Down Under Part One
Aug 31, 2001 | 7:33 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,983
Down Under Part One
Hi all,
I have just returned from the “Down Under” trip, and had a wonderful time. This trip marked the end of summer vacation and my “hopefully return to school” year. I have decided to continue studying sociology, but anyway, this trip report will be extraordinarily long and will not done in one day. Since I will return to the US within five days, I will type as much as I can along the way. But I can tell you that I love both Australia and New Zealand. The people are very friendly and the scenery is beautiful. I love the koala, kangaroo, and little penguins. The cost of living is much less than in Hong Kong and even the US. I spent less money than I expected, which is a good thing… I guess. Of course, Air New Zealand and Ansett Australia offer superior service and I really can’t imagine how I am ever going to fly the “friendly skies” and “sh*ttle” again. Virgin Blue’s presence is really strong in the Aussie land but as you possibly know, I am not a big fan of these “no frill” airlines. For the cost of the ticket, I used the Escapade fare issued by Air New Zealand, Ansett, & Singapore Airlines, and the price is pretty good. I flew Business class and the price of the ticket is HKD$18,000, including 18,000 miles of flying, one stopover in Asia, three stopovers in Australia and New Zealand. It is a good deal, considering tickets to Australia/NZ from Hong Kong are expensive. During this trip, I also issued a free ticket on QF, which was pretty disappointing, compared to AN and NZ. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy reading this report.
August 14, 2001
BA 32 HKG-TPE Lv1415 Arr1555
Boeing 747-400 G-BYGF Chelsea Rose, but normal British Airways livery (not British Asia)
Carfield had a late start this particular morning because I was on the phone till 4am counseling a friend about her love affair (we all knew how that could go). I literally was packing till the last minute. Fortunately, I did not forget any important things. My first stop of the trip is Taipei and to visit my old friends from my undergrad days.
I checked in at the airport and BA desks were rather deserted and a very friendly fellow checked me in. Finally, BA had a priority tag, but the infamous first and club world baggage tags were no longer there (sorry Nightflyers). I was given a boarding pass and a lounge invitation. The Hong Kong lounge was the same as ever, and there were real snacks and beverages around. QF and BA shared this particular lounge, and since the LHR-bound flight arrived early, boarding took place rather quickly. I finally got to see the new Club World cabin and first cabin. I was flying first this afternoon and there was only one other person in the F cabin. He looked like a VIP person because the F/A spent most times serving him.
The new suites were like the old suites. The upholstery was different and PTV was larger in size. Finally BA had the sky map function and got to track my flight. But the bathroom was pretty impressive with window, pictures, auto water faucet, and wet wipes. It was pretty classy for a bathroom.
After being seated, I was offered a pre-takeoff beverage and choice of olives or cashews. I had a glass of orange juice, but the color was rather red. God knows what I was drinking. Anyhow, the door was closed fifteen minutes early, but did not push back till 2:12pm. We took off from R/W25L at 2:27pm. Flying time was an hour and thirteen minutes and we flew to 37,000ft. Although the pilots predicted some chops, it was pretty smooth throughout the flight. As similar to other BA flights, we were offered an a la carte lunch. Here is the transcript.
Appetizers
Smoked Chicken with Celeriac Apple Salad
Very good and fresh salad
Warm caramelized Red Onion and Goat Cheese Tart served on a bed of crisp Salad leaves
I decided to have two appetizers instead of the usual appetizer and main course. This tart was very delicious and special.
Mixed Seasonal Salad with your choice of dressing
Selection of Warm Breads (Garlic bread and wholemeal rolls)
Main Courses
Sliced Beef Tenderloin with Szechuan Peppercorn sauce
Coq au Vin, roasted Potatoes and Croquette Provencale
Ricotta Cheese and Spinach Strudel with Tomato Salsa
Dessert
Chocolate Orange Torte
How can I skip dessert? Delicious!
Selections of Fresh Fruit
The service was efficient and the F/As were pretty helpful. We landed on TPE at 3:40pm and quickly parked at gate C7 at the new terminal – much better than terminal one. Then when I walked off the plane, I was surprised to see a whole team of camera crew and some ladies (looking like wives of officials) waiting at the gate. Then I saw the elder gentlemen walking towards them and had a warm welcome from the ladies. I guess that explained why I was pretty left alone during this flight. So this BA flight was less impressive than the other flights I had. Anyway, I took the Taipei bus and went to the Hilton. The next two days were rather relaxing. I hang out around CD stores and Hsin Men area. Then I went to spend the evening with my friend and had an interesting vegetarian dinner with this particular restaurant – King Join. It was a good night of talking and Taipei was really hot and humid.
August 16, 2001
SQ 987 TPE-SIN Lv1300 Arr1720
Boeing 747-400 9V-SME Still no wisemen
Today must be a busy day in Taipei. Traffic jam into the airport… crowded airport check in area… crowded baggage pick up counters… long immigration line… long security check line… crowded Silver Kris lounge at TPE…
I checked in rather late due to all these crazy congestion. Fortunately, the SQ agent was very kind and the Raffles’ class line was definitely efficient. I was even given a plastic Raffles class bag tag, instead of the usual paper tag. The agents were some of the best in the SQ network. They were kind and even gave help with your bags. That is why it is good for an airline to have its own staff on its overseas station. Anyhow, the lounge was crowded and I just made a phone call and grabbed a quick drink. Due to the long immigration line, I waited for more than 25 minutes for my passport to be stamped. Two United agents were busy finding out if any UA passengers were still in line. Boarding has long commenced when I arrived at the gate. However, there were still couple passengers waiting to board. The flight was completely full and the same with the Raffles’ class, which was definitely not the trend these days. Maybe it had something to do with the flight coming in from Tokyo Narita.
SQ F/As were as good as ever, and offered some of the late passengers with pre-takeoff drinks of orange juice, water, champagne, and welcome cocktail. As usual, the newspaper and menu trolleys passed by and hot towels were handed out after the doors were shut. Due to couple traffic in front of us, the wait for takeoff was a bit longer than usual. We took off from Runway 6 at 1:23pm. We flew passed the Taipei city and the view was not bad. The flight route took us from Taipei towards the East coast and turned towards the South China Sea after passing the southern port of Kaoshung. We stayed at 35,000ft for the majority of the flight.
