Biz Class to France

[SOPOOR]

In terms of a bucket list, I'd nominate a first class apartment on Etihad's A380.
Photos in my mini-trip-report!

hey there,

wow thanks for that, absolutely gorgeous

if you dont mind, can I ask you a few sticky beak questions

- is that cabin for one person or for two?
- it looks good but looks kinda weird too, is the cabin comfortable?
- can I ask how much you paid for it?
- I heard that premium first class carriers have a permanent premium foodbuffet at the back of the class, did yours have it?
- you said that you went to the bar which was shared with business class, how big is this lounge and is it like a standard shop bar or is it more a private booth type setup?


i recently did my first business class trip and I do admit my expectations were quite high, but regardless I had the time of my life, in fact, I have more photos of my plane trip then almost my entire trip!!

obviously the millionaires will be doing first class, so do you get treated like a king? eg cristal for champagne? caviar/wagyu for food?

just curious

 

[SOPOOR]

No need to do first class on a top carrier to get a fully flat horizontal bed... that's what i was mentioning before. Carriers like Sri Lankan, Finnair, Vietnam Airlines, China Southern... all in the $2000 range exAsia, will offer a full horizontal bed in business class.

the mH seat angles were fine for me, no complaints what so ever

is there a way to be informed of any long haul biz/1st class specials via spam or similar?

ive never received any in my life......(which probably proves that I cant afford it) haha

 

[esseeeayeenn]

hey there,

wow thanks for that, absolutely gorgeous

if you dont mind, can I ask you a few sticky beak questions

Ask away!

- is that cabin for one person or for two?

It is for one person. There is only one seat which can be occupied at take off and landing.
Opposite that seat is the long ottoman or lounge which converts into the bed.
This has seat belts and other PAX can sit there during the flight.
The Residence - which was immediately opposite my Apartment - can seat one or two people from gate to gate.
That is the 3 room suite with one room similar to my Apartment but with 2 seats for take off and landing.
It then has a dedicated full-time bedroom and an ensuite bathroom with shower.
At about $27,000 AUD for SYD-AUH one way that is way beyond my budget.
Although the same fare applies whether one person occupies the Residence or two.

- it looks good but looks kinda weird too, is the cabin comfortable?

I can assure you that it was the most comfortable flight I have ever taken.
By a long long long long way. There really is no comparison, even to the First Suites on Etihad's other aircraft.
At first I found the chair a little uncomfortable as it is a bit square, but then I discovered that you can adjust it to make it softer or firmer.
It seems to inflate or deflate the cushions accordingly.
After I adjusted this I was extremely comfortable.

- can I ask how much you paid for it?

You can ask but I am afraid I will have to decline to answer the question.
If you read some of my other posts carefully you might realise why I can't discuss this.
However, I can tell you that the standard fare for SYD-AUH is around $10,000 AUD.

- I heard that premium first class carriers have a permanent premium foodbuffet at the back of the class, did yours have it?

Not as such. Etihad have an in-flight chef who is on call throughout the flight so they will make you anything you want at any time.
Provided they have the ingredients they will make you anything you desire, whether it is on the menu or not.
However as soon as I sat in the lobby (as they call their lounge/bar between the F & J cabins) the flight attendants brought a silver contraption laden with nuts, olives, dates and canapés.

- you said that you went to the bar which was shared with business class, how big is this lounge and is it like a standard shop bar or is it more a private booth type setup?

There are some photos in my trip report but not all of them are displaying properly.
I intend to replace the photos with links to photobucket but I have been lazy.
In the meantime I will try to upload some photos with this post.

i recently did my first business class trip and I do admit my expectations were quite high, but regardless I had the time of my life, in fact, I have more photos of my plane trip then almost my entire trip!!

I can relate to that, you should see my Instagram!
I am sorry the experience on MH wasn't everything you'd hoped for. I've found MH great on shorter routes.
I assumed they would put you on their A380 for the longer flight. I share your disappointment.

obviously the millionaires will be doing first class, so do you get treated like a king? eg cristal for champagne? caviar/wagyu for food?

In a word, yes. There is crystal glassware, fine china and cutlery and crisp white linen.
The standard of the food is superlative, comparable to a good fine dining restaurant.
The staff are very attentive and nothing is too much trouble.

just curious

So was I!
I was so curious I flew from Perth to Sydney just so I had the opportunity to fly on the EY A380 rather than on the 2 class A330-200 they operate PER-AUH.

 

[davec]

A bit OT but take your own ear plugs on VN - the J amenity packs don't (well didn't!) have them. Was told to just wear the regular headphones to help block noise to sleep...

