DRAGONAIR (Hong Kong International to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, AIRBUS A330-300, BUSINESS CLASS12/16/2012
Dragonair is an award-winning regional airline of Hong Kong, and is a proud wholly owned subsidiary of the Cathay Pacific Airways Group. Formed in May 1985, and having started services initially with just one Boeing 737-200 aircraft, Dragonair has in time become one of the world’s best regional airlines.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airways, the airline operates one of the youngest and most modern fleet with 36 aircraft on scheduled services to 41 destinations in Mainland China and elsewhere in Asia using three aircraft types: Airbus A330-330, Airbus A320-200, and the Airbus A321-200. The Airbus A330-300 aircraft come in three types of configuration: type 1 aircraft are designed to carry up to 284 passengers in three classes. They are used on the Beijing and Shanghai routes; type 2 aircraft are designed to carry up to 315 passengers in two classes. They are used on the Kaohsiung and Taipei routes; and type 3 aircraft are designed to carry up to 300 passengers in two classes. They are used on the Dhaka, Bengaluru (Bangalore), Taipei, Kaohsiung and Qingdao routes. Cathay Pacific is a founding member of the Oneworld alliance, with its subsidiary, Dragonair, as an affiliate member. In 2011, Dragonair was voted the ‘World’s Best Regional Airline’ by Skytrax for the second consecutive year. The airline is renowned as a China expert, serving 20 cities in mainland China. Though the Hong Kong to Guangzhou route is only 30 minutes (can sometimes take around an hour depending on the air traffic), this route provides many connecting flights from Hong Kong to around the world with Cathay Pacific Airways or Dragonair. Guangzhou is home to millions of wealthy overseas Chinese diasporas (i.e. Canadian-Chinese, British-Chinese, Australian-Chinese, American-Chinese etc.), and so the Dragonair flight between Hong Kong and Guangzhou provides excellent and smooth connections, without the hassle of these passengers having to take hours to travel by train or bus first (and saves the headache of crossing the Hong Kong - Shenzhen border). Usually when I have flown between London and Hong Kong, I have flown directly to Hong Kong (except one time in 2004 when I did take a connecting flight from Hong Kong to Guangzhou with China Southern Airlines on their old Boeing 757-200). I was flying from London Heathrow to Guangzhou with Cathay Pacific Airways, and so I decided to take advantage of this useful connecting flight from Hong Kong and Guangzhou. It turned out to be much better than I expected. If anyone is flying from London (or other destinations around the world with Dragonair or Cathay Pacific Airways) to Guangzhou then I would highly recommend this connection because the quality of comfort, service, and the professionalism of the staff is one of the best in the world. Check it out: Departure date and time of flight: November 2012, 08:00am Flight number: KA782 ATC Callsign: Dragon Flight duration: 35 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: Airbus A330-342 (17 aircraft of this type in service- although only 5 of those aircraft have a configuration same as this aircraft.) Aircraft registration: B-HLB Aircraft Serial Number: 83 First flight: 9th February 1995 (nearly 18 years old!) Aircraft delivery date: 1st March 2011 (aircraft was previously with Cathay Pacific Airways since 1995) Aircraft engine types: 2 x Rolls Royce Trent 772-60 Frequent flyer programme: Marco Polo Club Seat configuration for this aircraft: 44 business class in a 2-2-2 configuration 267 economy class in a 2-4-2 configuration Punctuality of the flight/route taken: Departed on time, and landed on time as well. The short flight of around 73 miles provides a very non-scenic route from Hong Kong to Guangzhou because of the dusty and cloudy skies over Guangdong province. The flight leaves Hong Kong, and goes over Zhuhai, Dongguan, and then straight down towards Guangzhou approach (landing from either the city side, or the Baiyun mountainside). For this short flight, we climbed to 23,000 feet within 10 minutes, and then started the decent soon afterwards. Lounge experience at Hong Kong Airport: Cathay Pacific Airways, and Dragonair have 5 lounges at Hong Kong Chep Lap Kok Airport for their First and Business Class passengers. They are: The Wing The Pier The Cabin The Arrival G16 Lounge As I arrived at gate 16 from my London flight, the nearest lounge that I could refresh myself at was the G16 Lounge. Like all of the other lounges, the lounge is on the 2nd floor, well placed like a gallery from where you can get panoramic views across to the airfield, and the gates. The G16 lounge houses nice showers, comfy sofas, and delicious food all throughout the day and night. There is no harm tucking into one of the best-made Cumberland sausages and Heinz baked beans after a 12-hour flight. Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair have made their lounges very welcoming and comfortable, and they do feed you well (so therefore, there is no need to run to the nearest MacDonald’s after you land at Hong Kong!). G16 lounge is mostly catered towards passengers flying with Dragonair, and that’s one of the reasons why the furniture also comes in lovely shades of imperial red or creamy yellow leather. Any baggage issues: No issues. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: I landed into Hong Kong from London Heathrow on Cathay Pacific Airways flight CX252 at around 6.45am. We docked at gate 16, and my onward connecting flight to Guangzhou was at 8am from gate 61 (which is around twenty minutes from gate 16- quite a walk!). There was no need to check-in, but all connecting passengers are smoothly ushered through a separate security channels. The Automated People Mover (APM) takes passengers between gates 20 and 40 quickly and smoothly. The whole journey from the G16 Lounge to gate 61 took around 15 minutes at the most. In-flight magazine: Silkroad (published by ACP Magazines Asia Limited) Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Business Class passengers were offered a choice of champagne, orange juice, tomato juice, and apple juice out of a hand tray service provided by the crew members. A choice of either sparkling or still mineral water is also offered. There is a 500mL bottle of Evian water behind each Business Class seat. The signature drink to try is the ‘Dragon Sunrise’- a refreshing fusion of gin with fresh guava, and fresh lemon juice. All Business Class passengers are handed out hot hand towels just prior to the meal service. The towels have a lemon scent. Comments regarding the first meal: For such a short flight, there is no formal meal service. It only takes around 10 minutes after take-off before the Captain announces that we are going to commence the decent into Guangzhou! Dragonair offer scrumptious onboard menu choices that are changed every two weeks. Business Class passengers are presented a box containing four types of assorted cold canapés and fresh fruit. On this flight, my box contained: · Smoked salmon and cream cheese · Pork pastrami tortilla wrap · Artichoke and brie · Fresh fruit (cute slices of strawberry, mango, watermelon, and melon) Though not required for such a short flight, food is usually served on stylish china tableware specially adapted from the Lifestyle collection of Wedgwood from the UK. To enjoy the food at its freshest, it’s best to consume it before landing. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks was offered after the meal. This included 12 kinds of coffee and tea should be enough to make anyone spoilt for choice. Should any passenger want wine or champagne (even if it is the morning!), then these drinks are served in exclusively designed glassware. The champagne is provided by the award-winning Piper-Heidsieck Brut. The wine list for this flight included: White Wines: Macon Villages Blanc, Vaucher Pere & Fils, Burgundy 2010, France Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay, Livermore Valley & San Francisco, California 201, U.S.A. Red Wines: Cotes de Duras, Baron de Venzac 2012, France Luis Felipe Edwards, Family Selection, Gran Reserva, Shiraz 2012, Chile. Some of the specialties on Dragonair include: Fook Ming Tong Chinese tea, Fujian first class oolong tea, Hong Kong style milk tea, Fuding jasmine silver fur tea, and freshly brewed coffee. Comments on the in-flight system (if any): Each seat features a 10.4" personal video screen (same size in both Economy and Business Class cabins). Each flight has a choice of 10 PTV video channels and 16 audio channels from Dragon On Air in-flight entertainment programming. However, on such a short flight, there was hardly any need to watch any programs, except for the moving map which is also displayed on the huge screen at the front of the cabin. The playback music that welcomes passengers while on boarding and while disembarking the aircraft changes every month. For this particular flight we had ‘Dance on the Moon’ by Patrick Kelly (on boarding), and ‘Dream of the Pink Zebra’ by Suzanne Ciani; Young Russia Orchestra. It's a much better selection than what you get on the majority of the airlines in mainland China (which is usually having to listen to Kenny G's 'Going Home). Nothing against Kenny G, and nothing against his music, but do you really want to listen to just ONE tune every-time a plane lands and take-offs, and on every flight?! All aircraft have the Airbus KID 110V AC SkyPower in-seat power outlet for laptop computer and portable electronic devices in every seat. This requires no adapter cable. Dragonair was the first airline to offer this technology within the operational network for mainland China. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The staff are very proud of their brand image and represented their airline at the highest level possible. When under a situation of high pressure, the staff seemed to act with professionalism and integrity. The cabin crew uniform design consists of a black blouse with thin red stripes, and a neck silk scarf in navy blue and red colours. Dragonair's current uniforms are designed by renowned Hong Kong designer, Eddie Lau. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): For A330-300 on which I was flying, the Business Class cabin accommodates 44 passengers in a 2-2-2 seat design while Economy Class cabin caters for 267 passengers in a 2-4-2 setting. The seats in Economy Class on the Airbus A330-300 have a pitch of 32” recline, and are 17.5” wide. The seats in Business and Economy class are manufactured by various suppliers: BE aerospace, Zodiac France, Geven aircraft seating, Recaro Aircraft Seating, while those in first class are manufactured by Zodiac. Business Class seats on the Airbus A330-300 have a pitch of 63” recline (flatbed), and are 26.5” wide. The minimum in-flight sleeping angle is of 6.8° (when airborne). Each seat has an extendable leg rest, and a footrest, as well as a six-way adjustable headrest. The Business Class seat is ergonomically designed to be comfortable whether the passenger is working or relaxing. The Business Class cabin is upholstered in a refreshing and contemporary aqua blue; while the Economy Class is upholstered in shades of aqua blue, imperial red, and sky blue. Dragonair logo and brand livery Dragonair’s livery consists of having an all white fuselage, and underbelly. The tailfin consists of a imperial red dragon against a white background, and the same design is applied to the engines. At the front of the fuselage, just before the first cabin door, and below the cabin windows the words ‘DRAGONAIR’ are printed in English, in black ink and in capital letters; while the Chinese equivalent is printed in imperial red ink, and above the cabin windows (above the English words). The tips of the wings are coloured in imperial red ink. Below the tailfin, just in front of the back cabin door, is the flag of the Swire Group. The current Dragonair logo, modified from the previous version, was introduced in 1993 coinciding with the delivery of Dragonair's new fleet of Airbus A320s back then, with a new livery. The livery design gives a streamlined and contemporary look that reflects the dynamism and energy of the airline. Aircraft are given a pristine, overall white look, with the Dragonair name in clean black lettering. Red is used in the Chinese version of the name and in the dragon motif, in a strong and sophisticated shade. The cabin crew uniform design consists of a black blouse with thin red stripes, and a neck silk scarf in navy blue and red colours. While Dragonair has been a wholly owned by the Cathay Pacific Group since September 2006, the airline continues to operate as a separate airline under its own Air Operator’s Certificate. The Dragonair brand remains unchanged and the airline’s own 2,400 staff consisting of cockpit and cabin crew fly its own aircraft in the existing livery. In 2010, Dragonair celebrated its 25th anniversary, and to mark the auspicious occasion, an Airbus A330-300 was painted in a special livery with the red dragon painted across the whole fuselage against a backdrop of Hong Kong’s skyline in green. Just under the cockpit windows it writes ‘Hong Kong’ in capital letters, and there is a painting of the famous Hong Kong Star Ferry. Official SKYTRAX 5-star airline Cathay Pacific Airways is an international award-winning scheduled airline registered and based in Hong Kong, offering passenger and cargo services to 162 destinations in 42 countries and territories around the world. At the time of writing Cathay Pacific is one of only six global airlines that are ranked as a 5-star airline by SKYTRAX (the highest ranking for global airline quality).
The company was founded in Hong Kong in 1946 by two visionaries, Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow, who both paid HK$1 apiece to register the airline. They named the airline, Cathay Pacific Airways. Cathay is the ancient name for China, while Pacific was named because far-sighted Farrell believed that one day the airline might fly across the Pacific Ocean. The airline initially started services with two US Army surplus Douglas DC-3 Dakota aircraft: Betsy and Niki. The former aircraft, Betsy, is suspended from the ceiling at the Hong Kong Science Museum, and is repainted in her original 1940s livery. Cathay Pacific Airways remains deeply committed to its home base, and has in recent years made substantial investments to develop Hong Kong as one of the world’s leading international aviation hubs. In addition to its fleet of 136 aircraft, (includes 26 cargo freight aircraft), these investments include catering and ground-handling companies and the corporate headquarters at Hong Kong International Airport. Cathay Pacific continues to invest heavily in its home city and has another 94 new aircraft due for delivery up to 2019 (including the 48 A350-XWB (Extra Wide Body)). The airline is also building its own cargo terminal in Hong Kong that will begin operations in early 2013. Cathay Pacific is also investing heavily in its freighter aircraft, with six Boeing 747-400ERFs, and 10 new generation Boeing 747-8Fs being scheduled for delivery by the beginning of 2013. Cathay Pacific owns 19.53% of Air China Limited, the national flag carrier and a leading provider of passenger, cargo and other airline-related services in Mainland China. Cathay Pacific is also the major shareholder in Air Hong Kong, an all-cargo carrier offering scheduled services in the Asian region. In November 2012, Cathay Pacific Airways was named Best Airline in the World and Best Airline First Class in the 2012 Business Traveller China Awards. The annual awards, now in their eighth year, reflect the highest praise bestowed by China’s frequent travellers on various service providers with connections to the Mainland. The awards were presented in Shanghai in November 2012 as Business Traveller China celebrated its 10th anniversary. The results of the 2012 awards were based on the magazine’s reader poll which ran from July to September this year. Commenting on the awards, Cathay Pacific Chief Executive John Slosar said: “It is a great honour for our airline to receive these two awards from Business Traveller China. As Hong Kong’s home carrier, we have worked hard to develop a world-class international network from our home city, offering passengers top-notch products and the best service in the air. We are deeply committed to developing Hong Kong as a premier aviation hub and gateway to Mainland China through building convenient connections for travellers.” Cathay Pacific and its subsidiaries employ some 29,000 people worldwide (more than 22,000 of them in Hong Kong). Cathay Pacific is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, as are its substantial shareholders Swire Pacific Limited and Air China. The airline is a proud founding member of the Oneworld alliance, with its subsidiary, Dragonair, is an affiliate member. The airline celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006; and as of October 2009, its major shareholders are Swire Pacific and Air China. It is reciprocally one of the major shareholders of Air China. Cathay Pacific currently holds the title of the world's third largest airline, measured in terms of market capitalisation, according to the International Air Transport Association. Cathay Pacific Airways has four flights a day from London Heathrow Airport and Hong Kong (and four flights from Hong Kong and London Heathrow Airport), providing ample opportunities for business and leisure passengers to connect to flights throughout the Asia-Pacific, European, and Australasia regions at both ends. Being two major global economic hubs, both Hong Kong and London are key destinations for the large number of professional that are stationed at either destination. Cathay Pacific Airways introduced a new Premium Economy Class product on the 1st of April 2012. I decided to check out the airline’s relatively brand new Premium Economy Class seat from London Heathrow to Hong Kong on the Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Increasingly airline companies around the world are offering a Premium Economy Class product which is somewhere in between an Economy Class seat and a Business Class seat. This new Premium Economy Class will be progressively introduced on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 747-400, selected Airbus A330-300 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft. Aircraft deployment varies and availability is subject to operational requirements. The Premium Economy Class cabin has initially been featured on some of the following selected flights to/from: Sydney, Australia (CX101/100) Toronto, Canada (CX826/825/828/829) Vancouver, Canada (CX888/889) New York City, United States (CX830/831/840/841/888/889) London, United Kingdom (CX252/255) More routes will eventually be added by the airline as the fleets are fitted with this new configuration. Route: LONDON HEATHROW (LHR) to HONG KONG (HKG) Departure date and time of flight: November 2012, 11:30 Flight number: CX252 (Cathay 252 heavy) ATC Callsign: Cathay Flight duration: 10 Hours 55 minutes Class: PREMIUM ECONOMY CLASS Aircraft type: BOEING 747-467 (17 aircraft in service, though currently only 4 aircraft fitted with the Premium Economy Class cabin) Aircraft registration: B-HUB Aircraft serial number: 25873 LN:937 Test Registration: N60665 Engines: 4 x RR RB211-524G/H-T Delivery Date: 9th October 1992 (as VR-HUB, and then B-HUB on 23rd October 1997*) *Before 1997, Hong Kong registered aircraft were labelled VR, and after 1997 all Hong Kong aircraft registrations complied with Chinese aircraft registrations, which start with B. So for example, VR-HUB became B-HUB after 1997 and so on. First flight: 10/09/1992 Frequent flyer programme: Marco Polo Club Seat configuration for this aircraft: First Class: 9 suites in a 1-1-1 configuration Business Class (upper deck): 22 seats in a 1-1 configuration Business Class (main deck): 24 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, Premium Economy Class: 26 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration, Economy Class: 278 seats in a 3-4-3 configuration Punctuality of the flight/route taken: The flight departed around 30 minutes late because of the heavy traffic at Heathrow Airport, however because of the route we took we landed around 15 minutes early than expected at 6.45am local time in Hong Kong (there were no delays or hold-ups around Hong Kong control). Having push backed from our gate at Terminal 3, we made our way towards the holding point of runway 27R on the outer taxiway (meanwhile runway 27L was being used for landings). We had a few aircraft lined up ahead of us as it was a typical busy morning at Heathrow. These consisted of Thai Airways A340-600 going to BKK, Virgin A330 going to JFK, United B777 off to Newark, Air Canada 767 off to Toronto, Air India B777 off to Delhi, and an American B777 off to Chicago. Therefore, therefore we had a little wait at the holding point of the runway. When I was a kid I used to do aircraft spotting right across the fence at the threshold of runway 27R, so it was a nice feeling to be inside an aircraft and see the view from a different angle- it kind of puts things into perspective. After take-off we made a straight heading towards Daventry foxtrot at around 6,000 feet before heading towards Clacton control (around 25,000 feet), before making our way across to mainland Europe and Russia (went right over Minsk) onto the famed Trans-Siberian route. Entering China over the Kashgar region (coming in from Novosibirsk), then Urumqi, then Qinghai, and finally making a direct approach into Guangxi, Guangdong, and final decent into Hong Kong from over Macau. Landing was made on runway 25L at exactly 06:45am local time. We were welcomed with a wet and cold Hong Kong. Like any other major airline, Cathay Pacific does not keep its aircraft on the ground for long. B-HUB was being readied for the return flight to London Heathrow as CX257 in around 90 minutes time. This particular aircraft, a Boeing 747-400, has been flying in service with Cathay Pacific for over 20 years, and has probably another 5 or 6 years left before she is sold, or scrapped off. Any baggage issues: Premium Economy Class passengers are allowed to have a little bit more weight allowance than on Economy Class. Before boarding, passengers are provided with dedicated check-in counters and priority boarding at the gate. The amount of baggage allowance in Premium Economy Class is increased from 20kg to 25kg (weight system) or two pieces of baggage from 23 kg to 25kg each (piece system). Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: Cathay Pacific Airways use Terminal 3 at London Heathrow Airport. I checked-in about 2 hours prior to my flight. On the way to the check-in desks, I happened to bump into the Captain, and the Cabin Crew for the flight. The Captain briefly explained to me about the route that we were expecting to take today. The atmosphere was all positive and fired up for the flight. Everyone was in an upbeat mood. Taking a long haul flight is always an exciting time no matter how many times you have flown. Every pilot will tell you that no flight is ever the same, even if they fly the same route day in day out. The check-in staff were very professional and polite. There were no issues, and the whole process from check-in to the airline lounge took around 15 minutes. Lounge experience at London Heathrow Airport: The Cathay Pacific Airways lounge for First and Business Class passengers is located at area B after security at Terminal 3. The lounge is shared with Finnair. Oneworld Alliance members and Marco Polo Club members (silver, gold, and, diamond members only). The spacious lounge provides a space for relaxing before the flight in tranquil surroundings. Plenty of good and healthy buffet style food, along with various drinks was available. I made full use of the complimentary Wi-Fi to check my e-mails prior to leaving for China. On top of this there are plenty of international and local newspapers and magazines to while away your time with. Washroom and shower facilities are also tip top, with amenities provided by Murad (same as the in-flight amenities for Business and First Class passengers). In-flight Magazine: Discovery (published by ACP Magazines Asia Ltd) Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers in Premium Economy Class are welcomed with a glass of champagne (Billecart-salmon Brut champagne), and a choice of either apple juice, orange juice or water. A hot towel is also provided to freshen your face, and those tired hands. A complimentary bottle of water is presented for the flight, as well as the in-flight amenity kit (this part is explained later in the article). Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Around about 35 minutes after departure, drinks were served from the trolley along with the helping of a packet of salted almonds (provided by Blue Diamond- Smokehouse company). I opted for another glass of fresh orange juice. During a long haul flight, it is good to water down as many non-alcoholic drinks as possible as to stop the effects of dehydration hitting you. There was also a complimentary bar service for Premium Economy Class passengers that included various alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks. Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English earl grey, Ceylon, and Chinese green tea) were also available. On top of this, there were a selection of herbal teas including green tea with jasmine, peppermint, and camomile with honey. The wine list for Premium Economy Class passengers included: White Wines: Mosel Riesling Feinherb, 2011 (Germany) Obikwa Western Cape Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 (South Africa)- this wine was not available as for some reason they did not load it onto the aircraft. Red Wines: Dourthe Beau- Mayne Bordeaux, 2010 (French) Esprit De Serame Canernet Sauvignon, 2009 (French) Ample choice of whiskies (Chivas Regal 12 Year old, Johnnie Walker Gold Label), Cognac (Hine, ‘rare and delicate’ fine champagne), and various beers, aperitifs & cocktails, and liqueurs. Comments regarding the first meal: A larger meal table makes working and dining more of a pleasure, and a cocktail table provides more room during the meal service. Starters: Apple and celery salad A fusion of green apple cubes mixed with celery and some herbs (thyme I believe). The sweetness of the apples and the slight bland and crunchiness of the celery provided a lovely combination of flavours. Main Entrée:
I opted for the fish. This dish was not just good; it was out of this world. It came across as an international dish with a Chinese twist. The codfish was the international part (nice to have on a flight), while the rice and the vegetables that went with the fish was the Chinese twist (fish with rice as opposed to fish & chips….well, since when did you have chips being served at a pressurised altitude!). Another inspiration from the world-class chefs at Cathay Pacific City in Hong Kong. Dessert:
You can’t go wrong when you are presented with the finest ice-cream that mankind can make. Beechdean is made from fresh thick milk that derives from the healthiest cows around in this world. These cows ought to be very proud themselves that people eat ice-cream made from their milk high up in the air somewhere over exotic locations that only they can dream of flying themselves (that’s IF cows can have wings…unless they do end up as unfortunate cargo, alas maybe on Cathay Pacific Freighter services). The only thing is that cows, unlike humans, of course cannot speak except moo a bit here and there. Nevertheless, the ice-cream was top notch. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: Throughout the flight, Premium Economy Class passengers could help themselves to complimentary hot pot noodles, various drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and a selection of various sandwiches (cute & small sandwiches), crisps (walker’s), biscuits, fruit (apples), and chocolates (provided by Praline or Green & Black’s). Premium Economy Class passengers are pampered and looked after quite well during long haul flights! Comments regarding the second meal (breakfast): The second meal (breakfast) was served around two hours prior to landing at Hong Kong. Hot towels were handed out to each Premium Economy Class passengers prior to the meal service, and a selection of drinks service offered. Starters:
Main entrée
I opted for the English breakfast, which tasted much better than I had anticipated when I glanced upon it. If you look at the photo of the dish, it looks like a mashed curry with a sausage placed over it. Indeed, the ‘mashed curry’ is the creamed spinach along with that ridiculously delicious scrambled egg with the herb potato topping. Each spoonful was enough to want more, and make your mouth water. The breakfast meal was accompanied by tea, or coffee. Jam was provided by Wilkin & Sons, and the butter by Kerrymaid. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: There is extra storage space for all those personal items you’d like to keep close at hand, and an environmentally friendly amenity kit comes with toothbrush and toothpaste, socks and an eye-shades – which is a perfect complement when it’s time to sleep. Huge headphones with noise cancellation technology were offered in the Premium Economy Class cabin. When it comes to entertainment, you’ll be spoilt for choice. For entertainment in Premium Economy Class, you can count on hundreds of selections on your StudioCX in-flight entertainment system. Plus, you can use the multi-port connector to stream audio and video from your personal devices to your new 10.6-inch widescreen Personal TV with a noise-cancelling headset to enhance your enjoyment. For Economy Class: Cathay Pacific's award-winning StudioCX entertainment system with Audio and Video on Demand looks especially good on the touch-screen monitor of the 9-inch Personal TV. Passengers can connect their iPod, iPhone or iPad* to stream their own music and movies to the screen. There’s a USB port to charge your mobile devices, and a 110V AC power supply for your laptop computer and other electronic devices. Connections enabling passengers to listen to, or watch on their individual screens, content on their personal iPods or USB devices are available on this aircraft (the Boeing 777-300ER). The music played upon boarding and upon dis-embarking the aircraft changes every month on Cathay Pacific flights. Some of the tunes played include ‘Prelude to Dawn’ by Howard Green, and ‘Feel’, by Robbie Williams. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew appear to have been trained very well, and seem to know how to handle all kinds of situations. The trainers must have had everything thrown at them, ranging from rowdy passengers to those having a nervous breakdown. These guys are amazing. They really do pamper you. To the outsider it may seem that being cabin crew is an easy job, however in fact it’s a very challenging job, and there is more to the job then just handing out the meals. With many months of hard work and training under their belt, cabin crew members are chosen very carefully by the airline. Interestingly on our flight we had a passenger who was very worried and got scared mid-flight. The cabin crew did a fantastic job in calming the situation down. Like they say in the corporate world, you may have the best brand in the world, but that brand is worth nothing if it not for the people that make great things happen for that brand. Cathay Pacific Airways stand by their words, and truly give a 5-star service. If you are a frustrated passenger (for whatever reason), then let me reassure you that the cabin crew are always trying to go through great trouble to make your flight as comfortable as possible. I am saying this from personal experience. As a frustrated passenger (we have all been in that situation at some point or another in our lives), it can be easy for some of us to lose their cool when things are not going as we expect them to be. It’s because of the professionalism and integrity of the cabin crew that the airline is classed as a truly 5-star airline that endeavors to provide a truly 5-star service to its customers. Cathay Pacific's current uniforms are designed by renowned Hong Kong designer, Eddie Lau. Ladies wear a red skirt with a white blouse that has the ‘brushwing’ logo in gold and red colours. The ladies also have a bright red blouse jacket which they can wear- matching with the red skirt. The gentlemen wear black starched trousers with a white shirt. Along with that the men wear a red tie with black stripes (junior cabin crew), or a gold tie with black stripes (senior cabin crew). On this fight, the majority of the crew (including all the pilots) were London based, and were British. The same applies for flights that originate from Canada, USA, and Australia where locally based staff are recruited by the airline to give that personal touch when it comes to customer service. I would like to give full thanks to the senior cabin crew in charge of the economy and premier economy class cabins. I could not imagine handling the situation with the sheer calmness, and composure with she managed to deal with on this particular flight. It goes without saying that not everyone can do this highly charged and pressurised job. The senior purser, and her fellow crew, deserve a huge golden medal. I am not saying this because I want to impress anyone, but I am writing this because this is the truth, and as a witness to a particular situation on this flight (which I am not going to mention in public). Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): When I entered the new Premium Economy Class cabin, it smelt the same as the interior of a brand new car out of the factory. The Premium Economy Class experience features a quieter, more spacious cabin than the traditional Economy Class with between 26 and 34 seats per aircraft (26 seats on the Boeing 747-400). The seat pitch is 38 inches – six inches more than Economy Class – and the seat itself is wider (19.8”) and has a bigger recline (8”). Passengers in Premium Economy Class receive an environmentally friendly amenity kit with dental kit, socks, eye-shades, and earplugs for use during their journey. The amenity kit bag itself is a little creation that contains some beautiful art work designed by home-grown Hong Kong brand G.O.D. (Goods of Desire). The seat itself looks and feels like the old style Business Class seats that one would have experienced in the 1980s and 1990s. I found the experience to be much more comfortable than business class. Each Premium Economy Class seat comes with a soft pillow stuffed with dove feathers, and a nice cosy blanket. There is plenty of space to place your shoes too. The Premium Economy Class seat is meant to be somewhere in between an Economy Class seat and a Business Class seat. As more and more global airline companies are transiting to a flat-bed style Business Class seat, so there is a growing demand for seats that are reasonably priced and offer a comfortable experience where you can stretch your legs yet there is no need to pay thousands of pounds for the experience. Some airlines in the process are also eliminating their First Class cabins altogether. By end of this year, Cathay Pacific will have 48 aircraft installed with the new product comprised of 23 Boeing 777-300ERs, 17 A330-300s and eight Boeing 747-400s. By the end of 2013, 87 aircraft in the airline’s long-haul fleet will feature Premium Economy Class. The good news for those collecting air miles is that Asia Miles accrual for premium economy class will be at 110%. I found the journey to be very comfortable, and did not experience the back pain and aching muscles that you normally get after flying long haul in Economy Class. Cathay Pacific Airways logo and livery: Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, Cathay Pacific Airways used to support a green and white striped livery. This old livery was replaced with the current "brushwing" livery In 1994 the airline announced that it would establish its new corporate identity, with a 23 million Hong Kong dollar (RM 7.3 million) program to update its image. - Cathay Pacific relaunched its corporate image in the early 1990s. Cathay Pacific commented that after building a reputation over 50 years for technical excellence and high-quality service, Cathay Pacific had no intention of changing its core values. Therefore, the new corporate identity was merely intended to communicate these values more effectively to all current and future customers. Cathay Pacific worked with Landor Associates, the world’s largest corporate identity management firm, to help create the new identity. The brushwing livery expresses the carrier’s unique character as an Asian with an international outlook. The sophistication of the logo conveys Cathay Pacific’s technical expertise and uncompromising attention to safety and reliability. The brushwing also embodies a sense of energetic flight, and being a “handmade” symbol it acknowledges the company's devotion to high standards of caring, personal service. For more information check out www.cathaypacific.com/mypremiumeconomy This website contains a wealth of content based on personal travel experiences of different types of travellers, from those flying on a business trip to those flying for leisure, which may be good references to those who haven’t tried this new cabin before. THY Turkish Airlines is the award-winning national flag carrier of Turkey. Since being formed on 20th May 1933 with a fleet of 5 aircraft, Turkish Airlines has become a leading global airline company in its 80 years of distinguished service. Turkish Airlines is a proud member of Star Alliance, and operates from its global hub at Istanbul International Airport to 260 cities in 90 countries using 200 state-of-the-art aircraft. Turkish Airlines, which is a fully scheduled airline, carried 29.1 million passengers in 2010. It employs more than 14,000 people worldwide. In 2010, Turkish Airlines celebrated its 75th anniversary with a special ‘75’ logo painted on its aircraft and painted some its A320 aircraft in the old original 1970s airline livery. The initials 'THY' stand for Türk Hava Yollari (meaning Turkish Airlines).
