Route: Guiyang Airport to Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport
Departure date and time of flight: 17:30 on the 3rd of January Flight Number: MU5314 Flight duration: 2 hours 30 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Airbus A321 Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed and landed on time (rare for this to happen). Any baggage issues: No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece. Despite being the main airport serving the capital city of Guizhou province, Guiyang airport is relatively quiet and a small domestic airport. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: The check-in staff were polite, and very professional. There was no problem what so ever. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Choice of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca cola). There was no alcohol served on this flight as alcohol is not served on domestic flights in China. I asked for orange juice, and a coffee. The orange juice was provided from a carton of a local brand (not Dole!), and the coffee was instant (but drinkable). Comments regarding the First meal: A lovely colourful cardboard box was presented with the following contents:
The best part of the meal was the HOT and delicious options of: either chicken with rice, or beef with rice. I opted for the chicken with rice. The chicken was tender and well cooked, while both the rice and the vegetables were of an edible quality. Though it was not the kind of quality you would get on most international carriers outside of China, but still very edible and delicious. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks was offered after the meal. Again, no alcohol was served. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments on the in-flight system (if any): There was no in-flight entertainment system installed on this aircraft, as the aircraft was old. China Eastern Airlines operate a mixture of old and new aircraft. Normally, the older aircraft are used on domestic routes. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The staff were 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. Improvements that could be made: None. For such a short flight, you could not really ask for much. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The seats in Economy Class on the Airbus A321 have a pitch of 32 inches recline, and are 17.8 inches wide. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 8 Route: Chongqing International Airport to Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport
Departure date of flight: 29 December 2014 Flight Number: MF8416 Flight duration: 2 hours 30 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Boeing 737-800 Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed around five minutes late due to heavy air traffic control around the Hangzhou area because of fog. 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. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just drinks, and including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: For this two-hour flight, there were just a couple of buns, a packet of pickles. 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. Plenty of milk, coffee, and tea. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments on the professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew seemed proud to work for Xiamen Airlines, and were very welcoming. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The brand new B737-800 aircraft belonging to Xiame 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 (Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport to Chongqing Jiabei Airport), AIRBUS A321-20012/26/2014
Route: Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport to Chongqing International Airport
Departure date of flight: 28 December 2014 Flight Number: CZ8180 Flight duration: 2 hours 40 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Airbus A321 Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed around five minutes late due to heavy air traffic control around the Hangzhou area because of fog. 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 Hangzhou Airport. The best way to ge 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 (both 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 delicious. China Southern Airlines in-flight catering has improved a lot in recent years. A tray containing the following was included:
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. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments on the 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): 10 Route: Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport to Shenzhen International Airport
Departure date and time of flight: 10:20pm on the 28th September 2014 Flight Number: FM8044 Flight duration: 2 hours 50 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Boeing 737-800 (with winglets) Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed around an hour late due to bad weather around Hangzhou. After take-off, a thunderstorm was clearly visible hovering over the eastern part of Hangzhou. The view provided quite a spectacular scene. Any baggage issues: No issues- the bags arrived on time. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Hangzhou Airport. I arrived around 5 minutes prior to the check-in counter being closed. I had taken an early morning bus to the airport in from Panyu (at around 6am). Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Drinks, including tea and coffee but no alcohol, were served. Comments regarding the first meal: A simple dinner snack was served around 30 minutes after departure. Passengers were treated to a bread bun, mango slice, small cake and a packet containing pickle. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round 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): The IFE system was only activated once during this flight prior to take off (for the safety demonstration). The PVT screens are not placed behind every seat but overhead. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): Xiamen Airlines have a seat configuration of 3-3 on all their Boeing 737-800 aircraft with an all economy seat set up. The plane was very clean and had the latest IFE system installed. British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 169 destinations around the world with a fleet of 273 aircraft (with 73 aircraft on order). British Airways are one of the world’s leading scheduled premium international airlines. Their main principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. Operating one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks, together with our code share and franchise partners, British Airways flies to more than 350 destinations worldwide.
Route: Rotterdam to London Heathrow Departure date and time of flight: 16:00pm in January 2014 Flight Number: BA415 Flight duration: 1 hour Class: Economy Class (AKA: Euro Traveller) IATA Callsign: Speedbird Aircraft type: Airbus A319-131 Aircraft registration: G-DBCE First flight: 16th March 2009 Aircraft serial number: 2429 Aircraft engines: 2 x IAE V2522-A5 Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed around ten minutes earlier than planned from Rotterdam due to there being no traffic ahead of us. This allowed us to land at Heathrow around 20 minutes early than scheduled. The plane had to hold over Biggin Hill in South East London for around 5 minutes. The actual flight time time was only around 30 minutes, with the rest of the time was spent on the taxiways at both Rotterdam and Heathrow on arrival. Any baggage issues: I had no bags check in. European flights, such as this one, are normally used by commuters Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: No check in issues to report. The airport building at Rotterdam is a small building. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Choice of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca-cola). Comments regarding the first meal: Various snacks including chocolate biscuits and crisps were on offer with a choice of tea and coffee along with complimentary drinks (non-alcoholic). Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The A319 is part of the A320 series of aircraft are used by British Airways for their short to medium haul routes within Europe. The aircraft is used on routes from both Gatwick and Heathrow. The interior consists of a standard 3-3 for Economy Class and 2-2 configuration for Business Class passengers. The Business Class and Economy Class seats are all leather in navy blue colour (typical of the signature for British Airways). British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 169 destinations around the world with a fleet of 273 aircraft (with 73 aircraft on order). British Airways are one of the world’s leading scheduled premium international airlines. Their main principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. Operating one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks, together with our code share and franchise partners, British Airways flies to more than 350 destinations worldwide.