Having said that I've prob flown them 10 x in J over the last few years and generally recommend them as offering pretty good value for what you get vs what you are paying.

 

[SOPOOR]

<<<<
thank you, I was nt trying to find out how much you personally paid, just a ball park figure of how much,
so it looks like $10k each way, so $20k return, wow , thats pricey!!!!

big difference to the $2k economy fare

wow, you are very fortunate to exepirence first class

I know I sounded like I was disappinted by the MH biz class, but it was a very good expereince, I have avoided certain areas because 6-8 hours is the max ive been able to fly, howevef, business class made the 30 hours a pleasure.

I am a bit of a foodie, so what sort of food can you order? seafood platters? caviar? lobster? asian food? a burger?

and in your opinion, other then the obvious room differences, what is the difference between biz and first class?

if you dont mind again

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I have a copy of the first class menu and the first class beverage list from that flight so I will scan these and upload them for you later.
The main difference is that the service is very personal.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I am a bit of a foodie, so what sort of food can you order? seafood platters? caviar? lobster? asian food? a burger?

I you are a foodie you will be disappointed... airline food is airline food. The possible exceptions... cold and chilled food and soups. The rest has all been cooked around 24 hours in advance, packed, and snap chilled ready for reheating on board. Even your lobster isn't fresh out of the sea.

Cold dishes and chilled or frozen deserts do ok as well. Caviar is hard to get wrong, and it comes down to the brand and type that each airline chooses to serve.

There are probably only a few airlines that push the food envelope... Lufthansa and Swiss are two that come to mind. They are probably the closest you'd get to 'gourmet' food.

The differences between cabins? Business class has an extra course or two over economy. The main difference in business is that you will generally get whole pieces of protein (chicken, fish, steak) instead of chopped/sliced/diced off-cuts in economy (in a stir-fry). First class gets more courses and choices again.

There are literally thousands of trip reports on the net. Most of them will show the food and menus.

 

[DC3]

..... Even your lobster isn't fresh out of the sea ....

.

....and not even cooked from your selection from the tank. You'll be lucky seeing many lobster choices.

 

[SOPOOR]

I you are a foodie you will be disappointed... airline food is airline food. The possible exceptions... cold and chilled food and soups. The rest has all been cooked around 24 hours in advance, packed, and snap chilled ready for reheating on board. Even your lobster isn't fresh out of the sea.

Cold dishes and chilled or frozen deserts do ok as well. Caviar is hard to get wrong, and it comes down to the brand and type that each airline chooses to serve.

There are probably only a few airlines that push the food envelope... Lufthansa and Swiss are two that come to mind. They are probably the closest you'd get to 'gourmet' food.

The differences between cabins? Business class has an extra course or two over economy. The main difference in business is that you will generally get whole pieces of protein (chicken, fish, steak) instead of chopped/sliced/diced off-cuts in economy (in a stir-fry). First class gets more courses and choices again.

There are literally thousands of trip reports on the net. Most of them will show the food and menus.

thanks for that, im just trying to see what I can expect...one day. apprecaite all your feedback,

I do have my lotto ticket

 

[Franky]

That's $2000 return! Of course you need to make your own way to Asia - but you have a choice of carriers and service options to do that. You could fly Jetstar, or Singapore Airlines (or anyone else that fits your budget/schedule).

From Asia there are carrier like China Couthern, Sri Lankan, Vietnam Airlines, Finnair - all offering business class (with full flat beds) in the $2000-$2500 range. Some like Sri Lanakan (exBKK) and Vietnam Airlines (perfectly acceptable) will offer those fares year round. Others you need to be on the look out for specials which run from time to time.

Friends of mine next month will be flying Jetstar business class to Singapore (sale fare of $770 return) and combining that with VietNam airlines (on the new 787/A350) to Europe - all up coming in under $3000 from Australia. They could have shaved off $300 if they chose economy Australia-Singapore.

Hi MEL_Traveller - have just done a dummy booking on Finnair, having changed my country code to Singapore, and found 2 J class seats SIN-AMS for S$2465 ph one way for September next year. Changed the site back to AUS, and the prices went up S$2000 each. I assume when the time comes to book, you change to SIN site and all goes thru though my address details will obviously be Australian? Regards Frank

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi MEL_Traveller - have just done a dummy booking on Finnair, having changed my country code to Singapore, and found 2 J class seats SIN-AMS for S$2465 ph one way for September next year. Changed the site back to AUS, and the prices went up S$2000 each. I assume when the time comes to book, you change to SIN site and all goes thru though my address details will obviously be Australian? Regards Frank

you can book using the Singapore website. Aussie address and credit card is no problem. $2465 one way per person? or for 2? If per person that's quite expensive! Sri Lankan had one way specials to LON/PAR for just over $1000 this year. Cheap add-on to get to AMS from there. (I did a quick search, those fares haven't been released yet for UL in September next year)

 

[casanovawa]

A bit OT but take your own ear plugs on VN - the J amenity packs don't (well didn't!) have them. Was told to just wear the regular headphones to help block noise to sleep...

