Crdaus From Australia, joined Jan 2006, 136 posts, RR: 1 Posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 12118 times:
I travel to conferences in San Francisco and Boston once each year. This trip was using QF frequent flyer points so I had to book the flights eons ago. I ended up with business class on QF424 (MEL-SYD), 1st class on QF73 (SYD-SFO), paid economy plus on UA172 (SFO-BOS), 1st class on BA188 (EWR-LHR) and 1st class on QF30 (LHR-HKG-MEL). As it turned out, coming home the "long" way via LHR and HKG only added a couple of hours extra elapsed than flying via SFO or LAX because of poor connections in those ports and the longer flying times inherent in flying in a westerly direction. This is part 1 of my Round The World trip report.
I didn't take any pics of QF424 or facilities at Sydney 1st class lounge, because there isn't much worth recording about short domestic QF flights or the temporary 1st class lounge in Sydney.
However, what is worth reporting is that QF73 (a 744) had un-expected Aussie celebrity passengers in 1A and 1K (I was seated in 2A) on the day of my flight. No less than Kim Beasley in 1A and Kevin Rudd in 1K! I believe both these passengers had been upgraded because I had checked the seating 24 hours earlier and 1A and 1K were vacant and in fact only 4 pax in 1st at that time. The day of the flight saw 10. Also, Kim and Kevin were not travelling together and, in fact Kevin was stunned to see Kim seated across from him. Anyway, Aussie good nature was evident especially with plenty of Krug on offer.........although Kevin was more pre-occupied with reading copious amounts of literature he brought onto the plane, including the Obama book "The Audacity of Hope"!
Now for the flights. Check in at MEL domestic was flawless with boarding passes for both QF424 and QF73 being issued and luggage checked through to SFO as would be expected. I can't remember much about the QF424 flight except that it was a comfortable ride on a 767.
QF73 was notable partly because of the Aussie celebrities but also because the service and food was excellent.
Before takeoff, Krug champagne with olives and almonds.
The usual hand outs of menu, wine list, sleeping suits, etc. followed, but the amenity kit was simply a waste of time given that it contained only a few creams. Essentials like a shaving kit were delivered a-la-carte. How stupid. The new slippers are also a joke, but more about that later.
Here is a pic
of the new slippers featuring a velco base to reduce slipping.
The problem is that when I wore them to the washroom, it felt like they were sticking to something yucky on the floor!
For lunch I chose the Prawn and Celeriac Remoulade:
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Notice the usual bread roll (warm) with olive oil and balsamic.
For main course, I chose the Seared Salmon with Radish, Celery and Lemon Salsa served with Kipfler Potatoes and Chilli Eggplant:
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I also had a small mixed green salad with Palm Sugar Vinaigrette. Delicious!
By this time it was about 4:30 pm and about three hours had elapsed flying east across the Pacific, so not surprisingly the sun was setting
The mood lighting inside the cabin was now noticeable as I sampled the cheese platter accompanied with De Bortoli Noble One, my only departure from Krug on this flight.
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A beautiful selection of cheese.
Following the cheese platter, I had the Assiette of desserts:
consisting of chocolate cheese cake, stewed pears garnished with almond slithers, and summer berries with custard.
Then it was time to turn on the VOD system.
I noticed with some annoyance that my Bose noise cancelling headphones no longer fit into the VOD audio socket, but anyway QF supply their own completely adequate noise cancelling headphones. It didn't matter much as I couldn't keep my eyes open to watch anything and within a short time fell asleep and didn't wake up until about three hours out of SFO – not bad considering the flight is over 12 hours.
For breakfast, I had my favourites:
bircher muesli and mixed fresh fruit with pear juice
followed by croissant and cappuccino. I had eaten so much food earlier I just couldn't face the full-on breakfast of eggs, etc.
Soon we were approaching the USA coast with SFO in the distance:
The passenger in 1K was still reading profusely:
Anyone would think he was swatting for exams!
About to cross the CA coastline:
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Approaching the Bay from the west:
Note the San Andreas fault.
Over "Silicon Valley" just before turning left for approach to SFO:
On final approach descent:
Taxing to SFO terminal:
Processing through immigration at SFO was swift. Certainly SFO is preferable to LAX as first port of call.
Overall, a very pleasant experience. Well done Qantas.