Route: London Heathrow to Rotterdam Departure date and time of flight: 06:00am in January 2014 Flight Number: BA410 Flight duration: 1 hour Class: Economy Class (AKA: Euro Traveller) IATA Callsign: Speedbird Aircraft type: Airbus A320 (50 in fleet) Aircraft registration: G-EUYO First flight: 29th May 2013 Aircraft serial number: 5634 Aircraft engines: 2 x IAE V2527-A5 Punctuality of the flight: The flight was one of the first to leave Heathrow in the morning. The morning peak time for Heathrow is usually between 5 and 7 when long-haul flights (usually from the Far-East, America, and Africa) start arriving. During this period both runways may be used simultaneously for landings or take-offs, with only around a 50-second gap between one departing aircraft and the one behind it. We departed from runway 27L on time, and landed around 10 minutes earlier than scheduled. Rotterdam is a tiny airport which hardly sees any traffic go through it. In fact it’s so tiny that planes don’t need to wait too long for turnarounds or taxi. By the time I had got to the city center in around 45 minutes after landing, our plane could be seen in the distance taking-off back to Heathrow again (the city of Rotterdam is equally tiny). Any baggage issues: I had no bags check in. European flights, such as this one, are normally used by commuters who hardly carry much luggage in the belly of the plane. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: No check in issues to report. For flights to Rotterdam, BA uses Heathrow’s Terminal 1 rather than Terminal 5. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Choice of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca-cola). Comments regarding the first meal: A cold croissant filled with bacon, cheese, and tomato. It would perhaps have tasted better if it were heated…without sounding too picky. Various snacks including chocolate biscuits and crisps were on offer with a choice of tea and coffee along with complimentary drinks (non-alcoholic). Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The A319 is part of the A320 series of aircraft are used by British Airways for their short to medium haul routes within Europe. The aircraft is used on routes from both Gatwick and Heathrow. The interior consists of a standard 3-3 for Economy Class and 2-2 configuration for Business Class passengers. The Business Class and Economy Class seats are all leather in navy blue colour (typical of the signature for British Airways). Etihad Airways (الإتّحاد) is the award-winning national flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) in the Middle East. Founded as early as July 2003 the airline commenced commercial operations in November 2003, and has gone through a rapid expansion in a short time span to serve 87 destinations using 79 state-of-the-art modern, and young aircraft. Together with code-shares with other world airlines, Etihad Airways passengers can fly to over 349 destinations. The airline, which employees a total of around 9,000 people world-wide from over 120 nationalities, is based in the ultra-modern Abu Dhabi International Airport and serves its destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australasia, the Indian subcontinent, and East Asia. Since it’s founding, Etihad Airways has received a range of awards that reflect its position as the top premium airline brand in the world, including ‘World’s Leading Airline’ at the World Travel Awards in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The core ethos of Etihad Airways is to seek to reflect the best of Arabian hospitality – cultured, considerate, warm and generous – as well as support the development of Abu Dhabi as a business and leisure destination and global hub. Etihad Airways operates one of the youngest and most environmentally efficient aircraft fleets in the world. Since starting its operations, the airlines's fleet has grown to 79 aircraft, including six cargo-only freighters. At the time of writing Etihad Airways has a firm order for 88 aircraft to be delivered within the next 5-7 years (with options for another 85). These include 10 Airbus A380-800 (Super Jumbos), 41 Boeing 787-9 (Dreamliner), and 12 orders for the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft (Extra Wide Bodied). In 2011, the airline reported a full year EBIT of US$137 million, on the back of annual revenue growth of 36.0 per cent to US$4.1 billion, with net profits of US$14 million bringing Etihad Airways into the black for the first time. In 2011, Etihad Airways carried 8.3 million passengers, a 17 per cent increase from 2010, and is on target to once again beat that record in 2012. The airline plans to carry more than 25 million passengers to more than 100 destinations aboard a fleet of 150 planes by 2020 Etihad Airways has over 40 code share agreements in place with airlines across the world. These code share partnerships, along with equity acquisitions and organic growth, form the three pillars of Etihad Airways expansion plans. The senior management team has identified equity investment as a means to strengthen its relationships and allows it to work with partners to identify revenue generation and cost management opportunities. At the time of writing, Etihad Airways holds equity investments in Air Berlin (29.21%), JAT Airways (Serbia Airways- 49%), Jet Airways (24%), Air Seychelles (40%), Virgin Australia (10%), and Aer Lingus (2.987%). International sports sponsorship also plays a central role in Etihad’s global marketing strategy, as it seeks to develop its profile in markets across the world. The airline has signed several major sponsorships in mainstream sporting events, as well as a number of tactical deals with country or region-specific sports. Some of Etihad Airways’ major partnerships include: The Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; Manchester City Football Club; Etihad Stadium in Melbourne; and the Harlequins Rugby Football Club. In the U.K., Etihad Airways flies non-stop between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow (27 flights a week), and Manchester (14 flights a week), connecting passengers to over 340 destinations worldwide through its hub at Abu Dhabi. I was on the flight from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow Airport on Etihad 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: ABU DHABI (AUH) to LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT (LHR) Departure date and time of flight: June 2013 Flight number: EY19 Flight duration: 7 Hours and 35 minutes Class: ECONOMY CLASS Aircraft type: BOEING 777-3FXER (16 aircraft in service) Aircraft registration: A6-ETK Engine Type: 2 x GE GE90-115B Aircraft Serial Number: 39686 First flight: 30/05/2012 Delivery flight: 28th June 2012 Seat configuration for this aircraft: Diamond First Class: 8 suites in a 1-1-1-1 configuration Pearl Business Class: 40 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, Coral Economy Class: 282 seats in a 3-4-3 configuration Comments on the check- in process, and any issues: This was a connecting flight between Shanghai and London Heathrow, so therefore was no need to check-in. However, passengers on connecting flights are required to go through security and passport control before they go through Duty-Free again to their connecting flight. If you happen to arrive at a peak time (early morning especially) then the waiting queues can be quite long. Any baggage issues: This was a connecting flight between Shanghai and London Heathrow, so therefore was no need to check-in, and had no worries about the baggage. Etihad Airways is one of the very few airlines that has a generous luggage allowance for all passengers in all cabins. Economy Class passengers can carry one complimentary bag in the hold with a total not exceeding 30kg. Even if you choose to exceed your luggage allowance (at additional cost) each item must not exceed 32kg. Items must not exceed the dimensions 45cm x 72cm x 90cm. Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed on time from Abu Dhabi’s runway 31L heading straight towards the Persian Gulf. The flight path took us over Kuwait, Iraq, Turkey, Bulgaria, and onto Mainland Europe. Cruising level was around 36,000 feet, and rising to around 38,000 over Turkish airspace. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers were offered pre-take off drinks, including mineral water from Al Ain brand, and some boiled sweets (treat!). All passengers were provided with an amenity kit comprising of socks, eye-shades, toothbrush, and a ‘wake me up/don’t wake me up’ stickers. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Plenty of water and orange juice was provided on this morning/daytime flight. The orange juice had a pleasingly fresh-squeezed flavour. Comments regarding the first meal: Etihad Airways are one of the few airlines to serve two meals during a six-hour flight. The first meal, breakfast, was offered around an hour after take-off from Abu Dhabi. The cabin crew started handing out hot (or cold) towels prior to the breakfast a la carte. There were three options for the breakfast hot dish: 1. Shashouka with feta cheese lamb meat balls and foul medames 2. Plain omelette beef sausage, baked beans, and roasted potatoes 3. Coconut custard filled crepe mixed orange compote [vegetarian option] I opted for the ‘plain omelette’- the closest thing to an English breakfast (albeit in the sky). All Economy Class meals on economy class are served with plastic cutlery. While safety may be one of the reason, the real reason is (of course) cost cutting. Stainless steel cutlery adds extra weight, and costs more. Airlines are saving as much money as they can in hard economic times (even though Etihad Airways is an airline of a country that is not short of money). It has to be said that airlines break even by filling in their First and Business Class seats. Economy Class is all extra profit. So as long as the first and Business Class cabins are filled (on full IATA fare as possible), then all the seats filled in Economy Class are just extra money for the airlines. 