Guest Reviewer: Chris An avid traveler and obsessive points and miles hound, Chris is my travel buddy extraordinaire. I love him for his enthusiasm, his sense of adventure, and his many lounge access credit cards. Hope you enjoy his perspective! Review: Qatar Airways Business Class BLR-DOH Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge Review: Qatar Airways Business Class DOH-LAX Qatar Airways #573 Bangalore (BLR) - Doha (DOH) Thursday, February 4th, 2016 4:00 AM - 05:55 AM, 4 hours 25 minutes 777-300ER: Seat 4J (Business Class) Introduction A couple weeks ago I traveled to India for business. For the return journey, I found a cheap business class flight on Qatar Airways, which was an airline I'd never flown before. My routing was BLR-DOH-LAX-SFO, with the first two legs in Qatar Airways 777 business class, and the final leg in American Airlines domestic first. I was excited to try a new product and to experience flying on "the world's 5 star airline" - according to Qatar Airways. Check In My flight from Bangalore to Doha was scheduled for 4 AM, which is either a really late night flight or a really early morning flight, depending on how you look at it. To play it safe, I requested an Uber at 1 AM, which got me to the airport around 1:40 AM. I had learned that Indian airports aren't quite as streamlined as the ones in the US; for example, to get into the terminal at all, you need to stand in a line to have your ticket and passport examined. Once I'd gained access, I found the Qatar Airways check-in area a short distance away. There were three lines for check-in: two for business class passengers and Qatar Airways / oneworld elites, and another for everyone else. I chose the shorter of the business class lines, which had about five people ahead of me in it. Unfortunately the line moved extremely slowly. The check-in agents, who appeared to be contract workers rather than Qatar Airways employees, seemed to be in no hurry at all, and they were happy to let certain people cut the line to be helped immediately. In the end, it took about half an hour to reach the front, and I was feeling pretty irritated. Once at the desk, they asked me to weigh my carry-on bags, but thankfully they didn't ask me to check them in even though they were well over the limit. They were able to issue all my boarding passes along with a lounge invitation, but because I'd used a foreign credit card to purchase the ticket, I had to go to another desk for credit card verification. I was escorted to the verification area, and had to wait while they charged 1 rupee to my card. Then I had to wait some more while they refunded the 1 rupee, which is worth less than two US cents, but skipping the refund wasn't an option apparently. In total, the check-in process took about 40 minutes, which is kind of ridiculous. I can't imagine how long it would have taken for economy class passengers, and can understand why airlines in India recommend arriving at least 3 hours in advance for international flights. The next step was to proceed to passport control, where the officer took a look at my entry stamp and accused me of overstaying my visa by a year. It turns out that the person who'd stamped me in had written the "6" in 2016 in a way that looked very similar to a "5", so it looked like my visa expired in 2015. I tried to explain that it made no sense for the date of entry to be in 2016 but the validity to end in 2015, but this argument failed to convince him. After overwhelming him with documentation proving that my visa was actually issued this year, he relented and let me pass. The final step of the rigmarole before I could gain access to the coveted departures lounge was to pass through security. The security area was gender segregated, and the lines were pretty short. I put my two bags through the scanner, and both of them ended up getting pulled aside, with the security agent citing that they contained electronics. Turns out it wasn't enough just to remove my laptop, I had to remove anything electronic (including cables). Since I'm a mobile app developer, I had brought along 5 test phones, plus my personal iPhone, iPad, and Kindle, plus all accompanying chargers. They made me search for and remove all of these, then have my bags re-scanned, which took a very long time. Fortunately they didn't make me turn on all the devices like they did on my last trip through Abu Dhabi, since I'm sure a few of them had run out of battery. Lounge The Plaza Premium lounge was easy to find, with several signs showing the way. Plaza Premium is a contract lounge used by multiple airlines, and it's also available to Priority Pass holders. Upon entering and sacrificing my lounge invitation, I was quickly admitted in. For the first time since arriving at the Bangalore airport, I was pleasantly surprised. The lounge is quite nice - it's tastefully decorated and looks pretty new. It's a medium-sized lounge, but it was getting to be full when I visited, so there were only a handful of individual seats available. There were several food stations where hot food could be ordered, and there was a buffet with cold starters and desserts. Bottled water and sodas were free for the taking, and there was a bar where alcoholic drinks could be ordered.
