Smooth as Silk, again...!

I have no doubt by now that everyone knows that I rather like flying with Thai... There are 2 simple reasons for this: the reasonably priced business class fares and the food and service are mostly great; better than some of the 'premium' airlines.

After arriving at BKK from a long flight - I made a much needed visit to the Royal Orchid Spa for a foot massage. Every time I visit the spa, I thank my lucky stars! It is such a nice touch and of course delivered with lovely Thai charm and grace. I also really like the cinnamon tea and muesli bar they give to you at the conclusion whilst you recover in the waiting area! Apart from leaving the spa relaxed and ready for a shower, it puts me in the mood for my next flight.

As I approached the boarding are for my next flight, I was slightly stressed I was going to be late, as I had to have that quick shower! But as the gate became visible in the huge BKK terminal, all was OK... Boarding was delayed by 20 mins :-) I boarded and took my seat 16F, my home for the next 10 hrs... As always, the crew was so welcoming as they took my jacket and I relaxed in my seat prior to take-off. I have to be in the mood to talk to my seat mates on long flights, I soon realised my fellow traveller in 16E was a nice chap and we sparked up a great conversation. In no time we were away and served the fishcake welcome dish, what Thai deem the 'Hot Savoury'... I have mentioned these before... Yum, a great start!

After the fishcakes, I was ready to have a small feast! Next for Airgroove was the Marinated Salmon, Tossed Brown Soba Noodles, Smoked French Ham with Melon Balls and Mirin Dressing in Tomato. All were really good and I enjoyed a glass of Macon Cruzille, Les Avoueries 1999 with my meal - and jolly good it was too! All the components of this meal worked well and I was now hankering for my main course...

For main course, I decided to have the Lamb Noisette with Fresh Peppercorn, Pan fried Spatzley with vegetables. I have to say the lamb was a little over fatty, I found that I could only eat half of the dish as I was cutting away so much fat... Shame, but what I did eat was OK... Not the best dish though, Thai... To accompany my meal, I had a glass or 3 of Chateau Garraud, Lalande De Pomerol, 2004 - the wine was much better than the food, the only saving grace...

After dinner, I opted to have a bit of a nap and pass the movie selection... I literally remember falling to sleep and waking up to breakfast being served, it had a been a long second flight after all! I was fickle about breakfast and eventually decided on the Noodle Soup with Fish and Shrimp Balls - it was good! Just what I needed - I was over cheese and bread, so this was a great alternative and given I don't eat eggs on a plane, it certainly hit the spot!

Again, thanks Thai... As smooth as silk...

In the pointy end: FRA-BKK...

After almost 2 beautiful weeks in Europe, it was time to head home... :-( But don't worry, Airgroove will be back! As always, check-in at Frankfurt is so easy... Much to my delight my seat request of 4D in the nose section of the jumbo was honoured, the only Business Class single seat! Fantastic! Equally fantastic is the new 'boarding Business class Lounges'. LH have designed mini-lounges inn Terminal 1 in section C of the airport to ensure all Business Class pax can just walk directly onto the flight from the lounge, a very nice touch indeed! It was modern, slick and clean...

I was delighted with seat 4D, I would have no seat mate snoring in my face overnight... Bliss! Athough it felt weird at first just sitting in this 'middle' seat, all on it's own! But I soon realised it was the best seat on the plane - if you are flying alone. I like LH's C Class seat, it is not broken into sections, so not lumpy in anyway... When the bed is flat, it is just one long bed, a comfy one at that! See my seat below an the view into the 'nose' of the 747...

After take-off, the cabin wash awash with Champagne! The FA's were constantly popping corks, what a thirsty bunch we were! Menus were handed out and I immediately know my choices! To begin: Marinated King Prawns with a Curry Mayonnaise and Glass Noodle Salad - it was refreshing and hi the spot, as I am a prawn lover! A cold glass of the Leo Riesling was the perfect match for this dish...

Then for my main course, the LH traditional Roast Goose with Red Cabbage, Potato Dumplings and Herb Crumb Butter. One the of the best meals I have had on a plane - totally delicious! Yum, even! If you ever have the chance to try this dish, do so, it will not disappoint! The crew were efficient on this flight during meal service and seemed to be interested if we were enjoying our meals, a nice touch... To drink: a glass or 3 of 2004 Chateau Haut Madrac, Cru Bourgeois Haut-Medoc, Frankreich. This wines subtle spicy aromas complimented the gamey taste of the goose perfectly...

After a great sleep, I awoke to the clanging of glasses being filled with fresh juice, cranberry for me please! I skipped the full breakfast in favour of cold cuts with some freshly warmed croissants! I was still full from dinner, the goose was seriously good!

