anat0l's Audacious Australian and Asian Adventure Aboard Abundant Aircraft

[anat0l]

Fri 29 May: AKL-WLG-AKL-ZQN-CHC-AKL (part 7 of 9)

Me in front of the Queenstown harbour with a boat at its berth.

I did a bit more random walking around ZQN, which really was liberally littered with souvenir shops and stores stocking plenty of gear required for hiking, cold weather, camping and the like. Amongst the plethora of stores were backpacker hostels abound. There wasn't much more to see (most of the attractions about ZQN need a decent bus ride or the like), so I set about trying to get back to the airport. At first, I thought I was going to call the shuttle bus company again to arrange a pickup, but then I saw the Connectabus pull up at a stop just a block away from the tourist centre, so I quickly ran for it and just managed to board in time.

Just like my ride from the airport, there was much beautiful scenery to see outside, but I phased in and out in microsleeps until we arrived back at the airport. As Kiwi Flyer had cautioned me before, if it isn't entering ZQN that I should be scared about, it is getting out of ZQN. Although it was still quite bright when I arrived at the airport, all it would take is a quick retreating sun and my plan of getting out of ZQN on the same day would be doomed.

Outside ZQN showing low cloud amongst the hills

Three person statue with a green stone - an exhibit in front of the entrance to ZQN airport

I approached the check-in counters for QFNZ and got my BP, the male agent at the counter confirming that there was a bit of delay to the incoming aircraft for my service to CHC. I could only hope that it wasn't significantly delayed so that we could make the sun down closure of ZQN.

ZQN has a large common landside area with security screening leading to the gate area which has no facilities (except for toilets and a couple of vending machines), so most people stay landside until they are told to go through screening. ZQN has no QP but it does have a regional KC, however just like I found out that morning, even as a GE since I was not flying with NZ out of ZQN I could not access the KC. So I managed to find a seat adjacent to the very large glass wall separating passengers from the tarmac. I watched the FIDs and the skies carefully hoping that the Jetconnect aircraft taking us to CHC would arrive soon. I watched a NZ ATR touch down as the minutes ticked by; it is interesting to see how aircraft approach the runway and you can actually see all of the action as the plane turns carefully within the hills as it glides into position, lining itself up with the runway before touching down.

Afternoon at ZQN airport tarmac - a critical time for flights

Finally, the aircraft that would convey passengers on QF2772 to CHC came into land at ZQN...

:idea:VIDEO: Jetconnect 737-300 ZK-JNB lands in ZQN (Youtube - 4 min 49 sec)

At this point, passengers on the CHC flight were told to proceed through security into the gate lounge; probably not a bad idea since any further delays caused by waiting for tardy pax might just shut off any possibility of leaving ZQN altogether. A long crowd-snake queued and trudged slowly through the screening point and as I sat inside the gate lounge, I saw one of the potential sources of additional delay: there were three disabled pax that needed to deplane at ZQN. Each one - one at a time - was escorted off the aircraft in a special lift; a slow process that ate up valuable time. Add to this the requirements of QF2772, which had one disabled pax and one UM. Would we make it out of ZQN in time???

Finally, a general boarding call was made at gate 6, and it seems we were just going to make it out of ZQN before lights out...

Jetconnect 737-300 ZK-JNB parked at ZQN ready for boarding

 

[anat0l]

Fri 29 May: AKL-WLG-AKL-ZQN-CHC-AKL (part 8 of 9)

Flight: Jetconnect (Qantas) QF2772 Queenstown (ZQN) - Christchurch (CHC M)
Depart: 1630h Sched; 1651h Actual
Aircraft: ZK-JNB Boeing 737-300
Distance: 216 mi (348 km)
Class: Economy
Seat: 1A

I strided out onto the tarmac in the face of the cool ZQN weather, then bounded up the airstairs to be greeted by the bright and gorgeous CSM Chelseye. This time I managed to get a window seat, which I usually prefer when I'm travelling new routes and/or to new destinations. As the time ticked closer to 5 pm, there was always the fear that we might not make it out of ZQN on time, however with a handful of minutes to spare, the front door was closed, we pushed back and took off from ZQN just as the hour ticked over.

:idea:VIDEO: Jetconnect 737-300 ZK-JNB taking off from ZQN (shot from seat 1A) (Youtube - 2 min 31 sec)

w00t! I did it! I went to ZQN and got out on the same day!

Soon after levelling out of an interesting climb from ZQN, refreshments were offered in the form of a white chocolate chip cookie or an apple. I decided to give the cookie the flick in favour of some fruit, which I had been neglecting for the day and made a note that I would need to rectify this when I got to the CHC KC after this flight.

ZQN-CHC is a mere 50 minute flight (about the same time as SYD-CBR), but we left ZQN with the sun just setting and approached CHC in close to pitch darkness. So much for the window seat, but I could make out a bit of landscape just before the outside started to get quite dark. Christchurch barely sparkled in the distance as we descended into CHC; once we landed with a thud, we taxiied from the very dark runway area towards the speckle of light coming from the terminal and we docked at gate 3.

Once the plane was at the gate, I stood aside in the galley as passengers disembarked, then offered my second box of chocolates to Chelseye. I quickly explained why I was giving the gifts and she couldn't help but give me a big hug. She mentioned she was going to leave them in the crew room, but I warned her that unless she wasn't interested in sharing the chocs with her fellow crew that that may not be such a hot idea. I said goodbye to the lovely Chelseye with her parting remark being that she'll probably still be around in Jetconnect for a while.

I would have liked to visit the CHC D QP once I was inside the terminal, but unfortunately the QP was closed already (since the last QF departure had already gone). So there was no point staying in the QF side of the terminal and I quickly headed downstairs and towards the NZ check-in. Like AKL and WLG, the CHC check-in area for NZ is set up in the same self-service-centric fashion, although it appeared a lot more crowded with more "islands" of kiosks (the crowded feeling was probably not helped by the fact that the ceiling was a lot lower than that in AKL). Most of the shops in CHC are located landside; CHC D airside is pretty bland. The KC is located beyond security on the upper level.

Air New Zealand Domestic Koru Club Christchurch (looking back at the entrance from the inside)

As I went in, I was greeted by the female lounge attendant who helped me scan me in after, once again, I had failed to do it myself completely in 2 seconds (it's not that I didn't know, it just seemed that I was a bit too slow). She had a look at my BP and gave me a wry look and said perhaps I could go home on an earlier flight. I mentioned to her that my fare was a restrictive Smart Saver, but she simply remarked that I was an 'Elite' so she had a look at whether a change was possible. Turns out that it was possible, but at the cost of about NZD 150; we both looked at each other and jointly remarked that the decision of whether to change or not was a no-brainer. So she welcomed me into the lounge and I plonked myself on one of the large benches that had power points underneath the table; mainly because I wanted to do some internet surfing, but also that the rest of the tables around the KC were pretty much occupied, plus there wasn't much view to speak of outside.

The evening selection of food in the KC is very much superior to that of QF, with a diverse array of hot food that was regularly topped up; one of the feature dishes was a fish pie, which was really just a misleading name for a creamy bake of fish combined with vegetables. It was sided with rice mixed with a bit of spinach, plus there was plenty of other food available, both sweet and savoury.

KC food - rich tomato soup (of correct consistency, may I add!) and a cheese scone. The QF thing you can see in the bottom right corner is a BP wallet which I used to put my NZ BP in.

