March 20th BOS-ORD AA505

As it was only a Thursday, the crowding at the terminal wasn’t too bad. Armed with a paper ticket, I was going to simply clear security and check-in at the Admiral’s Club. Then I considered the fact that the last time I needed a ticket re-issued, the AC at JFK sent me back down to the check-in area.

Since I had a confirmed upgrade using a VIP03, maybe it was a better idea to just check-in at the usual place. With the expansion of the Self-Checkin consoles at Boston, the First Class check-in lines have been moved further away from the security area. It’s become a bit of a challenge to figure out where the line is on any given day.

Upgrade procedures seems to have gotten a lot tighter these days at AA. In addition to the usual procedure of stapling the VIP03 to the first boarding pass, she proceeded to write the certificate number of the VIP03 in the front of my connecting ORD-NRT BP. I was told that she wanted to make sure the agents down the line knew the certificate was collected at BOS. Seems strangely redundant, since she would have to annotate my PNR with the VIP03 certificate number anyways, but it’s apparently the new policy.

Walking into the Flagship Lounge, I was recognized by the morning agent (Maureen, I think) who immediately led me to the shower. For early morning flights like this, my personal theory has always been to get maximum sleep the night before, hit the airport early, and take care of little things like showers and breakfast at the airport. The benefits of having a Flagship Lounge in your home airport.

Breakfast selections were decent, with fruits, bagels, and cereal. No more chocolate biscotti’s though. I always liked those.

The flight itself was uneventful, so I passed my time talking with an American Eagle FO commuting to ORD. He had been called up from standby to fly out to ORD, do 1 RT, and then back to Boston. Ouch. What a waste of a day. His opinions about AMR’s current situation seem to reflect APA’s stance, which is that management should be going after more revenue rather than lower costs. We agreed on most things except the Saab 340 – the one AA plane I despise above all others. He actually enjoys flying them and claims that it’s the most reliable plane. There’s just no accounting for taste.

March 20th ORD-NRT AA153

With the flight arriving in the middle of K, it was a nice and short walk to the ORD FL. Sometimes the BOS-ORD flights arrive in L, which is just a gigantic pain for connecting. No hot food in the FL at this earning morning hour, so I just helped myself to a few little chocolate morsels and champagne. Drinking at 10am in the morning probably isn’t the best thing, but I figured it’s well past 9pm where I’m headed.

What followed is one of my gripes with the way AA runs its clubs. I hate it when the lounge announces that we can now board a flight, only for us to discover that the gate isn’t even ready yet. Even when I applied my usual +5 minute rule, I still arrived at the gate about 7-8 minutes before they boarded First/Business passengers. That’s just annoying, and it’s something which BA and CX are never guilty of. Every time I walk out of a CX or BA lounge, the gate was ready to take pax.

The flight itself was excellent, with an attentive staff that addressed all the passengers (not that many of us) by name, and came by with refills of the nuts and drinks multiple times. The catering seems to have gone downhill a bit on the Japanese meal. I remember the bento being better the last time I flew JFK-NRT in November. The new wine selection also seems to be a bit more bland than before. Only two white wine selections now, compared to 3 in the past.

It’s good to see that snack attack is still being served, and the crew set it up in the bulkhead center row. The J cabin was only about 1/3 occupied, so everybody had the adjacent seat empty – a good thing since my original aisle seat wouldn’t stay upright. Only 2 passengers in First, but at least one of them paid full F, thanks to a peek I got at his BP as we both waited at the gate thanks to the FL’s premature boarding announcement.

March 21st - Transit in NRT

Arriving in NRT, en route to SIN via the AA codeshare operated by JAL, I had successfully talked my way into the lounge using my EXP card, even though I technically couldn't use the lounge under the oneWorld rules which require my connecting flight be both marketed and operated by oneWorld.

Anyways, the agent at the desk dutifully noted my ongoing JAL codeshare flight. After about an hour later, showered and slightly inebriated, I decided to head to Terminal 2, giving myself plenty of time to clear security. First thing I hear, as soon as I stepped into the terminal, was JAL announcing that all passengers for the flight to Singapore need to check-in again.

Turns out the flight was on a mechanical delay and may not fly at all. JAL already protected me on an SQ flight leaving 1 hr 30 min later. After waiting for another 5 minutes for the AA rep to show up to officially endorse my paper ticket, it was another tedious trip back to Terminal 1.

