Seat 2A

Alright now, how’s this sound? We’ll start by flying First Class on Cathay Pacific from San Francisco to Hong Kong. After three days spent enjoying the delights of the “Pearl of the Orient”, we’ll take the T98 fast train up to Beijing, spend a couple of days there and then board Train # 3, the westbound Trans-Mongolian Express for a seven day, 4,735 mile journey across Asia to Moscow. We’ll spend two or three days in Moscow, check out the Kremlin, maybe even take in a concert with the Russian National Orchestra before continuing on up to St. Petersburg for a few days. Then it’s on to Helsinki aboard the new high speed Allegro train. Later that week, we’ll board the Swedish ferry M/S Silja Serenade where a comfortable stateroom awaits for the overnight journey across the Baltic Sea to Stockholm. After a couple of days in and around Stockholm, we’ll fly Business Class back to Hong Kong and pick up the next leg of our First Class award ticket from Hong Kong to Johannesburg. From there we’ll board the all-Suite Premier Class train for a ride across the Karoo to Capetown. After that, well, we’ll figure it out as we go.

I thought this was one of the better itineraries I’d come up with of late and, as originally planned I would have taken this trip nine months ago in March. In February however I decided to accept United Airlines’ Premier Status Challenge and so spent the month of March in pursuit of my eventual 1K status. After years of having my First Class award travel limited to British Airways and Cathay Pacific, I wanted to broaden my horizons and check out the First and Business Class offerings of the Star Alliance carriers.

Taking advantage of the Premier Challenge this year was also a good call given United’s plans to go with a revenue based tier system in its Mileage Plus program starting in 2014. Had I waited until next year to earn 1K - much less even Gold or Silver status – it would have cost me substantially more money. I suppose I could have delayed the aforementioned itinerary until April but that time was reserved for earning MVP Gold 75K status on Alaska Airlines.

As a result of having spent this past spring and fall earning rather than redeeming miles, I am now in a better position than ever before to cash in some of those miles towards premium accommodations aloft.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Trip planning is easy for some, harder for others. For me, it is often a convoluted journey from concept to reality but oh, what a fun journey it is! Most people I know like to set their sights on a destination, come up with a general idea of how they’d like to go about their time there, and then off they go. I on the other hand like a little freer approach. I may start out with a specific destination in mind, but it’s a small world these days and if something comes up that sounds good beforehand or along the way, even if it’s on the next continent over and I can pull it off, why not? For me at least, this is the stuff of which adventure is made!

Most of the time my changes occur in the planning stages, but not always. I'm generally open to radical departures from "the plan" even in the middle of the trip. A good example of this occurred back in 1994. In November of that year I’d flown down to Chile and Argentina for a couple months of touring and backpacking through the Andes. I arrived to find, however, that unseasonably heavy spring snows had rendered much of the high country inaccessible. After a couple of weeks spent down in the lowlands between Bariloche and Puerto Varas, I came across a great roundtrip airfare on Lloyd Bolivian Airlines between Santiago and Miami. Not only was the airfare exceptionally affordable, but the routing was also quite attractive featuring enroute stops in Arica, La Paz, Santa Cruz and Panama City on the way to Miami. The return trip routed through Caracas, Manaus, La Paz and Arica.

Touring around the beautiful lakes district of Chile and Argentina was all well and good but a number of factors combined to make a short detour up to the States more than a bit alluring. For starters, keep in mind that I live in Alaska so places like Florida are about as far away (and almost as foreign in culture and climate) as Central Europe. I had friends working in Everglades National Park whom I hadn’t seen in a couple of years, so it'd be nice to visit them. Secondly, I was able to purchase a very affordable All Aboard America Pass on Amtrak that allowed me my first ride aboard the Sunset Limited, at that time the country’s first and only transcontinental train operating between Miami and Los Angeles. As an added bonus, the Grateful Dead just happened to be playing a two night gig in Denver. I knew people who worked within the Dead organization and I had no problem scoring tickets to both shows for myself and a couple of friends. After the shows, I caught a ride down to Durango, Colorado and then hitched down to Gallup, New Mexico where I caught the westbound Chief out to Los Angeles and then back to Miami aboard the Sunset Limited. In all I was gone just seventeen days and by the time I’d returned to Chile and ferried down to Puerto Natales the snow had melted sufficiently to allow me to commence the 65 mile trek around the Torres Del Paine in Chile’s Patagonia.

In any event, when it comes to travel I’m wired this way. Not everybody is. In similar circumstances most people would have just stayed in South America. Though it’s great fun to travel and share new adventures with others, if this trip had included friends or family I’m pretty sure the mere suggestion of a detour such as I just described would have been greeted with shock and disbelief. You want to do whaaat?!!

When it comes to traveling with others, I totally accept and embrace the art of compromise and sometimes even "go along - get along". Believe me, in a case such as this I would never have even thought to bring up such a crazy diversion. When you’re on your own however, you can do whatever you want. A friend of mine once pointed out how many well-known travelers and travel writers often traveled alone. Theroux, O’Hanlon, Stevenson, Danziger, Cahill, Bryson et al. Some of the crazy (and impressive) things they did on their travels might never have been accomplished had they been obliged to arrive at a group consensus beforehand.

As I mentioned earlier, for the majority of my trips the changes happen in the planning stages. Often times the original concept bears no resemblance to the final plan. This trip is no different. What originally started out as a trip across Asia and then down to Africa was reborn as a simple round trip to Madagascar that since has morphed into an epic journey through Spain and Portugal before continuing on to northwestern Scotland for a ride on the West Highland Line, often said to be the most beautiful train ride in all of Great Britain. From there it’s back home to Fairbanks for three days before resuming the journey with a pair of flights aboard Emirates First Class through Dubai to Johannesburg. As much as I’d have liked to visit Madagascar, getting there and in particular renting a car proved to be more expensive than I’d envisioned. Instead I’ll rent a car in South Africa and visit a few out of the way places not so easily reached by public transport.

From South Africa it’s back to the rarified realm of a suite aboard Cathay Pacific’s 747 nonstop to Hong Kong. From there I’ll switch from the front of the 747 to the back as Korean Air’s model delivers me to Seoul where I’ll take advantage of United’s very affordable intra-Asia Business Class awards, travelling down to Singapore via Asiana, Air China and Thai. The return trip to Osaka will be aboard Singapore, EVA and ANA before returning to a First Class suite aboard Cathay’s 777-300 across the Pacific to Los Angeles and home to Alaska.

In all, this trip will comprise just over 70000 miles of travel aboard fifteen airlines.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Now, please bear with me for a moment as I take a completely different tack, one that's more relevant to actual trip reporting - specifically how and why I do it the way I do.

As a schoolboy back in the early 1970s, I spent many an hour writing letters to airline sales offices requesting brochures about their new widebodied jetliners and the innovative and exciting inflight services inspired by all that extra space onboard. At other times you could find me climbing trees, building forts and tearing around the local dirt tracks on my bike. I wasn’t a total geek, though I did like the sound of those cards in the spokes.

It sure was a lot of fun to look over all those pictures of nicely dressed passengers mingling over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in spacious and stylish onboard lounges or enjoying seven course meals served seat side from the trolley. And of course, it was ever so easy to imagine myself as one of those passengers, climbing the spiral staircase up to the upstairs lounge or watching with anticipation as pretty stewardesses served up plates of delicious food from the trolley.

Many years later, my passion for the good life aloft still burns bright. I was just starting to get a touch of grey in my sideburns when I discovered FlyerTalk in early 2001 while searching the internet for information on First and Business Class services aboard the world’s great and not so great airlines. Most of what I’d found at that point was through the airlines’ websites or via no-nonsense reports published in magazines such as Business Traveler. Imagine then my surprise and delight to stumble upon this beautifully written trip report detailing First Class travel aboard American Airlines’ Flagship Service between San Jose and Tokyo. More than just a basic description and assessment of the services offered, this report captured the writer’s excitement and passion for the First Class experience as he anticipated and experienced every aspect of American’s once quality International Flagship First Class Service. Perhaps most amazing by today’s Trip Report Forum standards was that the reporter accomplished this without the use of even a single photograph.

The writer was tfung. There were no pictures in his report because back then the ability to imbed photos had not yet been established. Given the descriptive quality of his writing however, no pictures were really necessary. After my second or third read of his report, I quickly headed over to the Trip Report Forum title page where I discovered dozens of other written reports on inflight premium services, some of them very nicely composed as well.

My favorite trip report writer was David P. Morgan, the longtime editor of Trains Magazine. In 1973, Kalmbach Publishing Co., which produced and published Trains Magazine, embarked on a new magazine dedicated to commercial air travel. It was called Airliners International and David P. Morgan also served as its editor. Although Airliners International only lasted through four issues, each issue included at least one lengthy trip report covering a multitude of flights all over the country or the world. DPM traveled and wrote about all but one of those trips, often accompanied by his wife Margaret. His travel was usually in First Class and the focus was clearly on the flights, not the destination. What most impressed me about DPM’s writing was his obvious passion for the subject combined with a writing style that was accessible to even the most casual reader, not just the hard core foamers.

More than anyone else, David P. Morgan inspired not only my desire to write trip reports but also the style in which I write them. However, kudos must also go out to tfung for rekindling that desire with his fine reporting from the early days of FlyerTalk.

* * * * * * * * * * *

I’ve always had an appetite for actually going somewhere, i.e. flying there, riding there on a train or driving there in a car. In particular I’ve always been fascinated with the style of travel - or perhaps more to the point – traveling there in style. Given my passion for the First Class travel experience, what I really enjoy writing about most is getting there. If I could be said to be any good at writing these trip reports, I think it’s primarily due to my passion for actually travelling. As for writing, well, aside from the compulsory English classes I had to take in elementary and high school, I’ve never formally studied it. I know I certainly never enjoyed writing reports in school and university. It’s different though when you’re writing about something you really enjoy. Somehow the words just flow.

It was back in February of 2002 that I submitted my first trip report covering international premium class travel for FlyerTalk. That report was titled Alaska to New Zealand ~ The Long Way and it involved First and Business Class travel aboard Alaska Airlines, British Airways and Air New Zealand traveling via Los Angeles, London, Singapore and Melbourne. Though the report did not include any photos, it nonetheless received positive reviews from many people who clearly appreciated the descriptive power of the written word.

So – where am I going with all this? Well, it goes without saying that all of us trip reporters appreciate feedback in the form of comments and questions from you the readers. I know I certainly do. At the same time I can’t help but be surprised and indeed flattered when the occasional reporter goes out of their way to thank me for having even taken the time to comment favorably on their report. Therein lays the crux of my problem.

I’ve really dropped off on my visitation to the Trip Reports Forum. These days there just aren’t all that many actual written reports detailing the premium travel experience. Oh sure, there are a few scattered here and there but mostly I find that I’m spending a lot of time during my visits to this forum wading through exciting sounding trip report titles only to find it’s an as yet unfinished incremental report or a pre-trip report or a whole bunch of photos with the occasional descriptive sentence or paragraph - and for the most part I’m not really enjoying that. The result is that over the years it’s gotten to the point where I simply don’t visit here that often anymore.

Mind you, I’m not here to complain so don’t any of you go getting your knickers in a knot. The Trip Reports Forum is percolating along quite nicely with or without my participation as a writer or a viewer. I also recognize that submitting trip reports here at FlyerTalk is all in good fun and that nobody should feel under any constraints to follow a set formula. Participation is more important than style. I get that. I simply prefer a good read over looking at a bunch of photographs. I prefer photographs as a spice, placed here and there to augment the written description, much as you’d find in a magazine article. I also prefer reading someone’s report all in one sitting. Mostly however, I find myself waiting days or weeks for an incremental report to either start or finish in its entirety. In the process it’s often easy to completely forget about some of them.

Given then the scarcity of my Trip Report Forum participation of late, I reckon I’d have to have a lot of gall to expect any of you to read, much less comment on this and/or future reports from me. That’s alright. I’ll understand if you don’t. I’m not that good of a photographer anyway. At the same time I know there are a handful of trip report diehards who’ve been waiting patiently with their unopened bottles of 12 year old scotch, vintage wine, quality bourbon or even a cold six pack to accompany them on yet another of my written trip reports covering the best of (or at least some reasonably entertaining) international Premium Class travel.

Yes Sir! Gettin’ drunk and readin’ Seat 2A trip reports – it just don’t get much better’n that!

Well, that might be overstating the level of enthusiasm just a wee bit but hey, if I can sit here in an Emirates’ First Class Suite drinking Woodford Reserve while pecking out this report, I would be absolutely flattered if any of you would care to join me in a drink or two from wherever you now sit. (Update: Dec. 06 9:20am EST: Then again, I see 520 hits and only two comments. Looks like most readers are looking, then choosing to read about something more interesting and drink elsewhere. Oh well, it's just you and me then! Pour me another, will ya?!)

The caveat of course is that it’s gonna be a couple of months from now before this report’s eventually published. While I’ll miss out on all those self-esteem boosting “attaboy” comments that accompany the ever trendy pre-trip and incremental report posts, those of you who’ve patiently waited (and even PMed me!) over the past year and a half for my return to international First Class will be treated to a complete trip report that you can sit down and read in its entirety – all in one sitting or a bit at a time. That'll be your call - not mine.

So that said, let’s head on out to Fairbanks International and get on with this journey. It’s a long one and I fully expect it will be a very good one as well.

Cheers!

Seat 2A

October 12, 2013
Alaska Airlines Fairbanks – Seattle 840a – 115p 737-700 Economy Class
Emirates Airlines Seattle - Dubai 545p – 700p 777-300 First Class

I know I’ve said it before but let me say it again: The best part about leaving Alaska is knowing you’ve got a ticket back home. This trip I’m about to embark on features a fantastic itinerary passing through thirteen countries while traveling aboard fifteen airlines, often while sat in First or Business Class. A nice variety of train rides are also sprinkled throughout, most of them including First Class accommodations. You’d think I’d be raring to go!

Well, the amount of time I’ve put into organizing this trip, booking accommodations, researching activities and printing it all up into a nice itinerary are certainly testament to my excitement level. At the same time, I only just got home a week ago from a 41 flight, 47000 mile mileage run that I’d been on since mid-September. This past week is the first time since April 1st that I’ve been able to spend more than three days in a row at home. I really like my cabin in the woods outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. I like my neighbors and I especially like living in Alaska. And yet, here I am leaving again.

It’s my own damned fault. I’ve been living a nomadic lifestyle since I was seventeen years old. What’s fueling it all is and always has been that love of simply going somewhere. The world is my carnival and it’s filled with lots of exciting rides, mostly on planes (4.5 million miles) and trains (250,000 miles) but 1.2 million miles worth of driving around America has also been quite a thrill. I’ve done so much traveling that in some ways life just doesn’t feel right when I’m not going somewhere or at least planning to go somewhere. I’ve got the time and resources to take trips with about the same frequency that others go out to the movies. More and more though, when I’m on the road, I find myself missing home. Shorter trips are beginning to look a lot more appealing. But then they’re hard to reconcile because if I’m going to spend all those hard earned miles to get out of Alaska, I like to get my money’s worth and so I end up going on another long trip.

I need help.

Still, of all the various maladies that we humans have been known to suffer from, I could certainly be doing a lot worse. At least I’ll get to make a quick visit back home in the middle of this trip. One of the harder parts of being gone though is not getting to watch my Denver Broncos who are currently undefeated and scoring points at an historic pace. Still, would I rather stay home and watch the Broncos on Sundays or go out and log a few thousand miles while sat in a First Class suite aboard a couple of the world’s finest airlines? Hmm…

* * * * * * * * * * *

I drove up to Chena Hot Springs a couple of days ago and thoroughly enjoyed not only the scenery but also the wildlife as I spotted three moose and a black bear along the way. We’ve had a really nice October here in Alaska’s Interior with sunshine and temperatures in the 50s during the day, dropping into the 20s at night. As usual, Alaska’s not gonna make leaving any easier.

My alarm went off at 6:30am and an hour later I was showered, packed and on my way to Fairbanks International. It was still dark at 7:30am, today being the first day of the season where Fairbanks will receive less than ten hours of direct sunlight. When you consider that we get about twenty-two hours on the summer solstice, that’s quite a drop off. Winter is just around the corner.

As I reached the security checkpoint at the top of the escalator, there was not even one person in line. It was like something out of a dream. All of the blue shirted TSA agents appeared to be waiting just for me and, for all intents and purposes, they were. The dreamlike sequence continued as I was handed a bright green card denoting my Pre✓ status with Alaska Airlines. This was a surprise as Fairbanks doesn’t have any clearly designated Pre✓lanes. The benefit was I didn’t have to remove my shoes or my belt. No complaints there.

Although I’m traveling on an international First Class award ticket, no First Class award space was available on this flight and none became available by the time I checked in. I didn’t feel particularly put out because aside from a wider seat, Alaska’s First Class has long since ceased being anything worth getting all that excited about. As it was, I had a good seat at 6D and a fully charged laptop with an extra battery. Life is good.

Flight time to Seattle was projected at a quick two hours and fifty-five minutes. The $6.00 breakfast offering was a skillet featuring scrambled eggs and cheese with potatoes. I noticed that some form of meat, normally a part of most breakfast skillets, was not included in this offering. Might this be another catering cutback by Alaska? Even so, the overall meal appeared to be on par with what I could see being offered up in First Class – a plate with a similarly sized portion of scrambled eggs, some black beans and a tortilla.



Alaska’s Cheesy Scrambled Eggs & Potatoes Breakfast

A friend of mine from Portland happened to be up in Seattle and so a good portion of my four and a half hour layover was spent enjoying a delicious lunch with her across the highway from the airport at the Thirteen Coins Restaurant. I’d eaten here once before and really enjoyed it. Our meals today were no less outstanding.

Back at the airport, I was quickly checked in for my flight to Dubai and given directions to the Club International Lounge. Emirates flights depart from the South Satellite and I’d often noticed the Club International while making my way to Northwest or Delta flights. It is a contract lounge serving several international airlines serving Seattle and I was looking forward to finally checking it out.

The lounge had moved since I last flew out of here. It’s now located in the old Northwest World Club adjacent to gate S-9. It’s about time someone moved and took over that fine old facility. I recall many an enjoyable hour spent there back when it was a Northwest WorldClub. Unfortunately, its reincarnation as the Club International is a bit of a disappointment.

Northwest’s WorldClub looked positively plush compared to the Club International. This lounge was little more than groups of cushioned chairs with a small business center located at the far end. There was a separate area for First Class passengers that looked more like a quarantine zone than the comparatively nicer and more fashionable lounge one would expect of the genre. It consisted simply of a glass walled off area with a few more of those cushioned chairs inside. There were no tables, no lamps, no different food or drink offerings and no real ambience to speak of. There were just the chairs. As it was explained to me by the lounge attendant, the primary benefit to sitting in there was that one could place drink orders with the attendants and have those drinks delivered to your seat. Oh boy!

I’ve never had any compunction about mingling with The Great Unwashed, so I declined the lounge attendant’s invitation to enter the glass walled sanctuary of the First Class “lounge” and instead headed over to the food service area where I selected a bottle of a new Weinhard’s Ale that I’d not had before. The only sustenance available was a meager collection of pre-packaged snacks such as crackers, cheese, chips and cookies. Surveying the sorry selection, I couldn’t help but wonder how an airline of Emirates’ obvious renown ever ended up in this place. Thankfully I had a couple sleeves of Blue Diamond Roasted Almonds in my pack with which to accompany my beer.

After a short stay, I headed up to the considerably brighter and more spacious Delta Sky Club. Through its large windows I could clearly see my 777 being prepared for the long journey to Dubai. Emirates began service between Seattle and Dubai on March 1st, 2012 and the 7410 mile flight is the longest currently being operated out of Seattle. A flight of that length requires considerable attention and servicing, so from the time the plane arrives at the gate to the time of its departure there is an almost constant stream of activity around it. As I entered the aircraft’s registration number into my flight log, I noted that as of this flight I’ll have flown over 100000 miles lifetime aboard 777s. Now that’s a nice “achievement” to be sure, but one that I’m sure I share with hundreds of others here at FlyerTalk. Indeed I suspect there are probably quite a few here who’ve logged double and triple that amount, if not more. Over the years I’ve actually gone out of my way to schedule flights aboard Boeing 747s. Aside from the fact that I’m partial to the main deck First Class cabin up in the nose of the 747, it’s also an airplane that we’re starting to see less and less of if only due to the economics of two engines versus four.

It was a little before 5:00pm when I gathered up my gear and headed down to the gate. It was a beautiful evening in Seattle, perfect for a short flight to Bellingham much less a longer flight over the Polar Regions to Dubai. This is my favorite time of the day to depart – preferably flying west into the setting sun, but flying north will certainly do as well. In anticipation of this, I had procured a window suite on the left hand side of the aircraft so that I’d get a nice view of the setting sun during the first hour or so of the journey.

When I’d checked in, the counter agent mentioned that we had a light load over to Dubai this evening. What constitutes a “light load” by 777-300 standards, I asked. About 200 people was the reply.

Boarding was in progress when I arrived at gate S-16 and from the looks of things, many of my fellow passengers had already boarded. I didn’t see any lanes marked for First or Business Class passengers, so I just joined a line of about ten other people as we waited to have our passports and boarding passes verified. Oddly, there was another boarding pass check just before the jet bridge and then again as we entered the aircraft.

Three flight attendants were working the doorway as I arrived. They all looked quite fetching in their beige uniforms with white scarves and red hats. I presented my boarding pass to the one with the prettiest smile who inspected it, welcomed me by name and then led me through a small Business Class cabin before handing me off to Joseph, one of three flight attendants working the First Class cabin. He helped me out of my sports coat and then asked if I was familiar with Emirates’ suites. I responded that I’d read enough reports about it to feel as if I knew it but sure, I’d appreciate an on the spot tour.



Emirates First Class Suite



Emirates First Class Suite



Emirates First Class Suite with Sliding Doors

Since they were first introduced aboard the A340-500 a few years ago, Emirates’ First Class suites have gone on to become the stuff of legend. Lots of other airlines offer First Class suites, but Emirates was the first to introduce sliding doors, effectively turning your suite into a private compartment much as you’d find in a Pullman roomette aboard a railroad sleeper car. Ah, but Emirates’ suite goes much farther than the roomettes of old or even some of the suites of today. Also included is a 23” LCD screen through which to take advantage of the excellent ICE inflight entertainment program.



The 23” LCD Screen and Vanity Mirror



The Seat Side Mini-Bar



Your Personal Snack Basket

A seat-side mini-bar is stocked with a variety of non-alcoholic beverages and a pop-up vanity complete with lighted mirror contains a variety of creams and lotions to keep your skin fresh and hydrated throughout the flight. A separate drawer contains a writing kit complete with pen, paper and envelopes. The seat side table is huge and lifts out and into position much more easily than many others I’ve experienced. There is ample storage space for a small carry-on bag up front and a couple of seat-side compartments for the storage of smaller items such as a camera or book. The controls for the seat, lights, privacy doors and electronic window blinds are housed in a tablet that’s mounted to the left of the seat.

For more convenient operation, this tablet can be removed from its housing and operated wirelessly from your seat. The seat also includes a massage with four different styles. As to the seat itself, I found it comfortable enough but overall I’d say that for me at least, Cathay’s First Class seat feels nicer. The beige leather on Emirates seat certainly gets style points for appearance sake but it feels stiff compared to the plush fabric covered cushioning of Cathay’s First Class seats.

Joe was a very friendly and engaging guy and we chatted for a bit about the plane, the service, Alaska and his Seattle layover until Marijana arrived with slippers and pajamas. There were only three of us tonight in the eight suite cabin so there was plenty of time for a relaxed and more personable service. Joe asked if he could bring me anything to drink – some Champagne, perhaps? – yes, of course! Dom Perignon 2003 is always a nice way to commence the festivities on a long flight. What amazes me is that there’s still any of it left given that it’s been the Champagne of choice – served every day on most every long haul flight of Singapore, Emirates, Malaysia and Thai Airways - for some time now.



Dom Perignon 2003 – A Great Start to Any Flight

The preflight cavalcade of services continued with the presentation of what has to be the finest amenity kit I have ever received. Produced by Bulgari and presented in a beautiful leather zippered case, the kit contained everything you’d ever need (and perhaps even a couple of things you wouldn’t) to help get you through a long flight in comfort and style.

No sooner had I finished inspecting the kit than Joe arrived with a wonderfully hot steaming towel done in the Oshibori tradition which included the addition of a light scent. A lot of airlines offer hot towels but not since a flight on Northwest Orient many years ago have I had the good fortune to enjoy a proper Oshibori towel.

But wait – there’s more! A third flight attendant whose name I never got arrived with a tray of Arabic coffee and individually wrapped dates. I’m not really a big eater of dates but hey – it’s my first flight on Emirates, so yes please!



Arabic Coffee and Dates

The Captain came on over the PA, introduced himself and his team and informed us that aside from a little chop climbing out of Seattle, we could expect a smooth flight of thirteen hours and sixteen minutes over to Dubai this evening.

Shortly thereafter, the jet bridge disengaged and pulled back from the aircraft. My Champagne glass was collected and we began our pushback from the gate. It was 5:35pm, ten minutes before scheduled departure time. As the engines spooled up, I couldn’t help but notice how much quieter the 777-300 is during this time than the shorter -200 model. The -300 includes a 17.5’ fuselage plug ahead of the wings in addition to another 15.75’ one behind the wings. That extra distance forward from the engines really seems to make a difference in the overall cabin noise level, both on the ground and particularly just after takeoff during climb out when the engines are working their hardest.

As we began a slow and stately taxi away from the gate area, Alaska’s brightly colored 737-900 in the Spirit of Disney II livery was nicely framed in my window. I took a moment to say a silent Thank You to Alaska Airlines, for without their Mileage Plan program my presence here today would not have been possible. Indeed, mileage earned through Alaska’s Mileage Plan has fueled the vast majority of my First Class adventures over the past ten years. For me at least it’s been a great and generous frequent flyer plan that deserves all the credit it’s gotten via a number of Freddie awards won over the years.

It’s not very often that I’ve taken off to the north out of SeaTac, but that’s exactly what we did this evening and I got to watch it all through the nose wheel camera. The 32 second takeoff roll seemed surprisingly short given such a large aircraft loaded down with enough fuel to fly us 7410 miles to Dubai with enough left over to take us another thousand if need be. Then again, we are carrying only 200 passengers and there are those two big engines, each generating up to 115000 pounds of thrust. I think we’ll be fine.

And indeed we were, soaring into the late afternoon sky, the big plane jiggling ever so lightly as it made minor course adjustments that eventually put us on a northeasterly tack. Within three and a half minutes we’d passed through 10000 feet and were flying in excess of 350 mph. I reclined my seat a bit and took in the beautiful but hazy view of the Puget Sound out my windows. My suite had three of them, each framed in a polished faux walnut housing.

The Wine List and Menu were presented just a few minutes later. Both are presented in plain white folders but the menu itself is housed in an attractive leather binder. The Wine List is exactly that - strictly wines. Any other cocktails, spirits or liqueurs can be found in the first part of the Menu. Emirates recently won the Business Traveler Cellars in the Sky award for First Class White Wine. Its winning entry was a 2006 Art Series Chardonnay from The Leeuwin Estate in the Margaret River region of Western Australia. That wine was not on tonight’s wine list, although judging by the detailed descriptions provided for each wine, a nice selection of similarly delicious wines would be available for my perusal later in the flight. Let’s have a look at the choices:


BAR SERVICE

Aperitifs
Campari Bitter
Martini Vermouth – Dry/Sweet

Beers
A selection of international beers including Heineken, Budweiser and Amstel Light

Cocktails
Black Russian, Bloody Mary, Bucks Fizz, Champagne Cocktail, Cosmopolitan (US routes), Fantasy Island, Kir Royal, Manhattan, Martini Cocktail Classic, Screwdriver, Vodka Martini

Mocktails
Jumeirah Delight

Spirits
Premium Scotch Whisky - Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 Years Old, Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Single Malt Whisky - Glenfiddich 21 Years Old
Bourbon - Woodford Reserve
Cognac - Hennessy Paradis
Vodka - Grey Goose
Gin - Bombay Sapphire
Rum - Bacardi Superior

Liqueurs
Bailey’s Irish Cream
Tia Maria
Drambuie
Cointreau


WINE LIST

Champagne
Cuvée Dom Pérignon 2003

White Wines
La Clarté de Haut Brion 2010 Pessac Léognan
Moone-Tsai Charles Heintz Chardonnay 2010 Sonoma Coast
Domaine des Senechaux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2011 Rhone
Grgich Hills Chardonnay 2009

Red Wines
Château Cos d’Estournel 2000 St Estephe
Sequana Sundawg Ridge Pinot Noir 2010 Russian River
Ridge Montebello 2006 Santa Cruz Mountains
Château Phelan Segur 2004 St Estephe
Amancaya Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Mendoza

Dessert Wines
Château de Suduirat 2006 Sauternes
Grahams Single Vintage Tawny Port 1974 Douro


For now, I wanted nothing more than a delicious glass of Woodford Reserve Bourbon on the rocks. That’s what I drink at home and since this would be my new home for the next thirteen hours, I might as well get settled in properly.



Woodford Reserve and Mixed Nuts at Sunset
Life could hardly be finer…

My bourbon was delivered with a plate of delicious mixed nuts. We’re not talking a simple collection of almonds and cashews here but rather an impressive mixture of almonds, macadamias, pistachios, cashews, hazelnuts and pecans. Let me tell you: between a comfortable seat, the sun setting out my windows, a delicious collection of mixed nuts and some of the finest bourbon ever to come out of Kentucky, well, life could hardly be finer. Add to that the promise of a delicious dinner ahead and I was in air traveler nirvana. Now if only we could encounter some unexpected headwinds!

A few minutes later Marijana stopped by to inquire as to my dinner plans. Like all good airlines, Emirates tailors its meal service to the passenger’s desires and Marijana explained that she’d be happy to get things started right away or we could wait until later in the flight.



