rkaradi

Hi all, I'm currently half way through a quasi mileage run and decided to do a trip report about it. The entire report will be posted here as I have time to complete each section, but it's also available on my BLOG too whereisrahul, where I also document my travel musings and adventures. This trip covers adventures on CX-PE SFO-HKG, CX-C HKG-PEK, KA-F, PEK-HKG, AA-F HKG-LAX and return. I'll also review the CX Wing Lounge, Sky City Marriott Hong Kong and my side-trip to Hong Kong Disneyland.

I Hope you enjoy

Introduction:



It’s been quite a few years since my last trip to nowhere aka a mileage run. I used to do them on the regular when earning status miles and redeemable miles were easier to attain and frankly when they were worth more than they are today. There’s still a time and a place for a mileage run and when this deal came out as part of a black Friday sale, I decided a trip to Hong Kong was in order and since the return required a trip to China, I figured I visit the Beijing Airport 😊too. In this case to make the trip work I ended up making a very complex set of reservations.

Initially I had a very simple round trip booked on Cathay Pacific from San Francisco to Hong Kong in Cathay’s Premium Economy, which I haven’t flown since 2012. Nested inside that trip was a Business Class round trip originating in Beijing back to Los Angeles with a combination of Cathay and American (which I upgraded to First using AA systemwide upgrade certificates). Yes folks, you got it two roundtrips across the Pacific to/from Asia. Here’s the final itinerary for those that are curious about my obsession and the lengths I’ll go to for a good deal.

Here's the breakdown of what I booked and links to the reviews as completed:

Cathay Pacific Lounge San Francisco

Cathay Pacific San Francisco to Hong Kong Premium Economy

Hong Kong Sky City Marriott

Lounging In The Wing- Cathy Pacific First Class Lounge (Hong Kong)

Cathay Pacific Hong Kong to Beijing Business Class

Dragon Air Beijing to Hong Kong Business Class

An Afternoon at Hong Kong Disneyland

American Airlines Hong Kong to Los Angeles First Class

rkaradi

Here's a link to the photos

Cathay Pacific Lounge San Francisco

My journey started out on a rainy Thursday at SFO. I had checked in at the Cathay Pacific counter and was provided a lounge invitation. When flying in first or business class you’re provided with access to the airlines lounge or partners lounge if they have one. Because Cathay offers three or four flights a day out of SFO, they happen to have their own lounge. Even though I wasn't flying up front, because I have Executive Platinum status on American, which is a One World Partner of Cathay’s I had access to their lounge. I was through security close to 9 AM and my flight left at 11:20 AM, so I had just enough time to get some last-minute work done, make a few phone calls and eat some breakfast.

Once I checked into the lounge, which is on the mezzanine of Terminal A I found a nice quite spot in my favorite corner. I’ve not been here for a few years, but not much has changed. The furnishings, food and drink seem to the be the same as they were before, which made me happy. At this lounge they offer up a noodle bar with some super tasty options, and I was excited to get my favorite Dan Dan noodles (noodles in a peanut, pork and chili broth) YUM.

The lounge in one very large space broken into five rooms off one long hallway. When you enter, you’re in the middle room which consists of many loungers and club chairs in a semi-private layout.

To your left is a small dining room that serves a cold buffet and also a self-serve and drink station with beer, soda and water. To the left of that room was another space that has more loungers’ mini corrals for working and relaxing.

To the right of the check in desk is the main dining room, that has two and four tops as well as a few communal bar height long tables. There's also a cold and hot buffet here too, the noodle bar, espresso machine, beer and spirits. Finally, to the right of that room is one more lounge space with semi-private two, four and six seat club chairs and sofa sets.

This area is where I always find myself and seem to be the least traveled area. The lounge also has a few shower rooms, but I can’t remember what and how they’re setup, it’s been many years since I’ve used them.

Finally after getting settled, I got my Dan Dan noodles. I was one happy camper. They’re peanuty, spicy and just all around delicious! I didn’t do much else while here. Nor is there that much else you can do here, but eat, drink and relax. But prior to a long flight it can be the perfect escape to get you ready for the journey ahead. I think for me getting way from the hustle and bustle of the gate area and the shops in a quite spot is what I want prior to any flight. I want to be able to just relax eat and drink something and this lounge does exactly that.

Conclusion:

Would I say this is the best lounge at SFO? No. But I’ve not been to all of them. Do I like this lounge? Yes. It’s comfortable, modern and just right to get you ready or the journey.

rkaradi

Here's a link to the photos

Cathay Pacific 777-300ER

San Francisco-Hong Kong February 14, 2019

Premium Economy 30G


My journey was about to start. This would be my first flight on Cathay Pacific in over six years. Back in 2011-12 I flew Cathay three round trips to Australia all in premium economy and I was looking forward to flying them again and seeing how the PE experience held up and if there were any enhancements or reductions.

The plane I flew was a Boeing 777-300ER in a three-class configuration. Business consisted of 40 seats in a 1-2-1 herringbone layout. Premium Economy consists of 32 recliner style seats in a 2-4-2 layout and economy has 268 seats in a 3-3-3 setup. Due to my status I was able to board with business class, although they had a dedicated line for PE, this got me on the plane a little sooner and allowed me to get settled without feeling rushed and take a few snaps before the plane filled up.

