Welcome

I spent the first years of my life in a tiny village on the southern tip of the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. Wind permitting, arriving aircraft – mostly brining tourists from northern Europe to Malta to enjoy the island’s mild climate – would fly along the eastern coast before drawing a graceful arc with the tip of their wings as they executed a 180 degree right-hand turn around the southern tip of the island to line up for arrival on runway 31.

As they came out of the bank they would make landfall over St. George’s Bay. That’s when they would come into earshot. Whenever I heard an aircraft, I would dash out of the house and there, from the elevated position of our front porch I would watch them slowly, graciously and elegantly glide down behind a line of low hills the separated our village from the airport just a few kilometres away.

Of course, all this was many years ago and I am know an adult. But even so, some things never change and even today I still turn my head at the sound of an airplane.

So as you see, I have had a passion for aviation, flying and travel for as long as I can remember.

KLM, Business Class – Boeing B 737-700: Warsaw to Amsterdam

INTRODUCTION

Two weeks after my return from Brunei, I’m off again. June looks set to be rather busy for me. This week I’m giving a course in Warsaw, the week after I have a meeting in Paris, to which I shall travel on HOP by Air France. And then the week after that it’s another trip to Luxembourg for a course and then the week after that a trip to Amsterdam – both with KLM.

It’s quite amazing just how often something goes wrong when you’re travelling. Perhaps I should rephrase that. It’s quite amazing how often something goes wrong when I’m travelling. I think I’ve got bad Karma. Or maybe some gipsy cast an evil eye on me…

Yes, this trip didn’t get off to a good start. Last Tuesday I was scheduled to fly from Zürich via Amsterdam to Warsaw. I selected KLM because I would fly to Basel on the return, which is where I live.

I arrived at the gate a few minutes before the boarding time indicated on the boarding pass, only to find that the departure had been delayed by 40 minutes to 12h35. Initially I didn’t think anything of it. At 11h45 however, I suddenly realised that my original connecting time in Amsterdam would only have been one hour, even with an on time arrival. So the delay meant seriously bad news. I then decided to check with the gate agents to see if they had any information on my connection. At first they tried to wave the whole thing – and me – off, by saying that everything would be fine. Eventually though, after I insisted that KLM had a nasty habit of rebooking passengers without even as much as informing them about the changes, one of the agents grudgingly agreed to check.

Low and behold, it turned out that KLM had indeed rebooked me onto the direct SWISS service from Zürich to Amsterdam. Don’t get me wrong: normally I wouldn’t mind being put on the direct flight. But there was just one slight problem: the SWISS flight to Warsaw was scheduled to leave in less than 10 minutes and KLM had not bothered to inform me about the change and hadn’t checked me in for the new flight either. So there was nothing for it. I bid the gate agent at B08 farewell and made a dash for gate A86 at the opposite end of the terminal facility.

When eventually I arrived there at high noon, with a whole string of indignant passengers in my wake who I’d ran over in my sprint, the flight had already been closed, with the screens showing the next flight from that gate. Fortunately one of my students, who works part-time for Swissport, spotted me and came over to say hello. When I explained the problem he quickly had a word with the gate agent for my flight and eventually managed to charm her into opening the flight again to check me in and accept me for the flight. And so it came that I was able to give the course in Warsaw after all.

This report covers the return trip from Warsaw to Amsterdam on the Boeing B 737-700 in KLM Business Class.

Date: 07. June 2013
From: Warsaw
To: Amsterdam
Airline: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing B 737-700
Cabin: Business Class
Seat: 1A, window on the left side.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT

There are two trains that connect Warsaw airport to the city. The green line runs to the central station. The train certainly looks very funky, sleek and futuristic. But don’t let appearances fool you. The journey to the airport will take you roughly 20 minutes, not so much because of the distance but because for most of the journey the train is literally crawling at a very leisurely pace. I’m not sure if this is normal. Perhaps they’re working on the tracks. Apart from that, the train is very clean, just like the stations. The fare for a oneway ticket is 7 Zloty.

CHECK-IN

For some reason I no longer seem to be able to do mobile check-in on the KLM website. Or rather, I can check in but I can’t select delivery of the boarding passes to my mobile. My first stop therefore, is the check-in counter for SkyPriority passengers, where my luggage is tagged all the way to Basel and I am issued the boarding passes for both segments of the journey.

The guy at check-in is friendly. He explains that he’s tagged my suitcase all the way to Basel and marked it with a priority label. He then gives me directions for the priority lane at security and wishes me a pleasant journey.

THE LOUNGE

KLM uses the Ballada lounge in Warsaw. Just a piece of advice for anybody passing through Warsaw: don’t bother! The lounge is very small and cramped and with no windows. Being the only lounge available for all the non-Star Alliance carriers, it’s also permanently crowded with passengers.

So instead I take a walk around the terminal and eventually settle down in one of the numerous bars for a drink.

DEPARTURE

Boarding for the flight starts slightly ahead of schedule. There is a dedicated SkyPriority lane and the staff pay attention to ensure that all passengers use the right lane. The gate agent is very friendly and polite. He scans my boarding pass and wishes me a pleasant journey. He smiles and even pronounces my name properly!

THE CABIN

I am greeted at the door of the aircraft by two chirpy flight attendants. I take my seat on 1A. Just a word of caution to all those of you who like to look out the window when they’re flying. There are three windows to row 1. But for some reason, on the left side of the aircraft the middle one, which would be the most convenient to look out of, is covered up. As a result, you either have to lean forward to look out, and give your abdominals a great work out during take off, or you crank your neck as far as you can to look out through the window closest to you. Five cycles with 20 repetitions over a period of five weeks should suffice to give you a six-pack that will make you the envy of your local fitness centre.

SERVICE

Service begins on the ground with a welcome drink. There is a selection of water and orange juice and I go with the latter. Next magazines and newspapers are distributed.

We push back from the gate some 10 minutes early. The captain comes on the blower to explain that they’re currently resurfacing one of the runways at the airport. Subsequently, there is a queue of six aircraft heading out for departure ahead of us that will take its time to shift as there are also arriving aircraft using the same runway. The flight time is one hour and 45 minutes.

While we queue I watch them watching us.

THE MEAL

Once the seatbelt sign is turned off, the meal service begins with a drinks round. I have a Ginger Ale, which is served with a small packet of incredibly tasty roasted almonds. They have a nice smoky taste.

Next hot towels are distributed ahead of the meal tray being served.

Today’s meal is:

• a green salad with sun dried tomatoes and lemon-infused olive oil
• pea mousse with shrimps and diced pickled vegetables
• seafood lasagne
• a creamy dessert made with passion fruit
• bread rolls are served with the meal

The meal is tasty enough and hits the spot nicely, even though the main dish isn’t really much to look at. The tray is removed and the flight attendant asks me if there’s anything I’d like. So I ask for a coffee, which she brings me shortly after with one of those tasty caramel biscuits.

I love those biscuits. I think I scoff it down just a bit too enthusiastically because text thing I know, the flight attendant returns with a whole handful of them and simply says with a smile ‘you seem to like them…’. I thank her for the attention and demolish the rest of the biscuits. But I make a point of leaving one packet untouched so as not to have a detrimental effect on my row 1 abdominal workout regime.

ARRIVAL

The rest of the flight is uneventful and we arrive in Amsterdam bang on time. It’s a quick taxi to the gate and from there I head for the lounge to wait for my connection to Basel.

CONCLUSION

I decided to write this report because I think the level of service KLM offers on this route is really quite amazing. To provide a hot meal and a full tray service in Business Class on a flight of less than two hours is quite impressive. As ever, the crew were really friendly, chatty and pleasant.

Of course, the issues with the delay on the outbound journey were a bit irritating and I really do wish KLM would stop doing things like that. I did write to KLM to let them know that although they had the best intentions, the way the whole thing was handled was not ideal, shall we say. And to give them credit, I received an answer the next day with an apology and a travel voucher for CHF250, which I thought was very considerate of them.

Malaysia Airlines, Business Class – B 737-800: Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur

Date: 24 July 2011
From: Bangkok
To: Kuala Lumpur
Airline: Malaysia Airlines
Cabin: Business Class
Seat: 1D
Aircraft: Boeing B. 737-800

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT

I just arrived in Bangkok on SWISS flight LX180 from Zürich. A representative from the airline is expecting me as I get off the plane. She takes my carry-on and bids me to take a seat in some kind of electric golf mobile. After waiting for three further First Class passengers we are whisked away. Our first stop is at the Fast Track immigration counter for passengers whose final destination is Bangkok or who are continuing on a domestic flight. Next stop is the fast track security check at the beginning of the G concourse. I am accompanied through the check, which is very quick – there’s just two of us – and then from there I am taken one floor up to the Malaysia Airlines transfer counter (which is in fact operated by Thai on their behalf). Here I receive a lounge invitation for the Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge. To be honest I do find it rather confusing in Bangkok: there’s the Royal Orchid Lounge, the Royal Silk Lounge and finally the Royal First Lounge.

THE LOUNGE

The SWISS representative drops me off in the lounge and bids me a safe onward journey. The lounge is rather nice, but definitely too small for all the passengers it has to accommodate. Furthermore, seating is very tight and not very comfortable.

Eventually I manage to secure a seat by the window. Unfortunately it is only when I try to take a photo that I notice there are these pesky dots all over the window. Who ever comes up with dumb ideas like this? So no pictures in the lounge then.

