sydunipete

Well after a bit of a walk across the north of Spain (820km to be more-or-less exact) I had cause to travel again from Australia to Europe and spend some time in Sweden enjoying its beautiful weather. If you've spent much time in Sweden in Autumn / Winter you'll appreciate my need for side trips and an escape back to Sydney for a hot summer Christmas to defrost.

This trip report will cover:

SQ232 - SYD - SIN - Business Class A380
LX179 - SIN - ZRH - Business Class A340
LX1616 - ZRH - MXP - Business Class Avro RJ100

SK571 - ARN - CDG - Economy B737-86N
SK580 - CDG - ARN - Economy B737-86N

SK1805 - ARN - PMI - Economy B737-86N
SK586 - PMI - CPH - Economy A319
SK408 - CPH - ARN - Economy A321

LX1255 - ARN - ZRH - Business A320
LX178 - ZRH - SIN - Business A340
BA015 - SIN - SYD - (New) Business B777-336ER

My previous trip reports can be found here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...tly-j-f-y.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-paradise.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-long-way.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...evitation.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...less-bird.html

sydunipete

I managed to get a lift to the airport and since beggars can't be choosers and all that stuff, I was there quite a bit early.

For a 12:15 scheduled departure check-in was closed at 08:30, but after a lap of honour to pickup some outbound passenger cards for my next trip, it was open by the time I returned at 09:00.

Checkin was quick and painless and promptly I was in possession of 3 boarding passes and my luggage checked all the way through toe Milano Malpensa.



Unfortunately Checkin K is at the far end of the terminal to the Express immigration and security entrance, but if I was going to be sitting down for over 24 hours a short walk certainly wasn't going to kill me. This time the Express Card made quite a time saving at security - not that I needed it this day.

I bought a few gifts for friends I would be visiting then received a warm welcome at the lounge and the WiFi password was offered without me asking for it. (Why don't all lounges and hotels do this?)

There was a good breakfast selection to accompany the good view of the Star Alliance corner of the terminal.



My A380 was parked on the opposite side of the E-W runway waiting patiently.



An Indian couple (I presume) came into the nearly empty lounge, she in a wheelchair. As soon as the ground attendants left she promptly jumped up and helped themselves to the breakfast buffet reminding me of Lou and Andy from Little Britain. The returned to sit some distance apart from each other then talk loudly to each other from across the lounge. She then ordered red wine from one of the lounge attendants before a good long, loud conversation on a mobile phone.

A lounge attendant circled the lounge offering top ups of champagne.

After a few of these it was time for some Beef Vindaloo which was rather dry and average.



Boarding was announced at 11:40, versus the advertised 11:45. Priority boarding was done well for the longest jetway in the world at gate 61. Onboard was the usual efficient welcome, headset, menu and pillows in place. Newspapers, magazines, hot towels and refreshments (champagne of course) from a tray that also held a glass of dry ice were offered. A nice trendy touch. Pre-lunch drink orders and meal selections were taken prior to doors closed at 12:06.

SQ has adopted a new champagne:



There is an interesting bug in the Book the cook system. My meal selection from last time was remembered and because I booked this flight through a travel agent, I wasn't able to change it online. Never mind - it was the Lamb Shank curry which I quite enjoyed last time.

There was an announcement that the mobile wireless and messaging system could be used after take off - but not voice.



Push back was at 12:12 and take off at 12:30 to the South. Shortly after socks and eye shades were distributed, but you had to ask for ear plugs. Toothbrush, razor, combs and smelly stuff were available in the toilets.

I chose my favourite drink, the SilverKris Sling and it was accompanied by warm nuts.



This was followed by a hot towel. Service was slower than I recall, but probably ok for a day-time flight.

Here's the menu:



























The prawn entr�e was excellent:



The wine service was a bit disjointed. The main meal was excellent, but I had no wine until after it was finished.



The chocolate ice cream was at a perfect temperature, and not rock hard like it sometimes can be on airlines:



Then there was a cheese & fruit selection:



I watched an Italian movie "A Fidanzata per mia moglie" which was ok and a very funny Spanish movie "Spanish Affair". I then got 2 hours "sleep" in recliner mode while Australia passed away below us.