12 ˝ Hours To Go



Bourbon & Canapés

With twelve and a half hours of sheer bliss to look forward to, I was in no hurry. Indeed, given the setting sun and the comfy suite, I was quite enjoying my cocktail hour and so requested just a plate of hot canapés for the time being with dinner to follow at about 7:30pm. That would give me more time to look over the menu and make my selections. And what a menu it is! Let’s have a look…



The Emirates First Class Menu


DINNER
Seattle to Dubai

Canapés
A selection of hot and cold savories, including tartlette of smooth cauliflower purée topped with a roasted walnut, mini fried bruschetta with crumbly feta cheese and marinated red peppers, spiced vegetable samosa, fresh crab and pea cake, and creamy turkey quiche


APPETIZERS

Caviar
Perfectly prepared chilled caviar presented with a traditional selection of finely chopped onion, chopped boiled egg, sour cream and lemon, served with crisp melba toast and soft blini pancakes

Traditional Local Arabic Mezze
The flavors of our home, presented as a generous spread of traditional Arabic savory dishes including creamy hommous, smoky flavored moutabal, slightly spicy muhammara, a classic fattoush salad, fresh tabouleh, mixed seafood salad and stuffed vine leaves accompanied by warm lamb kibbeh, spinach fatayer and cheese sambousak, complemented by local garnishes and breads

Seafood Trilogy
Captain’s table of premium smoked salmon, luxurious lobster and fresh prawn salad, served with micro greens and roasted tomatoes


MAIN COURSES

Seared Beef Fillet
Prime beef steak, browned on the grill and dressed with a fresh piquant salsa verde, served with slow roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine, fresh buttered asparagus spears, creamy woodland mushroom sauce and a creamy potato and celeriac gratin

Chicken Lababdar
Mile Indian dish of tender chicken pieces cooked in a delicately spiced sauce, served with mutter paneer and peas pulao rice

Mixed Grill
Selected fine meats, marinated with garlic and saffron, grilled and served with a fragrant zerach rice, roasted cherry tomatoes and shallots, accompanied by a creamy saffron sauce

Wild Mushroom Ravioli
Handmade fresh pasta parcels filled with wild mushroom farce, tossed in a creamy spinach sauce, with sunblushed tomatoes, grilled courgettes and finished with freshly shaved parmesan

Sesame and Miso Marinated Salmon
Tranche of fresh salmon slow roasted and dressed with an Asian-style soy and ginger glaze, served with steamed yams and fragrant fresh coriander, and lightly stir-fried Chinese greens

A la Carte Vegetables
Our chefs have paired each meal with their ideal accompaniments, but we offer a variety of alternative vegetables to your taste, including vegetable makhanwala, sautéed petits pans squash, fine green beans, and steamed basmati rice

Bread Basket
Choose soft, crusty, granary, garlic or Arabic from our variety of freshly baked rolls and breads


LIGHT BITES

Seasonal Salad
Crisp fresh garden salad leaves, topped with your choice of feta cheese, cucumber moons, chopped spring onions, Kalamata olives, pistachio and pumpkin seeds, red tomato halves and sliced celery, tossed in your preferred dressing

Celeriac, Apple and Chestnut Soup
Rich, full flavored soup, served with crisp goat’s cheese crostini

Roast Tomato Consommé
A richly flavored roast tomato bouillon, topped with fresh tomatoes and sprinkled with fresh basil

Selection of Sandwiches
An assortment of tempting reception sandwiches, including tuna mayonnaise with fresh dill, prime roast beef with tangy onion marmalade, tomato and buffalo mozzarella with fresh pesto, and curry flavored egg with peppery rocket leaves

Barbecued Chicken Sandwich
Tender chicken, grilled over coals, shredded and laid on a bun, accompanied by piquant bean corn salsa and fresh potato salad

Portobello Mushroom Quiche
Pastry base filled with rich egg custard and Portobello mushrooms, served with caramelized onions and roasted tomatoes

Sweet and Sour Prawns
Fresh plump prawns in an oriental sweet and sour sauce, served with sea bass, snow peas seasoned with soya sauce and egg fried rice

Cheese Board
A carefully chosen assortment of the finest boutique cheeses fr5om around the world, served with a selection of crudités, crackers, dried fruits and nuts


SWEET DELIGHTS

Raspberry and Chocolate Indulgence
A rich chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries, enrobed with a chocolate sponge cake and served with a vanilla bean sauce and fresh raspberries

Almond and Pear Tart
A classic individual tart, served warm with fresh whipped cream and a rich chocolate sauce

Selection of Fruit
A seasonal assortment of the finest fresh cut fruits

Sweet Selection
An assortment of freshly prepared individual sweet temptations including mini tarts and indulgent chocolate treats

Chocolates
A luxurious rich chocolate selection provides the perfect finale


HOT BEVERAGES

Tea
Black and herbal teas from around the world, featuring Ceylon, China, Earl Grey and Chamomile

Coffee
Brewed to order, your choice of decaffeinated, espresso and cappuccino finale


I’ve had the good fortune to have flown aboard some pretty nice First Class services over the years, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a menu as extensive or wide ranging as this one. It offered an incredible variety of foods ranging from light meals to a full seven course dinner in addition to an extensive breakfast selection. Still, it wasn’t hard to come up with a plan.

With just one exception, the only times I’ve ever eaten caviar have been onboard airplanes. And not just long distance international flights either. Once I was served caviar with all the trimmings aboard a Braniff 727 between New York and Dallas. Coincidentally, the only time I was served caviar when I wasn’t on an airplane occurred at Dulles International Airport at the pre-departure party celebrating the inaugural Concorde flight within the United States. That was on January 12th, 1979. Braniff International had entered into a promotional agreement with Air France and British Airways to fly their Concordes on a code share from Washington DC down to Dallas and back. Of course, flights within the US would be operated at subsonic speeds, but hey – it was the Concorde and a flight on it could be had for the very affordable domestic First Class fare rather than the exorbitant international Supersonic Class fare. I paid $156.00 for a Washington to Denver ticket routed through Dallas. Prior to the flight, I dined on caviar and other epicurean delights at the International Room restaurant in the main Dulles terminal building. The caviar presentation was impressive with small bowls of caviar surrounding a beautiful ice sculpture holding chilled bottles of fine Russian vodka. That gala event at Washington Dulles was the first time I remember ever having had caviar. I can tell you it was not love at first bite, but over the years I’ve definitely come to appreciate those little black eggs.

So, let’s commence this meal with a serving of caviar followed by a presentation of Arabic mezze. As a collector of First Class airline menus, I’ve seen mezze included on most airline menus from the Arab countries. I had always assumed it was some kind of Arabic hors d’oeuvres but as I was soon to find out, as served by Emirates it was much more than that.

Soup or salad. Salad or soup? Let’s go with the salad, please. And for the main course? Hmmm… Steaks are a dime a dozen on most international menus these days, and often there is a tendency for them to be overcooked. When I think back on all the steaks I’ve eaten aboard airplanes, two stand out – the first in Coach on a Continental DC-10 flight between Los Angeles and Denver in 1974 and the other in First Class on a Continental 727-200 between Dallas and Albuquerque. Both were luncheon flights, back when luncheon and dinner were catered the same as opposed to today where more often than not luncheon seems to be an excuse for offering a cheap sandwich or a salad. But I digress. Let’s go with the Mixed Grill!

As for cheese and/or dessert, let’s see how we feel after dinner. After all, we’ve got plenty of time.

Seat 2A

Emirates First Class Table Setting with Menu

My table was set with an impressive collection of linen, silver, porcelain and glass. The tablecloth was laid first with the iconic Emirates logo in the middle, facing me. This was followed by all of the plates, glasses and cutlery intrinsic to a proper First Class meal service. A large selection of dinner rolls including warmed garlic bread was presented in a bowl off to the side. Water was poured, wine was presented, sampled and then poured (the Grgich Hills Napa Valley Chardonnay 2009 for me) and finally the caviar was served.

It was a pretty standard caviar presentation, but that said it was also very nicely done. I received a nice portion of Russian caviar surrounded by all the usual accoutrements – chopped egg yolks, whites, onions and sour cream. A nicely wrapped lemon half and blinis completed the arrangement and before tucking into it all, I paused to take a picture.



Emirates Caviar Presentation

Now this is an interesting aspect of trip reporting for a lot of folks here, many of whom have expressed embarrassment and anxiety at the idea of photographing their food. To be sure, it’s not something that everybody is comfortable with but honestly, what’s the worst that could happen? The flight attendant will think you’re weird? Or maybe your seat mate? The way I see it, who gives a big hoo-hah? I mean honestly, if one’s ego is that fragile to where it can’t withstand the mere thought that someone they don’t even know and will very likely never see again might possibly think poorly of them over an action as innocuous as photographing their beautifully presented airline meal, well, it’s a wonder they ever manage to get out in the world without having their mother along to offer them a reassuring “There, there, it’ll be alright” now and again.

If you want to avoid a lot of the usual “Why?” type questions, one thing I’ve found works quite well is to tell those who are curious that I have a friend who’s a flight attendant for a U.S. airline and he/she was curious about the great inflight service of whatever airline I’m flying, so I promised I’d get some photos of the service. This explanation certainly passes muster with most any flight attendant and even most seatmates. I can also explain taking multiple pictures of any given food item simply by commenting on the apparent difficulty of food photography what with all the different colors and textures involved. At the end of the day though (or flight, as it were), it is what it is – different, yes, but otherwise a pretty innocent activity.

Now Arabic Mezze… Like I said, I thought it was some kind of hors d’oeuvres plate of Arabic specialties. In a sense that’s exactly what it is but what I was presented on tonight’s flight was more like a small meal! It was a delicious collection of hummus type spreads, small salads and a variety of hot and cold delicacies all artistically arranged around a plate bearing a variety of Middle Eastern breads. In hindsight, I was thankful that the Club International didn’t offer a nicer selection of foods else I might not have had room for tonight’s meal with the inclusion of the mezze.



Emirates Amazing Arabic Mezze Presentation

After months of eating skimpy U.S. domestic First Class airline salads, it was a real treat to tuck into a proper international standard First Class salad that included such delicacies as sliced celery, feta cheese cubes with pesto, sunflower seeds and pistachio nuts. Even the two types of salad dressing offered came in individual glass jars instead of the usual plastic packaging I’d become accustomed to of late.



Emirates First Class Salad



Nice Salad Dressing Presentation


Ah… the main course. Tonight’s mixed grill consisted of beef, lamb and chicken accompanied by saffron rice with lentils. The chicken was a little dry but the beef and lamb turned out quite nicely. The rice was delicious! I could easily have eaten only that and been satisfied. Over all, this was a very good and very filling meal, accompanied quite admirably with a glass of the Amancaya Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon 2010. Cheese and dessert would have to wait awhile.



The Mixed Grill Main Course

By the time the last of my plates were cleared it was approaching 9:30pm Seattle time. With nine and a half hours left in the flight, I had just the plan to eat up a fair chunk of that time. No – it didn’t include checking out the impressive selection of movies, television programs, games or music on Emirates’ inflight entertainment system, ICE. There’d be plenty of time for that later. It was time to put in some work on this trip report.

One nice thing about submitting this report in its entirety at the end of my travels is that I’m under no pressure to keep up with ongoing reports and the expectations of same that come with an incremental report. As of right now at least, none of you even know that I’m on this trip, so nobody’s waiting on me. That said however, it’s still important to keep reasonably up to date with my writing. It’s a lot easier to write about travels that occurred within a few days of them as opposed to trying to bring them back to life weeks later. And, as we’ve occasionally seen with other FlyerTalk reporters, the longer the report gets put off the easier it is to simply forget about it.

What better time and place to work on your trip report than when cruising high above the planet, comfortably ensconced in a $120,000 high tech suite providing a large recliner, a nice big table and a dedicated cabin crew happy to cater to your every whim. Speaking of which, would you excuse me for a moment please?

Hi Marijana. Would you bring me another glass of the Woodford Reserve, please? Yes, on ice would be great, thanks!

Now then, where was I?



Enroute on the Polar Route between Seattle and Dubai

Sorry, I must’ve dozed off. My principal strategy for defeating the effects of jetlag on this trip is to try and stay awake through as much of the flight as I can. It’s not going to be easy. We took to the air at 5:45pm PDT and I’m normally in bed by midnight Alaska time, or 1:00am PDT. That’s only a little more than half way into this flight. Indeed, Dubai is exactly twelve hours opposite Alaska meaning that our 7:00pm arrival time will be the equivalent of 7:00am back home. Since I want to be ready for bed once we arrive in Dubai, it makes sense to pull an all-nighter. Maybe I’d better switch that bourbon to coffee. First however, I want to check out the cheese offerings along with some of that 39 year old port proffered here on Emirates.



Cheese and Port on Emirates

And what a magnificent cheese plate it was! Beautifully arrayed on a wooden cheeseboard were five different types of cheese nestled amidst a collection of traditional accoutrements such as grapes, dried apricots, celery, carrots and walnuts. The thirty-nine year old Graham’s Single Vintage Tawny Port was an admirable quaff though per my tastes at least, it still fell a bit short of that fabulous Warre’s 1986 Reserve Tawny Port offered on BA about ten years ago. As such, the quest to find its equal continues but oh, what an enjoyable quest!



The First Class Bar on the 777-300

Time passed surprisingly quickly (with the help of a glass of 21 year old Glenfiddich followed by a short nap) and so we were about two and a half hours out of Dubai when I decided to take advantage of Emirates’ bountiful food offerings for a second meal. Back home it was time for breakfast but since I’d be arriving into Dubai at 7:00pm, why not make it another dinner? And, given that we were cruising high over the Caspian Sea at the moment, why not start that second meal service with another plate of caviar? Why not, indeed!

I actually requested just a small portion of the caviar because I also wanted to try out the Seafood Trilogy appetizer. Additionally I asked for a bowl of the Celeriac, Chestnut & Apple Soup followed by a main course of Chicken Lababdar. Fellow FlyerTalker SFO777 had given this dish a good review in his most recent trip report and then backed it up with his excellent photography. I had to try it.



Seafood Trilogy Appetizer



Celeriac, Chestnut & Apple Soup



Chicken Lababdar

The Seafood Trilogy seemed more like a Seafood Duet to me. I took note of and enjoyed the salmon and the lobster salad but if there were any prawns, they were presented in a way that didn’t look or taste very prawn like. Regardless, it was a tasty little appetizer that left me perfectly primed for the next course – the soup. Celeriac, Chestnut & Apple Soup with Goat Cheese Crostini. While it didn’t exactly roll off the tongue to request it, it rolled over the tongue rather nicely delivering a surprising amount of flavor for celery based soup. The crostini was a nice touch. As for the Chicken Lababdar – wow! Although the menu described the sauce as mild, there was still an abundance and variety of flavors. The chicken was tender and the basmati rice, peas and mutter paneer were delicious accompaniments. This dish gets my personal vote for Best Inflight Meal of the Year and I’d like to think that the chef who came up with it would have been proud of Emirates presentation. The delectable raspberry and chocolate indulgence brought this meal to a delicious close, followed by a cup of rich dark coffee.



Raspberry and Chocolate Indulgence

I should add here that had I so desired, a full breakfast service was available. Here is the transcript of the breakfast offerings from the menu:


CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

Fruit Juices
Refreshing choice of freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice, or enjoy the healthy option of our special detox drink combining beetroot and orange, or a mango and lime smoothie

Breakfast Fruits
A palette of ripe tropical and seasonal fresh cut fruits

Yoghurt
Natural or flavored with fruit

Assorted Cereals
Choice of crunchy Cornflakes or nutritious muesli

Breakfast Bread Basket
A variety of soft and crusty fresh baked breads, butter croissants and freshly baked breakfast pastries,
Served with butter and preserves

Delicatessen’s Cold Meats and Cheese
Offering a gourmet selection of thinly sliced smoked turkey, air-dried beef and a selection of mild breakfast cheeses, dressed with an array of garnishes

HOT BREAKFAST

Chive Scrambled Eggs
Creamy scrambled eggs marbled with fresh chives, accompanied by grilled fresh sourdough bread, roast vine tomatoes, charred Portobello mushrooms, sizzling veal sausages, braised breakfast beans, and golden brown potato röesti

Plain Omelette
Farmhouse fresh egg omelette, served with grilled plum tomatoes, fresh sautéed baby leaf spinach, slow braised breakfast beans and golden pan-fried sliced potatoes

American-Style Pancakes
Thick golden pancakes topped with a rich chocolate sauce and fresh seasonal berries in a raspberry coulis


One interesting aspect of this flight was that it encompassed almost an entire day’s worth of daylight over the course of its thirteen hour duration. We took off out of Seattle with the sun low in the western sky. As we continued north over Canada the sun set and then rose again as were approaching the coast of northern Norway. By the time we’d passed over Moscow it was a bright beautiful day easing into afternoon as we continued over Azerbaijan and Iran. As we descended into Dubai the sun was once again low in the sky, creating a pretty ambience over the desert sands below.

One of my favorite parts of any flight is the last half hour as the aircraft slows and descends ever lower. Between the reduced speed and elevation, it combines to make an excellent air tour of the surrounding countryside - or city as the case may be if you’re flying into a large metropolis such as Los Angeles or Mexico City. Although downtown Dubai is highlighted by glistening glass and steel buildings, the outskirts are made up almost entirely of beige buildings and dwellings. A fair bit of gulf haze had settled in so the view was hardly photogenic but then, this being my first flight into Dubai, it was still quite interesting to see.

Although it’s hard to imagine a 400,000 pound, 242 foot long aircraft “kissing the tarmac”, the phrase seemed appropriate as the flight crew guided our big Boeing into what felt like a textbook landing. It was a fitting conclusion to a wonderful first flight on Emirates. The suite, the meal, the service and the flight were all marvelous and thoroughly lived up to my preflight expectations. The cabin crew in particular did an outstanding job and I made a point of thanking Marijana and Joseph as I exited the aircraft and made my way up the glass jet bridge.


THE DUBAI AIRPORT

From its humble beginnings as a fishing outpost, Dubai has undergone an incredible transformation over the past half century. Oil was discovered in the 1950s. Full independence from Great Britain was granted in 1966 and the government was set up so that the United Arab Emirates became a federation of hereditary monarchies. There are a total of seven emirates with Dubai and Abu Dhabi being the wealthiest.

Much of that wealth can be seen in downtown Dubai where massive government spending on infrastructure has transformed Dubai into one of the world’s most modern and attractive skylines. Until the global economic meltdown of 2008, Dubai was home to almost 30% of the world’s largest construction cranes! Although the pace of construction has slowed a bit since then, the UAE still retain the 7th largest oil reserves in the world so it remains a very wealthy country.

Dubai’s first airport dates back to 1937 though it was actually a flying boat base serving the Empire Flying Boats of Imperial Airways. Dubai served as an overnight stop on the eleven day London to Sydney route. Construction of an actual airport began in 1959. That airport opened in 1960 with a 5,906’ runway made of compacted sand. Over the next few years a number of improvements were made, including a 9,200’ asphalt runway. Jet service arrived in 1966.

During the 1970s and 80s, Dubai was a more of a gas station than a destination with many airlines travelling between Asia and Europe stopping by to top off their tanks. The creation of Emirates Airlines in 1985 and its subsequent growth into one of the largest and most dynamic airlines in the world has transformed Dubai into a major connecting hub for global air travel and spurred the development of the world class facility that we know today as Dubai International Airport.



Terminal A at Dubai International Airport

Exiting the jet bridge, I entered a modern and spacious terminal with huge glass windows and wide, well lit corridors. Shops were everywhere! We had parked at Terminal B and since my connecting flight was not scheduled to depart for another thirteen hours I had plenty of time to get some sleep.

Emirates’ First Class revenue passengers transiting Dubai are provided with complimentary hotel accommodations. Alas, freeloaders traveling on award tickets are not offered this courtesy. Thankfully, Emirates’ First Class lounge is open 24 hours and provides a Quiet Room with individual, curtained off areas complete with couch, table, lamp and a bottle of water. The couch was more akin to a chaise lounge and while its ergonomic curves may have made sense to its designer, they made no sense to me. Thankfully I came equipped with my complete Airport Sleeping Assemblage that includes a Thermarest pad, full sized wool blanket, small pillow, eye shades, headlamp and alarm clock. I set up camp on the floor and slept until about 4:30am local time.

The terminals at Dubai may be air-conditioned, but given the high humidity inherent to the Gulf region they are still muggy inside. As such, the first order of the new day was to take a shower. The shower room was quickly located on the other side of the lounge. An attendant provided me with a towel and showed me to a shower room.

Whoa! This was more like a shower closet! There was barely enough room for me to pull my suitcase inside leaving even less room to change and hang my clothing. I quickly decided to try my luck over at the newer Terminal A, leaving behind a rather perplexed shower attendant but an otherwise clean and unused shower stall.

A spacious and nicely air-conditioned train quickly delivered me over to Terminal A. To its credit the Dubai Airport has excellent and very easy to understand signage. I had no problem locating the First Class Lounge and was subsequently shown to a modern and spacious shower suite, more in keeping with those I had experienced at elite First Class lounges such as The Wing in Hong Kong or BA’s First Lounge at Heathrow. For sheer deluge, nothing beats those sunflower shower heads at The Wing but I did manage a good and refreshing cleaning, allowing me to emerge from the shower suite freshly clothed and ready to take on the new day.



Emirates First Class Lounge Entrance at Terminal B



Emirates First Class Lounge at Terminal B



Emirates First Class Lounge at Terminal B



Emirates First Class Lounge at Terminal B


Now then, where can I get a bite to eat around here? Following the signs to the Dining Room, I was shown to a table and offered a choice of a buffet breakfast or a la carte service from the menu. I opted for the buffet and quickly put together a plate fit for a king or at the very least a hungry passenger who hadn’t eaten in twelve hours. A huge basket of breakfast breads was delivered to my table along with orange juice and coffee. I only ate a single croissant so I’d hate to think that all the rest of that bread was disposed of.



Emirates First Class Lounge Dining Area



Breakfast in Dubai

After breakfast, I paid a visit to the lounge’s newspaper and magazine rack. Outside of specialty magazine shops such as you’d find in a large city, I have never seen a more impressive collection of newspapers, many of them from such far flung outposts as Manila, Nairobi and Buenos Aires. I picked out a copy of the International Herald Tribune and settled into a comfy chair not far from my departure gate at A5. An attendant stopped by to ask if I needed anything and soon I was sipping from a cup of hot coffee accompanied by a small plate of cookies.

At 8:00am EK 045 departing for Frankfurt was announced and I headed over to the gate area. In Terminal A, the First Class lounge is located one level above the main gate lounges but an elevator delivered myself and a couple from Germany down to our own private jetway where we strolled aboard the waiting 777 unimpeded.

Seat 2A

October 14, 2013
Emirates Airlines Dubai – Frankfurt 825a – 115p 777-300 First Class
Vueling Airways Frankfurt – Barcelona 555p – 750p A320-200 Economy Class

Once again, the load was light in the forward cabin with just three of us having the good fortune to enjoy Emirates’ award winning First Class service over to Frankfurt this morning. And what award was that, might you ask? No less prestigious an accolade than the highly coveted ‘World’s Best Airline’ award presented by Skytrax as part of its 2013 World Airline Awards. This is no travel and holiday magazine award voted on solely by people who travel only three or four times a year. The Skytrax World Airline Awards polls over 18 million business and leisure air travelers from more than 160 countries, and its awards are widely regarded as the industry’s benchmark for excellence.

My personal Flight Attendant today was a nice young guy from France named Laurent. Aside from being a very personable and dedicated FA, he would also prove to be a fine oenophile offering many excellent suggestions and insights on the many wines Emirates had available on this flight.

Emirates currently operate a fleet of 90 777-300ERs making it far and away the largest operator of this type in the world. Indeed, Emirates is the largest operator of 777s of all types in the world with a total fleet size of over 130 and growing. The aircraft operating my flight today may have been one of the older ones in the fleet as evidenced by the ancient pull down window shades. Then again, it was equipped with wireless internet which yesterday’s apparently newer airplane was not.



Route of Flight DXB-FRA

Laurent and his pal Robert moved smoothly through the multitude of pre-flight services. I passed on the early morning Champagne and instead accepted another cup of coffee – hold the dates, please. Hot scented towels were dispensed and newspapers offered as we pushed back from the gate and fired up those twin GE90-115B turbofans. The Captain came on over the PA with a cheerful Irish accented welcome and advised us of a six hour and nine minute flight time over to Frankfurt. Despite the annoying tailwind that would once again diminish my time in the lap of airborne luxury, I was otherwise comfortably sat and more than content with my lot in life. All is well in the world. Let’s go to Frankfurt!

Soon we were positioned at the head of the runway poised and ready to begin our thunderous assault against the laws of gravity. The engines powered up, the brakes were released and 35 seconds later we broke those surly bonds and soared into the sunny blue skies above Dubai.

Service commenced about ten minutes into the flight with presentation of the Wine List and Menu. With only three people up front, there was plenty of time for a relaxed and personable service, so Laurent and I got to talking about his experiences traveling around America. He particularly enjoyed his travels through the American West and confided that his dream was to purchase a large, older model Cadillac to drive around the country with. Well buddy, when it comes to driving around America – particularly the west – you’ve come to the right guy!

I’ve driven through every county in the west – and that’s just in my recently retired Mazda pick-up. Laurent had never been to Utah or Colorado so I shared a few pictures with him before we finally settled down to the business of Emirates’ inflight service. Let’s have a look at the menu:


MENU
Dubai to Frankfurt

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

Fruit Juices
Refreshing choice of freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice, or enjoy the healthy option of our special detox drink combining beetroot and orange, or a mango and lime smoothie

Breakfast Fruits
A palette of ripe tropical and seasonal fresh cut fruits

Yoghurt
Natural or flavored with fruit

Assorted Cereals
Choice of crunchy Cornflakes or nutritious muesli

Breakfast Bread Basket
A variety of soft and crusty fresh baked breads, butter croissants and freshly baked breakfast pastries,
Served with butter and preserves

Delicatessen’s Cold Meats and Cheese
Offering a gourmet selection of Italian taleggio and English country mature cheddar cheese, wafer thin air-dried beef and aromatic smoked turkey, dressed with an array of garnishes

* * * ------------------------------------- * * *

LUNCHEON

Canapés
A selection of hot and cold savories including Asian style beef cake, spiced tender chicken tikka skewer, light flaky mushroom vol au vent, marinated buffalo mozzarella cheese, baby bell pepper filled with cheese, jumbo olives with sundried tomato and marinated Kalamata olives

APPETIZERS

Caviar
Perfectly prepared chilled caviar presented with a traditional selection of finely chopped onion, chopped boiled egg, sour cream and lemon, served with crisp melba toast and soft blini pancakes

Traditional Local Arabic Mezze
The flavors of our home, presented as a generous spread of traditional Arabic savory dishes including artichoke and mushroom salad, creamy hommous, loubieh bil zeit, tabouleh, baba ghannouj, seafood salad with red pepper, stuffed vine leaves with warm potato kibbeh, beef and cheese fatayer, complemented with local garnishes and bread

Air-Dried Beef
Finely sliced beef bresaola, served with marinated grilled vegetables, Italian buffalo mozzarella and roasted basil cherry tomatoes

Smoked Salmon
Premium smoked salmon slice, accompanied by marinated celeriac, garnished with fresh dill sprig and topped with pecan nuts


MAIN COURSES

Veal Ragôut with Wild Mushrooms
Delicately flavored veal stew with woodland mushrooms, served with steamed seasonal vegetables and creamy mashed potato with garlic and shallots

Stuffed Chicken Breast
Succulent chicken breast gently filled with cheese, served with cherry tomato stew, sautéed vegetables and over roasted potatoes

Prawn Biryani
Prawns marinated in aromatic spices and slow cooked with rice, garnished with fried cashew nuts, raisins and onions

Leek and Mushroom Ravioli
Fresh pasta cases filled with leek and woodland mushrooms, served with wild mushroom and parmesan velouté, topped with freshly shaved parmesan cheese

Grilled Hammour
Firm fresh fillet of hammour, lightly grilled and dressed with sweet pepper and parsley sauce, served with sautéed leaf spinach, courgettes and pulao rice

A la Carte Vegetables
Our chefs have paired each meal with their ideal accompaniments, but we offer a variety of alternative vegetables to your taste, including vegetable ratatouille, mashed potatoes, steamed basmati rice, broccoli, asparagus and squash

Bread Basket
Choose soft, crusty, granary, garlic or Arabic from our variety of freshly baked rolls and breads


LIGHT BITES

Seasonal Salad
Crisp fresh garden salad leaves, topped with your choice of yellow and red cherry tomatoes, marinated feta cubes with pesto, celery moons and roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds tossed in your preferred dressing

Mushroom and Potato Soup
A creamy farmhouse woodland mushroom and potato soup, served with a golden cheese straw twist

Beef Consommé
Clear rich beef bouillon, served with finely diced mixed vegetables


SWEET DELIGHTS

Blackcurrant and Apricot Pudding
Delicious fruit pudding, served with passion fruit custard sauce

Yoghurt Terrine Mousse
Creamy whipped dessert, topped and garnished with chocolate

Selection of Fruit
A seasonal assortment of the finest fresh cut fruits

International Cheese Selection
A carefully chosen assortment of the finest boutique cheeses from around the world, served with a selection of crudités, crackers, dried fruit and nuts

Vintage Reserve Cheddar Cheese
Capricorn Somerset Goat’s Cheese
Simon Weaver Organic Cotswold Blue Veined Cheese
Chaumes
Yarra Valley Persian Feta Cheese


HOT BEVERAGES

Tea
Black and herbal teas from around the world, featuring Ceylon, China, Earl Grey and Chamomile

Coffee
Brewed to order, your choice of decaffeinated, espresso and cappuccino finale

Chocolates
A luxurious rich chocolate selection provides the perfect finale



Although I’d already had a good sized breakfast just three and a half hours beforehand, I wanted to at least sample something from the Continental Breakfast offerings. After all, we’re talking about First Class international air travel of the highest standard – a rare and cherished treat of which one of the highlights is the meal service. I want to enjoy every bit of the service and since I only get to enjoy this style of travel every few months (or years) rather than weeks, my approach is “Live it up, baby!” Have some Champagne, enjoy the food options and be sure to save some room for dessert!

Laurent assured me that the fruit plate wasn’t too large so I requested that along with a cup of coffee. My table was set with all the usual plates, cutlery and glassware required to enjoy a proper fruit plate including a large selection of breakfast breads. I selected a single small croissant and, as with this morning in the lounge dining room, hoped that once served all that uneaten bread wouldn’t go to waste. The fruit was delivered nicely chilled and colorfully arranged - a flavorful and refreshing start to the flight.



First Class Fruit Plate

Having climbed away from the heat and haze of Dubai, we entered the beautiful blue world of the troposphere. We’d adapted a northwesterly heading taking us right over the middle of the Persian Gulf, shimmering blue and silver beneath us in the morning sunlight. I watched with interest as we flew past Qatar and Bahrain off our port side. This was my first time ever having seen this part of the world from any perspective much less 37000’ above it and I found it quite entertaining.



Cruising High Above The Gulf

That said, Emirates has garnered rave reviews for its ICE inflight entertainment system. Indeed, it’s been voted by Skytrax as the best inflight entertainment system in the world for nine straight years. ICE is an acronym for Information, Communication and Entertainment. The possibilities breakdown as follows:

Information: Follow the progress of your flight, or take in the view from the aircraft’s external cameras. Keep in touch with live business, news and sport headlines from BBC News, and read up on Dubai and Emirates.

Communications: Phone, SMS or email the world below direct from your seat or call friends and family seated elsewhere on the aircraft.

Entertainment: Over 600 channels of premium entertainment to keep you busy during the flight. The latest and best movies, television, audio and games from around the world.

To be honest, I’ve never gotten all that excited about any airlines’ inflight entertainment systems. Between magazines, newspapers, books, my laptop and MP3 player – not to mention the view out my window - I’ve got all the entertainment I normally require. That’s not to say I never watch movies or television shows on airplanes but I’m usually inclined to wait until I can enjoy them from the comfort of my recliner on a much larger screen back home. More often than not, I find myself turning to the flight map and onboard cameras for entertainment. After all, it’s not every day I get to take a scenic air cruise over exotic regions of the planet.

