CX548 - HKG to HND

Cathay operates one of their 77H's on this short haul flight, and I was able to find award availability in F for a measly 28k miles!

This meant that I had access to check out Cathay's new first class lounge, The Wing. Below is the champagne bar section. Sadly, all the cabana rooms were already filled when I arrived.


I booked this flight over a 747 flight, with a later departure time, as two co-workers and I have worked on variations of this 777's configuration. The latest plane delivered just last month with a slightly refreshed first class seat.

^B-KPV is around 2-years old

Seat 1A.





^The ottomon doubles as another seat, so one can dine with a fellow passenger.

...and check out that bin-less interior! The mini-suites have adequate stowage for your carry-on items, shoes, your jacket, a pillow, some bedding, a bicycle, your groceries, and more...



The flight was wonderful. The food was fancy and well made (go galleys!), the attendants were friendly and attentive. I had some good conversation with the crew and received constructive feedback on the galleys, the TV was HUGE, and the seat was comfy and massaged my back. I don't know what else to say.... so here's a view of Taiwan!

Hong Kong or bust!

So it's Labor Day, and I'm sitting on United's N788UA to NRT and then catching another 777 to HKG. Total travel time should be around 18 hours.

Next to me is a retired salesman. When he showed up, he claimed that he had the window seat. I was like, "nuh-uh, look at this boarding pass," and proceeded to show him my seat number. He accepted this and took his (assigned) aisle seat. This has actually happened a few times on other trips. I'm not sure if the travelling public feels as if they have Jedi powers or something, but I find it really confusing.

He's actually a nice guy. He worked at some Detroit-based company back in the day, and was later recruited to work in Bellevue. Now he just travels for fun. He claims this is "just a mileage run" to maintain his 1K status on United. My response? "Baller."

I look forward to retirement, but sigh, I haven't sat next to anyone interesting in a long time...
#businessclassproblems

This will be my third time flying to HKG, but my first time to actually leave the airport. On the agenda:

• Hang out with a family friend and college friend.
• Eat.
• Shop.
• See things.
• Go to the opening of their symphony

The flight has the refreshed United configuration; with B/E Aerospace lay-flat shell seats. Why they don't have any built in stowage space is mind boggling...



Leaving Seattle on a sunny day is always tough...



Seeing how I was getting into HK at 10pm (their time), the goal was to stay awake on the flights; so I would pass out upon arrival. Thus, I began my movie marathon after the dinner service. On the schedule:

• The Bling Ring
• One hour in, and I'm depressed. What the heck, Generation Y? Stop reading TMZ. Go read a book or a newspaper.
• Monsters University
• Revenge of the Nerds called. They want their movie back.
• Olympus Has Fallen
• The number of plot holes in Olympus Has Fallen may outnumber the number of bullet holes in the White House at the end of the film...

9.5-hours after we left Seattle, we began our descent to Narita.


Since SeaTac has the worst gate and jetway layout ever, one must photograph their aircraft at the destination. Hey future architects of the world! Make your boarding gates photo friendly!


Across from our gate was one of the EVA Hello Kitty A330's!


The transfer tunnel to T2 reminds me of the transfer tunnel at ORD.

without the trippy lights.


So, with this four-hour layover at NRT, the first item to do was to check into my connection, however, the fact that the check-in counter wasn't open made things difficult. Thus, I'm in the Cathay Lounge wrapping up some work.

It's now 3:45pm, and a Cathay rep found me and handed me my boarding pass. Asian airline customer service...  I heart you. With my ticket in hand, I make my way to the JAL Sakura Lounge, which is supposed to be the amazing.

Just before 6pm, I left the lounge for my gate. The JAL Lounge was indeed amazing. They had a separate dining floor, tons of seating, good alcohol and free massages.



T-Minus 4-hours until Kowloon.
The flight is fine. It's configured with their older regional business class (really wide and soft recliner seats). After the dinner service I chatted with their attendants, asking them about their catering processes, and I received some good feedback. They have Oblivion looping on their video system, so I'm just watching that to stay awake.

We eventually land on time, and I head to the transit counter. The agent couldn't find my my bus reservation, and then his co-worker eventually asked if I was "Joshila." Tired and confused, I gave a neutral nod of my head... Turns out I was the Joshila that they were looking for...



I've been up for 20-something hours. Time for bed. Here's the room's view.

^this was actually taken the following night...

Joey, have you ever been in a... in a Turkish prison?

Yes, Joey, I'm talking to you.

Pop Quiz:
What was the purpose of this trip?
A. Airplanes!
B. Vacation.
C. Had to use my miles before they expired.

How did I get there?
A. Airbus A330-300.
B. Boeing 777-200.
C. Cargo Ship.

