Review – Etihad 787 First Class Abu Dhabi – Brisbane

Following on from my Washington to Abu Dhabi flight I had a short transit before I left for Brisbane. I absolutely love the new Etihad first class lounge, so I went for a quick visit to have a bite to eat and get a haircut, yes get a haircut in the lounge, how awesome!

Etihad First Class Lounge and Spa

After my haircut, I left the lounge and walked to the gate for my last flight on my long journey home to Brisbane. Gate security was a bit of a mess but boarding started on time and priority boarding was very effective.

I again went around the cabin taking photos from different angles, and the light was great for the pictures.

Etihad 787 First Class Cabin

Etihad 787 First Class Cabin

Etihad 787 First Class Cabin

Etihad 787 First Class Cabin

I sat down a few minutes later and started to get comfortable for the flight. Now if you fly often, you’ll be able to tell how good the crew will be on the flight and this flight I had a very good feeling they would be and I was 100% correct. The CSM came around to welcome me onboard and place the welcome tray on the seat. She also mentioned there were only 2 people in first which means ultimate privacy.

Etihad 787 First Class Cabin

A few minutes later the onboard Chef Imke came and welcomed me onboard and handed me the menus, this is when I could tell this will be an amazing flight, the crew were just amazing, and we hadn’t even taken off yet!

Etihad 787 First Class Menus

Here are the menus:

Etihad 787 First Class Appetiser Tray

The tray had a coke, olives and warmed nuts.

Even though I ate in the lounge, I still wanted to dine onboard because the food is just brilliant.

Amuse Bouche

To start off with I had the Tomato and Red Pepper soup for the appetizer.

Tomato And Red Pepper Soup

Sorbet to cleanse the pallet for the main.

Sorbet

For the main course, I had the Wagyu Sirloin which was cooked perfectly.

Wagyu Sirloin

And for dessert, I had the chocolate and caramel pudding which was also brilliant.

Chocolate Caramel Pudding

Again, the dining on Etihad in first does not disappoint!

After having some food, I decided to watch some movies then try to get some sleep. As there were two people in first, the crew offered to make the bed up opposite me which was nice. I didn’t get a photo of it, but this is what it looks like set.

I ended up having about 4 hours of sleep which was good enough for me. I did wake up hungry so ended up getting some pastries and a coffee to wake me up.

Pastries and Coffee

There were about 4 hours of the flight left in the flight when I woke up, and I got bored and walked into the galley to stretch. I saw the crew looked bored so decided to have a chat; we ended up talking for hours, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time talking to them. It made me appreciate how much cabin crew does for us as passengers, and they are amazing people. I have never flown with such nice and friendly crew; it proved even further that Etihad definitely does deserve five stars.

I even got a photo with them because I was just soo impressed with the onboard service.

I didn’t want the flight to end, but sadly every good thing has to come to an end. I again ran around taking photos before we arrived into Brisbane.

Etihad 787 First Class Cabin

Etihad 787 First Class Cabin

Etihad 787 First Class Cabin

Etihad 787 First Class Cabin

Etihad 787 First Class Cabin

Approaching Brisbane

Hello Brisbane

Hello Brisbane

Bottom Line

Out of every flight, I have taken so far, this would have had to be my favorite. The onboard service I received was second to none, Etihad has once again done a magnificent job.

Review – Etihad 787 First Class Washington To Abu Dhabi

As you could probably tell by now, I am a huge Etihad Airways fan, so when deciding how I was going to get home from Washington, I immediately looked at availability out of IAD. As luck would have it, there were first seats available which I immediately booked with 115,000 AAdvantage miles. I also found first available to Brisbane and used AA miles again. This would mean I would be spending 26 hours in these seats, Awesome!

I arrived in Washington from New York with a short connection so I couldn’t visit the lounge for long. Etihad starts boarding an hour before departure, so I boarded close to when I arrived.

For this flight, I selected 2A which is a forward facing seat.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

The seat feels very spacious and very private at the same time. The seats are an upgraded and modernized version of the suites on the 777, A340 and A330.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

The seat has an ottoman which can also be used a seat for another passenger dining with you.

Etihad 787 First Class Ottoman

I absolutely love the first blankets!

