A flight a day ...

[JessicaTam]

I had three hours at DOH before my KUL flight which had been subbed to the old 2-2-2 config. Oh well.

I headed for the showers only to find there is no toilet in the shower room. So out into the lounge and about 30m to the toilet. Poorly planned QR!

In the South lounge there is a Louis Vuitton lounge. It is only for QR status pax so that was not for me. I had a bite to eat then made my way to the gate for the 12 7 hour flight to KUL. And surprise, surprise. I am back in a QSuite. Seat 4J this time so facing forward. The seat is close to the aisle, but there is a bit more storage space.

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

Soon after I was boarding and settling into 3K - another QSuite.

I must be half asleep still. I initially read this as Jetstar Asia (airline code 3K), wondered why JT would be flying them.

 

[JessicaTam]

As I settled into my seat the flight attendant came round with a “Welcome back - again”. Followed by “Would you like something to drink? I am sure you know what we have.” So even though travelling on my BA FF number TKWIA!

 

[JessicaTam]

It was a good thing I was in 4J (no, not National Airlines in Zambia) as 3K was broken and couldn’t recline. The staff were trying to find another seat for the incumbent. As opposed to the recumbent.

A pleasant flight and I slept for a while. The QR seats are quite firm so I put some of the blanket underneath to help with padding. We landed at 8am and I headed to the HH KUL.

 

[AIRwin]

12 hour flight to KUL

12 hours from DOH?

 

[JessicaTam]

12 hours from DOH?

Well spotted. The flight from IAD was 12 hours. To KUL a little over 7.

 

[JessicaTam]

The HH was quite obliging. I had messaged them to say I would be early but just wanted to drop my bag off. As it turns out that my room was ready and it wasn’t even 10am. I was also offered breakfast downstairs IR in the lounge. So I dropped my bag upstairs, had a quick shower and went to the lounge. Halali (sp?) was there and I received a warm welcome. I only needed a cup of tea and that was soon within reach.

I headed out for the day before coming back to get ready to head out for dinner with @serfty, @trippin_the_rift and a couple of other locals.

After dinner it was back to the hotel to prepare for the next day’s “trial by lounge”. You can read all about that in the 2023 SIN Lounge Crawl thread.

I ducked into the exec lounge before retiring to grab a can of drink. As I said I was off for a few months the evening lounge manager came and gave me a hug goodbye. Don’t think that will ever happen in the US of A!

Edit: SIN Lounge Crawl 11 June 2023

 

[JessicaTam]

Monday morning was a slow start with a leisurely breakfast. I was joined by @Aeolus, @sudoer, @Mattg and @Sprucegoose. After breakfast I escorted @Sprucegoose to the train. He thinks it was to show him the way.

The rest of us retired to the exec lounge for a few hours before @Mattg and I headed for KUL for our respective flights. Of course we visited every MH lounge.

@Mattg headed for his flight and I was soon on my way too. This time I had a wide body to PER. An old AB (airberlin) airframe with an interesting J config.



Although they were narrow they were a little softer than the QR seats. As soon as the seatbelt sign was off I was in bed mode and snoozing. We landed at PER and the door opened at 0110. I was in my room at the DT Northbridge at 0140. PERfect.

 

[JessicaTam]

And so my travels draw to a close. I had a couple of nights in PER (well 1 & 1/2) and then made my way back to MEL, via SYD of course.

And so ended the trip. But not the holiday. I am currently in the ADL QF lounge waiting for my flight to AKL. But that’s another story!

 

[madrooster]

So even though travelling on my BA FF number TKWIA!

QR CSM iPads have your entire PNR contents in the itinerary section. They would've seen almost your entire itinerary.

 

[NM]

QR CSM iPads have your entire PNR contents in the itinerary section. They would've seen almost your entire itinerary.

Now that would have taken some scrolling !!

 

[RooFlyer]

I headed for the showers only to find there is no toilet in the shower room. So out into the lounge and about 30m to the toilet. Poorly planned QR!

Which lounge, and if the original Al Morjan, which bank of showers (straight over from where you enter, or way down to the left, behind the cafe??).

 

[Port Power]

Monday morning was a slow start with a leisurely breakfast. I was joined by @Aeolus, @sudoer, @Mattg and @Sprucegoose. After breakfast I escorted @Sprucegoose to the train. He thinks it was to show him the way.

The rest of us retired to the exec lounge for a few hours before @Mattg and I headed for KUL for our respective flights. Of course we visited every MH lounge.

@Mattg headed for his flight and I was soon on my way too. This time I had a wide body to PER. An old AB (airberlin) airframe with an interesting J config.

View attachment 333945View attachment 333946

Although they were narrow they were a little softer than the QR seats. As soon as the seatbelt sign was off I was in bed mode and snoozing. We landed at PER and the door opened at 0110. I was in my room at the DT Northbridge at 0140. PERfect.

That's the flight I'm on next month. At least I know what to expect. If you could actually sleep, I'm sure all will be fine.

 

[Port Power]

Which lounge, and if the original Al Morjan, which bank of showers (straight over from where you enter, or way down to the left, behind the cafe??).

I always go to the showers behind the cafe as it seems not as well known and usually no queue. Yes, there is a toilet and shower in the room there.

 

[JessicaTam]

Which lounge, and if the original Al Morjan, which bank of showers (straight over from where you enter, or way down to the left, behind the cafe??).

The new QR J garden lounge at the opposite end of the terminal from the big teddy bear. I think they are south.

 

[JessicaTam]

That's the flight I'm on next month. At least I know what to expect. If you could actually sleep, I'm sure all will be fine.

They are narrow and you may want a second blanket as they are a bit small, but yes, sleep is possible.

 

[JessicaTam]

Oh, HT to @Mattg for the AB info as I am not that clever to have known.

 

[RooFlyer]

So, JT - best long haul and short haul J ?

 

[JessicaTam]

So, JT - best long haul and short haul J ?

I am still getting my thoughts together for some various discussion points. I am heading to Falls Creek tomorrow where the weather is forecast to be miserable. So plenty of time for staring out the window and typing.

 

[JessicaTam]

The joys of transiting the USA.

For those who aren't aware, if you land at a USA airport you must enter the country. So you will need an ESTA (for AU pax) or a visa. So for example I landed in JFK from SIN and had my FRA flight 2 1/2 hours later. So I had to queue up at immigration to get my passport stamped and then head landside to come back through security. Immigration took over an hour, and security took about 30 seconds! I did manage to visit a lounge for a few minutes before boarding my next flight. So I was in the USA for all of an hour.

I am not sure if there is a fast track lane for those with short connections. I don't believe Australian passport holders are able to use Global Entry or TSA pre-check, so no short cuts there.

When leaving the USA there is no emigration per-se. Just an ID check. Once you are in the airport terminal flights can be domestic or international, side by side. E.g. My flight to LAX left from a gate next door to a flight to BCN.

Wrt an ESTA, they last for a few years, so there is really no need to wait to the last minute to get one. As soon as my flights were confirmed I jumped online and got it. One less thing to worry about.

My second entry into the US this trip was into PHL from DOH. I was sitting next to a pax who was also a frequent flyer and we swapped notes about airlines and lounges. We both walked off first and he headed to Global Entry as I headed to a real person. There was no queue (as we were the only international arrival for a while) so we ended up walking out into the sunshine at the same time. PHL is about 90 minutes by train to NYC which is about how long I spent in the JFK queue! So next time I might just enter the USA at PHL instead!