Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

MEL-AKL (3h 40m) Boeing 777-300ER ETD: 12.10pm (GMT + 10) ETA: 5.40pm (GMT + 12) I'd heard plenty about Air New Zealand's legacy herringbone seats in the Business Class cabin, mostly not for the right reasons. Lo and behold, I finally had the opportunity to experience them for myself on what was also my first flight ever with the flag carrier of the country. Let's find out whether the criticisms are justified.

MNL-SYD (8h 20m) Airbus 330-300 ETD:  10.25pm  (GMT + 8) ETA: 8.45am (GMT + 10) After enjoying some quiet time at the flagship  Mabuhay Lounge , it was finally time to board the flight to Sydney, Australia. It'd be my first time in the country, but strangely enough, I have to admit that I didn't quite feel the usual surge of excitement that comes with discovering a new destination compared to some of my previous travels.

SGN-SIN (2h) Airbus 350-900 ETD:  12.30pm  (GMT + 7) ETA: 3.30pm (GMT + 8) For the final entry to wrap up this travel series, let’s take a look at the flight back home in Business Class onboard Singapore Airlines SQ177 from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Operated by Airbus 350-900, the flight offered a reassuring sense of familiarity and comfort even if it was a brief one.

NRT-SGN (6h 35m) Boeing 787-9 ETD:  7.10pm  (GMT + 9) ETA: 11.45pm (GMT + 7) A long-awaited first for me, flying with ANA in the Business Class cabin allowed me to receive a final dose of omotenashi (Japanese concept of wholehearted hospitality) as I left the country. The flight from to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam wasn't that long, but it offered the perfect introduction to the airline's refined service philosophy.

BOG-PTY (1h 55m) Boeing 777-300ER ETD:  3.55pm (GMT - 5) ETA: 5.50pm (GMT - 5) Turkish Airlines TK800 is a multi-leg route from Istanbul, Turkey to Bogota, Colombia, and then continuing onward to Panama City before heading back to its point of origin. I had the opportunity to experience the latter two legs, marking the longest time I've ever spent inside a Business Class cabin. 

PTY-BOG (1h 40m) Boeing 737 MAX 9 ETD:  9.30am (GMT - 5) ETA: 11.10am (GMT - 5) My initial skepticism about Boeing 737 MAX 9 stemmed from the two tragic accidents involving Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, which led to its grounding worldwide from March 2019 to November 2020. Despite that, I finally decided to give it a try, opting for a relatively short flight with Copa Airlines from Panama City to Bogota, Colombia.

CUN-PTY (2h 45m) Boeing 737-800 ETD:  11.35am (GMT - 5) ETA: 2.20pm (GMT - 5) A member of the Star Alliance, Copa Airlines serves as the flag carrier of Panama. It's no coincidence if the livery reminds you of the now-defunct Continental Airlines and the current United Airlines because Copa Airlines formed a partnership with the former in 1998 and adopted a similar brand image.

VIE-BKK (10h) Boeing 777-200ER ETD:  11.20pm (GMT + 2) ETA: 2.20pm (GMT + 7) The second of the three flights to fly home the long way was from Vienna, Austria to Bangkok, Thailand. By virtue of miles, I had my virgin experience with the flag carrier of Austria in the Business Class cabin. You'll see a combination of 1 : 1 and 4 : 3 photos in this post as I'm taking some from my Instagram and others from my BFF.

IST-VIE (2h 15m) Airbus 321 ETD: 5.10pm (GMT + 3) ETA: 6.25pm (GMT + 2) Here's a post on the first of the three flights to reach home the long way. It'd been a while since I last flew with Turkish Airlines, the last time being in 2015 for the domestic route from Izmir to Istanbul, Turkey. Hence, the flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Vienna, Austria was my very first international flight with the airline.

NRT-KUL (8h 5m) Boeing 787-9 ETD: 11.05am (GMT  +  9) ETA: 6.10p m (GMT + 8) There was only one reason why I flew from Narita International Airport in Japan to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia instead of Singapore straight away: the amazing deal by Alaska Mileage Plan. Alas, the airline has decided to terminate the so-called '25,000 miles trick' for intra-Asia routes with a stopover in October 2019.