Seat/Cabin Comfort:

I was pleasantly surprised with my seat 30G. It was a bulkhead isle seat and this row appears to have a bit more legroom then the three other PE rows because of that. The seat has one button to recline the seatback, which according to SeatGuru is 38” of seat pitch. The second button raises the footrest and there’s a lever on the footrest to extend it longer. Lastly there’s a button to raise and lower the tv screen. If you’re in any other row of PE, the tv screen is in the seatback which would also hold your tray table. In the bulkhead row of PE, the tray table is in the armrest which does makes the seat narrower than other rows, but at 19.5” it’s still a decent width. One other nice thing about the seat is that each seat in PE offers a double armrest so you’re not fighting your neighbor for who gets it. There’s also a standard universal power plug and a USB plug below your seat.

The middle section of the cabin


My seat 30G on the isle


The seat across from me with the footrest partially extended

The cabin was full so unfortunately there was not much extra space to hangout. On my previous trips I remember the PE section to be almost empty, but no such luck today. In fact, the plane was 100% full, so it’s possible they had operational upgrades to PE to accommodate other guests. Additionally, on the three class 777 there’s not a dedicated bathroom for PE and you can’t go up to business to use there’s, the staff do a pretty good job of preventing that. So, you’re stuck going back to coach and using those. This is not that big of a deal, but instead of sharing say one bathroom with 32 people you’re now sharing three mid cabin and the four at the back of the plane. In each occasion I had to use the restroom, there was always a line of at least two.

TV screen, can anyone guess the movie??

Entertainment:

On Cathay the IFE is called Studio CX and in PE the screen is 9” large. They offer touch screen and a tethered remote in the inside of the armrest. Which occasionally if you move your legs or hips just right, you might hit a button and turn off or on your tv for example. No big deal in my opinion, but it does happen. As for what they offered, they have music, movies , tv and games in a variety of languages and subtitles too. Plus, they sort the entertainment by genre and culture. So, I found a western section, Asian and even Hong Kong section too. As for variety it was not too bad but could be better. There were about 30 western films ranging from current Oscar nominees (Blackkkclamsman and Bohemian Rhapsody to oldies like Wreck It Ralph) and a bunch in between. For me, the issue was knowing that I’d have two long haul and four short haul segments with Cathay in the next two weeks and this would not be enough to keep me entertained . They also had about 30 western shows from current hits like Young Sheldon and Superstore to oldies like Friends. And in some cases, an entire season of episodes. Overall it was fine, I was just hoping for more movies and shows I’d not seen before. Otherwise the system was fine the remote and touchscreen worked great and were responsive, unlike the other two Cathay flights I took later in the week.

Food:



Overall the food was fine. I’ve had some pretty amazing culinary experiences in the air and some bad ones too. The main goal for me it to have something that’s tasty and hopefully flavorful too. Expectations are different from first or business to coach. That being said being presented a menu with choices is always nice. Plus, the fact that they offer snacks mid meals is good too. And unlike some other airlines your meals and drinks are included. From what I remember the meals in PE are the same as business, they’re just not plated or presented the same. I’m not sure if that’s the case today, but I did like both of my meals.

During boarding the flight attendants came by and offered water, OJ or champagne and a piping hot towel. If you’ve not had one of these on a plane, you haven’t lived! Shortly after takeoff, they came around with a beverage service and packaged smoked almonds. I’m not sure if it’s the MSG or something else, but I’m addicted to these.

Maybe an hour after takeoff we were served lunch. I chose the Asian option of fried rice, prawns and vegetables. It’s also came with a roll and butter plus cold grilled chicken and coleslaw. The entree itself was good had flavor and filled me up. The chicken and slaw was interesting. For desert we had Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream and coffee or tea.

Lunch

Dinner was served about four hours prior to landing so it was timed to be close to dinner at home which was nice. Again, in this case I had the Asian meal. Which consisted of rice, chicken in black pepper sauce and vegetables. Plus, a warm roll and some sort of chocolate cake. Everything was served at once and again the food tasted good. It was not fancy but did the job. What I did note though was that the person across from me had the Indian vegetarian meal. It looked great and had those homemade aromas I’m used to with that type of cuisine. Mental note for next time, to preorder that option (which BTW is free, and Cathay offers many other choices for your diet if you preorder).

Dinner

Overall as I said before, I liked the food it was tasty served at the right temperature and did the job. I didn’t get off the plane hungry or overly full either. They had plenty of drink services and provided snacks between meals in the galley although I never made my way there to check them out.

Conclusion:

Overall, I enjoyed my flight. It was comfortable, there was plenty of legroom and the food offerings were fine. Sure, having a lie-flat seat would be significantly better on a 13 plus hour journey, but the seat had a much better recline and the extending footrest, so I was able to sleep about 4-5 hours. I think what motivated me most in regard to the comfort was knowing I had business class suites to/from Hong Kong and China and a first class seat going back to the US in a few days.

rkaradi

This hotel review is part of a series on my travels to Hong Kong and Beijing China in February 2019
Review: Sky City Marriott Hong Kong

