socalterp

Background

After the birth of our son back in October, we made the decision to visit relatives in Taiwan. The logistics of getting there, especially with an infant, made this a more difficult planning process than most of our trips. We figured we had a window of opportunity at 3 or 4 months old where socalterp JR was old enough to have some routine established, but not yet mobile, where we might attempt such a trip. My wife and I have traveled a bit, both domestically and abroad, and have done the Asia trek a few times in the last 5 years. Considered 3 J awards, 3 Y awards, and various combinations of awards and paid travel on a number of airlines. But in the end, we both had a stash of AA miles, and after much debate, decided to try and redeem miles for the 2 of us in business, and then the infant a a lapchild. We deliberately tried to stay on CX or JL, because of the ability to pre-reserve bassinets.

Procuring a new passport for the little guy, and renewals for mom and dad proved to be pretty easy, aside from difficulties in getting a decent passport photo for an infant. But, once we went to the local post office to do the applications, we had passports in hand in less than 2 weeks, without expedite service!

Early incarnations of the intinerary had us going from CLT (home) to LAX, then catching a flight to either NRT or HKG, then connecting to Taipei. While this worked fine, and indeed there was some award availability, we decided it would be a really long trip to do a 2 segment flight to LA, especially with an infant, tand then an overnight to Asia. So, we decided to try to break it up a bit.

Had some adventures with AAdvantage agents over the definition of a stopover, and what stopevers are allowed and such, but in the end, was able to secure the following itinerary. The CX Asia Miles booking site proved to be extremely useful, and at least in our case, exactly matched award availability that AA was showing.

- CLT-JFK, US Y (paid one-way ticket
- overnight @ the JFK Sheraton
- JFK-HKG, CX J
- overnight @ the W HKG
- HKG-TPE, CX J
- TPE-HKG, CX J
- HKG-SFO, CX J
- stopover
- SFO-ORD, AA F
- ORD-CLT, AA Y (regional jet)

This all worked well, and allowed us to see relatives both in Asia and on the US West Coast. Also allowed us to fly J in CX's new, much debated and scrutinized business class...and a chance to sample the lounges at HKIA, having not transited through HKG since the days of the old airport.

But, after reading numerous trip reports, we got the idea of trying out the new CX F suites, which have received much acclaim. After checking the Asia Miles site daily (and sometimes more), knowing that award availability often opens up closer to flight time...I struck jackpot this morning, less than 2 weeks before our departure date. 2 F award seats available on all of our CX legs (except for HKG-TPE where we are choosing to fly J due to timing issues)! I hurried to the phone and called AA reservations, and after quite some time to cancel the old award and ticket the new one for 25K additional miles (but no redeposit or expedite fees)

So, after ok'ing the additional miles, and paying the infant lap child extortion fee, we are all set to go.

CLT-JFK, US Y, E190
JFK-HKG, CX F, 77A
HKG-TPE, CX J, 773
TPE-HKG, CX F, 343
HKG-SFO, CX F, 744
SFO-ORD, AA F, 763
ORD-CLT, AA Y, ERJ

Looking at that itin, the most painful might be the ORD-CLT leg on the ERJ, where having an infant means you have to sit in the back (lifejacket issue) close the engines. Will try to move that to SFO-DFW-CLT, which at leasts moves you to an MD80 and in F, but nothing available at the moment!

More to come once the trip actually gets underway next week.

socalterp

US Y, CLT-JFK and Fairfield Inn JFK

With a 915am departure on Friday morning from JFK, the only viable alternative was to fly up the night before from Charlotte. Booked a cheap, $59 OW fare on USAirways, and decided to send my wife and son up early - so that he could get a good night sleep before the long flight, with the added benefit of being able to spend some time with an aunt who works in NYC.

Nothing remarkable to report about US 3292, the 845pm departure out of Charlotte on a E175. With windy conditions in the NY area, the flight was already posting an hour delay when I checked in at CLT, and the delay increased in length. I had visions of the flight cancelling and having to try to drive overnight up to JFK to catch our CX flight the next morning, but we ended up leaving about 2 hours late, and arrived into JFK about 1220am and a deserted T7.

