And so the journey begins.....

But first a little background. I am a fairly regular flyer working for a multinational company, and I happen to live on a small rock in the Irish Sea - the Isle of Man. If you have never been, it is a beautiful place when it is sunny, and a cold, wet and windy home in the middle of February.

Historically my flying has mainly been with EK or *A where I have been a Gold member for about 5 years. This trip, and one I did earlier in the year, is a good chance to try a variety of OW airlines, and if I enjoy myself, I could well be converted. So, on to the trip - I have been rambling without telling you about it. I have a DONE4 RTW ticket, and I am visiting our offices in Sydney, Kuala Lumpur and Mexico City. It is a 12 day trip, and a bit crammed, but I have 2 young daughters at home, so for the safety of my marriage, I cannot be away too long! However, I have to spend a weekend somewhere, and I have always fancied Tokyo. Given that it is a fixed fare, as long as I do not go over 16 segments, or 4 continents, I thought this seemed like a good time for a taster visit.

So the itinerary is IOM-LGW - LHR - BKK - SYD / SYD - KUL / KUL - HKG - NRT / NRT - DFW - MEX / MEX - DFW - LHR - LGW - IOM

All in Business, except the IOM legs.

Living in the Isle of Man is a bit of a pain if you travel a much! Regular readers of the BA forum may well have noticed at BA are reducing flights to London City in October, and Fly(may)Be are getting rid of Gatwick in March 2014, so options are getting limited. Normally, I would start my trip with either a flight to Manchester, or my preferred BACityflyer to LCY, on the lovely little Saab 2000, but given is trip is starting on a Saturday and LCY shuts at lunchtime, it is time to head to Ronaldsway and join the EasyJet flight to Gatwick.

Ronaldsway (IOM) is a lovely little airport, where normally you can clear security in about 2 minutes, but there was a bit of a queue today, as there are two EasyJet flights that leave at roughly the same time, meaning the sleepy airport is a bit busy. However, I was through in less than 10 minutes, and sat in the basic but comfy departures area. There is a lounge, but being a blue member, even if I was flying BA I would have no access. That will be fixed by the end of this trip! No pictures I am afraid, as, this being the Isle of Man, I met some people I knew, and ended up having a drink with them. Dereliction of duty I know, but the first beer of the trip was calling.

Here is a picture of the airport from airside, with a FlyBe Dash 8 about to head to Bristol I think (must be the second Saturday of a month with a z in it - I never understand the Bristol schedule!)



So, onto flight 1 of 12 over the next 12 days. Boarding for EasyJet was simple and efficient, but I do wonder a bit about their seat allocation algorithm. I was in 10E which turns out to be quite a narrow seat (I know I am a wide bloke!) but 10F was empty so a quick move relieved the pressure on me and the guy in 10D. The seat was remarkably comfy, and plenty of legroom (at least for whY). Here is the obligatory legroom shot.



And the front of the cabin.




The flight was smooth, and we arrived in LGW North Terminal about 15 minutes early. As always seems to happen, I was expecting a significant wait for my bag, and I was wrong. The delay came in getting off the plane. We went up the air bridge, but then the passage up into the terminal was blocked off and we were bussed to the baggage reclaim. Now, I know they are spending a lot of money at Gatwick, but it seems they need to spend some on the busses - or more accurately - bus. There was only 1 to move the passengers from the 2/3rds full Airbus. So, after a 15 minute wait for the bus to come back from its first trip, the bags were already on the belt. And bear in mind I was only in 10E, I think if I was at the back, I might have just ended up still sat there on the return flight to the rock!

Now here comes the bit I really dislike about living on the Isle of Man and flying from Heathrow. It is time for the National Express coach trip. To be honest, on the way out it is not too bad, but by the end of this report I will be cursing it on the way back after 20 hours of travelling. I was told the next coach was in 5 minutes, so a quick ticket purchase and run to the stand, the coach was 20 minutes late! Better than the following one I understand though - he ran out of petrol - bit of a faux pas for a coach driver you would have thought.

While on the coach from LGW to LHR (how I long for the IOM- LHR flights, but we will never get them back!) I was totting up the TPs for this trip. Hmm I am about 200 short of gold by the end. I know I have a couple more OW trips coming later in the year, but maybe I should try and rearrange a couple of legs, or do a detour somewhere and make it this time round. Then, when I travel with the boss at the end of September, I can show him into GF at LHR and the lounge I have heard so much about in Sydney when we get there! Time to consult ITA when I get to the lounge I think, and we can see what is available.

