Hi all, long time lurker, infrequent poster – I’m intending on changing that over the next little while! Plus, leapfrogging QF009's post makes me gleeful... sorry Keithy! 
To that end, I figured a trip to Hong Kong tomorrow for a venture capital conference might be a good opportunity to write my first trip report. After all, they’ve always been of significant interest and assistance to me, so I guess it’s time for me to do something in return, right?
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Virgin Atlantic Flight VS201
Saturday, 27 September 2008
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ857 (w/l) / SQ863 (w/l) / SQ865
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ233
Unfortunately, given the short notice of this trip (the ticket was only booked on Friday), normal seating preferences didn’t apply – for example, ideally I’d have (with my colleague) 11D and 11F, the bulkhead mini-cabin seats on the SQ 77W flight. No such luck.
Additionally, as some may know, the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix is on Saturday night, and we are apparently able to get some tickets, however the current flight arrives two late, and much as I hope, the chances of my waitlists clearing are unlikely. It does mean, though, a good back-to-back comparison between Spacebed and the new Business product, which I prefer in its 77W form over the A380’s, despite the supposed ‘improvements’ in the latter.
Anyway, more from Kingsford-Smith, starting with check-in and some photos!
--
Okay… Well, despite the above, that didn’t quite work out the way I’d planned – Murphy’s Law decides to impinge on my debut TR, and owing to a typhoon, HKIA is closed to both inbound and outbound traffic today. Today’s VS201 is no more.
A mad scramble downstairs to Trailfinders later, and we have reshuffled the ticket around somewhat.
Itinerary is now as follows:
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ234
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Class: Business
Seat: 11D
The first leg of our trip is now in Singapore, as opposed to Hong Kong, courtesy of SQ234.
Check-in at the SQ F counter was pleasant and uneventful, and despite the transfer to this flight only having been made a few hours ago, it was relatively easy to secure my preferred seat and have a seat allocation logged for my yet-to-check-in colleague.
As I type this, I am sitting in the NZ Koru Club, in preference to the SQ Silver Kris Lounge. After a puzzled look from the concierge, assumedly regarding why I’d want to be here rather than in SQ’s own lounge, I proceeded to grab a tarmac-view window seat, along with a Kiwifruit 42 Below with a bit too much vodka and a bit too little soda – I think I deserve it after today’s rearrangements!
Ironically, as I sit here, I am looking at the very same Virgin Atlantic A340-600 that was supposed to take me to Hong Kong over an hour ago. Even more ironic is the soon-to-be-posted photo, showing said VS A346 behind SQ’s A380, today serving as both the usual SQ222 and Star Alliance codeshares and VS7222, in an effort to at least get passengers from my previous VS201 flight who perhaps hadn’t heard of the typhoon to somewhere in South-East Asia. Amusingly, had I changed the fare around as I did, and picked SQ222 rather than SQ234, I’d be sitting on the exact same flight as if I had done nothing. Bizzare.
The upside of all of this is that we, in fact, wanted some more time in Singapore to see some clients, and because of the F1, this looked impossible – every fare bucket in every class for SIN-SYD was full following the event, for about a week in advance. We now get to spend that time we were after with clients, as well as not having to worry about missing the Grand Prix ourselves, which would have finished by our 2210 arrival on the Saturday (I didn’t hold much hope for waitlists on the earlier flights). Also, I get my mini-cabin bulkhead on this flight! My colleague, a regular SQ A380 J flyer, has never traveled on 77W, and I’m sure he will be impressed.
I might duck into the SKL a little later for some photos – but then again, this drink is just a little too relaxing, so probably not!
More onboard, which you’re obviously not going to see until I hit the Shangri-La Singapore. Photos still to come. Cheers!
Still to come:
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ866 (744)
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Virgin Atlantic Flight VS200 (346)
To that end, I figured a trip to Hong Kong tomorrow for a venture capital conference might be a good opportunity to write my first trip report. After all, they’ve always been of significant interest and assistance to me, so I guess it’s time for me to do something in return, right?
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Virgin Atlantic Flight VS201
Saturday, 27 September 2008
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ857 (w/l) / SQ863 (w/l) / SQ865
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ233
Unfortunately, given the short notice of this trip (the ticket was only booked on Friday), normal seating preferences didn’t apply – for example, ideally I’d have (with my colleague) 11D and 11F, the bulkhead mini-cabin seats on the SQ 77W flight. No such luck.
Additionally, as some may know, the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix is on Saturday night, and we are apparently able to get some tickets, however the current flight arrives two late, and much as I hope, the chances of my waitlists clearing are unlikely. It does mean, though, a good back-to-back comparison between Spacebed and the new Business product, which I prefer in its 77W form over the A380’s, despite the supposed ‘improvements’ in the latter.
Anyway, more from Kingsford-Smith, starting with check-in and some photos!
--
Okay… Well, despite the above, that didn’t quite work out the way I’d planned – Murphy’s Law decides to impinge on my debut TR, and owing to a typhoon, HKIA is closed to both inbound and outbound traffic today. Today’s VS201 is no more.
A mad scramble downstairs to Trailfinders later, and we have reshuffled the ticket around somewhat.
Itinerary is now as follows:
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ234
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Class: Business
Seat: 11D
The first leg of our trip is now in Singapore, as opposed to Hong Kong, courtesy of SQ234.
Check-in at the SQ F counter was pleasant and uneventful, and despite the transfer to this flight only having been made a few hours ago, it was relatively easy to secure my preferred seat and have a seat allocation logged for my yet-to-check-in colleague.
As I type this, I am sitting in the NZ Koru Club, in preference to the SQ Silver Kris Lounge. After a puzzled look from the concierge, assumedly regarding why I’d want to be here rather than in SQ’s own lounge, I proceeded to grab a tarmac-view window seat, along with a Kiwifruit 42 Below with a bit too much vodka and a bit too little soda – I think I deserve it after today’s rearrangements!
Ironically, as I sit here, I am looking at the very same Virgin Atlantic A340-600 that was supposed to take me to Hong Kong over an hour ago. Even more ironic is the soon-to-be-posted photo, showing said VS A346 behind SQ’s A380, today serving as both the usual SQ222 and Star Alliance codeshares and VS7222, in an effort to at least get passengers from my previous VS201 flight who perhaps hadn’t heard of the typhoon to somewhere in South-East Asia. Amusingly, had I changed the fare around as I did, and picked SQ222 rather than SQ234, I’d be sitting on the exact same flight as if I had done nothing. Bizzare.
The upside of all of this is that we, in fact, wanted some more time in Singapore to see some clients, and because of the F1, this looked impossible – every fare bucket in every class for SIN-SYD was full following the event, for about a week in advance. We now get to spend that time we were after with clients, as well as not having to worry about missing the Grand Prix ourselves, which would have finished by our 2210 arrival on the Saturday (I didn’t hold much hope for waitlists on the earlier flights). Also, I get my mini-cabin bulkhead on this flight! My colleague, a regular SQ A380 J flyer, has never traveled on 77W, and I’m sure he will be impressed.
I might duck into the SKL a little later for some photos – but then again, this drink is just a little too relaxing, so probably not!
More onboard, which you’re obviously not going to see until I hit the Shangri-La Singapore. Photos still to come. Cheers!
Still to come:
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ866 (744)
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Virgin Atlantic Flight VS200 (346)
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