Having said that I've prob flown them 10 x in J over the last few years and generally recommend them as offering pretty good value for what you get vs what you are paying.

Have been thinking of maybe trying a VN J flight to Europe and back, one thing that might hold me back is what decent frequent flyer programs does Skyteam have??? Where abouts do you send the points/miles from these trips Dave??

 

[kitkatff]

might just need to be aware of bank fees if paying in SGD, for example, but that'd be less than AU$2K anyway ...

On choosing flights for status, just keep in mind what credit card you use, what cards you could use in Australia to accumulate points (eg. Qantas, Virgin/Singapore, Citi for Emirates, etc), no point having status and no point to redeem

check the referral forum and the credit card posts (I don't have a referral, just saw a couple of interesting AMEX promos there)
Referral Offers

 

[Franky]

Thanks for that. The price was for business class, S$ but were also the cheapest fare for a 7 day spread for the time frame I looked at, which was in August and about a month before we really want to fly. I realise that this is about as far out as flights can be booked, we are intending to fly SEP16. Will keep looking and take your advice on exploring all the options.

Thanks again...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks for that. The price was for business class, S$ but were also the cheapest fare for a 7 day spread for the time frame I looked at, which was in August and about a month before we really want to fly. I realise that this is about as far out as flights can be booked, we are intending to fly SEP16. Will keep looking and take your advice on exploring all the options.

Thanks again...

i would hold off. Business class never gets full, and specials appear all the time. There was a Finnair special posted elsewhere on AFF for AUD1965 return but from Bangkok to europe in business class. While Singapore is generally a bit more expensive than BKK, the sri lankan fares should come down to about $1000 or so for the one way ex SIN.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Have been thinking of maybe trying a VN J flight to Europe and back, one thing that might hold me back is what decent frequent flyer programs does Skyteam have??? Where abouts do you send the points/miles from these trips Dave??

I'm not sure of any decent skyteam programes?? But honestly - for $2200 ex Singapore all the way to Europe, the FF points are pretty much off-set by the fare. Pocket the difference and you can buy a seat outright, for cash!

 

[SOPOOR]

i would hold off. Business class never gets full, and specials appear all the time. There was a Finnair special posted elsewhere on AFF for AUD1965 return but from Bangkok to europe in business class. While Singapore is generally a bit more expensive than BKK, the sri lankan fares should come down to about $1000 or so for the one way ex SIN.

Do prices really come down?

My return flights were less then 1/3 full.

For 2k return from bkk. Id be more then happy to pay for it over economy.

Is there a way to be kept up to date with these specials?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Do prices really come down?

My return flights were less then 1/3 full.

For 2k return from bkk. Id be more then happy to pay for it over economy.

Is there a way to be kept up to date with these specials?

Sure prices come down. A year out is a long time. Unless there is a particular special event (Grand Prix, Olympics, New Year etc etc), airlines will introduce specials as they attempt to fill seats.

There are a whole range of sites to keep across airfares - AFF has a 'cheap international airfare' thread. There's OZbargain Travel, googleflights and a half dozen blogs.

 

[Nizar]

<<<<
thank you, I was nt trying to find out how much you personally paid, just a ball park figure of how much,
so it looks like $10k each way, so $20k return, wow , thats pricey!!!!

big difference to the $2k economy fare

wow, you are very fortunate to exepirence first class

I know I sounded like I was disappinted by the MH biz class, but it was a very good expereince, I have avoided certain areas because 6-8 hours is the max ive been able to fly, howevef, business class made the 30 hours a pleasure.

I am a bit of a foodie, so what sort of food can you order? seafood platters? caviar? lobster? asian food? a burger?

and in your opinion, other then the obvious room differences, what is the difference between biz and first class?

if you dont mind again

You too can fly EY F too for much, much less than $10k one way.

Read this thread from start to finish


http://www.australianfrequentflyer....lines-aadvantage/etihad-aa-partner-59732.html

Any questions, let me know. I have learnt much from this forum and happy to give back where I can.

 

[Limewood]

Have just completed BNE/HKG - stop 24 hours - then HKG/CDG on CX in J, once again we could not fault the lounges in HK, the food or service on board, simply brilliant.