SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

[24601]

Several months ago there was a double status credits offer on Qantas. It coincided with some screaming business class deals on MH around Asia. I was chasing QF platinum so booked myself some flights, using something in London that I didn't actually have to go to anyway as a pretext/justification. However, it turned out that I got the WP from other flying and a big LAX-PTY run in July.

What I had was a rather convoluted routing to KUL and then a few days spare there that were to have been filled with things like BKK-MNL and whatnot but no longer needed or that attractive any more. From there to London and then back. The itinerary is:

SYD-BNE-CNS-DRW-KUL-CMB-FRA-LCY //BHX-STR -[TRAIN]-FRA-KUL-DRW-SYD. All One World carriers, so a bucket load of status credits but not quite enough even for the QFF bonus reward.

Flight 1 was QF504 SYD-BNE at 7:05 am so I took a room at the SYD airport Pullman, taking advantage of a winter sale. One of the benefits is breakfast included, but not if you have to leave early for a flight. Why do airport hotels have things like breakfast and shuttles that don't start until late. Do they not know why people stay there? Anyway, no breakfast for 24601, but of course I'm used to hardships like that. I walked the short way to the terminal and breakfasted in the QF business lounge. The coffee was nice and fresh fruit salad was very welcome.

At SYD airport Pullman.


I was in row 4 in F with an empty seat next to me. Row 3 in front of me reclined to their max, but only made it a bit of a squeeze to get out for a toilet break. I like that on QF row 4 there is no bulkhead so I can keep my laptop with me. Although the VA bulkhead does nullify the recliners.

The FA seemed concerned when I declined a snack or drink.

A comfortable and on-time flight.


After an hour or so in the QF business lounge at BNE, the next flight was QF 782 BNE-CNS.

Row 4 again, this time in A. Another empty seat next to me. Flight was comfortable and on time and unremarkable except for the amount of water the FAs seemed determined to feed us. Seven times in the 3 hour flight various FAs tried desperately to pass water (to me and my seat mate). Maybe they loaded too much this morning? The gesture and the service were appreciated regardless.

I've never been to Cairns before, so I left myself about 6 hours between flights. With no particular plans I took a cab into town, had a look around, bought a couple of things I'll need later, and then walked back to the airport. It was warm and humid but isn't too far. Nicer than circa $30 for a cab with a driver who can't stop picking his nose.

In true Aussie style there is a beautiful cycle and walking path that...just abruptly ends for no good reason. There should be a cycle path all the way to the airport, but this kind of coughpy planning is par for the course in this country. Pedestrians are treated with even more contempt than cyclists. No wonder we are all getting fat and diabetic.

Anyway, it was a nice walk. Just near the airport is a marvellous boardwalk through the mangroves. The butterfly garden at Changi is cool, but the CNS mangrove walk is something else! Of course, there is no kind of footpath the short distance from it to the airport. Maybe to stop airport users from parking there, but more likely (read above).

Writing this in a pretty quiet Qantas Club waiting for my 6:50pm flight to Darwin. Think it is time for a wine. Have some pictures to add, but they are too big so will have to wait.

Mangrove boardwalk.


On the road to CNS airport;

 

[Stewey]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

Hi 24601

looking forward to your TR

cheers

 

[kermatu]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

Signed up for this too.

That's not too shabby an effort walking city to airport - but I guess easy for a marathon runner. I've lost count of the number of times I've glided by (in a taxi) watching folks sweating and struggling with suitcases along the road to the CNS airport!

 

[24601]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

Signed up for this too.

That's not too shabby an effort walking city to airport - but I guess easy for a marathon runner. I've lost count of the number of times I've glided by (in a taxi) watching folks sweating and struggling with suitcases along the road to the CNS airport!

It isn't that far, really. But no suitcase, just a laptop bag. One feature of the walk is multiple crocodile warning signs along the way.

 

[straitman]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

It isn't that far, really. But no suitcase, just a laptop bag. One feature of the walk is multiple crocodile warning signs along the way.

... and the flowers at the spot where my friends wife was hit and killed last year.

Have said that they are now going to build a footpath along there.

 

[Major]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

It isn't that far, really. But no suitcase, just a laptop bag. One feature of the walk is multiple crocodile warning signs along the way.

Shortly after they finished that mangrove walkway I saw a small croc in the creek towards the main road. This was in the 80's

 

[24601]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

... and the flowers at the spot where my friends wife was hit and killed last year.