When I was younger, I recall that during the day most everybody used to keep their window shades (or curtains if you were on a DC-8!) up, assumedly to enjoy the view but perhaps even just to enjoy the ambience of natural daylight during those times when the sun was up. These days it seems one of the first things many people do regardless of the time of day is lower their window shades. Perhaps this is due to the abundance of seatback screens or personal devices such as laptops. I usually close my shades as well if only not to be a bother but I don’t like it. Whether I’m on the ground or in the air I simply don’t like sitting in a dark room when it’s broad daylight outside.

One of the nice things about these enclosed suites is that when the doors are closed you can have one or all of your windows open with little if any impact on the rest of the cabin. As such I enjoyed watching as – amongst other things - we flew over Baghdad and passed over a very impressive mountain range in eastern Turkey.

We were about two hours out of Frankfurt cruising high over Timisoara, Romania when Laurent stopped by to see if I’d care for a cocktail or a glass of wine before lunch. Hmm… let’s have a look at those beverage options:


BAR SERVICE

Aperitifs
Campari Bitter
Martini Vermouth – Dry/Sweet

Beers
A selection of international beers including Heineken, Budweiser and Amstel Light

Cocktails
Black Russian, Bloody Mary, Bucks Fizz, Champagne Cocktail, Cosmopolitan (US routes), Fantasy Island, Kir Royal, Manhattan, Martini Cocktail Classic, Screwdriver, Vodka Martini

Mocktails
Jumeirah Delight

Spirits
Premium Scotch Whisky - Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 Years Old, Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Single Malt Whisky - Glenfiddich 21 Years Old
Bourbon - Woodford Reserve
Cognac - Hennessy Paradis
Vodka - Grey Goose, Imperia Russian
Gin - Bombay Sapphire
Rum - Bacardi Superior

Liqueurs
Baileys Irish Cream
Tia Maria
Drambuie
Cointreau


WINE LIST

Champagne
Cuvée Dom Perignon 2003

White Wines
Ermitage Blanc, Cuvée de l’Orée, Michel Chapoutier 2011 Rhone
Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frederic Emile 2006 Alsace
Dr, Von Bassermann Gewachs 2011 Forest, Pfalz
Meursault, Marc Rougeot-Dupin 2011 Burgundy
Dreissgacker Bechtheimer Riesling Trocken 2012 Rheinhessen

Red Wines
Château Palmer 2001
Paul Jaboulet Ainé Hermmitage La Chapelle 2006 Rhone
Château La Tour du Pin Figeac 2005 St. Emilion
Pintia 2007 Toro


It’s been over a year and a half since I last enjoyed a glass of Johnny Walker Blue Label, that coming aboard a Cathay Pacific 747 speeding across the vast reaches of the Pacific Ocean. What better place to rekindle that tasty relationship than when sitting here aboard an Emirates 777 on a beautiful autumn afternoon, cruising high above Romania?



JWB Cocktail Hour Aboard Emirates

My drink was delivered with a small plate of mixed nuts and a selection of hot canapés. Cocktail hour just doesn’t get much better than this at 37000’! Earlier in the flight I had discussed my luncheon choices with Laurent and we had decided that I would start with a portion of caviar followed by an appetizer of the air-dried beef. Laurent had assured me that it was not a large serving, which would leave me plenty of room for a bowl of the potato mushroom soup followed by the stuffed chicken breast as my main course.

With the arrival of the caviar, I traded out my JWB for a glass of wine. At this point Laurent’s interest and skills as an oenophile came into play as he discuss and recommend a couple of delicious white wines. It’s worth noting here that Emirates recently won the Business Traveller Magazine Cellars in the Sky award for First Class White Wine. Emirates was also shortlisted for its sparkling wine in First Class, its fortified wine in both First Class and Business Class and its red wine in Business Class. We began with a glass of the Ermitage Blanc, Cuvee l’Oree, Michel Chapoutier 2011. It complimented the caviar’s salty flavor wonderfully.



Caviar Service



Air Dried Beef Appetizer

With the air-dried beef I switched to the Dreissigacker Bechtheimer Riesling Trocken 2012. Although Rieslings are typically described as dry white wines, I didn’t find this particular Riesling to be quite as dry as I would have liked. No problem! We replaced it with a glass of the Dr. Von Basserman Gewachs 2011 and that’s what I stayed with through the remainder of the meal. Delicious!



Mushroom and Potato Soup



Stuffed Chicken Breast

As for the food, the soup was every bit as delicious as one might have expected from a combination of potatoes and mushrooms. Unfortunately, the chicken breast was a bit light on the cheese stuffing and unfortunately a bit drier than any of the wines I’d tasted. Well, when it comes to airline food I’m a reasonably forgiving guy though I would like to acknowledge – for anyone out there who claims that it’s impossible to properly cook white meat such as chicken breast or rabbit in an airplane oven – that I’ve been served more than a few examples that came out as moist and flavorful as if they’d been served in a land based restaurant. We’ll try again on another flight.



Cheese and Port

Dessert was a serving of blue cheese that was as flavorful as it was surprisingly smooth and creamy. I accompanied it with another glass of the 39 year old port. By the time the last of my plates had been cleared, I had just enough time to take a quick post-luncheon lap around the aircraft before we’d commence our descent. The cabin of a 777 measures out at 194 feet long, so an expedition to the rear of the aircraft and back is a good little walk complete with a variety of obstacles to be negotiated such as passenger feet and arms, the curtains between cabins and the occasional inquisitive flight attendant. I must say that while Business Class looked reasonably comfortable, Economy looked anything but. Where most airlines go with a 9 across configuration on their 777s in Economy, Emirates manages to squeeze in 10 seats. It doesn’t look at all comfortable back there.

From a First Class perspective however, flying really doesn’t get any better. With their amazing suites and lavish service, all of the world’s great airlines are capable of delivering a great flight up in First Class. It’s the little things, really, that often contribute most to a memorable flight. A beautiful day, an interesting chat with your flight attendant, a turbulence free flight, a nicely chilled glass of a new and flavorful wine, a productive couple hours of work… As is so often the case on the “memorable” flights, this one passed too quickly.

Time flies when you’re having fun!


FRANKFURT AIRPORT

When I booked these reservations on Emirates through Alaska’s Mileage Plan, my desired destination had been London or Glasgow with the primary purpose of this trip being to head out to northwestern Scotland to ride the famous West Highland Line between Glasgow, Fort William and Mallaig. As anyone knows who’s tried to book First Class award reservations aboard an airline of Emirates’ stature, those seats can be hard to come by. Additionally, unless you desire a layover in the hub city, you’ve got to coordinate your inbound flight with an available outbound flight. This is where we ran into difficulty. While we’d managed to find a seat out of Seattle into Dubai, there were no connecting flights available to any destinations in the U.K. We then proceeded to check the surrounding region and finally found an available seat into Frankfurt. I’ll take it!

Now then, how do I get from Frankfurt over to Scotland? I had nine days total in Europe so there was no need to rush. Nonetheless, I started by looking at nonstops from Frankfurt into Edinburgh or Glasgow. Whoa! No discounts there! Oh well, I could always take a train to Cologne or Dusseldorf or Prague and get a good fare out of any of those cities. As I got to looking at the flight schedules of these various discount carriers, it occurred to me that I had an excellent opportunity to add a few new airlines to the collection of one hundred and sixty that I’d already flown.

Well now, this approach changed things considerably. Over the next week or so I looked into dozens of possibilities, all of them fueled more by a desire to fly a particular airline than to visit any particular city. Munich, Madrid, Bucharest – it really didn’t matter. Ultimately I came up with the following itinerary:

October 14: Frankfurt to Barcelona on Vueling Airlines
October 15: Barcelona to Lisbon via Oporto on TAP with the BCE-OPO flight a codeshare operated by Portugalia
October 15: Train from Lisbon to Faro
October 18: Faro to Manchester on Monarch
October 18: Train from Manchester to Glasgow

I count three new airlines and two full days in southern Portugal while enroute from Frankfurt to Glasgow. I like it!

* * * * * * * * * * *

This was my first ever flight into Frankfurt. We parked at Terminal 2 and I must say it is quite a big spread out place! I couldn’t help but muse that frequent fliers based out of here must all be quite fit given the amount of walking between the terminal check-in area and the outlying gates.

Faced with a four and a half hour layover, I thought I might spend a bit of time lounging airside before heading landside to check-in for my connecting flight. A quick check of my Priority Pass directory indicated that there was a lounge just about a mile away, down by D-8. Right, then. Off we go. Uh oh – not so fast! A little further down the lounge information section was the notice that this lounge was only available to those with valid boarding passes for a departing flight.

Well dang! Alright then, off we go to the far end of the terminal and out into Baggage Claim. Thankfully the signage throughout the airport is excellent and I had no problem finding my way. Unfortunately, I arrived at the Vueling ticket counter only to find that check-in wouldn’t commence until a couple of hours before departure time. Fair enough. That allows less time for the possibility of my bag getting misplaced in this huge airport. Now – where can I get a beer around here?

Upstairs. Two levels. Just follow the signs to the food court.

Three hours later I’d checked in, made my way through security and was standing at my departure gate D-24. You would think that D-8 (where the Sky Lounge was located) would be just sixteen gates down the way but the layout of this terminal was so convoluted with labyrinthine corridors and hallways leading off to God knows where that I finally decided to just hang out in the gate area. Like most everybody else. Besides, wherever gate D-8 was, it appeared to be a long enough distance from my gate that my time there would be limited anyway.

A small kiosk next to the gate sold bottled water for €3.10. A machine just seventy feet away sold the same bottle for €2.50. Unfortunately it seemed to be broken as it would not accept either coins or paper currency. I handed the man €3.10 for my bottle of water.

It’s just as well I stayed in the gate area because despite the presence of a jet bridge, our airplane ended up being remotely parked. As such, boarding began about 40 minutes out. As our bus departed the gate, a TAROM 737 pulled in. How come they rate a jet bridge and we don’t? Oh well. One of the positives of riding a bus out to your plane is that you get some really great close up views of aircraft taxiing by on the tarmac. Today’s highlight was a giant Air Namibia A330. It was raining lightly as we pulled up next to our waiting A320 but with only a thirty foot walk from the bus to the covered mobile stairway at the front of the plane, nobody got too wet.

Although Vueling began operations in 2004 as an independent company, it later merged with the Spanish discount carrier Clickair and has since been bought by IAG (International Airlines Group), the same company that owns Iberia and British Airways. Vueling is currently the second largest airline in Spain.

Like a lot of discount carriers, Vueling has very strict regulations regarding carry-on luggage. There are size and weight limitations and bags that don’t meet those restrictions will be charged €35.00 at the gate. You don’t see everyone lugging those big bulky roll-a-boards like they do in the U.S. and the result is that boarding and deplaning are accomplished a lot more quickly.

Vueling packs 180 seats into its A320-200s. The result is a seat pitch that’s said to be 30” but really felt like less. I’m just under than six feet tall and my knees were right up against the seat in front of me. Interestingly, Vueling also offers what they call an “Excellence Seat”. It’s located in row 1 and aside from the extra legroom, people sat there are also guaranteed an empty middle seat. To my American way of thinking, if they’re going to guarantee that empty middle seat – effectively creating four across seating in that row – why not just put in a couple of proper 2-2 Business Class seats and really make it nice?

In any event, Vueling’s Economy Class seat may well be the tightest seat I’ve ever sat in. The width was fine. It was the pitch and subsequent limited recline that wasn’t. Welcome to the world of European style discount air travel. We Americans have been spoiled with “Low Cost” carriers such as Southwest and Jet Blue, both of which offer considerably more comfortable seating and service than most of the European discount airlines. The European model has arrived in America, though. It’s called Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air. Mind you I’m comparing more than complaining here. I’m thankful for a good fare down to Barcelona and my back and knees can certainly survive this seating configuration for the hour and forty minutes it’ll take us to fly down to Barcelona.

Service on this flight consisted of a pass with the food and beverage cart. A menu in the back of each seat pocket described a surprising variety of reasonably priced sandwiches, snacks and drinks – none of them complimentary. I decided to hold off until we arrived in Barcelona. An hour and forty minutes later, we did just that.

Unlike many of you, I don’t have any hotel credit cards or points that’ll get me into some big fancy place with a nice lobby. The only way I get into a Starwood or Marriott is via Priceline or Hotwire. Still, there are plenty of other good, affordable accommodations out there. I only need a quiet room to get some sleep for the night and a shower in the morning. I just don’t see any reason to pay $120.00 or more for that.

A bit of research before this trip revealed a fair number of affordably priced properties and a Google map search revealed good local transport options that would get me from the airport to within easy walking distance. I booked a hotel, mapped it out and then followed my pre-printed instructions downstairs to the transit area where a bus serving route L77 was just minutes from departure. Fifty minutes later I was dropped off almost directly across the street from my hotel. At €49.00 for the hotel plus €2.00 for the bus, I got a good night’s sleep in a spacious, quiet room for a decent price.

Seat 2A

October 15, 2013
Portugalia Airlines Barcelona - Oporto 1215p – 105p ERJ-145 Economy Class
TAP Portuguese Airlines Oporto - Lisbon 255p – 345p A319-100 Economy Class
Portuguese Railways Lisbon – Faro 600p – 910p Pendolino First Class

It was 9:30am when the bus dropped me off at the airport. I’d intentionally arrived a bit earlier than usual so that I could enjoy a bit of lounging at the Sala VIP Pau Casals. The fact that I’d seen reviews indicating this lounge was a 2013 winner in Priority Pass’s Lounge of the Year awards in addition to offering a decent continental breakfast with various cold cereals, fruit and a variety of breakfast breads also inspired my timing.

TAP Portugal doesn’t charge for your first piece of checked baggage. Better yet, the girl who checked me in allowed me to keep both my roll-a-board and my daypack with me, although the roll-a-board would have to be checked on the tarmac prior to boarding Portugalia’s little Jungle Jet.

Barcelona’s El Prat International Airport has one of the more attractive terminal buildings I’ve ever seen. Banners hanging here and there indicate the airport was awarded Best Airport in Southern Europe in 2011 and 2012. The terminal building is high, wide and bright with an abundance of attractive shops and restaurants. Like Frankfurt Airport however, getting anywhere involves a lot of walking.

Right, then, might as well get started. On to the lounge! I followed one sign, then another, and then another and another and another… well dammit, where IS it?! Finally, after about a quarter mile I finally came across a lounge sign with a sideways rather than a forward arrow. An escalator delivered me upstairs to the glass walled lounge. The receptionist checked me in and pointed out the buffet and the work stations. Each workstation actually had a computer monitor mounted on its desk but I was thankful to find the one desk that didn’t was still available. And what work would I be engaged in, you ask? Why – typing up this trip report, of course! As of that point I hadn’t even begun to describe my first flight on Emirates between Seattle and Dubai. At present, I’m sitting here on a rainy night in Edinburgh typing about what happened six days ago.

Later, another quarter mile hike delivered me to gate C-94 where Portugalia’s white, green and red Embraer jet awaited. This flight was totally full and I had been assigned seat 19A, a single seat in the very last row of the airplane. That’s right, back by the engines and up against the rear bulkhead. The seat did not recline. It was like air travel purgatory. And to think that just 24 hours ago I was being wined and dined like a plutocrat whilst sat in an Emirates First Class suite. Sigh…



From First to Worst

Other than that, this was a pretty nice flight. We encountered very little turbulence as we shot across the Iberian peninsula in just one hour and twenty-nine minutes. Along the way we were served a complimentary snack box containing a decently sized pork baguette and a small bottle of pear nectar. For a flight as short as this, that’s about as good as it gets. Especially if you’re back in 19A.

My hour and a half layover in Porto was spent in the attractive little ANA Lounge that offered complimentary cold beer, mixed nuts and finger sandwiches to tide me over while saving me from having to buy overpriced airport food. The airport terminal is an attractive collection of steel and glass and I found myself thinking that were I to ever suffer the misfortune of an extended flight delay, I would consider myself fortunate if it were to happen in this airport.

Boarding for my flight to Lisbon commenced at 2:30. Waiting at the gate was an Airbus A319 looking quite fetching in the attractive livery of TAP Portugal. Interestingly, the airplane was named for Portuguese Air Force General Humberto Delgado. I was unaware that Portugal ever had an Air Force! Seating onboard the little Airbus was surprisingly spacious but as flight time down to Lisbon was a mere 35 minutes, service was limited to a smile from the pretty flight attendant doing the safety briefing beside me.



Final Into Lisbon

Lisbon’s Portela Airport is an older facility but it feels “good old” if there is such a thing. It feels… immediately comfortable, like slipping into a pair of old jeans. I liked the lighting and the architecture and from a practicality standpoint it was easy to find my way, in this case to the Men’s Room, a bottled water purchase and finally out to the Metro.

Three stops later I was alighting at Lisbon’s Gare do Oriente – or East Station. Designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, it took five years to build and was completed in time for the Expo '98 World’s Fair. Its most stunning feature is a roof of glass and steel made to look like a forest of trees. It is an impressive structure, to say the least. The station serves about 75 million passengers per year which makes it about as busy as Grand Central Terminal in New York. Today it looked every bit as busy as I remember Grand Central being when I used to ride Penn Central’s Harlem Line into the city back in the early 1970s.

My destination today is Faro. There’s no particular reason for my having picked Faro as a destination other than I tend to favor those places that are out on the edges. With its location down at the far southern end of Portugal, Faro certainly fits the bill. Additionally it is at the very end of the main north-south rail line in Portugal and as any of you who’ve read my trip reports must surely know by now, I do enjoy a good train ride.

I had no problem booking my tickets on the Internet from Lisbon down to Faro. Comboios de Portugal, the main Portuguese railway company, has a very easy to use website. A First Class ticket for the three hour ride to Faro priced out at just €18.00 and included access to the fabulous CP Lounge.

That is to say the lounge at least sounded fabulous in CP’s online description. To wit:

The CP Lounge in Oriente is a pleasant place where waiting is no longer synonymous with wasting time. You’ll enjoy personalized service, information about CP products and services, arrival and departure times, air conditioning and an area for relaxing, reading and business meetings with TV, internet, daily papers and drinks.

Silly me! Based upon this description, I was expecting an airline style lounge with comfortable seating and a quiet, relaxed ambience. Alas, the reality of it was a glass walled room independent of the concrete station around it. The “area for relaxing, reading and business meetings” was actually a collection of plastic chairs and cushioned cubes to sit upon. There were a couple of small round tables better suited for cocktails than working upon. A soccer game blared from a TV mounted on the wall. Oh yeah, this was a good place for a business meeting – maybe if you were a gangster. The only “drinks” I saw available was a water cooler along the wall. At least the water it dispensed was cold. Other than that it was warmer inside the lounge than out in the station and, after waiting for the attendant to finish his smoke outside the lounge entrance, I asked about the air-conditioning. He replied that he’d have to get permission from an elderly couple sitting in a corner but then he made what seemed a very half-hearted effort to ask them. They ignored him. I bid the lounge guy so long and headed back out into the station where at least a cool breeze took some of the stickiness off the heat. I was doing just fine until a young beggar who certainly didn’t look or sound local approached with some song and dance about how he’d missed his train and didn’t have enough money for the extra fare of the new departure. I might have been willing to spot him a Euro or two until he added that he was just trying to get home to see his sick father. That and the fact that he didn’t have any baggage. His persistence forced me back into the lounge until departure time. Honestly, it was like something out of a bad movie.



The CP Lounge at Lisbon Station



Plush Seating in the CP Lounge

The equipment operating my service down to Faro this evening was the ubiquitous Pendolino high-speed tilting train. Built in Italy, these trains are used commonly throughout the U.K. and Europe. The tilting train technology, with a maximum tilt angle of 8°, allows the train to negotiate curves at higher speeds than conventional trains. The combination of the resulting high cornering velocity and the tilting movement of the cars help ensure a comfortable ride for the passengers. These trains are capable of speeds in the 120-130 mph range though I got the feeling we did most of the trip in the 60-80mph range.



Awaiting my Train on Platform 4 at Lisbon Station



The Pendolino arrives on Platform 4 at Lisbon Station

The sun was an hour or so from setting as we rolled south out of the city. I’m not much of a city guy but I really liked what I saw of Lisbon. The buildings, the river, the surrounding countryside – it all looked quite pretty. I’d like to come back here and spend a bit more time someday.



First Class Seating on The Pendolino

Seating in First Class offers a slightly wider seats configured 1-2 compared to the standard 2-2 arrangement in Economy. First Class customers are offered a "welcome kit" consisting of a drink, a newspaper and headsets that allow you to use the audio and video channels provided on the train. An overhead monitor showed our location and speed along with some intermittent Portuguese programming. The beverage cart made an appearance and I accepted a coffee. I was handed a tiny little paper cup no more than 2” high half filled with what I assume to be espresso. As coffee experiences go, it wasn’t very satisfying.

A hot airline style meal was available for €12.50 (about $17.00 USD) though it was possible to have pre-ordered it during the on-line reservation process for just €9.00. I saw one being prepared back in the kitchen area and it looked like most any economy class airline meal. I couldn’t see shelling out $17.00 for it so I ordered a €2.50 hamburger instead.

Overall, the ride was nice and the trip passed quickly. We pulled into Faro right on time and I walked about three blocks to my hotel. It was a humble little 2 star place called the Sol Algarve. Located down in old town Faro, away from the more touristy hotels, it was just perfect for my needs.



My Hotel – The Sol Algarve



My Humble Abode at The Sol Algarve



The View From my Luncheon Table at Lagos



The Old Railroad Station at Lagos

Over the next two days I strolled around the narrow streets of old town Faro, rode the local train out west to the seaside town of Lagos, dined at a couple of great local restaurants and cafes, enjoyed a tasty bottle of Madeira that I hope to find back home and rented a car for the pretty drive out to Seville, Spain. The great rate I got on the car rental however was offset by the exorbitant petrol prices I encountered. Coming in at €1.47 per litre, this worked out to about $7.60 USD per gallon. Prior to this, the most I’d ever paid for the equivalent of a gallon of gas was $7.20 out along the southern border of Australia’s Northern Territory while driving from Adelaide up to Alice Springs.

Seat 2A

October 18, 2013
Monarch Airlines Faro - Manchester 1135a – 225p A321-200 Economy Class
Transpennine Railway Manchester - Preston 429p – 530p First Class
Virgin Trains Preston – Glasgow 541p – 758p First Class

Just two blocks from my hotel was a bus stop serving the #62 line, providing direct service to Faro Airport for just €1.00. Thirty minutes later I’m enjoying coffee and a croissant while awaiting the designation of a check-in area for Monarch 581. Interestingly, most of this morning’s departures are headed for various airports around the U.K. via airlines like Monarch, Ryanair, Jet2 and EasyJet. The only domestic flight I saw listed was a mid-morning departure on TAP up to Lisbon. Once I got checked in, I proceeded through security and headed halfway down the terminal to the Faro Lounge.

Before departing on this trip I took advantage of a Priority Pass promotion and invested $199.00 in a membership good for ten lounge visits with subsequent visits priced at $27.00 per visit. Anyone who flies a lot knows how much the peace and quiet provided by lounges can contribute to a more comfortable, less stressful airport experience. Consider today’s departure from Faro. Here I’ve checked in with almost an hour and a half to go before my flight boards. The terminal is noisy and crowded with few places available to sit down. Meanwhile, across the way in the Faro Lounge I’m relaxing in a comfortable chair with a fresh cup of coffee, a cookie and a Wi-Fi connection. The ambience is relaxed and when the time to board approaches, I just head on over to the gate and on to the airplane.

Because our plane was remotely parked, boarding commenced about 50 minutes out. Monarch’s A321s seat 214 passengers and today’s flight was completely full, so two busses were available to handle the initial horde. Though normally I’m pretty excited about flying on a new airline, I found myself somewhat less than enthused about the prospect of spending two and a half hours in an airplane where seat pitch is listed at 28-29”. I remind myself that I only paid €54.00 for this 1160 mile flight and that this is how a significant portion of the world flies these days but it does little to take away the pain and stiffness that settle into my lower back after about an hour and a half in that seat. Monarch does offer a small section of six rows of seats offering an extra five inches of legroom for those willing to pay more. For this flight that would have amounted to about $55.00 more – a mere pittance now that I’m confronted with the reality of actually sitting in this 29” pitch seat.

Aside from the tight seating, Monarch actually provided a surprising amount of service. Of course, you’ve got to pay for every last bit of it but the flight attendants came around the cabin early and often serving everything from pre-purchased hot meals (they smelled delicious!) to sandwiches, snacks and beverages from an extensive onboard menu. They also made a number of garbage runs, even taking time to separate plastic cups for recycling. In short, they worked hard and efficiently, contributing greatly towards making a flight aboard crowded, tightly packed aircraft much more enjoyable than I would have imagined. Well done, Monarch!

This was my first flight into Manchester Airport and during our taxi in I wished I’d had a window seat so that I could get a better look at the grounds. MAN is the third largest airport in the U.K. and is served by over 40 airlines. It’s got three terminals and is poised for further growth in the years ahead.

It was a short walk from our arrival gate down to Customs and Immigration. I was directed to fill out an entry form and proceed into the lane marked for “Non EU” residents. No problem. The line of humanity gathered there looked quite manageable compared to the huge horde of returning U.K. residents across the hall. Little did I know that those just joining the huge queue of U.K. residents would likely be out of the airport and well on their way home by the time I finally reached the front of my line.

The problem was two-fold. First, where were the Immigration inspectors? During the hour and ten minutes I stood waiting in line, there were only two inspectors assigned to the Non-EU line, one of whom was a trainee that worked slowly and carefully while receiving constant and thorough supervision from another inspector. Those two only lasted for a half hour or so before they left and we were down to just one inspector for a line exceeding forty passengers. On two separate occasions I took note of a brightly clad person who’d joined the rear of the much larger UK Residents line next to us and watched with dismay as they twice made it all the way through their line while I’d hardly moved. The other problem was that all of the people ahead of me were fresh off a Pakistan International Airlines flight. There were language issues as well as potentially more stringent security and immigration concerns given Pakistan’s role in the troubled Middle East. Additionally, there were some folks around me who took a much more relaxed approach to personal hygiene than I was used to. Lastly, my back was killing me from standing so long.

Out of sheer boredom I recorded the amount of time some of the folks in front of me spent with the inspectors. Five minutes, twelve minutes, six minutes… I’d allowed for two hours to get through immigration and customs but at this pace there was no way I was going to make my 4:30pm train departing from the airport station. Sigh… Well, we’ll cross that track when we come to it.

Finally two more inspectors arrived during my last twenty minutes in line and things improved a bit. Once I got to actually chat with an immigration inspector, things moved along quite swiftly. The conversation essentially went like this:

“What’re you doing here?”
“I’ve come to ride the West Highland Line train along with a couple of others”
“Is this your first trip to the U.K.?”
“No, I’ve been over here four or five times.”
“How long will you be in the U.K. on this trip?
“Five days.”
“Alright then – enjoy your stay.”

Our conversation couldn’t have lasted even a minute! I should imagine most of the passengers still in line behind me were both thankful and surprised at the brevity of my exchange. Me – I was just thankful to get outta there! Down at baggage claim, my bag was one of just two still riding the belt. I grabbed it and set out on the long trek over to the airport train station.

Along the way I’m embarrassed to admit that I made a rookie mistake. I stopped at the first ATM I saw and withdrew Ł150.00. It was a Travelex sponsored machine and the exchange rate was very much in their favor. Oh well. I promptly went and squandered some of my expensive new British Pounds on a USD $4.50 cup of coffee. It was just regular coffee too, not one of those fancy foo-foo drinks.

All of my tickets for train travel throughout England and Scotland were purchased over the internet. The process could not have been easier, I benefitted from early purchase fares and all I had to do was present my record locator and the credit card I used for the purchase to claim my tickets. Automated kiosks were available in the larger stations.

My destination for the tonight is Glasgow, Scotland. Although Manchester based TransPennine Express operated a 5:00pm departure direct to Glasgow, I found a 4:29pm connection with Virgin Trains through Preston with just an 11 minute layover. Better yet, Virgin includes complementary hot meals to its First Class passengers whereas TransPennine provides only biscuits and coffee.

I will give TransPennine this: Outside of South Africa, they have some of the most colorful trains I’ve ever seen.

You always hear about Swiss trains being legendary for their on-time performance but over the years my experience with trains in England and Scotland has also been quite good in this regard. Now before any of you go firing off a post detailing your nightmare on a U.K. based train, I don’t doubt there’ve been some bad days on U.K. rails but from my personal experience – about fifteen rides worth – they’ve been really good.



The Station at Manchester Airport

My bright blue and purple Class 185 Pennine Desiro pulled into the station about five minutes before our scheduled 4:29pm departure time. People got off. People got on. The doors closed. By my watch we powered out of the station at 4:29pm. Chalk up another on-time departure.



The Class 185 Pennine Desiro



First Class Seating on TransPennine

You definitely won’t mistake the First Class seats on most British trains with those you may have sat in on a proper airliner – unless you’re flying European domestic Business Class. Seating in the First Class carriages is configured 1-2 (as opposed to 2-2 in 2nd Class) and though the First Class seats look large and impressive, in reality they are not very well padded and so are fairly hard and not very comfortable. They do at least have decent recline via the bottom of the seat sliding forward.

On the 16:29 to Blackpool North however, I was happy simply to have a seat! Second Class was so packed that its patrons were spilling over into the First Class cars because there simply wasn’t any more room to stand back there. I had three loud guys laughing, joking and swaying mere inches from my seat for much of the ride. Even if there were any kind of a trolley beverage service, it would have been impossible to perform with all the people in the aisle. When I detrained at Preston my seat was immediately taken by someone who was assumedly traveling 2nd Class. Whatever. I was just happy to get off that train.

Preston has a nice old brick station that dates back to 1838, though the current station was rebuilt as of 1880. Modern amenities such as dot matrix display screens on each platform provide easy to read information on upcoming train arrivals and departures. We waited under what was basically a big train shed next to the main station building. The temperature was in the 50s so for a northern breed like me, the short wait was quite pleasant if not downright refreshing.

At 5:41pm Virgin’s attractive red, yellow and silver Alstom Class 390 Pendolino sped into the station. There was nothing slow or stately about this train’s arrival. A stiff breeze washed over me as the train sped past, eventually stopping with three carriages to spare. I had a bit of a walk to find my First Class car but once onboard, I liked what I saw. My single seat was situated alongside a large window. In front of me was a spacious table with a nicely muted table lamp and place settings for two that included a small plate and a good sized coffee mug instead of those dainty little cups that are so popular over here. Ah… it’s good to settle into a more comfortable seat with proper legroom. The load was light and as there was nobody sat across from me I had plenty of room to spread out. Each table comes with an electrical outlet so I plugged in my laptop and took advantage of the complimentary Wi-Fi until the car attendant arrived with a trolley bearing tonight’s dinner selections.