The lobby at 5:30 AM

See Trip Report Index: A Trip To Nowhere; Sprinkled In With A Bit of Disney

After a long journey from San Francisco to Hong Kong on Cathay, I chose to stay at the Hong Kong Sky City Marriott for a few days. There’s lots and lots of amazing hotels in HK and for the quality of the product the costs are very reasonable. Sky City was not to expensive, under $200 per night and if it weren’t an airport hotel would surly be a little cheaper. Why did I choose this hotel, when there are so many other wonderful places to stay? Simple, the airport convenience. I arrived in HK at 7 PM and had a 9 AM flight the next day and would return to HK that same evening after 10 PM. Then the next day I’d be heading home in the evening. So yes, I’d have two nights in HK sandwiched around a full day of flying and didn’t want to spend more time then needed getting to/from the airport etc. So, when it came to convenience, Sky City Marriott won out, it had a free shuttle and was less then two miles from the airport.Airport check-in information About two days prior to my arrival, I received and email from the hotel letting me know how to find the shuttle and get to the hotel. I really loved this bit of communication, it made for a smooth transition to/from the airport. Upon arrival, I headed to the B arrivals hall and the Marriott shuttle desk. It was easy to find and was staffed by several staff. Once they confirmed I had a reservation, they had me wait in the seating area and said it would be less then 10 minutes till we would head to the hotel. On both trips to the hotel the wait was less then 10 minutes and I ride to the hotel was in a Mercedes Mini Van. Upon arrival at the hotel I was greeted by a check in agent at the car, which was a nice touch. Talk about customer service. At that point, the agent escorted me to my room, walked me around its amenities and confirmed my check in info, platinum amenity request (points, food etc.) which I choose ice cream and sparkling water, in case you’re wondering. Finally, they gave me information on the lounge and my breakfast options. As a Platinum SPG member I mean Platinum Marriott I mean Bonvoy Platinum you get complimentary lounge access (when available) and that includes breakfast too. If they don’t have a lounge, then you can choose as your amenity breakfast at the restaurant. Once all the check in details were done, I was finally able to settle down and relax.

The room:

The room apparently a complimentary upgrade was nice. It wasn’t super-duper fancy, but it was nice. It had a comfortable king bed with soft and comfy pillows. It also had a chaise lounge, a very large tv and desk with chair. The room was big but not huge but was perfect for my needs. My favorite part of the room though was the shower. It was large had a shower bench, detachable shower head and a RAIN shower. I was in heaven. This was not a huge shower it was big but compared to my shower at home it was easily 4x. No joke. They also had nice THAAN amenities, that included the normal bath amenities, but also liquid hand soap, a soap bar, toothbrush, comb, sewing kit and a few other goodies.



Bedroom, desk and lounger

Breakfast:

I took advantage of breakfast only once. My jet lag had me getting up at 5 AM for a 9 AM flight on day one, so I chose to skip breakfast at the hotel and head to the airport and visit the amazing Cathy Pacific lounge(s). Breakfast is served in the hotel lounge from 6-9 and in the restaurant from 6:30-9. Sure, I could have waited till 6 and enjoyed breakfast there, but the airport lounges were waiting for me and so breakfast would have to wait till day two. In any event on day two I did frequent the lounge located on the 12 floors. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a single picture of the lounge or its views, but I would say it was nice. Way better than any US hotel lounge I’ve been too. It was very very large and had many seating areas consisting of lounge and sofas as well as dining tables. It had nice views of the hills and airport too. As for breakfast it had your usual cold meats, cheeses, yogurt and toppings, bread and spreads too. As for hot items, they had scrambled eggs, omelets made to order, congee, bacon and hash browns. Finally, they had juice, tea, coffee and an espresso machine. Basically, they had all the bases covered. I enjoyed the food and the environment, it was a nice mix of business travelers and family ostensibly getting ready to travel to some other far off exotic land.

The hotel also had other food options, including a lobby bar and tea station. I really didn’t have time to visit any other places in the hotel, but they place seemed bustling and well frequented.

Transportation:

I wanted to give props to the hotel. They need to be given high praise for their transportation. They not only had the free timely shuttle to/from the airport that runs every day from 5 AM to 12:40 AM. But they also offered a daily shuttle to Hong Kong Disneyland that leaves at 10 AM and returns at 8:45 and offered numerous shuttles to the Tung Chung MTR station. All of these were free and a nice bonus for an airport hotel. In my case I only used to the airport, but never waited more than 10 minutes.Transportation info packet
Location:

As I mentioned earlier this hotel is less then two miles from the airport, so it’s convenient when flying. It was across the street from the Sky City Convention Center, but besides this there wasn’t much else around. With a fast shuttle, and close location (five minutes’ drive), this was perfect for my needs. Plus, if you’re a Disney geek like I am, and you don’t want to spend $300-$500 staying on property there, this was a good alternative. Sure, it’s not an on-airport hotel, like the Crowne Plaza Singapore or The Westin Denver Airport, but it’s close enough for sure.

Conclusion:

If you need a clean, comfortable place to stay that offers a decent lounge and breakfast with proximity to HK Airport. This is the place for you. The rooms and environment were nice, the next time I’m in HK and have a short layover you know where I’ll be staying.

rkaradi

This review is part of a series on my travels to Hong Kong and Beijing China in February 2019

Latte with a view
See Trip Report Index: A Trip To Nowhere; Sprinkled In With A Bit of Disney

One of my favorite things about flying to Hong Kong are the Cathay Pacific lounges. There’s so many amazing things about this city, but the lounges oh the lounges. After arriving the evening before from San Francisco and spending the night at the Sky City Marriott, I had a 9 am flight to Beijing. With the 16-hour time difference between home and HK I was up and ready to go to the airport by 5 AM. I had a few options, sit in the hotel and stare at the ceiling or take the shuttle back to the airport and visit one of the Cathay Pacific first class lounges before my flight. I’ve been to the lounges plenty of times, but it’s been several years and after reading about the major remodels and opening of a new lounge since my last visit, I knew I was in for a treat.

Cathay has several fantastic lounges in Hong Kong scattered throughout the airport. Two of the lounges are dedicated to first class, and the only way to access them is to be flying in first or being top tier with Cathay or a One World partner which I am with American Airlines. So, for me no matter what class of travel I’m on as long as I’m flying them or a partner, I’m allowed to visit one of these very special lounges. On this day, I went to The Wing, which sits by gate two in terminal one.The “hidden” first class entrance on level seven just past the Disney StoreFor access to this lounge there are two entrances. The first is on the departures level (6) by gate two. This is the entrance to the business class lounge that also offers an elevator or staircase that goes up to the first lounge. So, if you’re a connecting passenger, this is probably the easiest way to get in. But if you’re originating, in HK which I was there’s a first class only entrance on the main level (7) of the airport right past customs and immigration. So, you’ll save yourself about 10 minutes of walking by turning left at the Disney Store and following the hallway towards the “hidden” entrance. Again, this entrance is only for first class and opens at 5:30 AM, whereas the lower level is open sooner.