In December 2012, Turkish Airlines finalized an order for 15 Boeing airplanes that will help it fly to more destinations globally. The order was valued at $4.7 billion at list prices although customers buying multiple planes often get a discount. Turkish Airlines currently has 12 777-300ERs and nearly 100 Boeing airplanes. The 777-300ERs seat up to 386 passengers in each individual aircraft. The Istanbul (IST) to London Gatwick (LGW) route is hugely popular with 14 flights a week between the two cities. Another strong connection between Turkish Airlines and the United Kingdom is that Turkish Airlines is the main sponsor of the Manchester United Football Club. The three and a half year ‘multi-million’ pound deal was signed in 2010. The airline has invested a lot of money in working with big brands and prompting its own brand globally. In contrast to other European flag carriers in the 21st century, Turkish Airlines is proud to be the fastest growing airline in Europe and has been consistently been voted the best airline in Europe by its passengers and officially by SKYTRAX. Recent announcements in 2012 solidified Europe’s Best Airline’s Partnership with global sports figures. For example, International soccer superstar Leo Messi was named Global Brand Ambassador for Turkish Airlines at a ceremony in September 2012 at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, after signing the agreement. The FC Barcelona forward joins the ranks of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and professional tennis player Caroline Wozniacki who have been brand ambassadors since 2011 and 2010 respectively. Turkish Airlines now officially flies to more destinations globally than any other airline. In the United Kingdom, apart from London Gatwick, Turkish Airlines also flies regular scheduled flights to London Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, and Edinburgh (THY used to fly to schedule flights to Stansted, now it is just for charter flights). In total Turkish Airlines operates 65 flights a week between Istanbul and the United Kingdom, including 44 flights a week between London and Istanbul (Heathrow and Gatwick combined). Another strong indicator of this is that because Turkish Airlines is a proud member of Star Alliance, whose members also include Lufthansa, United Airlines, and BMI. So therefore, because of this link with Star Alliance, this flight was in code share with Lufthansa and BMI. Turkish Airlines usually operate the Istanbul to London Gatwick route using the Boeing 737-800. However on this occasion the Airbus A321-231 was deployed, and it was a pleasure to fly this beautiful aircraft. I decided to check out their Business Class on this relatively short haul daytime flight. Route: ISTANBUL (IST) to LONDON GATWICK (LGW) Departure date and time of flight: December 2012, 12:25pm local time (Istanbul) Flight number: TK1997 IACO Callsign: Turkish Flight duration: 3 Hours 50 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A321-231 (32 aircraft in service) Aircraft registration: TC-JRS (Delivered on 29th June 2011) First flight: 21st June 2011 Aircraft’s name: Datça Test registration: D-AVZJ Aircraft serial number: 4761 Aircraft Engines: 2 x IAE V2533-A5 Frequent flyer programme: miles & smiles In-flight magazine: SkyLife Magazine Seat configuration for this aircraft: Business Class: 28 seats in a 2-2 configuration, Economy Class: 152 seats in a 3-3 configuration Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: No issues. The security at Istanbul Airport is very tight. Passengers and their baggage are checked for security BEFORE they enter the airport building. At the check-in area, the security staff ask even more testing questions to make sure that you are the passenger. If they are suspicious then they will also ask you for another source of identification except your passport. On my flight to London, the security asked me if I had another source of identification to prove that I was British (because apparently so many illegal people enter the UK through Istanbul). I showed the security staff my British driving license. The check-in and security procedure was very smooth, and took around about 15 minutes. My gate for departure was 209, and I had around about an hour before boarding time. I decided to check out the beautiful Lounge for Business and First Class passengers for THY Turkish Airport. Any baggage issues: No issues regarding the baggage. With Turkish Airlines, passengers travelling on Business Class can carry 2-luggage bags upto 32 KG in total, with 2 hand bags of 8 KG each. Lounge experience at Istanbul The facilities at Istanbul airport have improved vastly since I was here last in early 2011. There is a beautiful lounge that is available for Business Class travelers, Miles&Smiles Elite card members with one guest, Miles&Smiles Elite Plus members with their family and Star Alliance Gold card members. It really is a lovely masterpiece of architecture that blends in well with a lovely ambiance. The only glitch I could see was that because of the audible open design of the roof, it was very easy to hear someone talking on the phone, even if they were sitting on the other side of the Lounge! I had no intention to but I could easily hear someone cursing and shouting on their phone, and then I looked around and thought where is that noise coming from? Only when I looked into the distance on the other side of the Lounge I realised that the person whose voice I could clearly hear was actually sitting at least 100 meters away from me! Of course, he would not have realised unless someone had told him- and for the fear of being shouted at, I never did tell the poor chap. Overall the Lounge is really amazing. You can do anything you want. Surf the internet; eat delicious Western, Chinese, Indian, and Turkish hot and cold meals. Plenty of fresh fruit juices to drink and plenty of spirits and wines too. Oh, there is even a pool table, and a well stocked library, and not to forget the complimentary Wi-Fi. It’s such a lovely place that you have to be careful not to leave it too close to your boarding time because if your gate is something like 209 (like mine was), then it’s around a 15-20 minute walk (maybe longer if you have children and family with you). If you wish, you may leave your boarding card with the CIP Lounge hostess who will inform you of the departure of your flight (in case you get lost in the comforts of the lounge as mentioned before). If you need to freshen up there are also shower facilities, so don’t forget to ask for your personal bath kit and towel at reception. For parents, a diaper changing trolley is also available. Toilets for both men and women are available and fully accessible by those with disabilities. For those wishing a meditation moment, the lounge also houses a Muslim prayer room. Punctuality of the flight and route taken: The flight departed on time, and landed a few minutes earlier than scheduled. The flight started initially with a straight climb out of runway 35L towards Eastern Europe- passing over Bulgaria, Bratislava and then entering German airspace. Through the flight the view was blocked by heavy cloud over mainland Europe until we got into Dutch airspace. We commenced our decent over Dutch airspace, which provided some fabulous views across to Rotterdam, Eindhoven, The Hague, and the English Channel. The City of London could easily be seen in the haze from somewhere over Southend-On-Sea. From the Dutch coast to the touchdown point only took around 20 minutes. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers in Business Class were offered welcome drinks consisting of fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice, strawberry soda, and champagne. Usually what you find is that most ‘fresh orange juice’ drinks that form part of airline meals are heavily concentrated and taste like water with a splash of orange squash (or something similar), however it must be said that the orange juice on Turkish Airlines is authentically fresh orange juice (with the orange bits in as well). Perfect quality and it tastes extremely good. Highly recommended that you drink it without the ice, as it tastes even better (otherwise the ice will dilute the rich authentic taste). Comments regarding the pre-meal service: On Turkish Airlines, passengers in Business Class are offered a selection of drinks including fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice, mineral water, and champagne. On this flight there were also a selection of international and Turkish wines and beers. White Turkish wine: 2008 Kavaklidere Narince (Anatolia) Red Turkish wine: 2007 Doluca Karma Turkish beer: Efes Pilsen Turkish liqueur: Tekel Ozel Uretim (sour cherry) On this flight, the welcome drinks were accompanied with a packet of Turkish hazelnuts and a selection of canapés. Turkish Airlines offers the hazelnut because it originates from Turkey, and forms part of Turkish cuisine. Comments regarding the main meal: Turkish Do&Co, the gourmet entertainment company, provides in-flight catering at Turkish Airlines with their colourful and inspiring menus containing equally sensational dishes. All the menus come written in both English and Turkish. A la carte menus are provided in business class while set meals are provided in the Economy Class. A round of fresh fruit juices and other drinks were offered to wake up the senses (just cannot stress how good it feels to drink that fresh orange juice!). The meal tray consisted of a load of seriously good food. First up was a tray containing freshly cut cheese slices, feta, and a thick cream, which went fine with fresh green and black olives. The following three were the options available for the main lunch dish: · Grilled swordfish with eggplant stuffed with red pepper and potato puree. · Fillet mignon and chicken medallion with mustard and curry sauce, sautéed vegetables and buttered rice · Cheese ravioli with parmesan sauce, sautéed musrooms and marinated red peppers I opted for the seafood option. The generous helping of the swordfish goes well with the incredibly delicious stuffed peppers and the potato puree. Turkish Airlines in flights have certainly improved a lot since the last time I was onboard in 2011, and they keep improving all the time. This food was too good. The red peppers are of an unbelievably first-class taste. Accompanying the main dish was a bowl of stuffed zucchini in olive oil (close enough to mum’s cooking!), a small bowl of assorted cheese, and a plate full of scrumptious prawn salad. The cabin crew offered a generous helping of a selection of warm ‘oven fresh bread’ from the basket that included freshly made croissants and Danish pastries. Passengers were again treated to a selection of freshly brewed coffee, which included both western coffee and Turkish coffee. Stainless steel cutlery in the business class cabin is provided by ‘Isik’, and proudly displays the engraved symbols ‘THY’ followed by the Turkish Airlines logo. All other cutlery in the business class cabin is provided in fine bone china, again with the Turkish Airlines logo and black ‘THY’ symbol engraved at the bottom of each piece. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: Passengers were treated to a selection of freshly brewed coffee, which included both Western coffee and Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee has a slightly stronger flavour and is normally taken without milk. A lovely cube of Turkish Delight is accompanied with the Turkish coffee. There was also a variety of digestives available including Baileys, Cointreau and Frapin VSOP Cognac. Good food like this should never be wasted. Throughout the flight, passengers were able to enjoy a variety of snacks including free flowing drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) from the galley. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: Huge headphones with noise cancellation technology were offered in the Business Class cabin. The 10.6-inch PTV screen, which is in place in the arm rest of every seat, can be used to watch movies, choose any kinds of music to play, watch how your flight is progressing, catch up on current affairs, or play computer games with. The digital AVOD (Audio Video on Demand) in-cabin entertainment system is in use on this route. Passengers can select their program either from the panel in the arm of the seat or simply by touching the screen. Programs the AVOD system fall into three categories: 'Information', 'Entertainment’, and 'Communications'. Altogether, there are over 120 channels and levels of entertainment to absorb during your flight. Then there is always the five-star quality in-flight magazine of Turkish Airlines, SkyLife, to keep you mesmerized with many stories and useful information. Connections enabling passengers to listen to, or watch on their individual screens, content on their personal iPods or USB devices are available on this aircraft (the Airbus A321-200). Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The hospitality on Turkish Airlines is just top notch. The staff are highly trained and provide a truly five-star service comparable to the likes of a top quality five-star hotel. Even in the most highly pressurised of situations, the cabin crew have a smile on their faces, and this is key difference that makes Turkish Airlines stand out from the rest. A quality that separates a good airline from a very good airline is one where the cabin crew at the very good airline will greet the passenger before the passenger greets the cabin crew. It has to be said that this mark of high quality stands out clear for the staff of Turkish Airlines on this flight. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The Business Class cabin of the Airbus A321-200 on Turkish Airlines has a 2-2 seat configuration. Because this was a medium haul flight (less than 5 hours), during the day and within the European region so therefore there was no amenity kit provided. There are 28-Business Class seats on the Airbus A321-200 each with 159 degrees recline providing a very spacious legroom. The Business Class seat has a 34.0” pitch and is 20.0” width. It reclines back enough for you to have a very comfortable rest for the flight. Lovely suede leather and cotton material that is pleasing for the eye. Each seat in Business Class has electronic buttons on the bottom left hand corner that control the seats movements. Economy Class seats have a configuration of 3-3 and have a 30.0-32.0” pitch and a 17.5” width. Each seat in Business Class comes with its own personal night light that is easy to control, as well as a built-in back massage system. If you need a back massage then all you need to do is press the button. The food tray is neatly placed inside the left hand armrest, while the Personal TV (PTV) screen is neatly placed in the side arm rests. There is also AC power and power available for your laptop built in every seat. This is a very convenient feature. In a nutshell, if you are a seriously minded business frequent flyer, have a hectic and busy business lifestyle where you are constantly moving around and need the essentials of business life at the touch of a button (even in the sky) then Business Class on Turkish Airlines is for YOU. Turkish Airlines logo and livery: The airline's striking logo consists of a crane flying inside a white circle symbolizing the common migration of the birds in Turkey. The logo is a crane bird with wings above the body. The simple yet powerful design of the wings also refers to the crescent in the Turkish flag. The "Eurowhite" livery consists of a snow white coloured fuselage with large navy blue ‘TURKISH AIRLINES’ lettering across the starboard and port side in capitals. On some smaller aircraft, such as the Airbus A330 and the Boeing 737-800, the word ‘TURKISH’ is written in capital navy blue letters, while ‘AIRLINES’ is displayed right underneath in light grey colours. The national flag of Turkey is displayed about one foot to the right hand side of the blue lettering. A huge silver coloured tulip is painted on the fuselage, running from the rear of the wing to the tail. The belly of the fuselage is painted in light grey. Every plane is named after a city or town in Turkey, or any of the seas and lakes scattered around the Turkey’s coastal waters. The tailfin of the aircraft is painted in a bright red colour with the company logo wrapped in a white circle. Recently a new logo was unveiled where the main change on the fin has been that the emblem is now white and on a red background, while it was formerly red and on a white background. The inscription "Turkish" has been replaced with "Turkish Airlines" on the front-left and front-right sides of the fuselage. The "Eurowhite" livery (a white fuselage with blue lettering) and a grey tulip figure on the fuselage (running from the rear of the wing to the tail) have remained the same. Priestmangoode is the company responsible behind the re-branding of Turkish Airlines as a key part of the airline’s strategy to position itself as a major European carrier. Priestmangoode delivered a complete re-design, starting with new interiors across the entire Turkish fleet. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 THY Turkish Airlines is the award-winning national flag carrier of Turkey. Since being formed on 20th May 1933 with a fleet of 5 aircraft, Turkish Airlines has become a leading global airline company in its 80 years of distinguished service. Turkish Airlines is a proud member of Star Alliance, and operates from its global hub at Istanbul International Airport to 260 cities in 90 countries using 200 state-of-the-art aircraft. Turkish Airlines, which is a fully scheduled airline, carried 29.1 million passengers in 2010. It employs more than 14,000 people worldwide. In 2010, Turkish Airlines celebrated its 75th anniversary with a special ‘75’ logo painted on its aircraft and painted some its A320 aircraft in the old original 1970s airline livery. The initials 'THY' stand for Türk Hava Yollari (meaning Turkish Airlines). Turkish Airlines now officially flies to more destinations globally than any other airline. In December 2012, Turkish Airlines finalized an order for 15 Boeing airplanes that will help it fly to more destinations globally. The order was valued at $4.7 billion at list prices although customers buying multiple planes often get a discount. Turkish Airlines currently has 12 777-300ERs and nearly 100 Boeing airplanes. The 777-300ERs seat up to 386 passengers in each individual aircraft. The airline invest a lot of money in working with big brands and prompting its own brand too. Recent announcements in 2012 solidified Europe’s Best Airline’s Partnership with global sports figures. For example, International soccer superstar Leo Messi was named Global Brand Ambassador for Turkish Airlines at a ceremony in September 2012 at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, after signing the agreement. The FC Barcelona forward joins the ranks of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and professional tennis player Caroline Wozniacki who have been brand ambassadors since 2011 and 2010 respectively. In contrast to other European flag carriers in the 21st century, Turkish Airlines is proud to be the fastest growing airline in Europe and has been consistently been voted the best airline in Europe by its passengers and officially by SKYTRAX. The Guangzhou (CAN) to Istanbul (IST) route is a successful route, having started in February 2011. For this route, Turkish Airlines used to fly the brand new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, however for the moment the airline uses the Airbus A340-300 aircraft. With the world’s major airlines focusing on cost cutting, it is no wonder that we are seeing a demise of the First Class cabin. So likewise, Turkish Airlines also has Business, Comfort Class (Premium Economy cClass- not on this aircraft), and Economy Class. Many major flag-carriers around the world are replacing their First Class cabins with Business Class (Virgin Atlantic, Air China, Continental Airlines are prime examples), and intact replacing their Business Class with Premium Economy Class cabins. Which does make sense because there is hardly much difference between First and Business Class, especially when most Business Class seats transform into flatbeds anyways. The Guangzhou to Istanbul route has become exceedingly popular with both Turkish and Chinese people because of the warm economic, political and tourist relations between Turkey and China. Presently there are four flights a week from Guangzhou to Istanbul and vice-versa (the last time I did a review for the CAN-IST route, it was only 3 flights a week). The flight from Guangzhou leaves at 23:10pm and arrives the following day at Istanbul at 5:25am, while the return flight leaves Istanbul at 23:50pm, arriving into Guangzhou the following day at 14:30pm. Most of the flights, including the one I took here (TK73) are full payload and full cargo as well. This gives the reader a strong indication of the strong partnership between Turkey and China, and the way the future of the aviation industry is going for these two countries. Both Turkey and China have ambitions plans in the pipeline to grow their aircraft fleets and airline routes for the commercial aviation sector between these two countries. In China, apart from Guangzhou, Turkish Airlines also flies to Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong providing 25 flights a week to the region. Another strong indicator of this is that because Turkish Airlines is a proud member of Star Alliance, whose members also include Lufthansa, United Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Air China. So therefore, because of this link with Star Alliance, this flight was in code share with ‘Air China’. Focusing on Turkish Airline’s Business Class, incidentally – isn't difficult, however, especially once you’re on board. The cabins and service are top-notch, and you’ll definitely travel in sheer comfort. Enjoy the flight experience! Route: GUANGZHOU (CAN) to ISTANBUL (IST) Departure date and time of flight: December 2012, 23:10pm local time (Guangzhou) Flight number: TK73 IACO Callsign: Turkish Flight duration: 12 Hours 5 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A340-313X (7 aircraft in service) Aircraft registration: TC-JDN Aircraft’s name: ADANA Aircraft Engines: 4 x CFMI CFM56-5C4 Aircraft Test Registration: F-WWJU First flight: 1st August 1997 Delivery Date: 19th August 1997 Aircraft manufacturing serial number: 80 Frequent flyer programme: miles & smiles Seat configuration for this aircraft: Business class: 34 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, Economy class: 236 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: Guangzhou airport can get very busy and confusing in the evenings. The check-in desks at Guangzhou are much better managed now than they were a few years ago when international airlines were rare at Guangzhou. Even though this flight was full, there was no rush, and no hustle & bustle from the passengers or the check-in staff. The best part of it was that the check-in staff can speak very good English, a skill that was rare to find a few years ago in South China among any local staff. Things have certainly improved, not just for THY Turkish Airlines but for other airlines at Guangzhou as well. The check-in procedure did not take a long time either with only around a short 5-10 minutes wait in the queue. I was escorted by the airline station manager from the check-in desk to the gate. He allowed me to wander around the lounge (which is shared with China Southern Airlines), and then I met him again at gate A103. The check-in staff at the Turkish Airlines counters at Guangzhou Baiyun airport were very professional and helpful. I was surprised to see that Guangzhou Airport were using the peak hours to train their newly graduated security staff at the customs! There must have been thousands of passengers waiting to go through security, and board for the high number of flights that were departing that evening. While the security and customs queues were long, and equally managed properly, I do think that they could easily have been handled quicker (or perhaps they could have had the trainee staff stationed at a less busy time). All in all it took me around 15 minutes to wait and go through the security and customs (at Guangzhou Airport, security comes first, and then customs) Any baggage issues: No issues regarding the baggage. With Turkish Airlines, passengers travelling on Business Class can carry 2-luggage bags up to 30 KG in total, with two hand bags of 8 KG each. In Economy Class passengers can carry two luggage bags weighing 23 KG in total. At the time of writing free baggage allowance is 30 kg for Economy Class and 50 kg for Business Class from Odessa to Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece and Portugal. Punctuality of the flight, and route taken: The plane, an Airbus A340-300, was parked at gate A103, surrounded by other international airlines (Ethiopian B777, Emirates B777, Thai Airways A330, Cebu Pacific A320, ANA B767, Qatar Airways B777, and Egyptair B777). Evenings are indeed busy at Guangzhou as the vast majority of the flights go to North Africa, and the Middle East. We pushed back on time at around 23:20pm, and faced towards the north with a short taxi to runway 02R. Normally from Guangzhou to Istanbul, it should take around between 9 and 10 hours non-stop. However, this flight took 12 hours non-stop. Why? The Captain was kind enough to explain to me that there were two reasons for this. 1. If we took the direct route, then we would experience heavy turbulence over the high terrain Sichuan and Yunnan provinces that particular evening, and 2. Due to heavy traffic in the area, and around the Central European air space, ATC (Air Traffic Control), had scheduled our flight to head back towards Macau and Zhuhai after departure, and then head back over Hainan Island, Vietnam, North Thailand, Burma, India, Pakistan and then eventually re-joining the main flight path that leads to Istanbul. The plane entered Turkish airspace at around 2 hours prior to landing (when breakfast was served!), and then made over the Black Sea and then finally turning over the waters of Marmara Sea to make a straight approach into Istanbul’s runway 05 right on time as scheduled. In-flight magazine: SkyLife Magazine Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Upon embarking the aircraft, passengers in business class were offered welcome drinks consisting of fresh orange juice, strawberry drink, fresh lemon juice, Turkish mineral water, and champagne. Usually what you find is that most ‘fresh orange juice’ drinks that form part of airline meals are heavily concentrated and taste like water with a splash of orange squash (or something similar), however it must be said that the orange juice on Turkish airlines is authentically fresh orange juice (with the orange bits in as well). Perfect quality and it tastes exceedingly good. Highly recommended that you drink it without the ice, as it tastes even better. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Passengers in Business Class were offered a selection of drinks including fresh orange juice, fresh apple juice, mineral water and champagne. There was also a selection of international and Turkish wines and beers. On the wine list menu one could see five options for red wine, 2 options for white wine, rose wine, champagne and various aperitifs: White wine options were: Prestige Narince 2011 – Turkish Chablis Premier Cru Les Beauroys 2008 – France Red wine options were: Doluca Karma Cabarnet Sauvignon Okuzgozu, 2010 – Turkey Chateau Lamothe Pontac Medoc, 20009- France Bodegas Beronia Crianza, 2008 – Spain Bodega Norton Privada, 2009 – Argentina Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage, 2007 – Portugal Rose wine: Kavaklidere Egeo, 2011 – Turkey Champagne: Gosset Brut Grande Reserve Turkish beer: Efes Pilsen Turkish liqueur: Tekel Ozel Uretim Turkish Raki: Efe yaş üzüm rakısı (fresh grape Raki) It would be a complete waste of a flight if you don’t try the Turkish liqueur, or the Turkish rose wine (unless, of course, if you don’t drink alcohol). So, what does it taste like? A little bit strong with a hint of sweetness and spicy flavour to it. You can almost feel the sour cherry touching the top of your tongue. It’s best if you take the Turkish liqueur with plenty of hazelnuts. Indeed, the drinks were accompanied with a bowl of Turkish hazelnuts and a selection of canapés. Even Economy Class passengers get the hazelnut. Turkish Airlines offers the hazelnut because it originates from Turkey, and forms part of Turkish cuisine. Comments regarding the first meal (dinner): Dinner was served around an hour after departure from Guangzhou- we must have been somewhere over the Hainan Island and making our way towards South-East Asia. Flying can be exciting yet also boring- depending whichever way you look at it. However, the fun and exciting part always comes when you are presented with the in-flight meal because at least you have something to do and keep yourself busy. Turkish Airlines has stylish menus, which they hand out to all the passengers in all the cabins prior to the meal service. Turkish Do&Co, the gourmet entertainment company, provides in-flight catering at Turkish Airlines with their colourful and inspiring menus containing equally sensational dishes. All the menus come written in both English and Turkish. A la carte menus were provided in Business Class while set meals were provided in the Economy Class. For starters, the following options were provided in Business Class: · Roast beef with balsamic sauce, avocados, tomatoes and black olives · Marinated prawns with mustard dressing, grilled asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, with parmesan Talking of asparagus, Business Class passengers had the option of tucking into the traditional Turkish asparagus soup decorated with asparagus tips. Now, that is just sheer luxury food that no one should take for granted- not even when you are cruising. For the main course, there were three options available in Business Class: · Grilled salmon with herbed butter, sautéed asparagus, roasted tomato, saffron risotto · Ricotta ravioli with alfredo sauce, sautéed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, parmesan · Fillet of lamb with rosemary sauce, pan-fried vegetables polenta Despite both the salmon and the ravioli having equally top quality taste I went for the grilled salmon. Having grilled salmon as part of a five-star in-flight meal is a luxury, though perhaps it’s not the real experience as one would have if they were eating in a restaurant at ground level. Accompanying the main dish were the following side dishes: · Spicy lentil salad · Leeks in olive oil · Small portion of chopped up tomatoes and cucumbers The cabin crew twice offered a generous helping of a selection of warm oven fresh bread from the basket- once before the main course and then again during the main course. The dessert tray contained the following: · Selection of cheese · Selection of fresh seasonal fruit · Green tea ice-cream · Various petit desserts including Turkish baklava and Turkish Delight (can’t be Turkish if you don’t have ‘Turkish Delight’, right?). · Baked apples with mascarpone cream Stainless steel cutlery in the Business Class cabins is provided by ‘Isik’, and proudly displays the engraved symbols ‘THY’ followed by the Turkish Airlines logo. All other cutlery in business and business class cabins is provided in fine bone china, again with the Turkish Airlines logo and black ‘THY’ symbol engraved at the bottom of each piece. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: Passengers were treated to a selection of freshly brewed coffee, which included both western coffee and Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee has a slightly stronger flavour and is normally taken without milk. A lovely cube of Turkish Delight is accompanied with the Turkish coffee. There was also a variety of digestives available including Baileys, Cointreau and Hennessey XO. A lovely freshly brewed coffee with Baileys did the trick! Throughout the flight, passengers were able to enjoy a variety of snacks including dried apricots, dried sultanas, fresh fruit, and free flowing drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) from the galley. Passengers could also ask for Turkish specialities such as the ayran, a traditional Turkish drink, which consists of yogurt blended in with warm water and some salt. It can make you have an enjoyable sleep. The senior purser gave me a couple of glasses to try- it was good stuff (even after drinking the freshly brewed coffee with Baileys). Comments regarding the second meal (breakfast): Since this was a 12-hour flight, so there was plenty of time to relax and eat dinner and then go to sleep. Dinner was completed around 2 hours into the flight, which meant that passengers had around 8 hours of sleep before they were to be treated to the best meal of the day (or in this case- of this flight). Of course, those who did not want to be disturbed were left to snooze off for as long as they wished (though, they missed a delicious breakfast). Starters: To wake up the senses the following drinks were offered: A choice of freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh carrot juice, mango smoothie, tomato juice, coffee, decaffeinated coffee, hot chocolate, black tea with milk, or lemon juice. In addition to the main hot breakfast dish, the following was available: Yoghurt, Muesli, and beef pastrami and turkey ham Main Course: There were two options for the main course, including: Herb and mushroom omelette, broccoli and cherry tomatoes, and fried potatoes Scrambled eggs with fresh chives, tomato and cheese toast, sautéed mushrooms, and cherry tomato. I opted for the richly decorated herb and mushroom omelette. This was a very colourful dish, which contained plenty of flavours to absorb such as the cherry tomatoes and the fried potatoes. The crunchiness of the potatoes blended in well with the well cooked omelette. Additionally: The following were also served in generous portions: Seasonal fresh fruit Selection of cheese Ovenfresh bread selection including croissant ve Danish pastry All meal trays in all classes come complimentary with a disposable toothpick and dental floss. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: Huge headphones with noise cancellation technology were offered in the Business Class cabin. The 15.6-inch PTV screen, which is fixed at the back of every Business Class seat can be used to watch movies, choose any kinds of music to play, watch how your flight is progressing, catch up on current affairs, or play computer games with. The digital AVOD (Audio Video on Demand) in-cabin entertainment system is in use on this route. Passengers can select their program either from the panel in the arm of the seat or simply by touching the screen. Programs the AVOD system fall into three categories: 'Information', 'Entertainment' and 'Communications'. Altogether, there are over 120 channels and levels of entertainment to absorb during your flight. Then there is always the five-star quality in-flight magazine of Turkish Airlines, SkyLife, to keep you mesmerized with many stories and useful information. Connections enabling passengers to listen to, or watch on their individual screens, content on their personal iPods or USB devices are available on this aircraft (the Airbus A340-300). Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very hospitable. Turkish Airlines is all about providing true, honest, and genuine Turkish hospitality at its best. All the cabin crew on all Turkish Airlines flights around the world are native people of Turkey. Turkish Airlines does not employ cabin crew who do not hold a Turkish nationality. So therefore, when operating on flights out of exotic destinations such as Guangzhou, Delhi, Tokyo, and so on, there is always a Turkish member of crew who can speak in the local language. Like for example on our flight, one of the cabin crew could speak fluent Cantonese and Mandarin, and he is especially on the China routes because of his language skills. Likewise, on a flight to Tokyo, you will find a Turkish cabin crew that can speak fluent Japanese, and so on. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat business): The Airbus A340-300 has a two class configuration: Business and Economy Class. The Business Class seats on the Airbus A340-300 have an incredibly spacious 2-2-2 seat configuration. The Business Class seat has a 60” pitch, and a width of 21”, and unfolds into an almost flat bed (not completely 180 degrees recline). On the Boeing 777-300ER and the Airbus A330-300 the Business Class seats unfold into a flatbed, however on the Airbus A340-300 the beds are still very comfortable with a 13” inch recline. Passengers are provided with a soft blanket, padded slippers, and a complimentary luxury amenity kit before going to sleep. The Business Class amenity kit is different for long haul flights that leave Istanbul from those flights that fly into Istanbul. For our flight flying into Istanbul from Guangzhou, the amenity kit was provided by Lanvin. The stylish amenity kit bag contained the following: A quality toothbrush with a tube of Colgate toothpaste, a high quality eyeshade, earplugs, a pair of luxury socks that have soft pads on the soles, a foldable comb, and a shoe stick. A Lanvin lip balm and a Lanvin skin moisturiser was also provided. For long haul flights flying out from Istanbul, Business Class passengers get a stylish Crabtree and Evelyn kit. Equally well, the Economy Class amenity kit is also very colourful and user friendly. It’s the first airline I have been on where the amenity kit bag is made up of a pencil box with a painting on it. Inside the ‘pencil box’ style amenity kit box is a toothbrush and toothpaste, eyeshades, socks, and a lip balm. Each Business Class seat has lovely suede leather and cotton material that is pleasing for the eye. Each seat in Business Class has electronic buttons on the bottom left hand corner that control the seats movements. Each seat in Business Class comes with its own personal night light that is easy to control. The food tray is neatly placed inside the left hand armrest, while the personal TV (PTV) screen is neatly placed in the right hand armrest. Business Class passengers are provided with leather headrests that fold 90 degree into the seat. There is also AC power and power available for your laptop built in every seat. This is a very convenient feature. Turkish Airlines logo and livery: The airline's striking logo consists of a crane flying inside a white circle symbolizing the common migration of the birds in Turkey. The logo is a crane bird with wings above the body. The simple yet powerful design of the wings also refers to the crescent in the Turkish flag. The "Eurowhite" livery consists of a snow white coloured fuselage with large navy blue ‘TURKISH AIRLINES’ lettering across the starboard and port side in capitals. On some smaller aircraft, such as the Airbus A330 and the Boeing 737-800, the word ‘TURKISH’ is written in capital navy blue letters, while ‘AIRLINES’ is displayed right underneath in light grey colours. The national flag of Turkey is displayed about one foot to the right hand side of the blue lettering. A huge silver coloured tulip is painted on the fuselage, running from the rear of the wing to the tail. The belly of the fuselage is painted in light grey. Every plane is named after a city or town in Turkey, or any of the seas and lakes scattered around the Turkey’s coastal waters. The tailfin of the aircraft is painted in a bright red colour with the company logo wrapped in a white circle. Recently a new logo was unveiled where the main change on the fin has been that the emblem is now white and on a red background, while it was formerly red and on a white background. The inscription "Turkish" has been replaced with "Turkish Airlines" on the front-left and front-right sides of the fuselage. The "Eurowhite" livery (a white fuselage with blue lettering) and a grey tulip figure on the fuselage (running from the rear of the wing to the tail) have remained the same. Priestmangoode is the company responsible behind the re-branding of Turkish Airlines as a key part of the airline’s strategy to position itself as a major European carrier. Priestmangoode delivered a complete re-design, starting with new interiors across the entire Turkish fleet. Official SKYTRAX World's 5-Star Airline Cathay Pacific Airways is an international award-winning scheduled airline registered and based in Hong Kong, offering passenger and cargo services to 162 destinations in 42 countries and territories around the world. At the time of writing Cathay Pacific is one of only six global airlines that are ranked as a 5-star airline by SKYTRAX (the highest ranking for global airline quality).