2 hours out the lights slowly came on and a light meal was offered with choices of chicken or radish cake with prawns. I chose the radish cake which was quite tasty and the Chablis on offer was really very good.



I was sitting above the wing but was still provided with reasonable views:



Descent started with ETA of 17:15 (scheduled 17:40). Landed at 17:17 and arrived at Terminal 2, Gate 31 at 17:24.

sydunipete

I had quite a wait between flights so I walked as slowly as I could doing a full lap of the 3 terminals and it took 90 minutes.







Some places manage to make their airports look like a duty free shop, Changi manages to make theirs look like a casino:





The lounge in T2 was nothing to write home about, in fact you couldn't because the WiFi was pathetic.

Boarding was at E5, advertised at 22:30 for a 23:00 departure. There was no priority lane at the at gate security. At gate security also means you can't bring water from the lounge. From the jetway first class have a dedicated door, business and economy enter through the same door meaning all economy passengers file through the business cabin. (I told you these were first world problems, right?) It's great if you want to feel important, but not so great if you want to sit and relax.

Newspapers, amenity kits in a tin (the old type) were handed out. Headphones, pillow and blanket were already in place. Water bottles were handed out then a pre-departure drink (champagne) offered.

You've got to love the Swiss for many reasons, but their multi-lingual skills are impressive. One FA alternates his greetings between german, French, Italian and English. The business cabin is full. Doors closed at 22:52 then hot towels and menus handed out.







Push back at 23:10 due to Afghanistan restrictions (whatever that means) and takeoff at 23:21

There was a choice of entr�e, ham was good (sorry no photos), and the apple macaroni for main was very interesting and also very good.

The caramel cheesecake for dessert was excellent and well worth a photo:



The Swiss white wine was very pleasant and matched the food well. Coffee and chocolates offered then tables cleared by 01:30 (Singapore time). Service was friendly throughout and I was addressed by name several times.



I slept for a couple of hours then dozed until 03:00am Zurich time. Breakfast service commenced 2 hours out at 04:00.

Breakfast was a single trolley service that looked after the forward min-J cabin (reserved for LX status holders I believe) then the main J cabin working from rear to front. There was a good hot and cold selection including scrambled eggs (but no sausages) and there was an Asian hot option. Everything as cleared away with an hour to go.

I felt the cabin was one toilet short. Quite frequently the red occupied light was on so a short queue of people often cluttered the galley. The IFE too was pretty average - certainly nothing like KrisWorld.

In comparison with SQ I would say LX service is better, food is on par, the bed is ok and the ability for it to go from lounge to fully flat bed without assistance is a positive.

Looking at FlightAware, this flight seems to run like a well tuned Swiss watch and today was no exception landing at 06:09 from the North West through heavy fog. At gate B39 at 06:15 and walking up jetway at 06:19.

sydunipete

Zurich is a large, clean and efficient airport. I had a leisurely connection so took the opportunity to visit the arrivals lounge. I followed the signs to arrivals, then through customs and the arrivals lounge is immediately on your left. Buzz a video door bell, tell them Joe sent you (well, not really) then catch a lift up one floor to be greeted by the lounge ladies.

Access to the showers requires your BP to be scanned as does the 24 hour free WiFi. Shower rooms are named after cities : I got Delhi. They are all well lit and basically equipped (no razor, comb or toothbrush for example).

Via a 2 way door you can get your trousers pressed while you shower. Back in the lounge the WiFi is good and easy. The lounge was quiet, about half full and mostly work type areas without many comfy chairs.

The signage to departures wasn't so easy to find, but maybe I can put that down to 24 hours of flying. Just turn left out of the lounge main door (on the lounge reception level) then it's am efficient security queue with priority for business class etc although some people still seem to fiddle a lot when their turn comes.

I took everything off except shoes but still made the machine go bing, so I got a free full body massage.

From there it is a short walk to the lounge with separate sections for business and another for gold. If you've connecting like I did, I'd recommend staying in the arrivals lounge as long as you can. Besides, I forgot my European / Australian adapter there, so that is waiting for you if you get there before me.

sydunipete

OK : by now I'm officially sick of flying.