KC food - fish pie with spinach rice, plus three kinds of salad

I ate so much that night; the richness and fat hopefully mitigated somewhat by the promise of exercise that night (i.e. dragging my bag through AKL to my accommodation) plus copious amounts of green tea and water consumed (and not a single sip of alcohol). As I ate dinner, I checked up on my PMs on FT to communicate the good news about ZQN with Kiwi Flyer as well as discuss about our possible upgrade tomorrow. Our chances for an upgrade according to Kiwi Flyer were mixed, with Expert Flyer loadings going hither and thither, so his assessments were varying between "impossible" and "too close to call". Either way, it looked like Kiwi Flyer would be going without checked baggage the next day (and not-too-silently wished I was also travelling the same way), plus we would be meeting someone else in the SYD T1 FL the next day, igel. I think we were also settled on accommodation arrangements in SIN (more on this the next day).

It was getting close to boarding time, however propagated delays throughout the day had pushed my departure time back by quite a bit, so I thought it was not a bad opportunity to have a shower. Somewhat sheepishly, I walked up to the front counter and started by admitting my being a greenhorn to the KC and asked how does one go about having a shower (it didn't come out exactly that way, but you get the idea!). The male desk agent jovially led me to where the showers were, remarking cheekily on the way as to what in the world was my NZ BP doing in a QF BP wallet ("What's your boarding pass doing in that?! (points to my Qantas BP wallet) It'll [my NZ BP] self-destruct in there!" ). Basically, KC showers are completely self-contained. Towel packs are included on a shelf and there is a hamper basket to put used towels. Amenities like shampoo etc. are included in pump bottles in the shower, as well as moisturiser was provided near the vanity sink. A nice refreshing shower later, my flight was being called, so I bid farewell to the jovial front desk attendant and proceeded around the corner to gate 16 to board my flight back to AKL.

 

[anat0l]

Fri 29 May: AKL-WLG-AKL-ZQN-CHC-AKL (part 9 of 9)

Flight: Air New Zealand NZ554 Christchurch (CHC M) - Auckland (AKL D)
Depart: 2020h Sched; 2036h Actual
Aircraft: ZK-NGM Boeing 737-300
Distance: 463 mi (746 km)
Class: Economy (Space+)
Seat: 2F

I was a bit absent-minded when I booked this flight as I wanted to try the evening Koru Hour service, but instead I had booked this flight by mistake. Oh well, at least I got a long stay in the KC to make up for it (along with all that delicious food). The flight was the last direct CHC-AKL flight for the day, which might have explained why the aircraft was pretty much full with only a few seats empty.

Once we were in the air, the standard non-Koru Hour service was offered. It took me a little bit to understand what my options were (hey, I was translating into English on the fly), but eventually I think I heard out "crisps, choc-chip cookie or lollies". I selected the chocolate chip cookie, which was satisfactory enough for the purpose at hand. It is kinda odd and cool in a way how NZ package their food with their own branding.

A flight from CHC to AKL is similar in length to a flight between SYD and MEL, but it is the longest flight in the NZ domestic golden triangle (i.e. AKL/WLG/CHC). We landed into AKL and docked in at gate 29, whereupon the several tired pax filed off the plane.

I had to head back to the international terminal to get my bag; whilst I could have left it at the airport (for an additional fee, since I would be over 24 hours), I needed to repack a little bit, so I had to retrieve it. In hindsight, I could have saved all of this trouble by staying at the airport and bunking it for a night; ah well, lesson learned. But I'm digressing....I got back to the i-Site and handed over my bag reclaim tag to the lady at the counter. She soon came back out, and lo and behold, what is that laying in the hole where my baggage handle is stowed away? Yep, you guessed it, my drivers license! The lady this morning must have realised I left it behind and put it with my bag. I'm guessing that the reader is smart enough to realise the amount of relief that washed over me when I found my license there.

Anyway, next stop was the bus rank to get the last Airbus to the city. The Airbus was running a bit behind schedule but when it arrived I stated where I was going only to be told that the bus doesn't run fairly close to my accommodation. I realised this and told the driver, then I stowed my bag away and we were soon off to Auckland city.

The last Airbus wasn't full, but we still managed to stop at many of the stops as we traversed through the city. Eventually, I was the only one left on the bus, so the bus driver, being ever so kind, dropped me off about a block away from Nelson St where my accommodation was. I couldn't thank her enough in the end, since carting my 23 kg bag plus my backpack up and down the hills of AKL was starting to be a real challenge (normally it wouldn't, but I was rather tired and sleep deprived). I eventually found my accommodation on Nelson St; it just so happened to be on the far, high end of the street (near K road).

Hotel: Quest on Nelson
Room Type: One Bedroom Standard
Room Location: 1st Floor

Although the Qantas ReadyRooms site touts that the Quest on Nelson serviced apartments has a 24 hour reception, in reality the "reception" outside of normal hours is handled via an intercom to the caretakers. I used the intercom to retrieve my keys from the locker box as well as confirm procedures for checkout the next day, since I needed to leave before reception would open.

My room at the Quest on Nelson

For the price that I paid for the room, the space was quite generous and quite well furnished and clean, although I was not quite impressed by the bathroom/laundry, which looked very much older than the simple splendour of the living area and bedroom.

For the rest of the night and into the first couple of hours of the next day, I set about straitening and preparing things. Devices were put on charge, clothes were sorted out (some washed and dried thanks to the washing machine and drier in the bathroom, although I do have to admit some reservation running the machines so late at night in case someone decided to get livid with me), bags were strategically repacked and so on. It was only after I had handled quite a few things that I started to get really tired and although there were still quite a few of my belongings strewn about, I eventually crept into bed and fell asleep.

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 1 of 14)

Saturday, 30 May 2009

Now, you're probably thinking, "This crazy person has gone two days without much or any sleep, and now you're telling me he only gets another two hours now?!! How does he do it??" Truth be told, I don't know the answer to that question either.

Now there are two kinds of early morning flights at AKL: those that are too early to take the Airbus to make it in time, and those which you can take the Airbus and make the plane. Although early morning flights are never a great joy (unless the airport experience makes up for it), I was lucky that my flight fell into the latter category. I was still quite tired when I woke up, so everything fell into place a bit more slowly than usual. I dreaded the possibility of having a shower given that it was so early in the morning and it was freezing, plus the shower was not in the greatest state (coupling that with the very old fittings), so I decided to defer that until I got into the AKL FL or SYD FL (depending on how much time I have up my sleeve).

I was so slow with getting ready and packing up (mostly because, given my tired state, I had become quite paranoid of checking that I had all my belongings, but in particular I was checking for all of my electronics and their chargers) that I didn't get the Airbus that I had planned on catching to the airport (which was the first Airbus of the day). The next service was the last one I could possibly catch before I either had to resort to a taxi to get to AKL airport, or miss my flight - both undesirable options. And walking from Nelson St to the Civic Theatre on cnr Queen and Wellesley Sts was no easy feat in the morning, especially when tired and hungry.

I left the room key on the table as instructed and proceeded with my 23 kg luggage in tow into the cold. Although normally walking the distance with a bit of weight in tow is not a problem for me, this morning the combination of cold, tiredness and hunger ensured that the journey was not without difficulty. I had to stop quite often to give my weakened hands a rest, or to keep pressing on by pulling the luggage with the other hand. You get the idea. Eventually I got to the Airbus stop near the Civic Theatre with a few minutes to spare.

Now there's another scare: did the bus come early? Having to rely on buses for a long time, I've come to know that services in hours without traffic have a notorious reputation for being early, and not waiting for pax unless the stop is a designated 'timing point', which is probably why there is always the hidden disclaimer to arrive at the stop at least five minutes in advance of departure. As I watched the few people stumble around (mainly drunks and couples going home after a good night out, or finding somewhere to demolish something for breakfast), my mind raced with contingency plans in case the Airbus didn't arrive. I didn't have to worry too much longer, for within a few minutes (which felt like a few hours) the Airbus finally pulled up approximately six minutes late. I got on board, showed my return pass and was finally off to the airport. Time for a sigh of relief.