The company was founded in Hong Kong in 1946 by two visionaries, Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow, who both paid HK$1 apiece to register the airline. They named the airline, Cathay Pacific Airways. Cathay is the ancient name for China, while Pacific was named because far-sighted Farrell believed that one day the airline might fly across the Pacific Ocean. The airline initially started services with two US Army surplus Douglas DC-3 Dakota aircraft: Betsy and Niki. The former aircraft, Betsy is repainted in her original 1940s livery, and is suspended from the ceiling at the Hong Kong Science Museum. Cathay Pacific Airways remains deeply committed to its home base, and has in recent years made substantial investments to develop Hong Kong as one of the world’s leading international aviation hubs. In addition to its fleet of 136 aircraft, (includes 26 cargo freight aircraft), these investments include catering and ground-handling companies and the corporate headquarters at Hong Kong International Airport. Cathay Pacific continues to invest heavily in its home city and has another 94 new aircraft due for delivery up to 2019 (including the 48 A350-XWB (Extra Wide Body)). The airline is also building its own cargo terminal in Hong Kong that will begin operations in early 2013. Cathay Pacific is also investing heavily in its freighter aircraft, with six Boeing 747-400ERFs, and 10 new generation Boeing 747-8Fs being scheduled for delivery by the beginning of 2013. Cathay Pacific owns 19.53% of Air China Limited, the national flag carrier and a leading provider of passenger, cargo and other airline-related services in Mainland China. Cathay Pacific is also the major shareholder in Air Hong Kong, an all-cargo carrier offering scheduled services in the Asian region. In November 2012, Cathay Pacific Airways was named Best Airline in the World and Best Airline First Class in the 2012 Business Traveller China Awards. The annual awards, now in their eighth year, reflect the highest praise bestowed by China’s frequent travellers on various service providers with connections to the Mainland. The awards were presented in Shanghai in November 2012 as Business Traveller China celebrated its 10th anniversary. The results of the 2012 awards were based on the magazine’s reader poll which ran from July to September this year. Commenting on the awards, Cathay Pacific Chief Executive John Slosar said: “It is a great honour for our airline to receive these two awards from Business Traveller China. As Hong Kong’s home carrier, we have worked hard to develop a world-class international network from our home city, offering passengers top-notch products and the best service in the air. We are deeply committed to developing Hong Kong as a premier aviation hub and gateway to Mainland China through building convenient connections for travellers.” Cathay Pacific and its subsidiaries employ some 29,000 people worldwide (more than 22,000 of them in Hong Kong). Cathay Pacific is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, as are its substantial shareholders Swire Pacific Limited and Air China. The airline is a proud founding member of the Oneworld alliance, with its subsidiary, Dragonair, is an affiliate member. The airline celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006; and as of October 2009, its major shareholders are Swire Pacific and Air China. It is reciprocally one of the major shareholders of Air China. Cathay Pacific currently holds the title of the world's third largest airline, measured in terms of market capitalisation, according to the International Air Transport Association. Cathay Pacific Airways recently launched a new Business Class seat on their Boeing 777-300ER, and I have decided to check it out on the Hong Kong to London Heathrow Airport route. The new business class will eventually be introduced onto the Airbus A330, and the Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Cathay Pacific Airways has four flights a day from London Heathrow Airport and Hong Kong (and four flights from Hong Kong and London Heathrow Airport), providing ample opportunities for business and leisure passengers to connect to flights throughout the Asia-Pacific, European, and Australasia regions at both ends. Being two major global economic hubs, both Hong Kong and London are key destinations for the large number of professional that are stationed at either destination. Cathay Pacific Airways has four flights a day from London Heathrow Airport and Hong Kong (and four flights from Hong Kong and London Heathrow Airport), providing ample opportunities for business and leisure passengers to connect to flights throughout the Asia-Pacific, European, and Australasia regions at both ends. Being two major global economic hubs, both Hong Kong and London are key destinations for the large number of professional that are stationed at either destination. The Boeing 777-300ER will form the backbone of Cathay Pacific's long-haul fleet, with 23 being delivered by 2011. This highly efficient aircraft will be used to enhance the airline's services on long haul and ultra-long-haul routes, primarily to North America. The Boeing 777-300 is a stretched version of the 777-200. Cathay Pacific became the first airline to acquire this efficient, high-capacity aircraft in May 1998. Route: HONG KONG (HKG) to LONDON HEATHROW (LHR) Departure date and time of flight: November 2012, 15:00 Flight number: CX253 (Cathay 253 heavy) ATC Callsign: Cathay Flight duration: 13 Hours 30 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: BOEING 777-367ER (41 aircraft of this type in service- although only 11 of those aircraft have a 4 class configuration as this aircraft.) Aircraft registration: B-KPC Aircraft Serial Number: 34432 LN:674 First flight: 25th October 2007 Aircraft delivery date: 30th October 2007 Aircraft engine types: 2 x GE GE90-115BL2 Frequent flyer programme: Marco Polo Club Marco Polo himself took many months and years to explore the world, but if you fly Cathay Pacific Airways then you can do that in a few hours, and join his exclusive club for frequent flyers at Cathay Pacific! It would be enough to make the great man jealous of those gold and diamond cardholders, were he alive today that is. Seat configuration for this aircraft: First Class: 6 suites in a 1-1-1 configuration Business Class: 53 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, Premium Economy Class: 34 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration, Economy Class: 182 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration Punctuality of the flight/route taken: We departed on time from runway 25R at Hong Kong, initially climbing to 6,000 feet before entering Guangzhou control at around 16,000 feet. The plane then headed northwards further into mainland China. The flight path took us over Lanzhou, Xi’an, and onto the trans-Siberian route over Mongolia, and Novosibirsk, before heading towards Europe. After a short 10-minute delay in the holding pattern over Lambourne, we turned 180 degrees at around 4,000 feet to establish localiser to Heathrow’s westerly runway 27R. The landing was quite shaky and it seemed to come across that he was coming in quite fast at just over 180 knots into the wind, perhaps because of the windy weather in London. Nevertheless, the Captain managed it perfectly without problems. The aircraft docked at Terminal 3 at exactly 20:35pm local time (just a bit late). As always, the funny thing about Heathrow is that it takes 7 minutes for the plane to fly from over south London to Heathrow, and to get back home (similar distance), it took me nearly 2 hours by car! Any baggage issues: I had already checked-in my baggage at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport for this flight, so I was carefree at Hong Kong! As a Business Class passenger, the check-in baggage allowance is 30kg for one bag. On flights to, from, or via the US, Canada, and some countries in South America, 2 pieces of baggage may be checked-in with dimensions measuring up to 158cm (62 inches) in total and 32kg in weight for each bag. For all classes, each passenger (except an infant) can bring a free baggage allowance of one cabin bag not exceeding 56x36x23cm (22x14x9 inch) in size. These dimensions include wheels, handles, and side pockets. Lounge experience at Hong Kong Airport: Once the plane landed at Hong Kong, I was whisked away by the waiting VIP security to the transfer security checkpoint, and then was ushered to the Cathay Pacific Airways Lounge near gate 65 known as The Pier. Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair have five lounges at Hong Kong Chep Lap Kok Airport for their First and Business Class passengers. They are: The Wing & The Pier The Pier, and The Wing are premium lounges in addition to The Cabin and The Arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport. Located at Level 5 near gates 62-66, The Pier covers over 3900m2, and provides another alternative for the First and Business Class passengers to relax and enjoy. Both lounges have separate facilities available for Business and First Class passengers, and both offer a personalised space in tranquil surroundings. These lounges are for the classy and the chic to while away their time away from the hustle & bustle of the airport. One of the unique features at The Pier is the addition of six Day-Break Rooms. Each offers an undisturbed environment to enjoy a little extra privacy. The Cabin (for departures) & The Arrival (for arrivals) In addition to The Wing and The Pier, The Cabin is the airlines newest departure lounge at Hong Kong International Airport, conveniently located near Gate 23 on the central concourse. Contemporary, refreshing, and dynamic, The Cabin is ultra modern in design and introduces some brand new seating and dining concepts. Similar facilities as the other lounges are present at The Cabin. These include the IT Zone, The Deli (offering various Western and Asian hot and cold dishes), The Health Bar (lovely freshly made smoothies, or Chinese herbal teas anyone?), and the The Arrival lounge is the airlines new premium arrivals lounge at the Hong Kong International Airport. Once passengers on Business and First Class arrive into Hong Kong, before they commence their activities in town, the lounge enables them to get refreshed and revitalised at the arrivals lounge. The Arrival lounge is located past the arrivals hall, at the centre passage connecting Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, right below the Airport Express station. All of the lounges can be accessed by First and Business Class passengers, Gold tier members or above of The Marco Polo Club and Emerald members of Oneworld™ on Cathay Pacific or Dragonair arriving same day in Hong Kong OR transiting same day with more than 4 hours of transit time are welcomed to visit the arrivals lounge. G16 Lounge Managed by Dragonair staff and for those passengers that are connecting to Dragonair flights to/from Hong Kong airport, the G16 Lounge is located right opposite gate 16. The G16 lounge provides world-class facilities such as wireless and high-speed internet, plenty of high quality 5-star meals and drinks, and washrooms to freshen yourself before or after the flight. On my flight back from London Heathrow (separate report) to Hong Kong, I was advised to use the G16 lounge because my connecting flight was with Dragonair to Guangzhou. Passengers flying with Cathay Pacific Airways can of course, also access the G16 lounge. From The Pier Lounge to gate 24, where the aircraft was parked took around 15 minutes. Hong Kong Airport was quite busy at this time in the afternoon. Today’s flight was 97% full. Business Class, and Premium Economy Class cabins were 100% full (did someone say there is a global economic crisis?!), while First Class, and Economy Class had a few seats available. On the long haul sector, such as this one, an average Business Class seat can cost anything in the range between US$4,500-US$6,600 depending on the destination, so considering the current economic climate, if the Business Class cabin is full then you can take a guess of how much money companies and people still have! In-flight magazine: Discovery (published by ACP Magazines Asia Ltd) Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers’ in Business Class are offered hot lemon scented towels prior to departure. This is followed by a drinks service, which consists of some of the world’s finest wines, and champagne. In Business Class, the cabin crew offer five kinds of drinks prior to departure:
Both Cloud Nine, and Oriental Breeze are signature drinks provided by Cathay Pacific Airways, and both drinks are equally impressive in taste, look, and feel. The rose water really gives the Oriental Breeze a very exotic touch. It’s the kind of drink that has the power to make a sad man smile. I mean, hey come on, cheer up- you’re flying! Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Around about 35 minutes after departure, drinks were served from the trolley along with the helping of the huge Macadamia nuts, and salted almonds on bone china plates. I opted for another glass of that fine champagne (Billecart-Salmon Brut). It came to my attention that a few flights back, the Hong Kong singer Andy Lau enjoyed it so much that he drank two whole bottles of the stuff on his flight in first class! There was also the celebrated Cathay Pacific complimentary bar service for Business Class passengers, including various alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks. Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English earl grey, Ceylon, and Chinese green tea) were also available. On top of this, there were a selection of herbal teas including green tea with jasmine, peppermint, and camomile with honey. With or without the meal, the wine list included for this flight would make anyone’s mouth water: White Wines: Buissonnier Bourgogne Cote Chalonnaise 2012 Coopers Creek Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011, New Zealand Red Wines: Chateau Taffard de Blaignan Medoc 2009, French (Bordeaux) Gemtree Bloodstone McLaren Vale Shiraz 2010, Australia Port: Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port, 2007 Ample choice of whiskies (Chivas Regal 12 Year old, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Canadian Club, and Jack Daniel’s), Cognac (Hine, ‘rare and delicate’ fine champagne), and various beers, aperitifs & cocktails, and liqueurs. Comments regarding the first meal (lunch): For the first meal, a choice of four entrées were provided– all selected from a superb range of Asian and Western dishes. Meals are served on a low trolley that gives the passenger an inviting eye-level choice of what's on offer and the airline is also introducing new food service items with a more Asian feel in their business class. All food in the business class cabins in Cathay Pacific is served on elegant bone china tableware specially designed and exclusively produced by Narumi of Japan. Starters:
The roasted potatoes may have been slightly hard, but the salmon’s exceptionally awesome taste certainly did the trick in disguising that fact. What I really liked about the salmon were the sprinkled spices and pepper, which were spread right the way across the skin of the meat. A wonderful touch to the touch. The fresh taste of the salmon reminded me of a similar dish I had at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong earlier this year. Main Course: There were four options for the main course, including:
The main course came with a large bone china bowl containing a generous amount of fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette (provided by Birch & Waite). There was a generous serving of soft and hard bread rolls from the breadbasket. Oh, and then there are those cute salt and pepper pots- they look like tiny mice (not sure if that would be appealing when you pour your salt and pepper on your delicious meal). *This dish is a signature Chinese dish provided by Cathay Pacific to showcase the best of Hong Kong’s culinary magic. Authentic Chinese dishes on Cathay Pacific, such as this one, are specially created by the culinary experts at Cathay Pacific city, and selected by the passengers. I opted for ‘prawn curry’. Delicious chunky king prawns that go fine with steamed white rice, and some boiled white cabbage. The good thing about those prawns was that they did not have the skin on them, so therefore all the hard work hard already been done. All you had to do was eat them, and enjoy them bite by bite. Passengers in Business and First Class are treated like royalty, and it’s almost as if you are dining at a 5-star restaurant, albeit in the sky. Cathay Pacific Airways is one of the first airlines to have rice cookers, toasters and skillets on board, enabling their flight attendants to prepare freshly cooked rice, toast, and eggs to your liking. First Class passengers can also go à la carte, choose their own meals, and dine anytime they wish. It’s amazing how much we take flying for granted these days. Call me nuts but I love planes, and as an engineer by background, I could not help to notice a few things on the aircraft. One of the things that I always wonder is the serene feeling of flying at night, and the questions such as: ‘Are we really flying at 670mph?!’, and ‘Is it really -59 Celsius degrees just outside that window?!’. Talking about meals on the go, I finished my meal in about 20 minutes, during that time we had travelled around about 223 miles. Now, which restaurant in the world offers you that experience?! The weirdest thing that I have experienced on flights was a physical fight between two drunken passengers. It happened on an Aeroflot flight in October 1988 from London Heathrow to Moscow on the IL-62 aircraft, at around 37,000 feet. Now, for someone standing at the ground, it would have looked comical to see a bunch of drunken passengers throwing punches at each other in a metal tube whizzing past at around 600mph! Cheese & Dessert:
The highlight of the dessert has to be the blueberry and raspberry tarts. Each of these dishes were topped with fresh blueberries or raspberries (which also added a healthy touch to the creamy and heavy dish). The plate of fresh seasonal fruit was equally well dressed. Generous portions of kiwi fruit, mango, melon, and watermelon were provided. The skin had been taken off, so all the hard work had been done for you (passengers are spoilt on Cathay Pacific). Most other airlines are going with Godiva or some other luxury chocolates. It’s nice to see that Cathay Pacific Airways does offer something different for their Business and First Class passengers, and Praline Belgium chocolates are just delicious. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: A second round of drinks was offered after the meal. This included coffee and tea (green tea and earl grey tea). I ordered a cup of coffee. Should any passenger want wine or champagne (even if it is the morning!), then these drinks are served in exclusively designed glassware. In-flight snacks:
After that first meal, my stomach was full like a sack of potatoes so I had no space for any in-flight snacks. Nevertheless, I did happen to witness the creation of a fine bowl of soya duck soup! It was very impressive to know that Cathay Pacific’s night time snacks would easily look like a normal meal on a not so plush airline (maybe some unmentionable 3-star airline?!). The soup is served with Cathay Pacific branded chopsticks, and a sauce provided by Lee Kum Kee. In true Cantonese style, Cathay Pacific Airways feed you like there is no tomorrow. Comments regarding the second meal (dinner): The dinner service started around two hours prior to landing at Heathrow. Starters: Fresh seasonal fruit Generous and colourful portions of pineapple, strawberry, melon, watermelon, and kiwi- all well placed on a banana leaf, which gives it that exotic look. Of course, the banana leaf is placed on a bone china plate. Main Course: There were three options for the main course, including:
I opted for very colourful ‘spinach and ricotta’ dish, which could easily make it for the ‘meal of your life’ title. Dashing cherry tomatoes dance in with the ricotta that is as chewy as Rome’s best pizza Bianca. There are certain elements of the deliciously contrasts between the creamy tomato and the green peas. There is no rush with a dish like this, and it’s best that you take your time to enjoy every bite. Cheese & Dessert: Fruit gateau with passion fruit cream and raspberry coulis. This dish is such a great finale for the meal service, and indeed the flight too. There is a fusion of kiwi, dragon fruit, mango, strawberry, and a single blueberry neatly decorated on top of the cake. A generous pouring of raspberry coulis provides a perfect ending for such a lovely flight. Every mouthful is a journey, and every mouthful brought us closer to our destination! All meal trays in all classes come complimentary with a disposable toothpick and dental floss. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: The new Business Class seat has a 15.4” personal television screen (PTV) that can be pulled out of the front bay with a click of a button. If you are seated in the middle aisle seat then during take-off, landing, and taxi, you end up looking at your neighbours PTV. Each PTV comes with Audio and Video on Demand (AVOD), offering a choice of over 100 movies, over 500 TV shows, 888 music CDs, 22 radio channels, and over 70 games – and with 10 languages represented, you’re sure to find something you enjoy. Huge headphones with noise cancellation technology are presented to every passenger in First, Business, and Premier Economy Class cabins. When it comes to entertainment, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Connections enabling passengers to listen to, or watch on their individual screens, content on their personal iPods or USB devices are available on this aircraft (the Boeing 777-300ER). The PTV screens are slight bigger in the First Class cabin (17”), while the rest of the entertainment facilities are the same as Business and Premier Economy Class cabins. The music played upon boarding and upon dis-embarking the aircraft changes every month on Cathay Pacific flights. Some of the tunes played include ‘Faith’ by Medwyn Goodall, and ‘Feel’, by Robbie Williams. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew appear to have been trained very well, and seem to know how to handle all kinds of situations. The trainers must have had everything thrown at them, ranging from rowdy passengers to those having a nervous breakdown. These people are amazing. They really do pamper you. To the outsider it may seem that being cabin crew is an easy job, however in fact it’s a very challenging job, and there is more to the job then just handing out the meals. With many months of hard work and training under their belt, cabin crew members are chosen very carefully by the airline. God forbid, if anything happens on a flight (could be anything ranging from ill passengers, fights, drunken passengers, hijackings, and even pregnancies!), then it is the cabin crew who have to handle with such situations in a calm and cool manner. It certainly takes a certain personality to do such a job, and with a constant smile on their face too ( a genuine one). Like they say in the corporate world, you may have the best brand in the world, but that brand is worth nothing if it not for the people that make great things happen for that brand. Cathay Pacific's current uniforms are designed by renowned Hong Kong designer, Eddie Lau. Ladies wear a red skirt with a white blouse that has the ‘brushwing’ logo in gold and red colours. The ladies also have a bright red blouse jacket which they can wear- matching with the red skirt. The gentlemen wear black starched trousers with a white shirt. Along with that the men wear a red tie with black stripes (junior cabin crew), or a gold tie with black stripes (senior cabin crew). Cathay Pacific Airways stand by their words, and truly give a 5-star service. If you are a frustrated passenger (for whatever reason), then let me reassure you that the cabin crew are always trying to go through great trouble to make your flight as comfortable as possible. I am saying this from personal experience. As a frustrated passenger (we have all been in that situation at some point or another in our lives), it can be easy for some of us to lose their cool when things are not going as we expect them to be. It’s because of the professionalism and integrity of the cabin crew that the airline is classed as a truly 5-star airline that endeavours to provide a truly 5-star service to its customers. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The new Business Class cabin is fitted with the spanking new fully flat bed, which is just over 2 metres (82 inches) long. All the Business Class seats on Cathay Pacific aircraft were designed by James Park Associates, and Recaro Aircraft Seating. All First Class seats were designed by Zodiac UK, and Economy and Premier Economy Class seats were designed James Park Associates and Zodiac USA. A bed extension increases its width by 16.5 cm (6.5 inches) to provide additional hip support, while the side storage compartment offers extra knee space for sleeping on one’s side. In addition, if you need more space during your sleep, then the armrest may be moved up for more privacy, or down for more space. The Business Class seat can recline 180 degrees into a comfortable full-length, fully flat bed that ensures one experience a comfortable sleep. It’s this kind of legacy that would have made both Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow proud of the hard work put in by the senior management at Cathay Pacific city. Indeed, it was their profound vision to make every passenger love their flight experience with Cathay Pacific Airways and with a bed such this, the airline lives up to their expectations and dreams. There is certainly plenty of space available. I had my camera bag (which is annoyingly big), plus my laptop (I seldom have to sleep on a daytime flight so I end up working!), AND my carrier bag. All of these were neatly stored before departure. Oh, there is also space for you to put your shoes during the long flight so you can sit like as if you are sitting on your sofa at home. The Business Class cabins on all aircraft have artwork displayed in front of the cabin by Maria Lobo. The side cabinet houses not only the headset and a vanity mirror (nice addition…you can imagine the celebs putting on their best look prior to landing), but has room for small items such as glasses and other minor but important things – and the cabinet door doubles as a privacy divider. Then there is are minor but important touches such as the personal reading light (with adjustable brightness) and a personal stowage compartment with space for a water bottle and magazines. For long haul flights, the Business Class amenity kits are provided by the renowned French label agnès b, and feature select skincare products from American brand Murad (body cream,, face cream, and lip balm), and other essentials, such as a toothbrush and toothpaste (generously large tube by Colgate-Palmolive). Murad also provide the skincare and washroom toiletries for the Business and First Class toilets. The amenity kit bags are coloured separately for male (black with gold writing), and female (light blue with gold writing). First Class passengers on long haul flights would be glad to know that Cathay Pacific Airways changes their amenity kits every 6 months or every year (depending on the popularity from passengers). At the time of writing, female First Cclass passengers are treated to amenity kits featuring an exclusive design by renowned Italian fashion house Trussardi. The leading Italian brand cooperated with Hong Kong-based designer Michael Young as part of a collaboration launched to celebrate the fashion house’s 100th anniversary. Trussardi was founded in 1911 and since then has provided an absolute expression of Italian quality and maximum expertise in leather work. Cathay Pacific General Manager Product Alex McGowan said: “Cathay Pacific is excited to partner with Trussardi in creating a new amenity bag for female passengers travelling in First Class. Trussardi is renowned for its attention to detail, choice of materials and innovation – attributes that support the service we provide to our premium passengers. Designed by Michael Young, this product is aesthetically engaging as well as highly functional.” The half-pleated travel kit in cream and dark beige colours will feature Aēsop skincare products from Australia, made using plant-based ingredients of the highest quality as well as non-botanical elements. The First Class amenity kit for male passengers will be an expanded version of the current understated yet stylish black pouch from Ermenegildo Zegna, an Italian fashion brand known for its enduring passion for fabric, innovation, and quality. The pouches will continue to feature specially selected skincare products from another Italian luxury brand, Acca Kappa, including sandalwood products designed to keep passengers’ skin refreshed and revitalised. The Business Class amenity kits include a dental set and earplugs; a comb and shoehorn for men; and a hairbrush and cotton pads for the women. The disposable toothbrush and shoehorn for male passengers are made mainly from cornstarch and cellulose, which are biodegradable, recyclable and use fewer production resources. First Class passengers on long haul flights are also treated to complimentary pyjamas slipper and eye-shades provided exclusively by Shanghai Tang (belonging to Sir David Tang - a proud Hong Kong entrepreneur). Cathay Pacific logo and livery: Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, Cathay Pacific Airways used to support a green and white striped livery. This old livery was replaced with the current "brushwing" livery In 1994 the airline announced that it would establish its new corporate identity, with a 23 million Hong Kong dollar (RM 7.3 million) program to update its image. - Cathay Pacific relaunched its corporate image in the early 1990s. Cathay Pacific commented that after building a reputation over 50 years for technical excellence and high-quality service, Cathay Pacific had no intention of changing its core values. Therefore, the new corporate identity was merely intended to communicate these values more effectively to all current and future customers. Cathay Pacific worked with Landor Associates, the world’s largest corporate identity management firm, to help create the new identity. The brushwing livery expresses the carrier’s unique character as an Asian with an international outlook. The sophistication of the logo conveys Cathay Pacific’s technical expertise and uncompromising attention to safety and reliability. The brushwing also embodies a sense of energetic flight, and being a “handmade” symbol it acknowledges the company's devotion to high standards of caring, personal service. DRAGONAIR (Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Hong Kong International, AIRBUS A330-300, BUSINESS CLASS11/25/2012
