Greetings Flight Reporters and welcome to another whirlwind Asian adventure. This was an especially exciting trip for me because I was bringing along a friend who was a complete newbie to most of the experiences I had planned for this trip. New to first class on top airlines, premium lounges, and new to a couple of the cities we visited. It's always a special treat for me to share experiences that I I value with someone else that I think will value them as well. To see things again through the newness of someone else's eyes. The reports of our travel will be broken down as follows:
We planned a long layover at NRT as we enjoy going into Narita Village and walking around and getting a taste of Japan. We moved quickly through immigration and customs. I am not as familiar with Narita Airport Terminal 2 as I am with 1. IT took a bit of time to find lockers for our luggage that were not already occupied. Once we completed this task we were on the Keisei Mainliner to Keisei Narita Station.
A great time walking about Naritasan Park and the Temple. On the way back to the airport we stopped off at Terminal 1 for a trip to the observation deck. The weather was wicked and foreshadowed what would become a lengthy delay.
The 777-300ER that delivered us from Jakarta to Narita earlier that morning.
Normally a crowded space but on this day the wind was howling.
We noticed there were no arrivals during our brief visit to the observation deck but it didn't occur to us that the airport was in fact closed to arrivals. Our inbound CX 777-300ER was airborne and en route per online flight tracking but later we would see a long holding pattern and diversion to HND.
We decided to retreat to the JAL F lounge in T2 and took the bus over from T1. A quick trip through premium security and immigration and we were airside.
I find this lounge to be very good. It is a little dated when compared with some other F lounges out there but service, food , and beverage are always very good.
We're immediately drawn to the itamae preparing sushi in center of the dining area. There is also some sake on offer. I order the set option but later notice guests asking for variations including just the sashimi or the nigiri of their choosing. The highlight of this visit was some wonderful melt in your mouth tuna.
Still oblivious to the delay I have a look around at the rest of the food offerings as well as beverage. I opt for some small plates and a taste of the curry to round out this meal.
The delay to our flight is now posted to the FIDS in the lounge but no new time is listed. The lovely women that staff the JAL lounge don't have any additional information, which is completely understandable. We decide to go on walk about and visit the Cathay Lounge and the gate area to see if there was any news an estimated boarding time. We are blissfully unaware at this time that the airport is closed and the aircraft has or will shortly divert to HND.
The CX lounge staff is unable to offer any information beyond confirming the flight is delayed so we go to the gate. As we approach the podium we encounter what turns out to be the station manager for CX and ask him about the situation. He breaks the news to us about the closure due to crosswind, flight diversion, and fluidity of the situation. He tells us they have inbounds diverting to KIX too. He notes our names and, I assume, that I'm traveling in F and asks if we will be at the JAL F lounge for the delay. We tell him yes and he assures us that he will keep us informed. A really lovely guy and most professional and forthright with what little information was available. Basically all you can ask for in a delay situation like this.
Upon retreating to the lounge we secure appointments to receive a massage treatment. Also, we pay another visit to the sushi counter. This time a more custom order.
We decide to make a nice long look of the terminal and get some walking in as we know where will be here for a while. This includes a trip to the upstairs JAL F lounge for, well, for no reason really. Just because we can. Also, I'm getting my non-avgeek friend starting to turn into one of us. He is very bullish on lounge hopping and any kind of spotting we can achieve. Of course when no aircraft are landing the spotting is limited.
The second floor JAL F lounge is also very nice in the same subdued manner. It's extremely odd to me to have this space, essentially a second lounge, right above the main F lounge. There's also a third F lounge in the Satellite terminal.
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This lounge is more sectioned off. There is a small business center, a phone area, and variety of seating. You'"/>
We settle in here and enjoy some beverages. We are given personal updates on the flight from both JAL and Cathay staff. It'"/>
The menu, including wine promotion, for the NRT-HKG sector looked like this.
The next door neighbor.
Eventually we pushed back and encountered a long queue for 16R, as you would expect with a very busy airport recovering from a closure.
Once airborne the service started promptly and I requested the Deutz. The wine was served with some mixed nuts.
The table was set with the customary welcome note.
I think after nearly 7hours of lounge time at NRT I was at my limit of Japanese food for the evening so I opted for the western path for dinner.
The starter of salmon and prawn. Simple and light. Paired with the Chateau Bouscat 2012.
The cream of chicken soup was next. A heavy and unremarkable soup. The bread was a welcome accompaniment.
For the main I opted for the braised Hometoyyz (Canadian) short ribs. Braised beef for airplane meals almost always make sense. I was thinking of the delay as well but I wonder if any catering that had originally been prepared had to be redone after such a lengthy delay. Anyhow, a successful dish paired with the Chateau Haut-Bergey 2003.
I managed to remain conscious for the cheese course but it probably wasn'"/>
I drifted off the sleep for the remainder of the journey and woke to some steamy windows in at HKG.