Ah, LH you have yet to disappoint! Thank you! I was now keen to leave seat 4D and head directly to the royal Orchid Spa for a massage and then shower before my next flight... The journey home was only half complete!

Hola, Barcelona!

Whilst in Europe, apart from enjoy Germany, Airgroove flew from Frankfurt to Barcelona in C Class... My trip went a little something like this:

Check-in at Frankfurt Airport is painless, there are so many check in agents that one vary rarely waits in a queue... We like that! After check-in, I proceeded to the Senator Lounge for a quick brunch. II enjoyed some delicious sausage (of course!) and some salad with a pretzel... My only gripe was the the lounge was SO crowded... It seemed really cramped and small. Oh well, the sausage was good!

After a boarding gate change, which was at the other end of the terminal, we boarded slightly behind schedule... I was seated in 1F and much to my delight had the whole of row 1 to myself! Most European airlines have an average C Class cabin... It is really economy style seating with the middle row blocked and turned into a bigger armrest... Quite strange, really, just put in a bigger comfier seat, please! But the service on both flights to Barcelona was great...

As the plane levelled out, lunch service began, I was intrigued to see what I was going to be served on the 2 hour flight, and it was really good! The theme was apple?! All the dishes had some kind of apple connection... The dishes consisted of the following delicacies: baked apple slices with poultry mousse, fillet of pork served with apple jelly and cherry apples as well as apple and potato salad with fillet of salmon and halibut... Dessert was apple jelly, of course! All very tasty indeed! The apple theme seemed to satisfy Airgroove's taste buds and promoted healthy eating - check it out...

After soaking up Barcelona, now one of my favourite cities it was time to head back to Frankfurt to further discover all things German... As I waved goodbye to this beautiful Spanish city, I began to wonder what food theme awaited me for my return flight? Oh, the suspense! Much to my joy, this flight was offering a regional flavour - not a food group flavour! The 'Flavours of Baden' were going to tantalise the taste buds today. The menu consisted of the following specialities: mushroom salad with walnuts, guinea fowl terrine, potato salad with smoked trout and of course to finish, black forest cherry gateau. It was all very pleasant and went well with the crisp dry chardonnay from Italy...! The FA on this flight was great and made me feel at home...

Another great flight with LH - in fact my first continental flights as we flew over the French Alps, we were treated to an amazing view of the Matterhorn - truly stunning, the Captain ensured that all passengers had the chance to view the amazing mountains as he announced over the PA to look left! Thanks LH! :-)

Across the Atlantic with Lufthansa...

After attending a conference in Princeton and a spot of fine dining and shopping in New York, it was time for Airgroove to continue the 'RTW' trip and make a relatively short flight to Frankfurt from the Big Apple. This part of my trip was now HOLIDAY!

Upon arriving at JFK Terminal 1, I swiftly proceeded to check-in and was issued a boarding pass for the mini Business Class cabin (seat 4D) on the A340-300 aircraft. LH407 was upgraded from an A330 on this particular day to the larger A340 bird...

After clearing security, I entered the Japan Airlines Lounge, which Lufthansa passengers utilise at JFK prior to their flights. The lounge was great, in comparison to American based Lounges - which is not hard! There was a great selection of snacks and lovely wines... No bar tender and drink chits here! :-) The lounge was set out like a theatre... Circular in shape; it made quite a nice ambiance - which is what one would expect from Japan! I relaxed and managed to take advantage of the free Wi-fi to finalise some email prior to having my holiday in Europe...

Boarding was fast and orderly - unusual for JFK! The LH check-in gate was working with precision, which LH do well! Once on board, I was told by the Purser that the flight was full in all classes. Shame! I was opting for the seat next to be to be free :-( None the less, I had a lovely seat companion who could only speak very minimal English, so the conversation was sparse. This suited me well as I was not in a talkative mood (makes a nice change!)... I wanted to sit back, relax, have a few drinks and dinner and watch a movie, or read the huge array of magazines Airgroove purchased at the airport.









I was pleasantly surprised that there was only a small wait before we zoomed down the runway, it was afternoon at JFK, after all... It was not long before the professional LH crew were handing out hot towels, menu's and asking if I'd like another top up! Yes, please! The crew on this flight were going to be good, you can tell right away, and let's face it, the crew can make or break a flight. The were in synch with one another and there was a sense of control in the cabin - exactly what Airgroove likes, and expects...








The menu looked great: I opted for the Chilli and Wasabi Prawns with Asian Salad and Mango with a mixed salad. Lufthansa serve their cheese course first, when in Germany, do as the Germans do! Personally, I like my cheese at the end of the meal service, All that said, it was scrumptious! Another great LH Hor d'oeuvres service. To compliment my salad, I enjoyed a glass of 2007 Leo Riesling, German Hill, Pfalz, Deutschland. As I mentioned earlier in my Blog, Airgroove is not a big Riesling fan, but this wines is fabulous... Lovely citrus notes, fresh acidity and a fine smooth texture. YUM!