Have said that they are now going to build a footpath along there.

I noticed the flowers. Absolutely awful if it took a tragedy like that to make whoever is responsible realise that a footpath might just be a good idea. And if not, shameful.

 

[24601]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

My next flight, last night, was QF1874 CNS-DRW on an all-economy Qantaslink 717. I made a mistake and chose a seat on the “2” side instead of the “3” side. Most of the seats on my side were full. Everyone I could see on the other side had aisle-empty-window. Given that this was a fairly uncomfortable aircraft to fly on and a longish flight, the space would have been nice.


Flight was uneventful except for having a Rockin’ Recliner in the seat in front of me. This man not only reclined to the max during the (boxed) meal service, but also found it necessary to rock his chair. A lot. When he read a newspaper, apparently every page turn required a full-body paroxysm registering high on the Richter Scale. With aftershocks. Oh well, so long as you’re ok, champ, that’s all that matters.
Being behind a recliner in that plane is a bit like the chest bar that locks you in place on a roller coaster.


Arrived at DRW on time. The 24/7 shuttle to the airport Novotel was “not in operation”. No problem, a very short walk through the carpark to the hotel. But businesses shouldn’t be so casual in not providing what they advertise.


Zero recognition for Accor status at check in. The check in agent blamed the fact that that hotel had only just swapped to Accor, but a) that wasn’t so recent and b) it sounds like it is common for Accor anyway. No bottles of water in the room and no free wifi – cheerfully rectified on check out after I pointed this out. She also had a lot to say about how messy the IT is. For instance, Accor bookings still don't integrate with their booking system at the hotel, so every online booking from Accor or an OTA has to be emailed to the hotel and then manually entered by them into their system. IT support is only available overnight, during Paris office hours!

The Novotel is close to the airport and comfortable enough, and was a good price. The room was clean and everything worked. A step (or several) below, for instance, AKL airport Novotel, however.

DRW Airport Novotel:


My stay was all too brief with a 5:05am departure the next morning on MH to KUL.

 

[24601]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

MH144 DRW-KUL

I checked out of the Novotel at a bit after 3am> I'd checked in online but couldn't retrieve my boarding pass on my phone or print it out of the laptop (The Novotel business centre was "currently out of service, but there is a computer in the lobby of the Mercure you can use..."). Breakfast was included with the room, but of course if you stay at an airport hotel because you need to leave early, and then do leave early, you get no breakfast.

Bag dropped, boarding pass printed. Zero recognition for my Qantas WP status,and no lounge invite was forthcoming. I didn't think to ask either as I didn't realise there is a contract lounge, the Catalina Lounge, in the international departures area, that is used by MH. The Qantas lounge was closed at that early hour. It doesn't open until 5am. I had a nice breakfast at a 24/7 place called Dome. It had some very comfortable chairs.

Boarding was delayed by about 30 minutes, so there was a bit of extra waiting once I went through to the international area. At DRW international and domestic are in the same terminal. You go through domestic security into the main terminal and then through an additional bag x-ray to access the international area. If you don't have access to the Catalina lounge you should definitely aim to spend more waiting time in the domestic area, as food and shopping options are very limited once through to international. The Catalina lounge didn't really look like much. It was open but I didn't see anyone in there. I didn't try to go in. MH premium passenger have access. Not sure if One World status pax do. You can also pay for entry. It will be $45 but they had an opening special when I was there for $25.



Boarding for the 737-800 was done as follows: 1. parents with young children. 2. First and Business class. 3. Everyone else. Again, nothing for One World status passengers. I ignored their order anyway and just boarded with the business class people. So did almost everyone else.

I was still too slow boarding: It was bad enough that I was seated in 17C, but there was already someone sitting there. It was a couple who were supposed to be in 17A and B. Once they'd moved over and I sat down, I noticed something odd: the flight was far from full, with empty seats and even empty rows everywhere, but lots of rows had been filled completely. Anyway, as soon a the doors were closed I moved up to occupy all of 16ABC to some shocked glances from over the aisle, from a threesome who later decamped to the (empty) front row of the Y cabin. Moving to an empty row transformed the flight from awful to tolerable. I'm not tall but my knees were hard against the seat back in front.

Breakfast was served. I can't remember exactly what it was, even after looking at the photo I took. It was fine, though, and I ate it all no problem. The FAs did that nickle 'n' dime thing where they fill little plastic cups so full of ice that they only need to pour out a thimble full of drink to each passenger. Cheapness aside, the crew were very friendly and pleasant.

