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February 10, 2014
Emirates Airlines Hong Kong to Bangkok 915p – 1135p A380-800 First Class

Emirates operates four flights per day between Hong Kong and Dubai. I chose the 9:15pm departure for a couple of reasons. First, it would allow me a leisurely departure out of Bangkok. After all, I’m on vacation here. There’s no reason to be getting up early if I don’t have to. Secondly, this was the one-stop flight via Bangkok on the A380. I’m still excited enough about flying aboard the A380 that I don’t mind an extra stop in the middle of the night if the result is an additional flight aboard this fine aircraft.

The load was light out of Hong Kong tonight. There didn’t appear to be any more than about one hundred people in the gate lounge. I don’t think there were ever more than perhaps a half dozen of us in the Emirates Lounge – much to the dismay of the poor lounge attendants. Unless there was an abundance of cargo in the belly, this was unlikely to be a money-making flight for Emirates.

It’s not very often you get to walk up the jetway to gain access to your aircraft. I can think of one example at Sitka, Alaska, but of course entering an Alaska Airlines 737-400 has nowhere near the cachet of entering the First Class cabin of an Emirates A380. Two lovely flight attendants were positioned at the aircraft door, both of them looking very nice in their beige-colored suits, red hats and white veils. I was warmly welcomed and escorted to my suite at 3A. When I asked about the possibility of storing my roll-a-board in an empty suite, I was informed that I would be the only passenger in First Class between Hong Kong and Bangkok, so I could take my pick of storage suites. A quick check of the manifest revealed that only five of us were booked to enjoy Emirates finest out of Bangkok, and the suite directly across from mine was showing unoccupied all the way to Dubai.

First Class Cabin on the Emirates A380

First Class Cabin on the Emirates A380
Looking from the front to the rear

Would I care for something to drink perhaps? Absolutely! Let’s start with a glass of the Dom. I’d heard that Emirates had finally worked its way through its supply of the 2003 vintage, but that the 2004 was already considered a worthy successor. As the bottle and glass were brought out, presented and poured, I could clearly see we were still working with a bottle of the 2003. No complaints here, mind you. The Dom Pérignon brand has provided a reliably elegant and wonderfully effervescent welcome to literally millions of passengers since it was first introduced to the world’s finest inflight wine lists many years ago. I’ll happily drink any vintage, any flight.

Champagne in hand, I took a brief tour of the First Class cabin. Emirates A380s are outfitted with fourteen suites arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. Since they were first introduced aboard the A340-500 back in 2003, Emirates’ First Class suites have been considered by many to be the gold standard for First Class accommodation. Lots of other airlines offer First Class suites, but Emirates was the first to introduce sliding doors, effectively turning the suite into a private compartment much as you’d find in a roomette aboard a Pullman sleeper car. However, Emirates’ suite goes much farther than the roomettes of old or even some of the suites of today. Accented by a classic walnut and marble design with gold trim, freshly cut flowers, carpeted walls and warm ambient lamp lighting, the suite also includes a seat-side mini-bar that’s stocked with a variety of non-alcoholic beverages. A pop-up vanity complete with lighted mirror contains a small selection of creams and lotions for skin care and hydration throughout the flight. A separate drawer contains a writing kit complete with pen, paper and envelopes. The seat side table is huge and lifts out and into position much more easily than many others I’ve experienced. There is ample storage space for a small carry-on bag up front and a couple of seat-side compartments for the storage of smaller items such as a camera or book. The controls for the seat, lights, privacy doors and electronic window blinds are housed in a tablet that’s mounted to the left of the seat. For more convenient operation, this tablet can be removed from its housing and operated wirelessly from your seat. The seat also includes a massage with four different styles.

First Class Suite on the Emirates A380

First Class Suite 1F on the Emirates A380

First Class Suite on the Emirates A380

Then there’s Emirates unparalleled ICE entertainment system, voted the World’s Best Inflight Entertainment System for nine straight years by Skytrax’ prestigious World Airline Awards. Viewed through a huge 23-30” wall mounted LCD screen, the system provides an incredible variety of movies, television programing, new, music and games – more than enough to entertain throughout even the longest flight. Tonight’s aircraft was one of the newer ones in the fleet and as such had been outfitted with the new, larger 30” screens.

Did I mention that there are also two shower spas onboard?

As I was admiring one of the shower spas, a lady from Economy Class was escorted upstairs to have a look. It occurred to me then that I’d never seen the lower deck on Emirates’ A380. A large stairway located at the front of the First Class cabin provided access and soon I was standing near the nose of the A380 looking out on a sea of tiny little seats sprinkled with a collection of comparatively uncomfortable looking passengers. It was positively Dickensian by comparison to the luxurious First Class cabin and so I quickly retreated back up the stairway where a refill of my now empty Champagne glass awaited.

Looking down the up stairs

Entrance to one of the two First Class Shower Spas

The Shower Spa

Taking a seat in the suite’s inviting leather covered lounger, I sipped Champagne while the cabin crew stopped by with pajamas, slippers and an amenity kit. The amenity kit is certainly one of the nicest I have ever seen. Produced by the Italian jewelry and luxury goods company Bulgari and presented in a beautiful leather zippered case, the kit contains everything you’d ever need to help get you through a long flight in comfort and style. Most of these kits I don’t even bother to open but in Emirates’ case I’ll make an exception. I’ve even saved room in my luggage to take one or two of them home with me.

Suite view looking forward with Champagne Welcome

In-Suite Personal Bar

Fresh Orchids in Every Suite

Hot towels were presented, followed by a tray of dates and Arabic coffee. I accepted the hot towel but passed on the dates and coffee. Be it texture or flavor, I’m not a big fan of dates. As for coffee of any stripe, check back in twelve hours. If I were to drink any coffee this late at night I’d never get to sleep!

Pushback was about ten minutes late, but with a flight time of just over two hours and ten minutes down to Bangkok we were actually expecting a slightly early arrival. I had the tail mounted camera turned on and between it and the windows I watched with interest as we taxied out to the runway and then commenced a powerful takeoff roll. The mild G forces pushed my back into the comfortable seat as we accelerated ever faster down Runway 19L. Forty-two seconds later we were climbing toward the heavens as the lights of Bangkok twinkled softly beneath us.

The menu and wine list were presented about ten minutes into the flight. The wine list is presented in a plain white folder while the menu and beverage list are presented in a leather bound binder. Let’s have a look!

BAR SERVICE

Aperitifs
Campari Bitter
Martini Vermouth – Dry/Sweet

Beers
A selection of international beers including Heineken, Budweiser and Amstel Light

Cocktails
Black Russian, Bloody Mary, Bucks Fizz, Champagne Cocktail, Cosmopolitan (US routes), Fantasy Island, Kir Royal, Manhattan, Martini Cocktail Classic, Screwdriver, Vodka Martini

Mocktails
Jumeirah Delight

Spirits
Premium Scotch Whisky – Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 Years Old, Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Single Malt Whisky – Glenfiddich 21 Years Old
Bourbon – Woodford Reserve
Cognac – Hennessy Paradis
Vodka – Grey Goose, Russian Standard Imperia
Gin – Bombay Sapphire, Hendricks’s Gin
Rum – Bacardi Superior, Ron Zacapa

Liqueurs
Bailey’s Irish Cream
Tia Maria
Drambuie
Cointreau

WINE LIST

Champagne
Cuvée Dom Pérignon 2004

White Wines
Russiz Superiore Col Disôre 2009
Mount Mary Chardonnay 2011 Yarra Valley
Sancerre Le Grand Roc, Pascal Jolivet 2012
Hahn SLH Chardonnay 2011 Monterey County

Red Wines
Château Cos d’Estournel 2000 St Estephe
Coup de Foudre Pinot Noir 2011 Sonoma Coast
Peter Michael Les Pavots 2007 Knights Valley
Château Monbousquet 2004 St Emilon Grand Cru
Amancaya Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Mendoza

Dessert Wines
Château de Suduirat 2007 Sauternes
Grahams Single Vintage Tawny Port 1974 Douro

I’ve been looking forward to a glass of deliciously chilled Woodford Reserve bourbon all week long. Sure, I could’ve had a glass or two at Lufthansa’s First Class lounge but one glass of the Blanton’s was enough bourbon for me that day. Additionally, there’s a lot to be said for enjoying Woodford’s rich and smooth flavor from the unique ambience of Emirates’ First Class suite. It’s a great place to enjoy most any drink that suits your fancy!

My drink was delivered with a small dish of mixed nuts. The SkyMap indicated we were climbing through 30000 feet on our way to a cruising altitude of 37000. With just a little less than two hours left in the flight, it was time to consider the culinary options for tonight’s flight.

Woodford Reserve – Always a good start to a First Class Flight

For many people who for whatever reason frequently fly internationally, the primary benefit of a First Class suite is the ability to get a decent amount of sleep on the lie-flat seat or bed. Food and drink are secondary to the primary objective – to arrive refreshed. On a long intercontinental flight, many of these folks typically accept a glass of Champagne at boarding and then sleep through the majority of the flight before waking to enjoy a light meal before landing. Even though they missed out on an impressive seven course meal service, a good movie or two and/or some camaraderie in the onboard lounge, from their perspective they got good value on their considerable investment. While I totally concur with their logic, I rarely get to enjoy the luxury of international First Class travel. As such, I want to enjoy as much of it as I possibly can and in order to do that, I need to stay awake.

On a long, overnight itinerary like mine (Hong Kong to Seattle with stops in Bangkok and Dubai) I try to balance enjoying as much of the service as I can with getting enough sleep so that I can enjoy as much of that service as I can while not only conscious but also alert. It’s no fun doing anything when you’re running on fumes. As much as I hate to miss out on any of the wonderful experience that is a First Class flight on Emirates, sleep is really important. So – I need a strategy.

Here’s my strategy: First, I’ll enjoy a nice meal between Hong Kong and Bangkok. Flight time from Bangkok to Dubai is just six and a half hours, all of it in the middle of the night. With a 6 foot 6 inch bed at my disposal, I plan to sleep as soon as possible out of Bangkok, awaking in time to enjoy a good breakfast before our arrival into Dubai. I’ll have a 4 hour and 45 minute layover in Dubai. Between dealing with transit formalities on arrival and the boarding process on departure, I’ll be left with about three and a half hours of down time, during which I plan to as much more additional sleep as possible. By the time I board the 14 hour flight from Dubai to Seattle, I should be physically and mentally alert enough to thoroughly enjoy all or most of the flight.

Alright then – let’s have a look at that menu:

LIGHT MEAL
Hong Kong to Bangkok

APPETIZERS

Marinated Prawns and Scallops
Citrus marinated fresh plump prawns and scallops, elegantly served in a roasted yellow pepper,
with green asparagus tips and sundried tomatoes

Roast Duck with Soba Noodle Salad
Marinated tender duckling breast, with rich oriental plum sauce, accompanied by
a green soba noodle salad highlighted with red chilli

SALAD

Salad Bar
Crisp fresh garden salad leaves and vegetables, tossed in your favorite dressing

MAIN COURSES

Pan-Fried Sea Bass Fillet
Fresh sea bass fillet, pan fried, dressed with a creamy leek and mustard sauce, served
with assorted grilled vegetables, accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes

Roast Chicken with Ginger
Aromatic Asian-style tender roasted chicken, served with spring onions and rich oyster sauce,
accompanied by assorted Chinese vegetables and egg fried rice

Braised Bean Curd Roll
Delicious braised bean curd roll, served with assorted seasonal vegetables,
blanched Chinese greens and thin egg noodles

Stir-Fried Beef in Black Bean Sauce
Prime beef pieces in a rich black bean sauce, served with
seasonal vegetables and steamed rice

Vegetables
We offer a variety of vegetables to your taste, including roasted yellow and red peppers,
fine French beans, golden fried new potatoes and turmeric rice

Bread Basket
Choose soft, crusty, granary, garlic or Arabic from our variety of freshly baked rolls and breads

* * * . * * * . * * *

DESSERT

Rice Pudding Cake
Light rice pudding cake, placed on raspberry purée, accompanied by fresh berries

Chocolate Mousse Cake
Light chocolate gâteau, garnished and served with rich chocolate sauce

CHEESE

Cheese Board
A carefully chosen assortment of the finest boutique cheeses from around the world, served with a selection of crudités, crackers, dried fruits and nuts

FRUIT

Selection of Fruit
A seasonal assortment of the finest fresh cut fruits

Chocolates
A luxurious rich chocolate selection provides the perfect finale

HOT BEVERAGES

Tea
Black and herbal teas from around the world, featuring Ceylon, China, Earl Grey and Chamomile

Coffee
Brewed to order, your choice of decaffeinated, espresso and cappuccino finale

Even a “Light Meal” in Emirates’ First Class provides more variety and content than many full meals on other airlines. I decided to start with a plate of marinated prawns and scallops, accompanied by a salad. As for the main course, since I was flying out of Hong Kong I wanted to try a regional dish. Beef or chicken? Chicken or beef? The roast chicken with ginger won out.

I’ve been on some flights where the complete meal service takes longer to get through than this entire flight down to Bangkok. As such, the cabin crew, led by the marvelous Maureen, wasted no time in setting up my table and getting things started. There wasn’t much to set up. Basically table linens were laid and then the food was delivered. I was a bit surprised to have my appetizer and salad both presented on a tray, much less the same tray complete with napkin and silverware like a Business Class meal. Still, this was billed as a “light meal” so I guess I shouldn’t be too put out. Maureen returned moments later with a big plate of bread. There were two slices of toasted garlic bread along with a couple of rolls – much more bread than I would ever eat with any meal, even on Thanksgiving. Still, it was explained to me on my Emirates flights last fall that all of the uneaten food gets thrown out after each flight. Apparently it can’t be given to charity because of liability issues. So based upon that I guess I understand the logic in providing me such a bountiful plateful of bread and, if nothing else, it certainly looks more photogenic than a single lonely piece of garlic toast on my plate.

Appetizer & Salad Tray

Ah… the main course. Well let me tell you, “light meal” notwithstanding, what I was presented was quite a substantial plateful of food. The chicken was moist, flavorful and abundant while the egg fried rice made for a delicious starch. With the delightful addition of a glass of Australian Chardonnay, it was just about as good an Asian meal as I’ve been served aloft. Well done, Emirates!

Roast Chicken with Ginger

Roast Chicken with Ginger
Aromatic Asian-style tender roasted chicken, served with spring onions and rich oyster sauce,
accompanied by assorted Chinese vegetables and egg fried rice

Dessert? Yeah, why not. Let’s see… the rice pudding cake sounds pretty good. Let’s go with that and a cup of decaf coffee, please. Now this should be interesting… I like rice pudding. When I was a kid we called it tapioca. It would be interesting to see how that translated into a cake.

Rice Pudding Cake
Light rice pudding cake, placed on raspberry purée, accompanied by fresh berries

Well, I think it translated quite fluently. Somehow they’d hardened up the rice pudding while keeping it still light in texture and managed to place it atop a layer of light sponge cake. The result was heavenly. In another life it’d be fun to come back as a pastry chef, just to have fun creating masterpieces like this. Again, well done, Emirates.

By the time the last of my plates were cleared I was well sated and comfortably reclined while sipping from a glass of Hennessy Paradis. Life just doesn’t much better in the air.

To their everlasting credit, the First Class cabin crew provided an excellent service without overdoing it. The quality of training provided by top flight airlines like Emirates is such that the flight attendants clearly appreciate the fine line between good interactive service as opposed to hovering. Even so, it’s got to be a bit awkward having three crew members and just one passenger up front. As the sole passenger, it’s certainly not my preference. Sitting up front all by myself is just weird – like drinking alone. At the same time, even if this were a full flight, once you zip up those sliding doors on your suite, who would know or care how many people you were flying with? You’re in your own little world.

Looking out my window, I recognized the now familiar sights of Bangkok gliding by beneath us. Next up came the airport perimeter, then the runway and finally the reassuring thump as our cockpit crew brought the big bird down light as a feather.

Thankfully, we weren’t required to deplane during the hour and a half layover in Bangkok. In fact it was specifically requested that thru passengers please remain onboard. This certainly beat having to go through another round of transit formalities, followed by an idle hour sitting around in an airport lounge. Instead, I remained comfortably sat in my plush recliner while putting in a bit of long overdue work on this trip report.

Where Great Trip Reports Are Made

February 8, 2014
Lufthansa Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur 445p – 740p A340-600 First Class
Thai Airways Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur 440p – 710p A330-300 Business Class

Even though I’ve had some fantastic First Class flights to get this far, I’ve really been looking forward to today’s shorter flight in First Class aboard Lufthansa’s A340-600 down to Kuala Lumpur. It’s been ten years since my last flight aboard the A340’s longest variant, a 790 mile jaunt aboard South African Airways between Cape Town and Johannesburg. Tonight I was looking forward to checking out the First Class – new or old – aboard Lufthansa on the 740 mile flight down to Kuala Lumpur. From there I’d have almost three hours to make my way down to KL’s cavernous Sentral Station for the overnight train to Singapore. So – it was a good, well rounded day of travel and when I awoke from my king sized bed in the Phoenix hotel, I was primed and ready to go.

Two things went wrong today.

First off, my Lufthansa flight got cancelled, or at least the Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur portion did. Apparently the plane departed Frankfurt about twelve hours late and so the decision was made to simply turn it around at Bangkok. Well damn!

So – what are my options?

If I want to make my train tonight, the only flight that’ll work is Thai’s 4:40pm departure to KL, another A330 that meant I’d be downgraded to Business Class. Just getting switched to this flight was enough of a hassle what with reissuing a United issued ticket that I figured bringing up any talk of compensation for the downgrade would only complicate an already complicated situation even more. Business Class it is. Book it, Danno!