First Class Seating on Virgin Trains

Welsh Rarebit or Beef Pasty? I’ll have the pasty, please. Complimentary alcohol was available, so I accompanied the pasty with a passably cold bottle of Spanish lager. Dessert was a slice of fairly plain looking cake which I also declined. Now I’ve had a few pasties in my time but I must say the one I was served on Virgin tonight may well have been the best beef pasty I’ve ever had. The crust was deliciously flaky and the filling hot, flavorful and plentiful. By contrast the Welsh Rarebit looked a bit tired.



First Class Dining on Virgin Trains

Virgin’s Pendolinos are capable of speeds up to 125mph though judging by the speed of lights and buildings passing by it looked like we kept it down to about 100. The ride was nice and smooth though and time passed quickly as we sped through the Scottish countryside. Due to a slow train up ahead of us, our arrival into Glasgow’s Central Station was actually about 5 minutes late. It was raining lightly as I stepped onto the platform but it was only a short walk into the warm and brightly lit station. I had no problem finding my way over to the local underground where I caught a short ride out to Partick and then back to Charring Cross Station. My hotel for the night, the Premier Inn, was conveniently located directly outside and above the station.



The View of Glasgow Out my Window at The Premier Inn

Seat 2A

October 19, 2013
Scot Rail Glasgow - Crianlarich 1221p – 209p Economy Class
Scot Rail Crianlarich – Fort William 221p - 543p Economy Class

Following a good night’s sleep and a hot breakfast, I headed back down to the Charring Cross Station and caught the Blackburn line one stop up to Glasgow’s Queen Street Station. Though not as large as the Central Station, Queen Street still sported seven platforms and appeared to be ScotRail’s base of operations in Glasgow. On one side of the station were a variety of restaurants and coffee stands (Starbucks vs. Costa’s), so I wandered over there to check out the offerings. Since catering aboard the train was limited to trolley service (Hot and cold beverages with a few snacks and sandwiches) I purchased a good looking sub sandwich and a bottle of water to tide me over during the four hour ride to Fort William.

The last time I rode a train in Scotland was three and a half years ago in March of 2010. It was a bright sunny day as we pulled out of Inverness bound for Kyle of Lochkalsh, sixty miles to the west. I remember it as one of the prettiest train rides I’d ever taken as we rolled past lakes, mountains and small towns on our way to the coast. That ride served as the inspiration for this trip because I knew right then and there that I’d one day have to come back and explore more of Scotland by rail.

The West Highlands are considered by many to be the prettiest part of Scotland and so it comes as no surprise that the West Highland Line is said to be the most scenic train ride in all of Scotland, if not the U.K. The line runs from Glasgow west to Fort William and then north up the coast to Mallaig. A number of well-known movies have been filmed out between Fort William and Mallaig including Highlander, Local Hero and parts of the Harry Potter movies.

The only downside to this exciting day for me was that it was a typical autumn day in Scotland – that is to say it was cloudy with a light drizzle. Oh well, I’m here and I’m ready to go so let’s head on out to platform seven where our train is almost ready to depart.

Waiting for us on platform seven were four shiny cars wearing the attractive dark blue livery of ScotRail. There was no separate engine. That’s because each car, known as a Class 158 Express Sprinter, is self-powered with a diesel engine located beneath the passenger cabin. Although the cars looked fairly new and modern, they were actually over twenty years old, having been built and delivered back in the early nineties.



Standard Class Seating on ScotRail Trains

The seating arrangement is a mix of forward and backward facing seats at each end of the car with two tables for four on each side in the middle. A large tour group had boarded in Glasgow and the train was almost completely full as we pulled out of the station and began our journey west through the rainy Glasgow suburbs. I was sat at one of the tables and across from me were Carol and Katherine from the Isles of Mull and Lewis respectively. They were on their way home after having competed in a week long Gaelic choir competition in Glasgow. Choirs from all over Scotland were in attendance and had I known about this event, I might have tried to get into Glasgow a day early. When it came up that my home was in Alaska, Carol mentioned that she’d cruised up to Juneau once. Indeed she was quite widely traveled having visited the U.S. on three occasions along with a host of other international destinations including one of my personal favorites, Mauritius. By contrast, Katherine had been down to London occasionally and over to Amsterdam once but otherwise had spent all of her life on Lewis Island. She had a stronger accent than Carol but I found both of them easy to understand as well as enjoyable traveling companions.

The journey to Fort William was every bit as pretty as advertised. We skirted the north bank of the Firth of Clyde before beginning a gradual climb that would take us high above the shores Loch Lomond. The forested areas were quite rich with an abundance of ferns attesting to the large amount of rain this area receives – up to 180” per year.



Station Break at Crianlarich



The Station at Crianlarich

As we pulled into the town of Crianlarich we were all treated to an unexpected surprise. Parked across the platform from us was the beautiful Jacobite steam train that operates during the summer season between Fort William and Mallaig. Today it was operating a private excursion out to Crianlarich. We all got off the train to admire the beautiful engine and cars. Photos were taken. I also bid so long to Carol and Katherine here as they were headed down a different set of tracks to Oban where ferries would complete their journey home.


LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 Steam Engine at Crianlarich


Iconic British Railways Logo on Jacobite Steam Engine

From Crianlarich the rail line rises to over 1300 feet and travels 23 miles across the beautifully barren landscape of the Rannoch Moor. Along the way the trolley made its rounds and over the course of the trip I couldn’t resist shelling out $6.00 US for a couple cups of powdered coffee. I can only imagine it must have been the grey rainy day outside, because somehow that coffee actually tasted okay. Eventually we began a long descent through the heart of the Highlands past Loch Treig and into a beautiful gorge before following Glen Spean on down into Fort William. As we rolled into the station at FTW, I took note of the overnight Caledonian Sleeper train parked alongside us. I had considered using this train to get to or from Fort William but the schedules were such that I would have missed out on some very pretty scenery due to either darkness or me sleeping early in the morning.


Caledonian Sleeper Parked at Fort William

My original intent had been to take this train all the way up to Mallaig, spend a couple of nights there and take the ferry over to the Isle of Skye on a day trip. Unfortunately all the affordable hotels in Mallaig were sold out – perhaps because of the tour group – and so I ended up booking a room in Fort William instead. Fort William is larger and quite a bit more touristy than Mallaig, but the hotel I stayed in couldn’t have been more perfect!

Located right in the center of Fort William just across the road from the railway station, The Alexandra Hotel was exactly the kind of hotel I love to stay in. It wasn’t the finest hotel in Fort William by any means but it may well have had the most character. Built in 1876 and renovated in 2000, the hotel attracted not only visitors but also locals. My ensuite double room included everything from a hair dryer to Wi-Fi along with a nice view out over the town commons and the Loch Linnhe beyond. The comfortable and attractively furnished bar and lounge area made for a great place to enjoy a cold beer (Tennant Lager for me, thanks!) or one of the many single malt whiskeys on offer at the bar. There were two dining rooms, one with a casual ambience and an a la carte menu and the other a bit more formal with complete fixed price dinners. In the morning a complimentary full hot breakfast buffet was available. I would definitely stay here again!


The Alexandra Hotel at Fort William



My Room at The Alexandra Hotel


October 20, 2013
Scot Rail Fort William - Mallaig 1212p – 139p Economy Class
Scot Rail Mallaig – Fort William 421p - 543p Economy Class

Today being Sunday, the first train up to Mallaig wasn’t scheduled to depart until 12:12pm. The midday departure allowed me to sleep in, enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then take a short stroll around town before heading over to the station. I might have gotten started earlier and taken a longer stroll out to the fort had it not been for yet another rainy autumn day along the northwest Scottish coast.

The Mallaig Extension of the West Highland Railway opened in 1901 and runs 41 miles through some of the prettiest country in Scotland. With no tour groups on today’s train we had a bit more room to stretch out. I took a window seat at one of the tables and settled in for the hour and a half ride up to Mallaig.


ScotRail 2nd Class Table Seating

After running alongside Loch Eil, we began a gradual climb into the hills. Much of the track ran through forested troughs so visibility was often limited. That and the spotted, reflective windows made photography less than ideal. When we would get the occasional glimpse of a beautiful valley or coastal scene in the distance, it was important to have your camera ready or you’d end up with a lot of bush shots.


Photographic Reflection Problems Through the Train Windows

For many the highlight of the ride was crossing the magnificent curved Glenfinnan Viaduct, well known to fans of Harry Potter movies. I really ought to go see one of those someday! The train stopped on the viaduct for a couple of minutes allowing everyone to enjoy the spectacular view beyond.


Glenfinnan Viaduct on a Sunny Day
Photo Courtesy of ScotRail



View From The Glenfinnan Viaduct

Continuing on we were treated to pretty views of the dramatic coastline including the famous White Sands of Morar. An older couple behind me remarked that this was where part of the Burt Lancaster film “Local Hero” was made. As we made our way down Mallaig we could clearly see the distinctive silhouettes the islands of Eigg, Muck and Rum.


Rum and Mohr Islands


Approaching Mallaig

The schedule allowed for a two and a half hour stopover in Mallaig so I had plenty of time to walk down to the docks and up the hill to an old hotel before settling in at a local tea house for a plate of good, local fish and chips. A couple pints of Tennant’s washed it all down quite nicely and three hours later I was back at the Alexandra Hotel bar recounting the day’s adventures with a couple of my fellow train passengers. Even though I didn’t really get any great photographs, I will always have great memories of my ride on the West Highland Line. Weather notwithstanding, I look forward to coming back and doing it all over again someday.


Leaving Mallaig


Scenery Between Fort William and Glasgow


Scenery Between Fort William and Glasgow

Over the next two days I made my way back across Scotland to Edinburgh and then down to London via a First Class seat on the East Coast mainline into London King’s Cross station. From there it was a simple journey on the Underground’s Victoria line out to Heathrow where I caught a free #81 bus to my hotel for the night.


My Room at The Cherry Tree Inn - Edinburgh


First Class Seating on East Coast Rail

Seat 2A

October 23, 2013
The Emirates Lounge at London Heathrow

When I was a kid growing up in the 1960s, jets had only been around for a few years. Air travel – particularly by jet - was still a novelty for many folks. Back then, airports had observation decks and on a sunny afternoon it was not at all unusual to see those decks crowded with people eager to have a close up look at the big new jetliners. The entire process of air travel, from dressing nicely for the flight to walking out onto the tarmac and climbing up the stairway into your big shiny jetliner was all hugely exciting and vital.

I remember how excited I was when the 747 entered service in 1970. I once talked some gate agents into allowing me to go onboard an American 747 parked at JFK so I could take a look around the aircraft. It was my first time onboard a 747 and I was thrilled at the sheer size of the airplane! A few months later I took my first flight aboard a Continental 747 from Chicago to Denver. It was only the 29th flight of my young life and I remember being so excited in the days leading up to my departure that I could hardly think of anything else, much less sleep!

Now forty-two years later, I am sitting here in the Emirates Lounge at London Heathrow calmly awaiting the departure of my first flight aboard an Airbus A380. Though I’m still thrilled at the reality of finally getting to fly aboard this huge jetliner, the 4735 flights I’ve logged since the Halcyon days of that first 747 flight have tempered my excitement to the point where I actually slept quite well last night.

Almost as exciting as my first flight aboard an A380 is the fact that I’ll be doing so in First Class aboard one of the world’s premier airlines. That would be Emirates Airlines, a perennial top five and now current winner of SkyTrax’s prestigious 2013 World’s Best Airline award.

That Emirates even flies the A380 is quite a story in itself. From its humble beginnings as a regional carrier with a fleet of just two leased aircraft back in 1985, Emirates has since grown into a global carrier of considerable reach with a network that extends to over 130 destinations on six continents. It operates an all widebodied fleet and is currently the world’s largest operator of both the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A380 with fleets of 130 and 37 respectively. It has recorded an annual profit in every year since its third in operation and above all else, its name is synonymous with a commitment to the highest standards of quality in every aspect of its service. As such, I reckon I’d get pretty excited to fly with Emirates even if it were just a short hop over to Paris on a 737.

For those of us fortunate enough to travel in First Class aboard Emirates, the service begins at your doorstep with a complimentary limousine service to the airport. That sounded nice but since I was staying at an airport hotel, it seemed like a bit of overkill when the regularly scheduled Hoppa Bus could accomplish the same thing for only $7.00.

I know, I know – a lot of you are probably wondering why I wouldn’t just take advantage of the free limousine service given that it’s part of the service. Honestly, it’s not that important to me to ride anywhere in a chauffeured limousine. For a simple eight minute drive to the airport it just doesn’t make sense to have the airline go to all that trouble. Now if I lived out in Bracknell or some such locale, I might go ahead and check it out. Even then though, I’d likely insist on sitting in the front seat and chatting with the driver.

One of my favorite rides to the airport occurred back in 1987 when a three-wheeled tuk-tuk taxi delivered me from my hotel in Bangkok to Don Maung International Airport for my First Class flight to Hong Kong aboard Cathay Pacific. Now that was fun!

Anyway, back to the present – after breezing through check-in and Fast Track security, I headed straightaway to the Emirates Lounge. Well, perhaps not “straightaway” as there are actually quite a lot of airline lounges spread out around Heathrow’s Terminal 3. Emirates’ lounge was located at the very far end of Lounge Area E on the top floor of Terminal 3. That translated into about a seven or eight minute walk before finally there was a harp glissando and a chorus from the heavens as the mist cleared and the lounge’s stylish entryway was revealed to me.

I was surprised to find that the impressive entryway housed only a small reception area where my credentials were checked before I was cleared to enter the inner-sanctum. That was achieved via an elevator ride up one more level. Ding! I emerged into an attractively furnished lounge that was long and somewhat narrow in parts but otherwise bright and pleasant courtesy of huge floor-to-ceiling windows the run the entire length of the facility. The windows provided a nice view of the tarmac immediately below in addition to a superb vantage point on Heathrow's southern runway across the way. Today that runway was extremely active, so I quickly found myself a nicely cushioned seat beside a window, dropped off my gear and then continued on with my inspection of the lounge.



Emirates Lounge at London Heathrow



Open Bar at Emirates LHR Lounge

Down the corridor to my left was a large seating area with a big wall mounted television screen. A group of three guys were watching a football match. A small business center with computers and printers was in the far corner and a self-service bar was set at the end wall.

Down at the far right hand side was a decently sized dining area with about a dozen tables as well as some booth seating along the back wall. The buffet area was fairly extensive and included an impressive selection of hot entrees and side dishes. Two serving islands offered a mouthwatering selection of appetizers, salads, cheeses and desserts while along one wall was a nicely stocked bar. I selected a good looking crab and mango appetizer from the buffet, paired it with a glass of delightful Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and settled in for a bit of plane watching.

When it comes to plane spotting, it’s hard to beat Heathrow for sheer variety. I don’t think I’ve ever been to an airport that is served by more airlines. It looked like a giant airliner cocktail party out there with all the multi-colored tails of the world mingling around distant terminal buildings or lining up for takeoff. I saw A380s from five different airlines!



Emirates LHR Lounge Buffet Offerings



Emirates LHR Lounge Buffet Offerings



Lamb Chop Lunch at Emirates LHR Lounge



Cheese and Port at Emirates LHR Lounge



St. Honore Tart at Emirates LHR Lounge

After a while I headed over to the dining area for a delicious lamb chop lunch before retiring to the Business Center to put in a bit of work on this report. Later I returned to a window seat to watch the arrival of my A380. It’s pretty exciting to watch an airliner of that size draw ever nearer to the gate but it’s even more exciting to know that very shortly you’ll be boarding that airplane. However, it is exponentially more exciting to know that soon you’ll be sitting in a seat upstairs in its luxurious First Class cabin.



Watching The Arrival of my A380

Seat 2A

October 23, 2013
Emirates Airlines London - Dubai 500p – 250a A380-800 First Class

Boarding for the 5:00pm departure of Emirates flight 30 to Dubai was announced at 4:25pm. Unlike most flights where I tend to linger in the lounge and board after the initial rush, for this flight I was ready and waiting by the windows. We boarded directly from the lounge, first taking an escalator down a level and then a jet bridge up to the upper deck where the premium cabins are located.

A bevy of flight attendants were in attendance at the door as we arrived. They all looked quite chipper and attractive in their beige uniforms, white scarves and red hats. My boarding pass was inspected and then I was cordially welcomed and led to my suite 2K on the right hand side of the cabin. As many of you must surely know or at least strongly suspect by now, my usual preference is 2A in the left hand side. However, with our early evening departure I was hoping to get a few glimpses of the setting sun as we climbed out of Heathrow.



The First Class Cabin on Emirates A380



The Business Class Cabin on Emirates A380

Emirates A380s are outfitted with fourteen suites, arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. Tonight they were all occupied. Standing at the rear of the cabin and looking out over the tops of all the suites, I thought the cabin looked rather cluttered. That said, while it’s not the most elegant cabin I’ve ever seen, the real beauty of Emirates’ suites isn’t totally realized until you’ve sat down and settled in for the flight. Like any First Class seat or suite there are plenty of storage areas, a big table and an impressive television screen. What makes the Emirates suite so special are the little touches such as lamps instead of overhead lights, warm faux marbled walnut table tops and window frames, carpeted suite sidewalls and gold trim on most everything. Add to that the sliding doors and you’ve got a very private and nice looking compartment in which to enjoy your flight.

Service on the A380 is no different than it is on the 777, so you all know the drill by now with regard to pre-departure hand outs and formalities. Champagne? But of course! And what better wine to toast my first flight on the Big French Girl than a nicely chilled glass of that most iconic of French brands, Dom Pérignon! Bon voyage!



Champagne Toast on the Emirates A380

As we pushed back from the gate, the Captain took a few moments to introduce himself and provide us with some details about the flight. It was a beautiful night for flying and the forecast was for smooth conditions all the way to Dubai. Flight time was projected at six hours and twenty minutes. Please sit back and enjoy the flight and I’ll check back as we commence our descent into Dubai.

As we made a slow and stately taxi out to the runway, I sipped Champagne and took in the Heathrow scene. It really is a fascinating collection of buildings and airplanes that I should imagine would impress even the most pragmatic of air travelers. It certainly had my attention! Unfortunately, the A380’s windows are not very large and on the upper deck at least there’s about an 8” gap between the fuselage wall and the window that effectively inhibits all but the most straight out viewing. I had been hoping to get one of those iconic wing and engine shots at sunset but given the placement of the windows my view of the engines was limited to the nacelles.

As we made our way ever closer to the head of the runway, I set the onboard camera function to the forward view with adjusted it for full screen. We were following a British Airways 767 and it was an interesting perspective to watch the 767 from behind as it turned onto the runway and commenced its takeoff roll.

Now it was our turn. Whose heart wouldn’t skip a beat as the four mighty engines spooled up and we began our 45 second takeoff roll. The noise from the engines was surprisingly muted and as you can see and hear from the video below, it was so quiet that you can even hear a couple of light coughs from nearby passengers.

Climbing smoothly into the evening sky, I listened as the landing gear was retracted and watched as London passed by beneath us. We made a wide sweeping turn to the left and soon were pointed in an east-southeasterly direction while we climbed through 10000 feet. Next stop: Dubai – just 3,410 miles away.

We were only six or seven minutes into the flight when Amritka stopped by to present the menu and wine list for this evening’s service. She was one of four flight attendants working the First Class cabin and would serve as my primary flight attendant for this flight. As with all Emirates flights, the menu was encased in a large brown leather folder while the wine list is presented on its own. Interestingly, bar service is presented as part of the menu rather than the wine list.

Now when it comes to cocktail hour I’m definitely more of a bourbon or mixed drink guy than a wine drinker, so let’s review the offerings from the bar:


BAR SERVICE

Aperitifs
Campari Bitter
Martini Vermouth – Dry/Sweet

Beers
A selection of international beers including Heineken, Budweiser and Amstel Light

Cocktails
Black Russian, Bloody Mary, Bucks Fizz, Champagne Cocktail, Cosmopolitan (US routes), Fantasy Island, Kir Royal, Manhattan, Martini Cocktail Classic, Screwdriver, Vodka Martini

Mocktails
Jumeirah Delight

Spirits
Premium Scotch Whisky - Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 Years Old, Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Single Malt Whisky - Glenfiddich 21 Years Old
Bourbon - Woodford Reserve
Cognac - Hennessy Paradis
Vodka - Grey Goose
Gin - Bombay Sapphire
Rum - Bacardi Superior

Liqueurs
Bailey’s Irish Cream
Tia Maria
Drambuie
Cointreau


Try though I might – and believe me, I’ve had a pretty good go at it over the years - I have yet to acquire a taste for fine single malt Scotch whisky. I tried and even managed to get down a glass of the 21 year old Glenfiddich on the Seattle-Dubai flight but once was enough and I have no desire to try it again. Instead, I opted to go with the old tried and true – a glass of fine Kentucky bourbon. Woodford Reserve. On the rocks, please.

My bourbon was delivered with a small plate of mixed nuts. A plate of hot canapés would be delivered shortly. Out my window the sky was quickly changing from blue to indigo to black. As we continued climbing toward our cruising altitude of 38000 feet, I reclined my seat a bit and had a sip of the exquisite bourbon. Now this is First Class…



Bourbon and Nuts to Start The Flight



Bourbon and Canapés

Shortly thereafter another flight attendant stopped by with a brochure about the onboard showers. There are two of them aboard each A380 and their use is reserved exclusively for First Class passengers. Due to potential high demand, use of the showers is by reservation only. Referred to by Emirates as Shower Spas, they offer a generous five minutes of shower time in a modern, spacious shower stall. The actual lavatory that houses each shower is huge – far and away the largest facility of its type on any airliner I’ve ever flown upon. It’s larger than many bathrooms I’ve seen in houses on terra firma.



The Shower Spa on the Emirates A380



The Big Sink (Wash Basin) on the Emirates A380

Now I realize that many people are absolutely fascinated by the concept of showering onboard an airplane. While I think it’s great that Emirates has used some of the extra space on its A380s to make showers available, on a flight of this length and timing I just can’t generate enough excitement about them to go out of my way to use them. If this were on a longer flight or one from which I’d be going right to work, I’d definitely be signing up for one. As it is however, I showered this morning at my hotel and since then have spent the bulk of the day in cool, dry conditions indoors and out. When we arrive at Dubai I’m going to find a nice dark corner of the Quiet Room and try to get a few hours’ sleep. Tomorrow morning before my fourteen hour flight to Seattle is when I’ll really be looking forward to a shower, and that’ll happen in the First Class Lounge. Besides, it’d be just my luck that the “Return to Seat” sign would come on as I was in the middle of a good lather!

Dining is on demand for Emirates’ First Class passengers and so I had indicated to my lovely flight attendant Amritka that I’d like to start dinner at 7:00pm. First however, I needed to consult the wine list and menu to make my selections. Hmm...


WINE LIST

Champagne
Cuvée Dom Perignon 2003

White Wines
Le Clarté de Haut Brion 2010 Pessac Léognan
Marchand & Burch Chardonnay 2011 Australia
Domaine des Senechaux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2011 Rhone
Grgich Hills Chardonnay 2009 Napa Valley

Rosé Wine
Château d’Esclans Garrus 2010 Provence

Red Wines
Château Cos d’Estournel 2000 St Estephe
Sequana Sundawg Ridge Pinot Noir 2010 Russian River
Château Phelan Segur 2004 St Estephe
Amancaya Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Mendoza

Dessert Wines
Château de Suduirat 2006 Sauternes
Grahams Single Vintage Tawny Port 1974 Douro


* * * -----------------------------------------------* * *


DINNER

Canapés
A selection of hot and cold savories including tender minted lamb skewer, creamy tomato zaatar quiche, fresh crayfish spring roll, marinated mixed olives, and labneh cheese with chives and sumac

APPETIZERS

Caviar
Perfectly prepared chilled caviar presented with a traditional selection of finely chopped onion, chopped boiled egg, sour cream and lemon, served with crisp melba toast and soft blini pancakes

Traditional Local Arabic Mezze
The flavors of our home, presented as a generous spread of traditional Arabic savory dishes including hommous, tabouleh, baba ghannouj, makdous, muhammara, moutabal, spinach and cheese fatayer, stuffed vine leaves and lamb kibbeh, all complemented with local garnishes and bread

Seared Prawns
Fresh plump prawns, marinated and pan seared, served with a tangy tomato chutney, dressed with a light chilli mayonnaise

Buffalo Mozzarella
Fresh buffalo mozzarella on a crisp avocado and button mushroom tart, served with a grilled cherry tomato and fragrant basil pesto

Salad Bar
Crisp fresh garden salad leaves topped with your choice of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, mixed olives, shaved parmesan and celery moons, tossed in your preferred dressing


SOUPS

Tomato Consommé
A rich clear seasoned tomato bouillon, served with green asparagus tips, tomato concassé and sprinkled with fresh basil leaves

Spring Pea Soup
A comforting creamy spring pea soup, stirred through with crčme fraiche


MAIN COURSES

Roast Chicken
Tender golden roasted chicken breast flavored with fragrant savory herbs, served with a light chicken jus, accompanied by buttered leek, carrots and pan-fried bubble and squeak cakes

Lamb Tagine
Traditional Moroccan-style tender braised lamb ragout, topped with dried apricots, served with okra stew and seasoned vegetable couscous

Grilled Salmon
Tranche of fresh salmon, lightly grilled and topped with artisan tomato ratatouille and roasted pine nuts, served with aubergine cannelloni and creamy hommous mashed potatoes

Porcini Ravioli
Handmade pasta cases generously filled with Italian porcini mushrooms, tossed in a creamy parmesan sauce, topped with green asparagus spears, cherry tomatoes and freshly shaved parmesan

Fillet of Cod
Firm fresh fillet of cod, oven roasted and dressed with a light dill fond, served with green pea and parsnip mash, baby carrots and sugar snap peas

Steak Sandwich
From the menu of our partner Qantas, we are pleased to offer one of the specialty signature sandwiches created by renowned chef and restaurateur Neil Perry of Rockpool. A warm sourdough Ciabatta bread sandwich with seasoned minute steak, fresh rocket and a rustic tomato and chilli relish

A la Carte Vegetables
Our chefs have paired each meal with their ideal accompaniments, but we offer a variety of alternative vegetables to your taste, including vermicelli rice, new potatoes in their skins, carrots tossed in cumin, and mixed sautéed vegetables

Bread Basket
Choose soft, crusty, granary, garlic or Arabic from our variety of freshly baked rolls and breads


SWEET DELIGHTS

Selection of Arabic Desserts
Choice of delightful regional delicacies, including green mafroukeh, Arabic almond cake and baklava

Black Forest Velvet
A soft chocolate brownie base layered with a fruity morello cherry filling, topped with a rich chocolate mousse, encased in a chocolate velvet finish, served with a cherry and balsamic jus

Apricot and Raspberry Gratin Tart
A light almond infused sponge, topped with fresh apricot and raspberries, finished with a gratinated glaze and served with a fresh fruity raspberry confit

Selection of Fruits
A seasonal selection of fresh cut fruits


INTERNATIONAL CHEESE SELECTION

A carefully chosen assortment of the finest boutique cheese from around the world, served with a selection of crudités, crackers, dried fruits and nuts

Belton’s Red Fox Leicester Cheese

Colston Bassett Blue Stilton

Graindorge Camembert

Sandham’s Goat Cheese

Arrigoni Tallegio


HOT BEVERAGES

Tea
Black and herbal teas from around the world, featuring Ceylon, China, Earl Grey and Chamomile

Coffee
Brewed to order, your choice of decaffeinated, espresso and cappuccino finale

Chocolates
A luxurious rich chocolate selection provides the perfect finale


As ever, Emirates’ chefs had put together an enviable and enticing selection of foods. Anybody who collects First Class airline menus couldn’t help but salivate just a little bit over this one. Imagine yourself sitting in my suite while pondering the choices on this menu. What would you order?

I took a sip of Woodfords and considered my choices. By the time Amritka had returned, I had my order ready.

Let’s start with a plate of caviar followed by the seared prawns appetizer. I’ll follow that with a salad. Dressing? What do you have? Yogurt or Thousand Island. Hmm… I think I’ll go with the oil and balsamic vinegar provided on the side. For my main course, let’s go with the Lamb Tagine. I remember having lamb at a Moroccan restaurant once and it was delicious! If this dish even approaches the flavor of that one, I’ll be a happy camper!

I generally never order cheese or dessert initially, mainly because after eating my way through canapés, caviar, an appetizer, soup or salad and a main course I’m usually too full to continue. Even though hotdogs aren’t on the menu, with all this food I couldn’t help but wonder (ever so briefly) what Joey Chestnut, the perennial winner of the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest would have ordered.

Interestingly, I think Emirates is the only airline where I’ve ever had caviar served with proper blinis. Not that I’m complaining mind you, but my personal preference is Melba Toast and/or toasted garlic bread slices. Both were available in my bread basket and oh… was that caviar delicious!



Time for Caviar!

The prawns appetizer was beautifully presented. In fact, let’s review that description:

“Fresh plump prawns, marinated and pan seared, served with a tangy tomato chutney, dressed with a light chilli mayonnaise”

That about sums it up. Though simply presented, this was one of the better appetizers I’ve had in recent memory. Well done, Emirates!



Seared Prawns Appetizer

The nicest thing about the salads on Emirates is that they’re decently sized. So many airlines present you with this dinky little bowl of salad but for those of us who really enjoy a good salad, Emirates definitely delivers. Cathay Pacific also puts out a nice salad. The shaved parmesan cheese added warm flavor and texture while the combination of extra virgin olive oil and tangy balsamic vinegar helped create a delicious masterpiece.



Salad Course

Ah… the Lamb Tagine. Simply put, it was one of the better First Class entrees I’ve ever eaten. The lamb was tender and the sauce flavorful while the couscous was possibly the finest starch I’ve ever been served aloft. I’ve been a big fan of couscous for over thirty years and as it was presented this evening, well – I could’ve eaten an entire plate of nothing else. It was that good!



Lamb Tagine

As was usually the case, I needed a break before I could even consider the mere concept of dessert. No problem! By the time my plates and linens were cleared there were still almost three hours left in the flight. Now was as good a time as any to have a look at the entertainment options available on Emirates’ highly regarded ICE entertainment system.

Consider now that I knew going in that I didn’t want to watch an entire two hour movie. I was well aware that there was a lounge at the rear of the upper deck and I fully intended to pay it a visit. Right now however, I felt not unlike an anaconda after ingesting a 100 pound capybara. It was time to digest for a while. Let’s check out one the shorter television programs and then we’ll visit the lounge.

Emirates offer an impressive selection of current television programming though two of my favorites – Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy – were not listed. What I settled on was a program I never knew existed, probably because I don’t get cable or satellite out where I live. Well, I could have satellite I suppose but only if I purchased one of those huge military grade satellite dishes to put out front of my cabin. No thank you.

Given the wide variety of choices that Emirates offers, some of you may be surprised or even disappointed at the choice I ultimately made. That’s right – Steven Seagal: Lawman. I’ve only seen a couple of Seagal’s movies and that was many years ago. According to the description of the show, Steven Seagal is and has been for the past twenty years a sheriff’s deputy in Jefferson Parrish, Louisiana. Whaaaaat? No way. Way. Check it out!