At the airport, I proceeded to the QF premium check-in area. There was already a little bit of a queue developing at premium check-in, but I was attended to within a few minutes. It was nice to have a "rational" day schedule for a change, mainly because the check-in agent, although kind, didn't have to ask where the hell I was flying and why. I was checked in and was very disappointed to be handed a BP printed in the new cardboard bar code style rather than using the former premium BP stock (e.g. with the slate-coloured stripe top for Business). Actually, what had happened is that the BP stock was supposed to be for the old regular BP but the computer printed the text on the BP as if it were supposed to be the new style with a bar code, so most of the information on the BP appeared in the wrong areas/fields. Magenta bag tag was added to my routing tag on my luggage; since there are no F flights out of AKL, even as a WP the agent said I could not have a yellow tag on my bag. Something else was also rather different...my ongoing SYD-SIN BP had seat 5A assigned...

Oh yes, I could not believe it - the F upgrade had gone through! I'm travelling First Suite today! :mrgreen:

My BP proudly displayed "First" at the top. I remarked my surprise and delight to the agent, but she seemed a bit too tired or uninterested to care or even flinch, so I left things as they were and wished her well for a good day. Pre-cleared immigration in the premium check-in area and got my BP stickered before it was up to the departures level. Pre-clearance pretty much saves around 3 minutes at this time of the morning when it wasn't awfully busy, so then it was through security screening before heading up to the Qantas lounges. AKL has a First lounge, but it's not as good as the famous creations in SYD T1 and MEL T2; instead, it was simply a separate area of the lounge with much the same facilities, decor and food, so nothing really to write home about, although I guess there was some comfort in being somewhere away from the QP (a.k.a. Qantas Plebians - don't worry, I can say that, because I was a pleb for a long time...)

Once I was directed to turn left into the First area, I had no trouble finding Kiwi Flyer in the small lounge, who was taking care of business (as usual) in the business centre. Joining him in the centre was serfty, who I can't remember if he was on his way home or away for another of his signature KUPP/YUPP runs. serfty had one look at me and proclaimed, "Geez anat0l look at you! You look so jaded!" (I later looked up what "jaded" meant in this context...) All I could do in my tired state was shrug.

We ended up having a nice catch-up and chat, so I didn't have a shower in AKL nor did I eat anything for breakfast (not that I was concerned anyway - I had at least two opportunities that morning to have breakfast!), and Kiwi Flyer ended up not getting much work done. For my part, I really just wanted to have a nap on the flight coming up (which should be comfy enough in J), so when our boarding call was made at gate 3, we didn't flitz around but instead said goodbye to serfty and made our way to the aircraft.

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 2 of 14)

Flight: Qantas Airways QF142 Auckland (AKL I) - Sydney (SYD T1)
Depart: 0850h Sched; 0843h Actual
Aircraft: VH-OGJ "Port Macquarie" Boeing 767-300
Distance: 1,341 mi (2,162 km)
Class: Business
Seat: 2K

Not many people in J for this flight, although I'm still glad that a 763 operates on this sector as I'm not the biggest fan of the 737 aircraft operating Trans-Tasman (just as much as I'm not the biggest fan of 737 flights to and from PER). The rest of the plane must have been lightly loaded because boarding was completed fairly quickly. Noise cancelling headphones, blankets and pillows were pre-distributed on each J seat; Kiwi Flyer took the aisle seat and I took the window. Kiwi Flyer managed to flick through the reading material he had at the time (I can't remember whether it was a magazine or newspaper) before we took off. Menus were distributed before take off; the menu can be found here. The menu presentation was pretty disappointing; it was just plain type on a white piece of cardboard with some sort of border that was only slightly more fancy than a plain double line - any decent schlub would be able to whip up the menu on Microsoft Word in five minutes. Probably the most lame professional touch effort since putting flowers in the J bathrooms .

Hot towels and pre-breakfast drinks were served soon after levelling out and the seat belt sign being switched off. Kiwi Flyer selected his mainstay tomato juice, whilst I selected my trusty green tea. Breakfast was soon being offered, and normally I would select one of the warm options since I readily dismiss the continental option as being pretty standard and pedestrian, but I wanted to get more sleep on this flight, plus none of the hot options really jumped out at me as being worthy of trying, which meant I could probably get a better selection at the SYD FL. So I selected the continental breakfast with the muesli option; I was quite impressed that I was asked to choose which kind of milk I'd like, as I would have thought that would have required special prompting, but not to be as the FA kindly asked "skim or full cream milk" and I was happy to select the former, which was promptly served up with a croissant from the bakery tray and a packet of Vegemite.

Pre-breakfast green tea. Looks a bit underfilled, doesn't it? I hope they weren't thinking that I might want to add milk or sugar to it...and no, I hadn't drunk any of it at this point...

Qantas Trans-Tasman Business Continental Breakfast

The muesli was very nice, although it was a bit awkward eating a shallow amount of muesli in a relatively deep bowl using a big flat head spoon. Also, I probably should have waited for the muesli to soak a bit more, because although I was alright, other people might have found the multitude of seeds, nuts and grains a bit too crunchy for their liking (and I would not recommend this for anyone with weak teeth unless you really soak the muesli!). The croissant (amongst most of the other items in the bakery tray) was rather burnt on one side, so much so that instead of splitting the croissant open I simply spread the Vegemite on the hard side and ate the croissant like a piece of toast!

Kiwi Flyer selected the cheese omelette with a side of raisin toast. The cheese omelette didn't look very appealing, sort of resembling a piece of yellow rubber not unlike that of yellow gumboots (or galoshes as known to some). Luckily it didn't seem to taste that way, although Kiwi Flyer later said that it was still a disappointment.

Breakfast was soon cleared away and Kiwi Flyer kept himself busy for the rest of the flight by watching the IFE, whilst I got some shut eye. Once I woke up, we were beginning descent into SYD, landing shortly after without delay to dock into gate 34.

Kiwi Flyer wanted to get a flying start towards the international transfer point since he warned me about the possibility of all the transfers arising from people arriving on all the early morning flights. We proceeded briskly to the fairly empty transfer point as Kiwi Flyer characteristically plonked his bag on the belt and beat a hasty retreat before he got selected for secondary. I, on the other hand, went through slower and was pulled aside for a secondary check (not that I minded - I had a nice chat with the bloke who was patting me down, and no do not start making up stuff or getting any ideas!!!) It was then up the stairs to the main oneworld concourse, then another floor up to the Qantas lounges. While Kiwi Flyer opted for the lift, I went the long way and took the escalator.

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 3 of 14)

Qantas First Lounge Sydney International

We both presented our WP cards to the greeter and were summarily welcomed to the lounge. Once up the escalators, we had our BPs scanned in by the front desk agents. I asked whether it was possible to have my SYD-SIN BP reprinted on the former First premium BP card stock, but they said that with the advent of the BPs now moving to the bar coded style, premium class BP card stocks were being discontinued. The best they could do is give me a reprint of my BP, which at least was on the correct card stock with the correct fields in the correct positions, so it was a clean record of my first First class flight ever. Once we were finished with the front desk, Kiwi Flyer and I went separate ways: Kiwi Flyer was going to the computers to get some work done, whilst I headed straight to the spa to make an appointment.