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This flight will forever be known as "that time I got the elusive double upgrade". American Airlines #177 New York (JFK) - San Francisco (SFO) Sunday, February 14th, 2016 6:30 PM - 10:07 PM, 6 hours 37 minutes A321T: Seat 1F (First Class) Chris and I were in Manhattan for the weekend visiting some friends and booked our typical return flight on Sunday night, AA 177. We've flown this route multiple times and really appreciate the new A321T and the unique availability of three cabin classes on a domestic route. Per usual, we booked Economy tickets and hoped that each of our Executive Platinum statuses would get us an upgrade to Business. Business on this flight is extremely nice, with a 2-2 configuration of fully lie-flat seats, which are perfect for couples traveling together. On Saturday morning, we received a notification that we had both been upgraded to Business, which we were extremely happy with given that we'd be having a long weekend with little sleep. We arrived at JFK and spent about 30 minutes in the Admiral's Club before it was time for boarding. We were at the gate in about three minutes and saw that unfortunately the plane had just arrived and passengers were only just starting to deplane. We waited about 20 minutes for deplaning and cleaning to complete and lamented the fact that American never seems to update their boarding times in the lounge. Just before boarding began, we heard our names called to come to the desk. There was a line of about 15 people and I assumed it was just to give us new tickets for our upgrade to Business, so I figured we'd ignore it and use our mobile boarding passes. About 10 seconds later, Chris was staring at his phone and said "actually, we just got upgraded to First..." We were both in shock, but made our way over to the desk and grabbed our tickets to board before they called Business. I fly a lot - my coworkers fly a lot. I've never heard of a double upgrade on a flight. Ever. It was amazing. We knew this was due to the unique circumstances of the day and the typical demographic of the flight - it was Valentine's Day and it was a Sunday night before a Monday holiday, which meant no business travelers would be flying that night. Business Class had been completely empty when we checked the seat map a few days before and First was even moreso, hence the double upgrade. It was essentially a perfect storm of luck and we were stoked to be able to take advantage of it. American's First class on this route is excellent with 5 rows of single seats on either side of the aisle, which are fully lie-flat and very comfortable. You're essentially getting an international product on a domestic flight and it's absolutely perfect for the 6.5 hour flight from JFK-SFO. We found our seats, 1A and 1F and settled in. The flight attendants had already placed Bose headsets and amenity kits at the seats when we arrived and she came by shortly after we sat down to offer menus. She also took pre-departure beverage orders, but I declined. As usual, Chris started downing champagne. The entertainment selection on American flights is definitely excellent. There is a huge selection of new releases and older movies and also a good selection of television shows as well. The TV screen is a touch screen and there's also a touch screen remote next to the seat as well. In all honesty, I find them both to be a bit temperamental and difficult to use from time to time, but I found a movie I hadn't seen yet, The Intern, and settled in. In addition to the remote, the seat controls, a reading light, headphone jack, and USB port were all located conveniently next to the seat. During the ascent to cruising altitude, Chris was able to snap a photo of the skyline below as we said goodbye to one of our favorite cities. Shortly after we leveled out, the flight attendant came by to take meal orders and passed out beverages and warm nuts.
