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! :)

F is for First...

After 3 amazing weeks in Europe, it was time to head home... :- ( We literally washed ourselves in fabulous culture, fine food, good wine and exploring! What a beautiful part of the world Europe is...! Just pure beauty!

As we headed for the airport we were gearing up for the looooong journey home. It was not going to be a hard journey though as we were again heading home in F. Nice. Check-in was a breeze; no problems, as you would expect... We were promptly given our boarding passes and whisked through security. Just like that...


As we boarded our shiny jumbo and climbed the steps to the upper deck (again LH has F in the bubble) - I could taste the vintage Champagne... The corks were actually popping! The crew seemed somewhat stressed, but after a glass of fine bubbles, I didn't care... Not in the slightest! I asked for a second, even before take off, cheeky but sure! As we climbed out of Frankfurt we could feel Europe slipping away and the reality hit that our wonderful holiday was soon too be coming to an end... Don't worry Europa! We will be back!


As this was only our second flight in F, ever, we were looking forward to dinner! Another fine culinary experience at 35,000ft. Yum. What was it to be? There was clearly going to be no chicken or beef option here, but indeed many options. As the 747 leveled out, the Champagne was again flowing and we were handed menu's... Hhhmmmmnn. Where to begin...?




After some delicious roasted macadamia nuts, our orders were taken... We were both immediately attracted to the smoked Salmon with Sour Cream and Cheese Cannelloni, Venison Ham served with Ratatouille Salad and Crayfish and Avocado Timbale with Lime Creme Fraiche. Absolutely exquisite, thank you LH! Thanks very much.







The starter was amazing, what you would expect... In between, we enjoyed a divine salad of Mixed Leaves with Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Carrot, and Roasted Pine Nuts with a Yogurt Dill dressing.




Again for main we both hankered for the Tenderloin of Beef with Truffle Jus, Asparagus tips and Truffle and Potato Mash. Oh my, was it GOOD! With a delicious glass, or two of 2001 Chateau Lynch-Moussas, Cru Classe, Pauillac... This red wine blew my mind, the depth, clarity and pairing with the perfectly grilled beef was sublime.

After our meat extravaganza, we pondered if could we fit in another course? The amazing LH crew, whom had served the most amazing meal twisted our arms for a sweet treat. Whilst I was not in a sweet mood, I opted for the cheese plate consisting of: Tete de Moine, Appenzell, Bleu de Gex and Brie, heaven! My sweet treat was a fine French dessert wine. My partner could not go past the Chocolate Fondue with fresh Fruit and Biscuits, again delish-i-ous! Spoilt by choice, I have to say!







There is not much more to say... The amazing, attentive yet intrusive service form the LH First crew was beyond service. The flat bed helped us sleep after this HUGE feast. We clearly arrived well feed and rested in BKK ready for our next leg. More to come on that soon...

Happy Mile High, AG :)

LH in Europe - short haul...

Whilst 'country hopping' in Eastern Europe on a combination of rail, river cruises and flights, we had the pleasure of flying Lufthansa in Europe. I am really impressed by the level of service we received from LH - it was great every flight. The flight attendants were so lovely and the food (well, it was minimal on these flights) was nice.

Our first flight was from Budapest to Krakow. We arrived at Ferihegy early so we could secure a good seat, but the queue was SO long due to some passengers booking mistake... At this stage I must admit, after waiting for 1/2 hour on one customer check-in, I was getting frustrated! Which is very out of character... Aaargh! Anyway, we checked-in and our seats were fine in Y class... Eeek! Please see our snack below, it was actually really good - the banana bars were delicious! Really delish!

Our next little hop was from Praha to Frankfurt - again a great flight, thanks LH... Just be warned, if you want to eat in Praha Airport, it is REALLY expensive, and I am not a tight arse... We paid USD30 for toast, 1 pastry, juice and tea... A breakfast 'combo' (rip-off) deal. Hhhmmmmnn. I had to have a wine on the plane to compensate, of course. A nice little French bottle of blanc...