It's about an 8 minute walk from the departure lounge to the gate, and this is one of the most distant gates. The flight is delayed 10 minutes due to the late arrival and I can understand why - the fog is still very thick.

Boarding was announced for business and priority customers, just 3 of us. We waiting immediately behind the agent because the jetway wasn't open yet. On her computer screen I could see there were 40 passengers and she kept pressing enter to get the current time. At the exact moment, to the second at 09:34 she came to open the door. (Departure was scheduled for 0940.) There are only 2 business class passengers in 7 rows.

A bottle of water, refresher towelette and newspaper were offered. FAs are speaking both german and Italian. Doors closed at 09:48, push back at 09:52 and takeoff at 10:00.

A light breakfast was served:



and the chef d cabin took time to draw a smiley face on my napkin:



It brightened my day after so much flying and so little crappy sleep. I told her this and she promptly returned with a substantial bag full of those delicious swiss airlines chocolates. Of course I wrote a nice feedback email to the airline.

I love this flight for the spectacular views.



After 36 hours of travel, 4 breakfasts this morning I only have 2 more hours in a train before I reach my destination for today of Lake Como.

Landed at 10:39 (Scheduled 10:35) and a bus ride to the terminal dropping us off very close to the luggage carousels. Luggage was very quick by Italian standards.

sydunipete

2 days after my marathon effort I arrived at Milano Linate airport 2 hours prior to departure and there was already a very long queue at check-in. Thank goodness for the TK*G card.

There were two of us travelling, on the same ticket, but they were unable to seat us together. Damn OLCI. We got E seats 2nd and 3rd from the back. TK*G didn't help me here!

But TK*G did allow me to use the Via Milano express path. Initially though they wouldn't let me pass. I had to explain what TK*G mean on the BP. Next time I must bring the card. I had a similar problem at the lounge. Because they were a contracted lounge, they needed to site the card for the membership number and expiry date. Lucky I had this information somewhere on my iPhone and so reluctantly we were allowed in to sample the delights which included cold snacks and plenty to drink for breakfast.

OH-BLP is in Star Alliance colours.

There was a bus to the plane and once on board I noticed another couple talking across an aisle who obviously had been split up like us. Maybe their computer system does this on purpose?

So I organised 3 parties to facilitate a seat swap and everyone was happy.

Boarding was advertised for 09:55, doors closed early and we started to taxi at 10:25 for a scheduled 10:25 departure. Take off was to the north through the haze providing great views of nothing. The seats were very cramped with limited leg room. It was a smooth flight but uncomfortably warm all the way. Coffee, tea and water were offered. Other items were available for purchase.

There was thick cloud most of the way which only cleared in the last 40 minutes. This provided me with a false early impression of the weather I was to endure in Stockholm in the coming months.

We landed early at 12:41 (scheduled 13:05) and we were at gate 10 at 12:44 and our luggage was on the belt before we got there. I love Arlanda for its efficient luggage processing.

sydunipete

OLCI sent an SMS to my mobile phone which provided a link to download the BP with "bar" code. No paper! Great. I took a screen shot as backup and it worked fine. As no point was ID checked. Through OLCI I managed to secure an exit row.

There was no queue at the kiosks where the luggage tag was printed with a tiny priority mark. Then to self service bag drop, scan the bar code then the conveyor belt takes it away. Very efficient.

There was a 5 minute wait at security, including a scan of the electronic BP.

The lounge (also controlled by the iPhone BP) was crowded and there was a fair selection of things to eat and drink. WiFi was unusably slow until the lounge cleared out a bit following the morning peak flights.

Boarding was orderly. SAS Plus and Gold invited to board first. Push back at 10:38, take-of at 10:47. Swedish newspapers were available at the gate.

The paperless flying experience was quickly shattered though. As I scanned my iPhone BP for the last time at the gate a small paper BP was printed. Sigh.

Just before push back I got to see the de-icing equipment nearby.



The exit row provided generous legroom but it was rather hard and uncomfortable.



Soon we were above the clouds and I saw the sun for the first time in many days.

Landed at 13:01, Gate 13:08, Luggage 13:30 on the train to Paris at 14:15.

sydunipete

OLCI again provided exit row seats. The lounge was very small and cramped. WiFi got maxed out with so many users. There was no toilet, you had to go to the public area.