Slippers were passed out after seat belt sign was turned off. Then the satay trolleys passed by and our drinks were also served at this time. Here is the detail of the menu.
Lunch
Canape
Satay With onion, cucumber, and spicy peanut sauce
One piece of chicken and one piece of beef
Appetizer
Smoked salmon with waldorf salad
Salad
Seasonal mixed salad
There was choice of thousand island or vinaigrette dressing. The salad had some mesclun greens, corns, carrots, celery julienne, and cherry tomatoes. Both the appetizers and salad were nice.
Soba
As a common feature on all Japanese in and outbound flights, a box of soba noodles with sauce was passed out after the appetizer plate was collected. It was pretty decent. Nothing much to report!
Entrees
Braised duckling with yam, carrot, asparagus, and steamed rice
Gyuniku domburi
Japanese style beef braised in soya with seasonal vegetables and steamed rice
Steamed sole with saffron tarragon sauce, braised endives, carrots and buttered potatoes
Breads
Soft white, olive, or French rolls
Cheese
Selection of cheese with garnishes
Camembert, goat, and one other kind of cheese with crackers, carrots and celery
Fresh fruit
A selection of fresh fruit
Banana, mango, and lychee
Dessert
Vanilla ice cream with raspberry coulis
Wine List
Champagne Duval Leroy Blanc de Chardonnay 1996
White Wines
1999 Rheingau riesling spatlese balthesar ress
Montagny 1er cru 1998 laboure-roi
Red wines
Chateau d’agassac 1998
Rive barbera d’asti superiore 1997
The meals were excellent but the service was interrupted in a couple occasions due to modest turbulence. At one point, the F/As had to be seated and it was rather normal to happen in the South China Sea at this time. I could not remember what I did on this flight. I might have read a bit and watch a bit of comedies. The flight went by quickly. After lunch, the F/As passed out another round of hot towels. Descent began on 4:54pm, and we touched down on runway 20R at 5:16pm. We were parked at gate F40 after a few minutes of taxing. Then I quickly proceeded to the transfer area and a SQ staff quickly checked me in for this Air New Zealand flight to Christchurch. The flight arrived on time from Christchurch, and boarding was surprisingly early for this rather full flight to CHC.
NZ 26 SIN-CHC Lv2020 Arr1010+1
Boeing 767-300ER ZK-NCI
Everything in the ground is handled by Singapore Airlines, which is not surprising. I went to the Silver Kris lounge for a couple hours. I read a couple emails and had a few bowl of chicken consommé soup with egg royal. The time went by quickly and when I looked at the TV monitor, NZ 26 was already at its final stage of boarding. When I arrived at the gate, boarding was almost completed. I quickly walked into the gate area after jogging down the tail number.
When I walked into the plane, the very handsome service director, Grant, welcomed me. Then the J class F/A showed my seat and the flight was really full, and fortunately, the aisle across me from me was empty. I took my seat, 2E, (the middle seats), and quickly stowed my bags. Pillow, headset, and an amenity kit were stowed on each seat, and since I already had the August copies of Panorama and entertainment guides (got from the Air NZ office in HK), I looked around and read the guides on how to operate the seats. The very friendly F/A immediately offered me a pre-takeoff beverage served in real glasses BTW. I had a glass of orange juice and after couple minutes, the last passenger boarded and the door was closed two minutes prior to departure. We pushed back from the gate, E6, right on time and took off from Runway 20L at 8:31pm. Unlike other pilots, the seat belt sign was turned off three minutes after takeoff.
Well, the cabin décor was very nice with a mix of blue and green. The seats have ‘deep blue’ upholstery and the pillows had a white and blue strip pattern. The cabin looked very comfortable and the seats were pretty decent. Unfortunately, reclines were rather limited and legroom was on the 50 inches range. However the 2-2-2 seating configuration made the seats very narrow. I hope when Air NZ re-launches the products, it will consider using a 1-2-2 abreast configuration.
The pilot announced that our flying time was nine hours and ten minutes, and we climbed onto 10,100m after departing Singapore. We took a southeastern course and headed towards Depansar (Bali), and turned towards the Northern Territories of Australia and entered the Aussie airspace through Derby. We climbed further into 11,300m, and then we flew through Sydney. We then descent to 10,700m, and then East towards Christchurch.
Menus and hot towels were distributed first, and then the service director introduced himself to each of the passenger. He shook hands with us and passed us the New Zealand arrival card. Then the cabin service began with a drink service. We were served a Nibbli cassva crunch snack, which tasted fine, with our beverage. Here is the wine list!
Sparkling wine
Montana Deutz, Marlborough Cuvee, Marlborough, New Zealand
Piper Heidsieck NV Brut – That is the champagne for our flight
White Wine
McCashin’s Sauvignon Blanc 2000, Nelson, New Zealand
Corbans Select, Marlborough Chardonnay 1998, Marlborough, New Zealand
Lawson’s Dry Hills Chardonnay 1999, Marlborough, New Zealand
Babich Marlborough Riesling 2000, Marlborough, New Zealand
Collards Chenin Blanc 1998, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
Red Wine
Babich Winemakers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
Maglieri Shiraz 1999, McLaren Vale, Australia
Dessert Wine
Martinborough Vineyard, Late Harvest Riseling 1999, Martinborough, New Zealand
McWilliam’s Limited Release Riverina Botrytis Samillon 1997, Riverina, Australia
Due to rather late departure time, dinner was served immediately after a round of beverage. Entrée orders were taken from front to back, and the F/As pushed out the trolley and setting up our tables. The tableware was very stylish with a mix of green and blue plates and bowls. A red tablecloth wraps around the utensils with a blue ribbon. Very stylish! Here is the menu transcript –
Appetizer
Smoked Norwegian Salmon with cucumber, olives, and balsamic
Very good appetizer and the choices of bread were garlic bread, wholemeal rolls, and foccacia bread with olive oil… Indeed, both butter and olive oil were offered on all the business class meals with Air New Zealand and Ansett Australia’s international and domestic network
Main Course
Garlic roasted chicken supreme with creamy blue cheese polenta, zucchini and red bell peppers
Pan fried lemon sole with lime butter sauce, spicy Chinese eggplant and potato mash
Stir-fried beef with black pepper sauce, stir-fried seasonal vegetables and steamed rice
Dessert
Chocolate and pistachio ice cream selection
Coconut Cream mousse
Unlike most other airlines, dessert was first served. I had the ice cream because I hate coconut. It was delicious.
