Tagging Miles

Which Airline Serves 5% of the Worlds Caviar Supply?

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Many airlines choose to serve caviar in first class. Perhaps even more airlines choose not to serve caviar in first class. But the fact remains, some airlines work hard to serve food that is better than what you would eat in a restaurant. But, one of those airlines serves 5% of the worlds caviar supply.

Which Airline Serves 5% of the Worlds Caviar Supply?

I have to be honest, when I saw this tweet, first I was a bit quizzical then I sort of chuckled and acknowledged, given the amount of times I’ve enjoyed caviar on Lufthansa (ironically I have many more posts to write). 

5% of the worlds caviar supply

All that said, it doesn’t surprise me one bit that Lufthansa is the airline that serves 5% of the worlds caviar supply. 

Given the amount of times that I’ve enjoyed caviar (and I’m not even a seafood fan) on Lufthansa, I totally get it.

5% of the worlds caviar supply

A “no thank you portion” of caviar on Lufthansa

Aside from personal experience, I think its pretty impressive that a single airline serves 5% of the worlds caviar supply. Especially an airline that seems to have been cutting back on their first class cabin and first class routes.

Final Thoughts on a single airline that serves 5% of the worlds caviar supply

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Lufthansa serves a bunch of caviar. Ironically, they serve caviar with plastic spoons/spatulas, rather than what should be the standard, serving it with mother of pearl utensils. Interestingly enough, Singapore, and many other airlines serve caviar with less than preferred utensils; plastic is probably the best other than mother of pearl. The fact that the passenger utensils are still silver or otherwise metallic is probably the most important, as, according to this FlyerTalk thread, metallic utensils can spoil the taste.

Have you experienced Lufthansa First Class’ Caviar Service? What are your thoughts?

Review: Emirates A380 First Class Dubai to Washington, DC (Dulles)

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We boarded our A380 bound for home (Dulles) after last call had already been announced via the monitors. As you can see below, last call wasn’t truly last call. You’ll also see below that we were on an older A380, with lower walls.

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The Emirates A380 First Class Seat

The seat was comfortable, and just like our previous flight. Hopefully some of these angles are different, to give you a better view of the seat.

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Since we had an older variation of the A380, you can see the older seat / flatscreen control.

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We were provided pajama’s and amenities. Below are those offered to my wife.

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The Meal Service

We couldn’t start off an Emirates A380 First Class experience any way other than with caviar. There is just no other option.

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Following that, we had entrees, here is the beef entree:

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My wife attempted to go healthy with some vegetables and cheese.

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There was also a pre-arrival meal:

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The On board First Class Bar

The bar at the back of the plane was quite crowded but the front bar was very nice. This is of course the same bar that gets converted into a tranquil waterfall after the shower. Note the Henessey Paradis on the left.

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The Emirates A380 First Class Shower

Of course, I couldn’t pass up the shower.

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You’ll note below the different shampoos and soap amenities. Personally, I was disappointed with this change.

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Wrapping Up

Overall, the flight was wonderful. Further, it was nice to arrive at one of our home airports on an A380. It was our first time with that wonderful option! Emirates’ upgauge of their flight to Washington-Dulles is certainly a great benefit. The service, as always, was wonderful.

Review: Emirates A380 First Class Hong Kong to Dubai

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After our visit to the lounge, we were more than anxious to get onboard our Emirates A380 to Dubai.

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The aircraft interior was noticeably newer, with the walls of the suites going higher than the older version. There was also the noticeable difference in the LCD for controlling the seat.

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The seat itself was just like usual.

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Including the mini-bar

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As we settled in, we were offered the standard pre-departure champagne.

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Then a few minutes later, we were offered Arabic coffee and dates. I really do enjoy the arabic coffee.

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A few minutes later one of the cabin crew came around to schedule shower appointments. I chose 2 hours before arrival, as I like to arrive refreshed.

Before long, boarding was complete and we were on our way.

The Meal Service

We started the meal service off with some sort of seafood option. I ended up skipping it, but my wife took one for the team. I think she ended up enjoying it.

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Then there was Caviar

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For my entree, I had a teriyaki beef dish, it was good, not terribly amazing, but certainly was good.