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, and a pot of fruit yoghurt to wake up the senses after a long flight. Various types of warm bread rolls, pain du chocolate, cheese, and preserve were served. A final round of drinks was completed. This included a selection of beverages, soft drinks, juices, eight types of teas by Dilmah (Ceylon, Green tea, Lemon and Lime, and Decaffeinated), and coffees (cappuccino, filter coffee), and hot chocolate. All meals on Etihad Airways are prepared according to all Halal requirements. 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 Dewar’s Whiskey, Bacardi Rum, Beefeater Gin, and Absolute Vodka, Stella Artois, Foster’s and Heineken were offered. Non-concentrated 100% juice drinks of orange, apple, mango and tomato were offered too. Plenty of fresh water (provided by Al Ain) was 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 Etihad Airways branded brown paper cups (that can be recycled), and milk is offered by local Abu Dhabi vendor. Evervess (soda, tonic water, and ginger ale), and Al Ain exclusively offered bottled water. Comments regarding the second meal: Inspired by culinary treats from around the world, Etihad Airways’ in-flight dining experience offers mouth-watering dishes created by award-winning chefs. A light snack (known as ‘Café Service’ on Etihad Airways), was served around an hour before landing at Heathrow. There were two options from the wholesome filled rolls: 1. Melted cheese and onion pasty 2. Tuna and cheese toasted sandwich I opted for the melted cheese and onion pasty. It was nice to see a creative dish such as this being provided as an airline meal. While it was not really enough for a 7-hour flight (again I suspect that cost cutting is in place here!), it was nevertheless delicious. Drinks were served shortly after. 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 Dewar’s Whiskey, Bacardi Rum, Beefeater Gin, and Absolute Vodka, Stella Artois, Foster’s and Heineken were offered. Non-concentrated 100% juice drinks of orange, apple, mango and tomato were offered too. Plenty of fresh water (provided by Al Ain) was 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 Etihad Airways branded brown paper cups (that can be recycled), and milk is offered by local Abu Dhabi vendor. Evervess (soda, tonic water, and ginger ale), and Al Ain exclusively offered bottled water. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: Huge headphones were offered in the Economy Class cabin. The 10.4 inch touch screen PTV screen is placed behind every Economy Class seat (15.4 inch in Pearl Business Class, and a whopping 23-inch screen in Diamond First Class). Etihad Airways has 3 different IFE systems: Widescreen AVOD, PTV AVOD and Main screen. Passengers can choose from over 650 hours of on-demand entertainment on our E-BOX In-flight system. Every seat in the Coral economy class is equipped with power sockets to charge laptops or phones, and sockets for USBs, Ethernet and audio jacks, allowing passengers to plug and play their own devices or music through the E-BOX system. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very hospitable, and proud to work for Etihad Airways, and seemed to be very proud to wear their uniform too. 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. That sense of being proud of their airline, and of their job was portrayed the minute the crew members walked through the departure gate. Etihad Airways has cabin crew from over 120 nationalities 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. Etihad Airways provides a very personalised service, and makes sure that everyone enjoys a smooth, and comfortable flight. On our flight, we had cabin crew from Iran, Pakistan, Ukraine, South Africa, South Korea, and Italy. The languages spoken were English, French, Afrikaans, Pashto, Dari, Urdu, Italian, Arabic, Hindi, Russian, Korean, and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese). Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The Boeing 777-300ER of Etihad Airways has 282 Coral Economy Class seats in a 3-4-3 configuration. Each seat has a pitch of upto 33 inches, and a seat width of 17.5 inches. The cabin is fitted with cradle-style seats that slide forward as well as recline and mood lighting that is adjusted to suit the time of day. Economy Class passengers can enjoy a variety of entertainment programs on a 10.4-inch LCD screen available at every seat. In addition, all seats also have USB ports, PC power sockets and RJ45 sockets. They also provide a family pack to keep the kids occupied and happy through the flight. Etihad’s Economy Class mood lighting system creates the perfect cabin ambiance for the various stages of the passengers’ flight and according to the time of the day, providing a calming effect. Individual lighting options in every seat allow passengers to create their own ambiance The seats, and the flight experience is made comfortable by the mood lighting, the extra amenities (soft black and white striped cushions, and complimentary blankets), eye-shades, socks, and a toothbrush to keep you clean and fresh. The ambiance of the aircraft, and the cleanliness of the cabin makes it a more bearable flight experience compared to flying with other airline companies. The only downside I would say is that if you are a tall or slightly wider framed person then you may find it uncomfortable to fly in economy class. However, it is not up to me to comment further on this, however I can only advise on what my experience is. As a medium sized chap with a waist sized 33 inch, I found the seats as comfortable as any other Economy Class seat you can get with other airline company. Etihad Airways logo and livery: When Etihad Airways commenced operations in November 2003, the airline had the falcon on the tailfin which represented the old Coat of Arms of the United Arab Emirates, which was officially adopted in 1973 until April 2008. The new Coat of Arms was applied to the fleet of all Etihad airways aircraft from April 2008 onwards. The first aircraft to have the new Coat of Arms was an Airbus A320, registered A6-EIF. The new coat of arms has the same falcon but the centre of the circle has the flag of United Arab Emirates. The circle is surrounded with 7 stars that represent the 7 emirates states that make up the United Arab Emirates. The word ‘Etihad’ has been added in large scripture in both English and Arabic (changed from ‘from Abu Dhabi to The World’) in the middle and front of the fuselage of the aircraft, while the rare of the fuselage still has their website address listed. Gold and red cheatlines run along the length of the aircraft’s nose right the way below the windows, and to the back of the fuselage. Etihad Airways has been a proud sponsor for a number of sporting clubs, and so have changed their livery quite a number of times. In times when airlines are saving costs by making aircraft as light as possible, it comes across that Etihad Airways certainly have lots of income to splash out on their aircraft. Painting an aircraft adds extra weight to a plane, and adds to the Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW). Some airline companies decide to paint rather than polish their aircraft in order to save costs. The decision to paint or polish the metal surfaces of airplanes is based on marketing, economic, and environmental considerations. Although the net operating cost of polished airplanes is slightly more than that of painted airplanes, no compelling reason generally exists to choose one type of livery over the other. For more about the differences between painting and polishing an aircraft, check THIS article by Boeing. In July 2011, when the airline took sponsorship of Manchester City Football Club, they unveiled a specially liveried Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The new “Blue Moon Rising” livery also marked the commencement of double daily flights between Manchester and Abu Dhabi, effective from August 1, 2011. A team of 40 painters worked around the clock for 18 days in Abu Dhabi to paint the A330-200 in the colours of Manchester City. 450 litres of paint were required to complete the job. The aircraft, which has operated on the Abu Dhabi-Manchester route, also serves Milan, Frankfurt, Brussels, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Singapore, Istanbul and destinations throughout the Middle East and India. James Hogan, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, said at the time: “We are very proud of our sponsorship of Manchester City Football Club, and of our commitment to the wider community. Manchester has been a key destination for Etihad for five years, and the increase in frequency to double daily indicates our dedication to the region. Etihad Airways ((الإتّحاد) is the award-winning national flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) in the Middle East. Founded as early as July 2003 the airline commenced commercial operations in November 2003, and has gone through a rapid expansion in a short time span to serve 87 destinations using 79 state-of-the-art modern, and young aircraft. Together with code-shares with other world airlines, Etihad Airways passengers can fly to over 349 destinations. The airline, which employees a total of around 9,000 people world-wide from over 120 nationalities, is based in the ultra-modern Abu Dhabi International Airport and serves its destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australasia, the Indian subcontinent, and East Asia. Since it’s founding, Etihad Airways has received a range of awards that reflect its position as the top premium airline brand in the world, including ‘World’s Leading Airline’ at the World Travel Awards in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The core ethos of Etihad Airways is to seek to reflect the best of Arabian hospitality – cultured, considerate, warm and generous – as well as support the development of Abu Dhabi as a business and leisure destination and global hub. When Etihad Airways commenced it’s inaugural flight to Beirut (EY111) in 2003, Dr. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan, the airline board chairman, commented that the Etihad management planned to establish the new carrier's position as 'the UAE's national carrier and 'the airline of the 21st century'. "In the past 25 to 30 years since the introduction of business class, there has been very little to differentiate one airline from another, especially in this region. We aim to change that," said Sheikh Ahmed. "We want to raise the standards in the Middle East to a level of service excellence that is unparalleled and exceeds customer expectations," he added. Etihad Airways operates one of the youngest and most environmentally-efficient aircraft fleets in the world. Since starting its operations, the airlines's fleet has grown to 79 aircraft, including six cargo-only freighters. At the time of writing Etihad Airways has a firm order for 88 aircraft to be delivered within the next 5-7 years (with options for another 85). These include 10 Airbus A380-800 (Super Jumbos), 41 Boeing 787-9 (Dreamliner), and 12 orders for the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft (Extra Wide Bodied). In 2011, the airline reported a full year EBIT of US$137 million, on the back of annual revenue growth of 36.0 per cent to US$4.1 billion, with net profits of US$14 million bringing Etihad Airways into the black for the first time. In 2011, Etihad Airways carried 8.3 million passengers, a 17 per cent increase from 2010, and is on target to once again beat that record in 2012. The airline plans to carry more than 25 million passengers to more than 100 destinations aboard a fleet of 150 planes by 2020 Etihad Airways has over 40 code share agreements in place with airlines across the world. These code share partnerships, along with equity acquisitions and organic growth, form the three pillars of Etihad Airways expansion plans. The senior management team has identified equity investment as a means to strengthen its relationships and allows it to work with partners to identify revenue generation and cost management opportunities. At the time of writing, Etihad Airways holds equity investments in Air Berlin (29.21%), JAT Airways (Serbia Airways- 49%), Jet Airways (24%), Air Seychelles (40%), Virgin Australia (10%), and Aer Lingus (2.987%). International sports sponsorship also plays a central role in Etihad’s global marketing strategy, as it seeks to develop its profile in markets across the world. The airline has signed several major sponsorships in mainstream sporting events, as well as a number of tactical deals with country or region-specific sports. Some of Etihad Airways’ major partnerships include: The Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; Manchester City Football Club; Etihad Stadium in Melbourne; and the Harlequins Rugby Football Club. In China, Etihad Airways flies non-stop between Abu Dhabi and Chengdu (4 flights a week), Beijing (1 daily flight), and Shanghai (1 daily flight), connecting passengers to over 340 destinations worldwide through its hub at Abu Dhabi. I was on the flight from Shanghai Pudong to Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways’ Airbus A330-300 to check out their Economy Class seat, cabin and service. So enjoy the 5-star experience of this beautiful aircraft, and airline: Route: SHANGHAI PUDONG (PVG) to ABU DHABI (AUH) Departure date and time of flight: June 2013, 01:30am local time (Shanghai) Flight number: EY867 Flight duration: 9 Hours and 25 minutes Class: ECONOMY CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A330-343X (6 aircraft in service) Aircraft registration: A6-AFB First flight: 10th December 2009 Delivery date to Etihad Airways: 28th January 2010 Engine Type: 2 x Rolls Royce Trent 772B-60 Aircraft Serial Number: 1081 Seat configuration for this aircraft: Diamond First Class: 8 suites in a 1-1-1-1 configuration Pearl Business class: 32 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, Coral Economy class: 191 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration Comments on the check-in process, and any issues: Most of the flights leaving from Shanghai Pudong Airport in the evening tend to head towards Europe and the Middle East (Lufthansa, Air France, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air India, etc.). The Etihad Airways check-in desks are located in Terminal 2. The check-in staff came across as being very well trained, very caring, very professional, spoke very good English (not many check-in staff at Chinese airport speak well enough English – with all due respect), and very polite. From my observations in the past, what you find is that because of language and cultural barriers, the Chinese check-in staff can become frustrated and that can have a negative effect of becoming unprofessional (this has happened with airlines such as Egyptair, Ethiopian Airlines, Saudi Arabian, Air India, and many others). However, it came across that Etihad Airways has clearly invested a lot of time, money, and effort to train and recruit their ground staff in China in order to make it a truly 5-star customer experience. There was no hustle and bustle, and everything went smoothly right from the check-in phase to the security gates. Any baggage issues: There were no baggage issues. Etihad Airways is one of the very few airlines that has a generous luggage allowance for all passengers in all cabins. Economy Class passengers can carry one complimentary bag in the hold with a total not exceeding 30kg. Even if you choose to exceed your luggage allowance (at additional cost) each item must not exceed 32kg. Items must not exceed the dimensions 45cm x 72cm x 90cm. Pearl Business Class passengers can carry a bag of upto 40kg, while Diamond First Class passengers can carry bags upto 50kg in the hold. For further information you may consult Etihad Airways directly. Punctuality of the flight: Leaving a hazy Shanghai night behind us at two in the morning, we were the last flight out of Pudong (or the first in the morning- depending whichever way you look at it). Despite taking –off around 30 minutes later than scheduled, we managed to land on time at Abu Dhabi in the early hours of the morning. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers were offered pre-take off drinks, including mineral water from Al Ain brand, and some boiled sweets (treat!). All passengers were provided with an amenity kit comprising of socks, eye shades, toothbrush, and a ‘wake me up/don’t wake me up’ stickers. 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, Etihad Airways’ in-flight dining experience offers mouth-watering dishes created by award-winning chefs. A light snack was served around 30 minutes after take-off. Since this was an early morning/late night flight, so the meal service was not so heavy. There were two options from the wholesome filled rolls: 1. Melted cheese and bacon slices in a wholesome delicious crusty toast. 2. Tandoori chicken breast chunks with basil and tomato concasse, buttered liunguini, diced tomatoes and sliced carrot I opted for the melted cheese and bacon slices roll. It was nice to see a creative dish such as this being provided as an airline meal. Eating dinner at two in the morning is not everyone’s cup of tea, and so most passengers were already asleep straight after take-off. Therefore, the meal service did not last long. The mood lighting was on, and everyone (except the crew) were snoozing away over Chinese airspace. All meals on Etihad Airways are prepared according to all Halal requirements. 