My First TR: 21 Flights in 28 Days

[PLANT]

No champers on flight?
Expect a full report next flight

 

[TomVexille]

... but when there were no seats in the flight direct to PER, well, I guessed I'd just have to try another carrier's intl J product. How terrible.

Poor you

Thanks for making the sacrifice and we all feel your pain

 

[JohnK]

Very enjoyable trip report exceladdict. Nice photos.

 

[exceladdict]

Very enjoyable trip report exceladdict. Nice photos.

Thanks John. Last posts have been a bit delayed - held up with work and didn't want to do a sub-par job. But the next one coming up shortly!

 

[exceladdict]

37: HKG & Our First 'Lounge Crawl'


We arrived in to HKG and immedately the humidity (even inside) hit me straight away! Off went the jacket, and in we went through transfer security. The original plan was to leave the airport and quickly experience the city, but we had a huge amount of cabin baggage and eventually wouldn't be able to find lockers in any of the lounges, so coupled with our general tiredness we decided to lounge hop for our layover instead. What a shame!

Transfer security was interesting. While we didn't have to seperate LGAs, the room had this sterile feel to it that was unique to this particular airport's security. It wasn't a nice first impression, but perhaps I was just overwhelmed by the humidity.


(Checking for lockers we first went to the CX 'The Wing' lounge before the Qantas HKG Lounge. The Wing did have a luggage room, but given that between us we had two laptops, an ipad, a DSLR, two sets of bose NC headphones, and some other things we didn't want to lose; we decided not to risk it).


So reluctantly (it's hard for some) we made our way over towards the QF lounge to start.

Qantas Hong Kong Lounge (L7, on top of gate 15)


So now that we were in lounge hopping mode, we made the familiar red roo our first stop.I was quite impressed immediately by the size of the lounge.





I wasn't expecting anything the size of Doha (and it isn't) but the openness of it gives a nice and airy feel, and it's attended by lots of friendly people who all said hello and called me Sir. My wife had a nice chat to a Filipino lady working in the lounge who gave us some great recommendations of things to taste while we're here.





The facilities were quite nice too. Again - a step down from one-use towels to dry your hands as in Doha, but styled nicely.




We found our way to a seating area and set up shop to quickly skype some relatives. Being the last stop on the trip though, we wanted to experience all we could, so it was time for food.





The Buffet looked extremely welcoming. I'm guessing they'd only opened recently as everything looked untouched. Apologies there weren't more pictures.

 

[exceladdict]

I started with some pumpkin soup which was nice but a little too heavy on the coughin.


Then it was time for a shower, so I headed off to the bathroom - the shower suites were really modern with subway tiles and vertical tiles on the accent wall.




No disposable (read: collectible) amenities except for the toothbrush. Basins and mirrors the same style of the non-shower bathrooms.





And for those with longer hair, something quite desperately needed.





Also, the room got a little foggy making the mirror unusable; so it was a good thing I didn't plan to wear makeup or need to shave. I was out quite quickly, the suites seemed to be busy despite the wider lounge not being that populated.


There were lots of empty tables in the a-la-carte area;





and in the lounge area.

 

[exceladdict]

Not wanting to overeat just yet, I had a small serve of the Pork Medallions and the Olive Pasta. It was good.




My wife had some of the pasta, salad, octopus and tomatoes. Reports were that it was fresh and tasty. QF have done their job in establishing this lounge well.



When collecting our plates, a lounge agent insisted we try the cheesecake, which he said is the speciality dish. I complied. If I was Qantas, I'd be bragging about this too. It was amazing. I feel sorry for the brownie that came after as the poor thing just couldn't compare.

 

[exceladdict]

A range of drinks were available both self-serve and assisted, and the bar staff were friendly, though we didn't have any as we had lots more to see!






It was about 5pm by now and the lounge was starting to get busier. As we were walking out, the a la carte seared salmon was beginning to be served - I wasn't in the mood so we didn't hang by. I did notice they had a barista coffee machine here too.

 

[exceladdict]

Cathay Pacific 'The Bridge' Lounge (Gate 35 L6)


The bridge was a 10 minute or so walk from the QF lounge, it was quite nice walking between the two and seeing a bit more of the airport.





The North Wing of the Bridge Lounge - containing the Bakery and the Long Bar - was quite busy so I was unable to take pictures. We grabbed a quick bite of pizza to eat and then made our way over to the South Wing.


The South Wing contained The Bistro, and what we were looking for, the Coffee Loft. Now, it's not a loft by my definition - but the coffee was OK.





There were cool pods for sitting in,





though we went with the table,





as it was nearer a power point that was hiding in the floor.