Okay, flight cancellations happen. I just happen to be unlucky.

But why couldn't the AC staff page me and save us all the trip of having me (and at least 1 other pax) go to T2 and then immediately come back to T1? I was already re-routed on to SQ (UA being unwilling/unable to take us) at the time I was still in the club, so it would have been nice for AA to save us all a trip to T2.

March 21st ORD-SIN SQ11

So instead of arriving in SIN at around midnight, it would be more like 2am, but the flights are apparently pretty full as it was a 3-day weekend in Japan and there were more travelers than usual. The SQ flight [the 1000th B747] was about 70% full, despite being such a late flight, departing at 7pm and arriving at 1:30am.

This was my first flight on SQ, and I have to agree that the SQ flight crew are, on average, more attractive than the CX crews. We don’t even need to compare to AA crew.

Service however, didn’t seem all that different from CX coach, and the Japanese dinner served in coach was abominable. Whatever fish that was, it was cooked to the consistency of a rubber band and just about as tasty. It was just about as bad as AA coach food, in my opinion. After a couple of bites, I asked the crew to take that away and give me the chicken instead. That, at least, was the predictable bland chicken I’ve come to expect.

I did like the KrisFlyer IFE system. Not as good as StudioCX when it comes to video, but a much wider selection of games. Street Fighter classic brought back a lot of memories for me.

On this flight, I also encountered a true road warrior, one more worthy of praise and awe than any of the people profiled in the recent American Way magazine. In the row right behind me was a mother traveling alone with four children, the youngest a toddler and the oldest less than nine. With the 3 older kids in a row and the toddler beside her, it was a constant battle throughout the flight to keep them calm, in their seats, trying to stop the toddler from screaming her head off, etc…

As the flight wasn’t full, I quickly moved to another seat a bit further away so the toddler wouldn’t be screaming 3’ away from my head. I do give the mother a lot of credit for doing her best to keep the kids from disturbing the other passengers too badly. I figure that she underwent more stress in that 3,500 mile flight than I do in 100k miles.

That, ladies and gentleman, is what I call a true road warrior experience.

March 21st to 23rd - Singapore

Clearing immigration at ~2am, the airport was deserted. While many money changers are prominently displayed, the ATM was in this little corner to the right as you approach the taxi area. I guess we know which one is mor profitable.

On this trip, I originally planned to stay at the Conrad both nights, but then SPG offered its "stay at 5 brands for 50k bonus". So I had to switch one night to Sheraton Towers instead. The location is a bit off to the side of the main commercial areas, although it was right next to the Newton Circle hawker market, so I was able to easily stroll out for a late snack as well as an early breakfast.

Sheraton Towers was clean and efficient, although I don't think I got an upgrade. Since my total stay at the hotel is about 12 hours, I didn't worry about it. Bathroom on the smallish side, and I didn't notice any smell to the water that others have mentioned.

While Sheraton Towers is a bit off the beaten track, it's very close to the MRT so quite convenient.

On the following morning, after the express checkout, I was off to Conrad Centennial Singapore, the FlyerTalk pit stop in SIN.

Personally, I found the Conrad to be a bit short of the perfection described by others.

First bad impression, no porter came up when my cab pulled up. Even the driver was a bit puzzled. When I arrived at the Sheraton Towers at 2am, a porter still came out to get my bags. It's inconceivable that nobody was on hand at 2pm.

Then I get to the counter to check in and was escorted to the Executive Lounge (booked an Exec room as I didn't want to play the upgrade roulette as a measly Gold). The agent noted that I was pulling my own bags along, but didn't summon a porter either. What, were they all on break? He offered to help, but that's not really his job so I declined.

At check-in, it was done efficiently and quickly, but no mention was made of an upgrade even though I handed over my HH Gold card. After receiving my room key, I found out that I got a standard Exec. room. Okay, that's why I booked it - to avoid the upgrade game.

After unpacking, I called the Exec. floor to get my pressing picked up. Only then did she mention that no suite was available but a fruit basket was being sent up. Personally, I have my doubts about suite availability as the hotel seemed deserted. Conversations with the concierge also confirmed there wasn't that many guests given recent health concerns.

