SQ R vs. CX new F: from London to Toronto via Singapore and Hong Kong

[SQ LPP]

Just landed back at HKG on my return flight and it is raining again

Are you going to be in Singapore this weekend?

[nickbot]

Are you going to be in Singapore this weekend?

Recharging the batteries with some SQ F action to SIN after your Y trips SQ LPP?

[SQ LPP]

Can't have enough of flying!

[nickbot]

Can't have enough of flying!

Need to reacquaint yourself with the pointy end of the plane

[SQ LPP]

Need to reacquaint yourself with the pointy end of the plane

I need to fly SQ Y more and more until I get another recognition as LPP from the IFS (excluding all the IFS who knows me before). Am I whining enough?

[nickbot]

I need to fly SQ Y more and more until I get another recognition as LPP from the IFS (excluding all the IFS who knows me before). Am I whining enough?

Justifiably whining, but would probably result in punishing yourself too much with Y travel

[SQ LPP]

yeah, i want to change my status as SQ slut in Y.
Oh well, now I have to stay put here, i.e. grounded... I envy everyone who travels now!

[Lobster]

Are you going to be in Singapore this weekend?

No I fly down to SIN this afternoon and then connect onto SQ322 to LHR this evening.

[Lobster]

OK after a couple of week travelling around the US it was time to head back. My final stop was Las Vegas and I had a short flight on US Airways up to SFO to get my CX flight back to HKG.




Here is the rather ancient 737 which would take me up to SFO



I was rather pleasantly surprosed that US could check my bag all the way through to HKG. But I still had to go to the CX desk to check in and get my boarding pass.



There was only one person in front of me at the check in queue but they seemed they seemed to take for ages. Anyway finally it was my turn and I was quickly issued my boearding pass for seat 1K and an invite to the BA first lounge. I headed to security, there is no fast track for premium passengers at SFO but there was only a short queue and I was through in under 5 minutes. I had a little walk around the terminal





Then headed to the lounge. The F class section of the BA lounge is very small. Luckily there were only 4 people in it so it did not matter but I can imagine that it can get very crowded. The choice of food was very limited but there was a good selection of drinks.







The lounge looks over a couple of gates and one of the best things about it is that you bloard the plane straight from the lounge.





With about 90 minutes before departure time there was still no sign of our plane. However it did turn up shortly but its late arrival did mean we started boarding about 45 mnutes late.

[Lobster]

We finally started boarding and upon entering the plane I had a rather pleasant surprise it was fitted with their new product.

So I settled into my suite 1K and asked for a glass of Krug to get things off to a good start.





Boarding was completed quickly and were taxing out to the runway past a Virgin America plane and a BA 747





We had quite a long taxi as we had to work our way round to one of the runways long enough for a 747 to take off on but once there we rolled onto the runway and immeadiately started our take off roll. We climbed out over SF and then headed straight over the pacific.





I started reacqainting myself with the CX First suite (I couldn't help notice they always referred to it as a Suite rather than a seat = maybe a little poke at SQ).

The first thing I noticed was this little flower by each suit which I don't remember from the 77W



The seat and IFE controls



There is even an additional set of controls you can use when the seat is in the bed position.



My personal closet



Looking back at my seat



Now there are a couple of bad design things with the new suite. One of which is the life jacket holder which kept on coming open asyou can see in the photo above. The other is the little reading lights do not like being turned off, on both the 77w and 747 it took about 10 attempts on pushing the off button to get it to turn off (and it was not just me being incompetent, the FA had problems as well)

I have to say 1K is really private (especially when 1A is empty) I would have had no idea anyone else was in the cabin at all.

[Lobster]

Soon after take off they took orders for dnner and offered a pre dinner drink.



It was about this time that a major problem which would make it one of the most unpleasant flights I have ever taken came apparent. The cabin was freezing cold. Being a well insulated person aka a fat bastard I normally do not feel the cold that much but this was freezing. Then about 5 minutes later it was totally roasting hot in the cabin. I asked one of the crew what was going on and she said they were looking into it. But they obviously did not solve it as we spent the whole flight going from absolutely freezing to totally roasting. Ok so things go wrong but there was no apology from the crew or any action at all taken. If I hadn't gone up to one of them to ask what was going on I do not think they would have said anything at all.

Anyway dinner was soon served.



I started with the mushroom soup



Then had the salad



For the main course I had lamb



The lamb was absolutely gorgeous. It was so tender it just fell of the bone. I think it is the best meat dish I have ever had on a plane.

I then had some cheese with a glass of port



The port although I am sure technically not as high quality as the one SQ serves was much more to my liking. Just goes to show that no matter what the experts say we all have our own prefereces.

Finally had ice cream for dessert which was nice but for me this is not a First class dessert.



Afer dinner I went and changes into my sleeper suit and saw as well as updating the cabin they have updated the bathroom as well.

Two windows in the bathroom



New designer basin and full length mirror

[Lobster]

With about 8 hours left I decided to get some sleep. The bed really is very comfortable and I was soon asleep. After a while I woke up and decided to watch a film. I saw on the IFE handset that it was saying there was still 7hrs 40 mins left. Was sure that I had been asleep for more than 20 minutes but didn't think much more of it. In the end I chose a TV programme as the film choice was rather poor and then I noticed that the time remaining on the handset had changed to 3 hours. It turns out that the handset time remaining does not update when the handset is not being used.

About 90 minutes before arrival they served lunch.

I had the stuffed chicken



Followed by a pear tart



The captain came on the PA about 40 minutes before arrival to update us on arrival time and also he warned that it was likely to be a bumpy approach due to bad weather around HKG.

We landed about 30 minutes late and I headed to immigration. To be greated by a huge queue. It took over an hour to get through immigration. They only had three officers on duty and as there was such a long queue one of them decided he had better take his break so they went down to two.

I stayed at the airport hotel which is very overpiced but they had a good offer for a room which included breakfast and also internet connection and late checkout.

This morining I took a look around T2 and the sky plaza



It was so quiet over there compared to T1. I get the feeling that the sky plaza is not doing so well.

Now I am just waiting for my flight to SIN and hoping the weather does not get any worse.

[HUGE AL]

It was about this time that a major problem which would make it one of the most unpleasant flights I have ever taken came apparent. The cabin was freezing cold. Being a well insulated person aka a fat bastard I normally do not feel the cold that much but this was freezing. Then about 5 minutes later it was totally roasting hot in the cabin. I asked one of the crew what was going on and she said they were looking into it. But they obviously did not solve it as we spent the whole flight going from absolutely freezing to totally roasting. Ok so things go wrong but there was no apology from the crew or any action at all taken. If I hadn't gone up to one of them to ask what was going on I do not think they would have said anything at all.

It turns out that the handset time remaining does not update when the handset is not being used.

Lobster, you now have me convinced that I have no need to try CX.

[jhm]

Lobster, you now have me convinced that I have no need to try CX.

I can understand about the cabin being like the Sahara desert one moment and then Siberia the next being a problem (and Ladies & Gentlemen, in CX F today, we can offer you for dinner roast lobster followed by lobster sashimi ) but a broken flight time remaining ? You're a hard man to please, HUGE AL!

[MAN Flyer]

Great TR, Lobster, and nice comparison of the new products.

Can't have enough of flying!

Oh you can, and I've reached that point a few times recently.....