My boarding pass for QF31 Sydney - Singapore (Changi) in First, printed in the new bar code style on matching card stock (bar code and other details elided for obvious reasons)

The spa schedule was surprisingly full, but I managed to get an appointment in the afternoon for a massage. With an appointment in place, next priority was a shower and a change of clothes (packed into my carry-on, of course - like I said, I'm paranoid when I realise that I'm tired in the morning!). I really like the showers in the Qantas First lounges: nice and large, Kevin Murphy accessories, plus a full suite of other amenities to keep most people happy. I was surprised that, unlike my experience at the MEL T2 FL, there was no shaving cream supplied at the SYD T1 FL; it might just be the particular shower room I was in, but I guess it mattered little since I had brought the shaving cream I had from the MEL T2 FL anyway. Part of the amenities is a small jar of Payot Creme de Reves: it smells a bit like chocolate and seeing it could do no harm I thought I'd give it a go on my face.

A long refreshing shower later, the next stop was the restaurant for a premium breakfast. It was pretty late in the morning for breakfast, but I guess I could have this meal as brunch instead. I was lucky to be given a table in the fairly busy restaurant; even more lucky that it was a table nearest to the window.

Air Austral aircraft parked at SYD T1 as seen from the QF FL

As I was seated, the waiter took my order of a latte to start whilst I flicked through the First menu (which you can read here: breakfast, all-day and drinks). The latte was promptly delivered in an elegant signature cup as I placed my order. The design looks like basically two cups: one contained in the other, both clear. I think it must be a glass cup inside and a plastic one outside (with a small void in between the two); it was certainly quite light, which almost makes me think it was all plastic. Either way, it looks cool.

Latte delivered in QF FL signature cup

Whilst waiting for breakfast, I SMSed Bundy Bear and Skoogle the good news about our upgrade, who summarily returned the message via voice call. Even though there were quite a few people in the lounge, food arrived relatively quickly, especially since my order was by no means small: energiser smoothie, eggs Benedict with smoked trout plus vegetable trimmings and sourdough toast.

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 4 of 14)

Eggs Benedict with salmon, sided with spinach, tomato and mushrooms

Sourdough toast

Energiser smoothie

After finishing my latte, I eschewed further coffee or drinking champagne by the bottle (QF009 style ) and instead reverted back to water and sencha. I really did take my time eating breakfast; any pundit would have thought I was nursing my meal. I can't remember if I finished before Kiwi Flyer came looking for me, with information that igel had arrived and needed guesting into the lounge. In any case, when igel arrived we couldn't negotiate for a larger table, so we simply pulled up another chair to the pair table I was at. I assumed the inferior lateral position at the table, which wasn't a big deal since I'd be going for a massage soon anyway. Given that it was lunch time, Kiwi Flyer and igel asked for menus and ordered lunch. I can't remember whether I ordered something before or after my massage, so for this trip report let's assume I ordered something before the massage.

Wait a minute - did I say order? Yes. No, not another full meal - just a plate of fruit...and the wonderful tiramisu I had become fond of, as well as a glass of De Bortoli Noble One. During our conversation, we got to see our A380 being towed from the parking area near T3, across the runway and into position at gate 9.

Fruit plate

The wonderful tiramisu with marsala strawberries

I won't say too much about the massage. I seem to have a track record of always only being able to score short sessions at the spa, but it was a nice, subtle pick-me-up. Although I normally enjoy massages in complete silence, I couldn't help but strike up a conversation with the masseuse.

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 5 of 14)

When I'd finished my treatment and went back outside, the sky had started to darken a bit more, which seemed to oddly disorient me a bit more than usual. I took a couple of seconds to regain my senses then went off again. I'd found out that igel and Kiwi Flyer had split to do their own things; I ran into igel who was at one of the business workstations, but I couldn't see Kiwi Flyer (I'm typing this from memory, so I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong here!). I decided to move over to a quieter area of the lounge, which seemed like the farthest end towards the centre of the terminal (i.e. the end with the library, cf. the end closest to the spa). Along the way, I found the self-serve buffet where light snacks and refreshments could be obtained.

Part of the secluded library in the SYD T1 QF FL

At first, I was thinking about sitting in the library, but a quick scan of the literature available revealed nothing particularly interesting, so I set about instead just letting time pass by whilst looking out the window. I set my belongings down near an empty lounge seat far from the rest of the lounge, then I went back to the self-serve area to get some snacks of nuts, fruits with little chocolate bits and some cheese. What was really cool about getting tea is that you not only get a cup, but you can take a pot with you as well! A bit impractical in some ways since the pot only holds two cups of tea, but still cool .

SYD T1 QF FL self-serve snack/refreshments. There are two such areas in the lounge, one on each "wing" on either side of the central entrance to the lounge.

A view of the lounge from the perspective of the top of my side table

QF FL snacks and refreshments. Notice the tea pot, tea cup, saucer and tray set.

It wasn't long after I got settled into my seat that Kiwi Flyer and not much later igel managed to find me, so they decided to set themselves a spot nearby and collected a few refreshments of their own. igel was travelling in J, so he was trying to work out what he wanted to experience on board the A380 (as well as myself being this flight was a first for many things for me...). We somehow managed to bide enough time through great conversation throughout the afternoon before we were all advised to start heading down to gate 9 for boarding.

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 6 of 14)

First Suite Experience On Board the Qantas Airways Airbus A380 and anat0l's 1st First Class Experience

Although the "normal" AFF and FT thing to do would be to stay just a little bit longer (and have a decent drink - not Carlton Mids ), but seeing as boarding this mighty beast was no trivial task plus there was F to look forward to, we proceeded straight away to gate 9. Thankfully, the lines were not onerously long once we arrived at the four-channels boarding gate, and the First line was even shorter, for that matter.

Passengers lining up at gate 9 to board the A380

A lane which leads to greater things

It was then a matter of proceeding down the complex warren of multiple aerobridges, following the signs marked "First", which very conveniently led directly to the front of the F cabin where we were greeted by the F crew.

"Nancy Bird-Walton" as seen from the aerobridge

Flight: Qantas Airways QF31 Sydney (SYD T1) - Singapore Changi (SIN T1)
Depart: 1625h Sched; 1640h Actual
Aircraft: VH-OQA "Nancy Bird-Walton" Airbus A380-800
Distance: 3,908 mi (6,301 km)
Class: First Suite (points upgrade from promotional Business Saver)
Seat: 5A

Kiwi Flyer was given a suite in row 1, whilst I got the only suite in F which is the least viewable by any other pax in the cabin. The First Suite onboard the Qantas A380 was well-designed to store a lot and in a very functional and organised manner. There was space under the ottoman, in the overhead locker (which by no means were so big that one felt "boxed in") and in two drawers in the table unit next to the seat. Noise cancelling headphones were found in one of these drawers, which could be conveniently hung on the pin next to the touch panel. A small coughtail table was located directly in front of the seat (when it is in its original position), whilst a much, much larger fold-out table was located in the side compartment.

The F suite seat

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 7 of 14)

Floor space inside a F suite

One extremity of the F suite; the seat doubles as an ottoman.

Two windows for every suite

With the capacity of the cabin a mere 14, what was probably more surprising was that it was full. A couple of young men about my age were travelling back to merry ol' England (but were stopping for 24 hours, so not taking QF31 all the way) and a middle-aged couple that had corporate jobs (but were currently on a short vacation) introduced themselves as a good deal of the cabin evolved into a little sociable meet and greet camp environment. The look of greenhorns-in-F (or F suite) on everyone's face was as plain as the noses on their faces - yours truly included - as we all snapped pictures of the suite, the cabin and of each other in the suites (all with a proud look like a successful hunter and its bounty).

Me inside the F suite, 5A.