After Dinner Entertainment



After Dinner Dessert

So I did. It wasn’t all that bad either – a lot more police procedural than Seagal wreaking havoc on the bad guys. In fact, not one bad guy got punched. Seagal is a big guy – about 6’5” and a little heavier than in the movies I saw years ago. He’s an imposing presence that probably inhibits aggressive behavior from most criminals. Some of them wanted his autograph afterwards. But enough reviews of C-grade television shows. On to the lounge!

Back in the halcyon days of air travel (prior to 1975), most international airlines of any repute provided onboard lounges for their First Class passengers. Most everyone knows that when the 747 was first introduced, many airlines used the upper deck as a First Class lounge. What a lot of people may not know is that even many narrow bodied aircraft such as the 707 and DC-8 also featured lounges. In fact, if you go even farther back, well, lounges had long been an integral part of First Class when airlines actually strived to make long distance flight a special experience to be remembered and cherished. . Many long distance propeller aircraft such as the Boeing Stratocruiser or the Lockheed Constellation had not only lounges but also sleeper berths.



Seventy Years Ago

These days, most airlines view lounges as an unnecessary frill that take up a lot of space that could better be used for revenue seating. I had the good fortune to fly aboard a number of lounge equipped aircraft back in the seventies. On domestic flights within the U.S. the lounges got a lot of use. Internationally though - at least on the flights I was on – they often sat empty. I remember flying Qantas First Class from Vancouver to Honolulu back when their 747s still had the beautiful Captain’s Club upstairs. It was as nice a lounge as has ever graced an airliner and yet on the five and a half hour flight over to Honolulu, I was the only person up there.

My best lounge experience was on a United 747 flying First Class from Honolulu to Los Angeles in 1976. After a delicious five course dinner served seat side from the trolley, it seemed like most of the First Class cabin headed upstairs for Mai Tais and Macadamia nuts. We all had a marvelous time up there and as a result that flight flew by much too fast.

So far as I know, only three airlines worldwide still offer anything approaching a lounge of old – Virgin Atlantic, Arik Air and Emirates. None of them are as large or as cozy as the old 747 upstairs lounges but for those of us who enjoy a bit of diversion during a long flight, any lounge is a good lounge. Qatar and Korean provide some small seating areas onboard select aircraft but I would hesitate to call those dedicated lounges.

Emirates’ A380s are the only lounge equipped airplanes in the fleet. Emirates promotional materials indicate that there is a separate First Class lounge onboard but the reality of it is essentially an attractive liquor showcase on the other side of the forward bulkhead. There are no seats up there and its location adjacent to the galley insures that any socializing up there is more likely to be with the flight attendants than any of your fellow passengers.

The big lounge that by now we all know and fantasize about visiting someday is located at the rear of the upper deck, behind the Business Class cabin. After having walked the length of a couple of 777-300s of late, I was surprised at how much shorter the walk was to the rear of the A380 but then the upper deck cabin is quite a bit shorter than the main cabin on the lower deck.

Parting the heavy beige curtains at the rear of the Business Class cabin, I paused for a moment to survey the scene (two guys talking business at the bar) and then entered the lounge and hitched a rail at the bar. A single flight attendant was manning the bar and he looked thankful to finally have something to do since the two businessmen looked to be doing a lot more talking than drinking. I requested a Jack Daniels on the rocks and chatted for a bit with the bartender. He was a young fellow – only 23 – originally from Egypt but essentially raised in France. What a life! To be only 23 and flying all over the world while tending bar on an A380 for the movers and shakers of the world (and the occasional bus driver).

I asked the guys if they’d mind if I took a quick picture of the bar. No problem! They relocated to the back wall for a moment while I fired away. The diminished lighting added nicely to the ambience of the lounge but didn’t contribute to very good or clear pictures. As such I’ll use one of the stock photos from Emirates to best display this lounge at its best.



Emirates A380 Lounge
Photo Courtesy of Emirates



Emirates A380 Lounge Bar
Photo Courtesy of Emirates


I asked the bartender if this was a particularly quiet evening. Oh yes, he replied, but there are times – especially on longer daytime flights – that this lounge really gets rocking. I should imagine the Australia to New Zealand flights would provide quite a lot of good times. I wish this were one of those times but perhaps the late hour and the fact that we were less than an hour and a half out from Dubai had diminished that desire to mingle. After finishing my drink, I also returned to my seat.

Overall, I think the horseshoe shaped bar is the nicest feature of this lounge. Aside from that the only seating consists of two curved couches along each wall and while this arrangement is certainly functional, I would have preferred to see some individual chairs and tables, much like you see in Qantas’ lounge pictured HERE.

It’ll be interesting to see how Virgin Atlantic designs its onboard lounge, but we’ll have to wait a while as they’ve recently put off delivery of their first A380 until 2017.

Back at my suite, I took a moment to reflect on my first flight on the A380. Most people I know would be thrilled just to fly on this airplane, and here I am doing so while sitting in a premium seat on the upper deck! Back in my younger days I would have been so excited just be flying on this plane that you could have put me in a non-reclining row in the very back of the cabin and I would still have been thrilled. No doubt there’s a lot to be said for flying First Class on Emirates’ model as opposed to any class on most any other airline but - regardless of what airline or class you’re flying – this really is an impressive airplane. The cabin noise level is exceptionally low and the sheer size of the aircraft feels like you’re flying in a building more so than an airplane. Conversely, while sitting in my suite with the doors closed, there’s really no difference between flying aboard this A380 or a 777 or even a 737 if such an aircraft were equipped with similar suites. Your world is entirely within your suite because the walls and sliding doors effectively block out the rest of the cabin. That said, I should imagine sitting down on the main deck amidst a sea of 405 other passengers could prove to be a bit tedious after a while but then my perspective comes from years of having enjoyed the good life up in First or Business Class. I will say this though: I’ve had a great first flight and am very much looking forward to my next date with the Big French Girl, hopefully with another comfy seat or suite on the upper deck.

As we lined up for our final approach into Dubai, I set my screen to the tail mounted camera to better enjoy its unique perspective on flying into Dubai. This is only the second time I’ve been in a position to watch a nighttime approach while looking forward. The first time was back in the early 1980s while sitting in the cockpit jump seat of an Air New Zealand 737 as we descended into Papeete, Tahiti in the wee hours of the morning. How I ended up there is a long story for another time but suffice to say it’s far preferable to be looking forward than sideways, especially at night.

We touched down quite nimbly for such a huge jetliner. A slight tug of the brakes could be felt but mainly we just slowed down very smoothly and then commenced a long tour of the Dubai International Airport along the myriad taxiways that surround its terminals.

Oh please let us park at Terminal A! Nope, there it goes. Oh well – looks like it’s gonna be Terminal B then. Whaaaat? If not there, where? Well, we parked at a D gate, wherever that was. I was hoping for Terminal A mainly because it’s newer and the First Class lounge there had what looked to be a nicer Quiet Room than the one in Terminal B’s lounge. That said, by the time we’d docked at the gate it was near 3:00am local time and I was tired. Since my Seattle bound flight was scheduled to depart in less than seven hours from B32, I decided to head on over to Terminal B.

Alas, it wasn’t quite as simple as simply traipsing off the plane and over to the lounge. First I had to check-in with the transit desk, then go through security, then make my way up one level and then down another to the inter-terminal train and then finally hoof it on over to the First Class lounge. After scoring a nicely chilled bottle of water, I headed over to the Quiet Room to set up camp.

Uh oh - what’s this? My trusty $5.00 alarm clock doesn’t work! I bought that alarm clock new in 2004 and it has faithfully awoken me from contented slumber on well over three hundred nights spent on airport floors since then. In truth the number is probably quite a bit higher than that. This year alone I have spent 61 nights on airport floors.

A cursory inspection of the clock revealed a loose wire. It couldn’t be fixed tonight so I pulled out my cell phone and wrist watch and set them for 8:00 and 8:05am respectively. By the time I finally got to sleep though, it was about 4:15am.

Seat 2A

October 24, 2013
Emirates Airlines Dubai – Seattle 940a – 100p 777-200 First Class
Alaska Airlines Seattle – Fairbanks 755p – 1050p 737-800 Economy Class

8:00am sure comes early - especially when you’ve only managed about three hours of sleep. (A noisy family briefly invaded the Quiet Room with all the raucous unruliness of a herd of baboons until I read them the riot act, up to and including getting the lounge management to deal with them. Then they left. Thank goodness.)

After breaking camp I headed across the lounge to the shower room. Once I’d finished there I began the long walk down to gate B32, located at the very end of the terminal building, the farthest possible distance one could walk from the lounge. Aside from one instance of direct boarding from the Emirates lounge, all of my gates have been most inconveniently located on this trip. Back home I enjoy much longer walks along the dirt road or through the woods around my place but when it comes to airports, I’m all about convenience. What I’d give for a flight out of Kansas City or Dallas (Other than American) about now...

On the walk down to my gate I passed by a duty free store with a bunch of DVD movies prominently displayed. I don’t really do any shopping in airports, even at duty free prices, but this was the first time I’d ever seen DVDs for sale at a duty free store and so I decided to check out the selection and prices. Nothing really stood out except for Season 2 of the television series Homeland. Had the price been right and the discs playable in North America I would have bought it but when I did the math on the conversion rate ($229.00 AED) my eyes about popped out of my head! They wanted over $60.00 USD for what I could buy back home in Alaska for $29.95. Without taxes.

Emirates expect its passengers to be at the gate and ready to board not less than 20 minutes before the scheduled departure of their flight. Evidently they mean it, too. I’ve heard stories of passengers showing up after the gate’s been closed but with the aircraft at the gate with jet bridge attached and they’ve still been denied boarding. Though I’d love to spend a day in Dubai sometime, right now I’m really looking forward to getting home to Alaska. They were just making the last and final call for boarding of EK 229 to Seattle when I arrived at the gate. A quick check of my watch showed I was almost thirty minutes out but what the heck – a seat in the suite certainly beats anywhere in the airport except for maybe the spa which unfortunately I never had time to enjoy on this trip.

Emirates 777-300s are configured for eight First Class suites but only two of us were occupying them on the fourteen hour and five minute flight to Seattle this morning. I can only imagine the First Class cabin crew was feeling severely underutilized and perhaps even a bit desperate for something to do because the ground service was relentless with everything from newspapers to hot towels to amenity kits to slippers and pajamas continually being delivered to my seat. And some Champagne for you perhaps, Mr. 2A? Oh no, thanks. I’ll take one of those mango and lime smoothies though. Let’s save the Champagne for lunch!

This flight presented an interesting challenge on how best to combat the effects of jet lag (sleeping) versus remaining conscious through enough of the flight to take advantage of all the indulgences that make Emirates’ First Class such a special treat. Consider for a moment that the time zone variation on this flight is no simple little five or six hour difference such as one would experience on a flight between Europe and the U.S. East Coast. Dubai is exactly eleven hours different from Seattle – essentially twice that! How many nonstop flights can you think of (or have you personally flown) that traverse eleven time zones? Only Dubai to the US West Coast and New York to Singapore come to mind…

I only got about three hours of sleep last night and although I’ve got a good second wind right now, I know I’m going to need a few more hours of sleep to be at my best. I’ve learned from past experience that regardless of how nice and extravagant a First Class service may, it does take a lot of the shine off it if you’re draggin’ tail.

So – here’s my plan for this fourteen hour flight:

Step 1: Have a proper breakfast – something I haven’t done on any of my three previous Emirates flights

Step 2: Catch three or four hours of additional sleep

Step 3: Relax for a while and then have a full lunch, complete with mezze presentation

Step 4: Catch another couple hours of sleep – but not too much! I still want to be ready for bed when I get home

Step 5: Enjoy the rest of the flight in whatever fashion makes sense at the time. Have a light dinner (just the main course and maybe some cheese) about an hour and a half out of Seattle.

Of course, nothing’s cast in stone. The above seems like a good guideline but ultimately I’ll go with how I feel at the time. Well alrighty then, let’s check out that breakfast menu!


A la Carte Dining

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

Fruit Juices
Refreshing choice of freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice, or enjoy the healthy option of our special detox drink combining beetroot and orange, or a mango and lime smoothie

Breakfast Fruits
A palette of ripe tropical and seasonal fresh cut fruits

Yoghurt
Natural or flavored with fruit

Assorted Cereals
Choice of crunchy Cornflakes or nutritious muesli

Breakfast Bread Basket
A variety of soft and crusty fresh baked breads, butter croissants and freshly baked breakfast pastries,
Served with butter and preserves

Delicatessen’s Cold Meats and Cheese
Offering a gourmet selection of Swiss Emmenthal and creamy French Brie cheese,
With thinly sliced smoked chicken and strips of prime beef, dressed with an array of garnishes

HOT BREAKFAST

Plain Omelette
Farmhouse fresh egg omelette, served with roasted plum tomato, sautéed leaf spinach,
Baked beans, corn cakes and freshly grated cheese

Breakfast Mixed Grill
Selection of succulent grilled chicken medallion, sizzling turkey sausage, tender lamb pepper kabob,
Sautéed woodland mushrooms, roasted cherry tomatoes and creamy Lyonnais potatoes marbled with herbs

Masala Uthappam
Traditional masala uthappam served with Banarasi aloo and coconut chutney


* * * ----------------------------------------------------------- * * *

When it comes to breakfast in First Class, I always go for the hot breakfast. I mean honestly, I suppose I could do the sensible thing for a guy of my age and cholesterol level and order a healthy fruit plate and some yogurt but the way I see it, anyone - even the U.S. airlines - can put some fruit on a plate and give me a bowl of yogurt. And besides, I eat enough of that at home. No, if I’m going to put out the money or miles to sit up in the pointy end of the plane on an airline of Emirates’ repute, I’m looking to enjoy the fruits of their catering department at its finest and the best way to do that is to order something that the chefs have actually created.

So yes, I’ll start with a fruit plate but for my main I’ll order the Plain Omelette. Truth be known, what really caught my eye was the Breakfast Mixed Grill but when I asked if I could accompany that with some eggs, surprisingly the answer was no. The breakfast mains are pre-plated and unlike say – Cathay Pacific - the crew does not have the means to actually cook eggs onboard. In my book that’s really something Emirates ought to address someday but alright then, let’s go with that omelette.

When I think back to the best omelet I’ve ever been served on an airplane, the hands down winner was a wonderful Asiago Cheese Omelet served up by Alaska Airlines on a Seattle to Miami flight back in 2003. I still have the menu. That omelet was of good size, fluffy (not flat like most airlines) and topped with sliced mushrooms and green onions. It was presented with roasted potatoes, sautéed spinach and turkey sausage. In both presentation and taste it was an awesome meal from back in the days when Alaska still had some of the finest catering to be found over North American skies.

Alas, the omelet I was served today fell quite a bit short of that benchmark omelet of ten years ago but overall the breakfast was still pretty good. Starting with good strong coffee served in an impressively sized bodum, I moved on to an assortment of sliced fruit that looked every bit as good as it tasted. A large breakfast basket brimming with variety provided a flaky croissant and the main course accompaniments of tomato, baked beans, spinach and corn cakes added plenty of flavor to the otherwise plain omelet.



Now THAT’s a Coffee Service!



Fruit Plate Starter



Omelette and Accompaniments

By the time the last of my plates had been cleared, we were about an hour and forty minutes into the flight. I lowered my electronic window shades, reclined my seat to almost completely flat and read for a while until sleep overtook me. I didn’t bother with having the mattress laid because I was planning to sleep off and on throughout the flight and it just seemed like more trouble than it was worth to have the flight attendants continually coming back and forth to deal with mattress removal. Yeah, yeah I know – that’s what they’re there for but in all honesty, it’s me who really appreciates not having to deal with it. When I’m ready to sleep or get up, I just do it. No help or imposition on others required.

With the arrival of the 747SP back in the late seventies, the 13 ˝ hour flight between Los Angeles and Sydney was considered the ultimate marathon flight. Ironically, the only time I flew that route aboard an SP, headwinds forced us to make a quick pit stop in Nadi, Fiji before continuing on. These days there are so many ultra-long flights operating around the globe that many of us have become rather inured to the concept, much less the reality of it.

But think about it - regardless of whether you’re on an airplane or not, fourteen hours is a lonnnnng time. Put into the context of an average work day it is interesting to contemplate. You wake up at seven, shower, have some breakfast and off to work you go. Figure an eight hour day with an hour break for lunch and ideally you’re back home by six or six-thirty. Wind down with a cocktail (or two) and then dinner and by now it’s about eight-thirty. If this were that fourteen hour flight you’d only just now be commencing your descent to land.

So, having awoken after a three hour nap, I still had a lot of time in this flight to look forward to.

“Look forward to, you say? Don’t you mean endure or even suffer through?”

Well I suppose if I were sat just eighty feet back, where the Economy Class seats are arranged in a tight 3-4-3 configuration and meals are served when the cabin crew is ready to serve them, I might be thinking along those lines. Up here in First Class however, I’m in my own comfortable little cocoon with massaging seat function where service of any kind – be it a drink or a plate of caviar is just a call button away.

And hey – speaking of caviar, let’s check out the rest of the menu offerings:


LUNCHEON AND DINNER

Canapés
A selection of hot and cold savouries including Asian-style prime beef cake, spiced chicken tikka skewer, flaky woodland mushroom vol au vent, marinated Italian buffalo mozzarella cheese, baby bell pepper filled with cheese, jumbo olives with sundried tomato and marinated Kalamata olives

APPETIZERS

Caviar
Perfectly prepared chilled caviar presented with a traditional selection of finely chopped onion, chopped boiled egg, sour cream and lemon, served with crisp melba toast and soft blini pancakes

Traditional Local Arabic Mezze
The flavors of our home, presented as a generous spread of traditional Arabic savory dishes including artichoke and mushroom salad, creamy hommous, loubieh bil zeit, tabouleh, baba ghannouj, seafood salad and stuffed vine leaves, accompanied by warm potato kibbeh, beef and cheese fatayer, complimented by local garnishes and breads

Seared Tuna
Fresh tuna steak, marinated in a vibrant oriental soya ginger and wasabi sauce, served with crisp green papaya salad with piquant ginger and chilli, accompanied by marinated asparagus tips and oven-roasted cherry tomato

Air-dried Beef
Wafer-thin slices of air-dried beef, served with basil marinated buffalo mozzarella cheese, roasted cherry tomato, baby leaf spinach, marrow, aubergine, peppers and a rich olive salsa


MAIN COURSES

Pan-fried Beef Pepper Steak
Prime beef steak pan fried and flavored with pepper, served with steamed carrots and turnips, seasoned Kenyan beans, roasted cherry tomatoes and crisp golden roasted potatoes

Seafood Machbous
Seafood marinated in distinctive aromatic spices and slow cooked with rice, garnished with roasted pine nuts

Chicken Tawa Fry
Succulent griddle fried chicken, served with mildly spiced vegetable korma and saffron infused pulao rice

Ravioli Pasta
Fresh pasta cases generously filled with leek and woodland mushrooms, served with wild mushroom and parmesan velouté, topped with freshly shaved parmesan cheese

Grilled Herb Marinated Chicken
Succulent chicken steeped in fine herb marinade, browned on the grill and dressed with an aromatic tarragon sauce, served with vegetable ratatouille and a mix of white and wild rice

A la Carte Vegetables
Our chefs have paired each meal with their ideal accompaniments, but we offer a variety of alternative vegetables to your tastes, including rich vegetable ratatouille, creamy mashed potatoes, steamed rice, broccoli florets, asparagus spears and squash

Bread Basket
Choose soft, crusty, granary, garlic or Arabic from our variety of freshly baked rolls and breads


LIGHT BITES

Seasonal Salad
Crisp fresh garden salad leaves topped with your choice of ripe red and yellow cherry tomatoes, marinated crumbly feta cubes with pesto, celery moons, and roasted pumpkin and sun flower seeds, tossed in your favorite dressing

Classic Mulligatawny Soup
Indian-inspired curry spiced soup, served with roasted lentils, garnished with fresh coriander

Double Beef Consommé
Rich seasoned beef bouillon, served with finely cut carrot, courgette and leek

Selection of Sandwiches
An assortment of tempting reception sandwiches, including premium smoked salmon with cream cheese, mustard mayonnaise and spinach in a whole meal roll, creamy French brie cheese with fresh fig and fruit chutney in Kraft corn finger, and prime roasted beef with potato chive salad in French stick slice

Creamy Vegetable Pie
Rich stew of creamy mixed vegetables in a light crunchy puff pastry case, served with sautéed leaf spinach and chunky salsa

Shrimp Crab Cake
Fresh shrimp and crabmeat patty, cooked until golden and served with vibrant Thai chilli sauce and blanched asparagus

Chicken Lababdar
Indian dish of tender chicken pieces cooked in a delicately spiced sauce, served with steamed basmati rice

Oven-Baked Potatoes
Baked potato shells filled with your choice of baked beans, chunky tomato and basil salsa, chilli con carne or a creamy cheese sauce


SWEET DELIGHTS

Almond Financier
Light, moist French tea cake, served with poached rhubarb and almond wafer

Lemon Cheesecake
Smooth creamy citrus infused cheesecake, served with orange zests and fresh cherry compote

Selection of Fruit
A seasonal assortment of the finest fresh cut fruits

Selection of Petits Fours
Tempting assortment of delicate small pastries and sweets, including mini fruit tart, chocolate chiffon triangle, pistachio cake, coconut macaroon, four nougat, and mini lemon meringue tart


INTERNATIONAL CHEESE SELECTION

A carefully chosen assortment of the finest boutique cheese from around the world, served with a selection of crudités, crackers, dried fruits and nuts

Vintage Reserve Cheddar Cheese

Capricorn Somerset Goat’s Cheese

Simon Weaver Organic Cotswold Blue Veined Cheese

Chaumes

Yarra Valley Persian Feta Cheese


HOT BEVERAGES

Tea
Black and herbal teas from around the world, featuring Ceylon, China, Earl Grey and Chamomile

Coffee
Brewed to order, your choice of decaffeinated, espresso and cappuccino finale

Chocolates
A luxurious rich chocolate selection provides the perfect finale


I don’t know of any other airline except for maybe ANA (All Nippon) that stocks this much food onboard for its First Class passengers. I asked Bren, my principal flight attendant, whether or not everything had been catered given that there were only two of us up front today. He assured me that if it’s on the menu, it’s been catered. However, there was only one of most main courses and wouldn’t you know it, the one that I wanted – the Seafood Machbous - had already been spoken for by the passenger in front of me.

Well now… let’s see what I can come up with from the rest of the menu…

It’s cocktail hour somewhere in the world so I think I’ll start with a glass of Woodford Reserve and a plate of canapés. Let’s follow that up with some caviar, a presentation of mezze, a bowl of Mulligitawny soup and for the main course… gosh, there are so many delicious sounding choices… I hadn’t had any beef main courses yet on Emirates and so, in the interests of bringing you all a more well-rounded report, let’s go with the Pan-fried Beef Pepper Steak.

Canapés and caviar… yeah, yeah, we know what those are all about by now so after 30000 words worth of reporting so far I won’t take up any more of your time telling you what you already know: They were delicious! In fact, I never did get around to requesting that Dom with the caviar because the Woodford Reserve was washing it down so nicely. Speaking of which – Bren, would you be so kind as to top off my glass with more ice and Woodfords?



Woodford and Canapés – By now a time honored tradition

Next up was the mezze and I say “presentation” of mezze because honestly, as laid out on my table per Emirates’ standards, it really is a thing of beauty. I can also tell you on good authority that it’s every bit as delicious as it looks.



The Mezze Presentation

Awright – bring on the Mulligatawny! I had heard of this soup many times but never really knew exactly what it was. Indeed if you’d asked me before this flight what it was I would have guessed it was like a bean soup. Well the menu pretty much describes it perfectly: It’s an Indian-inspired curry spiced soup, served with roasted lentils. It was tasty enough that I could eat it all day, especially over rice with some chicken or lamb. As it is however, I’m already starting to feel a bit full. I hope that pepper steak isn’t too large…



Mulligatawny Soup



Pan-fried Beef Pepper Steak

It wasn’t. Though slightly overcooked per my tastes, the meat was flavorful and the sauce nicely peppered. The asparagus and potatoes were perfect accompaniments and over all the size was just about right even though afterwards I felt a bit like Joey Chestnut halfway through a hotdog eating contest. Cheese and dessert were not a consideration after this meal.

Honestly, only in international First Class do I ever eat this much. I’m sure I’ve said it before but allow me to say it again: On a long flight, nicely prepared and presented food is my favorite form of inflight entertainment. The presentation is really half the fun, too. I read recently that it’s a seventeen week training course just to become a Singapore Airlines flight attendant and another eighteen months minimum of experience before one can be allowed to train for First Class. Compare this to our U.S. carriers where many of the flight attendants are clearly out of their league when it comes to providing a top flight First Class service. Training is a huge part of Singapore’s success inflight and yet I suspect many of those Singapore Girls wouldn’t have even been hired by the airline unless they’d demonstrated some clue as to gracious service learned beforehand in their own homes. I mention all this because I had heard that if Emirates had a weak link, it was in their cabin crew who were still learning the nuances of world class inflight service. From my experience on the four flights I’ve just logged with Emirates, the Emirates flight attendants working the First Class cabin have all been very friendly, engaging and professional. Are they on the same plane as the First Class Singapore Girls? Well I’ve only flown Singapore First Class one time and that was quite a few years ago, so I may not be the best qualified to offer that assessment. That said however, all of the Emirates crew that I’ve been served by are very, very good and contribute greatly to the success and outstanding reputation that Emirates enjoy today.



Flying Over The Polar Regions

Out my window the dark and frozen landscape of the northern Polar Regions passed silently beneath us. Although we’d taken off in the bright morning sun of a new day in Dubai, our northern trajectory had taken us over the top of the planet where this time of year daylight is in increasingly short supply. So, with six more hours left in this flight I watched “42”, an entertaining biography on the baseball life of Jackie Robinson. Good movie, though through a combination of the big lunch and only intermittent sleep of late I was starting to nod off towards the end. I reclined my seat and picked up another hour of sleep. Lie flat seat or not, it sure will be nice to get home to my own bed. Truth be known, the best sleep I ever got on an airplane was back in the eighties aboard a United 747SP with the old First Class cradle seats. I slept for about eight hours without interruption, which is pretty darned good for an airplane. I remember a similar quality rest – again in a cradle seat – in Business Class on a United 777 between Miami and Buenos Aires back in the late nineties.

When I awoke we were speeding southward over the Beaufort Sea, about twenty minutes from crossing over the North American coastline between Alaska and Canada. The Sky Map indicated that our route of flight had taken us directly over the North Pole. Outside it was still dark but a thin veneer of daylight colored the southern horizon.



Approaching North America From The North

Three and a half more hours left in the flight…

A pretty young flight attendant stopped by to see if I needed anything and we got to talking. She was from Canada but had always wanted to go camping up in Alaska. We laughed because a lot of Canada extends even farther north than Alaska but she was from the Vancouver area, thus the “up” reference. She was really into hiking and backpacking (my kind of girl!) and asked my advice on places she could take her boyfriend on a good camping trip in Alaska. Well I’ve got plenty of suggestions on that front, but for my tastes some even better backpacking is closer to home just across the border in the Cascades, the Olympics and the Sierra Nevadas. I had plenty of pictures from past trips to support my recommendations and by the time we’d landed she was ready to quit her job and head for the hills! Just kidding of course, but I found it interesting that when I asked her if she planned on making a career out of flying for Emirates, the answer was a definitive no. Maybe three or four more years but then she wanted to move on with life, start a family and explore other opportunities.

The menu indicated that food could be ordered up to an hour and a half prior to landing. After the crew assured me that this was realistic and wouldn’t be an unreasonable imposition on their abilities to bring cabin service to a timely close, I ordered a plate of Grilled Herb Marinated Chicken. No appetizers, no soup or salad – just the chicken please. And a glass of that Charles Heintz Chardonnay. Topped with an aromatic tarragon sauce and served with vegetable ratatouille and wild rice, this dish brought to a delicious conclusion the food fest that is a flight in First Class on Emirates. While I don’t think I don’t think the amount of food I enjoyed on this flight sounds at all unreasonable, there are always a few smarmy types out there who will think me a glutton because I ate three meals on this flight. Well come down off your high horses and consider this fourteen hour flight once again from the context of a normal day, waking at 7:00 and lasting until 9:00pm. We’ll have breakfast at 7:30, a big lunch at 1:00pm and a light dinner about 8:00. No dessert was ever eaten and alcohol consumption was limited to a couple Woodfords and a glass of wine. Sounds pretty reasonable to me. And tasty, too.



Grilled Herb Marinated Chicken



After Dinner Coffee

The Sky Map indicated that we’d made a wide sweeping turn over Tacoma and lined up for our final into SeaTac, but looking out my window I saw nothing but clouds. In fact, I didn’t even see land until we were scant seconds from landing, maybe a hundred feet or even less above the runway. Thank goodness Category 3 landing technology has been around long enough to get any glitches out because visibility looked to be not much more than a couple hundred feet outside. We landed as if it were a sunny day in Tucson and taxied nonchalantly into gate S16. After a flight of fourteen hours and three minutes, my Emirates adventure had come to an end.

Overall, the four flights I flew on Emirates were every bit as good as advertised. From the comfort and privacy of the First Class suites to the skill and dedication of its cabin crews, Emirates is well deserving of its many accolades. Not many people have the good fortune to fly internationally in much better than an Economy Plus seat, much less to do so in the style I just did. What a wonderful experience it’s been! I paused briefly to thank my cabin crew and they wished me well as I deplaned out 2L. I hope we can all meet up again sooner than later.

Following a four hour layover in Seattle, I boarded an Alaska 737 for the three and a half hour nonstop flight up to Fairbanks. I slept through all but about fifteen minutes of it. We landed on a nice cool evening in Fairbanks. Despite the late date in October, there was still no snow on the ground. No complaints here though. I’ve got a few chores to do around the cabin that’ll be a lot easier without snow on the ground.

As I rode home from the airport with my friends, I couldn’t help but consider that for many people the trip I’d just completed would have been considered quite the grand adventure – both in the air and on the ground. Trips like this only happen once every couple of years (if that) for a fair segment of the population, and then often after they’re retired. In my case however, this is just the halfway point. In a few days I’m back at it again – headed for Africa and Asia.

For those of you who are still with me, now would be a great time for an intermission. Go get yourselves a bite to eat, take a nap, get back to work or just refill your drink and let’s continue on.

Seat 2A

October 25th through November 4th, 2013

As originally planned, I was going to take a three day break in Fairbanks, do laundry, watch a couple of football games and then depart on October 28th for Los Angeles. The next day I’d once again board an Emirates 777 for the long flight to Dubai, followed by a daytime flight down to Johannesburg. I was really looking forward to that flight. At 8,320 miles, it is the longest flight in the Emirates system and it would also have been the longest flight I’d ever flown upon. The fact that I was booked in First Class just added to the excitement and anticipation.

