QF WP

It should be simongr - he's as far as he can get with SQ and QF now and with that level of SC's for this membership year, that'll keep QF giving him Platinum probably for a couple of years (if they use the averaging provisions).

So now the lure of AA Lifetime Gold and Platinum awaits. Based on his current flying, that would only take him 2 and 4 years respectively. Pity it would mostly (if not all) be bum-in-seat flying too...

Thai-Kiwi

Kiwi-Flyer. Dunno how you do it, really. ^^^

As a fellow Kiwi struggling with my own minor mini-epic adventure (There and back Again), I find it very hard indeed to keep up-to-date, take pics, resize 'em, upload, download, re-post, correct poor typing - and continue working as well All too hard, but a strange sense of satisfaction when a few things come together (like being in the TG F lounge in BKK ).

I look forward to a wee dram on the 9th - safe travels.

Thai-Kiwi

Kiwi Flyer

Thanks for the comments. There's still a few days of flying yet in this report.

BTW I've added a comment to post #179 about amenities or lack of.

Kiwi Flyer

In transit in Singapore

Armed with my onward boarding card and status card I entered the first class lounge and had a shower. While any shower is better than none, it was not very satisfying for the water temperature was stuck on hot. I had enough time to catch up on some messages before leaving for my meetings.

First I stopped by the airside left luggage to store my carry-on. Immigration had no people queueing (in any line), I was soon in a cab on my way into the city.

A long day of meetings later and I was back through immigration in under 30 seconds, picked up my bag and into the lounge for another shower (this time I chose a different shower room and the water was not so hot).

Since I last visited this lounge (not counting earlier in the day) the effect of cost cutting is apparent. Showers not kept as cleaned or maintained. Champagne is Charles Heidsieck. Food offering is fairly basic (to be sure better than UA/AA lounges) - not a patch on what used to be quite decent meals (so you could go straight to sleep in flight). No printed timetable booklets. No boiled sweets. No printer for the computers (okay this went before my previous visit).

Kiwi Flyer

ultimately yes, at least for one world travel, other than booking classes where it makes no sense to switch of course (eg non/low-earning on AAdvantage)

in the short term I need to figure out what award(s)/upgrade(s) I will use the heap of miles earned from this trip and whether I need a few more to top off the account

Kiwi Flyer

Woohoo - breaking news - my first op-up of the trip ^

Keith009

Congrats on LT Gold, Kiwi Flyer!! ^
And well done on the op up!

And thanks again for the most engaging TR.

Kiwi Flyer

Singapore to Melbourne first class menu

DINNER

Appetisers

Chilled malossol caviar
with melba toast and condiments

Tian of lobster with avocado and lotus root
chilli mango coulis and basil oil

Soup

Broth of chicken with vegetables

Fish maw and Chinese Yunnan ham soup

Salad

Caesar salad
Romaine lettuce with bacon, parmesan cheese, croutons and anchovy-garlic dressing

Main Courses

Wok-fried beef in black pepper sauce with garlic, french bean with dried shrimp in XO sauce, fish noodle with bean sprout

Pan fried pancetta wrapped black cod served with light mustard sauce, artichoke puree, roasted baby carrots

Chicken confit served with sauteed shimeji mushrooms, papardella pasta and french black truffle

Singapore style chilli crab
a whole crab stir-fried in a spicy chilli sauce served with mantou and steamed rice
a celebrated local dish

Potato gnocchi with sauteed ceps mushrooms, arugula lettuce, shaved parmesan cheese, creamy basil pesto

