City hops on Qantas/Cathay Pacific/JAL/Singapore Airlines

[KeithMEL]

CX466 HKG-TPE, 02JUL2008, Economy Class

Did ITCI at Kowloon AE station which was quick and easy; there were more staff than pax. My epi pen caused some concern at security but they were cool after taking down my details.

Today's flight departed from gate 1 and so I headed to the Wing. IMO it's somewhat nicer than the Pier, as it felt brighter and airier somehow. Had some noodle soup from the cafeteria and some Lanson from the long bar. I wonder how the people at skytrax can rate the CX lounges at HKIA 3 stars with a straight face, if they cared about being taken at least half seriously. IMO they're no less than 5 stars for JCL lounges.













Gate 1 was just a v short walk from the Wing. Most of the plane had already boarded by the time I got there so I'd simply breezed through to my seat. Seatmate's from Oregon and appeared to also be going to TPE for the first time, unfortunately I was none the wiser about stuff to do in TPE as I've neither been there nor done any research prior since I had taipeiflyer travel and tours ltd. I'd only know that I wanted to go up that ridiculously tall building, Taipei 101 and stuff myself silly with beef noodles.

Cathay YCL legroom in the regional 330 seemed a wee bit tight but adequate for the short flight.



We were actually served a hot meal on this teeny little flight, certainly wasn't expecting that! There was only 1 choice - pork belly with rice. I was full from the noodle soup I had back in the lounge and so sipped on some chardonnay instead.



Next: Sheraton Taipei; Westin Taipei; Sighted in Taipei

[KeithMEL]

Review of Sheraton Hong Kong posted here.

Next: CX466 HKG-TPE whY; Sheraton Taipei; Westin Taipei

[nickbot]

OMG, this must be a typo. Surely KeithMEL finds the St. Regis NOT trendy enough?!

There are/were things other than trendiness that tempted the OP to the St. Regis

[KeithMEL]

CX108 AKL-HKG, 30JUN2008, Business Class: "Pinot noir? Is that red or white wine?"

Flight was delayed by one hour due to late arrival of the aircraft. At that point I began to be suspicious that the delays follow me... given that I don't have Heathrow or fog in London as excuses this time unlike my trip at the start of the year. To all the little Gremlins that set out to wreck my flight schedules - please let me the eff alone. To the rest of you, best to check my ba97 page and avoid every single one of those flights listed there. OTOH they did have sufficient supplies of Matua Valley pinot noir in the QP at AKL to keep me happy...

Unlike the day before, we boarded promptly at the revised boarding time. Was greeted at the door by Sharon, the very nice Malaysian ISM. The aircraft for this 2 class service used to be a 3 class 343 aircraft even though only 2 classes are ever sold but today it was only 2 classes, so no pseudo upgrade to FCL. Not sure if my lowly OW SPH status would've yielded such an upgrade anyway.

The status did however bring about some unexpected niceties, even though it wasn't a Cathay status. This refers to the benes which are over and above the published OW benefits, completely unnecessary but a perfectly nice touch. The stuff which other carriers reserve for their own elites. For starters, I was personally greeted by Sharon along with the other elites onboard, which ended with "welcome back to Cathay Pacific." It was a lovely gesture but I felt a bit guilty as they aren't normally my first choice of carriers.

Got NBC, and it was a 2-2-2 config again and so I'd yet again chosen a centre row aisle seat. I was invited by Sharon to move to an empty row by myself, so I'd ended up sitting in 15D with no one next to me. I'd have welcomed some company normally but the gentleman next to me in row 14 didn't seem v eager to engage in convo.

A rather comprehensive Agnes B amenity kit was given out. A good mate of mine is also a huge Agnes B fan so this would make a nice little gift I thought.







To my utter shame and horror, I failed to finish my glass of champagne prior to take off. But I am not particularly enamoured with Champagne Deutz either, it's far too citrusy for me and I just wish that Cathay would stick to Billecart-Salmon for all its flights.

Then the first bar service began, and I went for the sauvignon blanc, a nice Marlborough number. The Senior Purser couldn't confirm whether the canapes contained shellfish and so I had it swapped for (warm) nuts instead. Cathay seems to have improved its JCL wine list, it was still lacking in breadth unlike QF's v extensive selection but the stuff on offer were nonetheless fairly high quality and they were also serving the Palliser Estate pinot noir like on QF25 the day before. Perhaps this was a New Zealand flight and they'd felt like they should have a better wine list? I alternated between the sauv blanc and pinot for the entire flight.

