Cathay Pacific Airways is an international award-winning scheduled airline registered and based in Hong Kong, offering passenger Cathay Pacific serves 168 destinations in 42 countries and territories on five continents, with a well-developed Asian network. The airline serves a number of gateway cities in North America and Europe, with easy connections with its Oneworld and codeshare partners, American Airlines and British Airways via Los Angeles and London, respectively. The airline also has access to over 17 destinations in China through its subsidiary, Dragonair. Cathay Pacific is an official SkyTrax 5-star airline. The company was founded in Hong Kong in 1946 by two visionaries, Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow, who both paid HK$1 apiece to register the airline. They named the airline, Cathay Pacific Airways. Cathay is the ancient name for China, while Pacific was named because far-sighted Farrell believed that one day the airline might fly across the Pacific Ocean. The airline initially started services with two US Army surplus Douglas DC-3 Dakota aircraft: Betsy and Niki. The former aircraft, Betsy is repainted in her original 1940s livery, and is suspended from the ceiling at the Hong Kong Science Museum. Cathay Pacific Airways remains deeply committed to its home base, and has in recent years made substantial investments to develop Hong Kong as one of the world’s leading international aviation hubs. In addition to its fleet of 136 aircraft, (includes 26 cargo freight aircraft), these investments include catering and ground-handling companies and the corporate headquarters at Hong Kong International Airport. Cathay Pacific continues to invest heavily in its home city and has another 94 new aircraft due for delivery up to 2019 (including the 48 A350-XWB (Extra Wide Body)). The airline is also building its own cargo terminal in Hong Kong that will begin operations in early 2013. Cathay Pacific is also investing heavily in its freighter aircraft, with six Boeing 747-400ERFs, and 10 new generation Boeing 747-8Fs being scheduled for delivery by the beginning of 2013. Cathay Pacific owns 19.53% of Air China Limited, the national flag carrier and a leading provider of passenger, cargo and other airline-related services in Mainland China. Cathay Pacific is also the major shareholder in Air Hong Kong, an all-cargo carrier offering scheduled services in the Asian region. In November 2012, Cathay Pacific Airways was named Best Airline in the World and Best Airline First Class in the 2012 Business Traveller China Awards. The annual awards, now in their eighth year, reflect the highest praise bestowed by China’s frequent travellers on various service providers with connections to the Mainland. The awards were presented in Shanghai in November 2012 as Business Traveller China celebrated its 10th anniversary. The results of the 2012 awards were based on the magazine’s reader poll which ran from July to September in 2012. Cathay Pacific and its subsidiaries employ some 32,900 people worldwide (more than 22,500 of them in Hong Kong). Cathay Pacific is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, as are its substantial shareholders Swire Pacific Limited and Air China. The airline is a proud founding member of the Oneworld alliance, with its subsidiary, Dragonair, is an affiliate member. The airline celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006; and as of October 2009, its major shareholders are Swire Pacific and Air China. It is reciprocally one of the major shareholders of Air China. Cathay Pacific currently holds the title of the world's third largest airline, measured in terms of market capitalisation, according to the International Air Transport Association. The new regional Business Class has a two cabin configuration (Business and Economy, and very much similar to the product offered by Dragonair as well). I tried and tested the new regional Business Class seat on this short-haul flight from Hong Kong Chep Lap Kok international to Singapore Changi International Airport. The aircraft was brand new. Greetings from seat 11A (from right-hand side corner): Route: HONG KONG (HKG) to SINGAPORE (SIN) Departure date and time of flight: October 2014, 14:25 Flight number: CX735 (Cathay 735 heavy) ATC Callsign: Cathay Flight duration: 3 Hours 55 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A330-343-X (37 aircraft of this type in service) Aircraft registration: B-LBG Aircraft Serial Number: 1557 First flight: 28th August, 2014 Aircraft delivery date: 23rd September 2014 Aircraft engine types: Two x Rolls Royce Trent 772B-60 Frequent flyer programme: Marco Polo Club Marco Polo himself took many months and years to explore the world, but if you fly Cathay Pacific Airways then you can do that in a few hours, and join his exclusive club for frequent flyers at Cathay Pacific! It would be enough to make the great man jealous of those gold and diamond cardholders, were he alive today that is. Seat configuration for this aircraft: Business Class: 42 angle flat seats (2-2-2 configuration) Economy Class: 265 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration Punctuality of the flight/route taken: The flight departed on time from Hong Kong, went over the Chinese owned Paracel Islands near Vietnam (beautiful view!), and landed on a muggy and humid Singapore evening. Any baggage issues: I had already checked-in my baggage at Guangzhou’s Baiyun Airport, so this was a connecting flight. For all classes, each passenger (except an infant) can bring a free baggage allowance of one cabin bag not exceeding 56x36x23cm (22x14x9 inch) in size. These dimensions include wheels, handles, and side pockets. Lounge experience at Hong Kong Airport: Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair have five lounges at Hong Kong Chep Lap Kok Airport for their first and business Class passengers. They are: The Wing & The Pier The Pier, and The Wing are premium lounges in addition to The Cabin and The Arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport. Located at Level 5 near gates 62-66, The Pier covers over 3900m2, and provides another alternative for the First and Business Class passengers to relax and enjoy. Both lounges have separate facilities available for Business and First Class passengers, and both offer a personalised space in tranquil surroundings. These lounges are for the classy and the chic to while away their time away from the hustle & bustle of the airport. One of the unique features at The Pier is the addition of six Day-Break Rooms. Each offers an undisturbed environment to enjoy a little extra privacy. The Cabin (for departures) & The Arrival (for arrivals) In addition to The Wing and The Pier, The Cabin is the airlines newest departure lounge at Hong Kong International Airport, conveniently located near Gate 23 on the central concourse. Contemporary, refreshing, and dynamic, The Cabin is ultra-modern in design and introduces some brand new seating and dining concepts. Similar facilities as the other lounges are present at The Cabin. These include the IT Zone, The Deli (offering various Western and Asian hot and cold dishes), The Health bar (lovely freshly made smoothies, or Chinese herbal teas anyone?), and the The Arrival lounge is the airlines new premium arrivals lounge at the Hong Kong International Airport. Once passengers on Business and First Class arrive into Hong Kong, before they commence their activities in town, the lounge enables them to get refreshed and revitalised at the arrivals lounge. The Arrival lounge is located past the arrivals hall, at the centre passage connecting Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, right below the Airport Express station. All of the lounges can be accessed by First and Business Class passengers, Gold tier members or above of The Marco Polo Club and Emerald members of oneworld™ on Cathay Pacific or Dragonair arriving same day in Hong Kong OR transiting same day with more than 4 hours of transit time are welcomed to visit the arrivals lounge. G16 Lounge Managed by Dragonair staff and for those passengers that are connecting to Dragonair flights to/from Hong Kong airport, the G16 Lounge is located right opposite gate 16. The G16 lounge provides world-class facilities such as wireless and high-speed internet, plenty of high quality 5-star meals and drinks, and washrooms to freshen yourself before or after the flight. On my flight back from Doha (separate report) to Hong Kong, I was advised to use the G16 lounge because my connecting flight was with Dragonair to Hangzhou. Passengers flying with Cathay Pacific Airways can of course, also access the G16 lounge. From The Pier Lounge to gate 24, where the aircraft was parked took around 15 minutes. Hong Kong Airport was quite busy at this time in the afternoon. On the long-haul sector, such as this one, an average Business Class seat can cost anything in the range between US$4,500-US$6,600 depending on the destination, so considering the current economic climate, if the Business Class cabin is full then you can take a guess of how much money companies and people still have! In-flight magazine: Discovery (published by ACP Magazines Asia Ltd) Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers’ in Business Class are offered hot lemon scented towels prior to departure. This is followed by a drinks service, which consists of some of the world’s finest wines, and champagne. In Business Class, the cabin crew offer five kinds of drinks prior to departure:
Both Cloud Nine and Oriental Breeze are signature drinks provided by Cathay Pacific Airways, and both drinks are equally impressive in taste, look, and feel. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Around about 35 minutes after departure, drinks were served from the trolley along with the helping of the huge Macadamia nuts, and salted almonds on bone china plates. I opted for another glass of that fine Champagne (Billecart-Salmon Brut), and also the piper-heidsieck Brut. There was also the celebrated Cathay Pacific complimentary bar service for Business Class passengers, including various alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks. Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English earl grey, Ceylon, and Chinese green tea) were also available. On top of this, there were a selection of herbal teas including green tea with jasmine, peppermint, and camomile with honey. With or without the meal, the wine list included for this flight would make anyone’s mouth water: White Wines: Buissonnier Bourgogne Cote Chalonnaise 2012 Coopers Creek Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011, New Zealand Red Wines: Chateau Taffard de Blaignan Medoc 2009, French (Bordeaux) Gemtree Bloodstone McLaren Vale Shiraz 2010, Australia Port: Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port, 2007 Ample choice of whiskies (Chivas Regal 12 Year old, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Canadian Club, and Jack Daniel’s), Cognac (Hine, ‘rare and delicate’ fine champagne), and various beers, aperitifs & cocktails, and liqueurs. I opted for the signature Cathay Pacific cocktail to go with dinner: Pacific Sunrise- champagne with Drambuie with zest of lemon orange. Comments regarding the meal: For the first meal, a choice of four entrées were provided– all selected from a superb range of Asian and Western dishes. Meals are served on a low trolley that gives the passenger an inviting eye-level choice of what's on offer and the airline is also introducing new food service items with a more Asian feel in their Business Class. All food in the Business Class cabins in Cathay Pacific is served on elegant bone china tableware specially designed and exclusively produced by Narumi of Japan. Starters: Freshly prepared Asian Soup Mixed salad with French vinaigrette The roasted potatoes may have been slightly hard, but the salmon’s exceptionally awesome taste certainly did the trick in disguising that fact. What I really liked about the salmon were the sprinkled spices and pepper, which were spread right the way across the skin of the meat. A wonderful touch to the touch. The fresh taste of the salmon reminded me of a similar dish I had at The Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai earlier this year. Main Course: There were two options for the main course, including: Afternoon tea set Cantonese Dim Sum set I opted for the Afternoon Tea set, which consisted of a cute little sandwich, scone, a fruit quiche and a ham roll. Accompanying the main dish was a plate of fresh seasonal salad. Cheese & Dessert: A selection of Blue d’Auvergne, red Leicester, Taleggio with cabernet paste A selection of fresh seasonal fruit A tub of Haagen Dazs ice-cream The plate of fresh seasonal fruit was equally well dressed. Generous portions of kiwi fruit, mango, melon, and watermelon were provided. The skin had been taken off, so all the hard work had been done for you (passengers are spoilt on Cathay Pacific). Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: The new Business Class seat has a 15.4” personal television screen (PTV) that can be pulled out of the front bay with a click of a button. If you are seated in the middle aisle seat then during take-off, landing, and taxi, you end up looking at your neighbours PTV. Each PTV comes with Audio and Video on Demand (AVOD), offering a choice of over 100 movies, over 500 TV shows, 888 music CDs, 24 radio channels, and over 70 games – and with 10 languages represented, you’re sure to find something you enjoy. Huge headphones with noise cancellation technology are presented to every passenger in Business, and Premium Economy Class cabins. When it comes to entertainment, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Audio on Demand service is offered to all passengers on long-haul aircraft. Audio books are also available. Each seat in Business Class has an 110V AC power port. Premium Economy and Economy Class passengers may have to share a power port with adjacent seats. Connections enabling passengers to listen to, or watch on their individual screens, content on their personal iPods or USB devices are available on this aircraft (the Airbus A330-343X). The music played upon boarding and upon dis-embarking the aircraft changes every month on Cathay Pacific flights. Some of the tunes played include ‘Faith’ by Medwyn Goodall, and ‘Feel’, by Robbie Williams. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew appear to have been trained very well, and seem to know how to handle all kinds of situations. The trainers must have had everything thrown at them, ranging from rowdy passengers to those having a nervous breakdown. These people are amazing. They really do pamper you. To the outsider it may seem that being cabin crew is an easy job, however in fact it’s a very challenging job, and there is more to the job then just handing out the meals. With many months of hard work and training under their belt, cabin crewmembers are chosen very carefully by the airline. God forbid, if anything happens on a flight (could be anything ranging from ill passengers, fights, drunken passengers, hijackings, and even pregnancies!), then it is the cabin crew who have to handle with such situations in a calm and cool manner. It certainly takes a certain personality to do such a job, and with a constant smile on their face too (a genuine one). Like they say in the corporate world, you may have the best brand in the world, but that brand is worth nothing if it not for the people that make great things happen for that brand. Cathay Pacific's current uniforms are designed by renowned Hong Kong designer, Eddie Lau. Ladies wear a red skirt with a white blouse that has the ‘brushwing’ logo in gold and red colours. The ladies also have a bright red blouse jacket which they can wear- matching with the red skirt. The gentlemen wear black starched trousers with a white shirt. Along with that the men wear a red tie with black stripes (junior cabin crew), or a gold tie with black stripes (senior cabin crew). Cathay Pacific Airways stand by their words, and truly give a 5-star service. If you are a frustrated passenger (for whatever reason), then let me reassure you that the cabin crew are always trying to go through great trouble to make your flight as comfortable as possible. I am saying this from personal experience. As a frustrated passenger (we have all been in that situation at some point or another in our lives), it can be easy for some of us to lose their cool when things are not going as we expect them to be. It’s because of the professionalism and integrity of the cabin crew that the airline is classed as a truly 5-star airline that endeavours to provide a truly 5-star service to its customers. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The new Business Class regional cabin is fitted with the spanking new fully angle flat seat, which has a pitch of 45 inches and a width of 20. All the Business Class seats on Cathay Pacific aircraft were designed by James Park Associates, and Recaro Aircraft Seating. All First Class seats were designed by Zodiac UK, and Economy and premier Economy Class seats were designed James Park Associates and Zodiac USA. There is certainly plenty of space available. I had my camera bag (which is annoyingly big), plus my laptop (I seldom have to sleep on a daytime flight so I end up working!), AND my carrier bag. All of these were neatly stored before departure. Oh, there is also space for you to put your shoes during the long flight so you can sit like as if you are sitting on your sofa at home. The Business Class cabins on all aircraft have artwork displayed in front of the cabin by Maria Lobo. The side cabinet houses not only the headset and a vanity mirror (nice addition…you can imagine the celebs putting on their best look prior to landing), but has room for small items such as glasses and other minor but important things – and the cabinet door doubles as a privacy divider. Then there is are minor but important touches such as the personal reading light (with adjustable brightness) and a personal stowage compartment with space for a water bottle and magazines. There was no amenity kit provided for this short-haul regional flight. Cathay Pacific logo and livery: Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, Cathay Pacific Airways used to support a green and white striped livery. This old livery was replaced with the current "brushwing" livery In 1994 the airline announced that it would establish its new corporate identity, with a 23 million Hong Kong dollar (RM 7.3 million) program to update its image. - Cathay Pacific relaunched its corporate image in the early 1990s. Cathay Pacific commented that after building a reputation over 50 years for technical excellence and high-quality service, Cathay Pacific had no intention of changing its core values. Therefore, the new corporate identity was merely intended to communicate these values more effectively to all current and future customers. Cathay Pacific worked with Landor Associates, the world’s largest corporate identity management firm, to help create the new identity. The brushwing livery expresses the carrier’s unique character as an Asian with an international outlook. The sophistication of the logo conveys Cathay Pacific’s technical expertise and uncompromising attention to safety and reliability. The brushwing also embodies a sense of energetic flight, and being a “handmade” symbol it acknowledges the company's devotion to high standards of caring, personal service. In October 2014, the airline unveiled a new identity, symbolising the airline’s efforts to create a better, more beautiful and more enjoyable journey for passengers, they refreshed many aspects of the brand identity. Centred on the timeless brushwing icon, they sought to simplify, clarify and beautify. The brushwing no longer sits constrained inside a box, and has been gently harmonised and set free. The airline also defined tighter rules around sub-brands which will now be clearly aligned within a simplified, tiered hierarchy. They are also using a tighter palette of colours and typography. Click here to learn more. 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. On September 9th, at a lavish ceremony in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines unveiled their new logo and livery to be used to all of their aircraft and uniforms.The new China Eastern logo was designed by the famous Chinese brand consultancy Zhengbang, in early 2014. This is the first time that the airline has changed the livery in its 30 years of operation. The logo change has bought along a much needed image revamp for the Chinese airline.
