Maiden DONE4

[Stoopidsteve]

Start your engines....

Tomorrow the start of the RTW in business...starting today as QF silver, getting to WP in a week.

I have never gone all the way around in J (did a LONE4 in Feb/Mar), so it will be interesting. QF, AA, BA, CX to compare. Only previous J experience was a surprise op-up BNE-LAX in 2007 (as a QF silver), and that from O-class.

Very early start, with a 0555 departure from BNE. On the plus I points up to F came through today...on the minus I won't have much time in MEL to enjoy Flounge on this trip.... but this IS my first time in F. Happy boy.

I hope to get trip posts and photos posted as I go, but let's see how that resolve holds out...

Summary tomorrow's travels:
BNE-xMEL-xLAX-xDFW-xDFW-BWI (Gold by BWI)

 

[sutho58]

Sounds good,, what's your first stop??

Sent from my HTC One XL using AustFreqFly

 

[JohnM]

Enjoy! What's the full itinerary and duration?

 

[Must...Fly!]

Full details on the routing, looks like fun!

Enjoy F

 

[simongr]

Don't even remember my first DONE4 - but they are great!

 

[Stoopidsteve]

Full details on the routing, looks like fun!

Enjoy F

Looking forward to 3A

Full routing...OK, so it's a DONE4 interruptus:

BNE-MEL-LAX-DFW-BWI
2 days in Washington
BWI-DFW-SEA (40min turnaround)-DFW
1 night in Dallas
DFW-MIA-LHR-MAD-LHR (WP by end this sector)
2 nights in UK
(Separate CX ticket (GBP2900) LHR-HKG-BNE, then BNE-HKG-LHR in September then resume DONE4)

LHR-FRA
6 nights in FRA
FRA-LHR
1 night UK
LHR-SIN
1 night SIN
SIN-HKG-BNE

 

[Maca44]

No doubt QF 93 and I think 3A is one of the better seats in F on the A380 (as if there are any bad ones), but as both centre and K rows face into each other (so to speak) there is the chance of more traffic on that side. Hope you get to try out the tasting menu, but take you time and get them to bring out the dishes when you want them.

 

[Stoopidsteve]

ooooooooooooomygod it's early o'clock. Alarm went off at 4am, easy drive to BNE airport from GC. Online checkin got me 1D (seq nbr11).

Now waiting in QC for QF605 BNE-MEL.

And the kids want pics of me everywhere I go....

 

[ozscot]

I always seem to book very aggressive schedules on these trips. Work, travel and repeat endlessly.

When I get around to a actually doing them I curse myself for these 4am alarms!

Enjoy your trip

 

[Meggsy]

Good to see you packed the essential hi-viz lounge wear. Enjoy the trip and I look forward to your updates.

 

[Stoopidsteve]

QF 605 VH-VXM
0555 BNE-MEL
Capt Craig Perkins
CSM Kate L

Doors closed 0558, pushback 0601
Arrived at gate 0830

7 in J, so room behind.
1D allocated, 1 F taken so as not to inconvenience lady in 2D.
Breakfast, about 30 min snooze

No time for F lounge, so sorry, no Fluoro Wally in Flounge pic.

First on board into F at 0925

QF 93 VH-OQL
0940 MEL-LAX
Capt Murray Crockett
CSM Sue T.
F crew Stephanie, Shara, Kat,
Pushback 0935, Take off 0949

3A

First impressions are a bright, airy cabin, almost needed shades on for this bright sunny Melbourne morning.

Olives and almond, and celebrate my points up to F with some vintage…lemonade. Hand over the box chocs to Stephanie. Settle down for take off.
Change into F pyjamas, as do almost all other pax.

Take a while to familiarise myself with the seat controls.



Canapes:
Tartlet of beetroot and Goats cheese
Spiced Lamb Pancake Roll with Chilli Sauce.
More vintage lemonade.

Tasting menu ordered, challenge set for Stephanie to come up with non-alcoholic drink matches for each of the courses (wonder how many F pax don’t drink at all?). Is she up for it?

Carrot soup….Stephanie chooses Dry Ginger, as a dry balance to the sweetness and creaminess of the soup. Nice.

Prawns with salad teamed with soda/tonic lemon. Again, not a bad choice.

 

[simongr]

Capt Murray Crockett

he flew me back from HKG a few weeks ago.

 

[serfty]

Our intrepid OP is posting from 3a ...

He and the hi vis Jacket appear to currently be somewhere between Vanuatu and Fiji.

(FlightAware > Qantas Airways (QF) #93 Flight Tracker , Flightradar24.com - Live Flight Tracker!)

 

[drron]

Love your style.
Now hopefully Bossreggie reads this TR and see just how well Hi Vis fits in with the F cabin.Though I venture the beanie is an essential part of the outfit so as you dont get recognised.

 

[Stoopidsteve]

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it...

wifi not brilliant (enough to do the essentials like chat to MrsStoopid on FB) but much else is painful.

variable speed, has gone from 250 down/ 50 up to now 80 down/15 up....kinda curtails the capacity to post more hi-vis/ wally beanie pics.. Will post more pics once stateside...

and completely rules out live streaming of Origin 2...

MAROOOOOONS

 

[jazza1971]

haha cracking!! Love the inflight posting...so the work trip precludes having a drink?

 

[Stoopidsteve]

OK, heres more pics of the tasting menu...
carrot soup



Prawns...




forgot the pic of the fish...(which was a little overdry, perhaps because I'd asked for a delay?)

then the steak, again a little better done than I'd have preferred but still edible with the port sauce and gnocchi. Paired with Lemon, lime bitters (good counterpoint to sweetness of gnocchi and sauce)

 

[Stoopidsteve]

then a hazelnut torte, and the cheese platter, with moccacino.

 

[Stoopidsteve]

Sleep proved elusive, partly as there was a noisy child in the cabin. Usually doesn't bother me....
But I also found it very warm in there. Any other experiences of warm F cabin?

So I found ABC streaming commentary and got depressed by the Origin result.

Summary: enjoyed F, glad I used points to upgrade to it, probably would have been happy enough in J.

MIRACLE:
after landing at about 0630, I was through immigration and customs with no delay. Zip. Zilch. None.

I was due to fly on AA2430 at 0905 (LAX-DFW) and AA1298 at 1700 (DFW-BWI), but with the speed of transit, I now hold in my grubby little mitt boarding passes for 1B on AA2428 0835 LAX-DFW and 4B AA1698 1400 DFW-BWI.

Happy with that,.
Actually my mitt isn't that grubby as I've had chance for a quick shower in AC in T4. Incidentally I was surprised that a first ticket isn't enough to get into AC, I needed to dig out my QC card.

 

[Stoopidsteve]

Next leg, AA2430 757 N193AN
Capt Buck Shrader

I'm in 1A on a full flight.


Schedule dep 0835, pushback 0830, arrived at gate DFW 1329
Off the plane to a beautiful day in Dallas, the usual caucophany of smells from the fast food franchises, quick trip to check out AC lounge in C terminal, then to gate C24 for AA 1698 to BWI