Guest Reviewer: Chris An avid traveler and obsessive points and miles hound, Chris is my travel buddy extraordinaire. I love him for his enthusiasm, his sense of adventure, and his many lounge access credit cards. Hope you enjoy his perspective! Back in March, I wrote about how to book partner award flights on Etihad Airways. We originally booked First Apartments both to Abu Dhabi from London and from Abu Dhabi back to London over the Thanksgiving holiday, but unfortunately, the airplane for our flight from London was switched from an A380 (which has First Apartments) to an A340 (which has Etihad's standard First Class). The airplane switch was somewhat devastating, but at least we will still experience the Apartments on our way home. We planned a whirlwind luxury long weekend in Dubai around these flights and I'll be covering all the details in upcoming posts. Review: British Airways Club World SFO - LHR Review: LHR Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge Review: Etihad Airways First Class LHR - AUH Review: Park Hyatt Dubai Review: Afternoon Tea at At.mosphere Burj Khalifa Review: Burj al Arab Part I: One Bedroom Suite Review: Burj al Arab Part II: Grounds and Amenities Review: AUH Etihad Airways Premium Lounge Review: Etihad Airways First Apartments AUH - LHR When Jen and I decided to book the Etihad A380 First Apartment for Thanksgiving, we'd only found flights between London and Abu Dhabi. That left us with the problem of how to get to and from London. We weren't able to find any award space from San Francisco, and there were no amazing deals for paid business class. After researching our options, we decided to spend cash to book British Airways World Traveller Plus (which is what they call premium economy), and then use Avios points to upgrade to Club World (which is what they call business class). British Airways (BA) #286 San Francisco (SFO) - London (LHR) Tuesday, November 24th, 2015 8:20 PM - 2:45 PM (+1) Boeing 747-400 Club World The British Airways Terraces Lounge at SFO lets passengers board directly from the lounge, which is a nice feature, even though the lounge itself is nothing special otherwise. About 45 minutes before departure, we noticed some of the other passengers lining up, so we joined the queue and were onboard the 747-400 shortly thereafter. When we boarded the plane, we were greeted by a flight attendant who explained how to find our seats (down the aisle, then up the stairs). It was our first time experiencing the 747 upper deck, and I have to admit I liked it. It's a pretty small area, so the environment feels calmer and more civilized than the madness of the main deck. Seating is in a 2-2 arrangement, compared to 2-4-2 on the main deck, and there are two bathrooms, which is more than enough given the small number of passengers. The aisle was one of the widest I've seen on a plane, and the cabin felt spacious overall. After we'd gotten comfortable, flight attendants came by a few times to hang up our coats, provide a pre-departure beverage (a choice of champagne, water, or orange juice), and hand out newspapers and amenity kits. The amenity kits were unisex cloth bags that contained a toothbrush and some products by Elemis. The seats have a quite a few disadvantages compared to other business class products. They don't have all-aisle access, so passengers stuck in window or middle seats have to climb over the legs of others to get out. They're in a yin-yang configuration, so pairs of passengers face each other. That wasn't a problem for us as a couple, but seems like it would be awkward for passengers who don't know each other. There is a divider that can be raised, but it needs to be lowered for flight attendants to serve food and drinks. The aisle seats are also completely exposed; there's no partition on one side, so it feels like you're sleeping in the aisle. Finally, the pillow was thin and basically useless. On the plus side, the seats recline to a fully lie-flat position, and the window seats have plenty of privacy. On the upper deck, the window seats also have several storage cabinets, so if I were traveling by myself I would definitely try to snag an upstairs window seat. Annoyingly, British Airways charges for advance seating assignments even in business class, but fortunately we had the fee waived due to our oneworld Emerald status. After takeoff, the flight attendants came by with a cart to take drink orders, and I decided to go for a Kir Royale, which was served with a bag of mixed nuts. A little while later, they served our dinners. The menu read as follows: ... Starters Smoked trout with horseradish cream and beetroot salad Grilled halloumi and portobello mushroom with olive tapenade and pepper drops Salad Fresh seasonal salad served with vegetables Main Seared filet of Midwest beef with mushroom sauce and Pont-Neuf potatoes Seared sea bream with coconut ginger sauce, coriander rice and stir-fried vegetables Gnocchi filled with Asiago cheese and fire roasted pepper sauce Chilled main course fattoush salad with sumac chicken and yoghurt and mint dressing Dessert Mango and chocolate slice New England Cave Aged Cheddar and Gorgonzola with quince paste A selection of fruit ... The appetizer and salad course was not a big hit. Both of us got the halloumi (a grilled cheese), and it tasted pretty bad. After clearing our plates, they then brought our main courses - Jen went with the steak, and I chose the gnocchi with pepper sauce. My pasta was OK, but Jen thought her steak tasted "like a shoe". Fortunately, the dessert redeemed the meal somewhat; we both got the chocolate and mango slice, which was delicious!