Rest assured they had a full service bar too.
After being greeted and checked in, The Wing is your oyster. There are so many seating and lounging areas that you should have your pick of any experience you’re looking for. But my first stop was the self-service champagne bar. On this day they were serving the vintages that were all amazing, but I can’t tell you anything else except one was Perrier Laurent and one was a 2008 Rose. Sorry folks’ champagne vintages and varietals is not my thing. Nonetheless this was an awesome little perk, and a nice touch.











Main seating area and walkway to The Haven and CabanasBar menu

Just past the champagne lounge there’s a large seating area broken into smaller sections that had chairs, loungers, cubies and meeting spaces. I was here for several hours and although at times it did get full there was still plenty of space to sit and relax. There were also plenty of outlets so if you needed to get your power on you should be ok. Fair warning though their outlets were formatted for HK plugs. I didn’t ask the attendants if they had converters, but I suspect they might have some. At the end of the seating area is a full bar with a pretty solid spirits selection. They also have a nice cocktail menu too. I’d say you’d be pretty hard pressed to not find something to whet your whistle with.




The Haven:
Just these two areas alone might be good enough for some, but for Cathay Pacific it’s not. And that’s what separates The Wing from other lounges and what makes a good airline a great airline. Cathay goes above and beyond here and has three more spaces for you to enjoy. The first of which is The Haven. This is their ala carte restaurant that’s open as long as this lounge is with a pretty solid buffet but an even better menu. Once seated you’re treated as if you’re at a fine dining establishment. Oh yeah and the BEST part, it’s all complimentary. Now my main mantra in places like this is act like you’ve been there before, even when you haven’t. I think that just goes a long way. The food was fantastic. With so many options to pick from you really couldn’t go wrong. In my case after already having two lattes I could not eat a lot, so I just had a little dim sum and noodles and boy was I satisfied.

The entranceAla carte menuBuffet (with hot and cold items) including juices, bread and spreads as well as meat, cheeses, eggs and dim sum



The Cabanas:

The other area that I really loved were The Cabanas. Yes that’s exactly what these were. Yes The Wing has 12 shower suites, but the piece de resistance were the 5 cabanas. These are basically private lounges within the lounge that offers a rain shower, bath tub, sink and vanity, a water closet and a chaise lounge. This space was bigger then my master bedroom at home. If one’s not available when you arrive you’re put on a list and given a pager to be notified when they’re ready. As a courtesy to other guests they ask that your stay is no longer then one and a half hours. Trust me if you have enough time, this MUST be on your to do list. It’s the perfect beginning or transit to ant trip I promise.





My Final Thoughts:

Overall The Wing was a fantastic place to spend a few minutes or a few hours. If you have a short or long layover, this is a spot when you can refresh, relax and grab a bite to eat before heading out on your next flight. Service in the lounge was top notch and the food and drink selections are too. I’ll be sure to make a bee line for the lounge on my next trip to Hong Kong

rkaradi

Cathay Pacific Business Class777-300ER Hong Kong to Beijing

My glorious seat on this short flightThis review is part of a series on my travels to Hong Kong and Beijing China in February 2019

See Trip Report Index: A Trip To Nowhere; Sprinkled In With A Bit of Disney

Cathay Pacific 386 Business Class Seat 19K



Boeing 777-300ER Four class configuration

As part of my larger adventure, A Trip To Nowhere; Sprinkled In With A Bit of Disney. I was continuing my tour of Asia and today’s stop was Hong Kong to Beijing China flying Cathay Pacific in Business Class. This entire trip had me excited, but this segment had put me on another level. This was my first time ever flying Cathay in anything other than premium/economy. I’d read and heard so many great things about their service and offerings in premium cabins and I was truly excited to finally have a chance to try it out.

I’d had an amazing time at The Wing lounge and about 10 minutes prior to boarding I headed to Gate 2 which happens to be right next to where I was lounging. Boarding commenced on time and started with people who needed extra time to board. At the gate they were performing passport checks at the three stanchioned lines for First Class/One World Emerald, Business Class/One World Sapphire/Ruby and an Economy Line. Naturally, I waited in the business class line, and as soon as they checked my ticket and passport, they nicely insisted I wait in the First/OW Emerald line due to my emerald status. I had no problem waiting where I was, but they like many non-US carriers follow the published rules and wanted to make sure I got the perks I was supposed to have. It was a nice touch, although not necessary. Finally, it was time to board the plane and I was ready to go for my three-hour flight to China.

