A status run within a status run: QF J, CX J, UL J (plus 2 days in CMB)

[NZ_Flyer]

Introduction
I will start by apologising for no photos. Totally forgot - and to be fair they won't be anything that anyone hasn't seen before. This trip started back in April 2016 with the first DSC promo. I was able to combine that with a AKL-MEL-HKG-SYD-AKL sale fare for about NZD$1900 return in PE (TT sectors in J). Initially I was going away for a couple of weeks and would meet some friends in Asia somewhere and book separate tickets from HKG - however that didn't pan out, so I changed the fare to just be in HKG for 4 days. But I'd recently spent 5 days in HKG for leisure, so I decided to look for some status runs out of HKG. After a lot of searching I found HKG-KUL-CMB-KUL-HKG on CX/UL in J for NZD$1200 which netted 320SC's. So essentially I had a status run within a status run. To be honest, I then found a CMB-DOH-CAI-DOH-CMB fare on QR which I booked with the aim to do a CAI turnaround and go for Platinum - but QR switched to T2 in CAI a few weeks before the date of the flight and reports on FT said the transfer process was very risky as hadn't been bedded down yet, I also absolutely had to be back in NZ on time due to a work commitment. So I cancelled the fare as it was just too risky.

The timing was great too as my AKL-MEL-HKG flights were on the last day on my year and requalified me for Gold through till April 2018. Everything else was within the first 5 days of the new membership year and those (with the DSC) requalified me until April 2019. Easy. I'd also rather spend a few days in CMB checking out a new place (and of course airlines and lounges along the way).


QF152 AKL-MEL 738
Business Class - 2C
Departure for this flight was at 0715 so I arrived at the airport at 0615. Check-in was empty (and they've opened another Priority check-in line as there was only 1 for a while which was pretty manic with all the morning flights), as was immigration and security. Qantas lounge was the usual - pretty glum - I try to spend as little time as possible in AKL QC these days - water, coffee and a slice of quiche and then I went to wander round the terminal rather than be stuck inside the lounge. Can't wait till they upgrade it.

The flight ended up being delayed for about an hour but finally boarding began. Business was 12/12. Very good Jetconnect crew as usual - attentive and did frequent runs up and down the cabin asking for drink orders throughout the flight. The Business FA sent Y pax down the back when they went to use the Business toilet, and she even cleaned the toilet between pax and left a little triange of rolled up hand towels ready!

Breakfast was the standard fare of hotcakes, fruit plate (as a main) or a poached eggs with beans and chorizo. The egg dish was quite good, with one of the eggs still being runny, and the chorizo was delicious and really spicy which was great. I was being relatively good on this flight so just had one glass of champers pre-departure.

160 SC's (thanks to DSC)


QF29 MEL-HKG 744
Business Class - 5J
I was booked into PE but applied for a points UG to J. Business was empty with lots of seats still for sale a couple of days beforehand and so the upgrade cleared at T-28 - with both 5B and 5J still available. However, by departure the whole cabin was filled up.

Arrived into MEL with not much time to spare so popped downstairs to the dungeon for a long black and I'd just finished when boarding was called. I wanted to check out the CX lounge - just because - but didn't end up having enough time. Boarding was quick and the crew were great - much better than my last SYD-HKG on a 744 in J. I think it was sparkling wine served on the ground for a pre-departure beverage (as opposed top Jetconnect), but I could be wrong. CSM came round and greeted everyone and was one of those rare CSM's that can do it well without being really obvious about the checking the iPad and saying the same thing to everyone.

Lunch was smooth and efficient. I had a mezze platter for a small plate and a chicken katsu roll for a main place. Skipped dessert. Both were good but nothing to write home about, and the menu is pretty meh compared to say CX or NZ. The katsu roll was literally just a roll, nothing else with it. It felt like the menu was more a large selection of entrees (despite the fact it's still advertised as three courses). I did have an excellent shiraz during the meal and then kept up my immune system with the single malt throughout the rest of the flight. Snack before landing was either arancini balls or spicy chicken wings - I had the wings which were actually really good.

Cabin crew really excelled here (compared to previous QF long hauls in J) and were constantly roaming the cabin throughout the flight with snacks, offers of juice or water refills. Entertainment selection was so-so and there definitely needs to be a few more movies and box series TV shows. I actually like the Skybed, I find it great to get the perfect lounging position and I like that the massage function is quite solid as well - though the TV screen definitely needs to be replaced to something more high definition and with a faster input response system.