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Verdict
Cathay Pacific
8.6/10
Cabin9.5
Cabin crew8.5
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Meal/catering8.0
JAL First Lounge
8.8/10
Comfort9.0
Meal/catering9.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Services9.0
Tokyo - NRT
9.0/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.0
Hong Kong - HKG
8.8/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness8.0
Conclusion
What should have been a quick trip turned out to be anything but. The delay was certainly a disappointment but the CX and JAL agents were helpful for the most part although powerless against the forces of nature that caused our predicament.
The Ground Service: Information on the delay was slow at first but updates did come and almost to the point of discomfort. While I appreciate the effort i was somewhat taken aback that CX would dispatch two staff from their lounge to come to a partner lounge only to tell me they had no information. It was all well intentioned I certainly won't be upset by visits from lovely, smiling airline staffs.
The Lounge: I am a fan of the JAL F lounges at NRT. The sushi counter, the foot massage, the overall esthetic connect with me.
The Cabin: The CX F seat is timeless. Still perhaps the best bed in the sky and nto too shabby for lounging either. The CX Studio has great content but the screens are no loner able to deliver the sharpest resolution.
The Crew: Aside from some unprofessional antics from the Captain and Purser the rest of the crew I interacted with was very good. Delays are difficult on the crew as well but you could not tell anything was amiss aside from the aforementioned individuals.
The Food and Beverage: Adequate for a 3 hour regional flight but nothing special. The wines were all enjoyable.
Overall: An excellent way to travel between TYO and HKG.
Thanks for reading and happy flying.
2 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Hello, Socal, and thanks for another great flight report in this series.
I love the photos of Narita Village… and how odd having the observation deck all to yourself. (I guess not truly odd, given the circumstances… but still… unusual.)
The JAL F lounge looks very nice — especially the sushi. Nice work on converting your fellow traveler into One of Us. I’m surprised the lounges stayed so empty given the relatively shut-down nature of the airport.
It seems a bit of a departure from the usual CX polished service to out-and-out admit that “everyone’s tired,” and you’re right, this does not exactly inspire confidence on a flight that’s about to depart… even a relatively short one like this.
Still, very much enjoy another look at the legendary CX F seat, and the rest of the service seems very good. I love the touch of a personal note from the cabin crew.
I got a kick out of the shoutout on the main course. If also looks like a very nice dish. Much nicer that most of the beef presented on certain Canadian carriers. (Of course, they don’t have F at all, much less CX F…)
Also, just to clarify.... no HometoYYZs were harmed in the making of that meal.
You managed to sleep all the way to the ground in HKG? Does that mean you didn’t even get the bed all the way down? I can’t say as I’m surprised, given the rather long day at Narita.
Just to let you know — it seems like the second half of your report is repeated the first instance of the steamy windows shot in HKG. Not sure why that’s happening, but there’s also some loose code after both the first and second steamy windows shot, so I suspect a coding issue?
Either way, no biggie. Thanks again for this report, and I’m looking forward to the rest of this adventure!
Greetings Hometoyyz and thank you for reading and leaving a note.
"Nice work on converting your fellow traveler into One of Us." -This was our 4th trip of this nature and he's all in now. Between TPR, The Pier, and JAL F lounges it's not a difficult team to want to join.
"I’m surprised the lounges stayed so empty given the relatively shut-down nature of the airport." -Interesting observation and I hadn't even considered that oddity. The downstairs portion of the JAL lounge was quite full but upstairs was not. We didn't visit the Satellite . You would think that with OW's generous lounge access policy it would be more crowded. I wonder if it speaks to the connecting nature of traffic at NRT vs. O&D drawn to HND services?
"You managed to sleep all the way to the ground in HKG? Does that mean you didn’t even get the bed all the way down?" -Not exactly all the way. I did have to stow the seat, etc. While I was seated upright I wouldn't exactly say I was "awake". Staying up most of the redeye form CGK, long day of walking Narita, and long delay made for a tired boy. Oh the hardships.
"Just to let you know — it seems like the second half of your report is repeated the first instance of the steamy windows shot in HKG. Not sure why that’s happening, but there’s also some loose code after both the first and second steamy windows shot, so I suspect a coding issue?" -Whoa, thanks for the heads up! Seems like the code generator has gone a little awry. It doesn't show the duplication in the "Story" dialogue box but i was able to clean it up a little...
Thanks again Hometoyyz. I'm behind on reading your reports and commenting, but I am slowly catching up!
Thanks for a great FR Socalnow! OH no, yet another FR reminding me that I went to the wrong JAL F lounge in NRT--I really wanted sushi! haha.
Sorry about the delay, though it seems it was well handled by the ground staff. Amazing that CX agents came to check on you in the JL F lounge.
"Personally I don't get extra confidence knowing the flight crew is "tired" - I hear you, I would definitely not want to hear that, but technically they were "legal" to fly. CX pilots have been making a lot of noise over the past few years about long hours and too short rest periods between flights. Anti-company bitterness may also be at play here with this attitude. I've always been kind of surprised that there could be labor strife at such a high quality carrier.