An hour later, and we arrive at the coach station at Heathrow, and a quick walk through the tunnel takes me to Terminal 3 for tonight's BA9. I am about 4 hours before departure, but I have already checked in, so a quick trip to bag drop, and then off to the lounge. Actually, I quite like this lounge. I like the styling - dark wood and leather, and there seems to be plenty of space, although I guess it might get fuller later this evening as the Asian flights leave.

I have read much about the new catering arrangements and when I had a quick look at the food selection. 17:50 was obviously not a time people wanted to eat! So I helped myself to a plate of cold meats, cheese and crackers, and actually it was quite nice. Washed down with a lovely Pinot Noir and a bag of Kettle Crisps - how sophisticated am I! Actually, at 18:00 the hot food came out, so I had to try it. A baked potato and the vegetable Thai red curry was actually quite nice, and another glass of wine of course!

More lounge pics to follow


The lounge did fill up later on, but did not feel too crowded. So time to check out the showers (very nice) and the back for a quick soft drink and I discovered the divine lemon shortbread biscuits.

My only problem with the lounge was that I had been charging my ipad at one of the in seat sockets, and after 30 minutes I noticed it was not charging. Quick panic - not sure this much flying and a flat ipad was a good idea, so I found another socket - same problem - and then another socket. Right - time to run down to Dixons to see what the problem was - let's hope it is the charger and not the ipad! A very helpful man in Dixons tested the ipad, the lead and the charger, and they all worked fine. So it seems that all three sockets I used in the lounge had some kind of problem. Anyway, panic over, time to find gate 36.



Gate 36 turns out to be half way to Bangkok. No matter, the exercise will help work off the 2 small dinners I have already had, and prepare me for number 3. At the gate there was a queue for Fast-Track, and it was shorter than the other one - a good start. What followed was not so good. Although we had been called from the lounge, we were not boarding, so we ended up in the sheep pen with everyone else and when boarding started. The staff did ask people to board by row number, but it was mainly ignored, so the scrum commenced.

Soon enough, after only a little scratching and biting, I was down the air bridge and heading up the stairs to the upper deck of the 747. It was my first time up there, and my travel agent had managed to get me 61K pre- assigned. While it wasn't the famous 62 seats, I was happy. The seat was remarkably private, to the extent the cabin crew forgot I was there with the boarding drinks, and had to be prompted - but apart from that service was excellent - discreet but friendly. The seat itself was comfortable and there was plenty of storage in the side lockers. However, the footstool seemed very wobbly!





Dinner was served about an hour after take-off and I decided to forgo the starter as I didn't fancy it and headed straight for the weeping tiger Thai beef. It was tasty, and not too overcooked. The summer pudding was nice and fruity and a good contrast.





Meanwhile the crew had kept me topped up with a lovely Shiraz which went well with the beef, and after 3 glasses, I had to politely ask them to stop. I had some work to do, and I am not sure the rest of the bottle would have helped.





After a couple of hours work, I reclined the seat and got a few hours kip, relaxing in the privacy of the seat, and to be honest the flat bed was great - much better than some of the later flights I would be taking.

About 90 minutes before landing breakfast was served, with fruit and a full English. This was well cooked, and did not contain the anaemic sausages so often talked about on BA.



Landing cards were handed out, and although I was heading straight onto Sydney, I picked one up as I fancied a bit of fresh air outside the terminal - a schoolboy error it turned out!

I was not in a rush getting off the plane, so took a couple of pictures of the cabin as it emptied, had a quick chat with the pilot, and got a cockpit shot for the kids.





A short chat with the cabin crew, and down the stairs and into the humidity of Bangkok, felt even on the airbridge. There was a short queue at the premium immigration channel, and of course I picked the slowest moving line. But soon enough I was through, and as I said before - realised the schoolboy error about fresh air - it was hot and sticky, and full of cars, so turned around, found the check-in to get a fast track card, and went back through security. I wondered if I would get a strange look at immigration, but no one noticed I had entered the country not only the same day, but only 15 minutes ago! Mad Englishman I guess might have been thought, if not said.

Please be gentle with comments, I am new to these TRs!

All comments welcome though - too long, boring, bad style, grammar, or spelling etc - I won't take offence.

ManxFlyer

Hi there. I am enjoying your trip report. Nice to see a jacket next to your seat! Some folks on another post about inappropriate clothing will be delighted at your choice of flight attire!

All kidding aside, as a Sydneysider, I look forward to the next instalment.