Seat:

This flight was operated by a Boeing 777-300ER in a four-cabin configuration and offered the “normal” business class seat not the regional seat that some planes offer intra-Asia. If you’ve had the luxury of flying American Airlines on their 777-300 in business or the Airbus A321T that does the LAX/SFO-JFK route in first, this is the same seat. This is the type of aircraft that’s usually used on long haul premium heavy routes. On this plane business is a 1-2-1 configuration with a total of 53 seats spread across two cabins with the mini cabin only offering two rows of seats. In my case I had window seat 19K which is almost in the middle of the main cabin. I picked it because I find the mini cabin noisy and I wanted to be equidistance from the economy cabin and the bulkhead where there could be bassinets. Basically, I was looking for a quite seat, and I think I had found it. I’ve flown this seat on American about half a dozen times, so I was pleasantly surprised that Cathay’s seat was virtually identical to theirs. For starters, there’s a fair bit of storage opposite the isle closest to the window, this is also where the tray table is stored. On that same side there’s a mirrored cubby that houses the headphones and the hidden headphone jack too. In front of the cubby you’ll find the seat adjustments controls and power. You’ve also got a fair bit of legroom and footwell space too. Above the footwell, is the larger size tv that can be flipped out of the storage area for easier viewing. Lastly to the right of the seat is an adjustable armrest. Basically, you’re ensconced in your own little world.Row K (left side of the airplane)Ottoman and tvHeadphone cubby, seat controls, side & tray tableShoes worn to match the decorControl centerHeadphone cubby and headphone jackBelow cubby storage

Unfortunately, I didn’t get pictures of the seat in lie-flat mode, but if you needed a rest and wanted to stretch out this seat is for you. Plenty of width and legroom for my 6’ frame and XXL frame. Also, the seat had a comfy pillow and on request a heavy blanket too. But due to the length of flight, no amenity kit was provided .

Entertainment:

Studio CX is Cathay’s entertainment system, it offers movies, tv, games and music. With over a hundred options for movies and tv shows. They also sort them by genre western, Bollywood, HK etc. which is super helpful. For me after a 13-hour flight the day before, there was just not much to watch, so I ended up watching reruns of Superstore. But hey at least it’s a semi-funny show. The tv has a tethered remote and a touchscreen too. In this case both sucked!! Neither were responsive and it took many pushes of the buttons to get something to happen. But hey it was a three-hour flight, so who cares right?



Meals:

Menu

After getting settled in my seat the flight attendants came by and offered a hot towel and a choice of orange juice, water or bubbly. I was well hydrated so I passed. Then shortly after takeoff breakfast service commenced, with a three hour flight the staff was working hard to serve all of us in a timely fashion and still provide excellent service.

First they came by with a tray that included a croissant, butter, jam, yogurt and fruit

Then shortly they cam by with a tray that had all four options on it and I was able to pick what I wanted. What I liked about this, was that I could see what the options looked like before I choose, because I was not sure if I wanted the noodles or the dim sum. Since I’m a sucker for stir fried noodles, once I saw what it looked like the choice was obvious.



And boy was I not disappointed!! I think I’d eat about almost anything if it included stir fried crispy noodles. This is one of my most favorite Chinese dishes for sure. This was it for the meal. I imagine based on the fact that it was a breakfast flight and a under three hours there really wasn’t much else to offer. Needless to say it was the perfect amount of food for me since I stuffed myself in the lounge prior, and really didn’t need another meal. But was not going to turn it down either. I’d like to say I’m an equal opportunity eater.

Conclusion:

For my first premium flight on Cathay I was happy. Service was efficient but still friendly. The seat was extremely comfortable, and the food and entertainment were just right. I can imagine that on a longer flight that this environment would be perfect. I felt that the staff from the gate to the plane were really great. Taking the time to make sure I was in the right line to board to the purser coming by and saying hello early in the flight was a nice touch too. He thanked me for my loyalty to One World and made sure I knew that if I needed anything to just ask. Overall this was a pleasant flight, and if I were to try and compare that to a US premium cabin short haul flight in the same type of seat this would hands down win every time.

roadwarrier

Thank you!! This has been a great read so far, and am looking forward to more installments.

rkaradi

For the full list of photos please click here
Dragon Air

Dragon Air: KA 993

Departure Date: 2/16/19

Plane type: Airbus A330-330

Business class Seat 11A First Class Seat 2A



After an uneventful five hours in Beijing Capitol International Airport it was time for my trip back to Hong Kong. This was my nested business class ticket purchased on American Airlines with a combination of Cathay Pacific/Dragon Air and American Airlines. The Dragon Air flight (a Cathay subsidiary) was in their regional business class product. Which I was excited to get a chance to try out and compare the service difference between Dragon Air’s regional business and Cathay’s business.



At the gate, just like on the outbound, there were three stanchioned lines first/one world emerald, business/one world sapphire ruby and a coach line. Seat Guru and Expertflyer both had this as a two-class plane with only coach and business, so I got in the business line with the rest of the guests. As staff were checking passports and tickets, they were moving guests from my line to the coach line but were not moving people to the first/emerald.



Finally boarding commenced, and as they scanned my ticket at the gate, they said that my seat had changed. Initially my brain was miffed, why did my seat change I take pride in choosing my seats and didn’t want it changed. But two seconds after she said that she crossed out 11A and wrote down 2A. SCORE!! I had been upgraded to first without knowing they had a first cabin and more importantly without asking. I’m not sure why this happened, business and coach were not full, but you don’t question a gift horse in the mouth do you?



So, I now get to try Dragon Airs’ regional first class which = Cathay business class. Yippee!!




Seat:


Dragon air employs the same business class seat as Cathay’s 777’s business class as well as American Airlines 777-300 business class. The seat is quite comfortable and has plenty of legroom and personal space. It’s not super private but is a nice and comfortable seat for a three-hour flight. The cabin only has two rows in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout with all seats having direct isle access. On this journey, there were only three occupied seats. The only difference I noticed between the Cathay seats and Dragon Air, were the color scheme. In this case muted beige tones with a hint of reds which I really liked. Otherwise the seats were 100% identical.



