Milage Burning: 1 Month RTW + QF F, TG F, OW and *A J
May 8, 2018, 4:15 am
#16
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Germany
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May 10, 2018, 1:04 pm
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: YYZ
Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 44
Flight 11 : PER-SYD, QF0568 in Y, seat 44A
I needed to get back to SYD and ended up using avios to ticket this segment. For the 4 hour flight I did not feel that it would be worth redeeming for business class, especially at avios rates. Had I been able to find availability from PER-MEL, especially on the dreamliner, I would have probably done so. The exit row seat which I was able to select (without charge
) through my LATAM account was just fine for the redeye back to SYD. I arrived at the airport early and enjoyed the domestic business lounge. Plenty of food and a nice atmosphere, just like the QF lounge in BNE.
The flight pushed back 5 minutes late and arrived a couple of minutes early into SYD. No meal service, just a quick bottled water service about 40 mins prior to landing.
Shower Suite:
The lounge was quite empty for a while, but started to fill up just before the departure of the BNE evening flight.
Pizza -- the highlight of the already terrific food choices on offer.
My seat for the evening.
Sunrise just before landing in SYD.
Taxiing by a retro livery 737.
I needed to get back to SYD and ended up using avios to ticket this segment. For the 4 hour flight I did not feel that it would be worth redeeming for business class, especially at avios rates. Had I been able to find availability from PER-MEL, especially on the dreamliner, I would have probably done so. The exit row seat which I was able to select (without charge
) through my LATAM account was just fine for the redeye back to SYD. I arrived at the airport early and enjoyed the domestic business lounge. Plenty of food and a nice atmosphere, just like the QF lounge in BNE.The flight pushed back 5 minutes late and arrived a couple of minutes early into SYD. No meal service, just a quick bottled water service about 40 mins prior to landing.
Shower Suite:
The lounge was quite empty for a while, but started to fill up just before the departure of the BNE evening flight.
Pizza -- the highlight of the already terrific food choices on offer.
My seat for the evening.
Sunrise just before landing in SYD.
Taxiing by a retro livery 737.
May 10, 2018, 3:14 pm
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: YYZ
Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 44
Flight 12 : SYD-SCL (via AKL), LA0800 in J, seat 5D.
I was glad to find that my upgrade for this flight had cleared. Actually the flight to AKL had about 7 open seats in J, and about 4 of them remained onwards to SCL. After arriving in SYD on QF, I transferred to the International terminal, checked in and proceeded to the QF F lounge. A stunning lounge, of which I did not have enough time to fully appreciate. After overnighting from PER, I first stooped by a shower suite to refresh, and then proceeded to have breakfast in the dining area.
The signature living wall in the entry to the lounge.
This A380 was parked next to the lounge entrance and was scheduled to fly to SIN as QF0001.
Shower Suite:
Dining area:
Breakfast was delicious and the service was good, but-for the server's lack of understanding of my order for an 'iced cappucino' -- she first brought it hot, then brought it back with ice cubes before returning several minutes later with something resembling what I was looking for. Overall it was still a nice meal to enjoy before my flight.
Dining area -- albeit a few years old, the lounge still looks architecturally stunning; Marc Newson sure knows how to design a fantastic space.
The flight to AKL was quick, about 2:30 flight time, and quite uneventful. Crew was pleasant, and started meal service about 1 hour into the flight. On the menu today was a ham and cheese croissant with salad and pie. I would have preferred fruit, but c'est la vie. An amenity kit was handed out (have no idea why), containing an eyeshade, socks, and a pen.
Instead of the 789 usually deployed on this route (which has a slightly updated interior, with less of an 'orangy' feel, the aircraft assigned was a 788 with an old LAN livery.
The side of my seat was filthy, and the design could use a trip back to the drawing board. For one, the amateur mistake was made of implementing vertical slotted storage space for magazines and safety cards, and upon takeoff, both in my seat and others around me, all the material fell out of its place.
Upon arrival in AKL I stopped by the QF F lounge while the aircraft was being re-catered and refreshed. The lounge is outdated and could use a revival.
Some shots of the cabin:
As I don't eat lamb nor seafood, I was kind of limited in terms of an entree selection, and by default opted to have the prosciutto and salad, which was average.
The crew handed out breakfast cards after the dinner service but began serving breakfast only 1 hour before landing! I was one of the first to get my meal, but others were being served a full meal T-40 mins to landing.... seeing that was definitely a first for me, and TBH I was getting nervous on behalf of the crew.
Here is a photo of the large amenity kit offered from AKL-SCL. A rather small product offering, with micro-sized samples, not quite on par with other international business class products. Also, as others have pointed out, the kits have nothing to do with the LATAM branding.
I was glad to find that my upgrade for this flight had cleared. Actually the flight to AKL had about 7 open seats in J, and about 4 of them remained onwards to SCL. After arriving in SYD on QF, I transferred to the International terminal, checked in and proceeded to the QF F lounge. A stunning lounge, of which I did not have enough time to fully appreciate. After overnighting from PER, I first stooped by a shower suite to refresh, and then proceeded to have breakfast in the dining area.
The signature living wall in the entry to the lounge.
This A380 was parked next to the lounge entrance and was scheduled to fly to SIN as QF0001.
Shower Suite:
Dining area:
Breakfast was delicious and the service was good, but-for the server's lack of understanding of my order for an 'iced cappucino' -- she first brought it hot, then brought it back with ice cubes before returning several minutes later with something resembling what I was looking for. Overall it was still a nice meal to enjoy before my flight.