Secondly, my memory card filled up. I only keep a little 2G card in my camera because normally on a trip like this I review and download the photos into my laptop every couple of days. Unfortunately, my new laptop is such a piece of dog doo that it won’t even accept my memory card properly (who’d think to check this function before buying it) and even if it would, Windows 8 is such an equally worthless operating system that reviewing pictures on it is way more difficult that it really needs to be. As far as I’m concerned, the entire computer is a piece of junk so when I get home I’ll likely clean it out and donate it to some place that may need one. Assuming they’ll accept it, that is…

In the meantime, I’ve got a full memory card and no back-up. Part of the problem is I generally take anywhere from 4-7 pictures of each food item on the planes. Out of those, I’m pretty much guaranteed to find one that has come out well enough by my standards to be included in this report. Additionally, I take a lot of photos of where I stay, what I’m doing, people I meet, etc. Those pictures never make it into my reports because of my steadfast policy to focus my FlyerTalk trip reports only on the transport aspects off the trip, i.e. getting there.

Additionally, I don’t keep a lot of pictures that I take. The subject might look like it’ll make a good picture at the time I decide to shoot it, but then occasionally when I look at the picture later it just doesn’t come across as very interesting and/or very good. I’m not shy about dumping photos and as many of you know by now, in terms of embedding pictures in my reports I’m a bit of a minimalist compared to the true photo reporters who’ll shoot everything from a bottle of hand cream in the lavatory to their hot towel (So that’s what a hot towel looks like!) to multiple pictures of the check-in counter and gate lounge. I know for many people there’s a lot of interest in looking at stuff like this but to me these types of photographs hold all the titillation of watching carrots grow. With few exceptions, when I see those types of photos in a report – especially in abundance – I tend to just drop it right there and look for another report. Conversely, I’m sure many people feel the same way about my reports. Too much writing! Why didn’t he take more pictures of the crowd at the check-in counter or the bathrooms in the airline lounge?!

Anyway, bottom line is I wasn’t able to get a big new 8G card until I got to Singapore so we’ll have to do without any photos until then. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I’ve got some photos from my last trip in 2010 on the night train to Singapore. Believe me, nothing has changed except the arrival station so I’ll go ahead and use those.

Alright then, enough with the explanations. On to the trip!

Thai operates five different Royal Silk Business Class lounges at BKK. I don’t know what I was thinking but when I emerged from security and saw the signs for the Royal Silk Lounge and the C Concourse, I thought that I was just a short way from my gate at C-10. Ha! Not by a long shot. Regardless, I spent an hour or so lounging about, totally clueless as to my actual whereabouts. While I was there though I enjoyed some really good Tom Kha Gai soup along with a plate of Chicken in Green Curry, all washed down by an exquisitely chilled can of Singha Beer. When I finally decided to meander on down to C-10, I found that I had quite a long way to go just to get to the head of the C Concourse, and then – in keeping with most of my recent flights – I discovered that C-10 was way down at the very end of the concourse. In what has become by now a tired old refrain: I’d better get walking!

We had a pretty full load down to Kuala Lumpur, possibly due to re-accommodation of passengers from the cancelled Lufthansa flight. My seatmate was an elderly Asian gentleman who didn’t appear to speak any English and wanted to sleep the flight away. No worries there, mate! I’m just fine on my own and don’t require automatic interaction with folks just because they’re sitting next to me. I accepted the first of my hot towels and put in some time studying the menu. I should mention here that the Drinks Menu was specific to February, so any of you curious about wines, etc. should refer to the transcript posted above. As for the dinner menu, in keeping with today’s weird flow of events, I actually left it onboard the plane. I can tell you that I had yet another chicken dish (I swear, I’ll have something different next time!) Unless it’s dry or undersized, you’ll rarely if ever hear a bad word about airline chicken from me. It’s all good. I do remember the shrimp appetizer was horrible! The shrimp tasted like bad fish. Other than that, everything else including the chocolate parfait dessert was excellent.

Immigration and customs was negotiated quickly and painlessly – after all, I’d only be in Malaysia for a few hours – and soon I was on my way to the KLIA Ekspress platform. During off peak hours, express trains leave every 30 minutes, and the journey into downtown Kuala Lumpur takes only 28 minutes. These guys have got it down! What a great service!

Collecting my ticket was no problem and, after stopping by the local Kentucky Fried Chicken for a late night 2 piece snack, I headed down to the waiting area for the train I booked as Train #25 but locally known as the Ekspress Senendung Sutera. Although there is a lounge available for those of us holding First Class sleeper reservations, we were close enough to boarding time that I decided to just head straight to the gate.

By the way, I rode this train back in 2010 and since I was unable to take any pictures on this ride, the ones you’ll see here are from that ride four years ago. On board the train at least, nothing has changed.

Boarding was called at 10:00pm sharp. Although the temperature inside Sentral Station is cooler than it is outside, it is hardly what I’d call “Air-conditioned”. By contrast, my train car was wonderfully chilled, like stepping into a walk-in fridge. There was a car attendant was at the door, but his primary function, aside from checking my ticket, was to smile. Not like I needed any help finding my room, mind you. Just follow the numbers.

All Aboard at Kuala Lumpur Sentral

Now if you’re going to travel by night train from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, the deluxe sleeper is definitely the way to go. It’s worth noting that the Second Class sleeper is a car full of bunk beds. Though it’s certainly more comfortable than spending the night in a First Class recliner, the privacy your own room in the deluxe sleeper is worth the extra $25.00.

It wouldn’t surprise me if I got the same car I was in four years ago. There’s only one deluxe sleeper car per train and everything looked pretty much exactly the way I left it four years ago. My cabin came with two beds (an upper and a lower) nicely made up with plump pillows and monogrammed wool blankets. Also included was an ensuite shower and toilet but there was no hot water in the shower and no towel was provided regardless. In the good old days – however long ago those were – these cars also included a television. Where the TV used to be was a small platform and some unconnected wires. I wasn’t overly put out however. It was 10:30pm and I was looking forward to a good sleep. As for a shower, I could get one in the airport lounge tomorrow.

Accommodations in the Deluxe Sleeper

These beds are quite comfortable

Ensuite Toilet & Shower

Instructions for use of toilet

We eased out of Sentral Station with all the punctuality of a Swiss train, slowly picking up speed as we rolled through Kuala Lumpur’s rather far flung suburbs. This wasn’t exactly an “express” train in that we did make three or four stops in outlying KL neighborhoods before finally finding our rhythm, whence we proceeded to rock and roll on down the tracks to Singapore. Sleep came easily with the motion of the train, and I particularly liked the firmness of the mattress. This was as nice a train bed as I’ve ever slept on.

One especially welcome change from four years ago is that immigration and customs no longer take place at the crack of dawn in Johor Bhayu. Back then, we had to gather all our belongings and head into a large building for about 45 minutes to an hour of Malaysian emigration processing. These days those same functions are carried out on board the train at Johor Bahru while Singapore passport and customs formalities are undertaken at the new Woodlands checkpoint after you get off the train.

By the time I cleared Singapore customs, it was approaching 8:30am. I took a cab from the station to the Woodlands MRT station. From there it was about an hour and twenty minutes out to Changi.

February 9, 2014
Thai Airways Singapore to Bangkok 1250p – 210p 777-300 Business Class
Turkish Airways Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City 410p – 530p Business Class
Lufthansa Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok 855p – 1015p Business Class

Check in via Thai’s Royal Silk Business Class counter was quick and efficient. Soon I was on my way to the Rainforest Lounge, conveniently situated at the top of the C Concourse, just a short walk from my departure gate at C-22. Thai does operate a Royal Silk lounge here at Changi but it’s nothing to write home about and, so far as I know, it doesn’t have showers. By comparison, the Rainforest Lounge (accessed via Priority Pass) has showers and a much nicer selection of food though the drinks are from a cash bar. No biggie – at this time of day I’m a water or coffee guy.

Boarding didn’t get underway until about 12:40 but this flight was only about half full so we were buttoned up and ready to go only about fifteen minutes later. The aircraft was a 777-300 and the seating was substantially different from that found on Thai’s A330s. These seats were essentially Business Class cubicles, and depending upon your location, they could be downright claustrophobic. On a positive note, each seat was of decent width and had direct access to the aisle. However, certain seats had an area only about 15” wide through which to access them and once sat, everything was right up on you. Window seats could be either “A” or “B”, with the “B” seats being a bit farther out from the windows. For me, those are the good seats with much wider access points than the “A” seats. That translates into better room for those of us who like to cross our legs now and then while seated.

Now maybe it’s just me, but one of the best pure benefits of sitting up in a premium class cabin is the increased amount of space that you have around you relative to Economy. In the case of Thai and other airlines like Austrian that have gone with these modular seating compartments, I think they’ve sacrificed the spacious ambience in order to provide a lie flat bed while still maintaining direct aisle access.

Business Class Seat on Thai’s 777-300

Here is a VIDEO produced by Thai about its new 777-300ERs. There’s some decent footage of the Business Class cabin.

As we taxied out to the runway, I saw Airbus’ A350 in factory colors remotely parked. The Singapore Airshow starts in a couple of days and this will be the A350’s first full display at an international air show. I’m sure it’ll garner a lot of attention as the Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing market for new airplanes. In fact, 30% of the total orders thus far for the A350 have come from airlines based in this region.

Lining up at the head of the runway, we paused briefly before the pilot pushed the throttles forward and sent us hurtling down the runway. 777-300ERs are equipped with the most powerful engines ever installed aboard a commercial jet airliner. That engine would be General Electric’s massive GE90-115B. Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “World’s Most Powerful Commercial Jet Engine”, the GE90-115B is certified as producing 115000 lbs of thrust but recorded an amazing 123,000 lbs. of steady thrust while undergoing initial ground testing in 2001. In late 2002, the engine shattered its original record by reaching 127,900 lbs. of thrust during required certification testing.

Given a half full airplane and all that extra power, we took to the air with considerable alacrity, powering smoothly through the moist, heavy air that perpetually envelopes Singapore by midday. Soon enough we were levelling out in the cool crisp air (-53°C according to the SkyMap) at 30 some off thousand feet and it was time to peruse the luncheon menu in anticipation of a nice afternoon meal.

LUNCHEON
Singapore to Bangkok

First Course
Whole Duck Foie Gras with Verjuice and Rose Grapefruit

Course

Seared Prawn with Sweet Chilli Sauce
Served atop Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice with Carrots and French Beans

Stir-Fried Chicken with Leek and Mashed Bean Sauce
Accompanied by Tossed Healthy Noodles and Sautéed Vegetables

Poached Siam Perch in Red Curry
Served with Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice,
Stir-fried Pickled Turnip and Egg

Bread, Butter

Dessert
Pardan Sago Seed, Water Chestnut and Coconut Cream
Tea, Coffee
Espresso, Cappuccino

The drink cart arrived first and I decided to try my luck with a Bloody Mary. I watched as the flight attendant mixed my drink with vodka and Spicy V-8 but nothing else. As such, I was served a mediocre Bloody Mary. Still, it’s an airplane, not a proper bar but even so, surely it couldn’t be that difficult to stock a small bottle of Tabasco Sauce and/or Worcestershire Sauce. Then again, this is Business Class, not International First, so perhaps the onus is on me to bring along those accoutrements. In fact, I actually have some small packets of Tabasco Sauce along with Cholula and Grey Poupon Mustard and a few other items that I keep in a little zip-lock baggie in my day pack. I just totally forgot about it.

While I’m in a good rant mode, another complaint I have with Thai is their tiny drink glasses. A good deal of the satisfaction derived from enjoying a refreshing drink is having a decent sized portion of it, providing the promise if not the reality that you’ll have a satisfyingly long drink before having to ring for a refill. Mind you, I’m not advocating 16oz tumblers such as those once served aboard Texas International flights, but a good 8-10oz cocktail glass would be appreciated. As it is, the little glasses Thai uses can’t be more than 6oz and when filled with ice, you’re down to about 3oz.

Alright then, let’s see about lunch…

Hmm… If I eat much more chicken I’m likely to start clucking but I don’t much care for the sweet chilli sauce which topped the prawns, nor the pickled turnip and eggs which accompanied the perch in red curry. Sigh… Stir-Fried Chicken, please.

Now this was actually a pretty good meal. I’m a rice guy but the noodles were an interesting change of pace and really quite good. I also really enjoyed the foie gras appetizer. As rare as it is to be served caviar these days, it might be even more extraordinary to be served foie gras. It’s always been one of my favorites though and I have fond memories of United’s appetizer plates in the mid-eighties, one of which was highlighted by decent sized portions of foie gras accompanied by jumbo prawns, cheddar cheese and bread sticks.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Leek and Mashed Bean Sauce

It’s a 900 mile flight from Singapore to Bangkok, which translated into a flight time of two hours and ten minutes. After lunch I spent some time having fun with one of the geography based trivia games. In concept it was a great game but in practice it was quite frustrating. For example, it would have a picture of the Rock of Gibraltar and to get points for the correct answer you had to touch a world map on the screen where you thought the pictured location was. If I had a pen, I reckon I could have been within five miles of a landmark like The Rock, but using my truly average sized finger tips would result in a response along the lines of “210 kms away. You’ve nailed it!!” or worse, “400 kms away. You’re pretty close!” Points were accrued based upon how close you were and how fast you were. As you might imagine, it was a bit frustrating to quickly yet carefully put your finger on something really easy like Chicago and then get the response “310 kms away. You’re really close!”

In Bangkok we parked out on the C Concourse and I began the long walk up to the transit desk at the head of the concourse. Unfortunately, I discovered that my onward flight to Ho Chi Minh City was departing from F-6 on [url=http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/node/87the opposite side of the airport[/url]. As such, I would need to collect my boarding pass at the West Transit Desk, also located on the opposite side of the airport. It was of little consolation that this would require me to walk across the world’s fourth largest single-building airport terminal (563,000 square meters or 6,060,000 square feet). According to a sign posted above the terminal walkway, the West Transit Desk was located just 850 meters away. 850 meters! I should’ve taken a picture with my new memory card. 850 meters translates to just over half a mile away, and that wasn’t even including the 200 yard walk from my gate at C8 to the top of the concourse in addition to the additional 200 some odd yard walk down to my gate at F6. People movers were available on the C and F concourses, but not the long crossover D Concourse. All told, I limped about three quarters of a mile which is nothing for your morning joggers but inside a building with so-so air-conditioning, wearing a 15 pound daypack and trailing a roll-a-board with a sore back and an uneven gait, it felt like quite a long walk.

Which gets me to wondering – what’s the longest distance one can possibly walk between gates for a connecting flight while staying completely inside an airport terminal complex? We’re not counting airports that have trains. Today’s walk might be a personal record but I also remember once coming into Denver’s old Stapleton International on a North Central flight from Minneapolis and walking from NC’s gate at the very end of the D Concourse all the way over to my connecting United flight to Las Vegas located just one gate from the end of the equally long B concourse. That was a lonnnng walk!

Back to the present, I collected my new boarding pass for Turkish Airlines’ flight XXX to Ho Chi Minh City and then decided to use my Priority Pass membership to visit one of the six Louis’ Tavern Lounges spread out around the airport terminal. I’ve used these lounges on two prior occasions and have always left with a good impression. The décor is stylish, the food offerings are acceptable (Not hot food but a nice variety of sandwiches) and there’s a decent selection of spirits and beers. Given my long walk and the muggy day, I quickly availed myself of an ice cold Singha’s Lager and found a comfortable lounge chair just down draft from an air-conditioning vent. Ahhh….

Lewis’ Tavern Lounge on F Concourse at Bangkok

So I’m booked on Star Alliance partner Turkish Airlines from Bangkok over to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon for you old timers) but the booking indicates that the flight is operated by Jet Airways of India. Oh Good! I’ve already flown on Turkish so now I’ll get to add another airline to my collection, which currently stands at 172 airlines flown and counting.

Not so fast, Bucko! Sitting at the gate was a 777-300 wearing the red and white livery of Turkish Airlines, and upon making my way down the jetway I was greeted at the door by a flight attendant with blond hair, which I believe is a pretty rare sight amongst indigenous Indians. As it turned out, yes – this flight was operated by Jet Airways – but the cabin crew and the service on board was totally Turkish. The plane itself was from Jet Airways, complete with First Class sliding door suites. Back in the Business Class cabin the large, comfortable seats were arranged in a herringbone fashion, configured 1-2-1. Their only drawback from my perspective was that they faced away from the windows. Other than that, I could have easily spent much longer than the one hour and seven minutes we’d spend aloft enroute to Ho Chi Minh City.

Business Class seating on Turkish 777-300
Aircraft operated by Jet Airways of India

Service enroute consisted of a pass with the beverage cart and a tasty salmon, cucumber and asparagus sandwich on focaccia bread accompanied by a delicious little tiramisu cake. For a one hour flight at this time of day it was just perfect.

Afternoon Snack on Turkish Airlines

As much as I’d like to have spent a couple of days in Ho Chi Minh City, I was forced to press on due to the fact that the only available First Class seat I could score on Emirates back to the U.S. within the next five days was departing out of Dubai the day after tomorrow. I would have been willing to fly into any US gateway city served by Emirates but alas, Seattle on the 11th was it. Getting a First Class seat from most any Asian city to Dubai was not a problem but it meant I’d have to leave tomorrow. Emirates does fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Dubai but unfortunately that flight was only available in Business Class. The alternative which would have allowed me to stay an extra couple of days in Vietnam would have involved heading back up to Incheon and flying home in “First Class” on American. As you might imagine, I had such fond memories of my First Class flights on Emirates last fall, not to mention my recent experiences on Lufthansa and Asiana, that settling for a Flagship Suite on American was never really a consideration.