Back in March, I wrote about how to book partner award flights on Etihad Airways. We originally booked First Apartments both to Abu Dhabi from London and from Abu Dhabi back to London over the Thanksgiving holiday, but unfortunately, the airplane for our flight from London was switched from an A380 (which has First Apartments) to an A340 (which has Etihad's standard First Class). The airplane switch was somewhat devastating, but at least we will still experience the Apartments on our way home. We planned a whirlwind luxury long weekend in Dubai around these flights and I'll be covering all the details in upcoming posts. Review: British Airways Club World SFO - LHR Review: LHR Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge Review: Etihad Airways First Class LHR - AUH Review: Park Hyatt Dubai Review: Afternoon Tea at At.mosphere Burj Khalifa Review: Burj al Arab Part I: One Bedroom Suite Review: Burj al Arab Part II: Grounds and Amenities Review: AUH Etihad Airways Premium Lounge Review: Etihad Airways First Apartments AUH - LHR We arrived in London at 1:52 PM after flying British Airways Club World from SFO - LHR, which we had booked separately from this flight. This meant we had quite a bit of time to kill between flights and unfortunately had to exit terminal 5 and transfer to terminal 4 to check in for our Etihad flight. Because of this, and the fact that check in doesn't open until four hours prior to boarding, we had to spend a long while waiting around the Etihad check in area. We were first in line to check in and finally made it through to Eithad's First and Business class lounge for a rest prior to the flight. Before we knew it, it was time to board. The Flight Etihad Airways (EY) #18 London (LHR) - Abu Dhabi (AUH) Wednesday, November 25th, 2015 8:05 PM - 7:15 AM (+1) Airbus A340-500 Diamond First Class The boarding gate was conveniently located just across from the lounge entrance and we made sure to be the first to board so I could get some photos of the cabin without disturbing the other passengers. As I mentioned above, I was pretty devastated to have the equipment change, which resulted in losing the chance to fly in First Apartments out of London, but in the end, it was helpful to compare the two products. On the A340, Etihad offers their "Diamond" First Class, which has a very similar layout and feel to Singapore Airlines "Suites" Class (I reviewed that here). The first class cabin has three rows of 1-2-1 configuration, with the seats designed very similarly to Singapore Suites, which offers doors that fully close and make your own private suite. We chose two middle seats so that we could lower the center divider and talk to each other during the flight. However, if I was flying solo, I would definitely prefer a window seat for maximum privacy and views. The cabin is beautiful with very understated, neutral decor in shades of brown. As opposed to Emirates, which goes completely over the top with bling and gold, Etihad's only extravagances came in the form of signature brightly colored pillows on each seat and a large diamond on the center bulkhead (lest you forget you're flying Diamond First Class). The seats themselves are very spacious and private with wide leather recliners and a foot rest that doubles as a second seat if you wanted to dine with a companion. Waiting on the ottoman was a fuzzy blanket, which could be used in addition to bedding or until the bed is made up. The television is large and stretches the length of the seat, which is excellent. Next to the television, there is also a small minibar, which was stocked with mixed nuts and water. The minibar seems to be mostly for show and wasn't something I used, but it's an extra feature that Singapore Suites didn't offer. Just under the right arm rest, a compartment opens which contains the television remote, two USB ports, the headphone jack, and a few other adapters. There's also a small screen in front of the compartment which allows you to control the seat position, control the massage options (also not offered on Singapore Suites), and control the lighting. Of course, Etihad also provides over-ear noise-cancelling headphones to use during the flight. Finally, each seat offers a closet to place your clothes in and the closet door has a mirror on it in case you need to straighten up. Immediately after we boarded, a crew member came by to offer a "welcome drink". Chris, as usual, went for the champagne, which was Billecart-Salmon. Right after our drink orders were taken, the Cabin Manager came by and after finding out it was our first Etihad flight, showed us all the bells and whistles of our "suite", which was very nice. She was genuinely excited for us to experience our first flight and the sentiment was echoed by the rest of the staff, who all assured us we would have an amazing time.