The fruit basket was rather nice, though, so we'll call it even.

The service at the pool was abysmal. No waiter even came by to see what ANYONE wanted. I was by the pool for nearly 3 hours, and every single guest had to go to the bar to order. The attendant would meet my eyes, and then look away as if he didn't have a clue that the empty bottle next to me might indicate I want a refill.

The concierge, however, was friendly and a porter did manage make an appearance on the departure (after calling the bell desk). The location wasn't too much of a hassle, as it was clear weather during my entire stay at Singapore so walking wasn't a problem.

That night, I headed out to the Night Safari. A bit of a long cab ride at 25-30 minutes, but worth it. First thing I noticed upon arrival was the barnyard smell, but it's amazing how quickly you get used to that. After 10-15 minutes, I stopped smelling it.

Although it's a "night safari", the zoo is well lit in all the habitat areas, and it's certainly an interesting arrangement as there are very minimal walls and separation. The highlight of the tour was the lions' area. The 3 males seem to be having a bit of an argument and spend the better part of 10 minutes prowling around and roaring at each other while the females lied around and looked bored. The bat walk was also really cool, as you pass by several BIG bats hanging so close you could (but shouldn't) touch them. Severall smaller ones were flitting around, sometimes barely missing you as they flew around. Definitely an unique experience.

The breakfast selection at the executive lounge was good in quantity and selection, but strictly mediocre in quality, IMO. The two dim sum selections were dry. The hash browns soft. Eggs taste like something served on a plane, and the congee was watery with too small of a selection of flavorings.

The breakfast doesn't measure up to the catering at the Wing in HKG int'l airport, much less a real restaurant.

Overall, I find the Conrad Singapore to be an excellent hotel in terms of the physical plant. The in-room high speed access was certainly quite useful, and I liked its proximity to the Raffles Hotel and Suntec City. I found service to be inconsistent, and it really didn't live up to the high billing given by other FT'ers, IMO.

As an aside, I narrowly missed kokonutz at the Executive Lounge that afternoon, walking in just as he was leaving. Missed opportunities.

[This message has been edited by Plato90s (edited 03-31-2003).]

Thanks for the report. Sounds nice to have the empty adjacent seat. Can't be a profitable flight for AA with these loads, though. I share your sense of the NRT J catering (Japanese food especially); too bad, I used to really look forward to this aspect of the trips east.

What fare did you manage to find for this routing? I wanted to do a SIN run for this very time of the year, but I never saw fares low enough to make it worthwhile.

And taking the SQ connecting flight -- since that's not a codeshare, that means you can't use the 10% aa.com discount code, right?

[This message has been edited by bedelman (edited 03-30-2003).]

[This message has been edited by bedelman (edited 03-30-2003).]

March 23 SIN-DPS SQ143

With a flight at 9:35am, and without any *Alliance status, I decided to hit SIA early. So I did what any regular travel would, arrived 2 hours before my flight. Needn't have worried. Since I had no check-in luggage, I could use the express check-in counter and was cleared through immigration within 20 minutes of my arrival at SIA.

At this point, no signs of the SARS panic. Everybody was walking around as usual, including the immigration officers.

With a huge amount of time to burn, and without any lounge to turn to (should have gotten an UA 1P comp!!) - I just bought a book at an airport shop to while away the time. The Soong Dynasty by Sterling Seagrave. Good book, although the gossipy way he approached it got a little old toward the end.

The flight was operated with a 777-200, and it's yet another "named" plane. This one was "Jubilee". Just how many of SQ's planes are named, anyways?

Seating on the 777 is a bit more comfortable than the 747, and breakfast selection was okay. I got a cereal/fruit thingy which was fairly decent. And of course, the sight of the SQ girls helps the while away the time.

This flight was fairly empty and everybody got at least a 3-seat section to stretch out in. I saw the 2nd Harry Potter movie, the Chamber of Secrets, and thought it was not nearly as much fun as the first. About halfway through the movie, it became obvious who the secret person was. When 3/4 of the characters are reappearing from the first movie, the conspicuous absence of one of the actors pretty much made the plot "twist" obvious.

The length of the movie and the flight was pretty compatible, as we were descending into DPS about 15 minutes after the movie ended. The clear blue skies I could see out of the window was a great portent for the vacation to come.