For my main course, I selected the Poached Brisket of Beef with Vegetables, Potatoes and Horseradish Cream Sauce. When the dish arrived, I was slightly aghast, it looked hideous. I almost asked the FA to take it away! But I gave it a taste and it was surprisingly good - don't be turned off by the picture, it was tender and tasty. Looks can be deceiving! To wash it all down, I quaffed the 2004 Chateau Leboscq, Medoc, Cru Bourgeois, Frankreich - delicious.

Was Aigroove to have dessert? Of course... I very quickly devoured a cream puff with marinated cherry tart! Yum... In addition there were these very cute little jam tartlets from LH... I never finish a meal at 35,000ft without a Baileys... Ah, as full as one can be!

After my meal, I settled into a peaceful sleep and remember thinking, what great service the crew provided during the meal service and beyond - thanks again LH for another great flight... The Purser on this flight was AMAZING, she was what a Purser should be: personable, knowlegable and above all makes one feel welcome, she enveloped all of those qualities and I sent a feedback form to LH to ensure she was recognised for her stellar work.

LH, I will gladly board your planes anytime and do what Airgroove does well, enjoys crusing along at 35,oooft to fabulous destinations around the globe!

United 'Average' Airlines C Class: SYD-SFO-JFK

Airgroove had the pleasure of flying UA to SFO and NYC and was not overwhelmed and not disappointed, either... The flights were OK, it went a little like this:

Boarding was fine with a swift check-in, and my seat choice of 18H on the top deck was honoured, as Premier Executive status, they also blocked the seat next to me - a nice touch from the check-in agent. United now use the Air New Zealand Lounge, which is great, it sure does beat the small little pokey room that UA called home... So I settled in for a few glasses of fine NZ Chardonnay before the long flight.

Boarding the 747 was done with order and I promptly climbed the stairs into the bubble to find my 'double' seat waiting for me. I was somewhat annoyed to hear that the new business class config was starting on a regular basis to SYD 2 weeks after my travel date! Damn! I guess there will always be next time... But for now, I had my lazy recliner to enjoy for the next 14 hours... It's not so bad, but clearly not the best. Flying out of SYD is always wonderful and we happened to fly the best angle out of the city...

First up was the customary warm bowl of nuts and a cold fizzy glass of Pol Roger NV Champagne, one of my favourite drops! This was the first of many to come...

It has been discussed numerous times that the UA flight crew are uninterested and at time rather rude, I have to say that I lucked out on my flight, they all seemed happy and the service was not forced, but pleasant... The crew were efficient and helpful throughout the flight, the team on the upper deck worked well together and after pouring me another glass of Pol Roger, dinner orders were taken, to begin, I opted for the Air dried Beef and Smoked Trout followed by the Pan seared Barramundi fillet with lemon butter sauce. It was edible but nothing special, the wines were much getter, I enjoyed a glass or 7 of Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis, delicious, it gave added flavour to the food :-)





After dinner, I opted for a little cheese with a few glasses of Jaboulet Le Paradou 2006 Beaumes-de-Venise and again the wine was better than the food! The cheese platter seemed very 'Economy Class' not my style, at all! The crackers were individual serves wrapped in plastic and the cheese itself was very supermarket shelf... Not that there is anything wrong with that, but when sitting in Business Class, you expect a fabulous cheese like many other Star alliance airlines serve... See for yourself...



After eating and drinking like a fish, it was time for Airgroove to nap... I managed to get a good few hours sleep and woke up feeling refreshed and ready for breakfast, although when it arrived, I did not feel like it, the eggs were rubber like and the only good thing was the grilled tomato and the fruit with croissant...





The International leg soon came to an end as the jumbo tyres touched down at SFO Internationl Airport. The crew were great on this flight but the food was a let down... Little things like the salt and pepper came in little paper sachets, the crackers were in packets, everything seemed very disposable like when it came to the meal service, a sign of cost cutting? The other upside, besides the out of the ordinary crew was the impressive wine list, I enjoyed great Champagne, lovely chablis and great Grenache all from France... I drank ll 3 in abundance, I am Airgroove, afterall...

After a quick refresh in SFO Airport and a visit to the UA Lounge (average) I boarded the 757 Premium Service jet to JFK and nestled into seat 11C. At this stage, I was so tired that the seat I was in seemed like a bed. There is great leg room on the 757 P.S service, much better than any other UA domestic aircraft, so I was happy... The crew, again on this flight was great! I lucked out twice! The aviation angels were smiling down on me!

