anat0l
Enthusiast
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
- Posts
- 11,666
Epilogue
Epilogue
So that was my story of how I spent at least 100 hours from one land bed to the next. I think that's it's only befitting that, after having experienced so many different products, that I give a brief review of each of them again. So here they are:
Lufthansa Business (intra-Europe regional, short haul)
The Good
A bit further from the riff-raff and you can disembark first.
The Bad
Not much better service than Y - a slightly better snack, a bit more elbow room. Unless you're after the miles in a program, probably not worth the price differential. The entire plane has no TVs.
The Verdict
Unless you're booking this as a connector at incidental or no extra charge, or if the differential to Economy is very small, then this product is probably not worth it.
Swiss First (intercontinental, long haul) (old product)
The Good
Very warm service by LX. Intimate cabin of only 8 passengers. Excellent food and drink selection; very innovative food choices, and delicious too. If you like a good coffee, you'll love the Nespresso. Nice amenity kits by Bally and sturdy sleeper suits. Decent bedding.
The Bad
Poor IFE selection, very limited - bring something else to entertain you. Breakfast was a bit limited and salty; perhaps a bad catering day, or simply that breakfast, like the rest of Europe, isn't usually treated as a big deal. The seating is not very intimate on its own; the trade off of having fewer people in the cabin is that there are no walls that have to separate people for their own space. This is fine if you're in the old school of thought (and not a weakness in my view), but many others say that after you've done suites everything else is clearly inferior.
The Verdict
A nice alternative to LH if you can't get F seats on the latter. Ditto this assessment if you can't score on SQ F, and even though SQ F has either private suites or a massive seat, plus caviar service and better champagne, the innovative menu on LX definitely makes for a strong alternative. I would be happy to fly LX F any time, and hope one day I can try their new F product (currently on A333 aircraft and on routes that are very difficult to get F seats for).
Thai Business (intra-Asia regional, medium haul)
The Good
You won't go hungry on TG. Meals are quite big. Presentation of meals is really good. Amenity kits even on medium haul flights (and not necessarily overnight flights) is nice. Salvatore Ferragamo accessories in the bathrooms, along with versatile dental kits. Seats have plenty of leg room and are reasonably comfy.
The Bad
Seats are angle-flat, not fully flat. Not a problem for me, since I can sleep on them, but many cannot or will not. Blankets and pillows a bit lacklustre. Food selection is sometimes a bit of a dull choice and not interesting. Drinks selection is pretty much there "because we need it", which actually felt a lot like the food as well - e.g. "we need a cheese selection because people like cheese; it doesn't matter what we pick, we just need cheese".
The Verdict
A perfectly acceptable product for medium haul flights around Asia. If you're not too picky at all, TG will satisfy your expectations without a doubt. Going above and beyond that is asking a bit much. Be patient with the TG FAs, as they are good at what they do but not necessarily at ease with their English.
Cathay Pacific Business (intra-Asia regional, short and medium haul)
The Good
Like TG, you'll rarely go hungry on CX flights, with very filling meals. Great service of meals from a cart. Almost like Chinese / Asian cultural values, FAs will dote on you and be especially concerned if you're not eating! They are very amenable, especially if the cabin is not full. Bathrooms are nicely designed and equipped with Dermalogica products. Seat is comfy, like your arm chair in your lounge at home.
The Bad
Seats only recline to about 150 degrees or so, which is fine if you can picture yourself outside at a pool lying on a recliner. Blankets are a bit thin and pillows small. The meals are a bit rich - have more than 1 or 2 in the same day and you'll probably start to feel a little bit sick (a tip for the status runners). No amenity kits even on overnight flights - I suspect they will only give them out for long haul flights. IFE is loop back on limited channels, so maybe a book or your iPad is a better bet.
The Verdict
For most flights in the CX regional network, CX J will suffice for many. It is probably on par if not a notch better than either QF or VA J trans-continental. The FAs are courteous. Try the Cathay Delight if you're on board next time!
Dragonair Business (intra-Asia regional, short and medium haul)
The Good
Comfortable seats with decent leg room, especially given a narrow body aircraft with a fairly large J cabin. Meals are sufficient and tasty. In seat power is available.