Austrian Airlines in Europe... A quick hop!

After our amazing flight from Tokyo on LH, we connected to Austrian Airlines from Frankfurt to Vienna... Not bad, I have to say, whilst it was only a small plane (there was no upper deck!) we were comfortable in our business class seats for the short flight across Europe.

A late lunch/early dinner was promptly served and we enjoyed some lovely Austrian wines - not that we needed any after our long flight in LH F!



The cabin crew were very friendly and could not believe that we had been flying for almost a day from the other side of the world! But we had, and the toll was beginning to take hold... We were almost in Vienna our first stop on our Eastern European trip! Cool!

I will be posting much more over the coming days on our internal flights within Europe on Lufthansa and then our flights back to Australia with LH and Thai... Stay tuned! And sorry again for the delay!

AG :)

The BEST flight ever...! LH711

Fellow Airgroovers!


Can I first of all apologise for the delay... I have been very busy, flying, of course!


I want to take you back to my recent holiday to Europe, and indeed the best flight ever... LH711 Tokyo-Frankfurt in First.


Given my regular flying schedule, if they were all like this, I'd live in the sky!



The whole wonderful experience began with check-in, on the red carpet... Upon being given 2 seats on the top deck (LH's F is in the bubble) we promptly proceeded to the F lounge for a shower as we had just arrived in Tokyo from a long flight. The United F Lounge in Narita Airport is great, not what one would ever expect, actually. Very glam with amazing food, huge selection of wine and shower suites fit for a king, or queen. Great sushi and delicious soup was enjoyed by all in the lounge - but we kept lots of room for the big on board feast! Given the flight was a day flight we had 2 'lunches' coming up!





A fantastic flight was already in the making! The Vintage Champagne corks popping on the top deck could be heard in the lounge! We almost ran to the boarding gate, in anticipation!



The warm greeting as we boarded the 747 was exceptional. Jackets were collected, and within seconds we were sipping a glass of Vintage Piper-Heidsieck "Rare' and there were many more to follow! Many! The feeling on the upper deck was somewhat a more exclusive to the normal business class cabin normally found in the bubble as there are only 16 seats in 2 sets of 4 either side of the emergency exit. Glam.


The cabin crew were by far the most professional I have ever experienced, and I fly a lot. There were German and Japanese speaking crew members and they were most friendly, without being intrusive - if you know what I mean. Throughout the flight, they did not fault once, in fact they got better with the hours!

The service was amazing as was the menu! WOW! We were salivating as we read over the extensive choices... The choice was Western or Japanese, we opted for both and shared in the delights! Highlights included: Caviar with the traditional Garnishes, Ratatouille Filled smoked Salmon with Avocado Sauce and Sour Cream, the Cheese selection, Herring Roe Sushi, Omelette with Crab Claw and Soy Sauce, Steamed Chicken with Yuzu Sauce, Deep fried Tilefish and Shrimp and Japanese Sweets! OOOiiishi!



The extensive wine selection complimented the wonderful, fresh food... Of course, we tried most wines on the list! The wines featured hailed from: France, Romania, Austria, Germany and the USA. The reds, whites and stickies were all sublime! And of course the Piper 'Rare' just kept flowing!



After a restful sleep on the flat bed and watching the odd movie, it was time for round 2! Dinner was served! More Champagne and then the highlights began, all over again... This time, our favourites included: Snow Crab Meat and Avocado Timbale with Pan fried Seabass fillet, Raw Ham and Tomato Mozzarella Salad, Seabream pressed sushi, broad Bean Tofu, Steamed Tilefish with Ginger Sauce, Shiitake Mushroom and Okra.



More champagne followed as we began our descent into Frankfurt Airport - the flight was so great, we thought about flying back to Tokyo and doing another round trip!

Well done LH! Thanks for the amazing crew, service and cuisine!

More posts coming! Fasten your set belts!

A New Trolley Dolly has been born!

Airgroove has a news flash!