Unfortunately any compliment I have for the wine list cannot be extended to the execution of said list. Whilst QF cabin crew regardless of seniority can often be seen actively making expert recommendations off the list and offering advice in pairing wines with meals, 2 of the Cathay crews I had on this flight could not even identify what I wanted when I asked for pinot noir or sauvignon blanc. And these were Pursers, the girls in red blouses and surely they must have had a certain level of seniority. I concede that Pursers on Cathay do not mean the same thing as and are far more junior in comparison to the FA designated as the Purser on say, BA - but these aren't the most junior FAs either. I must say this is all rather poor for an airline regarded by many as one of the world's best. I finally found it easier to reach for the wine list and point out what I wanted or wait for the SP to come around.



That little rant aside, the service on this flight was rather adequate. Both the SP and the ISM were v warm and personable; the Ps less so but nonetheless quite efficient.

The lunch service began shortly after the initial bar service. We were served in order of status. It is nice of CX to extend such courtesies to not only their elites but also elites from their OW partners, but I think I'd have felt awkward and a little embarrassed if I'd had a seat mate.

I had to skip the prawn entree, so went straight to the salad. Had the stir fried chicken with rice which was fragrant but was far too spicy for my palate, as it contained some chili bits. It did however pair well with the pinot noir which dulled the spice a little. The presentation hasn't changed and the main course still came in that casserole which I felt was rather lacking in refinement. The meal then concluded with a most delicious cheese plate.







The IFE had some gems which I'd missed on the big screen. I started with Jumper just because I've not watched Rachel Bilson since The OC had concluded, unfortunately she doesn't seem a particularly versatile actress and it was like watching Summer Roberts all over again. Then I went on to The Pelican Brief, and enjoyed the strong performances in The Other Boleyn Girl. I must confess - as much as I dislike any 'old world' decor, shun museums and art galleries, sleep through operas - I quite enjoy watching period Hollywood movies. Yes a great contradiction indeed. Also saw some of 27 Dresses before the IFE was turned off for landing.


Feeling weary I had a little nap after lunch. I found the NBC seat rather comfy for sleeping unlike other people, and didn't experience any wedgie effect. I woke up just as lights were turned on again for the refreshment service.

I'd thought that I must have been really out of it and had slept through the entire flight, but it turned out that the crew was performing the refreshment service just 2 hours after the main meal service on this 10hour and 40mins service... huh?? We had more than 6 hours left to go on the flight at that point. The service started with fruits which were more like dessert and tasted rather strange. The rissotto that came with the main course of chicken was tasty, as was the sticky date pudding.







The v odd timing of the refreshment left me hungry towards the end of the flight. I couldn't be bothered to hunt down a resto in Hong Kong as all I wanted to do was check in and hit the clubs (though it was a Sunday night the clubs would be pumping as Monday was a public holiday). The SP said he could offer wonton noodles for a pre-landing snack - as the wonton contained shrimp I simply asked for the noodles by themselves. They came beautifully presented in a cute little black bowl.





Full menu can be viewed here.

Despite the delayed take off the flight deck had managed to make up for some time along the way and we landed just 20 mins behind schedule. Overall a decent flight, aided by the excellent ISM and SP. However the rest of the crew were v clinical and I was disappointed with their 'deer in the headlight' reaction with the wines. So whilst an adequate flight on the whole (got fed - tick; did not puke - tick; got my booze - tick; got there in one piece - tick; efficient crews - tick), I still fail to understand all the hype about Cathay. There just isn't that extra 'sparkle' on the flights I've had with Cathay to make them memorable, with v rare exceptions. And I'd consider today one of the better days I've had on the airline. My first choice is still the Flying Kangaroo, thanks.

Next: Sheraton Hong Kong; CX466 HKG-TPE whY; Sheraton Taipei; Westin Taipei

[KeithMEL]

Review of The Westin Auckland-Lighter Quay has been posted here.

Next: CX108 AKL-HKG J

[blueodyssey]

Wow... just wondering... where you get all the $$$$ to travel like this?

[KeithMEL]

If you need suggestions, just holler.

That'd be great mate, as I've not done research on the restos in Bali. First time there so I'm v excited - heard so much about the partying there from friends who've been.

This would be just the thread for your suggestions:

http://www.sqtalk.com/forums/showthr...ghlight=eating

Thanks in advance!