March 23 - Arrival in DPS

Strangely, despite living for years in Boston, I really don't like cold weather. And sitting in planes, I get really cold. I think it's because I eat and drink too much, and move around too little. In any case, I always wear pants and sweaters when on a plane.

Entirely the wrong attire for DPS airport.

The air conditioning on the arrival corridors wasn't very strong, and I couldn't find a clean bathroom to change in. By the time I got to the immigration area, small beads of sweat were forming on my brow. Fortunately, they didn't work very fast and I was able to stop sweating by the time I handed over my passport.

It didn't last because the sweat starting pouring down the second I stepped out of the airport. Much more humid than Singapore and I couldn't want to get into an air-conditioned cab. If anyone knows where there's an ATM inside the airport lobby, please let me know, because I had to go outside to find out. The most it would give me was 600,000 rp which is less than $70USD. Dang annoying, because I'm pretty sure I'll use more than that.

There were many cabbies sitting in groups on the pavement, waiting for fares. Without knowing exactly how much I should be paying, I decided to go to a lobby window marked "Taxi Service" and got charged 60,000 rp ($7USD) for a ride to Nusa Dua.

If you go to Bali, don't do that. It's a rip-off. The driver gets 15k rupee only despite me paying 60k, and I could have gotten a ride from one of the independents sitting around for 20-30k rupee to Nusa Dua.

Or better yet, contact your hotel to send a car for you. It costs more (95,000 rp) but you wouldn't have to walk across the open sun to the parking area or sit in the cab for the first 5-10 minutes waiting for the A/C to finally cool the air down to a more comfortable temperature.

I figured I lost about 500ml of water in the form of perspiration in the first 20 minutes I was in Bali.

On the ride to the hotel, one side of the main road was blocked by what the driver told me was a funeral procession. Everyone in the village had to participate, and walk to the shrine used by the village - more than 5km away. Ouch. I don't know if I'd be willing to walk 5km in this kind of heat just for a neighbor.

March 23-26 Baking in the Sun

Arriving at the Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua, I pretty much didn't do anything for the next 3 days. My luggage was removed from the cab and I got handed a couple of tickets. No standing at the counter to check in, as I simply handed over my SPG card and sat down in one of the many comfy couches in the open-air lobby. A cold towel and a cup of tea rapidly appeared, before an agent reappeared to escort me to my room. Shortly afterwards, my luggage arrived along with someone who unpacked everything into drawers and take away the shirt/pants which showed wrinkles to be pressed.

Very civilized way to do things.

I was going to use points for this stay, since the Sheraton LND is an excellent deal as a CAT2 property. But I needed to get a Luxury Collection property for the 50k deal, so I converted it to a paid stay with point upgrade. As a mere Gold, I would only have gotten a "Deluxe Studio". For 1k/night, I got one of their Lagoon Suites. I highly recommend it, as it's a wonderful use of points.

The next 3 days was a pleasant blur of warm weather, bright shining sun, cold Bintangs, and room service delivered in under 15 minutes.

The only hitch was the one time I ventured to the Nusa Dua Galleria nearby to do some shopping. Stopping into a Japanese restaurant for lunch, I looked at the bill only to realize that

a) I didn't have enough cash (stinking 600k rupee ATM)

b) The only credit card I had on me at the moment was a Diners Club card, which the restaurant didn't take.

c) The money changers wouldn't take any of the 3 $100USD bills I had on me, because it wasn't series 1999 though it was one of the giant-head new bills. I guess some kind of preventative measure for counterfeits.

Embarassed, I had to ask the restaurant staff to give me a ride back to the hotel (standard service, actually) so I can get my M/C and come back to pay the tab. Right after that, I got another 1M rupee (~$110 USD) from an ATM in order to prevent a repeat.

Of course, I didn't bother with cash at the hotel since cash didn't earn SPG points. Signed for everything, including daily Balinese massage. At ~$45 incl. taxes for an hour, it's about 1/3rd what I'm used to paying.

Also went over to the neighboring resort, the Sheraton Nusa Indah and asked the manager to show me the renovated rooms. It was okay, but a bit smaller than a standard room at Sheraton LND, much less the suite.

