Review: Scoot 787 ScootPlus Tokyo to Taipei

July 22, 2019September 12, 2019 ~ Alvin ~ 1 Comment

Introduction: Revisiting Tokyo…Twice
Cathay Pacific The Deck Lounge Hong Kong
Japan Airlines 777-200 Business Class Hong Kong to Tokyo
A Tale Of Two Observation Decks: Tokyo Haneda vs. Narita
Hotel Century Southern Tower Tokyo
Scoot 787 ScootBiz Tokyo to Taipei
Cathay Pacific A350-1000 Business Class Taipei to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific A330 Economy Class Hong Kong to Tokyo
Cathay Pacific 777 Economy Class Tokyo to Hong Kong

One of the pet peeves people have in life is that you always want what you can’t have. I think this became true for me when Scoot pulled their 787s out of Hong Kong, instead substituting them for A320neos. While some low-cost airlines such as Malindo still offer a business class cabin to Hong Kong, none of the major low-cost carriers ~~besides British Airways~~ offer premium cabin service to Hong Kong anymore, which is a bit of a shame.

So when Cathay Pacific failed to open up any direct award space between Tokyo and Hong Kong, I knew that flying Scoot’s fifth-freedom flight between Tokyo Narita and Taipei was on my bucket list. This made me all the more excited when I got to Tokyo Narita’s Terminal 2 at around 9:30 AM.

Tokyo Narita Airport Terminal 2

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Review: Hotel Century Southern Tower Tokyo

July 18, 2019August 18, 2019 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

I’m glad I manage to do what I do on this site, which is review a bunch of airlines and hotels from a well-informed perspective. I always aim to fly new airlines and stay at new properties whenever I’m presented with the need (or the opportunity), and have been fortunate to fly a variety of new airline products and stay at a variety of hotels over the past few years.

This wasn’t always the case. My parents love Japan, and as a kid we would always fly to Sapporo for a ski trip during the winter and visit Tokyo during the summer, using the miles Dad earned for his business trips to redeem flights on Cathay Pacific. During our Tokyo visits, we’d always stay at the Century Southern Tower, as it was affordable, had a great location, and had a room that could accommodate all four of us. I learned a lot about hotels from this place, and after so many years of writing, I thought it was “unfinished business” that I hadn’t written a review of this place. So we booked a twin room at the Century Southern Tower for ~HK$1,900 a night (our first three nights cost HK$1,800, whereas the last night cost more), and rolled up to the hotel at around 10:30 PM after our flight on Japan Airlines.

The Hotel Century Southern Tower takes up the top 15 floors of the Odakyu Southern Tower, which is a minute away from Shinjuku station, near the New South Exit. It’s accessible through a large pedestrian street called the Shinjuku Southern Terrace, which is a really nice walkway (on a nice day).

Hotel Century Southern Tower Tokyo

Hotel Century Southern Tower Tokyo Entrance

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A Tale Of Two Observation Decks: Tokyo Haneda vs. Narita

July 12, 2019August 18, 2019 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Airports are exciting places. Sometimes it’s fun to gaze at airport terminals and wonder about how everyone you see will be scattered all around the world by this time tomorrow. Sometimes it’s fun to watch departures boards, looking at all the places you’re literally a plane ride away from. But as an aviation geek, one of the things that’s been nearest and dearest to my heart is watching planes roll by the tarmac, wondering where they’ve been yesterday and where they’ve been tomorrow.

Most cities have one large airport. Tokyo houses two. I prefer one airport to the other in almost every regard, though both of them feature outdoor observation decks, which is what I wanted to dedicate a separate post to.

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Review: Japan Airlines 777-200 Business Class Hong Kong to Tokyo

July 4, 2019September 8, 2019 ~ Alvin ~ 1 Comment

After briefly checking out a couple of lounges, it was time to fly to Tokyo in Japan Airlines’ business class. We were able to see our 777 from the Qantas lounge, since we were departing from gate 6. Since I wanted to be first onboard and people were starting to line up just as I reached the gate, I didn’t get the opportunity to take a great photo of the plane from the gate, however.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-200 Hong Kong Airport

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Review: Cathay Pacific The Deck Lounge Hong Kong

June 21, 2019August 18, 2019 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

In 2015, Cathay Pacific opened a couple of lounges under a brand new design, which they created in partnership with London-based design brand Studiolise. While many newer lounges worldwide have upped their game recently, I don’t think any lounges have been as widely appraised as Cathay Pacific’s since this partnership started. In 2016, Cathay Pacific opened The Pier’s business class section at Hong Kong Airport, which serves as their flagship lounge alongside the adjacent First Class section. I had the chance to visit The Pier shortly after it opened, and it continues to be one of my favourite lounges today.

The same year they closed the G16 lounge, a lounge that used to belong to Dragonair but was redundant now that Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon shared the same lounge access policies, for renovation. I visited the lounge shortly before it closed, and yeah, it was a bit of a dump. In March 2018 the lounge reopened as The Deck, which was their second lounge in Hong Kong designed under the same ethos.