Dining area -- albeit a few years old, the lounge still looks architecturally stunning; Marc Newson sure knows how to design a fantastic space.
The flight to AKL was quick, about 2:30 flight time, and quite uneventful. Crew was pleasant, and started meal service about 1 hour into the flight. On the menu today was a ham and cheese croissant with salad and pie. I would have preferred fruit, but c'est la vie. An amenity kit was handed out (have no idea why), containing an eyeshade, socks, and a pen.
Instead of the 789 usually deployed on this route (which has a slightly updated interior, with less of an 'orangy' feel, the aircraft assigned was a 788 with an old LAN livery.
The side of my seat was filthy, and the design could use a trip back to the drawing board. For one, the amateur mistake was made of implementing vertical slotted storage space for magazines and safety cards, and upon takeoff, both in my seat and others around me, all the material fell out of its place.
Upon arrival in AKL I stopped by the QF F lounge while the aircraft was being re-catered and refreshed. The lounge is outdated and could use a revival.
Some shots of the cabin:
As I don't eat lamb nor seafood, I was kind of limited in terms of an entree selection, and by default opted to have the prosciutto and salad, which was average.
The crew handed out breakfast cards after the dinner service but began serving breakfast only 1 hour before landing! I was one of the first to get my meal, but others were being served a full meal T-40 mins to landing.... seeing that was definitely a first for me, and TBH I was getting nervous on behalf of the crew.
Here is a photo of the large amenity kit offered from AKL-SCL. A rather small product offering, with micro-sized samples, not quite on par with other international business class products. Also, as others have pointed out, the kits have nothing to do with the LATAM branding.
Last edited by oa424; May 11, 2018 at 11:53 am
May 11, 2018, 11:56 am
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: YYZ
Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 44
Flight 13 : SCL-MAD, LA0704 in Y+, seat 14C.
The report for this flight is brief, and photos are pretty crappy, I apologize. I was running a bit late and briefly popped into the LATAM flagship lounge. Aesthetically pleasing, the lounge lacked an adequate catered selection (that is, until I saw the IB Dali lounge, more on that further down), serving small sandwiches, quiches and cheese/meats and some greens.
This flight was completely full, which I had realized a couple weeks prior to the flight date when I saw no seats available for sale. There were about 20 people on the upgrade list, but as I understood from the check-in agent, 2 confirmed J pax were downgraded (ouch)... needless to say, I knew that baring some miracle (maybe a delayed connection into SCL with several J pax connecting), that I would be seated in Y. What is funny however is that I was 3rd on the upgrade list, having checked in about two minutes after the check-in opened 48hrs prior to departure, only to find that I ended up 4th on the list hours later (with no further Black Signature members checking in)... right...
I've done my fair share of ultra long haul in Y, but was disappointed that all the exit row and bulkhead seats were distributed long before (I booked this flight 2 months ago, yet, those seats were all full then). I appreciate other OW airlines that reserve them for elite members. On the plus side, there was a generous amount of legroom, so it was fine.
This aircraft was much newer than the one from SYD-SCL, with a fresh interior. Boarding was a zoo and yielded a bit of a delay which impacted our arrival time by about 20 minutes.
BTW, am I the only one that flips my case on its side upright to fit in 787 overhead bins? A good amount of delay was caused by people 'not finding space' for their bags, where in reality, each bin was just loaded improperly. Meh.
Service was average, and the meal tasted as horrible as it looks, but this is life behind the curtain.
.
The report for this flight is brief, and photos are pretty crappy, I apologize. I was running a bit late and briefly popped into the LATAM flagship lounge. Aesthetically pleasing, the lounge lacked an adequate catered selection (that is, until I saw the IB Dali lounge, more on that further down), serving small sandwiches, quiches and cheese/meats and some greens.
This flight was completely full, which I had realized a couple weeks prior to the flight date when I saw no seats available for sale. There were about 20 people on the upgrade list, but as I understood from the check-in agent, 2 confirmed J pax were downgraded (ouch)... needless to say, I knew that baring some miracle (maybe a delayed connection into SCL with several J pax connecting), that I would be seated in Y. What is funny however is that I was 3rd on the upgrade list, having checked in about two minutes after the check-in opened 48hrs prior to departure, only to find that I ended up 4th on the list hours later (with no further Black Signature members checking in)... right...
I've done my fair share of ultra long haul in Y, but was disappointed that all the exit row and bulkhead seats were distributed long before (I booked this flight 2 months ago, yet, those seats were all full then). I appreciate other OW airlines that reserve them for elite members. On the plus side, there was a generous amount of legroom, so it was fine.
This aircraft was much newer than the one from SYD-SCL, with a fresh interior. Boarding was a zoo and yielded a bit of a delay which impacted our arrival time by about 20 minutes.
BTW, am I the only one that flips my case on its side upright to fit in 787 overhead bins? A good amount of delay was caused by people 'not finding space' for their bags, where in reality, each bin was just loaded improperly. Meh.
Service was average, and the meal tasted as horrible as it looks, but this is life behind the curtain.
.
Last edited by oa424; May 13, 2018 at 8:33 pm
May 12, 2018, 12:56 am
#20
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YVR - Vancouver, with most winter weekends in Whistler.
Programs: Aeroplan 35K, Alaska MVP, Marriott Titanium / Lifetime Platinum, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 4,609
This is quite a collection of flights and travels! It would be hard to do worse than what you've managed to put together. Aside from furniture shopping in China, how are you spending time in each destination?