Cheese and fruit
A selection of fine cheese and seasonal fruit
Cheese board features brie, blue, and gouda cheese with crackers and grapes.
Fruit plate features sliced kiwi, starfruit, papaya, pineapple, cantaloupes and grapes.
Excellent cheese and fruit… They were all presented in front of you and you chose what you want.
Unlike other routes, Asian routes did not have a separate salad course. I guess Asian people are not big salad eaters. But the meals were nicely presented and I was impressed. Water was refilled throughout the night, and Business class had the personal TV player. I only watched the Laugh lounge channel and did not sleep much.
Breakfast was served two hours prior to arrival. Hot towels and juices were passed out after lights were turned on. Here is the transcript –
Beverages
Start the day with your choice of juice, freshly brewed, or decaffeinated coffee, tea, herbal tea, and hot chocolate
Continental selection
Fruit selection with assorted cereals and yogurts
Fruit plate features 3 cantaloupe balls, 2 slices of papaya, melon, mango, and ˝ kiwi.
The choices for cereals are cornflakes and special K.
The choices for yogurts are plain, strawberry, and apricot flavor. I had the strawberry, which was great.
Croissants, white and wholemeal toast with assorted conserves
Hot options
Semi-dried tomato and cheddar omelette with pork sausage and grilled mushrooms
I had this choice, which was decent. Nothing special to tell you about!
Pancake wrapped smoked salmon scrambled egg topped with hollandaise sauce, served with asparagus spears and slow-roasted Roma tomato
Yellow fried noodles with stir-fried vegetables and ginko nuts
Then the F/As began the landing preparations and showed us an informative video about Christchurch, and then hot towels were passed out. Then the J class F/A shook our hands again and chatted with each passenger. I guess the scenery across the Southern Alps was too amazing and everyone glued their eyes on the windows. My first impression of New Zealand is those beautiful snowy mountains. Then we began our final descent over Christchurch. We touched town at 9:33am New Zealand local time, and we were the only plane in this beautiful international terminal. Being the only plane meant quick immigration lines and the bags came out quickly. But then the custom line was long because each bag had to be x-ray, whether you declare or do not declare. Anyway, the immigration officers were friendly and then I took a taxi into town. I stayed at the Heritage Christchurch hotel for less USD$50 per night. I just slept a bit after arriving in my hotel room.
Then I walked around the small town for the afternoon, and it was a nice quiet city. I bought some souvenirs and then things began to downhill when I fell sick in the early morning hours. My stomach was turning me upside down, and could barely walk to the bathroom. Then I decided to cancel my afternoon plan and forfeit my plan to visit the botanical garden and to take a domestic Air NZ dinner flight. Heading into Auckland would be my best option. I tried to each lunch at the hotel’s restaurant. I had the orange soup and when the fish main course arrived, my stomach turned sour. Then I ran to the restroom and vomited everything out from my stomach. It was not fun to begin my down under trip in this particular way. So I immediately took a cab to the airport and flew the 2:40pm flight into AKL. But I promised that I would return to CHC if I flew down under again.
August 18, 2001
NZ 520 CHC-AKL Lv1440 Arr1600
Boeing 737-300 ZK-NGJ
My first impression of the domestic terminal is very ancient, compared to the brand new and bright international hall. But the check in desks were clearly marked and first visited the ticketing office, and then headed towards the check in desk. My bags were checked through to Auckland and priority tags were attached. Unlike other countries, there was no security checkpoint on the New Zealand’s domestic airports. I just walked towards the gate. Of course, I stopped by the Koru club and watched the SQ’s A340 (9V-SJN) taking off. The Koru club was impressive for domestic service, and made any US club looked shameful. It was spacious with many sofas around. Then there was a full buffet with fruit, cheese and deli meat platter, rolls, cakes and abundant amount of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The staffs were polite and you could access to your gate directly from the lounge. I walked towards Gate 16 for boarding. I was on of the last few passengers boarded the flight.
Four F/As was stationed on this particular aircraft, and I was the sole passenger in J class today. There were two rows of J seats and took a seat at 2A. The seats were very hard and the lumbar was placed in the wrong place. Thankfully, it was an hour flight, but my judgment on this flight was particular bad – possibly due to stomach pain. So it will be pretty objective. The F/A offered me a pre-takeoff beverage and there was no newspapers and magazines offered. Due to the quick takeoff taxi, safety demonstration was fast, and the F/As were very familiar with the procedures. We pushed back only two minutes late. We took off at 2:50pm. Flying time was an hour and our cruising attitude was 37,000ft. Due to the clouds along our way, there was not much to see for this particular flight.
For a flight this length, you will lucky to get a beverage, but on Air New Zealand, you are served a meal on tray, even on this particular flight. Of course, one extra flight attendant meant a lot for service. The F/As passed out the snack immediately after the pilot signaled them that it was safe for them to start the service. In economy class, they were served a cold sandwich (bagel of some sort with ham) with some fruits, sweets, crackers, and cup of water. For Business Class, I was served a tray of afternoon refreshment. It basically contained some fruit (3 slices of kiwi, orange segment, 2 slices of pineapples and 2 strawberry halves), a wedge of brie with crackers and the main course was a warm quiche and a pie. The serving was generous, but due to my stomach pain, I only had the fruits and the pie. The service was superb. Then there was a beverage cart rolling down Y class, and then tea and coffee. There is really no excuse for not serving meal on one-hour flights, and it is really up to the airlines to decide whether it wants to offer this amenity. Next time, I will definitely try the dinner flight.