The Bad
Nothing too exciting with the food - it fills you up in a fairly tasty way and that's all you can hope for. Wine selection looks rather rudimentary. Decor is only a notch up better than, say, the QF and VA domestic J operations; not as elegant as its parent airline CX.
The Verdict
If you're going to get a narrow body aircraft, then you know your comfort will generally take a hit. Nevertheless, KA have done alright in this regard and provide a decent service. If you're planning a run using CX and have a KA option, it's a nice switch of gears if you don't feel like seeing those sea green seats for at least another flight. Like KA, you may need to be patient with the FAs due to English, but they are always willing to help you.
Thai First (intercontinental, long haul) (old product)
The Good
With only 8 seats in the cabin, it is the same style of intimacy as LX - fewer seats in the cabin in exchange for less walls. There's always plenty of food, so you won't go hungry. Presentation of meals on the carts is immaculate. One of the few First Class services in the world to still offer a caviar course. Rimowa amenity kits... well, what can I say... win? Salvatore Ferragamo accessories supplied in the bathrooms. IFE is decent, on demand and a good selection.
The Bad
Most things on Thai's service feel like its there because it has to (similar to my previous remarks). The seat is reasonably comfy (for First standards), and you just might sleep well in it too, considering there is no special underlay supplied when the seat turns into a bed. Menu seems rather boring for a First Class standard. Breakfast was not done very well. Drinks selection is fairly standard; sure, they have Dom Perri 2002, but I'm not a fan. The amenities inside the kit were nothing to write home about.
The Verdict
TG F is the only other F service offered by the Star Alliance to and from Australia besides SQ F. The former is extremely easy to get seats for, so this makes up for the fact that it may be one of the most boring F services in the world (but not necessarily the worst - there's UA F.......)
In the end, I got to experience many products for my huge expenditure of BD miles. By the end I was losing my perception and the delay due to the ash cloud didn't help, but I enjoyed the experience. I added a few more amenity kits to my collection, got some QF SCs and did it all in style.
It's a hard life, but someone has to do it.
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Fin
Epilogue
So that was my story of how I spent at least 100 hours from one land bed to the next. I think that's it's only befitting that, after having experienced so many different products, that I give a brief review of each of them again. So here they are:
Lufthansa Business (intra-Europe regional, short haul)
The Good
A bit further from the riff-raff and you can disembark first.
The Bad
Not much better service than Y - a slightly better snack, a bit more elbow room. Unless you're after the miles in a program, probably not worth the price differential. The entire plane has no TVs.
The Verdict
Unless you're booking this as a connector at incidental or no extra charge, or if the differential to Economy is very small, then this product is probably not worth it.
Swiss First (intercontinental, long haul) (old product)
The Good
Very warm service by LX. Intimate cabin of only 8 passengers. Excellent food and drink selection; very innovative food choices, and delicious too. If you like a good coffee, you'll love the Nespresso. Nice amenity kits by Bally and sturdy sleeper suits. Decent bedding.
The Bad
Poor IFE selection, very limited - bring something else to entertain you. Breakfast was a bit limited and salty; perhaps a bad catering day, or simply that breakfast, like the rest of Europe, isn't usually treated as a big deal. The seating is not very intimate on its own; the trade off of having fewer people in the cabin is that there are no walls that have to separate people for their own space. This is fine if you're in the old school of thought (and not a weakness in my view), but many others say that after you've done suites everything else is clearly inferior.
The Verdict
A nice alternative to LH if you can't get F seats on the latter. Ditto this assessment if you can't score on SQ F, and even though SQ F has either private suites or a massive seat, plus caviar service and better champagne, the innovative menu on LX definitely makes for a strong alternative. I would be happy to fly LX F any time, and hope one day I can try their new F product (currently on A333 aircraft and on routes that are very difficult to get F seats for).
Thai Business (intra-Asia regional, medium haul)
The Good
You won't go hungry on TG. Meals are quite big. Presentation of meals is really good. Amenity kits even on medium haul flights (and not necessarily overnight flights) is nice. Salvatore Ferragamo accessories in the bathrooms, along with versatile dental kits. Seats have plenty of leg room and are reasonably comfy.