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My wife selected a beef dish, she enjoyed it more than I enjoyed mine.

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Desert was sweet, but not terribly memorable.

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My wife on the other hand, had a chocolate cake / lava cake type thing, which she enjoyed.

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The On board Bar

Despite the short flight, we still found time to make a trip back to the onboard bar. Its really a great amenity, in that it gives you an opportunity to stretch your legs, and mingle with others. I also had the chance to chat with the purser, who at one point stepped behind the bar–a bit uncomfortably so. An interesting point came up in the conversation, was that Emirates doesn’t give their flight attendants crew rest on flights under 8 hours. I guess I can understand that, but 8 hours of constant work in addition to all the pre-departure prep seems like a long time without a break.

Emirates A380 On Board Bar

Emirates A380 On Board Bar

The Emirates A380 First Class Shower

Perhaps the biggest deal about flying Emirates First Class is being able to shower at 40,000 feet. It really is that nice. Each A380 has two shower spas, located on the upper deck, in the nose of the aircraft (or as far forward as is possible on the upper deck).

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They are pretty roomy, have heated floors, and a monitor that shows the airshow–because who doesn’t want to know where they are, when they’re in the shower?

Of particular note on this flight was that Emirates is moving to different soaps / shampoos amenities. Previously Emirates offered two types of soaps / shampoos. One for energizing, and one for relaxing. They are now shifting to only one. This for me, was kind of a shame because I enjoyed the two types. I also enjoyed the extras they had like the exfoliating body wash. Prior to flying Emirates, I didn’t even know that exfoliating body wash existed, but its certainly a nice perk.

Wrapping Up

Overall, the flight was wonderful. If only it was a bit longer.

 

Review: American Airlines First Class – DFW to Santiago – 777-200

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Our positioning flight Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) was pretty standard, so I won’t really mention it a whole lot, other than to say that it happened. We ended up spending a couple of hours in the American Express Centurion Lounge, which is always enjoyable, and meandered through the terminal to board our flight.

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Once onboard, we were informed that the flight to Santiago would be just shy of 9 hours. In my opinion, that’s barely enough time to have dinner and a movie, and to get a full nights rest.

The Seat

What can one say about the 777-200’s Flagship First Class seat? Well, it’s an older product, but it is a lay flat, that offers enough room to spread out. The seat is more than sufficient for an 8-10 hour flight, and in fact, we flew this same seat to Seoul last year.

An added benefit, that I don’t think United is doing in their International First class, is a mattress pad. It isn’t very thick, but, you do notice that it’s there, mostly in a positive way.

The Amenities

American Airlines provides pajamas to First Class passengers. This is a huge benefit in my opinion, because I like to change into something more comfortable when I fly. After all, the airline is selling you on the lay flat seat, and the idea that you will arrive well rested. Wouldn’t you like your clothes to be fresh too? I sure do.

I will note though, that American has changed their pajamas since the last time I flew First Class with them. They seem to change them every year or so, first it was a grey pinstrip design with a red v-neck top, then it was the same design with a navy blue crew neck top. Now it is completely different, mostly black, but with different colored arms on the shirt. The new ones are perhaps more stylish, but personally, I found the previous two generations of PJ’s to be more comfortable.

 

The amenity kit is nothing to write home about, it has the standard things you’d expect, although I was impressed with the weight of the socks. Usually they feel cheap and like if you aren’t careful, you could put a toe right through them. These have some more weight to them, which was nice.

In Flight Entertainment (IFE)

I only ended up watching 75% of a single movie due to the short nature of the flight. I ended up watching Trainwreck, which I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did. I felt the selection was reasonably thorough, however the actual screen is pretty sad. It’s the small pop-up design, that, quite honestly harkens to an era that should be long past. IMG_0632It’s not like American doesn’t know it, they’re trying to refresh the 777-200 cabins (and take First Class out), but they are having issues with their seat manufacturer and taking a different course. Bose over ear headphones were also provided, which make a difference in the quality of the IFE, and in general are pretty comfortable.

The Food

The food was unremarkable at best.

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Really, the part I remember most, was the overcooked beef fillet.

Of course, that was quickly made up for with American’s trademark ice cream sundae (which for me, includes a generous helping of butterscotch!)

Wrapping up

Overall, the flight was more than sufficient. We arrived refreshed, and ready to wander Santiago. We particularly appreciated seeing a flight attendant that we’d seen on a couple of other flights, JC, on board. Despite flying as much as I do each year, I still find that the most memorable parts of travel are the people you meet and get the chance to interact with.

The difference between Business and First Class is not the seat

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Zodiac Aerospace's Fusio seat,

Zodiac Aerospace‘s Fusio seat,

Earlier this week, Skift reported on a seat from Zodiac Aerospace that “erases the line between business and first class.” I couldn’t disagree more with that assertion. But before I get into why I disagree with their statement, let me first offer some background about the seat.

About Zodiac Aerospace’s Fusio Seat

Zodiac Aerospace first introduced the Fusio concept at the Hamburg 2014 Aircraft Interiors Expo. They took that concept, enhanced it, and displayed it at this year’s Aircraft Interior Expo (AIX15). Zodiac describes it:

Fusio takes a new approach to prestige luxury with an amazing living space thanks to a sofa seat offering a dynamic seating comfort and a streamlined versatility allowing many different positions as one will do at home.
This high-end concept offers a package of sophisticated technology and refinement with a home feeling monitor integration up to 27”, a one piece table up to 20” x 15”, luxurious upholstery with high level of quality close to VIP finish, smooth integration into the design, coat room for each pax…

– See more at: http://www.zodiacaerospace.com/en/new-super-business-class-zodiac-seats#sthash.87IjZDJW.dpuf

Skift’s Marisa Garcia says that Zodiac Aerospace has:

Put so much First Class in the Business cabin that we’re assigning it the new label: VIP Business First Plus Cabin for One.

and further adds:

Zodiac is targeting the FUSIO at luxury carriers which may re-think the value of First at the front on certain routes and which are eager to make better use of their aircraft, without sacrificing even a tiny bit of their hard-earned reputation for spoiling passengers silly.

But, I’m not convinced.

What does separate First Class from Business Class

To answer that question, lets first look at business class. As Gary Leff of View from the Wing has written multiple times, Business Class is all about the seat. I agree with this statement. When I fly business, I expect a layflat seat, and a reasonable meal. I don’t expect fine champagne, caviar or anything else. I wouldn’t turn these things down, but its not expected. So for business class, you’re generally looking at a seat like this:

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And for First Class, you’re looking for a seat like this:

ME3 Vendom 800

ME3 Vendom 950

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While the first class seats offer a bit more room in some instances, at the end of the day, both business and first class seats lay flat.  What separates the two classes are the food, drinks and service. In first class you are expecting/looking for something more then just a comfortable seat.  You’re looking for the caviar, the meal, the sake, or the wine, like this:

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Sake Tasting

Sake Tasting

Wrapping Up

In short – you can offer nicer seats for business class, but the seat isn’t what will make the flight a true first class experience.

 

 

Dueling Planes from Tokyo-Haneda Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport

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This is part of our Thanksgiving Round the World trip, you can find my initial thoughts / intro here, Flying All Nippon Airways Square Class, Flying All Nippon Airways Business Class, The Grand Hyatt Tokyo review, Touring the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan, Dueling Alliance Lounges at Tokyo-Haneda Airport,  The Grand Hyatt Beijing, and the Hyatt Regency Mainz.

JAL 787

Starting off, I’m not sure it’s a fair duel. I’m in seat 1K on a JAL 787, my wife and mother in-law are in seats 2A and 2B on an ANA 777. I was surprised to see what appeared to be a longer line for Business Class than Economy. Boarding the 787, the purser stood outside the door welcoming everyone, and for me, it was a short walk left of door 2L to my seat.

My Seat

My Seat

The load is light today, only 6 of us in the forward cabin.

Our send off

Our send off

In fact, there were so few passengers in business, that as we leveled off, I, being just excited to be on the plane, got up, figuring I might take a photo of Mount Fuji from the lav or door 2L. Instead one of the flight attendants pointed me toward the last seat of business—which was empty—for some amazing shots of Mount Fuji. Well, you be the judge:

Mt Fuji

Mt Fuji

At this point, I was giddy as a school girl (I hope that’s the only time I ever write those words, but, no guarantees). I had gotten some great photos of Mount Fuji, I was on a JAL 787, and the menu came out. I was trying to decide between one dish or another, only to be told that you either choose the Japanese meal or the Western meal. The Japanese meal was heavy on the fish, and while I’m happy to have found out that I’m not allergic to fish, I just don’t get as much enjoyment from it as I do land roaming beasts (yes, I’m talking about the duck). As I ordered, I asked what sake the flight attendant (who I think was the purser) recommended. She offered Rice Sake or Sochu, which was from barley or buckwheat (I’m not an expert). I chose the rice sake. Out she comes a few minutes later with two sakes for me to taste and decide. Mark this, my second Sake Tasting of the trip.

Second Sake tasting

Second Sake Tasting

Gosh I like Sake. I really liked both sakes I was offered. In fact, had I not been feeling the effects, I probably would’ve kept drinking until they were out, but alas I chose to move to a Vodka and Sprite. I did have a VSOP at some point in the meal, primarily because I had asked for another piece of bread. They heard brandy, I got both, I think we were all very happy with the conclusion.
Here’s the meal, but I would be hardpressed to identify each dish.

Western Lunch

Western Lunch

In Flight Entertainment
For the 787, IFE for me in 1K required me to raise a monitor. I searched around a bit, then a bit more for the plug for the headphones. As a Public Service Announcement, I’m including a photo here, because I’ve never seen a plug here before.

Plug location

Plug location between the seats, higher than I would’ve expected.

ANA 777 (My wife and mother in law’s flight)

We got to the gate early as we wanted to make sure my mom had enough time to board the flight without much concern. One great thing with ANA they helped her up the stairs to the plane and took her carry-on bag for her. We were at a remote gate so we go the experience of taking a bus to the plane. Similar to the buses used by Qatar from their old premium terminal to the planes but not a nice and more passengers.

Loading onto the plane

Loading onto the plane

Our send off Team:

Send off

Send off

Once we got airborne, I was starting to think the pilot had a thing for Disney:

Tokyo Disney from the air.

Tokyo Disney from the air.

While we were in the second row and the hard product was old we still had a great view of Mount Fuji.

Mt Fuji in the background

Mount Fuji in the background

It is your call on which photo is better but we did have a slight advantage due to having the better camera. The pilot took us over Tokyo and flew us so close to Mount Fuji that we could make out the small villages at the base of the mountain.

Mt Fuji's close up

Mount Fuji’s close up

Once we took off, they offered us drinks and took our order. I ended up ordering champagne and figured that it would be just a glass but no they brought out a mini bottle that they opened up.

Champagne and rice crackers

Champagne and rice crackers

My mom and I both chose the Japanese menu, as both had only options of fish. It came out in two bento like boxes. I couldn’t tell you what everything was but most of it was very good or at least interesting.

Bento Box for Lunch

Bento Box for Lunch

The seat itself was just okay but sufficient for the short flight. My mom’s feet still couldn’t touch the ground though once she was sitting in the seat. While we did not get pillows I’m sure if we ask they would have been happy to provide as they were in the over head bin. The blanket was nice though.

Seat

Seat

The In Flight Entertainment (IFE) was similar to the JAL flight where you had to pull it out and put it away prior to landing. The options were the same as the ANA flight from ORD to NRT. It makes sense though was a bit disappointing given the small size of the screen. For comparison sake the location of the outlets were a bit easier to find on ANA.

Headphone plug

Headphone plug

Conclusion

Welcome to Beijing

Welcome to Beijing

Japan Airlines 787

Overall, I think the hard and soft products of Japan Airlines is phenomenal. I think the 787 makes the flight more comfortable. While I didn’t get any photos, looking out the port side windows, from the far starboard side, was amazing. I mean, we’re talking movie theater type experience. I would’ve gotten a photo, but there was an older Japanese man looking out intently, almost like the little kid I was, looking out my window (and his).
While it didn’t fit anywhere else in this review, the Duty Free folks (who came through the business cabin twice), didn’t have a 1/200 scale model of a JAL 787. I’m not sure if they felt bad or did it because of my excitement for the 787 we were flying on, but they brought me what I think is probably a 1/600 or 1/1000 scale model. I didn’t really have words, but I am sure I said “domo arigoto” a dozen or so times. The crew in general was amazing.

ANA 777

Overall the flights best quality was the amazing views of Mount Fuji. The staff was great in helping my mom get on the plane with her bag. The hard product was good for a short haul flight but not worth taking as a long haul flight. The soft product was okay though they did forget about the second bottle of champagne and a few other items.

Final Thoughts

Usually we make it a point to conclude after the conclusion, but being that this was a Dueling Planes of similar carriers of All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, we (My wife, my mother in law and I) wanted to make sure we offered our thoughts succinctly in a sentence or two per flight:

Japan Airlines 787

Trevor's plane at the gate in PEK

Trevor’s plane at the gate in PEK

Having only flown one previous flight on ANA, and this being my first flight on JAL, I’m hard pressed to identify any other sub-4 hour flight where I have enjoyed so much, aside from a Thai A380 flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok. The hard product was more than acceptable. An angle lay flat seat (although I understand that JAL is adding fully layflat products in First and Business to their longest haul 787s, such as those to JFK). I think the angled layflat wouldn’t suck on a long haul flight, but, I would general side with a fully layflat. But for a 4-8 hour flight within Asia, I’m really thinking JAL. I’ve had debates with others that anything more than 6 hours, it’s gotta be a full layflat. But with the soft product aka service of JAL, I think I could easily go 8 hours in JAL Business angled layflat. This crew was phenomenal, irrespective of the aircraft. Oh, and if you think ANA is the only plane in the sky with a bidet, you will be surprised to know that the JAL 787 also has a bidet.

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Bidet Signage

I share the signage, but I cannot honestly say that I have tested it myself.

All Nippon Airways 777

While the crew made up for the lacking in the hard product it isn’t a plane or flight I would want to take for more than a couple of hours. The seat was an old angled lay flat that had seen better days though still comfortable enough for a short flight. Can’t comment on the lav as I had not needed to use it for such a short flight. The ANA 777’s crew stood out but not to the same extent that the crew did on the transpacific flight we took a few days before.

Flying All Nippon Airways Square Class

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This is part of our Thanksgiving Round the World trip, you can find my initial thoughts / intro here, The Grand Hyatt Tokyo review here and The Grand Hyatt Beijing here. 

This will be part one of the ANA Flight 1101 -Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) review as I flew in ANA Square (First) Class and my wife and mother in-law flew in business. ANA Flight 1101 was operated by a 777-300ER (77W).

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I always try to get my initial thoughts on a particular flight down either onboard, or very soon after. Then I let them simmer so that I can ensure I’m covering everything.

I boarded through 1L, and the cabin had at most 3 out of the 8 seats filled when we took off. The seats were roomy, however it was a bit of a challenge to actually look out the window (see below).

Seat

Seat

I was quite excited to see a Rimowa kit sitting in the seat waiting for me — this is my second Rimowa kit (my first was Lufthansa), but it doesn’t get old. There was also a blanket, slippers (that didn’t fit, much to the despair of the flight attendants), a pair of pajamas and a cardigan.

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Amenities

 

Kashima, introduced herself as purser and apologized that we would be delayed due to de-icing. She and her team were consistent to a fault.

Of course, I couldn’t help but enjoy a glass of Krug while we boarded (as I did pass back and forth to the Business Mini-Cabin to check on my wife and mother in law).

Kurg

Krug

 

Champane

Krug

 

The dinner service was wonderful. I started out with Caviar (it was a lot, as you can see below), which was good but I couldn’t finish it.

cavera

 

Next was a salad.

salad

 

For my entree, I had steak – it was a bit under cooked to my tastes, but by the time I realized it, it was a bit too late to send it back.

Steak

 

And I finished off with some ice cream.

Ice Cream

It was efficient, and it even included a quite enjoyable Sake tasting.

Sake Tasting

Sake Tasting

Since the cabin was 3/8, Kashima and her colleagues set up 1G for a bed, midway through dinner. The bed was wonderful. Kashima was entirely proactive in this regard, which is something that I can say I’ve seen on many other airlines. The duvet was narrow but the mattress pad was posterpedic, ultimately, the bed was very comfortable. I slept 5-6 solid hours which is better then a night at home.

Bed

Bed

As we got close to landing, I changed out of my pajamas, and had a light meal of Chicken Curry and rice.
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I did ask Kashima for assistance as far as what the best solution to get to our hotel would be, since we were arriving so late. Her colleague came out and wrote out all of the directions for the bus or train (giving us two options), and was kind enough also to write in Japanese the hotel’s name, for easier navigation with a taxi.

We all disembarked via 2L, so it was easy for me to link up with my wife and mother in law. Then it was the normal rat-race to Immigration.

And just to show how much Kashima followed up; My wife, mother in law and I were waiting for the bus to take us to the hotel (Grand Hyatt). This was the option we didn’t think we would make because of the delay. Well, Kashima happened to see me and stepped out just to make sure that we were in the right queue. That’s dedication.

Flying Korean Air’s A380

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This is a continuation of my round the world trip in August/September 2014. You can read the other sections of this trip report as follows: Flying the Emirates A380 in First, The Grand Hyatt Dubai, The Grand Hyatt Singapore, Flying the Emirates A380 in First for a second time, The JW Khao Lak, Flying SilkAir Business Class- Phuket to Singapore and Flying Korean Air for the First Time – Part One .

 

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We arrived into Seoul on our first flight on Korean Air with plenty of time to enjoy the KAL First Class lounge.

Introduction

Prior to heading to the plane we grabbed a bite to eat and a quick shower at the KAL First Class lounge.  There wasn’t much to get really excited about but they do have a really cool A380 model. It is worth noting that the Grand Hyatt Incheon caters the KAL First Lounge. I’m not sure it really made sense.

Lounge

Lounge

The shower rooms were laid out nicely and there was a hair drier that only kind’ve worked.

Bathroom

Bathroom

The Flight

Korean Airlines has their first class cabin in the nose of the main deck. I’m not sure whether I prefer sitting on the upper deck or the main deck, but that’s a post for another time. My wife and I both chose window seats since the cabin was only 3/12, and Incheon can be fun to planespot while taxiing through.  The seats weren’t opulent like Emirates, but were perfectly sufficient, although I had really hoped the silver looking thing on the left of the seat (on the right looking at the photo) would have been a in-seat beer tap, it was just a light. I do believe an in-seat beer tap would’ve been better than an in-seat mini-bar.

Seat 1

Seat

 

We were offered champagne after take off.

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Champainge

A Glass of Champagne

Dinner service was nice but I ended up having to send my steak back twice as it came out mooing. Given how long it took, I completely forgot to actually photograph it (I was getting pretty hungry).

Dinner

Dinner

Just forward of the first class cabin, the crew set up a selection of snacks, in addition to a la carte options.

First Class Snacks

First Class Snacks

This might have been the most empty A380 flight we had flown (and recall, the Emirates cabin crew noted we only had ~179 passengers from Dubai to Singapore). I’d say the business class cabin might’ve been a third full.

Business Class

Business Class

There’s a bar on the upper deck aft of the business class cabin that I found stylish, but in a completely different ballpark compared to the Emirates A380 bar we had lounged in earlier in the trip. I’m not saying that it wasn’t as nice, but it was certainly different.

Bar

Bar

On the lower deck there was Korean Airlines’ famed in-flight duty shop, at which my wife tested out some of perfumes with the cabin crew.

Shop

Shop

We both managed to get a fair bit of sleep on the flight. One of the things that stood out, aside from the wonderful service of the cabin crew (in fact, I may have insulted them when I put my table away myself, sorry!), was the weight of the duvet. I’m not a critic of bedding, but, in general I like a heavier weight, not necessarily warmer, but at least heavier. This duvet was perhaps the perfect balance of weight and lightness (e.g. not overly warm) if that makes sense.

Bed

Bed

 

Conclusion

While we ended up spending quite a bit of points on this (100,000 UR points transferred to Korean SkyPass), it was a great flight and well worth the time it took to book with miles.  While I can’t remember what I watched on the In Flight Entertainment (IFE), it was certainly enough to keep me busy, such that the ~13 hour flight passed quickly. I’d certainly fly Korean again, although I’m not sure that I’d go out of my way for the A380, even comparing it to the 777-200 seat. Candidly I think the staff sets the airline apart more than the amenities of the A380.

Flying the Emirates A380 in First Class a second time!

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This is a continuation of my round the world trip in August/September 2014. The other components in this non-traditional trip include Flying Emirates A380 in First, Saturday Special: Grand Hyatt, Dubai, Saturday Special: Grand Hyatt Singapore.

Before the flight

Around midnight we decided it was time to leave the Grand Hyatt Dubai, to head to the airport for our 3:05am flight. For this flight, we ended up taking a taxi because we weren’t able to set up the pick-up.

Once we made it to the airport, we were air side in no time at all.

Airport

Airport

Since we were going out of Dubai’s “A380 Terminal” (Believe its Terminal A), we took an underground train (photos above), and wandered through some of the high end shops on the “main” level. We even stopped at the Emirates shop and bought a 1/200 scale A380 in Emirates Livery (word to the wise: it’s a pain carrying a 1/200 scale A380 through 4 countries, and 6 flights).

After a few minutes we decided it was time to head up to the First Class lounge level. Yep, an entire level, and yes, it was that cool.

lounge

Emirates Lounge

The Emirates First Class Lounge is on its own level. Its pretty awesome. First of all, it spans the entire terminal. There are also showers, “fine dining” restaurants, lounge areas with food laid out (buffet style), a cigar lounge, a children’s area, the list goes on. There are also a couple of duty free stores selling some of the nicest liquor that I’ve seen in an airport, oh, and a bathtub of Hendrick’s Gin.

The Emirates First Class terminal takes bathtub gin to a whole new level.

The Emirates First Class terminal takes bathtub gin to a whole new level.

Oh, and they also have a spa, but I was looking forward to getting my 15 minute foot massage that I completely forgot to snap a photo.

Lounge dinner

Emirates Lounge Dinner

Since we had a late flight (like, you know, 3am, so maybe just early?), we decided to have dinner “fine dining” style at the sit down restaurant. I was still feeling conservative in my food choice, so I went with a Wegyu Beef Burger. It was a first for me, and boy did it taste amazing.

Before we knew it, it was time to go. As I consider the terminal as a whole, I dare say though that I like the Lufthansa First Class Terminal more, other than that phenomenal Wegyu Beef Burger.

Emirates A380 in First – Dubai to Singapore

As Emirates (and it seems all Middle Eastern Airlines) seem to do, they declare final boarding virtually immediately after they declare the flight is ready to board.

Boarding the Emirates A380 from the Emirates First Class Terminal.

Boarding the Emirates A380 from the Emirates First Class Terminal.

They do have elevators to take to the jetway, but its important to consider that the elevators first go straight up to the Business Class lounge, and seem to fill up when they make it to the First Class lounge level. We chose instead to go up to the Business Class lounge, then go down to the jetway. It was good because the elevator would’ve been completely full when it got to us, had we not.

Boarding the Emirates A380 via Door 1UL.

Boarding the Emirates A380 via Door 1UL.

You can check out a more thorough set of photos in the previous post (as this post is getting long). As we finished boarding, I chatted with the purser, who mentioned that it was a light flight. Don’t quote me on the number but I think it was in the realm of 159 passengers on board. Pretty light to be flying an A380 (if you ask me). I wasn’t complaining though.

Remember I mentioned that unweildy 1/200 A380 model? Well, the only “safe” place I could find for it was where the duvet was kept. Luckily the flight attendants were understanding… I even tried to hide it while I enjoyed my champagne.. What do you think? Did I succeed?

Toasting some Dom Perignon 2004 and trying to hide the huge 1/200 scale A380 behind me.

Toasting some Dom Perignon 2004 and trying to hide the huge 1/200 scale A380 behind me.