May 12, 2018, 5:09 am
#21
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 6km East of EPAYE
Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,582
Geez this is a heck of a trip! I hope you enjoyed your time on the ground as much as you enjoyed your time in the air. Thanks for sharing.
May 13, 2018, 1:10 am
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: YYZ
Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 44
Thanks for the comments everyone.... I'm happy I decided to start doing trip reports, they are quite fun actually, and I'll be posting some old ones in the coming weeks. This indeed was a bit of an over-the-top trip but has been really exciting.
As for the ground time, I had fun reconnecting with some friends and exploring/re-exploring cites.
I mostly had good weather throughout (with BKK being the notable exception, where it rained all weekend that I was there
), and took most cities on foot walking around in between relaxing poolside and at the hotel lounges.
I had a great 36 hours or so in Perth, and rented a car to drive to the Pinnacles, Cervantes and Jurien Bay. An absolutely lovely coastal drive that I highly recommend doing.
I think what I will do is post at the very end of this trip report one photo from each city [excluding connection cities]. (I know, I'm setting myself up for the hard task of boiling each city down to one photo but given the extensive routing, its the only way that it will be a manageable task (and read). I might add a photo of each hotel room as well, though I know there is a separate forum for hotel reviews.
Stay tuned
PS - As for the kits, I made sure to pack (lets just say 'lighter', not light)
all good, with the annoying exception of LATAM that is a bit of an oddball wrt baggage allowance, allowing 3x23kg rather than almost every other airline of 2 or 3 x32kg. But, of course, being LATAM, agents in both SYD and SCL looked the other way when I propped my bags onto the scale and registered upwards of 25kg/ea. 
As for the ground time, I had fun reconnecting with some friends and exploring/re-exploring cites.
I mostly had good weather throughout (with BKK being the notable exception, where it rained all weekend that I was there
), and took most cities on foot walking around in between relaxing poolside and at the hotel lounges.I had a great 36 hours or so in Perth, and rented a car to drive to the Pinnacles, Cervantes and Jurien Bay. An absolutely lovely coastal drive that I highly recommend doing.
I think what I will do is post at the very end of this trip report one photo from each city [excluding connection cities]. (I know, I'm setting myself up for the hard task of boiling each city down to one photo but given the extensive routing, its the only way that it will be a manageable task (and read). I might add a photo of each hotel room as well, though I know there is a separate forum for hotel reviews.
Stay tuned
PS - As for the kits, I made sure to pack (lets just say 'lighter', not light)
all good, with the annoying exception of LATAM that is a bit of an oddball wrt baggage allowance, allowing 3x23kg rather than almost every other airline of 2 or 3 x32kg. But, of course, being LATAM, agents in both SYD and SCL looked the other way when I propped my bags onto the scale and registered upwards of 25kg/ea.
May 13, 2018, 9:33 pm
#24
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: YYZ
Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 44
Flight 14 : MAD-HEL, AY1662 in Y, seat 10C.
I arrived at the airport a bit early (and skipped breakfast at the Marriott where I was staying, believing that I would just grab something to eat in the lounge after settling in). Boy I was wrong. After checking in, I followed the signs to the oneworld fast-track area and headed to IB's Dali lounge. The lounge, just like Latam's in SCL is aesthetically nice, but definitely tops out as one of the worst lounges I've visited, serving stale croissants, pathetic espresso, prepackaged fruit, and yoghurt. Not worth the visit, and certainly not worth skipping breakfast.
We pushed back 6mins ahead of schedule
This was a full flight , but boarding went smoothly... the flight was oversold by about 3, but all pax boarded.
The crew was pleasant, and was based in Madrid. I was seated in an exit row with spacious legroom, important for an almost 4 hour flight in a single aisle cabin. I purchased a sandwich as I knew I'd have a tight connection in HEL, and was offered champagne as a OW*E member. Overall good flight, with a clean and new aircraft but upon landing during taxiing, we held short of the active for quite a bit of time which substantially cut into my transit time. We arrived at gate 13 and I had 40 minutes until departure, and still had to clear passport control and jet over to gate 55. Thankfully I walk fast and managed to get to the gate on time. Unfortunately, there was no time to stop by the AY lounge. Maybe next time.
Flight 15 : HEL-NRT, AY0071 in Y, seat 22C.
I nearly managed to get an upgrade when I finally reached the gate, as there were many open seats in J on this flight, however the gate agent said it was too late to order additional meals and thus couldn't process it.
Row 22, being an economy comfort row was fine; it was a quick 8h and 55 minute flight after all, and the bonus was that I had all 3 seats, A,B,and C at my disposal. This was my first time on an A350 and found it comparable to the B787 minus the dreamliner windows.
Here are some shots of the cabin: The flight was not completely full, and about 3 rows in economy comfort remained entirely unoccupied. Sleeping over the 3 seats was fine...who needs a NZ SkyCouch?!.
We were parked next to another A350:
I had both cams on for takeoff:
Shortly after takeoff, the crew came and handed out Y+ amenity kits which contained all the basics. At this point I did not find it worth sacrificing precious carry-on space to take this one with me, as much as my inner Avgeek wanted to (I have about 2 ATLAS containers full of kits that I dont know what to do with). LOL.
Meal service began rather quickly, the meal was not so great; I had the chicken and polenta.
Breakfast was slightly better, potatoes with cheese and a slice of chicken breast coupled with yogurt and a muffin.
Some random shots including the new Airbus illuminated signs:
For about $900USD, SYD-AKL-SCL-MAD-HEL-NRT with 2 upgraded legs was a great milage run deal and quite a bit of fun (Thanks FT).