Once settled into my window seat, I was able to check out what it had to offer. On the window side was a pie shaped armrest that also served as a drink and snack holder. In that armrest was also a very large adjustable tray table. Below this armrest was a large open storage valet. Which was big enough for shoes, a computer or iPad and blanket and or pillow. It was plenty of space for my needs. You couldn’t store a backpack or duffel, but when you had plenty of overhead storage and virtually nobody else to share it with, this was not an issue. There’s also a little headphone garage where the three-pronged jack is plugged in as well. It’s one of my annoyances with this particular seat, that the headphone jack is so out of the way and not with all the other electrical parts. First world problem for sure. Next to the headphone garage are the usual electricals, power, remote control, three seat controls (back, seat pan and largest) and finally the personal reading light. The one MAJOR thing missing are personal air vents. I’m so far zero for three on this trip. I don’t don’t don’t understand why they must run the cabins so warm and not give you an air vent. This is one thing that US carriers get right they tend to almost always have air vents. With my penchant for running hot, this is a problem. I know TMI. On the other side of the seat is a height adjustable armrest, that must be in the lowered position for takeoff and landing. Does anyone know why this is? Color me curious. Lastly, they have the adjustable tv that can swing out so when your watching it, it’s facing you more so then the window.



For those of you traveling with someone else that you’d actually want to have a conversation with, the middle seats are your best bet. The seats are angled towards each other, but the matching side tables sandwiched next to each other provide some separation. So you’re not really facing each other. But you can still talk to them without having to talk across the isle or yell. You might need to lean forward a bit to see their faces though. If you happen to be in the middle seats and not with a traveling buddy, they do have a partition you can raise up to make it a bit more private.



Meals:

Shortly after boarding I was offered a predeparture drink and I chose Carlsberg beer. When it was served, it was accompanied by a canape of salmon wrapped rice with saffron and an olive oil marinated squash with diced vegetables. Both were a nice touch and tasted fresh. Then after takeoff the menus were presented while a post departure drink was offered. In this case I ordered the champagne which was Taittinger Brut 2008, it was served with cold unsalted unflavored almonds. Yuck. All I know, is back in coach they serve smoked almonds and they’re my jam, and as I’m writing this, I’m asking myself why I didn’t just ask for some. After my drink was served, I was asked what I’d like for dinner. I was impressed that on an evening flight that was only three hours they offered a four-course meal. Which I opted for the western meal. I think I’d had plenty of calories today. Other nice touches included plated items not on a single serve tray. In other words, they served each item individually.



I started with the seared tuna and it was amazing. The plating was super fancy, and it just looked gorgeous. I swear the level of service on a proper airline just beats the socks off so many others. Even thought this was their regional first class they truly stepped up their first course game. The tuna was perfectly cooked, the pesto olive oil sauce as well as the paper-thin carrot and radish toppings were fantastic. I wish I could speak about food in a way that a Top Chef judge would, because I know I’m not doing this course justice.



My second course was the mushroom and potato cream soup. Presentation wise it looked nice. Taste wise it was bland, with zero flavor. Even with a heaps of salt and pepper it still tasted bland. I had just a few bites and all the sliced mushrooms and called it a day. Onto the next item.



For the entrée I chose the beef cheeks with port wine sauce with potatoes, peppers and zucchini. Again, sadly the food was just okay. The sauce and vegetables were fabulous, but the meat was overcooked and had a lot of fat on it that was not edible. I was disappointed in the product and the plating.



Lastly for dessert, I had the apple strudel with vanilla ice cream. FINALLY, a second delicious item. The strudel was nicely spiced with cinnamon and sugar and had a flaky dough too. The ice cream was not rock hard, which tends to happen on airplanes when they must use dry ice to keep it frozen. So, when I got my meal, I could actually eat it, instead of having to wait 10 minutes for it to thaw.



Once the meal was done, I put the seat in recline and continued to watch Crazy Rich Asians (I love that movie) until it was time to land. With a blink of an eye my three-hour flight on Dragon Air was over and it was time to land back in Hong Kong.





Conclusion:

I really did enjoy my flight on Dragon Air in business class, I mean first class. Even on a short haul flight you can get a pretty good impression of what they and Cathay provide in first on a long-haul adventure. The seat was comfortable, the cabin was pleasant (although too warm for me), and the video entertainment like the last two flights was adequate. If I had not just spent 16+ hours flying with them, the entertainment would be rated higher, plenty of variety, but by now I’ve seen it. The stepped-up service, with vintage champagne, canapes prior to takeoff and a plated four course meal were great. I just wish I liked the food better. Overall this was a nice upgrade and I’m happy I was able to knock off a new airline for me.

rkaradi

Sleeping Beauty’s Castle
I had one glorious morning at Hong Kong Disneyland!! I hadn’t been here since 2012 and was so excited to go back.

I love love love Disney, and I was so looking forward to getting to try out a few new rides and experiences that didn’t exist when I was here last. Since I only had four or so hours to play here, I made sure to get her prior to rope drop which was at 10 AM. I know late right? I took an uber from the Sky City Marriott, which was only a 15-minute $12 USD ride and was through the turnstile by 9:30. This gave me plenty of time to walk down Main Street and enjoy somethingThis was the oh so familiaroh so familiar yet different all at the same time. What I found so amazing is that there were less than 1000 people waiting to start the day. If this was Florida or California there would be so many more people waiting. I was in fact at the very front of the que, and I noticed they only had tape on the ground and staff at the invisible rope. People weren’t pushing or shoving they were just waiting. I’m so not use to this.







Since I got here so early, I was able to ride all the rides I wanted without having to get a fastpass (Disney’s pre-reserved tickets). I made sure to hit the popular rides first just to make sure that I did what I wanted to do and didn’t leave without saying “I wish I did that ride”. I was important to me to get a chance to enjoy what I could in the time that I had.