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 Dewar’s Whiskey, Bacardi Rum, Beefeater Gin, and Absolute Vodka, Stella Artois, Foster’s and Heineken were offered. Non-concentrated 100% juice drinks of orange, apple, mango and tomato were offered too. Plenty of fresh water (provided by Al Ain) was 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 Etihad Airways branded brown paper cups (that can be recycled), and milk is offered by local Abu Dhabi vendor. Evervess (soda, tonic water, and ginger ale), and Al Ain exclusively offered bottled water. Comments regarding the second meal: Etihad 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 before landing at Abu Dhabi, was heavier, and more options were available than the first meal (but that’s expected as the first meal was just a simple snack!). A quick visit to the 5-star hotel style toilet to clean my teeth and refresh myself before the second meal felt good (Etihad Airways provide toiletries by ‘Six Senses’, and even a hand sanitizer (not many airlines do)). The cabin crew started handing out hot (or cold) towels prior to the breakfast a la carte. There were three options for the breakfast hot dish: 1. E-fu noodles with shredded beef light soy-sauce, steamed kai lan, and carrots 2. Chicken kofta minced Arabic spiced chicken diced potatoes, stewed okra, and tomato sauce. 3. Herb omelette with sautéed mushrooms, Lyonnaise potatoes, spinach, and cherry tomatoes [Vegetarian option]. I opted for the ‘herb omelette’- the closest thing to an English breakfast (albeit in the sky). It came across as a , 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 36,000fe et, 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, and a pot of fruit yoghurt to wake up the senses after a long nighttime flight. Various types of warm bread rolls, pain du chocolate, cheese, and preserve were served. A final round of drinks was completed. This included a selection of beverages, soft drinks, juices, eight types of teas by Dilmah (Ceylon, Green tea, Lemon and Lime, and Decaffeinated), and coffees (cappuccino, filter coffee), and hot chocolate. 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 Dewar’s Whiskey, Bacardi Rum, Beefeater Gin, and Absolute Vodka, Stella Artois, Foster’s and Heineken were offered. Non-concentrated 100% juice drinks of orange, apple, mango and tomato were offered too. Plenty of fresh water (provided by Al Ain) was 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 Etihad Airways branded brown paper cups (that can be recycled), and milk is offered by local Abu Dhabi vendor. Evervess (soda, tonic water, and ginger ale), and Al Ain exclusively offered bottled water. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: Huge headphones were offered in the Economy Class cabin. The 10.4 inch touch screen PTV screen is placed behind every Economy Class seat (15.4 inch in Pearl Business Class, and a whopping 23-inch screen in Diamond First Class). Etihad Airways has 3 different IFE systems: Widescreen AVOD, PTV AVOD and Main screen. Passengers can choose from over 650 hours of on-demand entertainment on our E-BOX In-flight system. Every seat in the Coral Economy Class is equipped with power sockets to charge laptops or phones, and sockets for USBs, Ethernet and audio jacks, allowing passengers to plug and play their own devices or music through the E-BOX system. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very hospitable, and proud to work for Etihad Airways, and seemed to be very proud to wear their uniform too. 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. That sense of being proud of their airline, and of their job was portrayed the minute the crew members walked through the departure gate. Etihad Airways has cabin crew from over 120 nationalities 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. Etihad Airways provides a very personalised service, and makes sure that everyone enjoys a smooth, and comfortable flight. On our flight, we had cabin crew from Thailand, India, Philippines, South Africa, Korea, China, Korea, Pakistan, and Italy. The languages spoken were English, French, Afrikaans, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Hindi, Korean, and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese). Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The Airbus A330-300 of Etihad Airways has 191 coral Economy Class seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. Each seat has a pitch of upto 33 inches, and a seat width of 17.5 inches. The cabin is fitted with cradle-style seats that slide forward as well as recline and mood lighting that is adjusted to suit the time of day. Economy Class passengers can enjoy a variety of entertainment programs on a 10.4-inch LCD screen available at every seat. In addition, all seats also have USB ports, PC power sockets and RJ45 sockets. They also provide a family pack to keep the kids occupied and happy through the flight. Etihad’s economy class mood lighting system creates the perfect cabin ambiance for the various stages of the passengers’ flight and according to the time of the day, providing a calming effect. Individual lighting options in every seat allow passengers to create their own ambiance The seats, and the flight experience is made comfortable by the mood lighting, the extra amenities (soft black and white striped cushions, and complimentary blankets), eye-shades, socks, and a toothbrush to keep you clean and fresh. The ambiance of the aircraft, and the cleanliness of the cabin makes it a more bearable flight experience compared to flying with other airline companies. The only downside I would say is that if you are a tall, or slightly wider framed person then you may find it uncomfortable to fly in Economy Class. However, it is not up to me to comment further on this, however I can only advise on what my experience is. As a medium sized chap with a waist sized 33 inch, I found the seats as comfortable as any other Economy Class seat you can get with other airline company. Etihad Airways logo and livery: When Etihad Airways commenced operations in November 2003, the airline had the falcon on the tailfin which represented the old Coat of Arms of the United Arab Emirates, which was officially adopted in 1973 until April 2008. The new Coat of Arms was applied to the fleet of all Etihad airways aircraft from April 2008 onwards. The first aircraft to have the new Coat of Arms was an Airbus A320, registered A6-EIF. The new coat of arms has the same falcon but the centre of the circle has the flag of United Arab Emirates. The circle is surrounded with 7 stars that represent the 7 emirates states that make up the United Arab Emirates. The word ‘Etihad’ has been added in large scripture in both English and Arabic (changed from ‘from Abu Dhabi to The World’) in the middle and front of the fuselage of the aircraft, while the rare of the fuselage still has their website address listed. Gold and red cheatlines run along the length of the aircraft’s nose right the way below the windows, and to the back of the fuselage. Etihad Airways has been a proud sponsor for a number of sporting clubs, and so have changed their livery quite a number of times. In times when airlines are saving costs by making aircraft as light as possible, it comes across that Etihad Airways certainly have lots of income to splash out on their aircraft. Painting an aircraft adds extra weight to a plane, and adds to the Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW). Some airline companies decide to paint rather than polish their aircraft in order to save costs. The decision to paint or polish the metal surfaces of airplanes is based on marketing, economic, and environmental considerations. Although the net operating cost of polished airplanes is slightly more than that of painted airplanes, no compelling reason generally exists to choose one type of livery over the other. For more about the differences between painting and polishing an aircraft, check THIS article by Boeing. In July 2011, when the airline took sponsorship of Manchester City Football Club, they unveiled a specially liveried Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The new “Blue Moon Rising” livery also marked the commencement of double daily flights between Manchester and Abu Dhabi, effective from August 1, 2011. A team of 40 painters worked around the clock for 18 days in Abu Dhabi to paint the A330-200 in the colours of Manchester City. 450 litres of paint were required to complete the job. The aircraft, which has operated on the Abu Dhabi-Manchester route, also serves Milan, Frankfurt, Brussels, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Singapore, Istanbul and destinations throughout the Middle East and India. James Hogan, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, said at the time: “We are very proud of our sponsorship of Manchester City Football Club, and of our commitment to the wider community. Manchester has been a key destination for Etihad for five years, and the increase in frequency to double daily indicates our dedication to the region. Shanghai Pudong AirportThe Airbus A330-300The meal service (Light snack, and breakfast)Some awesome views of Abu Dhabi AirportDelta Airlines is a major American airline company with its headquarters in the city of Atlanta, Georgia State. Founded on the 30th of May 1924, the airline has a rich history of over 80 years, and has gone through a global expansion by merging with the former Northwest Airlines to serve 247 destinations using 719 state-of-the-art modern, and young aircraft (155 of those aircraft are leased). The average of the fleet is 17 years, which is still relatively acceptable compared with the number of aircraft they have in service. The airline is part of the SkyTeam Alliance program, and has fruitful partnerships with KLM Air France. Amsterdam and Paris are two of the airline’s major hubs outside of the USA.