4:40 or so on a 737-800 is at or just beyond the time you'd want to spend in one.





We arrived in Kuala Lumpur a bit early. Immigration was quiet (figuratively: few passengers; and literally: officer said just one word to me, "fingers") and was quickly though after buying a KLIA Ekspres ticket from a kiosk. Happily my bag was on the carousel. There was no customs at all. There were some staff and some x-ray machines, but nothing being used.

The KLIA Ekspres train really is very good, and quick. Half an hour in to the city, change at Sentral station to the underground line to Ampang Park where I was booked into the Doubletree. I redeemed HH points for this stay as it is only 10,000 points/night and that seems like good value for this 5 star; certainly a lot less than similar Hilton properties elsewhere, including in KL. I arrived very early, about 10:30am, but was given early check in provided I was happy with a twin room instead of a king room. No problem, and thank you!



Nice room, good location, moments walk from KLCC, tons of dining options in and near the hotel. I gave in to a weakness of mine and ate at a buffet restaurant in the hotel. Having eaten more than my fill, I thought I'd done justice to the buffet. But, I was wrong. As I left, I noticed whole rooms of food that I'd left unexplored! Will I go back for round 2? Probably not, it is too much of everything, and the guilt is still strong from my lapse. But who knows? A couple of big meals this week won't hurt. There is some long walking and running in my near future.

 

[24601]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

I had been to Kuala Lumpur before, but never for more than a day at a time. Now, with three days I had a little bit of time to wander around, moderated by the need to get work done too. My routine was spend the morning writing in my room at the Doubletree and then take the afternoon and evening off.

The first full day I walked up to Bukit Bintang and spent a couple of hours wandering around the gigantic Pavilion mall. A highlight there was meeting someone in a bookshop. Thought that was just in TV shows set in NYC.

Then headed down to the Menara Communications tower. Got sweaty walking up the hill to the base of the tower. I felt like taking a look up the top, so I did. It was good. I enjoy high vantage points with good views and this didn’t disappoint. I paid extra to go to the higher, open-air viewing deck and had to sign a waiver promising not to jump off. I didn’t jump, and after visiting the scary glass-bottomed box that juts out over the edge, I am glad I didn’t, it would surely have been terrifying.

After mooching around the mall at KLCC for a bit, I headed back. Dinner was from a food truck, chicken and rice for MYR7, maybe $1.50?

Leafy view of a tall building. Of the twin towers, this one was my favourite.



Similar view of another tall tower.


Part of the vista from up top the phone tower. There are at least 180 degrees more to see if you go up.



Feet selfie. I declined to buy any shots from the official photographer. 1. they were expensive 2. I looked unpleasantly sweaty, and a bit frightened. The glass floor is unnerving.



A leafy KL streetscape.

 

[24601]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

A bit more of KL

My second day I got carried away and spent most of the day working in my room. I walked a few blocks to an outdoor/hiking store (of which there seem to be very few in KL) because I needed to buy a head torch, having left mine at home. It will be used later in this trip. The shop was down “embassy row”, Jalan Ampang. Footpaths in KL are a bit of a lottery. There may be one, but it will probably end abruptly somewhere with horrendous traffic. It may be smooth, or may look like an earthquake has recently struck. And it will almost certainly have motor bikes parked on it. All the same, like any city, there are pretty and interesting things to see that you miss in a car or train.

I bought some drinks in the supermarket in the mall under the Doubletree and had dinner at an Italian restaurant down there too. It was nice and so expensive either.

Some jungle in the city:



I saw a glimpse of a sad little zoo next to the big phone tower and saw some animals sleeping.



Coffee with lunch at a Koppitiam (coffee shop). They like it very sweet, like Cubans, but also UHT or condensed milky.



A nice-looking house on Embassy Row, didn't say it was an embassy. though.



Thanks to the recent QF double status credits promotion, Qantas have had to expand and off-shore the WP call centre:

 

[Skyring]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

A bit more of KL

…

Thanks to the recent QF double status credits promotion, Qantas have had to expand and off-shore the WP call centre:

Hor hor hor!

Not my favorite city, KL. Not great for walking around unless you like being run over. I did like the view from the comms tower, but.

Enjoying your TR. So far this sounds like one of my "whip-around-the-world-in-a-week" jaunts from a few years back. The succession of hotel rooms, crazy early departures, hassles with checkin, inconsistent lounge access, unidentifiable inflight meals. It all comes back to me now.