Descent began at 3:38pm and we landed on Runway 23 at 4:01pm and parked at gate 30 on the domestic terminal. Then I took the airport shuttle to the Hyatt Auckland. Then I just took a nap until dinner time. I decided to stick with basic food for the evening and slept more. Thankfully, my pain was all gone the next day.
Auckland is a major city and is a completely different world from Christchurch. I went to the Sky City and headed up to the AMP Auckland tower, which was impressive. The views were wonderful, and then I took a coffee cruise, and hang around the downtown area. Since I am on my own, I did not eat much fancy food, so I really did not have much to report. But I know that one day is not enough. Too bad, this trip has been scheduled too tightly and I was too ambitious on the flying plans.
After a day at Auckland, it is time to head over to Australia and Air New Zealand once again is the chosen airline. I took a cab to the airport and the international terminal is very stylish. It once again features a bright look and lots of natural light. Air NZ/Ansett offered a separate enclosed area for check-in on AKL, and it is like a hotel lobby with sofas and a relaxing environment. A very polite staff checked me in and tried very hard to put me on the express line, but did not work. Since I have never been to Australia, I am not surprised by this rejection. Anyway, she put on a priority tag, Air New Zealand business class tag, and star alliance tag on my bags. She handed me a boarding pass and I headed out of the lounge and headed upstair. Then I noticed that there was an observation deck, so I went up to this small area. It overseas the runway area and international terminal’s activities. As expected, Air New Zealand’s Boeing 767-300Ers were all over the place. But fortunately, I still saw the Air NZ’s Boeing 747-400 taking off for NRT. Then I saw the usual SIA’s Boeing 747-400 (which are everywhere in the “Down Under” land) and Air Pacific’s Boeing 737-700 (DQ-FJF) parking at the gate after landing from Suva. Nevertheless, it was a bit early for the Pacific planes to land, so I headed to the Koru Club, which was another excellent establishment with a continental breakfast buffet and full range of beverage. There was a lot of sofa area and a business center. It was a nice place to hang out before flight, and to my surprise, the inflight service director for each Air NZ flight would visit the lounge before departure. Our service director, Tina, walked around the lounge and another service director for the Honolulu flight also dropped by. Air NZ is really a personal airline and its culture is very different from Asian or the US carriers.
Then I headed to gate 1 for boarding. The flight was pretty full in Y and almost full in J. Fortunately, I got the middle pair again with the next seat blocked. At this time, there are more activities in the international terminal area. Malyasia’s Boeing 747-400, CX’s A340-300, NZ’s Boeing 767-300 from HKG, and KE’s Boeing 777-200 made their ways to Auckland, and the gates were filled up quickly. I waited till the last moment to board the plane because the queue at the jet way was long. Finally, I made my way to my seat, 4E, and Tina welcomed me at the door. Then J class F/A, Geraldine, served me the pre-takeoff beverage (OJ once again) and the service was similar to its international service. Then she asked me if I knew how to use the entertainment system and to play with the seats. And the other J class F/A, Karen, prepared the cabin for takeoff. Door was closed at 11:28am, and pushed back pretty much on time. Then we made our way to Runway 23 once again for takeoff. We lifted off at 11:43am and seat belt sign was turned off three minutes later. Hot towel was served and drink orders were taken. Another pack of the New Zealand snack was passed out, and a nice menu was presented in both J and Y class. (Y class did not get their menus on the SIN flight because the service director read out the choices of main courses before each meal service).
Once again, the wine list… which had a little bit less choices…
Sparkling wine
Gillan Brut Reserve 1995, Marlborough, New Zealand – That is the champagne for our flight
Piper Heidsieck NV Brut
White Wine
Babich Winemakers Reserve Chardonnay 1999, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
McCashin’s Sauvignon Blanc 2000, Nelson, New Zealand
Red Wine
Huntaway Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, Marlborough/Gisborne, New Zealand
Ingoldy Shiraz 1999, McLaren Vale, Australia
Dessert Wine
Martinborough Vineyard, Late Harvest Riseling 1999, Martinborough, New Zealand
McWilliam’s Limited Release Riverina Botrytis Samillon 1997, Riverina, Australia
Then the main meal began after the beverage service. Once again, the Pacific style linens and china are featured on the tray. Here is the transcipt –
Appetizer
Marinated Chicken supreme with spiced cucumbers, water chestnut and green onion salad
This excellent appetizer was served with the salad on the side. The chicken was not tough at all and the cucumbers gave the chicken an exotic tastes.
Main Course
Beef, bacon and olive lasagne with lemon, rosemary, green beans, and tomato basil sauce
I select this main course, and it was pretty good, but a bit sour for my taste.
Ginger Lime glazed pork fillet with coconut and sweet potato bake and tropical fruit salsa
Sesame crusted tuna served chilled with seaweed noodles, wasabi caviar, and Japanese seasoning
Side Salad
Fresh mesclun salad greens with tomato vinaigrette dressing
As featured on the rest of AN domestic flights, this brand, Birch and Waites’ brand, was featured.
The breads for today include rye bread, wholemeal rolls, garlic toasts, and olive bread.
Dessert
Hazelnut and frangelico ice cream with chocolate sauce
Or
Cheese and fruit
A selection of fine cheese and preserved fruit
The F/A rolled out a trolley and the ice cream sounded good to me.
Personal TV is still featured on this flight and I watched a different set of laugh lounge. Then the desination video was featured prior to our descent. It was very informative and actually gave me some clues on planning my trip. Then candies were handed out prior to arrival.
We began our descent at 2:43pm and it was a warm and sunny day at BNE. My flight landed at 1:07pm BNE time on runway 19. We quickly parked at gate 9 next to two triple sevens by Malaysia and Singapore Airlines.