The airline has kept the ‘swallow’ as the core element of the logo, alongside the red and blue colors. But unlike the ‘circle-logo’ style from the 80s, the new design has a sleek and modern appearance to it. The swallow’s red head and wings stand for ‘sunrise in the east’, which symbolizes hope, excellence and passion. The blue-colored bird tail means ‘be tolerant to diversity’ and this is used to represent the carrier’s various, inclusive and logical services. China Eastern’s letters, C and E, are also visible in the flying swallow. The company kept the swallow as the logo, because it is believed the bird can bring good fortune. The swallow traditionally leaves in autumn and comes back in spring, bringing hope and luck with it. The new logo has been painted on the airline’s first B777-300ER (pictured below). This aircraft will be delivered to the airline in time for the festive October holiday (first week of October is a national holiday in China). While the livery appears to be very simple, boring and somewhat disappointing (the aircraft is all white except the airline titles and the tailfin logo), it is not really surprising because this new trend has been followed by many of the world’s airlines, including Air France, Lufthansa and American Airlines. This design was chosen from a total of 56 final logos submitted by a number of top brand consultancies. The airline plans to have all its aircraft kitted out with the new design by the end of 2019. Four B777-300ER aircraft will be delivered within this year, and starting from November, the new aircraft will serve the Shanghai - Los Angeles and Shanghai - New York route. By 2018, the airline plans to have a total of 20 B777-300ER aircraft in its fleet. As well as the logo and livery on the aircraft, China Eastern Airlines also unveiled a new uniform for its cabin crew, pilots and all the ground staff based around the world. 中国东方航空(以下简称“东航”)举行全新VIS(视觉识别系统)发布会,以东航新LOGO、基准品牌色、辅助图形和各类延展应用组成的东航VIS正式亮相,这标志着东航在品牌建设道路上迈出了突破性的一步,以VIS为基础的品牌战略将能切实推动东航转型升级,提升国际化经营能力,构建长远的品牌竞争力。 东航新LOGO保留了原LOGO的核心元素“燕子”,传递了燕子吉祥与和顺的寓意。在此基础上,设计团队重点突破了80年代国内企业普遍采用的圆框设计风格,优化了工业设计痕迹浓重的对称式硬朗线条,以灵动舒展的流畅线型和红蓝品牌基准色,将东航简称(China Eastern)的首字母“CE”与核心视觉元素“燕子”巧妙融为一体,呈现出一只轻盈灵动的“领头燕”振翅高飞,彰显出东航人开拓创新、奋发有为、激情超越的进取精神;飞燕姿态巧妙地勾勒出东航的英文首字母“CE”,更利于受众的识别与记忆,显示了东航持续推动品牌无国界的国际化竞争意识;飞燕的翅膀形如飞架天穹的桥梁,尾翼形如连接天际的彩虹,更形似闻名世界的黄浦江湾,象征着飞行不仅能实现迅速位移,还推动着五湖四海人们的人文情感交融。 2013年初,东航经过慎重评估,决定面向全球优秀设计机构征集VIS设计方案,共获得了34个LOGO方案、56个飞机涂装方案。经过多轮内外部研讨筛选、全集团范围公示,于2013年9月最终确定了新LOGO的设计方案和飞机涂装方案,设计方是为中国移动、百度、“鸟巢”、人民网等提供VI解决方案的正邦品牌顾问服务集团。东航换标工作旨在以新LOGO为核心全面优化东航视觉体系,力求构建一个传承既往、紧跟时尚、充分凸现品牌特质的全新品牌形象,使任何地域、任何语言、任何文化的受众都能轻松认知并喜爱这只来自东方天空的灵动“飞燕”。据悉,东航借鉴了国外航企的普遍做法,将采取成本优先的换标方式,如结合机队涂装的自然更替年限进行“零成本”换装,预计完全更换的周期将长达五年左右。 东航9月下旬正式引进的首架777-300ER飞机将是机队全面“换装”的“领头燕”。新飞机涂装通体纯白,接近法航、汉莎、美国航空等全球大型航空公司主流涂装风格,更为简洁、大气、环保,更加凸显东航的中英文名称及尾翼的新LOGO,也更加契合东航“打造世界一流”的战略目标。据悉,拥有全球独特设计和顶级配置、年内交付4架的东航777-300ER将成为布局公司 “太平洋计划”的主力军。未来三年,东航将重点加密北美航线,力争提升跨太平洋航线竞争能力,以全面升级的软硬件服务为远程航线旅客带来前所未有的旅行体验。从11月份开始,首架777-300ER飞机将正式执飞洛杉矶和纽约航线。2015至2016年还将有10架波音777飞机加入东航机队,意味着东航整个北美地区航线将会全部交由波音777机型执飞。到2018年,20架波音777-300ER飞机全部交付后,东航将成为中国最大的该机型运营商。 (Special thanks to China Eastern Airlines and Zhengbang) Route: London Heathrow Airport to Shanghai Pudong Airport
Departure date and time of flight: May, 2014 at 3pm Flight Number: VS250 (Callsign: Virgin 250 heavy) Flight duration: 12 Hours 10 minutes Aircraft Registration: G-VEIL Aircraft Name: Queen of the Skies First flight: 18/02/2004 Delivery flight: 08/04/2004 Aircraft Serial Number: 575 Engines: 4 x Rolls Royce Trent 556-61 Class: Economy Premium Class Configuration: First Class: 45 Economy Premium Class: 38 Economy Class: 233 Aircraft type: Airbus A340-642 There are four variants of the Airbus A340 aircraft; the A340-200 and A340-300 were launched in 1987 with introduction into service in March 1993, while the longer versions A340-500 and A340-642 were launched in 1997 with introduction into service in 2002. The Airbus A340-642 is the longest aircraft in the Airbus family, and is powered by 4 engines. Punctuality of the flight: The flight pushed back from the terminal on time at a cloudy Heathrow and landed on time in a very cloudy and humid Shanghai. Comments on the check-in and baggage issues: No check-in issues. Virgin Atlantic Airways international flights operate from Heathrow’s Terminal 3, where the airline has a separate building for check-in. Premium Economy class passengers have dedicated check-in counters. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Premium Economy passengers are offered hot hand towels and sparkling champagne prior to take-off. After take-off, Premium passengers are served with pre-meal snacks of sour cream & cheese ‘Pen State Pretzels’ served with a choice of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade). There was a choice of red or white wine. Comments regarding the first meal: Since this was a late afternoon flight, the crew did not delay in distributing the lunch meal- and so the service commences only around 45 minutes into the flight. Starter: Mixed leaf and cherry tomato salad With herb dressing. Simple but appetising and healthy. Choices for the main courses consisted of: Cottage Pie Minced beef with crusted mashed potato and chive top. Sweet Chilli Chicken In a sweet, spicy, sticky sauce with egg noodles, red pepper, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and chopped spring onion. Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni Pasta tubes filled with creamy ricotta and spinach. A delight for vegetarians. I went for the spinach. The dessert consisted of a delicious chocolate profiterole cake and olive oil and salt crackers with cream cheese. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal (and again consisting of “Virgin Cola!”) Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): The in-flight galley was open throughout the flight. Passengers could help themselves to a selection of “Mcvities flapjacks”, “Walkers Scottish Shortbread”, and “Nestle muffins”, as well as a selection of complimentary hot and cold drinks (including tea and coffee). Hot pot noodles were also on offer. Comments regarding the second meal (if any): Around an hour and half prior to landing at Shanghai Pudong, we were treated to breakfast. There were two choices: An English breakfast, or a Chinese breakfast (congee). I opted for the English breakfast, which consisted of a scrambled egg, pork sausage, back bacon, baked beans, sliced potatoes and button mushrooms. The sausages tasted as if they were cooked minutes ago, and the baked beans were just too good. The scrambled eggs and the bacon was just perfectly cooked too. Accompanying the main dish was a bottle of Tropicana orange juice, pain aux raisin and fruit yoghurt. Comments on the in-flight system (if any): The in-flight system was working without any problems. All the channels were showing the same as it was listed in the in-flight magazine. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The Airbus A340-642 has a standard 2-4-2 layout in Economy class and a 2-3-2 in Premium Economy class. With a seat pitch of 38 inches, and a seat width of 21 inches, the Economy Premium seats on Virgin Atlantic Airways are very comfortable, and some of the most spacious in the industry. Especially for a daytime flight, it was very comfortable. Empower ports are available at all Upper Class and Premium Economy seats. You will need an adaptor to use these ports. There is no power units available in Economy. Audio Visual on Demand is available with a variety of movie and television programmes; children's channels and video games. The system aboard this aircraft is Virgin's V:Port system, which provides 14 channels and 45 CDs of Audio on Demand. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best):10 Here a noisy, three-engine Douglas DC-10 wide-body jet airliner manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, and operated by BIMAN Bangladesh Airlines takes to the air for the last time at Birmingham International Airport. Technology has no sentimentality for history.
Biman was the last commercial carrier to operate the DC-10 in passenger service. The airline flew a special passenger flight on February 20, 2014, from Dhaka to Birmingham for the DC-10's celebratory send off flight, through the official final passenger flight was on the 24th of February (from Birmingham to Dhaka). It's also the last flight for the airmen and airwomen who have flown this 3-engine beauty all over the world for so many years. Instead of being placed in a museum, word has it that she will be flown back to Dhaka, and may be dismantled for the scrap metal yard...sad ending to a glorious life. I grew up in the 80s living under the flight-path of Heathrow's Runway 27L, and I could tell that it's a DC-10 just by listening to the noise of the engines, and just to freak out and run to the nearest window to see the beauty go above (the major operators in those days were VIASA Venezuelan Airlines, VARIG Brazilian, Ghana Airways, Nigeria Airways, and Biman Airlines). At one time, the most recognized and popular airliner in the world, there were 446 built before production ceased in 1988. Its life has not been without controversy; with 52 aviation accidents and incidents, including 32 hull-loss accidents, with 1,261 occupant fatalities. On that note, a salute, and a huge thank you to all those airmen and women who sacrificed THEIR lives to make ours safer in the skies. Delighted that my image of the windows of a diaolou in Kaiping (Jiangmen, China) was chosen for the cover of nihao (December 2013 issue), the in-flight magazine for China Southern Airlines.