I've enjoyed it so far! Great balance of commentary and photos.

Despite the fact you are embarking on a RTW to exotic destinations, I just have to say that the IOM airport looks interesting - what a gorgeously old-fashioned looking building at Ronaldsway! Regional airports can offer some of the least stressful experiences of flying too...its a bonus when they have a sense of history about them.

Please post the next instalment!

Great start so far Manx Flyer!

I have removed your reserved posts so that it'll be easier to other users to see when you post the next update.

Looking forward to the rest, especially your thoughts on my current home, Sydney.

nice read and every time you mentioned IOM all I could think about was motorcycles and their brave, brave, utterly skilled riders. Are you a fan?

Nice start. Keep it coming.

After the long walk from the gate through immigration, I now trekked back to the QF lounge, which was near the G gates. The lounge style was quite nice, and I took the opportunity to have a shower and a shave, in order to look vaguely presentable for the next leg. The food selection, however, was not so impressive, so some cheese and crackers, as well as a couple of prawn 'thingies' was enough to keep me going, along with a nice glass of red.







After another 90 minutes or so it was time to head to the gate, and the 'Roo' was waiting for us. I was a little early and boarding had not quite started yet, so I took a couple of pictures while standing around, including one of a sign - which I presume was meant to be a drinking fountain, but could equally have been the result of a bad hangover!





Boarding the a330 to Sydney, I was in 1A, which unfortunately meant a bulkhead business seat rather than in First! I was immediately taken by the style of the cabin - the colour scheme was just different to most other airlines, and felt luxurious and relaxing. However, it wasn't quite matched by the seat, which was comfy enough to sit in, but was definitely angle flat, which is not my favourite for sleeping. It was also quite narrow - as I have said previously I am a wide bloke, but my shoulders definitely did not quite fit, and it was tricky to find a good position, where I did not slide down too much, or keep banging into the seat shell. As ever, the trick seemed to be not to be entirely flat, and sleep in a mainly reclined position.



But before I went to sleep, another glass of red, and a perusal of the dinner menu. I wasn't particularly hungry so chose the Rubens sandwich, which was simple but tasty and freshly toasted, although I have to say the coleslaw was not to my taste - quite bitter. On a slightly irrelevant note, the menu was printer on normal paper - as the lady sat next to me said "I thought someone had left their printed pictures on the seat" - not quite in keeping with the rest of the business class offering.



I managed a few hours sleep, but not as much as I hoped, and spend the last 4 hours of the flight awake, while all around me slept - it was going to be a long day in the office! Breakfast was fine. The energiser drink was very tasty, and the ham and cheese croissant was good, if a little messy!

Arrival in Sydney was quick and easy - I was first off the plane, and headed quickly to immigration. Fast-track was quiet, and I was straight up to a counter, passport stamped and through. The bags started appearing about 5 minutes later, but unfortunately mine was one of the last off - obviously the 4 hour transfer in BKK meant my bag was deep in the underbelly of the plane. By that time the customs line had grown quite long, but it moved relatively quickly, and I was sent through without a check.

Now the last couple of times I have been in Sydney I have either used the Emirates chauffeur service, or got a cab into town. I felt this time that I should have a go at public transport, so took the train. The ticket office were very helpful, and told me exactly where to change, and what platforms I would need at Central, and the journey was smooth and efficient, dropping me one change later in North Sydney 30 minutes later - as quick as a cab,and cheaper. Definitely one to do again. I did notice that the train from the airport was somewhat boxy and corrugated - almost like I could have been in Bladerunner, but I didn't get chance to take a picture. It was also quite fun in a touristy sort of way to get the train over the harbour bridge - now I have walked across, driven and taken the train - the only thing left is to climb to the top! Also, a slightly strange sight on the train at 07:15 were the school children. Now I know this is fairly normal, but I thought shorts, blazers and straw boaters were only found at Eton, but it would have been rude to try and get a picture.

Talking of bridges and the like, my hotel, the Harbourview, was very close to the office (the reason I chose it) and I had stayed there before. Not a bad hotel, and better on the inside than the out. But one tip is to get a high floor, as the trains run right underneath, and the noise and vibration can be disturbing lower down. But back to bridges - my friends wouldn't quite believe me before, so I had to take a picture. The bathroom in the hotel rooms have a window in them, so you can look through the bedroom, then through the main window and see the Harbour Bridge. This is the view from the toilet!