I encountered a brief problem at the transit desk because they weren’t set up to issue Lufthansa boarding passes. Apparently not many people flying into SGN are transiting onto Lufthansa’s flight to Bangkok and Frankfurt. They were especially not used to seeing guys like me who’d just flown in from Bangkok and were now turning right around and heading back again. Thankfully, my odd routing didn’t attract any official attention but I had to sit around in the transit area for a half hour or so before a transit desk employee could return from the ticket counter with my passport and boarding pass.

Included with my boarding pass was a separate card granting me access to the CIP Rose Lounge. This lounge was one of two contract lounges on the concourse, the other being the Apricot Lounge. There are three flights that all depart SGN for Bangkok within twenty minutes of each other, and based upon the crowds in the Rose Lounge it looked as if each airline (Thai, Turkish and Lufthansa) used this lounge for its Premium Class passengers. As such, the best pictures I can offer you come via this You Tube video which I found on the internet.

What this video won’t show is that the air conditioning in this lounge was fighting a losing battle with the hot, humid air outside. Although there was a fairly decent selection of food available, I wasn’t particularly hungry, preferring instead to wait and see what Lufthansa had in store for us on the short one hour flight back to Bangkok.

This was only my second flight on an A340-600, the other having come in Economy Class aboard a South African Airways plane back in 2004. Needless to say Lufthansa’s Business Class up ahead of the wings was a huge improvement over having been sat back in row 34 or so on the SAA bird. Even so, I couldn’t help but lust just a bit over those big blue First Class thrones sitting ever so empty just beyond the curtain. These were the old style First Class seats but they certainly looked inviting and – were it not for yesterday’s flight between Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur having been cancelled – I would’ve gotten a chance to check them out myself.

Oh well. I was still sitting pretty comfortably in Lufthansa’s spacious Business Class seats, sipping on a nice cold glass of water while reading about Chinese passengers rioting in a northern Chinese airport due to snow delays. Apparently they were unhappy at the lack of information being provided them by the airline personnel and finally the situation just reached critical mass. What I found more interesting – if not slightly entertaining – was that this was not the first time Chinese passengers had rioted over what they perceived to be bad service. My goodness! Apparently some ticket counters and computers were damaged, resulting in even longer delays for everyone. Yeah, but it sure felt good!

Service on this short flight back up to Bangkok consisted of a good looking plate of roast beef and asparagus served with lightly flavored glass noodles. I washed it all down with a glass of Jack Daniels and then reclined my seat a bit to watch the lights of Bangkok was we followed a wide sweeping path around the southern edge of the city before lining up for a surprisingly smooth landing at Suvarnabhumi.

Evening Snack on Lufthansa

Once again I’d booked a suite at the Phoenix Hotel. My wait time was minimal and soon I was reveling under the blast from not one but two air conditioners as I got my room chilled to a wonderful 18°C in preparation for a good night’s sleep.

My onward flight to Seoul doesn’t depart until 6:30pm, which left me with a seven hour layover here in Frankfurt. Some old friends of mine have been traveling through southern Europe this winter but because of how the ticket prices worked out at the time they bought their tickets, it was less expensive for them to get to Spain via Frankfurt than it was to fly a more direct route. They were returning home to Colorado tomorrow but had arrived in Frankfurt a couple of days early to see the city.

Even though my flight got in at 11:00am, I arranged to meet them at 1:00pm primarily because I wanted to visit Lufthansa’s First Class lounge. I already had my boarding pass for the Asiana flight and as a transit passenger coming off a flight in First Class with Lufthansa, I was allowed access to the First Class lounge in Frankfurt.

Now, let’s be sure we understand each other here: Most everybody knows about Lufthansa’s highly regarded First Class Terminal at Frankfurt. What they may not know is that Lufthansa also operates a very nice First Class Lounge in the main terminal that includes many of the features that make the FCT such a desirable destination in its own right. This lounge has showers, sleeping rooms, a restaurant, a full bar and even a cigar room. I’m sure it’s not as large as the FCT but in most every other regard it would seem to be every bit as functional, not to mention enjoyable.

I was amazed when I saw the bar. Oh. My. Gawd. That’s an impressive array of alcohol! The bartender mentioned that there were 140 different whiskeys stocked. Well dang, pour me a Blantons, please! But wait! Let me get a shower, first!

The bar at Lufthansa’s First Class Lounge

An impressive selection of bourbons and whiskeys

One of the nicest aspects of First and Business Class travel is the availability of showers at the lounges. I have always lived in a cool dry environment, both in the Colorado mountains as well as the Alaskan Interior. While it’s probably not an issue for most people, I really notice the humidity. I’m reminded of a weather cast I caught one night in a Tucson hotel when the weatherman came on and said that the reason everyone felt so hot and stuffy was that the humidity had gotten up to 34%! That’d be a great day in Atlanta, Georgia! To me at least, it’s not hot, it’s just sticky. I don’t know how most of y’all do it! Thank goodness for showers and airline lounges! Interestingly, it doesn’t take me long to get used to the new humidity in a cooler climate like Frankfurt in the winter. It’s just that initial blast that gets me. After that shower, provided I’m not running wind sprints or something I’m just fine.

The First Class lounge also had a restaurant available that included an impressive buffet as well as a la carte service off of a menu. I was surprised to see Tom Kha Gai soup from Thailand on the menu. It’s one of my favorites, so after stopping at the bar to pick up my glass of Blanton’s, I took a seat in the restaurant and ordered some soup. The soup was presented in a nice wooden container and the flavor – fantastic! It was hot, flavorful and properly spicy, enough so that I required a glass of water because the Blanton’s wasn’t of any help at all!

The Buffet at Lufthansa’s First Class Lounge

Hot dishes on offer at the buffet

Cold salads on offer at the buffet

Cheese and breads on offer at the buffet

A nice looking table for two in the restaurant

Tom Kha Gai Soup Presentation

Even though I knew we’d be stopping off for lunch somewhere that afternoon, I couldn’t help but try out a small slice of this exquisite little multi-layered raspberry cake that I saw in the dessert case. It looked like a little jewel in there and the taste and texture were downright luscious. By now I’d replaced the Blanton’s with a cup of first rate coffee and by the time I left the lounge and headed down to Immigration, I was primed and ready for an afternoon on the Main.

Delicious Raspberry Cake

And a nice afternoon it was. Following a delicious lunch at a great little restaurant called Morleo’s, we drove over to the nearby Ledermuseum or Leather Museum. The name is a bit of a misnomer because this is actually three fascinating museums in one – The Shoe Museum, the Museum for Applied Art and the Ethnological Museum. Click on each of the links and you will see why only an hour and a half was not nearly enough time to properly visit this wonderful place!

* * * . * * * . * * *

February 6, 2014
Asiana Airlines Frankfurt to Seoul 630p – 1240p 747-400 Combi First Class

It was approaching 5:00pm by the time we finally made it back to the airport. Hugs, kisses and various promises were exchanged before I made my way into the crowded terminal building, exchanged my online issued boarding pass for the real thing and then proceeded through security to the Senator Lounge across from gate 43. I had thought that the Senator Lounge served both Business and regional First Class passengers for Lufthansa and Star Alliance airlines but on my way through the airport I saw a sign indicating a separate Business Class Senator Lounge, so evidently I was wrong.

Compared to Lufthansa’s International First Class lounge however, the lounge I entered seemed more like a Business Class lounge. Mind you, it was a perfectly decent lounge but the way it was set up, it just felt crowded – even when it wasn’t. There were lots of chairs and couches, a fairly decent buffet and a bar that seemed downright barren compared to the one at the First Class Lounge. No doubt about it – I’d been well and truly spoiled by the magnificence of Lufthansa’s First Class Lounge. Oh well. I’d be relocating to a First Class suite soon enough, so I availed myself of a glass of ice water, picked up a copy of the International New York Times and found myself a seat by the window.

Leaving the lounge at 5:45, I made my way down to gate 45 from whence my Asiana flight would soon depart. Boarding was still fifteen minutes away but I wanted to get down to the gate and have a look at my aircraft while basking in the anticipation of yet another long distance First Class flight.

Even as a kid, my primary interest in airline travel was from a passenger’s perspective. Most everyone from parents to classmates always assumed that a kid who was interested in airplanes would want to grow up to fly them, right? No way! I had no more interest in becoming a pilot than I did in becoming a tent maker. Right from my very earliest memories of flying, I was completely enthralled with the entire experience of a trip on an airplane: getting dressed up for the trip, the drive to the airport, the smell of jet fuel outside the terminal, walking out onto the tarmac and climbing up the stairway into the plane, the pretty stewardess greeting passengers at the top, the taxi and takeoff roll, the inflight meals, the sights and sounds of the flight and watching the flaps extend as we made our approach for landing – it was all incredibly exciting and I was driven to do as much of it as I could.

Now, that lifelong drive has delivered me to gate 45 here at Frankfurt Airport where I await my 4,859th flight. You’d think I’d have tired of it all by now. You know; been there – done that (yawn). Well, to be sure, the prospect of hopping on yet another 737 between Seattle and Los Angeles no longer leaves me giddy with anticipation. On the other hand, even though I’ve logged 1,720 lifetime flights in First Class, only 98 of those have come aboard long distance international First Class flights. For a flight like tonight’s between Frankfurt and Seoul, I’d be excited even if this were a flight aboard a U.S. airline.

As it is, this will be my first time flying in First Class aboard Asiana, an airline that as recently as 2010 won the prestigious “Best Airline” award at the Skytrax [url= http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards-2010/Airline2010.htm%5DWorld Airline Awards[/url]. As recently as 2012 Asiana won recognition by U.S. Business Traveler magazine as the ‘Best Overall Airline in the World’, so I am very much looking forward to experiencing some of that award winning service myself.

Additionally, even though I’ve flown aboard plenty of 747s, this will be my first flight aboard an Asiana 747 so in a sense this is like a new airplane for me. I’m really looking forward to seeing what it looks like inside – what’s First Class look like? What color is the carpet? What color are the seats? I know, I know what you’re thinking. Still, I am unrepentant. This is exciting stuff!

Judging by the assemblage of humanity in the gate lounge, this flight would only be about half full. Sure enough, when boarding was called for Premium Class passengers only a couple dozen of us approached the jet bridge. Perhaps most impressive was almost complete lack of gate lice. With a ten hour flight and sub-freezing temperatures in South Korea to look forward to, perhaps no one was all that anxious to get on board anyway.

Except for me. As tempting as it might have been to have run onto the plane like a contestant on The Price Is Right, I did an admirable job of restraining myself as I strolled down the jetway with relative poise and dignity. A bevy of beige clad flight attendants awaited us at the broad entryway to the 747. Even these days, I am still impressed by the sheer size of this airplane. After spending so much of the year flying about the U.S. on a seemingly endless parade of 737s and single aisle Airbuses, stepping into a 747 is like walking into someone’s home. I love it!

My boarding pass was inspected and I was handed off to a trim young lady with pretty eyes and a shy smile. She escorted me through the First Class cabin to my seat at 2K; then assisted me with hanging my jacket and storing my roll-a-board in the large closet up at the very front of the cabin. No alcohol can be served on the ground in Frankfurt, so I settled for a tall glass of ice water with lemon. To be honest, I rather prefer this to Champagne as it’s a lot more refreshing. Besides, with a ten hour flight ahead of us there’ll be plenty of time for Champagne and whatever else they may have onboard.

Asiana operates a fleet of fourteen 747-400s of which only four are operated in passenger configuration. Of those, two are 747 “Combis” that have a large cargo door just behind door 4L at the rear of the fuselage. While my 16 year old bird would be considered middle aged by today’s standards, her ten First Class suites looked downright elderly compared to the new sliding door suites installed on some of Asiana’s 777s, as well as some of the newer suites on competing airlines.

Unfortunately, with twin engine jets increasingly getting the bulk of the work on long distance flights, these 747s are likely to be converted to full freighters before they’ll ever see upgraded suites. Just off the top of my head, the only airlines I can think of that offer modern, up to date suites in their 747s are Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa and a few British Airways birds.

That said, this is still a reasonably comfortable seat. I like the padding and the spacious wooden armrests and paneling around the seat. The IFE monitor looks to be about 15” – more than adequate for enjoyable viewing – and the table is not only sufficiently large but also has the ability to swivel out and away from you. My pre-flight test of the recline function revealed a somewhat balky response time but eventually the seat began to recline more fully, if only grudgingly so.

The First Class Suite on Asiana’s 747-400

The First Class Suites on Asiana’s 747-400

Two more passengers arrived as the two flight attendants working up front took turns doling out the usual array of pre-flight goodies. You all know the drill by now so I won’t elaborate except to say that Asiana’s amenity kit is the first one I’ve bothered to keep. I could care less about all that dainty stuff they put in there but I liked the size and accessibility of the zippered bag. I might use it to create my own personal amenity kit with things I actually would use and it would fit well in my daypack.

Asiana’s First Class Amenity Kit

The first of many rounds of hot towels were passed out and I was pleased to see that this crew knew how to do a proper hot “Oshibori” towel. Hot and moist, but not wet, and lightly scented. Ah…

Menus and wine lists arrived next and I wasted no time in perusing their contents. Before doing so however, I couldn’t help but admire how nice these menus looked. A good airline menu cover should elicit a heightened sense of anticipation for the epicurean delights within, not to mention the journey ahead. As a longtime collector of First Class airline menus, I’ve seen everything from food to seashells to artwork on the covers. Asiana’s menu cover had stylish photo featuring a plate of stuffed oysters that made me hungry just looking at it. Let’s check it out right now!

DINNER
Frankfurt to Seoul

WESTERN MEAL

Appetizer
Caviar
Red Pepper with Eggplant Mousse and Olive Tapenade
Lobster Claw and Prosciutto Ham

Soup
Basil Tomato Soup

Salad
Mixed Greens with Yogurt Mango Dressing or Balsamic Dressing

* * * * * * * * *

MAIN COURSES

Beef Tenderloin Steak with Madeira Sauce
Served with Tomato Garlic Concasse, Asparagus, Cauliflower,
Bell Peppers and Potatoes

Roasted Halibut Fillet with Herb Pine Crust
Accented with Red Pepper Sauce
Served with Creamed Spinach, Grilled Red Peppers and Mushroom Risotto

Lamb Saddle with Brown Sauce
Served with Ratatouille and Pumpkin Puree

* * * * * * * * *

Cheese
Manchego, Red Cheddar, Brie

Dessert
Blanc-Manger with Black Berries and Custard Sauce

_____________________________________________________________________________

KOREAN MEAL

STARTER

Korean Shiitake Mushroom Pancake
Chilled Platter of Poached Chicken Breast and Vegetables
Broccoli Shrimp Porridge
*We are pleased to offer caviar service on your request

MAIN COURSE

Korean Royal Cuisine “Bibimbap” and “Galbijjim”
Steamed Rice, Various kinds of Vegetables and Minced Beef
Mixed with Red Pepper Paste “Gochujang” and Sesame Oil
Braised Beef, Assorted Side Dishes and Soup

DESSERT

Korean Traditional Cookies
Made of Wheat Flour and Walnut

Fresh Fruit
Coffee and Tea

I had my first experience with Bibimbap last November while flying on Korean Air Lines between Hong Kong and Seoul. Even though I was sat back in Economy, I really liked this dish. It was complex, tasty and filling. For those passengers not familiar with this Korean specialty, Asiana included a brief description in the menu:

“It is also called “Goldongban”. “Goldong” means that several ingredients are gathered equally. “Bibimbap” is a mixture of cooked white rice, various vegetables, pan-broiled meat and red pepper paste “Gochujang”. At the Court, Bibimbap was served on New Year’s Eve based on the belief that the remaining food should be emptied before the end of the year. Moreover, it was easily prepared for farmers in the farming season during break time and is a recommended dish since it is a convenient and substantial meal. As a healthy food with several ingredients in harmony, it was accredited as space food. There are various forms of bibimbap by area.”

Very nice, very nice… I’m pretty certain I’m going to go with the Bibimbap for my main and as for the rest of the meal, well, there’ll be plenty of time to figure that out.

When the captain came on over the PA with his welcoming announcements, I couldn’t help but sit up and take notice. Above all, I was trying to understand what he was saying because his English sounded so rough. This was quite surprising because English has long been designated as the official language for commercial airliner communication and since this guy was a 747 captain, I would have expected his English skills to have been much better.

Pilots from large, international airlines like Asiana fly all over the world and to do their job safely and correctly, they must communicate effectively with local air traffic controllers wherever they go. The only way for the system to work properly is if everybody involved can speak the same language. From what I’ve read, as of 2008 all commercial airline pilots (who fly internationally) and air traffic controllers worldwide must meet ICAO Level 4 language requirements. These include:

•Pronunciation
•Structure
•Vocabulary
•Fluency
•Comprehension (Aural)
•Interaction

Ideally, if a Korean pilot flying between Frankfurt and Seoul ran into trouble over Mongolia, he should be able to make himself understood as well as be able to follow instructions from controllers.

There have been a number of past commercial aviation accidents, many of them resulting in fatalities, where language issues are considered to have been a possible or actual contributing factor. After the unfortunate recent incident involving an Asiana 777 in San Francisco, I should think Asiana’s training protocol would put an emphasis on ALL aspects of safe flying, including communication skills.

In any event, I wasn’t worried enough to get off the flight – just surprised. After the rather egregious shortcomings in Asiana’s pilot culture that were exposed after the SFO incident, I should imagine they’ll be under the FAA and ICAO’s microscope for a while. Maybe the Captain just had a poor quality mike on his PA system. In any event, we’ll be landing in Seoul where his foreign language skills should not be an issue.

It was a surprisingly short taxi out to the runway. I’d guestimate we didn’t travel more than five or six hundred yards. The terminal was right beside us and I could clearly see the Air Canada 767 that had been parked next to us as we began our takeoff roll. The sound of takeoff from up in the nose of a 747 is more of a deep buzz than the roar you’d hear from the wing on back. The retraction of the nose wheel however is a different story. On this plane it was surprisingly noisy but once the outer doors had closed the sound became nearly symphonic: A deep bass buzz as if from a covey of cellos accompanied by a nicely harmonic whine that sounded more synthesizer than violin. Add to this the sound of air rushing past the fuselage and it was music to my ears.