Of course, I didn't get the BIG suites. There are 4 giant ones down at the other end of the property, each 2 floor high although the square footage on each floor was probably the same as mine. I was told that they didn't open up these suites ordinarily, only for special occasions and special guests. Nobody was in any of the four during my 3-day stay there. In fact, the entire resort area was very empty, with mainly Japanese tourists walking around. I didn't go out to the Kuta area, though.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Sheraton LND. The room was beautiful and came with a giant fruit basket for snacking, along with some chocolates and biscuits. Daily tea in the lobby was nice, as was the any-time-at-all coffee/tea delivery. Weather was beautiful all 3 days, and it was utterly relaxing to get away from the frenetic pace of day-to-day life.

I highly recommend it for someone looking for a relaxing tropical vacation. I only wish I could have stayed longer.

Great Post!!

I am heading to BALI next month (pending SARS outbreak)....

Why did you only go for 3 days? Isnt that just enough time for you to recover from the jet lag?

Out of curiosity, was SARS mentioned when you were there?

Did you just stayed in the hotel? and if you were to do it again, what would you have done different (other than the short stay)
Thanks

Just a guess, but I think Plato90s had a BOS-SIN ticket with all AA coded flight numbers (allowing for aa.com discount) and then a separate SIN-DPS ticket on SQ. Just a guess though.

Enjoyed reading your report!
SQ names its aircraft models, not individual planes. The 747s are "Megatops", the 777s "Jubilee" and the A340s "Celestar".



------------------
truly yours. airOli.

Just to answer some questions...

I got the SIN-DPS ticket as a * award using the remainder of my UA miles. No oneWorld carrier flies SIN-DPS anyways.

Paid $775 USD for BOS-ORD-NRT-SIN mainly because the BOS-ORD part was ~$150 by itself.

I rarely have problem with jetlag since I sleep readily on the plane. A longer stay wouldn't be possible as I have limited vacation time and needed to save it for other trips, like the combined BKK/SYD run in May.

No SARS mention by locals at either SIN or DPS during my trip.

Great report, Plato90s. Just the right amount of details, specially on practical things like taxi, ATM, proximity to MRT. These are always questions I have so I really appreciated reading about it.

I've stayed at the Sheraton Towers in SG before and I too find it a bit far from everything except Newton Circus. I am a bit surprised about the below par performance of the Conrad. I've stayed there several times and have been upgraded every single time to a nicer room but not a suite. Service has always been impeccable. But I too share your observations about the rather poor quality of the breakfast. But hey it's free! I wonder if the waiters and porters avoided people contact because of SARS?

I will also be staying at both Laguna Nusa Dua and Nusa Indah in late May for the 5/50 promo. I'm thinking of splitting my 5 days there between the 2 properties. I'd be interested in additional comments you may have about Nusa Indah. I can't believe it's only $50. I wonder what kind of room that is! My plan is to check in at SLND for 2 days, checkout and leave my stuff at SLND and move to SNI for the 3rd night with just the bare necessities (to get the Sheraton stay credit for the 5/50 promo) and move back to SLND for the 4th and 5th nights. What do you think?

Did you upgrade to a Lagoon suite for 1000 points at the hotel during check- in or beforehand with Starwood reservation. Do you happen to know what kind of room 1000 points will upgrade me to at Nusa Indah?

IIRC, QF does fly SIN-DPS 3 or 4 times a week.

Thanks!

[This message has been edited by bp888 (edited 03-31-2003).]

Were you hiding in your room? SARS is definitely big news here!

March 26 - Excursion to Ubud

After hanging around the Nusa Dua resort area for 2 full days, I took a half-day trip out to Ubud. Booked it as a "tour" but since I was the only passenger, it's about the same effect as my own car.

So even though it wasn't on the route, we stopped along the way to catch a Barong dance, which is similar in some ways to Chinese Lion dances. The head of the lion is far smaller, but the similaries in the style of dancing, etc.. are there.

Ubud turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, in that the shops we stopped at are so obviously fake. Yes, I'm interested by the artists who were doing the demonstrations, but I don't buy the fiction that they somehow manufacture all the stuff I see on display.

This was especially true at the woodworking shop, where they'd need a staff at least 20 times bigger to fill the shop with all the goods on display. No doubt the people working really do make a few pieces, but most of it must come from distributors.