 

[exceladdict]

Our coffees eventually came - It seems that nowhere in the world except Australia put chocolate dusting on cappuccinos. Edit: my Mocha was dusted.




The business facilities looked quite cool too, and the furniture was either designer or imitation designer.





Coffee Loft section has some snacks as well,







And drinks if you're so inclined.

 

[exceladdict]

There look to be some more lounging-appropriate chairs,




Oh, and after logging on to the wifi, you can see the CX website has some 'hidden pages' - I feel like a detective noticing this.





We enjoyed the coffee and experience but then it was time to stretch our legs again and try another lounge.


On the way over, we noticed this warning on the travelators. Now, I don't know what is more dangerous, looking at your phone, or looking down at your feet at a warning sticker. All I know is I almost tripped on the upcoming end of the travelator.

 

[exceladdict]

Cathay Pacific 'The Pier' Business Class Lounge (Gate 65 L6)


The Pier lounge was a bit more 'low key' or 'calm' than The Bridge. The styling was similar, quite modern, and was nice and quiet.





It had a special first class area that looked like a cordoned off corner:





So I made my way to the noodle bar.





There were a few choices:





I had the Shanghainese Style Noodles. I wasn't really impressed. They were extremely 'gooey', for want of a better term; I felt like they'd been stewing in a pot for hours. They did fill me up, don't get me wrong, but I had come to expect a lot more.

 

[exceladdict]

Then it was time to lounge for a little while over near the long bar.




I do appreciate how both CX and QF have used WPA2 for protection on their lounge wifi. I don't understand why this isn't a standard, particularly in lounges.


While here I had some wedges with 'Garlic Mayonnaise'. None of these fancy words like 'aioli', they just tell it like it is.







There were only a couple of magazines on display.





My wife used the showers here - a shower was free on entering the area. In summary: clean, modern with all the amenities you could need, including a hairdryer. However the ventilation was quite poor so it got very foggy and was difficult to use the mirror after having a shower.


An hour and a half left until the flight so we thought it might be good to stretch our legs and try another lounge. Back over to gate 4!


We saw another of our favourite coffee brand on the way, and might have even stopped if we weren't about to enjoy free food and drink at another lounge.

 

[exceladdict]

Cathay Pacific 'The Wing' Business Class Lounge (Gate 4, L6)


It was a nice 15 minute walk to get here from Gate 65 and we found this lounge styled very nicely as well. There were lots of little, more intimate sections (we were downstairs at first).




Pictured below is the corridor to the showers.




While here, we had some more snacks. my wife loved the Ham, Cheese and Mango Chutney sandwiches, of which there were lots on offer.



We also had some desserts.



On the whole, the food was largely the same across all of the lounges. Upstairs, there was another long bar, coffee loft (this one was actually a loft) and noodle bar.

 

[exceladdict]

I did, however, notice this time that you could get ice-cream from the coffee loft. The donut we had waws way softer than I expected. Another variation in flour / bread mixtures throughout the world, I suppose.




I wanted to change to a new pair of socks (specifically, the ones I got in the free kit I had received on the last CX flight) so it was time for another shower. This was another reason we headed to this lounge, as it boasted '24 Luxurious Shower Suites'.


I guess they were ok, I mean, the shower heads weren't that big.





They were well styled too, with big mirrors, and good (and nice-smelling) amenities. Again, not take-away.





Well, apart from the toothbrush, that sat next to a hairdryer and some other items that impressed me.





And before we knew it, our 8 hour stopover was almost up. EDIT: One last thing before we left the lounge was I asked the attendant to reprint my QR boarding passes so we'd have some CX ones for the record books (our boarding passes for this flight were issued back in LHR). They obliged happily, and discovered our seats had been changed since original issue (no explanation why). We were simply pushed back one row, so no dramas, but it was a 5 second scare I could have done without! Anyway, we ended up with some nice CX J passes for the file.

 

[exceladdict]

We were about to fly CX again so we weren't able to try the Plaza Premium Lounge, and gave the G16 and 'The Cabin' lounge a miss.




Unfortunately I am only QF SG so wasn't able to access any First lounges. Perhaps on a future trip - my first lounge crawl was great, and we've lots to look forward to in the future!


Next Up: The Final Flight - CX137 HKG-PER

 

[exceladdict]

38: The Final Flight, CX137 HKG-PER J 17D/G, 7h:40m, A333


Unfortunately, the time had come for the final frontier; being HKG-PER. We approached the priority boarding area in good spirits however, as another CX J Seat awaited us and after a month of travelling, it would be good to be home.


We got to the gate and jumped straight in the priority pax queue, for Business class passengers, some marco polo members, and (and only) OneWorld Emerald members (no ruby). Glad to be travelling in J in this case. As we waited in the queue, our passports were checked to improve processing speed at the gate itself. All the while, and until we were seated, staff were apologising for the delay in the boarding process (this was far from the worst I've experienced having bene in the US!).


Somewhat surprisingly, another layer of security meant we were bag checked on our way on to the plane, just before we got on board the plane. I'm not sure what they were looking for in their quick scurry through our bags, but we were contraband free (as always) so were straight on board.


Once again welcomed by the CX layout, we were looking forward to the next seven and a half hours.




Seated in the middle, I was somewhat jealous of the extra storage space the passengers on the window had; but it was of course good sitting together.





Again, I struggled to fit my shoes in the tiny compartment and this time was told the compartment door would have to close before take off (we've got to watch out for those flying shoes, after all). The J cabin quickly filled, with no empty seats at take-off. One man brought on a carry on bag so large it took up an entire overhead compartment. I entertained myself trying to calculate how much that would have cost him if he was flying Frontier airlines, or one of the other ones in the US where carry on bags are weighed and costed accordingly (unfortunately the IFE wasn't working, and wouldn't be until after take-off, so entertainment wise this was the best I could do). Hot towels came around shortly before take-off; a nice refresher desipte having showered twice in the last eight hours.


Service started well; I went for a champagne to celebrate and my wife had a red something.





The menus also looked promising: unfortunately everything will be compared to QR for the rest of my life, but supper was looking good;





As was what would be breakfast tomorrow.

 

[exceladdict]

Take-off from Hong Kong was bumpy, it seemed to take a long time for the engines to speed up and they whirred quite loudly for the first few minutes of the flight. After not too long though, they drowned away.

When the meal was served, I struggled to get it all in one picture. As you can see, there was quite a variety of sides along with the chicken. The chicken was very nice; the sides OK. My only complaint is the way that CX bundle their cutlery in the napkin; it's a bit awkward to unroll.



Following the meal was an assortment of chocolates for dessert. The dark chocolate was amazing; the hazelnut/macadamia ball-thing less so (not a fan of either of those things); but the clear standout was the white chocolate lemon. A combination I'd never imagined; the two flavours melded in a fantastic way and closed out the last J dinner in style.



After the meal, it was time for some shut-eye at what was conveniently the night time of PER as well. Unfortunately, the gentlemen in the window seat next across the aisle from me was performing many parts of a snorechestra; so I had to use some silicone earplugs I'd brought along to drown it out. Down in my nook the noise wasn't too bad; and in the end I was asleep after not too long.

I did wake up twice, the second at around 4.30am, as the flight flew back into Aussie airspace.

 

[exceladdict]

The next time I woke, the cabin lights had brightened and breakfast was being served. I tried to decide whether to try for an extra half hour of sleep, but I sleep through the last meal of the trip (and the last J meal I'd experience in a while).

I was shortly asked if I wanted to eat and whether id like a blueberry muffin or croissant. I went with the latter. I'm Going to miss the excessive amount of pastries I've consumed on this trip.



When the breakfast mains came around I went for the Western option: the frittata with a sausage. I'm sad to say it wasn't great; but then I guess it's not an easy meal to nail on a plane.





Accompanying Breakfast I had water, a capuccino and then an OJ, and in that order to avoid a sore stomach.





The breakfast tray also had sides of fresh fruit;





and a blueberry yoghurt/oats mix.

 

[exceladdict]

And before I knew it, we were approaching home. Our landing into Perth was OK; it took the front wheel a while to touch down, but it was probably the best landing I've ever had when approaching PER from the South.




We were quite sad as we left the luxury of the plane's J cabin, as you can imagine!





We were one of three flights to arrive early on this Sunday morning - along with SQ225 from Singapore and CZ319 from Guangzhou - so the boarding area was quite busy. Having been in rural Ireland, we couldn't use the 'fast track' as we had something to declare. My wife also got held up at the e-gates as the system froze and ate her ticket at the facial recognition stage; so I waited while she went through the other lines. I must say though there were far fewer using AUS/NZ passports than I expected; the queue at the non-smartgate area was quite big.


Through to the baggage hall, which as always, was under construction/transition, and we were advised over the PA that all baggage for carousel 3 (ours!) had been held up and apologised for the delay. I figured the ground staff were probably just having a Sunday morning sleep in, but ultimately it didn't take too long to come out. Our three bags certainly weren't the first, but they also weren't last; it was only a minute or two after the belt started that ours arrived. I wasn't paying attention as to whether other bags were OW Priority Tagged, as ours were, as I was just happy that they made it home at the same time as us given the long itinerary!


After that, we breezed through declarations - one look at our card and they waved us through (benefits of being an Aussie passport holder not arriving from Bali) - and we met family outside who welcomed us home.




Next Up: Reflections & Review