For flights between the U.K. and the U.S.A. Delta Airlines flies non-stop between six American cities and two British cities. At the time of writing these were: Between Manchester and Atlanta (1 non-stop daily flight), London Heathrow and Atlanta (3 non-stop flights daily), London Heathrow and Detroit (1 non-stop daily flight), London Heathrow and Boston (1 non-daily daily flight), London Heathrow and Minneapolis/St Paul (1 non-stop daily flight), and London Heathrow and New York JFK (3 non-stop daily flights). With its unsurpassed global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer services to more than 300 destinations in nearly 60 countries on six continents. I was on the flight from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County International to London Heathrow on Delta Airlines’ Boeing 767-400ER to check out their Economy Class seat cabin, and service: Route: DETROIT (DTW) to LONDON HEATHROW (LHR) Departure date and time of flight: May 2013 Flight number: DL18 (ICAO callsign: “Delta 18 heavy”) Flight duration: 9 Hours and 20 minutes Class: ECONOMY CLASS Aircraft type: BOEING 767-432ER (21 aircraft in service) Unit cost of each Boeing 767-432ER: US$200.8 million (2013) Aircraft registration: N837MH (First flight 11th December 2000) Engine Type: GE CF6-80C2B7F (x 2 mounted under the wings) Aircraft Serial Number: 29710 - line 820 Frequent flyer programme: SkyMiles Seat configuration for this aircraft: Business Elite: 40 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, Economy Comfort: 28 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration Economy Class: 178 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration Comments on the check- in process, and any issues: The check-in process at Detroit airport is pretty smooth and easy. Delta Airlines is one of the major carriers with most flights being domestic. The international terminal is relatively quiet compared to say, Boston or New York JFK. In my previous report about a Delta flight I took from London Heathrow to Detroit I wrote that one thing I did notice about flying with Delta is that they are very strict about security. On my flight into Detroit I had flown in on the day that the Boston Marathon bombings happened, so the security was super strict going back to London (read this to find out about the security I experienced on the flight into Detroit). Any baggage issues: The first luggage bag up to 23KG (for Economy, and Economy Comfort passengers) is free, and the same applies for the first bag up to 32kg for Business Class passengers. There are extra charges on luggage carried beyond that, and if the weight of the bag exceeds the listed amount. Out of most of the airlines I have flown with in my experience, I have found that Delta Airlines is very particular on this policy and regimental on it. Punctuality of the flight: Making a timely departure from runway 21L at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, we headed right out towards downtown Detroit, then right again to go over Lake St. Clair before entering Canadian airspace. After around 45 minutes, the flight entered the busy Atlantic Ocean crossing corridor, heading towards the bottom of Greenland before making a decent into Ireland, and passing Dublin at around 37,000 feet. Preparation for arrival at Heathrow was made as we started the initial decent over Manchester, then Oxford, and finally entering the holding stack over Bovingdon (North-East of London). The overcast and windy weather conditions added onto the already challenging traffic that aircraft have to experience when landing at busy Heathrow. The flight landed in very windy conditions around 10 minutes late at Heathrow’s runway 27L. At one point, it seemed that we might end up going around because you could feel the plane swaying sideways in the wind. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: A choice of welcoming drinks was served for those in Economy Class. 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. Mini-pretzels and lightly salted peanuts were served in little Delta branded plastic packets (complete with the Delta logo). Comments regarding the first meal: Inspired by culinary treats from around the world, Delta Airlines in-flight dining experience offers mouth-watering dishes created by award-winning chefs. A light dinner was served around 30 minutes after take-off. There were three options for the main meal: 1. Italian style Tuna Pasta with Italian herbs, garnished with plenty of homemade tomato sauce. 2. Beef Lasagne with basil and tomato, sautéed green bean, and carrots 3. Macaroni cheese and pasta sauce with olives and cherry tomatoes. I opted for the macaroni cheese. Thick creamy cheesy sauce garnished with chunky pasta pieces made this dish a delight for the tongue at 35,000 feet - not bad for airplane food. Accompanying the main dish was a bowl of fresh seasoned salad, Keebler branded crackers, and Tillamook ‘Colby Jack Cheese’, and a warm bread bun (not from the basket). For dessert, there was a helping of a scrumptious triple chocolate brownie from the brand Love Quiches. In Economy Class, Delta Airlines 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. Most people don’t realise but drinking water is the best option when flying because it helps to keep you dehydrated as well as keeping your skin fresh and naturally moist (this can also help with the effects of jetlag according to some medics). The drinks offered on Delta Airlines include: · Coca-Cola® Classic · Diet Coke · Coca-Cola Zero · Sprite · Fresca · Bottled water · Seagram's Club® Soda · Seagram's Tonic Water · Seagram's Dry Ginger Ale · Milk · Tea · Seattle’s Best regular and decaffeinated coffee · Starbucks® coffee (flights between JFK and LAX, SFO, or SEA) · Minute Maid® Orange Juice · Minute Maid Cranberry Apple Cocktail · Minute Maid Apple Juice · Motts Tomato juice · Mr. & Mrs. "T" Bloody Mary mix Comments regarding the second meal: The second meal, a very light snack, was offered around an hour before landing at Heathrow. I have to give kudos to the crew for providing an excellent customer service, however sadly the food was not good. The snack meal consisted of a banana, an apple muffin, and a small bowl of orange juice. The food came straight from the freezer in the basement of the plane, and it must have frozen even more as we made our way over the Atlantic Ocean overnight. The banana skin was difficult to peel, and the banana itself was frozen. The muffin was cold, and the orange juice was frozen too with chunks of shredded ice inside it. Quite possibly the worst airline meal I have had for some time. There was no point in complaining because it would have made no improvement or difference in this situation. I had to sip through my orange juice while making sure I did not bite any of the crushed ice particles. I also managed to finish the banana and muffin while feeling the pain in the teeth. A final round of drinks was completed. This included a selection of beverages, soft drinks, juices, tea, and coffee. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: Pocket sized headphones were offered in the Economy Class cabin. The PTV screens on the Boeing 767-400ER are placed behind every Economy Class seat. The Delta Airlines advanced, touch-screen digital entertainment system, located right at of the seat, puts you in charge of your entertainment options. The user friendly system allows the passengers to watch, listen or play - choosing from up to 300 movies, HBO, SHOWTIME, 18 channels of live satellite TV on select flights, 4500+ songs, TV and games, including in-flight trivia. The good thing is that Delta Airlines gives passengers the chance to have access to Wi-Fi (there is a fee). Since August 2008 Delta passengers have had access to the Aircell mobile broadband network, Gogo, which enables customers travelling with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smart phones and PDAs, to access the Internet for a fee. Delta has the largest fleet of Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft in the world. The airline announced that it will offer Wi-Fi on international flights beginning early 2013. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew on Delta Airlines came across to be very friendly, caring and knowledgeable about all things to do with not just the flight or aircraft, but also the destinations as well. Immediately as you enter the plane, you can tell that you have already arrived in America without leaving the ground. That amazing American accent just hits you straight, and it feels very international. I think Delta’s crew are a great symbol of unity. I have nothing bad to say about the crew, they were awesome, and very professional. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): Delta Airlines have three cabins in their Boeing 767-400ER (76D) aircraft. The Business Elite cabin (Business/First Class) has 40 flatbed seats, each with a width of 21 inches, and can stretch out to 81.6 inch (around 6 feet). There are 28 Economy Premium seats, and each seat has a width of 17.9 inches (narrow by most airline standards), and a pitch of 35 inches (50% more leg room than in Economy Class). There are 178 seats in the Economy Class cabin, and each seat has a width of 17.9 inches, and a pitch of around 32 inches maximum (not comfortable for anything over 6 hours). While the Economy Class seats are generously spaced out in a 2-3-2 layout, the comfort of the seat is only beneficial if one person has allocation to 2 seats (in most cases this would not be the fact- especially if the flight is full). Delta Airlines logo and livery: Back in the days, Delta Airlines was a pioneer when it came to having an airline livery. Delta's current livery, "Upward & Onward", uses four colors (navy blue, light red, dark wine red, and white. It features a "widget" (triangle) on each aircraft's vertical stabilizer to refer to Delta's origins as a carrier in the Mississippi Delta. All aircraft have a white fuselage; the underbelly is colored in navy blue in a wavy shape with the wave reaching its peak underneath the wings. The word ‘DELTA’ is painted in dark blue capital letters on top of the windows in the forward fuselage (over the business class cabin). The ‘widget’ is painted just after the cockpit windows, and before the DELTA titles. BRITISH AIRWAYS (Newcastle International Airport to London Heathrow Airport), AIRBUS A320-2004/10/2013
British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 169 destinations around the world with a fleet of 256 aircraft. British Airways are one of the world’s leading scheduled premium international airlines. Their main principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. The airline has 60 aircraft on order including 12 Airbus A380 super jumbos, and 8 Boeing 787 aircraft.
