Category: Updates

I Was Lied To And Legally Threatened By An Emirates Purser

~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday I flew from Dubai to London Gatwick on an Emirates A380. I was quite looking forward to the flight, as I’d wanted to try Emirates’ A380 business class product since it came out. From the title you’d assume I was hugely disappointed by the flight, but it was largely awesome, and most of the crew were so, so friendly. That being said, of course, there was one huge exception.

Emirates Airbus A380 Munich Airport (I’ll share why I didn’t share a photo of an Emirates A380 in Dubai Airport later)

Let me start off by saying that I’ve always been very cautious not to take pictures of crewmembers without their express permission on flights. Even when crewmembers intentionally get in my photo, most of the time I choose not to publish photos with crew in it, and always ask before I take my first photo whenever I’m onboard an airplane cabin. I know some other bloggers don’t ask, and it’s technically not required to ask on most airlines; though I’ve never gotten a “no” before upon asking (even on this flight), so it usually always works to my advantage.

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Incredible Deals To Be Had Out Of Hong Kong Following Dismal Protest Situation

~ Alvin ~ 1 Comment

Most of you are probably familiar with Hong Kong’s protests at this point. For sixteen weeks protesters and police (and, of course, the government) have been at ends, resulting in violent clashes that have been littered all throughout the city’s most populated areas. This, obviously, doesn’t bode well with Hong Kong’s economy, and there’s also an ongoing trade war between the US and China, which brings Hong Kong’s economy into its first recession in quite a while.

This is terrible news for businesses, though certainly a good time to spend. SCMP came up with a latest report with some deals that are to be had out of Hong Kong, most of which are in economy class and somewhat last-minute – so I thought I’d share them for those of you who needed it.

American Airlines tickets to Los Angeles are going for ~HK$1,200

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Cathay Pacific Cuts Capacity Due To Low Demand

~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

The past few months have been turmoil for Hong Kong, and protesters and police have continually been at ends. Ultimately this has created an unfavourable impression on Hong Kong’s economy, and people have selected not to travel to Hong Kong due to the state it’s in.

The divisive state of our community has resulted in a negative general impression on Hong Kong’s safety, and as a result this has caused detriment to the inbound travel industry. This has definitely caused Cathay Pacific to struggle over the past few months.

Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 Hong Kong Airport

Well the first major blow has hit, and Cathay Pacific has axed some routes.

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Coming Up Next – The Ticket I Feel Most Heartbroken About

~ Alvin ~ 3 Comments

While I’m trying my best to roll out my reviews (I’m fully aware that I’ve yet to complete my review set of a trip to Bangkok I did in February, though I’m prioritising flight reviews of newer airline products first), I’m also getting ready for my move to the UK. I’ll be getting an engineering degree at Imperial College, so will be based there for a few years, before deciding where to move onto next (yeah, so much for Young Travelers of “Hong Kong”, but…)

I had to get to the UK, and with no award space on any oneworld airline available for my dates, I decided to book a one-way ticket to London. Since my dad was travelling with me and he would be flying back, I focused on finding the cheapest ticket for him, as I knew my ticket wouldn’t be cheap either way. We ended up finding an Emirates ticket into London and out of Paris (where he needed to be), which had us on A380s on all four legs.

Emirates Airbus A380 Munich Airport

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I’m Flying Out Of HK On A Weekend. Should I Change My Flight?

~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Hong Kong has been under turmoil lately, where protesters and police have been at odds. The original protests back in June triggered a police overreaction (due to fears that Occupy Central would resurface), so protests have turned into a vicious circle of events that consist of protesters blocking the streets and throwing petrol bombs, riot police overreacting and hurting innocent civilians as well as protesters, protesters protesting against police violence by blocking streets, throwing petrol bombs, and calling police “triads” etc.. The protesters have also come up with five demands for the government, which the government has yet to show signs of acting upon.

Being the center of Hong Kong’s trade, the airport has become a key target for protesters in September, in hopes of pressuring the government to act upon their demands. Protesters consider the airport a safe space for protests, given the police force cannot arrest people or throw tear gas there; ultimately this caused the airport to close and cancel all flights twice last month. While the court has issued an injunction that prevents protesters from hosting any sort of event in the airport (more details here), protesters have found a way to play the system, by blocking roads towards the airport instead of protesting directly inside the airport.

Continue reading “I’m Flying Out Of HK On A Weekend. Should I Change My Flight?” →

How Was British Airways’ Club World and Club Europe Amenities and Service?

~ j ~ Leave a comment

In my last instalment about my recent experience with British Airways in their Club World and Club Europe cabins, I’m going to be talking about the amenities, the entertainment and the service aboard my flights, which interested me for a few reasons. First, British Airways recently introduced new bedding and amenities from The White Company, a British bedding and lifestyle company. This was incredibly impressive, especially considering that most airlines (Cathay Pacific, I’m looking at you) have some pretty lacklustre offerings when it comes to bedding.