Dessert

Warm chocolate cake with Haagen Dazs belgian chocolate ice cream

Cheese

Selection of cheese with garnishes

Fresh Fruit

A selection of fresh fruit

From the bakery

Oven fresh rolls
with a choice of extra virgin olive oil or butter

Garlic bread

Hot Beverages

Freshly brewed coffee

Espresso or cappuccino

Selection of tea

Pralines

To end on a sweet note


CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

Juices

A choice of apple, tomato or freshly squeezed orange

Fruit

A selection of fresh fruit

From the Bakery

Assorted breakfast rolls

Butter, jam, marmalade or honey

Hot Beverages

Freshly brewed coffee

Espresso or cappuccino

Selection of tea


BEVERAGES

Mix of the month

Tropical sparkle

Unique creations

Silver Kris sling
Alspritzer
Solitaire dreams
Sunrise breezer
Sweetness in darkness
Vodka flush
Apple bliss
Awaiting the golden dawn
Tropical fizz

All time favourites

Singapore sling
Screwdriver
Fruit spritzer
Orange cooler

Appetising aperitifs

Campari
Dry vermouth

Spirits

Macallan 12 years old single malt whisky
Cognac XO Hennessy
Johnnie Walker blue label
Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey
Bombay sapphire gin
Smirnoff red label vodka
Bacardi superior

Liqueurs

Cointreau
Tia maria
Baileys original irish cream

Beer

International selection

Champagnes

Dom Perignon 1999
Krug grande cuvee

White wines

Penfolds reserve bin OSA chardonnay 2005 Adelaide hills
Reichsgraf von Kesselstaff piesporter goldtropfchen riesling kabinett 2005 Mosel-saar-ruwer

Red wines

Mount langi ghiran 2003 shiraz Victoria
Chateau leoville-poyferre 1999 Saint-Julien

Port

Dow's 20 year old tawny port Portugal

Tea selection

Pure ceylon tea
Earl grey
Darjeeling
Camomile
Decaffeinated tea
Fruit tea
Japanese green tea
Chinese jasmine tea
Chinese oolong tea
Min tea

Gourmet coffees

Brazil santos bourbon
Colombian supremo
Jamaican blue mountain
Kenyan AA kilimanjaro

Specialty coffees

Brewed coffee
Cafe royal
Espresso
Cappuccino
Cafe latte
Cafe au lait
Decaffeinated coffee
Mocha

Other beverages

Chocolate
Ovaltine
Milo

Mineral water

Still
Sparkling

Fruit juices

Apple
Orange
Pineapple
Tomato

Soft drinks

Bitter lemon
Coke
Coke light
Ginger ale
7-up

Milk

Full cream
Low fat

Kiwi Flyer

Singapore to Melbourne (SIN-MEL) on Singapore Airlines 747-400 first class

I made my way to the gate early because I was bored. At the gate I get the boarding pass rejection and yes, it is an op-up. When I chose to upgrade my flight to Singapore and not the return I had checked loads and decided the return was more favourable for op-up as it looked oversold in both economy and business, with first not quite full. Of course this is Singapore Airlines, who are very good at inventory management, so an op-up can never be taken for granted and even if they did need to op-up there was no assurance I would be the top status passenger in business class and thus likely to get it. But it all fell into place nicely. I couldn't help grinning and posted about it on FT.

A pre-departure drink while I settle in. Surprisingly no seconds offered. This time we get an amenity kit as well as pajamas, socks, eyeshade. Maybe the flight up was an aberration?

There is a 35 minute delay in pushing back caused by 30 late boarding passengers. The flight is totally full in all classes.

After take off settle in for dinner. The difference in service times with a full load in first class is immediately apparent. Whereas the night before the meal was served very quickly and only a couple of glasses to drink during it, this time it takes about 2 hours and several glasses (I won't say how many but between a few passengers drinking champagne we almost ran out )

While I was very tired and originally planned to sleep most of the flight, the bonus of a nice first class product (decent seats even though now only 3rd newest for Singapore Airlines), and improved menu, had me staying awake to enjoy it while I can (thinking ahead to the longhaul economy to come). As you can see from the menu posted above there are 2 meals including one full multiple course meal on this flight, despite being only 6 1/2 hours vs nearly 8 hours for the flight over - illogical to me.