Aside from that, the service seems great and the catering and wine list lovely for a flight that is less than 5 hours.
Greetings KévinDC and thank your for checking out my FR and leaving a comment.
"OH no, yet another FR reminding me that I went to the wrong JAL F lounge in NRT--I really wanted sushi! haha. " -I believe this location is the only one of the three to have the sushi and sake island. The lounges are not as extravagant as some of the competition however, in typical Japanese fashion, what they do offer is ov very high quality, IME.
"CX pilots have been making a lot of noise over the past few years about long hours and too short rest periods between flights. Anti-company bitterness may also be at play here with this attitude. I've always been kind of surprised that there could be labor strife at such a high quality carrier. " -I've read some bits on this and it didn't occur to me at the time, but it's a very good observation you have made. It's a totally normal conversation in these circumstances, it's been a long trying day at work, but take somewhere other than 4 feet from a customer.
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5 Comments
I love the photos of Narita Village… and how odd having the observation deck all to yourself. (I guess not truly odd, given the circumstances… but still… unusual.)
The JAL F lounge looks very nice — especially the sushi. Nice work on converting your fellow traveler into One of Us. I’m surprised the lounges stayed so empty given the relatively shut-down nature of the airport.
It seems a bit of a departure from the usual CX polished service to out-and-out admit that “everyone’s tired,” and you’re right, this does not exactly inspire confidence on a flight that’s about to depart… even a relatively short one like this.
Still, very much enjoy another look at the legendary CX F seat, and the rest of the service seems very good. I love the touch of a personal note from the cabin crew.
I got a kick out of the shoutout on the main course. If also looks like a very nice dish. Much nicer that most of the beef presented on certain Canadian carriers. (Of course, they don’t have F at all, much less CX F…)
Also, just to clarify.... no HometoYYZs were harmed in the making of that meal.
You managed to sleep all the way to the ground in HKG? Does that mean you didn’t even get the bed all the way down? I can’t say as I’m surprised, given the rather long day at Narita.
Just to let you know — it seems like the second half of your report is repeated the first instance of the steamy windows shot in HKG. Not sure why that’s happening, but there’s also some loose code after both the first and second steamy windows shot, so I suspect a coding issue?
Either way, no biggie. Thanks again for this report, and I’m looking forward to the rest of this adventure!
"Nice work on converting your fellow traveler into One of Us."
-This was our 4th trip of this nature and he's all in now. Between TPR, The Pier, and JAL F lounges it's not a difficult team to want to join.
"I’m surprised the lounges stayed so empty given the relatively shut-down nature of the airport."
-Interesting observation and I hadn't even considered that oddity. The downstairs portion of the JAL lounge was quite full but upstairs was not. We didn't visit the Satellite . You would think that with OW's generous lounge access policy it would be more crowded. I wonder if it speaks to the connecting nature of traffic at NRT vs. O&D drawn to HND services?
"You managed to sleep all the way to the ground in HKG? Does that mean you didn’t even get the bed all the way down?"
-Not exactly all the way. I did have to stow the seat, etc. While I was seated upright I wouldn't exactly say I was "awake". Staying up most of the redeye form CGK, long day of walking Narita, and long delay made for a tired boy. Oh the hardships.
"Just to let you know — it seems like the second half of your report is repeated the first instance of the steamy windows shot in HKG. Not sure why that’s happening, but there’s also some loose code after both the first and second steamy windows shot, so I suspect a coding issue?"
-Whoa, thanks for the heads up! Seems like the code generator has gone a little awry. It doesn't show the duplication in the "Story" dialogue box but i was able to clean it up a little...
Thanks again Hometoyyz. I'm behind on reading your reports and commenting, but I am slowly catching up!
Sorry about the delay, though it seems it was well handled by the ground staff. Amazing that CX agents came to check on you in the JL F lounge.
"Personally I don't get extra confidence knowing the flight crew is "tired"
- I hear you, I would definitely not want to hear that, but technically they were "legal" to fly. CX pilots have been making a lot of noise over the past few years about long hours and too short rest periods between flights. Anti-company bitterness may also be at play here with this attitude. I've always been kind of surprised that there could be labor strife at such a high quality carrier.
Aside from that, the service seems great and the catering and wine list lovely for a flight that is less than 5 hours.
See you on the next one!
"OH no, yet another FR reminding me that I went to the wrong JAL F lounge in NRT--I really wanted sushi! haha. "
-I believe this location is the only one of the three to have the sushi and sake island. The lounges are not as extravagant as some of the competition however, in typical Japanese fashion, what they do offer is ov very high quality, IME.
"CX pilots have been making a lot of noise over the past few years about long hours and too short rest periods between flights. Anti-company bitterness may also be at play here with this attitude. I've always been kind of surprised that there could be labor strife at such a high quality carrier. "
-I've read some bits on this and it didn't occur to me at the time, but it's a very good observation you have made. It's a totally normal conversation in these circumstances, it's been a long trying day at work, but take somewhere other than 4 feet from a customer.
Thanks again Kevin and happy flying.
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