My first ride with Marvels’ Iron Man Experience. This was a perfect first ride for sure. I don’t want to ruin what this 3-D event is, but I would say that it’s an updated version of Star Tours with an Iron Man twist taking place in Hong Kong. The ride was funny and exciting all at the same time. It sets the bar very high for other 3-D thrill rides in the future.

OMG OMG OMG

Being a California native, Space Mountain has a very special place in my hear. Yes there are other great thrill rides atDisneyland and California Adventure, but Space Mountain is at the top of my list. So getting to try Hyperspace Mountain and enjoy the Star Wars theme kicked butt. What I enjoyed so much about this ride and Big Grizzly Mountain was how smooth these coasters were. The comfort level was on par if not better then Snow White Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and the Slinky Coaster (both in Florida).
Toy Story Land was sadly ho hum for me. It was pretty to look at but was in my opinion setup more for kids, unlike the new lands at California Adventure and Hollywood Studio which cater to all. That being said, I’m a Toy Story FAN BOY and loved seeing the land.



Mystic Manor, is the HKDL version of the Haunted Mansion. Damn was this ride so cool. It’s not the same as the other versions, but it’s so on another level. I don’t want to give it away, but I want to say that if you like the silly, spooky and funny mansions, across the world you’ll like this one too.



Big Grizzly Mountain, was the other thrill ride I was able to enjoy. It’s part Expedition Everest (once you ride it you’ll know what I mean) and also Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Again I was blown away at how smooth the tracks are, and how un herky jerky it was. Yes I’m old and I enjoy rides that don’t throw out my back. Ha. Let me just say, I had a fun time. Period.

Conclusion:

I had a great time at HKDL. Yes it was short and yes I’d like more time, but I just didn’t have it. Yet in the time I was there I went on all the major rides and got to walk around the entire park. I was happy with the progress of the park too. Back in 2012, when Mystic Point and Grizzly Gulch didn’t exist the park was so small. As the park continues to grow they keep adding more attractions and making this a place to spend the day at. Getting to the park early is a must, I was told that people arrive late and stay late so for short lines get there early. In my case I really never waited more then 10 minutes in the stand by lines.

If you’re like me, and only speak English, don’t worry. Everything has signs in English and all the rides I went on were either 100% in English or played multiple languages so you never felt like you missed out. Getting to and from the park is super easy too, the Metro (MTR), comes right to the park. Plus uber’s and taxi’s are cheap and plentiful. Lastly, they have FREE WI-FI at the park so you can text, chat and even check wait times on the Disney AP. I was even able to FaceTime my family back in California when I was there. Huge plus all around.

rkaradi

My new favorite slippersAmerican Airlines AA192 2/17/19

Boeing 777-300ER Seat 1A

Hong Kong to Los Angeles I had an incredible four-hour sprint at Hong Kong Disneyland, before making my way back to the airport for the final leg of this short short trip to Beijing…Hong Kong. My last segment would be in American Airlines First Class (upgraded with a systemwide from Business). I specifically, picked this routing and this plane because I wanted to fly in a first. Since the ticket I purchased was in business class and you can upgrade virtually any fare class on AA ticket stock (space available of course) to the next cabin, this was a great way to redeem one of my systemwide upgrades that increasingly get tougher to use. Use em or lose them is my mantra.

I’ve had the privilege of flying AA only one other time in international first on a trip from Japan to Los Angeles back in 2011 or 12, and at that time they offered first class in a slightly different seat if I remember correctly.

I was flying a 777-300ER which offers eight lie-flat seats in first, 52 lie-flat seats in business and 216 in premium economy and economy. Today I flew in seat 1A. IA week out form the flight I had been checking daily on ExpertFlyer to see how many seats were still for sale and it never got higher than 2 of 8 seats occupied that is until one hour prior to the flight when it was zeroed out. It was going to be a full flight up front apparently.

Boarding:Pre-departure canape and DasaniThe flight boarded on time, at about 7:15 PM for a 7:55 PM departure and was slated to arrive at 5 PM the same day. In our case we landed about one hour early due to favorable winds (which I’ll talk about later). Already at my seat was the crummy old business class amenity kit furnished by Cole Haan.Such a sad bag and kitAmerican is in the process of replacing their kits and it appears we “lucked out” by getting the old one, and not the first-class kit, just the sad business class one. I’m not really an amenity kit snob, but I do love it when you get a nice bag with, cologne/perfume and other usable items. I upcycle them, and they end up being my travel toiletry bag and a cord keeper in my workbag. But in this case a cheap plastic heavy vinyl bag that has as much reason to be a barf bag let alone an amenity kit was what they gave out. Good on you American for classing up the joint. Also, at my seat was the Casper branded mattress pad, a duvet cover, pillow, small bolster, smaller blanket, BOSE headphones and slippers that I’m now in love with. Shortly, after this the flight attendant came around with pajamas that were also Casper branded. As I mentioned earlier, the cabin was 100% full, so either a ton of people’s upgrades cleared or there were a bunch of non-revs. In either case it was no big deal.In lounge mode with beddingMattress PadMy jamalamsOnce all the formalities were completed, I was presented the menu and offered a predeparture beverage. I chose Dasani Lime, I know fancy, right? It was accompanied with marinated whole olives and root chips (beets, carrots, tarot etc.). They were fine, in fact, I swear I bought a bag in bulk from Costco last month.

Seating/Entertainment:

On the 777-300ER American offers two rows of first in a 1-2-1 configuration with direct isle access from all seats. This is not a private suite like Etihad, Singapore or Emirates it doesn’t have a door or an isle privacy screen. It’s pretty open on the isle side, but the seat does have a pivot button that moves you towards the inside of your seating area. So, in my case in 1A it pivots to the window. This feature is a little odd, but what it does is move you away from the isle and angle you directly to the footwell and the tv screen. During takeoff and landing, you can’t use this button, but you can at any other time, which begs the question why not just set the seat that way in the first place.