I bought some items with some of my PPS Kris Shop vouchers. The FA did not recognise the new Solitaire PPS card design (now 2 months old) and was suspicious until the machine confirmed my number and status. That surprised me.

We had very strong tailwinds with our ground speed well over 1100 kmh over much of Australia. Thus despite the late departure we still arrived early.

Down the pier and up to security, which was a mess. Lots and lots of passengers had no idea about liquids rules and were being forced to bag them on the spot. Why the officers couldn't remove them from the queue to do this instead of holding everyone up I do not know. Then I drew the short straw and got the test the new officer water bottle image superimposed on my bag. This required me to go back through WTMD, let the officer paw through my bag hunting for a water bottle that doesn't exist and finally I am on my way after 20 minutes at security.

I walked fast back down the pier and up to the Qantas first lounge to check in for my next flight, only to find the lounge is closed. So I took the lift down to the arrival level, walked around a few corners to the business class lounge (this is a much faster and more direct route than taking the escalator down to departure level, then proceed to the escalator down to the arrival level, and then take the corridor to the lounge). It is a long time since I've been here. Apparently the first class lounge only opens at 0820 While the agent checks me in I have a shower.

Kiwi Flyer

It seems I used Miami concourse A on one of the last days before it closed.

Kiwi Flyer

Melbourne to Auckland (MEL-AKL) on Qantas 747-400 business class

When 0820 rolls around I head upstairs to the nicer first class lounge. I catch up on some Do-related work, and meet up with serfty again.

I headed out to the gate early. However boarding started late due to the backlog of passengers in security. My boarding pass didn't want to be read, with 3 goes before it worked. Of course no op-up as this is a 2-class flight. Not even the prospect of being moved to a first class seat (sometimes get lucky with a 3-class aircraft) as I'd already taken that into account in selecting my seat. Just a gremlin I guess.

We eventually pushed back 40 minutes late. The nonstop Los Angeles flight (the flight I was on was direct via Auckland to Los Angeles) was also rather late in leaving. Pre-departure water, orange juice or sparkling wine.

The IFE is again November but this time we have the November IFE guide. By the time the system is switched on, the wellbeing video is played and the QF IFE video is played, we have under 2 hours of viewable time to see any movie.

Unusually for trans-tasman business class there is no printed menu. Lunch is a choice of prosciutto salad or some kind of lamb stew. Ice cream for dessert, followed by tea/coffee and chocolate.

Arrive late, having made up only some of the time en route. Transit passengers have to deplane, go through security and reboard 30 minutes later. I'm the first to immigration where there was no queue. I thought I might have been questioned about why I'd had 2 trips with departure of the second trip the day after the arrival of the first trip, but no questions and I quickly join the quarantine queue. This is slower with only 3 pre-checkers and 3 x-ray machines. Then a slow trip into town at the end of rush hour - it took just over an hour to reach the inner city.

My first flight as QP WP PG LG (Platinum, Partner Gold, Lifetime Gold) on Qantas was rather underwhelming.

Kiwi Flyer

Inaugural flight
Auckland to Vancouver (AKL-YVR) on Air New Zealand 777-200ER economy class

Hmmm. My ticket has just been reissued for the third time due to unspecified "issues". Hope it works okay.

mad_atta

Kiwi Flyer, you are definitely going down in the world - from SQ F via QF J to NZ Y... hope you can cope with being stuck down the back for a long haul flight, it will be a shock to your system

I'm amazed that with such a crazy itinerary you can keep up with your report in real time. Nice work!

Kiwi Flyer

Unfortunately if I wanted to be on the inaugural not much choice. Too many VIPs/media in business and premium economy. Unlike some other airlines' inaugural flights I have been on, the paying passengers seem to rate last in Air NZ's considerations for the inaugural

SASfan

Maybe you'll get an op-up?

Seriously insane itin, Kiwi - hope you'll be able to rest in ZQN.

Congrats on the lifetime Gold with Qantas!

Dumb question; why go for lifetime status with both Qantas and AA if they're in the same alliance?