I have been to Sydney 3 or 4 times with work, and I really like the city, but this time I had very little chance to see anything. Monday night I crashed at the hotel after a quick dinner, Tuesday was a bite to eat after hours with the project team I went to see, and Wednesday was dinner with the boss. We kept it local and quick this time, but last time Doyles at Watson Bay was delicious, as was a steak restaurant that I think was called Chophouse. I should be back again in October, and I think I will be spending the weekend in Sydney, so hopefully will get out and about a bit more next time.

By Thursday night it was time to head back to the airport again.

Thanks for the comments.

It is not a particular hang up of mine to travel in a suit, but I cannot get the hang of packing the jacket so it comes out wearable - so I wear it on the plane! All tips great fully received.

The IOM airport is a bit more modern now, having had an extension about 7 years ago, but it is a nice easy airport to get through, although it does seem t have the most draconian security in the world - shoes, belts, watches, laptops, iPads, liquids in a fully sealable bag (my normal bag which I use everywhere else in the world often gets put into another bag by security at Ronaldsway) etc. etc.

In terms of the TT I wouldn't say fan, but lots of my friends are. I will happily watch he bikes, and soak up the atmosphere, and as you say the riders are very brave and very skilled, but this year I went on holiday instead as it is a school holiday time on the rock.

I apologise for some of the picture quality, I am just using my iPad with no editing, and posting as I go.

A few more legs to come over the next couple of days.

Manx Flyer

Wow - that really is "a room with a view|" - spectacular!

By now I had reviewed my travel options for the rest of the trip. I have booked (because it was all that was available) KUL to NRT via HKG. Not good on 2 counts - firstly the flights were over it, so two short flights with a 2 hour connection between them is not a good way of sleeping, and secondly the two shorter flights would be only 40TP each, and a direct would be 140! I did briefly consider the now available KUL-SIN-NRT but given I was landing in KUL at 04:30 and now considering leaving on the same day I thought fading around with a short flight and a connection at midnight was not worth the hassle, and anyway KUL-SIN was only available in Y so only 10TP! So I booked KUL-NRT direct on JAL. Because I had brought this flight forward a day (didn't really fancy Kuala Lumpur all that much - I am probably doing it a disservice) and also I did not end up landing in MEX until 22:05 on Monday, and was chairing a meeting at 08:30 next morning, so I thought it made sense to give myself a bit more time. So I move flights to JL NRT-LAX and AA LAX-MIA MIA-MEX with an overnight in MIA. This then arrived in MEX at 15:00 ish - which gave me some breathing space. Also earned me more TP than NRT-SAN-DFW-MEX. I don't quite get to Gold (need another 40TP) but quite frankly this trip was busy enough without adding more legs. I have a couple of European flights coming up which will get me over the hurdle before my next longhaul.

After 4 busy working days in Sydney it was time to move on, and after returning to the hotel to pick up by laundry (forgot to put it in the day before!) and settling the room bill, I headed to the railway station. The train journey back was just as easy as the way out, except the train was busier and there were no straw boaters in sight!

As I was in the middle of changing my tickets, I had received a message from the corporate TA (who had been super helpful) asking me not to check in just yet as they were still working on the ticket, so I stayed landslide and had a bite to eat. Soon enough the mail from the TA came through with all the new ticket details (I hadn't changed the next flight so it wasn't risky to be at the airport) and I wandered over to the check-in. Only one person ahead of me, but the queue moved slowly. When I got to the counter, the process was simple and the girl very friendly and chatty. I got my boarding card and a fast-track pass for security, and this time remembered to pick up and fill in my leaving card - last time I got to the counter without it!

Security was quiet, and a new line opened up just as I got there, but I was selected for the nude-o-scope. So after reading about CWS' technique (at least I think it was his) I stood arms above my head, middle fingers raised, as a token of protest, and was soon declared good to go. However, random explosive screening then kicked in. Why am I not surprised! I obviously look suspicious to Australians, as on all 4 occasions I have been through Sydney departures in the last 2 years I have been 'randomly selected' - I guess it is random, but always me. Anyway, it turns out I had not been near any drugs or explosives, and can headed to the Malaysian lounge.

Not sure that was such a good move. The lounge 'dragon' (more appropriate for a Far East airline I guess), was welcoming, but frankly the lounge was underwhelming. If BA had have fixed my TP reclaim from my AA flight earlier in the year, which was still under dispute, I would be silver by now, and would have headed for the QF lounge, but I didn't think as an MH business passenger I would have got in - so I found a quiet corner and went in search of a drink.