The Bad
Seats are angle-flat, not fully flat. Not a problem for me, since I can sleep on them, but many cannot or will not. Blankets and pillows a bit lacklustre. Food selection is sometimes a bit of a dull choice and not interesting. Drinks selection is pretty much there "because we need it", which actually felt a lot like the food as well - e.g. "we need a cheese selection because people like cheese; it doesn't matter what we pick, we just need cheese".
The Verdict
A perfectly acceptable product for medium haul flights around Asia. If you're not too picky at all, TG will satisfy your expectations without a doubt. Going above and beyond that is asking a bit much. Be patient with the TG FAs, as they are good at what they do but not necessarily at ease with their English.
Cathay Pacific Business (intra-Asia regional, short and medium haul)
The Good
Like TG, you'll rarely go hungry on CX flights, with very filling meals. Great service of meals from a cart. Almost like Chinese / Asian cultural values, FAs will dote on you and be especially concerned if you're not eating! They are very amenable, especially if the cabin is not full. Bathrooms are nicely designed and equipped with Dermalogica products. Seat is comfy, like your arm chair in your lounge at home.
The Bad
Seats only recline to about 150 degrees or so, which is fine if you can picture yourself outside at a pool lying on a recliner. Blankets are a bit thin and pillows small. The meals are a bit rich - have more than 1 or 2 in the same day and you'll probably start to feel a little bit sick (a tip for the status runners). No amenity kits even on overnight flights - I suspect they will only give them out for long haul flights. IFE is loop back on limited channels, so maybe a book or your iPad is a better bet.
The Verdict
For most flights in the CX regional network, CX J will suffice for many. It is probably on par if not a notch better than either QF or VA J trans-continental. The FAs are courteous. Try the Cathay Delight if you're on board next time!
Dragonair Business (intra-Asia regional, short and medium haul)
The Good
Comfortable seats with decent leg room, especially given a narrow body aircraft with a fairly large J cabin. Meals are sufficient and tasty. In seat power is available.
The Bad
Nothing too exciting with the food - it fills you up in a fairly tasty way and that's all you can hope for. Wine selection looks rather rudimentary. Decor is only a notch up better than, say, the QF and VA domestic J operations; not as elegant as its parent airline CX.
The Verdict
If you're going to get a narrow body aircraft, then you know your comfort will generally take a hit. Nevertheless, KA have done alright in this regard and provide a decent service. If you're planning a run using CX and have a KA option, it's a nice switch of gears if you don't feel like seeing those sea green seats for at least another flight. Like KA, you may need to be patient with the FAs due to English, but they are always willing to help you.
Thai First (intercontinental, long haul) (old product)
The Good
With only 8 seats in the cabin, it is the same style of intimacy as LX - fewer seats in the cabin in exchange for less walls. There's always plenty of food, so you won't go hungry. Presentation of meals on the carts is immaculate. One of the few First Class services in the world to still offer a caviar course. Rimowa amenity kits... well, what can I say... win? Salvatore Ferragamo accessories supplied in the bathrooms. IFE is decent, on demand and a good selection.
The Bad
Most things on Thai's service feel like its there because it has to (similar to my previous remarks). The seat is reasonably comfy (for First standards), and you just might sleep well in it too, considering there is no special underlay supplied when the seat turns into a bed. Menu seems rather boring for a First Class standard. Breakfast was not done very well. Drinks selection is fairly standard; sure, they have Dom Perri 2002, but I'm not a fan. The amenities inside the kit were nothing to write home about.
The Verdict
TG F is the only other F service offered by the Star Alliance to and from Australia besides SQ F. The former is extremely easy to get seats for, so this makes up for the fact that it may be one of the most boring F services in the world (but not necessarily the worst - there's UA F.......)
In the end, I got to experience many products for my huge expenditure of BD miles. By the end I was losing my perception and the delay due to the ash cloud didn't help, but I enjoyed the experience. I added a few more amenity kits to my collection, got some QF SCs and did it all in style.
It's a hard life, but someone has to do it.
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:Fin
