Surprisingly Tight

One of the best travel bargains from the past 6 months was the brief 2-for-1 sale Qantas had in late 2008. They were offering 2-for-1 in all classes, on most sectors, but only for a very limited time. In the midst of doom and gloom in the economy we decided a trip to Australia might be a good idea and at 50% off, why not take the opportunity to try Qantas' new premium economy product. The day of the flight we had a call from Qantas letting us know the departure time would be delayed by 2 hours. What was originally scheduled for a 21:10 take-off was now pushed back to 23:10 due to a late arrival of the plane, "oh and sir, we have upgraded you both to business class!"

It turned out that the plane that was being used for that day's flight did not have premium economy, only the new business class. If they down-graded us to economy they would have had to refund the difference in fares. Given that we had bought our tickets during the 2-for-1 promotion I know any refund would have been insignificant but understand it is a lot of work for an airline to refund money and much easier to simply upgrade.

As the flight was delayed 2 hours, we were also each handed HD$180 (approx. US$22) in coupons to be used at any HK airport restaurant as compensation. [NB. economy class passengers only received an eyebrow raising HK$60 each.] Given we had been upgraded to business class and already had our boarding passes, we were able to use the Qantas lounge which had plenty of food options and thought we wouldn't have a reason to use the coupons. On our way to the gate however, we walked past a Starbucks and when we realised we could use our coupons stocked up on mounds of waffles, cookies, candies, mints, biscotti - I think you get the picture - and even bought another customer her grande latte and danish as she was struggling to understand how much a HK$ was worth. Needless to say, the Starbucks goodies proved to be great gifts.

No surprises when we go to our seats. The new business class is similar to many other 'pod' style business class seats on many other airlines. The first one that came to mind was that of China Airlines which we use frequently and which we thoroughly enjoy. The major difference with Qantas was the seemingly very small amount of space between the seat and that in front. The seats are comfortable, agreed. The functionality makes sense, agreed. The seats just feel claustrophobic. I guess for someone who wants a feeling of privacy you can't go wrong as you're almost boxed into your seat, but standing up during the flight to stretch legs or use the bathroom for example, disturbs the passenger next to you. I benchmark against China Airlines' business class which even with the pod style seating offers plenty of space between the seat in front so that you can completely walk around a sleeping passenger without disturbing them, even with their legs fully extended!

Not much to rave about, consistent Qantas service from the crew and (pay attention, CX!) edible food! Great arrival privileges with the priority immigration and custom's lines.

On our return flight we were upgraded once again to business class. This time they were over-sold in economy and bumped the spill-over to premium economy, which was in turn bumped up to business class. We paid HK$14,000 (approx. US$1800) in total which included both tickets and all taxes and at the time it sounded like a decent price. In hindsight it was one of the cheapest business class trips we have ever had!

Specs

Airline: Qantas

Flight: QF128

Route:  HKG-SYD-HKG

Aircraft: 747-400

Class: Premium Economy (upgraded to Business Class due to no Prem. Econ. on the plane)

Mileage Program: Marco Polo Club - Green Member

Recommendation: Best travel bargain (2-for-1 promotion) but surprisingly lacking in personal space.

Welcome to First Class

It was only a few months back that I was asking myself if I could remember the last time I flew First Class? Although it was many many years ago, I remembered one journey in particular very well. It was a flight between Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines. What I remember the most is the frozen vodka that preceded the caviar service, served on mother-of-pearl, with service equally as sublime and which was truly unforgettable. From time-to-time I remember back to that flight, funny enough a time when I was a college student frequently buying discount tickets to go home. In recent years, despite having Platinum status on one major Asia airline, Gold on another and lifetime Gold status with one of the world's major alliances, I have never been upgraded to First Class. That was until a recent flight on Cathay Pacific from Taipei to Tokyo.

I checked in as a Business Class passenger and at the gate was upgraded to First Class. As I was traveling alone there was no reason to decline the upgrade and as I boarded I noticed the plane had the new First Class configuration, a sort of private suite at the front of the plane - a self-contained cocoon of pure luxe. In addition to having ample space beside me, in front of me and everywhere around me, there was a decent sized closet for my bags and jacket and many compartments for things such as my passport, mobile phones, headset, books, magazines, a scary-sized monitor ... I could go on and on. 

I am sure no-one needs to be told the seat is fantastic and the entertainment system is phenomenal, but what's Cathay's story when it comes to food? It could very well just be me, but every Cathay flight I take seems to serve crap food. This flight in First Class was no different. Lots of highly-processed, gelatinous, cold, boring dishes which left me craving for a simple cup of hot instant noodles. When I travel in Economy Class I am happy if I get a meal. When I fly in Business Class I expect food on the level of a good restaurant. When I travel in First though (even when I'm not paying for it) I expect Michelin-star quality. Is that wrong? What do people who actually pay for First Class tickets expect?

In fairness, I am currently boycotting ANA's business class from Tokyo to Hong Kong because of the disgusting meals they serve on that sector through the end of May (Hong Kong to Tokyo meals are fine, however). I fly to Tokyo from time-to-time for work. I wrote ANA a letter to say I was disappointed with the food - how although I thought it reminded me of a good home-cooked meal made by a friend's mum, it wasn't the kind of thing I wanted to eat in Business Class at 42,000 feet! (Although bland edamame tofu burgers whose consistency is not dissimilar to cardboard is fun when you're on a health kick, it's not really a meal I look forward to) Oh, and please could I have another option instead of Harumi Kurihara's menu!? The response from ANA was a very polite "Thank you for your comment, we hope you enjoy our service in the future". For trips to Tokyo there are other options, but (back to the story at hand) living in the Cathay Pacific hub of Hong Kong, it's hard to avoid flying Cathay.

Bottom line: I have a love-hate relationship with flying and am therefore a picky customer. I am happy to fly any class of service provided it is semi-decent, it's just that when I think about how much a ticket costs nowadays and all the extra charges that are tagged on from luggage to ticket changes, you've got to ask yourself "Are you kidding me!?" Cathay Pacific has a fantastic new product in it's redesigned First Class, unfortunately regardless of which class you fly and whether it's a new configuration or not, Cathay's meals simply suck sour radishes! Flyer beware.

Specs

Airline: Cathay Pacific

Flight: CX450

Route:  TPE-NRT

Aircraft: 747-400

Class: Business Class (upgraded to First Class due to full flight)

Mileage Program: Marco Polo Club - Green Member

Recommendation: Great (suite) seat but BYO food