Based out of Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in China's southern Guangdong Province, China Southern Airlines is the world's sixth-largest airline measured by passengers carried (on average around 8 million passengers per month in 2013), and Asia's largest airline in fleet size and passengers carried. 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 (Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow International), AIRBUS A340-600, PEARL BUSINESS CLASS12/17/2013 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 96 destinations using 91 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 216 aircraft to be delivered within the next 5-7 years (with options for another 89). These include 10 Airbus A380-800 (Super Jumbos), 71 Boeing 787 (Dreamliner), and 62 orders for the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft (Extra Wide Bodied). In 2012, the airline reported a full year EBIT of US$170 million, on the back of annual revenue growth of 36.0 per cent to US$4.8 billion, with net profits of US$14 million. In 2012, Etihad Airways carried 10.2 million passengers, a 23 per cent increase from 2011, and is on target to once again beat that record in 2013. The airline plans to carry more than 25 million passengers to more than 150 destinations aboard a fleet of over 200 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’ Airbus A340-642 to check out their Business 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: December 2013, 02:35am local time Flight number: EY11 Flight duration: 8 Hours Class: PEARL BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A340-642 (7 aircraft in service) Aircraft registration: A6-EHK Engine Type: 4 x Rolls Royce Trent 556-61 Aircraft Serial Number: 1030 First flight: 23rd July 2009 Delivery flight: 17th August 2009 Seat configuration for this aircraft: Diamond First Class: 12 suites in a 1-1-1-1 configuration Pearl Business class: 32 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, Coral Economy class: 248 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration Comments on the check-in process, and any issues: This was a connecting flight that I had taken, coming in from Hong Kong and going on to London Heathrow, so therefore was no need to check-in. However, passengers on connecting flights are required to go through security again and passport control before they go through Duty-Free again to their connecting flight. There are two things to bear in mind when transiting at Abu Dhabi: 1. While the flight experience may be great on-board the aircraft, it may not be that great while transiting through the security checks at Abu Dhabi. If you happen to arrive at a peak time (i.e. anytime between 11pm and 5am Abu Dhabi time), then the waiting queues can be very long. This can be very tiring and frustrating, especially if you are flying Economy Class. Thankfully, on this occasion, I was I flying Business Class, and even for us the waiting queues for security and customs were LONG (though not longer than the Economy Class queue). 2. When you are tired, varying a large amount of hand luggage and in a different time zone, then the walking distance between the different gates can seem to go on for miles, even though the airport staff will tell you that it’s only ‘five minutes’ away. Any baggage issues: This was a connecting flight between Hong Kong and London Heathrow, so therefore was no need to check-in, and had no worries about my heavy baggage ( so carefree!). 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. Lounge experience at Abu Dhabi After making my way from security clearance, I headed to one of Business Class Lounges at Terminal 3 presented. As one enters the Lounge it feels and looks like an Arabian palace- or at least it’s supposed to give that ambiance to the passengers, complete with mosaic windows and arch ways. After presenting my boarding passes I was led to the Business Class Lounge, which is located right next to the equally spacious First Class Lounge Class Lounge. I was very surprised at how crowded both the Business and First Class Lounges were. Was there really a global economic crisis? So much that so many people/companies had so much money to spend on Business or First Class travel?! The place was jam packed with not a single seat available. Having arrived from a slightly cooler Hong Kong, and heading onto a much colder Heather I was wearing a sheep skin jacket as well as my pashmina pullover…this really did not help when sitting in an over-crowded Business Class Lounge in a warm Abu Dhabi at one in the morning. I wasn’t particularly hungry, especially after having been fed like if there is no tomorrow on my previous flight in from Hong Kong. Therefore I just opted to drink some fresh Al Ain mineral water. The reception staff told me that the Lounges are busy like this almost every night from around 11pm to 4am when Abu Dhabi is at it’s peak because most transit passengers arrive and depart at that time. It’s cheaper for the airlines to operate at night…same goes for Emirates, Oman Air, Gulf Air, and Qatar Airways…all their hubs are busy at night-time with connecting flights. The Lounge is well equipped with large TVs, internet ports and Wi-Fi connection, and plenty of hot and cold food from all around the world. There are dedicated showers, private bed for those that want to sleep during a long layover (have to booked in advance I think), a children’s play area, and the Six Senses Spa where passengers can enjoy a complimentary spa treatment (facial, massage etc…and has to be booked in advance). It probably would have been a good idea if Etihad Airways had allocated more space to the Six Senses Spa, given how challenging it is to secure even a 15-minute massage appointment, unless you book in advance or arrive well in advance to your connecting flight. Another minor but important issue to point out was that the toilets were clean and well maintained (believe me, in some airports around the world they are well dirty…!) The Lounge was too crowded for my liking, so I didn’t linger around much. I actually found it much better to relax and sit at one of the many empty chairs dedicated to Business Class passengers at the gate. Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed on time at 02:40am 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. The whole of the flight was spent in the dark skies over the Middle East and Europe. We landed on a rather wet and windy morning 10 minutes ahead of schedule at 06:25am at London Heathrow’s Runway 27L- providing stunning aerial views of the city prior to landing. Etihad Airways operates from Terminal 4 at London Heathrow. Business and First Class passengers flying with Etihad Airways can enjoy the service of a complimentary chauffeur driven limousine. All Pearl Business Class guests can enjoy this service for two transfers per journey unless their journey begins or ends in the UAE or includes a stopover in Abu Dhabi, in which case Etihad Chauffeur will be provided for all travel within the UAE in addition to two transfers in other countries. Business Class passengers arriving on Etihad flights at Heathrow can be driven for free upto 100 miles (150 miles for First Class passengers). It’s very convenient if you are flying for business meetings the next day. I came out to the arrivals hall at about 7:00am (35 minutes after landing), met my Etihad Airways chauffeur driver, and managed to arrive home in about 40 minutes after that. The great thing was that after a quick shower and being refreshed, I headed to my office in the City of London, arriving at 9am sharp! Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers’ in Business Class are offered hot lemon scented towels prior to departure. This is followed by a drinks service, which consists of some of the world’s finest wines, and champagne. In Business Class, the cabin crew offered the following drinks prior to departure: · Fresh orange juice · Al Ain mineral water or San Pellegrino sparkling water · 100% lemon and mint infused juice. · Champagne Lanson Black Brut NV I opted for the exotic lemon and mint drink. It was so good that I decided to have a few more during this night-time flight. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Around about 35 minutes after departure, drinks were served from the trolley along with the helping of warmed and salted mixed nuts and almonds on bone china plates. I opted for a glass of that fine Champagne (50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, and 15% Pinot Meunier). There was also the celebrated Eithad Airways complimentary bar service for Business Class passengers offering various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks. Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English earl grey, Ceylon, and Chinese green tea) were also available. On top of this, there were a selection of herbal teas including green tea with jasmine, peppermint, and camomile with honey. With or without the meal, the wine list included for this flight would make anyone’s mouth water. While the majority of airlines only offer a maximum of two choices each for white and red wine, Etihad offers three choices each for red and white wine: White Wines: Chateau De Chassagne-Montrachet AOP Saint Aubin 1er Cru: “Le Charmois” 2008: Burgandy: France Terrazas De Los Andes Reserva Torrontes 2011 Salta: Argentina Stoneleigh: Sauvignon Blanc: 2012 Marlborough: New Zealand Red Wines: Segla 2008 Margaux: Bordeaux: France Murphy-Goode Pinot Noir 2010: California JIM BARRY “The Lodge Hill”: Shiraz 2010 Clare Valley: South Australia Dessert Wine: Royal Tokaji, Late Harvest 2011: Hungary Ample choice of aperitifs and spirits: Chivas Regal 12 Year old, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Canadian Club, and Jack Daniel’s; Cognac Hine, ‘rare and delicate’ fine champagne; and various beers, and liqueurs. Comments regarding the first meal (“Kitchen Anytime”): Since this was a late night/early morning flight so no heavy meal was offered. Instead Business Class passengers were offered a selection of delights that were available throughout the flight- Etihad Airways calls this service Anytime Kitchen. This means you can dine as you like, when you like. Passengers can choose from an extensive á la carte range or their Anytime Kitchen menu. The following options were available:
Every Etihad Airways flight has a dedicated Food and Beverage manager in the Business Class cabin (and one for First Class). This person is the airline’s on-board fine dining expert who will help you find the right dish to suit your mood and the perfect accompaniment for your meal. They are recruited from some of the most reputed fine dining restaurants around the world. I wasn’t really feeling too hungry, so I opted to just brush my teeth, change into the pyjamas and go to sleep. I managed to get a very good sleep for around six hours on the fully flat 6 foot 1 inch bed, which is well placed inside a privacy shell. The seat is not as wide as I had thought, however the good thing is that it is single seat that allows you the freedom to move to the aisle as and when you like. I seldom drink alcohol on flights, but I do drink a LOT of water (best way to fight jet-lag and keep hydrated!), which means I also pay a visit to the lavatory quite a lot. Therefore for that reason alone the Business Class seat such as this one is perfect! There is enough space to move your arms and legs, and there is an in-built massage which is set off at the press of a button. Etihad Airways provide a luxurious in-flight amenity kit which contains the essentials of a toothpaste and brush, lip balm, eyeshades, socks, earplugs, face moisturiser by Korres, refreshing mints, and a set of cotton buds. Etihad Airways do not provide night pyjamas or slippers for their Business Class passengers- that luxury is enjoyed by the First Class passengers. A large comfortable blanket and soft pillows are provided on request. Comments regarding the second meal (á la carte menu): The breakfast service started around an hour and a half before landing at Heathrow, and I was woken up by the sound of cutlery tinkling around me. Cabin crew handed out warm lemon scented towels prior to serving the breakfast.