Overall, a very good flight. Great service, pretty good food and a nice place to relax for 9 hours or so.

120 SC's (thanks to DSC)


Novotel Citygate HKG
My flight landed at around 6pm and the flight to KUL the next day was 0830 so I couldn't be bothered going into town. Unfortunately, there's only a handful of accommodation options close to the airport: Regal Airport Hotel, Skycity Marriott and Novotel Citygate. I choose Novotel as I'd get Accor Gold benefits there, and it was the cheapest by far. I got a standard room on a fully flexible rate for about HKD$1150 through the Europcar discount microsite, and rates at the other two were consistently over HKD$2000 on a non-flex. Really impressed with pre-arrival service as I received an email a few days prior confirming a one-class room upgrade and welcome drink and gift etc, as well as detailed instructions on how to get the transfer bus. Upon arrival went down to the hotel shuttle area and waited about 10min for the shuttle. It only takes 5min to get the hotel, so very close to the airport in general.

On arrival I'd been further upgraded to an Executive room. So dropped my stuff and popped into the exec lounge for a drink and something to eat. Luckily I wasn't hungry as I arrived at the tail end of evening hour and there were cold deep fried onion rings and pickled mackerel with pickled onions left to eat...

The hotel is connected to an outlet mall so if you want to get non-hotel food there are plenty of places there, as well as a massage place. Plenty of shops as well so had a wander and checked out the pool and gym area (I'd bought exercise gear, but couldn't be bothered after a lovely shiraz and whiskey combo enroute to HKG).

The room itself was fine. Nothing to write home about. Spacious. Cool. Blackout curtains. Soundproofed. All the things you like. There was a nespresso machine which was a nice touch. However, there was only one powerpoint in the whole room...and it was right by the door to the room...other than that I literally went for a walk in the mall, slept, showered and was outta there for the morning flight the next day.


Up next:
HKG Lounge Hopping (Cabin, Bridge, Pier)
HKG-KUL CX J
KUL Lounge Hopping (MH J, Plaza Premium)
KUL-CMB UL J

 

[NZ_Flyer]

HKG Lounge Hopping

I had planned to sleep in as much as possible at the Novotel and head to the HKG at about 0700 for my 0835 departure. However jetlag got the better of me and I woke up at 0500 and decided to just get ready and head to the airport rather then lie in bed and try and sleep for another hour or so! Check-out was easy, and again the free airport shuttle was running every 15min from 0600 and took 5min to drop me off outside departures. I'd already checked in online but had to pick up my boarding passes, which I did at a self-service kiosk. Security and immigration were relatively busy, but as per the usual in HKG, it only took about 10min. My CX flight was departing at Gate 71 (right by the Pier) so I decided to lounge hop my way down there. I skipped the QF lounge (I'm not sure if it's even open that early in the morning) and the Wing (as I've spent a bit of time in there already). I spent a bit of time in each of the Bridge, Cabin and Pier - on the way back I've got 6 hours in HKG so plenty of time to check out the Pier Business, EK and QF lounges in detail.

The Cabin
This was the first stop. The last time I was here was the same time of day and it was absolutely boiling in the seating areas, so it was great to see not only improved AC but also those cool Dyson fans everywhere. Now I know that every CX lounge at HKG has something they're known for or something unique, but I find at breakfast time it's all really the same. The Cabin has the health bar, which has a selection of meats, cheeses and veges to either make a salad or a sandwich - and the bar itself has a huge range of freshly squeezed juices and smoothies/juice combos that can be made on request. I just had a quick juice and some cold cuts from the health bar and then decided to wander down to the Cabin. The hot food around breakfast time is all the same in the lounges - dim sum, congee, bacon, sausages, scrambed eggs etc - so I'm looking forward to being there in the afternoon and evening to see what the lounges offer differently then.