Now here's a buzz for all of us stalwarts here: all of the people I talked to (count them: that's four) plus the two of us (Kiwi Flyer and I) had something in common...yep, you guessed it: we were all successful J-to-F points upgrades! So at least 6 people in the cabin were points upgrades, and as we all know, that's as rare as hen's teeth (especially when you factor in award seats and the wacky loadings that Kiwi Flyer was seeing in the days leading up to that day).

A380 F cabin

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 8 of 14)

Our little moment of euphoria in marvelling at the F suite and cabin was interrupted when pre-flight drinks were offered, along with almonds and olives. Being a luxurious moment, I had no hesitation in requesting the champagne, but not before I asked to find out the label, which turned out to be Taittinger.

Taittinger champagne offered as a pre-flight drink......

......with nuts and olives.

Soon after, sleeper suits and amenity kits were handed out. I made a little white lie to the FA that I had a SO that I would like to gift an amenity kit, so I managed to get both a male and female F kit. Menus were also distributed (and you can find the menu here: SYD-SIN food; wine & drinks), and I was most pleased to see that the degustation (or tasting) menu was available on this flight (previously, the said service was touted as only available on SYD-BKK and -LAX flights). Unfortunately, unlike quite a few F services around the world, there was no caviar, but not to be phased the selection of food looked both extensive and appetising.

QF F sleeper suit, male and female amenity kits

The city scene on the cover of the F menu. Full points to whoever can pinpoint exactly where the photo was taken.

The TV screen in the suite can fold back into the wall, which is necessary if you're thinking of having a guest in your suite. Oddly enough, it does not have to be stowed for take-off and landing, which is cool since you can essentially have gate-to-gate IFE (yes, sports fans, the IFE is on as soon as you get to your seat). Like all good AVOD type IFE systems around the world, in the narrow compartment adjacent to the seat is stowed a remote control which on one side looks fairly innocuous but on the other side reveals a full alphanumeric keyboard.

F suite iQ IFE remote control in stowed position

The suite lighting, window blinds and seat position - amongst other things - are controlled by the touch panel above the remote control compartment. The silver buttons underneath allow most of the controls afforded by the touch panel, but not all (for example, the seat controls (angle, position, etc.) are a lot more precise using the touch panel compared to the silver buttons, which only allow a discrete set of positions). The silver buttons are useful, however, when your touch panel doesn't work - like mine on that day . A similar (smaller) set of silver buttons are located at the top of the wall at the rear of the suite so the crew can operate the controls without needing to get into the suite.

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 9 of 14)

Suite control touch panel; the silver buttons beneath the screen give most (not all) of the same functionality as the touch panel.

Buttons for the overhead lights are located next to the lights in the overhead panel, but since the buttons aren't labelled, you would almost always be caught out in thinking that the buttons were not functional and were merely more than bumps.

Now of course, no new aircraft experience would be complete without a QF009-esque leg room shot.

Leg room in F suite with seat in original position.

Those of you who have met me know I'm not very tall, so as you can see in the photo, there isn't too much leg room when the suite seat is in its original position. The leg room when the seat is in in-flight position is naturally a lot more considerable.

Although a good majority of the F cabin was still caught in the First Suite euphoria (or at least the rear part of the cabin was anyway ), eventually everyone had to take their seats for pushback. As the safety demonstration played through, the F cabin was reminded (both on the video and by the cabin crew) that sashbelts needed to be in place during take-off and landing (yes, the cabin have a demo belt with a shortened sash belt to demonstrate this). The sash belt works on a hook and pin system, i.e. you hook the "loop" at the end of the sash belt onto the pin on the buckle of the lap belt. I guess the sash belt was required because if there wasn't one and the plane suddenly lurched then no doubt there would be quite a few people in F who would hit their heads on the wall of the next suite, since it is so close.

Sash belt hooked onto the pin on the buckle of the lap belt

The other nifty F-specific safety aspect was the brace position, which was to simply sit up, put hands on knees and drop the head as close to the chest as possible. I'm assuming that the sashbelt should be worn in these cases, especially if seated in the original position, but the safety video did not specify this. The safety video also did not give the location of life jackets in F, which you might think is not a huge deal (as it is printed at the foot of every suite)......all these extra little measures necessarily lengthen the time of the safety demonstration. It is very useful in F to have the screen open and to watch the screen, because watching the FA give the live demonstration will more often than not in F mean having to stretch into the aisle to see the FA, i.e. more of a strain. The only real time you would have to pay attention to the crew was for finding the nearest exit, but for everyone in the F cabin I think the locations were a no brainer.

Once the demonstration was over, I switched the IFE to the tailcam as we taxiied to the nearby central runway for takeoff. You can hear the pax in 5F in the video below ask me how to get the route map. For some reason I couldn't get the route map up either, which is mainly why I switched to tailcam.

:idea:VIDEO: QF31 taking off from SYD as viewed from the A380 tailcam (Youtube - 4 min 1 sec)

As mentioned many times by members of FT and AFF who have flown the A380, take off is significantly more quiet than similar aircraft, and this time was no exception. (Well, I have to admit I didn't think much of it when I flew the A380, but when I reflected on this after flying other aircraft after that, I realised that the A380 was much quieter). It was amazing to see how a very large aircraft like the A380 lifted smoothly off the ground and sailed into the air. Although it was quite damp outside with low cloud, we didn't run into any turbulence on our ascent.

Soon enough the seat belt sign was turned off, so I grabbed these pics for reference, showing the contents of the amenity kits:

Sleeper suit in detail, with loose top, pants and slippers

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 10 of 14)

Male F amenity kit contents, carry case by Akira Isogawa.

Female F amenity kit contents, carry case by Colette Dinnigan.

The FAs went around to each pax to take pre-dinner drinks and dinner options orders - I guess for a mere 8 hour flight they weren't interested in wasting any time! I boldly ordered the tasting menu option (with balsamic vinegar and olive oil as a side for my bread and the decadent-sounding palm sugar vinaigrette as my salad dressing), not realising that it would lead to a little downfall later in my flight. I thought I was wise to eschew alcohol for a pre-dinner drink and stuck with sparkling water with lemon. (After all, I didn't really shine to the Taittinger anyway......) The FA taking my order, Simon, was very professional but I think he might has mistook me as being fairly well-versed in the ordering procedure (indeed, flying premium class for that matter), so I felt he was being a bit hasty so I sheepishly apologised for not keeping up with him as it was my very first time flying F on any carrier in my life .

It probably surprises no one that a few people decided to change into their sleeper suits as soon as the seat belt sign went off, so it was good that two large bathrooms were provided for the F cabin. I went for a quick bathroom break myself (no point changing into the sleeper suit for a not too long flight...OK OK some people will jump on me and say 8 hours is a long flight, plus why not get more comfy, but IMO 8 hours isn't a long flight to eat a tasting menu dinner and get decent sleep, especially when heading to a destination where your first activity will pretty much be to sleep!), but more so to check out the F bathrooms.

Now most will say their first impressions of the bathroom is that it's just another regular bathroom (cf. EK F bathrooms with their opulence and...of course, their showers). If you want to believe that, that's fine, although I liked the bathroom for its extra space and Payot accessories. At least this was one of the few bathrooms that doesn't feel like you're pivoting in a matchbox, of which could hardly be said for even J bathrooms (let alone Y bathrooms!). The F bathroom also has a window, but seeing as it was an evening flight, there wasn't a great view to speak of whilst one was freshening up. (At least being above the clouds will usually mean there's no one to catch you doing something....odd....in the bathroom :mrgreen. The taps in the bathrooms are different again: firstly, they are sensor operated, which is a bit of a weakness because although you don't have to keep one hand on the tap to keep it going, the sensor has a very short range and isn't optimally positioned so essentially you need to keep one hand up near the sensor the whole time; secondly, there isn't separate taps for hot and cold, instead there are two buttons and a sliding scale indicator that goes from red to blue. Yep - you guessed it - you need to use the two buttons to set the "indicator" at the correct end of the scale that reflects the desired temperature of the water, which is then dispensed when triggered by the sensor.

