To London & Back - QF J v BA CW with a twist

[Tooner]

Thanks Tooner for the TR - this must have been a little while ago as the PJs were the old black/red rather the new dirt coloured? Interestingly not once have I had a bed made up by the FAs - I normally fall asleep shortly after dinner watching TV on the laptop so the normal service is to take away the glass of wine to stop me spilling it

Correct - this was in March so Black& Red was th eorder of the day.

Both times I had my bed made up by FA while attending to my ablutions - which is just as well as I had no idea how to myself!

I know how you feel falling asleep - I did that once before dinner on a flight some time ago!

Cheers

 

[JohnK]

Very nice trip report Tooner. Worth the wait....

 

[Tooner]

Very nice trip report Tooner. Worth the wait....

Least I could do after all the good advice I've received on this forum

 

[Myrna]

Tooner, thanks for your trip report. I read it twice because hubby will be doing exactly the same trip this weekend: QF31 SYD-SIN-LHR, then BA31 LHR-HKG, then QF128 HKG-SYD - all in J class. He never has time to read any forum, so I read it and tell him about it. He is a platinum and with this trip he should be able to retain it for another year so he can take me to the F lounge when we travel together!

I will tell hubby to check out the BA arrival lounge at Heathrow and have a shower there after he arrives. He has been to QF First lounge in SYD and took me to the F lounge in MEL last weekend. I am not sure if he will go to the CX lounge in HKG.

 

[serfty]

... I am not sure if he will go to the CX lounge in HKG.

I would, BA31 due in 4:15pm, QF128 due for departure at 8:25pm - that's three hours to hit the wing and have a shower/bath in a 'cabana', enjoy a light buffet dinner, relax in general and head to the QF gates 50 minutes before boarding of QF128 (~7:45pm). No need to even think of the normally packed QF/BA lounge.

 

[Myrna]

I would, BA31 due in 4:15pm, QF128 due for departure at 8:25pm - that's three hours to hit the wing and have a shower/bath in a 'cabana', enjoy a light buffet dinner, relax in general and head to the QF gates 50 minutes before boarding of QF128 (~7:45pm). No need to even think of the normally packed QF/BA lounge.

Well, hubby will spend a week in London and 3 days in HK before returning to Sydney. So, he will stopover in HK. What I meant was whether he should go to CX lounge for his QF128 flight to Sydney, instead of going to the QF/BA lounge. I will tell him to get to the airport early and check out the CX lounge. I think he can get in there - even though he is not flying in F, but he will be in J class and a platinum.

 

[simongr]

Definitely hit the CX lounge. My experience of QF128 is that it generally leaves from one the gates near the QF lounge. The only downside is that the CX lounge is a fair walk from the entry point to the airside part of the airport where he will enter after having checked in at the QF counters.

One option might be for him to check in at the in-town check-in and then get the train to the airport and sit in the back of the train as that will mean he can exit the train near the CX check in desk and that should be an easier walk to the Wing.

There is a lovely restaurant in there and well worth a visit.

 

[Myrna]

Great advice! Thanks, Simon and serfty. I will certainly tell hubby - in fact, on the day he is leaving HK I will send him an email to remind him with the directions you have given.

 

[serfty]

I concur with simongr and would definitely use the Airport Express In Town Check in. There is an entrance to the First Class section of the wing on level 7. It is immediately to the left after passing the southern (CX) emigration counters and X-ray (which are also on level 7).

That way you can check in between 24hours and 90 minutes before your flight. There is no guarantee check-in will be open at the airport when arriving there 4 hours before your flight.

In the early day of my FFing, when departing Hong Kong, my travel package included transfers from my hotel to the airport. I arrived at 2pm for my 8pm flight to find check-in did not open until 5pm!

I bought a day return Airport Express ticket, went back to Central, checked in, took the train back and was through emigration by 3pm. (Back then the cost was about AUD22).

 

[Tooner]

I agree with everyone here - definitely do the CX lounge in HKG, and use the check-in at the station - I didn't and regret it!

The walk is quite long, but actually not as long as the walk from BA F lounge at Terminal 1 (which your Hubby will use for BA31 to HKG) to the gate.

The benefit is that even though CX don't necessarily call the QF flights early, the premium queue is usually pretty empty by the time you get there, while the whY queue is smaking back horribly from the gate

 

[Myrna]

Just want to report that hubby is now in London. Left yesterday afternoon, at check-in he got an "upgradable" boarding pass - I was hoping he would get F, but nothing materialised at the gate lounge when he boarded - so he stayed in J. He said J class is still so much better than sardines!

He went to F lounge in Sydney, F lounge in Singapore and BA arrival lounge at Heathrow. He said the shower at BA arrival lounge (like Tooner said) was excellent! He asked BA arrival lounge if he could bring in a guest (if I was to come with him next time), but they said no - it is only for the members and not guests.