One of my nearest and dearest friends has just qualified as a cabin attendant for Qantas! All I can say is the big blue sky has instantly become a happier place to be... Who could ask for a better girl to be caring for all your inflight requirements!

I am going to keep the identity of my friend anonymous, but I have no doubt that if you encounter this fab friend of mine on a flight, you'll know exactly who I am talking about - she is going to rule the clouds, stars, sun and moon for many years.

Ah, I can feel less turbulence already... Welcome onboard, enjoy your flight - please fly with us again! You know you want too...

Welcome Home...

Airgroove and partner have touched down safely back home - after the most most amazing, enchanting trip to Eastern Europe. Such wonderful, rich and historic culture drives this part of the globe, we feel extremely fortunate to have soaked ourselves in the wonders of the old 'Eastern Block'...

Give my jetlag, after flying in First Class, I thought I would just say 'Hi' and begin my detailed postings over the next few days :-)

To come: detailed inflight experiences from the service levels, meals served, the bubbles poured in the sky to how comfortable the seats were on all legs of our trip.

Stay tuned, Airgroove will be busy writing over the next few days...

Cabin crew, prepare the cabin for landing.

Europa, here we come!!!

We are finally departing for our Eastern European adventure today!

Our destinations include:

• Vienna
• Bratislava
• Budapest
• Krakow
• Prague

Upon my return, Airgoove will post updates on all flights and full trip reports and highlights from our holiday... We are going to be flying on Qantas, Lufthansa, CZA Czech Airlines and Thai Airways.

Oh, get us to the airport, immediately! I can already here the Champagne corks popping!

Cabin crew, arm the doors for take-off!

H-O-L-I-D-A-Y!

Ah, just the very thought of a holiday conjures many a nice moment in one's mind...

You could be sipping a glass of bubbling bubbly in Phuket or Tahiti or indeed roaming a fab museum in Rome, Paris or NYC. Perhaps climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is your thing? Whatever floats your boat, time off from the office is bound to be worthwhile! And vital...!

Holiday's rule the working year. Many of us jump on the merry-go-round called corporate life and long for a great break away from targets and Blackberries! Saviour every moment... You've earned this next big break...

We are off to Eastern Europe in 6 days (and counting) expect full trip reports and pics that will motivate you all to just fly and go... Ah, holiday's. Who can live without them, not me!

Regional Delights!

Are you going to the country in Oz soon...?

QantasLink: is Australia's largest regional airline - and undoubtedly the most superior carrier to fly you to country Australia.

With significant investment over the coming year, QantasLink will ensure comfortable, fabulous flights onboard brand new Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 aircraft to destinations throughout the eastern states of Australia.

Enjoy all the rewards of Qantas Frequent Flyer Points, access to Qantas Club lounges, Online checkin via qantas.com and if appropriate, the affiliation with the oneworld alliance.

Sit back, relax and enjoy QantasLink, the flight attendants are amazing. Trust me, I know...

Have you flown QF Link...? If you are going bush, I'd certainly suggest you call them, now!

Eeek-con-omy...!

Tomorrow, I am flying home (thank goodness) after a week of busy business travel... Whilst it has been a productive, great trip - let's face it, there is no place like home!

However, I will have to endure a flight in the back of the bus... Quite frankly, this is not my style, but given the flight is only an hour, I will cope! :-) Ah, domestic travel...

After being so spoilt by turning left as one boards the plane, it is hard to go back. Or at least go right. As I take my seat, I like a hot towel followed by fizzy alcohol and the offering of a local newspaper. But most most of all, I love stretching my legs and staking my personal space that is more than 34 inches long! Who wants to be cramped for 5,10 or 14 hours? Not moi!

OK! Call me dramatic! I can handle 1 cramped hour... I just love my personal space and place in the sky.

Upgrades do happen!

Who said upgrades are hard to come by!?

I have successfully upgraded another flight, and rightly so! You have got to love a good upgrade Champers all the way! I am going to eat and drink until my hearts content, oh and watch the odd flick along the way...

The pointy end of the plane has never felt so good!

Nice!