More in a later date
More adventures on the Kangaroo land and impression of Ansett Australia
I have just returned from the “Down Under” trip, and had a wonderful time. This trip marked the end of summer vacation and my “hopefully return to school” year. I have decided to continue studying sociology, but anyway, this trip report will be extraordinarily long and will not done in one day. Since I will return to the US within five days, I will type as much as I can along the way. But I can tell you that I love both Australia and New Zealand. The people are very friendly and the scenery is beautiful. I love the koala, kangaroo, and little penguins. The cost of living is much less than in Hong Kong and even the US. I spent less money than I expected, which is a good thing… I guess. Of course, Air New Zealand and Ansett Australia offer superior service and I really can’t imagine how I am ever going to fly the “friendly skies” and “sh*ttle” again. Virgin Blue’s presence is really strong in the Aussie land but as you possibly know, I am not a big fan of these “no frill” airlines. For the cost of the ticket, I used the Escapade fare issued by Air New Zealand, Ansett, & Singapore Airlines, and the price is pretty good. I flew Business class and the price of the ticket is HKD$18,000, including 18,000 miles of flying, one stopover in Asia, three stopovers in Australia and New Zealand. It is a good deal, considering tickets to Australia/NZ from Hong Kong are expensive. During this trip, I also issued a free ticket on QF, which was pretty disappointing, compared to AN and NZ. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy reading this report.
August 14, 2001
BA 32 HKG-TPE Lv1415 Arr1555
Boeing 747-400 G-BYGF Chelsea Rose, but normal British Airways livery (not British Asia)
Carfield had a late start this particular morning because I was on the phone till 4am counseling a friend about her love affair (we all knew how that could go). I literally was packing till the last minute. Fortunately, I did not forget any important things. My first stop of the trip is Taipei and to visit my old friends from my undergrad days.
I checked in at the airport and BA desks were rather deserted and a very friendly fellow checked me in. Finally, BA had a priority tag, but the infamous first and club world baggage tags were no longer there (sorry Nightflyers). I was given a boarding pass and a lounge invitation. The Hong Kong lounge was the same as ever, and there were real snacks and beverages around. QF and BA shared this particular lounge, and since the LHR-bound flight arrived early, boarding took place rather quickly. I finally got to see the new Club World cabin and first cabin. I was flying first this afternoon and there was only one other person in the F cabin. He looked like a VIP person because the F/A spent most times serving him.
The new suites were like the old suites. The upholstery was different and PTV was larger in size. Finally BA had the sky map function and got to track my flight. But the bathroom was pretty impressive with window, pictures, auto water faucet, and wet wipes. It was pretty classy for a bathroom.
After being seated, I was offered a pre-takeoff beverage and choice of olives or cashews. I had a glass of orange juice, but the color was rather red. God knows what I was drinking. Anyhow, the door was closed fifteen minutes early, but did not push back till 2:12pm. We took off from R/W25L at 2:27pm. Flying time was an hour and thirteen minutes and we flew to 37,000ft. Although the pilots predicted some chops, it was pretty smooth throughout the flight. As similar to other BA flights, we were offered an a la carte lunch. Here is the transcript.
Appetizers
Smoked Chicken with Celeriac Apple Salad
Very good and fresh salad
Warm caramelized Red Onion and Goat Cheese Tart served on a bed of crisp Salad leaves
I decided to have two appetizers instead of the usual appetizer and main course. This tart was very delicious and special.
Mixed Seasonal Salad with your choice of dressing
Selection of Warm Breads (Garlic bread and wholemeal rolls)
Main Courses
Sliced Beef Tenderloin with Szechuan Peppercorn sauce
Coq au Vin, roasted Potatoes and Croquette Provencale
Ricotta Cheese and Spinach Strudel with Tomato Salsa
Dessert
Chocolate Orange Torte
How can I skip dessert? Delicious!
Selections of Fresh Fruit
The service was efficient and the F/As were pretty helpful. We landed on TPE at 3:40pm and quickly parked at gate C7 at the new terminal – much better than terminal one. Then when I walked off the plane, I was surprised to see a whole team of camera crew and some ladies (looking like wives of officials) waiting at the gate. Then I saw the elder gentlemen walking towards them and had a warm welcome from the ladies. I guess that explained why I was pretty left alone during this flight. So this BA flight was less impressive than the other flights I had. Anyway, I took the Taipei bus and went to the Hilton. The next two days were rather relaxing. I hang out around CD stores and Hsin Men area. Then I went to spend the evening with my friend and had an interesting vegetarian dinner with this particular restaurant – King Join. It was a good night of talking and Taipei was really hot and humid.
August 16, 2001
SQ 987 TPE-SIN Lv1300 Arr1720
Boeing 747-400 9V-SME Still no wisemen
Today must be a busy day in Taipei. Traffic jam into the airport… crowded airport check in area… crowded baggage pick up counters… long immigration line… long security check line… crowded Silver Kris lounge at TPE…
I checked in rather late due to all these crazy congestion. Fortunately, the SQ agent was very kind and the Raffles’ class line was definitely efficient. I was even given a plastic Raffles class bag tag, instead of the usual paper tag. The agents were some of the best in the SQ network. They were kind and even gave help with your bags. That is why it is good for an airline to have its own staff on its overseas station. Anyhow, the lounge was crowded and I just made a phone call and grabbed a quick drink. Due to the long immigration line, I waited for more than 25 minutes for my passport to be stamped. Two United agents were busy finding out if any UA passengers were still in line. Boarding has long commenced when I arrived at the gate. However, there were still couple passengers waiting to board. The flight was completely full and the same with the Raffles’ class, which was definitely not the trend these days. Maybe it had something to do with the flight coming in from Tokyo Narita.
SQ F/As were as good as ever, and offered some of the late passengers with pre-takeoff drinks of orange juice, water, champagne, and welcome cocktail. As usual, the newspaper and menu trolleys passed by and hot towels were handed out after the doors were shut. Due to couple traffic in front of us, the wait for takeoff was a bit longer than usual. We took off from Runway 6 at 1:23pm. We flew passed the Taipei city and the view was not bad. The flight route took us from Taipei towards the East coast and turned towards the South China Sea after passing the southern port of Kaoshung. We stayed at 35,000ft for the majority of the flight.
Slippers were passed out after seat belt sign was turned off. Then the satay trolleys passed by and our drinks were also served at this time. Here is the detail of the menu.
Lunch
Canape
Satay With onion, cucumber, and spicy peanut sauce
One piece of chicken and one piece of beef
Appetizer
Smoked salmon with waldorf salad
Salad
Seasonal mixed salad
There was choice of thousand island or vinaigrette dressing. The salad had some mesclun greens, corns, carrots, celery julienne, and cherry tomatoes. Both the appetizers and salad were nice.