The lights of Germany’s largest city quickly disappeared as we climbed through the cold night sky and into a layer of clouds. With nothing more to see out my window, I turned my attention to the wine list which was attractively housed in a large booklet adorned with a frilly red cord and an artistic picture of two wine glasses.

WINE LIST

Champagne
Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
Charles Heidsieck Millesime 2000

White Wine
Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet 2010
Aaldering Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Berncasteler Doctor Riesling Kabinett 2011

Red Wine
Château L’Arrosée 2008
Louis Jadot, Corton Grèves Grand Cru 2007
Yangarra Estate Vineyard Shiraz 2011
Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Dessert Wine
Sandeman 20 Year Old Tawny Port
Sawmill Creek Vidal Icewine 2008

ASIANA BAR

Aperitifs
Sweet Vermouth
Dry Vermouth
Campari
Medium Dry Sandeman Sherry

Spirits
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Scotch Whisky
Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey
Canadian Club Whisky
Absolut Vodka
Beefeater Gin
Bacardi Rum

Cocktails
Whisky Sour
Manhattan
Bloody Mary
Mimosa
Screwdriver

Cognac & Liqueur
Hennessy X.O.
Drambuie
Cointreau
Bailey’s Irish Cream

Beers
Ob, Cass, Hite, Max
Heineken, Becks, Budweiser

We were about 20 minutes into the flight when a flight attendant arrived to take my drink and meal order. Ever cognizant of the fact that once I’m back home the complimentary pours of Johnnie Walker Blue will come to an abrupt and disappointing end, I requested a glass of that along with a side of ice water. As for dinner, I decided to go with a blend of western and Korean styles.

In trying to explain my menu selections to the flight attendant, it very quickly became apparent that speaking and understanding English was going to be a bit of a problem for her. Unfortunately, her partner wasn’t any more proficient. It was important however that we quickly resolve the meal order because after a few JWBs, my English skills might very likely become commensurate with hers.

Now I realize that a route like Frankfurt to Seoul may not have all that many native English speakers onboard compared with flights to North America but given the high regard in which Asiana’s service is held by international entities, I was still pretty surprised at the dearth of English language skills exhibited by this cabin crew. On my recent flight between Hong Kong and Seoul on Korean Air, many of the flight attendants back in Economy Class spoke excellent English.

Mind you, I don’t want to come across as the Ugly American with this demanding attitude that English be spoken around the world but for better or worse, English is – for now at least – the official international language. Aboard an airline of Asiana’s international reach and prestige, I would have expected better, especially from a crew trained to work the First Class cabin.

In any event, through a combination of speaking slowly and pointing, I was able to communicate my choices. A glass of JWB should start things off nicely. As for the meal, we’ll start with caviar of course! Now then, let’s also have a plate of that lobster and ham, please. A salad sounds good and for the main course, I’ll go with the Bibimbap.

Five minutes passed, then ten minutes and finally the flight attendant arrived with my table settings. When I asked her if I might have my drink served before the meal, she seemed a bit flustered. I don’t know if she just forgot or if the style of service is just different on Asiana. Either way, I got some nervous laughter and then off she went to fetch my drink. Unfortunately, this was a pattern that would continue throughout the flight.

The Caviar Presentation Aboard Asiana

As for the food – I’m not enough of a caviar connoisseur to comment on quality, but I very much liked the presentation and the flavor (great on garlic bread!) as well as the inclusion of a yellow rose with the place setting. Next up was the ham and lobster claw – an interesting combination to say the least. Well I’ve never met a lobster claw I didn’t like though I never did figure out what comprised those three dots of brown sauce. They tasted a bit like that staple of Australian cuisine – Vegemite! – and one session with that vile substance is enough for me! The salad was fine – nothing special but tasty enough with a good strong Balsamic dressing.

Lobster Claw and Prosciutto Ham

Tonight’s Salad Course

Alright then, bring on the Bibimbap!

Whoa, Nellie! Right away I’ll give Asiana 10 points for presentation! Arranged around a large lacquered tray were a variety of items highlighted by a large bowl containing a variety of finely sliced vegetables and minced beef. In smaller bowls were portions of sliced hot peppers, kimchee, “Gochujang” red pepper paste, sesame oil, a small yellow polenta type cake and some greenish brown slimy stuff that I chose to keep at a distance. A plate of braised beef with vegetables and a bowl of miso soup completed the arrangement.

An Impressive Bibimbap Presentation

Now the trick is to mix it all together, and this I did with the exception of the slimy greenish brown stuff, the kimchee and the yellow stuff. The result was quite tasty though surprisingly not very warm. Maybe I took too long in putting it all together but even the soup was a bit on the tepid side. Overall though, I was a happy camper and now I’ve got a new dish to look forward to when I get back home to Alaska where Fairbanks has two Korean restaurants.

Stir It Up!

As you can see from the picture, the bowl of bibimbap is in and of itself quite a large amount of food. Add to that some caviar, lobster and salad and as you might imagine I was well and truly stuffed. As such I passed on dessert but did enjoy a glass of the Shiraz with a small portion of red cheddar cheese and crackers.

I should note here that Asiana does provide a mid-flight refreshments menu, available at any time during the flight. I’ve rarely ever taken advantage of the foods on these menus mainly because most proper First Class meals leave me well sated for a good five or six hours. Still, if for whatever reason I were feeling a bit puckish, here would be my options:

REFRESHMENTS
Provided upon your request throughout the flight

Udong
Ramen
Sandwiches
Assorted Fresh Fruits

With a little less than eight hours left in the flight, I decided to check out Asiana’s impressive selection of movies. I’m not much of a technically minded guy, so I can’t tell you that Asiana’s IFE is one of the very best or not but it had more than enough of all the usual things one would expect on a quality IFE – movies, television programs, music and game – to keep me sufficiently and satisfyingly entertained. Of particular interest to me was Forrest Whittaker’s latest effort “The Butler”, the true story of Cecil Gaines, a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades. What a great movie!

Alright then, time for bed. On my way back to the loo to brush my teeth and change into a t-shirt, I notified the flight attendants of my desire to have my bed made up for the night. They were all back in the galley having an animated conversation about something or other and I almost felt bad for interrupting – they looked to be having such a good time! Two of them quickly peeled off from the group however and when I returned I found my bed nicely laid out, looking quite inviting with two pillows and a good looking duvet.

Unfortunately, appearances can be deceiving. The biggest complaint I had with this lie flat seat was that it was uneven. Maybe I’m spoiled after sleeping last night on Lufthansa’s actual bed but tonight I could feel a distinct drop off at the division between the seat back and the seat cushion. It wasn’t hugely annoying but it was noticeable, enough so that I briefly considered unfurling my Thermarest pad and having a go of it on the cabin floor. The only reason I didn’t was because I suspect it wouldn’t have been in keeping with proper First Class decorum for the other passengers to wake up and see some guy sprawled out on the floor. They may have been jealous!

Although I rarely ever have any problem getting to sleep, I’ve used melatonin for years to improve the overall quality of my sleep. On those rare occasions that I do have a problem falling asleep – usually due to my back’s response to an unfamiliar sleeping surface – I have some Ambien on hand. Now I have often heard of people taking Ambien to help them sleep on flights but what surprises me is that it sounds like they take an entire pill. Perhaps Ambien comes in different strengths – I don’t know – but I do know that if I ever took an entire pill, I could sleep sitting upside down in a middle seat in Economy. No thank you. Instead, I bite off about ¼ of the little pill and take it with my usual dose of melatonin. That’s always worked in the past and it also worked well tonight.

One of the first things I do when I wake up on an airplane is turn on the SkyMap and find out where we are. For some reason I’ve always found it fascinating to fall asleep over one continent and wake up over another. Over the past three nights I’ve slept all over the world! Three nights ago I slept between the coast of Venezuela and northern Uruguay. The next night I fell asleep over the northeastern Brazilian coast, only to awake a couple hundred miles off the coast of Morocco. Last night I crashed out a couple hundred miles east of Moscow and awoke this morning just north of Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia.

Morning Over Mongolia

Tonight I’ve got a hotel room in Bangkok. A discreet peek out my window revealed a world of clouds, so I quickly turned my attention to the much more colorful and interesting breakfast menu:

BRUNCH

WESTERN MEAL

Starter
Fresh Fruit
Cereal and Yogurt

MAIN COURSES

Spinach Cheese Cannelloni
Served with Spinach Cheese Sauce and Grilled Vegetables

Chicken Crepe and Quiche
Served with Roasted Tomato and Sugar Snap Peas

Selection of Breakfast Bread
Croissant, Ciabatta Roll, Nut Puff Pastry, Blueberry Muffin

KOREAN MEAL

Korean Rice Porridge with Chicken Dakjuk
Served with Assorted Side Dishes

Dessert
Fresh Fruit

Coffee and Tea

Excuse me – I guess it’s brunch given that the local time is about 10:30am. No wonder the sun is so bright out there! Whatever you call it, the selections looked pretty good and the wonderful aroma of hot bread and coffee emanating from the galley only served to heighten my anticipation of the hot breakfast soon to be served.

These flight attendants must have some kind of regimen for checking on the First Class cabin in search of life. I hadn’t been awake for more than three or four minutes before one appeared to ask if she could restore my seat to its upright position and then perhaps bring me anything. I couldn’t help but wonder how often they must be checking on us throughout the night. I had to run one off last night because she seemed to be hovering. With only three of us up front and my two cabin mates sleeping a good portion of the flight away, I should imagine these girls are a bit bored, and on a ten hour flight with a passenger like me who’s really quite low maintenance, they may well have been going stir-crazy back there in the galley.

So yes, please, I’d love to start out with a cup of coffee and a fruit plate. As for the main course, let’s go with… the Chicken Crepe and Quiche. And may I add a glass of orange juice to that as well? Thanks!

Trotting off to the lav, I quickly changed back into more appropriate attire (My Denver Broncos t-shirt is decidedly less fashionable than it was just a couple of weeks ago!) and returned to find my seat nicely restored and ready for day use. I don’t particularly enjoy this time of day on airplanes because I really dislike sitting there in a darkened cabin when it’s broad daylight outside. Back home, the first thing I do in the morning is open the curtains and turn on the lights. Even though today there was nothing to see but clouds out there, good natural daylight is – for me at least – far preferable to being cooped up in this darkened cabin. Unfortunately, both of my cabin mates appeared to have taken full doses of Ambien last night and so, not wanting to disturb their sleep, I turned to the SkyMap and this week’s edition of The Economist.

My table was reset with Asiana’s distinctive beige patterned tablecloth and triangular plates, then completed with yet another delicate yellow rose. Coffee was poured, the bread basket was presented and my fruit plate was delivered. I asked the flight attendant for a lime to squeeze on the fruit but we never were able to reach an understanding on just what exactly a lime was. I settled for a refill on my coffee instead.

A Good Looking Fruit Plate

The Chicken Crepe and Quiche was pretty good, though by my tastes it was a bit odd as a breakfast dish. Still, this is brunch so chicken it is. Truth be known, the real highlight for me was the croissant. Seriously flaky and decadently buttery, it was downright divine. I should’ve grabbed another one to munch on later in the lounge.

Chicken Crepe and Quiche

As uncomfortable as Asiana’s lie-flat seats may have been, in their day time configuration they were actually pretty comfortable. I could’ve handled another three or four hours of flying time with my windows now open, another cup or two of coffee and a good book. Alas, we had begun our initial descent just as the last of my breakfast plates were being cleared and so I instead took a few moments to put all my stuff away and get ready for landing.

Overall, I thought Asiana provided a decent though hardly award winning service. It wasn’t just the lumpy lie-flat seat or the lackluster English skills. The service presentation often seemed awkward and uncertain, with nervous laughter often accompanying each action. Perhaps the poor English skills was at the root of it, or perhaps it was a difference in cultures with regard to service needs and expectations but compared to the flight attendants I’ve encountered on airlines like Singapore and Cathay Pacific, these Asiana flight attendants seemed unconfident and unpolished.

Now to be fair, these are only a couple of flight attendants out of a much larger group, so it’s unrealistic to paint with too broad a brush. Nevertheless, on a long intercontinental flight in an international First Class cabin, I would have expected better from an airline that was named “World’s Best” just two years ago.

February 3, 2014
Alaska Airlines Fairbanks to Seattle 515p – 950p 737-700 First Class

When the day of departure finally arrived it was a gorgeous winter day in the Interior, sunny and about 8°F. It’s almost as if Alaska doesn’t want me to leave. Don’t go! See what you’re missing? It’s a beautiful day. The Yukon Quest dog sled race is into its third day and many of the teams are running at a record pace. Patty Larkin is playing in town this weekend. The Ice Dogs are also back in town. The aurora’s supposed to be good this weekend. Stick around!

As always, there are so many reasons to stay. Still, there is considerable consolation in the fact that I do have a return ticket. I’ll be back in just eight days. I may not beat the Yukon Quest mushers into Whitehorse but it’ll be close. They’ve got 1060 miles to go. I’ve got 40,790.

My neighbor Steve – he of the affinity for 1970s action movies and good bourbon – dropped me off on his way to work. Steve’s starting to approach all-star status amongst those who have dropped me off multiple times at various airports. I waved so long and promised a bottle of Woodford Reserve and a viewing of the original Inglorious Basterds (with Bo Svensen) next Saturday fortnight. It might even be time for another viewing of Vanishing Point. Or even Mr. Majestyk.

Rarely have I ever encountered a line at the TSA checkpoint here in Fairbanks. Once, on a nice summer day about eight years ago I had the misfortune to arrive shortly after four or five busses from Princess Cruises had disgorged their passengers, effectively turning our little terminal into a slow motion insane asylum. Today however the checkpoint was blissfully empty, the blue shirted agents all standing around seemingly waiting just for me, which in effect they were.

I watched as my 737-700 came in over the Tanana Basin and then circled around and landed from the west. As it taxied smartly back to gate 1, I headed over to the gift shop for a copy of today’s News Miner before making my way down to the gate. Despite having lived up here for twenty-six years now, I still am amazed at how quickly daylight returns to these northern latitudes. Just one month ago it was dark at 4:00pm. Now the sun’s up. We’ve been gaining about four minutes of sunlight per day of late. Come March that’ll increase to almost eight additional minutes per day.

It was a light load down to Seattle this evening. As ever, all of the First Class seats were occupied but in back the load was perhaps 50%. The pace was relaxed and friendly as we pushed back from the gate and dispensed with the pre-departure announcements. Soon we were climbing out of Fairbanks and making a wide turn to the south and east as we settled in for the two hour and fifty-eight minute flight down to Seattle.

A couple of Bloody Mary’s got this flight off to a nice start. I like Alaska’s Bloody Mary mix but an extra packet of Tabasco Sauce gave these drinks just the right kick. Additionally, I always bring along a packet of Blue Diamond almonds. I’m an old fashioned guy. I grew up on Blue Diamond almonds with my airborne cocktails. It’s a tradition I rather like and given the easy availability of these almonds in most any convenience store, I’m rarely without them aloft.

Dinner was served shortly afterwards. Normally Alaska’s catering out of Fairbanks (and indeed Alaska’s catering as a whole) is rather weak. I was expecting little more than a scrawny chicken breast with a pile of mixed greens. The plate I was presented tonight was much nicer. It was highlighted by a large juicy chicken breast – at least 6-7oz, maybe even 8! – topped with a creamy sauce and accompanied by polenta and Swiss chard. It was far and away the largest and best chicken dinner I’ve ever been served on Alaska and despite not including any salad or bread, I’d say this was one of the better meals I’ve had on Alaska of late.

The best chicken dinner I’ve ever had on Alaska!

In retrospect, I can’t help but wonder if this meal represented an upgrade to Alaska’s heretofore mediocre catering into and out of Alaska or if it was a mistake by the caterers. I spoke with friends of mine who’d flown Alaska First Class from Chicago to Portland last night and the only offering on their 5:15pm three and a half hour flight was a bowl of pasta with zucchini. By comparison Coach passengers were offered a nice chicken and rice bowl for just $6.00. So- the jury’s still out on Alaska’s catering system wide but I liked what I saw tonight.

We landed on a nice clear evening in Seattle and parked way out at the end of the D Concourse next to an American 737-800 that might be the plane taking me to Chicago tomorrow morning. After flossing and brushing in the downstairs bathroom, I stopped by to say howdy to the airport cops and then set up camp in my usual locale.

February 4, 2014
American Airlines Seattle to Chicago 815a – 225p 737-800 First Class
American Airlines Chicago to Miami 355p – 800p 757-200 First Class
American Airlines Miami to Buenos Aires 1155p – 1055a 777-200 First Class

I made two mistakes in the planning stages that could have scuttled this entire trip after today. One of them was avoidable; the other perhaps was not, especially since I couldn’t leave until after the Super Bowl. Then again, had I known that the Seattle Seahawks were going to handle the Denver Broncos with the same ease that Mike Tyson would have dispatched Woody Allen in the boxing ring, I would have gotten on the road a few days earlier with some time to enjoy BA and KL. (The cities, not the airlines)

My principal mistake was routing through Chicago instead of somewhere normally warmer like Dallas or Los Angeles. Though Dallas occasionally gets victimized by winter weather, the odds of it being affected are less so than in Chicago at this time of year. The second mistake was not allowing an extra day to get to Buenos Aires just in case anything happened today such as weather or a mechanical. After all, the point of this whole exercise is to experience First Class on Lufthansa and Asiana, not on American.