Just waiting for you to lose your bag.

The MH 738 to KL. Totally agree - nearly five hours on one of them is more than enough. Was there any IFE at all?

 

[24601]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

Just waiting for you to lose your bag.

The MH 738 to KL. Totally agree - nearly five hours on one of them is more than enough. Was there any IFE at all?

1. Thanks: I'm not and pleased to report it has followed me faithfully so far.
2. There was no IFE apart from the "rocker" in front of me.

 

[24601]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

KUL-CMB on Sri Lankan

My last day in KL wasn’t a full day with a 3pm flight out in the afternoon. My original plan, before I went off and did a big status run a month or two before this trip, was to try to accumulate some cheapish QF status credits with this trip. The backbone of the trip was a good business class fare, just over $2,200 return on Sri Lankan from KUL to FRA. It was a fair bit cheaper than just CMB to FRA too. At the time of booking I was still chasing QF/One World status, so all flights were booked on One World carriers crediting to Qantas. Had I known I would already have QF QP then I might have had a look at Star Alliance. I have Star Gold thanks to the Avianca Brazil status match, but see no realistic way of maintaining that now. But I could have: Air India had some good fares going, too. I could even have made some flights on Aegean, but anyway not to be. My three and a bit days in KUL were to have been spent status running around Asia. No need anymore, and no inclination therefore holiday and work in hotel room instead.
My indirect route to London was partly inspired by status-seeking, but also intended to break up the longer flights into shprter chunks, especially the economy ones. Up to 3 hours in Y is fine. Only the MH DRW-KUL was a bit much, and even it was ok really.

I took the KLIA Ekspress back to the airport. At the airport I waited for the lift up to departures. When the doors opened it was packed full of people coming down, half of them uniformed police. As they all filed out of the lift I noticed the other half were all young men handcuffed together in pairs. I wonder why, and what their fate was?

Check in at Sri Lankan was leisurely but fine. I’d checked in online but needed to get my boarding passes printed. They gave me my passes and two lounge invites: one to the Plaza Premium lounge at KUL and one for the UL Serendib Lounge at CMB. I walked past the Plaza Premium lounge on my way to the MH First Class lounge, thanks very much all the same. It was very quiet in there (no problem with access). I had lunch #1 in the a la carte“fine dining” room. From there I had a good view of the tarmac over to my gate, gate C15. I could see that there was no aircraft waiting there, which was odd seeing as the boarding pass said boarding time was 1:45pm (for a 3:05pm departure, WTF?).

The plane arrived as I enjoyed some kind of delicious smoked salmon dish washed down with equally delicious champage: sorry, forget what it was and it wouldn’t mean much to me anyway. Tasted good though. Main course was a Malaysian chicken dish with rice, nothing special. Tasted a bit like Aussie fast food butter chicken, too sweet. More champagne helped, though. A nice waiter kept refilling my glass.
Eventually I wandered round to the gate half an hour before departure, and it was still a little wait before it started boarding.

The aircraft was a regional UL plane, so just like Aussie domestic J, but with better food. Shortly after take off I had lunch #2, sambal prawns with a sort of Mediterranean salad on the side, garlic bread, and a fruit salad, all washed down with a Sri Lankan Lion beer and then a cup of tea.

As soon as the dishes were cleared, the FAs shut all the blinds, plunged the cabin into darkness, and disappeared. Everyone quickly dozed off: a plan well-executed.

In the MH First lounge at KUL, with my UL aircraft in the background.



Part of the MH first class lounge.


A perfectly persuasive ad in the UL in flight magazine, 'Serendib'.



A business class meal on the short-haul international UL flight. It was nice. Pity the FAs were in a desperate rush to get it all out and then cleared away ASAP before more or less vanishing for the rest of the flight.

 

[24601]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

The UL flight from KUL-CMB also included this brochure in the seat pocket:

 

[Skyring]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

Good to see putting feet on the seat in front described as "indecent behaviour". Perhaps they meant offensive, but either way, grounds for opening up the door and allowing the passenger to continue the journey under their own steam.

 

[24601]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

Layover @ Colombo and the UL Serendib lounge

I was prepared to hate CMB airport, but on arrival found lots to impress. Firstly, the plane parked at a remote stand so it was buses to the terminal. But, get this: there was a dedicated bus just for J passengers. One full-size bus for maybe 16 people. Normally with remote stands you lose all your first-off-the-plane advantage. Not at CMB with UL. Nicely done!