Soba
As a common feature on all Japanese in and outbound flights, a box of soba noodles with sauce was passed out after the appetizer plate was collected. It was pretty decent. Nothing much to report!
Entrees
Braised duckling with yam, carrot, asparagus, and steamed rice
Gyuniku domburi
Japanese style beef braised in soya with seasonal vegetables and steamed rice
Steamed sole with saffron tarragon sauce, braised endives, carrots and buttered potatoes
Breads
Soft white, olive, or French rolls
Cheese
Selection of cheese with garnishes
Camembert, goat, and one other kind of cheese with crackers, carrots and celery
Fresh fruit
A selection of fresh fruit
Banana, mango, and lychee
Dessert
Vanilla ice cream with raspberry coulis
Wine List
Champagne Duval Leroy Blanc de Chardonnay 1996
White Wines
1999 Rheingau riesling spatlese balthesar ress
Montagny 1er cru 1998 laboure-roi
Red wines
Chateau d’agassac 1998
Rive barbera d’asti superiore 1997
The meals were excellent but the service was interrupted in a couple occasions due to modest turbulence. At one point, the F/As had to be seated and it was rather normal to happen in the South China Sea at this time. I could not remember what I did on this flight. I might have read a bit and watch a bit of comedies. The flight went by quickly. After lunch, the F/As passed out another round of hot towels. Descent began on 4:54pm, and we touched down on runway 20R at 5:16pm. We were parked at gate F40 after a few minutes of taxing. Then I quickly proceeded to the transfer area and a SQ staff quickly checked me in for this Air New Zealand flight to Christchurch. The flight arrived on time from Christchurch, and boarding was surprisingly early for this rather full flight to CHC.
NZ 26 SIN-CHC Lv2020 Arr1010+1
Boeing 767-300ER ZK-NCI
Everything in the ground is handled by Singapore Airlines, which is not surprising. I went to the Silver Kris lounge for a couple hours. I read a couple emails and had a few bowl of chicken consommé soup with egg royal. The time went by quickly and when I looked at the TV monitor, NZ 26 was already at its final stage of boarding. When I arrived at the gate, boarding was almost completed. I quickly walked into the gate area after jogging down the tail number.
When I walked into the plane, the very handsome service director, Grant, welcomed me. Then the J class F/A showed my seat and the flight was really full, and fortunately, the aisle across me from me was empty. I took my seat, 2E, (the middle seats), and quickly stowed my bags. Pillow, headset, and an amenity kit were stowed on each seat, and since I already had the August copies of Panorama and entertainment guides (got from the Air NZ office in HK), I looked around and read the guides on how to operate the seats. The very friendly F/A immediately offered me a pre-takeoff beverage served in real glasses BTW. I had a glass of orange juice and after couple minutes, the last passenger boarded and the door was closed two minutes prior to departure. We pushed back from the gate, E6, right on time and took off from Runway 20L at 8:31pm. Unlike other pilots, the seat belt sign was turned off three minutes after takeoff.
Well, the cabin décor was very nice with a mix of blue and green. The seats have ‘deep blue’ upholstery and the pillows had a white and blue strip pattern. The cabin looked very comfortable and the seats were pretty decent. Unfortunately, reclines were rather limited and legroom was on the 50 inches range. However the 2-2-2 seating configuration made the seats very narrow. I hope when Air NZ re-launches the products, it will consider using a 1-2-2 abreast configuration.
The pilot announced that our flying time was nine hours and ten minutes, and we climbed onto 10,100m after departing Singapore. We took a southeastern course and headed towards Depansar (Bali), and turned towards the Northern Territories of Australia and entered the Aussie airspace through Derby. We climbed further into 11,300m, and then we flew through Sydney. We then descent to 10,700m, and then East towards Christchurch.
Menus and hot towels were distributed first, and then the service director introduced himself to each of the passenger. He shook hands with us and passed us the New Zealand arrival card. Then the cabin service began with a drink service. We were served a Nibbli cassva crunch snack, which tasted fine, with our beverage. Here is the wine list!
Sparkling wine
Montana Deutz, Marlborough Cuvee, Marlborough, New Zealand
Piper Heidsieck NV Brut – That is the champagne for our flight
White Wine
McCashin’s Sauvignon Blanc 2000, Nelson, New Zealand
Corbans Select, Marlborough Chardonnay 1998, Marlborough, New Zealand
Lawson’s Dry Hills Chardonnay 1999, Marlborough, New Zealand
Babich Marlborough Riesling 2000, Marlborough, New Zealand
Collards Chenin Blanc 1998, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
Red Wine
Babich Winemakers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
Maglieri Shiraz 1999, McLaren Vale, Australia
Dessert Wine
Martinborough Vineyard, Late Harvest Riseling 1999, Martinborough, New Zealand
McWilliam’s Limited Release Riverina Botrytis Samillon 1997, Riverina, Australia
Due to rather late departure time, dinner was served immediately after a round of beverage. Entrée orders were taken from front to back, and the F/As pushed out the trolley and setting up our tables. The tableware was very stylish with a mix of green and blue plates and bowls. A red tablecloth wraps around the utensils with a blue ribbon. Very stylish! Here is the menu transcript –
Appetizer
Smoked Norwegian Salmon with cucumber, olives, and balsamic
Very good appetizer and the choices of bread were garlic bread, wholemeal rolls, and foccacia bread with olive oil… Indeed, both butter and olive oil were offered on all the business class meals with Air New Zealand and Ansett Australia’s international and domestic network
Main Course
Garlic roasted chicken supreme with creamy blue cheese polenta, zucchini and red bell peppers
Pan fried lemon sole with lime butter sauce, spicy Chinese eggplant and potato mash
Stir-fried beef with black pepper sauce, stir-fried seasonal vegetables and steamed rice
Dessert
Chocolate and pistachio ice cream selection
Coconut Cream mousse
Unlike most other airlines, dessert was first served. I had the ice cream because I hate coconut. It was delicious.
Cheese and fruit
A selection of fine cheese and seasonal fruit
Cheese board features brie, blue, and gouda cheese with crackers and grapes.