BOARDING

As the departure time draws nearer, I leave the lounge and head for gate D5, the designated gate for this flight. On my way there I come across a Viking and think it might be an old acquaintance from my trip to Beijing in June. Turns out it wasn’t.

Bangkok uses a closed gate system. When boarding for a flight starts, it means that everybody is made to enter the lounge and then when every passenger has been accounted for, the actual boarding process starts.

For sure the Kebaya the females wear at Malaysia Airlines is elegant and a complement to the female figure. But only one ounce too many round the bum or the waist and you’re in trouble.

THE CABIN

Upon entering the aircraft I am rather impressed that MH has in fact a dedicated Business Class cabin on the B 737 with a proper C class seat, as opposed to the European system of just blocking the middle seat in a row of three seats that would otherwise classify and Economy seats.

SERVICE

While we’re still on the ground a welcome drink of either orange juice or guava is offered. I opt for the guava, it brings back fond memories of a trip I did with my sister to Fiji many years ago. We used to drink guava juice every day during out stay in Fiji.

Next cold jasmine scented towels are distributed, together with the menu for the flight.

And then we depart.

THE FOOD

As soon as the fasten seatbelt sign is turned off, the crew start to prepare the meal service. First of all, they place a real tablecloth on every tray table.

Dinner on this flight consists of:

Appetizer

• Green Mango Salad with fresh lettuce, lime and cherry tomato
• Bakery Selection with garlic bread

Main Course

• Poached Chicken Breast, with rice, garden vegetables and ginger sauce (my choice)

or

• Stewed Beef with Chili Basil Sauce, with steamed rice and sautéed vegetables

or

• Seafood Ragout with Saffron Cream Sauce, with sautéed fettuccine pasta and vegetables

I go with the chicken. The meal is rather tasty and in fact quite spicy. Not overly so, but you can certainly feel a slight tickle in your throat as the food goes down.

Dessert

• Pumpkin Custard

After the meal the tray is cleared away and I ask for a coffee, which is duly brought to me in a big white mug. Usually on planes they insist on giving you these puny little but very elegant cups with enough space for not more than one mouthful of liquid.

The lavatories are checked and cleaned every time after they are used. Obviously by this time I’m really quite impressed with the level of service provided by MH. When I visit the toilet myself I am surprised to see quality cosmetics there at the disposal of the passengers, even for such a short flight of only two hours flying time. The toilet is also decorated with flowers, which is a nice touch.

The flight attendants on this flight are very beautiful, very professional and very friendly. After I came out of the toilet one of them asks me why I’m taking all the pictures. When I explain, she asks me if I want to have my picture taken. To which I reply that I would prefer to take a picture of her and her colleague, a request to which they both agree. What happens next, in my view, shows just how professional these two ladies are: just as I take the picture, a passenger appears from behind the curtain to go to the toilet. Rather that ignoring him for a second while I take the picture, the flight attendants immediately go back into work mode, show the elderly gentleman the way to the toilet and open the door for him. Once that is taken care, of I am able to take the picture. And these are the results:

Shortly thereafter we start our descent. The crew pass through the cabin with more hot jasmine scented towels. By the time we arrive in Kuala Lumpur I am well and truly exhausted. After all I left the previous day and travelled all the way from Athens via Zurich and Bangkok to KL. Fortunately there’s a dedicated arrivals counter at immigration for Business Class passengers, so I’m through in no time. I then head down to the basement to catch the KLIA Ekspres, as they call it, to Kuala Lumpur Sentral. Tickets for the KLIA Ekspres can be purchased online on the railway’s website, the trip into town is 35 Ringgit. During my visit to Kuala Lumpur I stay at the Hilton, which is right opposite the main entrance to the railway station, thus in close proximity to downtown and at the same time only one stop away from the airport.

The next day I continue to Langkawi, also on Malaysia Airlines

Singapore Airlines, Business Class – B 777-200: Singapore to Bandar Seri Begawan

INTRODUCTION

I’ve just arrived at Changi’s Terminal 3 on a Singapore Airlines A 380 flight from Zürich. It’s 05h45 in the morning and my onward connection to Brunei’s capital Bandar Seri Begawan is not until 13h50. Eight hours to go.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT

My onward flight will be leaving from T2. The transfer between T3 and T2 could not be easier. There is a dedicated train which takes less than five minutes to make the journey. As I take a step from the air-conditioned terminal into the air-conditioned train, for just the briefest of moments I get a sensation of the temperature outside. It’s only just gone six but it’s already very hot and humid.

Date: 20. May 2013
From: Singapore
To: Bandar Seri Begawan
Aircraft: B 777-200
Airline: Singapore Airlines
Cabin: Business Class
Seat: 11A, window, left
Departure: 13h50
Arrival: 15h50

THE LOUNGE

All I want to do right now is have a shower. It’s too early and too dark outside anyway to properly make out any of the planes outside. The lounge situation in Changi is a bit confusing. There is a SilverKris Gold Lounge for members travelling in Singapore Airlines’ economy class. And then there is also the SilverKris Lounge for First and Business Class passengers, which, apparently, is the one I am entitled to use today.

When I arrive, the lounge is already quite full. But I’m lucky and don’t have to wait to avail myself of one of the showers. The shower room itself is quite small. I only barely have enough space to open my carry-on to take out a new set of clothes. Shower gel and shampoo are provided, together with a shaving kit, tooth brush and tooth paste.

I’m starting to feel human again. I’m still tired though. For a loss of anything better to do, I find myself a quiet corner and figure I might as well upload my trip report of the previous flight from Zürich. As I write the lounge slowly empties, until eventually there is only a handful of people left.

The food and drink offerings in the lounge are good, with an interesting selection of Western and Asian dishes, both hot and cold. Even so, I can’t really say I like the lounge. First of all, the lack of any natural light makes the place feel rather gloomy. Secondly, the seating options are okay if you’re only in the lounge for a short while. But if, like me, you’re connecting from a long-haul flight, it would be nice to have more comfortable loungers to choose from.

About 90 minutes before departure I have to pack up my things and leave. I’m so exhausted I’m literally having trouble keeping my eyes open. Perhaps if I go for a walk I might wake up again.

So I mosey over to gate F34 from where my flight will be leaving. Changi uses a closed gate concept, with the security check taking place just before you enter the holding pen of the gate area. The gate has just opened. I walk up and down the length of the F pier but eventually decide to call it a day and head through security and into the gate. I take a seat by the window, from where I have excellent views of the ramp and the departing aircraft.

BOARDING

Oops, how embarrassing…I briefly wake up, startled by the sound of my own snoring. I wasn’t actually aware of the fact that you could do that sitting upright. In fact, I wouldn’t have though I’d be able to fall asleep sitting upright in a public place. Just goes to sh…off again. Snoring. The next thing I know I am rudely awakened by the gate agent making an announcement inviting First and Business Class passengers to board the flight. Finally! I make a mental note to book a hotel for my twelve hours layover on the way back. Either that or take a tour of the city.

THE CABIN

The cabin on this bird is still in the old configuration. I recognise the First Class seat from five years ago. There are two rows of First Class. The Business Class section is divided in two cabins. I am sitting in seat 11A, which is the first row of the forward cabin. This section has three rows in a 2-3-2 configuration. From what I can tell the second section, on the other side of the galley, also has three rows.

The seat itself is pretty old school, with old-fashioned seat controls that hark back to the late ‘90s. Even so, the seat is very comfortable and although the recline is not fully flat, it still allows for some decent rest – which I’m very much in need of right now.

A few images of the view outside:

THE CREW

One of the crew spots the Air Malta sticker I have on my carry-on. So she follows me to my seat. As she helps me stow my luggage, curiosity gets the better of her and she asks me what Air Malta is. I try to explain to her that it’s the national airline of Malta but draw a blank. We look Malta up in the inflight magazine to find that it isn’t there. So I give up and simply tell her it’s a very small country in the Mediterranean. Later on during the flight, when I’d already forgotten about it, the same flight attendant returns and tells me that the captain actually flew to Malta many years ago, when Singapore Airlines still used to operate to Malta with the B 747-200 in the ‘80s. Blimey, shouldn’t he already be retired by now?

SERVICE

As soon as I am comfortably seated, a male flight attendant arrives with a tray of drinks. I have a glass of orange juice.

Next a female flight attendant brings me the earphones and menu for today’s flight. And then, of course, it’s time for the first hot towel. I’m quite impressed, especially given that the flight time to Brunei is only one hour and 45 minutes.

Eventually the doors close and we push back. It’s a light load today, with only four of the 21 seats in the forward Business Class section occupied.

Taxiing to the active runway:

Take-off:

THE FOOD

Once we’re airborne, it takes a while for the fasten seatbelt sign to be turned off. I have a vague recollection of us flying through some turbulence, but I may have been dreaming. But the sound of the food service starting quickly wakes me up again.

The tray arrives with the starter and dessert on it. The starter is marinated shrimps with feta cheese, slices of bell pepper and greens.

Dessert today is something described in the menu as ice jelly with fresh fruit. It comes with the smallest lime I have ever seen. The idea is that you squeeze the lime over the jelly.

The starter is not really very good. First of all the shrimps have a very strong and off-putting smell. The few pieces of feta cheese are okay but the bell peppers are still half frozen.