Priority boarding was available and the flight was nearly full.
Push back was ontime at 19:30. Takeoff at 19:40. Great views of Paris at night including the Eiffel Tower.

The uneventful flight landed at 21:59 and at gate at 22:00 (due 21:55). Luggage arrived very shortly after. Typical ARN.

On the flight I had dropped my pen and tried to find it, but I couldn't. Once in the terminal another passenger found me and returned the pen. Extra marks for the Swedish!

sydunipete

After a few weeks of Sweden's greyness the bright sunshine of Mallorca was calling like a Syen's song. Having spent all my life in Australia and enjoying the hot summers, Sweden's cold was getting to me. The forecast 20 Degrees in Mallorca never sounded so good.

Like last time OLCI provided an iPhone BP: (This image is for the return flight.)



and the kiosk printed the tag. Now I can see why priority luggage can be a hit and miss affair. Look how small the printing is compared to the big orange arrows manual check-in provides:



Moral of the story : use the TK*G card and go to the manual check-in counter.

Back at the SK lounge and I noticed that the Swedish fetish for alcohol free beer is continued there. If you're after a drink just look for the alcohol level first.

French wine was available in the lounge, the same wine as was in the Hilton Executive lounge a few days earlier. I could talk about Swedes and alcohol and Systembolaget for hours, but I wont.

There was no hot food, but sufficient cold options for breakfast.

I went to the gate at 06:30 (for an 06:55 scheduled departure) and the plane as in darkness and there was no sign of activity. "This doesn't look good" my rather astute self proclaimed to nobody in particular. Shortly after there was an announcement that there was a battery problem, they had called the Swedish Airport version of the Automobile Association, but they may have to swap the aircraft.

Back to the lounge and I was impressed with the frequent and timely SMS messages I received as boarding times were updated. Fortunately a replacement aircraft wasn't required. New departure times of 07:35, 07L45 and 07:55 were advised.

Eventually push back was at 07:58 and takeoff at 08:10. There was a screaming child just ahead of me and two talkative loud girls behind me. The flight was full.

Only over the Swiss alps did the clouds start to break up leaving clear blue skies for the rest of the flight. At one stage over the alps the captain announced the flight ahead of us had advised there was turbulence so the seat belt sign came on. Nothing eventuated.

Landed 11:27, gate at 11:34 and the tiny priority tag didn't work.

sydunipete

3 checkin counters gradually opened, in between cleaning, about 2 hours before departure. Two SK flights depart close together : one to ARN one to CPH.



Apart from taking this photo through glass, with bad lighting, and just on my iPhone, this actually may have made a pretty good photo. OY-KBO is the aircraft in the retro paint job.



The lounge is pretty well hidden. There is one VIP lounge for all airlines. Head towards the C gates, down a travelator then double back to the left and you'll walk straight into it. Also hard to find at the toilets in the lounge. They're in a mural painted wall and the doors are cleverly concealed.

Lots of people had problems with the WiFi but there was plenty of space to sit, some delicious cakes but a fairly limited range of everything else.

Boarding was announced in the lounge shortly after 11, indicators listed boarding at 11:20.

Those with children or requiring assistance were invited to board first, but everybody just rushed the gate.

Newspapers were available at the entry to the plane. The seating was very spacious with plenty of legroom. Pushback at 11:45. TV screens showed flight tracking information. (6 degrees in Copenhagen, 37 degrees in Sydney!)

Landed at 14:41, Gate 14:46 and in the lounge ta about 14:50.

A 2 hour 45 minute flight time was announced by the captain standing at the front of the passenger cabin not over the intercom.

sydunipete

I like CPH and I like the lounge there (except for the drink selections - one type of red wine, white wine and beer on tap). But the food is often great : a delicious soup, a substantial rice salad and other cold stuff too. Plenty of room and the WiFi was working well.

The flight as delayed until 16:10. As soon as the delay appeared on the FIDS I got an SMS message. Boarding commenced at 16:18. Priority boarding was announced but not enforced and it would be difficult to do so given the crowded gate area.

