To my recollection, this London Gatwick – Atlanta flight, was my first international flight on Delta in Coach. Minus a miracle there was no chance of an upgrade. I was not overly excited about the flight, but on the other hand it was a direct flight home. I was interested to see what transpires in coach class on an international flight because I simply had not had much experience except for an Air France flight to Dubai.

I secured an exit row seat and shortly before push-back an fa asked the guy next to me to gather his belongings and follow her; “there is something wrong with your ticket and we just need to check it out” I am assuming that meant an upgrade because he followed without a response and never returned… Now I had 2 exit row seats to myself.

Breakfast was served almost immediately after takeoff and I was impressed with the meal.  There was a choice of some chicken dish or an omelet.  Breakfast, minus the presentation, could have been served in the Business Elite cabin. Yes, maybe the business class cabin was offered cereal and yogurt in addition, but I was not complaining. What I will complain about is when the drink cart came along, they only had coffee soda and oj. My first choice: bloody marry. I was given a highly annoyed response by the steward-aka not on cart. My second choice: cranberry juice, also not on cart.  Now he was irritated and I was denied again. He said he could not do it now (because 7 hours is not enough time) but that he would come back; he never did.

I was surprised to see a snack service mid flight. This was more true to a Delta domestic style: a choice of peanuts or pretzels, Pringles or M&M’s for 2 bucks, booze for $7.

I entertained myself for a few hours with a very solid on-demand music selection. There were a bunch of movies on demand at no cost but the HBO shows were from 2 to 7 dollars. No Soprano reruns were available so hardly worth it. And no, that show about a bunch of kids making cell phone calls to each other for 30 minutes is not worth the money.

Lots of water was distributed throughout the flight and the FA’s were quite friendly. I was surprised at the constant line for the bathroom… the entire flight there were people waiting for the bathroom. More shocking is that 75% of the passengers were in socks or bare feet. Foul and unsanitary!

Shortly before landing we were served pizza and ice cream. The pizza was of the microwave variety and not very good, but I would not expect any airline to be able to serve up a good pizza on a plane. American served this pizza in Business Class and it too was bad.

I could handle 14 hours in coach, with an exit row of course. Hell, that’s what most people do so maybe I will try.

boarding area

our 767

30 A&B

leg room

my view

Konnichiwa from downtown Narita, Japan. I studied 2 years of Latin, 5 years of Spanish and can’t speak a lick of anything except English. Embarrassing I know. Yes, there is a downtown Narita. I guess it’s where you stay when you are too cheap or don’t have enough time to make the trek to central Tokyo. I arrived here on Lufthansa’s A380 and am more impressed by the A380 than I was when I first rode on it. A beast to be reckoned with, but so smooth and so quiet. There were some major entertainment shortfalls on my flight, but I will talk about that shortly, along with experience a whole.

My return flight to Frankfurt is a Lufthansa code-share operated by All Nippon Airways. I flew them once before and was very impressed, but am not at all looking forward to it. The flight here was about 10.5 hours and I am guessing the return to be 11 and change. I hoped to weasel my way into at least premium economy, but no such luck. Not only that, I have a middle seat in a row of 4, which I have been told by ANA and Lufthansa cannot be changed. I was also told I could not use Mileage Plus points to upgrade. I am 6′ (not my fault) and weigh 225lbs (my fault). I even thought about purchasing a new one-way ticket, but it was outrageously expensive and the connections didn’t really work.
I will plead my case, that I don’t really have, when I get to the airport after which, this air traveller is going to have to suck it up!  No matter what, it will all be posted here.

downtown narita

Tonight I will make my way to Frankfurt in order to catch the Lufthansa A380 flight to Tokyo Narita. I am quite interested to see how the experience will compare to the Air France A380 flight I took. Mainly, the layout. I am sitting in coach and am hoping I will be able to have a look at the other cabins. Air France was overly accommodating when it came to this, but then again, it was part of their inaugural fight.

