Following the success of the trip I’d taken to Asia with my younger son, before too long I made plans to undertake another journey, this time with my older son. Fortunately, I’ve accumulated my share of frequent flyer miles and hotel points over the years and so the world really was our oyster. We were only limited by the time he could spare away from home and the availability of award flights and hotel rooms. It was fun to research the myriad of destination choices but, since he had never been to Asia or Australia, we soon decided to visit both Hong Kong and Sydney over a 10-day period in September. I started making the necessary arrangements almost immediately and before too long, the itinerary came together, thanks to American Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Shangri-La Hotels.
We departed Raleigh early on a Saturday morning on the second American flight to Dallas. Flying aboard a 737-800 aircraft in Seats 2A and B, was a comfortable way to spend time on this 3 hour and 15 minute nonstop journey and we also enjoyed a breakfast service (again, this was all pre-COVID). Arriving at Terminal C, we had about two hours before the connecting long-haul flight. Thanks to the nearby Skylink, we arrived at Terminal D in short order and I was pleased my son would have the opportunity to experience one of my favorite destinations at the DFW Airport, the American Express Centurion Lounge. A hot breakfast was being served that morning and the lunch/dinner service was set to begin at 11:30. Offerings change seasonally here with menus designed by Dean Fearing, recognized as one of the fathers of Southwestern Cuisine. The unique cocktail menu at the bar was developed by Jim Meehan, one of the nation’s top mixologists and the wine director is Anthony Giglio, New York-based sommelier and journalist. Sometimes the Centurion Lounges get very crowded but that wasn’t the case when we stopped by and so we had no regrets forgoing a visit to the nearby Admirals Club in favor of this very pleasant experience.
Our flight to Hong Kong was leaving from Gate D23 and boarding began exactly fifty minutes prior to our scheduled 12:15 PM departure. American flew their largest plane on this route, the B777-300ER carrying 304 passengers. Boarding took place through the second door on the port side and we were kindly directed to the left, towards the very front of the aircraft. We walked through two rows of Business Class seating before entering the First Class cabin, consisting of only eight seats, spread across two rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. The two center seats in the second row (Seats 2D and 2G) were going to be our home for more than 16 hours! With a generous 64” of seat pitch and a lie-flat bed length of 78,” the First Class seats on this aircraft are really spacious. There’s a button that swivels the seat as much as 90 degrees. When you want to relax and put your feet up, all you have to do is turn the chair about 10 degrees to the side. This locks the seat in place while lining it up with the ottoman, which also doubles as a “buddy seat” if you wish to dine with someone else. Just above the entertainment controller, I found a small compartment that had two 110v outlets and the headphone jack along with a mirror. To the side of the seat was a small tablet that controlled the seat functions and a USB outlet above a little recessed area which I found to be convenient for placing my phone and/or my glasses.
At our seats were Bang & Olufsen headphones, a day blanket, lumbar pillow and an amenity kit by This is Ground. These were American’s new amenity kits, the contents of which were more varied than those of earlier premium kits. It included smaller brands with skincare products from Allies of Skin, Zenology, and Baxter of California. Shortly after we settled in, our flight attendant stopped by to introduce herself and offered us a glass of pre-departure champagne. A short while later, she handed out Casper pajamas as well as the menu and wine list. Before too long, the main cabin door was closed and within five minutes, we began our pushback. During taxi, the pursuer made a welcome aboard announcement, informing us the flight time would be 16 hours and 28 minutes. Our initial cruising altitude was going to be 28,000 feet and, as we burned off more fuel, we’d eventually climb up to 38,000 feet. DFW is a large airport but our taxi that afternoon was quick and by 12:20 PM we were beginning the long takeoff roll followed by a smooth and gradual climb out.
The lunch service started about fifteen minutes after take off when our drink orders were taken and we were given a glass of still water and some salted almonds. When the cocktails arrived, they were served with a small plate of vegetable chips and olives. Now I’ve had the good fortune of flying American’s international First Class before, but was surprised by the quantity of food served, both in the number of courses offered and the size of each course. I guess the airline pulled out all the stops in what was, at the time, the longest flight in their system. American White Sturgeon Caviar was first served as a canapè course with traditional garnishes in a red endive, along with a glass of Lanson Noble Cuvée Brut Champagne which was quite good. A Crab and Roasted Corn Chowder was next on the menu followed by a Baby Kale, Romaine and Spinach Salad with trumpet mushroom and watermelon radish served with balsamic or Tahitian vanilla vinaigrette dressing. We were then given a choice between two small plates, either a Smoked Salmon with lemon oil, arugula and shaved Parmesan or Burrata Cheese with heirloom tomatoes. I selected the salmon but it sure wasn’t a small plate and could easily have been my entrè. But that didn't deter me from the Beef Chateaubriand with a horseradish cream sauce accompanied by a twice-baked potato, ginger honey spaghetti squash and a glass of Maison Bouachon La Tiare de Cape Rouge Chàteauneuf-de-Pape. I’m not sure how, but I even managed to squeeze in some cheese and crackers and one of American’s traditional Ice Cream Sundaes for dessert.
By now I was in yet another “food coma” and couldn’t wait to drift off to sleep once our flight attendant had made up my bed. Of note is that the airline had Casper bedding in First Class which was excellent and included a mattress topper that really added a nice layer of padding. I managed to get a good five hours of rest before waking up somewhere over Northwestern Alaska. Although I always travel with my own iPad and downloaded entertainment, I did check out the offerings on the “main screen” and saw that American had updated their selections of movies and TV shows on a monthly basis. They also offered a library of movies and shows that you could stream directly to your phone, tablet or laptop so there was plenty of content to occupy one’s time aboard. The airline was also offering mid-flight snacks but I was still so full from lunch I passed on the Waygu Beef Sliders and the Antipasto Plate. I watched a few movies and then actually slept some more and, about 90 minutes before landing, American served breakfast (although the menu read “brunch”). I’ve always advocated adjusting to the time zone you’re in as quickly as possible so I’m not sure why Continental Breakfast or a full American Breakfast were served in the middle of the afternoon Hong Kong time. But, truth be told, I did enjoy the Peaches and Cream Smoothie.
At just about 5:45 PM, we began our descent and ten minutes later the captain announced that we’d be landing in twenty minutes. We touched down in Hong Kong on time at 6:05 PM on Runway 25R. From there, we had about a ten minute taxi to our arrival gate and enjoyed a beautiful sunset in the distance as we made our way to the terminal at Chek Lap Kok Airport. After clearing Customs and Immigration, we caught the next Airport Express train to Kowloon Station and took a bus from there directly to the Shangri-La Hotel. I’ll tell you all about our visit to this vibrant Asian city in a future post.
Until next time…stay safe.
Comments