Etihad 787 First Class Blanket

The seat is 26 inches wide which is great for sleeping and lounging on.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

On the right side of the seat, there is a storage area, lighting controls, and the IFE controller.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat USB And Storage

Etihad 787 First Class Seat Controls

This side is also where you’ll find the panel for more light settings and IFE controller.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat Light Control Panel

Etihad 787 First Class Seat IFE Controller

This is where you’ll find the various reading materials and headphones.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat Storage

On the left side of the seat, this is where you’ll find your chilled minibar and storage space.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat Minibar

I love that Etihad’s in-seat minibar is chilled, something their opposition doesn’t do.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat Minibar

As I settled in I was brought a welcome tray that consists of water still or sparkling, a welcome letter signed by the cabin service manager (very nice touch), a hot towel and some dates.

Etihad 787 First Class Welcome Tray

Menus were also brought to the seat.

Etihad 787 First Class Menus

This was my second time on the Etihad 787 but first time in first, so I started to look around and discover the aircraft.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A Windows

The in-seat hangar is a great feature on the seat especially when you’re wearing shirts and coats that crease easily.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A Hangar

The 787 cabin only has eight suites making it very private and exclusive. The two window seats are backward facing while the aisle is forward and row 2 is the opposite.

Etihad 787 First Class

The middle seats have a divider which is great for couples traveling together or if you’re solo and want added privacy.

Etihad 787 First Class

Etihad 787 First Class

Etihad 787 First Class

Etihad 787 First Class

Pyjamas and an amenity kit were brought to the seat as I sat back down. I was excited to find that the kits feature the new Omorovicza products.

Etihad 787 First Class

The new Omorovicza products are quite nice, but I had a huge soft spot for the previous Bergamotte 22 products.

Etihad 787 First Class Amenity Kit Omorovicza Products

Etihad has two lavatories in the first class cabin.

Etihad 787 First Class Lavatory

The lavatories were always kept clean when I visited.

Etihad 787 First Class Lavatory

The bathroom also housed the new Omorovicza products.

Etihad 787 First Class Omorovicza Products

I went back to my seat, and we started taxiing shortly after.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

You can tell Etihad are very happy with their recent awards, they definitely do deserve it.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

We quickly took off and reached our cruise altitude of 39,000 feet, pretty impressive! The crew brought a tray which had a coke, olives and warmed nuts. I decided to watch the election live which was more interesting in the air.

Etihad 787 First Class

Sadly I didn’t get photo’s of the menu but here are the meals I had.

Amuse Bouche

For the starter, I had the duck.

Duck Starter

Sorbet to cleanse the pallet for the main.

Sorbet

For the main, I had an Authentic Gulf Lamb Biryani.

Gulf Lamb Biryani

And for dessert, I had Strawberry, Coffee, and Chocolate Ice cream.

Ice Cream

After the brilliant meals, I decided to get some sleep as I would need it!

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

I had around 6 hours of comfortable and deep sleep which proved to be vital for the long journey.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

They call them suites for a reason, closed doors 😉

Etihad 787 First Class Seat Doors

The cabin was dark, but this was a long exposure of the cabin.

Etihad 787 First Class

After waking up from my sleep, I was feeling pretty hungry, so I decided just to have some light pastries and water. You can really feel the difference flying on the 787, waking up to no dry mouth and throat is fantastic.

Etihad 787 First Class Pastries

Shortly after having the pastries we started our descent into Abu Dhabi. I love waking up to mood lighting, and this felt great.

Etihad 787 First Class

Bottom Line

I still think Etihad are an incredible airline and they improve every time I fly them, the service and quality are always top notch and I always have amazing flights while onboard their aircraft.

Review – American Airlines A321 Flagship First Los Angeles To New York

After my tiring status runs, I had a quick overnight in Los Angeles, and I was headed to New York early the next morning. I was staying with a friend and luckily I got some decent sleep and woke around 4 and left for the airport in an Uber at 5. Sadly I didn’t get Pre-check for this flight so made sure I had sufficient time for the 7 am departure.

Luckily the traffic into the airport was minimal. American have a nice Flagship check-in for flights in their ‘Flagship First’ product and Concierge Key members.

American Airlines LAX Flagship Check-in

The check-in area is a nice part of the flagship experience, and it can greatly reduce waiting in lines, I was already checked in on my phone, but they insisted in printing a hard copy.

American Airlines LAX Flagship Check-in

 

American Airlines LAX Flagship Check-in

 

American Airlines LAX Flagship Check-in

I was escorted to security and was done within 10 minutes. I then took the T4 connector to visit the Qantas first class lounge only to find the lounge opened at 6:30, right when boarding started Damn.

