This would probably the first trip report that I have written which does not include an Indian airport  

Back in April/May, I had to travel to MNL and BNE for two back to back meetings. To make the trip merrier, I had to dash to the US East coast right after that.

My trusted travel agent back in BLR was at his wits end,trying to chalk up an itinerary that was humane and more importantly for my company , economic (read deeeeep discounted economy fares!!)

My airline of choice while flying east is TG, however TG flights were either full or super expensive as were the SQ ones. The other options were MH (although I did not fancy crossing the ever turbulent Bay of Bengal on a tiny 738!!) or KA/CX. Even with the CX option, he was finding it difficult getting a decent fare to MNL. So in the end he booked a return BLR-HKG-BNE on KA/CX, with a add on HKG-MNL-HKG leg on PR.

This would be my first time ever on KA, CX and PR.

This trip consists of my PR flight from MNL to HKG and CX from HKG to BNE.

Segment#1
MNL-HKG
PR 300
B 747-400

I left my hotel in Makati City at around 05:45 AM for the 08:00 AM departure. A short taxi drive later, I was at the departure level of Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Terminal 2 which is used exclusively by PR. All baggage was scanned before entry and soon I was in the 1980s  

PR had flight specific check in counters, with a board above each counter mentioning the flight number and destination. Counters for flight to PEK and SIN were closing down. One section was dedicated to the flight to SYD. Initially there were 3 counters for the HKG flight, but it soon became 5. There was a person dedicated to change the board on each counter based on instructions that were being shouted out from a centralcontrol desk.

Check in counters for the HKG flight


Counters for the SYD flight


Check in took a while, since a lady ahead of us had some issues with her passport/visa and the check in agent had to take her passport to her supervisor. Thankfully another counter opened soon and I was second in line there. The check in agent tagged my bag all the way to BNE, but I had to collect my CX HKG-BNE boarding pass from HKG transfer desk.

There was a short line to pay the departure tax and at immigration. Luckily I got in just before a big group of Filipino-American teenagers crowded the immigration lines!!

Airside at MNL T2 was disappointing. I had some spare Pesos left and wanted to convert it, but there was no exchange place available. There was a small cafe that dispensed cofee, drink and sandwiches and a teeny-tiny souvneir shop. But the terminal did provide some excellent view of the tarmac action.

PR 320 taxiing for departure to SIN as PR 503



Lufthansa Technik hangars with a Virgin a/c parked


Airside NAIA T2


Free Internet Kiosks provided by Citibank


The 747 taking me to HKG today - SA)">RP-C7475



T3 used by Cebu pacific with the Makati City skyline in the background


Cebu Pacific taxiing in


Soon boarding was announced for the HKG flight and in true ILSBT fashion, crowds thronged the gate   NAIA had certain areas demarcated as secure zone. The flight to SYD was departing from one such gate which had an additional security check at the boarding gate. Thankfully out flight was spared.  

The boarding gate after the initial deluge


Closer view of the Jumbo



Zest Air - shot from the jet bridge


We were welcomed onboard by a cheerful F/A.

Managed to snap a few shots of the J class towards the Nose of the jumbo


J class seats further down the a/c


The a/c sported signs in both English and Arabic - any idea why so? Airframes.org shows this a/c delivered to PR directly


I headed towards the rear of the beast through a packed "Fiesta" class.

Mandatory Knee Shot  

Surprised with the onboard AVOD IFE. Was not expecting this. The seats seem to have been refurbished


However the same cannot be said of the carpet


The a/c was literally being held together by duct tape!!


Company 747 at the other end of the terminal


View of the Fiesta Cabin after everyone settled down


Inflight magazine "Mabuhay"


Ad in the inflight mag for the newly launched 6w MNL-DEL service (3w direct and 3w via BKK)


The ad highlights the pre-Hispanic connection between India and the Philippines.

PR 343 headed to SYD


The safety video was shown on the IFE and after securing the cabin, we were on our way to HKG. Post a mildly turbulent take off, the seat belt signs were switched off once we reached crusing altitude. The crew got around serving breakfast.

Breakfast had two options - Tapas with Rice and another option with egg. I chose the Tapas

Breakfast - served with a sweet and soft bread which was delicious. Anybody know what it is called?


Crew Serving breakfast


More Arabic inscriptions


View of the aft Fiesta cabin after the trays were cleared


Newspapers stored in the aft


After a smooth flight, we landed into a rainy and wet HKG

KA 330


Pax disembarking


PR Jumbo with a bunch of Chinese narrow bodies in the background


Thanks for the ride - SA)">RP-C7475  

I headed for the CX transfer desks that were quite easy to locate.

Direction to the transfer desk


HKG Departure Level


There was no line for security and i breezed through to the departure level. And what is the first sight that greets me?!  

9W 330 being towed away for its mandatory rest period at HKG along with a company 330 and a coupla 330s from IT .


CX 773


The orient well represented - CX, CI, CZ and JL (with their new livery)


I had about 3 hours to kill, so decided to explore HKG a bit

A tear drop (or smthing like that) - modern art @ HKG


The Food Court Area


A birds eye view of the duty free offerings


My pre-flight lunch - Masaman Beef Curry with Rice..very delicious!!


Different levels of the HKIA terminal



Love the view provided. Wish all airports incorporated this into their design


Kids play area in the food court


The usual suspects at the HKG Duty Free



Segment#2
HKG-BNE
CX-157
Airbus 330 (Couldnt Catch the rego)

The BNE flight was scheduled to depart from Gate 2


CX 747 at adjoining gate


SU 332 bound for SVO (VQ-BBF)


HK Apartments around the Airport


Need to visit HKG sometime soon


Our ride to BNE


Widebody fest @ HKG - LH,KA, CX, SA, CI  

Boarding announced


As is the common practice with all Australia bound flights, there was additional security check at the gate.

This was my first time flying on CX and I was all excited. I had selected an aisle on the 3 seaters towards the end of the 330. And luckily the middle seat remained empty. CX crew were scattered around the a/c welcoming pax with a smile.

CX Knee Shot


The seats in CX Y are built into a shell, which means when the pax ahead of you reclines, it doesnt restrict ur space. LIke that  

The IFE system and controls


The CX AVOD IFE system has some cool offerings. One nice feature is that it carries entire seasons of sitcoms and not just random episodes. A nice way to fly ULH without ur iFads  

Seat belt.. can someone tell wht that bulge in the belt is?! Is it like an airbag?


Cupholder


Crew Rest Area


Drinks service shortly after take off. Coke Zero with some nuts


Menu cards were distributed for the flight



I chose the braised spare ribs and they were delicious


Also visible is the inseat charging outlet, a very convenient location!! Wish 9W would learn from this!!

A blurry pic of the crew finishing lunch service


I like the little chinese cup that CX uses to serve tea


The crew on board this flight was pretty interactive and chatted a lot with passengers. A lady sitting across the aisle wanted another cup of tea, and the F/A responded - "that would be 6 dollars ma'am" leaving the lady a bit shocked, before the F/A went "kidding" and handed over the tea with a smile!!  

The Y class restroom


Snacks before touch down. I went for seafood pie with mashed peas.


I spent most of the flight going through two seasons of "Modern Family" - hilarious sitcom!!   Landing into BNE was smooth and compared to SYD and MEL clearing customs and immigration was a breeze. Although getting a cab turned out to be tricky  

PR and CX both lived upto their expectation. While CX and HKG are truly world class, PR does have a good set of crew. The latter is in serious need of hardware upgrade and better airport facilities.