The lounge is located by gate 6 (Hong Kong Airport changed their gate numbers slightly – gates 15 to 22 have become gates 5 to 12, as they’re building a footbridge to the North Satellite Concourse and renumbering gates 501-510 as gates 13-22), where signage leads passengers up an escalator and into a slick matte-finished entrance.

Cathay Pacific The Deck Lounge Hong Kong Entrance

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Review: Thai Airways 777-300ER Economy Class Hong Kong to Bangkok

May 10, 2019May 11, 2019 ~ j ~ Leave a comment

I recently took a school trip to Surat Thani in Thailand. I flew Thai Airways and Thai Smile Economy Class and documented the experience in this mini trip report series. I was especially interested to see how Thai Airways stacked up against Cathay Pacific’s regional Economy Class experience, given how loyal I am to my hometown carrier.

Thai Airways check-in counters in Hong Kong are located in Terminal 2, which is shared with many most low-cost carriers. Check-in was efficient, and there was no line save for our school group. I was ushered by the station manager to the Royal Silk check-in counters. The ground staff were friendly and efficient and was sent on my way through security and onto the train between Terminal 2 and Terminal 1.

59763442_340602059932011_6468738390119415808_n-1 Thai Airways Hong Kong Airport Check-In

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Review: Thai Airways 777 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok

April 27, 2019April 27, 2019 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Introduction: Spending The Calm Before The Storm In Bangkok
Thai Airways 777 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok – Premier Twin Room
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok – Duplex Cabana
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok – Grounds and Facilities
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge Bangkok Concourse E
Thai Airways A330 Business Class Bangkok to Hong Kong

Thai Airways flies a bunch of aircraft to Hong Kong. At the time that I took this flight, Thai Airways operated three A330s, two 777-300ERs and one Thai Smile A320 to Bangkok every day (one of these 777s has since been replaced by an A350, and one of the A330s has been replaced by a regional 777). I had flown Thai Airways’ A330 many times, and the 747 once; however, this was my first time flying a Thai Airways aircraft outfitted with their longhaul configuration.

I got to the gate at 11:45 AM in anticipation of a 12:05 PM boarding time, and was face to face with the sleek Thai Airways 777:

Thai Airways Boeing 777 Hong Kong Airport

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Review: EVA Air 787 Business Class Taipei to Hong Kong

February 2, 2019February 2, 2019 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Introduction: 5 Stars ForEVA
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong Airport
EVA Air A330 Business Class Hong Kong to Taipei
EVA Air The Infinity Lounge Taipei Airport
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Taipei Airport
EVA Air 787 Business Class Taipei to Hong Kong

I made it to the gate area at around 5:35 PM in anticipation of boarding at 5:40 PM. There was a partial view of our stunning 787 outside the window. Unfortunately, Terminal 1 at Taipei Airport seems to be built for the purposes of obstructing direct plane views, so I didn’t see the EVA Air 787 in its full glory.

EVA Air Boeing 787 Taipei Airport

Literally right after I arrived, the gate crew announced a boarding delay of 15 minutes, due to late aircraft arrival. I hung around in the priority lane while this happened.

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Review: Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Taipei Airport

January 25, 2019February 2, 2019 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

After a disappointing schlep by EVA Air’s Infinity Lounge, I headed to the Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounge in search of a power port. The Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounge is located in the same lounge “complex” as all of the EVA Air lounges, on the opposite side from the Infinity lounge.

I know Singapore Airlines is investing a lot into renovating their outstation lounges, but without even walking into the lounge I knew that this one had been neglected. The outside of the lounge featured Singapore Airlines’ classic, older blue signage.

Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Taipei Entrance

The friendly lounge agent admitted me into the lounge, and advised that the lounge closed at 5:45 PM (this is because the last Singapore Airlines flight leaves the airport at 5:35 PM).

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Review: EVA Air The Infinity Lounge Taipei Airport

January 23, 2019February 2, 2019 ~ Alvin ~ 1 Comment

Once I exited the aircraft that brought me to Taipei, I followed the airport signage towards the B gates, which brought me to a transfer desk. As I hinted at in the previous installment, the security officers turned on the X-ray machine so I could pass through, and turned it off once I was cleared.

Once I was cleared I found myself in the Terminal 1 arrivals hall. While EVA uses Terminal 2 at Taipei Airport, they use Terminal 1 as an overflow terminal when they run out of gates at their own terminal, which both of my flights were arriving/departing from. Taipei Taoyuan Airport’s two terminals are very closely connected, at least airside – you can take a 10-minute walk from one terminal to the other, simply by following the signage to the C and D gates. Obviously I didn’t know this at the time, so as you’d expect, I got lost; fortunately, Ethan, who lives in Taipei, was able to give me a hand.

Terminal 1 Taipei Taoyuan Airport

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