TBIT

I have never seen TBIT so quiet if only it were like this in the evening. I walked back to T4 and decided to visit the Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge. Both are getting renovated at the moment, and they should look pretty good once the upgrade is finished.

Admirals Club LAX

I had visited the Admirals club many times as a kid when Qantas used to fly out of T4. It brought back some fond memories as I walked passed the lounge.

Flagship Lounge LAX Seating Areas

The Flagship lounge was very quiet and only had about six guests at the time. I spent about 15 minutes in there before walking down to the gate.

Flagship Lounge LAX Buffet

The lounge had food and beverage available, but I wasn’t feeling hungry.

Flagship Lounge LAX Buffet

I left the lounge and walked to the gate where boarding has just started. American do priority boarding quite well compared to other Oneworld carriers I’ve flown. I settled into 1F and started taking photo’s but then realized I was supposed to be in 1A, whoops.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Seat 1F

The first cabin is in a 1-1 config, and the seats are in a Reverse Herringbone layout.

A31 First Cabin

The cabin was full, and boarding was finished on time.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class Seat

The seat is spacious and comfortable; the seat is nearly identical to the 777 long-haul business class.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class Seat Controls

American provide an amenity kit for the flight which I thought was nice, even for a day flight.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class

 

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class IFE

As with most herringbone seating the IFE screen has to be latched away for takeoff and landing which can be a pain if you want to watch something at that time.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class Bose Headphones And Menu

I love that American use Bose Quiet Comfort 15’s headphones. However, they used to have the 25’s which are the newer ones.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class Seat 1A

Now back to my proper seat 😉

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class Pre-Departure Drink

The crew came around to distribute menus and offer a pre-departure drink. I went with Orange juice.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class

The menu has a few options to choose from, for this flight I went with the fruit plate and omelet.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class Menu

 

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class Menu

 

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class Menu

The meal service started shortly after we got to the top of cruise. First brought out was the fruit plate.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class

 

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class

The cabin was dark for the entire flight which was great for sleeping.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class

The fruit was nice and fresh.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class

The omelet was cooked well and had a strong taste. On previous flights, I had found some of the food the be bland and nearly tasteless.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class

The amenity kits are designed by Cole Haan and include the basic contents.

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class

 

American Airlines Trans-Con First Class

The flight was very smooth, and I managed to get around 4 hours of deep sleep.

Approaching New York

 

Approaching New York

 

Hello JFK!

Bottom Line

The flagship experience was very well done and I enjoyed really enjoyed the flight. I’m a big fan of Reverse Herrignnone seating, and the privacy makes it easier to sleep.

Review – Virgin Australia New Business Class Sydney To Los Angeles

About 2 months ago I received an email from the king of miles Randy Petersen inviting me to attend ‘BACON’ for those that don’t know it’s a gathering of bloggers mostly from BoardingArea and some other various blogs. As soon as I saw the email I knew I would definitely love to attend.

As I started to look for flights I had a look on Virgin Australia’s website and found business class availability for the day I wanted to leave, Excellent! this surprised me as I booked about a month out and space is usually released 10-2 days before departure.

The booking proccess was quick and easy using 95,000 Velocity miles and was booked on the website.

Virgin Australia Boarding Gate 53

Virgin Australia used to have seats in a 2-3-2 config but those days are now gone. The airline recently fitted out their 777 and A330 aircraft with brilliant new B/E Diamond Seating in a 1-2-1 config with a total of 33 seats which looks stunning! I have flown the A330 many times but this was my first time with the new seats on the 777.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

Virgin operate their 777’s from Sydney, Brisbane and soon Melbourne to Los Angeles and currently Sydney to Abu Dhabi which will be stopping quite soon. Every seat has direct aisle access and the seat reclines to 80 inches (203cm’s) long.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

Virgin also reconfigured and upgraded their bar and premium economy product. The new bar has a lot more room and added seating which got utilised most of the flight. The bar also holds the airlines new nespresso machines which produce brilliant coffee (by airline standards).

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class Bar

Virgin’s new premium economy product now has 24 seats instead of the previous 40 which is quite a large decrease. The new seats boast a 41’’ seat pitch which is 3 inches more than previous seats and they have also added a self serve pantry. Interestingly Virgin want premium to feel very similar to business class as passengers in premium can use the same Nespresso machines, have business class trained crew, and a plated meal instead of trays which is impressive.

Virgin Australia 777 Premium Economy Cabin

All the seats have new seat covers and are quite comfortable, definitely a good way to travel if not in business class.