Traveling with an infant means a lot more stuff, so had 2 checked bags with me. Picked up bags and headed to the Air Train to catch the shuttle to the Fairfield Inn @ JFK - place had some of the best reviews out there of the limited airport selection. Hadn't been on AirTrain before, but it was quick and easy. The shuttle stop for hotels is a bit depressing, and was quite cold, but luckily the shuttle arrived within 5 minutes or so. Again, nothing remarkable about the Fairfield...friendly enough staff, small room, servicable for its purpose.

socalterp

CX 841
JFK-HKG
77A (new long haul product)
F

Caught the 7am shuttle from the Fairfield to the airport - shuttles can go directly to the terminals...and with a full shuttle and busy terminal area traffic, took about 20 minutes to make our way to T7. CX check-in is at the far end of the terminal, with a separate area for J/F. Check-in was handled by BA ground staff, and was quick and efficient, even with the paper ticket for the infant.

Nice to have a dedicated premium security area, so no line, and we were able to quickly make our way to the lounges upstairs. The Terraces and First lounges share an entrance and reception desk, with the F lounge to the left and the Terraces to the right. As others have noted, there's nothing special at all about the BA F lounge. Rather small, very limited food offerings at that hour, and pretty empty. The Terraces is actually much nicer, but we decided to stay put with our son, who was very content to lounge in one of the chairs. There were only a few people in the lounge, about half of who were traveling on BA's early morning departure to LHR. Unfortunately, one of the remaining people was a loud blowhard from Morgan Stanley, who was telling everyone on his conference call, and thus everyone in the F lounge and probably the Terraces as well, how much he disagreed with executive pay limits.

Soon enough, it was time for boarding, which was announced in the lounge. We made our way to the gate, and boarded via the F/J entrance. Presented our BPs and were escorted to the F cabin. Only 6 seats, configured 1-1-1, with the "A" seats being set off by themselves. We had booked 2D and 2K, with 2K being listed as a bassinet position, and had confirmed the bassiet beforehand. Upon boarding and asking about the bassinet, we were told that they were not available on the 77A - not sure if F only, or applied to other cabins as well. In any event, with much discussion among the crew, including ground service staff, contacting HQ, etc...we were essentially told that it was a safety issue and no bassinet would be forthcoming. However, because there was an empty seat in the cabin, we were free to use that seat. Mr. Loud Morgan Stanley guy was previously in 2K, and moved to 1A so that we could use 2K for the infant. He was none too pleased to have an infant in F, but as it would turn out, he was much louder/more disruptive in the lounge than our son would be, either in the lounge or on the flight.

The flight itself was great. Originally was not all that impressed with the look of the seat, especially the seat cushion material, but it was more than comfortable. Turned into a bed, the suite proved to be quite good for sleeping, especially on top of the duvet. A mattress pad is provided, but is not that great on its own - plus, it's too warm in the cabin to use the duvet for its intended purpose...but a duvet as an additional mattress pad plus a blanket was perfect.

Service was top notch from the crew - friendly and professional. As others have noted, there is quite a bit of traffic back and forth on the 77A, with FAs going from biz to F, etc. Our son found this quite entertaining, and he spent much of the flight smiling at people as they came down the aisle. He really enjoyed all the attention from the FAs. As a consequence, he slept very little, but he made almost no noise the entire flight. He did get startled by a loudspeaker announcement at first, but quickly got used to them. We turned one of the suites into a bed almost immediately, and it worked out great. He could sit/lay on the bed and we could sit and entertain him, almost like being at home. Cathay is very accomodating of children, and provided diapers and some other accessories, as well as the option for food, which we did not need.

Food and beverages were great...liked the refreshing strawberry smoothie like concoction very much, along with the terrific Mersault wine. I'll post a menu later, but we ate a lot through the flight, with highlights being the caviar and salmon appetizer and the hot pot rice. Food service is on demand, and as a consequence, can be a little bit slow. I'll post a menu and a few pics when I get a chance.

CX Studio is very nice, with a large selection of music and videos. Spent some time playing on-line trivia, as well as building my own playlist from the CD selection. One minor annoyance was not being able to listen to music while the Flight Map was being displayed, but maybe that was my own issue. Amenity kit was a bit basic and dissapointing, though the Shanghai Tang pajamas are nice and comfortable.

Total flight time was about 15 1/2 hours, with an hour or so delay getting otu of JFK due to air traffic. Route of flight was almost due north at first, skirting Greenland, and then "down" to HKG, passing Ulan Batoor, through China and into HKG. For spending 16+ hours on a plane, CX F was certainly a nice way to go. Most of our previous experiences trans-Pac have been in J on JAL or AA, with one CX Y trip many years ago.

Upon landing in HKG, we had to wait for our gate checked stroller, so weren't off the plane that fast. But, still a short walk to immigration and our bags were waiting, with their priority tags, by the time we got to baggage claim.

Here are a few pics. Will add more of the flight back, where we got a lot more pics of the new F cabin.

King of the castle


Plenty of room


W Hong Kong

We were met outside baggage claim by the W rep, and escorted to our pre-booked Audi Q7 (think it was HK$850 one way) We knew the train was cheaper and convenient, but didn't want to deal with it after the long flight and with our bags. The W provided an infant seat (front facing) and we embarked on the 30 minute drive to the hotel.

Check-in is on the 6th floor, which is accessed via separate elevator from the ground level, not unlike the Le Meridien in Shanghai. Had booked a room using SPG points, and was hoping for a nice upgrade. As we were there on Valentine's Day, the hotel was crowded, and we had to wait for a bit for checkin, despite 4 agents working. Did have a upgrade to a better view, but no suite. No big deal, as we were only staying one night.

Really liked the room - we were on the 28th floor facing the harbor, with some view of Central. Comfortable bed, great bathroom with a nice soaking tub and separate rainforest shower, etc. Lots of high tech features and generally nicely designed. We had planned to shower and then head downstairs for dinner in one of the restaurants in Elements, but our son had other ideas. After being great on the plane and during the car ride, the travels caught up to him and he had a major meltdown...this from someone who almost never cries. The meltdown continued through much of the night, and he refused to sleep in his travel crib, and progressively got more tired. Our flight to Taipei the next day wasn't until 445 in the afternoon, so we had planned on doing some shopping and sightseeing in the morning, but that gave way to the little guy finally falling into a deep sleep around 10am, and we decided to let him be.

socalterp

CX400
HKG-TPE
773
J

From the W, made the short walk down through the Elements mall to in-town checkin for the Airport Express. Finding elevators was actually harder than expected, but once down, easy to check bags, get boarding passes and board the train for the quick trip to HKIA.

Traveling with an infant has its advantages, as we were ushered into a much shorter immigration line. With a couple of hours to kill before our flight, and no gate posted, we headed to the Wing lounge. Honestly, very disappointed and not at all impressed. Yes, the noodle bar is a nice feature and there are good views from the Long Bar, but overall, the lounge is crowded and noisy, and IMO not well designed. Constant noise from roll-aboards on the hard surface, crowded aisles, etc. About the only quiet place is the Library area...

Anyhow, the short flight to TPE was fine. The 773 was a bit old and battered, and had the old style J seats for the 445pm departure to Taipei. Not a ton of legroom, but it was fine for the short flight. F/As basically ran from start to finish trying to complete the service, which included 2 towel services, a real meal, drinks, etc. We almost felt bad asking for a bassinet for our little one, which we used for the meal so we could eat at the same time.

Not much else to say. The terminal in TPE is fairly old and tired, but quickly through the proceedings and our bags were waiting for us on the carousel once again.

socalterp

TPE-HKG
CX 467
343
F

Made it to TPE from the city with plenty of time to spare. Our connection to SFO meant that we happened onto one of the few TPE-HKG flights with a F cabin, and we were quickly checked in at the F counter, which was empty at the time. Asked how full our HKG-SFO flight was going to be (showing F4) and the agent laughed and said that it wouldn't be a problem. After going through immigration and security, we went upstairs to the Cathay lounge. Hadn't heard a lot of positive things, but I actually liked the F lounge, which is at the back of the lounge complex. I could see where the J complex would get crowded, and it does have a small version of the Noodle Bar. The F lounge was very empty, and quite cold...but a decent spread of food and drinks, plenty of computers and comfortable seating.

The flight itself was great. We were the only ones in the F cabin, laid out 1-1-1 with the old flat-bed seats. The seats themselves were a bit narrow, but more than enough legroom for the short flight. Compared to the harried F/As in J on the way over, service was very relaxed and the F/As had a good time entertaining our little one.

Landing in HKG was on time, and we docked at gate 68 or 69. From there, a quick walk to the FC section of the Pier. No view, as it's downstairs, but nicely appointed and quiet. We didn't try the Haven dining section, as we were expecting a lot of food on the next flight, but we did take advantage of one of the day break rooms, which was a great place for Socalterp JR to nurse and then nap for a while.

Posed for a pic on the old-style F seats


Daybreak room


HKG-SFO
CX 870
74A
F

Headed down to gate 39, where boarding was already in progress. Bypassed the long queue for Y, and used the J/F walkway. Had to do the ridiculous secondary security check, and then headed on board. We were greeted at the door and escorted to our seats - 3A and 4A - which we had pre-booked, which 4A being the bassinet position. The purser greeted us and said magic words - "this is it"...meaning, we were the only ones in the F cabin. Jackpot! Our own private home for the next 12 hours across the Pacific. Who could ask for anything more? And we wouldn't have to worry about Socalterp JR bothering anyone, not that it had been any semblance of a problem on our previous flights. We actually did have one of the relief pilots come down almost immediately after takeoff, who ate and then slept in 4K, but wasn't an issue. We kept the lights on until we were finished with dinner, then had them turned down. I actually got about 4-5 hours of sleep, which is quite unusual for me. Socalterp JR slept a lot too, mostly nestled next to his mom.

