a very nice tier point haul of 440 (80+140+140+80) whereas on BA in J you would get 140+140 with no domestic or short haul connection, or 20+140+140+20 with a domestic, or 40+140+140+40 with a European connection.
Postscript
So a week after the flights all my tier point have posted from AY, and I have managed to do what I set out to do last December, and that is get my BA gold card. My online BAEC account has now turned all gold – very pretty.
Mission accomplished.
I should be able to get a status match for Star Alliance Gold via Turkish Airlines as well for a year or so, which may be useful. I can concentrate on burning some avios over the next 18 months as I only have to worry about earning tier points again to keep silver status in 2015. I’ll retain gold now until December 2014, and soft land to silver for 2015. I already have some reward trips booked to Stockholm, Olso (off to Tromso for northern lights), and Istanbul during Easter 2014, and hopefully should be adding a trip to Japan in March 2014 as well.
I’ll leave you with this little ditty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSq8ZBdSxNU
Trip reports coming up …
BA CE for a weekend in Jersey in July – yes the refuge of the tier point gatherer.
Long weekend in Verona travelling in BA Y (LBA-LHR-LIN-LHR-LBA) in late August.
Weekend in Stockholm in October BA Y (LBA-LHR-ARN-LHR-LBA)
Last edited by KARFA; Jun 17, 2013 at 5:33 am
Jun 6, 2013, 4:42 am
#13
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,917
According to ftdashboard back in February only 4 of the 15 A330/A340s had the new product. ftdashboard stopped updating for AY back in February though. I had a look at the seat maps on the AY website which seem to confirm this and show only OH-LTR, -LTS, -LTT, and -LTU have been fitted out so far. No A340s have been done yet. I don't know if the new J planes are concentrated on specific routes or just randomly assigned. Are there routes which are always operated by A340s? If so the chances of getting new J on those are zero as there are no new J A340s.
Hope this helps. I am by no means an AY expert though so if someone has more information on this than me they may be able to give some better answers.
Jun 6, 2013, 7:10 am
#14
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: HEL
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 517
Some brief info about AY J hard product (there is more on AY forum, but in several threads so probably not easy to find):
As said by KARFA, the new J product (Thompson Solution Vantage full-flat seat) is on four A330s, OH-LTR, LTS, LTT and LTU. OH-LTR has big J/low Y configuration and it seems to operate random Asian routes. According to experience it's very hard to say beforehand on which routes that specific airframe will be seen.
LTS/T/U has the same seats than LTR, but in low J/big Y configuration. That is why those three aircraft are mainly used on high Y demand routes, like semi-leisure BKK and JFK. In Finnair booking engine these three aircraft are recognised by aircraft type "A330", compared to "A330-300" for OH-LTM/N/O/P/R. (Of course they are also recognizable from seatmaps.)
Finnair's five A340s (OH-LQA/B/C/D/E) have the older style Recaro seat. This same seat is in four first A330s (LTM/N/O/P). This is the seat presented in this TR.
Two ex-AF A340s (OH-LQF/G) have older AF-style seats.
Finnair is planning to retire OH-LQA/F/G as soon as practical as A350s are entering into service. This means that all other airframes but these three are going to be equipped with the new full-flat product (hopefully by the end of 2014).
Hopefully provided some clarification.
P.S. Thanks for the TR. I'm now in Chongqing and will be flying in J on AY 56 CKG-HEL on Saturday. So far ex-AF type seatmap shown so no high expectations for hard product. Hopefully crew will have champagne flowing and keep me out of misery.
As said by KARFA, the new J product (Thompson Solution Vantage full-flat seat) is on four A330s, OH-LTR, LTS, LTT and LTU. OH-LTR has big J/low Y configuration and it seems to operate random Asian routes. According to experience it's very hard to say beforehand on which routes that specific airframe will be seen.
LTS/T/U has the same seats than LTR, but in low J/big Y configuration. That is why those three aircraft are mainly used on high Y demand routes, like semi-leisure BKK and JFK. In Finnair booking engine these three aircraft are recognised by aircraft type "A330", compared to "A330-300" for OH-LTM/N/O/P/R. (Of course they are also recognizable from seatmaps.)
Finnair's five A340s (OH-LQA/B/C/D/E) have the older style Recaro seat. This same seat is in four first A330s (LTM/N/O/P). This is the seat presented in this TR.
Two ex-AF A340s (OH-LQF/G) have older AF-style seats.
Finnair is planning to retire OH-LQA/F/G as soon as practical as A350s are entering into service. This means that all other airframes but these three are going to be equipped with the new full-flat product (hopefully by the end of 2014).
Hopefully provided some clarification.
P.S. Thanks for the TR. I'm now in Chongqing and will be flying in J on AY 56 CKG-HEL on Saturday. So far ex-AF type seatmap shown so no high expectations for hard product. Hopefully crew will have champagne flowing and keep me out of misery.
Last edited by esledo; Jun 6, 2013 at 8:28 am
Jun 6, 2013, 8:23 am
#15
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 1,782
We visited Chongqing in 2008 as part of our river cruise. One of the most interesting parts of the city was the world's largest public bathroom. We had a guide to help us for the day and make sure we got to the cruise on time. She thought we were nuts to want to visit. Why wouldn't we want to see such an amazing thing! Anyway, below is a link about it.
http://culturetown.org/worlds-larges...-1000-toilets/
I believe that part of the reason it is such a large city is that it such a sprawling city. Seems like they include what we might call the suburbs as well.
http://culturetown.org/worlds-larges...-1000-toilets/
I believe that part of the reason it is such a large city is that it such a sprawling city. Seems like they include what we might call the suburbs as well.