Route: Newcastle International Airport to London Heathrow Airport Departure date and time of flight: April 2013, 18:30pm Flight Number: BA1335 Aircraft registration: G-EUXC Flight duration: 50 minutes Class: Economy Class (AKA: Domestic flights are all Economy Class) Aircraft type: Airbus A321-231 Punctuality of the flight: The aircraft departed Newcastle on time, and landed at Heathrow on time on runway 09L. 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. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Choice of various hot and cold drinks Comments regarding the first meal: Since this was a domestic flight so not much was expected, but even then the usual sandwich was not offered. Instead a choice of a mixed nuts by Forest Feast (consisting of various nuts, fruits, and seeds), a packet of handmade crisps, and a packet of chocolate chip cookies by Lily O’Brians. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments on the in-flight system (if any): None Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. Improvements that could be made: This was a great flight, and on such a short flight, it is difficult to find any faults. Everything was just fine. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): British Airways have 17 Airbus A321 series aircraft in service. British Airways uses these aircraft for their short to medium haul routes within Europe and the United Kingdom. The aircraft is used from both Gatwick and Heathrow. The interior is a standard 3-3 for Economy Class on all domestic flights. The seats are all leather in navy blue colour (typical of the signature for British Airways). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 169 destinations around the world with a fleet of 256 aircraft. British Airways are one of the world’s leading scheduled premium international airlines. Their main principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. The airline has 60 aircraft on order including 12 Airbus A380 super jumbos, and 8 Boeing 787 aircraft.
Route: Newcastle International Airport to London Heathrow Airport Departure date and time of flight: March 2013, 15:30pm Flight Number: BA1333 Aircraft: G-EUOF Flight duration: 50 minutes Class: Economy Class (AKA: Domestic flights are all Economy Class) Aircraft type: Airbus A319 Punctuality of the flight: The aircraft departed Newcastle on time. Newcastle is a small airport, and the taxi from the terminal to the runway is very short (only about 3 minutes!). 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. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Choice of various hot and cold drinks Comments regarding the first meal: Since this was a domestic flight so not much was expected, but even then the usual sandwich was not offered. Instead a choice of a mixed nuts by Forest Feast (consisting of various nuts, fruits, and seeds), a packet of handmade crisps, and a packet of chocolate chip cookies by Lily O’Brians. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None in economy. Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments on the in-flight system (if any): None Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): British Airways have 44 Airbus A319 series aircraft in service. British Airways uses these aircraft for their short to medium haul routes within Europe and the United Kingdom. The aircraft is used from both Gatwick and Heathrow. The interior is a standard 3-3 for Economy Class on all domestic flights. The seats are all leather in navy blue colour (typical of the signature for British Airways). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 BRITISH AIRWAYS (London Heathrow Airport to Newcastle International Airport), AIRBUS A320-2003/3/2013
British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 169 destinations around the world with a fleet of 256 aircraft. British Airways are one of the world’s leading scheduled premium international airlines. Their main principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. The airline has 60 aircraft on order including 12 Airbus A380 super jumbos, and 8 Boeing 787 aircraft.
Route: London Heathrow Airport to Newcastle International Airport Departure date and time of flight: February 2013, 17:30pm Flight Number: BA1334 Flight duration: 50 minutes Class: Economy Class (AKA: Domestic flights are all Economy Class) Aircraft type: Airbus A320 Punctuality of the flight: The aircraft departed Heathrow around 20 minutes late because of heavy evening traffic. Took off from 09R, and turned left onto a Brookmans Park departure straight up north to Newcastle. 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. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Choice of various hot and cold drinks Comments regarding the first meal: Since this was a domestic flight so not much was expected, but even then the usual sandwich was not offered. Instead a choice of a mixed nuts by Forest Feast (consisting of various nuts, fruits, and seeds), a packet of handmade crisps, and a packet of chocolate chip cookies by Lily O’Brians. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None in economy. Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments on the in-flight system (if any): None Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. Improvements that could be made: This was a great flight, and on such a short flight, it is difficult to find any faults. Everything was just fine. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): British Airways have 46 Airbus A320 series aircraft in service. British Airways uses these aircraft for their short to medium haul routes within Europe and the United Kingdom. The aircraft is used from both Gatwick and Heathrow. The interior is a standard 3-3 for Economy Class on all domestic flights. The seats are all leather in navy blue colour (typical of the signature for British Airways). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best):10 British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 169 destinations around the world with a fleet of 256 aircraft. British Airways are one of the world’s leading scheduled premium international airlines. Their main principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. The airline has 60 aircraft on order including 12 Airbus A380 super jumbos, and 8 Boeing 787 aircraft.
Route: Belfast George Best City International Airport to London Heathrow Airport Departure date and time of flight: February 2013, 18:05pm Flight Number: BA1419 Flight duration: 50 minutes Class: Economy Class (AKA: Domestic flights are all Economy Class) Aircraft type: Airbus A320 Punctuality of the flight: The aircraft departed Belfast around 10 minutes late because the Captain had to get some paperwork completed, and also waited so that he could avoid holding too much in a stack over London (to get the slot for a straight in approach into Heathrow). Belfast Citry Airport is named after the former England football player the late George Best, and is a small airport, and the taxi from the terminal to the runway is very short (only about 4 minutes!). We landed on Heathrow’s runway 27 right, which provided an opportunity to get some awesome shots of Central London on final approach. 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 Belfast. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Choice of various hot and cold drinks Comments regarding the first meal: Since this was a domestic flight so not much was expected, but even then the usual sandwich was not offered. Instead a choice of a mixed nuts by Forest Feast (consisting of various nuts, fruits, and seeds), a packet of handmade crisps, and a packet of chocolate chip cookies by Lily O’Brians. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None in economy. Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments on the in-flight system (if any): None Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. Improvements that could be made: This was a great flight, and on such a short flight, it is difficult to find any faults. Everything was just fine. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): British Airways have 46 Airbus A320 series aircraft in service. British Airways uses these aircraft for their short to medium haul routes within Europe and the United Kingdom. The aircraft is used from both Gatwick and Heathrow. The interior is a standard 3-3 for Economy Class on all domestic flights. The seats are all leather in navy blue colour (typical of the signature for British Airways). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 easyJet Airlines (London Gatwick Airport to Belfast International Airport), AIRBUS A320-2002/5/2013
EasyJet is a British low-budget airline based at it's headquarters at London Luton Airport. With a fleet of 188 aircraft (including the largest number of Airbus A319's operated by any global airline at 138 aircraft), the airline flies to 134 destinations. The airline employees over 8,000 people in Europe. Apart from Luton, their other base is at Geneva Airport in Switzerland.
