Hello Flight Report community and thanks for stopping by this review.
This report series is book-ended by flying the two Japanese carriers in the USA-HND market, ANA and JAL. I have always been keen to try the Thai 747 in first so long story short I managed to add ANA HND-PEK in J on the 787-9 (new type for me) and PEK-BKK on TG in the 747 in F(or so I thought, the Thai operations folks had other ideas). For the return I pulled off a fantastic (for an airline nerd) routing of CX BKK-HKG in F(overnight at HKG), CX HKG-HND in F and JL HND-SFO in F.
The reports will be broken down as follows:
LAX Star Alliance First Class Lounge and ANA LAX-HND (First)http://flight-report.com/en/report-13078.html
ANA Haneda First Class Lounges and ANA HND-PEK (Business)http://flight-report.com/en/report-13099.html
Getting TG'd by Thai Airways PEK-BKK (Business) http://flight-report.com/en/report-13146.html
Cathay Pacific Bangkok Lounge and CX BKK-HKG (First) http://flight-report.com/en/report-13173.html
Cathay Pacific The Wing and The Pier and CX HKG-HND (First) (This Report)
JAL Haneda First Class Lounge and JL HND-SFO (First) http://flight-report.com/en/report-13216.html
It was a short walk to the departures area from the Regal Hotel. As an aside, the Regal is a dump, so if you can make other arrangements I would recommend you do so.
Immediately to the left of the South Immigration/Security checkpoint is Cathay Pacific's The Wing lounge. Let's drop in and see what their morning offerings entail.
I was admitted to the lounge and one of the first features you encounter in the champagne bar.
There are some danish set out on the bar.
The light dining buffet is also setup with similar offerings.
I take a seat in the dining room and I'm presented with this menu.
Not crowded at this early hour.
In addition to the menu there is a self serve option.
I ordered a coffee, water, and the scrambled eggs with asparagus and parma ham.
The dish was very good. The eggs were soft and fluffy and not overcooked at all.
I also enjoyed some "iron buddha" tea in the light dining area. The proces for preparing the tea was lovely from heating the pot and cup, etc.
After a nice stay at The Wing I made the walk over to The Pier where my flight was departing from.
I had a little time to take a seat in the dining room and sample an offering or two. Here is the menu.
I ordered the milk tea and the detoxifier. I also requested "The Eastern Set" breakfast. All were nicely presented and good flavor.
For my remaining time in The Pier I retired to a seat with good tarmac views and enjoyed a glass of the Cuvee Peninsula champagne. With the lounge one floor below the departure area you get a fantastic view of the aircraft.
It became time to join the CX boarding scrum at the gate.
Soon enough I was enjoying the peaceful elegance of the Cathay Pacific first class cabin. I much prefer the "A" side of the cabin as there are only 2 seats on this aisle adding to the sense of privacy.
Proper quality headset.
A look at the menu for the ride to Tokyo. Rather boring but it's breakfast so I won't judge too harshly.
The nose gear camera is fantastic.
We pushed back on time and were off to runway 7R for takeoff.
Service was started promptly with beverages and a snack mix. I requested the Deutz and Perrier.
The welcome note.
The table was set wiht a bread basket and assorted jams and honey.
The fruit "course" arrived first.
I selected the omelette but only took a bite or two. I have a day in Tokyo so I will not waste a meal on an overcooked egg dish.
The table was quickly cleared and I napped and half watched a move for the remainder of the journey. Soon we touched down at a rainy Tokyo International Airport - Haneda.
I snapped a couple of pictures of the other side of the cabin on my way out.
I'll add a few bonus pictures of the HND observation deck and a day around the city for those who are inclined to view them.
The Haneda International Terminal is a beautiful space. The added winter/holiday decor is lovely too.
The rainy weather wasn't keeping the airplane watchers away.
To Ueno to enjoy some ramen and walk about.
I also took the Yamanote Line to Hamamatsucho Station and made the walk to the Tokyo Tower. I hadn't been before and really enjoyed the walk on a cool night.