Again, the meal service was average on this flight, I opted for the 'Fresh Lettuce Wedge', which was literally just a wedge! It was like all their knives had gone blunt in the catering kitchen - here cut it yourself! And the Lemon Grass Chicken with Thai BBQ Sauce, was a very American version of something Asian... However, I was most pleased to see that they were serving a delicious robust Shiraz from Australia, a little bit of home in my glass...! And a fine drop it was!







All in all, this was not a bad flight with United, the crews were great and the food was average, if the crew was bad, i would have been more scathing, but they made up for the lack of cuisine! The wines were good and sometimes, that's all Airgroove cares about, so they pass this time!

Leaving on a jet plane...!

Airgroove is about to embark on yet another RTW journey for a little business and a little pleasure... It would be rude not to throw in some pleasure, after all...

The first leg of my trip will see me flying SYD-NYC via SFO with UA in C Class... I am somewhat disappointed that United have YET to roll out their new Business Class product on this route... VERY annoying, indeed!

After a week of business in NYC, I am taking a flight to FRA with Lufthansa in C Class - I have decided to fly on the A330 service out of JFK, as the cabin seems more intimate... Lufthansa are great anyway, but I have secured a seat in the forward 'mini-cabin' in the business class section. Good times!

Whilst in Europe, I will also be flying with LH around the continent. Stops include: Berlin, Rome and Barcelona. Hola!

The journey home from Europe will be a Lufthansa/Thai combination via Bangkok in C Class, a rather pleasant way to finish 3 weeks going right around the world in 21 days!

Of course when Airgroove touches down there will be full trip reports, and loads of pics!

finally, I must apologise to all my loyal readers, I have yet to post my Circle Asia trip which included Singapore airlines, ANA and Air New Zealand. All flights were amazing and I promise to update that trip also, upon my return...

Happy flying! AG :-)

Thai-rrific! C Class...

After a brief stop-over in Bangkok we were ready to make the final leg of our journey home - we had a half day and decided to relax at the tranquil BKK Airport Novotel for a few hours... And tranquil it was! The rooms are beautifully appointed and the air-con was cool! We felt like staying for a night or so! But soldier on we did to our next flight!

Upon boarding our near new 777-200ER aircraft and taking our seats in the very first row, we were greeted by the wonderful Thai crew who took out jackets and offered some fabulous Pommery Champagne (not as good as LH F, of course), but it was not a bad drop! I have to say that Thai never let me down, the service is always amazing - better than many other airlines I have flown in the past...

Promptly after take-off and our fab 777 reached cruising altitude, we were promptly poured more Champagne by the lovely Thai crew... The smiles and attentive service experienced on Thai is exactly what keeps me coming back for more. Menu's were then handed out and then along came the best fishcakes we had eaten at 35,000ft. Delicious! I am lucky I even had the chance to take the photo - we ate them very quick sticks! Nonetheless, a great fishcake, indeed...

Upon perusing the menu and much discussion (due to the Champagne, and (already) jetlag) we decided on our dinner... To begin, we were offered: Grilled Scallops, with Asparagus wrapped with Italian Smoked Ham and Mixed Green Salad with Italian Tiziano Dressing, it was great... A lovely light starter, of course with garlic bread! I know that many airlines offer GB now, but Thai offer a good GB - with a great crunch and it is not too garlicky...

After enjoying a great kick-off to our main courses, we were looking forward to the main event! And we were not disappointed, Thai offer a great meal service, yes, I will say it again! We opted for the Pan-fried Halibut with Olive Tomato Sauce; Squid Ink Spaghetti and Sauteed Vegetables - and Braised Beef Brisket with Carrot & Turnip; Tossed Flat Egg Noodles and Kailan with Oyster Sauce. Our mains hit the spot and we enjoyed two lovely wines with our meal: Macon-Cruzille, Les Avoueries 1999 and Chateau Robin Cotes De Catillon 2004. The beef was very tender and tasty and the fish succulent!

Finally, we devoured a cheese plate (with crackers in plastic! Ah!) and delicious Thai sweets - YUM! A perfect way to finish off a great meal service. Also, a lovely Port was served and to cap all off, a green tea! And then another green tea!



After a great sleep in Thai Royal Silk Class, and I have to say the 'bed' is just as comfortable as any other that is 'angled' in the sky i.e. SQ and QF etc. we awoke to piping hot towels and the smell of breakfast... From the menu we decided on: Salami - Beirwurst - Farmer Ham and Tilsiter Cheese, French Breads and Fish & Shrimp Ball Noodle Soup! A great way to finish a great flight...

Thanks Thai! Thanks very much! We will check-in, again! Cheers, AG! :)