Dragonair is an award-winning regional airline of Hong Kong, and is a proud wholly owned subsidiary of the Cathay Pacific Airways Group. Formed in May 1985, and having started services initially with just one Boeing 737-200 aircraft, Dragonair has in time become one of the world’s best regional airlines.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airways, the airline operates one of the youngest and most modern fleet with 36 aircraft on scheduled services to 41 destinations in Mainland China and elsewhere in Asia using three aircraft types: Airbus A330-330, Airbus A320-200, and the Airbus A321-200. The Airbus A330-300 aircraft come in three types of configuration: type 1 aircraft are designed to carry up to 284 passengers in three classes. They are used on the Beijing and Shanghai routes; type 2 aircraft are designed to carry up to 315 passengers in two classes. They are used on the Kaohsiung and Taipei routes; and type 3 aircraft are designed to carry up to 300 passengers in two classes. They are used on the Dhaka, Bengaluru (Bangalore), Taipei, Kaohsiung and Qingdao routes. In 2011, Dragonair was voted the ‘World’s Best Regional Airline’ by Skytrax for the second consecutive year. The airline is renowned as a China expert, serving 20 cities in mainland China. Cathay Pacific is a founding member of the Oneworld alliance, with its subsidiary, Dragonair, as an affiliate member. Though the Guangzhou to Hong Kong route is only 30 minutes (can sometimes take around an hour depending on the air traffic), this route provides many connecting flights from Hong Kong to around the world with Cathay Pacific Airways or Dragonair. Guangzhou is home to millions of wealthy overseas Chinese diasporas (i.e. Canadian-Chinese, British-Chinese, Australian-Chinese, American-Chinese etc.), and so the Dragonair flight between Guangzhou and Hong Kong provides excellent and smooth connections, without the hassle of these passengers having to take hours to travel by train or bus first (and saves the headache of crossing the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border). Usually when I have flown between Hong Kong and London, I have flown directly from Hong Kong (except one time in 2004 when I did take a connecting flight from Hong Kong to Guangzhou with China Southern Airlines on their old Boeing 757-200). Therefore, this was the first time I had taken this short flight with Dragonair, and it was my first time on Dragonair! I was flying from Guangzhou to London Heathrow with Cathay Pacific Airways, and so I decided to take advantage of this useful connecting flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. It turned out to be much better than I expected. If anyone is flying from Guangzhou to London (or other destinations around the world with Dragonair or Cathay Pacific Airways), then I would highly recommend this connection because the quality of comfort, service, and the professionalism of the staff is one of the best in the world. Check it out: Departure date and time of flight: November 2012, 09:50am Flight number: KA783 ATC Callsign: Dragon ICAO: HDA Flight duration: 40 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: Airbus A330-342 (17 aircraft of this type in service- although only 5 of those aircraft have a configuration same as this aircraft.) Aircraft registration: B-HLB Aircraft Serial Number: 83 First flight: 9th February 1995 Aircraft delivery date: 1st March 2011 (aircraft was previously with Cathay Pacific Airways since 1995) Aircraft engine types: 2 x Rolls Royce Trent 772-60 Frequent flyer programme: Marco Polo Club Seat configuration for this aircraft: 44 business class in a 2-2-2 configuration 267 economy class in a 2-4-2 configuration Punctuality of the flight/route taken: Departed on time, and landed on time as well. The short flight provides a very non-scenic route from Guangzhou to Hong Kong because of the dusty and cloudy skies over Guangdong province. The flight leaves Guangzhou, and goes over Panyu, Dongguan, Zhuhai, and then straight down towards Hong Kong approach (or sometimes goes over Macau first then back into Hong Kong). For this short flight (around 73 miles distance), we climbed to 24,000 feet within 10 minutes, and then started the decent soon afterwards. Lounge experience at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport: First class and business class passengers flying with Dragonair and Cathay Pacific Airways from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport can enjoy the Sky Pearl Club Lounge provided by China Southern Airlines. It’s a quiet place where you can check your e-mail (complimentary fast internet access), have a foot massage with the automated massage chair, or eat some of the available snacks. In regards to the food, while the Chinese options are one of the best you can get (delicious Cantonese congee, and morning Dim Sum!), the Western options on the other hand are not quite what you would expect. For example the biscuits and cakes tasted soggy, and the English tea would make the board at Twinning’s laugh their heads off. I don’t blame the staff at China Southern Airlines because making Western tea, or knowing what style of food their Western clientele require is perhaps a new idea for them, or maybe they have not been trained properly. Either way, I was in no place to complain, and just whiled away my time with a pot of freshly made Cantonese Dim Sum (that’s more like it!). Any baggage issues: As a business class passenger, the check-in baggage allowance is 30kg for one bag. On Cathay Pacific flights to, from, or via the US, Canada, and some countries in South America, 2 pieces of baggage may be checked-in with dimensions measuring up to 158cm (62 inches) in total and 32kg in weight for each bag. For all classes, each passenger (except an infant) can bring a free baggage allowance of one cabin bag not exceeding 56x36x23cm (22x14x9 in) in size. These dimensions include wheels, handles and side pockets. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: I arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport at 7.30am (well in advance for the 9:50am flight). The staff at Guangzhou airport were polite and friendly. I was informed that I would be the only passenger in business class on the short flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, which was great. I had all of the 44 seats to myself! Some people may ask why someone should take a 30-minute flight when you can easily take a coach or high-speed train to the heart of Hong Kong? Well, the answer is that if you are going to go to central Hong Kong for business or pleasure, then it is not worth taking the flight from Guangzhou because if you add up all the times from the different formalities (i.e. getting to/from the airport at both ends, check-in, waiting, and the 30-minute flight itself), then taking the flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong (and vice-versa) takes slightly longer than taking a train or a coach. (the flight also costs a lot too compared with taking a train or coach to Hong Kong). However, the flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong is very useful for those wishing to connect to onwards flights to the rest of the world with Cathay Pacific Airways or Dragonair. It saves a lot of hassle by taking the flight from Guangzhou, and you can connect direct from Hong Kong without the worry of having to take care of your luggage (especially if it is heavy!). In-flight magazine: Silkroad (published by ACP Magazines Asia Limited) Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Business class passengers were offered a choice of champagne, orange juice, tomato juice, and apple juice out of a hand tray service provided by the crewmembers. A choice of either sparkling or still mineral water is also offered. There is a 500mL bottle of Evian water behind each business class seat. The signature drink to try is the ‘Dragon Sunrise’- a refreshing fusion of gin with fresh guava, and fresh lemon juice. All business class passengers are handed out hot hand towels just prior to the meal service. Comments regarding the meal: For such a short flight, there is no formal meal service. It only takes around 10 minutes after take-off before the Captain announces that we are going to commence the decent into Hong Kong! Dragonair offer scrumptious onboard menu choices that are changed every two weeks. Business class passengers are presented a box containing four types of assorted cold canapés and fresh fruit. On this flight, my box contained: · Smoked halibut · Roast beef and gherkin · Asparagus and eggplant tortilla · Fresh fruit (cute slices of dragon fruit, kiwi, watermelon, and pineapple) Though not required for such a short flight, food is usually served on stylish china tableware specially adapted from the Lifestyle collection of Wedgwood from the UK. To enjoy the food at its freshest, it’s best to consume it before landing. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks was offered after the meal. This included coffee and tea (green tea and black tea). I ordered a cup of coffee; however by the time it was delivered the plane was in its decent into Hong Kong. The lovely crew members poured the coffee into a wide-sided plastic cup so it would not be so hot, but just lukewarm enough to drink. Should any passenger want wine or champagne (even if it is the morning!), then these drinks are served in exclusively designed glassware. The champagne is provided by the award-winning Piper-Heidsieck Brut. The wine list for this flight included: White Wines: Macon Villages Blanc, Vaucher Pere & Fils, Burgundy 2010, France Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay, Livermore Valley & San Francisco, California 201, U.S.A. Red Wines: Cotes de Duras, Baron de Venzac 2012, France Luis Felipe Edwards, Family Selection, Gran Reserva, Shiraz 2012, Chile. Some of the specialties on Dragonair include: Fook Ming Tong Chinese tea, Fujian first class oolong tea, Hong Kong style milk tea, Fuding jasmine silver fur tea, and freshly brewed coffee. Comments on the in-flight system (if any): Each seat features a 10.4" personal video screen (same size in both economy and business class cabins). Each flight has a choice of 10 PTV video channels and 16 audio channels from Dragon On Air in-flight entertainment programming. Though on such a short flight, there was hardly any need to watch any programs, except for the moving map which is also displayed on the huge screen at the front of the cabin. The music played upon boarding and disembarking the aircraft is changed every month. On this flight we had ‘Hero’ by Andy Findon (on-boarding), and ‘Tsubame Ni Naritai’ by Chen Min. All aircraft have the Airbus KID 110V AC SkyPower in-seat power outlet for laptop computer and portable electronic devices in every seat. This requires no adapter cable. Dragonair was the first airline to offer this technology within the operational network for mainland China. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The staff are very proud of their brand image and represented their airline at the highest level possible. When under a situation of high pressure, the staff seemed to act with professionalism and integrity. The cabin crew uniform design consists of a black blouse with thin red stripes, and a neck silk scarf in navy blue and red colours. Dragonair's current uniforms are designed by renowned Hong Kong designer, Eddie Lau. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): For A330-300 on which I was flying, the business class cabin accommodates 44 passengers in a 2-2-2 seat design while economy class cabin caters for 267 passengers in a 2-4-2 setting. The seats in economy class on the Airbus A330-300 have a pitch of 32” recline, and are 17.5” wide. The seats in business and economy class are manufactured by various suppliers: BE aerospace, Zodiac France, Geven aircraft seating, Recaro Aircraft Seating, while those in first class are manufactured by Zodiac. Business class seats on the Airbus A330-300 have a pitch of 63” recline (flatbed), and are 26.5” wide. The minimum in-flight sleeping angle is of 6.8° (when airborne). Each seat has an extendable leg rest, and a footrest, as well as a six-way adjustable headrest. The business class seat is ergonomically designed to be comfortable whether the passenger is working or relaxing. The business class cabin is upholstered in a refreshing and contemporary aqua blue; while the economy class is upholstered in shades of aqua blue, imperial red, and sky blue. Dragonair logo and brand livery Dragonair’s livery consists of having an all white fuselage, and underbelly. The tailfin consists of a imperial red dragon against a white background, and the same design is applied to the engines. At the front of the fuselage, just before the first cabin door, and below the cabin windows the words ‘DRAGONAIR’ are printed in English, in black ink and in capital letters; while the Chinese equivalent is printed in imperial red ink, and above the cabin windows (above the English words). The tips of the wings are coloured in imperial red ink. Below the tailfin, just in front of the back cabin door, is the flag of the Swire Group. The current Dragonair logo, modified from the previous version, was introduced in 1993 coinciding with the delivery of Dragonair's new fleet of Airbus A320s back then, with a new livery. The livery design gives a streamlined and contemporary look that reflects the dynamism and energy of the airline. Aircraft are given a pristine, overall white look, with the Dragonair name in clean black lettering. Red is used in the Chinese version of the name and in the dragon motif, in a strong and sophisticated shade. While Dragonair has been a wholly owned by the Cathay Pacific Group since September 2006, the airline continues to operate as a separate airline under its own Air Operator’s Certificate. The Dragonair brand remains unchanged and the airline’s own 2,400 staff consisting of cockpit and cabin crew fly its own aircraft in the existing livery. In 2010, Dragonair celebrated its 25th anniversary, and to mark the auspicious occasion, an Airbus A330-300 was painted in a special livery with the red dragon painted across the whole fuselage against a backdrop of Hong Kong’s skyline in green. Just under the cockpit windows it writes ‘Hong Kong’ in capital letters, and there is a painting of the famous Hong Kong Star Ferry. China Southern Airlines was formed on 1st July 1988 and is one of the three major carriers in China. The airline’s hub is at the ultra-modern Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport- which has in time become China’s 3rd busiest airport, as well as becoming a major international passenger and cargo hub . China Southern Airlines has 450 aircraft, including 4 Airbus A380-800 aircraft, the largest aircraft in the world. The airline has 4 of the 787 Dreamliner on order, which should commence service in late 2012. The airline has also got another 126 aircraft on order at the time of writing. China Southern is a proud member of SkyTeam and together the 16 member airlines offer its 384 million annual passengers a worldwide system of more than 14,500 daily flights covering 958 destinations in 173 countries. In 2010, China Southern Airlines reported a net profit of CNY5.8 billion ($883 million). In 2011, China Southern Airlines earned four-star status from Skytrax, the world’s most prestigious airline performing evaluation organization. China Southern ordered five A380s in April, 2005, becoming the first A380 client in China. China Southern Airlines is the seventh A380 operator. In October 2012, China Southern Airlines started using the A380-841 on the Guangzhou to Los Angles route, and also started using the A380 on the Guangzhou to Shanghai Pudong route as a test route. The fifth and final A380 aircraft for China Southern Airlines will be delivered in late 2012 or early 2013. The configuration for the domestic flights is that the First Class suites are known as ‘Deluxe First Class’, and the Business Class is known as ‘First Class’. For international flights, such as the Guangzhou to Los Angles route, China Southern Airlines will use the First Class and Business Class as names for the respective cabins on the Airbus A380. At the moment of writing there are 2 daily flights between Guangzhou and Beijing (and vice-versa). I decided to check out their brand new Business Class cabins (known as First Class on the domestic route) of this brand new aircraft that just entered service in September with the airline. Route: BEIJING CAPITAL (PEK) – GUANGZHOU BAIYUN (CAN) Departure date and time of flight: November 2012 Flight number: CZ3104 (ICAO callsign: “China Southern 3104 heavy”) IATA Code: CZ IACO Callsign: CHINA SOUTHERN Flight duration: 2 Hours 15 minutes Class: FIRST CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A380-800 (4 aircraft in service) Aircraft delivery date to CZ: 14th September 2012 Aircraft registration: B-6139 (first flight 26th March 2012) Engines: 4 x Rolls Royce Trent 970 Aircraft Serial Number: 88 Frequent flyer programme: Sky Pearl Club Seat configuration for this aircraft: First Class (known as deluxe first class on domestic routes): 8 Suites in a 1-1-1-1 configuration Business Class (known as first class on domestic routes): 70 seats in a 1-1-1-1 configuration, Economy Class: 428 seats in a 3-4-3 configuration (lower deck), and 2-4-2 configuration (upper deck) Any baggage issues: China Southern Airlines flies from Terminal 2 at Beijing Airport. Terminal 2 has been designated as the terminal used by airline companies that are members of the SkyTeam Alliance. First and Business Class passengers have a separate checking-in area which makes the whole experience a quick, smooth and hassle free one. After checking-in First and Business Class passengers can have the special privilege of walking on the red carpet that leads to a separate security and customs area just for First and Business Class passengers. The whole process from check-in to the airline lounge and gate takes around 10 minutes at the most. It’s very convenient. Gate 21 is specially used for the Airbus A380-800 flights from Guangzhou to Beijing. Terminal 2 has two sections, a domestic flights section and an international flights section. Each piece of checked baggage may not exceed 50kg in weight and 40*60*100cm in dimension. For the domestic routes, every piece of check-in baggage cannot exceed 50kg and must be under a volume of 40x60x100cm; for international or regional routes, every piece of check-in baggage cannot exceed 32kg, and the total sum of the three edges of each piece should not exceed 158cm (or 62 in). Baggage not within the specified range cannot be transported unless approved by China Southern Airlines otherwise. The free baggage allowance (including checked and carry-on baggage) for all passengers of domestic routes is: 40kg for First Class passengers, 30kg for Business Class passengers and 20kg for Economy Class passengers. Passengers with an infant-fare ticket is granted 1 kg of free baggage allowance. LOUNGE EXPERIENCE at Beijing Capital Airport Terminal 2: First and Business Class passengers flying with China Southern Airlines on domestic flights from Beijing Capital Airport can enjoy the usage of one of the three lounges: · A lounge exclusively for First and Business Class passengers · A lounge for China Southern Gold and Platinum members · A lounge for all First and Business Class passengers flying with Skyteam The lounge offers some of the finest hot and dish dishes, as well as a whole selection of hot and cold drinks. The lounge also focuses on providing an excellent array of internet facilities (all complimentary), reading materials in various languages, and live television. Clean and spacious shower and bathroom facilities are all available should one wish to use them. Punctuality of the flight, and route taken: Because of the heavy traffic in Beijing, the flight departed around 2 hours late. The Captain did everything he could to bring the flight into Guangzhou as quickly as he could. Beijing Capital Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, and certainly gets busy during the peak hours unlike some other airports around the world. However, it is also worth taking into consideration that Beijing has 3 runways, and sometimes all three are used simultaneously for take-offs or landings. So it is common to see three planes landing at the same time (each runway is spaced out by at least a mile), or likewise it’s common to see three planes taking off at the same time. Our flight was around 60% full. While Economy Class on the lower deck and the rear of the upper deck seemed to be 100% full, the Business Class (known and treated as First Class on domestic routes) on the upper deck was only around 10% full, and the real First Class (known as Deluxe First Class) was empty (only the relief Captain was in one seat). The actual flight time was 2 hours and 15 minutes, while the total time taken including delayed was 4 hours and 15 minutes (the Captain did a fantastic job in shaving off 30 minutes by flying fast). Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Business and First Class passengers are offered wet towels, and a choice of welcome alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks including apple, orange, and water. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Drinks from the trolley included red and white wine. Various juices were also offered, including orange, apple, lemon, and grapefruit. There were four types of wine on offer: Jinjue white/red wine - Chinese Dynasty white/red wine 2008 – Chinese I opted for the Dynasty Chinese wine to accompany my dinner. Comments regarding the first meal: China Southern Airlines have taken their in-flight menu to new heights in all of their international and domestic flights (OK, some domestic flights may still be an exception, but international flights have definitely been improved). For the A380 flights, the food is much better than that offered on other aircraft. This is simply because the airline wants to showcase the aircraft and its amazing product. The recipes used have been specially developed using the ingredients that are naturally high in quality, but low in salts, sugars, oil, and carbohydrates. The chefs at China Southern Airlines have made the dishes catered for both Western and Chinese tastes in mind- and that comes evident with the flavours that explode in the mouth as you take each spoonful. The dishes for the A380 services are specially designed and made by the chefs at the famous Beiyuan restaurant in Guangzhou. The restaurant is more famously known as Beiyuan, and began in 1928. It is now a brand synonymous with matchless Chinese fine dining. The exquisite culinary skill of their chefs is inspired by the Lingnan Cuisine. Liu Haisu, a renowned Chinese oil painter and art educator, once visited a banquet in this restaurant at the grand old age of 87. Whereupon it is known that he took a paint brush and wrote: ‘Fine taste that lingers infinitely’. A light dinner service consisted of the following on this A380 flight: Appetizers: Hot spicy green soy bean salad, and sweet osmanthus, lotus root stuffed with sticky rice; and chicken jelly with lily and jasmine What made this dish special were the carefully cut lotus root pieces stuffed with the sticky rice. You just can’t argue with the chefs at the Baiyun Restaurant. The chicken jelly tasted somewhat bland without any particular sweet, sour, or salty feel to it. Soup: Pigeon boiled with American ginseng and wolfberry. My first thought when this dish came forward was, ‘pigeon?, shall I eat that?!’. In fact to my nice surprise there was not a single scent of pigeon meant anywhere- it must have all dissolved in the soup! Entree: There were three options for the main course, including: Brised been tendon Braised duck with traditional secret recipe Peppered pan-fried bream fish I opted for the ‘peppered pan-fried bream fish’ dish. The fish was not spicy at all, though I do dare say that it was oily. However if you blended in a nice spoon of fish, rice and vegetables then that would have been perfect. Steamed aromatic rice accompanied the main dish. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and dessert: Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English Tetley tea, and Chinese green tea) were also available. On top of this, there were a selection of herbal teas including green tea with jasmine, peppermint, blackcurrant, and camomile with honey. On the A380 aircraft is a bar located on the lower deck behind the cockpit (for the Deluxe First Class passengers, and on the front of the upper deck for the First Class passengers (i.e. for the Business Class passengers if this were an international flight). The bars have various bottles of international and local Chinese wines, and spirits. The bar also offered the following all throughout the flight: - Sweet warm soup with white fungus, pear, and wolf berry - Fine wines, soft drinks and juices. - Seasonal fruit basket - BAXY Ice Cream BAXY ice cream is actually very nice. It is China’s answer to Haagen Dazs, and it does an equally good job too. The warm soup is a popular Cantonese dessert dish. It does not taste too sweet, but the warmth and the texture of the wolf berry blended in with the warm pear give it a truly healthy and authentic flavour. I remember trying the same dish at the Lai Heen restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou around two years ago. It was nice to try this beautiful dish on the A380 aircraft. Next to every first and business class seat there is a bottle of Chinese branded premium mineral water. Comments regarding the second meal, and drinks: Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English tea, and Chinese green tea) were also available. Just prior to landing passengers in the First and Business Class were offered a bottle of thick yoghurt and an orange. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: In-flight entertainment at China Southern Airlines has improved dramatically in the past number of years. The Personal Television (PTV) behind each seat in First and Business Class is a generous 16 inches, while in the Economy Class cabin it is 6.9 inches. There are over 400 channels offering movies, songs, serials, TV serials, and even games in at least 5 different languages (Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, and others). All Business and First Class passengers are provided with noise cancellation headphones. In Economy Class, passengers are provided with normal headphones. All seats in Business and First Class come with a plug for the laptop. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: All of the cabin crew spoke very good English, and were very professional in what they did. In complete contrast to domestic flights, China Southern Airlines seems to choose their best staff for international flights to show the perfect Guangdong hospitality. The cabin crew are all native Chinese, and came across as being very proud to work for their company. The warm welcome and the hospitality provided on China Southern Airlines is something that some Western carriers can learn from. The high quality of service and personalisation totally exceeded my expectations from this crew, and airline. Everything from the check-in process to the disembarking went smoothly. I have no doubt that China Southern Airlines will be a airline that would rival any other western 5-star airline. During the flight, I sat in the Premier First Class and had a long educated chat with the relief Captain. I asked him why the Business Class was almost empty while the Economy Class was full, and whether that would be a good business model. He told me that the A380 must have the Business and First Class full to at least 80% in order for the airline or the flight to make profit. While Economy Class was 100% full, that did not necessarily mean that the flight can hit the profits. The A380 is an amazing product, and passengers in China should feel proud to spend and enjoy the fruits of the aircrafts service and food. One-way flight tickets on Business Class from Beijing to Guangzhou start from around RMB 4000 on the A380, and considering what China Southern Airlines offers, it really is worth spending that amount of money on it for the privilege. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): All the newer aircraft have bright sky blue clothing fitted onto the Economy Class seats. The Business Class seats come in three shades of grey, while the First Class seats are fitted with royal purple clothing, and pillows with the lotus company logo. Business and First Class seats can be turned into a flatbed during night flights, while both the Economy and Premier Economy cabins have seats with a comfortable pitch. This Airbus A380 being new, and so all the main features of the plane (PTV, seat comfort, ambiance, and environment, toilets etc.) were clean and modern. Business and First Class seats also come with personal seat lamp, personal seat controls (for turning seat into a bed etc.), and a large luxurious dove feather blanket. The aircraft, which I flew on was brand new, and smelt new and fresh too! First Class seats have a fully flat bed (78 inch pitch, and 26 inch width), Business Class seats have a flat bed (78 inch pitch, 26 inch width), and Economy Class are very comfortable (37 inch pitch, 17.2 inch width). The A380 does not have a Premium Economy Class cabin. All seats in all classes have a PTV (Personal TV). The most amazing thing about flying the Airbus A380-800 is that it is quiet- remarkably quiet even on take-off and in the cruise. The quietness of the cabin allows passengers to talk to each other at ease and without the hassle of having to shout or be afraid of having your ears popped. While in the climb, the ears don’t pop either. The cabin air pressure does not make you fatigued either. You just got to thank the remarkable engineers at Airbus for creating a castle in the sky. It really is like being inside a luxurious building, but flying at 35,000 feet. People take such luxuries of life for granted without knowing how much human effort and sacrifice went into making their lives easier and comfortable. Many test pilots and engineers have probably lose their lives in the cause of making life easy for others to enjoy. The A380 is an amazing piece of technology. The stairs of the Airbus A380 on China Southern Airlines are decorated with a blue ribbon all throughout. It’s perhaps a salute and garnish to this new aircraft. China Southern Airlines logo and livery: With one of the most nostalgic airline liveries around, China Southern Airlines adorn a red lotus flower (the symbol of Guangzhou) against a sky blue background. The fin consists of this beautiful lotus flower. The fuselage is all white except the cheatlines that wrap the nose and body of the plane, but stop short of the tail of the plane. The cheatlines consist of a thick sky-blue line, with a slightly thinner gold line running below it. This pattern of sky-blue and gold is repeated below as well. Sandwiched in-between the top and bottom sky-blue and gold cheatlines is a dark blue cheatline. This dark blue cheatline widens out when it wraps the nosecone of planes. All the planes have a silver belly. The titles of China Southern are written across both sides of the fuselage in both English capital letters, and in Chinese. All planes proudly display the Sky team logo next to the cockpit window on both sides. In 2011, the China Southern Airlines logo was ranked at number 5 in the top 20 airline brands globally. In the same year China Southern Airlines was ranked 6th in the top 100 brands in China. Route: Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to Beijing Capital Airport
Departure date and time of flight: 13:30pm in November 2012 Flight Number: FM9103 Flight duration: 2 hours 20 minutes Class: First Class Aircraft type: Boeing 757-200 Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed around 30 minutes late due to the late arrival of the in-coming flight. The majority of the flights coming in from Beijing are normally delayed because of the heavy traffic at Beijing Air Traffic. On the way to Beijing I took a photo of the sky over the city, and there were at least 15 jet stream contrails! I fondly recall that Geneva and London seem to have so many jet stream contrails. Any baggage issues: No issues- I only had hand luggage. On Shanghai Airlines, First Class passengers can carry up to 40kg of luggage. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: I was originally scheduled to fly on China Eastern Airlines on their brand new Airbus A330 aircraft on this domestic route. However, 2 hours prior to the flight time I was informed by the airline that the flight had been cancelled because of some ‘technical’ issues. Therefore, I was reassigned to this Shanghai Airlines flight because China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines have a code-share agreement. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just drinks (non-alcoholic), and including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: For this two-hour flight, a light refreshment was offered in the First Class cabin. A tray containing hot dishes including: 1. Char shew crisp 2. Egg yolk in a white bun 3. Orange flavoured rice cake 4. Coffee flavoured rice cake 5. Passion fruit mousse cake 6. Platter of seasonal fruit Bread from the basket was offered as well. I took a soft bread bun. The above dishes were accompanied with tea or coffee. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered before (orange juice and water), during, and after the meal. In all there were a choice of 37 drinks in the First Class cabin. These included soft drinks, fruit juices, tea, coffee, wine, beer, and liquors. If that was not enough then try opting for a glass of fresh milk or herbal tea. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew seemed proud to work for Shanghai Airlines and were very welcoming. The passengers in First Class were kept well informed of any delays, and even the weather situation in Shanghai. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The ageing Boeing 757 aircraft belonging to Shanghai Airlines had a seat configuration of 2-2 in First Class, and a configuration of 3-3 in Economy Class. The plane was not clean and the toilets showed signs of an aged plane- quite easily in fact as it had the old 1980s style toilet as opposed to the new toilet that most modern aircraft have. The cabin crew told me that in a few years the aging 757s will be replaced with Airbus A330 or even the Boeing 787; and the remaining 757s will be re-configured into cargo aircraft. Economy Class seats have a pitch of 32 inches, and a width of 18 inches (139 seats) First Class seats have a pitch of 38 inches, and a width of 21 inches (20 seats). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 9 CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES (Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport)- BOEING 777-20010/30/2012
China Southern Airlines was formed on 1st July 1988 and is one of China's leading international scheduled airline. The airline’s hub is at the ultra-modern Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport- which has in time become China’s 3rd busiest airport, as well as becoming a major international passenger and cargo hub . China Southern Airlines has 450 aircraft, including 4 Airbus A380-800 aircraft, the largest aircraft in the world. The airline has 4 of the 787 Dreamliner on order, which should commence service in late 2012. The airline has also got another 126 aircraft on order at the time of writing. China Southern is a proud member of SkyTeam and together the 16 member airlines offer its 384 million annual passengers a worldwide system of more than 14,500 daily flights covering 958 destinations in 173 countries. In 2010, China Southern Airlines reported a net profit of CNY5.8 billion ($883 million). In 2011, China Southern Airlines earned four-star status from Skytrax, the world’s most prestigious airline performing evaluation organization.
Route: Guangzhou Baiyun International to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Departure date and time of flight: October 2012, 8:00am Flight Number: CZ3523 Flight duration: 2 hours 10 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Boeing 777-200LR Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed around 30 minutes late because of the morning rush hour at Guangzhou Airport. There were plenty of Boeing 777s lined up for take-off from Guangzhou runway 02R. Any baggage issues: No issues. I only had hand luggage to carry. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Guangzhou Airport. For domestic flights, China Southern Airlines uses check-in desks in Zone E at Terminal 2. The only major issue was the long queues at customs. There must have been thousands of people lined up and waiting to go through the security checks. Although I was on time for my flight, and had adequate time to go through security (considering the long queues), so the staff politely let me use the special VIP lane. At that point, I had the honour to meet the Captain and crew of Xiamen Airlines. They were flying to Xiamen from Guangzhou. The Captain shook my hand and told me that the queue for customs is busy every morning, and seems to be getting worse by the day. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Drinks including tea and coffee were served. Comments regarding the first meal: The breakfast tray contained the following interesting items: · Shredded chicken with ridiculously oily noodles (one meal was enough!) · A slice of melon along with a slice of passion fruit · Strawberry flavoured mousse · Chilli sauce (Chinese airlines have started to add chilli sauce to all their domestic flights in Economy Class so that passengers can feel a bit special when presented with the basic meals of an edible type food (though it did look like as if someone had stamped their feet onto the chicken noodles)). Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. Beer and other alcohol was available- though I could not imagine anyone drinking that at eight in the morning (unless they were jet lagged!). There was plenty of milk, coffee and tea. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew seemed to be busy as the flight was full, and they were polite too. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. Improvements that could be made: I cannot really comment much on the in-flight food or the environment because it was not a long flight. However, it was OK for a short 2-hour flight- all I can say is that I had a good sleep when I went home and I had no stomach problems. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The 777-200 plane had a seat configuration of 3-4-3 with an all economy seat set up. The plane was clean and the toilets were clean too. It was not full at all. Not bad a flight after all. The crew were friendly too. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 8 (sorry but the food lets the flight down) China Southern Airlines is the ONLY airline in the world offering a non-stop connection between London (U.K.) and Guangzhou (China). China Southern Airlines is an award-winning international scheduled airline that was formed on 1st July 1988. The airline’s hub is at the ultra-modern Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport- which has in time become China’s 3rd busiest airport, as well as becoming a major international passenger and cargo hub. The airline has 480 passenger and cargo aircraft, including 4 Airbus A380-800 aircraft, the largest aircraft in the world. The airline also has 4 of the 787 Dreamliner on order, which should commence service in late 2012. On top of that, China Southern has ordered another 126 aircraft at the time of writing. In 2011, China Southern earned its Four-Star status from SKYTRAX, the world's most prestigious airline performance evaluation organization. That same year, China Southern also won the “SKYTRAX 2011 World Most Improved Airline”.