Payot accessories in the F bathrooms

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 11 of 14)

New style tap with sliding scale temperature indicator and sensor activated flow

Extra amenities: vanity sets, shoe mitts and female comfort packs

I took my seat and in true AFF/FT style I started fiddling with the controls. This is when I discovered that my touch panel control was b0rked (the screen was not responding to my taps). Simon happened to be passing and noticed this; he tried to reset my seat but that failed to solve things. Another FA Paul happened by and said that he was sorry for the inconvenience, but at least I could have most of the control I needed by using the silver buttons underneath the touch panel. I shrugged it off and put my seat into the more comfortable in-flight position, then started browsing what was in the AVOD. Whilst there were plenty of programs to keep any couch potato at bay for any given flight, as I was not very conditioned to watching a lot of television I couldn't find too many programs that interested me. I ended up flicking to the comedy programs and watching a few random episodes of The Simpsons (my mainstay comedy), Family Guy and Fawlty Towers.

Not long after, pre-dinner drinks were handed out with canapes. Serving starts from the front of the cabin, moving to the rear. The canapes offered included a ham croquette and white anchovy on top of crostini. The ham croquette was tasty, as was the anchovy on crostini, however I will concede that the very salty anchovy certainly made that particular selection strictly an acquired taste.

Canapes

Between canapes/pre-dinner drinks and dinner being actually served, there was a very long wait. For me, this was even longer because I was sitting in the last row of the cabin, plus I'm guessing that ordering the tasting menu is no mean feat on the part of the crew to prepare, so I understandably was going to be waiting quite a while!

My pre-dinner drink, enjoyed whilst waiting for dinner to be served and watching an episode of Fawlty Towers, befittingly (or unfittingly?) entitled Waldorf Salad.

My long wait was eventually broken when Simon approached me and laid out the white table cloth, then proceeded to populate my table area with a plethora of instruments and other culinary paraphernalia, all in pinpoint position without missing a beat. The concentration on his face was unremarkable (although someone clouded/hidden by the flat smile he was wearing).

Table meticulously set for a tasting menu dinner

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 12 of 14)

The first course was the cream of chestnut soup, and although the menu says "with croutons", there were no croutons on what I was given. I am one of those people that has cracked pepper on almost everything, and this was going to be no exception. As per the procedure for any degustation meal, the complementing wine was served, which for this course was the Eileen Hardy Chardonnay 2004, made from the grapes of many vineyards. I never imagined someone could make a decent "creamy" soup out of chestnuts. I was proved very, very wrong indeed.

I kindly warned Simon that I am a keen photographer so I would be photographing each label of wine offered as well as the dishes. He jovially (but in a somewhat subdued way) replied that he didn't mind at all.

An oddly shaped knotted bread roll was offered to complement the soup, which also was nicely consumed with the balsamic vinegar/olive oil offered.

First course: Cream of Chestnut Soup

Next was the Korean style seared bluefin tuna salad, and true to the word in the menu, the tuna slices were lightly seared on the outside but pink on the inside (but still "cooked", of course). The combination of flavours from the seared and pink tuna complemented well with the rest of the salad comprising of carrot, coriander and pine nuts (and of course the crowning glory of dressing, but I cannot remember what it tasted like, although I do remember that the taste of the dressing was the main thing that made the connection of the dish with Korea). The salad was complemented with a glass of Crawford River Riesling 2006 from the wine region in Henty, south-western Victoria.

Second course: Korean Style Seared Bluefin Tuna Salad

Even though the wine glasses are "small", is it a mistake to drink all of the wine offered per course? Read on......

Next up was a warm, robust dish: the pan fried salmon with beetroot relish, cannellini (a kind of white bean) puree and green beans. This was a nice course, with the salmon being of good texture and cooked all the way; the vegetables were all well prepared (green beans were crisp but not raw). A glass of Stella Bella SSB 2007 from the famous Margaret River region was offered to complement the salmon course. So alcohol count so far on board QF31: 1 x sparkling white (Taittinger), 3 x white (a chard, a riesling and a SSB). Needless to say (and as an Asian plus not being a casual, regular drinker, or a heavy drinker for that matter), not only did my cheeks flush red, but I was starting to feel the normal set of effects (thinking requires more brain power...you get the idea...)....

Third course: Pan Fried Salmon with Yalla Beetroot Relish, Cannellini Puree and Green Beans

The last course rounding up the main section of the menu was the largest, which was the lamb with aioli, potatoes and peas. The course was served at the same time as the side salad and a glass of Charles Cimicky Autograph Shiraz 2004 from the equally (if not more) famous Barossa Valley was the pour for this dish. I liked this dish with its succulent lamb and was surprised at the combination of lamb and aioli, but it was a good match. The minted peas were a good twist on the otherwise ordinary side vegetable, whilst the side salad was absolutely wonderful with the palm sugar vinaigrette.

Fourth course: Roast Rack of Castricum Brothers Lamb with Aioli, Potatoes and Minted Peas

Fourth course: Salad of Baby Cos, Radicchio and Frisee with Palm Sugar Vinaigrette

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 13 of 14)

The reader might be thinking that it would be condescending for me to say at this point of the meal I was getting quite full, plus if you've been keeping track, the alcohol count is now up to 5 bits: 1 x sparkling white, 3 x white, 1 x red...so you can imagine what state I might possibly be in (did I mention that I was trying to lose weight some time ago, so I hadn't had a single drop of alcohol for over six weeks before I started this trip?). I asked Simon to pause for a moment as I wanted to stretch my legs (and let the existing food and drink have a chance to get digested), and he was only happy to defer the dessert and cheese.

I went for a walk to the other side of the cabin to see Kiwi Flyer, who looked like he was having the simpler option of the regular menu. Whilst I was having issues with my touch panel, he was having issues with his IFE. I also had a chat to the gentleman in 5F who was having a leisurely face-to-face dinner with his wife in 5K. The couple said they were enjoying the flight so far, and I was only happy to offer and oblige in taking a picture of both of them having dinner face-to-face. I should have asked if I could keep a copy of the picture so I could include it in my collection, but my mind at that time was really only focused on them (plus I think my mind quickly ruled out asking due to privacy concerns, etc.).

I still needed to walk a bit, so I wondered upstairs to the J lounge, though no one was there at the time (probably still eating, so expected). I managed to see the self-serve bars for J as well as saying hello to a couple of the FAs there, although I kept socialising to a minimum since the longer I talked the more I became scared of being castigated, "Drunk!"

The stairs leading up from the front of the F cabin to the J cabin and lounge

The Business class in-sky lounge, with a nominal capacity of five or six people (belts are provided in the case of turbulence)

I returned back to my seat and signalled to Simon that I was ready to finish off my meal. A bit of deviation from the menu, Simon returned with the assiette of desserts rather than just the apple cinnamon tea cake. No wine was offered - whether this was Simon forgetting about it or wisely eschewing to serve me more alcohol I do not know, but it was pretty clear that no more alcohol was a good thing for me. The desserts were decadent and divine, though by the time I tried to finish the third item in the array I was so full I could only manage half of it before sending the rest away.

Assiette of Desserts

Despite being very full, I was encouraged to try the cheese plate, but I could only take bites from each of the cheeses and the fruits (didn't even touch the crackers) before I really had to send the otherwise fine course away. Somewhat groggily I asked Simon to prepare my bed as I stumbled off to the bathroom.