[planemad]

[QUOTE=KeithMEL;61314]I'm on the road again on my mid year vacation after a long semester. So it's time for another trip report! Reviews to come...

Whoa, that's some itinerary! Looking forward to reading them as you drip-feed your posts. A friend of mine stayed at the Elysian Villas in Seminyak, Bali, recently and loved it . The Seminyak area is really the place to be. Do you have a list of restaurants to check there? I know the restaurant scene in Seminyak quite well. If you need suggestions, just holler.

[TONY_SQ268]

Sorry to hear you were so badly delayed - Qantas are really starting to annoy their passengers with these ongoing delays and disruptions...

At least you had more Champagne sipping time I suppose!

I look forward to your next trip report...

[Kiwi]

Not sure, as soon as the delay was announced I went back to the QP. I noticed that they did process a few voluntary offloads and got yield management to open up seats on the following day's flights to AKL and/or LAX for those pax. Overall I think it was all handled pretty well under the difficult circumstances they were operating under. One little fact I omitted was that they did offer to check out NZ's flights to AKL however the next scheduled departure wasn't till 1830 and they were quite confident at that stage of getting QF25 out before then.

If it was me I would have taken them up on the offer of NZ. Firstly sure to get to AKL that night. Secondly better food and drink (although seat on the A320 is not so good as QF A332). Thirdly a chance to double dip the miles

[KeithMEL]

I was greeted by the CSM at the entrance of the aircraft, he'd recognised me and remembered my name... I hope I hadn't been too much of a PITA back in the QP. In the usual sleek, stylish and efficient ways of the QF cabin crews, my coat was swiftly hung up and the tray of pre-departure drinks pushed under my nose with a hint that gasps of horror would echo around the cabin should I reach for anything other than the bubbly, so the bubbly it was. Lanson for today, managed to down 2 glasses before the crew had to prep the cabin for take off.

Today's flight was operated by a 332; I've never been on a QF long haul 332 before and have only been on QF25 when it was a daily 744 so this was a first. The business cabin had a 2-2-2 configuration. Naturally I went for the centre row to take advantage of both aisle access and being able to avoid being mauled when the seatmate wishes to get out of the seat. I was in 1E which was the bulkhead however it did not appear to offer more legroom than the regular rows.

A meal was served shortly after take off. Full menu here. Had the chicken. Whilst edible, the meal was unfortunately neither creative nor well-thought out. It was more simple and boring comfort food rather than the sexy Asian fusion cuisine on the long hauls, or the more thoughtfully presented J meals on Air NZ transtasman flights.

OTOH QF offered a stellar selection of wines even on its TT flights. As a huge fan of pinor noirs I was thrilled that Pallister Estate pinot was featured in QF's current stable of J wines. A rather medium bodied number, more on the shiraz end of the scale as far as pinot noirs go, the wine did much to sooth my palate after the rather average meal - bold expressions of cherries and hints of coffee were rather evident.

Due to the combination of the whole day's worth of alcohol (I'd also gotten into the port after the FA actively recommended it as an accompaniment for the cheese plate) and the sleep deprivation, I turned the Skybed into its fully flat position and crashed for the rest of the flight, only to stir when woken up by the cabin crew during their preparations for landing.

Next: The Westin Auckland-Lighter Quay; CX108 AKL-HKG J: "Pinot noir/Sauvignon Blanc, is that red or white wine?"

[HUGE AL]

I had answered the call of duty to assist in a by-election effort in that area...there was free alcohol at the commiserations party...

KeithMEL always has his priorities in order.

[KeithMEL]

. just out of interest, do you know if Y passengers were given anything, drinks/meals etc? or were they left to their own devices?

Not sure, as soon as the delay was announced I went back to the QP. I noticed that they did process a few voluntary offloads and got yield management to open up seats on the following day's flights to AKL and/or LAX for those pax. Overall I think it was all handled pretty well under the difficult circumstances they were operating under. One little fact I omitted was that they did offer to check out NZ's flights to AKL however the next scheduled departure wasn't till 1830 and they were quite confident at that stage of getting QF25 out before then.

[matt_will_fix_it]

I've always thought its a true test of an airline how they handle delay and cancellation situations, so its very interesting to read your report keith_mel. Lucky you had the QP access... just out of interest, do you know if Y passengers were given anything, drinks/meals etc? or were they left to their own devices?

Hope the rest of your travels go smoother!

[flo]

have a great trip mate! really looking forward to your adequately charged camera battery. hehe.

anyway: a pleasant read! i really love your trs!