With an almost two week stay planned in South Africa, I’d arranged a very affordable car rental out of Capetown and was looking forward to visiting the Stellenbosch region as well as driving up the western Cape to Upington and beyond into Namibia. Then I’d fly to Hong Kong and beyond on November 12th.

Unfortunately, a big problem started developing during the last week of my European adventure. My right arm was becoming progressively stiffer and my right hand was getting so numb I couldn’t even retrieve my wallet from my back pocket. It was important to find out what was going on and – if at all possible – address the problem with an eye toward some relief.

So – instead of flying down to LA and beyond, I cancelled those flights and instead arranged for a trip down to Colorado for some MRIs and a consultation with the neurologists who’ve been treating me over the past few years. Not only is the quality of care better and less expensive down in Colorado, but I can get MRIs done for about one third the cost – even after insurance – that I’d pay if I had them done up here in Alaska. In any event, a prescription for Prednisone helped alleviate the symptoms to the extent that I could once again do everyday things like write or turn the key to the ignition in my truck. We’re talking major relief here in every sense of the word.

As for my travel plans, I’d basically written off the remainder of this trip but the only portion that I’d actually cancelled were the flights from Fairbanks to Johannesburg and the rental car. My Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong as well as my United award flights were still in play. My doctors agreed that there was no real reason why I shouldn’t be able to travel anywhere if that’s what I wanted to do. Hmm… that’s always something that I want to do…

The problem was that it was now October 31st and given the Saver Award availability for First or Business Class seats, I wouldn’t be able to get to South Africa any earlier than the morning of November 9th. That would leave me all of three days there – kind of like going to the world’s finest steak house and only getting to eat an ounce of filet.

I got to thinking though about some of the trip reports that I’d seen published here at Flyertalk, trips where the writer basically used up a bunch of miles just to go out and enjoy some quality time in a Premium Class cabin. I’m talking about writers like Kiwi Flyer who would take fantastic journeys where the primary benefit was the pure enjoyment of superior inflight service and comfort. Many of us probably thought he was crazy but we all enjoyed reading about his flights and I suspect more than a few of us secretly thought it would be fun to do the same thing ourselves someday.

If you’re going to expend the time and miles and money to travel to a place as distant as Africa, it’s a hard thing to get past the idea of only staying for two or three days. Still, the idea of enjoying all that premium class seating and service is pretty alluring. I mean, think about it – how many of you have been jonesin’ for a nice flight in a good First or Business Class cabin but the idea of doing so just for the fun of it doesn’t quite jive with your sensibilities or those of your significant other? I suspect many of us have faced a similar conundrum in this regard. That said, I’m presently sitting on more miles than I’ve ever had in my life. I can afford to be a bit frivolous if I want to.

I think I do. I mean - what the heck, if it’s fun, just do it! Besides, if I don’t, this trip report will end right here. So let’s check out the possibilities…

Rather than drag you all through the various itineraries that I considered, let’s just cut right to the chase and I’ll tell you what I came up with.

The great thing about redeeming mileage within the Star Alliance is that you can use a number of airlines to get from point A to point B. Before I go any farther here, I’d like to credit fellow FlyerTalker flycal312 for his invaluable assistance in helping me get the most from my United miles. Thanks, man!

Ideally, I wanted a First Class seat aboard Lufthansa’s 747 or the new 747-800 through Frankfurt but alas, the space just wasn’t there on short notice and it never opened up. So, using 60000 United miles I finally came up with a great Business Class itinerary to Johannesburg using Athens as the primary connecting point. As booked, I’ll be flying United’s p.s. service between San Francisco and New York, followed by first time flights aboard Austrian and Tyrolean Airlines through Vienna to Athens. I’ll have a short two hour layover in Athens before continuing on Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and then to Entebbe (via Kigali, Rwanda) where I’ll connect to South African Airways down to Johannesburg and on to Port Elizabeth.

While most everybody else flying between New York and Johannesburg would just hop on South African Airways’ daily nonstop flight (7970 miles) I get to travel along this exotic routing through Austria, Greece, Turkey, Rwanda and Uganda covering 10920 miles. Honestly, I get excited just looking at this itinerary! There are all these new airlines, and I get to fly them in Business Class! Plus, I’ll get to take my first ever flight aboard United’s enhanced p.s. service! Right on!

The only downside to this itinerary is that during the stops in Rwanda and Uganda, I’ll risk exposure to mosquitoes carrying Malaria and Yellow Fever. That means I’ll have to get vaccinated for Yellow Fever and pick up nine days’ worth of anti-malarial medication. The only place in Fairbanks that handles Travel Medicine is the Tanana Valley Clinic and they are not inexpensive. This routing through Entebbe ultimately cost me an extra $293.00.

Now then, what to do during my three days in South Africa?

I picked Port Elizabeth as a destination because Shosholoza Meyl, the railway company that operates passenger services in South Africa, has opened up a new route for its Premier Class train between Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. Those of you who’ve read my trip reports over the past three years will be familiar with Premier Class trains, but for those of you who aren’t, they are an upgraded First Class only train offering much better accommodations along with plush lounges and inclusive of all meals. While the Premier Class service hardly compares to that of South Africa’s famous Blue Train, it is far more affordable. My twenty hour trip from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg will cost me $200.00 USD. By comparison, the least expensive accommodations I could book aboard the Blue Train’s twenty-five hour journey between Capetown and Pretoria would cost me over $1600.00 USD.

So – I’m booked and ready to go. Let’s head on out to the airport!


November 5, 2013
Alaska Airlines Fairbanks – Seattle 515p – 953p 737-400 Coach Class

Unlike some, I actually enjoy winter in Alaska’s Interior. Heck, I just love living up here period. Winter’s been a bit slow in coming this year and as such we didn’t get our first real snowfall until Halloween day. We only received a couple of inches but today the snow started falling at about 10:00am and we’re projected to pick up another four or five inches. Sitting at my desk and looking out my window while printing out the various boarding passes, vouchers and printed confirmations that support a trip such as this, I can’t help but stifle a pang of regret at leaving on such a beautiful day. For one who lives in a cabin in the forest as opposed to a house in the city, days like this are just idyllic. I hate leaving Fairbanks on days like this.

But leave I must and excited I certainly am! Even though I’m not actually staying very long anywhere on this portion of my travels, this is still going to be a great travel adventure! At least for me it is. No doubt some of the more pragmatic amongst us – and believe me, when it comes to air travel FlyerTalk is unfortunately well populated with these types - are shaking their heads in dismay at what they consider to be a monumental waste of time and miles. To these people I make no apologies nor offer any rationale for what I do. I just love to fly and ride trains – so anyone having a problem coming to grips with that fact should ask themselves - why am I even reading this report any more? For those people I recommend returning to the Trip Reports Forum index and find themselves a land-based report more keeping with their practical no-nonsense sensibilities. G’wan now...

My flight to Seattle is booked in Economy so I won’t spend much time on it except to say that as a Gold 75K level flyer on Alaska, I can almost always book myself into an exit row aisle seat that offers way better legroom than First Class and – more and more – Buy On Board meals that are superior to what’s being served up front. In fact, tonight’s offering – a good 1/3rd pound cheeseburger served with a bag of potato chips – has become so popular that it is often the meal being offered complimentary in First Class. Back here behind the curtain we’re asked to pay $6.00 for it, quite a good deal considering the quality and quantity of the overall meal.



A Good Afternoon For Flying



A Good Evening For Flying



Alaska’s Excellent $6.00 Cheeseburger

Landing at SeaTac was ten minutes early and we parked out on the North Satellite which appears to be entirely dedicated to Alaska now. I’ve always liked the North Satellite and have fond memories of flying many a United DC-8-61 out of there back in the seventies. However, this facility needs a lounge in the worst way. The old United Club is located right downstairs but unfortunately Alaska is so cost conscious that they won’t open it as an interim facility while building their new lounge up on the roof.

I bee-lined it to my favorite airport nook, set up camp, read for a bit and was asleep by 11:00pm.

Tomorrow, the big Premium Class adventure begins!


November 6, 2013
United Airlines Seattle – San Francisco 714a – 935a 737-900 First Class
United Airlines San Francisco – New York 211p– 1030p 757-200 First Class

I like that the TSA Pre✓ emblem is printed right on my boarding pass. Last week when I tried to access the pre- lane at SeaTac with my Alaska boarding pass they wouldn’t let me enter.

This is my first time flying with United since they’ve relocated to the A Concourse. I have fond memories of good cold African Amber in the Africa Lounge when I used to fly Delta and American out of here and I was happy to see that the Africa Lounge is still looking as chic and inviting as ever. This morning however I was looking forward to a visit to the new United Club but since boarding was well underway for my San Francisco bound 737-900, I paused only to purchase this morning’s paper before strolling on down the jetway to my waiting seat at 2A.

Flight time was announced as an expeditious one hour and thirty-eight minutes with light chop as we climbed out of SeaTac. The 737 operating today’s flight was one of the newer ones so aside from the inflight magazine, it had nothing of any entertainment value onboard. No Wi-Fi, no music, no Direct TV, no drop down TV – Nothing. Oh well. The flight time was only 1:38 and those of us in First Class were momentarily distracted by hot towels and a small but quite tasty blueberry scone. The coffee flowed freely and even without the entertainment options, I’d have to chalk this up as a pleasant flight.



The Golden Gate Bridge from Above



A Nice View of San Francisco and The Bay

The United Club at SFO is one of my favorite airline lounges. I love the white stone floors, all the wood and the big floor to ceiling windows. The place is at once spacious, comfortable and inviting; much more so than either of the big lounges at Chicago or Denver. With a four hour layover I was tempted to hop a ride on the 7B bus over to nearby Burlingame but a check of the schedules combined with getting back to the airport in a timely fashion put the kibosh on that plan. Instead, I snagged a desk at the rear of the United Club and put in some more work on this report. I’m almost caught up!

Now I’ve been excited about this upcoming flight to New York ever since I scored a seat on it about five days ago. The reason for this is that the aircraft is configured for United’s p.s. service, featuring fully reclining though not quite 180° flat seats up in First Class. I’ve read about but never flown United’s p.s. transcons. Based upon promotional material both in print and on the internet, the service looks pretty good. But then doesn’t it always in that format… Let’s review:

Our p.s.® Premium Service flights offer an international product for an exceptional transcontinental travel experience between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO).

We’ve started the process of reconfiguring our p.s. fleet to bring an international level of premium cabin service to our p.s. transcontinental routes within the U.S. This transformation will bring the features and comfort of our p.s. travel experience to new heights. Customers who have enjoyed our current level of service on p.s. flights will find that they can expect the same attention to detail, along with some significantly enhanced amenities. Enhancements include:

• Completely reconfigured aircraft with fully refreshed interiors and all-new seating
• Full 180-degree flat-bed seats in United BusinessFirst®, replacing angled lie-flat and recliner seats in United First® and United Business®
• All-new United Economy® seats
• New United Economy Plus® seats featuring more legroom than before
• Complimentary in-seat personal on-demand entertainment and standard power ports in all seats

Onboard amenities
180-degree flat-bed seats
Up to 6 feet 4 inches of sleeping space, 21 inches wide
Complimentary amenities including eye shade, ear plugs and dental care kit
Complimentary duvet and pillow for use during your flight

Meals and beverages
Pre-departure beverage service
Hot towel service
Printed menus
Multi-course meals that include appetizer, salad, choice of entrée and ice cream sundae
A variety of premium cocktails, beer, wines and non-alcoholic beverages
Pre-arrival refreshment on select flights

Entertainment
Personal on-demand entertainment offering hundreds of movies, television shows, music and games on a 15.4-inch in-seat monitor
iPod Connect to watch your own movies or listen to your own music on the LCD screen
Gogo Wi-Fi Internet access available
In-seat power (accepts 110V and plugs from select countries) and USB port
Complimentary noise-reducing headsets

As is so often the case however, there is the inevitable caveat:

While we are bringing our current p.s. aircraft to the new international-style configuration, through a transition period scheduled to continue until the end of 2013, it is necessary for us to have multiple versions of our 757-200 aircraft serving these routes. As a result, you may find some differences in our aircraft and onboard amenities on p.s. flights.

You can find out which aircraft type is scheduled on an upcoming flight by viewing seat maps on united.com. Please note, however, that unforeseen circumstances on rare occasions may lead to a change in the aircraft serving a particular flight.


Sure enough, the aircraft assigned to my flight was N554UA, a twenty-one year old bird that first took to the skies back on February 27th, 1992. It was configured with the old p.s. seats (ex-Singapore Airlines Business Class seats according to one of the flight attendants) arranged in three rows of 2-2. According to Seat Guru, each seat was 21.5 inches wide with a generous 68” pitch. Two pillows – one large and one small – plus a nice looking blanket were placed atop each seat. I thought they looked very impressive compared to what I’ve seen in the normal everyday 757 First Class cabins.



United’s First Class p.s. Service Seats



United’s First Class p.s. Service Seats

Appearances can be deceptive, however – something I rudely discovered the moment I sat down. Now mind you, I’ve sat in a lot of First Class seats over the years – over 1800 flights worth if you must know – and for an average sized guy like myself, it’s not so much the width that impresses me as it is the comfort. As you initially sit down, the best seat cushions adjust to your contour while providing soft yet firm support, allowing you to sink back into the foam rubber ecstasy as it were. These seats certainly had the width but otherwise, their cushions were stiff and unyielding. Additionally I found my armrests to be surprisingly low and when I checked to see if they were adjustable I discovered they were also a bit wobbly. Clearly these seats were well past their prime as I suspect they probably were even back when Singapore sold them to United.

On the plus side, only nine of the twelve seats up front were occupied and I was fortunate enough to score an empty next to me.

There was one flight attendant assigned primarily to the First Class cabin though occasionally she got a bit of help from another FA working the Business Class cabin. This was a good thing because judging by the lackadaisical approach to her work, she needed all the help she could get. The woman was a grade A slacker who tried to cover up her service related shortcomings by laughing a lot. Call me a hard case but these folks have a job to do and friendly and cheerful loses a lot of its luster after repeated lapses in providing a proper service because she was busy chatting it up in the back with her co-workers.

Pre-departure drink orders were taken and I requested a Bloody Mary. It arrived in a plastic cup and tasted like a simple mix of tomato juice and vodka. The Business Class Flight Attendant (hereafter referred to as the BC FA) came through with a basket of eye shades and ear plugs, after which our FC FA came through and asked if I’d received a menu. I responded that I hadn’t, after which she disappeared into the forward galley and wasn’t seen again in the cabin until after we’d leveled off.

What a great day for flying! It was a beautiful sunny afternoon as we climbed out of SFO and immediately made a hard bank to the east. The San Francisco Bay Area is a beautiful place to fly into or out of and on days such as this I usually find myself glued to the window watching it all pass by below. Of interest today was how long would it take us to cross San Francisco Bay? I set my watch at take-off and as we crossed the shoreline just south of the old Alameda Naval Air Station I noted the time. Two minutes and thirty-four seconds. I once flew from San Francisco to Oakland aboard an Alaska Airlines MD-80 and I remember that flight taking just under nine minutes, what with having to get into the landing pattern for OAK.

Shortly after we’d leveled off, the BC FA came through with a cart load of Personal Entertainment Players. These were very similar in size and function to Alaska’s Digi-Players – the ones that Alaska was using six or seven years ago! A nice set of what appeared to be noise cancelling headphones was also provided.

We were a little over a half hour into the flight when the FC FA stopped by to take meal requests. She was holding a small stack of menus under her clipboard but rather than pass them out she simply read the entrée choices off her master menu and noted passenger selections. When she got to me, I explained that I collect menus and asked for a copy of one.

Now let’s refer back for a moment to United’s opening line regarding its p.s. service:

Our p.s.® Premium Service flights offer an international product for an exceptional transcontinental travel experience between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO).

Hmm... “An international product for an exceptional transcontinental travel experience”. Well now, with that in mind, let’s see what’s on offer for dinner on this flight:


TO BEGIN

Chilled Appetizer
Prosciutto with cantaloupe, roasted tomato and mozzarella

Fresh Seasonal Greens
Tomatoes, Kalamata olives, bell pepper, baby mozzarella and croutons
With balsamic vinaigrette

Assorted dinner rolls and garlic bread

MAIN COURSE

Tenderloin of Beef
Asiago broth, brown butter gnocchi and green asparagus

Spice-Rubbed Breast of Chicken
Mustard barbecue sauce, steamed rice, mixed vegetables and pickled cabbage

Tri-Color Ravioli
Cherry tomato sauce and herbed butternut squash with Parmesan cheese

TO FINISH

Dessert
Ice cream with your choice of toppings

Light snacks are available at any time following the meal service.
Please help yourself or ask a flight attendant for today’s selection


As an “international product” contributing to an “exceptional travel experience” this menu might meet the standard for a two hour, 1100 mile flight between say, Amsterdam and Bucharest. I was expecting just a bit more on this five hour, 2580 mile flight. For example, where are the wine or spirit listings? There’s a whole empty side of that menu where they could have been listed.

I’m well aware that First Class inflight catering has been in serious decline here in the United States for over ten years now. I don’t like it but I understand and accept it. However when, as a marketing ploy an airline puts out statements such as those that I’ve referenced above, it strongly suggests that passengers can expect a higher standard of service than what they’ve grown accustomed to in traditional domestic transcon First Class. It doesn’t say anywhere that those standards will be limited essentially to the seating and IFE. But still, obviously I consider catering an integral part of the First Class product more so than most others including many of you, so – sorry for the soliloquy but please, answer me this:

Are my expectations unreasonable? Are they out of touch with the times – at least here in America? Or is it United’s p.s. product that doesn’t live up to the expectations generated by such impressive sounding marketing prose? You tell me.

The only real choice on this menu was between the three main courses and since white meat chicken dries out more often than most other meats when subjected to reheating in an airline oven, I went with the Beef Tenderloin. Of course, any amongst us who’ve eaten airline meat know that that tenderloin is no sure bet either, but what the heck – let’s roll the dice!

Drink requests were taken and I asked for a glass of white wine. The “exceptional travel experience” charade continued as I was delivered a glass of room temperature Chardonnay. It was accompanied by a small ramekin of mixed nuts and shortly thereafter the appetizer. There wasn’t a lot of prosciutto but what of it there was tasted pretty good. The salad was similarly a bit small but otherwise okay.



United’s First Class p.s. Appetizer and Salad Tray



The Prosciutto Appetizer

Now I know what some of you are thinking… Glutton! This guy just wants more of everything! Well think about it - if you were served a salad such as the one pictured in a restaurant, how would you feel? Really! How much does a salad cost? And you can keep the olive. Aside from money, can anyone think of any reason why an airline can’t provide a decently sized salad? Especially when we’re taking about a transcontinental flight in First Class that’s being marketed with claims that it offers “an international product for an exceptional transcontinental travel experience.”

When our FA later noticed that I’d not drunk much of the wine, I mentioned the temperature to which she responded “Well that’s strange. I put it on ice!” Yeah, for like, five minutes maybe. That’s alright – I’ll switch to the red anyway since I’m having the tenderloin.

No doubt by now any kind, tender hearted readers who go out of their way to see the good in everything and excuse the bad must have me pegged as an irredeemable jerk. Dude – why are you so angry? Just shut up and eat your steak! What?!!! I’m not angry. I’m just being pointedly direct rather than diplomatically circumspect. Should I just blindly keel over and accept yet another classic example of style over substance? I should just sigh and quietly accept pyrite when gold is being advertised? I should look for a way to excuse or justify anther case of mediocrity fueled by a desire for greater profits or less loss? Sorry gang – it just ain’t gonna happen.

Now the weird thing is – if United hadn’t gone out of its way to advertise these beat up old seats and mediocre catering as an “exceptional travel experience”, I would have accepted this flight as par for the course these days and reported just the facts as there would have been no need for further commentary.

On a positive note the steak was actually pretty good. It was served medium and the gnocchi and asparagus made for tasty accompaniments. When the ice cream sundae cart made the rounds, the BC FA put together a real masterpiece though we both had to restrain the FC FA from throwing a maraschino cherry on the ice cream before the sauce, whipped cream and nuts had been added first.



Tenderloin of Beef



Ice Cream Sundae

We landed at JFK fifteen minutes early and, after locating a rampie with a tractor to tow us in, parked next to a big, beautiful British Airways 777-300. As we deplaned, I thanked the FC FA and gave her a good swat on the butt (No No! Just kidding! I would never – well, at least not under those circumstances!) Actually I just said thank you and headed on up the jetway. I followed the signs to the AirTrain and thence to Federal Circle where a van quickly delivered me to the Day’s Inn Jamaica. My room was small but otherwise nice and quiet with a great mattress. I slept as well as I have in a good long while and awoke the next morning refreshed and ready for the international part of this trip.

Seat 2A

November 7, 2013
Austrian Airlines New York - Vienna 600p – 840a 777-200 Business Class

I love days like this where I get to sleep in and then take a leisurely pace through whatever it is I need or want to do that day before heading out to the airport. Check out time at the hotel was 12:00n but the front desk was kind enough to let me stay an extra hour until 1. I’d already checked in online and was aware that Austrian uses Lufthansa’s Senator Lounge for its Business Class passengers, so once I arrived at Terminal 1, all I had to do was clear security and go chill.

JFK sure has had some iconic terminal buildings over the years. I’m talking about Pan Am’s World Port, TWA’s Wings of Flight and National’s Sun Port. Sadly, all those buildings are gone now – either torn down or so heavily modified that they no longer resemble the design that made them such architectural standouts.

This was my first time flying out of Terminal 1 so I was looking forward to having a look around. The building was opened in 1998, 50 years after the opening of JFK. Though built primarily to serve its four largest tenants - Air France, Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Lufthansa, its eleven gates are more than enough to allow it to also host about fifteen other airlines, most of which serve JFK with just a single daily flight.

Lufthansa’s Senator Lounge is located just past the security checkpoint to the left. The entryway was framed in Lufthansa gray and yellow plastic molding and looked very modern and futuristic – more of a portal than a doorway. The Business Class side of the lounge was very attractive in an efficient, functional kind of way. The predominant colors were grey and silver. Large floor to ceiling windows ran the length of the lounge on the left side, nicely illuminating an area of high tables and stools across from a well-stocked food and drink buffet area. A soccer game played silently from a comfortably dark TV room and at the far end of the lounge some low couches and comfy chairs provided a nice seating area. Just outside the windows was a beautiful Saudi Arabian 777-200. In the distance, an Air France A380 had just landed from Paris and was slowly making its way over to join us.

There was just one problem. The lounge was stiflingly hot and muggy. I stayed long enough to enjoy a couple of vegetable wraps and a bowl of really good tomato lentil soup before relocating to the Korean Air Lounge where the temperature was cooler but the ambience was warmer. Decorated in warm beiges and wood and illuminated by large windows and lamp light, this lounge also offered spacious workstations and a couple of nicely stocked shower rooms. Over the next three hours, I availed myself of both. Then, seeing that my flight to Vienna would be delayed by forty minutes, I returned to the Senator Lounge for a plate of quesadillas and what appeared to be Mexican Samosas.



The Korean Air Lounge at JFK



Lufthansa Senator Lounge Cold Buffet



Lufthansa Senator Lounge Hot Buffet

Boarding was announced at 6:15pm and about a half dozen of us exited the lounge and made our way down to Gate 2. A large crowd had gathered and up at the podium a group of very unhappy Jamaican women protested loudly about what they perceived to be disrespectful treatment by the airline. There was no specified lane for Business Class travelers, and since boarding had not yet commenced I could only hope that we would get called separately.

After seven wheel chair bound passengers and about three dozen more folks comprised of families with children and elderly passengers had boarded, we got the call. Amazingly, it was still a battle to get through to the jetway as those economy passengers just held their ground and only grudgingly moved aside just enough to allow me to squeeze through. Is this a New York thing or was this just a particularly obstinate group of passengers?

I always find it quite exciting to board an aircraft type or airline that I’ve never flown before. More often than not I’ve already seen plenty of pictures of the aircraft but as a passenger, the inside is where it’s at so I’m looking forward to checking out the seats, the colors and the overall ambience of the cabin.

Austrian promotes its 777s as having “a classy new cabin design with a touch of Austria”. This translates to a cabin dominated by the Austrian Airlines colors of white, red and light blue offset by dark grey seats and carpet. The seats looked pretty modular to me and not very wide for Business Class seats. I thought the molding around the seats looked clean and modern but also contributed to a cabin that looked pretty cluttered.


The New Austrian Airlines Business Class Seat


The New Austrian Airlines Business Class Cabin

Austrian has two Business Class cabins on its 777s – the main one at the front and a second, smaller one behind the galley. My seat 7A was located in the very last row of the first cabin. I had selected it because it was a single seat meaning I wouldn’t have to deal with anyone stepping across me in the middle of the night. Placed on my seat were a large pillow, an attractive blue and white blanket and – oddly enough – sheets. I placed everything except the pillow in the overhead storage compartment and then took a seat in my new home for the next seven hours.

Ouch! These seats are really hard. Yeah, sure, they may recline totally flat but otherwise sitting on one was like sitting on a city bus seat. I’ve definitely sat in more comfortable coach seats! I was really surprised because Austrian’s promotional material talks up these seats as if they’re the next best thing in Business Class seat technology. To wit:

An outstanding flight experience with the brand new Austrian Business Class seat featuring
•a horizontal full-flat bed almost two meters in length
•an innovative air cushion system providing greatest possible comfort
•an integrated massage function
•the latest on board entertainment system

Oh well – this is it for the next seven hours so make the best of it. I retrieved the blanket and folded it in such a way that it provided both seat surface cushioning and a bit of lumbar support. Then I fiddled around with the seat side controls to see what else I could do. There were buttons for lumber support, massage and – what’s this? Seat cushion firmness or softness. Hmm… I gave them all a good try out and ultimately decided they were more ornamental than functional. I mean –I could feel the massage, but only in a very subtle way. It was positioned for thoracic spine so it wasn’t like the blanket was in the way. How about that seat texture function? I pressed the appropriate button and watched a row of little lights go down to a point indicating that the seat was getting softer but in actuality I only felt a little air escape from the seat. Eh – whatever.

A nice young lady dressed in chef’s garb including a big floppy chef’s hat was making her way down the aisle distributing menus. Each menu included a separate breakfast card to be filled out by those desiring sustenance prior to our arrival. A pen was thoughtfully attached to the menu.


Austrian Airlines Business Class Menu


Austrian Airlines Business Class Menu

A fairly basic amenities kit was handed out, after which the chef returned to collect the breakfast cards and take note of our dinner selections. As I saw her making her way down the aisle, I quickly grabbed the menu and once again perused the contents:


A la Carte Menu
New York to Vienna

Caesar Salad
Topped with prawns
or
Buffalo Mozzarella
Accompanied byth tomato avocado carpaccio
and/or
Gingered Butternut Squash Soup
With croutons

Please choose from our selections

Fillet of Beef
Accented with sesame soya sauce
Accompanied by potato terrine, green asparagus and red pepper coulis

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass
Served with lime chervil butter
Accompanied by balsamic beluga lentils and celeriac mash

Chicken Tikka Brochette
Presented atop Basmati rice with paneer vegetable curry

___________________

Assorted Cheese and Exotic Fruit
Served from our Trolley
___________________

Chocolate Praline Souffle
With chocolate sauce
And/or
Marinated Berries
Served with Vanilla crčme fraiche
And/or
Dulce de Leche Parfait
______________________________

Freshly brewed coffee or tea
Digestifs


Hmm… it’s always the fish that makes the pilot and passengers sick in those airplane movies, and the chicken sounds a bit on the small side, so let’s go with the fillet of beef. To accompany that… well, who wouldn’t like a Caesar salad with prawns and what the heck – let’s have a bowl of that butternut squash soup, too, thanks.

Pushback was at 7:05pm – an hour and five minutes late. No worries (or something to that effect) said our Captain in strongly accented English. He sounded nothing like another famous Austrian who once governed the state of California. The same winds that had bedeviled the inbound flight from Austria would push us back across the Atlantic in near record time. Despite taking to the air at 7:25pm – almost an hour and a half late – we were expecting to arrive in Vienna at 8:30am – ten minutes early. Flight time was projected at 7:04.

I know, I know, I should be happy but the thing is – I need time to sleep, too. I want to enjoy a nice dinner, take an hour or so afterward to wind down with a good book and then knock off about five hours of sleep. An eight hour flight would come a lot closer to allowing that than a seven hour flight. As much as I enjoy a good hot breakfast aloft, our shorter flying time means it is now officially off the table and I made a point of having this relayed to the chef to whom I’d earlier handed a filled out breakfast card. I need my sleep more.

By the way, for those of you curious about the breakfast offerings, they consisted of the usual European continental breakfast items such as muesli, yogurt, fruit, cheese, sliced meats and breads. Additionally for those desiring a hot breakfast there was a choice between a cottage cheese omelet or two eggs sunny side up with bacon or ham.

We were twenty minutes into the flight when our red clad flight attendants swung into action. Service commenced with the presentation of this damp, skimpy little washcloth that may have been steamed in the past hour but now was just tepid. Okay…

Shortly thereafter, the Purser stopped by to introduce herself and wish me a nice flight. Always a nice touch!

Table linens were laid, cutlery and glassware placed and soon the cocktail cart made an appearance. As it slowly made its way from the front of the cabin back to me, I had plenty of time to examine the wine offerings. Shall we?


WINE LIST

Champagne
Duval-Leroy Fleur de Champagne Brut

Prosecco
Le Borgate Prosecco – Venetto

White Wines
Gruner Veltliner Senftenberger Piri, 2011 ~ Weingut Nigl
Riesling Stein Terrasen Kremstal DAC, 2012 ~ Weingut Petra Unger
Chardonnay Sinner, 2011 ~ Weingut Prieler

Red Wines
Heideboden Zweigelt Selection, 2011 ~ Weingut Erich Scheiblhofer
St. Laurent, 2012 ~ Weingut Paul Achs
Baan Shiraz & Co., 2011 ~ Salomon Estate, South Australia

Dessert Wine
Kracher Cuvee Beerenauslese ~ Weinlaubenhof Kracher, Burgenland

Spirits
Campari
Stolichnaya Vodka
Gordon’s Dry Gin
Chivas Regal
Remy Martin V.S.O.P.
Bailey’s Irish Cream
Reisetbauer Apricot Brandy
Fernet Branca
Portwein “Burmester”


I found the description of the Chardonnay quite enticing:

Golden yellow. A hint of bouquet, inviting yellow fruit reminiscent of quince. Extremely smooth strike, fine woven and highly pleasant. Despite its enormous density, this wine is full of finesse and very elegant. 13.5% alcohol by volume.

A glass was delivered along with a triangular dish of mixed nuts. The bread basket made an appearance and I selected a nice looking roll. A glance at the Sky Map showed we were making good time, speeding along the coast of Maine at a sprightly 698 mph. I assume this was air speed though the fastest I ever remember flying was aboard the inaugural Concorde flight in the U.S. when Braniff’s pilots put the coals to those four big Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus turbojets and took us up to Mach .98 between Washington DC and Dallas on a clear January day back in 1979. On another instance, I was flying eastbound between Denver and New York aboard a TWA Convair 880 when the captain informed us that our ground speed was over 700 mph.