I choose a slice of garlic bread from the breadbasket, but only remember to take a picture after I’ve already had a bite. Sorry about that.

Eventually the flight attendant arrives with my hot meal. She removes the starter and wishes me a good meal. She also reassures me that if the meal is too spicy I should let her know, they still have something harmless available which I can have if I can’t take the spicy food.

For the main I have the Nasi Uduk. It’s an interesting dish that contains pieces of chicken in some spicy marinade, a fish cake and fried egg with rice cooked in coconut milk. There is also a small tinfoil container with some sort of spicy curry gravy.

The meal is served with a side dish of pickled vegetables.

The meal is quite spicy. During the meal three different flight attendants come to check if I’m alright or if I need some more water, which is of course very considerate of them, although the meal isn’t that hot.

The ice jelly is rather bland. I only have a spoon full to taste and leave the rest. The tray is removed before the coffee service. As on the previous flight, I am quite amazed by how well timed the service is. It’s not at all rushed, but there is no wait either to remove the tray.

I finish the meal with a cup of coffee, which is much better than the one I had on the last flight.

ARRIVAL

The meal seems to have done wonders to revive me. I’m feeling quite awake again. I suppose it’s also the excitement of visiting a new country. Most of the flight is over the sea. On our way we pass some beautiful looking islands before eventually we reach the Brunei coast.

Brunei itself is very green and lush. From above it doesn’t look very densely populated.

We land and the engines of the mighty triple seven treat us to one last, powerful roar as the reversers open and we slow down on the airport’s single runway.

There’s quite a queue for immigration, but it moves quickly. My suitcase takes a while longer to arrive and for one horrible moment I’m afraid it may not have made it. Eventually though, I finally see it coming round the corner on the conveyor belt. Initially I wonder how on earth I’m supposed to get a hold of it. There are people standing all around the belt, three rows deep. But I needn’t have worried as I get a first impression of the friendliness of the people of Brunei: as my suitcase approaches I try to move to the front to pick it up, but it is to no avail. Fortunately some gentleman up front notices me, picks up the suitcase for me and passes it on to the guy standing right behind him, who then passes it on to me. Thank you very much!

I finally made it. I am in Brunei. Apart from the friendliness and politeness of the people, I am simply amazed by just how clean everything is. I leave you with a few images of Bandar Seri Begawan.

Singapore Airlines, Business Class – A 380: Zürich to Singapore

INTRODUCTION

It’s been quite a while since my last post. I’ve been doing quite a bit of flying, mostly on airlines that have already been covered extensively in some of my other trip reports.

But this one ought to be interesting. Today I’m on my way to Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of Negara Brunei Darussalam. Brunei is actually not that easy to get to, particularly from Switzerland. Of course my first choice would have been to fly Royal Air Brunei. They have a direct service from Heathrow. But alas, that flight stops in Dubai in the middle of the night on both the outbound and the inbound flight, which is inconvenient for two reasons: first of all, the interruption of the flight in Dubai means that you don’t really get a full night’s sleep. Secondly, the sector length for both the LHR to DXB and the subsequent DXB to BWN is about six hours each, which isn’t really enough for sleep either. I’m travelling on business, so I decide against this option. I don’t want to arrive feeling like a vegetable. So instead I shall be travelling with Singapore Airlines from Zürich via Singapore. This report covers the outbound leg from Zürich to Singapore.

On the outbound I have a connecting time in Singapore of eight hours. The return is worse still, with a whopping twelve hours layover in Singapore. But still, there are certainly worse airports to have to do a stopover in than Singapore.

On a positive note, the flights between Zürich and Singapore are operated by the A380. She may be ugly as sin, but she’s still quite an amazing bird.

The last time I flew Singapore Airlines was back in 2008. Back then I flew in First Class on the B777-300 from Zürich to Singapore and then onwards in regional First Class, I think it was on a B777-200, to Taipei. I was on a round the world itinerary which eventually also saw me take the Singapore Airlines B747-400 from JFK to Frankfurt, also in First. So I’m rather curious to see how time has treated one of the world’s most prestigious airlines in the intervening years.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT

My first stop after I leave my flat is the Confiserie Bachmann on the square outside the station. They make the best pain au chocolat ever, with nice big chunky pieces of chocolate oozing out of everywhere. I think I may have already mentioned the fact in a previous post and so, simply for the sake of completeness, I am including in this post a picture of the delectable item.

And then from there I head across the square, into the station and down to platform seven, from where my train will be leaving. Being a Sunday morning, the train that normally runs on this route has been substituted by what is in fact a short regional train. And to be fair, the load is pretty light.

My only grippe is that the seat is rather hard. By the time we pull into Zürich Airport station 80 minutes later, my backside is feeling seriously worse for ware.

To look outside you’d hardly think we’re already approaching the end of May. We’ve had a few scattered days of sunshine here and there but other than that it’s been quite miserable. At least the low-hanging clouds do look kind of poetic, I guess.

Date: 19. May 2013
From: Zürich
To: Singapore
Aircraft: A 380
Airline: Singapore Airlines
Cabin: Business Class
Seat: 18K, later on moved forward to 17K
Departure: 11:45
Arrival: 05:45, the next day

CHECK-IN

The airport is surprisingly busy for a Sunday morning when I arrive, with a mix of travellers and Sunday shoppers wandering, seemingly aimlessly, through the terminal.

The Singapore Airlines check-in counters are currently located on the mezzanine level between arrivals and departures of what used to be Terminal B and is now, if I’m not mistaken, Check-in 2. This is only a temporary location for Singapore Airlines while the check-in area one floor up is redesigned and renovated.

I am greeted at the check-in counter by one of my former students, who happens to be working for Swissport until he starts a new job in engineering in a few weeks. While he checks me in we have a little natter and I inquire about how he’s been and what he’s been up to. I figure I must have done a few things right in my job, because the next thing I notice is that he’s actually tagged my check-in luggage with a Suite First Class tag. Thanks for that!

We bid each other farewell and I make my way to security. After that it’s the passport control and then the underground shuttle that runs underneath the apron and runway 28 to the E dock.

Airside.

Going down into the bowels of the terminal for immigration.

Waiting for the next shuttle.

Inside the shuttle I.

Inside the shuttle II.

Arriving at the E dock.

THE LOUNGE

I decide to give the Swiss Senator lounge a miss and try out the Panorama lounge at the E dock instead. This is a common purpose lounge which appears to be used by all airlines operating out of the E dock, with the exception of Emirates, who have their own lounge. Subsequently, the place is rather full when I arrive. Figuring it might be a while until I finally get some food on the plane, I help myself to a small plate of pasta and shortly after that it’s already time to head downstairs to the gate where boarding is about to begin.

By now you’re probably wondering why there aren’t any pictures of my ride to Singapore. So here we go (taken from different locations, including the lounge).

BOARDING

The boarding process is a very well organised affair, which is a good thing, seeing as Singapore Airlines recently stopped using the only gate at Zürich equipped with three airbridges.

This means that all Business Class passengers on the upper deck will have to board through the front door on ‘ground level’ and then from there take the stairs one floor up.

One of the male attendants sees me trying to take a picture of the stairs and offers to strike a pose. But before I can actually take the picture, he thinks better of it. Pity.

THE CABIN

To be honest, my first impression of the cabin is somewhat underwhelming. It looks slightly worn around the edges. Other than that though, the seat certainly offers a lot of personal space, it’s very wide.

In Business Class there are only overhead bin over the central aisle. The window seats however, have some additional storage space as there are storage bins located by the side of the seat facing the window.

Every seat back is equipped with a set of USB ports as well as a universal electric plug socket that can take the British style plugs as well as the standard Swiss and European ones. Located immediately above that is a small compartment where you can place your glasses.

The general impression of the seat is that obviously a lot of thought was put into the design, it’s more functional than it is elegant. For example: the compartment where you place your glasses is lined with some velvety material to prevent the lenses from scratching.

Other than that, there are two cushions at every seat. I think I’d feel quite lost without them!

Our neighbour.

THE CREW

The Singapore Airlines crews hardly need an introduction and this flight is no exception. The crew is made up of a racial mix of young men and women, all of them eager to please. It has often been said of the Singapore Airlines crews that they lack warmth or personality. Some have even called them robotic in their mannerisms. On this flight however, this could hardly be farther from the truth. The entire crew are very attentive, service-oriented and very approachable, without however being intrusive. And that kebaya simply complements the female form beautifully…!

SERVICE

Service begins on the ground with a welcome drink. I have something that is apparently a mix of bitter lemon and seven up, and very refreshing it is too. And then after that I receive the first in a whole series of nicely scented, warm refreshing towels.

The menu has already been placed at my seat when I arrive.

Push back is on time. With all the rain everything is looking lush and green outside.

On our way to the active runway.

With all the rain everything is really looking lush.

Departure is to the south from runway 16, the usual. As we do a final left turn to line up with the runway, I spot this here. It’s used for fire training nowadays.

Seriously, they really don’t build them like they used to in the good old days. I know, perhaps I’m a bit weird that way. Probably if I weren’t I wouldn’t be writing this blog. But: for me an airplane has to have the sound and feel of an airplane. And that’s where the A 380 is a bit of a let down. First of all, it is really quite amazing just how quiet the cabin is. Even when we power up and go hurtling down the runway for take off, the noise in the cabin is at a pleasant level. And there’s not much of a sensation of acceleration either.