IMG_3374.jpgBritish Airways Boeing 777-200ER Club World Cabin

This was also going to be my first chance to directly compare British Airways’ “newly hired” Mixed Fleet crew, who are supposedly much younger and less experienced, as well as British Airways’ veteran Worldwide Fleet crew. I’ve heard a lot that Mixed Fleet crew tend to be less experienced and professional, while Worldwide Fleet crew are generally better, so I wanted to see if this was true.

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The Sad State of Transit at Doha Airport

~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Introduction: Home QSuite Home
Plaza Premium First Lounge Hong Kong Airport
Qatar Airways 777 QSuite Business Class Hong Kong to Doha
The Sad State of Transit at Doha Airport
Qatar Airways 777 QSuite Business Class Doha to Amsterdam
Hilton The Hague Family Suite
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Suite/Superior Twin Room
British Airways Galleries Lounge Brussels Airport
Qatar Airways 777 Old Business Class Brussels to Doha
Qatar Airways 777 QSuite Business Class Doha to Hong Kong

While I’m a fan of Qatar Airways’ onboard product, I’m not as much a fan of how the airline is on the ground. In 2017 I transited Doha Airport for the first time, right when Qatar Airways was starting to gain popularity. I found the lounge to be a little soulless, but at the time it had all the things I’d look for in an airport lounge. I also thought the airport was cool, since it was architecturally impressive.

Now that I’ve been to Doha Airport a second time, suffice to say that my impression of the airport has changed. Doha Airport is no longer a pleasant airport to transit through, and I’d aim for a layover of two hours if a stopover wasn’t possible. Over the past couple of years as Qatar Airways developed into a smashing success, Doha Airport has gone from being an aviation superpower to simply being a transit factory.

The gimmicks are still there. The centerpiece of the airport continues to be a huge teddy bear under interrogation, as there’s a lamp stuck “into” its head (in order to prop the bear up, though it certainly feels a little gruesome).

Doha Airport Teddy Bear

Continue reading “The Sad State of Transit at Doha Airport” →

Introduction: Home QSuite Home

~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Introduction: Home QSuite Home
Plaza Premium First Lounge Hong Kong Airport
Qatar Airways 777 QSuite Business Class Hong Kong to Doha
The Sad State of Transit at Doha Airport
Qatar Airways 777 QSuite Business Class Doha to Amsterdam
Hilton The Hague Family Suite
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Suite/Superior Twin Room
British Airways Galleries Lounge Brussels Airport
Qatar Airways 777 Old Business Class Brussels to Doha
Qatar Airways 777 QSuite Business Class Doha to Hong Kong

This trip report will cover my Qatar Airways itinerary that I flew during our trip this summer. Our objective was to visit various cities in the Netherlands and Belgium, and I booked flights on Qatar Airways specifically to try out the new QSuite, which they introduced in 2017.

Qatar Airways Boeing 777 QSuite Business Class

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Qatar Airways’ Disappointing Non-Refurbished 777 Business Class

~ Alvin ~ 1 Comment

I’m currently flying over the Persian Gulf, on my way to Doha so I can return home. Between the derogatory customs department at Brussels Airport, keeping myself updated on Hong Kong’s depressing state, and a general deprivation of natural light/company, it’s been an exhausting day.

Assuming my Doha to Hong Kong flight doesn’t get swapped out, my Brussels to Doha flight is the only flight that I have scheduled in Qatar Airways’ non-refurbished 777 business class cabin (the remaining flights are all in their QSuite, which I love). While I’ve flown the leased LATAM A350 aircraft that Qatar occasionally flies, which features a similar configuration, this is my first time in Qatar Airways’ non-refurbished 777 business class product. It’s weird to think that Qatar Airways came to prominence as one of the world’s best airlines while flying most of their ultra-longhaul routes with this seat.

Qatar Airways Boeing 777 Brussels Airport

The reason I say that is that, as much as I love Qatar’s soft product, I can’t overlook how disappointing this hard product is even on a six-hour night flight from Brussels to Doha.

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Why Are EU Tax Refund Counters So Rude To Asians?

~ Alvin ~ 2 Comments

Hello from Brussels Airport! I’m currently sitting down with a beer at the British Airways lounge waiting for my Qatar Airways flight to Doha. And I’m not going to lie – I’m pretty mad.

Two years ago, at the tax refund counter at Munich Airport, I had a borderline traumatic experience where we were mocked and laughed at since we didn’t have our goods out. Following experiences at Zurich and Geneva we assumed we didn’t actually need to take our goods out to show customs, and that backfired on us big-time – not only were we mocked, but we also almost missed our flight, as they were deliberately trying to waste our time by making fun of our inability to read the German on our receipts.

Mentally prepared to face something similar at Brussels Airport, we had prepared everything to show the man at the counter. So instead of leaving traumatised, I was just left…ticked off.

Either way, I’m concerned about the blatant discrimination of Asian-looking people at tax refund counters.

Continue reading “Why Are EU Tax Refund Counters So Rude To Asians?” →