Eastbound and Down at 698 mph!


Cocktail Hour on Austrian Airlines

The salad was delivered by hand and what a good looking salad it was! Presentation really is half the fun of a good food service and over the course of this flight it became clear that Austrian’s cabin crew prided themselves on not only the food they served but how they went about serving it.


What a Great Caesar Salad!

That salad will rank as one of the best airline salads I’ve ever had! Lettuce, dressing, prawns, presentation – all of them were exquisite and the salad was delicious. The soup that followed was very nice, especially with the addition of the flavorful croutons.


Gingered Butternut Squash Soup

Ah… the main course. This was served from the trolley and our chef did a wonderful job of putting together a plate of food that was every bit as attractive as it was delicious. The fillet was tender and served medium rare – just as I like it! The potatoes were wonderfully flavored with bits of onion and the asparagus crisp and delicious. Main courses really don’t come any finer than this – regardless of class flown. Well done, Austrian!


Austrian Airlines Trolley Service
Photo Courtesy of Austrian Airlines


Fillet of Beef


Perfectly Cooked Fillet of Beef

By the way, I’d switched to red wine for the main course and asked the flight attendant to surprise me. She delivered a glass of the Heideboden Zweigelt Selection which was a very pleasant surprise indeed. I’ve made a special note of it to see if I can acquire a few bottles when I get home.

Cheese and port were offered after the meal, followed by dessert – all served from the trolley. I opted for the Chocolate Praline Souffle, topped with really good, rich chocolate sauce. No Hershey’s syrup here!


Chocolate Praline Soufflé

After dinner, a separate Coffee Menu was handed out. It contained descriptions of ten different Viennese coffees that all sounded delicious. Unfortunately, were I to have indulged at this hour of night I would have been up the rest of the flight! Funny – back when I was in college, many of my best papers were written over a burger and endless cups of Sambo’s coffee in the wee hours of the morning. Afterwards I was able to head straight to bed. Alas, no longer…

In all, I’d like to think that this meal would have satisfied even the most demanding gourmand, even those who steadfastly maintain that no airline food can come close to restaurant food on terra firma. Those people will never be convinced unless it’s a blind tasting, so enough wasting time with their snooty lot. For any and all of us who’ve ever enjoyed what we considered to be a good meal aloft, I recommend a flight on Austrian’s Business Class.

I don’t know what they served back in economy, but when I took a post meal lap of the airplane I was shocked and surprised to find that the seating arrangement back there was 3-4-3. Most airlines go nine across in their 777s, but these seats looked even narrower than those of Emirates, which you’ll recall also go ten across. Seat pitch looked to be about 32-33”. Surprisingly, the only person crying was a baby up front. After about three hours in these seats I think I might have been in tears, too.

Returning to my seat I was dismayed to see on the flight map that we had just 4:45 left. This flight is going by distressingly fast! I’ve got to try and get at least a bit of sleep! Reclining my seat to its totally flat position, I scooted my feet and legs down into the small hollow area from the end of my seat into the middle of the seat pair ahead of me. It was not comfortable because I could feel the walls against my legs and feet most of the way down. I couldn’t even lie on my side and bend my knees. I was fine in the middle but my shoulders also came into contact with seat molding on both sides. I felt like I was in an MRI tube. I tried wiggling around into different positions and none of them really worked. I’m not particularly claustrophobic but I felt really closed in and very uncomfortably so.

Honestly, I’ve got to say that this is the worst Business Class seat I have ever sat in. I’m 5’11” ˝ and yet the “almost two meters in length” seat had me feeling pressure both top and bottom. I tried adjusting the seat into a halfway reclined position but that wasn’t much better. Finally, on a walk up to the lav I noticed that some seats have a more open area along the side, allowing one to lie on their side with knees slightly bent. Thankfully one of those seats was available in the second Business Class cabin behind me. Lying on my side, I actually managed to get about 3 ˝ hours of sleep.


Morning Finds Our Austrian 777 Over The Alps

When I awoke there were less than forty minutes left in the flight. Who knows, maybe I’d been woken up because we started our descent very shortly thereafter. The cabin crew was busy putting away service implements and otherwise readying the cabin for landing. It was obvious I wasn’t going to get even a cup of fine Viennese coffee to close out this flight.

Oh well, in all I enjoyed everything about my first flight on Austrian except the seat. The crew did an excellent job throughout the flight and the food was some of the finest I’ve been served in recent memory. The seat however was no good – at least for me it wasn’t. I think anyone over six feet tall (172 cm) would do well to avoid night flights on Austrian or Brussels Airlines which uses the exact same seat. I’ll definitely fly Austrian again – but only on short haul routes within Europe.

Seat 2A

November 8, 2013
Tyrolean Airlines Vienna - Athens 1020a – 130p A320-200 Business Class
Turkish Airlines Athens – Istanbul 250p – 430p A320-200 Business Class
Turkish Airlines Istanbul – Kigali 640p – 210a 737-900 Business Class

In this day and age, not many people flying between Europe and South Africa would do so entirely aboard narrow bodied aircraft but that’s what I’m about to do, starting with Tyrolean Airlines’ mid-morning A320 flight between Vienna and Athens.

After clearing security, I paid a quick visit to Austrian’s Business Lounge at the head of the F Concourse. My first thought as I entered this lounge was that I was walking into a children’s reading area outfitted with low, pale blue and red chairs. They didn’t look particularly comfortable and combined with the dull wooden floors gave this lounge a very utilitarian appearance. The food offerings were limited mostly to different breads. An automatic coffee machine provided me with a café latte which I quickly drank and then began the long journey down to my gate. As is so often the case on this trip, my flight was scheduled to depart from the very last gate on the concourse. F36. Better get walking.

I have never understood why Europeans have put up with Economy Class seats in their Business Class sections for all these years when so many of the world’s other airlines see fit to provide a proper 2-2 arrangement up front. Isn’t the whole idea behind Business Class to offer more space? Oh whoop-de-doo, a guaranteed empty middle seat in each row.

I was assigned 2A but since nobody had sat in row 1 on the right, I relocated to 1F and enjoyed substantially more legroom with only the bulkhead in front of me. Mounted on the bulkhead was a plastic display rack containing timetables and postcards of Austrian Airlines’ 777 and A319. I hadn’t seen either timetables or postcards on any planes for about twenty years so I thought that was pretty cool. Also on the bulkhead was a plaque bearing the Austrian Airlines logo but indicating that this flight was being operated by Tyrolean Airlines. You’d never know it from the outside, which is painted in Austrian’s livery.

Flight time was projected to be one hour and forty-seven minutes cruising at some metric altitude which I didn’t bother to convert. Fact is I’ve never really much cared what altitude we’re flying at so long as it isn’t really high or really low.

Service started very shortly after takeoff. Drinks were offered followed by the delivery of our luncheon trays. Today’s meal included about a 6oz portion of grilled hamburger steak served with potato salad, a tomato slice, a small pile of salad greens and a flan with apricot topping for dessert. It was all quite good though I especially liked the bread roll which accompanied my meal. That was really good!



Luncheon Ground Round on Tyrolean



Approach Into Athens



Salamis Island on Approach Into Athens

It was a beautiful autumn day as we descended past Salamis Island and out over the Saronic Gulf before turning east for our final approach into Athens International Airport. We landed smoothly and taxied past a big Antonov AN-124 cargo plane preparing to lumber into the skies. Olympic Airways, once dominant at Athens, now appears to be only a shadow of its former self. I spotted only a couple of regional props and an A319 wearing the Olympic rings. Nowadays Aegean looks to be the straw stirring the drink at ATH. There were probably a dozen of its Airbuses parked around the terminal.

My connection here was pretty short by international standards – only one hour and twenty minutes. By the time I’d cleared passport control and security there really wasn’t enough time for any airport lounging so I headed straightaway to my gate. Along the way I liked what I saw of the restaurants in the terminal. Even though they were indoors they still managed to get a porch effect and the bars looked quite appealing as well. The nicest ones were landside and I could easily imagine coming down here regularly for lunch if I lived or worked in the area. What the heck – bring a date!

Narrow-bodied Airbuses of varying sizes really dominated the gates here in Athens. My white and red Turkish A320 was parked next to a good looking Etihad A320. A little further down the concourse were A321s from Lufthansa and Alitalia. This in addition to the plethora of Aegean Airbuses. An SAS 737-800 was the only Boeing I saw.

Once again I ended up in an Economy seat masquerading as a Business Class seat. One thing I did like though was the turquoise and dark blue patterned seat fabrics. Whoa! This is like a seventies flashback! Eastern Airlines had similarly upholstered seats. Also the Turkish flight attendants looked quite fetching in their stylish blue uniforms.

It’s a short one hour, 340 mile flight from Athens to Istanbul – about the same as Los Angeles to San Francisco. I wasn’t expecting much in the way of inflight service – perhaps a sandwich, if that. Boy was I in for a surprise!

Service started on the ground with the presentation of large, hot towels that were not only hot but also scented. Well that’s certainly a nice start. Imagine then my pleasant surprise when shortly after takeoff our beautiful blonde haired flight attendant presented us with menus! No way! On a one hour flight? Way. Check it out!


MENU

TO BEGIN
Assorted Turkish Appetizers
Mediterranean Salad

MAIN COURSE

Beef Fillet
Served with scalloped potatoes and grilled vegetables

Oven Fresh Bread Selection

AFTERWARDS
Assorted Cheese
Homemade Chocolate Mousse Cake


When my tray was delivered, it was so full of food that I first thought the menu must have been in error and that chicken and couscous had been substituted for steak and potatoes. What I was goggling at though was just the first course, a large plate of assorted Turkish appetizers; to wit marinated sliced chicken breast, potato salad, couscous salad, grilled eggplant and the ever ubiquitous olive. Throw in the cheese and dessert and all of this would have been more than satisfying - but wait! There’s more!



First Course – On a One Hour Flight

In between courses I had a brief flashback to June of 1979 when, on a 40 minute flight aboard a 737 between Watson Lake and Fort Nelson, CP Air served us a hot dinner with a choice of entrees served on the airline’s finest porcelain. Back in 2002, Air New Zealand served me a hot snack (Some kind of Greek vegetarian pastry with a small salad and dessert) on a 25 minute 737 flight between Queenstown and Christchurch. Amazing.

The large appetizer plate was cleared and soon a smaller hot dish was presented bearing my steak and potatoes. Oh. My. God. This was more food than most U.S. airlines would serve you on a flight many times longer. And, it was really good, too. The beef wasn’t overcooked and the scalloped potatoes were exquisitely hot and cheesy. And there was wine!



Main Course – On a One Hour Flight!

With service like this, is it any wonder that Turkish Airlines has been named the Best Airline in Europe for the third year by customers at the 2013 World Airline Awards? Well done, TK!

The sun sat low over the Sea of Marmara coloring the sky in beautiful shades of gold and orange as we made our descent into Istanbul’s Atatürk Havalimanı International Airport. IST is a pretty good sized airport and any fans of Airbus A300s and 310s would be pleased to find a large collection of them, most now converted to freighters and wearing the colors of MNG Cargo and Turkish Cargo.

We taxied to a remote parking stand and parked alongside a group of 737s. Turkish Airlines operates a pretty diverse fleet comprised of Airbus (A310, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340) and Boeing (737-700, -800 and -900, 777-300) equipment. Most of the larger aircraft were parked at gates with jet bridges but on our way to the terminal we did drive past a good looking A330 named “Kapadokya”. Warm yellow light shown through its forward windows and I couldn’t help but picture myself comfortably ensconced in a plush Business Class seat in its forward cabin, ready to go wherever that plane was bound.

By now it had been a little more than fifteen hours since I left New York and, having gotten only about three and a half hours of sleep so far, the travel was starting to catch up with me. Both Athens and Istanbul were fairly muggy, so what I really desired most at this time was a shower. I’d heard good things about Turkish Airlines’ CIP Lounge here at IST and so I commenced to follow the innumerable signs that directed me along the half mile or so it took to finally get to that side of the airport.

The CIP Lounge is indeed very impressive, starting with the entrance – a massive wall of floor to ceiling glass with huge tawny colored curtains behind it. I got the sense I was entering into a big tent! But oh, what a tent! This lounge has it all starting with its impressive architecture and including a full service dining room, a library, a pool table, a prayer room, a business center and a suite of showers and day rest rooms that include real beds.



Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge at Istanbul



Library & Billiards at Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge

All I wanted was a shower, so I made my way to the concierge desk and added my name to the list of fellow hot and sweaty travelers. There was an approximately 45 minute wait time which worked out well as it gave me time to go and have a look at this marvelous lounge. I really liked the lighting and the colors, from the carpet on the floor to the fabric on the chairs. This lounge just radiated refined – not flashy – comfort. I took a couple of quick photos and settled into a comfy chair to await my turn at the shower suites.



Waiting for Showers at The Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge

In the tradition of the finest airline lounges, these spacious shower suites were well stocked with all the necessary amenities including robes and a hair dryer. They also included a sink and toilet. The lounge staff had warned me that my departure gate was a good twenty minute walk away (this time I was the third from the last gate down in the next terminal over!) so I was in and out of that shower quickly and feeling much better by the time I finally arrived at my gate.

Istanbul, Turkey to Kigali, Rwanda. If that’s not an exotic route to fly, I don’t know what is! The lounge was filled with a interesting and varied collection of humanity that looked every bit as exotic as the route. There were colorfully dressed locals from Rwanda and Uganda, women in hijabs, two men in sports coats, a couple of scruffy backpackers from somewhere in Europe judging by their accents and two girls from Japan. And me, of course, with my tweed cap and daypack.

Once again we were remotely parked, so we all loaded onto busses that I was pleased to see didn’t have to wait until they were so full that there was no room for anything larger than a small dog. Now, as we drove out to our waiting aircraft, only one question remained:

Would this aircraft be a 737-800 or a 737-900? In terms of comfort there was a lot riding on this because the -800s, while offering a 2-2 seating arrangement in Business Class, have only a 35” pitch while the -900s have true recliner seats with leg rests and in-seat video entertainment with a whopping 55” pitch. When I looked this flight up on the Turkish website, it indicated a 737-900 as the equipment but when I checked in online yesterday it indicated a 737-800. Hmm… if only I’d made use of that prayer room back at the lounge…

Imagine then my delight as we drove around and then pulled up next to a shiny one year old 737-900 named “Mŭgli”. Yes!!! Praise Allah and Thank God for looking out for me on this, my 1,500th flight on a 737! Yes gang, you read that right. This is indeed my 1,500th flight on a 737. My first came on August 8th, 1972 aboard a United 737-200 between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. It’s been a great forty-one year relationship with Boeing’s little twin jet; an airplane that’s grown into not only the best-selling jetliner in aviation history but, in its largest version, an airplane that holds more passengers than its great grandfather the Boeing 707.

As we climbed up the covered stairway and paused on the landing at the aircraft door we were met by two Turkish flight attendants who inspected our boarding passes and then allowed us to pass. Walking through the galley and into the Business Class cabin was worthy of a harp glissando and a chorus from the heavens. Wow! This has got to be one of the nicest premium class cabins ever installed on a 737! It’s one thing to read about 55” pitch, leg rests, video screens and all that jazz but it’s quite another to actually see these things, especially aboard an aircraft with a fuselage width the size of a 737. They look nice enough on a 767 or A330 but on a 737 it all looked absolutely spectacular!



Excellent Business Class Seating on Turkish 737-900

Only four out of the sixteen recliners were occupied tonight and interestingly, three of us were assigned seats in row 2. It didn’t take my seatmate long to put 2 and 2 together and move from his aisle seat back a row to 3A. A flight attendant came around with a tray of colorful and fruity looking drinks –none of them more than 4oz in size. Aside from real juice, I’m not a big fan of fruit drinks so I selected the glass with the clear liquid and was pleased to find it was water and not some exotic Turkish fire water that would leave me looking like something out of an R. Crumb cartoon.

Hot towels made the rounds and once again they were refreshingly hot and deliciously scented. I believe this form of hot towels is a Japanese Tradition known as Oshibori Towels. Northwest Airlines introduced them to U.S. passengers on its Boeing Stratocruiser flights to the Orient back in the 1950s. Since then many other airlines have decided to offer this service as well – some doing so with varying degrees of success and other’s efforts have ended only in abject failure.

As we taxied past the main terminal building, I thought I’d see if I could get a decent photo. I like those old terminal buildings that have the name of the airport prominently displayed. I waited until there was a Turkish jet parked in the foreground and then took my photo.



Ataturk Havalimani Airport

As we taxied out to the runway, one of the flight attendants came around with a small tray of these little cubes of something or other dusted with powdered sugar. Hmm… alright, I’ll try one. Wow! They were chewy with this delicious nutty flavor and only a bit of sweetness. I made a point to ask the flight attendant about them later in the flight but unless I can find a Turkish supermarket in the U.S. it looks like I’ll have to return to Turkey if I want more. I do.

Flight time on this 2,970 mile flight to Kigali was projected at six hours and seven minutes. I couldn’t help but consider that my 4,200 mile flight from New York to Vienna last night took only an hour longer. There were no tailwinds tonight. In fact, the captain said that with few exceptions he was expecting pretty smooth conditions all the way down to Kigali though thunder storms in the area might affect our approach.



Sky Map – Istanbul to Entebbe

Shortly after takeoff, I decided it would be a good time to check out this seat’s recline function. Hmm… very nice! Forty minutes later I awoke to find the flight attendant serving drinks and passing out menus. Yes, please! I ordered a Crown Royal and then sat back to look over tonight’s dinner offerings…



Business Class Menu – Istanbul to Entebbe


DINNER
Istanbul to Kigali

TO BEGIN
Assorted Turkish Appetizers
Stuffed Zucchini in Olive Oil

MAIN COURSE

Grilled Swordfish
Presented with eggplant stuffed with red pepper and potato puree

Fillet Mignon and Chicken Medallion
Accented with a mustard and curry sauce
Served with sautéed mixed vegetables and buttered rice

Cheese Ravioli with Parmesan Sauce
Accompanied by sautéed mushrooms and marinated red peppers

Oven Fresh Bread Selection

AFTERWARDS
Assorted Cheese
Homemade Baked Rice Pudding

_______________________________________

SNACK SERVICE

Roast Beef and Cheese Sandwich
Sour Cherry Cake


I consulted with the flight attendant about the possibility of sleeping now and eating later but ultimately decided to go with the flow and eat now in the hope that I could knock off another four hours or so after dinner. It was 8:00am back in Alaska but I pushed that thought out of mind and headed up to the lav to wash up for dinner.

The appetizer plate included sliced chicken, prawns, a barley salad, green beans, an olive and a salad. On the side were the stuffed zucchini and cheese course. I ate it all except the olive. For the main course I went with the old tried and true - Fillet Mignon and Chicken Medallion. The meat was not exactly a filet mignon as I’ve come to know it but it was good and flavorful. Its juice flavored the rice very nicely and the grilled vegetables made a nice accompaniment.



First Course – Turkish Appetizers and Salad



Main Course – Beef and Chicken

Interestingly, there wasn’t a whole lot of difference between this meal and the one I was served on the one hour flight between Athens and Istanbul. We had a choice of three main courses instead of one but otherwise it was a very similar service. Either way, it tasted good and it was filling. Good Turkish coffee was offered after dinner but I decided to wait until the Kigali – Entebbe leg before imbibing as I really wanted to get some sleep. By the way, the rice pudding dessert was excellent!

Well you know, those recliners were awfully nice – they didn’t recline to a full 180° flat surface of course but they did go back about 60°, which from an upright position is pretty good. Even so, I’d spent so much time sitting of late that my back was feeling none too good for it all. Here I had this huge amount of floor space in front of me, so I explained my situation to the flight attendants if they’d mind if I utilized the floor. I promised to keep my legs out of the aisle. No problem!

So that’s what I did, using my daypack and the pillow for my head and covering up with the light blanket provided. When I awoke about three and a half hours later, I felt much better.

One of the interesting things about flying into places like Kigali, Rwanda in the middle of the night is the lights. There aren’t many of them and what of them there are seem to be lighting up a residential street here and there. I never did see anything suggesting a downtown or big buildings lit up in the distance but then I had only my side of the plane to look out of. I never even saw a large lit up roadway until we crossed over the airport’s perimeter road. It looked like the best lit road in town.

We landed early at 1:14am local time and taxied briskly up to the small, dark terminal building. Only about a dozen passengers got off. The rest of us were instructed to remain on board during our brief 45 minute stop. A 737-800 and a pair of CRJ-900s wearing the blue and white livery of Rwandair were parked next to us on the tarmac. A little farther down the way was an all-white MD-80 bearing United Nations titles with a big UN on the tail. Just beyond it was a South African A319 awaiting its 6:00am departure to Bujumbura and on to Johannesburg. I could have chosen connecting through Kigali and taking that flight but the idea of sitting around in a departure lounge at little Kigali Airport did not appeal, especially since my Priority Pass membership would get me into a proper lounge at Entebbe.

Just prior to landing at Kigali I’d taken a couple of mosquito repellant wipes I’d brought along and applied them to my hands, face and neck. I’d had concerns that while we were parked in Kigali with the door open as well as during the time I was in the Entebbe Airport I might encounter mosquitoes. Disease bearing mosquitoes. Oddly enough, I never saw or heard even one at either airport. I used the repellant regardless.

Seat 2A

November 09, 2013
Turkish Airlines Kigali - Entebbe 215a – 410a 737-900 Business Class
South African Airways Entebbe - Johannesburg 710a – 1025a A319-100 Business Class
South African Airways Johannesburg – Port Elizabeth 100p – 245p A319-100 Business Class

At 2:10am the doors were closed and the engines spooled up. By 2:15am we were airborne again for the short hop up to Entebbe on the shores of Lake Victoria. This is a flight I would have loved to have flown during daylight hours but instead I a good cup of Turkish coffee and watched my Sky Map as we made our way north.



Sky Map – Kigali up to Entebbe

After a short flight of just 45 minutes we touched down smoothly at Entebbe International Airport. Oddly enough this airport has two jet bridges, both of which were unused because they had Ugandan Airways CRJ-200s parked in front of them. We parked between the CRJs and then disembarked down the covered stairway for the short walk into the terminal building. There was no transit desk open when we arrived though I shouldn’t imagine many people who come in off this flight are actually continuing on to international destinations. For sure I was the only one this morning. A couple of officials checked my passport and then I was led upstairs to the departure section of the terminal.

My generation is pretty familiar with Entebbe. Back in 1976 four terrorists hijacked an Air France A300 and had it flown to Entebbe. Upon arrival, the hijackers were actually welcomed by Ugandan strongman Idi Amin. Jewish and Israeli passengers were held hostage while the rest of the passengers were released. Over the next few days, commandos of the Israel Defense Forces put together a rescue mission. They then flew down to Uganda and launched a raid eight days after the initial hijacking. All of the hijackers, three hostages and 45 Ugandan soldiers were killed. Additionally, thirty MiG-17s and MiG-21s of Uganda's air force were destroyed. Right on!

For no particular reason I can pinpoint, this airport terminal reminded me a lot of the one at La Paz, Bolivia. I flew through there on a Lloyd Bolivian milk run between Santiago and Miami back in the early nineties. That’s where I discovered what I consider to be the best beer in all of South America – Paceńa Pilsner. Because of the airport’s high elevation at 13,800’, I couldn’t drink too much of it but man, was it good. But I digress.

I had a three hour layover here and so was thankful for the presence of the Karibuni Lounge, which had very conveniently opened at 4:00am. I informed the receptionist of my lack of a boarding pass for the SAA flight to Johannesburg and she said she’d put in a call to their counter when they opened at 4:45. She then ran my Priority Pass card on an old fashioned credit card machine and welcomed me into the lounge.



Karibuni Lounge at Entebbe

At this hour of day, it was just myself and the lounge attendants. They were busy making sandwiches at a service island that was located at one end of the room. That island also doubled as a bar with stools along one side. A large television in the corner blared out continuous coverage of the typhoon that had hit the Philippines earlier that day. I watched for a few minutes and then picked out a bottled water and retired to the single computer terminal to put in a bit of internet time.

At about 5:15 a uniformed representative of Entebbe Ground Services arrived to discuss my flight to Johannesburg. He then collected my passport and headed down to the counter to get me a boarding pass. To be honest, I felt a bit nervous about relinquishing my passport to him but he was in uniform, was familiar to the lounge attendant and recognized that PLZ was Port Elizabeth. When he returned about ten minutes later with passport and boarding passes in hand, I breathed a big sigh of relief.



Entebbe International Airport – Departures Level

Dawn was just coloring the sky over Entebbe when I left the lounge and headed over to gate 2. A security and paperwork check was performed and the representative, upon noting that my Yellow Fever vaccination was less than ten days old, advised me to make it clear to the South African authorities that I had never set foot in Uganda if I were asked.

I noticed that one of the jetways was now occupied by a Qatar Airways A320. I can’t imagine why we didn’t rate one with our A319 – perhaps there’s an extra fee for their use. In any event we all piled on to a couple of busses and drove a couple hundred yards across the terminal to our waiting A319.

I like SAA’s livery a lot but even so I’d love to see one or two of their aircraft painted in the retro orange and blue springbok livery. I always thought that was a damned fine livery though its association with the apartheid days might render its return a moot point.

SAA’s A319s have a 5 across configuration up front with three on one side and two on the other. The seats are about as wide as what you’d find in First Class on a Fokker or a DC-9 with a seat pitch of about 35”. There’s a wide plastic armrest/drink table between seats and each seat is also equipped with a universal plug in for laptops.



Business Class Seating on South African’s A319-100

Ideally the flight attendants would be offering coffee and juice up front but the only pre-departure service was limited to having jackets hung and offering newspapers. The newspaper of choice was The Star, which was big on sensationalism but a bit lacking on proper news coverage.

By 7:05am we were buttoned up and ready to go. It was a pretty full load in the back, but maybe only 15 out of 25 up front. As we taxied out to the runway I saw what was probably the United Nations MD-80 that I saw last night in Kigali taxiing into the terminal. We also passed an unmarked IL-76 freighter parked just left of the terminal. Soon enough we were thundering down the runway and climbing out over the broad African savannah bound for Johannesburg, 1830 miles to the south.

Once we’d leveled out, attractive gold breakfast menus were passed out. I was surprised to see that they were even specific to the route. Here’s the transcript:


BREAKFAST

Starters
Selected fruit juices
Sliced fresh fruit
Fruit flavored yogurt
Cereal

MAIN COURSE

Scrambled Eggs
Accompanied by beef sausage, hash brown, sautéed mushrooms and tomato concassé

Cheese Frittata
Served with bean casserole and spinach & mushroom mix


I thought the cheese frittata looked pretty good. Unfortunately, so did most folks up ahead of me so I settled for the scrambled eggs. The breakfast was presented in two courses with fruit, yogurt and cereal being served first. A bountiful bread basket made the rounds and the flight attendant encouraged me to select two if I so desired. I did. The hot dish came out next and was remarkable for the presence of hashed browns, which I rarely see in this part of the world. It was all delicious, my only complaint being that I never did find out what exactly a tomato concassé was because we were served a colorful pepper medley instead. Perhaps the chef didn’t know either. One other odd service point was that coffee wasn’t offered until after breakfast. Is this a cultural thing?



Fruit Plate Starter



Scrambled Eggs Breakfast

Once my tray was cleared away, I moved to the completely empty row 4C-E so I could recline my seat without disturbing the guy behind me. I slept well, too. When I awoke we were just beginning our descent into Johannesburg.

As we taxied in to the gate, I was sorry to see the grounded remains of the onetime South African discount airline 1Time. I logged a couple of flights with them over the years and their bright red aircraft and low fares will certainly be missed. Speaking of low fares, I didn’t see any of the colorful green planes of South Africa’s other low fare carrier Kulula either, though they could have been lurking on the other side of the airport.

Despite the recent arrivals of a couple other flights, most notably a Turkish A330 and a Lufthansa A380, immigration was a breeze. I made mention to the officer that I’d experienced quite a climate change over the past couple of days, coming from Alaska all the way to South Africa. He gave my passport a cursory once over and never did ask which flight I’d come in on. This was only a potential issue, you’ll recall, because yellow fever certificates don’t become valid until ten days after they’re issued. Mine was only eight days old.

SAA has a small arrivals lounge just as you exit customs. It offers limited seating with a few snacks and drinks. Most notably however, it also has four or five spacious shower suites and that’s exactly what I needed to wash off the torpor from the long overnight journey from Istanbul.

From the arrivals lounge I made my over to the other side of the terminal complex where most domestic flights depart from. I’d been looking forward to my first visit to SAA’s highly regarded Baobab Lounge. It’s a good looking lounge that I liked immediately. Orange, beige and ochre are the predominant colors that work very well with the wooden floors and muted lighting. There were a number of food stations spread out around the lounge, not all of them offering the same thing. I had sandwiches, crudités, cheeses, soup and a couple of nice looking salads to choose from and managed to put together a tasty little plate of deliciously spiced couscous salad and veggies. A quick stop at the bar added a Hansa Premium Lager to my collection and soon I was refueled and ready for my final flight of the day.



South African Airways Baobab Lounge at JNB



South African Airways Baobab Lounge at JNB



South African Airways Baobab Lounge Bar at JNB



South African Airways Baobab Lounge Salad Station at JNB

Waiting down at gate D-6 was ZS-SFI, a nine year old A319-100 that didn’t look a day over three. Also waiting were two orderly lines – one for Business and Elite flyers, the other for everyone else. It was a far cry from the crush of humanity that had accompanied most of my boarding scenarios of late.

My seatmate explained that today being Saturday, there were just two SAA flights between Joberg and Port Elizabeth. So that’s why every seat is filled. Once again I’d snagged a window seat on the two seat side (That’s because I called SAA from Alaska last week and got that taken care of in advance) and settled in comfortably for the one hour and twenty-four minute hop down to the coast.

Service began with a very gracious cocktail service from the trolley that included a description of the wines on board with time taken to sample those wines if you so desired. Our flight attendant described a pair of locally produced reds including a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon that sounded pretty good and indeed was quite good. Luncheon was a choice between a chicken salad with veggie wrap or a veggie pasta salad. Both seatmate and I chose the chicken and were not disappointed. Coffee and tea were offered afterwards and as one hour and twenty-four minute flights go, this was one of the better ones I’ve been on of late.



Snack Service Between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth

We made a very pretty approach into Port Elizabeth, swinging out over the multi-hued Indian Ocean before flying low past the beautiful beach and hotels that make Port Elizabeth such a popular vacation destination. We kissed the tarmac at 2:35pm local time and parked in front of the terminal building. Finally, after seven flights, thirty six hours and 10,920 miles after leaving New York I had arrived at the bottom of Africa. It was a gorgeous day – sunny and about 75°. It sure is good to be back!



On Approach over the Indian Ocean to Port Elizabeth



Welcome to Port Elizabeth

My accommodations this evening will be at the Treetops Guest House, located in Walmer, just a short distance from the airport. My host Steve drove out to the airport to pick me up and, after I short nap, I headed up the road to a nice bar/restaurant where I joined a lively crowd watching the rugby match between the Springboks and Wales, recent two time winners of the six nations championships. The Boks looked to have the match pretty well in hand by the time I paid my bill and headed back to the Treetops for a comfortable night’s sleep.