Airborne.

Veeeery gently climbing.

Blue sky. I have a vague recollection of the last time I saw that…

Quite surprisingly, Singapore Airlines no longer provide vanity kits on board. Instead, after take-off the crew distribute a pair of eye-shades and slippers. Everything else is available in the toilets, ear plugs need to be requested separately.

THE FOOD

The meal service starts with the traditional chicken and beef satay, which really are tasty, even though I think I end up overdosing on the raw onion.

To drink with that I have one of Singapore Airlines’ signature non-alcoholic cocktails, ‘Awaiting the dawn’ I think it’s called. It’s a somewhat unusual combination of tomato juice and pineapple that works surprisingly well.

For the rest of the meal I stick with sparkling water.

The satay are quite tasty, but without a fork or a spoon it’s quite impossible to lop up all of the lovely peanut sauce. After the satay there is a short break while the crew prepare the main service. In the meantime, I think I’ll just sit back and enjoy the view.

First the table is set. Every seat is done individually. The starter today is dried beef with pasta salad, lettuce and antipasti, more specifically a spicy pepper filled with cream cheese and an olive filled with an almond.

With that I have a few slices of garlic bread and a Silserli, a typical Swiss type of bread that gets its name from the town of Sils.

The service is well-timed and efficient, without however being hurried or rushed. For the main dish I’m having the Indian spicy chicken with vegetable curry and pilaf rice. It’s quite a spicy dish, with plenty of flavour.

After the meal there is a choice of either vanilla ice cream with a fruit sauce or a passion fruit cheesecake, which I have. The dessert is nothing special really, its only saving grace being that it is made with Agar Agar and not gelatine.

The meal concludes with a selection of cheese, served with crackers, walnuts, dried apricots and grapes. With that I have a glass of port.

Once the meal is over, the crew come to take orders for tea or coffee. I have a peppermint tea, which the flight attendant brings me with a praline. In the meantime I look out the window some more. I never seem to tire of this view!

ENTERTAINMENT

After the meal I try out the wifi connection. For USD10 you can download up to 10MB of data. You can select for the connection to stop once you have reached you allowance or to just continue billing you in 10 cent steps per 100KB. So I do a bit of surfing, answer some e-mails and What’s App my mum before eventually I decide to take a nap.

A few hours later I awake. It’s still about four hours to go to Singapore, so I switch on the inflight entertainment system. Singapore Airlines has quite an extensive selection of films. I start to watch Skyfall – again. Not so much because I thought the film was that good – twice is enough – but because I just love the opening titles with that song by Adele. I then switch to watching ‘Hotel Transylvania’, which is okay but seriously lacks a decent story line.

THE SECOND SERVICE

By the time that’s over, it’s already time for the second meal service, which begins of course, with the distribution of yet another hot towel, followed by a glass of fresh orange juice.

The meal consists of:

• a plate of fresh fruit
• Birchermüsli
• a selection from the breadbasket
• a selection of hot dishes: I go for the omelette with veal sausages and potatoes

Like Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines will automatically give you a glass of still water to drink with the main dish. In addition, there is more orange juice and a cup of the most god awful coffee I have ever had the misfortune to taste.

Again the service is unhurried and pleasant. Throughout the meal service the mood lighting is set to what I presume to be dawn.

Once the meal service is over and yet another hot towel has been distributed and collected, the lights go out again. It’s now just 68 minutes to arrival in Changi at 05h45 am.

ARRIVAL

Our arrival into Changi is very atmospheric, really nice. With the engines in idle to slow us down, it’s gone quiet in the cabin. The passengers aren’t saying much either. The dark cabin adds to the mood. Eventually we touch down and within seconds the outer window pane starts to fog up with the humidity.

We arrive at one of the B gates at T3 which is equipped with three airbridges. I thank the crew, bid them farewell and disembark. From here I make my way to T2, from where my connection to Brunei will be leaving.

CONCLUSION

So what’s the verdict? It’s hard to put into words. Singapore Airlines is certainly up there in the top league of international airlines. Their Business Class cabin is very innovative and comfortable. Combined with the outstanding level of service provided by the cabin crew, the entire experience really is more like what many other airlines offer in First Class nowadays. However, from my recent experiences the same could also be said for Cathay Pacific and ANA – All Nippon Airways. Perhaps it’s just me and all the flying I do has made me blazé. Either that or Singapore Airlines have created an image that in actual fact even they themselves are unable to live up to.

LAN, Business Class – A 340-300: Madrid to Frankfurt

INTRODUCTION

In 2012 I spent the Easter break in the city of Cordoba in Spain. For my return home I picked the last scheduled Korean Air flight from Madrid to Amsterdam. The day after, Korean Air would operate to both Madrid and Amsterdam as nonstop services. Quite by coincidence I decided to spend the Easter of 2013 in Spain again – this time visiting the city of Toledo, 70 kilometres away from Madrid. For the return I decided to fly from Madrid to Frankfurt with LAN Chile. Quite by coincidence, I only realised when I got on board that mine would be the last flight from Santiago de Chile via Madrid to Frankfurt. Originally, LAN had planned to operate a daily nonstop service with the B 787 to Frankfurt with the beginning of the summer schedule 2013. The worldwide grounding of the B 787 fleet obviously put an end to those plans. However, one of the flight attendants on my flight did mention that LAN would only be suspending Frankfurt for three months and would resume the destination once they had received ‘the new product’. So I can only assume that LAN is expecting the B 787 to be operational within the next three months. We shall see…

Airline: LAN Chile
Aircraft: Airbus A 340-300
From: Madrid
To: Frankfurt
Cabin Class: Business
Seat: 1C, aisle
Date: 31 March 2013

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT

Toledo station is a truly remarkable building. It resembles a mosque more than it does a public building, with many Moorish influences incorporated in the structure.

My train leaves at 10h25 and takes 32 minutes to complete the journey of 70 kilometres from Toledo to Madrid’s Atocha terminus.

At Atocha I change trains to the suburban line that goes to Madrid airport’s new T4.

CHECK-IN

T4 really is a remarkable building. It’s also quite apparent that the facility is in fact way too big for the amount of traffic it handles. But perhaps it’s just because of the Easter weekend. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt.

I make my way up three or four floors – I stopped counting – to the check-in level for LAN, which has quite an extensive operation here in Madrid.

A ground agent guides me to the check-in counters for Business Class passengers, where I am issued my boarding pass for the flight to Frankfurt straight away. I am then given instructions on how to reach the satellite, from where my flight will be leaving.

The satellite is accessed by an underground automated shuttle, which means that I will have to take the escalators all the way down into the basement again to catch the shuttle and then up again on the other side. This place is simply massive.

THE LOUNGE

LAN being a member of the Oneworld alliance means that I can use the Iberia lounge and I must say, it really is a very nice place. The lounge is quite large, has a good selection of food and drinks and offers some excellent views of the apron. My only complaint is that wifi access is limited to thirty minutes at a time and you have to get a scratch card from reception to gain access.

DEPARTURE

Eventually my flight shows up on the screen as ‘Embarque’ – boarding – so I make my way to the gate.

By the time I get there, boarding has already started. There is a separate line for Business Class passengers but it is cordoned off. ‘No such luck’ me thinks, when one of the gate agents sees me standing there. She greets me, scans my boarding pass and lets me through, wishing me a pleasant trip in the process.

THE CABIN

The bulkhead on this bird has a finish that is supposed to make it look like wood panelling, which obviously it is not. But even so, somehow it doesn’t look that bad. The seat covers are a dark grey colour, which goes quite well with the red tone of the faux wood bulkhead. The seat itself has a lot in common with the model Iberia has installed on its A 340s.

THE CREW

The crew on this flight is a mixed bag. The men generally seem much friendlier than the ladies. It’s not that the females are rude or anything, they just seem a bit standoffish. The lead flight attendant in Business Class is a middle-aged female who speaks close to no English at all, which I find rather strange for an airline operating internationally. I also think her lack of English could potentially be a safety concern, particularly in case of a medical emergency or the likes.

SERVICE

This flight very much has the feel of a long-haul flight, which essentially it is, even though I just boarded in Madrid and the flight to Frankfurt is only two hours. When I arrive at my seat there is a fresh set of earphones in one of the seat pockets located in the side of the seat.

And later on during the flight, once the meal service is over, I ask for a blanket and receive – much to my surprise – a proper duvet cover instead.

As soon as I am comfortably settled in my seat, a friendly young man arrives with a tray of drinks and warm nuts. On offer today we have champagne, water or something called a Pisco Sour. I decide to make an exception from my usual habit of not drinking any alcohol on a plane and try the Pisco Sour, which is in fact quite tasty (although I’m still not quite sure what it is).

After that a selection of magazines is offered. Apart from the usual offerings like The Economist and Time Magazine, there is also a good selection of German magazines like Der Spiegel.

Departure is on time and the take-off roll is unusually nimble for an A 340-300.

THE MEAL

As soon as we’re airborne, the meal service starts straight away. We begin with warm towels. They are not scented. Quite the contrary, they have a strong pong of chlorine.

Then the table is set with a tablecloth.

The meal itself is somewhat underwhelming and there are no choices.

It consists of:

• A mixed salad with slices of cold pork and an apple chutney.

• A plate of cheese.

