Date: 23-Apr-06
Route:
AUH-BKK
Distance: 3075mi
Flight:EY 401 Etihad
Flight Time: 5:26h
Dep. Time:8:59
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER 77W A6-ETB
Dep. Gate: 9
Seat: 20K
Movie: Derailed
Surprisingly, Etihad’s ticket office was open at 0300 and I
was told that there would be an earlier bus at 0430 so I
decided to take that instead of the one at 0500 that I was
scheduled for. We were about ten people on a bus that holds
about 60-70 so there was plenty of room. Very nice bus and
very comfortable, painted in Etihad’s colors. I was very
tired so I slept most of the way, waking up every now and
then for a few seconds when the sun was up and the desert
and the road.
The terminal at Abu Dhabi was very small, something like
Lulea or Gotherburg in Sweden. Can’t think of any other
airports that I have been to that were this small. There
were only about six check in counters but first I had to go
and buy my ticket. Etihad does not have e-tickets so I had
to purchase my paper ticket there at the counter. There was
no specific airline counter just one counter for all
carriers ticketing needs. The man was very helpful and I was
able to pay with US dollars. After this, I was ready for
check in and there was no line since I was there early. A
Filipina girl checked me in before I went to the passport
control. I then had breakfast and checked out the aircraft
parked at the gates. There were not many people in the
terminal and eventually they opened the gate where we had to
go thru security again.
From the gate area there was a much better view of the
aircraft at the terminal and it was great to see Qatar
Airways and Kuwait Airways A320s up close. Most surprising
was to see three (3!!) China Airlines 744F within an hour. I
did not see any other Etihad 77Ws unfortunately. The small
gate area got full and shortly thereafter boarding started.
The interior was very nice and had the “new plane” smell.
There was a great legroom with a leg rest and video screen
the size of most carriers’ tray table…. (not kidding).
Mostly western people boarded first and later a lot of local
Arab families showed up with women completely covered except
for their eyes. The doors closed and the flight was probably
only about 40 % full so I had three seats for myself by the
window. I sat just in front of the engine and I noted right
away the size of these huge engines; first time for me on a
777NG aircraft.
The Thai captain (!!!) welcomed us aboard and we were all
given water as a preflight drink. Very nice! Along with the
menu, the flight attendants handed out Bose-style head
seats; it seemed as if Etihad uses the same headsets in Y
class that others use in F class….We also got a nice amenity
kit while taxing for take off. We had short wait before we
started our take off roll so that Etihad’s 763 could come in
and land. The take off roll was surprisingly long
considering the light load.
Once up in the air, breakfeast was served and I had
“Breakfast Mixed Grill” with Grilled Chicken Steak and Veal
Sausage. Very tasty and served along with Orange Juice and
fruits and later tea. Interesting to see in the menu that
drinks like Whisky, Gin, Vodka and Rum was offered for
breakfast although I didn’t take up on that offer…. I
watched Derailed and it was very good. I rested a bit and
also watched the Airshow map. During the flight, flight
attendants frequently came around with juice and water which
was great. About two hours before our arrival, a light
sandwich was served. Very nice with two meals on this
relatively short flight.
Routing was over Muscat, just south of Mumbai, over the Bay
of Bengal, over Rangoon into Thailand and Bangkok. Cruising
altitude was 39 000 ft. There was also WiFi internet service
available but you need a laptop for that so no use for me
since I don’t have one. It was a really fantastic flight on
a great, new airline.
Immigration at Bangkok was reasonably quick and I hung
around to spot in the viewing gallery before it got dark. I
took a taxi to the Comfort Suites Hotel where I spent the
night. I got up early the next morning and had a great Thai
breakfast.
Before taking the shuttle back to the airport. I checked in
and got a boarding pass right away and went thru immigration
and security. I spent about an hour spotting before heading
to the gate where boarding began shortly after I got there.
Spotting highlights include Thai Air Asia (FD) 733s,
Northwest (NW) 332, Condor (DE) 763 and Indian Airlines (IC)
320.
I was one of the last to board as I sat towards the front of
the aircraft in a window seat. . The door closed and I had
the seat next to me open with a man sitting in the aisle
seat. After a quick taxi, we took off and even on this short
flight we were offered a hot breakfast. There was no menu
offered but I had an omelet with sausage along with fruit
and tea. This is better than what’s offered for breakfast on
most US carriers in First class…. The crew was great and
very friendly which is an unusual experience for me on
Singapore Airlines. There was no movie offered on this short
flight so I spent the time looking at the Airshow map and
logging my aircraft sightings in my
JP Fleets book. Soon we started our descent and
landed from the northeast.
Routing was pretty much straight from Bangkok to Singapore,
cruising altitude was 37 000 ft. It was a great flight,
probably the best I ever had on Singapore Airlines. I spent
the day in Singapore in the transit area spotting and
highlights include all five Tiger Airways (TR) 320s, Jet
Airways (9W) 738s and many Singapore Airlines (SQ) 777s.
Date: 24-Apr-06
Route:
SIN-AKL
Distance: 5225mi
Flight:
NZ 82 Air New Zealand
Flight Time: 9:25h
Dep. Time: 20:24
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER 772
ZK-OKB
Dep. Gate: E20
Seat: 32H
Movie watched: Memoirs Of A Geisha
I had checked in as soon as I arrived at a transfer desk and
was given the boarding pass right away. I got to the gate
about 45 minutes before departure and most people were
already on board by that time and I was glad I didn’t miss
the flight.
I had a window sea there was no one in the two seats next to
me which meant I could probably get some sleep. The legroom
was good and the seat was very comfortable. The PTV was more
a regular size compared to the giant screen on Etihad. Doors
closed, we pushed back and we were soon up in the air. The
Airshow map was activated and it was the new detailed
version like the one on PIA. Nice feature is that it shows
where daytime/nighttime is on the planet.
Meal service soon started and no menus were given which was
too bad. I had chicken with rice, some red wine from New
Zealand and Coca Cola. There was no salad but the food was
great although the portions somewhat small or maybe I was
just very hungry ?
I watched Memoirs Of A Geisha which is a great movie and
nice to see Gong Li speaking English. A bit odd to see
ethnic Chinese playing Japanese.
I slept for about four hours and then looked thru Air New
Zealand’s inflight magazine before breakfast was served. I
had French toast and it was very good. Descent was quick and
we went from 39 000 ft to touchdown in about 30 minutes. The
Airshow map was turned off during the descent which was
disappointing.
Routing was just north of Java, crossing Bali, across
Australia entering the Tasman sea just north of Sydney and
doing an almost 360 degree turn the last 10 minutes of the
flight before we finally landed. To summerize, this was a
nice flight, the flight crew were okay but not overly
friendly. I had heard all these positive things about Air
New Zealand, great legroom, really great service. The
service was nice but not living up to my high expectations.
I went thru security after I arrived and a guy there asked
if I was the guy who flies on all 777s. I guess my
reputation proceeds me even in Auckland; perhaps another
A.netter ? There were great views of the ramp and the runway
from this one location in the transit area. I spent about
four hours spotting before my next flight. Highlights
include two more Air New Zealand (NZ) 777s, Air New Zealand
(NZ) 733s and A320s and Jetconnect (QNZ)
733s.
Date: 27-May-06
Rotue :
GRU-MEX
Distance: 4613mi
Flight:
AM 15 AeroMexico
Flight Time: 8:45h
Dep.Time: 22:36
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER 777
Registration: N746AM
Dep.Gate:12
Seat: 11J
Movie watched: Walk The Line
Having spent the spotting at
GRU, I was very excited about this flight because
the aircraft for tonight’s flight would be N746AM, delivered
about a month ago. It was also a new registration for me
having seen N745AM flying overhead
IAD on its first westbound transatlantic flight.
Check in opened about four hours before departure and there
was a long line so I waited another 30 minutes before I went
back to the counter. The first agent didn’t speak English
that well but told me I wasn’t listed for the flight and
referred me to the ticket purchase counter. The agent there
was very helpful and gave me a window seat. There was still
another 3 and a half hours before departure and it was
getting dark so I went thru security to try to do some
spotting at night. Lots of flights were arriving and soon
some were leaving as well. At about 22:10, boarding started
and it was very organized. People had a number on their
boarding passes and were arranged in groups according to
this number. Each group was in roped off area and then each
area boarded after each other. Very easy and stress free
boarding process.
The aircraft looked very new and smelt fresh and clean.
There were some candies in the jet way just before getting
on the airplane. I got two bags and it was very similar to
tic tac but with different flavors. I guess this was to have
something to suck on the relieve pressure during take off. I
was in the last group to board since I was in the fourth row
from the front. Legroom was great and the seat was VERY
comfortable.
The PTVs were similar in size to those on
SQ and
AF and legroom was very good. Interesting to note
when looking at the magazines in the seat pocket that there
was a catalogue with home delivery merchandise which
included lots of appliances like vacuum cleaners. Also in
the seat pocket a vacation catalogue which I had never seen
there on any other airline but a good idea. On the other
hand, by the time you are on the airplane you most likely
already made your vacation plans. Doors closed and I had the
center seat next to me open which was great. It took a while
to start up the engines but it was a very short taxi to the
runway since departures were from the terminal end of the
runway towards the southeast.
After take off the flight attendants passed out menus and
headsets along with an amenity kit. The Airshow map was
already on since push back which is nice; something to look
at while climbing out on take off. First there was a drink
with nuts and right after that dinner was served. Appetizer
was a “Lettuce Salad With Sliced Salami” which was very
good. Main course was “Beef Stew With Mashed Potatoes” and
for desert “Chocolate-Banana Cake With Vanilla Sauce”. The
Beef Stew was excellent but a bit small portion and the
desert was great too. The beer as great too although not as
good as Corona…..
The Airshow map was the newer version like on
NZ and there were lots of other entertainment
options with videogames and Audio and Video On Demand (AVOD).
I watched Walk The Line and then slept for about four hours.
Just before I went to sleept I had some water that the
flight attendants came around with. About half hour after I
got up, breakfast was served “Fresh Fruit Plate,”Cheese And
Ham crepes” with orange juice, sweet bread and tea. Really a
great breakfast; again a lot bigger than most US carriers’
on their flights in economy class.
Routing was straight from
GRU over Porto Velho, over Colombia, straight over
Guatemala to Mexico City where we made a very smooth
landing. Cruising altitude was first 36 000 ft and later 40
000 ft.
Flight attendants were young mostly in their late 20s and
very friendly and attentive. A bit strange that the pilots
never said a word during the whole flight and that the seat
belt sign never came off at all….. To sum things up, I had a
fantastic flight with AeroMexico’s 777 and would highly
recommend everyone to fly on it.
Date: 22-Oct-06
Route:
BKK-TPE
Distance: 1547mi
Flight:
BR 212 EVA Air
Flight Time: 3:08h
Dep. Time: 12:27
Aircraft: 777-300/ER 77W
Registration: B-16701
Dep. Gate: E 7
Seat: 50H
Checked in soon after the counter had opened and the wait
wasn’t long. Then went thru immigration and it was fairly
quick for being Bangkok. The new airport had been open for
about two weeks when I was there but a lot of things did not
look finished. Also the layout is a bit confusing.
I watched some arrivals from an area close to my gate.
Finally, a bit late, the EVA Air 777-300/ER landed and soon
made its way to the gate. I was surprised to see about 10
EVA Air agents at the gate. As I arrived at the gate, I
realized that I had lost my boarding pass. I told one of the
agents this and she wouldn’t print a new one but went to
look for it. She returned about 15 minutes later with my
boarding pass…..I’m still not sure why they couldn’t just
reprint the boarding pass….
The interior was still fresh and the seats were fairly
comfortable. They had the leg rest even in Economy class
just like some other carriers have (AF,
EY,
NZ). The legroom was good for me and I’m
180cm/5’11”. The load factor was probably around 35 per cent
so it was nice that it was too crowded. I had three seats
for myself which makes it much more comfortable.
Before after push pack, they came around with a hot towel
which was nice but this one had an awful smell. Taxing was
slow and it took about 15 minutes before we were ready for
take off. We had a short take off roll due to the short
flight to
TPE. Always nice feeling when plane starts
rolling.
Soon after take off, lunch was served and the portion was
somewhat small. Also surprising that they not give out any
menus. The food was okay but not much more than that and I’m
usually not that picky. Perhaps just getting a
TG flight with their excellent food may have had
an impact. The flight attendants were very friendly but
didn’t seem to speak that much English. They came around one
more time offering more drinks.
The PTV screen was nice size like on
AM,
AF etc and they had AVOD but selection seemed
poor. Because of the selection of movies and the short
flight I didn’t watch any movie but explored the AVOD system
and mostly watched the Airshow map.
I bought a Herpa Wings model of the 777-300/ER from the Duty
Free catalogue and was happy to note that it had the same
registration as the aircraft I was flying on.
I went to the bathroom and it was very nice with newer
faucets than on other 777s that I have been on; sensors
noticed your hands and water started flowing. Don’t think I
ever have experienced that on an aircraft before.
Routing was over Da Nang and then just to the west of
MNL and straight to
TPE. To sum things up, it was a nice flight but I
would probably not fly
BR on a longer flight eg Trans Pacific. .
Date: 11 May 2007
Route: Toronto
YYZ %u2013 London
LHR
Distance:
Flight:
AC 856
Flight Time: 6:27h
Dep. Time: 18:20
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300/ER
Registration: C-FITU
Dep. Gate: 177
Seat: 33A
This is the first of three trip reports of 777 flights that
I recently took. The other reports will be posted shortly.
I arrived early from
IAD at around 1330 or so and went directly to the
check in counter for Air Canada and there was just a short
line. I had checked the load beforehand thru a fellow A.net
friend and knew that it should be okay. This was important
since I was flying on an ID95 ticket. Still, it was nice to
hear the counter agent saying that the flight looked good.
I went thru the security checkpoint and did some spotting at
first. Nice to see all different kinds of Air Canada (AC)
aircraft but also a Sunwing 738 going to Varadero (VRA),
Cuba.
I was a bit hungry and had a bison burger at a restaurant;
very tasty and something that I have never tried before.
Great Canadian dish along with great Canadian beer (Molson)!
I did see the first
AC 77W land but I was in the wrong place to get a
good picture. About an hour later or so it left for
YUL and shortly thereafter, the aircraft for my
flight arrived.
Boarding started and there were four
AC agents working the flight with one
concentrating on seat changes and who also called standbys.
When it was about 15 minutes left before departure, my name
was called and I boarded quickly. Boarding was thru two jet
bridges.
The aircraft was very new, only delivered about a week
earlier so everything was very nice and fresh on board. My
seat was very comfortable and I noticed the laptop power
outlet. The PTV was average size nowadays but twice the size
of the PTV on
UA.
Soon the door closed and we pushed back. All signs were in
English and French and safety demo was done manually (not on
a screen) and in the two languages as well. There was no
duty free catalogue at my seat which I always enjoy looking
thru.
Taxing out to the runway was VERY slow. Can't ever recall
that slow taxing; it seems to me that pilots were very
careful with this new and long aircraft. Interesting to hear
that the day after my flight, one of the
AC 777s had been damaged.
Take off was powerful and quick and it climbed fast to
cruising altitude. There were no Airshow map, news service
or videogames working (feature to be added later). That's
too bad; I really like the Airshow map which makes it easier
to figure the route you are flying. Dinner was served 45
mins after take off and was very good; carrot slaw, Beef
Bourgionne with pasta. Drink was served in a cup; the whole
can was not offered. Portion size was okay and it was very
good. I had some great tea afer and later, ice cream was
later served for desert.
Nice with the AVOD entertainement system but it didn't seem
to be fully functional yet. I watched Letter From Iwo Jima
and it was very, very good.
We followed the St Lawrence river to its mouth and the
continued across the Atlantic. Water was offered a few times
during the night.
The mood lighting was on and was very soothing.
A light breakfeast was served as well and it was also nice.
We had to circle a few times before landing at Heathrow
early in the morning.
I took some more pictures of the cabin when everyone had
deplaned and a flight attendant offered to take a picture of
me, which was nice.
To sum it up, a very nice and pleasant experience on Air
Canadas 777 and I'm sure it will be even better with the
entertainment system fully operational.
Date:
17 May 2007
Route: Lisbon (LIS)
– Luanda (LAD)
Distance: 3879mi/6241km
Flight:
DT 653
Flight Time: 6:58h
Dep. Time: 22:46
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/ER
Registration: D2-TED
Dep. Gate: 18
Seat: 32B
First some background information that may be of interest as
this was the most complicated 777 trip to arrange for me so
far.
I started to plan this in January 2007 and looked at
different ways that this could work.
Every person visiting Angola needs a visa and from looking
at Timatic, it looked like they were only giving those to
people who were going there for work. So I checked their
schedules very carefully on their website to look for
possibilities to connect thru there. The website didn’t get
updated very often and same could be said for their schedule
in the CRS. First I was thinking of flying Ethiopian
Airlines to
LAD and then connect to
JNB and that could have worked on certain days,
but what if
DT had a last minute equipment change to a 743 on
the
LAD-JNB
flight ? I was just going to have to fly
LIS-LAD
or vice versa. I did find that once a week per direction,
they did have a schedule with a few hours in
LAD so it would be possible to transit without a
visa (TWOV). It would work perfect with a visit to Stockholm
so I called TAAG in London and made reservations with them
in late March. I like to get the tickets directly from the
airline so I made a one day trip to London to pick up the
tickets in early April. It would be a very expensive trip
but sacrifices are sometimes necessary to fly on 777s.
I arrived in the morning from
IAD and then went directly to their ticket office.
They were very friendly and gave me some pens and other TAAG
items. But they would not accept a credit card, only cash
and directed me to a travel agency. My concern with getting
the ticket thru the agency was that the agency would say the
flights were confirmed but TAAG would say that they were
not. Nonetheless, I got the tickets from the recommended
agency of TAAG and flew back to
IAD that afternoon.
Another worry was that TAAG would change their schedule so
that my short transit in
LAD would not be possible and so that I would need
a visa or not be able to go at all (more likely). I called
them about once a week to make sure. In late April, their
website didn’t show a flight
LIS-LAD
on the day I was scheduled so I called and they said not to
worry, flight will go on that day. I did worry somewhat and
even had to purchase a ticket on TAP from
ARN to
LIS in order to make sure I got there, since I was
traveling at the beginning of a four day weekend in Europe
and the flights were getting booked so flying standby
ARN-LIS
would have been difficult even with different connections.
Finally, it was time to leave
ARN for
LIS and the flight was delayed about an hour but I
had about four hours in
LIS so I should be okay and wasn’t too worried.
I saw the TAAG 777 when we landed in
LIS and it was reassuring that it was there and
that it was not a 743. I went straight to their check in
counter after we landed and it seemed tucked away in a
corner of the airport. The check in area was roped off like
for US carriers in Europe but they just checked that I had a
ticket and did not ask any security questions. Just before I
got to the counter, a man asked if I could check a bag for
him and I was a bit surprised to hear this but I said no,
not sure if he was trying to set me up (if he was with TAAG
security). Checking bags for another person is a major
security violation. The guy at counter checked me in and
asked for my visa and then asked for a supervisor when he
discovered that I didn’t have one. The supervisor made me
sign a paper (Declaration of Indemnity for Travel
Documents). They wrote in Portuguese “Faite visa transito
paro Johannesburgo” which I figured meant that I didn’t have
a transit visa. They did check me in and gave a boarding
pass for
LIS-LAD
but not for
LAD-JNB.
I asked if they could check me in the whole way but they
said I had to check in again in
LAD for that flight. Interesting to note that
signage at their counter and on boarding pass was in the
“new colors” of TAAG that had been rejected.
I did some spotting before heading to the gate and boarding
started a bit late, at about 35 minutes before departure.
Our plane was parked far away on a ramp so we had to take a
bus there similar to what on used to take at Kai Tak in
HKG a long time ago. We were dropped off at the
rear of the aircraft and the stairs were very high and
steep.
I was greeted at the door by a nice flight attendant and
went straight to my seat. The configuration was 3-4-3 in
economy class and I was hoping that the seat next to me
would remain open. Someone did show up at the last minute
but moved just as the shut the door to the aircraft. The
flight was almost completely full in Economy class, not sure
about Business or First class. The flight attendants were
not all Black as expected but a mixture of Caucasians and
Black, just like Angolans seemed to be as well. I just
assumed that all Angolans were Black but there’s a big
mixture similar to Brazil.
Seat was comfortable, legroom was okay and had a foot rest
and a normal size PTV. Oddly enough the jack for the head
set was straight in front instead of in the armrest. They
had big pillows and very nice, soft blanket at every seat. I
was seated towards the back in row 32; last row was 38 on
TAAG’s 777. The seat also had the “winged” headrest to make
for easier sleeping which is fairly standard there today. We
pushed a few minutes late and the captain apologized a few
times for this which was nice. Candy (honey) was given out
at push back to help for the ears I guess and it was a nice
gesture. We taxied out and took off towards the northeast I
think and then started turning southeast right after take
off.
Fairly soon after take off, dinner was served and it came
with a pasta salad and I had the beef option and given a
full size can of Fanta. The tray with dinner also came with
a toothpick which I appreciate a lot. During dinner the crew
came around again with a second round of drinks including
wine which was great. The crew in general was a bit reserved
but friendly. There was the new mood lighting but only in F
and C class.
I tried their inflight entertainment system which is AVOD
and it was okay. I hadn’t that high expectations but was
somewhat impressed. I watched Dreamgirls which was okay and
otherwise watched the Airshow map which was a different
verision and really cool; it showed the aircraft taking off
and going towards the destination and the cities that we
would pass and at the same time showed distance and time as
we would pass each city. Routing of flight was rougly over
Malaga, Oran, Zinder in Niger, Douala and then more or less
straight to
LAD.
Water was offered once during the flight by the flight
attendants. Breakfeast was served about hour and a half
before arrival and was very small; smallest I have ever seen
but very good. The breakfeast came with this great orange
juice that I have also had on Varig, almost like a drink
than juice in consistency and it’s VERY good but not sure
what brand it is.
Decent was fast and we landed in
LAD as daybreak began. I could see the city on
approach and much of it seemed to be like shanty towns. We
arrived very early despite leaving about 15 minutes late
from
LIS.
We parked at a stand right next TAAG’s other 777 and were
bussed to the terminal which seemed very old and only had
two stories. There was a staircase that had the sign
“Transito” but also a door that was locked. Another woman
soon got there as well and about ten minutes later, a
representative from TAAG brought us past immigration thru
different corridors and customs to the check in counter and
an agent there check us in for the flight to
JNB. He then went back with us to the departure
lounge. The whole process was very fast; less than 10
minutes.
I did some spotting before catching the next flight to
JNB which ended being on the same aircraft,
D2-TED.
To sum it up, TAAG was a very pleasant surprise, having
heard of horror stories on Airlinequality.com and also since
they don’t really have a functioning website. TAAG was just
as modern, comfortable as European carriers and it was a
great experience. I was also very happy that everything
worked.
I would highly recommend flying TAAG Angola Airlines!
Date: 21 May 2007
Route: Reunion (RUN)
- Paris (CDG)
Distance: 5809mi/9347km
Flight:
UU 975
Flight Time: 10:40h
Dep. Time: 20:28
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/ER
Registration: F-OMAY
Dep. Gate: 2
Seat: 21L
Since I was already down in
JNB, it made a lot of sense to go back on Air
Austral's 777 from Reunion (RUN).
It was very easy to make reservations thru their website and
I could also request seat assignment as well. Another ticket
and a bit poorer but another 777 basically guaranteed.
I flew from
JNB to Mauritius and spent an evening there before
continuing to
RUN the next day. I spent the day looking at the
city and the following day went early to the airport for
spotting before check in finally opened, about 6h before
departure.
UU was very restrictive with carry on allowance
and required me to check my roll on bag. I had about six
hours in
CDG so I wasn't too worried but I never check
bags.The terminal was very modern and had several
restaurants and also a very nice viewing deck, facing the
runways and it was also possible to see the maintenance area
from there as well.
The first day when I arrived F-ORUN was at the airport along
with F-OMAY down at the maintenance area. The next day, F-OMAY
was still in the same place but another 777 in farther down
in the same area. I couldn't see the registration so I walk
in the sweltering heat for about 30 mins each way to get
that registration which turned out to be F-OPAR. About two
hours before departure, F-OPAR was towed towards the
terminal but continued past it and parked on the ramp right
next to it. I figured we would fly on F-OPAR and was
disappointed since I flew the same aircraft as
EI-CRS when it was with AirEurope (PE). I was
surprised that it was not at a gate and figured we would be
bussed to the aircraft. Shortly thereafter, F-OMAY was towed
and arrived at our gate about 90mins before our departure.
Boarding was supposed to start at 19:15 which seemed very
early to me but and there were about 6 agents there.
Boarding for some unknown reason didn't start until about
19:40 which wasn't much time for a 20:15 departure. Aircraft
had been there for two days so surprising that they had to
delay boarding. Boarding was done thru two jet bridges and
was fairly quick. I was one of the first to board since I
wanted to take pictures of the cabin before it got too
crowded.
Very annoying was that the flight attendant HAD to look at
my boarding pass to give me directions where to go. I knew
perfectly well which aisle I was going to go to and so did
most people. This also slows down the boarding process. The
flight attendants had nice uniforms in with yellow jackets.
The seat was comfortable but didn't have the winged headrest
that makes for better sleep and the legroom was okay. The
configuration is 3-4-3 but doesn't feel too cramped.There
were very thick pillows, similar to what other carriers have
in F or C class, at every seat along with a nice, soft
blanket as well. There was no PTV which is too bad. A video
was shown during boarding on the overhead TVs and main
screen about the 777; preparing the aircraft for departure
including different departments involved getting the
aircraft ready and technical performance information as
well. Very nice, their CEO is probably a big fan of the 777.
A very nice amenities kit was handed out with socks,
eyeshades and earplugs. The size of the bag is just the
right size for my camera and that's what I use it for now.
Nice souvenir! The headsets were handed out as well and they
were the same as on
AC; hang over the ear.
Announcements and signs were made in French and English. An
another annoying flight attendant told me I couldn't take
pictures with flash so I had be discreet and therefore
didn't take that many pictures on this flight.
Dinner was served about 30mins after take off and it was
huge! Amazing the they can fit so much on a tray. The amount
of food was more than on Emirates and a menu was rolled up
with the knife and fork.
Menu:
Starter - Medallions of foie gras and fig chutney
Main course - Chicken supreme, lemon. Honey and pineapple
sauce. Zamborian rice and
Baby vegetables
Cheese
Dessert - Almond tart.
The starter was very good and the main course was excellent
and size of the portions were large as well. I had a beer,
Fanta and Coke to drink although the soda was served by
glass instead of the whole can but with two glasses, I would
not be thirsty. I had tea after dinner and it seemed to be
very similar to what Air France serves; very good. The
Airshow map was off and on and I noticed that even after 90
mins of flight, we were still only at 31 000 ft. Later, at
6h 40 min of flight, we were at 35 000 ft. Routing was
roughly north of Madegascar, entering Africa over
Kenya/Somali border and continuing over Ethiopia, Sudan and
Libiya over the Mediterranean parallel to Italy and straight
to Paris.
I watched Norbit and Edith (a movie about Edith Piaf) and
they did have an English language track so it made it more
enjoyable to watch. Neither movie was really good but helped
to pass the time.
Breakfeast was served about 90 mins before arrival and it
was huge as well; two pieces of bread with jam and exotic
fruits, mostly pineapple.
We started our decent about 40 mins before arrival and it
was a smooth landing at
CDG early in the morning. Arriving at
CDG 1A and encountered long lines.
CDG is just horrible for overseas arrivals there's
no staff to direct people where to go. Not that
LHR is much better....I got my bag and did some
spotting before heading over to T1 to fly back to
IAD on
UA.
To sum it up,
UU was a very nice experience, mostly due to the
fantastic food. Intflight entertainment is not great without
PTV but most people sleep most of the flight so it works for
them. If I would go to
RUN again, it would be a difficult choice between
AF and
UU but would probably chose
AF due to the PTV.
Date: 17 October 2007
Route: Washington (IAD)
%u2013 Vienna (VIE)
Distance: 4464mi/
Flight:
OS 94
Flight Time: 8:00h
Dep. Time: 18:05
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/ER
Registration: OE-LPD
Dep. Gate: D 30
Seat: 17K
I arrived in the afternoon from Los Angeles on
UA 946 and had been told by Austrian staff over
the phone that I would have to go to their counter to check
before I could go to the gate. My flight had arrived early
and I was at the Austrian check in counter about three hours
before departure and there was a very short wait of about
two minutes before I was checked in. Since I was traveling
standby, I was given a
DM card to get thru security and was told that I
would get my seat assigned at the gate. The guy also told me
that the flight was open and that I should have no problem
getting on.
I went thru the employee checking and met some old
co-workers my way the gate. I was very pleased to see OE-LPD
at the gate since that's the only 777 purposely built for
Austrian, the other three having been built for Lauda Air. I
flew on OE-LPA
with Lauda in February 1998 Kuala Lumpur to Sydney and it
was a very nice flight.
I checked at the gate twice before they gave my boarding
pass and I was happy that I got a window seat and forward in
the cabin. Boarding was supposed to start about 55 minutes
before departure, 10 minutes earlier than on a
UA international flight. First a call for Business
class was called and about five minutes boarding for Economy
Class and it was done by row numbers, higher row numbers
first. I was in the last batch to board. When I got on board
I noticed that my window seat was mostly windowless, just a
wall with the actual window missing. I could see a little
bit forward thru that window and a little bit behind me as
well but this was very disappointing.
I was seat next to an older American couple and also noticed
that there were very few empty seat on the flight. I thought
there would be 50 or more open seat this late in the season
but there were probably less than 10 open seats on the whole
aircraft. Most passengers were either older Americans
traveling with a tour group or East Europeans going back to
visit family, very few Austrians on the flight.
The seat was comfortable and legroom was okay although the
box for the in flight entertainment system took up a lot of
space. There was also a leg rest along with the winged head
rest and the video screen was very large; larger than
UA and
AF for comparison. There were pillows and blankets
at every seat along with a headset, same type as on Air
Canada, the type where you hang it over the ear. Push back
was a few minutes late but we would make up that lost time
in flight and I was in no hurry. The safety video was played
and it was very funny. It was done like a cartoon with a guy
checking out a single mom and her child with his tie getting
stuck in the tray table etc. Very good!
Take off was short and it was great to feel the power of
those GE90 engines. Soon after take off, a beverage service
started which included a snack mix.
Shortly there after, the entertainment system was turned on
and I started to watch my first movie, Irina Palm which was
a British movie and it was good. Soon after the trash had
been collected, dinner was served and there were two
choices; Thai chicken curry or grilled salmon. I had the
Thai chicken curry which also came with salade Nicoise and
profiteroles as desert. The food was very good and the
portions were slightly larger than normal. I asked for a can
of coke and the flight attendant gave it to me. I had a
Bailey's after the dinner which is great to sip on.
Other entertainment options included videogames and gambling
but I did't try eirher, I watched another film instead,
Georgia Rule which was a nice film. The Airshow map was on
as well and there were also bird's eye view and nose view
cameras. A lot of people went to sleep after dinner but I
stayed up. The flight attendants were friendly and efficient
and came back every hour offering drinks to keep us from
getting too dehydrated. They offered mostly water but also
apple and orange juice. Very nice!
Towels were giving out in the morning right before breakfast
was served about 90 minutes before arrival. Breakfast was an
assortment of cold cut ham and cheese along with yoghurt and
a muffin.
One I took note of during the flight was that the overhead
bins in the center section of the aircraft were about 25 %
longer than the overhead bins on the side. I have never
noticed that before and may be a feature on newer 777s, this
aircraft having been delivered in Feb07.
Routing was a normal Transatlantic routing from Washington
over Boston over New Foundland, Northern Ireland,
Birmingham, straight over Amsterdam past Dresden, east of
Prague before turning south for descent and later landing at
Vienna.
All in All, a very nice experience with Austrian and it
reminded me a lot of my experience with Lauda Air from
Feb98. Austrian in 2007 had the same entertainment system as
Lauda had in 1998; not sure if that says more great things
about Lauda in 1998 or less good things about Austrian in
2007.......
Date: 8 November 2007
Route: New York (JFK)
%u2013 Mumbai (BOM)
Distance: 7799mi
Flight:
AI 140
Flight Time: 13:43h
Dep. Time: 21:30
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/LR
Registration:
VT-ALB
Dep. Gate: A 4 (T4)
Seat: 26H
I arrived from Washington around 13:00 and did some spotting
mostly at Terminal 1 before heading to Terminal 4 to check
in with Air India. I got there at about 16:25 and was told
that check in for
AI 140 would be open in about five minutes. All
the signs were with the new
AI logo and separate counters for the two flights
(the other being a flight to
LHR,
DEL and ATQ). The people collecting passport
information also tagged the carry on with tags saying
Nonstop.
The line for check in was short but the agents at the front
had to deal with issues for the other flight so it took
about 30 minutes to check in. The agent gave me a choice of
seats which is always nice when flying stand by and I got a
window seat. I went thru security and headed to the gate
right way. I did some spotting from the end of the concourse
by gate A6. Even though it was dark I was able to get some
interesting numbers like EuroFly 332 and Emirates 77W.
Boarding started already at 20:00, about 90 minutes before
departure (!!) which is very early. Most airlines board not
more than 45-60 minutes before departure and I decided to
board early. There were not many people on board and
boarding even after boarding was completed at about 21:10.
Even though the door closed at about 21:15, we sat and
waited for push back until departure time.
The aircraft was very nice; nice legroom with foot rest,
seat was comfortable. The PTV screen was large. There was
also a bag at with a water bottle at every seat. The flight
attendants distributed amenity kits containing socks,
shades, ear plugs and mouth wash. Later, a small flashlight
was passed out as well to each passenger as an extra
amenity. A bit odd but nice to have when the plane would be
darkened most of the flight and not to many lights so that
people can sleep. Menus were also handed out and a drink
service started as well before we pushed back. I had three
seats for myself and there were sadly not more than 40-50
people in Economy class on this flight. Very nice for me
with three seats for myself which meant I could get some
nice sleep later. The safety demonstration was done by the
flight attendants in person; not on a video.
There were still a lot of departures at
JFK at time of night so we did not take off until
22:15. While taxing the flight attendants gave us a cold
refreshing towel; most airlines give a hot towel but nice
nonetheless. The outside forward camera were also on at this
time which was nice. The flight attendants were mostly young
and were beautiful, not the old women that I heard are so
common on
AI. They were very friendly and had nice saris on
in different colors. Very nice.
Take off was very powerful with the engines of the -300/ER
but only the length of a -200. Our light load helped as well
and we were soon in the air. The airshow map only showed
metric scale and were a 9300m in 20 minutes after take off.
Dinner was served 30 minutes after take off with the drinks
offered after the meal, not during. I had Hydrabadi Gosht
Korma (succulent pieces of lamb cooked in spicy gravy served
with Navratan Pulao) which also came with a salad, rice,
yoghurt, paratha and papad. For desert Semiya Malai
(vermicelli cooked in a sweetened milk and garnished with
nuts) and tea. The dinner was excellent; perfect spicy and
very nice bread, a bit sweeter than a regular bun. Mood
lightning was on shortly after dinner.
I started to watch explore the entertainment options and
they were many. The headsets were great; what you get in C
or F on other airlines, great sound. I watched A Good Year,
Catch & Release before I decided to sleep. Air India has a
separate entertainment magazine entitled Non-stop
entertainment and they showcase very well the different
movies,
TV programs, music and games. The system has AVOD
(Audio Video On Demand) and was okay to operate but could be
a bit more user friendly. Audio selection was lacking a bit
in my opinion but they do have a lot of Indian music but I
don't really care for that since I'm not Indian.
I slept for about four-five hours before I woke up and
watched Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman,
one of my favorite movies. It's nice that some airlines
offer classic movies as well as the newer ones. Soon after
there was time for breakfeast and which came with fruit
juice, oven fresh breads and fresh fruit. Very nice. We had
made it to 11300m at this time.
I slept some more and about 90 minutes before arrival lunch
was served and I had Roast Sliced Leg of Lamb with Red Wine
and Mushroom sauce. I was so hungry that I forgot to take a
picture before I ate...It came with roast potatoes, yoghurt
and papad as well as a fruit tartlet for desert. This lunch
was almost better than the dinner and again the drink
service was about ten minutes before the meal but with water
offered during the meal.
Service was excellent and at one time during the flight, a
middle aged Indian man shouted to the purser: This is
excellent service!! This is really excellent service!! I
couldn't agree more.
The flight attendants came around several times during the
flight offering water which was nice. We circled Mumbai for
about 15 minutes due to traffic and later saw fireworks just
before we touched down, this due to the Devali (??) holiday.
Cabin was sprayed before arrival. We had a smooth landing
and a quick taxi to the gate.
Routing was over Boston, south of Iceland, London,
Amsterdam, Budapest, Timisoara, Constanza, Trabzon, north of
Tehran, Zahedi, Karachi straight to Mumbai.
Date: 10 November 2007
Route: Mumbai (BOM)
– London (LHR)
Distance: 4487mi
Flight:
9W 120
Flight Time: 9:25h
Dep. Time: 02:33
Aircraft: Boeing777-300/ER
Registration:
VT-JEG
Dep. Gate: 6
Seat: 39K
As soon as I arrived from New York, I looked for the
transfer desk for Jet Airways. It took me about five minutes
to get there but there was no on there. I asked an airport
official and he pointed out a supervisor for Jet who helped
me. I showed him my e-ticket receipt and passport and after
looking that over he called on his cellphone and 10 minutes
later I had a boarding pass in my hand. The transit area in
BOM is not great but there were some souvenir
shops and a two or three restaurants. Every gate has a
lounge with darkened windows with secured access and it was
dark so no possibilities for spotting. I did manage to see a
Kenya Airways 777 arriving.
Boarding was very orderly and started about an hour before
departure. I was among the last to board because of being
towards the front in Y class. The flights was perhaps 70-80
percent full but I still managed to get three seats for
myself with me in the window. Very nice! I should be able to
get some sleep on this flight as well.
It was very impressive stepping on board a teak floor rather
than the usual carpet. This was a stand up bar for business
class and I walked past the business class section to my
seat. The business class section was in a 2-4-2 fishbone
pattern like on
AC and
NZ unlike
AI who has the capsule seats in J like
AZ,
PK to name a few.
The seat was very comfortable and leg room was similar to
AI. No leg rest though. Staff was friendly and
efficient and with very striking uniforms with yellow long
jackets. The uniform seemed more western but still nice. I
also noted that some of the flight attendants were not
Indian but probably from the Philippines. Even the Indian
flight attendants were not as attractive as the ones on
AI. The aircraft was brand new; delivered about a
week earlier on 2 November 2007 which was very nice.
I was given a cold towel before we pushed back just like on
AI. Perhaps an Indian specialty ? We were also
given candy and a bottle of lemon juice. An amenity kit was
also handed out along with a menu when we had pushed back.
The amenity kit had socks, shades, earplugs, toothpaste and
toothbrush. It came in a rectangular hard plastic case which
was different but nice; I can probably make use of the case
for carrying something now.
I did see an
AI 77W while were taxing to depart and a few other
more
AI 310s. Just before us was another
9W 77W to Brussels and Newark but I couldn’t get
the registration of that. I tried the lemon juice during
taxi it was absolutely awful; what I imagine dishwater would
taste like when you have used lemons scented soap.
Take off was impressive as always with those GE90-115s and
we climbed fast as well. There was no outside camera on
9W which is too bad. It’s a feature that I enjoy
particularly during taxing and on approach. The menu said we
would have a refreshment rather than a dinner and about 30
minutes after take off, this refreshment was served. I had
Awadhi Chicken Croissant (Tender morsels of chicken cooked
in enclosed container with crean, encased in rich croissant
dough and baked, served warm). It also came with desert,
Fruit Kheer, which didn’t look appetizing so I didn’t try
it. The meal also came with a thicker napkin like on
UU and that was nice. Also included were after
meal mints seeds which was different but oaky. Drinks served
after the meal and I asked for an Indian beer but like on
AI, got a Tiger beer which seems to come from
Singapore…The beer was given to me without even offering a
glass…..The meal was good as a refreshment but left me a
little hungry…
The Airshow map was on and was the new system called iExplor
which is very nice. The headsets were more regular (cheaper)
than on
AI but still okay. The control for the
entertainment system was much easier to navigate than
AI’s. The entertainment options were less on
9W than on
AI though. There was theme called The Greatest
Heists and I watched The Italian Job which was good. By this
time we had made it up to 34 000 feet with mood lightning on
and we would late make it up to 36 000 feet before we
started our descent.
I decided to sleep for a few hours and was happy that the
pillows were slightly thinker on
AI. I slept for about three hours which was nice.
The seats recline a lot but thankfully not as much as on
EK. I woke up and watched the Airshow map and was
waiting for drinks to be offered but to no avail. I then
went to the galley where there was a stand up bar and got
some water.
I was watching Mr Bean’s Holiday when breakfast was served
about 90 minutes before arrival. I had a Spanish Omelette
(Open faced omelette topped with mushrooms, peppers and
potatoes served with barbecued chicken patty and spicy
potato wedges). It also came with a croissant and tea. The
omelette was good particularly the chicken patty which is
very tasty. The croissant was too dry and fell apart a few
times.
Soon descent into
LHR started and we landed about 30 minutes early.
Cabin again was spayed about 10 minutes before landing.
Routing was over Karachi, Tehran, Trabzon, Varna, Prague,
Antwerp to London.
All in all a nice trip. Too bad with not a full meal service
but probably because of the hour of departure.
Date: 10 November 2007
Route: London (LHR)
– Nairobi (NBO)
Distance: 4243mi
Flight:
KQ 101
Flight Time: 7:37h
Dep. Time: 18:49
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/ER
Registration:
5Y-KQT
Dep. Gate: 404
Seat: 29J
I made my way to Terminal 4 as soon as I arrived from
BOM on
9W (see separate trip report). I had purchased a
ticket online but was told I had to pick up a paper ticket
in person at the counter at
LHR so I went directly to the transfer desk for
Kenya Airways and is handled by KLM. The guy there told me
it was too early and to be back at about 13:00. I did a lot
of spotting and eventually got my boarding pass at around
15:00, about four hours before the flight. The ticket would
actually be given to me at boarding time. I did some more
spotting before heading to the gate about 90 minutes before
departure.
Boarding started at about 40 minutes before departure but it
didn’t seem very crowded and was fairly orderly. The flight
was little over half full about 65 % or so with only a few
center seats open. I had a person next to me but the aisle
seat was open. Even when the door had closed, I had ask the
guy to move to the aisle to give us both more space….
All signs were in English and Swahili. The seat was
comfortable and had nice legroom. The screen was a bit small
but about the same as Air France or British Airways. The
seat pocket was much larger than normal which was nice. We
pushed back about ten minutes early and had a short taxi for
departure. During taxi the safety video played and it was an
animation and it was a bit different. Fireworks could also
be seen here and there while taxing, I guess a lot of
Indians live near Heathrow (celebrating Devali) ? I also
noted that most passengers on the flight were not from
Africa but mostly British and Americans.
Take off was to the west and a drink service started about
30 minutes after take off. Most off the flight attendants
were male and were very easy going. Their uniforms were okay
and had some African color combinations in them. I tried a
Kenyan beer called Tusker and asked for Coca Cola and got
two small bottles to go with the mixed nuts. No menus were
given out but shortly thereafter, dinner was served and I
had lamb curry with steamed rice and it was very, very good.
The inflight entertainment options were a bit limited and
not AVOD. There were ten channels and the movies started
every ten minutes and you could request to be reminded when
the movie started next. Very nice feature! There was an
Airshow map but no videogames or outside camera. There was
no remote control and all controls for the system was in the
armrest. Very simple but okay. Lights were not dimmed for at
least an hour or so after dinner even though most people
were trying to sleep. Lights were dimmed eventually but no
mood lightning; just dimmed lights.
I watched The Contract with Morgan Freeman and after that
decided to get some sleep. The pillows were very thin and
having to sleep upright made it difficult to sleep but I
still managed get about 90 minutes of shut eye.
Breakfast was served about 90 minutes before arrival and I
was a bit hungry so I managed to finish most of it before I
took the picure….The tea was way too strong and not great.
It also took a long time, 30 minutes or more before the
flight attendants had collected the trays which was a bit
too long in my opinion.
We eventually made it up to 37 000 feet and descent started
only about 20 minutes before arrival. Ir had rained in the
morning before our arrival it was only about 60 F outside,
probably because of the high altitude. Also to note that
even though the terminal had jet bridges, we parked right
next to one but deplaned thru stairs and walked a few feet
to go up stairs in to the terminal. I noticed later in the
day that this was a common practice for the Kenya Airways
flights but Virgin Atlantic and British Airways used the jet
bridges. Only on
KQ flight (from
AMS) used jet bridge and only to deplane. For
departure at the same gate later, stairs were again used….
To sum it up, it was a nice flight and the flight attendants
were nice and offered nice service.
Date: 5Dec07
Roue: Doha (DOH) – Dubai (DXB)
Distance: 238mi
Flight:
QR 100
Flight Time: 0:39h
Dep. Time: 7:53
Aircraft: 777-300/ER
Registration: A7-BAA
Dep. Gate: 4
Seat: 36K
I had planned to fly on Qatar Airways’ new 777-300/ER for
about two months. The schedules first showed it starting
service on 1Dec07 but about two weeks before, the first
flight was changed to 5Dec07. I had planned days off from
work and couldn’t change them to later. Besides since I was
flying stand by, I couldn’t travel much closer to Christmas
anyway. So I decided to give it a try anyway. I was relieved
when I saw that
QR had taken delivery of the aircraft on 28Nov07.
A first flight for the aircraft for 5Dec07 seemed reasonable
but I knew that things can change very quickly. I set out
this journey hoping that things would work out and that I
would be on the first ever scheduled 777 flight for
QR as well as the first revenue flight for that
aircraft.
As soon as I arrived I went to the transit counter for Qatar
Airways and checked in for the flight. The flight was very
open and the agent gave me a seat right away. I asked if the
aircraft was a 777 and he said probably not since it did not
fly yesterday but the seat map for this flight seemed a bit
different. I told him that I had come a very long way just
to go on the 777 and asked if he could check with someone.
He did and came back three minutes later confirming that
this flight would be flown by the 77W. I noticed that I had
gotten an aisle seat and asked to change to a window which
he did. Very nice!
I went and got something to eat at A & W and then did some
spotting before the monitors showed “Go To Gate”. There were
a few people there already but we had to wait another ten
minutes before the first bus showed up. I had expected a
ribbon cutting ceremony or at least some sort of
announcement to mark this special occasion but nothing was
said or done that normal. I got on and still not quite sure
if this was going to be on the 77W but the bus went the
right way and drove around the aircraft just as the stairs
were put up to door
5L. I climbed the stairs and headed to my seat on
the right hand side on A7-BAA.
First impression was very nice; very comfortable seat, nice
big screen and great legroom.
The seat does not have the winged headrest common on so many
airlines and also not footrests. The entertainment screen
looked different from their A340-600 that I had arrived on
and the 77W features a new improved entertainment system.
The remote control looks the same as United’s new system and
also same as Jet Airways. Also note the location of the
remote control in the seat in front. Every seat also had a
USB port and what looked like a phone jack. Also different
was an extra seat pocket in net where one can put a water
bottle or something small. More people boarded but the
flight was probably only about 70 % full by the time they
closed the doors. There was someone in the aisle seat but
the center seat between us was empty. The person behind me
remarked to his colleague that a flight attendant had told
him that this was the very first revenue flight for a 777
for
QR and for this aircraft. Most people on the
flight were European but there were some Arab people as
well, probably mostly from Doha.
The safety video started but there was no sound…They
restarted the video a few times but still no sound so the
F/As made a manual safety demo. From the short part of the
safety video there was, it looked like the video for the
A340-600…We pushed back two minutes early and was told by
the captain that we would have about a ten minutes taxi
before take off and to expect good weather en route.
I started to explore the entertainment system and noticed
that the air show map was similar to the one previously
experienced on TAAG Angola, which was very nice and
detailed. The take off was very amazing since one could
really feel the power of those GE90-115 engines for this
short and light flight to Dubai. We had a very short take
off roll before we were in the air, perhaps only 10-15
seconds.
As soon as the fasten seat belt sign came off, the flight
attendants were busy handing breakfast. It wasn’t very much
still very nice to be served something on such a short
flight. The flight attendants were mostly European on this
flight but some South Asians as well (Philippinas,
Malaysians). They were very nice and friendly and very
pleasant to be flying with. They were also more personal and
approachable than my experiences on
EK or
SQ.
We leveled off for about two minutes before we started our
descent into Dubai. I had planned on watching something on
the screen but just played around with the system until we
were on the ground. We made a smooth touch down and a fairly
quick taxi to the gate.
I was very happy that this had actually worked and that the
77W did fly as scheduled. Extra bonus to be on the very
first 777 flight for
QR and for that aircraft as well. It was
understandable with the confusion of safety video since this
was the first flight. I really like Qatar Airways a lot and
hope to fly them a lot more in the future. I really hope
that they will fly their 777-200/LRs to Los Angeles
eventually so that I can try that nonstop to/from Doha.
Date: 20Apr09
Route: Sydney-Vancouver
Distance: 7757mi
Flight:
AC 034 Air Canada
Flight Time: 13:24h
Dep. Time: 10:28
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/LR
Registration: C-FIVK
Dep. Gate: 60
Seat: 24C
Movies: Valkyrie, Babine, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Let
The Right Come In
I wanted to try
AC’s 777-200/LR and the easiest way for me to do
that was to fly to
SYD and then fly
SYD-YVR
on the
AC -200/LR.
I apologize for the quality of my pictures since they were
taken with my iPhone but my regular camera is broken and it
looks like I may have to get a new one…..
I did some spotting at the airport and went to the check in
counters at about 8am which was a bit more than 2h before
departure. The line wasn’t long but it wasn’t moving very
fast. It probably took 20 minutes or more before I got to
the counter. The nice agent gave me a seat right away which
was nice since I don’t have to deal with that at the gate.
(I’m flying as a non-rev). I had some information from a
friend at
AC that I should have no problem getting on so I
wasn’t very worried.
It took awhile to get thru passport control and security but
finally I got thru after about 20 minutes wait. I went
directly to the gate and there were some nice views from
there but also very crowded as
EK had their A380 ready to start boarding for
Auckland. I was surprised when I looked at the boarding pass
to see that boarding was supposed to start 1h before
departure which seems like a lot. That time came and went
and another 20 minutes later, an announcement was made
saying that boarding was delayed to to late arriving crew.
Boarding eventually started at around 10am and I was one of
the last to board. Boarding was very quick and the flight
was only three minutes late in push back.
First impression was very good; nice legroom and nice big
screens. Flight was probably 90 % full. I noticed an open
aisle with an open center seat next to it and I switched to
that when the door closed. All announcements were made both
in English and in French since Air Canada is a bi-lingual
airline. People were encouraged to use their own headsets
for the sake of the environment. I have never heard of that
before but I have a really good headset so I used mine.
Take off was powerful as usual on a -200/LR even on this
long flight, just slight shorter (in distance) than my
longest 777 so far, (JFK-BOM).
Soon after take off, a snack was served which was nice.
Great to get the whole can of soda as opposed to some other
carriers. I was busy checking out the entertainment system
and it was very good. It was easy to navigate and the screen
was of good size. The airshow maps was the newer version and
you could zoom in and out plus get information on the flight
eg altitude etc. Moodlighting was on as well.
I started to watch a movie and about 20 minutes after the
drink service, a lunch was served. No menus were given out
but the purser made an announcement what the options were. I
had beef with pasta and it was okay. I usually try the local
beer and I had a Molson which was pretty good. I had tea
afterwards.
Most of the crew were older (in their fifties) but there was
one younger asian flight attendant and she looked VERY nice.
The movie selection was good and I decided to try a movie
from Quebec that’s probably less likely to be watched in Los
Angeles. It was some period piece about the village idiot
and it was okay. Later under World Cinema, I found a Swedish
movie called something like, Let The Right Come In. It took
place in Stockholm in the late 1970s and was some sort of a
thriller but with kids at about 12 years old, the age that I
had been at that time. Very neat to see clothes and things
in a movie from when and where I was a kid! It ran with
English subtitles. It was pretty good.
The crew came around with water about every two hours or so
which was nice. There was also a snack midflight which was a
sandwich. It was packaged very nice. I was getting tired and
managed to get a little bit of sleep for and hour or so
towards the end of the flight.
About an hour before our arrival in Vancouver, breakfast was
served. I had an omelet with sausage and it was tasty.
Initial altitude was 33 000 feet, later up to 37 000 and at
the end 39 000 feet. Routing was basically over New
Caledonia, western tip of Oahu to Vancouver where we landed
straight in to the east.
All in all a nice flight on Air Canada!
Date: 2 September 2009
Route: Los Angeles – Sydney
Distance: 7488mi
Flight:
DL 017 Dellta Air Lines
Flight Tine: 14:34h
Dep. Time: 22:35
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/LR
Registration: N706DN
Dep. Gate: 58A
Seat: 31F
Movies: Gran Torino, Body Of Lies, Rachel Getting Married,
Casablanca
This is the first trip report in Y on
DL’s 77L from what I can recall.
Ever since this route was announced, I have wanted to try
this route. Even though I’m not quite well, I figured that I
can still fly there and fly right back so I wouldn’t have to
stay away that long. I decided to go in early September
since most of the northern summer travel season would be
over by that time and the loads would be lighter.
Originally, I was supposed to have gone with my friend
DeltaSFO but he couldn’t go due to school at Berkeley.
The check in line for
DL wasn’t too long and even though I wasn’t quite
sure of where to go, a
DL agent quickly pointed me in the right
direction. I waited less than five minutes before I was
called up to the counter. He checked me in after asking me
if I had an ETA (Electronic Visa) for Australia. I got my
seat request card showing YJ for class so I had some hopes
of getting Business Elite on this flight. Last time I flew
DL, about ten years ago, the agent at the gate in
ATL gave me a seat in Business Elite in the then
month old 777-200/ER.
I headed upstairs to the gates and there was long line thru
security. Even worse, it moved very slowly. After about 15
minutes, two more lanes thru security were opened and about
five minutes later, I got thru. I was at the airport about
two hours before departure so I still had lots of time
before boarding.
I looked around the terminal for a few minutes before I took
a seat very close to the podium for my flight to
SYD. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft came in from
ATL and as usual was towed to the gate from the
taxiway.
Delta Air Lines have screens in the gate area giving
information about the flight and also how many seats that
are left in each class of service. I noticed that Business
Elite was less than 25 % full and Y was about 2/3 full. I
also noted my name on the waiting list and that I was second
from last. I also noted the boarding time to be at 22:05,
only 30 minutes
before departure. That seemed like a very short time to
board the aircraft, most airlines board international
widebody aircraft 45 minutes before (Air India 90 minutes)
before departure.
About 15 minutes before boarding the waiting list for seats
changed and next to each name was a seat number. I noticed
quickly that I was the only one out of about 25 to have a
seat in Economy class. I went to the podium to ask for my
boarding pass since the seat was assigned but the agernt
told me to wait for my name to be called. Boarding actually
started a few minutes early at about 40 minutes before
departure. The lead agent for the flight made a phone call
to load planning at about 20 minutes before departure and
got the okay that all standbys would be able to go. At this
time, the two agents started to call names and I was one of
the last to approach the podium. I mentioned my name the man
gave me my boarding pass. I asked him if I could possibly
upgrade to J and he checked with the lead agent who said
“no, he has a ticket in Economy so that’s where he’ll be
sitting”. I asked there where any window seats and was told
there wasn’t any left. I got my boarding pass back and
boarded the flight. The flight went out with 4 empty seats
in Business Elite.
The aircraft still had the “new aircraft smell” and looked
very nice on the inside. Even though I was in seat 31F, that
ended up being the row behind the first bulkhead in Economy
class. The seat next to me was empty which was nice but
almost expected when the flight is only two thirds full. A
bit odd that the bulkhead was completely white without any
logo or company colors at all.