Before long it was time to take off. The meal service was kind’ve on the light side since it was an 8 or so hour flight, and we were still pretty tired. Here’s a selection of the food.

Plane food

Sampling of the food and drink on the flight

As is customary (it seems) on Emirates, I made sure to schedule my shower (as I recall, it was before we even took off). I wanted to shower about 2 hours outside of Singapore. I had been sleeping but the flight attendant was kind enough to wake me. I’m sure no photos of the Shower Spa do it justice (well, except a selfie, but, I passed).

Bathroom

Spa Bathroom

A few words on the Shower Spa. First, they give you two sets of toiletries, one to relax, one to refresh. They were both great, although the only thing I remember as striking was the body scrub (they also provide Loofah’s). You’re provided 5 minutes of water, and told the Shower Spa experience is expected to be about 20 minutes. There’s also a television with the airshow in the bathroom, lest you are curious where you happened to be showering at 40,000 feet. The floor is probably the first lavatory floor I didn’t mind walking around barefoot on, it was heated too. The shower area is roomier than some showers I’ve been in on the ground, there’s also a bench. Finally, the temperature is spot on, and it got better and more consistent water pressure than some hotels.

After the shower, you’re presented with some fruit and some tea.

Post-Shower Spa snack.

Post-Shower Spa snack.

Before landing, we were also offered a snack. I had Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice and Chicken). It was quite spicey, but, it took the edge off.

Pre-arrival snack.

Pre-arrival snack.

Arriving, we were among the first folks off, however we had made a strategic mis-step in the selection of our customs lane in Singapore. Lets just say, our driver was quite curious why we took so long. Eh, you win some you lose some.

Trying to decide where to visit in Asia

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Last month I shared my process for preparing for an overseas trip. This month, after having spent all of July off a plane, I’m finding that my plans for next month are up in the air; I suppose, figuratively and literally.

What’s currently booked

This trip essentially began being formed nearly a year ago when my wife gave in we decided to fly Emirates A380 in First for two legs, hopefully getting two showers at 40,000 feet, and visiting Dubai’s A380 terminal. Here’s what we have so far:

Currently booked flight out.

Currently booked flight out (Emirates flights in Navy).

For the way back, it was another airline product bucket list thing for me, flying Cathay Pacific in First Class. I know, I know, everybody’s flown that, but, I just haven’t had the opportunity yet and I wanted me some Hong Kong Milk Tea. So we hastily booked a fairly awkward flight home, thinking that flights would open up. A month out, they aren’t.

Currently booked trip home on Cathay Pacific.

Currently booked trip home on Cathay Pacific.

The dilemma – how to avoid domestic the transcon.

So, as you can see for the way home, its a pretty rough trip. anytime you have 3 legs, with the last one being domestic (first or economy for that matter), I feel like I return exhausted. I’ve looked, and just can’t seem to find a whole lot of space returning home, except for maybe Korean Airlines to Atlanta on their A380. That would however leave me stuck in Atlanta and needing to get another flight (maybe use my Southwest Companion Pass?).

The bigger dilemma – where to go anyway?

So, other than trying to get home, I still have to decide where we actually want to go.

Options.

The original plan was to visit the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, then go to Phuket (really Khao Lak) for some rest and relaxation. It would require a stop though (in Singapore or Bangkok most likely) to go from Siem Reap to Phuket. Option one: is to visit two new countries, to not just see the Angkor Wat, but also to visit Vietnam. Option two: Would be to visit Angkor Wat, and then head up to Beijing to see some of the sites there before our 1 year visa’s expire.

I’m not entirely sure we’re limited to just those three options, as the way home sort’ve makes a difference, because we need award availability. That said, I’m comfortable limiting the options to those as I try to match up award space home, otherwise it could get overwhelming.

Conclusion

That’s the fun of trip planning, the conclusion isn’t until non-refundable hotels or flights get booked. I think my next step is to see if I can snag some of that Korean Air award space from Asia to Atlanta. Of course, I’m more than open to any suggestions that folks have, I could be missing an awesome alternative (e.g. I could be missing the key to seeing award space on Air China’s new 777-300ER to Dulles).

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