Starters: The following were offered as options for starters:
After that awesome sleep and the long period without eating much, I still wasn’t that hungry. So therefore I just opted for the natural yoghurt with granola and a glass of delicious smoothie. The granola was coated with warm honey, and this went splendidly well with the yoghurt. Every spoonful was a sheer journey to wake up the senses. To accompany my main course, I also took a chocolate croissant. Main Course: There were four options for the main course, including:
Instead of going for the traditional farmhouse breakfast, I decided to try something different that I not eaten before. So therefore, I opted for very colourful ‘oven baked eggs with Hollandaise sauce with rosti chunky tomato sauce and turkey rashers’ dish. There are certain elements of the deliciously contrasts between the creamy rosto and the chunky tomato sauce. Another helping if warm bread rolls and toasted bread was provided. I also ordered a cup of breakfast tea (by Dilmah) and a baklava dessert to go with it. Nothing quite like having an authentic Arabic dessert on Etihad Airways. 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 noise cancellation headphones were offered in the Business Class cabin. The 16-inch PTV screen is placed behind every Business Class seat (a whopping 23-inch screen in Diamond first class). The screens are NOT touch screen. Etihad Airways has three different IFE systems: Widescreen AVOD, PTV AVOD and Main screen. Passengers can choose from over 675 hours of on-demand entertainment on our E-BOX In-flight system. Every seat in the Pearl Business Class seat 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. On this night time flight, I was too tired to watch any TV, so I slept on the flat bed for around 6 hours- except for checking the flight status on the live map before landing. 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 crewmembers 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 crewmembers 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. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The Airbus A340-642 of Etihad Airways has 248 Coral Economy Class seats in a 2-4-2 configuration, 32 Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, and 12 First Class suites in a 1-1-1-1 configuration. Economy Class seats have a pitch of upto 33 inches, and a seat width of 17.5 inches; Business Class seats have a pitch of 73 inches, and a width of 20 inches; and First Class seats have a pitch of 80 inches and a width of 30 inches. I was in window seat 7K, which I had pre-selected when I checked-in at Hong Kong. I felt like the perfect seat for me because it was ahead of the wing, so afforded a wonderful view from the window as I take photographs. It also felt private and tucked away because of the neat design of the outer shell within which the set is placed. It is a fixed shell design with the seat upholstered in sea green fabric, leather armrests in the same colour, and a pale metallic-coloured surround. When you want to make a fully flat bed, the seats joins with the foot rest that I built into the back of the seat shell in front. You may also wish to place your shoes here - I usually take them off after take-off. A small drinks tray is built into the right armrest. 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), eyeshades, socks, and a toothbrush to keep you clean and fresh. There is also a coat hook and in-seat power (you will need an adapter if your product has a UK plug). 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. If you want the best of luxury travel, and if you want to arrive refreshed at your destination then the Business Class seat at Etihad Airways is the best option to take. The first class amenity kit for male passengers will be an expanded version of the current understated yet stylish black pouch from Ermenegildo Zegna, an Italian fashion brand known for its enduring passion for fabric, innovation, and quality. The pouches will continue to feature specially selected skincare products from another Italian luxury brand, Acca Kappa, including sandalwood products designed to keep passengers’ skin refreshed and revitalised. The Business Class amenity kits include a dental set and earplugs; a comb for men; and a hairbrush and cotton pads for the women. The disposable toothbrush for male passengers are made mainly from cornstarch and cellulose, which are biodegradable, recyclable and use fewer production resources. The Pearl Business Class kits include all-natural products by the Athens-based Korres brand. 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. Business Class Amenity KitAIR SEYCHELLES (Hong Kong Chep Lap Kok to Abu Dhabi International), AIRBUS A330-242, BUSINESS CLASS12/17/2013
Air Seychelles is the national flag carrier of the Republic of Seychelles, literally a thousand miles from everywhere. Founded in 1978, the airline operates 160 domestic flights a week throughout the archipelago, as well as domestic charter, serving destinations using 9 state-of-the-art modern, and young aircraft. The airline maintains a strategic partnership with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and 40 per cent stakeholder. The airline began long-haul service in 1983 and now offers international flights to Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Johannesburg and Mauritius, operated by an A330-200 aircraft. Hong Kong is the only destination in the Asia Pacific region that Air Seychelles flies to (code shared with Etihad Airways). I was on the flight from Hong Kong to Abu Dhabi on their Airbus A330-200 to check out their Business Class seat, cabin and service. So enjoy the 5-star experience of this beautiful aircraft and airline: Route: HONG KONG (HKG) to ABU DHABI (AUH) Departure date and time of flight: December 2013, 19:10pm local time (Hong Kong) Flight number: HM87 (code-shared with Etihad Airways as EY4121) Flight duration: 8 Hours and 35 minutes IACO Code: HM Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A330-243 (2 aircraft in service) Aircraft Name: Aldabra Aircraft registration: A6-EYY First flight: 20th April 2006 Delivery date to Air Seychelles: 3rd July 2012 Engine Type: 2 x Rolls Royce Trent 772B-60 Aircraft Serial Number: 751 Seat configuration for this aircraft: Business Class: 18 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, Economy Class: 236 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration Comments on the check-in process: Air Seychelles has dedicated check-in desks at Hong Kong airport. There are two desks for Business Class passengers and 5 desks for Economy Class passengers. I always find that the check-in process at Hong Kong to be very smooth and efficient. The processing time from check-in, through security and to the gate can take about 20 minutes if you are not going to spend whiling away shopping or enjoying the Club Lounge. Hong Kong Airport provides a fantastic Duty Free experience with an abundance of shops selling everything under the sun and a myriad of restaurants and cafes. Any baggage issues: There were no baggage issues. Air Seychelles is one of the very few airlines that have a generous luggage allowance for all passengers in all cabins. Business Class passengers can carry one complimentary bag in the hold with a total not exceeding 40kg (Economy Class passengers can carry hold luggage of up to 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. Business Class Lounge: Air Seychelles don’t have a dedicated lounge at Hong Kong. So on the day of departure a lounge area within the paid members area is designated exclusively for Air Seychelles passengers. The lounge has plenty of privacy and all the creature comforts that one would expect from a 5-star lounge for Business Class passengers. As there were only 3 passengers flying Business Class so therefore it was nice to have an almost empty lounge! The gate was only a 5 minute walk away from the lounge. Punctuality of the flight: The ground staff at Hong Kong are one of the world’s most efficient personnel. The flight got off to a punctual start with a departure from runway 25L heading towards the north side of Lantau Island. The departure gave a spectacular view of Hong Kong Disneyland as we turned around back into the South China Sea to head towards the Indian Sub-continent and on towards the Middle East. The flight arrived around 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled landing time early in the morning in Abu Dhabi. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: The first thing you notice as you enter the aircraft is the immediate signature Creole warmth and hospitable welcome from the Air Seychelles cabin crew in their dashing blue uniforms. A genuine smile with a personalised welcome is all it takes to make a lasting positive impression. 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, eyeshades, toothbrush, and a ‘wake me up/don’t wake me up’ stickers. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: A glass of champagne with warm peanuts was served prior to departure. I took plenty of water and orange juice as this was a night flight (to keep me from being dehydrated). The orange juice had a pleasingly fresh-squeezed flavour. Air Seychelles Drinks List: Joseph Perrier Marquis De Joncry Brut NV, Champagane, France White Wine: Oyster Bar Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011, New Zealand Corte Giara Pinot Grigio 2011 delle Venezie, IGT, Italy Catena Chardonnay 2011, Mendoza, Argentina Red Wine: Les Vignes de Bila-Haut, 2011 (Chapoutier Cote de Roussillon Village, France) Fleur de Cap Pinotage 2011, South Africa St Hallett Gamekeeper’s Shiraz 2011, Barossa, South Australia Comments regarding the first meal: Starters: Smoked Duck Salad with smoked tofu and red peppers, plum dressing and pickled shallots Creole Spiced Salmon; caramelised onion with mango salsa, cheery tomatoes, grilled courgettes, and balsamic reduction Main Course: Pan seared fillet of halibut; broad beans braised in Creole spices, basmati rice, and passion fruit sauce Grass fed fillet of beef, mashed potato with spring onion. French beans, bell peppers and beef jus Chicken in Guizhou sauce, stir fried flat noodles, spicy sauce, julienne of vegetables Vegetable Lasagne with tomato concasse and asparagus spears I opted for the Creole Spiced Salmon for the salad and the Vegetable Lasagne for the main course. The cabin crew also gave me a sample dish containing the pan seared fillet of halibut. 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, Seybrew, 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. Cheese Selection of cheese Dessert Warm pineapple crumble with vanilla custard Ginger and white chocolate cake with raspberry coulis Seasonal fresh fruit with mango coulis Provide natural ice-cream – selection of flavours 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 Air Seychelles 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 (“Anytime Dining”): Since this was a late night/early morning flight so no heavy meal was offered. Instead Business Class passengers were offered a selection of delights that were available throughout the flight- Air Seychelles calls this service Anytime Dining (their code-shared partner Etihad Airways have a similar service known as Anytime Dining). This means you can dine as you like, when you like. The following options were available: Steak Sandwich with red onion compote, Turkey bacon, melted cheese and rocket leaves Cantonese noodles with oyster sauce, lotus root, bok choy, and steamed dumpling Selection of cheese Seasonal fresh fruit Baked cookies Swedish crisp bread Banana Chips 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, Sey Brew (Seychelles beer), 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 Air Seychelles 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: Because the flight is code-shared with Etihad Airways, and the aircraft is on lease from Etihad Airways, so therefore the in-flight entertainment system is similar to the one provided on Etihad Airways flights. Huge noise cancellation headphones were offered in the Business Class cabin. The 10.5-inch PTV screen is placed behind every Business Class seat. The screens are NOT touch screen. Air Seychelles have three different IFE systems: Widescreen AVOD, PTV AVOD and Main screen. Passengers can choose from over 675 hours of on-demand entertainment on our E-BOX In-flight system. Every seat in the Business Class seat 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. Silhouette is the in-flight magazine for Air Seychelles provided to every passenger. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very hospitable, and proud to work for Air Seychelles, and seemed to be very proud to wear their uniform too (Senior cabin crew wear a blue uniform while the main cabin crew wear a red uniform). There was a genuine smile on every crewmembers 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 crewmembers walked through the departure gate. While the majority of the crew are natives of Seychelles, because this was a code-shared flight with Etihad Airways so there were two cabin crew members representing Etihad Airways (complete with the Etihad Airways uniform). Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The Airbus A330-200 of Air Seychelles is leased from Etihad Airways and has 18 Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, and 236 Economy Class seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. Each Business Class seat has a pitch of upto 73 inches, and a seat width of 20 inches and each Economy Class seat has a pitch of upto 33 inches, and a seat width of 17.5 inches. Business Class seats can turn into a flat bed with 82-inch seat pitch. Individual lighting options in every seat allow passengers to create their own ambience The Business Class cabin is fitted with cradle-style privacy shell seats that slide with 65 degrees lie-flat in sleeping mode. Each Business Class seat has an adjustable reading lamp, personal TV with video on demand and 110 volt AC in seat power. I managed to get a very good sleep for around six hours on the fully flat 6 foot 1 inch bed, which is well placed inside a privacy shell. The seat is not as wide as I had thought, however the good thing is that it is single seat that allows you the freedom to move to the aisle as and when you like. I seldom drink alcohol on flights, but I do drink a LOT of water (best way to fight jet-lag and keep hydrated!), which means I also pay a visit to the lavatory quite a lot. Therefore for that reason alone the Business Class seat such as this one is perfect! There is enough space to move your arms and legs, and there is an in-built massage which is set off at the press of a button. Air Seychelles provides a luxurious in-flight amenity kit which contains the essentials of a toothpaste and brush, lip balm, eyeshades, socks, earplugs, face moisturiser by Korres, refreshing mints, and a set of cotton buds. Air Seychelles do not provide night pyjamas or slippers for their Business Class passengers. A large comfortable blanket and soft pillows are provided on request. The seat and the flight experience is made comfortable by the mood lighting, the extra amenities (soft black and white striped cushions, and complimentary blankets), eyeshades, socks, and a toothbrush to keep you clean and fresh. Air Seychelles logo and livery: The company’s slogan is ‘Fly the Creole Spirit’. It essentially reflects the ‘experience of Seychelles. Evoking the sights, sounds and fragrances of Seychelles, it captures the spontaneous enthusiasm, passion and natural warmth of the Seychellois people shining through their attitude to life and the way they interact with others. The Creole Spirit embodies a distinct approach to, and celebration of life that is unique to the Seychelles Islands. In October 2011, after nearly 25 years in the traditional red, white and green local colours with two fairy terns (the Seychelles national bird), Air Seychelles collaborated with Turnstyle and Teague to deliver on a wide range of brand touchpoints, including their website, advertising, signage, uniforms and print collateral. The airline painted its first Boeing 767-300ER aircraft in the company's new colours. The new livery formed part of a new and recently launched corporate branding of the national airline where vibrant and tropical colours have been used to blend in with the natural beauty and environment of the Seychelles. This is also seen as our contribution to promote these islands as a long-haul tourism destination. The colours used on the tail end are commonly associated with the Seychelles blue, green, red and white. These striking colours with the abstracted images of the birds and leaves are aimed at evoking the Seychelles’ Creole spirit and blend in with the airline’s tagline – “ Flying the Creole Spirit ”. The new livery also promotes the wonderful ecosystem that Seychelles boasts and to signal Air Seychelles support for a greener Seychelles. The new logo, which is in the form of a fluid organic shape like that of a leaf, is painted on either side of fuselage with a more modern image of the trademark pair of Fairy Terns embedded on. The wordings “air” is in a lighter blue to signify the sky, while “Seychelles” in a darker blue to signify the ocean that appears at the centre of either fuselage sides. The interior furnishings of the aircraft provide an equally refreshing feeling with navy blue leather seat covers in Business Class and a lighter blue and green colour arrangement used for Economy Class seats. LUFTHANSA GERMAN AIRLINES (Frankfurt Main to Hong Kong International), BOEING 747-8i, BUSINESS CLASS8/25/2013