• A bowl of fresh melon, grapes and pineapple.

• A small piece of Lindt dark chocolate.
• A selection of warm bread.

To drink my neighbour orders a still water, while I ask for a glass of sparkling water with ice. But seemingly it is too much to expect the flight attendant to remember two items at a time and so we both end up with just a glass of warm still water.

On a positive note, LAN use these huge mugs for their tea and coffee service. Pity the coffee itself is so vile!

After the meal I put the seat into sleep mode, cover up with the duvet and doze off until it’s time for us to land in Frankfurt.

ARRIVAL

Arrival in Frankfurt is pretty much on time. We land on the new runway. It’s quite a trek to our final parking position at terminal 2.

CONCLUSION

So what did I think of LAN Chile? As I said, the flight certainly had the feel of a long-haul service about it, which is always nice. The crew were much more personable and friendly than the ones I had on Iberia and I think it is quite clear that LAN goes out of its way to reach out to its customers and tries to provide good service. Did they succeed? They were okay, in fact for a short-haul European sector I think they were more than okay. But then again that’s hardly a fair comparison.

Iberia, Business Class – A 340-600: London Heathrow to Madrid

INTRODUCTION

When British Airways and Iberia announced their intention to tie the knot a few years back, I simply didn’t get it. And I suspect I probably was not the only one. The smart and successful British Airways merging with the hopeless mess they call Iberia. So far I’ve only ever tried Iberia in Economy Class and to be honest, they have yet to impress me. High time therefore, to give them a spin in Business Class. I will even be so kind and gracious and give them a bit of a head start. Rather than try Iberia on a ‘normal’ European route, I’ve selected the 18h40 departure from Heathrow to Madrid. This flight is operated by an A 340-600 and thus promises a level of comfort that a narrow-body simply cannot match. So off we go. Iberia, do your worst!

Airline: Iberia
Aircraft: Airbus A 340-600
From: London Heathrow T5C
To: Madrid T4S
Cabin Class: Business
Seat: 3A, window on the left side of the aircraft
Date: 28.03.2013

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT

I’m already in Heathrow actually. I arrived here on a KLM flight from Amsterdam. Heathrow is such a large place that it actually takes me over an hour to make the transfer from T4 to T5.

I’ve just passed security, which took ages. But I have only myself to blame for that. I forgot to remove my Kindle from my case and subsequently ended up having to unpack every thing and repack it again. I have just over two hours before my flight leaves for Madrid. But what to do? I’m feeling a bit peckish. I could go to the lounge obviously, and get myself something to eat and drink there. But if I do that, I’ll miss my bird arriving and I may not get a chance to take another picture of her. It will be dark by the time we get to Madrid. So eventually I decide to go for a meal at Wagamama. I like their food and from the restaurant I have a good overview of what’s going on in and around T5. I’m all set.

I’m just waiting for my passion fruit cheesecake to arrive when suddenly I see the reflection in the window of something big and yellow. And sure enough, shortly afterwards the mighty A 340-600 comes into view and graciously glides down onto runway 09L. For some reason I was expecting the aircraft to use one of the gates at the main building of T5. It only occurs to me as I watch her taxi back towards the terminal that the A 340-600 may perhaps be too long to use one of the stands there. And indeed, eventually the aircraft comes to a halt at T5C, the second one of the two satellites.

BOARDING

Just before six I pay the bill at the Wagamama and make my way to the gate at C61. To do that I must first take a lift down into the basement of T5 and from there catch the automated shuttle. The shuttle calls briefly at the B satellite before continuing to the C satellite, the terminus station.

As I arrive at the gate they’re pre-boarding families with children, of which there seem to be quite a few on today’s flight. Next up, is the boarding call for Business Class passengers and frequent flyers with status. I am impressed by how strict the BA ground crew enforce the boarding process.

It’s quite a trek from the exit of the building to the door of the aircraft. At least I get some excellent views of aircraft approaching and landing on 09L. Eventually, I reach the door and I am greeted by no less than three male flight attendants. They seem friendly enough.

THE CABIN

First surprise: the cabin looks rather nice. Admittedly the seat is not necessarily state of the art anymore. It’s what I would term something from the first generation of hard shell Business Class seats. But still, the seat has a nice finish with leather (Or is it just plastic?) on the armrests and around the frame of the seat. More importantly though, when extended into a bed, it is indeed fully flat, horizontal and has a good height above the floor. Would I be willing to undertake a long-haul flight in this seat? Yes actually, I think so and I would probably sleep like a baby.

It is also worth pointing out that the aircraft as different luggage bins over the central row of seats. Instead of simply having a lid that opens upwards, the bins in the middle move down when opened, just like the ones used on the B 777 or the B 747.

This is all wrong you know. I was expecting to not like anything at all about this flight!

DEPARTURE

Departure is pretty much on time. It’s just before 19h00 and I am starting to feel tired. After all, it’s been a long day for me. I arrived in Amsterdam from Montreal at 07h50. Although I managed to sleep very well, the flight was simply not long enough to get some decent rest. And then I spent the morning walking around Amsterdam before returning to the airport in the afternoon to catch the flight to Heathrow. So it’s hardly surprising that the unthinkable happens. For the very first time in my life, physical exhaustion gets in the way of my passion (That sound so much better than obsession…) for flying. I nod off and actually miss our take-off roll – the best part of the flight. We go thundering down the runway and I miss it all. One moment we’re moving backwards as we push back onto the taxiway, the next thing I become aware of is the flight attendant placing a menu on my armrest in preparation for the meal. I realise we’re already airborne. Well, at least I didn’t miss the food!

SERVICE

How many flight attendants are there up front anyway? There are two ladies working my aisle. One of them is young, friendly and efficient, while the other is middle-aged, very friendly and takes things at a much more leisurely, pleasant pace. Two middle-aged men are serving the other aisle. And then there’s another guy, I think he’s probably the purser, working the galley.

THE MEAL

So what’s for dinner?

As I already mentioned, Iberia still have menus in Business Class. Even on short-haul flights. Of course that should hardly make a difference, but still I think it’s a nice touch. Today we have:

• Salad of fresh leaves with zucchini, carrot and raisins with a balsamico vinaigrette.

• A choice of cheese battered chicken breast or baked merluza with citrus and tarragon.

• Goat cheese with blueberries.

• Tiramisu with red fruits cake.

• Assorted breadbasket with extra-virgin olive oil.

From a glance at the menu it looks as though the salad and the chicken/fish are two separate dishes. But in actual fact it is merely of question of having a warm item added to the plate with the salad. I opt for the chicken breast. The meal if perfectly adequate for a flight time of only two hours and the taste isn’t bad either. The crew do two bread rounds.

The only thing that is really vile is the dessert, the Tiramisu. Words cannot describe this abomination of artificial cream, artificial fruit flavour and probably also artificial bits of fruit.

And then the trays are removed. Coffee and tea are served on a small, flat dish. The crew proactively offer spirits to go along with that. As a rule I don’t drink on a plane so I stick to coffee and a glass of water.

ARRIVAL

And then comes the moment for me to give the seat a trial run. I’m exhausted and really need to get some forty winks. But again, my rest is but a short one as our mighty aircraft soon dips its nose and we begin our descent into Madrid. It’s rather cool of Iberia to keep the tail camera on for the approach. It’s dark by the time we reach Madrid so the runway is easily made out in the dark. Some passengers express their surprise as they notice that, although we’re moving in the general direction of the runway, the nose of the aircraft is in fact pointing in a slightly different direction. I think it’s called a cross-wind component.

I only take one last picture as we disembark.

Madrid’s T4 is certainly impressive but I am simply too tired to care. I’ll take some pictures of the airport on my way back to Frankfurt in a few days.

We dock at the satellite. From our arrival gate it’s a walk of about five minutes to immigration. From there you take two sets of escalators down into the basement and then from there an automated shuttle to the main terminal. The shuttle journey is surprisingly long. Once I reach the main building I head for the Renfe station – the Spanish railways company. The journey from the airport to Atocha station takes about thirty minutes to complete and costs EUR2.50.

I will spend the night at the Radisson Blue close to Atocha station. Tomorrow I will catch a train and spend Easter in Toledo.

CONCLUSION

What can I say? I was really not expecting anything much from Iberia other than horrible service, bad food and worn hardware. But in fact Iberia exceeded my expectations. The seat was comfortable enough, the crew were polite and friendly and the food was okay, save for the dessert. Having said that, the whole experience was certainly not outstanding and seemed somehow very old-fashioned to me. So perhaps it is just too easy to simply say that Iberia is a horrible airline with bad service. Perhaps it might be more appropriate to say that Iberia is an airline with a product and service that are simply not competitive anymore.

KLM City Hopper, Business Class – Embraer 190: Amsterdam to London Heathrow

INTRODUCTION

It’s 07h30 in the morning on Maundy Thursday. I’ve just arrived in Amsterdam on a KLM MD-11 from Montreal. I’ve decided to make the most of the long Easter weekend and visit Toledo in Spain. Of course the easiest thing to do would have been to catch a direct flight from Amsterdam to Madrid either by Iberia, Air Europa or KLM. But I’ve decided to go for something a bit more substantial, shall we say.