The Bridge
The bridge is about double the size of the cabin and at the entrance way you can either go left or right. I went right and headed towards the bakery and the long bar. I'm not too sure what they bakery normally serves, but at breakfast it was the standard hot food fare like the cabin but obviously with a large selection of breads and pastries and a couple of toasted sandwich options. I grabbed a small plate of dim sum and had an excellent early morning bloody mary at the long bar before making my way over to the other side of the lounge. Here is the bistro and coffee loft - now I was really excited about the coffee loft, especially as the barista knew what a long black was! Winning! I didn't check out the bistro but I'm keen to see what's offered once breakfast is finished. After my coffee I wandered down to the Pier, as this was the only lounge I hadn't checked out yet (it was closed last time I was in HKG)

The Pier
I was really excited to check out this lounge - and I was not disappointed. I actually can't wait for my long HKG layover to spend a good amount of time exploring the lounge. For those that haven't been, the lounge is sort of split into two long parallel areas. The first area is where your main food and beverage is with lots of seating, and adjacent to this and running parallel is seating close to the windows and obviously much quieter. Starting from the reception, you enter the main food area with a lot more options than the rest of the lounge (heaps more cold cuts and cheese options etc). I didn't stop here as the breakfast food was mainly the same. Next area is the bar which looks very nice and classy. Then you move on to the classic noodle bar (I did stop here for a couple of dumplings). Further on is the tea room where you can order fresh loose leaf tea from a huge menu. Finally you have the shower and the relaxation area which is essentially a lot of daybeds for resting - it was actually nice and dark and quiet - so a good option if you need to recharge. I grabbed some tea and something from the noodle bar, but my flight began boarding so I made by way to Gate 71. However, I can't wait to spend a bit of time in here on the way back through!

 

[NZ_Flyer]

HKG-KUL CX723
Business Class - 19A
This flight was on a regional A330 that CX run, and luckily it had the new reverse herringbone seats in J, so I was quite excited to try this. After booking the ticket for this flight, it was announced that this route would be run entirely by KA from March 2017 onwards. Between that announcement and now, the return flight from KUL-HKG was cancelled and rebooked as a KA flight (with their 2-2-2 regional J seats), but this flight remained operated by CX which I was really glad about. I arrived at the gate just as boarding was announced - I like that CX do priority boarding properly with people checking BP's on those lined up to make sure they are in the right line, and then boarding priority groups first and waiting till everyone in that lane has been processed before continuing with general boarding.

I'd selected 19A as it was the window seat in the first row of the second cabin in business. I read that this row had a nice and private feel as there was no one in front of you and the smaller cabin made things quieter and more secluded. I would sort of agree with that. Being in the mini-cabin definitely has a nicer private feeling than being in the main cabin, but next time I'd probably choose a seat a row or 2 back so you aren't constantly being distracted by stuff happening in the galley. Others may have more experience - but it actually seemed that the middle seats had more legroom and overall space than the window seats?

This was my first time on CX Business, so it was nice to see the service difference between the CX crew and my usual Business class carries (QF and NZ). CX crew were definitely more refined and seemed a lot smoother in their delivery of service. They used everyone's name and unlike when that happens on QF/NZ, they didn't really obviously look at the manifest before doing this! However, while the crew are efficient and professional, they do lack that relaxed friendliness QF/NZ crew seem to have when they chat with you. Anyway - very impressed with this crew overall.

Pre-departure drinks were OJ, apple juice or water. Hot towels and KL fast track vouchers were handed out. Menu was breakfast and there was no booze anywhere on the menu - you had to ask. Options were western frittata sort of thing, dim sum or a braised beef noodle dish. I went for the dim sum - it was about what you can expect from plane dim sum...but I was really happy they served coconut water and had an espresso machine. Had one glass of champagne and a bloody mary before landing, and spent the rest of the time lounging and watching the IFE (which had a pretty good selection).


MH Golden Lounge KUL
This lounge is a new one for me. I've been into the F lounge at KUL as well as the regional J lounge and was pretty impressed with both, so was interested to see how MH's flagship J lounge compared. UL use the Plaza Premium lounge at KUL, and I had planned to check out both, but ended up staying in the MH lounge as I started writing this TR. It's pretty dire. It is massive and there's plenty of privacy, but other than that it's a bit of a dump. The chairs and tables are quite old and dirty and its really just in urgent need of a good revamp. Immediately as you walk in, there's a bar to your right. I had a couple of beers from here (they had Carlsberg as the only beer and no longer serve champagne) throughout my stay. As you walk into the main lounge area there is a dining room where there are cold cuts and sandwiches, as well as windows you can order barista coffee and cooked-to-order noodle dishes (although there are no signs that that's what these windows are). Then outside that buffet area, and at the back of the lounge, is the hot buffet area. The dishes didn't look too appealing but there was a selection of Malaysian and Western options available. At the very back of the lounge is a pay-to-use spa and a relaxation room with 4x day beds (I'll need these for my connection on the way back). Soon enough it was time to board. Overall, if I had time, I'd definitely take the train to the main terminal and use the regional J lounge there - it's way nicer and has the same F&B options.