Fruit plate features sliced kiwi, starfruit, papaya, pineapple, cantaloupes and grapes.
Excellent cheese and fruit… They were all presented in front of you and you chose what you want.
Unlike other routes, Asian routes did not have a separate salad course. I guess Asian people are not big salad eaters. But the meals were nicely presented and I was impressed. Water was refilled throughout the night, and Business class had the personal TV player. I only watched the Laugh lounge channel and did not sleep much.
Breakfast was served two hours prior to arrival. Hot towels and juices were passed out after lights were turned on. Here is the transcript –
Beverages
Start the day with your choice of juice, freshly brewed, or decaffeinated coffee, tea, herbal tea, and hot chocolate
Continental selection
Fruit selection with assorted cereals and yogurts
Fruit plate features 3 cantaloupe balls, 2 slices of papaya, melon, mango, and ˝ kiwi.
The choices for cereals are cornflakes and special K.
The choices for yogurts are plain, strawberry, and apricot flavor. I had the strawberry, which was great.
Croissants, white and wholemeal toast with assorted conserves
Hot options
Semi-dried tomato and cheddar omelette with pork sausage and grilled mushrooms
I had this choice, which was decent. Nothing special to tell you about!
Pancake wrapped smoked salmon scrambled egg topped with hollandaise sauce, served with asparagus spears and slow-roasted Roma tomato
Yellow fried noodles with stir-fried vegetables and ginko nuts
Then the F/As began the landing preparations and showed us an informative video about Christchurch, and then hot towels were passed out. Then the J class F/A shook our hands again and chatted with each passenger. I guess the scenery across the Southern Alps was too amazing and everyone glued their eyes on the windows. My first impression of New Zealand is those beautiful snowy mountains. Then we began our final descent over Christchurch. We touched town at 9:33am New Zealand local time, and we were the only plane in this beautiful international terminal. Being the only plane meant quick immigration lines and the bags came out quickly. But then the custom line was long because each bag had to be x-ray, whether you declare or do not declare. Anyway, the immigration officers were friendly and then I took a taxi into town. I stayed at the Heritage Christchurch hotel for less USD$50 per night. I just slept a bit after arriving in my hotel room.
Then I walked around the small town for the afternoon, and it was a nice quiet city. I bought some souvenirs and then things began to downhill when I fell sick in the early morning hours. My stomach was turning me upside down, and could barely walk to the bathroom. Then I decided to cancel my afternoon plan and forfeit my plan to visit the botanical garden and to take a domestic Air NZ dinner flight. Heading into Auckland would be my best option. I tried to each lunch at the hotel’s restaurant. I had the orange soup and when the fish main course arrived, my stomach turned sour. Then I ran to the restroom and vomited everything out from my stomach. It was not fun to begin my down under trip in this particular way. So I immediately took a cab to the airport and flew the 2:40pm flight into AKL. But I promised that I would return to CHC if I flew down under again.
August 18, 2001
NZ 520 CHC-AKL Lv1440 Arr1600
Boeing 737-300 ZK-NGJ
My first impression of the domestic terminal is very ancient, compared to the brand new and bright international hall. But the check in desks were clearly marked and first visited the ticketing office, and then headed towards the check in desk. My bags were checked through to Auckland and priority tags were attached. Unlike other countries, there was no security checkpoint on the New Zealand’s domestic airports. I just walked towards the gate. Of course, I stopped by the Koru club and watched the SQ’s A340 (9V-SJN) taking off. The Koru club was impressive for domestic service, and made any US club looked shameful. It was spacious with many sofas around. Then there was a full buffet with fruit, cheese and deli meat platter, rolls, cakes and abundant amount of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The staffs were polite and you could access to your gate directly from the lounge. I walked towards Gate 16 for boarding. I was on of the last few passengers boarded the flight.
Four F/As was stationed on this particular aircraft, and I was the sole passenger in J class today. There were two rows of J seats and took a seat at 2A. The seats were very hard and the lumbar was placed in the wrong place. Thankfully, it was an hour flight, but my judgment on this flight was particular bad – possibly due to stomach pain. So it will be pretty objective. The F/A offered me a pre-takeoff beverage and there was no newspapers and magazines offered. Due to the quick takeoff taxi, safety demonstration was fast, and the F/As were very familiar with the procedures. We pushed back only two minutes late. We took off at 2:50pm. Flying time was an hour and our cruising attitude was 37,000ft. Due to the clouds along our way, there was not much to see for this particular flight.
For a flight this length, you will lucky to get a beverage, but on Air New Zealand, you are served a meal on tray, even on this particular flight. Of course, one extra flight attendant meant a lot for service. The F/As passed out the snack immediately after the pilot signaled them that it was safe for them to start the service. In economy class, they were served a cold sandwich (bagel of some sort with ham) with some fruits, sweets, crackers, and cup of water. For Business Class, I was served a tray of afternoon refreshment. It basically contained some fruit (3 slices of kiwi, orange segment, 2 slices of pineapples and 2 strawberry halves), a wedge of brie with crackers and the main course was a warm quiche and a pie. The serving was generous, but due to my stomach pain, I only had the fruits and the pie. The service was superb. Then there was a beverage cart rolling down Y class, and then tea and coffee. There is really no excuse for not serving meal on one-hour flights, and it is really up to the airlines to decide whether it wants to offer this amenity. Next time, I will definitely try the dinner flight.
Descent began at 3:38pm and we landed on Runway 23 at 4:01pm and parked at gate 30 on the domestic terminal. Then I took the airport shuttle to the Hyatt Auckland. Then I just took a nap until dinner time. I decided to stick with basic food for the evening and slept more. Thankfully, my pain was all gone the next day.
Auckland is a major city and is a completely different world from Christchurch. I went to the Sky City and headed up to the AMP Auckland tower, which was impressive. The views were wonderful, and then I took a coffee cruise, and hang around the downtown area. Since I am on my own, I did not eat much fancy food, so I really did not have much to report. But I know that one day is not enough. Too bad, this trip has been scheduled too tightly and I was too ambitious on the flying plans.