Boarding complete 16:26, push back 16:36, take off 16:49.

On taxi there was a large Christmas tree well lit up on one of the verges.

Uneventful flight landing at 17:37, gate 17:43 and luggage at 17:58. (Slow for Arlanda!)

sydunipete

After a great time (despite the weather) in Sweden and Europe it was time to commence the return journey to Sydney. Through tight connections I was travelling for just 26 hours - some sort of a record for me.

Departure was scheduled for 19:45. Check-in was open when I arrived at 17:00. One agent was handling economy and business. She held up the economy queue when I arrived at the business end. The Australian in me hated that. She was very quick and soon I had boarding passes for ARN-ZRH-SIN-SYD including LX and BA.

Swiss has some sort of deal with both SQ and BA. For the last leg (SIN-SYD) there was no SQ option available at a reasonable price so I got to explore the new BQ business class cabin. (See below)



Fast lane for security, usual limited drink options in the lounge but this being Christmas Julmust was on offer.



My usual lounge health food options were also available:



And there was an excellent root celery soup. WiFi worked well.

Boarding commenced as advertised but we were stopped in the Jetway for a few minutes. Thankfully it was warm. Doors closed at 19:33.
Newspapers were offered but there was no ability to store my jacket. I just put it on the empty seat beside me. Water and refresher towel handed out. Push back at 19:36 which I was grateful for given my 45 minute connection to long haul at ZRH.

Business Class 50% full. The Italian speaking captain announced our position of 3rd inline for takeoff and said we should arrive on-time at ZRH. Take off at 19:47.

Duval Leroy champagne from a full-sized bottle offered. Maire de Cabin provided advice on the wine list to other passengers and dinner was a choice of beef or ravioli. The meat was heavily salted but tasty as a result.

The flight information (showing us arriving 8 minutes late) was interrupted for an episode of Mr Bean.

Service was excellent with frequent top ups of the wine (just to help me sleep on the next leg you understand!). It seems that the forward lavatory is reserved for business passengers.

Captain again announced an on time arrival, which didn't agree with the IFE system. Flight connection gate information was provided shortly before landing. Landed 22:04, gate 22:06.

Let the race begin...

sydunipete

With not much time to spare I didn't want to dilly dally. I followed the signs to the E gates until I hit security. I was then provided with a lecture about not overstaying my 90 day Schengen Visa Waiver. (I hadn't.) He told me I was at 78 days so he was checking my passport to see if there were any other arrivals in the last 90 days not recorded on the system (there weren't). He advised be about the online calculator (which I had used). While he flicked through my passport I was thinking of the long haul plane waiting for me on the other side of the airport.

Finally he reluctantly let me thorough and I just made it before doors closing of the next Heidi train.

At the other end a short walk from the train and I was at E35 and joined the already boarding queue. I was onboard at 22:30 and doors closed at 22:39.

All the usual stuff handed out including (most importantly) a glass of Champagne. I like the Swiss seat coded coat hangers. The new "tweaked" business class offering included seasonal amenity kits. This time of year (mid-December) the amenity kit was enclosed inside a santa stocking hung by the seatback with care...



There were a few seats near me empty, but otherwise the business cabin was full. Spare Christmas stocking amenity kits were removed. Push back at 22:50 and take off 10 minutes later.

The TV screens are small and not the best quality. The movie selection isn't bad from the Great Escape to 100 foot journey which is still playing in Stockholm movie theatres.

Food was very good:















The meal service was completed by 00:45 - 2 hours after take off.

I slept well until light came on 2 1/2 hour prior to landing. Breakfast service commenced shortly thereafter served from 2 trolleys with the usual cold selection (unfortunately the coffee was also cold) and some hot dishes were offered shortly after the trolley run had finished.



I must say there is a bit of an incompatibility between a seat at the back of business class and the proximity of the bassinet seats in Economy. Quite often I hear loud babies / toddlers. But at least the view out the window was pretty good at times:



Tables were cleared 30 minutes afterwards leaving about 2 hours for final preparations. (Too long!)

Landed just a little early at 18:01, gate at 18:08.

sydunipete

Since I normally fly Star Alliance this was to be a new experience for me.