UL315 KUL-CMB
Business Class - 2C
Before this flight, I couldn't find many reviews on UL A320 business class. It's a standard A320 J set-up, with 4 rows of 2-2 seating. I've read the Sri Lankan food on board can be really good, and the service is usually nice and personable as well. So I was looking forward to trying a new airline!

Boarding began on time and I was the first to board in J - ended up being 13/16 seats taken so reasonable full. The seats have a huge amount of legroom - like I don't know the exact measurement but there's at least 2.5 windows between each seat. As a result, the recline is really impressive and the legrest actually comes out to a usable length!

Service started off really well with pre-departure beverages of OJ, apple juice and water followed a scalding hot towel and then menus for the flights. Before take-off the FA came back out to take drink and meal orders. They had a really nice bordeaux which I stuck with throughout the flight, and I had the fish curry for my main. Really great presentation of food with proper salt and pepper shakers, a plate with butter on. Attention to detail, and it's the little things that do it I find. However, once the meal service was done then the crew disappeared and weren't seen again unless people pushed their call bell and specifically asked for something.

I checked out the IFE but mine threw a hissy fit and stopped working. The FA half-heartedly tried to reset it, but it was KIA I think. So I just read and snooezed for the rest of the flight. Overall, I quite enjoyed the flight. The legroom and recline is fantastic and the food and drink selection was quite good. The service was pretty good when it happened. Add these seats to Jetconnect TT flights and you'd have a pretty decent J service on QF I think. I'd definitely fly UL again, especially if I got a chance to try their wide body seats.

 

[defurax]

Very nice trip report, very detailed!

Security and immigration were relatively busy, but as per the usual in HKG, it only took about 10min.

Since your profile show you are QF SG, I presume you have signed up for e-Channel access in HK? (e-Channel Services for Visitors | Immigration Department)

UL315 KUL-CMB
Business Class - 2C
Before this flight, I couldn't find many reviews on UL A320 business class. It's a standard A320 J set-up, with 4 rows of 2-2 seating. I've read the Sri Lankan food on board can be really good, and the service is usually nice and personable as well. So I was looking forward to trying a new airline!

Boarding began on time and I was the first to board in J - ended up being 13/16 seats taken so reasonable full. The seats have a huge amount of legroom - like I don't know the exact measurement but there's at least 2.5 windows between each seat. As a result, the recline is really impressive and the legrest actually comes out to a usable length!

I agree, the legroom on the newer config of the A320 is massive!!! As you know, I'm doing the same run in a few weeks (after you posted it in another thread) and in my case the UL flight from KUL-CMB has been swapped for a A332 and the CMB-KUL for a A333. So the only flight that won't be flat bed is the KA flight from KUL to HKG.

 

[NZ_Flyer]

Since your profile show you are QF SG, I presume you have signed up for e-Channel access in HK? (e-Channel Services for Visitors | Immigration Department)



I agree, the legroom on the newer config of the A320 is massive!!! As you know, I'm doing the same run in a few weeks (after you posted it in another thread) and in my case the UL flight from KUL-CMB has been swapped for a A332 and the CMB-KUL for a A333. So the only flight that won't be flat bed is the KA flight from KUL to HKG.

No I didn't end up signing up for e-channel access. Reason being that I flew 1 April and my SG card expires 31 March and I hadn't received a replacement yet so I thought there wouldn't be much point using an expired card and then trying to explain the situation.

I'm also very jealous of your equipment swaps! You'll have to let me know how it goes!

 

[NZ_Flyer]

2 Days in Colombo

So the way this trip turned out, I ended up having two full days in CMB. After reading a lot online and talking to a few people that had been, the general consensus was 1 day was enough in Colombo itself. On my last day, my flight out was at 23:30 so I looked into doing a day trip to Galle, but the cheapest tour I could find for just me was 150 Euro's, so I just left it. If you are going to do some time in CMB then 1 day is enough. If you end up doing 2 days then do 1 night in CMB and 1 night in Negombo just for a change of scenery. If you do more than 2 days then obviously see a bit more of Sri Lanka.