I'm headed to MNL next with JL, and starting my trip westward back to Europe tomorrow before making a quick stop home in YYZ.
I arrived at the airport a bit early (and skipped breakfast at the Marriott where I was staying, believing that I would just grab something to eat in the lounge after settling in). Boy I was wrong. After checking in, I followed the signs to the oneworld fast-track area and headed to IB's Dali lounge. The lounge, just like Latam's in SCL is aesthetically nice, but definitely tops out as one of the worst lounges I've visited, serving stale croissants, pathetic espresso, prepackaged fruit, and yoghurt. Not worth the visit, and certainly not worth skipping breakfast.
We pushed back 6mins ahead of schedule
This was a full flight , but boarding went smoothly... the flight was oversold by about 3, but all pax boarded.
The crew was pleasant, and was based in Madrid. I was seated in an exit row with spacious legroom, important for an almost 4 hour flight in a single aisle cabin. I purchased a sandwich as I knew I'd have a tight connection in HEL, and was offered champagne as a OW*E member. Overall good flight, with a clean and new aircraft but upon landing during taxiing, we held short of the active for quite a bit of time which substantially cut into my transit time. We arrived at gate 13 and I had 40 minutes until departure, and still had to clear passport control and jet over to gate 55. Thankfully I walk fast and managed to get to the gate on time. Unfortunately, there was no time to stop by the AY lounge. Maybe next time.
Flight 15 : HEL-NRT, AY0071 in Y, seat 22C.
I nearly managed to get an upgrade when I finally reached the gate, as there were many open seats in J on this flight, however the gate agent said it was too late to order additional meals and thus couldn't process it.
Row 22, being an economy comfort row was fine; it was a quick 8h and 55 minute flight after all, and the bonus was that I had all 3 seats, A,B,and C at my disposal. This was my first time on an A350 and found it comparable to the B787 minus the dreamliner windows.
Here are some shots of the cabin: The flight was not completely full, and about 3 rows in economy comfort remained entirely unoccupied. Sleeping over the 3 seats was fine...who needs a NZ SkyCouch?!.
We were parked next to another A350:
I had both cams on for takeoff:
Shortly after takeoff, the crew came and handed out Y+ amenity kits which contained all the basics. At this point I did not find it worth sacrificing precious carry-on space to take this one with me, as much as my inner Avgeek wanted to (I have about 2 ATLAS containers full of kits that I dont know what to do with). LOL.
Meal service began rather quickly, the meal was not so great; I had the chicken and polenta.
Breakfast was slightly better, potatoes with cheese and a slice of chicken breast coupled with yogurt and a muffin.
Some random shots including the new Airbus illuminated signs:
For about $900USD, SYD-AKL-SCL-MAD-HEL-NRT with 2 upgraded legs was a great milage run deal and quite a bit of fun (Thanks FT).
I'm headed to MNL next with JL, and starting my trip westward back to Europe tomorrow before making a quick stop home in YYZ.
Last edited by oa424; May 14, 2018 at 1:02 am
May 15, 2018, 6:02 am
#26
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: YYZ
Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 44
Flight 16 : NRT-MNL JL0745 in J, seat 2K.
Before I had decided to book the SYD-SCL-NRT itinerary, I was originally supposed to fly back home from PER using an Aeroplan award with a deliberately scheduled 23hr stop in CDG (to buy Creed, don’t ask). The stop in France was a must for me, and hence I needed to recraft an itinerary that worked the stopover back in. For some odd reason, flights out of Japan and north Asia (including HKG, which United classifies as S. Asia) have a maximum milage that essentially constricts even the most direct routing to N. America via Europe. I had to do a bit of thinking, and found JL awards to SIN, SGN, KUL and the like steep using Avios, and a bit unjustifiable for a positioning flight, until I thought to check flights to MNL.
At 20k points in J for 4.5 hours, I found it to be a very good deal, but before booking it I immediately called Aeroplan to put together a tentative itinerary to YYZ originating from MNL and routing through CDG, and was happy to find that the routing worked.
I collected my bags after coming in from HEL, and proceeded upstairs to check in at the JL first class check in area. I was greeted by very courteous and professional staff and checked in rather quickly. I had about 8 hours to spend in NRT and visited the 3 JAL first class lounges. Security was a breeze using the dedicated area for JL F pax, and within a couple minutes I was at the first lounge. I had a quick shower to refresh, and then used a massage chair. This lounge has private rooms dedicated to massage chair treatments.
I then proceeded to the dining area where I got a nice view of the apron, and had a quick bite. The food is good, not great, and certainly as compared to other first class lounges (ie CX), JL cannot compare both in food selection and facilities. I used to take CX and the HKG lounges for granted but Cathay really is a leader that few can rival.
As I was eating, the IB A330 from MAD had just arrived and was taxiing in front of me. I affirmed that I had made a good choice to select the AY flights, even though the IB one was an option I had at the time of booking.
The lounge had emptied and I got bored quite quickly, so proceeded to the satellite terminal to check out the next lounge. The one located upstairs from the first lounge was closed until 15:30, so I decided to return to it later.
Again the second lounge was empty and during my 2.5 hours here I saw one more pax. The dining area was completely empty, and the same sort of food was on offer.
I used a massage chair for about an hour and caught up on some emails.
