More on Hong Kong! The 747 has long been one of my favourite aircraft since my first flight was in 1971 from Hong Kong to Sydney, Australia with Pan Am. I celebrated my birthday on the flight with a cake. Cathay Pacific flew their first 747 in 1979 and eventually owned 54 of the type. Their 747s have carried over 160 million people across the globe! Of my 96 Jumbo Jet flights, six have been on six Cathay 747 flights of them over that time (see below. NB The Hong Kong to Paris route was flown twice).…
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Van hits plane at Hong Kong airport
This is the aftermath of a China Aircraft Services hitting a fully loaded Dragonair Airbus 330 at Hong Kong International Airport’s apron 25 at about 4pm local time. The video of the incident appears to shows the van driving directly towards the aircraft as it moves towards the runway for takeoff. The van then seems to veer straight toward the engine. Completely bizarre. The vehicle was dragged along the tarmac for several metres by the plane. The pilot stopped the plane. Five fire engines and two ambulances were called to the scene. The driver was reportedly…
Booked my first A350 flight with Thai Airways Royal Silk [updated]
UPDATE: December 2016: Sadly, due to issues with Thailand’s air safety authority, Thai has not been given permission to deploy A350s on Australian flights. So I am on a 777 instead. Still looking forward to the flight. I am very excited to have booked a seat on Thai’s new Airbus A350-900 Royal Silk Business Class product from Bangkok, Thailand to Melbourne, Australia later this year! Thanks to the last Avianca deal which gave me a 125% bonus on purchased miles! I was able to use these miles to get a seat at a very good price with Thai…
Air New Zealand’s Australia/USA/London Specials
Air New Zealand, my fourth favourite airline* are offering special fares this next two weeks to destinations in Australia, NZ, the UK and USA. For Aussie passengers, there are deals to four US destinations: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu and their new Houston hub. Sydney to Houston is $A958 in Economy plus add a bag for $1 or $A2,631 in their wonderful Premium Economy. Melbourne to Houston is $A941 in Economy plus add a bag for $1 or $A2,614 in Premium. One way fares are actually higher than round trip! You fly via Auckland. For US customers, the sale…
Staying comfy in Long haul Economy
One of the disadvantages of being based in Australia is that my long distance flights are all very long. And many of my flights have been done in the back of the plane! the reality is that this is where most passengers end up. The hallowed grail of Business or First can be elusive despite our best prayers, wishes and attempts! Here are 12 tips: Do some research- some airlines do long haul better than others. Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Finnair, Lan, Malaysia, Qatar, Qantas, Turkish and Singapore keep me much happier than Air Canada, Air France, American, Delta, Etihad and…
19 hour marathon will be longest Flight
If you can bear a 19 hour non stop flight, then the Qantas announcement of a non stop flight between Perth, Australia and London, England from 2017 might excite you. Using a Boeing 787-9 two pairs of pilots and a spare cabin crew would allow the aeroplane to make the 14,000 kilometre (9009 mile) journey in 19 hours. At the moment, Perth-London can be reached with one stop via Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, Malaysian, Qatar and Singapore. The new service to London would have an early evening departure from Perth, reaching London, the next day by noon. Even…
Cathay Pacific emergency landing video- new trend?
Will it become a new trend for passengers to film or photograph their planes and themselves in emergency situations? What does it say of our voyeuristic tendencies if we watch these events especially if they occur in real time? Last week on July 29, a Cathay Pacific flight 884, a five year old Boeing 777-300ER (registration B-KPQ, travelling from Hong Kong to Los Angeles International Airport with 276 passengers and 18 crew diverted to U.S. Eareckson Air Station in Shemya, in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Before the emergency landing, passengers had been told to prepare for a ditching…
My 300th time thru Sydney
This week I celebrate another geeky milestone! I have now flown into or out of SYD Sydney’s (Kingsford Smith) Airport 300 times! Of the 212 airports I have travelled through in my life, this Australian airport is my second most visited: 1 MEL Melbourne 328 15.7 % 4.2 2 SYD Sydney 300 14.3 % 2.9 3 LAX Los Angeles 99 4.7 % 1.7 4 ADL Adelaide 78 3.7 % 4.4 5 AKL Auckland 78 3.7 % 3.2 Since my first flight into Sydney on 3rd July 1971 on a Pan Am 747, I have now travelled to…
Unique Nok Air – Trip Report
Today, I was one of three “farangs” (foreigners) on a Nok Air 737 completely full of Thai people travelling from Bangkok, Thailand to Phuket. I could not work out if this was a random coincidence or do most foreigners not choose Nok? Me? I have wanted to fly the bright yellow Thai “Premium Budget” carrier for some time and today’s flight gave me that opportunity! Nok is the 90th airline I have travelled with since I started flying in 1968! Nok means bird in Thai. They are largely a domestic operation with an international flight to Myanmar. Booking:…
Time to reconsider Garuda?
I have been avoiding flying Garuda Indonesia for two decades now! The financially troubled carrier had an appalling safety record, an ageing fleet, European bans, a patchy service culture and massive competition. To turn this around would seem impossible. Yet last month Skytrax announced that the Indonesian airline has been nominated one of the world’s five star airlines. This is an honour reserved for seven other carriers: Asiana Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, Hainan Airlines Malaysia Airlines (currently under review) Qatar Airways Singapore Airlines. This news surprised me. I have been aware of the changes at Garuda but…
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