The weather today in Dallas was pleasant, partly cloudy with temps in the 50s. In Chicago the forecast called for snow starting in the early afternoon and intensifying into the evening. Winter Storm Nika was roiling through the nation’s midsection and Chicago was positioned on the northern edge of the storm’s projected track. Unfortunately, last ditch efforts to reroute through Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and even New York proved futile.

Sigh… I guess we’ll just have to hope for the best.

The day got off to a tenuous start when American’s 8:15am departure into Chicago was delayed because earlier that morning the pilots for my flight had been sent to Paine Field up in Everett, Washington in order to ferry a plane down to SeaTac. The announcement that our flight would be delayed was made at 8:05am and we were told that our pilots had just pushed back at Paine. The new departure time was said to be 8:30. Yeah, right. The pilots didn’t even arrive until 8:25 and by the time we took to the air it was 9:00am. On a positive note, a brisk tailwind would push us into Chicago a bit faster than usual resulting in an arrival at 2:35, just ten minutes late.

Back in the mid-2000s I used to log a lot of miles on American in pursuit of status in Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan. American had some great fares and routings such as Phoenix to Jacksonville routing PHX-SEA-ORD-MIA-JAX that allowed the miles to add up fast. From 2004 to 2008, I logged 282 flights on American totaling 310710 miles. Never once on any of those flights did I ever get to sit in First Class. Now I’d flown American First Class back in the good old days but I was unfamiliar with their post 9-11 product. Be it seating or food however, American always seemed to be a bit better than most other airlines back then. Today, I was looking forward to finally flying First Class on American – albeit the new American as managed by Doug Parker.

Well the seats certainly are nice. By today’s standards, at least. For sure the First Class seats on this 737-800 were more comfortable than those found on Alaska’s 737-800s. One thing I liked was that they were upholstered in cloth. I have never understood the allure of leather other than the fact that it’s easier to clean. The airlines that have it talk it up like it’s the ultimate in luxury but if you look around, most of the world’s best airlines use cloth covered seats in their First Class cabins.

As we pushed back from the gate and the flight attendants commenced with their emergency procedures briefing, two guys seated two rows up from me continued on with their rather loud conversation. It was clearly an awkward situation for the FA standing at the front of the First Class cabin but she struggled on. Nobody else said anything. I thought of saying something but from two rows back that probably would have been equally disruptive.

Call me old fashioned but aside from missing out on potentially important information, above all this type of behavior – be it talking loudly or not even looking up from a book or newspaper – just seems basically rude to me. Even though I’ve logged nearly 500000 miles aboard 737-800s and know this airplane about as well as any passenger can, I always put down my newspaper or book and give the flight attendants my attention if only out of respect to them and what they’re trying to do. I mean, really, imagine how awkward it must be to address a large group of people and see only about half of them paying any attention to what you’re saying. We’ve all been on planes and seen people who can’t be bothered to look up from their books and papers to acknowledge the safety briefings. Why? The usual excuses. They’ve flown hundreds of times. If there’s a crash, everyone’s a goner anyway! Truth be known, a good percentage of airline accidents happen during take offs or landings. Depending upon one’s actions, survival or death are often right there for the choosing. Will you make the right choice? Where IS your nearest exit, anyway?

Once we’d leveled out at 36000’, the Captain came on and advised us of the good news regarding tailwinds and our not so late arrival time. He promised a smooth flight until our descent into Chicago whereupon we’d be flying through the edge of the storm and could expect a few shakes. Otherwise, it should be a fine day for flying so please, sit back, enjoy the service and thank you for flying with American Airlines today.

American has a program that allows First and Business Class travelers to pre-order their main courses in advance of their flight. It’s not like Singapore or Thai where you get a selection of thirty different dishes to choose from. You’re limited to whatever is being served on the flight anyway, but at least you won’t have to worry about not getting your choice. Since I had no status with American, it seemed like a good idea to utilize this perk lest I end up with a bowl of cereal. As such, I pre-ordered the Quiche Lorraine.

I was pleased to see that the flight attendant made a point of acknowledging those of us who’d placed meal requests. The choices this morning were between a quiche Lorraine served with asparagus spears and sun-dried tomatoes or a decent sized bowl of cereal that came with a banana. Both dishes were accompanied by a small fruit plate and a choice of a banana nut muffin or a biscuit. My quiche was pretty good though I didn’t discern any of the bacon that would have made it a quiche “Lorraine”. Additionally, the asparagus spears were in reality tiny half inch long pieces of incredibly thin asparagus stalks that were so small they were unable to impart any real asparagus flavor. My urine didn’t even have that characteristic asparagus odor afterwards.

American’s Quiche Lorraine Breakfast

Descent into Chicago was a little bumpy but I was thankful to see that aside from cold grey skies, the conditions were otherwise pretty good. The runway and tarmac were clean and dry and all flights were operating on time. The only downside was the new location of my Miami flight which had been reassigned gate L-8, way over on the other side of the airport, about a half mile walk from the end of the H concourse where my inbound from Seattle had arrived. There goes any chance of lounging around at the Admirals Club. I took a big breath and began the long journey over to Concourse L.

American’s Tails – Past & Present

Although American has been steadily retiring its older 757s, the aircraft taking us down to Miami this afternoon was a relatively youthful 15 year old bird that still had plenty of spring in her wings. We verily leapt off the runway and quickly powered up through the cloud cover and into the bright sunny world of the troposphere. Drinks were served in short order (A Bloody Mary for me, thanks) followed by an early dinner. Once again I’d pre-ordered and so was guaranteed a nice dish of Cajun Shrimp accompanied by cheese grits and southern succotash. For any of you unfamiliar with succotash, today’s version was comprised of corn, some lima beans and a few flecks of green pepper – the latter contributing more color than flavor. It was all good though the main course inclusion of just three 40-count shrimp was a bit on the small side. Dessert was a raspberry and white chocolate cookie, washed down admirably with a cup of surprisingly hot coffee.

American’s Cajun Shrimp Dinner

A nice evening sky to enjoy with dinner

Upon disembarking in Miami, I was greeted by an attractive new terminal. Polished stone floors with brass inlaid seashell designs provided an appealing promenade through the high, wide and bright concourse. Looking back, I found it hard to believe that it had been four years since I’d last flown American through Miami International. I used to fly through here a dozen or more times a year and the airport was perpetually under construction. Now at last it appears that Concourse D is finally completed. This and Concourse A are as good as it gets at MIA and I look forward to the day when the rest of the airport is of an equal standard.

Despite the large number of international departures operated by American out of Miami, there is no Flagship Lounge available for First Class customers. Miami’s got more international departures than Los Angeles and London combined and yet those two airports rate Flagship Lounges. What’s up with that?! American, British Airways and Iberia jointly operate a premium lounge over on the E Concourse but that was so far from my departure gate at D23 that it hardly seemed worth the effort to hike over there. Oh well. Instead, I made my way over to the nearest Admiral’s Club.

Any negative feelings I may have been harboring about American’s lounge situation in Miami quickly evaporated upon entering the Admirals Club adjacent to gate 30. Now this is a nice facility. I was immediately reminded of another favorite lounge of mine – Northwest’s World Club (now Sky Club) on Concourse C at Minneapolis. Imagine that lounge with a south Florida ambience and you’d have the Gate 30 Admirals Club at MIA. Accented with vibrant colors and materials reflective of Miami’s tropical culture, this is a large and sprawling lounge, spread out over 30000 square feet. Even so, there are plenty of little nooks and crannies where one can enjoy a sense of privacy amidst the potted plants or beside one of the huge windows overlooking the tarmac below.

American’s Gate 30 Admirals Club at MIA

American’s Gate 30 Admirals Club at MIA
Photo Courtesy of American Airlines

Because I was travelling on an International First Class ticket, I was given two complimentary drink coupons good for premium class liquors or beers. After dropping my gear off in an intimate little covy of comfy chairs, I made my way to the bar where an impressive selection of spirits was on display. The bartender sported what might best be described as a conservative Mohawk hair style, something not commonly seen in most conservative airline lounges. Brash looks notwithstanding, he was a friendly and attentive guy who upon noting my interest in good bourbon wasted no time in recommending one called Angel’s Envy. I’d never heard of it but I was more than willing to give it a try.

It was printed on the bottle that this bourbon was “Finished in Port Wine Barrels” and perhaps that is why I found it a bit sweeter than I’d like. Not bad, not bad… but for my tastes I love the smoky spiciness of the Woodford Reserve. Little did I know at the time that I wouldn’t taste any Woodford’s until next week’s flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong aboard Emirates.

I left the lounge at 11:00pm and made my way down to D-23 where my Buenos Aires bound 777 awaited. Despite a difference of only seven gates from the D30 Admirals Club over to D23, the distance is deceptively far. Thankfully, a SkyTrain station was conveniently located adjacent to both gates.

It is said that you can dress a criminal in a coat and tie for his court appearance but underneath it all he’s still a criminal. You can also spruce up Miami International Airport with new terminals and shiny stores and restaurants but after all is said and done, it’s still in Miami – America’s own little Third World. Things run differently down here and it’s been my experience that for the most part they run a whole lot less efficiently than what you’ll find in other parts of the country.

Witness the scene at gate D-23. There were no signs or lanes indicating priority boarding, so instead of an orderly boarding process much as you’d expect (and generally find) on most other airlines around the country, here it was sheer bedlam. No sooner had the gate agent uttered the first sentence about the impending boarding process than half the gate lounge arose and surged toward the jetway. More announcements were made imploring people to actually take a moment to look at their boarding passes where their boarding group would be displayed but even this simple request seemed a bit beyond the grasp of these tired and anxious late night flyers.

It’s funny but after what I went through to make my way through the mob and onto the plane with the Group 1 passengers, I couldn’t help but think of maverick World Airways President Ed Daly standing on the aft stairwell of his 727 with a pistol in one hand and a clenched fist in the other, literally fighting off soldiers who were attempting to climb aboard his aircraft as it was taxiing out of DaNang with a load of Vietnamese orphans back in 1975. Some estimates say there were over 350 people onboard that plane. The truth is probably a bit less than 300, on a plane that in a typically mixed configuration carried about 110. Regardless, that was probably the most amazing 727 flight ever made and its “boarding process”, though inadvertent, bore some similarities to what I’ve often experienced in Miami. Here are a couple of great articles about that flight and Ed Daly – a true American hero.

First Article

Second Article

Despite my being amongst the first fifty people to board, the journey down the crowded and muggy jetway took a surprisingly long time. Two flight attendants were positioned at the door of the 777, one of whom examined my boarding pass, welcomed me aboard and then indicated I should turn left with a pointed finger. Hmm… Cathay Pacific this ain’t.

It’s been ten years since I last flew in International First Class on American. That flight was from Los Angeles to London, also aboard a 777-200. By all appearances, nothing has changed in the First Class cabin of these jets over the past ten years. The original Flagship Suites, introduced amidst much fanfare back in 2000, are now old and dated compared to the latest offerings, including those of rival United Airlines. American does offer a new and improved suite aboard its 777-300ERs but the -200s will soldier on with the original equipment which is then slated to be removed and replaced with Business Class seating starting later this year.

American’s Flagship Suite aboard the 777-200

At my seat were pajamas and slippers, individually packaged in plastic wrap. The wine list, menu and even a separate dessert menu had been laid out on the table beside the seat, along with a bottle of water. A lightweight blanket, duvet and pillow were placed on the foot rest opposite the seat. Light jazz bubbled through the cabin speakers. I stowed my roll-a-board, set down my daypack and then fired off a couple of photographs before the cabin got too crowded. A flight attendant appeared and relieved me of my jacket. She promised to return soon with an amenity kit and something to drink.

Taking a seat in my suite, I removed my shoes and took a moment to re-familiarize myself with the various seat functions. Personal experience has taught me that now is the time to learn about the seat and in the process find out if everything is working correctly. After all, it certainly wouldn’t do to discover that my seat won’t go flat an hour into the flight, especially on a full plane.

American’s suites are a bit different in that the seats not only face forward but can also be swiveled 90° to face the windows. In addition to the main dining table stowed in the wall forward of the seat, a separate table folds out from the wall alongside the windows. When turned and facing the windows, the resulting work space created by tables both in front and to the side is unparalleled.

As I was going through my inspection, one flight attendant arrived with an amenity kit followed shortly thereafter by another with a tray of orange juice, water and sparkling wine. I’m not much of a Champagne drinker, but when I do drink it I’ve come to appreciate the difference between the good stuff like Dom or Krug as opposed to the lesser quality stuff passed off as sparkling wine by U.S. airlines. Water, please.

Interestingly, the electrical outlets in these suites still run on DC whereas more modern devices (including those aboard American’s 737s) use AC. Next I discovered that my personal overhead light would not work. The electric outlet situation was quickly rectified with an airline supplied converter but alas, the overhead light issue required a bit more effort as the problem was with not only my light but everyone’s throughout the cabin.

Meanwhile, I took a moment to inspect the amenity kit. Supplied by Eames Office®, the large padded container is designed to double as a tablet case. Inside is a collection of Dermalogica® products including facial moisturizer, hand cream and lip balm along with the usual assortment of things like eye shades, socks, toothbrush and paste, ear plugs, tissues, a pen and even a laptop screen cleaner.

I think it’s great that the airlines supply these kits but I personally have little use for them. I always keep a toothbrush, floss and toothpaste in my daypack along with eyeshades, earplugs, tissues and plenty of pens. As for all the creams and moisturizers – you can have ‘em. I’ve always lived in a dry and cold climate and have never felt a need to use any of these products. As a result, beautiful women may not sidle up to rub my ruddy face approvingly like they do in the TV commercials for these products, but honestly, I don’t even know anyone that uses creams like this – at least not guys.

Pushback was right on time – 11:55pm. As we made our way put to runway 27L, I lamented the darkness that prevented me from seeing some of the colorful aircraft – including some interesting old hulks – that populate the airport perimeter. With the plethora of Latin American and Caribbean cargo airlines serving Miami – many of them with older jets – a daytime taxi around this airport is always entertaining.

We paused briefly at the head of the runway before the Captain throttled up the twin Rolls Royce Trent 800s powering his steed. The combined thrust of approximately 180000 lbf pushed our 500,000 lb. aircraft down the runway until it had achieved sufficient speed to defeat the twin forces of gravity and drag. The lights of Miami twinkled brightly beneath us as we soared into the warm night sky, climbing ever higher and faster toward the considerably colder climes of the upper troposphere where the engines would be at their most efficient.

As we made our way through a thin layer of clouds at 7000 feet, I reclined my seat a bit and reached for the menu and wine list. With a flight time of just eight hours and fifty-seven minutes down to Buenos Aires, my plan was to eat dinner as soon as possible, then read a bit and hopefully knock off about five hours of sleep. Normally I would never eat at this hour of night unless we’d been out partying all night, in which case there’s nothing quite like hittin’ a Denny’s at 2:00am!

Ah – but this is International First Class and even on a U.S. airline like American, I can always make time to check out my favorite form of inflight entertainment – the meal service.

My trip reports put a lot of emphasis on the inflight service – especially the meal service – because I particularly enjoy that aspect of the First Class experience. A nicely prepared and served meal represents a wonderful distraction from the ennui of long distance flight. With a seven to ten hour flight to look forward to, a good meal nicely presented at a leisurely pace represents entertainment far more enjoyable to me than anything found on the entertainment system.

* * * . * * * . * * *

The flight attendant serving my side of the cabin was named GiGi. She was a big, friendly lady with a happy disposition, a ready smile and some seriously frizzy hair. She and the Purser had been working on the overhead personal light issue I described earlier and had managed to get the lights to work all at once but not individually. Huh? You’d think we could just turn our lights off at that point but the button wouldn’t work. GiGi said she’d never seen anything like it on the 777 but it was what it was and so they’d decided to leave them available during the dinner service and turn them off afterwards. That was fine by me as I only needed the light to illuminate the meal on my tray table so as to better provide you all with quality photographs.

Speaking of photos, the biggest problem most photographers face is their self-consciousness about doing something that others may consider weird. While it helps to have a thick skin in this regard, for some that’s either nonexistent or not enough. One thing I’ve really found puts people at ease is if you can provide a reasonable explanation for why you’re taking such out of the ordinary photos. I’ve learned one explanation that resonates well with most flight attendants and seatmates is to explain that I’m doing so for a friend of mine who is a flight attendant with Alaska Airlines. I go on to mention that the largest plane flown by Alaska is a 737 and so my friend is curious to see what the First Class service is like on a larger airplane, much less on a different airline. This explanation seems to put everyone at ease and if I take three or four pictures of my appetizer, it’s because I’m trying to figure out my camera settings. After all, I don’t have a lot of experience taking food photos (they don’t need to know otherwise!)

Alright then, how about a drink before dinner? Right on! Where’d I put that wine list?

WINE LIST

Champagne
Champagne Moutard Vintage 2008

White Wine
Cave des Grands Crus Blancs Pouilly-Vinzelles
Silverado Vineyards Miller Ranch
Sauvignon Blanc, California

Red Wine
Fabre Montmayou Grand Vin, Mendoza
Salentein Numina Cabernet Franc, Uco Valley

Dessert Wine
Senhora do Convento Vintage Port, Douro

Spirits
Absolut Vodka
Bacardi Rum
Bombay Sapphire Gin

Whiskeys
Canadian Club Reserve Blended Whisky
Dewar’s White Label Scotch Whisky
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
Jim Beam Devil’s Cut

Beers
Amstel Light
Heineken
Select U.S. Beers

Brandy and Liqueurs
Baileys Irish Cream
Courvoisier V.S.O.P. Fine Champagne Cognac
DiSaronno Amaretto
Kahlua

Hmm… let’s go with a glass of the Malbec. And for dinner, uh, lemme just double check that menu for a moment!