1 EK20: Nice concise report. Looking forward to the next bit.
2 767747: Great report and pictures!! Looking forward to Part 2. 767747
3 CXtra: What a coincidence! Just be thankful the PM wasn't headed to the States as well.. Anyway, thanks for the account as well as all your other OW J/F rep
4 TurkishWings: Great report... Looking forward to the following trip reports... Who are they? A question about First Class: Do they serve you meals at certain times
5 Dimoko: this was a great report, i am very very hungry now.
6 Superfly: Crdaus: Great report! I like the photo of the San Andreas fault. That hiway that scales along (I-280) is a beautiful hiway and great for speeding.
8 Crdaus: There is a clue in one of the pics as to who Kevin Rudd might be. Can you find it? He is an Australian politician, in fact the "Leader of the Opposti
9 Crdaus: On this flight, the main food services are scheduled, i.e. cocktails before takeoff and immediately following seat belt signs being extinguished afte
10 Fbgdavidson: Great pictures! The food certainly looks pretty decent, and Krug....yummy! Am I right in saying on QF the F seats are parallel to the cabin wall as op
11 Crdaus: Yes, the seats are parallel to the cabin wall - not a very efficient configuration, and not as good as the BA herringbone pattern which is more priva
12 QantasAirways: Hey!! Thanks heaps for the report.. and the pics!! I really enjoyed reading it Cheers
13 QANTASforever: Heh - I highly HIGHLY doubt he would be flying commerical. He'd have the sleeper seats stuck into his BBJ. QFF
15 QANTASforever: They're a bit like him really. Press his buttons correctly and he'll completely fold. QFF
16 Tbear815: As always, an interesting and entertaining read. Your photos of approach to SFO actually had my home in them! As to the San Andreas fault, I've felt t
17 CXtra: I know that when travelling to the UK at least, Howard does fly QF F. Or he certainly used to, if the UK TV show Airline is anything to go by. I don'
18 Crdaus: Thanks Rod. You might be interested to learn than my first international flight was in 1972 on a Pan Am 707 out of MEL to HNL. Then onto SFO on a Pan
19 BA319-131: Great part 1, decent report and photo's, many thanks. Look forward to the next installment! Rgds Mark
20 Tbear815: Interesting about 1972.....That year was my first trip to Australia! BOAC VC-10 AKL/SYD, TAA 727-100 SYD/MEL/Adelaide/PER/SYD (I spent two days in eac
Superfly From United States, joined May 2000, 29919 posts, RR: 88 Reply 21, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 9702 times:
Quoting Tbear815 (Reply 20): Interesting about 1972.....That year was my first trip to Australia! BOAC VC-10 AKL/SYD, TAA 727-100 SYD/MEL/Adelaide/PER/SYD
Do you have photos from that trip?
That would be cool to read about a trip report from 1972.
I was an embryo in 1972 and was on a SAS DC-8 and SAS DC-9.
It may have been Chicago-Copenhagen-Zurich.
I do have pictures from that trip on slides.
Crdaus From Australia, joined Jan 2006, 136 posts, RR: 1 Reply 24, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 9457 times:
Quoting Tbear815 (Reply 20): Is there still the Southern Cross Hotel in MEL? I think Tullamarine had just opened when I was there..
The Southern Cross Hotel lay closed and in disrepair for many years, but has now been re-developed into a swish office building. I am not sure how long MEL has been operating.
I have fond memories of those days. Not only was the Pan Am flight on the 707 in December 1972 my first international flight, it was only my second flight ever! The previous year I had flown once from MEL to Launceston - and that was my first flight. I was a very nervous flyer in those days probably because I was working as a computer programmer at Ansett Airlines on their engineering records system (Rotable Components) and knew what could go wrong! Mind you, I still marvel at how planes actually fly. When I was growing up I used to go to Essendon Airport at weekends to watch the takeoff and landings and sit around the TAA terminal watching people and gathering glossy brochures. One time a BOAC Comet had just landed from Hawaii and tanned passengers disemabarked with leis around their necks. I fantasised about how exciting it would be to fly, especially to far off places overseas - a dream I realised only a few years later.
By the way, if you are interested in Pan Am memorabilia, there is a Melbourne born comedienne, now based in London, with the stage name of "Pam Ann". If you ever get a chance to see her perform I urge you to attend. She wears the Pan Am uniform looking like the hostess out of 2001: a space odyssey and send up all the airlines. She is hilarious.