Thanks again, Tooner, for the tip about BA arrival lounge. We did not know about it. Hubby said he felt like a new man after a shower and a shave there after the long flight from Singapore to London.

I will report in a week and half when he uses the CX first lounge (instead of QF lounge in HK).

 

[Keith009]

A great example of how AFF can assist in making travel more comfy! Albeit indirectly.

Just want to report that hubby is now in London. Left yesterday afternoon, at check-in he got an "upgradable" boarding pass - I was hoping he would get F, but nothing materialised at the gate lounge when he boarded - so he stayed in J. He said J class is still so much better than sardines!

He went to F lounge in Sydney, F lounge in Singapore and BA arrival lounge at Heathrow. He said the shower at BA arrival lounge (like Tooner said) was excellent! He asked BA arrival lounge if he could bring in a guest (if I was to come with him next time), but they said no - it is only for the members and not guests.

Thanks again, Tooner, for the tip about BA arrival lounge. We did not know about it. Hubby said he felt like a new man after a shower and a shave there after the long flight from Singapore to London.

I will report in a week and half when he uses the CX first lounge (instead of QF lounge in HK).

 

[littl_flier]

A belated thanks for the TR Tooner. We really appreciate it and as JohnK said, it was well and truly worth the wait.

Congrats on the upgrade! Looking forward to the next one........

 

[Tooner]

Looking forward to the next one........

Which if my next business flight occurs in 2009 would be sometime in 2010:shock:

I'm pleased to hear that the things I learned are helping others already. I think a lot of us (obviously not simongr) don't often travel large distances in J or F. As anyone who sees my monthly travel would surmise, I shuttle back and forth between MEL and SYD, and once every 2-3 years are required to travel more widely. For us irregular offshore travellers, the trip reports and other tips are immensely useful, as we don't get second chances with some of the little gems on offer on these trips.

So let's keep the trip reports and tips coming.

Cheers

 

[Myrna]

Hubby is now in HK. He will be leaving HK in a few days time. He asked there are 2 CX lounges in HK, which one should he be going to? He is flying Qantas, but said he would like to check out the CX lounge that Tooner and other forumites have recommended. Thanks.

 

[Evan]

Hubby is now in HK. He will be leaving HK in a few days time. He asked there are 2 CX lounges in HK, which one should he be going to? He is flying Qantas, but said he would like to check out the CX lounge that Tooner and other forumites have recommended. Thanks.

I assume you refering should he visit the wing or ther pier ? (there is J and F lounges in both locations)
My advise is to take the one closest to your departure gate ! HKG can be a long walk (the signs advise 15 mins from some points to others).
E

 

[Myrna]

Thank you, Evan. I will email hubby your reply. In this post, some forumites mentioned the Wing. But, I will tell him to check at the airport - he is flying QF128.

 

[Tooner]

Thank you, Evan. I will email hubby your reply. In this post, some forumites mentioned the Wing. But, I will tell him to check at the airport - he is flying QF128.

I'm not sure if you'll get this in time, but go through immigration, and turn left instead of right (which leads to QF/BA). It is a fair walk, but well worth it.

If checking in at QF, it is a long way away. If simply heading from the train to the nearest immigration queue, it is a bit closer.

Cheers

 

[littl_flier]

I'm pleased to hear that the things I learned are helping others already. I think a lot of us (obviously not simongr) don't often travel large distances in J or F. As anyone who sees my monthly travel would surmise, I shuttle back and forth between MEL and SYD, and once every 2-3 years are required to travel more widely. For us irregular offshore travellers, the trip reports and other tips are immensely useful, as we don't get second chances with some of the little gems on offer on these trips.

So let's keep the trip reports and tips coming.

Cheers

Absoultely Tooner, I now completely respect how difficult it is to write a trip report and motivate yourself to include all the details. I had a goal of being up to date and posting in real time. At this rate, I can only hope my Trip Report will be like yours and appreciate with time.

Thanks to you and to everyone who does write Trip Reports. I thoroughly enjoy reading them and can often spend an unproductive afternoon reading.

Feel free to give me a kick up the butt!!!

 

[Myrna]

I'm not sure if you'll get this in time, but go through immigration, and turn left instead of right (which leads to QF/BA). It is a fair walk, but well worth it.

If checking in at QF, it is a long way away. If simply heading from the train to the nearest immigration queue, it is a bit closer.

Cheers

Thanks, Tooner, for the info - appreciate it. Hubby is not flying out until the middle of this week. He is at Ocean Park in HK today, enjoying himself and getting over the jetlag from arriving from London yesterday. He will spend a few days in the HK office then home mid-week.