Getting Around
Use Uber. It's so easy and cheap in CMB. Far cheaper than even tuk tuk's. When I arrived at the airport I grabbed a SIM card with 8GB of data for about $13. Then an Uber to my hotel was LKR$1800 including a 300 toll. Anywhere I wanted to get to from my hotel was LKR100-250. I took a couple of tuk tuk's and it wasn't worth trying to even bargain them down to the same price as an Uber, so Uber is what I stuck to.

The first day I had planned to do an 11am walking tour and then I had a 4pm evening tuk tuk sights/food tour planned. Woke up and went to the gym briefly and then breakfast at the hotel and hopped in an Uber to the Dutch Hospital Precinct where the walking tour starts. Was a little early so had a coffee, but no one ever turned up for the walking tour. So I grabbed another few Uber's and checked out a couple of temples and then wandered around the the waterfront and had a beer at Galle Face (had originally booked here but cancelled when plans changed, and then when I did need to stay in CMB prices were pretty horrendous there). Next back to the hotel and popped across the road for a foot massage and the back for the tuk tuk tour. I definitely recommend this tour. It's USD$60/person, but they pick you up in a pimped out tuk tuk with a chiller on beer, water and fresh coconuts for you to enjoy on the way. You head around to all the main sites (the actual info the give on each one is pretty bad, but the experience is fun). Tuk Tuk Safari's is the name.

The next day I decided to just laze around so had breakfast then went to the National Museum. Back to the hotel and read a book by the pool and wandered to a local place for lunch, until checkout at 2pm. I had a 2 hour spa package booked at Spa Ceylone at 3pm so grabbed an Uber there and when that was done (don't bother, it's pretty bad for the price) headed back to the hotel and an Uber to CMB (complete with evening traffic, though managed to get there in 1.5 hours). Lots of notices around the hotel to be at the airport 5 hours before your flight due to the runway upgrades which are planned to finish in a few days apparently.

There's really not a lot of stuff to do in Colombo, but that's just my opinion, YMMV. Don't stay more than a day really unless you have to.

 

[defurax]

Apparently, the runway upgrade at CMB is already completed ahead of schedule, but they have decided to only resume normal activities from April 7 as originally planned: http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170326/business-times/bia-runway-overlay-completed-233845.html

 

[NZ_Flyer]

UL1318 CMB-KUL
Business Class - 1C
After a day relaxing I grabbed an Uber out to CMB at about 1800 for a 2330 flight - got to the airport at about 2000 which is probably pretty good for evening rush hour at CMB. Earlier in the day I had checked in for my CMB-KUL on UL but when I tried to check-in for KUL-HKG on KA I got an error message about an e-ticket not being found. Didn't pay much notice at the time, but on the drive to the airport I had another try and got the same message so looked into it a bit closely. To my alarm, my KUL-HKG segment was listed in the PNR but didn't have a ticket attached to it. I tried calling Expedia a couple of times but mysteriously got "hung up on" when I explained the situation so I left it to organise a bit later on. Check-in was easy enough (though UL were ominously unable to check me in for the KA sector) and no lines for the many security checks plus immigration.

Popped into the Serendib lounge which was very quiet. Called Expedia, UL and CX about this missing ticket and no one knew what was going on, but they all reckoned it should be OK when I check-in... I had a couple of drinks but the food didn't look too appetising so left it there. They have a spa there and I went in for a neck and shoulder massage which turned into a strange situation - the therapist asked me to take my shirt off which would normally be OK except there was someone else right next to me getting as foot massage. I politely declined and they were really insistent, so they called me back in when I had the place to myself and it was a really good massive. Just an odd, awkward situation - but those are always fun!

Boarded on time and had a glass of water and then tried to sleep for the redeye. While the UL seats have heaps of legroom and recline, it's actually too much and not good for sleeping. A little bit less recline or flatter really - at least for me. Anyway, snoozed on and off and we were landing in KUL before I knew it.


KA730 KUL-HKG
Business Class - 12G
When I arrived at KUL I went to the transfer desk but there were no CX reps there - and the CX lounge wasn't open yet either. About 2.5 hours before departure the CX lounge opened and the agent was really good and let me in and said he'd come and get me when the CX rep was on the transfer desk. As I thought, when I went down to get my BP the agent had no idea what to do - apparently he just had to add the ticket back into the segment but I don't think he knew what he was doing. Eventually he figured it out and printed the BP - but it had no QF number on it - he then told me it wasn't possible to add on after the flight in HKG? After I insisted he went to find someone and added the number in.