In terms of packaging design, what am I the largest fan of?
A. When single use condiments come in tiny and fancy containers.
B. Easy-open designs.
C. Well thought out "out of the box experiences"

The answers were AAA... which is also what I purchased when my car broke down earlier this year.

Just to get a tow.

However! I've since called in an additional two tows, making it a slick deal. OK, let's chat airplanes. In the past I have made this claim, and stuck to it (at least for long haul flights).


This time however, the only option was Delta's A330-300...

^look at that ugly windscreen... ugh...

Why did I photograph a bathroom? WELL, if you recall my comment on "shower restrictions," this is where I broke free of such rules.

^The hostel I stayed at enforced traditional Japanese shower times... (5pm-11pm). Since I stayed out during those times, I was one hot mess. This is where the airport shower came to save the day/provide the best end to a trip... EVER.

After making myself presentable to the flying public, I ate. Note the tiny black cylinder on the plate.

^That is a bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce. Now, could one call this a complete waste of plastic? Yes, definitely. Did I love it and pocket a handful of them? Obviously.

Next, I proceeded to explore the terminals, which served KAL and DAL. I got lucky and found KAL's brand spanking new A380, which had just flown in from the Paris Air Show. The whale of a plane was boarding for its first ever passenger flight:


I stuck around to watch them tow it out. Then they held it on the taxiway to let a 747-400 by:

;-)

So how was the flight on the A330? It was fine... Delta really needs to finish their interior updates though. And for once, the passenger next to me was willing to chat! Even better, he was an Evergreen 747-100F Captain!!! Pilots are the best, we talked shop nerded out for most of the flight.

Airport Recap!!!

My last day was pretty much spent in airports with long layovers... Throughout this trip, I had the chance to finagle my way through a bunch of huge airports. One rule of the trip was to always take public transportation. Here's a breakdown:

San Francisco International Airport was pretty bland, and most shops were closed by the time I arrived... blah:

Here's some public art I found during my layover:


The international terminal was quiet, and a bit dim. Getting to it from the domestic terminals was pretty ez-pz, but it required a bit of walking.


As previously stated, most shops were closed, except for a duty free shop or two. I did get to whip out my Chinese skills and help a lady pay for her stuff.


Hong Kong International Airport:

Great natural light and good architecture.


It also has a spectacular backdrop (the 777-300ER I was on).


A Cathay Pacific 777-300ER; which I'll be on in 1.5 months!!!


Qantas 747-400, which I hope to be on later this year.


Arrival at Changi International Airport (Singapore)

The smaller terminals were nice. Each gate has its own security checkpoint, which I liked. Access to public transit was very easy and the staff was very knowledgeable and helpful


Changi is consistently named the best airport in the world... On the way back, I went through Terminal 3, and everything made sense.


More interior architecture...


The ridiculousness that is Terminal 3... they also had a free movie theater, butterfly garden, free massage chairs, free TV-stations where you could watch anything on a big screen, mini-hotel for long layovers, massages, public showers, and other stuff I can't remember...


Oh ya know, just chillin' by the koi pond...


My plane...


booooo!


Air Asia A320 to Kuala Lumpur.


Concord Hotel Singapore - It was OK, kind of old, and they screwed up my reservation... The location was nice though.

The Concord Hotel in Kuala Lumpur was a bit better (and it close to two train stations).

Kuala Lumpur's LCC-Terminal (Low Cost Carrier). We all got thermal scanned for H1N1 on arrival. You had to walk to and from your plane here. Public transport was a bit iffy, no one seemed to want to help. I managed to find some westerners who helped out. Trying to catch the right bus before it left felt like a scene out of the Amazing Race...


Remember what I said about walking to and from your plane? It was sweeeeeet!


Phuket International Airport was generic. Although it has a Thai Airways Restaurant which was cheap and good. ANNND a Dunkin Donuts, which has moochi donuts!!! (they were omg).

As for transport, the only way to get to and from this place was via Taxi... boo.


Alpina Phuket Nalina Resort & Spa... want to go back...


Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok, Thailand). Access to public transit was a bit confusing. A bus will take you to a central airport bus station, then you transfer to regional buses. I was lucky to find a local who told me where to get off. Then another who pointed me in the direction of the SkyTrain.


The interior was pretty nice:


Park Plaza in Bangkok - Highly recommend for approx $60USD a night. Great location to the SkyTrain, shopping, etc...


On the way home...


Sterile, bland, blah... I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express Airport... they ran shuttles to and from the airport very frequently... and from there you could use the rail system to get downtown. The cost of a one-way ticket was multiple times more than anything else I used on this trip... and the slowest... but it goes more places than Seattle's Light Rail, sigh.


On the way back to Seattle...