EY / CX / JL F reviews

[craven morehead]

Coming along for the F ride

 

[boomy]

EY did very well with their flagship lounge and it was definitely worth the long wait. I spent two hours there and would happily stay few hours more but it was time to board the second EY F.

Getting comfortable in my favourite seat.



There was quite long delay before takeoff, not unusual at AUH but when flying in the pointy end onboard delays are more than welcomed!

A cool feature of the apartments is the crew can prepare the bed prior to boarding upon request so if there are any delays pax can lounge around in bed and later move to the seat just before takeoff.



The CSM on this flight was a nice Romanian girl, as well as one of the FAs. Since I can understand the language (better than I can speak it) they felt very comfortable talking to me about their experiences working for EY and I got an awesome treatment from both of them during the flight.

Checking out the EY fleet on our way to the runway.

 

[boomy]

When doing 7hr daytime flight in F it's all about enjoying the service and F&B extensive offerings.

Wine menus





Food menus

 

[boomy]

Some of the dishes I had on this trip:

Green pea and mint soup



Beetroot and goats cheese puff pastry



Sea Bass



Textures - Camel milk, Ganache, mousse, ice cream



High quality coffee onboard



All the dishes on EY, especially the steaks (which I forgot to take photo of) are of the highest quality.
Only criticism I have is that menus don't change much between routes and rarely get updated.

That's it, the EY review part finished.

Next review will be all about CX.

 

[mmchow]

Can't help myself but this TR is so enticing. Felt like i've experienced the Apartment. Is there anything left in store for us in Nov when we take this flight, and CX too?

 

[boomy]

Can't help myself but this TR is so enticing. Felt like i've experienced the Apartment. Is there anything left in store for us in Nov when we take this flight, and CX too?

I'm sure you'll enjoy the experience. Best way to fly

 

[boomy]

My flight from ATH (booked on separate itinerary) landed early in FRA and I had more than 3 hours before the scheduled flight to HKG so decided to hang out in the Sheraton Club lounge which offers complementary access to SPG Platinum members regardless if they are staying in the hotel or not. It's a very cool perk only offered by this property AFAIK.

I've been in FRA many times (mostly connections) and apart from LH lounges all the rest are nothing special so wasn't in a hurry to check in. About 90 minutes before boarding I took the shuttle bus to T2 and headed to CX counters. They were packed with pax but luckily no one in the F line. When presented my BP the agent said she can see I have connection in HKG on the way to HND and due to the bad weather over HKG CX decided to put me on direct flight to HND on... LH F. Wow I didn't see that coming!

Normally I'd choose LH F over anything ex-FRA but unfortunately on this occasion I really needed the stopover in HKG to attend two important meetings I've scheduled and can't cancel in the last minute. It was hard, very hard to turn down LH F but I did it and requested my original flights bank. Luckily they were both available, including my pre-booked seats.

 

[boomy]

The CX lounge in FRA is underwhelming, nothing like their HND or TPE lounges but with only one flight per day I can understand why they choose to invest in other lounges. Nevertheless it's nice place to spend some time before boarding. Toilets and showers are clean and wifi works well.







There is also JAL Sakura lounge near by with some sushi and reasonable spirits selection.

 

[bwhouse]

When presented my BP the agent said she can see I have connection in HKG on the way to HND and due to the bad weather over HKG CX decided to put me on direct flight to HND on... LH F. Wow I didn't see that coming!

I must be missing something here. CX and LH aren't even partners and you were on an award ticket, this seems like an odd move considering the original flight wasn't canceled.

But great TR, I am enjoying the read.

 

[TomVexille]

I must be missing something here. CX and LH aren't even partners and you were on an award ticket, this seems like an odd move considering the original flight wasn't canceled.

But great TR, I am enjoying the read.

No, just really proactive service trying to look after a customer.

 

[boomy]

I must be missing something here. CX and LH aren't even partners and you were on an award ticket, this seems like an odd move considering the original flight wasn't canceled.

But great TR, I am enjoying the read.

You're not missing anything. It was an odd move and just shows how awesome CX customer service is.

The day before my scheduled flight there was big storm in the area and HKG airport closed for 14 hours. Although I'm not Marco Polo club member and my ticket was booked using AA miles CX still went out of their way and rebooked me on another flight just in case the storm will stay longer than expected.
I assume they have some kind of agreement with LH otherwise they could book me on ANA, which also operates direct F service to HND.

The reason it was odd btw, not so much because they put me on LH but they didn't notify me about the change, probably assumed no one will mind being moved to LH F

 

[boomy]

Boarding was on time but first need to go through security. What's the deal with their obsession to taking off shoes? I never wear shoes or belts with metal when flying in order to avoid taking them off. Only in German airports I'm asked to remove my shoes for inspection, every time. At least they let me keep the belt on.