As soon as it was 15:30 I walked back to the first lounge area and headed up stairs to the smaller F lounge. I had a snooze and could feel the jet lag catching up to me in full swing. GMT+10 to GMT-3 to GMT+2 to GMT+9 in 7 days, my body hates me. I was one of the only ones yet again in this lounge and could have easily missed the faint boarding announcement. Thankfully, I didn't, and proceeded to the gate.
The J cabin was full and as an unusual occurrence for me, I was one of the last to board for that cabin.
Being a 767, the cabin appeared a bit dated, but the 'SkySuite' was just fine for 4.5 hours.
Wee were parked next to an EK A380, which had the 'United For Wildlife' livery which is a favorite of mine.
Some views of the sun setting over the Philippine sea:
Meal service started and I had selected the tomato and cheese salad, which to my delight (jokes) was laced with seafood.
I ate the grilled beef which tasted okay, and the FA brought me a bento box, where I picked some of the vegetarian options as sides.
No cappuccino on this flight, so I opted for a regular coffee with milk and vanilla Haggen-Dazs for dessert.
Front galley:
Despite a 30 min delay on the ground in NRT, we landed on time in MNL. I cleared customs and immigration quickly and took the dreaded shuttle bus to T3 to await my onward SQ flight scheduled to depart early the next morning.
Before I had decided to book the SYD-SCL-NRT itinerary, I was originally supposed to fly back home from PER using an Aeroplan award with a deliberately scheduled 23hr stop in CDG (to buy Creed, don’t ask). The stop in France was a must for me, and hence I needed to recraft an itinerary that worked the stopover back in. For some odd reason, flights out of Japan and north Asia (including HKG, which United classifies as S. Asia) have a maximum milage that essentially constricts even the most direct routing to N. America via Europe. I had to do a bit of thinking, and found JL awards to SIN, SGN, KUL and the like steep using Avios, and a bit unjustifiable for a positioning flight, until I thought to check flights to MNL.
At 20k points in J for 4.5 hours, I found it to be a very good deal, but before booking it I immediately called Aeroplan to put together a tentative itinerary to YYZ originating from MNL and routing through CDG, and was happy to find that the routing worked.
I collected my bags after coming in from HEL, and proceeded upstairs to check in at the JL first class check in area. I was greeted by very courteous and professional staff and checked in rather quickly. I had about 8 hours to spend in NRT and visited the 3 JAL first class lounges. Security was a breeze using the dedicated area for JL F pax, and within a couple minutes I was at the first lounge. I had a quick shower to refresh, and then used a massage chair. This lounge has private rooms dedicated to massage chair treatments.
I then proceeded to the dining area where I got a nice view of the apron, and had a quick bite. The food is good, not great, and certainly as compared to other first class lounges (ie CX), JL cannot compare both in food selection and facilities. I used to take CX and the HKG lounges for granted but Cathay really is a leader that few can rival.
As I was eating, the IB A330 from MAD had just arrived and was taxiing in front of me. I affirmed that I had made a good choice to select the AY flights, even though the IB one was an option I had at the time of booking.
The lounge had emptied and I got bored quite quickly, so proceeded to the satellite terminal to check out the next lounge. The one located upstairs from the first lounge was closed until 15:30, so I decided to return to it later.
Again the second lounge was empty and during my 2.5 hours here I saw one more pax. The dining area was completely empty, and the same sort of food was on offer.
I used a massage chair for about an hour and caught up on some emails.
As soon as it was 15:30 I walked back to the first lounge area and headed up stairs to the smaller F lounge. I had a snooze and could feel the jet lag catching up to me in full swing. GMT+10 to GMT-3 to GMT+2 to GMT+9 in 7 days, my body hates me. I was one of the only ones yet again in this lounge and could have easily missed the faint boarding announcement. Thankfully, I didn't, and proceeded to the gate.
The J cabin was full and as an unusual occurrence for me, I was one of the last to board for that cabin.
Being a 767, the cabin appeared a bit dated, but the 'SkySuite' was just fine for 4.5 hours.
Wee were parked next to an EK A380, which had the 'United For Wildlife' livery which is a favorite of mine.
Some views of the sun setting over the Philippine sea:
Meal service started and I had selected the tomato and cheese salad, which to my delight (jokes) was laced with seafood.
I ate the grilled beef which tasted okay, and the FA brought me a bento box, where I picked some of the vegetarian options as sides.
No cappuccino on this flight, so I opted for a regular coffee with milk and vanilla Haggen-Dazs for dessert.
Front galley:
Despite a 30 min delay on the ground in NRT, we landed on time in MNL. I cleared customs and immigration quickly and took the dreaded shuttle bus to T3 to await my onward SQ flight scheduled to depart early the next morning.
Last edited by oa424; May 15, 2018 at 7:42 am
May 17, 2018, 12:01 pm
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: YYZ
Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 44
The Return Home:
My original itinerary was PER-SIN (SQ), SIN-IST (SQ), IST-CDG (TK), CDG-YYZ (AC) in business, and I am disappointed that I could not find another SQ longhair flight for my new travel date, although I did manage to sneak in an ET 5th- freedom route so its not all bad.
Once I rebooked, my new routing was MNL-SIN (SQ), SIN-KUL (ET), KUL-IST (TK), IST-CDG (TK), CDG-FRA (LH), FRA-YYZ (LH), but I recently found an opening for CDG-BRU (SN), BRU-EWR (UA), and EWR-YYZ (AC) and changed my ticket once more. Why do so you ask? TBH I was not happy when I had to book LH metal for the trans-atlantic leg as the YQ was quite high. Even with the extra change fee I was able to get about $150 back, and add one more segment
I must say, ticketing 7 flights for 80k Aeroplan points (would have been 77.5k if original ticket originated in Asia) was a great choice, and I’m quite happy with the outcome, despite the fact that all legs have cabins with 2x2x2 configs (minus the AC ERJ I guess), but, as you will see below, some flights were quite empty, which is always nice.