My first stop will be London’s Heathrow airport. The flight to Heathrow will not be leaving until later on in the afternoon. So I make my way to the luggage deposit area in the basement of Schiphol airport. Access to the area is via a lift or stairs located between arrivals halls 2 and 3. For one day of storage the charge is EUR 7.- for a mid-sized locker and EUR 9.- for a large sized locker.

With my luggage safely stored I head into town for breakfast at De Bakerswinkel. It’s a lovely bakery on the fringe of the seedier part of town, but don’t let that put you off. After breakfast I head for the botanical gardens. I need to walk and move a bit after spending 7 hours on the plane from Montreal.

It’s a nice day here in Amsterdam. But it’s much colder than it was in Montreal.

Airline: KLM City Hopper
Aircraft: Embraer E-190
From: Amsterdam
To: London Heathrow T4
Cabin Class: Business
Seat: 2F, window on the right side of the aircraft
Date: 28 March 2013

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT

Just after 13h00 I decide to head back to the airport – I’m feeling cold. My next connection is by Fyra train. The Fyra is the fastest way to get to the airport because these trains don’t stop anywhere on the way between Amsterdam Central station and Schiphol. Subsequently the Fyra trains is subject to a fare supplement.

The airport has calmed down since the morning. As the United Kingdom is outside the Schengen area, I’ll have to go through passport control. In Amsterdam security for the non-Schengen flights is not centralised and instead there is a checkpoint at every gate.

From passport control I head for the KLM Crown Lounge. On my way there I pass Audrey Hepburn, the MD-11 that gently carried me away from Montreal and safely brought me across the Atlantic to Amsterdam. She’s standing where I left her this morning at gate E2.

I presume she’ll be heading back across the Atlantic later on in the afternoon. As I stand there admiring her classic good looks, it suddenly hits me with a stab of regret that in all likelihood I will not get another chance to fly the MD-11 again. I know I’ve said so before, but this time I think it may actually be true. And so I bid my farewell. I think back for a moment on the fond memories I have of flying on the MD-11. And then I move on.

THE LOUNGE

The lounge is still quite busy when I arrive, so I resist the urge to take any pictures for the benefit of my fellow trip reporters. I manage to find myself a nice quiet corner, settle down and give my mum a call to let her know I’m back in Europe.

A cappuccino and some tasty spicy biscuits later and it’s time for me to make my way to the lounge for boarding. My flight will be leaving from gate D6. To reach D6 you have to take the stairs down from the main concourse level to ground level, which is also where the security check takes place. Behind that there is a whole series of gates that together make up D6 and which are designated with the letters of the alphabet. My flight will be boarding from gate D6-D. The designation evidently is a bit confusing and while the boarding process is going on, a whole bunch of people rush up to the counter for our gate, only to be informed by the gate agent that they still have loads of time and their flight will not be boarding from here anyway.

Here’s the view from D6:

THE CABIN

Eventually the packed bus whisks us away to our awaiting chariot. From the D gates it takes about 5 minutes by bus to reach the Fokker farm where our bird is parked. We pull up next to a lone Embraer E-190. I take my time getting off the bus as I want to take some pictures and I’m sitting in the front section of the plane anyway.

There are three rows of Business Class. Initially I’m on 3D, an aisle seat. The window seat is occupied. I’m a bit surprised. I’m not quite sure whether KLM has recently made some changes to its seating policy in European Business Class or if perhaps I’ve just been very lucky so far. As far as I know, KLM normally keeps the neighbouring seat in Business Class free to give you more space. This no longer seems to be the case. As it turns out though, by the time the door is closed row two remains empty and so I quickly change seats and move to 2F.

The cabin of the Embraer is certainly more modern and attractive than that of the Fokker 70, which really is getting a bit long in the tooth. In particular, I like the very elegant and simple shapes and lines in the cabin. I’m not really much of a fan of the seats on the Embraer though. As far as that’s concerned, the Fokker 70 definitely takes the biscuit. The pitch is fine, but it always feels like the seats are a bit too low above the ground to make for a comfortable ride. But today’s flight will only be 45 minutes, plus the fifteen minutes trek to the threshold of the departing runway 36L. I’ll survive.

THE CREW

The crew is an interesting mix. The two ladies in the cabin are both Dutch and very friendly. Actually I think I recognise one of them from a previous flight. The cockpit crew is one Englishman and a Scotsman with rather a pronounced accent. I’m not so sure how comprehensible his accent is to the international aviation community, but it certainly sounds cool.

DEPARTURE

Once all the passengers are seated, the crew come round offering newspaper. Their English selection is a choice of either the Herald Tribune or the Financial Times, both of which I’m not really keen on. Besides, the view outside is far more interesting I think. You know that song by the Talking Head? ‘We’re on a road to nowhere…’ always comes to mind when I’m sitting on a plane making the long trek to the Polderbahn.

THE MEAL

Once we get airborne the meal service begins quickly.

The meal consists of:

• An amuse bouche of potato and shrimp salad with creamy Reypenaar cheese.

• A mixed salad with honeyed Goat’s cheese, beetroot and pumpkin seed, served with organic balsamic dressing.

• Assorted hot rolls.

• A vanilla mousse with green apple compote.

With that I have a still water to drink. In contrast to Economy Class, in Business Class you get the whole bottle to drink.

As usual with KLM, the meal is very tasty and sufficient for such a short hop. It certainly beats Lufthansa’s ‘special moments’ offerings in terms of quantity, quality and presentation.

Coffee and tea are also offered – but I forget to take a picture.

ARRIVAL

By the time the meal is cleared away, we’ve already started out descent. We’re early today and fortunately traffic is not too busy. So we only have to make one holding circuit before we are vectored for the approach.

We land on runway 09R. T4 is deserted at this time of day, with only a handful of aircraft parked at the gates. As we round the corner, KLM’s previous flight from Amsterdam comes in to view.

TRANSFER IN HEATHROW

We deplane and I follow the signs for flight connections and T5.

I’m rather surprised to find that I appear to be the only passenger on the flight who does not have London as their final destination. I walk straight ahead, turn left, down another corridor, turn right, then left again, then right again, then down the escalators until finally I am standing – all by myself – at the bus stop for the shuttle from T4 to T5. I wait for about 10 minutes for the bus to arrive. I am the only passenger making the journey, the bus driver seems surprised even to see just one person!

The transfer takes 13 minutes to complete and offers some interesting views of the ramp and the extensive tunnel system under Heathrow. The whole ride has a bit of a ‘behind the scenes’ feel to it. It’s really quite fascinating.

CONCLUSION

I like KLM. I have yet to have a bad experience with a KLM crew! My impression of the Dutch has always been that they are very pragmatic people, particularly when it comes to business. And I think a lot of that shows in the KLM product. Of course there are more polished offerings out there. Just to use the Amsterdam to London route as an example, BA will offer you a meal on a tray with metal cutlery and a proper plate – rather than presenting you with a meal in a box like KLM do. Nonetheless, the KLM approach somehow seems more sensible – to me at least – and I like that.

Asiana Airlines, First Class – Boeing B 747-400: Seoul to Frankfurt

Welcome! This is the last report in the series covering my trip to Okinawa early in the summer of 2012. I‘d completely forgotten to post this last part and figured I’d do so now for the sake of completion.

Date: 02 June 2012
From: Seoul
To: Frankfurt
Airline: Asiana Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing B 747-400
Cabin: First Class
Seat: 2K

THE LOUNGE EXPERIENCE

The story begins as I make my way to the Asiana Airlines First Class lounge. Seoul airport is not too busy and neither is the lounge. In fact I have the place nearly all to myself.

The lounge is well stocked with amenities, food and drink. Even so, I must admit I am not the greatest fan of the interior design. It is hard to describe really. It reminds me a bit of one of those old chalet hotels you still find in the Alps in some of the less popular resorts. Still, it serves its purpose and even has free wifi.

The shelves in the lounge are stacked with books. Strangely enough though, although the books have titles on the covers, they are in fact empty.

The food selection is rather limited, particularly when compared to what other airlines have on offer for their First Class passengers. But they do have dim sum, which I’m rather partial to.

DEPARTURE

As the departure time approaches, I start to get that nice fuzzy feeling one gets before getting on a Jumbo. At least I get that every time. So I decide to step out of the lounge and go for a walk-about for some distraction and to take some pictures of my bird.

This bird was parked at the next gate.

Not sure how many IL-62 they see these days in Seoul, unless Air Koryo is about to start a direct link to Pjöngjang…

And they have funky public toilets at the airport too!

BOARDING

When eventually they do call the flight, I make my way to gate 45 and queue up at the back of the line for Business Class and First Class. An Asiana ground attendant is surreptitiously glancing at the boarding passes of the passengers in my queue. As she spots mine, she asks me to follow her to the front of the line and butts in just as the gate agent is about to scan the boarding card of the first passenger – he is only travelling in Business Class – at the front of the line. Sorry about that!

The attendant then escorts me to the entrance of the plane. As we walk she explains to me how she went to the lounge to pick me up and could not find me. And I start to feel guilty – just a wee bit. Before the plane she bows and bids me a safe and pleasant journey.

SERVICE

As I enter the First Class cabin I am greeted by one of the flight attendants working in First Class today and we have a good laugh as we recognise each other from the outbound flight from Frankfurt to Seoul the previous week. We have a nice little natter and I ask her where she has been in the intervening days, while she inquires how I liked Korea and if I also visited other countries. What a charming young woman!