I spent a bit of time in the CX lounge (which is pretty dire) and then popped back into the MH lounge before heading to Gate 32 for boarding. It was a totally full flight and it was on the KA A330 regional congig so 2-2-2 in J. It was pretty comfortable for a 3 hour flight. The seat doesn't go fully flat, but has more options to find a comfortable recline than a standard manual recliner. This flight was pretty similar to the inbound CX flight as it was also breakfast time, however I did notice the difference between the CX and KA service. CX had more drinks options (at least out of HKG) and the crew were a bit more polished (only slightly), along with a few other things like not having hot towels etc. Food options were western omelette, noodles and beef with rice - standard fare. I had the beef mamak which was actually pretty good.

Landed in HKG on time and popped over to transit to pick up BP's for my QF flight. No wait at transit security and I was ready to enjoy 7 hours of lounge hopping!

 

[defurax]

I should have mentioned, when flying UL in J out of CMB you have access to the "Silk route" which is a premium check in accessible before the main terminal.

I'll see if I have the same missing ticket number issue with my KA flight...

Edit: Thanks for the heads up, I looked at the e-ticket using QR MMB and the KA flight does not appear on the e-ticket anymore although the segment shows as confirmed when retrieving the itinerary on QF, UL or CX website.
I've contacted UL's office in HK to see if they can add the e-ticket number back to the KA flight and/or re-validate the ticket. If I remember correctly the fare rule only allowed UL, MH and CX flights, so the substitution of the last CX flight with a KA flight might have caused problems...

 

[NZ_Flyer]

I've contacted UL's office in HK to see if they can add the e-ticket number back to the KA flight and/or re-validate the ticket. If I remember correctly the fare rule only allowed UL, MH and CX flights, so the substitution of the last CX flight with a KA flight might have caused problems...

Yeah that's pretty much what UL told me the issue was. But as it was so close to departure they fobbed me off to CX check-in at KUL to deal with it - which is fine but it's added stress (agent didn't know where to start with my booking and explaining the issue and what he had to do - add the e-ticket back on the sector or something similar - just confused him), so would be good to get it sorted before travelling.

I did think about using Silk Route but I'd read online that it wasn't actually faster (but I was still keen to try it). I was too busy in the Uber calling Expedia about the ticket I forgot to tell the driver to go there as well.

 

[NZ_Flyer]

HKG Lounge Hopping V2
I arrived into HKG just before 1300 and wandered along to the transfer desks to pick up my QF BP's (departing at 2015) and go through security. My PE -> J upgrade HKG-SYD had come through at T-28 and a quick check on EF showed not only the two SYD flights having wide open availability in all cabins, but also the MEL and BNE ones too! I went through transfer security down by the QF lounge, but my plan was to have a shower and spend a few hours relaxing in The Pier before checking out the EK lounge briefly and ending up in the QF lounge.

I walked down to The Pier for some exercise. Stopped at The Bridge for a coffee there but the lady manning the Coffee Loft had no idea what a long black was so I gave up and headed along to The Pier. Excellent showers - really like the attention to detail of the shower rooms and design, as well as the thought gone into providing a whole host of different toiletries and amenities (in stark contrast to my next shower at QF SYD J lounge). I then grabbed a recliner and ottoman seat facing the tarmac in the quiet zone of the lounge and relaxed for a few hours with some coughtails, a good coffee and some food from the noodle bar.

Next I headed across to the EK lounge. I've heard it's definitely not one of EK's better ones but it's worth checking it out. I was hoping they'd have some Veuve but Moet was on offer. Food good but not as extensive as other EK lounges I've been in recently (BKK, SYD, AKL). So after an hour or so I wandered down to the QF lounge with a brief stop at The Wing while I was there. Went to the coffee loft and got one final long back, but the barista just pressed the coffee button on the auto machine and gave me that. So I left it full and headed over to QF.

This HKG QF lounge visit was my first proper one - I'd tried to go before but got lost trying to find it and only had 5-10min before I had to board my flight. Made a stop at the bar first and had the signature coughtail - can't remember what it was but had juice and vanilla syrup in it so was too sweet for me. While there I grabbed a plate of the BBQ pork which was excellent and then got an espresso martini and found a place to settle down. I'd had way to much food by then so skipped the buffet, but someone came round offering dim sum and dumplings - and it would have been rude to refuse. They were delicious though. For my upcoming flight I had selected 5J, but as the load was so light I switched to 12J as there were a couple of free pairs of seats on the upper deck.