After a day at Auckland, it is time to head over to Australia and Air New Zealand once again is the chosen airline. I took a cab to the airport and the international terminal is very stylish. It once again features a bright look and lots of natural light. Air NZ/Ansett offered a separate enclosed area for check-in on AKL, and it is like a hotel lobby with sofas and a relaxing environment. A very polite staff checked me in and tried very hard to put me on the express line, but did not work. Since I have never been to Australia, I am not surprised by this rejection. Anyway, she put on a priority tag, Air New Zealand business class tag, and star alliance tag on my bags. She handed me a boarding pass and I headed out of the lounge and headed upstair. Then I noticed that there was an observation deck, so I went up to this small area. It overseas the runway area and international terminal’s activities. As expected, Air New Zealand’s Boeing 767-300Ers were all over the place. But fortunately, I still saw the Air NZ’s Boeing 747-400 taking off for NRT. Then I saw the usual SIA’s Boeing 747-400 (which are everywhere in the “Down Under” land) and Air Pacific’s Boeing 737-700 (DQ-FJF) parking at the gate after landing from Suva. Nevertheless, it was a bit early for the Pacific planes to land, so I headed to the Koru Club, which was another excellent establishment with a continental breakfast buffet and full range of beverage. There was a lot of sofa area and a business center. It was a nice place to hang out before flight, and to my surprise, the inflight service director for each Air NZ flight would visit the lounge before departure. Our service director, Tina, walked around the lounge and another service director for the Honolulu flight also dropped by. Air NZ is really a personal airline and its culture is very different from Asian or the US carriers.
Then I headed to gate 1 for boarding. The flight was pretty full in Y and almost full in J. Fortunately, I got the middle pair again with the next seat blocked. At this time, there are more activities in the international terminal area. Malyasia’s Boeing 747-400, CX’s A340-300, NZ’s Boeing 767-300 from HKG, and KE’s Boeing 777-200 made their ways to Auckland, and the gates were filled up quickly. I waited till the last moment to board the plane because the queue at the jet way was long. Finally, I made my way to my seat, 4E, and Tina welcomed me at the door. Then J class F/A, Geraldine, served me the pre-takeoff beverage (OJ once again) and the service was similar to its international service. Then she asked me if I knew how to use the entertainment system and to play with the seats. And the other J class F/A, Karen, prepared the cabin for takeoff. Door was closed at 11:28am, and pushed back pretty much on time. Then we made our way to Runway 23 once again for takeoff. We lifted off at 11:43am and seat belt sign was turned off three minutes later. Hot towel was served and drink orders were taken. Another pack of the New Zealand snack was passed out, and a nice menu was presented in both J and Y class. (Y class did not get their menus on the SIN flight because the service director read out the choices of main courses before each meal service).
Once again, the wine list… which had a little bit less choices…
Sparkling wine
Gillan Brut Reserve 1995, Marlborough, New Zealand – That is the champagne for our flight
Piper Heidsieck NV Brut
White Wine
Babich Winemakers Reserve Chardonnay 1999, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
McCashin’s Sauvignon Blanc 2000, Nelson, New Zealand
Red Wine
Huntaway Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, Marlborough/Gisborne, New Zealand
Ingoldy Shiraz 1999, McLaren Vale, Australia
Dessert Wine
Martinborough Vineyard, Late Harvest Riseling 1999, Martinborough, New Zealand
McWilliam’s Limited Release Riverina Botrytis Samillon 1997, Riverina, Australia
Then the main meal began after the beverage service. Once again, the Pacific style linens and china are featured on the tray. Here is the transcipt –
Appetizer
Marinated Chicken supreme with spiced cucumbers, water chestnut and green onion salad
This excellent appetizer was served with the salad on the side. The chicken was not tough at all and the cucumbers gave the chicken an exotic tastes.
Main Course
Beef, bacon and olive lasagne with lemon, rosemary, green beans, and tomato basil sauce
I select this main course, and it was pretty good, but a bit sour for my taste.
Ginger Lime glazed pork fillet with coconut and sweet potato bake and tropical fruit salsa
Sesame crusted tuna served chilled with seaweed noodles, wasabi caviar, and Japanese seasoning
Side Salad
Fresh mesclun salad greens with tomato vinaigrette dressing
As featured on the rest of AN domestic flights, this brand, Birch and Waites’ brand, was featured.
The breads for today include rye bread, wholemeal rolls, garlic toasts, and olive bread.
Dessert
Hazelnut and frangelico ice cream with chocolate sauce
Or
Cheese and fruit
A selection of fine cheese and preserved fruit
The F/A rolled out a trolley and the ice cream sounded good to me.
Personal TV is still featured on this flight and I watched a different set of laugh lounge. Then the desination video was featured prior to our descent. It was very informative and actually gave me some clues on planning my trip. Then candies were handed out prior to arrival.
We began our descent at 2:43pm and it was a warm and sunny day at BNE. My flight landed at 1:07pm BNE time on runway 19. We quickly parked at gate 9 next to two triple sevens by Malaysia and Singapore Airlines.
More in a later date
More adventures on the Kangaroo land and impression of Ansett Australia
, maybe you could have had your hotel arrange for a doctor call, I hear New Zealander doctors are excellent.
Aug 31, 2001 | 3:54 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Posts: 4,952
Nice report. I continue to be amazed at what type of service BA and the Asian carriers are able to provide on the "short hop" between TPE and HKG. On a domestic flight in F of similar length, you would be grateful to get a second helping of mixed nuts...
Sep 1, 2001 | 8:41 am
#6
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 371
Carfield,
Nice report! We don't like the Kiwis on the sporting field over here in Australia (especially after they won the rugby tonight). Good to hear that although NZ/AN have financial concerns that they're not cutting down on services (in NZ anyway).
I thought I was the only one of this board studying sociology...
Look forward to hearing more.
Regards,
Clement
Nice report! We don't like the Kiwis on the sporting field over here in Australia (especially after they won the rugby tonight). Good to hear that although NZ/AN have financial concerns that they're not cutting down on services (in NZ anyway).
I thought I was the only one of this board studying sociology...
Look forward to hearing more.
Regards,
Clement