Anyhow the captain’s chair also offers adjustable arm rests on both sides that gives a little bit more seat width especially when in bed mode. To the left of my seat was a small light, the headphone garage that also contains the power/technology center. Below that was the tethered remote for the touchscreen tv, which is to far to reach from your seat. I know #firstworldproblem . There was also a fixed side table. Inside this, there were two tray tables, one that was much larger than the other and would be suitable for meal service. Also, on the table was a tethered iPhone type device which was the controller for the seat adjustments. It worked well, it was just hard to detach from its holder, not that you really needed to do that to use it. There’s also a large footwell with was a good spot to store the blankets and mattress pad when not in use.My little office for the next 14 hoursTV and footrestBOSE headphonesTech garageAbove the footwell, was footrest and the tv. I found the area to be spacious but at the same time not. My issues, with the space were these. There were no cubbies to store things like glasses or your cell phone let alone a computer or tablet. There’s a gap between your seat and the table armrest, and you could shove pillows and blankets there, but it was definitely NOT suitable for small and or valuable items. It was just a hole, not a cubby. Also, if you did change into your own or the provided PJ’s, unlike other airlines having a personal closet for your items, you’d need to use the overhead storage bins. Again, not a huge deal, but when your competitors all have something like this, or in the case of Singapore and other airlines, they provide hangers and then store in a locker for you. American just doesn’t do that, and I wonder how they can compete with other airlines that provide such an amazing experience.

When it did come time to sleep, there was a note that said they would provide turndown service (on an airplane) I know right. Since they didn’t ask I just did it myself. It was no big deal. The pad and duvet as well as the comfy pillow were perfect. I was very comfortable in my spot. My only complaint is I couldn’t decide what position to put the armrest in, so I kept futzing with it. That being said, I know I got 6-7 hours of good sleep, minus the incredible turbulence we had for 9 straight hours. It was so bad, that the seatbelt sign went on at taxi and literally didn’t turn off till 9 hours after take-off. Did this prevent them from serving food etc. No, it was pretty bad at times, and I was just thankful stuff didn’t go flying around and I didn’t hear anyone get hurt. Was it the worst turbulence I’ve ever had? No. but it was up there, and because it was so bad for so long, I think that made it feel worse.

Lastly, the entertainment. American offers a pretty wide variety of music, tv, movies and games. From a western perspective, there’s nothing different then what they offer in a seatback entertainment on domestic flights. Just a larger screen. As for foreign language films and tv, it looked like they had a fair amount. I didn’t really spend much time watching tv, so I don’t really have much else to say.

Meals:

Because of the evening departure, American serves dinner shortly after takeoff. In this case it’s a plated affair with an incredible variety of options. Definitely a larger choice then what they offer in business and I’d say on a more international level, the variety of choices were on par with some other big airlines. Now that doesn’t mean there the same quality or truly the same variety, but the fact that they had soup, salad, small plates, mains and then side dishes was a novel concept. It really was a nice touch and from what I can remember from my last time being up font on American, a lot more choices today. My issues though, were that I didn’t see much I liked and even more importantly, I was not that hungry. I’d had a huge meal at the Cathay Pacific Pier lounge and was just not super hungry. I did give it the old college try thought! They also offered mid-flight snacks which again looked very edible and had large variety of. I didn’t get any snaps of them, but they have whole and cut fruit, sandwiches, a large variety of chips, cookies, chocolate truffles and espresso and lattes. YUMM I did have two of those just for good measure. Then shortly before landing they did serve breakfast, which to this day still bugs me. Why serve breakfast at 3 PM local time, when you should be serving a linner type snack. Oh well, they didn’t ask me to provide menu suggestions.Caviar and smoked salmon with a chilled leek soupBeer and cheddar soup…Not so goodPork sliders and a potato and cheese gratinBreakfast was eggs with a side of dragon fruit with figs accompanied with yogurt and muesli. The fruit was 100% inedible and the eggs and yogurt were the only things that were.

From a meal perspective I was impressed with the options, the overall presentation and taste were just okay. Was it the worst meal I’ve ever had no. Was it the best meal I’ve ever had no. It was just okay. I know I’m not giving you hope that they serve better food, but maybe I just picked wrong.

Conclusion:

Did I enjoy my flight, yes? Was it the best flight I’ve ever been on, no. Would I fly up front again on American, yes, but. With that last statement, I need to clarify. I would not avoid them, and I would not seek them out either. If I have an opportunity to take them or someone else and cost and class of service are the same, I’d probably take someone else first. Now don’t get me wrong, for the past seven years I’ve been and Executive Platinum and have enjoyed many great travel experiences on One World Partners with miles and some good ones on AA too. And if I was using the same number of miles and had a choice of American or Etihad or Qatar (who I’ve never flown), AA would be the last of the three I’d pick. Now if it was AA or United, I’d pick AA, but to be fair United doesn’t have first class anymore, but I’d still fly AA business over United business too. I know it seems like I’m basing AA, and I’m truly not. I like them I just know that many foreign flagged airlines are better. BUT when I have upgrades to use and I can redeem them for first or business instead of flying coach I’ll be first in line. Other items to note, the food options were really extensive. You’d not starve for sure. The seat was comfortable, and I was able to get great sleep in it. The cabin was quite and was spacious too. And anytime I have a chance to fly up front on AA I’d take it in a heartbeat, because the alternative…