SIN-HND (6h 30m) Boeing 777-200 ETD: 10.25pm (GMT  +  8) ETA: 5.55a m (GMT + 9) Even though I've been to Japan a couple of times, last year saw me flying with Japan Airlines, the flag carrier of the Land of the Rising Sun, for the first time in my life. Having its headquarter in Shinagawa, Tokyo, the airline was founded in 1951, but it was only two years later that it became the national airline of Japan.

ICN-CGK (7h 20m) Airbus 330-300 ETD: 3.40pm (GMT  +  9) ETA: 9 .00pm (GMT + 7) Here's another post on Asiana Airlines. My BFFs and I'd continue our journey to Jakarta, Indonesia with the same Airbus 330-300 aircraft in the Business Class cabin. Has anyone flown on its Boeing 747-400 and/or Boeing 767-300 aircraft? Sadly, the airline has chosen to retire both models.

KIX-ICN (2h) Airbus 330-300 ETD: 10.50am (GMT  +  9) ETA:  12.50pm (GMT + 9) Formerly known as Seoul Air International, Asiana Airlines is a Skytrax 5 Star Airline at the point of writing, which history can be traced back to 1988. It's the second largest airline in South Korea behind Korean Air, the flag carrier of the country. Did you know that it also fully owns Air Seoul, a low-cost carrier?

HKG-HAN (2h 10m) Airbus 330-300 ETD: 5.45pm (GMT +  8) ETA:  6.55pm (GMT + 7) Hi, everyone! I sincerely hope that it's been a wonderful Christmas season for all of us. Now that I'm back in Singapore, I shall finish off writing about my June 2019 trip before moving on to something else. As a recap, I flew with Cathay Pacific CX855 from Vancouver, Canada to Hong Kong before flying with Cathay Dragon KA299 from Hong Kong to Hanoi, Vietnam.

YVR-HKG (13h 20m) Airbus 350-900 ETD: 9.40am (GMT - 7) ETA:  2.00pm (GMT + 8) I really had a blast in Canada, the country I thought I'd be settling down in when I was younger. Well, I'm certainly looking forward to exploring beyond British Columbia and Alberta. I flew back to Hong Kong in one of Cathay Pacific's Airbus 350-900 aircraft. It was my second time onboard its modern equipment, the first being a few years ago from Hong Kong to Jakarta, Indonesia.

HKG-YVR (12h 15m) Boeing 777-300ER ETD: 4.15pm (GMT + 8) ETA:  1.30pm (GMT - 7) To share a bit of history, Cathay Pacific was conceptualised by Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow to fly much-needed goods from Australia to post-war China. In 1982, it became the first airline to fly non-stop from its hub to Vancouver, Canada. It was my turn to fly there with the flag carrier of Hong Kong in June 2019.

HAN-HKG (2h 5m) Airbus 321 ETD: 10.25am (GMT + 7)  ETA: 1 .30pm (GMT + 8) It was time for my second flight with the flag carrier of Vietnam in the Business Class cabin, the first being onboard  VN661  from Hanoi, Vietnam to Singapore in late 2014. Till date, I've never flown with any other Vietnam Airlines' aircraft but Airbus 321, thus I've never had the chance to try its personal IFE (In-Flight Entertainment).

DOH-CGK (8h 50m) Boeing 787-8 ETD: 1.55am (GMT + 3)  ETA:  2.45pm (GMT + 7) Qatar Airways has been named the World's Best Airline for the fifth time at this year's Paris Air Show that took place from 17 to 24 June 2019. On top of that, it also clinched the top spot in the World’s Best Business Class category. BTW, have you ever flown on the National Day of the country of the airline?

IST-DOH (4h 5m) Boeing 787-8 ETD: 1.35pm (GMT + 3)  ETA:  5.40pm (GMT + 3) As a recap, my journey to the Middle East and Africa last year began with Qatar Airways QR957 in the Economy Class that brought me to Qatar, Doha from Jakarta, Indonesia. Thanks to quite a good deal that I managed to get, I had the chance to fly in the Business Class for the return trip.

HEL-WAW (1h 45m) Embraer 190 ETD: 9.30am (GMT + 3)  ETA:  10.15am (GMT + 2) Fully owned by Finnair, Norra (Nordic Regional Airlines) is a Finnish regional airline that began its operation back in 2011 as Flybe Nordic. Since 1 May 2015, Norra has been operating under Finnair's flight code. Also, quite a number of the fleet have been painted with Finnair's livery.