Virgin Australia 777 Premium Economy

On my flight I booked quite late so the only window seat I could select was 11A which is the last row of business class. I had heard it can be a bad seat for sleeping as premium is directly behind but I found it to be wonderfull and didn’t have any disturbances throughout the flight.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

The cabin is split into 2 and is very private past the bar in the second cabin.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

The new seats house a 18 inch IFE screen with up to 300 hours of entertainment. I found the screen very responsive and fast and the best thing is it has no adds. The screens can be easily viewed easily when lying flat which I find to be a challenge on some airlines.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

Each seat has 2 storage compartments which are big enough to fit phones, wallets, headphones and passports. They also store the USB and In-seat power and headphone port.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

Not a bad view for 13 hours.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

Also waiting at the seat is the Amenity kit and Pyjamas.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

The amenity kit is a calibration with Mandarina Duck and REN skin products. The pyjamas are from Julie Grbac which are good but I’ve definitely worn better ones.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

The seat also holds a space for their magazines and safety card and also a unique space to store a tablet which is quite nice.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

Tablet storage.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

As I settled in flight attendants Darren and Jeremy came around to introduce themselves and hand out the menus and offer a pre-takeoff beverage. I just had water.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

Luke Mangan is Virgin Australia’s chef and he produces some great meals. Here are the menus:

Virgin Australia Long Haul Business Class Menu

 

Virgin Australia Long Haul Business Class Menu

 

Virgin Australia Long Haul Business Class Menu

 

Virgin Australia Long Haul Business Class Menu

As the meal service started the mood light started to go purple and brought out some ramekins with olives, almonds and snow peas.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

To start I had the salad which tasted great and was nice and fresh.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

For the main I had the lamb which was cooked brilliantly, they were tender and full of flavour.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

After dinner I went for a walk and look at the bar and bathrooms. You’ll notice the bar is stocked with water but these photos were taken in the morning. During the day and night they are stocked with alcohol and has someone behind there. If there isn’t anyone at the bar and you want a drink there is a button at the right hand side that will alert a crew member and they will attend to you.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

The bar has a modern look and feel which fits the cabin look very well. Funnily enough the bar is the width of two middle business class seats which seems quite small but when you at the bar it feels big.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

 

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

Virgin have also made space for 2 seating spaces at the back of the bar which are comfortable.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

 

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

 

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

The bathrooms were always clean and also house more REN products.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

 

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

 

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

After having dinner I decided to get some sleep. The crew put a matress topper on the seat but I didn’t get a photo of it. The topper is very comfortable and I managed to get around 6 hours of deep sleep which I was happy with.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

 

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

After waking up I went and had a chat with Darren and Jerremy who were working the bar. They served breakfast to me at the bar which was great.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

I also decided to have a cappuccino to trial their new nespresso machine and I loved it so had two of them.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

As we got closer to Los Angeles the mood lighting got brighter and more people started to wake up. It doesn’t look it but business class was almost completely full.

Virgin Australia 777 Business Class

Bottom Line

I’am a huge fan of the B/E Super Diamond seats and this flight proved how good they are. The crew were absolultelty brilliant and I think Virgin did and awesome job on the refit.

Review – British Airways First Class Sydney To Singapore (My First Bird Strike!)

This is long overdue so here it is..

A few weeks ago Singapore Airlines announced that they would be operating their A350 for a few weeks to Melbourne. This was supposed to start September 1 however they brought forward for some unknown reason.

I fell in love with the A350 when I flew Qatar’s and I defiantly wanted to trial Singapore Airlines aircraft. I originally booked to depart Melbourne on SQ then fly on British Airways back leaving a 20 hour layover which isn’t very good when I can’t check into a hotel so I canceled both bookings and restarted the planning.

British Airways first class has been controversial topic between bloggers recently. So I decided to see for myself what the product is like.

BA16 operates LHR-SIN-SYD-SIN-LHR so majority of passengers are connecting onto London however you can just fly each single segment if you want to.

First class passengers and Oneworld emerald’s can access the fantastic Qantas first class lounge.

Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney

 

British Airways First Class

The first cabin is in a configuration of 1-2-1 consisting of 14 seats.

British Airways First Class Cabin

Awaiting at your seat is a light blanket, headphones, amenity kit and pyjamas. The pyjamas where one of the best I’ve worn for airline pyjamas. Flight attendant Femi came around and welcomed me onboard, she was very friendly and you could tell she loved her job.

Light Blanket And Headphones

Pyjamas and Amenity Kit

As you settle in the crew come around and offer a pre departure beverage and selection of nuts.