The welcome drink was served along with Arabic dates, a hot towel, and a welcome note, all on a silver tray, which was a very nice presentation. Review: American Airlines Business Class LAX - PVG Review: PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge Review: Dragonair Business Class PVG - HKG Review: Andaz Xintiandi Shanghai Review: Grand Hyatt Shanghai Review: Hyatt Regency Suzhou Cathay Pacific (CX) #5891, DragonAir (KA) #891 Shanghai (PVG) - Hong Kong (HKG) Saturday, March 21st, 2015 6:20 PM - 9:10 PM Airbus A330-300 Business Class This flight is sold by Cathay Pacific, but it's operated by Cathay's regional subsidiary, Dragonair. Dragonair flies many of Cathay's intra-Asia routes and the level of service that I have come to expect is right on par with that of Cathay. At this point, I've taken several flights between Shanghai and Hong Kong on Dragonair and I'm almost never disappointed. For such a quick flight (just under 3 hours), you'll get a full meal and plenty of personalized service. I boarded the flight and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the cabin. This particular flight had a 3 cabin configuration and the business class was configured as 2-2-2, which is absolutely fine for a short flight. Each seat has a pillow (with funky orange metallic fabric) and blanket available as well as an in-flight entertainment screen with the same amount of movies and TV shows that you will find on a Cathay longhaul flight. Even though the airplane was a bit dated, the cabin still felt fresh and clean, which is very appreciated. As the flight was boarding, the flight attendants came by to welcome us aboard and offer newspapers and pre-departure beverages. In addition to the standard orange juice and water, they were also offering a very lovely alcoholic fruity something, which I took without hesitation. It was excellent, but I have no idea what was in it. The seats were comfortable and were able to recline as well as extend a foot rest, which is amazing to have for such a short flight. The seat controls as well as the IFE remote are next to the seat and they're intuitive enough to operate, which is not always the case. As expected on Cathay, the flight attendants address each passenger by name when asking for beverage orders and meal orders, which is always amazing. Sure, they use a cheat sheet at the beginning, but almost every time, they've been able to remember my name when de-planing, which is impressive! (And no, I don't think this has anything to do with the fact that I'm very blonde and there are usually very few other blonde passengers on flights in Asia.) As I mentioned, you can expect a full meal service on this flight, which is impressive. The crew will hand out trays with a salad, appetizer and bread plate along with your drink, then come back a bit later to add the entree. When it comes to bread, there should be no hesitation - nothing is better than Cathay Pacific garlic bread. Don't even bother with anything else. Aesthetically, the menu looks very similar to what you will find on American or Cathay and there's quite the selection given how short the flight is. There are three entree choices, including an "Asian Delight" which is found on a special addition to the menu and changes every couple of weeks. The menu read as follows: ... Starters Chicken and mushroom terrine with zucchini Mixed lettuce salad with Italian vinaigrette dressing Main Courses Braised duck in five spices braising sauce Roasted cod fillet with lemon cream emulsion, leek with bacon Gratin potato and broccoli Asian Delight: Thai green curry beef brisket, coconut rice and vegetables Dessert Haagen-Dazs ice cream ... Since I'm not a fan of duck or fish, I went for the Asian Delight. It wasn't something I ever would have ordered in another setting, but it wasn't bad. I definitely felt proud of myself for trying something new. Dessert was ice cream, which was simple and delicious. Shortly after the meal service concluded, it was time to prepare for landing in Hong Kong.
There is really no better way to travel between Hong Kong and China and I really enjoy Dragonair. Aside from the fact that the hard product and service are excellent, there's also the fact that the airline has a very cool name, so you really can't go wrong. |
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