Service is the same as on the outbound. First the newspaper, amenity kits, earphones, pjs and slippers are delivered.

Then come the drinks with warm nuts. This time I have a Perrier with lemon and ice.

And I also receive the first in a whole series of refreshing towels.

DEPARTURE

Departure is to the north and by the circuitous route we’re flying it’s quite apparent that we must avoid North Korean airspace at all costs.

Pushing back.

THE MEAL

First up, the table is set for the meal. To drink I have another Perrier and a Chardonnay.

Olive oil with Balsamico and butter for the bread:

First course: Mousse of Foie Gras with truffle, ginger and mixed herbs on blinis

Second course: Caviar service

Onions

Egg

Crème Fraîche

Third course: Grilled tuna in a pepper corn crust, with chives and carrot julienne

Fourth course: Pickled mushrooms with chickpeas and mixed greens

Fifth course: Cream of chicken soup with a ball of risotto. It tasted alright but it had a strange texture

Sixth course: Tenderloin of veal stuffed with lobster, with a horseradish sauce, mushroom ragout and wilted cabbage

A pause to take in the view.

Seventh course: Cheese with an apricot and grape chutney and crackers:

Eight course: Puff pastry filled with vanilla cream on a blackberries sauce

And to finish that, a cup of Earl Grey tea.

And now I am full, for the time being at least, and so I change into my pjs and have a nap.

Not really my colours, but what will you?

Around five hours before we arrive in Frankfurt I start to feel peckish again. That – together with my curiosity about the kind of ‘snack’ Asiana has on offer in First Class – entices me to try their ramen noodles in chicken broth.

And here it is: ramen and shitake mushrooms in a spicy chicken broth with kimchi and pickled turnip. It really is divine, but it’s so spicy I have to keep running to the loo to blow my nose (The Koreans and Japanese find it tremendously rude to blow your nose in public).

Fire exstinguisher

About two hours before arrival the lights go on and the second service begins. Oh I now I shouldn’t, but it all sounded so nice on the menu!

First comes another hot towel, which is followed by a glass of fresh orange juice.

The meal consists of a salad of grilled beetroot, with heirloom tomatoes (I do not think I’ve ever encountered such a strange looking and tasting tomato before in my live…), greens and boiled quail’s eggs.

This is followed by a Korean dish with spare ribs in a spicy soup, which turns out to be indeed very spicy but extremely tasty!

Sauce for dipping.

Korean veg.

Dried shrimps.

Not sure…but tasty.

Two different kimchis.

Rice.

The ribs.

And then comes dessert. It should be some sort of vanilla parfait with coconut shavings. But it just looks strange really…

And another tea to finish.

After the meal I sit back and relax. I start to watch Thor and end up asking myself what on earth has happened to good cinema and good movies. And to think that such a great actor as Anthony Hopkins should sink so low as to play Odin is simply tragic.

The view outside is far more attractive!

ARRIVAL

But I digress. The flight attendant from the outbound flight comes to bid me goodbye and wish me a safe onward journey. On this flight passengers can choose between a CD, a handbag and an iPhone holder as a farewell gift. I am now the proud owner of an iPhone holder with ‘Asiana Airlines’ written on the inside cover.

And then we land, and my delightful Asiana experience comes to an end. I bid my goodbyes and disembark. Outside the Asiana rep is already expecting me with a Lufthansa branded reprint of my boarding pass to make sure I get into the lounge.

Frankfurt is nearly pleasant when I arrive, I head for the Senator lounge and wait for my onward flight to Basel. I spend my time in the lounge catching up on emails and talking to my mum on the phone. At around 19h00 I leave the lounge for the long trek back to gate A02 for my flight to Basel. Just as I stand up to leave the lounge, I spot the Asiana flight pushing back for the return trip to Seoul. Farewell and safe journey – it was a fun trip!

This brings to an end this series of my trip to South Korea and Japan.

Cheers,
William

Hawaiian Air, First Class – A 330-200: San Francisco to Kahului via Honolulu

INTRODUCTION

Yesterday I arrived in San Francisco on a United Airlines flight from Las Vegas. I spent the night at the Hyatt Regency close to the airport and today I am finally on my way Hawaii.

Date: 29. January 2013
From: San Francisco
To: Honolulu
Airline: Hawaiian Air
Aircraft: Airbus A 330-200
Cabin: First Class
Seat: 1A

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT

It’s gone six and I am standing outside the entrance to the Hyatt, waiting for my shuttle to arrive to take me back to San Francisco airport.

The shuttle makes a stop at the Marriott on its way to the Hyatt and is already quite full when it arrives. Most of the passengers are flight crews about to start another working day. There’s one guy who looks like the caricature of a pilot, complete with leather jacket and Frisbee cap.

All of the passengers descend at the domestic terminal, except for me. Although the flight to Honolulu is a domestic service, it departs from the international terminal.

San Francisco International.

CHECK-IN

The facility is fairly deserted when I arrive. There is already a small queue forming for the Hawaiian Air counters. Apparently they’re having trouble of sorts with their check-in system. The ground crew apologise for the inconvenience and tell us they shan’t be long. And indeed, a few minutes later the ATB printer is happily printing a test boarding pass.

There is a separate line and counter for passengers in First Class and passengers with status in Hawaiian’s frequent flyer programme. When it’s my turn the check-in agent welcomes me to the flight and thanks me for flying Hawaiian. She then proceeds to print my boarding passes for the flight to Honolulu as well as the onward connection to Kahului on Maui. She also directs me to the priority lane for security, not that it makes a difference with so few passengers around this morning.

THE LOUNGE

The terminal is only just opening and most of the shops are still closed. Which is a bit unfortunate as Hawaiian doesn’t have a lounge in San Francisco and I’m dying for a coffee. Eventually I find a place towards the end of the concourse that is already open and is very close to A8, my departure gate for this flight.

A cappuccino, fresh orange juice and a toasted bagel later and I’m feeling much more alive than I did when I first reached the airport. I switch on the complimentary wifi and give my mum a quick call on Facetime to report on my progress thus far – it’s cold and rainy in Switzerland, the usual. In contrast, the view from where I’m sitting is just fine.

After I ring off I cross to the other side of the facility to take a closer look at my bird for today. And I am truly smitten. She’s simply gorgeous and I can barely take my eyes off her!

Boarding starts right on time with a call for passengers with reduced mobility and special needs. Once the passengers with kids and wheelchairs have passed the gate, the ground crew halt the boarding process to give the special needs passengers enough time to settle in. I like that, very sensible. Next it’s the boarding call for the premium passengers. There are two airbridges attached to the aircraft, premium passengers should use the left one.

THE CREW

I am the first to board the aircraft. I am greeted by a friendly ‘aloha’ and I am struck by how much better looking and, well…happy…the cabin crew look than those I encountered on United. They’re smiles all round and give the impression of actually looking forward to having you on board as their guest! I am mesmerized; thank God I didn’t choose United for this flight!

THE CABIN

The cabin on this bird is either very new or very well kept. The First Class seat is not state of the art and only offers limited recline. The seat controls are mechanical rather than electrical. Still, the seat is comfortable enough for the journey of five hours across the Pacific to Hawaii. The First Class cabin comprises three rows of seats in a 2 + 2 + 2 configuration, making for a total of 18 seats. Twelve seats will be occupied on today’s flight.

A blanket and pillow are already at my set when I arrive.

SERVICE

I stow away my things and take my seat on 1A. Immediately a flight attendant appears, places a napkin on the armrest and asks me if I’d like a glass of champagne, guava juice or a combination of both. I ask for the guava juice and have to make an effort to stop my jaw from dropping as the flight attendant actually brings me just what I’d asked for: a glass of juice, not a plastic cup!

A short while later the same flight attendant brings me the menu for today’s flight. She points out that all the items on the menu will be served.

DEPARTURE

And shortly after that we’re ready for departure. The ground crew make an announcement wishing all the passengers a pleasant journey and officially hand us over to the cabin crew. Then the doors are closed, the airbridges are removed and we push back. The journey begins!

Take-off is surprisingly sluggish, considering it’s an A 330. I’m sitting on the left side, so I’m hoping to get a view of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge. But as my luck will have it, we begin a left turn towards the open Pacific before we reach the bridge.

After take-off service begins with the distribution of earphones. I haven’t tried them yet, but I think they’re rather cool to look at. After that the crew come to ask what we’d like to drink and I have another guava juice, which is brought to me with a small dish of mixed nuts and berries.

THE MEAL

From my seat I have a good view of what’s going on in the galley, the curtains have not been drawn. I am particularly impressed and quite surprised to find that the plates with the hot meal have not been prepared beforehand. Instead, the flight attendant doing the galley is preparing and decorating every plate individually. The meal consists of:

• a warm muffin with orange zest
• a selection of fresh fruit – pineapple, melon, grapes, strawberries and mint
• a lomi lomi salmon omelette
• steamed rice with chicken, taro and shitake mushrooms
• a slice of carrot cake for dessert

And very tasty the meal is too, in particular the omelette is nice and fluffy and full of flavour.

Once I finish the meal, the tray is removed. I take out my Kindle and read until we start our descent into Honolulu. Throughout the flight the crew pass through the cabin a number of times, asking passengers if there’s anything they need or if they’d like to have a drink.

Just before we leave our flight level, the crew distribute hot towels. They’re not scented, but that’s okay.