In October 2012, China Southern adopted the world’s most luxurious Airbus A380-800 to operate the Guangzhou-Los Angeles route, investing new experiences in “Canton Route”. China Southern is a proud member of SkyTeam and together the 16 member airlines offer its 384 million annual passengers a worldwide system of more than 14,500 daily flights covering 958 destinations in 173 countries. In 2010, China Southern Airlines reported a net profit of CNY5.8 billion ($883 million). China Southern Airlines itself has more than 1,930 daily flights to 193 destinations in 35 countries and regions across the world. The Guangzhou-London route is a relatively new route having started on the 6th of June 2012 just prior to the London Olympics. With the introduction of the non-stop route between Guangzhou and London, thankfully gone are the days when people first travelled to Hong Kong, and then took a 4-hour coach ride to Guangzhou (and not to mention the tireless border crossings). The London to Guangzhou route with China Southern Airlines also offers passengers a suitable connection to many exotic destinations within close proximity to Guangzhou. These include Sanya (less than 1 hour flight from Guangzhou), Guilin (less than 1 hour by flight from Guangzhou), Saipan Islands (less than 4 hours from Guangzhou), Kunming (less than 2 hours), Vietnam, Macau, and many other destinations. Guangzhou can also be a new stopover hub for those people who want to go to Melbourne for example. You can fly from London to Guangzhou, and then explore Guangzhou for a few days before taking the connecting flight onto your Australian destination. The introduction of this route has been eagerly awaited for over 8 years by people who would want to travel to Guangzhou non-stop from London without the hassle of going to Hong Kong (or any other destination), first. Air France has been flying to Guangzhou since the early 2000s, and for a certain period even Finnair, and Lufthansa German Airlines flew this route. It would be interesting to see if British Airways, bmi, or Virgin Atlantic may tap into this lucrative destination. There are a lot of Cantonese people living in the UK (cities such as Newcastle, Belfast, Glasgow, Birmingham, and even London have large amounts of people with connections to Canton), and this route would bring them closer to home (rather than going to Hong Kong first!). “Based in Guangzhou, a city with millennium ancient long history, our exclusive Canton Route will be bridge between Europe and Australia,” said Mr. Si Xiamen, General Manager of China Southern Air Holding Company and Chairman of China Southern Airlines Co., Ltd., adding, “the successful opening of this Guangzhou - London route is an import part of China Southern Airlines’ global expansion strategy. It will significantly enhance China Southern Airlines’ route network and strengthen the importance of Guangzhou aviation hub”. According to Mr. Si, China Southern Airlines plans to open additional international routes and, “steadily push forward the process of internationalization in a planned and selective way. We expect by the end of 2015, China Southern Airlines will operate more than 110 flights every week between Australia and China and our Southeast Asian flights will continue to increase in frequency”. He said that, “China Southern Airlines is also looking at route expansion into South America, Africa and other emerging markets to expand our hub network. The broader vision of China Southern Airlines’ Canton Route is to build Guangzhou as a global comprehensive long-haul aviation hub”. China Southern Airlines is proud to be the only airline in China to operate the superjumbo Airbus A380 that will provide for extended, long-haul service to/from China. “With opening of this new Guangzhou - London route, China Southern Airlines has increased its Europe navigable points from our two points of Paris and Amsterdam now to three. On June 15, with the increased frequency of our Guangzhou - Amsterdam route, China Southern Airlines will operate 17 weekly flights to/from Europe”, said Mr. Si, adding “with the dense route network of SkyTeam in Europe, arriving passengers can easily transfer to Milan, Berlin, Frankfurt and other European cities. China Southern Airlines has also established close cooperation with British Airways and other airlines in London. Arriving passengers from Guangzhou can quickly transfer to British Airways flights to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Manchester and other cities within the United Kingdom”. On September 28, 2012, China Southern was honored with the Diamond Flight Safety Award by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), becoming the leading Chinese carrier to maintain the highest safety records in China. China Southern has been honored as the "Best Airline in China" by several international media organizations and was honored with the "Five Star Diamond Award" by The American Academy of the Hospitality Sciences in January 2004. China Southern Airlines has three nonstop flights a week from Guangzhou to Heathrow- Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. All flights depart Guangzhou at 9:00am, and arrive at Heathrow’s Terminal 4 at 15:25pm the same day. China Southern Airlines uses the Airbus A330-200 aircraft fitted with four classes for this route. This route is special to me because I have been flying for over 10 years between London and Guangdong province, and I have mostly flown to either Hong Kong or Shanghai first before getting a connecting flight (from Shanghai), or coach (from Hong Kong) into Guangzhou. It would be fair to point out that despite the relative closeness of Guangzhou to Hong Kong, many British people would probably never have heard about Guangzhou (or Canton as its known), and only knew about Hong Kong. I decided to check out their brand new Business Class cabin on this exciting new route. Route: LONDON HEATHROW (LHR) – GUANGZHOU BAIYUN (CAN) Departure date and time of flight: October 2012 Flight number: CZ304 (ICAO callsign: “China Southern 304 heavy”) IATA Code: CZ IACO Callsign: CHINA SOUTHERN Flight duration: 12 Hours 15 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A330-223 (16 aircraft in service) Aircraft registration: B-6531 (First flight 13th of May 2011) Engines: 2 x PW PW4170 Aircraft Serial Number: 28855 - line 1190 Frequent flyer programme: Sky Pearl Club Seat configuration for this aircraft: First Class: 4 Suites in a 1-2-1 configuration at the front in a single row Business Class: 24 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, Premium Economy Class: 48 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration Economy Class: 232 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration Any baggage issues: China Southern Airlines flies from Terminal 4 at Heathrow Airport. Terminal 4 has been designated as the terminal used by airline companies that are members of the SkyTeam Alliance. When checking-in for the flight it can be a bit tricky as the Economy, and Premium Economy Class passengers have to check-in at ‘Zone F’, while Business and First Class passengers check-in at ‘Zone H’. However when one enters the terminal departures check-in area it does not mention this anywhere so all passengers end of going to the main check-in desks in ‘Zone F’. Because I, just like the other passengers, was not aware of this separated version of check-ins according to the cabin, so, therefore I ended up checking-in at the Economy Class desks. Irrespective of the cabin you are flying in, every checked-in luggage bag must not exceed 23kg maximum. So, therefore Business and First Class can carry up to a maximum of 69kg each, however that must be split into 3 separate bags of 23kg maximum each. Economy Class passengers can carry only one piece of luggage of 23kg maximum. China Southern Airlines flight CZ304 departs Heathrow at 10:30pm, so it is one of the last departures of the evening (the others being Air India, Uzbekistan Airways, Sri Lankan, Gulf Air, Jet Airways, Air Arik, and Aeroflot). The time it took to go from the check-in desk, to the passport control, and through to the security checks took under 20 minutes (rare to be so fast at Heathrow!). LOUNGE EXPERIENCE at Heathrow Terminal 4: Passengers flying with China Southern Airlines can enjoy the usage of the SkyTeam Lounge, which is located after security checks. The lounge offers some of the finest hot and dish dishes, as well as a whole selection of hot and cold drinks. The lounge also focuses on providing an excellent array of internet facilities (all complimentary), reading materials in various languages, and live television. Clean, and spacious shower and bathroom facilities are all available should one wish to use them. China Southern Airlines normally uses ‘Gate 5’ at Terminal 4. To get to the gate from the Lounge takes around 15 minutes (or 5 minutes- if you walk as I do, which is probably not a good idea as you’ll end up getting sweaty on a cold day by the time you get to the gate). Punctuality of the flight, and route taken: The aircraft departed on time, and landed on time at Guangzhou. London Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, and certainly gets busy during the peak hours unlike some other airports around the world. Considering that Heathrow only has two runways (27L/09R, and 27R/09L) where one is used for take-offs, and the other for landings, so therefore there tends to be a long queue of aircraft waiting to take-off (as was in this case). However, if you are an aviation enthusiast, then Heathrow is heaven for you because you can see airlines from all around the world (and going away to all corners of the world). It seemed to be a dance of the Airbus A330s taking off in the evening. Ahead of us was an Egyptair A330, a Sri Lankan Airlines Airbus A330, and an Aeroflot A330 (and we were an A330 too!). Taking off from runway 09R on a slightly cloudy and rainy evening, we departed on a Clacton departure towards Ipswich, then North Sea, Scandinavia, North Russia, Siberia, North Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Xi’an, and then finally heading down south into a hazy Guangzhou evening (landing on Runway 02L). Our flight was 100% full, with 100% full cargo too. The flight time was 12 hours and 15 minutes. However, the thing that impressed me most was the feeling of leaving Guangzhou airport, and getting on a coach and being home in Panyu within an hour and a half of landing. If I had gone to Hong Kong first, then it would have easily taken me around 4 to 5 hours to get home from Hong Kong airport (taking into account the busy border crossings). I only wish they had this route between London and Guangzhou years earlier. On top of this I hope that British carriers may also consider flying this route. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Business and First Class passengers are offered wet towels, and a choice of welcome non-alcoholic drinks including apple, orange, and water. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Drinks from the trolley included red and white wine. Various juices were also offered, including orange, apple, lemon, and grapefruit. There were two types of red wine on offer: Bourgueit (Cuvee les Rochettes, 2010)- French Dona Carolina, Carmenere, 2011 – Chile I opted for the French wine to accompany my dinner. Comments regarding the first meal: China Southern Airlines have taken their in-flight menu to new heights in all of their international and domestic flights (OK, so domestic flights may be an exception, but international flights have definitely been improved). The recipes used have been specially developed using the ingredients that are naturally high in quality, but low in salts, sugars, oil, and carbohydrates. The chefs at China Southern Airlines have made the dishes catered for both Western and Chinese tastes in mind- and that comes evident with the flavours that explode in the mouth as you take each spoonful. A light dinner service consisted of the following: Hors d’oeuvre: Smoked salmon and avocado, with radish and fennel salad. The dish has carefully adopted characteristics of Asian cuisines, such as matching beautifully created roll of the salmon, a bit like a big wrapped sushi with elegant garnish of radish and fennel salad. A nice wedge of lemon, as well as the broad beans was a welcoming sight for the taste buds. The respect for the blend between Cantonese and Western cuisine tastes at China Southern Airlines never seem to end. A beautiful garnish of cream is well placed in the middle of this mouth-watering starter. It was the well chosen salmon that made this dish extra special. Salad: Mixed assorted lettuce in Thousand Island, French, or Balsamic dressing. I opted for the French sauce to be blended in with the mixed assorted lettuce with radish, and carrots cut into shapes that look like French fries. The salad dish was made even more delicious with the French dressing. Entree: There were three options for the main course, including:
I opted for the ‘grilled salmon with white wine sauce’ dish. Apart from the obvious attraction of the lovely salmon, the thing that made this dish extra special were the three baby potatoes wrapped with thin slices of bacon. The baby cucumber and ripe tomatoes added some seriously wanted energy into this rather sludgy dish. Mind you, those potatoes are worth eating again, and again (and forever!). All three dishes were, however, richly flavoured and had plenty of coloured in them (which is difficult to get with in-flight meals). Soft and hard bread rolls from the basket accompanied the main dish. Dessert:
It has to be concluded that the ‘passion fruit tart’ must be one of the best desserts I have EVER had on any flight. I say again- it was the best dessert I have had on any in-flight meal. Kudos to the chefs at China Southern Airlines- they deserve something big from someone at a big catering company. I am not kidding you, and other 5-star airlines should note that I am damn serious when I wrote this. The dish was so good that it actually made me smile after I took the first spoonful (even the cabin crew noticed that). Why? It’s the taste of the passion fruit that stuck out more than anything did. The flavour, and the gist of the fruit felt as if I was actually eating the original passion fruit, and not just a dessert. Very original, and just gorgeous. They even provided three pieces of coconut. Nevertheless, the magic happened in the mouth was when I mixed the raspberry, the coconut, and a spoonful of the passion fruit tart. I really wish I could have a dish like this every day. It would go perfectly well with afternoon tea, or even for breakfast. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English Tetley tea, and Chinese green tea) were also available. On top of this there were a selection of herbal teas including green tea with jasmine, peppermint, blackcurrant, and camomile with honey. The bar is located behind the galley in Business Class, and also in First Class (behind the cockpit). The bar also offered the following all throughout the flight: - Salmon quiche and prawn skewer - luxury chocolates - Fine wines, soft drinks and juices. - Cheese platter - Assorted sandwiches - Chinese beef noodle soup - Seasonal fruit basket - British Royal Tea (black tea with milk, and sugar) - Panini with beef steak, and grilled Panini with mozzarella and chicken Comments regarding the second meal: Breakfast was served around about an hour and a half prior to landing at Guangzhou Airport. There was a good selection of options available including: Starters (prelude):
I opted for fresh orange juice with fresh seasonal fruit, which came across as being highly colourful, yet ridiculously mouth-watering (and healthy!). Hors d’oeuvre Fresh ham cold-cut with assorted cheese (which included Stilton) What seemed to look like a typical European style breakfast dish to wake up the senses. Plenty of red colour in the dish, and no doubt that the rich tastes of the salami and the ham would go wonderfully well with the egg, tomato, and the cream. I did not finish eating the selection of ham pieces on offer, though the rest of it seemed to be just fine. Main breakfast dish:
I opted for the ‘Spanish scrambled egg’ breakfast. The dish looked a bit empty. Perhaps this was because there was no bread or toast as a side on. The egg was delicious, and made just as you would expect it to be. Though for the price that one pays for the seat, you would have assumed that a bit more on the plate would have been on offer. Though I am not complaining for the excellent quality of the food that was presented. Accompanying the main breakfast dish were a selection of hard and soft bread rolls, and croissants from the breadbasket. I took a chocolate croissant, and a twisted apple and maple syrup covered bread stick. Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English tea, and Chinese green tea) were also available. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: In-flight entertainment at China Southern Airlines has improved dramatically in the past number of years. The size of the Personal Television (PTV) behind each seat in First and Business Class is a generous 16 inches, while in the Economy Class it is 6.9 inches. There are over 400 channels offering movies, songs, serials, TV serials, and even games in at least 5 different languages (Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, and others). All business and first class passengers are provided with noise cancellation headphones. In Economy Class, passengers are provided with normal headphones. All seats in Business and First Class come with a plug for the laptop. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: All of the cabin crew spoke very good English, and were very professional in what they did. In complete contrast to domestic flights, China Southern Airlines seems to choose their best staff for international flights to show the perfect Guangdong hospitality. The cabin crew are all native Chinese, and came across as being very proud to work for their company. The warm welcome and the hospitality provided on China Southern Airlines is something that some Western carriers can learn from. The high quality of service and personalisation totally exceeded my expectations from this crew, and airline. Everything from the check-in process to the disembarking went smoothly. I have no doubt that China Southern Airlines will be a airline that would rival any other western 5-star airline. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): All the newer aircraft have bright sky blue clothing fitted onto the Economy Class seats. The Business Class seats come in three shades of grey, while the First Class seats are fitted with royal purple clothing, and pillows with the lotus company logo. Business and First Class seats can be turned into a flatbed during night flights, while both the Economy and Premium Economy cabins have seats with a comfortable pitch. In Premium Economy, passengers can comfortably fold their legs with safe distance from the seat in front. This Airbus A330 is new, and so all the main features of the plane (PTV, seat comfort, ambiance, and environment, toilets etc.) were clean and modern. Business and First Class seats also come with personal seat lamp, personal seat controls (for turning seat into a bed etc.), and a large luxurious dove feather blanket. The aircraft, which I flew on was brand new, and smelt new and fresh too! First Class seats have a fully flat bed (78 inch pitch, and 26 inch width), Business Class seats have a flat bed (74 inch pitch, 24 inch width), Premium Economy Class are comfortable (37 inch pitch, 17.5 inch width), and Economy Class seats are one of the most comfortable around (35 inch pitch, 17.5 inch width). All seats in all classes have a PTV (Personal TV). Passengers in Business Class are provided with a Bio-Essence designer amenity kit bag containing a comb, toothpaste & toothbrush, eyeshades, Tanaka white moisturiser (Bio-Essence), Hydrating & moisturising cream, and earplugs. Passengers in First Class are provided with a Bvlgari design amenity kit bag containing a comb, toothpaste & toothbrush, eyeshades, Bvlgari body lotion, Bvlgari lip moisturiser, and a Bvlgari Eau De Cologne. China Southern Airlines logo and livery: With one of the most nostalgic airline liveries around, China Southern Airlines adorn a red lotus flower (the symbol of Guangzhou) against a sky blue background. The fin consists of this beautiful lotus flower. The fuselage is all white except the cheatlines that wrap the nose and body of the plane, but stop short of the tail of the plane. The cheatlines consist of a thick sky-blue line, with a slightly thinner gold line running below it. This pattern of sky-blue and gold is repeated below as well. Sandwiched in-between the top and bottom sky-blue and gold cheatlines is a dark blue cheatline. This dark blue cheatline widens out when it wraps the nosecone of planes. All the planes have a silver belly. The titles of China Southern are written across both sides of the fuselage in both English capital letters, and in Chinese. All planes proudly display the Sky team logo next to the cockpit window on both sides. In 2011, the China Southern Airlines logo was ranked at number 5 in the top 20 airline brands globally. In the same year China Southern Airlines was ranked 6th in the top 100 brands in China. The cabin crew at China Southern Airlines wear uniform in the colours of the airline's branding image (these are also the colours of the city of Guangzhou's lotus flower and blue background)- which are blue and red. The ladies wear a blouse that has a gold necklace lining, and a matching skirt; while the gentlemen wear black trousers and a white shirt. Senior cabin crew, including the chief purser, wear a blue coloured blouse (ladies only), and normal cabin crew wear a red coloured blouse (again, women only). Formed on the 28th of January 1992 after the fall of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan Airways is the national flag carrier of Uzbekistan. Based at Tashkent International Airport, the airline flies to 58 destinations globally using a mixture of 66 Western and Russian built aircraft. Destinations include New York, and London. The airline has ordered two Boeing 787 dreamliners. I decided to see what their Business Class cabin was like from Tashkent to London Heathrow Airport.
Route: TASHKENT (TAS) – LONDON HEATHROW (LHR) Departure date and time of flight: September 2012 Flight number: HY201 (ICAO callsign: “Uzbek 201 heavy”) IATA Code: HY IACO Callsign: UZBEK Flight duration: 7 Hours 50 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: BOEING 767-330P (ER) (7 aircraft in service) Aircraft registration: VP-BUF (First flight 6th of December 2004) Engines: 2x PW PW4062 Seat configuration for this aircraft: Business Class: 40 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration Economy class: 157 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration Any baggage issues: No issues regarding the baggage. The baggage limit is two bags (upto 30KG in total per passenger). Hand luggage for Business Class passengers at Uzbekistan Airways is limited to one piece per passenger. Comments on the check-in staff: I had checked-in at Beijing Capital Airport, so this was a continuation flight following on from a transit at Tashkent Airport (of only a short hour and a half wait). LOUNGE EXPERIENCE at Tashkent Transit Hall: It was a very interesting experience as the transit hall for Business Class passengers was almost empty. The few passengers (around 6) that were present in the lounge had apparently been waiting for a connecting flight to a Siberian destination, and seems like they had been enjoying a small party for themselves. In the middle of the near empty lounge, was a wooden table with a few bottles of Jack Daniels, Chivas Regal, and Black Label whiskey. There were also used packets of peanuts, crisps, and half finished take-away food. On one of the leather suede sofa’s next to the table was a man sleeping without a whisker of worry that may surround on catching his connecting flight (presumably thanks to the great list of license free goods on the table). There was a single 21-inch Philips TV airing local news in Russian. Apart from that, there was not much else. On the other side of the coin, the Economy Class transit hall looked like an old 1960s aerodrome hall. Compared to Beijing Airport, Uzbekistan Airport seemed like very nostalgic. Punctuality of the flight, and route taken: Even though Tashkent Airport may be considered as one of the busiest in the whole of Central Asia, it is nevertheless; relatively quiet compared to some of the major international airports in the world. Around 30 international airlines use the airport. On the day I was there, I saw a Turkish Airlines Boeing 777, and an Antonov An-124 (Cargo), and every other plane belonged to Uzbekistan Airways. The flight departed on time, and landed at Heathrow on time too (rare). We had to stack over Lambourne air traffic control in North London for about 10 minutes, and apart from that it everything else was smooth. Upon taking off from Tashkent, the flight path took us right over Central Asia, and onto the Kurdish/Turkish airspace, and then onto mainland Europe, before making a decent into the east of London (Southend, and then Basildon). London always looks beautiful at night, and even more so from the sky. A perfect landing on the westerly runway 27R provided some good views of central London as well. Uzbekistan Airways operates from Terminal 4 at London Heathrow Airport (they used to operate from Terminal 3 in the 1990s, and early 2000s). Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers are provided with a wet warm towel prior to departure along with a choice of either apple, orange, or water. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Around about 30 minutes after departure, drinks were served from the trolley along with another helping of cashew nuts (which were known as just ‘Indian Nut’) for some reason. Comments regarding the first meal: Uzbekistan Airways offers its Business Class passengers the choice to eat at a time of their own convenience. I opted to eat around an hour after departure. Unlike other airlines that offer their Business Class passengers meals just like a high-end restaurant would (with starters, main course, etc.), Uzbekistan Airways offers a slightly different style of meal. The meal tray consists of everything provided all in one go. So, it’s plain and simple an enlarged version of a Economy Class tray with extra added bits and bobs. · Potato Salad · Ginger flavoured bread · Crackers with cheddar cheese · Ham, salami, and salad dish · Salmon and lemon dish · Bread from the breadbasket · Sausage roll · Sesame roll Add-ons included a very colourful packet of tomato sauce, mayonnaise sauce, and mustard (all branded using locally Uzbekistani companies). Hot meal tray options were fish, lamb, chicken, or beef. There was no vegetarian option available, and Uzbekistan does not offer passengers in any class the chance to pre-order their meal choice before departure. I again opted for the fish dish (just as I did in my previous flight). I couldn't tell what type of fish it was, and nor did they the cabin crew tell me (they probably never knew either). Accompanying the fish fillet was a spoonful of rice, three boiled baby potatoes, a clove of cauliflower, a clove of broccoli, one red pepper, and one green pepper. Lovely decoration, but that was just about it really. The fish tasted soggy, and the potatoes tasted OK (not fresh is perhaps the word). The chefs at Uzbekistan Airways may not be Michelin starred, but they are working their way to learn how to become one (hopefully)). Its edible, but not really the kind of stuff you would want down your throat everyday. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: A second round of drinks, including coffee and tea were offered prior to landing at Tashkent. Freshly brewed coffee? Not really…it was a three-in-one blended packet coffee which Nescafe makes these days. Comments regarding the second meal: There was a light snack offered around an hour before landing at London Heathrow. This included: · Croissant with cheddar cheese slice (very salty cheese) · Packet of dried apricots (very dry) · Two slices of pineapple (just about right….not bad for tinned food on in-flight meals) · A small pot of strawberry jam Similar to the first meal, the light snack was presented all on one tray. Plain and simple, yet slightly delicious. It was a wasteful idea to have a decent tasting croissant presented as a very simple cheese sandwich (since when did croissants came with cheddar cheese slices in them?). The best part was the 3-in-1 blended coffee (blended because it came already mixed with sugar and milk). I wonder what the strawberry jam was for. Maybe to add onto the croissant with cheese?! My guess is that the chefs must have been trying to be innovative with Western in-flight food. I am not sure what the likes of the late Egon Ronay would make of this mishmash. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: The seats on the Boeing 767-300ER don’t have any television screen for in-flight entertainment. Interesting thing was that everyone was provided with a iPad after take-off. However, the iPad was mainly in Russian language it was nevertheless very interesting to use. Business Class passengers are provided with beautifully decorated bright blue slippers, a eyeshade with the Uzbekistan Airways logo, and a show strap. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: Most of the cabin crew are native Uzbekistanis, and come across to be very proud to work for their country’s national flag carrier. Uzbekistan Airways does employ some foreign cabin crew and pilots (on our flight we had a couple of South Koreans). All the crew that I came across were able to communicate in excellent English. Three main languages are spoken on the airline: Russian, Uzbek, and English. On the Beijing to Tashkent flight, we also had a recorded announcement provided in Mandarin Chinese for passengers who would otherwise not be able to speak in English, Russian, or Uzbek. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The plane’s interior is beautifully decorated in either blue (as with the colours of the airline), or in beige. The Business Class seats are very comfortable with leather lining on the covers. The cabin brings along a sense of freshness upon entering the aircraft. It’s clean, and very smart interior is a match to any top international airline in the world. The seats in Business and First Class are of the design of yesteryear, and if you are looking for a flatbed then you are barking up the wrong ‘airline’. Uzbekistan Airways logo and livery: Perhaps the most colourful airline livery around, Uzbekistan Airways have made full use of the colours of the national flag on their planes. The ration behind the design is to make it look like a large Uzbekistan flag flying across the sky. The fuselage has a light blue up top, white in the middle and green on the bottom with red lines separating them in between- just like the national flag. The tailfin is bright sky blue, with a bright yellow circle bordered by a thick red cheat line. Inside the circle is a bright green crane flying to the front. The engines are also painted in a beautiful bright sky blue colour, and have the same yellow circle logo as the tailfin. Very beautiful and pleasing for the eye. This is true even more so at night time when the tailfin is lit up brightly. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 7 UZBEKISTAN AIRWAYS (Beijing Capital to Tashkent International), BOEING 767-300ER, BUSINESS CLASS9/28/2012
Formed on the 28th of January 1992 after the fall of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan Airways is the national flag carrier of Uzbekistan. Based at Tashkent International Airport, the airline flies to 58 destinations globally using a mixture of 66 Western and Russian built aircraft. Destinations include New York, and London. I decided to check out their latest Boeing 767-300ER flying from Beijing to Tashkent on the 'Silk Road route'. .
Route: BEIJING (PEK) - TASHKENT (TAS) Departure date and time of flight: September 2012 Flight number: HY506 (ICAO callsign: “Uzbek 506 heavy”) IATA Code: HY IACO Callsign: UZBEK Flight duration: 6 Hours 10 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: BOEING 767-330P (ER) (16 aircraft in service) Aircraft registration: UK67004 (First flight 10th of February 2012) Engines: 2x PW PW4062 Seat configuration for this aircraft: Business class: 15 seats in a 2-1-2 configuration, Economy class: 246 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration Comments on the check-in staff (baggage issues): No issues regarding the baggage. The baggage limit is two bags (upto 30KG in total per passenger). Hand luggage for Business Class passengers at Uzbekistan Airways is limited to one piece per passenger. LOUNGE EXPERIENCE at Beijing Terminal 2: Terminal 2 at Beijing Capital Airport is usually used by the Skyteam Alliance of airlines. This includes Aeroflot, KLM/Air France, Alitalia, and China Southern Airlines (some international flights). Terminal 2 has a lounge for all the airlines in the Skyteam Alliance, and a separate lounge for all other airlines such as Uzbekistan Airways. Both the Business and First Class lounges are located after security and both have plenty of offerings consisting of food, and drinks. The lounge facilities are not as modern as your average 5-star hotel, but nonetheless there are ample number of options for hot and cold dishes (both Chinese and, Western cuisine). Clean, modern, and with sophisticated up to the minute flight information, the lounge Punctuality of the flight, and route taken: The flight departed on time from a rather busy Beijing airport on a bright warm autumn day, and landed on time at the quieter Tashkent Airport. Initially after departure heading was towards the outer Beijing marker, and then onto the silk road route. On the ground people can embark in a 14-day journey from Beijing to Tashkent )and vice-versa) on the great ancient silk route to enjoy the amazing scenery, and the smells of the local markets and mountains on the way. The view is equally stunning from the plane too. Even though all you can see is the beautiful ice-peaked mountains and the Gobi desert, the view is rather stunning. While flying over the desert you can help thinking to yourself ‘what if I get stuck in the middle of this desert on the way?’ Nevertheless, it is worth it. Flying over Urumqi gave us an idea of how close the city is to the mountain terrain filled borders of Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and of course, Uzbekistan. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers’ in the Business Class cabin were offered welcome drinks consisting of apple juice, orange juice, and plain mineral water (still and sparkling). There was also a packet of salted cashew nuts (labelled as ‘Indian nut’ by the vendors at Uzbekistan Airways!). Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Around about 25 minutes after departure, drinks were served from the trolley along with another helping of the huge cashew nuts. The only alcohol served was the Tsingtao Chinese beer cans, and not much else. Apart from that were the usual orange juice, apple juice, and water (all branded by Uzbekistani vendors). Comments regarding the first meal: The one and only meal of the flight was offered around 40 minutes after departure. In Business Class cabin, the passengers are offered the choice to eat at the time which they find convenient. The main meal tray was very colourful and consisted of various bits and pieces. The following were provided on the main business meal tray: · Fresh bowl of salad · Cracker biscuits with cheddar cheese · Honey roasted ham, with asparagus, cucumber, and ONE cherry tomato (just one!) · Salad cream · Raspberry moose · Soft bread bun from the bread basket Hot meal tray options were: fish, lamb, chicken, or beef. There was no vegetarian option available, and Uzbekistan does not offer passengers in any class the chance to pre-order their meal choice before departure. I opted for the fish dish. I couldn’t tell what type of fish it was, and nor did they the cabin crew tell me (they probably never knew either). It tasted as if it had been washed up in a bowl of sunflower cooking oil. Accompanying the fish fillet was a spoonful of rice, portion of boiled baby potatoes, a couple of carrots, green beans, and some pieces of sweet corn. Either they were running low on the number of ingredients at the Uzbekistan Airways catering facility, or they thought that the passengers would be pint sized. Not being greedy, but I mean hey, come on, two slices of chopped carrot as part of a hot dish? Overall, it did the job of filling one up for the medium-ranged 6-hour flight. The airline is very proud of their branding image, and that comes across clearly with the bright yellow and green colours used throughout the flight décor, including the bright yellow napkin with the Uzbekistan logo. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: A second round of drinks, including coffee and tea were offered prior to landing at Tashkent. Comments regarding the second meal: None Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: The interesting thing was that everyone was provided with a iPad after take-off. Though the iPad was mainly in Russian language it was nevertheless very interesting to use. Business Class passengers are provided with beautifully decorated bright blue slippers, a eyeshade with the Uzbekistan Airways logo, and a show strap. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: Most of the cabin crew are native Uzbekistanis, and come across to be very proud to work for their country’s national flag carrier. Uzbekistan Airways does employ some foreign cabin crew and pilots (on our flight we had a couple of South Koreans). All the crew that I came across were able to communicate in excellent English. Three main languages are spoken on the airline: Russian, Uzbek, and English. On the Beijing to Tashkent flight we also had a recorded announcement provided in Mandarin Chinese for passengers who would otherwise not be able to speak in English, Russian or Uzbek. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The plane’s interior is beautifully decorated in either blue (as with the colours of the airline), or in beige. The business class seats are very comfortable with leather lining on the covers. The cabin brings along a sense of freshness upon entering the aircraft. Its’s clean, and very smart interior is a match to any top international airline in the world. Uzbekistan Airways logo and livery: Perhaps the most colourful airline livery around, Uzbekistan Airways have made full use of the colours of the national flag on their planes. The ration behind the design is to make it look like a large Uzbekistan flag flying across the sky. The fuselage has a light blue up top, white in the middle and green on the bottom with red lines separating them in between- just like the national flag. The tailfin is bright sky blue, with a bright yellow circle bordered by a thick red cheat line. Inside the circle is a bright green crane flying to the front. The engines are also painted in a beautiful bright sky blue colour, and have the same yellow circle logo as the tailfin. Very beautiful and pleasing for the eye. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 7 China Eastern Airlines is a major airline in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since being formed on 25th of June 1988, China Eastern Airlines has grown to become one of the world's major international airlines. At the end of June 2012, China Eastern Airlines had a fleet of 305 aircraft, flying to 110 destinations worldwide. The airline has a number of hubs, however the main international hub is at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. China Eastern Airlines is a proud member of Skyteam Alliance, and also owns the subsidiary, Shanghai Airlines.
Route: XI’AN XIANYANG AIRPORT (XIY) - SHANGHAI PUDONG (PVG) Departure date and time of flight: September 2012 Flight number: MU2155 (ICAO callsign: “China Eastern 2155”) Flight duration: 2 Hours 10 minutes Class: FIRST CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A320-200 (129 in service) Aircraft registration: B-6760 (First flight 26th June 2011) Aircraft Serial Number: 4627 Seat configuration for this aircraft: First Class: 8 seats in a 2-2 configuration on the main deck Economy class: 150 seats in a 3-3 configuration Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: Located 41 kilometers in the northwest of Xi’an city, Xi’an Xianyang is surprisingly a large and busy international airport. With three terminals, the airport covers 5 kilometers and is the largest in northwest China. In 2011, the airport handled over 21 million passengers; I departed from Terminal 3, which was opened recently in May 2012. With the new terminal’s opening, and with a new runway being in operation, the airport will be capable of handling over 33 million passengers a year. The airport is ready to host the largest aircraft in the world, the Airbus A380. Any baggage issues: No issues regarding the baggage. Passengers travelling First Class with China Eastern are allowed a generous 40kg free of charge, and 30 kg (66 lbs) for Business Class. For domestic flights, each piece of checked baggage must not exceed 50 kg (110 lbs). China Eastern has a separate dedicated check-in, and a separate security customs from all the other airlines at Xi’an Xianyang Airport. LOUNGE EXPERIENCE at Xi’an Airport: China Eastern Airlines has a premium lounge just after security. The lounge can be used by Business and First Class passengers, as well as silver and gold members of ‘Eastern Miles’- the China Eastern Airlines loyalty program. The lounge has sufficient space for buffet food (Chinese only), comfortable relaxing chairs, electric massage chairs, and a small cinema (25 seats maximum). There are also shower facilities available in all the lounges. There are many options for hot and cold Chinese food and Western food. Punctuality of the flight: Departed on time, and landed on time at Pudong Airport. Xi’an airport was not as busy as I would have imagined. Understandably being a touristy city that Xi’an is, there were a lot of foreign passengers at the airport. We departed from runway 23L at Xi’an, and had to make a turnaround back to Shanghai, which upon take-off provided a beautiful view of Xi’an city from around 9,000 feet. The Bell Tower in the middle of the city could easily be seen from the sky. At Shanghai Pudong we landed on 35L (which provided a lovely view of the Shanghai F1 circuit as we were stacking). Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Hot and cold towels were offered prior to departure in the first class cabin. First Class passengers are offered a selection of drinks including champagne, apple juice, orange juice and a variety of teas (Chinese and Western). The cabin crew took the orders for the lunch service from all the passengers in the First Class cabin prior to departure. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: The meal service commended with air hostesses handing out hot towels. A selection of fine nuts was offered along with a choice of drink (orange juice, apple juice, and a selection of teas). Comments regarding the main meal: There were two options for the main hot dish meal: - Fish cakes with rice - Beef with rice I opted for the circular fish cakes with rice, and vegetables. Two ridiculously delicious fish cakes were served with hot and fresh boiled white rice. The fish cakes tasted similar to pasties. The accompanying vegetables went well with the dish. There was also a small plate of creaser salad with seasoning sauce, and a bowl of fresh fruit salad. It was also a nice thing to see a warm roujiamo being served with the main meal. Roujiamo is a traditional food from Xi’an and very much popular with people from all around China. It looks like a cross between a Western style burger and a Turkish kebab. The main meat is beef. Roujiamo can be slightly oily too. Delicious soft and hard bread rolls were offered from the basket (including garlic bread!). All meals were served on fine bone china, and came with China Eastern chopsticks, and China Eastern branded stainless steel cutlery. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: Hot and cold drinks were served after the main meal. These included Chinese and Western tea options, as well as soft drinks. Alcohol was served on this flight. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: This China Eastern Airlines Airbus A320-200 aircraft has no individual TV screens (not even in first class), only the small screens that pop out for the pre take-off safety video. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very professional and friendly. Most of the cabin crew for China Eastern Airlines are natives of the eastern region in China (this is especially true for the cabin crew in First Class or Business Class cabins). The airline management is very particular on how their cabin crew staff should be like. They have to be of a certain weight, and height, and must be acquainted to beauty with a smile (this is what I was informed!). Most of the cabin crew do speak good English (especially those in Business/First Class). Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The First Class seats have 58-inch pitch and 20-inch width. The Economy Class seats have a 32-inch pitch, and an 18 inch width. First Class seats feature a reclining angle of 170 degrees. For such a short domestic flight, passengers were offered a pair of luxury cotton slippers, and a thick cotton blanket. The cabin had a pleasant smell, and was very clean. All of the eight seats in the First Class section are covered with a luxury grey cloth that comes embedded with the phoenix bird logo. It creates a sense of comfort, elegance, and belonging to the Chinese culture. It also gives a very warm, fresh, spacious, modern, and touching feeling when you enter the cabin. China Eastern Airlines have improved quite a lot on most aspects of their aircraft interior. This includes the aircraft seating, the smell of the interior cabin, the cleanliness of the aircraft toilets, and the general positive attitude of the cabin crew members. The aircraft which we flew was the latest new aircraft for China Eastern Airlines. China Eastern logo and livery: China Eastern Airlines logo consists of a red and blue circle rain containing a swallow bird flying in the middle. The top half of the circle is red representing a bright sunset, while the bottom half is blue representing the sea. In the eyes of most Chinese people from the East region, the swallow is of a noble character because people praise it and love it. The fuselage is all white except for the three cheat lines that circle the body of the plane (just below the windows). The three cheat lines are (in order top to bottom): red, gold, and blue. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 9 Based at both Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, and Shanghai Pudong Airport, Juneyao Airlines is China's first private airline. Founded in 2005, the airline has a fleet of 22 aircraft (20 Airbus A320-200, and 2 Airbus A319 aircraft), flying to 32 destinations including Hong Kong.