QANTASforever From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 25, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 9439 times:
Quoting CXtra (Reply 17): I know that when travelling to the UK at least, Howard does fly QF F. Or he certainly used to, if the UK TV show Airline is anything to go by. I don't know, though, post 9-11 this may have changed..
Yes, things have changed. He has his BBJs now, and will soon have a couple of A330s to play around with.
N178UA From Australia, joined Jan 2001, 1419 posts, RR: 75 Reply 29, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 9004 times:
The food serving sizes looks small compare to Thai or Emirates. I recently flown QF J to HKG from SYD the food was aweful and small in servings. The Chinese duck soup was disgusting most pax end up didn't touch it. (they serve that in lieu of apartizer, very cheaply done)
Crdaus From Australia, joined Jan 2006, 136 posts, RR: 1 Reply 30, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 8891 times:
Quoting N178UA (Reply 29): The food serving sizes looks small compare to Thai or Emirates. I recently flown QF J to HKG from SYD the food was aweful and small in servings. The Chinese duck soup was disgusting most pax end up didn't touch it. (they serve that in lieu of apartizer, very cheaply done)
The food servings may look small, but I found them to be quite filling. Maybe it was all the Krug that I drank.....
Tbear815 From United States, joined Jun 2003, 704 posts, RR: 7 Reply 31, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 8833 times:
N178UA -
Please go back and read the first class menus for the flights involved. Being longer, there are more choices and, of course, first class is a totally different atmosphere than J. The F product with QF gives the passenger the opportunity to select what they wish in the time frame they desire. Of course, that's what F is all about compared to J. Please read some J trip reports and compare them to Crdaus' reports in F. The detail with which Crdaus describes his journeys would make a PR writer for QF blush. Long Trans-Pacific and Trans-Asian flights in First Class have to anticipate what a well seasoned traveler should expect from a 4-5 star airline - and the competition is great! From HKG/LHR you've got BA, CX, QF, NZ, VS, and others I'm sure can get you to LON whether LHR or LGW. They've got to be good if not superb.
We members at airliners.net are fortunate to have some of the most sophisticated fliers reporting back to us - and their commentary regarding service, seats, cuisine, inflight amenities, ground services, lounges, and immigration/customs is flawless. And hopefully the airlines are reading their reports as these trip reports are as good as it gets. Regrettably your Chinese duck soup in J was disgusting, but it might have been a bad day. By your writing a report, it just may get back to QF catering and inflight.
Read Crdaus, Fbgdavidson, RoseFlyer, Christao17, Lufthansa747, Carfield, and others and see what the extremely frequent fliers have to say. When they are in business or coach/economy, they take things as the come. They don't make a scene or raise their voices. Their trip reports speak for themselves - and they are all gentlemen about the entire experience. This is what flying should be - we read about the "cattle classes." Rise above, my friend. Take what you get, then when you arrive, write your honest trip report. And hopefully the airline will read it and act on it. If they don't read our top trip reporters, then they are bloody idiots! That's what it's all about - getting the airline to take notice - and appreciate your business.
Superfly From United States, joined May 2000, 29919 posts, RR: 88 Reply 32, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 8819 times:
Quoting Tbear815 (Reply 31): Read... Lufthansa747.... and others and see what the extremely frequent fliers have to say. When they are in business or coach/economy, they take things as the come.
Unless they had a few drinks on board.
I must say, Lufthansa747 was very helpful in terms of matching flights, reg numbers, aircraft type and all other purchasing procedures on my last Bangkok trip.
Thanks again Lari.
N178UA From Australia, joined Jan 2001, 1419 posts, RR: 75 Reply 33, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 8468 times:
Chill Tbear815. My comment is base on my experiences. I do 90 flights a year mostly long hauls. You can do a search under my username in TR report. I contributed a few TR too (only airlines that I am interested and found it worthwhile) but not every flight
I appreciate all the report and efforts of posting from all fellow members, but surely there is room to make comments base on my own experiences, hopping, like you said, airlines may take notice about them.
Bill142 From Australia, joined Aug 2004, 7302 posts, RR: 12 Reply 34, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 8450 times:
Quoting QANTASforever (Reply 25): He has his BBJs now, and will soon have a couple of A330s to play around with.
Unless he wants to go swimming in Av gas for 14 hours I don't think he'll do much with them. No doubt security will 'insist' on any current or future Prime Minister to take the BBJ over a commercial flight.
If you tune to channel 88.4 you can listen to my thoughts.
Tbear815 From United States, joined Jun 2003, 704 posts, RR: 7 Reply 36, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 8383 times:
Sam,
I certainly know of your dedication to aviation. I personally feel that your photography is the finest one can find on A.net. When I see "photography by Sam Chui" it instantly sparks my interest in viewing your work. Inflight cuisine is a very touchy subject. It has to do with preparation, serving, and cultural differences. Reading reports of flights such as SQ's Indian cuisine (for example) only make me more interested in style and preparation. Each airline has different requirements of their caterers, often resulting in very mediocre to poor results. I do apologize if in some way I've offended you. The subtle arts and nuances of Asian cuisine often do not translate well to aircraft reconstitution and quality.
I applaud your contribution to aviation photography and enjoy your postings. I did not realize your "user name." Please accept my humble contrition and know that I respect what you do and have enjoyed your prior trip reports.
N178UA From Australia, joined Jan 2001, 1419 posts, RR: 75 Reply 37, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 8377 times:
Hey Rod, no offence taken at all. My original post was a bit blunt to say the best, I enjoy viewing some TR here during a long business day. (I work 11-12 hrs a day in an office) and really appreciate people who travel and find time to post their report here to share with us. You're right with the inflight cruisine comment. It is a touchy subject. I believe paying big bucks for First class and to serve those seasoned travellers, the food should at least exceed some good restaurant's.
B747forever From United States, joined May 2007, 14266 posts, RR: 12 Reply 40, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 8113 times:
Chris78cpr From United Kingdom (England), joined Feb 2004, 2706 posts, RR: 57 Reply 43, posted (2 years 6 months 1 week 21 hours ago) and read 7768 times:
Great report. I have some FF miles burning a hole in my pocket and im thinking of including a leg in QF F. I look forward to the next reports.
Chris
Canon 5D2 + 1D2 with other bodies and lots of L glass.
AirlineBrat From United States, joined Jan 2005, 564 posts, RR: 1 Reply 44, posted (2 years 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 5194 times:
Great trip report. I read your RTW journey out of order with this one being the last. My apologies on your not so fine experience flying UA between SF and BOS. My father and stepmother are retired UA employees. UA used to be a world class airline but I noticed changes for the worse starting about the mid-1990's. Since 9/11, UA has gotten to the point that I don't like flying on the airline for much more than 2 or 3 hours. I have flown on QF and BA in the past 7 years and felt both airlines were top notch. I found the QF flight crew to be the most hospitable and warmest folks I have met in all my travels. They made the 13 hour long flight between LAX to SYD relatively enjoyable. I really felt like I was in Australia before I got there.
In your image entitled.... About to cross the CA coastline: ..... you can see Half Moon Bay and Princeton Harbor in the upper left section. I went to High School in HMB. You can almost see the world famous surf spot... Mavericks. If you see the little bit of land touching the upper left edge of the photograph, it is right about there or a smidgen below there. Where you pointed out the San Andreas Fault, the long and narrow water body you see there is called Christal Springs. It provides water for much of the SF Peninsula. It is a great place to go running.
I'm leavin on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again....
Crdaus From Australia, joined Jan 2006, 136 posts, RR: 1 Reply 45, posted (2 years 3 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 4848 times:
Quoting AirlineBrat (Reply 44):
In your image entitled.... About to cross the CA coastline: ..... you can see Half Moon Bay and Princeton Harbor in the upper left section. I went to High School in HMB. You can almost see the world famous surf spot... Mavericks. If you see the little bit of land touching the upper left edge of the photograph, it is right about there or a smidgen below there. Where you pointed out the San Andreas Fault, the long and narrow water body you see there is called Christal Springs. It provides water for much of the SF Peninsula. It is a great place to go running
thank you for your feedback. I am encouraged that people are still reading my trip reports posted so long ago. You know, San Francisco was the first overseas city I ever visited (in 1972) and I have been back many, many times including to the areas you mentioned. It is my favourite USA city and I have made many friends there.
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