ARRIVAL

After a flying time of five hours our flight draws to an end and we make a lovely approach into Honolulu. Honolulu is a nice airport, a lot of the terminal is open air and it feels good to be able to walk around without a jacket.

Last turn onto finals.

Transit area.

From Honolulu I have an onward connection with Hawaiian Air to Kahului. So I find a nice place to sit outside, take some pictures and wait for my flight to board. There is First Class lounge for the intra-island flights, but to be honest it’s not really that nice.

There isn’t really anything much to say about the onward connection to Kahului, after all it’s only a 20 minute hop. About thirty minutes before departure I head for the gate and take a seat to whatch all sorts of birds flying around.

A short while later I see my aircraft pulling onto stand.

Date: 29. January 2013
From: Honolulu
To: Kahului
Airline: Hawaiian Air
Aircraft: B 717
Cabin: First Class
Seat: 1C

BOARDING

My plane arrives at the gate 20 minutes before departure and I start to think that we’re probably not going to make an on time departure. Little do I know how hard they work those little B 717s.

My plane.

THE CABIN

Boarding starts on time.

Waiting by the entrance.

Even on these short hops Hawaiian have a dedicated First Class cabin in a 2 + 2 configuration. I’m slowly coming to the conclusion that this is quite an amazing little airline. Little of course only by American standards.

The bulkhead.

Don’t forget your manners just because you on holiday, so don’t put your feet up against the bulkhead.

The front office.

THE SERVICE

Despite the short flying time, in Business Class Hawaiian still serve a pre-departure drink and another drink with a packet of nuts inflight. But they’re expecting quite some chop on today’s flight so the flight attendant distributes the nuts on the ground.

I didn’t take any further pictures of the flight. It was quite turbulent and with the shaking it was impossible to take any decent pictures.

CONCLUSION

Hawaiian Air really impressed me. Their service is truly excellent and the crew are just so nice and friendly. I don’t think I’d want to do the direct flight from JFK to Honolulu in that seat – it’s a ten hours flight – but for the journey from San Francisco it was certainly more than adequate.

EPILOGUE

On Maui I call the Makena Beach Resort home. As I sit here on the balcony of my room writing this up and occasionally looking out to sea, I can actually see and even hear whales breaching in the distance – beautiful!

This concludes the series of reports on my American vacation. America is such a vast country, full of contrast and with so much to see and do. It has been a memorable trip and I certainly hope to return to Hawaii some day. I leave you with some pictures of Hawaii.

United Airlines, Domestic First Class – B 737-800: Las Vegas to San Francisco

INTRODUCTION

I spend three blissful days at the Amangiri. The hotel is beautifully laid out. The simple, clean lines of the hotel contrast dramatically with the striking and ragged landscape that surrounds it.

My room at the Amangiri.

The bath and shower room is large and has a spectacular view.

The view from the room.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT

I leave the Amangiri just after ten in the morning. My flight to San Francisco will not be leaving until 19h40, so I’ve still got loads of time to do some last minute sightseeing. Only, if you’ve ever been to Page then you’re probably quite rightly wondering ‘what sightseeing?’ Admittedly, the town is not exactly fun city central but the Colorado River’s Horseshoe Bend is very close by and is definitely worth visiting.

The journey by car from Page to McCarran airport takes five hours to complete by car. I arrive at the car rental facility just before 16h30 and hand back the car keys. From the rental car facility on the south side of the airport there is a free shuttle that takes approximately five minutes to make the journey to Terminal 3, from where United operates. I’ve already checked in on my mobile so I can head straight for security.

Made it back safe and sound!

The rental centre is like a huge railway station.

Shuttle to the terminal.

Date: 28. January 2013
From: Las Vegas
To: San Francisco
Airline: United
Aircraft: Boeing B 737-800
Cabin: Domestic First Class
Seat: 1A

AT THE AIRPORT

Right behind security are the signs for the D concourse. To get there you must take the escalators two floors down into the basement, from where you catch the tram that runs underground across to the D satellite. The airport is not very busy this time of day.

Departures, still landside.

Airside.

Not much happening outside.

Tram.

There are no proper restaurants on the D concourse, so eventually I settle for a cheese sandwich from Port of Subs, which tastes pretty much like a cheese sandwich from Subway’s, but I’m guessing that’s the big idea.

THE LOUNGE

The United Airlines lounge is located on the third floor. The lift to access the lounge is between gates D33 and D35. From what I understand access to the lounge is restricted to Star Gold passengers, either that or for some other reason my First Class boarding pass does not appear to be sufficient to grant me access and the receptionist wants to see my Senator card as well.

As I approach the lift, I notice a Cinnabon take away. There is a lovely smell of cinnamon rolls wafting through the terminal. I cannot resist and get myself a pecan and caramel cinnamon roll. The only problem is that when I reach the lounge there is a big sign saying that no food is allowed in the lounge. So I have no other choice but to stuff the greasy and smelly corpus delicti in my bag and smuggle it into the lounge, hoping that nobody will see or smell it. Once inside the lounge I surreptitiously take it out of the bag and try to demolish it as quickly as possible without being seen and, moreover without making a complete mess.

The lounge itself is a nice surprise. I was expecting another one of those horrible old-fashioned and dark lounges with ugly furniture. But instead I am surprised to find the lounge is very bright, relatively modern and nearly empty.

THE CABIN & SEAT

Boarding starts exactly on time. There is a separate lane for First Class passengers and frequent flyers with status and they are invited to board first. The friendly gate agent scans my mobile and wishes me a good flight.

My chariot awaits.

The aircraft is obviously an ex Continental aircraft and fitted with the new cabin interior that includes newly devised overhead bins and mood lighting. Contrary to my expectations the general impression is that the cabin looks somewhat cramped. However that may have something to do with the rather bulky looking First Class seats installed in the forward cabin. Unlike the European Business Class model, where basically you have a standard row of Economy seating with a slightly greater pitch and an empty middle seat, United has proper Business Class seats in a 2 + 2 configuration in its domestic First Class.

My only shot of the seat. The passenger behind me was rather impatient…

The view on the ground.

The inflight entertainment is has live TV and there is a wide selection of feature films. In First Class the use of the inflight entertainment appears to be complimentary, while in Economy Class it is only available for a fee.

THE CREW

Alas, there is not really much good I can say about the crew on this United flight. Quite evidently they are trying to start a new trend whereby frumpy is the new chic. But to be honest, I wouldn’t hold my breath that this will catch on, even if it seems to be quite common among the United staff. One of the crew is behaving as though she’s never actually seen a B 737 in the new cabin interior. She keeps asking her colleague up front how this works and where that is. I suspect she is probably unaware of the type of aircraft she’s on!

SERVICE

Service on the ground consists of a free choice of drinks served in plastic cups. I take a cup of still water.

DEPARTURE

I’m not sure which of the runways we use for take-off. But my impression is that it runs parallel to The Strip. As we accelerate, a line of gaudy hotels with flashy lights and ridiculous names fly past. And then shortly after we become airborne, we execute a wide left turn, passing right over central Las Vegas as the pilot points the aircraft in the direction of San Francisco.

THE MEAL

This is where United Airlines thwarts my plans of writing a trip review with some decent pictures. The crew seem to be having fun fiddling with the mood lighting and keep the cabin in a dimmed blue light throughout the flight. I feel reluctant go flashing away with my camera and eventually I just give up.

Once we’re airborne the crew do another drinks round, serving every passenger individually, rather than from a trolley. This time they also use proper glasses and not plastic. With the drink the cabin crew pass through the cabin with a basket with a selection of snacks. I choose a packet of almonds and peanuts coated in an apple and cinnamon powder. And I really must say they are an abomination. The taste is absolutely vile and completely artificial.

My botched attempt at taking a picture of the food.

Before I manage to finish my drink I start to nod off. It’s been a long day. I am awoken a short while later when the crew switch on all the cabin lights to fully bright white to prepare the cabin for landing.

ARRIVAL

We arrive in San Francisco after a flying time of only one hour and fifteen minutes. As we taxi in, we pass the Lufthansa flight to Munich I’ll be taking later on in the week, but it’s too dark to take any pictures anyway.

I disembark and head for the exit marked ‘Hotel Shuttle’. I’ll be spending the night at the Hyatt Regency close to the airport. Fortunately the shuttle arrives just as I reach the boarding area. The trip form the airport to the Hyatt takes approximately ten minutes, the shuttle stops at one of the many Marriotts littered around the airport on the way.

EPILOGUE

Flying domestic with United is certainly not much fun, I must say. Trying to get any decent pictures is a difficult thing to do and from what I understand there are basically two options: either you wait until the initial scrum for the aircraft is over, at the risk of there being no more room in the overhead bins for your things, or you try to board with the first group of passengers, in which case you are met with the collective wrath of all the passengers waiting behind you while you attempt to get a few good cabin shots.

The service on this short flight is nothing special, but given the duration of the flight, I think there isn’t really much else one can expect. But still the cabin crew were simply beyond belief. Apart from the fact that they all look frumpy – at the end of the day they can’t really help that, can they? – you get the impression that most of them really hate their job or at least have the greatest disdain for the passengers, their customers, who pay their salary at the end of the day, and ‘service’ is a term that seems conspicuously absent from their vocabulary. Having said that, I’m assuming their salary has a lot to do with their apparent ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude.