TR: Awesome OW Circle Pacifc KUL/HKG/NRT/DFW/AUS/DFW/SEA/PHX/LAX/SYD/AKL/SYD/SIN/KUL

[anna2103]

Re: TR: Awesome OW Circle Pacifc KUL/HKG/NRT/DFW/AUS/DFW/SEA/PHX/LAX/SYD/AKL/SYD/SIN/

Can I ask - when using the gates - where you had you used the same ETSA to enter the US before or was it a new one. Website isn't clear - but some feedback suggests you have had to use the same ETSA and been to the US after 2008 to quailify. Thanks

Update #5 – DFW-AUS
[TABLE="class: cms_table, width: 500"]
[TR]
[TD]Flight #
[/TD]
[TD]Aircraft
[/TD]
[TD]Lounge
[/TD]
[TD]Weight
[/TD]
[TD]Overall Awesomeness

[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]AA1080
[/TD]
[TD]MD80
N403A
29.3 Years old
[/TD]
[TD]AA Admirals Gate D
[/TD]
[TD]Unknown
[/TD]
[TD]2/10
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

For the first time coming into the US i used the automated immigration gates, which surprisingly were seamless, efficient and had me through all procedures within 10 minutes of deplaning. Baggage was quick, first bag off, baggage re-drop was fine, and even the TSA re-entry was not too painful - in fact they were better than MEL International (one of my least liked security/customs points). Into the admirals club for a quick 30 minute stop, which is more than enough - Australians sure are spoilt for domestic lounges, it always surprises me when people complain about the QF lounges in the scheme of things.'

Given there are no boarding calls, i head to the plane just as Priority boarded has finished and Main cabin has started - not a massive queue though. Onto the plane and my seat, 3F, is taken. I politely ask the older Texan gentleman if he is in my seat, to which he replies with a simple "Yes". After a short pause, I say "Alrighty then..." and sit in his allocated 3E. No big deal, rude, but not a problem. Departure time comes and I overhear the FA's talking about moving seat 3E - i wonder if i am moved, what i will say to the guy who took my seat! In any case, the AA first responder spends 20 minutes putting a new spring into the jump seat and we're off without the need to re-seat me or the Texan

Into Austin and to the rental car place - im surprisingly awake and ready to drive, or so i thought. Into the car, and my phone is nearly dead, has no reception and the downloaded Here Maps i have cant find the hotel i am entering! After 15 minutes of sitting in the car fiddling around, i decide to bite the bullet, get an Avis GPS and be on my way. For some reason it cant find my hotel either, and the power keep cutting out! No worries, i'll figure it out on the way i think. A mile down the road and i have no idea where i am going, so pull over, get the damn GPS power secure and back on my way - still cant find the hotel, but i've put the intersection in. Once i get to the intersection i still cant see any Homewood Suites, so i pull over and power up the laptop - 7% charge - cough! Lucky i am able to bring up my reservation and confirm, that dumbass driving the car isnt staying at the Homewood Suits, its the Hampton Inn, hence the bloody confusion on the maps. In any case, a quick u-turn and a few minutes later i'm checked in and ready to rest.

View attachment 48132View attachment 48133

Nothing too special about Homewood Suites as you'd expect, older looking room, a bed, somewhere to sleep - its all good. I notice there is a yellow post-it note above the bed, with a hand written message - ""Duvet covers & sheets are clean for your arrival". Not sure what to think of it, should i be happy that they are telling me the sheets are clean? If there was no post it note, should i worry? In any case, a few hours nap before heading off to the W for dinner @ Trace. A nice entre of scallops, venison tatar and bread followed by beef short ribs. Ready for a proper sleep!

View attachment 48134

After waking at 1, 3, 5 and finally 7 I'm up and ready for a day of meetings and afternoon flight. Breakfast is edible and generally good - there's bacon, and my wife would be pleased to know that i had juice, yoghurt and a bagel and no Bacon. Small sacrifices!

View attachment 48131

Verdict: Expect nothing on AA Domestic and never be disappointed, especially when you're flying a plane thats so damn old! 2/10 with awesomeness points awarded for me reaching the hotel in one piece, without be arrested for reckless driving.

 

[nonpop]

Re: TR: Awesome OW Circle Pacifc KUL/HKG/NRT/DFW/AUS/DFW/SEA/PHX/LAX/SYD/AKL/SYD/SIN/

Can I ask - when using the gates - where you had you used the same ETSA to enter the US before or was it a new one. Website isn't clear - but some feedback suggests you have had to use the same ETSA and been to the US after 2008 to quailify. Thanks

For ref ... I used the self serve machines a few weeks ago. I entered the US with a passport that I had entered the US after 2008 on.
But my ESTA visa was new as previous one had expired. No issues.

 

[anna2103]

Re: TR: Awesome OW Circle Pacifc KUL/HKG/NRT/DFW/AUS/DFW/SEA/PHX/LAX/SYD/AKL/SYD/SIN/

For ref ... I used the self serve machines a few weeks ago. I entered the US with a passport that I had entered the US after 2008 on.
But my ESTA visa was new as previous one had expired. No issues.

Thanks very much, will give it a go

 

[Andrew.Goodwin]

Re: TR: Awesome OW Circle Pacifc KUL/HKG/NRT/DFW/AUS/DFW/SEA/PHX/LAX/SYD/AKL/SYD/SIN/

apologies for the late reply, my colleague had a passport he has previously used, however had a new ESTA, and was told he could not use the machine - however he suspects the person telling him was overwhelmed and didnt know any better - so, suggest you try - worst case you go to the failed queue

 

[Andrew.Goodwin]

Re: TR: Awesome OW Circle Pacifc KUL/HKG/NRT/DFW/AUS/DFW/SEA/PHX/LAX/SYD/AKL/SYD/SIN/

Update #7 – SEA-PHX-LAX-SYD
[TABLE="width: 500"]
[TR]
[TD]Flight #[/TD]
[TD]Aircraft[/TD]
[TD]Lounge[/TD]
[TD]Weight[/TD]
[TD]Overall Awesomeness[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]AA500[/TD]
[TD]A320
N669AW
13.1 Years old[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD]Belt is struggling[/TD]
[TD]5.0/10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]AA509[/TD]
[TD]A319
N834AW
10.7 Year old[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]5.0/10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]QF12[/TD]
[TD]A388
VH-OEG
11.8 Years old[/TD]
[TD]QF F[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]5.5/10[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]




Heading down to Sydney sure is a lot faster than heading to Austin from Kuala Lumpur! No OW Lounge in Seattle and give i am traveling with a colleague, no guesting into the Alaska Lounge. The flight to PHX is smooth, and i straight away notice the difference between US and AA. The planes arent much better - they are better, but not massively. What is noticeable however is the staff. They still look like veterans, however they have a positive and friendly attitude. No lounge luck in PHX either as the OW lounge near our gate is closed, and no time to head to the other one - so much for charging the phone!



Getting the bus from Terminal 6 at LAX to Terminal 4 and then onto TBIT is a real pain in the cough - the T4 to TBIT is packed, as it always is, and generally a poor experience for all. We make it to the lounge with about only 15 minutes before boarding, enough time to charge the laptop and phone before boarding and downloading mails. The host offers some food - and assures us it'll be there in 10 minutes, so we opt for some yellowfin tuna and pasta.




A quick rush to the flight and the door at the gate close behind me!

For some unknown reason i was actually looking forward to this flight. I think it was the romance of the 747 with the A380 seat. Silly me. One of the poorer QF flights in a while, a tired 747 with a poor lumpy seat.



I opted for the Chicken Schintzel sandwich as i have often done, it wasnt one of the better ones - a little hard.






On the plus side I got enough sleep to enable me to head directly from the offsite for a 7am start, and work through to 4pm, following by dinner, without being too tired - so all in all i'll call it a success.


Verdict - US is better than AA, and whilst both are the "Domestic US experience", i feel like i'd take US any day. As for QF, if you are unluckly enough to get your A380 downgraded to the B747 - then, expect a bumpy and unexciting ride. No real awesomeness here apart from the F lounge, which, whilst not as good as Sydney, its pretty awesome.

 

[Andrew.Goodwin]

Re: TR: Awesome OW Circle Pacifc KUL/HKG/NRT/DFW/AUS/DFW/SEA/PHX/LAX/SYD/AKL/SYD/SIN/

Update #8 – SYD-AKL-SYD-SIN-KUL
[TABLE="width: 500"]
[TR]
[TD]Flight #[/TD]
[TD]Aircraft[/TD]
[TD]Lounge[/TD]
[TD]Weight[/TD]
[TD]Overall Awesomeness[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]QF149[/TD]
[TD]B738
ZK-ZQB
5.8 Years old[/TD]
[TD]QF F[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]6.0/10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]QF140[/TD]
[TD]B738
ZK-ZQG
4 Years old[/TD]
[TD]QF F[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]6.5/10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]QF81[/TD]
[TD]A333
VH-QPA
11.6 Years old[/TD]
[TD]QF F[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]9/10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MH608[/TD]
[TD]B738
9M-MLO
2.9 Years old[/TD]
[TD]Buggy![/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]6/10[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

The end is here, after 17 days and 27,000 miles the circle is complete and I’m back to a comfortable bed.

I rent a car for the weekend from Avis, which is quite possibly the worse rental car I have ever driven – this car has less power than my electric razor.



So we start with the short dash to Auckland from Sydney, with an evening flight meaning sometime in the SYD F lounge beforehand is mandatory. Any flight that starts with this lounge is surely to be a good one. Having been in the similar QF F Lounge in LAX a few days prior, it occurred to me that what makes the SYD lounge so special is the view – on top of the food of course.