Cheese Plate

I entered the bathroom and felt my head becoming so much more heavier. I was clearly out of it. Now there are some drunks that sway left and right, some that yell incoherently and/or talk in spurts, some that seem perfectly normal and some that look sick. I think I fell into a combination of the last two, but my brain clearly felt like it was swimming and not quite attached in fixed space. I had only been in such a situation once before (had a bit too much on QF44 AKL-SYD J, but I managed to sleep until we got to SYD and survive without incident afterwards) and so I did the same thing as I did before - take a few deep breaths, count to 30 slowly. Only two things could come out of that - either I threw up, or nothing....28....29....30. Nothing. Alright, straighten up and back to suite.

 

[anat0l]

Sat 30 May: AKL-SYD-SIN (part 14 of 14)

Bed made up in my suite

When I arrived back, my bed was made. Sitting down in the bed was amazing: a very soft mattress was laid underneath and a nice, warm duvet on top. I flicked out my blanket and removed my shoes before settling into bed but sitting up. The pillows were very comfy and a bottle of water had been thoughtfully left at my side. Kiwi Flyer had come to my suite to see if I wanted to go upstairs and meet igel in the J lounge, but I told him that I felt too soussed to come up and to apologise to igel for me.

I was just about to settle into bed for a lie down and a nap, when suddenly it happened...... (WARNING! The next section is not for the feint at heart or weak stomached, so if you really wish to read it, please highlight the text to read)

......an acidic surge came crashing up my throat as I was quick to plug my mouth. Normally everyone has heard of those times when you can just "swallow it" - this was not one of those times! With no great precision but as quickly as I could, I grabbed the air sickness bag from my seat pocket and the flood gates opened. I'm not sure if anyone heard me...oh, who am I kidding, even in my attempt not to make a huge hacking sound, the cabin is too small not to conceal the small squeaks of someone gagging and a sick bag filling up.

So there was another first in my life: first time throwing up as a result of alcohol. Definitely not something to be proud of. I took the sick bag and found the crew who told me to toss it in the bathroom bin. Once I did that and rinsed through my mouth, Paul and Simon met me back at my seat. I was very surprised at their very supportive and understanding attitude (they could have very easily dismissed me since I was drunk) and asked if they could get me anything. I asked for a pot of green tea and a glass of water; they offered some medicine (I can't remember what it was - maybe alka-seltzer) but I said I should be OK. The green tea was soothing but the remains of throwing up were still well and truly present on my taste buds, giving a vile after taste to anything I consumed.

I managed to calm down and felt better after that, so I lied down again and slept for pretty much the rest of the flight, because when I woke up the cabin had to be prepared for landing. Which means I had missed out photographing (and trying out from) the F self-serve bars (they had already been closed and latched for landing)! Oh well. I did have a bit of a talk with the other F FAs and what they thought about the new equipment (especially in the galley) on board the A380, of which all of them earnestly replied that they were very impressed at the utility of their new facilities.

A shot of the F galley on the A380; the information display (can't remember proper name) is a versatile and invaluable resource to the crew.

I managed to collect myself whilst my seat was transformed out of being a bed back to a regular seat, which had to be moved back into its original position for landing, plus I needed to reattach my sash belt. Landing was not a great joy of any kind because it was night time and apart from the speckles of lights there was not much else to see outside the window or from the tailcam. So without much ado we duly landed smoothly into Changi before docking at gate C23.

QF31 docking into gate C23 at Singapore (Changi), as viewed from the tailcam

There was a considerable amount of time (much noted by the captain who came on the PA shortly after docking) required for the complex aerobridges to be moved into position, so disembarkation did not happen for quite a while. When the doors opened, a flurry of Y pax could be heard behind my seat quickly striding off the aircraft and into the terminal. I preferred to take my time (unlike Kiwi Flyer), checking that I had all my belongings before I proceeded out the front. Paul and Simon were there to wish all of us in F well; I thanked them wholeheartedly for their service and could not help but ask for a photo with them.

Me with two of the F cabin FAs, Paul and Simon

So what is my final assessment of my first First class experience, and of the First Suite on board the Qantas A380? I was impressed, to say the least. Since I don't have other first class experiences (on QF nor on any other carrier), I can't do a comparison, but I was very impressed by all the aspects of the flight: the cabin, the service (saying a lot for the FAs here), the food......some of this you cannot understand nor judge on text, pictures or hearsay alone - it has to be experienced. In saying that - and this is more than likely a no-brainer to most here - but whilst there is a big difference in service between Y and J, the difference between J and F is, by means of comparison, at best appreciable and at worst merely subtle. I know we are fast to judge based only "on paper" or "on face value" (including me, i.e. why I think I'd enjoy the much simpler, rudimentary looking QF A380 F compared to the opulent and almost very tacky looking EK A380 F or the bland-ish looking SQ A380 R), but I truly think that QF have done well with this product. Had I not thrown up during the flight, I would have certainly found ways to enjoy the experience even more.

The only hiccup during the flight was my touch panel snafu (and Kiwi Flyer's IFE, of which he was duly compensated with complimentary duty free).

Some people say that once you experience F (or any premium for that matter), it's impossible to go back. I won't deny or confirm this, but I'll let time tell. (I know I certainly can't fly any long-haul J in cash any time soon, let alone F...unless QF have a super-duper sale of some sorts).


After disembarking, I saw Kiwi Flyer already in the terminal waiting for me, so without further a do we proceeded to immigration. For an airport like SIN and the pax traffic it handles, I was expecting a torrent of lines to negotiate, but when we arrived at immigration, there was no such lines! Baggage, on the other hand, was something totally different. Although the baggage claim hall wasn't teeming with people, the bags from our flight took ages to hit the belt. I normally gripe about Australian airports being lousy with times for baggage to be sent out to the claim belts, but I have to admit this was quite a wait as well. Perhaps it had to do something with the fact that we were on an A380, so that is a considerable amount of baggage (not to mention that some baggage would be going to the belt in SIN, some would be transferring and some would be put back for the trip to LHR). In any case, Kiwi Flyer coolly strided through the baggage claim area and through the very easy non-formality of customs, and igel had managed to catch up with me as we both waited for bags. Eventually the belt started up and bags came out only in single spurts but soon enough started to arrive in a stream. My bag only had a magenta tag on it so I was expecting it to take a while given that there were at least another 40+ J pax (without considering lucky ducks who managed to get yellow tags) with the same priority. igel managed to recover his bag first and thankfully mine was not too far behind, so we went through customs and said goodbye as Kiwi Flyer and I hastily proceeded to the inter-terminal train towards the Crowne Plaza Changi.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Singapore Changi Airport
Room Type: Suite
Room Location: 5th Floor

Originally, I had paid a non-refundable, prepaid rate at the Holiday Inn Parkview in downtown SIN, however what I didn't consider at the time was how was I to get from the airport to downtown so late at night. My naivity had me believe that the MRT would be the cheapest and most logical choice, but it turned out to be a lot more complicated than that. Kiwi Flyer had booked a suite and offered me the choice of crashing on the suite's couch and simply no-show for my HI booking. Considering that this would simply save me the cost of transport between the airport and the city, plus I wanted to remain fairly much incognito (I didn't want to bump into my relatives in SIN, since they'd otherwise do the whole meet-up thing which means less time for myself and...well, you get the idea...), so I took up Kiwi Flyer's kind offer. (As a bit of a fast forward, even though I no-showed for my HI booking, I somehow still managed to get miles for it!)