Flight 17 : MNL-SIN SQ0915 in J, seat 12A.
The SQ lounge in MNL is nice and has a similar motif to other SQ lounges like the one in SYD. There are somewhat limited food options and what I did not like is that I was for a little while 1 of only 2 pax in the lounge, and the server was standing right over my head the entire time I was eating breakfast.
Pleasure to be on board, even though it was regional and old cabin. 9/30 seats occupied, and so I had the vicinity around me empty. Even though there were many open seats, two weeks before departure all the award availability for this flight disappeared. Not like leaving it open would have filed up the cabin but it seems counterintuitive to block access to award availability on an empty flight such as this.
Good service onboard. After the welcome drink, I opted for a quick breakfast of fresh fruit, followed by an iced cappuccino and pastries, then had a quick rest before our decent into SIN. Even though the seats are old, they have desirable features like laptop stowage in the side of the seat and plenty of space in the latchable bins in the seatback. A cabin refurbishment with new seats and a new configuration would be nice to see soon though.
Flight 18 : SIN-KUL ET0638 in J, seat 1A.
We aarrived into SIN on time and I headed straight to the T2 SilverKris lounge. I took shower as I overnighted in MNL, though the shower rooms are a disgrace for an airline of SQ’s caliber and for the fact that this is their home airport. Again, starting to really appreciate everything CX offers.
I had a quick bite in the lounge, which to SQ’s credit was catered and stocked adequately. Upon boarding, there were a total of 3 pax in the J cabin, inclusive of myself. A sealed amenity kit was left next to my seat from the previous leg. I asked the purser if I could have it and she delightedly said yes. I was offered champagne as a welcome drink, of which I accepted, and then heard her open a bottle. I had two glasses as I felt bad for having her open a whole bottle just for me.
ET-ATJ taxiing in upon its (mildly) late arrival from ADD.
The Cabin:
Welcome Drink:
Amenity kit (with really bare products)
Descending into KUL
THEN being served a meal lol.
It was quite funny that I was served at about 14 minutes prior to landing. It was a plate of spring rolls and samosas; I had a couple of bites and passed the tray back to the purser to have her quickly stow it for landing.
My original itinerary was PER-SIN (SQ), SIN-IST (SQ), IST-CDG (TK), CDG-YYZ (AC) in business, and I am disappointed that I could not find another SQ longhair flight for my new travel date, although I did manage to sneak in an ET 5th- freedom route so its not all bad.
Once I rebooked, my new routing was MNL-SIN (SQ), SIN-KUL (ET), KUL-IST (TK), IST-CDG (TK), CDG-FRA (LH), FRA-YYZ (LH), but I recently found an opening for CDG-BRU (SN), BRU-EWR (UA), and EWR-YYZ (AC) and changed my ticket once more. Why do so you ask? TBH I was not happy when I had to book LH metal for the trans-atlantic leg as the YQ was quite high. Even with the extra change fee I was able to get about $150 back, and add one more segment
I must say, ticketing 7 flights for 80k Aeroplan points (would have been 77.5k if original ticket originated in Asia) was a great choice, and I’m quite happy with the outcome, despite the fact that all legs have cabins with 2x2x2 configs (minus the AC ERJ I guess), but, as you will see below, some flights were quite empty, which is always nice.
Flight 17 : MNL-SIN SQ0915 in J, seat 12A.
The SQ lounge in MNL is nice and has a similar motif to other SQ lounges like the one in SYD. There are somewhat limited food options and what I did not like is that I was for a little while 1 of only 2 pax in the lounge, and the server was standing right over my head the entire time I was eating breakfast.
Pleasure to be on board, even though it was regional and old cabin. 9/30 seats occupied, and so I had the vicinity around me empty. Even though there were many open seats, two weeks before departure all the award availability for this flight disappeared. Not like leaving it open would have filed up the cabin but it seems counterintuitive to block access to award availability on an empty flight such as this.
Good service onboard. After the welcome drink, I opted for a quick breakfast of fresh fruit, followed by an iced cappuccino and pastries, then had a quick rest before our decent into SIN. Even though the seats are old, they have desirable features like laptop stowage in the side of the seat and plenty of space in the latchable bins in the seatback. A cabin refurbishment with new seats and a new configuration would be nice to see soon though.
Flight 18 : SIN-KUL ET0638 in J, seat 1A.
We aarrived into SIN on time and I headed straight to the T2 SilverKris lounge. I took shower as I overnighted in MNL, though the shower rooms are a disgrace for an airline of SQ’s caliber and for the fact that this is their home airport. Again, starting to really appreciate everything CX offers.
I had a quick bite in the lounge, which to SQ’s credit was catered and stocked adequately. Upon boarding, there were a total of 3 pax in the J cabin, inclusive of myself. A sealed amenity kit was left next to my seat from the previous leg. I asked the purser if I could have it and she delightedly said yes. I was offered champagne as a welcome drink, of which I accepted, and then heard her open a bottle. I had two glasses as I felt bad for having her open a whole bottle just for me.
ET-ATJ taxiing in upon its (mildly) late arrival from ADD.
The Cabin:
Welcome Drink:
Amenity kit (with really bare products)
Descending into KUL
THEN being served a meal lol.