Secondly, I had a long layover, over 9 hours. I had planned on going out of the airport an looking around, there was time. But what with one of those boring Visa On Arrival queues and still lots of work to do, I decided not to. One of the lounge staff informed me that because my layover was so long I was entitled to a free hotel room for the day. The airside one was full, but if I wanted I could go outside and they’d take me to an hotel. I didn’t do it, happy just to do my work (and part of this report), but what a brilliant thing. So: long layover in CMB? UL give you the hotel room for free.

Thirdly, the staff in the lounge are very nice and very helpful, but not overbearing.

Fourthly the food is excellent. I have read some poor reviews of this lounge. Sure, it isn’t huge and gets a bit crowded before a flight, and some of the furniture is ageing. But it is comfortable, has excellent view of the tarmac, and perhaps the best hot food buffet I’ve seen in a lounge for dinner. If you don’t like curries you’ll not enjoy it so much, but for me, fantastic.

Anyway, enough procrastinating – back to work for another three hours before my flight.

In the UL Serendib Lounge:



An important notice at the basins in the lounge toilet. I agree:

 

[Skyring]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

BA do the same thing with remote stands. There's a bus for the handful of J pax, which whisks away as soon as that cabin is empty, and then more buses for the main cabin.

I see that as pretty inefficient. Yeah, you keep the first off the plane advantage, but to what end? Stand around the luggage carousel with everyone else? First into the lounge for a transit?

The free hotel room deal sounds like a good idea, and from the airline's point of view, probably cheaper than having you sit around their premium lounge consuming their finest single malts and falling asleep in a corner.

Enjoying the TR, especially your keen eye for interesting graphics.

 

[kermatu]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

Having a bus for just F or J passengers and leaving before all seats are occupied (so no-one needs to stand) is very, very welcome in Dubai.

 

[24601]

re: SYD-LCY & walking the Thames Path.

Colombo to Frankfurt, UL 553.

12:05am departure.


After a long stay in the perfectly pleasant Serendib lounge at CMB, it was off to Frankfurt. Is this Sri Lankan route coming to an end soon? Or isn’t it? It was, then it wasn;t, then it certainly was again. But you can still book it on the UL website far into the future..


Anyway, apparently it has provided a reasonably cheap way of flying J to Europe. It was so for me.


Boarding was a bit chaotic, with a slow extra security screening at the gate. It seems to me that the more third world a country is, the more extra checkpoints they are likely to have. I’m sure they are always for reasons more better than just controlling people. Anyway, it worked and I got on the plane and found my seat. Once past the hubbub of the gate lounge there was a separate airbridge just for business class. On boarding I was welcomed by a friendly smile with an undercurrent of “don’t even THINK of asking me for anything, at any time”. This sums up the FAs on this flight, as well as the previous one: they aren’t rude, but behind the forced smiles they were fairly unpleasant and showed little interest in service.


Of all the things an airline can do to make itself good, surely good service in the air is one of the cheaper ones? Maybe not, I don’t know.
Here’s a summary of some positives and negatives from this flight.


Positive:
1. The seat was very comfortable and went fully flat for sleeping. The bed was long.
2. Large, easy to operate IFE screen
3. Really nice food
4. It took off on time, flew, arrived on time and safely
5. The fasten seat belts sign was actually used in relation to turbulence and turned off most of the time
6. Direct aisle access from every seat
7. Good reading lights
8. Cabin temperature was comfortable the whole time
9. Priority boarding
10. Offer of complimentary hotel room for layovers of 8+ hours in CMB.
11. My checked bag arrived at the same time and place as I did.
12. Good amenity pack that included (among other things) a comb and good toothbrush.


Negative:
1. The FAs, unfortunately, came across as uninterested, bored, and maybe even lazy. Sure their main role is safety and management, but that isn’t all it is. Meal services were rushed through. Want bread, tea, coffee, a drink? You’d better assertively ask for it withing the firt minute of service otherwise nothing for you. As befits an overnight flight they turned the lights off ASAP, but then were not really seen of heard again until breakfast.
2. The seat, although nice to sit and sleep in had no storage space.
3. No priority baggage, despite tagging.

As you can see, although a few of the pluses are kind of things you’d reasonably expect of any airline (arrived safely, bag arrived,..), positives outweigh negatives so, overall, a good flight!

Nice leg room, but not nice legs. Is this as bad as feet on bulkheads? It was while changing into amenity-pack socks.