QF128 HKG -SYD
Business Class - 12J
Boarding today was via gate 34 so a slight trek from the lounge once boarding was announced, but nothing that I didn't need. Had the obligatory liquids check halfway down the jetbridge and the onwards to the upper deck. Really fantastic crew today. The FA working the galley was great at handing out PJ's and coordinating changing areas and asking people whether they were planning on eating or sleeping, offering to hang clothes up etc. The FA working the cabin was also great and spent time offering refills of champagne after the initial PDB due to a 30-45min engineering delay we had, and chatted with everyone. She used people's surname without being obvious about reading the manifest etc.

My plan was to go straight to sleep but the FA ended up convincing me to have a quick bite to eat! I had a glass of Glenlivet and a toasted bacon ciabatta. The food service was really quick and I took out the other seats tray table and put my empty dishes there and went straight to sleep with a the help of some booze and half a zopiclone. I will say though that my Skybed had a serious case of the droops. I knew they drooped a little but this one was bad. I did find a comfortable position though and was soon asleep. Woke up when we were an hour out of SYD and breakfast started being served, but I slept through and only woke at the last minute to change out of PJ's and have some water and OJ when landing.

A really great flight overall. It might have been because a night flight can mean less workload for FA's than a day flight, but our FA's were really good -definitely the best on this trip.


QF143 SYD-AKL
Business Class 1C
Upon arriving into SYD I went through transfer security in a breeze and headed to the QF lounge for a shower. I contemplated the EK lounge but couldn't be bothered with the entry hassle I usually get and was a bit slim on time so wanted to have a shower closer to my actual departure gate. The showers at the J lounge in QF are fine, but in stark contrast to the excellent ones at The Pier. After a shower I had a brief coffee and then boarding was announced.

For this flight I had selected 2C but changed to 1C. No one had a seat mate when I looked at EF before the flight, but 1A was taken when I boarded which the rest of the cabin was very light. Great Jetconnect crew as usual and used everyone's names and very professional - economy pax well looked after too as the CSM was frequently taking J champagne down to WP's etc in the first few rows. I had the poached eggs with kale. Good as far as TT J breakfasts go on QF. Arrived into AKL on time! Out of the terminal about 10min after touching down!

 

[Mattg]

I'm looking at spending 2 days in Colombo (in transit between flying in from DOH and flying out to SIN) in July. So I found your thoughts on your time there interesting.

Did you get a transit visa for Sri Lanka?

 

[NZ_Flyer]

I'm looking at spending 2 days in Colombo (in transit between flying in from DOH and flying out to SIN) in July. So I found your thoughts on your time there interesting.

Did you get a transit visa for Sri Lanka?

Thought about the transit visa but I did some research and apparently they ask you do show an itinerary that shows you leaving within 48 hours and unfortunately they are very strict. I arrived at 1630 and left two days later at 2330 so I just bit the bullet and bought the Visa.

I would do a day in Colombo doing sites or whatever you want. And if you're into relaxing then a 2nd day in a hotel in Negombo where you could sit by the pool and the easily get to the airport.

 

[NZ_Flyer]

Conclusion
So all up I spent 6 days away and had a total of 8 flights and 3 nights in hotels. I would have done a third status run from CMB to CAI on QR which would have been 12 flights but work circumstances meant I absolutely had to be back in NZ on the 5th - so if something went wrong along the way I'd be screwed.

But I really enjoyed it and got to try 2 new airlines and go to a new country for a wee look around. Got the usual "are you crazy" from family and friends but I really love it, so they can think I'm crazy.

I earned exactly 600 SCs and requalified for Gold 5 days into my membership year. A great little status run for anyone needing one from HKG or wanting something different than the bog standard MH ones ex-BKK

 

[Danger]

I'm looking at spending 2 days in Colombo (in transit between flying in from DOH and flying out to SIN) in July. So I found your thoughts on your time there interesting.

Did you get a transit visa for Sri Lanka?

I passed through CMB twice (or maybe three times) in January. I was made to get an entry visa on one visit because even though I was only there for three hours I was both flying in from and flying out to DOH. This is done at a separate window in the arrivals hall in a less than orderly fashion. The other occasion (that I can remember) I showed a copy of my inbound and outbound itineraries and got a transit visa which I think was free.