Priority first class boarding worked well and soon I found myself in seat 1A.



Couldn't they make the seat a bit wider, feels so cramped



So much legroom my feet can barely reach the ottoman.



Pre-departure Krug is always welcomed.



Weather outside doesn't look too good, looks like we may get delayed... Yay!

 

[TomVexille]

This is what I wanted to see

 

[bwhouse]

You're not missing anything. It was an odd move and just shows how awesome CX customer service is.

The day before my scheduled flight there was big storm in the area and HKG airport closed for 14 hours. Although I'm not Marco Polo club member and my ticket was booked using AA miles CX still went out of their way and rebooked me on another flight just in case the storm will stay longer than expected.
I assume they have some kind of agreement with LH otherwise they could book me on ANA, which also operates direct F service to HND.

The reason it was odd btw, not so much because they put me on LH but they didn't notify me about the change, probably assumed no one will mind being moved to LH F

That is pretty amazing service.

 

[potm]

I was quite happy with business class until reading this thread.

What happened with your luggage, I'm assuming it arrived. Their service seems very disappointing for someone flying first class. All the luxury in the world wouldn't make up for losing my luggage if I was travelling. Even worse was when you had to get Qantas to find it for you.
I think they need to give you a free flight in the residence to make up for it

 

[boomy]

I was quite happy with business class until reading this thread.

What happened with your luggage, I'm assuming it arrived. Their service seems very disappointing for someone flying first class. All the luxury in the world wouldn't make up for losing my luggage if I was travelling. Even worse was when you had to get Qantas to find it for you.
I think they need to give you a free flight in the residence to make up for it

Ah yes the luggage, that was a big saga. I did get it eventually, after two weeks!!

Only when I received the bag and checked all the tags attached I managed to figure out what exactly happened.

Firstly, it was stuck in MEL for two days and when finally sent to AUH I've already left for TXL. For some reason, even that I talked to baggage services and gave them my address at Westin Grand Berlin, they sent it back to MEL. By the time it was sent back again to AUH and then to TXL (it took a week) I've already left for TLV. Now, instead of connecting the bag on AB to TLV someone not very smart decided to send in on LY via SXF. To begin with, there is no relationship between EY and LY which naturally will make any communication more complicated, in addition they fly from a different airport! AB flys daily to TLV from TXL and they are owned by EY so that's how the bag should have been sent and how it was eventually sent, after spending 6 days in TXL storage!

I know it all sounds like a nightmare and indeed it wasn't a very pleasant experience but I wasn't too stressed about it because there is a silver lining to this saga thanks to AMEX generous baggage delay compensation scheme: after 6 hours they give $700 followed by extra $700 if luggage doesn't arrive after 48 hours. It was sale season in Berlin so let's say I spent a fun day shopping on AMEX expense

On top of that I'm currently in negotiations with EY about the compensation amount from their side.
So far they gave me two offers and I rejected both so let's see what happens. From what I read they don't usually negotiate refunds so I guess being Gold member and flying F does help a bit.

 

[boomy]

While we were waiting to clear for takeoff an appetiser was served.



Aesop amenity kits, slippers and Pye pyjamas.



Unlike many airline pyjamas this one was made from good quality fabric that breathes.



I may even use it when flying on other airlines, especially on those who tend to turn their cabins into saunas (yes TG I'm talking about you...).

After takeoff champagne glass refilled and mixed nuts were served properly in a bowl.



Both the CSM and FA were super nice. They were interested why I'm not joining the CX FF programme if I enjoy flying with them so much. When I said I'm QF WP (actually P1 but they don't know what it is) the CSM said I should fly CX more often then will get upgrades. Hmmm upgrades to where exactly, to jump seat?

 

[boomy]

Food menus





Drink list plus spirits

 

[boomy]

Wine list





German wines promotion

 

[boomy]

Meal service started about an hour after takeoff, by that time I was quite hungry after not eating anything in the lounge.

Starting with traditional caviar and champagne.



Second serve Wild mushroom consommé matched with a glass of fine German Riesling.



Moving on to Smoked duck salad matched with a glass of German Pinot Noir.



First time ever, as far as I can recall, that I've tried German Pinot and was impressed.

For main I chose Braised veal cheek matched with a glass of Bordeaux.



I don't normally drink French wines at home but really liked this one. Dan Murphy's sell it for $95 but currently out of stock, maybe better this way

For dessert I had cheese and fruit platter with a glass of Port.



It was a great meal, truly first class quality