Route: Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to Xi’an Xianyang International Airport Departure date and time of flight: September 2012 Flight Number: HO1250 Flight duration: 2 hours 20 minutes Class: FIRST CLASS Aircraft type: Airbus A320-200 IACO Callsign: Air Juneyao IATA Code: HO Aircraft Registration: B-6018 Punctuality of the flight: As soon as you see a drop of water over the skies of Shanghai, you can assume that the flights are going to be delayed (for unknown reasons- even the Captain could not tell me). However, on this occasion our flight departed on time, and landed on time at the other end. The flight actually displayed the best service that Juneyao Airlines has to provide. Everything went smoothly and without any problems throughout the whole flight experience. The best part of this flight route is when the plane goes right over the famous Qinling Mountains near Xi'an. The Qinling Mountains are one of the longest and largest range of mountains that geographically set the north and south of China apart. Peaking at over 6,000 feet, the mountains provide a spectacular view when arriving into Xi'an. Any baggage issues: No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece. Juneyao Airlines allows upto one bag weighing 30kg in First Class. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: The check-in staff were polite, smiled and very professional. There was no problem what so ever. I had arrived around two hours before departure. I had arrived at the airport at least an hour beforehand, and so there was no problem what so ever. It was nice to be early so then I could manage some aircraft shots. Juneyao Airline Lounge: The airline lounge used by Juneyao Airlines is not owned by the airline itself. Passengers flying with other airlines (except Air China, China Eastern and China Southern Airlines), also have access to this lounge which is located on the 2nd floor of Terminal 2 (near area A). There are plenty of food options, and drinks available. The Club Lounge is clean, smells fresh, and the clientele are mostly business travellers. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just prior to departure, the cabin crew offered a wet towel, and a choice of drinks consisting of orange juice, apple juice, and water. After take-off, a variety of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade, or coca cola) were offered. As with most of the airlines in China, the drinks (coca cola, orange etc.) were all branded with the Juneyao Airlines logo. A packet of the trademark Juneyao Airlines salted almonds was also provided. Comments regarding the first meal: On Juneyao Airlines, First Class passengers are offered a choice of when they would like to eat their meal. I ate my meal around about 30 minutes after departure. The meal tray consisted of the following: * Cold salad plate with salami rolls, beef balls, a slice of fresh papaya, and a carnival of vegetables. * Warm bread rolls from the basket * Sweet corn and pork chops soup * A plate of fresh fruit consisting of watermelon, and orange slices * A choice of one of: chicken & rice, fish & rice, or pork & rice. I opted for the fish & rice. * Butter provided by Anchor. * A bowl consisting of sweet Chinese pudding (made from soya bean curd). The fish meat came with small bones and skin still attached to it. However, it was edible and nice to the tongue. The meal was served on bone china, and with stainless steel cutlery (which is thankfully making a comeback onto in-flight meals around the world). The best part was the delicious Chinese pudding provided at the end of the meal service. Comments regarding the drinks service: Second rounds of drinks were offered after the meal. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments on the in-flight system (if any): There was no IFE system. On the A320, the overhead screens come down when the safety announcement is made, and then they are hidden away for the rest of the flight. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The staff were very professional, always had a smile on their faces and were quick to respond to any kind of request from the passengers. Even on this flight, the Captain was kind enough to allow me into the flight deck before, and after the flight, so I took the opportunity to take some good shots of the controls of this A320. Improvements that could be made: Perhaps have mood lighting when the aircraft is flying in between different time zones (morning, afternoon and evening) - hey, I could honestly find nothing else wrong with this flight! Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The Airbus A320-300 belonging to Juneyao Airlines is clean, and had a fresh smell upon entering the cabin. The cabin consists of the trademark purple, burgundy, and maroon colours on all the seats, and cushions. The dragon logo of the Juneyao Airlines brand is also proudly displayed on the cushions. There are eight seats in the First Class cabin, with a 2-2 configuration. Each First Class seat is 48.0-inch seat pitch and 21.0 inch width. There are 144 Economy Class seats in a 3-3 configuration. Each Economy Class seats provides a 31.0-inch pitch, and has a width of 19.0 inch. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 8 JUNEYAO AIRLINES (Shenzhen Bao'an Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport)- A320 (FIRST CLASS)9/2/2012
Based at both Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, and Shanghai Pudong Airport, Juneyao Airlines is China's first private airline. Founded in 2005, the airline has a fleet of 22 aircraft (20 Airbus A320-200, and 2 Airbus A319 aircraft), flying to 32 destinations including Hong Kong.
Route: Shenzhen Bao’an Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Departure date and time of flight: August 2012 Flight Number: HO1112 IACO Callsign: AIR JUNEYAO IATA Code: HO Flight duration: 2 hours 20 minutes (turned out to be nearly 4 hours and 30 minutes hours with added delay!) Class: FIRST CLASS Aircraft type: Airbus A320-200 Aircraft Registration: B-6022 Punctuality of the flight: The plane was delayed for over two hour because of ‘military activity’ in the South China Sea area. This is not the first time such delays have occurred, and probably won’t be the last time either. The captain, an expat from Italy, informed me that the Chinese Air Force was performing sorties over the South China Sea in response to Japan claiming the purchase of the controversial Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. He claimed that the ATC had informed him that the fighter jets were doing sorties over places such as Suzhou (Guangfu), Wuxi and other nearby military airbases. So therefore we could not take-off, and even if we did then we would waste fuel by stacking over the Shanghai area. Any baggage issues: No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece. Juneyao Airlines allows upto one bag weighing 30kg in First Class. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: The check-in staff were polite, smiled and very professional. There was no problem what so ever. I had arrived around two hours before departure. I had arrived at the airport at least an hour beforehand, and so there was no problem what so ever. It was nice to be early so then I could manage some aircraft shots. The morning rush hour was an indication of Shenzhen’s airport’s rapid growth in recent years. There were aircraft of all sizes ranging from a minute A318 up to the Boeing 747-400. Many international airlines have also started flying from Shenzhen airport in recent years, such Korean Airlines, Tiger Airways, Uni Air, SilkAir, UPS, FedEx, SF Express, Air Asia, and Asiana Airlines. Shenzhen airport’s new runway (16/34) which is located at least a mile away from the main terminal buildings over reclamation land started operations in July 2011. Once the new terminal 3 building is complete and open in late 2012 or early 2013, then it will make sense to use both runways (15/33, and 16/34). The new runway is able to accommodate all types of aircraft, including the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Juneyao Airline Lounge: The airline lounge used by Juneyao Airlines is not owned by the airline itself. Passengers flying with other airlines (except Air China, China Eastern and China Southern Airlines), also have access to this lounge. There is plenty of choice for food and drinks available. However, the interesting thing is that the toilets in the normal terminal building are far more cleaner and well suited than the old fashioned toilet they provided in the First Class lounge (the door did not close, the flash did not work, and basically it’s perhaps the next best thing after your average bog in the fields). Not as glamorous and flamboyant as other airline lounges. If I was you, I would rather go and use the airplane toilet (yes, it’s that bad). Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just prior to departure, the cabin crew offered a wet towel, and a choice of drinks consisting of orange juice, apple juice, and water. After take-off, a variety of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade, or coca cola) were offered. As with most of the airlines in China, the drinks (coca cola, orange etc.) were all branded with the Juneyao Airlines logo. A packet of salted almonds was also provided. Comments regarding the first meal: Just prior to lunch being served, a wet hand towel was offered. Some of the passengers had already eaten their meal while on the ground, because they could not wait to eat as we were delayed. So I was one of the few passengers who wanted to experience the true flying in-flight meal service WHILE flying! On Juneyao Airlines, First Class passengers are offered a choice of time of when they would like to eat their meal. I ate my meal around about 30 minutes after departure. The meal tray consisted of the following: * Cold salad plate with fresh king prawns, creaser salad, chicken wings, and a wedge of lemon slice. * Warm bread from the basket * A plate of fresh fruit consisting of dragon fruit, melon, and watermelon * A choice of one of: chicken & rice, fish & rice, or pork & rice. I opted for the chicken & rice. First impressions were that the food is of good quality. Airline food in China is getting better by the day. The quantity was also just about right- not too much, and not too little either. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks was offered after the meal. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments on the in-flight system (if any): There was no IFE system. On the A320, the overhead screens come down when the safety announcement is made, and then they are hidden away for the rest of the flight. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The staff were very professional, always had a smile on their faces and were quick to respond to any kind of request from the passengers. The Captain was kind enough to allow me into the flight deck before the flight, so I took the opportunity to take some good shots of the controls of this A320. Improvements that could be made: Perhaps have mood lighting when the aircraft is flying in between different time zones (morning, afternoon and evening) - hey, I could honestly find nothing else wrong with this flight! Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The Airbus A320-300 belonging to Juneyao Airlines is clean, and had a fresh smell upon entering the cabin. The cabin consists of the trademark purple, burgundy and maroon colors on all the seats, and cushions. The dragon logo of the Juneyao Airlines brand is also proudly displayed on the cushions. There are eight seats in the First Class cabin, with a 2-2 configuration. Each First Class seat is 48.0-inch seat pitch and 21.0 inch width. There are 144 Economy Class seats in a 3-3 configuration. Each Economy Class seats provides a 31.0-inch pitch, and has a width of 19.0 inch. As per the words of the Captain, Juneyao Airlines provides one of the most comfortable first class seats on the Airbus A320 aircraft. Passengers in First Class are provided with cushy slippers, and earplugs. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 8 Route: Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport
Departure date and time of flight: 08:30am in July 2012 Flight Number: FM9309 Flight duration: 2 hours 20 minutes Class: First Class Aircraft type: Boeing 757-200 Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed around 20 minutes late due to the morning rush hour in Shanghai. We were behind a whole host of big jets such as an Air China 747, China Southern 777s, and even Hainan Airlines A330s. Rush hour at Hongqiao can be hectic. The flight route provided some fabulous views across to the horizon, and even had splendid views when coming into land at Guangzhou. Any baggage issues: No issues- I only had hand luggage. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Hongqiao airport. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just drinks (non-alcoholic), and including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: For this two-hour flight, a choice of Chinese or Western breakfast was offered in the First Class cabin. I opted for the Western breakfast. A tray containing hot dishes including: 1. Oats porridge blended with corn cereal 2. A warm omelette, boiled carrots, a soggy piece of broccoli, sautéed potatoes and a small slice of bacon. 3. A warm croissant from the bread basket. 4. A pot of yogurt 5. A pot of freshly cut exotic fruit (dragon fruit, melon and water melon) 6. Anchor butter and strawberry jam The above dishes were accompanied with tea or coffee. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered before (orange juice and water), during, and after the meal. No alcohol, but plenty of milk, coffee and tea. There was also apple juice as well. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The Cabin Crew seemed proud to work for Shanghai Airlines and were very welcoming. The passengers in First Class were kept well informed of any delays, and even the weather situation in Shanghai. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The ageing Boeing 757 aircraft belonging to Shanghai Airlines had a seat configuration of 2-2 in First Class, and a configuration of 3-3 in Economy Class. The plane was not clean and the toilets showed signs of an aged plane- quite easily in fact as it had the old 1980s style toilet as opposed to the new toilet that most modern aircraft have. Economy Class seats have a pitch of 32 inches, and a width of 18 inches (139 seats) First Class seats have a pitch of 38 inches, and a width of 21 inches (20 seats). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES (Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, MU5306) AIRBUS A3218/21/2012
Route: Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport
Departure date and time of flight: 08:30am in July 2012 Flight Number: MU5306 Flight duration: 2 hours 20 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Airbus A321 Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed around 55 minutes late due to strong winds and rain in the Guangdong region. As we sat in the plane, one could feel the A321 swaying gently side to side because of the wind. The flight route provided some fabulous views across to the horizon once we had departed. The skies over Shanghai provided splendid views when coming into land at Hongqiao. Once we landed on the ground in Shanghai, the visibility was very clear. From the terminal building you could get a clear view of Pudong (IFC and the Jinmao Tower) with the naked eye. Photos are shown below. Any baggage issues: No issues- I only had hand luggage. Comments on the check- in staff and any issues: No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Guangzhou airport despite the bad weather. There was no rush and everyone was very professional in what they did. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just drinks (non-alcoholic), and including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: For this two-hour flight, a choice of Chinese or Western breakfast was offered in the Economy Class cabin. I opted for the Western breakfast. A tray containing hot dishes including: 1. A warm omelette, two cherry tomatoes, a soggy piece of lettuce, and sautéed potatoes. 2. A warm cake containing almonds and vanilla. 3. A bread bun The above dishes were accompanied with tea or coffee. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered before (orange juice and water), during, and after the meal. No alcohol, but plenty of milk, coffee and tea. There was also apple juice as well. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew seemed proud to work for China Eastern Airlines, and were very welcoming. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The brand new A321 aircraft belonging to China Eastern Airlines had a seat configuration of 2-2 in First Class, and a configuration of 3-3 in Economy Class. The plane was very clean, felt fresh, and the toilets showed signs of a new plane out of the factory. Economy Class seats have a pitch of 32 inches, and a width of 18 inches (139 seats) First Class seats have a pitch of 38 inches, and a width of 21 inches (20 seats). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES (Shanghai Hongqiao to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, CZ3596)- AIRBUS A3218/14/2012
Route: Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport
Departure date of flight: June 2012, evening flight Flight Number: CZ3596 Flight duration: 2 hours 20 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Airbus A321 Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed around 10 minutes late due to heavy air traffic control around the Shanghai area. Once we got started there was hardly any sign of any delays, and it actually turned out to be a smooth flight. Any baggage issues: No issues- I only had hand luggage. Comments on the check- in staff and any issues: No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Shanghai Hongqiao airport. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just drinks, and including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: For this two-hour flight, a choice of two dishes (Chinese) for dinner. One was noodles with beef, or pork with rice. I opted to take the pork with rice. The shredded pork and the white rice tasted nothing like one would expect...I took one look under the foil lid and nearly got my eye gouged by a crocodile.... China Southern Airlines in-flight catering needs to be improved. A tray containing the following was included: 1. A packet containing pickles 2. A packet of apple chips (yeah, tastes a cross between your conventional crisps and an apple) 3. A small pot of mineral water offered by Bilin. The above dishes were accompanied with tea or coffee (and beer if needed). Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered before (orange juice and water), during, and after the meal. Plenty of milk, coffee, and tea. There was also local Yanjing beer (Guangzhou brand). Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew seemed proud to work for China Southern Airlines, and were very welcoming. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The brand new A321 aircraft belonging to China Southern Airlines had a seat configuration of 2-2 in First Class, and a configuration of 3-3 in Economy Class. The plane was very clean, felt fresh, and the toilets showed signs of a new plane out of the factory. Economy Class seats have a pitch of 32 inches, and a width of 18 inches (139 seats) First Class seats have a pitch of 38 inches, and a width of 21 inches (20 seats). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 6 Route: Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport
Departure date of flight: June 2012, 7pm Flight Number: CZ3547 Flight duration: 2 hours 20 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Boeing 777-200 Punctuality of the flight: Amazingly, the flight departed on time from Guangzhou, considering the evening rush hour. A slightly bumpy ride due to some turbulence, nevertheless other than that it was a nice flight. Nothing unusual. Any baggage issues: No issues- I only had hand luggage. Comments on the check- in staff and any issues: No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at check-in at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. The check-in gates for domestic flights to Shanghai at located in the A-section of the building after security. There is a Starbucks coffee shop, and plenty of other small food and drink shops (expensive through of course being an airport). Various souvenir shops too. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just drinks, and including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: For this two-hour flight, a choice of two dishes (Chinese) for dinner. One was noodles with seafood, or chicken with rice. I opted to take the noodles with seafood. The main hot dish contained delicious noodles, along with various bits of seafood including crab meat, baby squid, and prawns. Very healthy and scrumptious for an evening dinner. A tray containing the following was included: 1. A bunch of fresh cherry tomatoes 2. A delicious coconut and vanilla flavoured cake. Very soft to the tongue and just perfect after the seafood! 3. A small pot of mineral water offered by Bilin. 4. Chilli sauce to put onto the noodles-another innovation by China Southern Airlines. The above dishes were accompanied with tea or coffee (and beer if needed). Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered before (orange juice and water), during, and after the meal. Plenty of milk, coffee, and tea. There was also local Yanjing beer (Guangzhou brand). Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): China Southern Airlines use a mixed fleet for the Guangzhou to Shanghai route. The evening slots can be busy so that’s why they use the Boeing 777 for the fully packed evening flight. The China Southern Airlines Boeing 777-200 uses: Economy Class seats have a pitch of 32 inches, and a width of 18 inches First Class seats have a pitch of 38 inches, and a width of 21 inches Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 _ The world’s FIVE star airline- Taking you more personally
Qatar Airways (القطرية) is the national flag carrier of the State of Qatar (دولة قطر) in the Middle East. Founded on the 22nd of November 1993, the airline has gone through a rapid expansion in a short time span to serve 109 destinations using 103 state-of-the-art modern, and young aircraft. The airline, which employees a total of around 20,000 people world-wide, is based in the ultra-modern Doha Control Tower at Doha International Airport and serves its destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australasia, the Indian subcontinent, and East Asia. At the time of writing Qatar Airways has a firm order for 136 aircraft to be delivered within the next 5-7 years. These include 5 Airbus A380-800 (Super Jumbos), 30 Boeing 787-8 (Dreamliner), and 90 orders for the Airbus A350 aircraft (Extra Wide Bodied). The airline is the proud holder of a number of awards. The latest of these came in 2011, when Qatar Airways was named by Skytrax the "Airline of the Year 2011", at the Paris Air Show in June 2011. At the same time Qatar Airways placed an order for 6 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The ultimate ranking, this rating is awarded to airlines achieving the highest quality performance. Qatar Airways is one of just seven airlines globally to be awarded the 5-star rating. In China, Qatar Airways flies non-stop between Doha and Guangzhou (7 flights a week), Beijing (4 flights a week), and Shanghai (7 flights a week), connecting passengers to over 101 destinations worldwide through its hub at Doha. In November 2011, Qatar Airways commenced services to Chongqing 7 times a week from Doha using the Airbus A330 aircraft with a two-class configuration (Business and Economy Class). Qatar Airways was proud to have been named Asia’s Most Preferred Airline Brand at the 2011 Asian Leadership Awards in October 2011. As mentioned by CEO Akbar Al Baker: ‘Over 30 per cent of Qatar Airways’ global coverage is in the Far East, South East Asia and South Asia’. The awards covered more than 20 categories, including business innovation, human resources, corporate responsibility and products and services. I was on the flight from Doha to Shanghai Pudong on Qatar Airways’ Boeing 777-300ER to check out their Business Class seat, cabin and service. So enjoy the 5-star experience from SEAT 1E of this beautiful aircraft, and airline: Route: DOHA (DOH) to SHANGHAI PUDONG (PVG) Departure date and time of flight: February 2012, 01:00am local time (Doha) Flight number: QR888 (ICAO callsign: “Qatari 888 heavy”) Flight duration: 8 Hours and 25 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: BOEING 777-3DZER (16 aircraft in service) Unit cost of each Boeing 777-300ER: US$284.1 million (2011) Aircraft registration: A7-BAB (First flight 11th December 2007) Aircraft Name: Um- Alamad Engine Type: 2 x GE90-115B (each engine can power a Boeing 747-400 all by itself!) Aircraft Serial Number: 36103 - line 686 Frequent flyer programme: Qatar Airways' Privilege Club- Q Miles Seat configuration for this aircraft: Business Class: 42 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, Economy Class: 293 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration Comments on the check-in process, and any issues: This was a connecting flight, and I had already checked in at London Heathrow Airport. Any baggage issues: Qatar Airways allows a checked-in baggage of maximum 30kg per passenger in Business Class, 40kg in First Class, and 23kg for Economy Class. Passengers can also take two pieces of hand luggage on board the aircraft, not to exceed 15 kg in total (or 50 x 37 x 25 cm). Passengers may carry liquids, gels, pastes, and aerosols in containers up to 100 ml (3.4 oz) in their hand baggage (I always take a small mouth wash bottle, contact lens solution, mouth spray, anti-perspirant, and an eau de toilette for long flights). Passengers are provided with a transparent, resalable, quart- or litter-sized bag no larger than 20 x 20 cm at the security at the Doha gates. I was so relieved to get rid of my HUGE luggage bag (weighed less than 30kg) at the check-in desk. Punctuality of the flight, and flight route: Departed on time, and landed on time as well. The flight path taken was typical of most flights that are on the Middle-East to Shanghai route. We were provided with splendid views of the Ganges over India, Northern Thailand, Burma, and then entering the Chinese airspace around Kunming. Surprisingly, considering the hazy visibility I was expecting, I did however manage to get beautiful views of Wuxi, Wuxi Airport, Suzhou SIP area, and Guiyang. We landed on runway 17L at Shanghai Pudong Airport, which meant a long taxi (nearly 35 minutes!) into the arrival gate. The taxi from the runway to the gate took just as long as it took to get from Wuxi to Shanghai Pudong Aiport (took flight route A470 directing to 'dotmi' VOR/IFR). Click HERE to see the photos of this flight (and the one before this flight). Premier Terminal Experience at Doha: After landing from London Heathrow (on my previous connecting flight), I, along with other Business Class passengers, was transferred to the Premier terminal (the Economy Class passengers were transferred to the normal terminal). My experience of the Premier terminal is listed below. Doha airport is simply an art of sophistication. It’s located only 5km away from the centre of Doha, but the airport may itself be considered as an oasis city itself. There are FOUR lounges at Doha Airport: Privilege Club Gold Lounge Provides a true 5-star service in all the elements that it offers. This lounge is to be used by Privilege Club Gold Card holders (irrespective of the class they travel in). Members will find a warm welcome and world-class facilities in this stylish lounge.
Privilege Club Silver Lounge The Silver Lounge has all of the facilities as the Gold Members Lounge except baggage storage. Oryx Lounge This is 5-star lounge with all of the above mentioned facilities, and can be used by passengers travelling on first or Business Class on any other airline except Qatar Airways. Premier Terminal This is the exclusive Lounge for those travelling on First or Business Vlass with Qatar Airways. Its looks and feels like a 5-star hotel rather than an airport lounge. Complete with luxurious bedrooms, Jacuzzi, nursery for kids, storage space, office facilities (fax, internet, and telephone), massage facilities, separate mosques for men and women, sauna facilities, and a Mecca for dining with a true 5-star service. You can eat whatever you like. The Premier Terminal has its own duty-free shop on the ground floor. Buses whisk passengers to/from their planes. Overall there was an excellent atmosphere right from the conception phase to the point I had to take the connecting flight. If only airport lounges were of this excellent quality. Service was exceedingly friendly. As I have mentioned numerous times, the staff all are well trained and offer a genuine hospitality. It shows clearly that the staff care for the customers from their heart. Their smile is a real one and not just to show that you are a customer of Qatar Airways. Its to make you feel special because they understand that: 1. It is not easy to fly Business or First Class 2. Not everyone flies First or Business Class, and those that do have to be felt special because they deserve it (because they or their companies have invested in flying First or Business class). It’s all about providing a service where the staff offer a an amazing attention to detail, and this is remarkable. Selection of both hot and cold food is available in myriad quantities as if there is no tomorrow. I was comfortably able to take a shower and jump into the Jacuzzi in the excellent shower room with quality amenities and excellent staff (Spa is the superlative part of the terminal which is unbelievably first-class). All toiletries in the bathroom, and showers are provided by L'Occitane en Provence. In case you are not kept track of your flight, then don’t worry because you will be accordingly invited to board in a timely manner. The First Class lounge is not as busy as the Business Class lounge, nevertheless both are amazing. Perhaps the best lounge experience that I have had on any airline in the world. What you normally find is that some airlines are good, but their lounges are not good, but Qatar Airways is ahead of their game. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers in Business Class were offered hot towels and boiled sweets prior to departure. Passengers are greeted with a choice of signature welcome drink (orange juice, champagne, apple juice or watermelon juice), and hot or cold refreshing cotton towels. On each Business Class seat there were a set of noise cancellation headphones, a rich cotton blanket (each one weighs 2KG!), 100% cotton pajamas, a luxury amenity kit containing the Molton Brown toiletries, slippers, eye-shades, and a pair of Qatar Airways designer socks. The pajamas came handy for this long flight. They are very useful if you want to freely toss and turn in your flatbed while you sleep because wearing your normal cloths while sleeping on a plane is not comfortable at all! Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Passengers in Business Class can savour the outstanding in-seat service geared to suit their body clock. Passengers can pre-order and can choose to dine, breakfast, or enjoy a light snack at anytime they wish. I took a glass of bubbly (Champagne Laurent Perrier Brut 2000 France), and plenty of water (2 litre bottle!), and orange juice as this was an early morning flight (to keep me from being dehydrated). The orange juice had a pleasingly fresh-squeezed flavour, and came with a fresh slice of an actual orange. The Champagne can be perfect for caviar smoked salmon lobster. A plate pleaser with uramaki sushi with ginger pickles and wasabi was provided to go along with the drinks service. The generous portions of the food provided on Qatar Airways are enough to put some other airlines to shame. You cannot go wrong when hideously delicious food like this is on offer. Comments regarding the first meal: Hot towels were handed out prior to the first meal. Inspired by culinary treats from around the world, Qatar Airways’ Business Class in-flight a la carte dining experience offers mouth-watering dishes created by award-winning chefs. A light snack was served around 40 minutes after take-off. Since this was a early morning/late night flight, so the meal service was not so heavy. The choice of dishes included: · Stir-fried egg noodles with braised oriental prawns, Chinese greens accompanied by pearl chilli sauce. · Classic Arabic mezze · Warm tandoori chicken sandwich served with mint chutney · Assorted seasonal fresh fruit I wish I had a huge stomach because even though I was hungry, there was no way I could have eaten all of the above dishes. The cabin crew were very hospitable and friendly. As I had eaten enough food on the previous flight in from London Heathrow to Doha, so for this night time flight I opted to go for the ‘warm tandoori chicken sandwich served with mint chutney’. A simple yet artistic dish that looked more like a Mexican fajita wrap surrounded by saffron leaves and a healthy portion of mint chutney. The succulent chicken breast pieces tasted great. It was just the perfect portion for a night time snack. Airline meals were never really too healthy because healthy eating used to mean being condemned to a round of virtuous but dull meals. Modern in-flight meal chefs, however, are competing with one another to please their passengers (especially in First and Business Class), by producing airline meals that are light on calories, high on healthy ingredients AND above all, are delicious, and tasting fresh. Healthy food is one that keeps all its natural nutrients and flavours. Qatar Airways certainly does not fail in this department. The gastronomic rejuvenation came to a finale with the healthy dish of freshly cut seasonal fruit. Slices of rich and exotic fruit such as dragon fruit, wild red grapes, melon, grapefruit, and pineapple were presented. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: A second round of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (including any coffee, tea and beverages) were offered. I opted to drink plenty of still mineral water. Tempting drinks such as Martini Rosso/Dry, Campari, Glenfiddich Single Malt Solera 15 years old, Chivas Regal, Baileys, and many more were available. Qatar Airways is proud to offer the finest wines from around the world. Every flight route has a different selection of wines. It’s another minor but important thing like this that differentiates Qatar Airways from the other airlines in the world. Wines and beverages available by the bottle on this flight included the following: · Champagne: Laurent Perrier, Brut, 2002 (France) · Chardonnay: Vincent Giradin, AC Meursault, Vieilles Vignes, 2007 (Burgundy, France) · Sauvignon Blanc: Villa Maria, Celler Selection, 2010 (Marlborough, New Zealand) · Riesling: Markus Molitor, Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Spatlese, 2007 (Mosel Valley, Germany) · Meritage- Merlot & Cabernet blend: Chateau Le Bon Pasteur, AC Pomerol, 2006 (Bordeaux, France) · Sangiovese: Poggio Antico, Altero, 2005 (Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy) · Shiraz: Hollick, 2009 (Wrattonbully, Australia) · Twany Port: Kopke, Colheita, 1974 (Douro Valley, Portugal) Passengers in Business Class could go to the galley and get free flowing drinks, fruit, ice cream (Häagen-Dazs), Godiva chocolates, and a variety of hot pot noodles. I had some English Breakfast tea with a few packets of Walkers shortbread biscuits (un-resistible!). Comments regarding the second meal: Qatar Airways are one of the few airlines to serve two meals during a six-hour flight. The second meal, offered around an hour and half before landing, was heavier, and more options were available than the first meal. I was just wondering how I would eat all that! A quick visit to the hotel style toilet to clean my teeth and refresh myself before the second meal felt good. The beauty of sleeping in the Business Class cabin is that it really is a similar (if not equal) feeling to waking up in a hotel bed except that on a plane you may feel some slight turbulence, and the noise of pressurisation (use ear plugs!). The cabin crew started handing out hot towels prior to the breakfast a la carte. To revive we were offered a selection of some fresh fruit juices. Check these tempting options: · Freshly squeezed orange juice · Date, and banana energizer. · Cranberry juice I opted for my favourite drink (I LOVE orange juice...got to love that pleasant balance of sweet and tart). Qatar Airways have sourced out the best partners when it comes to providing excellent food, and their orange juice with the orange bits and skin parts is just awesome. It is good enough to wake you up refreshed. To commence the breakfast adventure, there were the following two dishes (in the order of writing): · Tropical fruit with Greek yoghurt · Balik style salmon, and breakfast salad with pink grapefruit, spicy lemon dressing. I opted for the ‘breakfast salad’. A very colourful dish with a generous decorative portion of salmon that will take your breath away. The vibrant salmon is bathed in the not so spicy lemon dressing. The vibrant combination of the different ingredients, such as the pink grapefruit and the rocket salad, is just magical. Following on from the above starters there was a choice to indulge into one of the following dishes: · Creamy salmon omelette, button mushrooms, and sugar snap peas* · Congee with steamed Japanese scallops · Apple and cinnamon pancakes with sour cherry compote and vanilla sauce · Classic Arabic breakfast * Passengers could add their choice of seared vine cherry tomato, fresh roesti potato, and herb chicken patty. It’s very tempting to try every dish on the menu. However, I opted for the ‘creamy salmon omelette’, with an added option of herb chicken patty. The colour of this dish is a bright pale straw like indicating a slight youth of the taste and a deep stainless steel cooking style. The delicious salmon is neatly tucked inside the omelette so that with every mouthful you taste both the salmon and the freshly made omelette. The rectangular shaped omelette is surrounded by a few pieces of button mushrooms, and plenty of snap peas. The snap peas are boiled and fresh, but their colour tends to fade a bit (perhaps because it’s a in-flight meal). None of the meals on Qatar Airways contain any artificial colours or excess preservatives are used in the cooking of all the meals on Qatar Airways. In actual fact a Business Class meal on a major airline as Qatar Airways should feel as close as possible to eating at a good quality restaurant (even though the saturated fat may top more than twice of what the recommended daily fat intake of 70g!). Various types of bread rolls, pain du chocolate, croissant, and brown and white toast were provides from the bakery basket. A final round of drinks was completed. This included a selection of beverages, soft drinks, juices, eight types of teas (early grey, English Kreakfast, green, roasted Japanese, Moroccan mint, camomile, sencha green, and green jasmine), and five types of coffees (cappuccino, espresso, cafe latte, macchiato, and American) were offered after the main meal. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: Huge headphones with noise cancellation technology were offered in the business class cabin. The HUGE 33cm by 22cm (15.6-inch) PTV screen, which can be easily folded away into the right hand side armrest, can be used to watch movies, choose any kinds of music to play, watch how your flight is progressing, catch up on current affairs, or play computer games with. Qatar Airways has three different IFE systems: Widescreen AVOD, PTV AVOD and Mainscreen. The digital AVOD (Audio Video on Demand) in-cabin entertainment system is known as Oryx entertainment system, is in use on all the routes. Passengers can select their program either from the panel in the arm of the seat or simply by touching the screen. The AVOD system fall into three categories: 'Information', 'Entertainment’, and 'Communications'. Altogether, there are over 120 channels and levels of entertainment to absorb during your flight (Overall IFE has over 1000 Video and Audio on-demand options in Business Class). Then there is, Oryx, the five-star quality in-flight magazine of Qatar Airways to keep you mesmerized with many stories and useful information. PTV AVOD is fitted on board all Airbus A330s and Airbus A340s. It has a PTV and a remote. This was Qatar's first AVOD system. It is the only system that offers live television. The PTV system on the Airbus A340-642 aircraft is not touch screen (as that’s only available on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft). The good thing is that on the Boeing 777-300ER all the seats have AC power plugs for passengers to do their work (or if you want to charge up your phone, camera, laptop etc.). Connections enabling passengers to listen to, or watch on their individual screens, content on their personal iPods or USB devices are available on this aircraft (the Boeing 777-300ER). Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very hospitable, and proud to work for Qatar Airways. There was a genuine smile on every crew members face and you could tell that they really enjoyed their job. There was a real sense of teamwork in the cabin. It’s no wonder that Qatar Airways cabin crew were voted the ‘Best Cabin Crew’ in the Middle East for the seventh consecutive year at the 2009 Skytrax airline awards. Qatar Airways has over 100 nationalities as cabin crew who offer a consistent 5-star service to its passengers. Some airline companies have all kinds of motivated mottos that they will look after their customers, but sometimes they fail in this miserably. Qatar Airways however really does make sure that everyone enjoys a smooth, and comfortable flight. Though night time flights are usually easy to handle for the crew as almost everyone goes to sleep! On our flight, we had cabin crew from China, India, Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan, Slovakia, and, Iran. The languages spoken were English, Arabic, Hindi, Slovak, Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin Chinese. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): Qatar Airways have 42 Business Class flatbed seats on their Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with a 2-2-2 configuration. Each seat has a generous pitch of a 78 inch recline and is 22 inches wide. Generous legroom allows you to stretch comfortably and the built-in massager helps you relax. I had a wonderful sleep for around 5 hours in between the two meals. Slept like a log with my head on the soft cotton pillow. The senior purse even gave me a hand to cover me with the Qatar Airways blanket- such is the amazing service of the cabin crew. This is far better than most other airlines around the world. All the seats have a huge 15.6-inch PTV display screen, in-seat reading light, in-seat drinks holders, and in-seat power units. In Business Class, the toilets are equipped with refreshing towels (various coloured packaging), eau de toilette, moisture cream, and a hand cream (all by Molton Brown). Passengers in Business Class are provided with cotton-lined pure wool blankets and 100% cotton sleeper suits. Another sign of why it’s the world’s 5-star airline. Mood lighting is used throughout the flight to keep the passengers in touch with the time zones. So blue, orange, red and yellow shades of the mood lighting is used to highlight the different time zones (dawn, night time, evening and, afternoon). This is so that passengers’ eyes and body can adapt to the different time zones. All the Business Class seats have an electronic touch pad control system allowing them to easily control the seat settings. Qatar Airways logo and livery: Qatar Airways logo consist of the head of the national animal of the State of Qatar, the Oryx gazelle, as a motif, stuck on a round background of zigzags which resembles the background of the national flag of the State of Qatar. In line with the colors of the national flag of Qatar, the identity uses maroon as its primary color for all logos and branding. The airline advertises heavily internationally including on international television channels like CNN, and BBC World. The airline’s motto is ‘The World’s 5-star airline that takes you more personally’, and this is certainly true when it comes to everything they do for their customers and passengers. The word ‘’QATAR’ occupies the front of the fuselage, using a quite bland font, in huge letters on the livery. The whole logo on the airline portrays the perfect flair and distinctiveness that it deserves. There is a sense of luxury among that design. The grey and maroon colors are adopted from the national flag, and it essentially looks like a large Qatar flag on a plane (with those huge ‘QATAR’ letters on the front of the fuselage). The Arabic name of the airline ‘Al Qatariyah’ is rendered in a much smaller, light grey font is is barely noticeable on the plane. All the Boeing 777-300ER, and Airbus A340-642 aircraft have the world ‘QATAR’ painted on the belly of the fuselage (it is easily visible from the ground when a plane is flying). In addition, there is the Qatar Airways’ Oryx logo on the winglets of the Airbus A340-600, and on the engine pods of all aircraft. Even the wheels have their interior painted in grey to resemble the brand identity. It looks cool! The Oryx on the plane’s tail is itself a work of art, and suits the airline’s tailfins splendidly. It portrays the authentic culture and heritage of the Qatar people and country. Like most airlines around the world, Qatar Airways have adopted to a more modern and simple livery that portrays elegance, sophistication, and a smooth blend of comfort and imaginativeness. The airline logo stands out like a strong brand, and is proudly displayed on all tableware, cloths, in-flight seat covers, tissue paper, cups, airport buses, and on all the uniforms. Special thanks to Qatar Airways _Qatar Airways (القطرية) is the national flag carrier of the State of Qatar (دولة قطر) in the Middle East. Founded on the 22nd of November 1993, the airline has gone through a rapid expansion in a short time span to serve 109 destinations using 103 state-of-the-art modern, and young aircraft. The airline, which employees a total of around 20,000 people world-wide, is based in the ultra-modern Doha Control Tower at Doha International Airport and serves its destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australasia, the Indian subcontinent, and East Asia. At the time of writing Qatar Airways has a firm order for 136 aircraft to be delivered within the next 5-7 years. These include five Airbus A380-800 (Super Jumbos), 30 Boeing 787-8 (Dreamliner), and 90 orders for the Airbus A350 aircraft (Extra Wide Bodied).