I got some good bargains on jewelry, a carved wooden dragon, and a couple of batik shirts in glaring reds and blues, but I'm sure I still paid significantly more than any local would. That's okay - that's why I'm a tourist.

March 26th - transit in DPS

On the morning of the 26th, I had to bid a regretful farewell to the Sheraton LND. Packing up all the new acquisitions, I could barely close the zipper on my bags. After inquiring via the butler about the costs of a cab (30,000rp) versus the hotel's car service (95,000rp), I figured the $7 difference wasn't worth waiting around for a cab of unknown make and comfort.

A valet arrived shortly to pick up my bags, and placed them directly into the trunks of the hotel car (a recent vintage BMW) while I took care of the formalities at the check-in counter. Which, of course, meant that I had a seat on one of the couches, wiped my brow with a cold towel since I had my pants on (1st time in 3 days), and signed the form after they brought it to me.

Arriving at the airport a good 90 minutes before departure (I like to be early when it's the first time I transit an airport), it was necessary to clear baggage through airport security as soon as you step in. After that, a sticker is placed on your bags indicating security has cleared you.

Check-in at the SQ counter was quick, with no lines at all. The DPS airport is very much like the HNL, IMO. Lots of open airways in the corridors connecting different parts of the terminal, allowing a direct view of the tarmac. There was a nice Balinese gate structure between the tarmac and the terminal area - a great mix of the traditional and the modern.

Lots of shops at the airport for people who didn't do their shopping already, but the prices were even higher than what I paid in Ubud and the staff a lot less amenable to bargaining. I did pick up a carton of Gundang Garam Professional cigarettes, based on acclaims friends gave as well as techgirl's glowing reports. Not duty free though. Apparently, the Indonesian government doesn't see its cigs in that light.

A couple more Bintangs later (yes, I'm drinking before noon again. Should break the habit), it was time to get into the boarding area. I guess it's a crowd-management and time-saving tool to have the secure gate area you can't get to without handing over your BP, but it's just odd that the idea isn't implemented in any American airport. It does take a bit of planning, because they don't let you out of the gate area, and there are no restrooms.

March 26 DPS-SIN SQ142

Again on a B777, this flight was a bit more full, with a seat neighbor in the window of the 3-seat section. Still an empty seat beside me though, so quite comfy.

The seat neighbor was a classic beach boy. Dark tan from hairline to his callused feet, with a flowery Hawaiian shirt. Even brought a souvenir miniature surfboard on board. I don't think English was his first language, as he insisted loudly (multiple times) that he wanted bottled water. The FA polite explained to him that she only had water by the glass. He insists again. She explains again. Finally, she just pours him 2 glasses of water, which was evidently good enough.

Interestingly, when the FA's brough pre-departure drinks around (rarely ever see that on AA for a 2hr flight), I picked up a glass of what I thought was apple juice. It wasn't. It was Bintang.

Throughout the flight, the beach boy kept on asking for large quantities of water. He'd hit the attention button (multiple times) when the FA was coming down the aisle with the drink cart. He'd ring it right after he finished the 2 glasses to get more. The crew handled the situation politely and continued to smile while they respond to ring after ring. I was impressed.

March 26th - back in Singapore

Arriving back in Singapore, I was unpleasantly surprised to see a pouring rain covering the airport. I guess my run of good weather luck finally ran out.

With the spotty treatment I received at the Conrad, I figured there wasn't much of a point in returning to pay the higher rates. With concurrent reservations at both the Hilton and Conrad, I canceled the Conrad reservation at Bali and saved myself about 45 SGD.

The Hilton is at an extremely convenient location, right squat in the middle of Orchard Road. By the time I refreshed myself, the rain had cleared and it was a pleasant 70-something day outside. A little sun would have been nice, but you can't have everything. The room itself was very basic, though, even the Executive Floor. I didn't check out the lounge or the pool though.

Had dinner down at Chinatown Point, which is nice and convenient. Lots of small eateries on the 2nd level mezzanine, along with a nicer restaurant, The Mouth. Only about 6 SGD each way on the cab.

March 27 SIN-NRT AA7214

Back to SIA again, and this time I don't bother arriving 2 hours early. Checking in at the JAL counter was a breeze, although the agent didn't check me through to BOS. She only pulled the flight coupon for the NRT-SIN leg, which was fine since I had no check-in luggage and I didn't want her to try to do the VIPO3 upgrade anyways.