I arrived at the gate with about an hour to freshen up and sample the offerings from the BA lounge. There was plenty of space and a small selection of bottled wine, plenty of hot and cold food and the Chicken Tikka Marsala was excellent. Good WiFi (except you had to ask for the password), pleasant staff and a short walk to the gate.

Who could ask for anything more .... except ... all the power points (that I could find) were UK ones. I guess it makes sense, but it is a trap for young players.

The showers were fine, basically equipped and enough space.

sydunipete

My travel agent raved about these special aircraft that BA had put on to attract more market share with QANTAS now sending most of its planes via Dubai. I'm here to tell you, they're a major disappointment.

Boarding was shown on the monitors at 19:30 for a 20:05 departure. But at that time the cabin crew had just arrived. Unlike SQ there was a priority queue for the "at gate" security. Passport and BP were checked, BP stamped then 2 steps later the BP stamp was checked. Boarding commenced at 19:47 with business and first class passengers. Both classes walk through the first class cabin.

Economy passengers then walk through the business class cabin. I guess BA are proud of their aircraft and are upselling their product.

Business is a backwards and forwards facing arrangement. Middle seats don't have direct aisle access and you are facing almost directly at a stranger, who in turn is facing almost directly at you.

FAs welcomed us very politely on board but looked with disdain upon my rather plain ARN issued BP. All the usual stuff was handed out.

There is very little in seat storage - just a (good sized) drawer at your feet. The problem is, you can't get to it with the seat belt on or with the seat in the reclined position. There was however plenty of power and USB options.

Captain Paul Ashby welcomed us on board and said despite the late departure he anticipated an on-time arrival. In the small section of 2 seats that have to climb over me I have two toddlers and their mum is seated further forward. Sigh.

But the cabin does look very new and clean.




The Amenity kit was provided in a soft cloth bag, maybe it's useful for an iPad but I doubt it. Ear plus and eye shades were handed out separately. Why?

Push back at 20:15

The IFE screens fold back into the compartment wall so they face the aisle, not you. This means the FAs have to come around and pull them out to the viewing position for the safety briefing, then return them to the other position for take off and landing. (It also means gate to gate IFE is never really possible.)




The screen itself is a fair size with good resolution and sharpness. With the seatbelt on you can't reach the magazine pocket, so once strapped in you can't peruse entertainment options or the menu.






















Take of 20:30

Maybe it's the seating arrange but the cabin seemed rather noisy (passenger voices) After take off the seatbelt sign was kept on for a long time despite FAs moving about the cabin for a while.

The seating arrangement gets even worse at meal time. This is effectively a 2-4-2 arrangement. The centre 2 innermost seats are served over their divider (so the FAs have to put it up and down each time) and the passenger sitting in the aisle. The couple in the seats next to me were a bit lovey dovey and they were often taken by surprise when the FA pressed the button to lower the screen. It's up and down like a bride's nightie.

Couples not in the middle will probably be almost facing each other near the window. Once such couple near me tried to hold hands which given the seat seemed like some form of duress torture.

Give me the SQ 1-2-1 anyday.

When the wine was served I was asked if I wanted to taste it. That's a first on a plane.

Entr�e was an Asian crab salad but with a European salad (a cultural train smash) main was fish in red cutty (nice) with massively overcooked broccoli and baby corn. Again a clumbsy mix of Asian and European.







Dessert was a more traditional English Eton Mess and it was good.




Dinner was done at midnight, almost 4 hours after take off. Too long for a night flight leaving just 2 hours for sleep (if you want breakfast or are woken by light or people moving about the cabin).

The bed is flat, but short. I was a long way from being able to stretch out (I'm 192cm, 6'4".) and my knees were permanently bent. I couldn't find a place to hang the headphones.

Lights came on with 2 hours to go. Breakfast is fruit of muesli then a hot breakfast roll. Not too bad, but I was looking for to a good English fry up. Anyway - it was all tasty.







Landed 30 minutes early at 06:28. Gate 06:34. Through customs and landside at 06:55 with the new Sydney customs setup. Well done.

So, as you've probably gathered I'm not a fan at all of the BA business class seat arrangement. Certainly there's nothing here to tempt me away from Star Alliance.