AMERICAN AIRLINES INTERNATIONAL FLAGSHIP SERVICE

DINNER
Miami to Buenos Aires

Amuse-Bouche
Smoked Chicken Crostini
With Romesco Sauce

STARTERS

Cured Salmon
With poached pear and avocado crème
~or~
Prosciutto and Mozzarella
With honeydew melon

Soup
Creamy Wild Mushroom
With garlic sourdough croutons

Salad
Seasonal greens with fresh vegetables, sweet and spicy pecans and blue cheese
Offered with premium extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Assorted gourmet breads will be served with your meal

ENTREES

Grilled Fillet of Beef
With charred Romesco Sauce

Adobo Chicken
Served with Achiote Truffle Sauce

Grilled Margarita Salmon
With fresh cilantro and lime

Mediterranean Sampler
A selection of hummus, tabbouleh, tzatziki, marinated feta cheese and Kalamata olives
Accompanied by pita bread

Specialty Sundae
Coconut sundae with vanilla ice cream
Toasted coconut and cocoa dusted almonds

Traditional Ice Cream Sundae
Vanilla ice cream with your choice of hot fudge,
Butterscotch or seasonal berry toppings,
Whipped cream and pecans

Gourmet Cheese Plate
An assortment of fine cheeses with garnishes

Grand Marnier Fruit Salad
With raspberry sorbet

Hmm… not bad, not bad… I understood when I booked my flights on American that I wasn’t going to be served a meal on par with what I would expect on Cathay or Lufthansa. That said however, based upon the menu descriptions presented here, this looks to be a perfectly adequate meal offering – particularly for a meal offered this late at night.

Meanwhile, GiGi waited patiently for my order. Oh! Uh, right then, let’s start with the salmon appetizer, followed by the soup and the salad. The oil and vinegar will be fine, thanks. As for the main course… let’s go withhhhh… the Adobo Chicken. We’ll see about dessert after the meal.

To be honest, my first choice would have been the steak but red meat sits heavy in my stomach and is slower to digest. Since I wanted to get some sleep as soon after dinner as possible, I opted to go with the chicken instead. The salmon looked equally tempting but that “Achiote Truffle Sauce” tipped me toward the chicken.

GiGi soon returned with my table setting consisting of a white linen tablecloth upon which she placed a large silver mesh looking placemat. A plastic salt and pepper set, a bread plate, a butter dish and a rolled napkin and silverware set completed the setting. The bread basket was presented and I selected a couple of pieces including a good looking piece of cheese bread. My wine was then delivered with a small ramekin of nuts.

Oh… Oh yeah! Mmm! This is nice!
Dang! I’m gonna have to get me a bottle of this!

What a delicious wine! Full of flavor with good tannins and a long, velvety finish – just perfect by my tastes. I looked it up on the Internet later and though the price of $38.00 is a little more than I usually like to pay for a bottle of wine, I occasionally do and for this one I definitely would.

The amuse bouche was presented first. It was simple but tasty enough – essentially a slice of French bread topped with a slice of pressed chicken, some red stuff and a dollop of yellow mustard. I guess the red stuff must have been the Romesco sauce but it seemed more vegetable like than saucy to me. Was that yellow stuff the sauce? It looked and tasted like mustard… Eh – whatever. It was a simple and decent enough starter though a little surprising by international First Class standards.

Amuse Bouche with Wine and Bread Plate

The salmon appetizer was presented next. I didn’t detect any poached pear but the avocado crème drizzle complimented the salmon nicely along with bites of the cheese bread.

A good tasting salmon appetizer

Now then, bring on the mushroom soup! When it comes to cream of mushroom soup, I grade on a generous curve. There were actually some decently sized pieces of mushrooms in there and the flavor was rich and buttery. Good stuff. I could’ve downed another bowl.

Mushroom Soup

The salad. I loved it! What made this salad so tasty for me was the inclusion of the ever so humble head or iceberg lettuce. So many chefs seem to feel that this lettuce is too lowly for a proper salad but I was raised on this stuff and I was thrilled to enjoy its crunchy goodness compared to the limp textured mesclun leaves found in so many airline salads these days. Topped with red onions, pecans and chunks of musty blue cheese, this salad was nicely complimented by the zesty Balsamic vinegar dressing. Overall, I’d rate this as the best salad I’ve had inflight since last year’s Caesar Salad with Prawns masterpiece served up in Austrian Airlines’ Business Class. Way to go, American!

I really liked this salad!

Alas, the chicken was a bit of a disappointment. I was really looking forward to that Achiote Truffle Sauce but it didn’t have much flavor and the chicken itself was a tad dry and surprisingly diminutive, even by Ethiopian famine standards. The chicken breast I was served last night on Alaska Airlines between Fairbanks and Seattle was larger and much more flavorful.

Adobo Chicken Served with Achiote Truffle Sauce

If there was any advantage to being served that tiny, flavorless chicken breast, it was that I still had room for dessert. Having spent the last month as a 1K mileage running on United, I’ve had my fair share of sundaes and didn’t really feel a need for any more. How ‘bout that cheese plate?

How ‘bout that cheese plate? Well, if you’re into bland American Cheddar, Jack and Swiss cheese, then you’d be pleased. The accoutrements of grapes, walnuts, a date and some crackers were okay but the port was sickly sweet and nearly undrinkable save for the most desperate alcoholics. Thank goodness for another glass of that delicious Malbec which washed it all down quite admirably.

Nice presentation on this cheese plate

By the time I finished dinner, we were almost to Venezuela

Now then, time for bed. I headed off to the lav while GiGi and cleared my table and set up my suite for sleeping. I never bother changing into the pajamas but I do switch out my button down oxford for a Denver Broncos t-shirt. I know, I know, the Broncos just got slaughtered by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl but hey – once a Broncos fan, always a Broncos fan. Hopefully we’ll be back for another go next year and in the meantime, that t-shirt’s a lot more comfortable than my button-down, especially in a warm cabin.

I returned to find my seat nicely horizontal, topped with a thinly quilted cover topped with a somewhat more substantial duvet. Two pillows – one large and one small – completed the arrangement and, after retrieving my mini mag-light headlamp from my roll-a-board, I bedded down for the night. There were just under six hours left in the flight. A tab of melatonin and a few pages from my latest book soon had me sleeping like Rumplestiltskin. Honestly, I slept really well, awaking about 45 minutes out of Buenos Aires.

Had I woken a bit earlier I could have taken advantage of American’s breakfast offerings, which consisted of the following:

BREAKFAST

American Breakfast
Three cheese omelette served with basil sun-dried tomato turkey sausage
And cheddar and sour cream potato timbale

Continental Breakfast
Organic oat and honey granola cereal
Whole or skim milk

Both options are served with fresh fruit, yogurt and warm breakfast breads

Sleep was more important than breakfast though, and I was quite satisfied with both the length of the Flagship Suite and the comfort of the sleeping surface. After folding up the duvet and seat mattress, I returned my seat to its upright position and headed up to the forward lav to change back into my regular shirt. On the way back I managed to finagle a hot cup of coffee and a Danish from the cabin crew.

Having read many recent reviews of American’s International First Class both here at FlyerTalk and at other sites, I was under no illusions that American’s hard or soft products would ever approach those of airlines like Cathay Pacific or Lufthansa. Be that as it may, I thought that the 62500 miles I spent for First Class on American (as opposed to 45000 for a Business Class ticket on LAN or AeroMexico) was well worth the extra 17000. The food wasn’t fancy but it was generally good and above all the suite was reasonably comfortable and provided a good sleep. Not bad, American. Not bad.

* * * . * * * . * * *

We landed in Buenos Aires on a bright, sunny morning. The temperature was announced as 78°F, just perfect for spending some time outside. With a six hour layover until my next flight, I intended to do just that. Back in 1999, I had a similarly long layover at EZE and while looking for a nearby place to do a load of laundry I discovered the nearby town of Ezeiza, after which the airport gets its three letter code (EZE). I really liked what I saw of Ezeiza that day with its tree lined streets, quaint shops and restaurants and its clean, attractive downtown. It was time for a return visit.

After clearing customs and immigration, I caught the 502 bus into Ezeiza where, after a short stroll around town, I found a wonderful little corner restaurant. Argentina is renowned for the quality of its meat and wines, but from my past experience it should also be renowned for the quality of its cuisine in general. Be it the quality of the meal or its overall presentation, some of the best (and most affordable!) meals I’ve ever been served have been in Argentina. Today I kept it simple – a delicious bife de chorizo (steak) with potatoes and salad accompanied by a couple of ice cold Warsteiner beers.

May 03, 2005
Sydney to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific First Class
A340-300 B-HXL Seat 1A
300p-1035p Flight Time: 8:42

PICTURES MAY BE FOUND HERE.

Cathay Pacific’s check-in counters opened at noon, three hours before flight time. I sauntered up to the counter shortly after it opened and soon was on my way through security and on to the First Class lounge. Surprisingly, there was no Fast Track lane for First or Business Class passengers.

Cathay does not operate its own lounge at Kingsford-Smith. Instead, I was given an invitation to visit the Qantas Club. I’ve heard both positive and negative reviews about Sydney’s International Qantas Club. Usually however, the best First Class lounge in any international airport is the one operated by the airline based out of that airport. As a First Class passenger accustomed to the very highest standards in service on Cathay Pacific, I was curious to see just how Qantas’ Club would stack up.

Once I’d passed through the gauntlet of Duty Free stores blatantly placed to squeeze every last note of colorful Australian currency from my wallet, I headed up the escalator to the Mezzanine Level where the Qantas Club is located. The entrance to the First Class side is through large, opaque glass doors. After surrendering my lounge invitation card to the receptionist, I stashed my carry-on bag and proceeded into the lounge.

I like big windows that let in lots of natural light. A nice sweeping vista is also appreciated but is secondary to the natural light. The Sydney Qantas Club scored high marks on both counts with large, nearly floor to ceiling picture windows that afforded a superb view of the ramp and the skyline of downtown Sydney in the distance. The lounge was not that busy so there was plenty of room for visitors to spread out upon a variety of couches and chairs set around low coffee tables.

In the center of the lounge was a buffet area stocked with a decent variety of liquors and beers. Also featured was a very nice and ever changing variety of hot and cold foods. At the time I arrived, there was a nice selection of cold sandwiches, seasoned chicken wraps, peppered salmon, meatballs and fried chicken tenders accompanied by guacamole, chutney and a tomato salsa. There was also a nice plate of cheeses, including a tasty blue cheese that I quite enjoyed. Also available were fresh fruit and two different plates of pastries, cookies and muffins. I thought it was all quite good and wasted no time in putting together a colorful plate of finger foods to accompany an ice cold Crown Lager and mixed nuts.

Settling at a table by the window, I watched as my A340 was prepared for departure. I think it was Andy Warhol who once filmed the Empire State Building for something like eight straight hours. Although I didn’t have time to see that movie, I should imagine that if one were to film all the activity around an international airliner from the time of its arrival to the time of its departure, the entertainment value would be considerably higher.

The Qantas Club does have an Internet room with four terminals but the connection speed was woefully slow. I’ve been on faster dial ups in the middle of Alaska. Surprisingly, there was no free wireless offered even though the capability to inexpensively provide such has been available in Australia for some time now. The fact that at its own home base Australia’s primary airline won’t even provide its best customers with something as basic as decent Internet access is at best incomprehensible and at worst foolish penny pinching.

When I returned to the buffet area for another beer, I noticed that tasty looking open-faced sandwiches had replaced the original basic sandwiches. A tray of cold cuts had also been added, along with some different but no less delicious looking pastries. Those open-faced sandwiches were tempting but with a full dinner to look forward to in about an hour, I decided to hold off.

Aside from the Internet situation, I really have no complaints with this lounge. It was spacious, comfortable and reasonably well stocked with food and drink. Overall, it was a pleasant place to while away a couple of hours before my flight.

Boarding was called about twenty-five minutes before departure time. Gate 24 was conveniently located right next door to the Qantas Club so I didn’t have far to go once I got all my gear collected. In this instance, “gear” meant laptop, cord, camera, postcards and pens. The gate agents sounded quite flustered when I arrived. “Okay – There’s the First Class passenger!” one of them said. “Call back up to the lounge and see about those Business Class passengers. They must still be up there!” I looked at my watch. 2:41pm. Still nineteen minutes before departure.

Gate 24 has just one jetway and it was positioned at door 1L. This meant that all the passengers got to wander through the First Class cabin on their way back to the nether regions of the aircraft. This was no big deal to me, especially since I was apparently one of the last to board, but I found it unusual given the customary placement of jetways at door 2L.

My seat today is 1A. I wanted the A side for two reasons. First and foremost, it is the side on which the sun will be setting. Secondly, the lavatory on the A340 is located on the right hand side of the forward galley. Less noise and traffic nearby my seat is always appreciated.

A First Class seat in the nose of a 747 has always been my favorite spot aloft. Still, a First Class Suite aboard one of Cathay Pacific’s Airbuses ranks a very close second. This appraisal does not apply to any other operator of the larger Airbuses that I’ve flown upon. Furthermore, the First Class Suites aboard Cathay’s A330 and A340s are unquestionably the finest accommodations I have ever experienced aloft. The reason I like them so much is because of the huge amount of personal space and seat side storage available. Check out the suite in this photo.

All First Class flights aboard Cathay Pacific begin with the presentation of a preflight glass of champagne (or the beverage of your choice) along with a small appetizer or amuse bouche. Today’s offerings were a glass of tasty Cuvée William Deutz 1996 along with a small plate of sliced lobster tail atop seasoned greens. Delicious.

Captain Gord Thompson issued a hearty welcome aboard from the flight deck and informed us that we’d be eight hours and thirty-five minutes enroute up to Hong Kong this afternoon. There would be some thunderstorms along the route, especially later this evening, but in general we should be in for a fairly smooth flight. Even so, it’s always a good idea to keep those seatbelts fastened at all times.

Following the last minute arrival of an Australian family of four, the doors were shut and we promptly began our push back. The First Class cabin had six out of eight seats filled – a far better load than on my flight down from Hong Kong when only three of us were up front.

As we were taxiing out, Purser Marie Hendricks stopped by to introduce herself and welcome us all aboard Cathay Pacific’s First Class. Cocktails would be served shortly after takeoff, followed by dinner. Thank you for flying with Cathay Pacific and please don’t hesitate to ask if there’s anything we can do for you.

Following a lengthy takeoff roll, we soared into the clear Australian skies and soon adopted a northwesterly heading. As we were climbing out, it occurred to me that the last time I flew internationally out of Sydney was way back in 1992 aboard a Continental DC-10-30 headed for Honolulu, nine and a half hours distant. I was in First Class on that flight and I’ll always remember the big log of truffled fois gras from which the Flight Attendants were carving massive slabs. Decadent indeed. I wonder what Cathay will be offering on this flight?

That question was soon answered with the presentation of the menu and wine list. My menu featured a picture of a mouth watering plateful of spring rolls and dipping sauce on its cover. The wine list was emblazoned with the logo from Business Traveller Magazine’s Cellar in the Sky Awards, from which Cathay Pacific was awarded Most Original Wine List. Let’s see what’s in the cellar for this flight…

WINE LIST

Champagne
Cuvée William Deutz 1996

White Wines
Hollick Coonawarra Reserve Chardonnay 2002
Vincent Girardin Meursault, Vieilles Vignes 2001

Red Wines
Chateau Branaire-Ducru 1996, 4eme Cru Classe
St. Andrews Shiraz 1999
Tignanello 2000

Port
Ramos Pinto Quinto da Ervamoira 10 Year Old Tawny Port

This is the same wine list that was offered on my flight down last month. Not that I’m complaining, however. I have fond memories of that St. Andrews Shiraz, as well as the Vincent Girardin Meursault. The latter won First Place for the best First Class White Wine in the aforementioned Cellar in the Sky Awards,

Flight Attendant Marjorie stopped by to take my drink order and said she’d return in about ten minutes for my dinner selections. In the meantime, I perused the First Class menu over a glass of St. Andrews Shiraz accompanied by a small dish of almonds. Hmm…

Sydney to Hong Kong

DINNER

Caviar and Balik Salmon Delight
Oscietra Caviar and Balik Salmon “Tsar Nicolaj”
Served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche

LIGHT CHOICE

Potato and Fennel Cream Soup
Served with Mini Garlic Baguette

Smoked Trout with Nicoise Salad
Served with Light Vinaigrette Dressing

Bread Basket
Assorted Bread and Rolls

MAIN COURSES

Dory Fillet with Chervil Cream Sauce
Presented with Boiled Potatoes, Roast Pumpkin and Green Beans

Stir-Fried Beef with Oyster Mushrooms
Steamed Rice and Choy Sum

Korean Style Fried Prawns with Chilli and Pinenuts
Steamed Rice and Sautéed Vegetables

Ricotta Ravioli
Topped with Pumpkin Spinach Cream Sauce

Condiments of Guilin Chilli Sauce, Chinese Red Vinegar and Soya Sauce
are available to accompany your choice

*** ***** ***

Cheeseboard
A Selection of Fine International Cheeses
Served with the Traditional Accompaniments

Dessert
Ice Cream
Chocolate Tart with King Island Cream
Bread and Butter Pudding with Custard Sauce

Tea and Coffee

Pralines and Cookies

Well now… everything looked pretty good but the Korean Style Fried Prawns with Chilli and Pinenuts sounded deliciously exotic. That’s what I ordered for my main course along with soup, salad and of course the famous caviar course.