It was quite funny that I was served at about 14 minutes prior to landing. It was a plate of spring rolls and samosas; I had a couple of bites and passed the tray back to the purser to have her quickly stow it for landing.
Jul 7, 2018, 2:27 am
#29
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: YYZ
Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 44
Sorry for the delay in finishing this trip report! I hit the ground running as soon as I got back, and got busy with work as well as planning my next adventure (that I'm currently on and have started a report on). Here are the last few flights from this report, I hope you all enjoy.
Flight 19 : KUL-IST TK0061 in J, seat 1E.
Though interesting to fly ET (with whom I have not yet flown), I feel that I may have shot myself in the foot with the 6 hour layover in KUL, as previous agents were not able to issue boarding passes for the TK segments, and I had to wait until TK reps arrived at the transit counter in KUL 3 hours prior to departure. I went upstairs to the Starbucks and enjoyed a coffee as I worked on part of this report and caught up on some other work.
Once I received my boarding pass I headed back upstairs and visited the TG lounge which is acceptable for one operated outside of TG’s home turf; (the SQ lounge is much smaller here by comparison). In any case, I was in the lounge for about 30 minutes as the dragon informed me that it was closing at 21:00. She did however direct me to the Plaza Premium First lounge, as that is the one TK contracts with here in KUL. Once I heard Plaza Premium I admit I cringed a bit, because I generally avoid them to escape disappointment [I’m looking at you Al Reem lounge (AUH) and YYZ]. However, as I quickly discovered this lounge is one of its kind for Plaza and is a new concept which I hope we will see roll out in other airports around the world. It is a bright and airy lounge, and offers a much more elevated experience than other pay-in/contracted lounges, offering on demand table dining and a zen space to relax before a flight. With wood paneling and gold accents throughout, it offers that ‘homey’ feeling that the CX flagship lounges are known for, but is not quite at that level, and is much more intimate of a space.
TG Lounge:
Plaza Premium First Lounge:
Now that BA lounge has permanently closed in YYZ, in the absence of a new OW lounge, it would be nice to see this lounge concept roll out as a replacement if OW airlines are willing to foot the bill and offer their paxs a premium experience in an otherwise embarrassing airport terminal. Paying in to access the Plaza Premium First lounge in KUL is quite expensive, and have been reported in other trip reports I have read online.
I spent about 2 hours in the lounge, then proceeded downstairs to board the flight. It was a bit chaotic at the gate, between the gate-side security screening and the swarm of gate lice hovering around the doors to the jetbridge.
Boarding commenced about 15 minutes behind schedule. The cabin was full, and I enjoyed the welcome drink selection offered (and love the mint lemonade). Interesting to note is that while TK is known for its great service, the crew is not necessarily all that genuine in their service, nor 100% attentive to requests.
This was an older A333, and the IFE keeps resetting (probably about 6 times), which was annoying to have to keep pulling up the map. However, what I most enjoyed was thee complimentary wifi throughout the entire flight, which worked quite well through most of the journey.
The meal offered was very good, as usual with TK. I chose to have zucchini soup and a Malay-style beef stir-fry, followed by chocolate cake for dessert. I filled out my breakfast card and then must have gotten about a solid 6.5 hours of sleep. I awoke about 1.5 hours prior to landing, changed, and waited be served breakfast, which never showed. I did not bother asking for it, but was rather surprised with this flaw in service. Others were still sleeping until about 40 minutes prior to landing, and were understandably not served.
We landed on-time, but just as in HEL, I did not have time to make it to the TK lounge (which became a recurring event for the next onward connection as well LOL). I probably would have if I did not have to re-clear security, or at the very least if the priority screening lane was not as filled as it was.
Flight 20 : IST-CDG TK1821 in J, seat 4A.
I went to my next gate and found that we were boarding at a remote stand (how fun, boy how I miss the (primarily) European approach). No dedicated business class bus, even though they are normally present. I was one of the last to exit the bus as the heard of Y passengers offloaded and crowded the stairs.
Not very impressive.
This was a newer aircraft, and was not too full in the J cabin for this flight. We departed on time and landed 15 minutes early. Again the wifi and welcome drink was very enjoyable, as was most of the breakfast, which was on the lighter side. I did not particularly love the main ‘Turkish style’ pastry however.
Things went smoothly, up until an unattended bag in T1 @ CDG restricted access to the baggage hall for about 35 mins. On the plus side, at least both my bags showed up from MNL.
I spent the day in Paris and overnighted at the ibis CDG; gross, but convenient, being a short 90m walk from Roissypole station and not requiring a shuttle.
I purchased my beloved 1L of Creed Aventus, which was the whole purpose of the stop in Paris, walked around the city, and went to Versailles (I had stayed at the Waldorf Trianon about 4 years ago for 9 days, and always love visiting the town)… if I can gather enough pics I will report on that stay in the hotel reports section.
Flight 19 : KUL-IST TK0061 in J, seat 1E.
Though interesting to fly ET (with whom I have not yet flown), I feel that I may have shot myself in the foot with the 6 hour layover in KUL, as previous agents were not able to issue boarding passes for the TK segments, and I had to wait until TK reps arrived at the transit counter in KUL 3 hours prior to departure. I went upstairs to the Starbucks and enjoyed a coffee as I worked on part of this report and caught up on some other work.