We arrived at T3 and easily found the entrance to the CP Changi. Check-in was nice and breezy, which was just as well because sleep was definitely on both of our minds at that point! Once we were in the room, we didn't do much more except get changed (there was a washroom near the entrance hallway that I used whilst Kiwi Flyer assumed the master bedroom with adjoining ensuite), have a cup of tea and go to sleep. I didn't mind sleeping on the couch, although the couch was shorter than my height, plus I should have asked for a spare blanket or the like (but this didn't become an issue until the morning).

 

[anat0l]

Sun 31 May: SIN-SYD (part 1 of 11)

Sunday, 31 May 2009

I will apologise in advance to the faithful reader (you must be since you got this far); since these events happened over a month ago now, I had a bit of trouble recalling the exact sequence of events....

I'm not usually a morning person, but I woke up fairly early in the morning (and I know it was early, because I groggily fumbled for my mobile to check the time). I tried to go back to sleep (because I knew I still had a considerable sleep debt banked up let alone on this short trip), but I only managed about another hour or so before the discomfort of the short couch coupled with the coolness of the room got the better of me, so I was up. I had a peek through the curtains and without much surprise the sun was up and clearly beaming strongly in true equatorial climatic fashion. I went and washed my face and brushed my teeth, then changed into my exercise clothes and fired up my trusty eeePC and entertained myself by watching some videos on my portable hard drive, but it wasn't too long before I tired of that. Thankfully, I had wasted just enough time to have a peek and realised that there was only 45 minutes before the end of breakfast service. Kiwi Flyer hadn't woken up yet, but passing up a free breakfast (especially in Asia) wasn't on my cards, so I went down to the second level to the hotel restaurant.

Oh, and if you must know, I wasn't hung over (and I'm not lying because otherwise the first thing I'd probably be doing is going back to sleep after taking two paracetemol tablets or ibuprofen). So in my record of consuming alcohol, the score stands so far (and as of this post, still is) 1 incident of throwing up, 0 incidents of hangovers and 0 incidents of regrettable actions/arrests/accidents/etc. (you get the idea). I'm sorry there are no pictures of the restaurant or breakfast, because in my haste to get in before breakfast service stopped....yep, you're right again, faithful reader....I didn't take my camera.

I won't insult you by telling you the obvious that it was very humid outside (oh wait, oops ). The restaurant was very stylish, which you sometimes don't usually associate with Asian restaurants, let alone in a CP, but the combinations of Chinese patterned "open" walls and the artistic use of glass and different coloured tiles gave a nice lift to the character of the restaurant (although I guess a strict Chinese would prefer more red and a brighter setting than dark/low-lighting and blue/green hues). I fronted up to the restaurant front desk and they requested a room number - I provided our room but said that I was the "other person" in the room, not the person who booked the room. It took them a bit to get me in, but in the flurry of Mandarin conversation I was let in, but not before they asked me what happened to Kiwi Flyer. They encouraged me to call the room and try and persuade him to come have breakfast before the service winds up. With nothing to lose (except possibly Kiwi Flyer's good graces for waking him up unnecessarily), I made the call and was relieved to hear that he had just woke up and was on his way downstairs. I waited for him before the attendants seated us.

The breakfast buffet had two sides to it, and most people will have probably guessed by now that the two sides are.........Western and Asian (those of you who guessed Continental and Hot, partial credit ). We both headed for the Asian end of the buffet and found various delights such as assorted dim sum, hot noodle soup, nasi lemak, congee and other assorted items (of course, mostly Chinese and Malay). I loaded up generously on food, whilst Kiwi Flyer took a much more sensible amount, and it was during this meal that I discovered that Kiwi Flyer is another person who has a fire-proof stomach (i.e. he eats chillis).

Selecting the noodles was particularly interesting, since it looks like self-service (i.e. choose your ingredients then pour hot soup on top), but actually a chef cooks it for you, i.e. cooks the noodles in boiling water before serving it with your chosen ingredients with hot stock soup. After handing me my bowl of hot noodle soup, he asked me whether I had tried everything on the buffet (in Singlish, pronounced /boof-fay/) yet. I replied in the negative, of which he told me to make sure I make it my objective to do so. In Singaporean fashion, I replied, "Of course...after all that is what people in Singapore do at a buffet, right? If have buffet, you must try a bit of everything." (Yes, I was speaking syncopated Singlish ) We both laughed as I wished him well.

My wife, she scared that I over eat. Not possible! This is, ah, "ALL YOU CAN EAT" buffet! You supposed to eat all you can! How to over eat??

Kiwi Flyer was happy with his one plate that he selected and was more interested in getting back to the room to do some work, so he soon left me in the restaurant as I went back to the buffet for another round; I'd particularly enjoyed the nasi lemak (coconut rice) with sambal (curry) eggs (no ikan bilis (fried little fishes) for me, though, but I did add fried shallots). I also could not pass up trying a piece of toast with kaya (coconut jam), which I had not had for a very long time (since 2006 when I was last visiting my mum's family in Malaysia). Soon enough, after a few plates of food (and yes I was a good boy and had some fruit), plus quite a few cups of Chinese tea, I was stuffed, so I made my way back to the room.

When I arrived back, Kiwi Flyer, true to his word, was well and truly working with the TV in the master bedroom blaring in the background. Before going out to do some exploring, my first stop had to be the gym, because I sure as was not interested in dropping in my step count for the day. The gym is located on level 3, so I did an hour of walking on the treadmill, racking up a few thousand steps in the process and working up quite a sweat. Needless to say after that workout I had no trouble demolishing quite a few cups of water from the nearby cooler.

A leisurely walk back to the room, I grabbed the camera and decided to walk about. The leisurely walk ensured that the sweat I had worked up at least evaporated up a little bit (even though it was quite humid), and I wanted to get more steps before having a shower.

Did I say it was quite humid? Well, let the photos tell the story...yes, it was so humid that the lens on my camera fogged up; I tried to wipe them off with a "dry" part of my shirt, with no success.

The centre of the CP has lots of trees; you can also see the body of water in the second photo - that's a swimming pool

Lobby lounge, ground floor

 

[anat0l]

Sun 31 May: SIN-SYD (part 2 of 11)

I was wondering around the ground floor when it only occurred to me to ask the reception desk for some tissues. Wipe off the lens again, and voila! Clear as crystal:

Looking up at part of the swimming pool from the second floor. No that's not goldfish - it's leaves.

The front entrance from the street, as viewed from the second level

Entrance to the CP at level 2 as accessed from SIN T3

My trekking for steps took me beyond the CP and into the landside sections of SIN airport.

Flight information display at SIN T3. Notice how flights from all four terminals (T1, T2, T3 and the budget terminal) are shown (although the other terminals simply show "Go to Terminal x" in the Remarks column). Flights to Chinese destinations (e.g. Hong Kong, Shenzhen) fade between English and Chinese type.

Almost all signs are displayed in four languages: English, Bahasa Indonesia, Simplified Chinese and Japanese

A baggage claim hall in T3. No baggage claim hall throughout all of SIN airport is the same as the other.

 

[anat0l]

Sun 31 May: SIN-SYD (part 3 of 11)

Having walked about in T3 through shopping areas and brushing past the large complex that was the SQ F check-in area, my striding took me to SIN T2 next.

Departures hall in SIN T2

Old style looking FID in SIN T2, though this FID is only used to show which check-in row to go to and remarks on the flight - it won't tell you which gate you'll need to race to.

A SilkAir aircraft that has just recently pushed back as observed from the observation deck on landside of SIN T2

A cute cafe located below the observation deck but on the airside of SIN T2. I wish I could say it was located in the forest of the airport, but that's just an illusion of the camera position.

I got this photo of the front of the CP Changi from the departures level kerbside of SIN T2. IIRC many people - particularly those on SQTalk - think the design of the front of the CP Changi is an abomination.