Four Flights, Four Airlines

[sinophile888]

Trip Report
Sorry, no aircraft pictures.

Flight 1 Qantas PER -> SIN
Flight 2 China Eastern SIN -> PVG
Flight 3 Sichuan Airlines CKG -> SZX
Flight 4 Cathay Pacific HKG -> PER

The reason for the trip report is that sometimes when I fly I feel fine throughout the trip but at other times I feel shocking and nauseous. I only fly during the day, so that is one variable removed.

I have a theory that my malaise may be due to low cabin pressure, so I kindly bought my husband a watch which gives barometric pressure and altitude amongst other readouts.

I read the barometric pressure about half way through each flight. The results varied from 799 to 816 hPa.

The experiment is still ongoing as I felt good for all of the flights except for food poisoning coming back into Perth.

To test the accuracy of the watch, we measured altitude and air pressure whilst in the ship locks on the Three Gorges Dam. The actual altitude was out, but the change in altitude was accurate to less than 1 metre over the five locks (about 20m per lock).

 

[sinophile888]

Flight 1
Date: 30/09/2011
QF 71
Airline: Qantas
From: Perth
To: Singapore
Scheduled departure: 3:35pm.
Pushed back: 4:03 pm
Delay due to: Technical issues in the coughpit.
Load: Full (Start of school holidays)
Barometric Pressure: 799 hPa

At boarding, a CSO greeted me by name after looking at my boarding pass, and said he would pop down for a chat, which he did before take-off. He said he likes to chat to passengers in 45B, an aisle exit row. I'm not too sure what that was all about, but it was interesting to hear that the crew had left Singapore that morning and that they were on their way back to Singapore that same afternoon. Quite a long day for them! And what about the pilots?

I had paid for an exit row seat and for my husband to sit behind me.

Hostess brought me a cup of tea; she remembered that I wanted one after our meal. Quite impressed with the FAs!

Meal: Chicken or Pork
Husband's opinion of Pork: Fatty and inedible

 

[sinophile888]

Flight 2
Date: 1/10/2011
Airline: China Eastern
Flight No.: MU546
From: Singapore
To: Shanghai
Scheduled departure: 10:10am
Pushed back: 10:13am
Load: 90% full (Start of National Holidays)
Aircraft: Boeing 767
Barometric Pressure: 812hPa
Stayed overnight at the "Crowne Plaza", Changi Airport
Checking in: We lined up at 7.10. Only one staff member. We were about 6th in line but soon about 35 - 40 in queue. I enquired about when more staff would arrive. Check-in formally opened at 7:40. We were nearly at the front by then. A second staff member prepared to open and was swamped by people from nearer the end of the queue. Other staff worked hard to contain the group and ensured that the new queue waited until everyone in the original queue was booked in. I asked for an exit row seat and was pleased to get 17A and B.

We then went back to the CP for breakfast, to pick up our hand luggage and to check-out.

Exit row seats were most acceptable.

Announcements were first in Mandarin followed by English. Neither language was audible above the aircraft noise. Flight was about 95% Chinese locals.

Went to the toilet, seat was up and there were footprints on the stall.

Meal: Chicken or Fish
Husband's opinion of Chicken: only ate the rice
Landed: due at 15:15, only 10 minutes late.

 

[sinophile888]

Flight 3
Date: 10/10/2011
Scheduled Departure: 13:00
Pushed back: 12:55
Flight No: 3U 8783
Airline: Sichuan Airlines
From: Chongqing
To: Shenzhen
Barometric Pressure: 829 hPa
Due to Land: 14:50
Landed: 14:45
Flight: Full (End of National Holidays)
Aircraft: A320
Checked in at 9:30 am. Asked for exit row seat but the girl just smiled sweetly. Gave us 5D and 5E. Only a 1 hour 50 minute flight so not too worried.
Seat with smallest pitch I have ever experienced. My husband thought that the seats were so close together that the overhead lights and air vents were not above the seat; in our case, they were behind our seats.

Food Choice: Chicken with rice or Noodles
Husband's Opinion: Chicken option gelatinous and inedible.