First up a shower, and while I still think the facilities here are pretty good – I must say The Wing in HK has far better shower facilities.





The decision is made to have dinner here and sleep on the flight for both my colleague and I, so keeping with the healthy theme I start with the Black Cobia Sashimi – fresh, light and all round pretty good. I stick with the Market Inspiration and have the Thai Chilli beef, while my counterpart opts for the minute steak, followed by Chocolate Bouchon cake. His first time here, and by all accounts he thoroughly enjoys it.







A quick flight to AKL today and even though I sleep for a good 90% of the flight, It occurs to me that whilst this plane is old and small, the configuration and service is far superior to AA Domestic F, and they would be well placed if they offered a similar service. So nothing special to report on this flight, other than is being the typical trans-Tasman mediocrity.

My first stay in AKL at the Hilton down at the Viaduct, as a Gold member I’m upgraded (so they say), the rooms are nice, I get two free drinks at the bar daily, a complimentary bottle of wine and daily chocolates. Probably the best hotel experience and comfort so far on this trip – I’d definitely stay here again.




The painful part about the flight home is the timing – leaving the hotel at 4am to catch the 630am flight, reaching Kuala Lumpur around 730pm. So we start off, to the AKL QF F Lounge – only 10 minutes here to grab a quick drink, well timed given its an average lounge at best. The flight to SYD is a little better than the inbound, the plane feels newer (and is, just), and just like on the flight before it, I sleep the whole way.

So we’re back to the F lounge in Sydney before heading up to Singapore, a quick breakfast. My colleague decides to get the Eggs Benedict with Salmon, I thought I’d give the “off-menu” Bacon and Egg Roll a go. As my colleague puts it – “You win”. I think I’ll be ordering that again!




<cont>

 

[Andrew.Goodwin]

Re: TR: Awesome OW Circle Pacifc KUL/HKG/NRT/DFW/AUS/DFW/SEA/PHX/LAX/SYD/AKL/SYD/SIN/

A quick dash to the gate as we get on our final long flight, and I am not overly looking forward to another 7ish hours on an old A330. Enter plane, lo and behold there’s a last minute equipment change, it’s the new refurbished A330 – the gods are smiling today! Flight time is a very slow 8½ hrs today.



The seat is good – and I am genuinely pleased to be spending the next 8 hours on this plane. After my initial excitement wears off it occurs to me that I flew what felt like a similar SQ product 5+ years ago, however, I think QF is on a winner with this – yes they are not couple friendly, but there’s nothing wrong with a bit of peace on the plane.

I have a duck salad to start, followed by Lamb (no photo taken) and ended with a peach panna cotta. A light meal before landing of beef noodles, and all up it’s a great flight.





Given the length of the flight, we’re a little late into Changi, so we’re whisked from T1 over to the MH Gate at T2 via buggy. Only to find the inbound flight hasn’t landed, giving us a 30 minute wait at the gate!



On the final flight home I have Row 1 to myself, strangely all rows behind me in J are full. Not hungry, however I take the Satay – nothing like the long haul J satay, I’d call this version – Edible.




So finally home around 930pm, having been awake for 24 hours, and happily ready to pass out in my own bed.

Verdict: Trans-Tasman flights need a refresh, however until there is more competition I don’t see this happening. The SYD F lounge remains the best I’ve seen and a constant privilege to visit. Once QF refurbish all their A330’s I’d be more inclined to fly SIN/SYD on QF Metal, however until that point its unlikely I’d be paying any premium to do so and end up stuck on an older craft. Awesomeness must go to the new QF A333 and QF F lounge – by far the best flight and lounge of the trip.

(and for those wondering about the weight gain, i was down 400 grams on arrival!)

Happy travelling FF’ers J

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: TR: Awesome OW Circle Pacifc KUL/HKG/NRT/DFW/AUS/DFW/SEA/PHX/LAX/SYD/AKL/SYD/SIN/

Thanks for the TR. So, over all how awesome was it?

I must admit my recent experiences on AA and US were the opposite of yours - great AA crew and aircraft (and typical AA lounges) and coughpy US crew, aircraft AND lounge at PHX!

 

[Andrew.Goodwin]

Re: TR: Awesome OW Circle Pacifc KUL/HKG/NRT/DFW/AUS/DFW/SEA/PHX/LAX/SYD/AKL/SYD/SIN/

Thanks for the TR. So, over all how awesome was it?

I must admit my recent experiences on AA and US were the opposite of yours - great AA crew and aircraft (and typical AA lounges) and coughpy US crew, aircraft AND lounge at PHX!

The awesomeness i thought would eventuate didnt, and that many miles and flights in 17 days was probably the contributing factor. Would be nice to fly to more new places!

Maybe AA do have hope after all, then again, i hear people constantly complaining about QF, and sometimes its shocking, however I feel in the past few years, its more good than bad, so there is hope yet.