The airline is the proud holder of a number of awards. The latest of these came in 2011, when Qatar Airways was named by Skytrax the "Airline of the Year 2011", at the Paris Air Show in June 2011. At the same time Qatar Airways placed an order for 6 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The ultimate ranking, this rating is awarded to airlines achieving the highest quality performance. Qatar Airways is one of just seven airlines globally to be awarded the 5-star rating. Qatar Airways announced that in 2012 the company will introduce seven new routes. These are Perth in Western Australia, the Finnish capital Helsinki, Croatia’s capital city of Zagreb, Gassim in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and three East African cities – Zanzibar, Kigali and Mombasa, in Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya, respectively. Operating from the airline’s hub in Doha, capital of the State of Qatar, all seven new routes will be launched over the next few months. They will join previously announced Baku and Tbilisi, the capital cities of Azerbaijan and Georgia, respectively, which have become part of Qatar Airways’ family of routes since February 1st. In the United Kingdom, Qatar Airways flies non-stop between Doha and London Heathrow (28 flights a week), and Manchester (14 flights a week), connecting passengers to over 109 destinations worldwide through its hub at Doha. I was on the flight from London Heathrow to Doha on Qatar Airways’ Airbus A340-642 to check out their Business Class seats! Now, here is the trip report from SEAT 10A of flight QR008!: Route: LONDON HEATHROW (LHR) to DOHA (DOH) Departure date and time of flight: February 2012, 15:00pm Flight number: QR008 (ICAO callsign: “Qatari 008 heavy”) Flight duration: 6 Hours 55 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A340-642 (4 in service) Unit cost of each Airbus A340-642: US$275.4 million (£168.25 million or €190 million) (2011) Aircraft registration: A7-AGC (First flight 13th October 2006) Engine Type: 4 x RR Trent 556-61 (ROLLS-ROYCE) Aircraft Serial Number: F8C42Y216 - 766 Aircraft Name: Ras Ushairij Frequent flyer programme: Qatar Airways' Privilege Club- Q Miles Seat configuration for this aircraft: First Class: 8 flat bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration (6.5 Feet legroom) Business Class: 42 lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, Economy Class: 256 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration Presently the Airbus A340-642 is the only aircraft where Qatar Airways offers First Class cabin. However the CEO of Qatar Airways Mr. Akbar Al-Baker has announced in 2010 that Qatar Airways plans to eliminate First Class cabins from existing A340 aircraft, as well as new aircraft deliveries, except the A380 aircraft (of which Qatar Airways will have 5 aircraft in service). In fact all the Business Class seats on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offer the same features that are offered by most airlines in most their First Class cabins (such as in seat massage, extra legroom, and more entertainment channels). Any baggage issues: Qatar Airways flies from Terminal 4 at Heathrow Airport, which tends to be quieter and much hassle free than the chaotic Terminal 3 (from where all the major international airlines fly from)! No issues regarding the baggage. For Business Class Qatar Airways have a checked baggage allowance of 30 kg total for all routes excluding transatlantic routes. Therefore, for the London to Doha route, they have a 30KG luggage policy. All routes have a carry-on allowance of one piece not exceeding 7 kg (50x37x25 cm). Comments on the check-in staff and flight route: At the time of writing, Qatar Airways customers can check-in at Zone A, (from desks 115-122). The check-in staff were very polite and swift in processing the check-in process. Non-EU citizens, can claim Value Added Tax (VAT) before they check-in, at the VAT desk which is accessed by the lift in Zone G. If you want this service then it is wise to add an extra hour to your check-in time for this process. Therefore overall it is wise to be at the airport at least 3 hours before departure (though you may get away with only 2 hours before your flight, but considering it is Heathrow- I would not risk it for the sake of missing your flight!). After check-in, proceed straight to security (which can take a long time at Heathrow), and within the departure lounge you will find iconic British brands such as Harrods and Burberry, as well as other brands such as Cartier and Gucci. Considering that I departed on a daytime flight, there was hardly any hustle or bustle that you would normally expect at Heathrow on a busy rush hour period. The check-in process went smoothly (there was NO queue!) and quickly. It must have taken less than 20 minutes to get from the check-in desk to the aircraft gate. Because of the large number of flights between London and Doha, the flights are not that full. On our flight, there were only around 50 passengers on a plane that can carry up to 250 passengers! While all 8 seats in First Class were taken, Business Class was around 40% empty, and likewise for Economy Class. When checking in for Qatar Airways, passengers are provided with one of the three types of boarding passes depending on where they are going, and which class they are flying in. So passengers whose final destination is Doha will be given a blue boarding pass wallet. Passengers that are flying Economy Class & transferring at Doha Airport are given a yellow boarding pass wallet, and passengers that are flying either Business or First Class & are transferring at Doha Airport are provided with a burgundy coloured boarding pass wallet along with an invitation card to the exclusive Premier Terminal at Doha Airport. From Terminal 4, we had a short taxi to the active runway (runway 09R), and even there we did not come across the long wait for take-off. The aircraft ahead of us was also a Airbus A340 belonging to Qatar Airways Amiri flight (VIP plane used by the Qatar government and Royalty). It was a straight approach to the threshold piano keys and an immediate take-off. Our flight took us from London Heathrow towards a Dover departure, and then reached cruise level of FL350 (35,000 feet), at around Maastricht control. Wonderful views of London were presented right after take-off with all the major sites of London clearly visible (Houses of parliament, Greenwich, Canary Wharf, Battersea Power Station, and much more). You can check the photos by clicking here. As this was an evening-night flight, so as we approached the Qatar peninsula, near the border of Iraq, one can easily see the huge oil fields in the desert with flames gushing into the Arabian sky. This land is full of oil...billions of cash just lurking under the ground (and that’s what has made Qatar into a rich state over the past few years). Click HERE to see the photos for this trip. Qatar Airways Premium Lounge at Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 If you are flying Business or First Class internationally, then airport Lounges are great. You can munch away on finger food, cheese and some luxury food while waiting for a flight. One airline has taken the concept of airline lounges to a whole new level that has never been seen before by any other airline. Opened in January 2012 at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4 the spanking new Premium Lounge by Qatar Airways for Business and First Class passengers looks and feels rather more like a boutique 5-star hotel! Ideally located within a 5-minute walk to the gates, and about the same time from the customs security check, the Qatar Airways Premium Lounge is the first Lounge that the airline has installed at an airport outside of Doha International Airport in Qatar. London is a prime destination for most Qataris (and also for most non-Qataris connecting to London with Qatar Airways), so it makes sense for London Heathrow to be the place for their first Lounge outside of Doha. One thing is for sure, this Lounge is all about you, the passenger, and if there is one airline that is striving its best to bring back the hey days of luxury flying, then it has to be Qatar Airways. The distinction of the Lounge is portrayed finely as one enters it. There is no conventional reception desk but rather a similar feeling to that of entering a five star hotel foyer laid with calming spaces, and certain discreet greeters noting your wishes for dining, wining, and relaxation choices on their iPads. It is so easy to become attracted to the culturally inspired fountains, and the luxurious touch of a Middle Eastern Palace that the Lounge presents. There is plenty of Arabic calligraphy on the walls, the carpets, the mosaics, and the gentle sounds of the fountains in the background. Would you believe it? The designers have even taken the trouble to put in scents of real olive trees and herbs around the dining areas just to make you feel attached to the culture of the country’s airline you would be taking. Who could resist temptations such as a signature Wine and Martini bar, a luxury 5-star restaurant complete with an open Global Brassiere, and a dedicated Delicatessen? All in all you’ll be spoil for choice when it comes to wining and dining- and the good things can go on for as long as you want (and don’t worry- you won’t miss your flight because someone will escort in case you forget while having too much fun). So is there a downside? Well, the only thing that could let you down is a flight delay. But then again would you care when you are in such cosy and pampering surroundings? Everything for the modern human life is taken care of, that includes complimentary Wi-Fi internet, iPod sockets, private showers with heated floor and mirrors (supplied with L’Occitane en Provence toiletries). So if you are flying business or first class then it’s perhaps best to make the most of this special experience that you don’t get to enjoy everyday. You just end up wondering whether future airport Lounges will end up looking the same? Punctuality of the flight: Departed bang on time, however we landed around 15 minutes late due to the air traffic at Doha. Doha only has one runway and so it can get busy during the airlines peak hours (which are at night time). Time is money when it comes to the aviation industry as fuel costs, combined with landing fees, take-off slot fees, and airport management fees pile on rapidly the longer the aircraft stays on the ground. Qatar Airways, and the ground-handling agents at Heathrow, are very efficient in what they do and how they operate on time. The captain had plenty of fuel in the tanks in case we had to do a fuel dumping (god forbid!), and everything was well managed for this flight. Once we arrived in Doha, I had minutes before I had to catch my connecting flight to Shanghai Pudong. It was a straight into the security check at the Premium Terminal and onto the plane for the next flight. There was hardly any time to shop around or wander around the Premium Terminal (which I have seen before). Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Once you enter the aircraft, the Qatari hospitality makes sure that you have an authentic experience of their culture and customs. Passengers are greeted with a choice of signature welcome drink (orange juice, champagne, apple juice or watermelon juice), and hot or cold refreshing cotton towels. On each Business Class seat there were a set of noise cancellation headphones, a rich cotton blanket (each one weighs 2KG!), a luxury amenity kit containing the Molton Brown toiletries, slippers, eyeshades, and a pair of Qatar Airways designer socks. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Passengers in business class can savour the outstanding in-seat service geared to suit their body clock. Passengers can pre-order and can choose to dine, breakfast, or enjoy a light snack at anytime they wish. There was also a antipasti which consisted of fresh olives (without the seeds). I was also provided a small bowl of nuts to go with the champagne drink I had. For lunch I took a glass of water and orange juice as this was an afternoon flight (to keep me from being dehydrated). I opted for my favourite drink, orange juice. If you worship orange juice, like I do, then there is no reason to doubt this beautiful liquid sunshine offer by Qatari!. Qatar Airways have sourced out the best partners when it comes to providing excellent food, and their orange juice with the orange bits and skin parts is just awesome. It is good enough to wake you up refreshed, and with just the right amount of pulp, no wonder why it tastes like a cross between a real orange, and a orange smoothie drink! Comments regarding the first meal: Late lunch was served around 40 minutes after take-off from London Heathrow. We must have been somewhere over northern France. The following tempting options were offered: · Broad bean and zatar soup with lightly salted mini croutons · Seafood cocktail with smoked tuna, saffron prawn, marinated crayfish medallion, fresh tarragon potato salad · Classic Arabic mezze I went for the healthy option of ‘seafood cocktail’. It was literally an extravaganza of colourful seafood portions blended in well with potato salad. A truly flavourful dish that has enough of its inclusion of wonderful tastes that would linger onto your tongue until you want to try more. Pungent, but well balanced and scrumptious, it was a testament to the creativity behind the menu at the kitchens of Qatar Airways in Doha. Truly wonderful. Following on from the commencement options were three choices for the main lunch dish: · Stuffed chicken breast with pesto ricotta cheese with red pepper coulis, lentil rice, and roasted Mediterranean vegetables. · Pan-fried seabass with green tea and bonito flake lemon butter soba noodles, braised shitake mushrooms, and asparagus tips. · Paneer jalfrezi, dhal makhani and safed pulao. I went for the healthy option of ‘pan-fried seabass’. These fish are free of the growth hormones that are customarily fed to farmed fish. The fish is pan fried at high heat using butter to give a strong delicious flavour. This allows the fish to retain all of its natural flavours and juice as well as its minerals and vitamins producing a lower cholesterol level. The dark coloured soba noodles add a hint of lemon flavour to the tongue. While the asparagus and the tiny shitake mushrooms provide a good presentation for the whole dish. The romance of this dish is inspired by Mediterranean and Arabic traditions. Every passenger was provided with a generous portion of the bread from the bakery basket containing various brown and white toast. After the main meal a cheese plate with an individual plate of Cornish double cream brie, vale of bevoir stilton and mull of Kintyre cheddar. The cheese went nicely with a glass of fine Shiraz (Hollick, 2009). A sweet finale included a selection of the following dishes: · Warm pumpkin and sultana brioche pudding with raspberry cream · Sliced fresh fruit · Vanilla ice-cream and rosewater pomegranate sorbet with forest berries. I went for the first option. A little bit heavy as it may have been but it was worth every bite, especially as it was taken on a plane. You don’t get to eat delicious food like this everyday on the ground, and even if you do then the enjoyment and ambiance is not the same as that of eating healthy and delicious food like this. The presentation was immaculate. For the best taste and enjoyment, dip each piece of the brioche into the raspberry cream, then close your eyes and enjoy! Luxury food in the sky never tasted so good. Lunch was followed with a final round of drinks was completed. This included a selection of beverages, soft drinks, juices, eight types of teas (early grey, English breakfast, green, roasted Japanese, Moroccan mint, camomile, sencha green, and green jasmine), and five types of coffees (cappuccino, espresso, cafe latte, macchiato, and American) were offered after the main meal. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: A second round of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (including any coffee, tea and beverages) were offered. I opted to drink plenty of still mineral water. Tempting drinks such as Martini Rosso/Dry, Campari, Glenfiddich Single Malt Solera 15 years old, Chivas Regal, Baileys, and many more were available. Qatar Airways is proud to offer the finest wines from around the world. Every flight route has a different selection of wines. It’s another minor but important thing like this that differentiates Qatar Airways from the other airlines in the world. Wines and beverages available by the bottle on this flight included the following: · Champagne: Lanson, Brut, 1998 (France) · Chardonnay: Chartron et Trebuchet, Meursault, 2008 (Burgundy, France) · Sauvignon Blanc: Villa Maria, Celler Selection, 2010 (Marlborough, New Zealand) · Riesling: Markus Molitor, Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Spatlese, 2007 (Mosel Valley Germany) · Meritage- Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot: Chateau Brane Cantenac, AC Margaux, 2nd growth, 2007 (Bordeaux, France) · Grenache, Carinena, Syrah, Torres, Salmos, 2008 (Priorat, Spain) · Shiraz: Hollick, 2009 (Wrattonbully, Australia) · Twany Port: Kopke, Colheita, 1974 (Douro Valley, Portugal) These are quality wines where the fermentation to achieve a beautiful balance between sweetness and acidity. The exotic notes of various fruits such as peaches and apricots are evident all around in the perfumes of the wines. Passengers in Business Class could go to the galley and get free flowing drinks, fruit, ice cream (Häagen-Dazs), Godiva chocolates, and a variety of hot pot noodles. Comments regarding the second meal: A late dinner snack commenced around an hour and a half before landing at Doha Airport. The following tempting goodies were offered all in one plate: · Reception sandwiches · Petit steak and cheese pie · Plain and fruit scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserve · Selection of petit fours · Forest berries Small cute portions of forest berries, and various petit fours. Now, effectively these miniature versions of the actual dishes are quite filling. The flavours project positive synergy from all corners of the dish. Most of the emphasis comes from the high expectations of flavour and health as well. The light snack was followed with a final round of drinks was completed. This included a selection of beverages, soft drinks, juices, eight types of teas (early grey, English breakfast, green, roasted Japanese, Moroccan mint, camomile, sencha green, and green jasmine), and five types of coffees (cappuccino, espresso, cafe latte, macchiato, and American) were offered after the main meal. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: Huge headphones with noise cancellation technology were offered in the Business Class cabin. The HUGE 33cm by 22cm (15.6-inch) PTV screen, which can be easily folded away into the right hand side armrest, can be used to watch movies, choose any kinds of music to play, watch how your flight is progressing, catch up on current affairs, or play computer games with. Qatar Airways has three different IFE systems: Widescreen AVOD, PTV AVOD and Main screen. The digital AVOD (Audio Video on Demand) in-cabin entertainment system is known as Oryx entertainment system, is in use on all the routes. Passengers can select their program either from the panel in the arm of the seat or simply by touching the screen. The AVOD system fall into three categories: 'Information', 'Entertainment’, and 'Communications'. Altogether, there are over 120 channels and levels of entertainment to absorb during your flight (Overall IFE has over 1000 Video and Audio on-demand options in Business Class). Then there is, Oryx, the five-star quality in-flight magazine of Qatar Airways to keep you mesmerized with many stories and useful information. It has a PTV and a remote. This was Qatar's first AVOD system. It is the only system that offers live television. The PTV system on the Airbus A340-642 aircraft is touch screen. Just like on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, the Airbus A340-642 aircraft have all the seats with AC power plugs for passengers to do their work (or if you want to charge up your phone, camera, laptop etc.). Connections enabling passengers to listen to, or watch on their individual screens, content on their personal iPods or USB devices are available on this aircraft (the Boeing 777-300ER). Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very hospitable, and proud to work for Qatar Airways. There was a genuine smile on every crewmembers face and you could tell that they really enjoyed their job. It’s no wonder that Qatar Airways cabin crew were voted the ‘Best Cabin Crew’ in the Middle East for the seventh consecutive year at the 2009 Skytrax airline awards. Qatar Airways has over 100 nationalities as cabin crew who offer a consistent 5-star service to its passengers. Some airline companies have all kinds of motivated mottos that they will look after their customers, but sometimes they fail in this miserably. Qatar Airways however really does make sure that everyone enjoys a smooth, and comfortable flight. On our flight, we had cabin crew from Thailand, Bhutan, India, Mauritius, United Kingdom, Italy and, China. The languages spoken were English, Arabic, Hindi, Thai, Chinese, and Italian. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The A340-642 aircraft has an on-board lounge near the First and Business Class compartments. Priestmangoode, (famous for Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa seating), designed the lounge. Building on traditional Qatari hospitality Priestmangoode has developed the design of the on-board lounge to be an extension of the airline’s airport lounge. The overall aim of the design was to generate the feeling of a integrated VIP corporate jet. The lounge offers cream leather sofa seating for six passengers and standing room at the bar. There is also a small mini-bar with spotlight mood lighting, and some space for magazines to be placed. In the 2009 and 2010 Skytrax Awards, Qatar Airways Economy Class was named best in the world. Qatar Airways have 42 Business Class flatbed seats on their Airbus A340-642 aircraft with a 2-2-2 configuration. Each seat has a generous pitch of a 78 inch recline and is 22 inches wide. Generous legroom allows you to stretch comfortably and the built-in massager helps you relax. This is far better than most other airlines around the world. All the seats have a huge 15.6-inch PTV display screen, in-seat reading light, in-seat drinks holders, and in-seat power units. In Business Class, the toilets are equipped with refreshing towels (various coloured packaging), eau de toilette, moisture cream, and a hand cream (all by Molton Brown). On this daytime flight passengers in Business Class were provided with cotton-lined pure wool blankets (100% cotton sleeper suits are only provided on night time long-haul flights). Another sign of why it’s the world’s 5-star airline. Mood lighting is used throughout the flight to keep the passengers in touch with the time zones. So blue, orange, red and yellow shades of the mood lighting is used to highlight the different time zones (dawn, night time, evening and, afternoon). This is so that passengers’ eyes and body can adapt to the different time zones. All the Business Class seats have an electronic touch pad control system allowing them to easily control the seat settings. Qatar Airways logo and livery: Qatar Airways logo consist of the head of the national animal of the State of Qatar, the Oryx gazelle, as a motif, stuck on a round background of zigzags which resembles the background of the national flag of the State of Qatar. In line with the colors of the national flag of Qatar, the identity uses maroon as its primary color for all logos and branding. The airline advertises heavily internationally including on international television channels like CNN, and BBC World. The airline’s motto is ‘The World’s 5-star airline that takes you more personally’, and this is certainly true when it comes to everything they do for their customers and passengers. The word ‘’QATAR’ occupies the front of the fuselage, using a quite bland font, in huge letters on the livery. The whole logo on the airline portrays the perfect flair and distinctiveness that it deserves. There is a sense of luxury among that design. The grey and maroon colors are adopted from the national flag, and it essentially looks like a large Qatar flag on a plane (with those huge ‘QATAR’ letters on the front of the fuselage). The Arabic name of the airline ‘Al Qatariyah’ is rendered in a much smaller, light grey font is is barely noticeable on the plane. All the Boeing 777-300ER, and Airbus A340-642 aircraft have the world ‘QATAR’ painted on the belly of the fuselage (it is easily visible from the ground when a plane is flying). In addition, there is the Qatar Airways’ Oryx logo on the winglets of the Airbus A340-600, and on the engine pods of all aircraft. Even the wheels have their interior painted in grey to resemble the brand identity. It looks cool! The Oryx on the plane’s tail is itself a work of art, and suits the airline’s tailfins splendidly. It portrays the authentic culture and heritage of the Qatar people and country. Like most airlines around the world, Qatar Airways have adopted to a more modern and simple livery that portrays elegance, sophistication, and a smooth blend of comfort and imaginativeness. The airline logo stands out like a strong brand, and is proudly displayed on all tableware, cloths, in-flight seat covers, tissue paper, cups, airport buses, and on all the uniforms. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 _ QATAR AIRWAYS- THE WORLD’S 5-STAR AIRLINE (TAKING YOU MORE PERSONALLY)
Qatar Airways (القطرية) is the national flag carrier of the State of Qatar (دولة قطر) in the Middle East. Founded on the 22nd of November 1993, the airline has gone through a rapid expansion in a short time span to serve 109 destinations using 103 state-of-the-art modern and young aircraft. The airline, which employees a total of around 20,000 people world-wide, is based in the ultra-modern Doha Control Tower at Doha International Airport and serves its destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australasia, the Indian subcontinent, and East Asia. At the time of writing Qatar Airways has a firm order for 136 aircraft to be delivered within the next 5-7 years. These include 5 Airbus A380-800 (Super Jumbos), 30 Boeing 787-8 (Dreamliner), and 90 orders for the Airbus A350 aircraft (Extra Wide Bodied). The airline is the proud holder of a number of awards. The latest of these came in 2011, when Qatar Airways was named by Skytrax the "Airline of the Year 2011", at the Paris Air Show in June 2011. At the same time, Qatar Airways placed an order for 6 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The ultimate ranking, this rating is awarded to airlines achieving the highest quality performance. Qatar Airways is one of just seven airlines globally to be awarded the 5-star rating. In the United Kingdom, Qatar Airways flies non-stop between Doha and London Heathrow (28 flights a week), and Manchester (14 flights a week), connecting passengers to over 101 destinations worldwide through its hub at Doha. When the Boeing 787 comes into service, Qatar Airways hopes to use it for the London-Doha route. I was on the flight from Doha to London Heathrow on Qatar Airways’ Airbus A330-300 to check out their Economy Class seats! What a flight it was…check this out: Route: DOHA (DOH) to LONDON HEATHROW (LHR) Departure date and time of flight: January 2012, 07:30am Flight number: QR005 (ICAO callsign: “Qatari 005”) Flight duration: 5 Hours 40 minutes Class: ECONOMY CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A330-300 (13 in service) Aircraft registration: A7-AEQ (First flight 6th March 2008) Engine Type: 2 x GE CF6-80E1A4B (General Electric) Aircraft Serial Number: 918 Aircraft Name: Shadeedah Frequent flyer programme: Qatar Airways' Privilege Club- Q Miles Seat configuration for this aircraft: First Class: 12 flat bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration (6.5 Feet legroom) Business Class: 24 lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, Economy Class: 217 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration Presently the Airbus A330 and the Airbus A340 are the only aircraft where Qatar Airways offers First Class cabin. However the CEO of Qatar Airways Mr. Akbar Al-Baker has announced in 2010 that Qatar Airways plans to eliminate First Class cabins from existing A340 aircraft, as well as new aircraft deliveries, except the A380 aircraft (of which Qatar Airways will have 5 aircraft in service). In fact all the Business Class seats on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offer the same features that are offered by most airlines in most their First Class cabins (such as in seat massage, extra legroom, and more entertainment channels). Any baggage issues: My baggage was checked in at Beijing. For Economy Class Qatar Airways have a checked baggage allowance of 23 kg total for all routes excluding transatlantic routes. Therefore, for the Beijing-Doha-London route, they have a 23KG luggage policy. All routes have a carry-on allowance of one piece not exceeding 7 kg (50x37x25 cm). Comments on the check- in staff and flight route: I was on a connecting flight in from Beijing Capital Airport. Passengers that are in transit are whisked by bus from the arriving aircraft to the transit terminal (and vice-versa). My connection time between the two flights was around 40 minutes (this was welcoming!). A standard flight route from Doha to London Heathrow was taken (flying north-west wards towards Kuwait, Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkey, and then entering Eastern Europe, then Germany, and onwards to Heathrow). We entered London airspace at the holding pattern over Lambourne VOR before making a 180 degrees turn over central London on for a straight in approach into runway 27L at Heathrow (beautiful views of South London on the way from my side of the window- including Wimbledon, Richmond Park, Twickenham Rugby Stadium, and Crystal Palace. Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed bang on time, and landed 35 minutes ahead of schedule. Time is money when it comes to the aviation industry as fuel costs, combined with landing fees, take-off slot fees, and airport management fees pile on rapidly the longer the aircraft stays on the ground. The captain had plenty of fuel in the tanks in case we had to do a fuel dumping (god forbid!), and everything was well managed for this flight. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Upon embarking the aircraft, passengers in first, business class, and economy class were offered welcome drinks consisting of fresh orange juice, fresh apple juice, mineral water (champagne, wines, and caviar in first and business class only). As opposed to other airlines, Qatar Airlines offers refreshing towels to all passengers in all the classes prior to departure, prior to their meals and prior to landing. This is part of the true 5-star service that sets Qatar Airways apart from the rest. The cabin crew are truly one of the best trained I have met on any other airline. Customer comes first and Qatar Airways truly define the meaning of a 5-star service. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Passengers in Economy Class were offered a packet of fresh pretzels packed in Qatar Airways branded packets, and a choice of drinks from the trolley service. Wine in Economy Class is provided by Fortant De France by Syrah. The cabin crew were so nice and friendly. Because the flight was so empty, so they took their time to serve every customer. There was no rush. Comments regarding the first meal: Before each meal service in Economy Class, the cabin crew place a coloured mat (paper mat) on the tray table. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, the mat is slightly static so it will stop your cup of drink from sliding away if there is turbulence; secondly it will act as a sponge in case you do spill your drink or drop food (keeps everything clean!); and thirdly, it’s to give that extra personal service to passengers even in economy (if Business Class passengers can get a luxury white cloth, then there is no reason why Economy Class passengers cannot get a similar service). Now, another reason why Qatar Airways is a 5-star airline is because of the high quality of the food provided to the customers even in Economy Class. All Economy Class passengers are treated just they are special VIP customers. The breakfast tray arrived around 35 minutes after departure from Doha. The following were the options for the dinner service: 1. English breakfast with Cumberland sausages (Western option) 2. Classic Arabic Mezze (Arabic option) I went for the English breakfast. Two hash browns with a Cumberland sausage, and a delicious omelette. All of these were surrounded by a sea of sweetcorn, plenty of Italian tomato & herb sauce, and a cherry tomato. Cute and neat! Accompanying the breakfast dish was a pot of natural strawberry yoghurt (provided by Qatari brand Ghadeer), and a pot of fresh orange juice. A selection of warm breads and croissants were offered along with cottage cheese and New Zealand butter (Anchor). To top it all up, a dish of freshly cut fruit was provided. Plenty of hot and cold drinks were offered to wash down the breakfast in style. These included tea, coffee and a selection of cold drinks (fizzy and non-fizzy). Alcohol was freely available for those who needed it (though, I would have been surprised to see anyone drinking alcohol so early in the morning!). Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: Plenty of fresh water, Lily O Brian’s chocolates, and boiled sweets by ‘Zoom’ were distributed throughout the flight. Passengers could go to the galley and get a free flow of pot noodles, drinks (alcohol and non-alcohol) if they wanted. Coffee and tea are offered in lovely Qatar Airways branded paper cups (that can be recycled), and milk is offered by local Qatari vendor, Rainbow. Bottled water is exclusively offered by Evian (I took the 2 litre bottle- I drink a lot of water to keep me hydrated and fresh!). Comments regarding the second meal: Qatar Airways is one of the few global airlines that offer a second meal on flights within a 6-hour duration. The second meal was a light one compared to the slightly heavier one offered after take-off from Doha. Offered just an hour prior to landing, passengers were treated to a selection of hot posh wraps by Monty’s bakehouse (tangy tomato, and chickpea and, char grilled chicken with tomato). The hot wraps were accompanied with a choice of non-alcohol drinks (hot and cold), and a chocolate biscuit. All the in-flight meals at Qatar Airways are prepared according to strict Islamic traditions. In economy class, Qatar Airways still provides plastic cutlery to the passengers. Another round of drinks and refreshments were offered after the second meal. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: Headphones were offered in the Economy Class cabin. The 10.6 inch PTV screen is placed behind every Economy Class seat. Qatar Airways has 3 different IFE systems: Widescreen AVOD, PTV AVOD and Mainscreen. The digital AVOD (Audio Video on Demand) in-cabin entertainment system is known as Oryx entertainment system, is in use on all the routes. Passengers can select their program either from the panel in the arm of the seat or simply by touching the screen. The AVOD system fall into three categories: 'Information', 'Entertainment’, and 'Communications'. Altogether, there are over 120 channels and levels of entertainment to absorb during your flight (providing an overall 700 audio and video options for every passengers on every flight). Then there is, Oryx, the five-star quality in-flight magazine of Qatar Airways to keep you mesmerized with many stories and useful information. PTV AVOD is fitted on board all Airbus A330s and Airbus A340s. It has a PTV and a remote. This was Qatar's first AVOD system. It is the only system that offers live television. The PTV system on the Airbus A330-300 aircraft is not touch screen (as that’s only available on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft). The good thing is that on the Airbus A330-300 all the seats have AC power plugs for passengers to do their work (or if you want to charge up your phone, camera, laptop etc.). Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very hospitable, and proud to work for Qatar Airways. There was a genuine smile on every crew members face and you could tell that they really enjoyed their job. It’s no wonder that Qatar Airways cabin crew were voted the ‘Best Cabin Crew’ in the Middle East for the seventh consecutive year at the 2009 Skytrax airline awards. Qatar Airways has over 100 nationalities as cabin crew who offer a consistent 5-star service to its passengers. Some airline companies have all kinds of motivated mottos that they will look after their customers, but sometimes they fail in this miserably. Qatar Airways however really does make sure that everyone enjoys a smooth, and comfortable flight. On our flight, we had cabin crew from Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, United Kingdom, France and, China. The languages spoken were English, Arabic, Hindi, Thai, French, Spanish, and Chinese. The entire staff at Qatar Airways are thoroughly taught and regularly checked on how to deal with all kinds of situations in a metal tube flying at 37,000 feet in the sky, including first aid, very young children, pregnant mothers, terrorism, drunken passengers (it does happen), bad behaviour by passengers, and any other mayday situations. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): There are 217 Economy Class seats on the Airbus A330-300 aircraft with a 2-4-2 configuration. Each seat has a generous pitch of a 34 inch recline and is 18.9 inches wide. This is far better than most other airlines around the world. All the seats have a PTV displayed at the back of each seat, and a reading light. The seat itself is very comfortable, and for a flight of 6 hours, it’s hard to complain about anything! Unlike in other airlines, even in Economy Class, the toilets on all the Qatar Airways aircraft are equipped with refreshing towels (various coloured packaging), eau de toilette, and a hand cream (Molton Brown of London). Another sign of why it’s the world’s 5-star airline. Qatar Airways logo and livery: Qatar Airways logo consist of the head of the national animal of the State of Qatar, the Oryx gazelle, as a motif, stuck on a round background of zigzags which resembles the background of the national flag of the State of Qatar. In line with the colors of the national flag of Qatar, the identity uses maroon as its primary color for all logos and branding. The airline advertises heavily internationally including on international television channels like CNN, and BBC World. The airline’s motto is ‘The World’s 5-star airline that takes you more personally’, and this is certainly true when it comes to everything they do for their customers and passengers. The word ‘’QATAR’ occupies the front of the fuselage, using a quite bland font, in huge letters on the livery. The whole logo on the airline portrays the perfect flair and distinctiveness that it deserves. There is a sense of luxury among that design. The grey and maroon colors are adopted from the national flag, and it essentially looks like a large Qatar flag on a plane (with those huge ‘QATAR’ letters on the front of the fuselage). The Arabic name of the airline ‘Al Qatariyah’ is rendered in a much smaller, light grey font is barely noticeable on the plane. All the Boeing 777-300ER,, Airbus A330-300, and the Airbus A340-642 aircraft have the world ‘QATAR’ painted on the belly of the fuselage (it is easily visible from the ground when a plane is flying). In addition there is the Qatar Airways’ Oryx logo on the winglets of the Airbus A330-300 (as shown in the photos), and on the engine pods of all aircraft. Even the wheels have their interior painted in grey to resemble the brand identity. It looks cool! The Oryx on the plane’s tail is itself a work of art, and suits the airline’s tailfins splendidly. It portrays the authentic culture and heritage of the Qatar people and country. Like most airlines around the world, Qatar Airways have adopted to a more modern and simple livery that portrays elegance, sophistication, and a smooth blend of comfort and imaginativeness. The airline logo stands out like a strong brand, and is proudly displayed on all tableware, cloths, in-flight seat covers, tissue paper, cups, airport buses, and on all the uniforms. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 _Qatar Airways (القطرية) is the national flag carrier of the State of Qatar (دولة قطر) in the Middle East. Founded on the 22nd of November 1993, the airline has gone through a rapid expansion in a short time span to serve 109 destinations using 103 state-of-the-art modern, and young aircraft. The airline, which employees a total of around 20,000 people world-wide, is based in the ultra-modern Doha Control Tower at Doha International Airport and serves its destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australasia, the Indian subcontinent, and East Asia. At the time of writing Qatar Airways has a firm order for 136 aircraft to be delivered within the next 5-7 years. These include 5 Airbus A380-800 (Super Jumbos), 30 Boeing 787-8 (Dreamliner), and 90 orders for the Airbus A350 aircraft (Extra Wide Bodied).
The airline is the proud holder of a number of awards. The latest of these came in 2011, when Qatar Airways was named by Skytrax the "Airline of the Year 2011", at the Paris Air Show in June 2011. At the same time Qatar Airways placed an order for 6 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The ultimate ranking, this rating is awarded to airlines achieving the highest quality performance. Qatar Airways is one of just seven airlines globally to be awarded the 5-star rating. As the CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, says: ‘Travel by air has reached the point where it is now taken for granted in most corners of the globe. With a larger number of passengers and more choice available in the skies today, airlines looking to maintain or grow their position in the marketplace must provide high-quality service with ever-increasing efficiency. In China, Qatar Airways flies non-stop between Doha and Guangzhou (7 flights a week), Beijing (4 flights a week), and Shanghai (7 flights a week), connecting passengers to over 101 destinations worldwide through its hub at Doha. In November 2011, Qatar Airways commenced services to Chongqing 7 times a week from Doha using the Airbus A330 aircraft with a two-class configuration (business and economy). Qatar Airways was proud to have been named Asia’s Most Preferred Airline Brand at the 2011 Asian Leadership Awards in October 2011. As mentioned by CEO Akbar Al Baker: ‘Over 30 per cent of Qatar Airways’ global coverage is in the Far East, South East Asia and South Asia’. The awards covered more than 20 categories, including business innovation, human resources, corporate responsibility and products and services. I was on the flight from Beijing to Doha on Qatar Airways’ Boeing 777-300ER to check out their Economy Class seat, cabin and service. So enjoy the 5-star experience of this beautiful aircraft, and airline: Route: BEIJING (PEK) to DOHA (DOH) Departure date and time of flight: January 2012, 01:30am local time (Beijing) Flight number: QR897 (ICAO callsign: “Qatari 897 heavy”) Flight duration: 9 Hours and 25 minutes Class: ECONOMY CLASS Aircraft type: BOEING 777-3DZER (16 aircraft in service) Unit cost of each Boeing 777-300ER: US$284.1 million (2011) Aircraft registration: A7-BAF (First flight 16th September 2009) Engine Type: GE90-115B (each engine can power a Boeing 747-400 all by itself!) Aircraft Serial Number: 37661 - line 815 Frequent flyer programme: Qatar Airways' Privilege Club- Q Miles Seat configuration for this aircraft: Business Class: 42 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, Economy Class: 293 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration Comments on the check-in process, and any issues: Though I had checked-in online from the Grand Hyatt Beijing the night before (Qatar Airways passengers can check-in online 36-hours prior to departure), I still had to drop my luggage. My handpicked seat was firmly confirmed well in advance. I was well chuffed. Beijing’s HUGE airport was like a ghost town during the Chinese New Year. With the vast majority of Chinese people gone back to their hometowns, it left the airport feeling rather lonely! Beijing’s enormous Terminal 3 is used for international flights. The airport is so big that even after security and customs, you would need to take a monorail train to the gates (which takes about 5 minutes to get to the gates from the security).Beijing Airport is the 3rd largest building in the world. It houses the 2nd biggest terminal to Dubai and effectively you can fit ALL of Heathrow’s five terminals inside- and still have 18% to spare! Any baggage issues: Qatar Airways allows a checked-in baggage of maximum 30kg per passenger in Business Class, 40kg in First Class (but there was no First Class cabin on this flight!), and 23kg for Economy Class. Passengers can also take two pieces of hand luggage on board the aircraft, not to exceed 15 kg in total (or 50 x 37 x 25 cm). Passengers may carry liquids, gels, pastes, and aerosols in containers up to 100 ml (3.4 oz) in their hand baggage (I always take a small mouth wash bottle, contact lens solution, mouth spray, anti-perspirant, and an eau de toilette for long flights). Passengers are provided with a transparent, resalable, quart- or litter-sized bag no larger than 20 x 20 cm at the security gates. Punctuality of the flight: We departed on time, and landed on schedule in Doha. Normally the international departures terminal at night time is buzzing with activity all around, however since this was the Chinese New Year festive period in China, so therefore Beijing Airport was very quiet. The flight was not full, and majority of the airport concourse was simply deserted- a contrast to what it normally looks like. Along with Qatar Airways, there was also Emirates, Egypt Air, Turkish Airlines, Air Koryo, and Singapore Airlines that were flying that night. For the first time ever I had seen all the Air China desks completely empty. Perhaps the best time to take a flight. After depature from Beijing, the flight took the standard route to Doha via Xian, then Chengdu, Kunming before leaving Chinese airspace to enter the Pakistan/India border airspace somewhere near the highest mountain range in the world (Himalayas). The captain did confirm with me later that we flew close to the 2nd highest mountain range in the world (Nanga Parbat, close to Mount K2) at a service ceiling of 41,000 feet (hence the turbulance we experienced!). Flights that take this route have to be extra careful because over that mountain range there are NO emergency landing strips! After crossing the mountain, we cleared the whole of Pakistan (from Peshawar to Karachi) in over 2 hours before entering the final 3 hours over the Arabian Sea for a early morning arrival into Doha. Once we landed at Doha, a bus was waiting to take the passengers from the plane directly to the Transfer Terminal. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Once you enter the aircraft, it feels like you have already arrived in Doha! The true Qatar Airways experience begins once you step your foot onto the aircraft. A welcome in either English or Arabic confirms that you have stepped into the oasis of Qatar in the sky. The Qatari hospitality makes sure that you have an authentic experience of their culture and customs. In a nutshell, outside the aircraft it may have been Beijing Airport, but within that metal tube, we were ‘effectively’ in Qatar! Passengers are greeted with a choice of signature welcome drink (orange juice, apple juice or watermelon juice), and hot or cold refreshing cotton towels. On each Economy cCass seat there were a set of headphones, a rich cotton blanket, a luxury amenity kit, eyeshades, and a pair of Qatar Airways designer socks. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: I took plenty of water and orange juice as this was an early morning flight (to keep me from being dehydrated). The orange juice had a pleasingly fresh-squeezed flavour. Comments regarding the first meal: Inspired by culinary treats from around the world, Qatar Airways’ in-flight dining experience offers mouth-watering dishes created by award-winning chefs. A light snack was served around 45 minutes after take-off. Since this was an early morning/late night flight, so the meal service was not so heavy. In true Qatar Airways style, before each meal service in Economy Class, the cabin crew place a coloured mat (paper mat) on the tray table. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, the mat is slightly static so it will stop your cup of drink from sliding away if there is turbulence; secondly it will act as a sponge in case you do spill your drink or drop food (keeps everything clean!); and thirdly it’s to give that extra personal service to passengers even in Economy (if Business Class passengers can get a luxury white cloth, then there is no reason why economy class passengers cannot get a similar service). The meal tray arrived at around 40 minutes after take-off from Beijing. One of things you wonder on a night flight is whether there is any need to eat dinner at 2am! Yet, most passengers indulge into the 5-star meal irrespective if they are hungry or not just because it’s the luxury of flying and the ambiance is not your usual setting for a meal as it would be if you are on the ground. A tray full of goodies was staring at my eyes. There were two options for the main meal: 1. Italian style spaghetti with Italian herbs, garnished with plenty of homemade tomato sauce. 2. Chicken thighs with basil and tomato concasse, buttered liunguini, sauteed green bean and carrots I opted for the Italian option. It was nice to see a creative dish such as this being provided as an airline meal. What you normally tend to find on some other airlines is that the quality of the ingredients’, the style of the cooking, and the type of the meal is not well cooked and nothing special (normally it’s just simple like chicken with rice, beef with rice etc.). An action packed dish with plenty of strong flavours of the homemade Italian sauce that balanced the flavours and spices of the mushrooms and the carrots. The active ingredients within the dish are for sure there to light up the aroma of your tongue. I could hear my Chinese seat-neighbour slurping on his noodles with delight. Now, if a Chinese person slurps loudly on their spaghetti/noodles, then that’s a pretty good indication that the food is good. Accompanying the main dish was a bowl of freshly cut roasted eggplant salad (carrot strings, tomato, boiled eggplant, red onions, olives, and mushrooms all in one action packed bowl!). It’s ridiculously good to have salad to accompany a slightly heavy yet tasty dish as I had. For dessert, Qatar Airways provided a low-fat pineapple cheese cake decorated with a dash of honey and baked maple syrup. Though it was low fat, it tasted just as good as a cheesecake would at room temperature on the ground. Slightly thick, but kind to the tongue nevertheless. All the in-flight meals at Qatar Airways are prepared according to strict Islamic traditions. Chocolates by Dove (Chinese local brand) accompanied the main meal as a side snack. Free flowing bread from the basket with butter were also available (you don’t get this on other airlines. In economy class, Qatar Airways still provides plastic cutlery to the passengers. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: A second round of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (including any coffee, tea and beverages) were offered. I opted to drink plenty of still mineral water. Tempting drinks such as Martini Rosso/Dry, Campari, Glenfiddich Single Malt Solera 15 years old, Chivas Regal, Baileys, and many more were available. Plenty of fresh water (provided by Rayyan), Godiva chocolates, and boiled sweets by ‘Zoom’ were distributed throughout the flight. Passengers could go to the galley and get a free flow of pot noodles, drinks (alcohol and non-alcohol) if they wanted. Coffee and tea are offered in lovely Qatar Airways branded paper cups (that can be recycled), and milk is offered by local Qatari vendor, Rainbow. bottled water is exclusively offered by Evian, and Rayyan. Passengers in Economy Class could go to the galley and get free flowing drinks, fruit, ice cream (Häagen-Dazs), Godiva chocolates, and a variety of hot pot noodles. Comments regarding the second meal: Qatar Airways are one of the few airlines to serve two meals during a six-hour flight. The second meal, breakfast, was offered around an hour and half before landing, was heavier, and more options were available than the first meal. I was just wondering how I would eat all that! A quick visit to the hotel style toilet to clean my teeth and refresh myself before the second meal felt good. The cabin crew started handing out hot (or cold) towels prior to the breakfast a la carte. Served around an hour and a half prior to landing at Doha, we were treated to the following options for the second meal: 1. Onion and cheese omelette, hash brown potato, button mushrooms, and french beans 2. Cantonese style congee. I opted for the English breakfast option. Hash brown potatoes always go well with flying, but just have to be careful with all those carbohydrates! Lovely button mushrooms mixed well with French beans provided a colourful combination - this is luxury airline food at its best! Airline meals are specially prepared to be fresh in a pressurised environment at 38,000feet, and are normally freeze dried in the fuselage belly before being served (!), so they have to be served as fresh as possible. Even as a normal meal, this dish would be just great for a quick lunch on the ground. The omelette was just perfect, and did taste fresh as it should. Served alongside with the main dish was exotic fruit (melon and dragon fruit) with honey yoghurt. Every Economy Class meal tray contained a pot of fresh orange juice to wake up the senses after a long night time flight. Various types of bread rolls, pain du chocolate, croissant, and brown and white toast were provides from the bakery basket. A final round of drinks was completed. This included a selection of beverages, soft drinks, juices, eight types of teas (early grey, English breakfast, green, roasted Japanese, Moroccan mint, camomile, sencha green, and green jasmine), and five types of coffees (cappuccino, espresso, cafe latte, macchiato, and American) were offered after the main meal. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: Headphones were offered in the Economy Class cabin. The 10.6 inch PTV screen is placed behind every economy class seat. Qatar Airways has 3 different IFE systems: Widescreen AVOD, PTV AVOD and Mainscreen. The digital AVOD (Audio Video on Demand) in-cabin entertainment system is known as Oryx entertainment system, is in use on all the routes. Passengers can select their program either from the panel in the arm of the seat or simply by touching the screen. The AVOD system fall into three categories: 'Information', 'Entertainment’, and 'Communications'. Altogether, there are over 120 channels and levels of entertainment to absorb during your flight (with a combined 700 different options for audio and video entertainment). Then there is, Oryx, the five-star quality in-flight magazine of Qatar Airways to keep you mesmerized with many stories and useful information. PTV AVOD is fitted on board all Airbus A330s and Airbus A340s. It has a PTV and a remote. This was Qatar's first AVOD system. It is the only system that offers live television. The PTV system on the Airbus A340-642 aircraft is not touch screen (as that’s only available on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft). The good thing is that on the Boeing 777-300ER all the seats have AC power plugs for passengers to do their work (or if you want to charge up your phone, camera, laptop etc.). Connections enabling passengers to listen to, or watch on their individual screens, content on their personal iPods or USB devices are available on this aircraft (the Boeing 777-300ER). Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very hospitable, and proud to work for Qatar Airways. There was a genuine smile on every crew members face and you could tell that they really enjoyed their job. There was a real sense of teamwork in the cabin. As a customer (or passenger) it is easy to tell if the cabin crew are not getting along with each other (it does happen like any other job!), and on this flight I could see that everyone was in a joyous mood. If there was something I wanted or a question I had, then no one objected to it. Instead, they tried their best to help me as much as they could. The senior purser was just gem of a person. The whole flight experience was like magic, and everything seemed to go smoothly. So, yes the world can be ideal sometimes. It’s no wonder that Qatar Airways cabin crew were voted the ‘Best Cabin Crew’ in the Middle East for the seventh consecutive year at the 2009 Skytrax airline awards. Qatar Airways has over 100 nationalities as cabin crew who offer a consistent 5-star service to its passengers. Some airline companies have all kinds of motivated mottos that they will look after their customers, but sometimes they fail in this miserably. Qatar Airways however really does make sure that everyone enjoys a smooth, and comfortable flight. On our flight, we had cabin crew from Thailand, India, Korea, China, United Kingdom, Jordan, and Morocco. The languages spoken were English, Arabic, Hindi, Korean, Chinese. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): In the 2009 and 2010 Skytrax Awards, Qatar Airways Economy Class was named best in the world. Qatar Airways have 293 Economy Class seats on their Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with a 3-3-3 configuration (better than most other airlines that have 10 seats across each Economy Class row). Each seat has a generous pitch of a 34 inch recline and is 18.9 inches wide. This is far better than most other airlines around the world. All the seats have a PTV displayed at the back of each seat, and a reading light. The one thing that Qatar Airways can perhaps improve is to have the hand rests to be reclined 90 degrees instead of the 45 degrees. The hand rests for the seats don’t go backwards completely. Nevertheless, the seat itself is very comfortable, and for a flight of 7 hours, it’s hard to complain about anything! Even in Economy Class, the toilets are equipped with refreshing towels (various coloured packaging), eau de toilette, and a hand cream (Molton Brown). Another sign of why it’s the world’s 5-star airline. Qatar Airways logo and livery: Qatar Airways logo consist of the head of the national animal of the State of Qatar, the Oryx gazelle, as a motif, stuck on a round background of zigzags which resembles the background of the national flag of the State of Qatar. In line with the colors of the national flag of Qatar, the identity uses maroon as its primary color for all logos and branding. The airline advertises heavily internationally including on international television channels like CNN, and BBC World. The airline’s motto is ‘The World’s 5-star airline that takes you more personally’, and this is certainly true when it comes to everything they do for their customers and passengers. The word ‘’QATAR’ occupies the front of the fuselage, using a quite bland font, in huge letters on the livery. The whole logo on the airline portrays the perfect flair and distinctiveness that it deserves. There is a sense of luxury among that design. The grey and maroon colors are adopted from the national flag, and it essentially looks like a large Qatar flag on a plane (with those huge ‘QATAR’ letters on the front of the fuselage). The Arabic name of the airline ‘Al Qatariyah’ is rendered in a much smaller, light grey font is is barely noticeable on the plane. All the Boeing 777-300ER, and Airbus A340-642 aircraft have the world ‘QATAR’ painted on the belly of the fuselage (it is easily visible from the ground when a plane is flying). In addition, there is the Qatar Airways’ Oryx logo on the winglets of the Airbus A340-600, and on the engine pods of all aircraft. Even the wheels have their interior painted in grey to resemble the brand identity. It looks cool! The Oryx on the plane’s tail is itself a work of art, and suits the airline’s tailfins splendidly. It portrays the authentic culture and heritage of the Qatar people and country. Like most airlines around the world, Qatar Airways have adopted to a more modern and simple livery that portrays elegance, sophistication, and a smooth blend of comfort and imaginativeness. The airline logo stands out like a strong brand, and is proudly displayed on all tableware, cloths, in-flight seat covers, tissue paper, cups, airport buses, and on all the uniforms. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 _ Route: Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Wuxi Sunan Shuofang International Airport (苏南硕放国际机场)
Departure date and time of flight: 19.30pm in January 2012 Flight Number: ZH9552 Flight duration: 2 hours 10 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Boeing 737-800NG With a length of 39.5 m (129.5 ft) and a wingspan of 35.7 m (117 ft), the Boeing B737-800 is capable of a cruising speed of 514 mph/828 km/h. Its maximum range is 5,665 km (3,540 mi), while the maximum speed is 544 mph/876 km/h. The service ceiling of this aircraft is 41,000 ft (12,500 m). Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed on time and landed on time. Any baggage issues: No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Guangzhou Baiyun airport. Shenzhen Airlines uses Gates A for departures at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just drinks (non-alcoholic), and including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: For this two hour flight, Shenzhen Airlines provided a hot meal. The meal service started around 20 minutes after take-off from Wuxi airport. There were two options for the hot meal dish: · Beef with noodles · Chicken with rice I went for the chicken with rice. It wasn’t of a bad taste for an airline meal, The chicken meat looked more like minced lamb, and was chewy yet soft to the tongue. The rice were well steamed just to the right texture. All in all it was a nice Chinese meal to have at 38,000 feet. Accompanying the chicken and rice were the following snacks: 1. One small peanut flavoured biscuit. 2. Preserved pickle to be served with the rice with chicken. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. No alcohol, but plenty of milk, coffee and tea. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments on the in-flight system (if any): Screens came down from the ceiling after take-off. But there was nothing special except the safety video, and a short Chinese kung fu video which stopped playing after around 30 minutes. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew seemed proud to work for Shenzhen Airlines and were very welcoming. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The 737-800 plane had a seat configuration of 3-3 in Economy Class and 2-2 in Business Class. The plane was clean and the toilets were clean too. Economy Class seats have a pitch of 31 inches, and a width of 18 inches (159 seats) Business Class seats have a pitch of 40 inches, and a width of 21 inches (8 seats). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 _ Route: Wuxi Sunan Shuofang International Airport (苏南硕放国际机场)to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport
Departure date and time of flight: 14:40pm in January 2012 Flight Number: MU2927 Flight duration: 2 hours 10 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Airbus A320 Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed on time and landed on time. Any baggage issues: No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Wuxi airport. Chinese Eastern Airlines have 6 specified check-in desks allocated for their airline. There are also specific desks for Shenzhen Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Air China. There were around 15 AWACS surveillance aircraft belonging to the Chinese Air Force at the airport (they were mostly Russian made IL-76/Antonov aircraft).The Chinese Air Force use Wuxi airport as a training field, as well as a base for surveillance aircraft that do sorties over the South China Sea, Taiwan, Korean, and around the Hong Kong peninsula. Wuxi is a beautiful and small airport located only 14 miles from Suzhou, and is equipped with excellent western style facilities for passengers. It is after all an international airport that serves the two main cities of Suzhou and Wuxi. Passengers can fly to far away destinations such as Japan, Korea, and all over China. From Wuxi city centre you can take a taxi which costs around 60RMB and takes around 40 minutes. The airport’s only runway 21/03 is 3,200 meters by 50 meters (10,499 × 164 ft), and can handle aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 747-400 or even a Boeing 777 (Yangtze River Express use their Boeing 747-400 for cargo operations) . But most of the civilian aircraft are of the size of a Boeing 737-900, and Airbus A321. The airport was built in 1955 for military use, and commercial flights only started in 2004 hence why so many military aircraft can be seen here. When runway 03 is used for take-offs (as was the case on our flight), aircraft have to taxi down runway 21 and then turn around at the threshold piano keys to perform the take-off run (because the taxiway is too close to the military hangers so for safety reasons civilian aircraft are not allowed to go close to them). Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just drinks (non-alcoholic), and including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: For this two hour flight, Chinese Eastern Airlines provided just a hot ham burger. The meal service started around 20 minutes after take-off from Wuxi airport. Honestly, more food could have been provided for a 2 hour flight. A bun was not enough. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. No alcohol, but plenty of milk, coffee and tea. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The Cabin Crew seemed proud to work for China Eastern Airlines and were very welcoming. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The Airbus A320 plane had a seat configuration of 3-3 with an all Economy Class seat set up. The plane was clean and the toilets were clean too. Economy Class seats have a pitch of 31 inches, and a width of 18 inches (159 seats) Business Class seats have a pitch of 40 inches, and a width of 21 inches (8 seats). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 |
About Airline PRThis is a special section on Airline Branding, and Airline Public Relations written by me on all the flights I have been fortunate enough to have been on. These are not records taken from somewhere else, but are actual flights I have been on. Most of the flight trips are officially sponsored by the airline companies in order to promote their certain routes, and aircraft. Airline promotion and PR related work in the aviation industry is one of my expertise. Watch exclusive videos below taken in the cockpit of a Boeing 777-300ER in-flight over Chinese Airspace.
Special thanks goes to Turkish Airlines B777-300ER Cockpit Video 1B777-300ER Cockpit Video 2Archives
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