Route: London Gatwick Airport to Belfast International Airport Departure date and time of flight: February 2013, 17:30pm Flight Number: EZY837 IATA Code: U2 IACO: EZY Flight duration: 1 hour and 5 minutes Class: Economy Class (only one class) Aircraft type: Airbus A320-200 Punctuality of the flight: The flight was on time and landed around 5 minutes early. Any baggage issues: No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: The check in staff were polite, and very professional. Gatwick Airport is never as busy as Heathrow, and the time taken to get from check-in through to the gate was around about 15 minutes at the most. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: None- food was available for purchase if anyone wanted to. Comments regarding the first meal: None- food was available for purchase if anyone wanted to. Comments regarding the drinks service: None- food was available for purchase if anyone wanted to. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None- food was available for purchase if anyone wanted to. Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None- food was available for purchase if anyone wanted to. Comments on the in-flight system (if any): Just the in-flight Magazine for EasyJet, but no PVTs’. Improvements that could be made: None. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): Very clean and beautiful. The colour scheme is all based on the trademark bright Orange colour. It’s so striking that when you are on a EasyJet flight, its difficult to get rid of the thought of eating a fresh bright Orange! EasyJet's fleet of Airbus A319s and A320s have a seat configuration of 3-3 on all their aircraft. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10 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 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 _ 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 Route: Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport
Departure date and time of flight: 18:35pm in December 2012 Flight Number: FM9316 Flight duration: 2 hours 10 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Boeing 767-200 Punctuality of the flight: The flight was on time and landed on time as well. Any baggage issues: No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: The check-in staff were polite, and professional. There was no problem what so ever. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Choice of drinks (tea, coffee, orange Juice, apple juice, lemonade, or coca cola). Gone are the days when alcohol was not served on domestic flights, but now that has changed and it is served. I opted to drink just water and even that was with caution! Comments regarding the first meal: Dinner was served around half an hour after take off. A cardboard rectangular box was offered for “dinner”. I carefully opened the box to find a whole host of junk food inside (like most airline meals on most Chinese airlines). A separate tray containing a circular piece of ham and some simple vegetables were accompanied with a boring bread bun. There was a neatly packed “fruit slices” box. This contained 2 cherry tomatoes, and 2 cubes of melon. The main dish was either an option of chicken and noodles, or beef balls and rice. I opted for the chicken with noodles. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks was offered after the meal. There was alcohol offered (Tsingtao beer and Harbin beer). 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): In this 767 there was no IFE. To make matters worse my seat light was not working (and neither was the seat light of other nearby seats that I tried), the “channel” and “volume” button was not working either, and to make matters worse the “flight attendant call button” was not working either! Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: Some of the staff were professional but their English level was below par international standards- perhaps Survival 2 or A1 in accordance with the European CEFR standard! (For Flight attendants’ the required English level should be around B2 globally!). Improvements that could be made: While Shanghai Airlines does have new planes, it goes without saying that the Boeing 767-200 is rather ancient and needs to be cleaned inside. On the whole it is perfect for a short haul flight. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The aircraft was cleaner than how Shanghai Airlines used to have their aircraft in the past. It seemed like that the aircraft was previously flown by TWA (Trans World Airlines) of the USA (I found out this piece of information from the galley because most of the galley material has the original TWA titles printed on it.) Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 7 Route: Shanghai Hongqiao to Guangzhou Baiyun International
Departure date and time of flight: 16:45pm in December 2011 Flight Number: CZ3526 Flight duration: 2 hours 10 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Airbus A321 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 Hongqiao Airport. I find the operations at Hongqiao much more efficient than those at Pudong Airport. Its not that busy, which makes it easy for the speedy whisk through security and onto the departure gates. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just drinks (non-alcoholic), and including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: The dinner box contained the following edible items: salted & peppered fish cutlet (not sure which fish it was), a plain and boring bun, a few pieces of fresh cherry tomatoes, and a packet containing corn crisps. The main hot dish contained a very generous portion of healthy chicken meatballs and rice. The food did not look edible, but in saying this I was impressed with the taste of the chicken meatballs. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. No alcohol was available on this flight, but plenty of milk, coffee and tea. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): China Southern Airlines have a 3-3 configuration on their Airbus A321 planes. 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 Spring Airlines is China’s first and only privately owned low-cost budget airline that operates from its base at Shanghai Hongqiao airport with a fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft. As of February 2012, the Spring Airlines fleet consists of 28 Airbus A320-200 aircraft with an average age of 4.5 years, each of which provides space for 174 passengers in an all-economy class cabin layout. Spring Airlines calls its economy calls ‘Common Class’. Cheap as chips, this low-fare Shanghai Hongqiao based carrier has come on leaps and bounds. You can customise your seat selection and the good thing is that they fly to most of the major airports that people have heard about. Spring AL and its service would put most European and American carriers (low-cost and flag carriers) to shame. The airline serves 34 destinations around Greater China and Asia.
Route: Shanghai Hongqiao airport to Shenzhen Airport Departure date and time of flight: 17:15pm in December 2011 Flight Number: 9C8949 Aircraft registration: B-6573 Flight duration: 2 hour and 15 minutes Class: COMMON CLASS Aircraft type: Airbus A320 Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed and arrived on time without any problems. Overall, the punctuality rate of Spring Airlines is far better than most domestic Chinese carriers are. Any baggage issues: No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: Normally for most domestic full-fare paying airlines, passengers can check in 45-minutes before take-off but for those travelling on Spring Airlines irrespective if they are flying within or outside of China, they have to check-in at least 90-minutes before departure. Passengers travelling on Spring Airlines are only allowed to take a maximum of 15 KG (this includes on board luggage and luggage in the hold). Anything over this amount has to be paid for. Though sometimes as an exception (and depending on the mood/personality of the check-in staff) this rule is waived as a goodwill gesture. Comments regarding the main-meal service: Passengers have to purchase their food and drinks on Spring Airlines. Overall, it has to be said that the quality of the food and drinks is far better than that provided for free on other airlines within China. Here are some examples of the type of food available: Tsingtao beer can (330ml) is 10RMB Chicken curry with rice (heated) is 30RMB Salted boiled chicken egg is 2RMB A packet of dried duck’s kidney nibbles are priced at 10RMB (did not try this!). There are plenty of options for everyone and it has to be said that the price of the food is worth it as well. Approximately an hour and a half into the delay, and as a goodwill gesture, the cabin crew offered complimentary mineral water (by ‘Dew Ice’, a brand of the Coca-Cola company) and a packet containing two orange flavoured muffin cakes. I opted to try the chicken and rice. After taking the order it takes around 10 to 15 minutes for the meal to be heated in the microwave before being served. The diced chicken tasted nice, but the portion of the rice and diced chicken was not as much as one would expect to pay for 30RMB (but then again its for an in-flight experience so why not give it a go!). Comments regarding the drinks service: Drinks were served, but were chargeable (included beer cans as well). Comments on the in-flight system (if any): No IFE screens in the cabins. However, the cabin crew have an innovative way to keep everyone entertained. Towards the final 50 minutes of the flight, passengers are taken through some routine head exercises. So that means the cabin crew stand and show how to move your head sideways and shake your hands to have a good circulation. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very professional, kind and courteous. Yes, there is some advertising of the in-flight food and duty-free after take-off, but it is only for around 5-10 minutes (nothing as bad as what have written on various airline quality websites). Throughout the process of the plane being delayed, the staff kept very calm and kept reassuring the passengers. The difference between most state owned airlines and privately owned airline companies such as Spring Airlines is that on Spring Airlines, for example, the passengers are kept well informed of any problems and issues. Whereas on most state owned flights there is no information given to the passengers, and everyone is just kept waiting in frustration. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): Spring Airlines have a 3-3 configuration on their Airbus A320 aircraft in a one class setting (known as ‘Common Class’ on Spring Airlines). The Spring Airlines brand is becoming well recognized throughout China for its efficiency, comfort, and offering a high quality of customer service. The seats are all very clean and covered in the company’s bright green colour with yellow lettering of ‘Spring Airlines’. The aircraft cabin has a fresh feeling to it with a nice fragrance smell as well. The toilets are also kept well clean. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 9 |
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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