Once I received my boarding pass I headed back upstairs and visited the TG lounge which is acceptable for one operated outside of TG’s home turf; (the SQ lounge is much smaller here by comparison). In any case, I was in the lounge for about 30 minutes as the dragon informed me that it was closing at 21:00. She did however direct me to the Plaza Premium First lounge, as that is the one TK contracts with here in KUL. Once I heard Plaza Premium I admit I cringed a bit, because I generally avoid them to escape disappointment [I’m looking at you Al Reem lounge (AUH) and YYZ]. However, as I quickly discovered this lounge is one of its kind for Plaza and is a new concept which I hope we will see roll out in other airports around the world. It is a bright and airy lounge, and offers a much more elevated experience than other pay-in/contracted lounges, offering on demand table dining and a zen space to relax before a flight. With wood paneling and gold accents throughout, it offers that ‘homey’ feeling that the CX flagship lounges are known for, but is not quite at that level, and is much more intimate of a space.
TG Lounge:
Plaza Premium First Lounge:
Now that BA lounge has permanently closed in YYZ, in the absence of a new OW lounge, it would be nice to see this lounge concept roll out as a replacement if OW airlines are willing to foot the bill and offer their paxs a premium experience in an otherwise embarrassing airport terminal. Paying in to access the Plaza Premium First lounge in KUL is quite expensive, and have been reported in other trip reports I have read online.
I spent about 2 hours in the lounge, then proceeded downstairs to board the flight. It was a bit chaotic at the gate, between the gate-side security screening and the swarm of gate lice hovering around the doors to the jetbridge.
Boarding commenced about 15 minutes behind schedule. The cabin was full, and I enjoyed the welcome drink selection offered (and love the mint lemonade). Interesting to note is that while TK is known for its great service, the crew is not necessarily all that genuine in their service, nor 100% attentive to requests.
This was an older A333, and the IFE keeps resetting (probably about 6 times), which was annoying to have to keep pulling up the map. However, what I most enjoyed was thee complimentary wifi throughout the entire flight, which worked quite well through most of the journey.
The meal offered was very good, as usual with TK. I chose to have zucchini soup and a Malay-style beef stir-fry, followed by chocolate cake for dessert. I filled out my breakfast card and then must have gotten about a solid 6.5 hours of sleep. I awoke about 1.5 hours prior to landing, changed, and waited be served breakfast, which never showed. I did not bother asking for it, but was rather surprised with this flaw in service. Others were still sleeping until about 40 minutes prior to landing, and were understandably not served.
We landed on-time, but just as in HEL, I did not have time to make it to the TK lounge (which became a recurring event for the next onward connection as well LOL). I probably would have if I did not have to re-clear security, or at the very least if the priority screening lane was not as filled as it was.
Flight 20 : IST-CDG TK1821 in J, seat 4A.
I went to my next gate and found that we were boarding at a remote stand (how fun, boy how I miss the (primarily) European approach). No dedicated business class bus, even though they are normally present. I was one of the last to exit the bus as the heard of Y passengers offloaded and crowded the stairs.
Not very impressive.
This was a newer aircraft, and was not too full in the J cabin for this flight. We departed on time and landed 15 minutes early. Again the wifi and welcome drink was very enjoyable, as was most of the breakfast, which was on the lighter side. I did not particularly love the main ‘Turkish style’ pastry however.
Things went smoothly, up until an unattended bag in T1 @ CDG restricted access to the baggage hall for about 35 mins. On the plus side, at least both my bags showed up from MNL.
I spent the day in Paris and overnighted at the ibis CDG; gross, but convenient, being a short 90m walk from Roissypole station and not requiring a shuttle.
I purchased my beloved 1L of Creed Aventus, which was the whole purpose of the stop in Paris, walked around the city, and went to Versailles (I had stayed at the Waldorf Trianon about 4 years ago for 9 days, and always love visiting the town)… if I can gather enough pics I will report on that stay in the hotel reports section.
Jul 7, 2018, 2:45 am
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: YYZ
Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 44
Flight 21 : CDG-BRU SN3628 in J, seat 1A.
Check-in was a breeze as the SN counters were empty.
I was given a breakfast voucher to use at Brioche Dorée as the SAS lounge was closed until 9:30 am. The meal was basic and lackluster, consisting of orange juice, coffee and a croissant.
The aircraft that operates the first flight of the day to BRU is wet leased from ASN-- the legroom for this bulkhead seat was just enough to fit my shoes flat on the ground without bending them, and was worse than any Ryanair or Spirit airlines flight I have been on.
Upon taxiing out, I thought I was seeing double as I witnessed 2 aircraft with SN livery landing, but then remembered that they depart CDG within 15 mins of each other.
I was surprised to be served breakfast on plane, which was quite decent for a 55 min flight. (Not quite like domestic A3, which I fly kind of often), but they have to do something to justify the 530 euros charged for this quick hop. Overall okay flight.
Check-in was a breeze as the SN counters were empty.
I was given a breakfast voucher to use at Brioche Dorée as the SAS lounge was closed until 9:30 am. The meal was basic and lackluster, consisting of orange juice, coffee and a croissant.
The aircraft that operates the first flight of the day to BRU is wet leased from ASN-- the legroom for this bulkhead seat was just enough to fit my shoes flat on the ground without bending them, and was worse than any Ryanair or Spirit airlines flight I have been on.
Upon taxiing out, I thought I was seeing double as I witnessed 2 aircraft with SN livery landing, but then remembered that they depart CDG within 15 mins of each other.
I was surprised to be served breakfast on plane, which was quite decent for a 55 min flight. (Not quite like domestic A3, which I fly kind of often), but they have to do something to justify the 530 euros charged for this quick hop. Overall okay flight.