From what I can tell, the business class cabin is full and economy is roughly 85% full. I originally was seated in row 92, all the way at the back of the lower deck, but just switched myself to row 76. One of the seats in row 76, mine, supposedly has a seat missing in front of it, although there are some discrepancies dependent upon whose seat map you look at.  Lufthansa’s web site would not let me select the actual exit row even though it was available.

Needless to say, I am excited and will post the pictures as soon as I can. Has anyone flown Lufthansa’s A380 already? Care to comment on the experience?

This time, live from Atlanta, the weekly installment of where the good fares are. This week, and moving forward, I am expanding the sources of where I am finding the airfares. I will try to include a link where applicable. Unless noted otherwise, the airfares are business class, round-trip and include all fees and taxes. As you know, airfare pricing and availability changes by the minute, so if you really need to book, best do it sooner than later. These fares are for the middle of September, mid-week travel, 7 day stay.

Recently, readers have asked whether the fares they are finding on their own are good ones. I have been referring them to Planereality’s booking engine to compare. One reader just let me know that she saved herself $600 on 2 business class tickets by booking on Planereality’s booking engine.  It may be worth a look.
The Virgin fare is my favorite; in case you were wondering.
Fares:

• LAX-Bangkok: $2632 Planereality’s Booking Engine
• Gatwick-Kingston, Jamaica: $1513!!! VirginAtlantic.com
• LAX-Hong Kong: $2955 Planereality’s Booking Engine
• NYC-Singapore: $3521 Planereality’s Booking Engine
• Moscow-Sydney: $3236 AirChina.com
• Istanbul-Hong Kong: $2218 Qatar.com

Thankfully my virgin, Virgin experience took a 180 degree turn as soon as I stepped on to the plane. (Not 360 degree, that would mean it stayed the same) I posted my pre-boarding experience here. I was not showed to my seat, but rather followed by a flight attendant who offered me a drink as soon as I sat down. I chose to sit on the lower deck of this 747 thinking I would have a great forward looking view from the forward most seat on the plane.  The view was just O.K. The two front seats are very close to each other, but the seat across form mine was vacant, giving me some extra privacy. There are some significant differences between the upper and lower deck that I will talk about in another post.

The first thing I noticed was that the seats felt noticeably wider than Delta’s and Cathay Pacific’s which also offer an angled business class seats. Not sure if the actual seat is wider or the angled bulkheads are more spread out. The seats did look somewhat tired. There were some smears, smudges, crumbs and hair on the television and the adjustable armrest.  I attributed this to the weak ground staff in Jamaica.

Shortly after departure, a flight attendant introduced herself to me and offered to demonstrate the seat functions. She said to let her know when I was ready for turn down service. Like Singapore’s 777 business class seats, there are limited positions to put the seat in as the entire back folds down in order to make the bed. The tray table is large enough to have a companion eat facing you while seated at your footrest. Despite having a great night’s sleep, complete with duvet sheet/pad and pillow, I think I would still rather have a seat that does not require me to stand up to lay down and vice-versa.

The quality of food was outstanding, as was the quantity. Note the mountain of back bacon with breakfast. I couldn’t come close to finishing my breakfast as I was still full from dinner.  The enetertainment selection was fairly standard, with the exception of music and documentries which were above avergae.  Virgin America and Virgin Atlantic have a better music selection than most airlines.  There were a least a dozen different documentaries, good for folks with short attention spans, on Virgin Atlantic.

Prior to landing, Laura, the flight attendant, came by my seat and asked if I had enjoyed my flight (indeed I had) and wished me a pleasant onward journey.  This type of interaction is just one example of the exemplary service I experienced on Virgin Atlantic.