Needless to say, a great flight. We made up 4D (certainly the least desirable suite) as a bed for the little guy, and settled into enjoy our flight. Other than some heavy turbulence halfway across the Pacific, it was a most enjoyable and relaxing experience, and we arrived in SF about as refreshed as you can be after a transPac with a 4 month old. Some pics below.

F Cabin






Seat







As a bed



Menu



Caviar and Balik Salmon starter



Salad



Cold plate and soup



Braised duck with bok choy and steamed rice



Mango Mousse with a side of vanilla ice cream



Socalterp JR

socalterp

W Silicon Valley,

At the last minute, decided to stay at the W Silicon Valley, instead of with relatives in the Bay Area, because Socalterp JRs jet lag had made him a bit noisy at night. Booked a $125 or so web rate, pre-paid, from the Cathay lounge before we left TPE. As a SPG Plat, was hoping for a decent upgrade at a property that shouldn't be too busy over the weekend.

After the great flight on Cathay, immigration at SFO took some time as we landed at about the same time as Asiana and JAL flights, and we had to wait for our stroller to come up from below.

After clearing immigration and customs, we took the train to the remote car rental center. There was a fairly long line at National, but able to bypass it due to Emerald Aisle. We'd renter a minivan (ugh) to be able to more easily transport the three of us plus lots of bags, plus a rental carseat for the little one. Car seat wasn't the greatest quality, but it did the job.

Anyhow, about a 30 minute drive down the 101 then across the Dumbarton Bridge to reach the W Silicon Valley. First impression was that it looks kind of like a La Quinta Inn from the outside. Checkin was fast, and we received some sort of upgrade. Upon getting to our room, looked to be a JR suite. Small sitting area, kitchenette, but no separate rooms. Bathroom had a separate shower and tub, but a rather small sink area. All in all, fairly decent for a weekend stay. It looked like there were larger corner rooms, but didn't press the issue. Stayed for 3 nights, and the hotel seemed fairly empty. It's located in a pretty empty office park, but convenient to the Palo Alto and East/South Bay areas, as it's close to the 880 as well.

AA 1612
SFO-ORD,
F

AA 4457
ORD-CLT
Y
Originally we had booked SFO-DFW-CLT, but decided to extend our stay in the Bay Area one more day, and the only thing available was SFO-ORD-CLT, with a 45 minute connect to the last flight of the day to CLT, and trading F on an MD80 for an ERJ. A bit risky (not to mention much less comfortable), but worth it for the extra day. Tried numerous times to see if award availability would open up through DFW, but no dice.

With the short connect, was a bit concerned with the light to moderate rain falling on the day of our departure. As it was a Sunday morning, light traffic up the 101 to SFO, and a quick rental return and off to the terminal we went on the train. It's a bit of a cumbersome layout, but we managed to get to the AA/UA terminal, which was reasonably crowded. Checked in @ a kiosk, and got hit with an overweight bag fee, and had to shift some stuff around to avoid a second overweight charge - guess we picked up too much stuff along the way! No security to speak of, and off we went. As we had broken our flight up with a stopover, no Admirals Club access, so we walked the little one around the terminal for a bit.

Getting close to the 945 departure time, there was no aircraft in sight, so grew a little more concerned with our short connect at ORD, knowing that we'd have to switch terminals for our Eagle connecting flight. About 915 a 763 pulls up to the gate, and I'm thinking the worst. However, the plane was empty and probably coming in from a hanger, so no off-loading needed. Boarding started soon after, and we had 2A and 2B (bulkhead) on the flight to ORD.

First time for us on the NGBC on AA, and found it to be a marginal improvement over the old biz class. Seats are more padded, and the recline and legroom are good, but the footwell is a bit constricting. Still, it's about as good as you're going to get for a domestic F product these days, especially compared to the MD80 up front. Departed just a couple minutes late from SFO, and after a few initial bumps climbing out through the clouds, had a pretty smooth ride to ORD. Breakfast was served, and the southwestern omelette was actually pretty decent, and good service from the FAs, who seemed quite taken by Socalterp JR, who was again on good behavior. He actually slept for a bit on the flight, which he needed after an early morning wakeup. Of course, no bassinet on the domestic portion, but the extra room in F helped out a bit.