The lounge was quiet, dark and a bit dingy. The food seemed minimal, although there were some hot dishes cooked to order, but it was a few mangy sandwiches, and some salad and crackers. Drinks were hidden round the corner, behind a screen, and the chilled drinks were in a cupboard below,so not so easy to find, or maybe I am just a bit useless as I looked confused.



I charged my phone and ipad as the lounge got busier, then it was time to head to the gate, via the duty free to buy some TimTams as requested by a friend at home. Lets hope they don't melt in my bag before I get back.

The boarding process was smooth, and I headed straight on board to 2K, which turned out not to be too bad a seat. 36 business seats, and the cabin was full. The seat. Itself felt quite comfortable, but there was not much storage space. Also, the seat in front felt very low, and the therefore the placement of the IFE screen felt low - not sure why it was designed that way. On the other hand the cabin was very clean and well maintained.







After eating at the airport and needing sleep, I opted for the satay starter, as the airline signature dish ( apparently SkyTrax signature food award winner for the last 2 years) and a dessert, skipping the main course.

The satay was served quickly after the first drinks round, and honestly was delicious. A mixture of chicken and beef (you could choose one or both) and a sauce that was not overwhelmingly peanut. Excellent. More drinks rounds followed, and the main courses looked pretty good as they were served to the people around me. The flourless chocolate cake at followed was very good - and I was almost tempted by another one, but as any readers who are still with me already know I struggle to fit in some seats, so it is not a good idea to have extra cake!







Given the early arrival time (did I mention it was 04:30!) I need some sleep, so I reclined the sleep and hoped they dim the lights soon. Once again the sloping seat was a bit tricky to get comfortable in, but I think it was better than the Qantas one.

We actually landed about 30 minutes early at 04:00, and obviously the airport was quiet. Customs and immigration were straight through, and I picked up a cab to take me to the Shangri La. I had booked in from the night before, and was originally staying for two nights, but with the flight changes this was reduced to just a few hours in the room, before a shower, breakfast and the office. It was only a few hours, but the room was great, and the bed was fantastically comfortable - even after 3 hours sleep I felt properly refreshed.

After a day at the office, I got a cab to Sentral Station, but JAL was not one of the airlines that could check you in there, so I took my case on the train. The train, was quiet and quick, and had the added benefit of free wifi - great service. However, the JAL counter did not open until 20:00 for a 22:50 flight so I had about 90 minutes to kill, and grabbed a coffee.

When it did open, I got my boarding card and whizzed through immigration, and followed the somewhat complex (to me at least) directions to the Cathay lounge that JAL used. Now I wished I had had something to eat while killing time before. The food was woeful, and the drinks selection not much better - not what I expect from Cathay at all.





However, it did set the tone for the flight - which turned out to be a 767 with reclining seats - not what I expected for a 7 hour overnight flight. There was no food served after takeoff, and I skipped breakfast, trying to maximise sleep. Therefore all that mattered on this leg was the seat - oops! I reclined and got as comfortable as I could. Now, I can sleep anywhere, so I did drop off, but I woke up with a sore back, and crippled when I tried to pick my bag up. As I walked the marathon to immigration at Narita it eased up a bit, but still....lets hope the JAL flight to LAX is better.







On the last bit of the flight I to NRT there was a view of Mout Fuji in the distance, and I know e guys on the BA forum like some cloud pictures now and agin - these ones looked good.





My bag was already at the carousel and after a quick change and repackage into my small rucksack I use for hand luggage with my laptop it, I found the left luggage lockers and left my case there for 30 hours.

Actually, negotiating Narita was not too bad, and I soon found and deciphered how to use the Narita Express, although the Tokyo underground remains somewhat of a mystery!

A happy 30 hours was spent in Tokyo, but without the language and a local guide, I am sure I did not make the most of it. In fact I am sure the 2 hours I spent listening to the street jazz festival bands (I play the tuba and trombone back home) while drinking supplies from the Museum of World Beers from their stall was not the most local thing I could have done!







In some ways Tokyo was everything I expected, modern, busy, eclectic, but I think I missed some of the history - apart from some of the shrines it felt like a big and busy version a shopping city. I would be very tempted to come back to Japan but maybe not Tokyo next time. Having said that the food was fantastic - one of the issues of living on a small island is that there is not a great choice of restaurants of different cuisines - and I love Japanese food.

One recommendation is the Dormy Inn hotel near Shibuya. It was less than GBP100 per night, and although the room was a little small it was modern and very good

Subscribed, enjoying this so far ^