Stay tuned for a post on the return flight. I will show the upper deck and tell you all the reasons not sit up there.

upper class forward cabin

12A & 14A

my seat 12A, with table extended

amenity kit contained toothbrush & paste, eye mask, ear plugs and socks

pajamas which I have yet to wear

seasonal leaf salad with chicken

delcious & tender braised beef in gravy

obligatory cheese plate

bed!

lower deck, from the nose, facing rear

premium econonmy section looked pretty comfy

bar between upper class and premium economy

“mustang sally” from the jetbridge at gatwick

A few weeks back I took a look at Virgin Atlantic’s UK website and found that Upper Class (Virgin’s Business Class) fares to Havana, Cuba and Kingston, Jamaica were on sale from London Gatwick.  Not exactly Virgin’s most desirable destinations, but like I’ve said, I’m not much for sightseeing.  Also working in my favor, the sale fares were available in both directions: Kingston to Gatwick and vice-versa.  I don’t even know (or care) if Americans are allowed in Cuba, so I chose the Gatwick route.

Virgin’s website would not allow me to book online so I called their reservations desk. After a 20 minute wait on hold, I was connected to a very pleasant and helpful agent who not only booked my flight, but said she would make a note in my reservation to have someone show me around the Clubhouse in Gatwick in order for me to “get the most for my money”

Check in at Kingston was comical. Three hours before the flight, a large queue formed at the check in counters and gate agents showed up shortly thereafter. The only agent that was missing was was the one that was supposed to be working the Upper Class desk.  As I waited and stared into space, economy passengers began being checked in by the oblivious agents. After a 5 or 10 minute wait a gal hustled up to the upper class desk and apologized for being late.  I accepted her apology and suggested the other desk agents should have noticed me.  After she checked me in, she asked if I was aware that the configuration was different.

I asked: “Different than what?”
After staring at he computer and not answering me I said: “What type of plane is it?”
She said something to the effect of oh jeez, don’t ask me those tough questions.
Then she said: “737 maybe?” (Virgin has no 737′s nor would a 737 make it to LGW)

I told her not to worry, I would figure it out. I proceeded to make my way through security to the lounge.  I was surprised by her lack of knowledge because she appeared to be an actual Virgin employee as opposed to just one of the hired hands that most airlines use when they have 1 flight per day from an airport.

Boarding was more frustrating and less entertaining than check-in. Like the past experiences I have had in Jamaica, nothing is planned on this island, things just happen. It’s UNorganized chaos. Passengers need to show their boarding pass in order to take the escalator to the gates located on the lower level. The challenge was that security was not sure in what order passengers should be allowed to the lower level in order to make the long walk to the gate.  This made for much confusion.

In the boarding hall, there was a secondary security inspection, but the security personnel did not speak, they just stared at me. I asked them several times what they wanted to inspect and/or what they wanted me to do.

When I finally made it to the boarding area, there was a long line where someone was checking boarding passes. I asked if there was a business class boarding line and was told that there was but the signage had been removed because they did not “see” and business class passengers.  Travel aggravation at it’s best! More to come from the flight…

norman manley international airport (KIN)

random

the other flight to london gatwick

our 747 pulling up to the gate; BA and Virgin alternate between a gate and a stand

I spent 1 beers worth of time in this lounge prior to my Virgin Atlantic flight to London Gatwick. I am confident that no Virgin Atlantic employee with decision making authority has visited the Air Jamaica Lounge in Kingston. I am surprised Virgin allows their passengers anywhere near this lounge. I mean, Virgin Atlantic would be better off giving their Upper Class passengers Burger King vouchers because the ambiance is that much better in the food court.

The lounge reminded me of a funeral home: strange, dim lighting and no windows. The decor straight out of 1975. There was tea, coffee, beer, soda and some booze to drink. The only food I found was potato chips and coconut cookies. I used the bathroom and found the 1 urinal out of order leaving only one stall. I wonder how many years that urinal has been unusable? The only reason I went in the bathroom was to wash my hands-and I did so, using the soap dispensed from a gravy boat.

Ever visit an airline lounge and think: “Why bother having a lounge?” That was the Air Jamaica Lovebird Executive Lounge in Kingston.

I was not surprised to learn that Delta was using a regional jet on an international flight: Atlanta to Kingston, Jamaica. If that is what the demand calls for and flight time is all of 3 hours, so be it. I was surprised that I received a complimentary upgrade to Business Class.  (if the exact plane was flying on a domestic route, it would be called First Class-there is no difference)  I did not even realize Delta did this on International Flights.  Apparently they do, on “some” routes to the Caribbean, Mexico and some parts of South and Central America.