 

[defurax]

I passed through CMB twice (or maybe three times) in January. I was made to get an entry visa on one visit because even though I was only there for three hours I was both flying in from and flying out to DOH. This is done at a separate window in the arrivals hall in a less than orderly fashion. The other occasion (that I can remember) I showed a copy of my inbound and outbound itineraries and got a transit visa which I think was free.

This seems to be applied inconsistently. I found a post on Tripadvisor (August 2014) from someone who was told by an immigration officer that return to same city was not a "transit" and that he had to get a $35 ETA, but while waiting for an officer to cancel the transit ETA another officer decided that it was ok to be in transit and proceeded to put the sticker in his passport...

I've only used the transit ETA once before, but it was a "real" transit. Actually, I've always used the Business class immigration counters on the right side and not a single word was spoken, no questions, no itinerary requested... I'll see what happen this time!

 

[defurax]

Thanks for the heads up, I looked at the e-ticket using QR MMB and the KA flight does not appear on the e-ticket anymore although the segment shows as confirmed when retrieving the itinerary on QF, UL or CX website.
I've contacted UL's office in HK to see if they can add the e-ticket number back to the KA flight and/or re-validate the ticket. If I remember correctly the fare rule only allowed UL, MH and CX flights, so the substitution of the last CX flight with a KA flight might have caused problems...

Yeah that's pretty much what UL told me the issue was. But as it was so close to departure they fobbed me off to CX check-in at KUL to deal with it - which is fine but it's added stress (agent didn't know where to start with my booking and explaining the issue and what he had to do - add the e-ticket back on the sector or something similar - just confused him), so would be good to get it sorted before travelling.

So in the end getting the ticket reissued to include the KA flight was more complex than anticipated. I'm always amazed at how prehistoric ticketing systems and basic communication between airlines seem to be!
So after contacting UL office in HK and telling them that "I had been made aware that a flight was "missing" from my e-ticket" they replied that yes, indeed, a change of flight had occured...but that I had to provide documentation that the change was involuntary!!! So somehow, when CX decides to swap or cancel flights on a UL ticket the flight just drops from the ticket, but still shows as "confirmed"!!!

Good thing I never delete any emails, so I forwarded the 2 "flight change" emails I received from expedia.hk over the past 8 months to UL office in HK. I thought that the ticket would now be reissued right away, but no, apparently this needed input from the manager. In the end it all worked out, I now have a new e-ticket number.

Also, for any AFFer interested in this HKG-KUL-CMB run, it is now possible to book the same flights but with a CX codeshare on KA metal.

 

[NZ_Flyer]

defurax, do you know when UL flights usually post to QF?

 

[defurax]

defurax, do you know when UL flights usually post to QF?

Takes 5 to 12 days if I look at previous flights:

09 SEP	UL 563 BUSINESS 30AUG COLOMBO/PARIS
09 SEP	UL 309 BUSINESS 29AUG SINGAPORE/COLOMBO 427
16 SEP	UL 504 BUSINESS 11SEP LONDON/COLOMBO
23 SEP	UL 302 BUSINESS 13SEP COLOMBO/SINGAPORE 427

 

[defurax]

I passed through CMB twice (or maybe three times) in January. I was made to get an entry visa on one visit because even though I was only there for three hours I was both flying in from and flying out to DOH. This is done at a separate window in the arrivals hall in a less than orderly fashion. The other occasion (that I can remember) I showed a copy of my inbound and outbound itineraries and got a transit visa which I think was free.

This seems to be applied inconsistently. I found a post on Tripadvisor (August 2014) from someone who was told by an immigration officer that return to same city was not a "transit" and that he had to get a $35 ETA, but while waiting for an officer to cancel the transit ETA another officer decided that it was ok to be in transit and proceeded to put the sticker in his passport...

I've only used the transit ETA once before, but it was a "real" transit. Actually, I've always used the Business class immigration counters on the right side and not a single word was spoken, no questions, no itinerary requested... I'll see what happen this time!

So this time the immigration agent told me I was on the wrong visa/ETA and that I should get a 30 day entry VOA for USD35. I pleaded my case, told him I was just a silly guy flying around the world to credit flights to my airline program and that I only intended to enter Sri Lanka for 16 hours. He looked at me in disbelief and put the transit sticker in my passport...