Seats were leather or probably fake leather and seemed very
comfortable at first. Legroom was good and a nice big screen
in front of me. There was a blanket and pillow on every
seat. Flight attendants were giving out headsets but I had
my own form my iPhone that works really well. A nice feature
was that the volume control for the inflight entertainment
system was done thru a pop up touch screen on the video
screen. Same for the overhead light and flight attendant
call button. Very smart! So the only thing in the arm rest
was the audio jack.
A person in front of me had some small talk with a flight
attendant and it gave some interesting information; there
were 10 F/As on the flight and they all had about 24-25
years of seniority and they all looked like they were close
to 50. Not sure if they all had started with
DL or if some of them had started with Western or
other airlines.
We pushed on time and then a fairly quick tasi to 25R for
departure. We had a fairly long take off roll due to the
long flight ahead. Probably about ten miles out we turned
south. Orginally the Airshow map showed a flight time of 16h
but that changed after perhaps 45 minutes of flight. The
person in front of me soon reclined so I had to do the same
to keep my personal space and the recline was nice and it
pushes the seat cushion forward as well to keep you
comfortable. A see-through curtain separated Business Elite
from the Economy cabin.
About 45 minutes after take off, dinner was served and they
started with the first row in economy which was just in
front of me. Beef, chicken or pasta were the three choices
and I chose beef. I also asked what beer the had and the F/A
mentioned several brands but nothing too exciting but I
noticed a can on the trolley that looked different and asked
if I could have that. She said sure and I also got a glass
of Coca-Cola. The beer turned out to be Antartica which
apparently is a Brazilian beer and it turned out to be very
good. Beer and wine were available at no cost, stronger
liquor cost 7.00 dollars. One feature that was not so good
with the seat is that the tray table does not move
back/forward at all. That makes it a bit inconvenient when
you eat. Salad was good but I didn’t see the dressing for it
at first and only found the dressing after I had finished
the salad…….The beef was actually Beef Bourginone with
steamed rice and was very good! It was also a good size
portion. Desert was a chocolate chip cookie which was tasty.
Later, they came around with a coffee service and I had some
tea.
I started watching the first movie, Gran Torino, which was
very good. After dinner the cabin lights were turned off and
there was no mood lighting, surprising for a new aircraft
like this one.
About half-way thru the flight, a snack was served which was
a sandwhich and it was very tasty. I had a glass of
Coca-Cola again and was not offered the can this time
either.
I tried to sleep a little bit later and managed to get an
hour or two at the most.
About two hours before landing, a breakfast was served and
it was tasty as well. I had French toast with syrup. I
checked the time and found that I would be able to watch
Casablanca before we landed which I did. It’s one of my
favorite movies of all time.
It started to turn daylight at this time but it was
overcast. We started the descent and flew straight in from
the ocean rather than over land like the last time I was
there in April. A smooth landing and a short taxi to the
gate concluded my longest flight to date.
Cruising altitude was only 32 000 feet initially and that
only changed about after the midflight snack and gradually
we eventually made it up to 36 000 feet before we started
our descent.
Routing was east of Hawaii, west of Samoa and straight over
New Caledonia to Sydney.
I did some spotting from the excellent observation deck
before I checked in for my return flight home to Los
Angeles.
Date : 29Sep09
Route : Dubai to Los Angeles
Distance : 8339 Miles
Flight :
EK 215 Emirates
Flight Time : 16:08h
Dep. Time : 9:05
Aircraft : Boeing 777-200/LR
Registration : A6-EWG
Dep. Gate : 223
Seat : 27K
Movies : New In Town, The Proposal
This is another route that I have wanted to try since it was
launched about a year ago.
I made it to Dubai and stayed in the transit area all night
until I was able to check in for the flight at about 6: 00
in the morning. There were a lot of people arriving at that
time and there were only two agents trying to take care of
about 50-100 passengers. There were no clear lines and it
was very chaotic. About twenty minutes later, the lines were
shorter and more agents finally arrived. I finally got to
talk to an agent who checked me in and told me that I would
my boarding pass at the gate. The gate had also just changed
to 223 from 120. This was important as 120 is in terminal 1
and 223 about 15 minutes away in terminal 3. At this time I
discovered that the battery for my camera was almost dead. I
tried to buy new batteries but was told that batteries are
not sold at Dubai Airport. That's the reason I didn't take
that many pictures for this trip report.
I did some more spotting before heading to the gate at about
7: 30. Boarding started a few minutes later into the gate
room. When there was no line about 20 minutes later I
approached the first podium for my seat assignment which I
got from another agent. All the fellow passengers were still
in the gate room and this was a 8:20 departure. No
announcements were made and exactly at 8:20, people were
allowed to board the aircraft.
I had a window seat and was one of the first 30 people to
board. Emirates configures their 777s with 3-4-3 in Economy
class but compensates this with more legroom. The seat was
also very comfortable. Legroom was really good and I looked
at the contents of the seatpocket while people were
boarding. The inflight magazine was very thin; about half
the size of the Duty Free catalogue. There was also the ICE
booklet which was very informative.
I also discovered that the jack for the headphones was
double pin jack and that my excellent iPhone headseat would
not work well. I therefore had to use the ones Emirates
provided. Not so great in my opinion. A nice feature is that
you can play your iPhone content on ICE just by using a USB
port. Very good!
The flight attendants were coming around with thick, hot
towels which was very nice. They also handed out amenity
kits which were very nice. It does not have any
EK logo on it so it's easy to use for something
after the flight. Just before we pushed back, the captain
made an announcement explaing the delay. He said that the
aircraft got to the gate late and that was the reason for
the delay. He also apologized. The seat next to me remained
open which made for a much more pleasant experience than if
it had been taken.
We finally pushed at 9:05; 45 minutes late and then a quick
taxi to the runway where we took off towards the desert. It
was a very long take off roll as could be expected for such
a long flight. Soon afterwards, we turned left and followed
the coast of the UAE before crossing the Strait of Hormuz,
over Bandar Abbas and Kerman northwards.
Breakfast was served which was great. I had the Breakfast
Grill which included grilled chicken, turkey bacon, potato
hash brown and baked beans. It also came with seasoned fruit
and croissant. I had some tea with that and a Seven Up
(large can).
I mostly looked at the Airshow map in the beginning and it
was fascinating with the route we were taking. We continued
northward over Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, over Chelyabinsk and
Yekatrinburg, Russia. I watched two movies while we
continued north to the Arctic Sea.
I was very tired since I didn't sleep the night before and
managed to sleep for about 8 h on this 16h flight. We flew
over the North Pole and made landfall close to Barrow,
Alaska. We continued south past Mount McKinley and into the
Gulf of Alaska by Cordova. We continued south over the
Pacific ocean and made land fall again over Santa Cruz
California. We continued towards Los Angeles where we
arrived from the north and landed towards to west, on 24R.
Initial cruising altitude was at 31 000 ft, later going up
to 37 000 ft. Most people including me, closed their window
shades after a few hours. As the cabin got darker, I noticed
that there was no mood lighting but there was a "starry
sky"!! Yes, small lights in the ceiling that even formed
constellations! Very nice! It was not possible to see these
small lights in broad daylight. Very clever!
The crew was very friendly and much nicer than my previous
experiences on Emirates. Most of them seemed young; under
25.
There was a mid-flight snack which was a Chicken Tikka wrap
but I was asleep when it was served. There were also snacks
in the galley in between the regular meal times.
A pre-lunch snack was served.
About an hour before arrival, lunch was served. I didn't
feel that well at that time but chose the Lamb curry. I just
took a bit and it was a bit spicy so I decided that it was
probably a good idea for me not to finish it. The lunch also
came with Salad Nicoise and a desert; Green Apple and Almond
Dream. I had a piece of bread and asked for a Pepsi and was
given a small can......I also had a small piece of chocolate
that came with the meal.
About 30 minutes before arrival, they showed a very detailed
video of how to fill out the US immigration forms and the
customs form. Very good with such detailed video!
Passengers on the flight were in four different catagories;
families connecting from India and Pakistan, people
connecting from Iran, people connecting from Ethiopia and
very few American-born passengers.
Many of the kids were roaming around the cabin freely and
it's worth noting that two out of six lavatories were closed
down in economy class. I thought that only happened on Air
India or PIA (which actually did not happen on my flights on
AI or
PK.)
All in all a great flight with a fascinating routing and my
longest flight to date.
Thanks for reading!
The777Man