Finally. Finally I have reached the point in my life when I can fly international business class. AAAAAAHHHH…
Okay, we started last summer when we upgraded to business on Air New Zealand. No shade on the Kiwis, but the business class on their tired aircraft was nice, no doubt, but it was showing its age.
Got to the airport (damn, I hate that 405, traffic is hideous regardless of the time of day) four hours ahead, plenty of time to enjoy the Flagship lounge and gear up for the flight ahead. Ready for the grub.
Not to be overly whiny or anything, but wow, the best part of the buffet was the rhubarb polenta crisp. Not sure about the polenta part, but that was some fine rhubarb. Yummo.
The rest of it… eh. The peach pork loin was okay, but the soups were nothing short of horrifying. Tonkotsu Broth, which is made of tofu, mushrooms and seaweed. I have no beef with tofu, but eating fungus and slimy sheets of green nasties is not on my menu, thanks. Hmmm… what’s on the other side?
Leek soup? Oh, dear god. Beloved and I had a run-in with leek soup years ago when we went to visit my late aunt for lunch. Yep, oversized onions in a cream sauce, ugh.
I spent a number of my summers with this aunt as a child, and her idea of table manners differed from those of my parents. If you were not offered something, you went without – so if no-one offered you the sugar, you ate your cereal without.
Based on this, I knew I’d be puddin’less if I didn’t eat the soup, so I sucked it up, literally and figuratively, only to be rewarded with a second bowl.
I do not like leeks. Or onions. Or curry. Shrimp. Avocado probably due to my sweet mother, who adores it and I swear to you, she would say “Oh, dear, you won’t like that, I’ll eat it for you…” so I grew up avoiding it.
So the menu didn’t go over so well with me, but I’m sure others enjoyed it tremendously. Whatever, we have baked chicken waiting for us on board.
I’d rate the Flagship Lounge a C+. It’s not bad, but it has its challenges… like the chairs that want to be comfortable but fail. Oh, well, it’s better than the crap on the concourse.
The bathrooms were clean and well stocked and will save you from the zombie apocalypse. Never have I seen such a bunker-like bathroom.
I mean, you need steel reinforcing on the INSIDE of the stall??
Man, you better hope the lock doesn’t stick because if so, you’re in there for the duration. There’s no escape and I can’t see trying to kick in that repurposed divider from Ft. Knox.
The outside of the stalls are equally… functional. Whatever. It was clean, and I sure didn’t linger in my little bunker. Although, maybe that was the idea.
I was under the mistaken impression we could take three bags since we were in business class. Noooope. Hmmmm… I had a third, carry on size I did not want to carry, but upon hearing checking it would run me two hundred smackers, hell, I can carry it, and, as the woman doing the check in pointed out, gate check it for free. Okay!
Having seen the amazeball videos of business class seats, I was really hoping for exceptional – after all, this was (doo, da da dooooooo) Flagship.
Not bad – more room than Air New Zealand, but they just give you a duvet – nothing else – so you’re sleeping on the same seat everyone else did. ANZ had the benefit of a sheet-clad mattress pad.
I mean, I know when you sit in an economy seat you’re doing the same thing, but somehow, having a lie-flat seat… I’d really rather have a sheet, thanks.
Not great about having a flight next to your honey… you’re completely separated from them. We had the divider down between the seats, of course, but you’re just… not sitting together.
The food was okay, but with a 6:30 departure, it was 8pm before we got dinner and I wanted to sleep.
The chicken was meh, but my mom couldn’t believe I didn’t stay awake for the ice cream sundae dessert. She loves those.
I slept a pretty good amount (it’s amazing how much better you feel getting off the plane after sleeping) and the breakfast was rather good – I had the fruit plate (and forgot to take a picture). Granola with yogurt and a petite cinnamon bun.
All in all, it was worth it, but the food wasn’t the best. I’d give them a B-.
Examining Misadventures 