This time, I'm flying out of T1 of SIA, which features the joint QF/BA lounge. Armed with my ticket for an oneWorld marketed and operated flight, I prepared to persusade the gate guardian that I was worthy for entry.

Needn't have bothered.

The agent at the F lounge counter simply glanced at my EXP card, ran the JAL boarding pass through a scanner, and then waved me through. I guess I'm too used to facing the various Admiral's Club agents in the US.

An impressive lounge with wide open spaces and high ceilings, although a bit lightly equipped. Running waters provide a background ambient, and the chairs are comfy. Not much in the way of breakfast foods besides bread, fruit, and cereal, and no shared computers. Decent newspaper and magazine selection though.

Coming out to the gate area, I found a wireless networking area with a bunch of laptops set up for free access. Intel was showing off its new Centrino technology, so I let a saleswoman give me the 45 second spiel and surfed the web for free for about 10 minutes before boarding call began on the flight.

The JAL 747 is also pretty nice, and pretty darn empty so I ended up with another empty 3-seat section. The JAL crew seem to be a bit older, on average, than the SQ crew but still much younger than the average AA international crew. The outfit seemed positively dowdy after 3 flights with the SQ Girls, but it's actually pretty stylish except for the scarf tied in a bow. That was a bit over the top, IMO.

The dinner selection of chicken curry was pretty tasty, although the rice was a bit wetter than I usually like it. Service was quick and polite, so no complaints. It was kind of funny that when I asked for Oolong tea, the crew was surprised when I asked for it hot. Apparently, they only have the canned cold tea on board, and didn't know that Oolong tea is like most green teas - best served hot.

The IFE system was kind of weird in that the movies ran on a pre-programmed cycle, not video on demand. Even stranger, the system was already on when we boarded. As a result, the movies were already an hour into the cycle - thus making it impossible to start a new movie immeidately. I was able to use it to play some of the games, so it had its upsides.

The IFE system also included both a look-forward and look-down camera. It is extremely fascinating to watch the look-down camera, especially as we pass by the various small islands dotting the western Pacific. Unfortunately, the system was turned off for landing so we only had the look-forward camera on the main screen for the landing on runway 16R. Still lots of fun though.

However, the JAL IFE suffers from a fatal flaw. When the PA goes on, the video is interrupted but it's not paused. So every time they make a PA announcement, I miss a couple of minutes of the movie. Overall, I watched 2 movies on the flight, but probably missed about 20 minutes combined due the the various PA interruptions.

Originally, the flight was going to arrive about 20 minutes early, but ended up arriving 10 minutes late due to being put into a holding pattern. NRT was covered under the same weather front which rained on Singapore the previous day.

March 27 - transit in NRT

Clearing the transfer security checkpoint at NRT took a bit more time because the metal detector was apparently being repaired, and the security person took an extra minute to check my ticket due to my lack of a BP. There was an AA agent handing out transit coupons to connecting pax, but I don't see the point as I've never been asked for it before.

There was also a special services agent at the gate to meet one of the pax flying in F for NRT-DFW. The F pax was escorted through security and down to the transfer area.

The point of the exercise was largely voided because the AAgent held the tranfer bus in order to go back for other passengers connecting to AA flight who flew in coach. Times like these I despair of AA ever understanding what "premium service" means. Yes, it's more efficient to make sure all the connecting pax are on the same bus instead of making 2 trips, but how do you think the F pax felt?

Met at the gate, made to feel special, only to be held up for coach pax? The F pax didn't make it to the terminal any faster than anybody else. An airline agent who understood what premium service means would have told the driver to leave immediately after the F pax boarded.

A missed opportunity for AA, IMHO.

The Admiral's Club was quite crowded, with war news on over CNN. As there was a substantial wait for the showers, I retired to the smoking lounge and lit up a Gundang Garam. Very interesting taste, sweet and smoky. Some heads definitely turned as the smell wafted through the air.

The CX lounge also seems to have picked up additional computer workstations now, as I counted 3. A far nicer lounge, being much less crowded due to the fewer flights CX runs out of the terminal.

Great report Plato ! Thank you !

One question though, did you take this great trip all by yourself ?