Cathay presents its salmon and caviar service the old fashioned way, from atop the trolley. While I recognize the benefit of serving meals “on demand” from the galley, I really miss the panache that a proper trolley service adds to the presentation of any part of the meal, from cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to dessert. Seeing your food and drink prepared and presented right at seatside really heightens the anticipation for the entire meal. Western Airlines used to serve its Islander Punch from a magnificent bubbling volcano complete with dried ice. United used to offer a wonderful tossed salad presentation that included cracked pepper delivered with a flourish from a large wooden pepper grinder. United’s Royal Hawaiian First Class service often featured elaborate cakes and pies, beautifully arranged atop the trolley. Northwest’s Regal Imperial dessert carts were justifiably famous as well. I remember a First Class flight on UTA between Papeete and Los Angeles that featured a spectacular Pate de Fois Gras presentation highlighted by a beautiful feather arrangement. Air France’s canapé and appetizer presentations were also a thing of beauty.

Well prepared meals delivered from the galley are very nice but a properly orchestrated trolley service can turn a mere dinner into a memorable event.

Today’s trolley was wielded by Katherine, who did an excellent job of preparing some very artistic looking plates of caviar and salmon surrounded by all the trimmings. I thought it nice that she took the time to transfer the caviar from spoon to spoon to spoon in order to remove any excess liquid that might have accumulated near the bottom of the serving bowl. Three pieces of luscious Balik salmon were framed around two portions of deep black caviar. Onions, eggs and crème fraiche were added, followed by new potatoes and Melba Toast. Great care was taken to ensure proper symmetry around the plate. Finally, a cloth wrapped lemon half was placed on my table and I was free to delve into this most decadent of inflight treats.

With just one exception, the only times I’ve ever eaten caviar have come onboard airplanes. And not just long distance international flights either. Once I was served caviar with all the trimmings aboard a Braniff 727 between New York and Dallas. Coincidentally, the only time I was served caviar when I wasn’t on an airplane occurred at Dulles International Airport at the pre-departure party celebrating the inaugural Concorde flight within the United States. That was on January 12th, 1979. Braniff International had entered into a promotional agreement with Air France and British Airways to fly their Concordes on a code share from Washington DC down to Dallas and back. Of course, flights within the US would be operated at subsonic speeds, but hey – it was the Concorde and a flight on it could be had for the very affordable domestic First Class fare rather than the exorbitant international Supersonic Class fare. I paid $156.00 for a Washington to Denver ticket routed through Dallas. Prior to the flight, I dined on caviar and other fine treats at the International Room restaurant in the main Dulles terminal building. A beautiful ice sculpture held chilled bottles of fine Russian vodka.

Getting on that inaugural Concorde flight was not a problem. Upon reading about it in the paper, I immediately called up Braniff and got a reservation. It was that simple. Both the British Airways and Air France birds were flown down to DFW that sunny January day and every effort was made to land on DFW’s twin runways simultaneously. I flew down on the Air France jet and sat next to the French Minister of Transportation. He was the first person I’d ever seen sniff a wine cork. At the Braniff terminal, we parked nose to nose with BA’s Concorde. As passengers from both aircraft disembarked, a band on the tarmac struck up a spirited rendition of The Yellow Rose of Texas. Ladies were handed a long stemmed yellow rose while gentlemen had one pinned through their lapels. That’s right, lapels. Flying was still enough of an event back then that people still dressed nicely when they flew. TV cameras and news crews crowded around and helicopters filmed the scene from above. It was a fun event to be a part of during the Good Old Days of American commercial aviation. Sadly, the Concorde service down to Dallas was not a moneymaker and was scrapped after just a few months.

Anyway, that gala event at Washington Dulles may well have been the first time I ever had caviar. I can tell you it was not love at first bite, but over the years I’ve definitely come to appreciate those little black eggs. And because caviar is such a rare and cherished treat, rolling it out on the trolley and creatively preparing each plate only served to make the experience that much more distinguished. Well done, Cathay Pacific!

The soup was noteworthy only in that so few airlines still offer a soup course these days. Today’s soup was savory though nowhere near the best soup I’ve had aloft, that being a fantastic clam chowder proffered aboard Aerolineas Argentinas while flying First Class from New York to Miami back in 1986.

The salad included tomato, potato, olives and green beans in addition to pieces of trout. It was pretty good but a leafier salad would have been more to my liking.

There was a ten-minute interlude between the salad and my entrée presentation, but the wait was well worth it. Korean Style Fried Prawns with Chilli and Pinenuts… Even the name sounds delectable. The prawns certainly were, nicely spiced with the chilli and pleasantly enhanced by the added texture of the pinenuts. This was one of the better Asian dishes I’ve had aloft.

For dessert, I chose the Chocolate Tart with King Island Cream. Now when I think of tarts, I usually envision those little round pie dough pastries filled with custard, fruit and whipped cream. This type of tart was standard Economy Class dessert fare on United Airlines back in the sixties and seventies. The tart I was served today might best be described as chocolate mousse in a pie wedge. Though I prefer the custard variety, today’s version was most scrumptious, particularly when washed down with coffee and Bailey’s Irish Cream.

After dinner, I watched an episode of The Sopranos on Studio CX before turning my attention to the Airshow Map. Our route of flight this afternoon took us on a north-northwesterly heading out of Sydney, passing not far from Qantas’ original hometown of Longreach and continuing on up over Arnhem Land. We crossed the northern coast of Australia at a point about two hundred miles east of Darwin. From there we headed out over the Arafura Sea, the first of four different seas along our route to Hong Kong. The others were the Banda Sea, the Celebes Sea and the South China Sea.

At the time we passed over Australia’s northern coast, we’d been inflight for three hours and twenty-eight minutes. We were cruising at 38,000 feet, enjoying a 20-mph tailwind that pushed us along at 565 mph. The Airshow indicated that we still had another 2,637 miles to go, a distance we were projected to cover in just five more hours. Well, 5:04 to be exact, but what’s a couple of minutes when you’re half wasted on good food, wine and the euphoria of First Class travel aboard Cathay Pacific?

As we passed by Zamboanga on the southern tip of the Philippine island of Mindanao, Katherine stopped by to point out a big fishing fleet anchored off our port side, in the direction of Borneo. I was amazed at the amount of area covered by all the lights, especially after checking the Airshow map and noting that there was no land down there.

At this point in the flight, we’d been cruising along for about five and a half hours and most of the passengers were either sleeping, reading or watching their PTVs. It was not a particularly demanding time for the Flight Attendants and so I had a chance to chat with Katherine for awhile.

More than a few Trip Reporters have made the assertion that Flight Attendants onboard the Asian airlines tend to be “robotic”. I won’t contest that view because aside from Cathay Pacific, I haven’t flown any other Asian airlines over the past ten years. However, based upon my experiences aboard Cathay, I wouldn’t label any of their First Class Flight Attendants as robotic. To the contrary, the ladies I’ve met have been very friendly and outgoing, though professional enough to recognize and respect those passengers who want to keep idle chit chat to a minimum. It’s been evident in talking with the crews on my flights that Cathay Pacific doesn’t hire just any pretty face. The First Class FA’s I’ve met over the past couple of years have been intelligent, outgoing people who can and will happily engage you in intelligent conversation if you so desire. Empty headed coffee, tea or me girls they’re definitely not.

The distance between Sydney and Hong Kong is 4,800 miles. That’s about the same distance as Athens to New York. Perhaps because this flight departs in the afternoon and arrives later that same evening, it really doesn’t seem like all that long of a flight to me. Of course, were I squeezed into the approximately three square feet of space allotted each of the almost two hundred passengers back in Economy Class, I might feel differently.

Up in Cathay Pacific’s First Class, there’s been plenty to keep me happy and occupied. Cocktails and a six-course dinner take up a good two hours or more of the flight. A movie is good for a couple more hours. Thanks to in-seat laptop power ports, I can work on this report, listen to music, design some work related databases, even write and send emails. Glancing at my watch, I was amazed to discover that we were now less than two hours from landing in Hong Kong. Katherine returned to ask if I’d care for anything from the refreshment menu.

I have a tendency to overeat in First Class and this flight was no exception. I mean – for me at least – it’s not everyday I get to enjoy such fine food and drink aloft, much less on the ground. Yeah, yeah – I’ve heard all the talk about how much better the food is in a fine earthbound restaurant. I certainly won’t contest that point but I’ve always felt that most food served in International First Class is generally pretty darned good, particularly onboard an airline of Cathay Pacific’s caliber. Perhaps it all tastes so good because I’ve always viewed the inflight meal as a form of inflight entertainment. A good meal, regardless of the class traveled in, is often the highlight of an otherwise unremarkable flight. I know it’s weird, but somehow what may just a basic Kung Po Chicken in Hong Kong just seems a tad more special at 38,000’.

Above all else, I just love it up here! Comfortably ensconced in a state of the art suite while cruising along high above the planet on a beautiful evening is just heavenly to me. Now let’s have a look at that menu…

REFRESHMENT

NOODLE SOUP AND SAVORIES BUFFET

Noodles in Soup
With Chicken, Chinese Mushrooms and Choy Sum

Selected Sandwiches
Chicken Caesar, Salmon and Cheese, Artichoke and Goats Cheese

Pork Sausage and Chive Mash
Topped with Onion Gravy

DESSERT SELECTION
Selected Pastries
Fresh Seasonal Fruit

Tea and Coffee

Pralines and Cookies

I’ve said before that Cathay’s Asian soups are not to be missed. As such, I requested a bowl of the Chicken & Noodles soup Chinese style and decided to wait and see about the sandwiches until they wheeled the buffet cart through the cabin later on.

Cathay includes a small plate of hot chilli paste with all its soups and I blithely scraped all of it into my soup. Mmmm… ___ !!! ___!! Ay, Carramba! Man, what a rush! Katherine, could you please express me a cold glass of water?! Truth be known, I did overdo it a bit on the chili paste but I’ve had hotter soups in a couple of Thai restaurants. The mushrooms in particular were delicious – chewy with a nutty flavor unlike any mushrooms I’d ever eaten before.

When the sandwich cart was rolled out, I just couldn’t resist. The Chicken Caesar sandwiches were more like a miniature Chicken Wellington – all pastry on the outside with a delicious filling in the center. They were sliced about a three quarters of an inch thick so each sandwich wasn’t all that large. I had one along with a salmon roll and called it a meal. A very good meal.

Our descent into Hong Kong was magical. The cloud cover was puffy rather than solid, and because the clouds were quite low, the lights from the city below illuminated them beautifully. Because the cloud layer was so low, many of the mountaintops surrounding Hong Kong rose above the clouds. Between the clouds we could glimpse the bright lights of the city below. Through this environment we made our descent into Hong Kong. It was indeed a memorable approach.

Overall, this flight represented another stellar effort by Cathay Pacific. We even parked at Gate 2, right across from Cathay’s excellent airport lounge The Wing. It’s hard to imagine a flight being any nicer than this one. Once again, well done Cathay Pacific!

HONG KONG AIRPORT

Over the past couple of weeks, I put in a lot of time on the Internet searching for an affordable hotel room not too far from Hong Kong’s airport. I was willing to pay up to $70.00 USD for a room. To be sure, there are plenty of accommodations around Hong Kong within that price range. However, none of them were located anywhere near the airport. My flight in from Sydney wasn’t scheduled to arrive until 10:30pm. By the time I’d have cleared customs and gotten a train or bus into town, it would have been midnight or later. Add to this the fact that I am totally unfamiliar with Hong Kong and ultimately it just didn’t make sense to put myself in the position of trying to find my way late at night in a foreign city where I didn’t speak the language.

As one might imagine, it was not a particularly gut wrenching decision for me to decide to sleep in the airport. As with my trip down to Australia, I simply brought my sleeping bag and Thermarest Pad along as carry-on baggage. Upon arrival in Hong Kong, I headed downstairs to Gates 5-9. These gates are rarely used late at night and thankfully, tonight was no different. I set up camp in a dimly lit area along the windows and slept quite comfortably until about 7:00am.

Now, what to do until 4:00pm? Hong Kong’s International Airport offers a wide variety of shops and restaurants, and there is plenty of quiet seating available for rest or reading. The plane watching can be quite good and of course you can always walk off any leftover boredom with a half-mile stroll down to the far end of the airport.

As a First Class passenger aboard Cathay Pacific, I also had access to The Wing, generally acknowledged as The World’s Finest Airport Lounge amongst those who frequent such places. I’ve been in a lot of airline lounges in my time and I have to agree with the pros – in terms of services and amenities, The Wing is without peer.

A shower at The Wing is a treat unto itself. The showerheads are about the size of a Kansas sunflower and deliver a most satisfying deluge of hot water. I’d brought along a change of clothing for my second day of travel and now, clean and freshly attired, I proceeded into The Haven, the Wing’s dedicated restaurant for First Class passengers. The Haven offers an excellent breakfast buffet with all the usual western food items plus Asian staples such as congee, noodles and dim sum. Waiters greet and seat you, returning with the beverages of your choice. I settled for a bowl of muesli, some fruit and a Danish roll along with that morning’s copy of the International Herald Tribune. A nice start to the day.

Both the Business and First Class sides of The Wing offer plenty of desk space as well as Internet ready computer terminals, Better yet, the entire lounge is rigged for wireless access so I just fired up my laptop and put in some work on this report. Out the windows to my right is probably the best overall view of the tarmac to be found at any airport in the world. I could see literally dozens of airplanes. Of particular interest was a DC-10-40 (The long range, Pratt & Whitney powered variant) from Japan Airlines and a DC-10-30 from Northwest. It seems like only yesterday that I flew my first flight on a DC-10, back in June of 1972. Truth be known, I was originally booked on a nonstop from New York JFK to Denver aboard a 727-100 but I accidentally on purpose overslept so that I could get rebooked on the LaGuardia to Chicago DC-10 that connected to a DC-8 into Denver. That DC-10 was painted in United’s four star “DC-10 Friendship” livery and featured a large lounge in both First and Coach classes. I also remember that we had seafood crepes for lunch. That was in Economy Class. One a two hour flight. These days, only First Class gets fed on a New York to Chicago flight and then only a sandwich.

But I digress. I spent the better part of the morning trying to bring this report up to date and since I actually rather enjoy writing these reports, time just flew by. Suddenly, it was almost noon. Eager to get out and about for a bit, I walked all the way down to Cathay’s other lounge, The Pier. The Pier is smaller than The Wing and doesn’t offer anywhere near as nice of a view. The dining room there did however provide an excellent luncheon buffet from which I had a salad with stir-fried beef and noodles.

The one thing I have never gotten around to trying yet is Cathay’s Cabanas – the private rooms where one may relax, sleep, work, whatever. To be honest, I’ve never felt a need for that much privacy while in the lounge. Just give me a desk and a comfy chair and I’ll be fine.

Flight 882 to Los Angeles was boarding from Gate 3, conveniently located just thirty meters from the entrance to The Wing. I collected my belongings and headed down to the gate about half an hour prior to departure. Quite a long line had formed for Economy Class passengers but as a First Class passenger I was able to stroll up to the podium at my leisure, present my boarding pass and board anytime.

ADELAIDE

Every time I visit the Adelaide area, I come to appreciate the city a little bit more. In fact, it’s fair to say that Adelaide has become my favorite city in Australia. I love the beautiful old buildings that grace the downtown district, the wide tree lined boulevards, the river that runs through the city and the many parks. Like Seattle, there are also a lot of cool little neighborhoods within the city that have their own happening collection of taverns, restaurants and interesting shops. Also, the Adelaide Oval is right up there with what I believe to be the best looking stadium I’ve ever seen, the beautiful St. George’s Park Cricket Oval in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Then there’s Glenelg. I first discovered Glenelg by accident three years ago when I stumbled across the classic 1929 trams that transport folks out to this beautiful seaside community just 7 miles from of the city center. The Jetty Road that runs up the heart of Glenelg sports all manner of fine pubs, restaurants and shops, not to mention ice cream parlors on just about every corner!

I’m surprised that there don’t appear to be any FlyerTalkers living in Adelaide. Then again, I’m not sure there’s a Qantas Pub at Adelaide’s humble airport. The new terminal being built next door to the present facility definitely looks as if it’ll have the size to support a nice sized airline lounge. Or two.

I spent one night up in trendy North Adelaide along O’Connor Avenue and two more in Glenelg before heading out to the railway station for the long journey up to Australia’s Top End.

April 8, 2005
Adelaide to Alice Springs
Great Southern Railways Red Kangaroo Class
“The Ghan” Car R Seat 9
515p-1150a

NOTE: Pictures covering travel onboard The Ghan can be found RIGHT HERE.

In the nineteen days since I alighted from the little narrow gauge train at Ushuaia’s End of the World Station, I’ve traveled over 26,000 miles and am now positioned for the final portion of this journey – a trip aboard Australia’s famous streamliner “The Ghan” – the world’s only south to north operating transcontinental train. There’s an appealing symmetry to the fact that this report started with a train trip at the bottom end of South America and will now end with a train trip to the top end of Australia.

The Ghan got its start in 1929. Back then it was known as The Afghan Express and operated between Adelaide and Alice Springs. Service to Darwin didn’t commence until February of 2004. The train was named after the Afghan camel handlers and their teams of animals who helped open up Australia’s harsh and arid interior. Prior to the arrival of the train, the Afghans and their camels provided the only means of land transport into what is unquestionably one of the worlds most inhospitable regions.

Australia is a continent well suited to train travel. I say this not so much from an economic standpoint but rather from the perspective of comfort and convenience. Sure, one can jet about the continent far more affordably these days than in years past, but if you prefer to remain earthbound, the prospect of driving across Australia’s vast desert expanses pales in comparison to relaxing in air-conditioned comfort aboard the Ghan or the Indian Pacific as you cross the Nullabor or the Great Sandy Desert. This is especially true now that Great Southern Railways will take your car along for the ride for only $99.00 AUD more. In any event, I am most thankful to be traveling up to Alice Springs and beyond to Darwin in air-conditioned comfort rather than atop a camel. It’s worth noting that while a few camels remain scattered about Australia’s Red Centre, I’ve yet to encounter any Afghans.