Luggage off quickly, amongst first on carousel. Caught the airport bus to other side of Shenzhen. 20 Yuan each for a 1 hour journey on an expressway.
We were dropped off at the back of the hotel and were not sure which way to head. Two very strong ladies carried our luggage off the bus, out of the pouring rain and then offered to escort us to the hotel. We took the direct route, sometimes through ankle deep puddles. They asked for 20 Yuan each, the same price as an hour on the bus. We were very happy to find the ShangriLa Hotel.

 

[sinophile888]

Flight 4
Date: 15/10/2011
Flight No.: CX171
Airline: Cathay Pacific
Scheduled Departure: 15:55
Pushed back: 16:02
From: Hong Kong
To: Perth
Barometric Pressure: 808 mm Hg
Due to land: 10:35pm
Landed: Unknown
Aircraft: A330
Flight: Full (End of School Holidays)
We came across from Shenzhen on the morning of the flight. We enquired about the options of a taxi and then the ferry from Shekou or a car direct from the hotel to Hong Kong airport. The concierge informed us that the Hotel Limousine cost 1800 Yuan, approximately A300. Not an option. The taxi /ferry option was around 600 Yuan. He then spoke to us of a third private option: he would organize a private car for us for 800 Yuan, direct from the hotel to the airport. We decided on the third option, a very cloak and dagger type of arrangement.

The driver arrived a few minutes early and we proceeded to a crossing point, but not the one we had used on a previous trip. We piled out of the car, leaving all but our official papers and lined up with thousands of locals. It took approx. 40 mins. to be processed out of China. The line for foreigners had more locals than foreigners in it. Then back in the car for an in-car processing into HK. Unfortunately, while we were in no- mans- land, the driver realized he had lost his passport. Phone calls flew back and forth and we were starting to panic about getting to the airport. Finally, he found his passport under the seat. We made it in plenty of time, but I don't know how we would have managed to get out of no-mans-land with 2 suitcases and 4 smaller pieces of hand luggage.

We had reserved exit row seats when we booked over the phone to Qantas in early April using frequent flyer points. The exit row seat request reservation icon was still present just before the flight. When we went to check in, we were informed that we hadn't confirmed the seats and that we should have paid for them. Luckily, we were allocated bulkhead seats in the same row, and were very comfortable except for the airbag in the seatbelt which was bulky and uncomfortable. The area in front of the exit row seats was often crowded with people stretching their legs or waiting for the toilet. So I think we were more comfortable in the bulkhead seats.

The last couple of hours of the flight were unpleasant for me personally when a stomach bug hit. The FAs were very helpful and attentive.

 

[sinophile888]

Summary
The results of my experiment were inconclusive, as I felt well for all of each flight except the stomach bug at the end of the last leg.

I will continue the experiment in January, when we are flying AirAsia in Premium class from PER -> xKUL -> SIN and returning on Malaysian Airlines in Business class from HKG-> KUL then the next day KUL -> PER.

In many ways, I hope I never prove my hypothesis conclusively.

 

[Simo]

Good summary,

Crossing from China to HKG is always hectic as I did it in Feb/March.

 

[moa999]

Nice trip report, what was your opinion of the food?

 

[tuapekastar]

Nice concise TR. Your husband must have lost some weight during the trip!

 

[sinophile888]

Nice trip report, what was your opinion of the food?

Our daughter was recently diagnosed with Coeliac disease. So I have given up eating wheat to support her. I usually try the Indian Vegetarian airline option, but it is usually poor quality no matter what airline we are on.

This time, I took some gluten free muesli, some tetra packs of soy milk and plastic dishes then ate at the airport before we went through security. The only flight which could have been a problem was the 7+ hours from Hong Kong to Perth. But for this flight, it wasn't a problem.

 

[albatross710]

To test the accuracy of the watch, we measured altitude and air pressure whilst in the ship locks on the Three Gorges Dam. The actual altitude was out, but the change in altitude was accurate to less than 1 metre over the five locks (about 20m per lock).

For the altitude to be correct you have to consider and adjust for the ambient air pressure which will change and thus affect the altitude reading.

Sounds like a worthwhile experiment. Can you recall what the cabin altitude is in 'feet' above sea level?

I recall reading that the new generation of aircraft ie Dreamliner will have high cabin pressure, lower cabin altitude to reduce the effects.