Landed @ ORD just about on time, and after picking up the strolled, walked quickly over to the Eagle terminal to catch our connecting flight to CLT, arriving about 25 minutes prior to departure. Boarding had yet to start, and we could relax for a bit.

Not much to say about the Eagle RJ flight to CLT, except that it was the most cramped and uncomfortable segment of our long trip. However, we were just looking forward to getting home. Seated in 16AB instead of our customary exit row because of the little guy didn't help matters, and he was a little less happy on this flight, though still quiet. Pretty uneventful, our bags made it quickly to the belt, and we were homeward bound after the adventure.

All in all, a terrific trip. Got to see a lot of family, which you can never put a price on. People thought we were crazy to take such a little guy on such a long flight, but the combination of CX F and his general happy demeanor made it much better. We wouldn't have undertaken the trip if we didn't think he could be relatively under control on the flights, and he exceeded even our best expectations. Fussed for maybe a minute for the entire 30+ hours of flying, which is better than most adults. Of course, jet lag played havoc with his schedule, and he's no longer sleeping through the night now that we're home, but we're working on it...

One thing that also helped was a well-designed backpack that we ordered from LLBean. This thing seems like it's designed for travel with small children - lots of accessible pockets of all sizes made it easy to organize diapers, cloths, toys, etc, and have them readily at hand at all times. We're used to traveling with just rollaboards, even for long international trips, but the game has certainly changed...

Next up for us is a quick run out to the LA area in April, but we've gotten JR his own seat for that trip, and he'll begin accruing his first AAdvantage miles.

socalterp

bump for added content and pics

sl00001

Great report ...and I am looking forward to make the same pictures with sl0001 junior as well! My wife is still scared to fly with the baby, but after your story I think she will get some more confidence^^

b-kpf

great report ^ i was already looking forward to it when you mentioned it in the cx forum it's been a while since the last cx F report, or is it me checking the forum too often?

just a minor detail: HKG-SFO was a 74A not a 744 (as of now, till the last 744s are fitted with new seats)

p.s socalterp jr is a cutie! and certainly the king of the castle with so many F flights and a whole cabin to you and him!

socalterp

It really was a nice experience, and we enjoyed it...and the crew couldn't have been nicer or more accomodating. It seemed that they really enjoyed having a little one on board, especially one who was so well behaved.

A couple of additional notes...
- Because you can dine-on demand in F, it was pretty easy to have one person eating and one entertaining the little one. If he was asleep, we took advantage and dined together using the ottoman. There is an attachment for the tray table that extends it and makes it big enough for 2.
- All food service is done via tray and individual plates, so even if the baby is sitting with mom or dad, it is still possible to eat because there is enough room on the ledge of the suite.
- If you have 2 seats and a bassinet on the 74A, 4A and 4D are the logical seats, since they are fairly close together and "open" to each other (4A being the bassinet) and you can kind of see the other person. However, 4D isn't great - no window and more cramped than the other seats.
- You do have to use an infant seat belt for all kids under 2...which is attached to the adult seat belt and has to be used whenever the seat belt sign is on. But, the baby doesn't necessarily have to be held in the lap when at cruise - we were allowed to strap the seat belt around Socalterp JR in a prone position so he could stay sleeping.
- Closets have plenty of storage room, as well as storage under the ottoman for all the assorted baby gear.
- F lounges in HKG give you the ability to have a private room - either DayBreak or Cabana, depending on the lounge, which is nice.

trust77

What a cool report! Your baby is no doubt the travelling connoisseur who looked extermely content and very happy in those nice, plush seats.

Thanks for sharing.

mjcewl1284

Great Trip Report so far! Lucky baby!

One question: Is your baby accumulating mileage? I have my parents to thank for getting my frequent flier career started at such a young age!

socalterp

No mileage yet for the little guy, as you don't accumulate on infant lap fares. He'll accumulate his first miles on a trip out to CA next month.

SanDiego1K

I always like to read trip reports to get me in the spirit of my upcoming CX F trip - and this certainly did the job. I particularly appreciated the pictures of the new seats in F which I will experience soon.

doesun

We're planning on a yyz-hkg trip with an infant using AA miles on CX. We should have enough miles for F or J and dont mind heading to a US gateway Some questions hopefully others can shed some light on.

1. What would be the cost for the infant? In miles or $
2. Is there usually enough room in a J seat for one parent and infant to sleep in? We're both slim.

Thanks.