LUFTHANSA GERMAN AIRLINES is the national carrier of Germany, and the largest airline in Europe offering passenger and cargo services to 215 destinations in 42 countries and territories around the world using over 280 aircraft. The name of the company is derived from Luft (the German word for "air"), and Hansa (a Latin term referring to the Hanseatic League) The airline has been a proud founding member of the Star Alliance group since 1997, and traces its history back to 1926 when Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was founded in Berlin, an airline that served as flag carrier of the country until 1945 when all services were suspended following Germany’s defeat in World War II. From 1933 onwards the airline was known as Deutsche Lufthansa, the name it presently uses. Although the corporate headquarters of Lufthansa are located in Cologne, the majority of its staff and aircraft are based at Frankfurt Main International Airport. Deutsche Lufthansa employs more than 112,000 staff worldwide. At the time of writing, Lufthansa operates 51 weekly flights to and from China including Hong Kong:
*Lufthansa operates flights to Shenyang in north-eastern China. From there, the flight continues on to Qingdao (formerly known as Tsingtao) on China’s eastern seaboard, linking the city for the first time to Lufthansa’s route network. Lufthansa is thus increasing its presence in the fast-growing Chinese market and expand its network coverage in mainland China. Beijing Lufthansa Centre Well worth visiting if you are in the capital city is the unique Beijing Lufthansa Centre, a state-of-the-art office complex including a shopping center, residential apartments and the Beijing Kempinski Hotel. The Kempinski is exclusively used by visiting Lufthansa crew members while on a stopover. Regional Headquarters The Asia-Pacific Area Management Office of Lufthansa (passenger), Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Systems and Lufthansa Consulting are all located in Singapore. LSG Sky Chefs’ Area Management Office is based in Hong Kong. Lufthansa was the launch airline for the Boeing 747-800, and is therefore the newest aircraft type in the long-haul fleet for the airline. The aircraft is 5.6 meters longer than its predecessor, the legendary Boeing 747-400, making it the longest passenger aircraft in the world. Lufthansa started flying its Boeing 747-8 aircraft down to Hong Kong on March 31 2013. I had the pleasure of reviewing the Business Class cabin of this fabulous brand new aircraft which only entered service less than 2 weeks earlier. My first impressions upon boarding were that it smelt like a brand new Mercedes car (you know that smell of a new car?)! Route: FRANKFURT MAIN INTERNATIONAL (FRA) to HONG KONG (HKG) Departure date and time of flight: August 2013, 22:05 Flight number: LH796 (Lufthansa 796 heavy) ATC Callsign: Lufthansa Flight duration: 10 Hours 45 minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: BOEING 747-830i (9 in fleet) Aircraft registration: D-ABYK Aircraft Serial Number: 37835 First flight: 26th July 2013 Aircraft delivery date: 13th August 2013 Aircraft engine types: 4 x General Electric nx-2B67 Frequent flyer programme: Miles & More Seat configuration for this aircraft: First Class: 8 suites in a 1-1-1 configuration (main deck) Business Class: 60 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration (main deck), Business Class: 32 seats in a 2-2 configuration (upper deck), Economy Class: 262 seats in a 3-4-3 configuration Check-in issues: I had checked in for my flight 24 hours earlier on line back in London, and selected a seat on the upper deck of the Business Class cabin. I was aware when I checked-in online that there would be a good chance the upper deck would be empty- and it was with only six passengers occupying the 32 seats! I chose seat 85A as there was nobody seated ahead or behind me. It was perfect because it was away from the cabin or the toilets, which can be noisy at times. Any baggage issues: I had already checked-in my baggage at London Heathrow Airport for this flight, so I was carefree at Frankfurt (except for my TWO camera bags and the Duty Free bag, which I had to carry around with me!). For Business Class passengers Lufthansa allows check-in baggage of 30kg for one bag. On flights to, from, or via the US, Canada, and some countries in South America, 2 pieces of baggage may be checked-in with dimensions measuring up to 158cm (62 inches) in total and 32kg in weight for each bag. For all classes, each passenger (except an infant) can bring a free baggage allowance of one cabin bag not exceeding 56x36x23cm (22x14x9 inch) in size. LOUNGE EXPERIENCE at Frankfurt Main Airport: I had arrived on a flight from London Heathrow (to see that review, click here), landing at Frankfurt Airport 19:20 local time, and then was taken by bus into the terminal by 19:40 local time. The airport terminal at Frankfurt is conveniently sorted out into various Zones. Passengers transferring from European flight to International flights have to go through further security and then head to the appropriate Zone where the aircraft is parked. I headed off to Zone Z (non-Schengen), and then onto the Duty Free shops and the Lounge. The Duty Free area itself is such a nice place to be in that you could practically spend your whole transit period here without moving to the Lounge. You can buy practically anything including the latest cameras, iPad, and various other electronic gadgets. I actually ended up leaving smelling of at least 10 different designer Eau De Toilettes! The Lounge is located on the first floor and can be easily reached either by lift or by escalator. As you enter the generously spaced and modern Lounge you feel a sense of refreshness hot you. Split into several areas including a smoking room, a sleep area with bed/chairs, a work area, a quiet area, and even some cubicles for those wishing to make phone calls. The food and drink selection includes both hot and cold, soft and alcoholic drinks, and a decent selection of global cuisine, again, both hot and cold. If you prefer some authentic German cuisine before your flight then there is no harm in tucking into this either. The only annoying thing I found was that the distance from the Lounge to the actual gate (mine was at Z66) is quite long. I was told by the Lufthansa staff that it would take about 5 minutes. Believe me, when you are carrying hand luggage in an airport, 5 minutes can seem more like 30 minutes, and especially with the endless amount of conveyor belt path. I could not imagine how tiring it could be for a lady with young kids, or even elderly people. Nevertheless, I managed to get to the gate around 10 minutes before boarding. Punctuality of the flight/route taken: We pushed back on time and made our way to runway 07C (Center), which before 2011 used by designated as runway 07L (and this can still be seen on Wikepedia). Frankfurt has 4 runways with 3 of these running parallel to each other (07L/25R/07C/25C and 07R/25L). After departing at exactly 22:10pm we headed into a straight climb towards Eastern Europe, Middle East and then finally onto Chinese airspace. Departing from 07C provided a spectacular view of the center of Frankfurt to the left of the aircraft, though with the angle of the aircraft and the high speed of departure I could not get a good picture. There was no delay in landing at a slightly cloudy Hong Kong (nothing different here), and we landed at 17:50pm local time. Since I was at the front of the cabin I was one of the first off, and made my way to the highly efficient customs and immigration desks at Hong Kong airport (much more efficient than any airport in the UK in my experience). From the aircraft to the customs desks took around 5 minutes, and then another 10 minutes maximum waiting time at the customs. There was only a 5-minute wait at the luggage carousal with the Business and First Class bags coming out first. My chauffeur driver was waiting for my with my name on a rectangular card, and within a matter of minutes I was whisked in the Mercedes (from a German airline to a German car!), on my way to Shenzhen. The journey from disembarking the aircraft and arriving at my apartment in Shenzhen took just under 2 hours (including passing through the highly efficient customs at Shenzhen Bay where you don’t need to get off the car when crossing the border from Hong Kong). Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers in Business Class are offered hot lemon scented towels prior to departure. This is followed by a drinks service, which consists of some of the world’s finest wines, and champagne. In Business Class, the cabin crew offer a variety of drinks prior to departure:
Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Around about 35 minutes after departure, drinks were served from the trolley along with the helping of the huge Macadamia nuts, and salted almonds on bone china plates. I opted for another glass of that fine Champagne (Jacquart Brut Mosaique). Business and First Class passengers also have the option of trying the Monthly Special drink. I decided to tickle my taste buds with the Monthly Special that was on offer. Called ‘Seaman’s Shot’, the drink is an interplay of the finest triple-distilled vodka and natural herbs such as menthol and eucalyptus. Whoever created this dish either has a very bad taste for drinks, or did not bother tasting it before approving it. If you love the taste of strong menthol lozenges (like Fisherman’s Friend), or cough medicine then by all means drink it to your heart’s content. One sip was enough to put me off. I would not approve it at all. Upon asking me how it tasted, the look on the senior purser’s face gave a strong suggestion that she also agreed with my feedback (of she was very professional in not telling the truth directly to me…!). There was also the celebrated Lufthansa complimentary bar service for Business Class passengers, including various alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks. Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English earl grey, Ceylon, and Chinese green tea) were also available. On top of this, there were a selection of herbal teas including green tea with jasmine, peppermint, and camomile with honey. With or without the meal, the wine and beer list included for this flight would make anyone’s mouth water: White Wines: 2012 Riesling Spatlese trocken, Weingut Neef-Emmich, Germany 2011 Estate Blanc, Paul Mas, France Red Wines: 2008 Chateau La Roque de By, Medoc, France 2010 Two Vines Shiraz, Columbia Valley Vineyards, Chateau St. Michelle, USA Beer: Warsteiner Premium Verum – German premium lagar Warsteiner Premium Alkoholfrei – with genuine 0.0% alc. Vol. (non-alcoholic) Frankenheim Alt – A top-fermented speciality ale Erdinger Weissbier – with fine yeast German Spirits: Kummerling German Bitter Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser Ample choice of whiskies (Chivas Regal 12 Year old, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Canadian Club, and Jack Daniel’s), Cognac (Hine, ‘rare and delicate’ fine champagne), and various beers, aperitifs & cocktails, and liqueurs. Comments regarding the first meal (dinner): Since this was a late night long-haul flight, so therefore a light meal was on offer. Business Class passengers had three options for the starters, four options from the main course options, and three options for the dessert. Meals are served on a low trolley that gives the passenger an inviting eye-level choice of what's on offer and the airline is also introducing new food service items with a more German feel in their Business Class cabin. All food in the Business Class cabins at Lufthansa is served on elegant bone china tableware specially designed. Starters:
Salad: Mixed summer salad with tomato and tarragon dressing Main Course: There were four options for the main course, including:
The main course came presented on a large bone china bowl containing a generous amount of fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette (provided by Birch & Waite). There was a generous serving of soft and hard bread rolls from the bread basket. Oh, and then there are those cute salt and pepper pots- they look like tiny mice (not sure if that would be appealing when you pour your salt and pepper on your delicious meal). *This dish is a signature Chinese dish provided by Lufthansa to showcase the best of Chinese culinary magic. Authentic Chinese dishes on Lufthansa’s Business Class and First Class cabins, such as this one, are specially created by Jackson Huang, Executive Sous Chef at The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai (please check out the review I wrote for this fabulous hotel here). I opted for the sea bass in Caribbean style. A well presented dish which contained plenty of color and flavour. Delicious chunky pieces of the sea bass that went fine with the equally scrumptious potato and banana mash. The good thing about the sea bass was that it was fresh as you could for an airline meal, having been cooked earlier in the afternoon at Frankfurt’s Sky Chef facility. Passengers in Business and First Class are given the same treatment as those who would be dining at a Michelin-star restaurant, albeit in the sky. In all the flights I have taken so far, I always find that no matter how full you are you always end up eating the in-flight meal…perhaps because of the ambiance and the environment prevails to make you artificially hungry?! In any case the meal was very delicious. Cheese & Dessert:
The highlight of the dessert has to be the variation of passion fruit which appeared to come across as a dashing extravaganza of yellow colour. It tasted as good as it looked. The plate of fresh seasonal fruit was equally well dressed. Generous portions of kiwi fruit, mango, melon, and watermelon were provided. The skin had been taken off, so all the hard work had been done for you (passengers are spoilt on Lufthansa). While most other airlines provide Godiva or some other luxury chocolates to their Business and First Class passengers, Lufthansa provides authentically German chocolates and hazelnuts. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. This included coffee and tea (green tea and earl grey tea). I ordered a cup of coffee. In-flight snacks:
Comments regarding the second meal (breakfast): The dinner service started around an hour and a half prior to landing at Hong Kong. Main Course: There were two options for the main course, including:
I opted for the first option, which was the more traditional European styled breakfast. The breakfast meal tray also contained the following:
Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: Lufthansa offers various music titles through Audio Visual On Demand (AVOD) in all classes via personal touchscreen televisions on their brand new 747-8 Intercontinental aircraft. First and Business Class seats each have a personal 110v AC power port. Economy Class seats are equipped with 110v AC power port and are shared between the seats. The news is prepared by Inflight Television Int. in Frankfurt and stored on the server on board, so the passenger can decide when to watch the programme. The news is branded in Lufthansa style and there are some commercials shown, so in every way perfect for airlines. iTV will show late load program solutions at APEX in Anaheim. On Board Wifi is available to all classes via Skynet. Charges for this service apply and can be purchased with a credit card or by redeeming Miles & More reward miles from your laptop or mobile device The large 15-inch IFE screen placed behind each Business Class seat isn’t really facing you when you sit in the seat, and so you have to pull it out from the back of the seat in front (though this shouldn’t bother the passengers in sitting in front). Nevertheless, the choice of entertainment was good and there were no technical problems otherwise. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew appear to have been trained very well, and seem to know how to handle all kinds of situations. The trainers must have had everything thrown at them, ranging from rowdy passengers to those having a nervous breakdown. These people are amazing. They really do pamper you. The cabin crew were very professional and friendly. Most of the cabin crew for Lufthansa German Airlines are natives of Germany, or at least they speak fluently in German (this is especially true for the cabin crew in First Class or Business Class cabins). In January 2001, Lufthansa introduced native Chinese flight attendants on flights between China and Germany, providing Chinese-speaking passengers with in-flight services in their own language and cultural background. Lufthansa now employs 250 flight attendants from China. The Lufthansa Group employs more than 11,000 staff within Greater China, including all joint ventures and affiliated companies. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): This aircraft accommodates 386 passengers in a three-class configuration. First Class features Lufthansa's new First Class suite, now situated on the main deck and limited to 8 passengers; Business Class features Lufthansa's new flat bed Business Class seat in 2-2-2 configuration on the main deck and 2-2 on the upper deck; Economy class features individual television monitors. This is a three-class configuration, with 262 Economy seats, 92 Business and 8 First Class seats. The 92 Business Class seats are distributed with 60 on the main deck, and 32 seats on the upper deck. The First Class seat has a pitch of 85 inches, and a width of 31.5 inches (huge!), the Business Class seat has a pitch of 78 inches, and a width of upto 26.4 inches (very generous with an 180 degrees recline), and the Economy Class seats have a pitch of 31 inches and are 18.5 inches wide. Compared to what other airlines offer their Economy Class passengers, Lufthansa is very generous in offering an 18.5 inch width (most international airlines provide only 17 or 17.5 inches width on their long-haul fleets!). Before going to sleep, I went to the Business Class washroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, and then took a short walk around to see the other cabins downstairs. Economy Class was not full, and was equally quiet as the Business and First Class cabins- similar kind of ambiance as the Airbus A380 I would say. The Boeing 747-800 was one of the first aircraft that had the new Lufthansa Business Class seat installed. At the press of a button, this roomy seat transforms into an almost 2-metre-long, fully flat bed (actually 1.92 metre bed) – ideal if you wish to relax during a long flight. I found it very comfortable to lie on and especially as I toss and turn quite a lot when I sleep (faced-down on the pillow), therefore I found this seat a delight. The open-design of the cabin, the seat configuration, and the colour scheme in subtle, natural shades all help to create a feeling of spaciousness. I also found the seat cushion as being very firm, though I didn’t mind that, and the arm rest closest to the aisle could be lowered to create more room. I found the Boeing 747-800 to be much quieter than the older versions of the 747- almost the same quietness on board as the Airbus A380. Lufthansa does not offer pyjamas for their Business Class passengers – in fact from my experience Qatar Airways is one of the select few that do offer pyjamas for their Business Class passengers (normally that novelty is only reserved for First Class passengers). I had no problem sleeping for around 7 hours in this 10 hour flight, and was woken only by the breakfast (or brunch) service taking place around me. The upper deck window seats have the advantage of having large side storage bins for usage because of the unique shape of the 747 aircraft. On both the lower and upper deck the overhead lockers are generously spacious. In the Business Class cabin, by the side of the footrest there are two storage spaces, one which is open and pulls out slightly for putting in books, small laptop, shoes or personal items, and then another which has a handle and angles out from the wall – this one contains the amenity kit bag. The Business Class amenity kit bag is designed to look like a beach bag, and contains comfortable flight socks, eye mask, ear plugs, toothbrush and toothpaste (provided by Smilecare GmbH), Nivea face cream, Nivea sun cream, Nivia sun tan lotion, mouthwash, Gillette shaving cream and blade, a comb, and lip salves, and a bottle of water. Lufthansa German Airlines livery: The Lufthansa livery featured on all the aircraft consists of a navy blue coloured fin with a bright yellow encircled stylized crane in the middle. The fuselage belly of the aircraft is coloured grey while the rest of the aircraft is finished in a brilliant white. The words Lufthansa appears at both sides of the front fuselage in navy blue. A smaller and navy blue version of the encircled stylized crane is also displayed just behind the cockpit windows. The engines are coloured in a light grey colour. The trademark Lufthansa logo, an encircled stylized crane in flight, was created in 1918 by Otto Firle. It was part of the livery of the first German airline, Deutsche Luft-Reederei which was known as DLH. In 1926, Deutsche Luft Hansa adopted this symbol, and in 1954, Lufthansa expressed continuity by adopting it. The original creator of the name Lufthansa is a certain F.A. Fischer von Puturzyn. Lufthansa was the name given to the airline, which was a direct result from the merger of Junkers' airline (Luftverkehr AG) and Deutscher Aero Lloyd. Pre-Dinner Drinks and Dinner ServiceIn-flight SnacksBreakfast ServiceBusiness Class Amenity KitRoute: LONDON HEATHROW (LHR) – FRANKFURT MAIN (FRA) Departure date and time of flight: September 2013 Flight number: LH911 (ICAO callsign: “Lufthansa 911”) Flight duration: One hour and ten minutes Class: BUSINESS CLASS Aircraft type: AIRBUS A320-211 (59 aircraft in service) Aircraft registration: D-AIQM (First flight 4th November 1991) Engines: 2 x CFMI CFM56-5A1 Aircraft delivery date: 20th January 1992 Aircraft name: Nordenham Aircraft Serial Number: 268 Seat configuration for this aircraft: Business Class: 36 seats in a 2-2 configuration Economy class: 120 seats in a 3-3 configuration Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: I had actually checked-in online 24 hours prior to departure from my office laptop. At Heathrow Terminal 1, there are a combination of manned and automated check-in desks for Lufthansa. At peak times, Heathrow looks like the headquarters of the United Nations with people wearing their national costumes with pride and speaking all kinds of languages under the sun. It all seems good fun, almost like a fun fair with people flying off to all corners of the world. The check-in staff came across as being highly professional, very proud of their airline, and very polite...though I couldn't see any reason why they wouldn't be (!). Any baggage issues: Business Class passengers can carry two bags up to 32 kg each; First Class passengers can carry three bags up to 32 kg each. The airline has different free baggage regulations for those travelling in Economy Class depending on various situations (such as if you are a Star Alliance member at different grades etc.). It’s best to check in with the airline or on the Lufthansa website. Along with my camera equipment (4 large DSLR bags!) and my laptop bag, I was carrying 2 large luggage bags (each around 30KG). LOUNGE EXPERIENCE at Heathrow Airport: Lufthansa German Airlines passengers can use the Star Alliance Considering that the world is still going through tough economic times, especially most of Europe, then you just end up wondering how come the Business and First Class lounge is so busy. Almost every seat was occupied. One would expect the lounge to be an oasis of tranquillity compared to the hustle and bustle of the airport outside…but no - it was quite the opposite. While it wasn’t exactly noisy, however there was no doubt that it certainly was not the peaceful setting one would expect from a lounge for Business and First Class passengers. Plans are in place for a new 1600 sqm lounge for Lufthansa and Star Alliance passengers to be opened in October 2014. The new lounge will be located at the refurbished Terminal 2, which will be the largest outside Germany. Facilities will include comfort zones, working units, bistro zones, warm and cold meals, a drinks counter and sanitary facilities. The lounge will have an apron view, parquet floor, lobby, hospitality desk. The new Terminal 2 at Heathrow will be officially named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II when it opens next year. The £2.5 billion facility, which is scheduled to open its doors on June 4 2014, will be called Terminal 2: The Queen's Terminal. Her Majesty The Queen opened the original Terminal 2 in 1955, almost 60 years ago and two years after her coronation. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Hot and cold towels were offered prior to departure in the business class cabin. Business Class passengers are offered a selection of drinks including champagne, apple juice, orange juice and a variety of teas. The cabin crew took the orders for the lunch service from all the passengers in the Business Class cabin prior to departure. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: The meal service commended with airhostesses handing out hot towels. A selection of fine nuts was offered along with a choice of drink (orange juice, apple juice, and a selection of teas). Comments regarding the main meal: There were no options for the only meal of the flight..just a standard meal. If passengers wanted a vegetarian option then they had to order it beforehand. The contents of the meal tray were as follows: Main: Pata negra ham, chorizo sausage, manchego cheese, grilled vegetables Dessert: Panna cotta with apricot compote and lavender blossoms For such a short flight, you really do not expect much. The main dish was pretty decent and full of authentic German flavours. The Baileys with coffee was suitably strong. The tongue-pleasing dessert is perhaps the highlight of the meal. It’s tastes even better than it looks with the apricot blending in smoothly with the cream. The generous garnishing of the lavender blossoms provides a neat touch. Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: Hot and cold drinks were served after the main meal. Alcohol was served on this flight. Prior to landing at Frankfurt, business class passengers were presented with a traditional German treat: Greta’s Glückskäfer (by Granatapfel-Himbeere), a kind of Haribo style jelly. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: This aircraft, the Airbus A320-200, has no individual TV screens (not even in Business Class). Instead, there are small screens that pop out for the pre take-off safety video. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were very professional and friendly. Most of the cabin crew for Lufthansa German Airlines are natives of Germany, or at least they speak fluently in German (this is especially true for the cabin crew in First Class or Business Class cabins). Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): On the Airbus A320 aircraft, both the Business Class seats and the Economy Class seats have the same pitch (30-inches), and the same width (between 17 and 18 inches). The cabin had a pleasant smell, and was very clean. All of the 36 seats in the Business Class section are covered with a luxury grey cloth that comes embedded with the Lufthansa crane logo. It creates a sense of comfort, elegance, and belonging to the German culture. It also gives a very warm, fresh, spacious, modern, and touching feeling when you enter the cabin. Lufthansa German Airlines livery: The Lufthansa livery featured on all the aircraft consists of a navy blue coloured fin with a bright yellow encircled stylized crane in the middle. The fuselage belly of the aircraft is coloured grey while the rest of the aircraft is finished in a brilliant white. The words Lufthansa appears at both sides of the front fuselage in navy blue. A smaller and navy blue version of the encircled stylized crane is also displayed just behind the cockpit windows. The engines are coloured in a light grey colour. The trademark Lufthansa logo, an encircled stylized crane in flight, was created in 1918 by Otto Firle. It was part of the livery of the first German airline, Deutsche Luft-Reederei which was known as DLH. In 1926, Deutsche Luft Hansa adopted this symbol, and in 1954, Lufthansa expressed continuity by adopting it. The original creator of the name Lufthansa is a certain F.A. Fischer von Puturzyn. Lufthansa was the name given to the airline, which was a direct result from the merger of Junkers' airline (Luftverkehr AG) and Deutscher Aero Lloyd. Heathrow (Star Alliance lounge and Airport Overview)Photos of London after take-offIn-flight meal serviceEtihad 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 AirportRoute: Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Departure date and time of flight: June 2013 Flight Number: HO1290 Flight duration: 2 hours 40 minutes Class: FIRST CLASS Aircraft type: Airbus A320-200 IACO Callsign: Air Juneyao IATA Code: HO Aircraft Registration: B-6024 Punctuality of the flight: By some amazing grace of the almighty, the flight departed on time, and landed on time as well in a rather cloudy Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. Any baggage issues: No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece. Juneyao Airlines allows upto one bag weighing 30kg in First Class. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: The check-in staff were polite, smiled and very professional. There was no problem what so ever. I had arrived around two hours before departure. I had arrived at the airport at least an hour beforehand, and so there was no problem what so ever. It was nice to be early so then I could manage some aircraft shots. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: After take-off, a variety of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade, or coca cola) were offered. As with most of the airlines in China, the drinks (coca cola, orange etc.) were all branded with the Juneyao Airlines logo. A packet of salted almonds was also provided. Comments regarding the first meal: Just prior to lunch being served, a wet hand towel was offered. The meal tray consisted of the following: * Cold bread * Two slices of orange fruit * Cold salad plate with fresh king prawns, creaser salad, chicken wings, and a wedge of lemon slice. * Warm bread from the basket * A choice of one of: chicken & rice, fish balls & rice, or pork & rice. I opted for the fish balls & rice. First impressions were that the food is of good quality. Airline food in China is getting better by the day. The quantity was also just about right- not too much, and not too little either. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks was offered after the meal. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments on the in-flight system (if any): There was no IFE system. On the A320, the overhead screens come down when the safety announcement is made, and then they are hidden away for the rest of the flight. Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The staff were very professional, always had a smile on their faces and were quick to respond to any kind of request from the passengers. The Captain was kind enough to allow me into the flight deck before the flight. Improvements that could be made: Perhaps have mood lighting when the aircraft is flying in between different time zones (morning, afternoon and evening) - hey, I could honestly find nothing else wrong with this flight! Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The Airbus A320-300 belonging to Juneyao Airlines is clean, and had a fresh smell upon entering the cabin. The cabin consists of the trademark purple, burgundy and maroon colours on all the seats, and cushions. The dragon logo of the Juneyao Airlines brand is also proudly displayed on the cushions. There are eight seats in the First Class cabin, with a 2-2 configuration. Each First Class seat is 48.0-inch seat pitch and 21.0 inch width. There are 144 Economy Class seats in a 3-3 configuration. Each Economy Class seats provides a 31.0-inch pitch, and has a width of 19.0 inch. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 8 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 148 destinations around the world with a fleet of 262 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. 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 300 destinations worldwide. The year 2013 is an exciting year for the airline. On the 26th of June 2013, British Airways will take delivery of its first Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’ aircraft. British Airways announced that the airline intends to operate the Boeing 787 on its transatlantic routes with Toronto (from 1 September 2013) and Newark (from 1 October 2013) being the inaugural routes. British Airways’ first Airbus A380 will also be delivered on the 4th of July 2013, and three of these aircraft are planned to be in service by the end of 2013. The airline plans to start operating the Airbus A380 on three of it’s lucrative routes, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, and Los Angeles. It will begin regular services to Los Angeles on the 24th of September 2013, followed by Hong Kong from 22nd of October 2013, and then Johannesburg on the 12th of February 2014. I had the pleasure of flying First Class on media trip with British Airways from London Heathrow Airport (U.K.) to Hong Kong Chep Lap Kok Airport (China), on one of their Boeing 747-400 aircraft. For it’s services to China, British Airways flies to Beijing (Six flights a week), Hong Kong (14 times a week), and Shanghai (Six flights a week) using the Boeing 747-400, and the Boeing 777 aircraft. Route: LONDON HEATHROW (LHR) – HONG KONG (HKG) Departure date and time of flight: June 2013, 18:35pm local time (London) Flight number: BA25 (ICAO callsign: “Speedbird 25 heavy”) Flight duration: 12 Hours 10 minutes Class: FIRST CLASS Aircraft type: BOEING 747-436 (51 aircraft in service) Aircraft registration: G-CIVL (First flight 23rd of March 1997) Delivery date to BA: 28th of March 1997 Aircraft Serial Number: 27478 - line 1108 Frequent flyer programme: EXECUTIVE CLUB Engines: Four x Rolls Royce RB211-524G Seat configuration for this aircraft:
Comments on the check- in staff: Checking in at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 is an effortless affair because of the large numbers of check-in counters, and the abundance of electronic ticket (E-ticket) counters available on site. British Airways has a separate checking-in facility for First Class passengers located at one end of the departure’s hall at Terminal 5. The whole point of travelling First Class is that you avoid all the problems that naturally come with flying. The joys of flying First Class are that there is no need to wait in a queue (well, there are not many passengers who fly First Class so there is not much of a waiting line anyways!), and everything is taken care of for you right from the check-in process to being discreetly whisked through security. The whole checking-in experience took only around 10 minutes for me to get from checking in my baggage to the duty free area. Any baggage issues: No issues regarding the baggage. The baggage limit is three bags (of 32kg each) for those flying in First Class. For passengers travelling to all other destinations with British Airways, passengers travelling in Club World can carry 2-luggage bags up to 32kg each in the hold. For passengers flying in Economy and Premium Economy can carry one luggage bag of upto 23kg in the hold. LOUNGE EXPERIENCE at Heathrow Terminal 5: British Airways has not just one Lounge, but eight Lounges at Heathrow (six at Terminal 5, and 2 at Terminal 3). Lounges are available at Terminal 5A North (Galleries Lounge after security), Terminal 5A South (Galleries Lounge after security), Terminal 5A (Galleries Lounge at gate side), and Terminal 5B (Galleries Lounge at gate side). The British Airways Lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 is not just ordinary Lounge, but rather similar to a 5-star hotel. You can have breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can sleep in one of the many small ‘sleeper’ rooms, take a shower (20 shower suites available), watch some movies, catch up on the latest current affairs, have a massage, facial treatment, or just go shopping. The Lounge caters for passengers transferring at Heathrow, as well as those departing as well. For those travelling in First and Club World class (and for Gold Executive Club members flying long haul), British Airways can have a complimentary two-tier treatment menu at the Elemis Travel Spa at Heathrow’s Terminal 5, or Terminal 3. At Terminal 5, there is even a 20-seat cinema for live sporting events and tailored entertainment. Wireless internet is available free in all the lounges. Passengers can sip a glass of vintage champagne or a cocktail from the Concorde Bar, while choosing their meal. Concorde rooms are available at London Heathrow T5 and New York JFK. Punctuality of the flight, and route taken: The aircraft departed bang on time, but landed an hour late due to heavy thunderstorms and lightning in the Guangdong area. London Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, and certainly gets busy during the peak hours unlike some other airports around the world. Considering that Heathrow only has two runways (27L/09R, and 27R/09L) where one is used for take-offs, and the other for landings, so therefore there tends to be a long queue of aircraft waiting to take-off (as was in this case). However, if you are an aviation enthusiast, then Heathrow is heaven for you because you can see airlines from all around the world (and going away to all corners of the world). We departed Runway 09R at Heathrow on a standard Clacton departure towards Ipswich, then North Sea, Scandinavia, North Russia, Siberia, North Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and then finally down towards Hong Kong. The beauty of sitting in First Class of the Boeing 747-400 is that it is remarkably quiet (except for the slight ‘thud’ heard from the front nose wheels as they kiss the ground on take-off and landing). Effectively it’s like sitting in your own private living room with a huge TV screen in front of you, amazing food, great views of the world outside, and an awesome personalised service. It’s with the luxuries of life such as this that you truly appreciate how lucky you are sitting in First Class. I know why the Beckhams love flying First Class on BA so much! Nevertheless, who was in the First Class section on this particular flight, apart from Yours Truly? Well, that’d be telling! Comments regarding the pre-flight service: Passengers’ in First Class are offered hot lemon scented towels prior to departure. This is followed by a drinks service, which consists of some of the world’s finest wines, and champagne. Passengers are also treated to a plate of Macadamia Nuts (dry roasted and salted from Kenya), and toffee covered warm almonds. The huge nuts go well with any wine. I opted for a glass of Chardonnay (Barwick Estates Black Label Chardonnay 2009, Margaret River, Western Australia 1997). The high flow of the fruit juices dance as they make down your throat. It’s a sheer delight to drink high quality wine like this on a flight. It’s arguably one of the most prestigious appellations to the wine world, and sets itself apart as one of the finest expressions of Chardonnay in the world. The aromatic grassy and herbaceous aromas with refined gooseberry and citrus fruit adds to the refreshing acidity and long mineral finish to the tongue. Many of the British Airways classics are greatly adored by passengers around the world. Nothing less is expected from an airline that was once known as ‘World’s favourite airline’. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Unlike in the other cabins (including in Business Class), passengers in the First Class cabin can choose to wine and dine as and when they want- even up to 30 minutes before landing. Since I did not have much to eat, I decided to have dinner early on so that I could get a long sleep afterwards. Around about 30 minutes after departure, drinks were served from the trolley along with another helping of the huge Macadamia Nuts, and warm toffee covered almonds. I opted for the Champagne this time (Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle). The Grand Siècle is the prestige cuvee of the House of Laurent-Perrier and is named in honour of the ‘Sun King’, Louis XIV, who presided over an era known as the ‘Grand Siècle’ or ‘Great Century’. At the Palace of Versailles, Louis XIV was the first French King to drink Champagne. This multi-vintage Champagne is created from finely selected grapes sourced from the 100% Grand Cru Vineyards in the twelve most prestigious villages such as Ambonny, Avize, Cramant, and Le Mesnil. The blend is 50% Pinot Noir, and 50% Chardonnay. The wine is aged for at least 5 years on its lees before release in its replica 17th Century bottle. There was also the celebrated British Airways complimentary bar service, including various alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks. Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English Tetley tea, and Chinese green tea) were also available. On top of this, there were a selection of herbal teas including green tea with jasmine, peppermint, blackcurrant, and chamomile with honey. A complete range of timeless and classic spirits, digestifs, and liqueurs were offered including: Tio Pepe, Ciroc Vodka, Zacapa XO Rum, Woodford Reserve Kentucky Whiskey, and many others. Comments regarding the first meal: British Airways have taken their in-flight menu to new heights, and indeed, it is called ‘Height Cuisine’ menu. The recipes used have been specially developed using the ingredients that are naturally high in a fifth taste known as Umami (after sweet, sour, bitter, and salt). The taste of Umami was identified in Japan, and it offers a pleasant savoury taste in many foods such as tomatoes, seaweed, and Parmesan cheese. The new first class dining experience brings out the best of BA’s traditions and rituals. British Airways claims to source their ingredients locally wherever they can. Whereas East-West fusion cuisines are considered exotic as part of most in-flight meals, at British Airways they have a more common presence in their in-flight dining on flights to the Far East. Dinner service consisted of the following: Starters:
I opted for the stylish looking prawn and wasabi timbale. The dish has carefully adopted characteristics of a fusion of Asian and Western cuisines, such as matching beautifully created roll of the prawns, a bit like a big wrapped sushi with elegant garnish of lime and coriander salad. It is exactly this openness to new ideas and respect for tradition, which has enabled British Airways to not just survive, but also gracefully thrive when it comes to providing a 5-star quality in-flight meal in the 21st century. Main Course: There were four options for the main course, including:
From the available options I opted for the well-presented haddock with creamy basil dish. As well as upholding the traditional and authentic taste of British cuisine, this dish also incorporated certain herbal concepts which blended in well with the lemon and caper sauce. The sweet essence of the cherry tomatoes and the spinach gave way to a soft and elegant sweet smell that blended in neatly with the baby carrots. The presentation off the dish was immaculate and just as it should be, and it tasted as good as it looked. A variety of freshly baked bread was served from the basket. Perhaps I should have also tried the traditional Cantonese option of beef and aubergine curry. The main course came with a large bone china bowl containing a generous amount of fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette. Dessert:
I could easily have gone for a ‘peach and almond tar’; however I opted for the ‘strawberry and white chocolate’. The soft and creamy strawberry and white chocolate mousse is really an extravaganza of a dessert- it’s both fun and whimsical. Just at the moment you pop your tongue into this, it becomes more intense by the second. This dish hits all the right buttons when it comes to presentation, and absolute British taste in the sky. Cheese plate:
Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks: Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English Tetley tea, and Chinese green tea) were also available. On top of this there were a selection of herbal teas including green tea with jasmine, peppermint, blackcurrant, and chamomile with honey. The galley of the First Class cabin is located on the main deck of the Boeing 747-400 (in between the First Class and the Club World cabins’), and is available for snacks throughout the flight. Beechdean farmhouse dairy ice cream from jersey cows makes you feel that English food never tasted so good. You could have easily forgotten about all those extra calories when plucking each spoonful of ice cream from the beautifully decorated tub. Oh, and of course, the hot pot noodles were available in abundance throughout the flight. There was also plenty of traditional English cheese served with Jacobs English biscuits. Other than this, the ‘First Class’ kitchen also offered the following all throughout the flight: - fresh wraps, salads and bite-sized sandwiches - delicious hot dishes such as hot Chinese noodles, and tasty soups - luxury cakes and Fair-trade chocolate - Fine wines, fruit smoothies, soft drinks and juices from the fridge. - Fusilly pasta with cep mushrooms, leek, garlic, and parsley sauce - Beef burger with Monterey Jack cheese, gherkin, tomato, and chunky chips - A fine selection of fresh fruit and cheese with biscuits - Cookies, raisins, and other snacks in the basket Comments regarding the second meal: I chose to have breakfast served around an hour prior to landing at Hong Kong Airport. So I thought…we were delayed for another hour due to heavy Cumulonimbus clouds and active thunderstorm activity over Hong Kong airspace. There was a good selection of options available including: Starters:
Though I adore orange juice very much, I decided to commence the meal with an energising smoothie of plum and blueberry. Smoothies are popular with healthy eating crowds, and that includes me. High in protein and low in sugar and fat, drinking this powerful drink was the perfect way to wake up. Even though many smoothies include crushed ice, and frozen yoghurt, thankfully this one did not. The milk and all other ingredients were organic. All breakfast trays came complete with a choice of bread from the breadbasket (I could not resist those Danish Pastries), and a bowl of fresh fruit. Preserves were provided by Wilkin & Sons Ltd of England. Main breakfast dish:
I opted for the English breakfast. It’s the one dish on the menu of all British Airways flights that I really look forward to. Many people in the UK swear by a traditional English breakfast in the morning as the only proper start to the day- and in true British culture British Airways offers one of the best English breakfasts in the sky. There is a long-standing tradition of a cooked breakfast, consisting of meat and egg products, with bread, washed down with gallons of English tea or coffee, across the UK, including Scotland and Wales, as well as Ireland. British Airways uses fine ingredients such as organic potatoes, tomatoes, prime English bacon, and free-range eggs for their English breakfast. There is nothing quite like it, and naturally the chefs at British Airways catering department do a fantastic job in not letting their passengers down. It gives a taste of true British food in the sky. Ground coffee, and decaffeinated coffee or tea (English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Mint Humberg, Honeycomb Camomile, Red Berry Fool, and Jasmine Pearls). On top of this there were a selection of herbal teas including green tea with jasmine, peppermint, blackcurrant, and camomile with honey. Comments on the in-flight entertainment system: All Club World and First Class passengers are provided with noise cancellation headphones that come complete with the BA logo on the sides. Every suite in the First Class cabin comes with a 15-inch flat screen (Personal Television- PTV). BA’s in-flight entertainment system is called HighLife Entertainment. The movies, and music albums vary according to the route (so for China, there were a mixture of Asian and Western movies etc.), and every month a new list entertainment options crop up. First Class passengers can also use the USB port and RCA jack for enjoying their laptop, iPod or digital camera on the bigger screen. Compared to some of the other carriers, such as Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways and Emirates, the products provided on British Airways came across as being out of date, and shabby. I was assigned seat 1A (right at the front of the plane), and to my disappointment the IFE screen did not turn on. Since the First Class cabin was mostly empty (only 3 other passengers in the cabin!), therefore the senior purser asked me to sit anywhere I liked and try to see if the IFE on the other seats worked. So, I then I sat in seats 2A, 1K, 3A...none of their IFE systems worked. I actually felt like playing musical chairs in my own private jet. Despite the crew restarting the IFE system it still did not work. I finally managed to get the IFE to work on seat 4E at around 1 hour into the flight. While the whole incident may have been embarrassing for British Airways that the IFE in their First Class was not working, I managed to occupy 3 First Class seats in the mean time. HighLife Entertainment’s Audio and Video On Demand (AVOD) system puts the passengers in full control of all kinds of audio, video and games entertainment. Passengers can choose from over 200 entertainment options and play, pause, stop, fast forward and rewind to fit in with their own schedule. These large PTVs and noise cancellations headphones are available on all longhaul flights (Boeing 777, 747, and 767 aircraft). Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: Representing the truly global and multicultural ethos of British Airways, the cabin crew come from a variety of cultures. Naturally, on this flight, the cabin crew were from China, and the United Kingdom, and so the languages spoken were Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, and British English. The cabin crew at British Airways are very proud of their airline, and their product. Detail to personal service is the key to the success of the airline. With all due respect and with no offense being targeted against anyone, the one thing I noticed was that the majority of the cabin crew on this flight came across to being in their 40s and 50s. While this is great because they have a lot of experience, and seniority counts a lot with companies such as BA, Lufthansa, United....so on long-haul international flights you do get highly experienced cabin crew who have been doing the job for 20+ years for example...but you may ask why is this so? Why do the majority of Middle Eastern and Asian airline companies have younger, more attractive, and healthy looking cabin crew (men and women), and most European and North American airline companies don't? Simple answer to that is discrimination laws and airline trade unions exist in Europe and North America..i.e. companies in countries where unions and discrimination laws exists, such as with BA, cannot say they must only hire women, must be white/Asian, slim etc. Whereas companies such as Air China, Air India, etc. do openly advertise that their cabin crew must be native Indian, Chinese, and be of a certain height, race, build, age etc. In the 1990s, British Airways used to be known as ‘The World’s Favorite Airline’. It probably is, but the main reason why this slogan is not used anymore is because of the number of routes the airline serves (it’s not as much as they used to go to, and not as many routes as some other airlines). Other than this there is no reason why British Airways can still be the world’s favorite airline. Indeed, their customer service is second to none in whatever they do. The staff were very polite, and brought along a true international flavour to the cabins. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): In line with the airline’s livery, all the aircraft seats are covered with a navy blue fabric. In Economy Class, the seats have either blue or red ‘bibs’ on the headrest, while in Club World, and First Class the seats have an elegant white bib on the headrest. The new First Class seat has a 78” inch pitch, and a 21” inch width (one of the most generous in the airline industry). There are 14 First Class suites in the First Class section of the Boeing 747-400. Every First Class passenger gets BA’s signature Anya Hindmarch amenity kit bag containing premium skincare products including eye gel, lip balm and moisturiser. First Class passengers are also provided with a pair of wonderfully soft cotton pyjamas, and luxury slippers. Each of the 14 suites on the Boeing 747-400 includes a personal power supply for laptops and electronic devices. At the time of writing, over 80% of BAs long haul aircraft are fitted with the very latest First cabin. The new First Class is available on flights between London Heathrow and Lagos, New York JFK, Shanghai, Tokyo Haneda, Tokyo Narita, Hong Kong and Sao Paulo (subject to availability). The seat transform into a comfortable 198cm (6ft 6in) long fully flat bed with a luxurious quilted mattress, crisp white cotton duvet and pillow. In the First Class cabin, the cabin crew make the bed for you, so it saves you the hassle. The seat is wide and long enough for you to get a good long stretch of the legs (and back if you want to lie facing with head down). British Airways logo and livery: Based on the original logo, and design that featured on Concorde, the current British Airways logo was designed in 1997 by Newell & Sorrell. The colours are blue, and red. The additional colour is grey. All aircraft feature the word ‘BRITISH AIRWAYS’ in blue (British Airways uses its proprietary typefaces Mylius Sans and Mylius Serif, both designed by Rodney Mylius at Newell & Sorrell.), printed below the windows (and before the wing). On the 747 aircraft, the words appear above the main deck windows and just before the wing. Just before the cockpit windows and, at the front of the words, BRITISH AIRWAYS, there is a dash of the flag, which looks like an upside down tick. It starts with a navy blue, and the ‘flair’ of the logo is coloured in red. The engines of all the aircraft are painted in a matching navy blue. The bellies of all British Airways aircraft are painted in royal navy blue. The tail-fin consists of an elegant version of the national flag of the United Kingdom, The Union Jack. It gives the feeling of a flag flying on the tail. Overall, the British Airways logo portrays elegance, romance, flair, and a touch of true British patriotism. It’s easy to identify for passengers, and also Air Traffic Controllers. Overall opinion: While it was a fabulous flight experience overall with a flawless service. Nevertheless, I think that generally British Airways charge much more in return for the service and product that you get overall (on average BA charges over £6,000 GBP for a First Class seat on a long-haul flight such as this compared to maybe around £3,500 by Emirates, Etihad or Singapore Airlines). It is a well known fact in the aviation industry that airlines make their money for each flight by filling out the First and Business Class cabins- and Economy Class seats are just extra profit. So, a plane needs to fill all of it's First and Business Class seats in order to break even for that flight, and all the money from Economy Class seats is just profit. This particular flight probably just broke even because Business Class was 50% full, and First Class hardly had 3 full-paying passengers (2 were off-duty BA pilots (free staff flight!), and I was not full-paying/media), and even Economy Class was only around 60% full. From my own experience I do believe that some of the Middle Eastern and Asian carriers provide a much better service in their Business Class than British Airways do in their First Class cabin (though the BA Business Class product is very good - in par with other major intentional airlines..check here). Their in-flight customer service was also below par compared to some of their Asian and Middle Eastern arch rivals...I found this problem to be evident with other European and North American airline companies I have flown with...I am not sure of the exact reasons. Nevertheless, in my opinion, it's those 3 golden rules of customer service that need to be considered always: 1. Greet the customer BEFORE the customer greets you, 2. Never say NO directly (except in a health & safety/serious situation), and 3. Let the customer come back to you again and again without pushing them too much. I think one of the key factors for the high price/less product offerings from most European and North American airlines could be because of the high fuel prices (99.9% of the Middle Eastern and Asian carriers have a lot of financial backing from their governments without unions getting involved in their management affairs). I think it would be a great idea to get rid of the First Class cabin on ALL BA planes, and just replace it with a top notch Business Class product that matches/surpasses other arch rivals products. For all the A-Listers and the Celebs that do fly BA First Class commercially (even the Royal Family do sometimes), then BA should consider having a separate BA Executive Jet business branch that caters just for that elite market (Qatar Airways have done this very successfully...they have got rid of their First Class cabin and introduced Qatar Executive private jets for the elite). Hardly anyone - except celebs, Hollywood stars, and Royalty - flies First Class these days. In 99% of the flights I have taken I can say from personal experience that the First Class cabin is hardly ever even 40% full (even on Qatar, Emirates and Etihad!). There is not that much difference between First Class and Business Class in any case. Though I think that BA would not look into eliminating it's First Class section because it's the British national flag carrier and they want to keep some pride. The Check-in and Lounge ExperienceThe First Class CabinPre-dinner snacks/drinksDinner ServiceMid-flight SnacksBreakfast ServiceBritish Airways First Class Amenity KitDelta 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. Delta 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. This was my first time I had come to the US, and the first time I had come to Detroit (out of all places). It was a trip to remember. I was on the flight from London Heathrow to Detroit on Delta Airlines’ Boeing 767-400ER to check out their Economy Comfort Class seat (another word for Premium Economy Class), cabin, and service: Route: LONDON HEATHROW (LHR) to DETROIT (DTW) Departure date and time of flight: April 2013 Flight number: DL19 (ICAO callsign: “Delta 19 heavy”) Flight duration: 8 Hours and 25 minutes Class: PREMIUM 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: N844MH (First flight 4th March 2002) Engine Type: GE CF6-80C2B7F (x 2 mounted under the wings) Aircraft Serial Number: 29717 - line 871 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 is pretty smooth and easy. Delta Airlines flies from Terminal 4 at Heathrow, which is not as busy as the other terminals. Terminal 4 now handles most of the airlines under the SkyTeam Alliance Group, and hence why Delta Airlines is based here. One thing I did notice about flying with Delta is that they are very strict about security. This was my 2nd time in my life I have flown with an American airline company. I once flew with United Airlines from Singapore to Hong Kong and vice-versa in 2003 and sadly did not document that flight. However, the security for the flight I took in 2003 was not as stringent as for this flight simply because 1. I was flying in a post-terrorism era, and, 2. I was flying to the U.S.A. from the U.K. (two countries on the attack list for terrorist organisations). Even though I had been checked by airport security, and given the all clear, some passengers (including myself!) were asked to take our shoes, belts, and jackets off AT the gate just before boarding. Sadly, gone are the days when you could make a tongue in cheek remark at the security staff, and even if you say things like ‘Hey, come on chaps, cut me some slack, I’m a nice guy…not a terrorist!’, you bet your bottom dollar that you’ll get an ugly stare back (I did!). They asked me to take my shoes AND socks off, my belt, watch, cuff-links…and anything that set off the magnetic hand scanner. I was carrying my Canon DSLR camera with me in trademark fashion. They searched the camera bag and the camera inside out (including the lens, sim-card, battery, and the lot!). I can say that after all those checks it was a nice feeling to know that we were one of the safest planes in the sky that morning. No wonder why the crew looked so happy, and they seemed to be enjoying their job so much. While it was all embarrassing for a well-dressed Asian man to go through the humiliation of being searched right at the gate of an aircraft (by the way I have to add that most passengers, irrespective of colour, were passing by without being stopped), I could understand their reasons for being paranoid, and extra vigilant about security. I don’t blame them. You may recall that on December 25th 2009, a Nigerian man called Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (nicknamed the ‘Underpants Bomber’...check this report), took a Northwest Airlines (now part of Delta Airlines) flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. Abdulmutallab, a graduate of University College London (UCL), attempted to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while the aircraft was on it’s decent into Northern Detroit. Sadly, and out of bad coincidence, the Boston Marathon bombings happened the same weekend that I had arrived in Detroit. This meant that MOST passengers flying into American cities from that day onwards, (including Detroit), were grilled for longer than usual at customs. I saw quite a few sniffer dogs at the baggage carousel too – much more than I had seen than any other flight I have taken before. I was thinking to myself ‘wow, so this is America!’. Any baggage issues: The first luggage bag up to 23KG (for Economy and Economy Comfort Class 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 quite regimental on it. For example, my luggage exceeded by around 1kg and the check-in staff gave me the option of either paying an extra USD$75 or take the extra 1kg out of the luggage. It didn’t matter how nicely I spoke to the check-in lady, she was determined to stick to the company policy. Whereas on other airlines (cannot give names) sometimes they are a bit more flexible. On this occasion the interesting thing was that the flight was not even full (only around 70% full). I assumed that either this was how Delta Airlines operated or that the check-in person may have had a tough day at the office. I obliged and took the extra 1kg of luggage out (my gym shoes and a jacket) rather than pay the extra USD$75. Punctuality of the flight: The flight departed on time from Heathrow’s runway 27R heading straight out towards the West of England over Cardiff, and then over to the Republic of Ireland. After passing Shannon control, we entered the busy Atlantic Ocean airspace. After around 6 hours, we entered Canadian airspace over Gander, then over the Gulf of St Lawrence, before making a straight approach through Quebec State and down towards Detroit (coming in from Lake Heron, Sarnia, and Lake St. Clair). ‘Delta 19 Heavy’ landed 10 minutes ahead of schedule on Runway 21R at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Comments regarding the pre-flight service: A choice of welcoming drinks and champagne was served for those in Economy Comfort Class. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: I drank 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 cute 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 snack was served around 45 minutes after take-off. Since this was a late morning/early afternoon flight, so the meal service was not so heavy. There were two 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 I opted for the tuna pasta 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.). Airline companies, such as Delta, have been cutting down on in-flight meals in recent years to cut costs. So therefore, it was no surprise that the meal tray was not as full of food as you may have got in years gone by. Accompanying the main dish was a bowl of fresh seasoned salad, Jacob’s crackers and cheese, and a warm bread bun from the basket. For dessert, there was a helping of chocolate chip cookies from the brand Café Bronte. 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 and half before landing at Detroit. A warm ‘three-cheese calzone’, and a tub of ‘dame blanche choco cream’ by MIO were presented to the passengers. I am not sure if the hot/cold and the sweet/salted taste contrasts would have gone fine with the 200-odd passengers taste-buds, but I just stuck to eating the warm pasty, and politely left the cold ice-cream for later. It was no doubt good stuff nevertheless. 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 Comfort Class cabin. The PTV screens on the Boeing 767-400ER are placed behind every Economy Comfort 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 Comfort Class 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). It would make it even more of an uncomfortable flight experience if the passenger is pregnant, elderly, disabled, tall (leg room may become limited), or slightly oversized. On the whole the seats are comfortable, but like any other Economy Class seat, if you wish to go to the toilet during a red-eye flight (i.e. night flight) and your neighbour is happily snoring away, it can be tricky to bypass that situation, It goes without saying that these are facts that airlines are taking into account, and airline manufacturers are always looking into improving so that the flight experience (which is equally important as the safety of the flight. Note: everything else including in-flight entertainment/food etc. is secondary when it comes to flying.) Safety and passenger comfort should always be every airlines number one priority. As Delta Airlines is one of the world’s biggest airline companies used by so many people every day, it would be interesting to note how Delta Airlines plans to improve the seat comfort aspects on their planes. The harsh reality of aviation is that seats are getting narrower, flight tickets are becoming more expensive (except perhaps low-budget airlines), and added in with a few other factors it could end up in a positive way or a negative one. 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 Usually aircraft take-off and land against the wind so that they can get a better lift, and also save fuel. Flying into the wind causes the wings to move through the air more quickly without increasing the speed of the aircraft in relation to the ground. This means that an aircraft flying into the wind can get into the air more quickly, without moving as fast in relation to the runway. However in some rare occasions you do see aircraft taking-off WITH the wind.
This was the case when I witnessed Emirates flight EK 36 taking off from Newcastle’s runway 25 with a slight wind along it’s back. Hence, why the aircraft used most of the runway for the departure, and just managed to rotate around 100 meters from the threshold! A waiting BA pilot told me that one of the reasons why it departed with the wind may have been that this flight was going into Level A airspace (as opposed to Level G airspace if it had taken off from runway 07). Not sure if that adds up, or maybe the pilot wanted to save some time by flying directly into the flight path to Dubai rather than taking off from runway 07 and then having to turn around back. 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 Located around 32km outside of the city centre, Beijing Capital Airport may be considered to be a city within itself. Beijing Capital International Airport, at a floor area of 26,340,000 sq ft, is currently the second busiest airport in the world (as of 2011) in terms of passenger throughput behind Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In fact even though Beijing Capital Airport has had a new terminal and a new runway (Terminal 3 was completed just before the Beijing Olympics), apparently the airport, with its huge size, is not large enough to accommodate the rising number of aircraft movements. Therefore, due to limited capacity at Beijing Capital International Airport, a new airport in Daxing is being planned with construction expected to begin in 2014 and be completed in 2018. The airport will have six runways for civil use and one for military use.
Most of the photos taken below are from Terminal 2. This terminal took over some of the airline movements from Terminal 1, and houses China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Skyteam, Air Koryo, and other domestic and international flights. A gate capable of handling the A380 (gate 21) was also built at the terminal. From here China Southern Airlines operates A380 flights to/from Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong (at the time of writing). As I found out on one of my many visits to the airport, Terminal 2 can throw a few aviation gems here and there! |
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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