This regional jet, some people call them puddle jumpers, was of the CRJ 900 variety. CRJ means Canadair Regional Jet, the type of plane that was flying.  ASA (Atlantic Southeast Airlines) was operating the flight on behalf of Delta. Usually, you get on these things, sit down, it’s loud, you eat 14 peanuts and you are at your destination. Sparked by the Colgan Air tragedy in upstate New York, there has been much scrutiny from the press (I shared 1 disturbing experience here) about the safety of these regional carriers. On a lesser note, the overall comfort of these planes has also come into question.

As it turned out, I had an “above expectations” experience, led by flight attendant Donovan who should be giving lessons on how to be a flight attendant. He was attentive, friendly and helpful to ALL of the passengers.

Next surprise? Lunch.  Yeah, it was the standard choice of Delta wrap/sandwich or salad, but on a flight that amounted to 2 hours and 20 minutes and on a regional jet, it was, again, above my expectations.  I don’t think I have ever seen food, beyond peanuts, on a regional jet. The nice thing about the seats in the first class cabin on the CRJ900 is that there is a seat, an aisle and 2 seats: 1-2 configuration.  So if you are travelling alone, you can potentially have a window and aisle seat, as I did.  I was in seat 1A, bulkhead.
Was I safe during this flight? I believe I was and I did not witness anything to make me think otherwise.
Is flying safe? Yes!
Here are the pictures.  Thanks for checking  out this post.

leg room

chicken wrap

bimini bahamas

camaguey, cuba

the crj900 upon arrival in kingston

Live from London Gatwick, here is my weekly installment of WTGFA. Please take note of where the fares were found. For the details of how this came about, what it is meant to be (and not be) click HERE. Unless otherwise noted, I found the fares on Orbitz, one of many sites I use in researching fares for my trips. These are round-trip Business Class fares, for the middle of September, generally using a 7 day stay. Use the flexible date search on Orbitz.

4,400 miles down, 5,900 to go!

• JFK-Singapore $3609 US based airline; call travel agent 
• LAX-Singapore $3010 US based airlines; call travel agent 
• Istanbul-Sydney $2953 Etihad.com  
• Boston-Tokyo $3264 Air Canada 
• NYC-Sao Paulo $2595 Continental; $2609 American, United

A few quick notes from the return portion of my flight to London with United Airlines. The bulk of my commentary is here, but below are the highlights of the LHR-LAX leg. The service was better despite many of the crew being the same as on the outbound flight. They all seemed to be more visible throughout the flight; going to the first class cabin to find beer that was requested and actually offering the mid-flight snacks that were on the menu. Overall, food was better, but I question the choices for pre-arrival meal: tea sandwiches or cheese with fruit (?) BUT the warm, soft scones were impressive.

As I mentioned, a real power souce would be nice. The FA gave me an adapter (pictured below) to use although the device got disturbingly hot and the power flickered on and off when my laptop was plugged in.

The streaming movies were different going West. I attempted to watch Sherlock Holmes, but just did not gte into it-rather listen to Channel 9!

A very special shout out to my seat mate James who takes the concept of Ryan Bingham to a another level. We had great conversation, kept the FA’s on their toes and poked fun at everything air travel. I will leave you with the quote James emailed me last week:

“Thus, the task is not so much to see what no one yet has seen, but to think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody sees.”
-Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

takeoff video

power adapter

rear galley

economy class

I was like a kid in a candy store here. I had half of a day to kill and knew I could get some pictures at Heathrow, but where? It was raining and windy so I called over to the Renaissance Hotel to see if I could rent a day room as I was staying at The Novotel. The gal at the desk said the Renaissance offers access to their club room which faces the runway for a flat fee. Done!
When I got into the club room, I was bummed that the windows were a hazy mess due to the wind driven rain and condesation. But then it cleared up and the party started. Hope you enjoy.

titan airways

astraeus airlines

ghana international airlines