November 10, 2013
Shosholoza Meyl Port Elizabeth - Johannesburg 300p – 1135a Premier Class

Trains are a great way to see the country as you travel through it rather than over it it. This is especially true down here in South Africa where beautiful scenery combined with a favorable exchange rate against the Rand make train travel a very affordable alternative to flying or driving. I know, I know – who’s got the time? But then, what’s your hurry? Besides, where else can you watch nature’s beauty glide past large picture windows while sitting in a comfortable lounge car sharing the good times with fellow travelers over a cold drink and a plate of hors d’oeuvres?

Most people traveling by train in South Africa have two options: Shosholoza Meyl – the regular everyday passenger trains that offer economy class seating and basic sleeping accommodations or the all-First Class Premier Class trains that offer much nicer sleeping accommodations plus a lounge and dining car with complimentary food service. I have ridden both and given the favorable exchange rate, the Premier Class trains are well worth the extra expenditure.

This is my fourth trip aboard a Premier Class train, but my first time riding one between Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. I was looking forward to seeing the scenery while enjoying a First Class rail experience on the twenty hour ride up to Johannesburg. Well on this trip, the scenery was very nice indeed but unfortunately the First Class service was not.

The journey got off to an inauspicious start when the station staff couldn’t find the key to open the door to the special reception room reserved for Premier Class passengers. Once they did get the door opened, the three of us gathered so far entered a room that had some folding metal chairs, a couple benches along the wall and two big display tables much as you’d find in any hotel conference room. Along a far wall were some metal lockers and boxes of papers and files of some sort, apparently being stored there for lack of a better spot. Then again, this room was a great place to store those files but perhaps not such a great place to store the three of us.

The promotional brochure for the Premier Class trains indicates that coffee, tea and cookies will be available in the reception room at the station. A plate sparsely adorned with four cookies was brought out but no coffee or tea ever materialized. My two fellow passengers were a retired couple from Los Angeles, California who, like me, were expecting a quality train ride up to Johannesburg. The lady commented that this certainly didn’t look anything like the lounge pictured on the railroad’s website. I told her the lounge on the website was the one in Capetown normally used for passengers riding South Africa’s ultra-luxurious Blue Train. We all looked around in bemusement at our dismal quarters. The lone plate of cookies looked kind of silly sitting all by itself atop an empty chair and, though we didn’t know it at the time, it and the reception room would serve as an apt indicator of the quality of service yet to come.



Port Elizabeth Station



Station Platforms at Port Elizabeth

About fifteen minutes before departure, a uniformed member of the train staff arrived to lead us out to the train. On my three prior experiences aboard Premier Class trains, each of them had operated independently of the Shosholoza Meyl schedules. Not so today. We were led past eleven brightly painted coaches, dining car and sleepers before finally reaching our three all purple Premier Class cars at the front of the train.

The first sign that something was wrong came when I saw that some of the windows were open on our sleeper. If the air-conditioning were working in this car, those windows should be shut. Sure enough, the air-con was out but our car attendant – a big lumbering man who never did manage to find his uniform throughout the trip – assured us that his technician was working on the problem. In the meantime, we were led to compartments that were stiflingly hot and had not even been properly set up prior to our arrival. Normally those compartments would already be stocked with towels, slippers, a robe, shower amenities, a bottle of water and a welcoming letter. There was nothing - just a hot, empty compartment.

Next door, my neighbors – the couple from California – were equally baffled. When the car attendant ambled back through the car a couple minutes later, we all asked about the air-conditioning and if there were a different sleeper available. No – this was it. Aside from the air-conditioning problem, we certainly didn’t need another because as it turned out we were the only three people riding Premier Class today.

A uniformed lady showed up and introduced herself as the chief purser on board. Would we follow her please and she would show us the layout of the train. She led us first up to the lounge car where she explained that drinks and snacks would be available upon our departure but that there would be no beer or soft drinks since today was Sunday and the stores that sold those items were closed in Port Elizabeth. Her delivery was halting and unsure, as of this was her first time being chief purser and she wasn’t too confident about her readiness. I quickly figured nothing good would come from asking her why sufficient quantities of these things couldn’t have been brought down on the train from Johannesburg. I mean, with loads this light it’s not like they’re going to have to carry a lot. She went on to explain that High Tea would be served at 5:00pm (a bit late for High Tea isn’t it?) and that other beverages would be available upon request throughout the trip. When asked whether or not the big 48” wall mounted flat screen television worked, she replied that they didn’t have any reception between cities. Again, I thought about asking “So… that means the televisions were installed only so that passengers could watch them while in the station?” but thought better of it. Oh, and there was no air-conditioning in this car either.

We continued on to the Dining Car where she explained that dinner would be served at 7:00pm and that the main course would be salmon. “Do they still have a menu?” I asked. She seemed perplexed at the very notion of a menu and I remembered that they had also been absent on my last Premier Class train between Capetown and Johannesburg two years ago. Breakfast would be served at 7:00am. I mentioned that in years past breakfast ran between 7 and 9am and we could show up at any time. Was that still the case? No, she said, but we could make it 7:30 or 8 if we all agreed on the time. The California couple (Benny and Helen) looked at each other and then at me and we all decided that 8:00am might be a more amenable time.

The air-conditioning in the dining car was also not working. I asked if it was fixable and she responded that they’re working on it but once we got going it should cool down. Once we got going? So that means the breeze through the open windows is what’s cooling the train? The poor woman was clearly uncomfortable, a single black woman old enough to have experienced some of apartheid being stuck with trying to explain to some white passengers why things that you’d take for granted on a “luxury rail experience” such as air-conditioning and basic drinks were seemingly not available. We didn’t push it.

The perpetually out of uniform car attendant came through again and Benny asked him how it was going with the air-conditioning. He laughed and said he was having a problem finding his technician and that he wasn’t very good with repairing air-conditioning anyway. Jeez! Do these guys just make it up as they go? This car attendant was little more than a genial idiot. All he did was laugh and make up excuses. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the air-conditioning on these three cars hasn’t worked for some time now but nobody really cares or knows how to fix it and in the meantime the staff just tells the passengers whatever they need to say so that they’ll not bother them anymore. At least we departed on time.

The three of us spent the first three hours of the trip in the lounge car. There were windows that could be opened on each end of the car and that helped cool it down a little bit. Unlike past trips, the windows on this train had not been washed between trips and from all appearances had not been washed for quite a few trips. Sigh… at this point we were resigned to make the best of it but you could cut the disappointment with a knife. So far at least this trip was turning out to be nothing like the product advertised.



Languishing in the Lounge Car



High Tea Service



Enroute Ostriches



Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg Scenery


We did however have a dedicated waitress and out of all the staff on this train, she was the lone bright spot. She did serve a nice High Tea consisting of carrot cake and tea or coffee and when dinner came round, our tables were properly set and we were served the full five course dinner including appetizer, soup, main course, cheese and dessert. We were each served individually with food brought out on a silver platter before being transferred to plates. The meal was the exact same one I’d had two years ago (Fried Hake appetizer, Cream of Broccoli soup, some kind of pork roast, cheese and Malva Pudding) but it was still quite good. However, when Helen asked about wine with dinner we were told that it was available but that the bar man couldn’t be located. In fact, the bar – which is located at one end of the lounge car and includes a sizeable bar back, counter and stools – was never set up and sat empty the entire trip. Helen never did get her wine, either.

Honestly, it’s just no fun writing about such shoddy service so I’m going to wind this up here and say that on a positive note the water was hot in the shower, we were served a nice breakfast in the morning and we arrived into Johannesburg only a half an hour late.

As for Shosholoza Meyl’s Premier Service, this trip strongly suggests that it has fallen on hard times. While in Johannesburg I heard some folks in the station talking about their recent ride up from Capetown and it didn’t sound a whole lot better. When I rode Premier Class two years ago there were service items missing then as well, though nowhere near as egregiously as on this trip. As for the equipment, I suspect it hasn’t been properly maintained and now that it’s breaking down the railroad is at a loss as to how to deal with it. PRASA (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa) – the company that operates these trains – wouldn’t be the first company or utility taken over in South Africa by poorly educated people sorely lacking in the skills required to do the job properly. Trips like we just experienced are just a manifestation of that situation’s inevitable consequence. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Premier Class trains are no longer operating within a year or less. I’m thankful that I had a couple of opportunities to ride these trains when the service was as advertised, but if what I experienced on this trip is any indication of the future, it’s just as well the charade came to an end.



My Room in Johannesburg

Seat 2A

November 13, 2013
Cathay Pacific Johannesburg – Hong Kong 1235p – 710a 747-400 First Class

In The Great Railway Bazaar Paul Theroux writes that it is "better to go First Class than to arrive ... " This is especially true when we’re talking about International style First Class such as that experienced aboard world class airlines like Cathay Pacific, Singapore, Emirates and Swiss. Flying First Class on these and a very few other airlines is not just a flight, it’s an experience.

It’s not just the space or the food. It’s the training and pride reflected in flight attendants who anticipate your needs, not just come when they’re called. It’s consistently and graciously meeting the expectations and needs of an often sophisticated and seasoned clientele, many of whom have expectations commensurate with their lot in life, a lot that rarely if ever includes Economy or Business Class travel. It’s training and pride that reflect in a meal being presented, not just served. It’s a commitment by the airline to provide only the finest in food and amenities and to maintain a high standard of service that allows only the best and most dedicated flight attendants to work the First Class cabin. It’s class. First Class. It all adds up to the very best service one can expect in the air and its exciting stuff to experience, much less anticipate.

I have been fortunate to have experienced inflight service of this caliber on many occasions, my first having come aboard a QANTAS 747 back in 1976. Believe me when I tell you that a flight in international First Class remains every bit as exciting for me today as it did on that sunny April afternoon 37 years ago. More than anything else, that excitement is what fuels the style and depth of my trip reporting.

Now while I have thoroughly enjoyed my recent Business Class flights aboard Austrian, Tyrolean, Turkish and South African, those products pale in comparison to the comfort and service soon to be experienced aboard my upcoming flight on Cathay Pacific. I’ve been looking forward to this flight for months and now the day is here! Let’s head on over to the International Terminal and check in!

Last time I flew out of Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport on Cathay, the check-in counter didn’t open until a mere two hours before departure. Worse, when it did finally open it was assigned counter space over on the other side of the airport in the Domestic Terminal. Not wanting to risk a repeat performance, this time I checked in online. When I arrived at the airport I headed straight through security and immigration, breezed through all the duty free shops without spending a cent and presented myself at the Shongololo Lounge, primed and ready for a couple of hours of quality lounging before the flight. As an added bonus, my Cathay 747was parked at A9, the closest gate to this lounge. Awright!

The Shongololo Lounge is conveniently located right at the head of the international A concourse and serves about two dozen international airlines. It’s a decent lounge – not as opulent as an Emirates or Virgin lounge but well stocked with hot and cold food, beverages and comfy chairs. Unfortunately the Wi-Fi connection still showed certificate errors as it has every time I’ve ever visited this lounge, so I avoided any use of the Internet. Instead I fired off a few postcards while enjoying a plate of beef curry over rice.



Shongololo Lounge at JNB



Shongololo Lounge Hot Buffet



Shongololo Lounge Cold Buffet

Heading down to the gate at 11:45, I arrived to find two orderly queues – one for First and Business Class, the other for The Great Unwashed. This was a huge improvement over my last Cathay flight when the scene at the gate lounge was more like that of a U.N. food distribution center in some famine ravaged third world country. I handed over my boarding pass for inspection and then made my way down the jetway to the waiting 747.



Jetway to Heaven

It was a beautiful day for flying – bright, sunny and about 75°. I paused briefly to admire the airplane close up before stopping to exchange greetings and cordialities with the flight attendants at the door. The recognition that I was a First Class passenger resulted in a special escort as we turned left and then glided into the realm of Cathay Pacific’s First Class.

Ahh… now this is just heavenly. For me at least, a lot of this wonderful sense of calm and tranquility has to do with the unique ambience of the 747’s forward cabin combined with the spacious layout of Cathay’s First Class cabin. I’ve never sensed this ambience when boarding a 777 or an Airbus and I didn’t feel it in First Class on the Emirates A380 either, mainly due to the clutter of the shoulder high suites. Mind you, I love the suite experience on Emirates but in all honesty I have to say I prefer the clean, uncluttered feeling of Cathay’s First Class cabin and suite.



Cathay Pacific First Class Suite

Soon I was comfortably ensconced in Suite 2A with my suitcase stored, jacket hung, shoes kicked off and seat slightly reclined with a glass of exquisitely chilled Champagne at hand. Krug is still the welcome of choice on Cathay’s long distance services. If only my Economy Class riding friends back home could see me now. And we haven’t even gone anywhere yet! Yes, but that too is part of the thrill of First Class, avoiding the mob scene that goes hand in hand – or should I say shoulder to shoulder – with traveling in the back of the plane. I don’t even want to think about the bedlam that must be going on back there right now, what with all those people and their myriad pieces of carry-on luggage trying to get themselves sorted out before squeezing into their 17” wide seats for the twelve and a half hour flight to Hong Kong. Dread…



A Truly First Class Welcome

What’s that? Oh, sorry, I – I must have drifted off, there. Why yes, please, I will take a refill on that Champagne.

Pushback was three minutes early by my watch but what the heck – I’m ready to go! The Captain came on with a nice welcome and promised a pleasant journey across broad expanse of the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately, he added, it’s while flying over the only large land mass in the middle where we’ll encounter a few bumps as moderate turbulence over Madagascar had been reported by other aircraft in the area. Flight time was projected to be twelve hours and twenty-one minutes with arrival in Hong Kong to be shortly after 7:00am.

Who knows how many flights this nineteen year old 747 has flown – first in the service of Singapore Airlines, then since 2005 under the reins of Cathay Pacific – but she showed no hesitation as we made a sweeping U-turn onto runway 3L where the Captain smoothly pushed the throttles forward and we began a long, thunderous take off roll.



Hong Kong, Here We Come!

It takes a lot of runway for a fully fueled and loaded aircraft – much less a 747 – to build up enough velocity to defeat the twin forces of gravity and drag and thus take flight. This is especially true at Johannesburg where the elevation is 5751 feet above sea level (1753m). 52 seconds. That’s what it took our venerable 747 to accomplish the feat, soaring ever so smoothly into the clear blue skies over the African Highveld. As the nose wheel retracted into its well and the engines were throttled back, the cabin became noticeably quieter. Up here in the nose of a 747, we’re so far ahead of the engines that the cabin noise level is one of the quietest in the skies.

Now comes one of my favorite parts of the flight. I can recline my seat a bit and anticipate the wonderful cabin service soon to begin. I’ve got twelve wonderful hours ahead of me so I might as well start with a drink. Let’s have a look at that Wine List:


WINE LIST

Champagne
Krug Grande Cuvée

White Wines
Louis Jadot Meursault 2011
Saint Clair Marlborough Premium Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Red Wines
Finca El Origen Gran Reserva Malbec 2009
Cederberg Shiraz 2010
Wine Promotion: Château Figeac, Saint Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé 2007

Port
Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira 10 Year Old Tawny Port[/i]

* * * -------------- * * *

Aperitifs and Cocktails
Campari ~ Martini Rosso ~ Martini Extra Dry ~ Tio Pepe Sherry ~ Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sweet Sherry ~ Tanqueray Ten Gin ~ Bacardi Rum ~ Belvedere Vodka ~ Bloody Mary ~ Screwdriver

Whiskies
Chivas Regal 12 Year Old ~ Johnny Walker Blue Label ~ Canadian Club ~ Gentleman Jack Bourbon ~ MaCallan 17 Fine Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Cognac
Tesseron Lot 76 XO Tradition

Liqueurs
Cointreau ~ Drambuie ~ Kahlua ~ Bailey’s Irish Cream

Beer
International Selection





Gentleman Jack & Almonds

One of these days I’d like to check out that international beer selection on Cathay but it’s been my experience – not just with Cathay but with all airlines – that very few of them serve a properly chilled beer. I’m talking about lagers and pilsners here, though by my tastes even Guinness Stout tastes better at about 40°F. I expect the folks at St. James Gate in Dublin would beg to differ on this point but what can I say – we all have our peculiarities. One of mine is truly cold beer. So – let’s check out the spirits instead.

Even though Gentleman Jack is a sour mash whiskey rather than proper bourbon, it is, by my tastes at least, some pretty darned good whiskey. I’ll go with a glass of that, please – in a glass filled to the top with ice.

So it is then that twenty-two minutes into this flight I’m sitting here in the lap of luxury sippin’ fine Tennessee whiskey and munching on a plate of delicious roasted almonds while watching out my window for the coast of Africa to go gliding beneath us as we speed eastward over the deep indigo of the Indian Ocean. It’s a cloudless day and the views up here look pleasant and warm even though the Sky Map indicates it’s -56°F outside. I recline my seat a bit more and take another pull on the whiskey. Ahh… it’s a good life indeed.



Here’s to The Suite Life!
No collection of photographs is ever - by themselves – going to capture these moments in the same way that words will. That’s why I like to write them out and augment them with the occasional photo like this one.

There are three of us sat up in the forward cabin today – me and two middle aged guys dressed like soccer coaches. They’re both wearing their colors and my first thought when I saw them was that perhaps they were officials of some local squad. Then again, maybe they just like wearing their team’s colors. In any event, it’s a little past 1:00pm local time, menus have been passed out and it would appear they are ready to eat now.

I, on the other hand, would prefer to hold off a bit. I had a late breakfast and besides, with twelve hours of flying ahead of me, there’s hardly a rush. One of the advantages of a top flight international First Class service is that the crew will serve you whatever you want, whenever you want it. They’d whip me up a plate of eggs right now if I asked them to. As it is, I’m more likely to ask for a refill of this Gentleman Jack for the time being.

The past three times I’ve flown between Johannesburg and Hong Kong, I’ve done so in March. Cathay normally switches from a three-class 747 to a two-class 777 starting in late March, so the impetus has always been getting that First Class seat, not to mention logging another flight aboard a 747. I know there are a lot of people here who think that Cathay’s Business Class is perfectly acceptable but I’m not one of them. Not for a twelve hour flight, at least. No – from where I sit, up in Suite 2A, those Business Class seats look narrow and claustrophobic. These First Class suites offer about three times the personal space and that translates into a much greater sense of calm and tranquility could ever be experienced in one of those narrow Business Class chambers.

One of the downsides of flying each year in March is that I’ve hit the same menu cycle each time. That’s right – each year, the menu has been pretty much exactly the same as the year before. This year should be different. Let’s have a look at that menu now…


LUNCHEON
Johannesburg to Hong Kong

Caviar and Balik
Oscietra Caviar and Balik Salmon “Tsar Nicolaj”
Served with Warm New Potatoes and Crčme Fraiche

Salad
Mesclun salad with chicken, orange segments and tomato

Soup
Carrot and coconut lime soup

Bread Basket
Assorted Bread and Rolls

** ***** **
INTERNATIONAL FAVORITES

Seared Salmon with Cajun Butter
Presented atop pommery mustard mashed potato and vegetables

Murgh Dildar, Dal Lasooni and Basmati Rice
Creamy chicken cooked with pineapple, Ligurian vegetable and parmesan cheese

Rigatoni with Tomato Concassé
Ligurian vegetable and parmesan cheese

CHINESE FAVORITES

Starters
Double boiled marrow and red date pork soup
Cold Plate ~ Drunken Chicken

Beef Strips with Honey and Sesame Sauce
Steamed jasmine rice, broccoli and peppers

** ***** **
CHEESE AND DESSERT

Simonzola, Camembert Forest Hill, Gouda and White Rock Cheese

Poached pear with Greek yoghurt and raspberry compote

Sticky date pudding with vanilla ice cream

Red bean soup with lotus seeds

TEA and COFFEE

Pralines


Hmm… I think I’m going to set a new personal record for the most caviar ever consumed in a single year! Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Not at all! I informed Rebecca and Carrie – both of whom have been tag teaming me in the service department all afternoon – that I’d like to start with a plate of that caviar, followed by a bowl of the Pork and Prawn Wontons in Noodle Soup. I realize that it isn’t part of the normal luncheon menu but I like those snack soups much more than the traditional offerings, especially with a good dollop of that “Sum Bi+ch!” Extra Hot Lee Kum Kee sauce. Now for the main course… I’m betting that the Seared Salmon with Cajun Butter atop pommery mustard mashed potatoes will taste every bit as good as it sounds. Cheese and dessert? I’ll have to get back to you on those…

Another Gentleman Jack? Oh, yes please!

Boy, the captain wasn’t kidding when he mentioned the turbulence over Madagascar. For a while there our 747 felt like it was being taxied down an old four wheel drive track. The turbulence lasted most of the way across Madagascar, diminishing pretty much the moment we moved out over open ocean again. Rough skies notwithstanding, I most definitely want to visit Madagascar someday and experience some of its four wheel drive tracks on my own.

We had agreed that luncheon would commence at 2:00pm local time. In truth it began a bit later than that because Rebecca and Carrie were huddled around my suite looking at pictures of everything from the back roads of Alaska to Emirates First Class food service. As one might imagine, they were particularly interested in the pictures of Emirates’ meal service and presentation as well as the onboard shower. Of course the question came up as to what I thought was the better airline. Ever the diplomat, I responded that they are both excellent airlines, each of which had certain strong points. With Emirates, the food offerings are obviously about twice what Cathay offers. However, I think Cathay’s big wide fabric upholstered seats are quite a bit more comfortable than the impressive looking but otherwise stiff leather seats on Emirates. Yes, those sliding door suites are mighty nice but the shell around Cathay’s suites offers more than enough privacy for my tastes.

Suddenly - Gasp!! Ohmigod! It’s 2:35pm! The girls suppressed screams in unison as they hurried off to set up my luncheon service. Well geez, we were just starting to have a little fun here and what the heck – I could eat at 3 anyways. Besides, where else are you going to find a couple girls that think it’s fun to look at airline food and service pictures? Still, we’d agreed on 2 and so I cleared off my tray table and prepared for lunch.

One of the highlights of any long flight aboard Cathay Pacific is their caviar and salmon presentation. Very few airlines still serve caviar these days, either due to the high cost of procuring it or the drastically reduced availability of good caviar due to environmental contamination and/or over harvesting of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea and other regional fishing holes.

Cathay serves Oscietra Caviar with all the trimmings. It’s fairly mild tasting caviar but it went down quite nicely with a glass of the Meursault. Traditionally caviar is served with vodka and Rebecca did offer to bring me some, but I’ve tried it on a couple of occasions now and cannot say I particularly care for the flavor combination.

Meanwhile, the salmon was just heavenly and I gave serious consideration to asking for seconds before remembering that I’m always quite full after these big First Class feeds so I really ought to save some room for the rest of the meal.



Luxury = Caviar and Salmon

Next up was the pork and prawn wontons with pak choy in noodle soup. The name may not roll off the tongue so smoothly but it sure rolls over it well. Cathay’s noodle soups are always a highlight for me and this one was excellent as always.



Wontons & Noodle Soup

Seared salmon with Cajun butter. Mmm! The presentation was artful and the flavor simply sublime. I didn’t detect much Cajun in the butter but the salmon itself had plenty of flavor and in combination with the creamy goodness of the pommery potatoes was one of the better fish dishes I’ve had aloft in a while. Bravo to whoever prepared this meal out of Johannesburg!



Seared Salmon with Cajun Butter

We were almost three hours into the flight when Carrie brought me a small plate of cheese to enjoy with a glass of port and a couple episodes from Season 5 of Breaking Bad. Cathay may be the only airline that dares show this highly acclaimed television series, now in its final season. It’s won and/or been nominated for oodles of awards covering everything from acting to direction. Frankly I find it refreshing that whoever puts the entertainment programming together at Cathay respects us enough to offer programs like this. Most airlines – particularly the U.S. carriers – offer a safe selection of romantic comedies, family shows and maybe a daring drama or two. Here! Here! for trusting us with a little edginess.



After Dinner Cheese & Port

Shortly thereafter the combined effects of two tall glasses of bourbon, a big meal, a glass of wine and a smidgen of port began to catch up to me. I flagged down Rebecca on one of her occasional forays through the cabin and requested that my seat be converted to a bed in anticipation of a proper mid-flight nap. I then trotted off to the second biggest loo in the sky (behind Emirates’ shower spa) for a bit of flossing and brushing. When I returned I found a wonderfully wide and inviting bed (as opposed to the MRI tubes some airlines call flat-beds) all made up with duvet turned down and a fresh bottle of water placed by the window. After reading for about fifteen minutes, I fell into a comfortable slumber that carried me all the way across the vast expanses of the Indian Ocean to the tropical shores of northern Sumatra.



Bedtime in Cathay Pacific’s First Class



Ship of Dreams
Artwork by Dean Morrisey

Ah… it is truly a magical experience flying across the planet in such opulence. Honestly, life could hardly be any finer whilst hurtling across the globe at near 600 mph. The same cannot be said for those behind the curtain – even in Business Class. I took a stroll back there and of those that were conscious, they all looked considerably less comfortable than I. You could see it in their faces. Don’t kid yourselves, people. Business Class is not where it’s at – not when there’s a better alternative just a few feet forward. Save up! Fly more! Sell a kidney! Do whatever you have to but please – at least once in your lives you really ought to go out and experience passenger flight in its finest form.

There are those who will argue that other forms of flight such as piloting their own plane or hang gliding are superior. I cannot argue against their points. To each their own, as it were. But for those of us who fly aboard commercial airliners for a living or perhaps even enjoy the occasional flight when and where it happens, international First Class of the caliber practiced by airlines like Cathay Pacific is one of life’s great experiences - one that surprisingly few people get to experience in their lifetimes.

It’s fun to read (or look at) reports from those of us who are fortunate enough to have the time, money or guile to work the system and get ourselves into international First Class on a regular basis; but for those of you who’ve yet to experience it, I sincerely hope that each and every one of you will someday find a way to do so on your own. Who knows, you may even be moved to treat us all to a trip report of your experience.

I awoke feeling as refreshed as I have in a good long while. That mattress is pretty darned comfortable! I was actually pain free – for about fifteen minutes. Turning to the Sky Map, I saw we were cruising at a mere 33000 feet, speeding along at 593 mph whilst battling a 16mph headwind.



An Exotic Place to Wake Up

There were a little less than four hours left in the flight. Let’s have a look at that snack menu…


SNACKS

Pork and Prawn Wontons
With pak choy in noodle soup

Cheese Pie
With red onion marmalade relish

Assorted Sandwiches
Mayonnaise chicken, cheddar cheese, cream cheese with sweet chilli sauce, prawn on tikka coriander

Ice Cream


Honestly, I wasn’t all that hungry so I ordered a cup of coffee and a Danish. Then I fired up the laptop and put in some work on this report. Over the past week I’ve come tantalizingly close to catching up with the present on this report but the reality is I’m also down here to have a good time and enjoy wherever it is I’m at. Obviously, a report of this size and scope takes a lot of time dedication but at the same time I’ve been busy going out and doing other things like hitting the Boardwalk in Port Elizabeth or visiting Jurong Bird Park in Singapore. The result is that now, as I sit here typing away during a long layover in The Wing, (there are worse places to type… especially since they so happily refill my Jack Daniels and deliver snacks every hour or so) I am only one week behind.

This report is already well over 50000 words long and by the time I get around to submitting it there will be well over 200 pictures. It’ll probably be December by the time I finally get it proof read, get all the Vb code installed, title all the pictures and install the language to get them loaded. It’s enough to write a report of this size but believe me, there is still a huge amount of work involved in putting it all together. By the time I finally get it submitted in early December, most of the newbies‘ll probably look at it and say “What the – this happened back in October. Screw that! This other dude’s got a big photo report that covers his trip around Asia from last month! And there’s another thread where this guy’s promising to go on a really cool trip to Eastern Europe in a couple of months!”

Somebody asked me once – Why do you bother? You don’t even know these people. Well that’s true but FlyerTalk is a place where my reports will potentially live on even if, eventually, I won’t. I’m happy that there’s a place that’ll accept them into print because let’s not kid ourselves – outside of FlyerTalk and a couple of other aviation related sites, there’s not a whole lot of interest in my style of writing. Indeed, while I suspect there may be as many as three dozen people here at FlyerTalk who actually enjoy my written reports, that’s a lot more than I can count amongst my friends outside of FlyerTalk - most of whom would no sooner care to read about travelling somewhere in First Class than they would run out and get their tongues pierced. Additionally – it’s nice to write something and have it appreciated by like-minded contemporaries – even if there are only three dozen of you. I’m thankful for your audience. ^ ^

Holy Guacamole! We’re only a couple of hours out of Hong Kong and Carrie just stopped by to remind me that if I’m gonna have breakfast, I’d better put in an order pretty soon. Well you know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and Cathay actually serves up one of the better breakfasts aloft, so let’s have a look at that menu:


BREAKFAST

Orange or Apple Juice
Mango Energizer
Fresh Seasonal Fruit
Natural or Low Fat Fruit Yogurt
Assorted Cereals

** ***** **

MAIN COURSES

Eggs ~ Freshly Scrambled, Fried or Boiled
Served with your choice of grilled back bacon, feta spinach chicken sausage, potato corn cakes, plum tomato and spinach and leek

Congee
With salted pork and century eggs

Braised Udon Noodles
With five spices duck and choy sum

Bread Basket
Assorted Breakfast Bread and Fresh Toast
Served with Preserves, Honey and Butter

Tea and Coffee


Oh yeah, I can definitely put something together out of all this – I’ll start with a cuppa coffee and a Mango Energizer. Then, uh… let’s see – okay, a fruit plate and finally some fried eggs – over medium – with all the fixings. You know, I actually ordered the braised Udon Noodles for breakfast once, way back in 2004. Never again. Maybe if I’d been born and raised in Asia, but I wasn’t, so no. Once was enough. And congee – well, no. Same thing.


Cathay’s Fruit Plate ~ A Great Start to The Day


Two Eggs Over Medium ~ With The Works

And you know those eggs were darned good, too! I think it’s great that Cathay will actually cook them to order, because a lot of airlines won’t. Even Emirates – this year’s Airline of The Year – won’t cook eggs inflight. Not only that, Cathay will even make you some fresh toast. Right on!

All good things must come to an end and sure enough, by the time the last detritus of my considerable breakfast had been cleared away there was less than an hour left in this flight. Hues of blue and orange painted the distant horizon, becoming more vibrant by the moment as we sped towards an unfortunately early arrival in Hong Kong. I suppose they were all celebrating back in Steerage but up here in the pointy end of the plane I could easily go another couple of hours.

That’s alright. I’ve got lots to look forward to in the coming week, starting later today with my first ever flight aboard Korean Air – on another 747 no less. Tomorrow I begin a Star Alliance adventure that’ll take me from Seoul all the way down to Jakarta and back up to Osaka, traveling in Business Class on four airlines that I’ve never flown before. So it’s all good – especially since I know that just one week from today I’ve got another twelve hour flight coming up in Cathay’s First Class.