There are two train stations serving Adelaide – one for local trains out to the suburbs and one for interstate departures. Interestingly, the downtown station serving the local commuter trains is by far the more impressive of the two buildings. It’s a grand old structure, built in the classic style of train stations from the turn of the century. It really is quite magnificent – the kind of place from which great train journeys should begin. Unfortunately, in Adelaide it’s the place from which commuter train journeys begin. It’s also the Adelaide Casino.

The interstate train station, located in the suburb of Keswick, is quite modest by comparison. A low one story structure, I would describe it as architecturally bland but otherwise quite functional. This afternoon it was crowded with two large tour groups of elderly railfans, many of them bedecked in their special Ghan or Great Southern Railway caps. I weaved my way through them and up to the baggage check counter where I divested myself of fifty-one pounds of backpack. Then I headed over to the little station cafe for an iced coffee.

The Ghan departs Adelaide on Fridays and Sundays. The Friday departure is a roundtrip to Alice Springs. The Sunday departure goes all the way up to Darwin, 1,838 miles distant. I’ve decided to leave on the Friday train as this would allow me a couple of days in Alice Springs before continuing up to Darwin.

Boarding was announced at 4:45pm, one half hour before scheduled departure. I was told that the train would be completely full, so I wasn’t in any great hurry to join the masses as they surged out onto the platform. Besides, the café was nicely air-conditioned and while waiting I managed to fire off a couple more postcards.

Any of you who’ve ever received a postcard from me know that they do take time to create. From coloring in the borders to placing all the stamps to coloring in the greeting to actually writing out the card – I’d guess about 20-25 minutes per card, and those are the ones that I don’t color up. I know, I know – guys aren’t supposed to write postcards. Alas, the human side of me overrides the guy side and besides, a lot of folks I know back home never get to travel. Indeed, for some people I know my postcards are the closest they’ll ever get to Australia or Argentina. At the very least, it’s always nice to get a postcard from afar.

Travelers on the Ghan can choose between Gold Kangaroo First Class and Red Kangaroo Economy Class for the 1,838-mile journey between Adelaide and Darwin. I’d love to ride this train in First Class but the difference in cost between a First Class compartment and my seat is over $1300.00 USD! A Second Class sleeper, which differs from my seat only in that it offers a shared compartment for two and a bed, would set me back an additional $850.00 USD.

On the whole, Australian trains are very affordably priced for Economy Class Travel. Even First Class is reasonably priced on some inter-city routes such as Sydney to Melbourne. However, when it comes to the better known trains like the Indian Pacific or the Ghan, First Class is priced not so much for its transportation value as it is for its novelty value. High premiums not withstanding, there seems to be no shortage of folks willing to pay the extra cost.

As one might imagine, the scene inside a totally full railway car during boarding can be chaotic. I helped a couple of elderly ladies across the aisle from me stow their baggage, then took my seat and awaited the arrival of my seatmate. During this time, announcements were made advising visitors to leave the train as departure was imminent. Next, the conductor and his assistant, the beautiful young train attendant Sarah, stopped by to collect tickets. He checked off names while she collected tickets.

“You have nobody sitting next to you” she purred
“I’m sure somebody will show up” I groused
“No,” said the conductor. “Right now there’s nobody booked in that seat all the way to Alice.”

Amazing! The only empty seat in the entire car was next to me. I wasted no time in spreading out.

Following a noisy jolt, we slowly eased out of the station and began the 850-mile journey north to Alice Springs. As we rolled past the station platform, there was lots of frenzied waving from both inside and outside the train and loved ones bid each other farewell. It was 5:15pm. Only eighteen and a half more hours until Alice Springs. Almost as long as Singapore Airlines’ nonstop flight between New York and Singapore.

Soon, the Passenger Service supervisor came on over the PA and, after a nice welcome aboard speech, commenced to launch into a recitation of all the rules attendant to a safe and secure journey aboard the Ghan. No sleeping in the lounges or on the floor. Feet and arms must be tucked in from the aisles at all times. A special area was designated for cigarette smoking, but no food or drink was allowed in there. Speaking of drink, no private stock allowed and no drunkenness either. Shoes must be worn at all times. Strict dress codes applied to the Red Kangaroo Lounge and Diner – neat and clean, basically. Access to these facilities may be denied at the discretion of any crewmember. In the meantime, the lounge and diner would be closed until all tickets had been collected. To insure that no pesky passengers tried to access the lounge ahead of time, the door between the lounge and the seating cars would be locked.

Hmm… There sure are a lot of rules on this train. Are the rules borne of an authoritarian approach to passenger service or as a reaction to past behavioral indiscretions by the Red Kangaroo crowd?

Once all the tickets had been collected, we were let out of our two seating cars and allowed to roam freely through the lounge and diner. The lounge is divided into three sections with wrap around seating and a few low tables. Food and beverages are available next car up in the diner. Hot and cold snacks are offered all day along with full hot meals available at breakfast and dinner times. Meals and beverages are ordered at the counter and then taken to a table in the diner or back to the lounge car. No food allowed in the seating cars. (This rule was routinely broken)

I wasted little time in heading up to the lounge car and cooling off with an ice cold VB. For those of you unfamiliar with Australian beers, VB stands for Victoria Bitter. It’s far from being the best amongst Australian beers but it’s certainly one of the most popular. On a hot day, I think those VBs go down quite nicely and if you drink enough of them they’ll make you good and dizzy. I only wanted three or four, however. At $5.00 each, I couldn’t afford to get dizzy. Besides, that would be against the rules.

From Adelaide, the Ghan heads north to Port Pirie, passing through what some call Australia’s “Wheat Belt”. I thought it looked a lot like Kansas. As we rounded a big bend in the tracks, I counted sixteen cars. This included two cars specially designed for carrying automobiles. They were both full.

I spent most of the evening in the lounge and had a fine time chatting with a couple from Winnipeg and a lady from San Diego. The Canadians had scored a good deal on their Air Canada tickets but were disappointed to discover that they could not now change their plans and take a stop in Vancouver on the way back without essentially forfeiting the price of their tickets and starting over. I suggested they call back and ask about standing by. The San Diego lady was a nurse who’d been working in New Zealand. She was traveling with her husband but was making the trip to Alice Springs alone since he was keen on doing some rock climbing somewhere down south. What! Ayer’s Rock isn’t big enough for him? No, No – not that kind of climbing. They’d been gone for over a year and were looking forward to returning home at the end of April.

In the morning, I was awakened by heat from the bright sunlight streaming in through my window. The car was comfortably air-conditioned and I was wearing an eyeshade, but the sun was still hot enough that I had to lower my shade and move over to the aisle seat. I wasn’t missing much in the way of scenery anyway – an endless tract of dry desert brush with the occasional small tree thrown in. I’d found a tour brochure in the lounge the night before and read the passage on what to expect this morning. The brochure ensured passengers that they’d be “mesmerized” by the wonders of the Australian landscape “from the shifting colours of the desert sand hills to the wild beauty of the outback plains and mountain ranges”. From my present vantage point, it looked pretty flat, dusty and red.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs and toast along with two cups of coffee. I shared a table in the diner with a retired couple from Eugene, Oregon. The man had seen my Denver Broncos T-Shirt as I was looking for an open seat and invited me to join him and his wife. Prior to moving to Eugene back in the 1960s, they’d lived in Oakland, California and he was still a die-hard Oakland Raiders fan. I quickly drew back, hissed and moved to another table. Actually, they were very nice people, as are a surprising number of Raider fans, and we had a good time discussing things to do and see once they got over to New Zealand. We also discussed Randy Moss’s potential impact on the Raiders’ offense next season, and how that might affect the balance of power in the AFC West.

The scenery improved considerably as the train neared Alice Springs. Interestingly, the approach to Alice is through a short narrow draw called Heavitree Gap. When it comes to transportation into or out of Alice Springs from the south, everything except airplanes must pass through Heavitree Gap. That means the railroad, the highway and the Todd River. Ten minutes later, we were easing to a stop beside a long concrete walkway. There was no sign of a station, but that’s because it was way up towards the front of the train. The temperature outside was a scorching 37° Celcius or about 98° Fahrenheit. Welcome to Alice Springs!

ALICE SPRINGS

Alice Springs makes a wonderful base to explore Australia’s Red Centre. Everybody’s heard of Ayer’s Rock (Uluru to the Aboriginals) but there are also the MacDonnell Ranges, Palm Valley, King’s Canyon and a variety of spectacular desert parks. The best way to access these areas is to rent a car, although there are no shortage of tour operators offering one to three day tours through the region.

I first visited Alice Springs in 1989, and subsequently in 1991. I did it all back then – overnight to Ayers Rock, day trip to the many gorges and waterholes of the West MacDonnell Range. What I didn’t do was visit some of the places closer to town, such as the Desert Park, Anzac Hill and the Alice Springs Cultural Precinct.

Truth be known, I’d love to have returned to Ayer’s Rock but day trips started at $150.00 and didn’t arrive at the rock until mid-day, when the desert heat is its most oppressive. The best way to see and enjoy Uluru is to stay overnight in one of the nearby motels and then head out to the rock in the early morning or early evening.

On the train ride up, I’d met one couple who wanted to go hot air ballooning. That sounded like a magnificent idea! I’ve never been up in a balloon and the idea of a sunset trip over the red desert and mountains sounded like a lot of fun. I even would have paid $100.00 for such an experience. Imagine then my shock and dismay upon wandering over to the AYH Hostel to look into a discounted booking only to be told that half hour flights start at $175.00 AUD plus an extra $20.00 for insurance. Wow! Oh well, maybe next time I’m in Albuquerque…

Even though it’s now autumn, temperatures in Alice Springs were well into the high thirties or close to one hundred degrees for you fans of Fahrenheit. Even the locals were complaining since the cooler temperatures this time of year represent a welcome break from the searing heat of summer. For me, the hot weather provided a good opportunity to visit some local attractions in Alice Springs.

The Alice Springs Cultural Precinct was a worthy way to spend a hot afternoon. It includes the air-conditioned Museum of Central Australia, the Aviation Museum and the Araluen Arts Center. The latter has beautiful examples of Australian Aboriginal art including what surely must be the worlds largest caterpillar sculpture – over thirty-five feet long and about nine feet high. Entrance was only $8.00

At about 6:30pm, I grabbed a bottle of water and hiked up Anzac Hill. The hill is located just on the edge of town and it took only about ten minutes to walk up the path to the top where I was rewarded with a superb view of Alice Springs and the surrounding mountain ranges.

Later, as I strolled down the tree lined Todd Mall, I passed the Outback Bar and Grill. A sign indicated this establishment served the “Coldest Beer in Town”. Mmm… that sounded mighty good about now. I tossed back a couple pints of deliciously cold Cooper’s Pale Ales before moving down the mall for an excellent pasta dinner at the Red Ochre Grill.

Although Alice Springs has no shortage of backpackers accommodations, from my experience the air-conditioning could be better. Instead, I opted to splurge and stay at the Desert Rose Inn, a good looking budget motel that offered quiet, air-conditioned rooms with refrigerator, ensuite shower and television for just $37.00 USD per night. Also on site were a swimming pool and a communal kitchen.

April 10, 2005
Alice Springs to Darwin
Great Southern Railways Red Kangaroo Class
“The Ghan” Car R Seat 18
410p-430p

Normally, the northbound Ghan arrives in Alice Springs at about noon and departs at 4:00pm. The four hour layover allows passengers a chance to get out and explore Alice Springs either on foot or via a couple of pre-booked tours that will whisk them around town in air-conditioned busses.

Today, due to a mechanical malfunction with one of the locomotives, the Ghan didn’t even arrive in Alice until 2:45pm, so departure to Darwin was delayed until 5:00pm. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this out until I arrived at the station at 3:30pm. Fortunately, the station was air-conditioned.

At one point, I stepped outside to take a couple of photographs of the train. Today’s Ghan was incredibly long! I later found out that there were thirty-four cars making up today’s train. The Darwin service operates only once a week and is extremely popular with tour groups. A crewmember later told me that the Ghan had forty-six cars on its inaugural run to Darwin! That may well be a record for lengthy passenger trains anywhere in the world. For sure, today’s Ghan was the longest train I’d been on since the early 1980s when I rode a twenty-two car Mexican train between Mexicali and Guadalajara.

Interestingly, one of the major differences between that Mexican train and today’s train was that the numbers of premium cars were reversed. Whereas the Mexican train had just five or six First Class cars including a lounge and diner, today’s Ghan sported twenty-four Gold Kangaroo sleepers, lounges or diners. The rest of the train included five cars dedicated to Red Kangaroo or Economy Class service along with two auto carriers, two baggage cars and a crew car.

When the boarding announcement was made at 4:45pm, I noticed that the train was announced as “The Legendary Ghan”. The term “legendary” is used regularly by the Great Southern Railways in describing this train. It’s on all promotional material such as brochures and posters and now this boarding announcement. I was curious – what’s the legend? I mean, I knew about the train’s name having come from the Afghan camel drivers of yesteryear, but that seemed to be more historical fact than legend.

During the course of the trip up to Darwin, I asked three different crewmembers about this legend. Is there some legend associated with the train? None of them could explain it except to say that the Ghan was named after the Afghans.

My seatmate for this portion of the journey was an elderly lady from Perth. Her name was Pauline and she’d taken advantage of a great deal for seniors that included train travel from Perth to Adelaide and on to Darwin, two nights hotel accommodations in Adelaide and one night in Darwin along with return air from Perth to Darwin. Total cost: $800.00. Interestingly, this deal was advertised on the back of a grocery store receipt. Pauline had no real business in either Adelaide or Perth. She just wanted to go out and see the center of her country. Good on ya, Pauline! I admired her moxie.

From Alice Springs, The Ghan journeys north through country that looks a lot like Northern Arizona. There were arid desert mountains and a myriad of rocky outcroppings amidst low desert scrub brush that all combined to look quite attractive in the late afternoon sun. The rocky ranges soon gave way to the dry spinifex and ti tree dominated landscapes that comprise the vast Tanami Desert. I enjoyed a warm golden sunset over a cold, golden Victoria Bitter in the Nullabor Lounge before heading up to the diner to check out the dinner options.

In addition to the usual array of hot and cold sandwiches and snacks, tonight’s hot dinner entrees included lasagna, barbecued beef or a broiled chicken thigh with pumpkin, potatoes, squash and rice. I availed myself of the chicken entree, along with another ice cold VB and returned to my seat in the lounge.

The Nullabor Lounge was a happening place on this night, far more so than on the trip up to Alice Springs. In one corner of the lounge, two couples engaged in a rowdy game of Scrabble. (Noisy challenges and shrieks of protest made it about as rowdy as things could get without moving into the realm of Full Contact Scrabble) Lots of people were chatting and having a good time and the beer was flowing right up to the limit of the railroad’s rules on alcohol consumption. Nights like this make long train journeys blissfully pleasant. The bar closed at 10:00pm and over the next hour most of the loungers headed back to their seats for the night.

Movies are shown aboard the Ghan but, like the airlines these days, every effort is taken to ensure that the movie contains absolutely nothing that might offend anyone onboard. The result is a collection of children’s and family oriented films that are fine if you have children in tow but otherwise pretty bland. Tonight’s choice was Toy Story.

I just happened to be carrying a copy of Fargo, the Coen Brother’s wonderful cinematic rendition of a kidnapping gone horribly awry. The lounge had a couple of electrical outlets available, so I plugged in my laptop and four of us watched a late night screening of this classic. Everybody had a good laugh over the exaggerated Meenesotah accents, don’t cha know. Yah!

The next morning I awakened to the good news that we’d crossed the Tropic of Capricorn overnight and, as an added bonus, the Ghan had made up its delay overnight. We’d be arriving in the town of Katherine on time, at 8:00am. In fact, we arrived five minutes early.

The Ghan spends four hours in Katherine and once again, a variety of tours are available for those inclined to spend anywhere from $60.00 for a bus trip out to Katherine Gorge to $200.00 for a helicopter flight around the same. For the rest of us, a shuttle bus provided transport into the town center for just $9.00 roundtrip. Pauline thought this was absurdly expensive and I was inclined to agree that many Australian tour operators along the route of the Ghan seemed to assume that if you could afford to ride the train, you could also afford to pay premium prices for everything from bus transfers to local tours. Given that three quarters of the passengers were traveling in $500.00 per night accommodations, this may well have been true.

Pauline, myself and about one hundred and fifty other passengers piled into one of the four waiting shuttle busses that took us into downtown Katherine and dropped us off at the BP Roadhouse. We were told that the forecast called for temperatures in the mid-thirties with the usual high humidity but at 8:45am, I found the temperature still pleasant. As such, I walked the length of the town – about five blocks containing the usual variety of shops and restaurants found in most any small town – and settled on a table in the air conditioned Jade Café where I enjoyed a full bacon and egg breakfast that included tomatoes, mushrooms and something that looked and tasted suspiciously like Spam. Spam! Maybe there was a Spam ranch nearby. I’d always wanted to see what those tasty little critters looked like!

By the time the busses were scheduled to take us back to the train at 11:30am, the day had become a typical tropical scorcher. It is said the human body is comprised of 70% water and I figure I’d shed about 5% of it just walking back to the BP Roadhouse. It was a wonderful relief to climb back aboard the air-conditioned bus and later settle back into my seat aboard the air-conditioned [/I]Ghan[/I]. Given the hot lands that this train travels through, maybe the railroad would gain more public relations mileage out of referring to the train as [/I]The Air-Conditioned Ghan[/I] rather than The Legendary Ghan.

From Katherine The Ghan spends the next four hours rolling through lush green tropics over surprisingly bumpy tracks. Lightning flashed in the northern sky was we crossed over the Adelaide River and ever so slowly eased into Darwin Station. A light rain greeted us as thunder rumbled in the distance. After three weeks and 28,000 miles of travel via planes, trains, boats and busses, I’d finally arrived at Australia’s Top End.