Coke and Nuts

Seat 1K

The seat sadly doesn’t have too many storage options however, this is apparently just the 777 with the lack of seat storage. However, the coat hanger built into the seat is a fantastic feature especially if you have clothes that you don’t want wrinkled.

Coat/Clothes Storage

Another cool feature of the British Airways first is the electronic window blind. I’m a big fan of the blue mood lighting.

The flight took off on time and was smooth but very different to another takeoff I’ve had. On rotation we hit birds which I only found out after having a chat with him in the cockpit. Luckily the birds hit the nose cone and didn’t cause too much damage but that a first for me.

We levelled out at 34,000 feet and the meal service began. Sadly I didn’t get the menu for photos.

Bread Roll

Beef With Vegetables and Potato

Strawberry Mouse

Chocolate Lave Cake With Compote

I’ve had some great meals on flights and these were brilliant. The meat was nice and juicy and tender and the desserts were brilliant hence I had two of them.

The IFE controls are located near the small lamp on the side of the seat. The IFE is a little on the slow side but perfectly usable.

Below that is the window shade, lights and seating controls.

After just 7 hours we commended out decent into Singapore Changi airport.

British Airways 777 First Class

British Airways 777 First Class

Bottom Line

Overall my British Airways flight exceeded my expectations. The crew were absolutely brilliant and really made the flight feel welcoming and enjoyable. Is it Etihad apartments? No but for 7 hours this is perfectly acceptable.

Review – Singapore Airlines A350 Business Class Singapore To Melbourne

I’m finally getting through these photos which were corrupted, but progress is finally being made in recovering them!

Anyway, I was headed home from Singapore, and the main reason for my visit was to fly on their new A350 which has been operating to Melbourne for the past few weeks.

I left the SilverKris business class lounge and headed to my gate. The aircraft just arrived, and passengers were still disembarking so I decided just to wait at the gate area as the lounge was a bit of a walk and I would have gotten there when boarding commenced.

Boarding 

Boarding was a bit chaotic, so I wasn’t the first onboard, but anyway, I snapped some photos as I made it to my seat 21A

The seats are very comfortable and impressively broad, and the mood lighting is always a cool feature.

Seat 21A

These are the new business class seats which are fitted on all A350’s and selected 777’s. They are similar to Singapore’s new first class.

Front Of The Seat

Singapore Airlines have a brilliant IFE system loaded with an impressive amount of new and classic entertainment. I also loved the tab at the top which made the screen tilt down which is very useful when you’re lying flat.

IFE Controller

The seat has quite a bit of storage in the seat which is always a positive.

Tray Table and Storage

Seat Storage

In seat power and a USB port.

Side Seat Storage

Water and a headset.

Seat Controls

Various lighting and seat controls.

Seat Lights

More light controls on the top right side of the seat.

The crew came through and introduced themselves and handed out slippers, an eye mask and socks.

Footwell

The footwell is a little small but perfectly fine.

The seatbelt and smoke signs are electronic, kind of cool hey?

Such a lovely looking wing.

All the food and beverage menus are listed below:

Cruise

I was impressed to find the 7-hour flight would have 3 courses, Breakfast, lunch and dinner. The flight departed at 8:00 in the morning.

First I had a continental breakfast with orange juice and a cappuccino.

for my appetiser for lunch, I had the scallops which were absolutely perfect.

And lastly I had the Punjabi Tandoori which also was brillaint. Well done SQ!

The crew offered a cheesecake which wasn’t on the menu.

Lastly, I had some cheese and crackers to finish off.

One thing I heard about the A350 was the improved wifi. When I did their A380, my bill was very high as they didn’t have set plans. I learnt my lesson the hard way…

Well, I was pleased to see the wifi on the A350 had set plans, and they were quite reasonable.

The best part? The speed was impressive, and I got a large amount of work done. It’s funny that the upload speed was faster onboard than my cable internet at home with Telstra.

Sadly the flight was coming to an end, but I loved my second experience with SQ.

Wing View

Engine View

Business Class Cabin

On approach, we passed a large storm cell which looked impressive from the air!

As I couldn’t get photos during boarding, I had a look around when we arrived in rainy Melbourne.

Singapore Airlines Premium Economy

Singapore Airlines A350 Business Class

Bottom Line

I was extremely impressed with both the soft and hard product onboard Singapore Airlines A350. I’ve now done 2 A350’s with a few more coming soon. They are definitely my favourite aircraft.