The journey into and out of Hong Kong returned to a bit of normalcy that I'm typically accustomed to when flying. Landing was smooth and I woke up in time to take advantage of the snack and juice that was left for me in my seatback (thank you Cathay). I found out quickly that HKG has an interesting layout in several different sections and I arrived too early to see what gate I would be departing out of. So I took off for the nearest lounge to relax (Dragonair), grab a bite to eat, and get some water. I also took the time to catch up a bit online.
My flight information eventually made the screen and I was off on the trek to the gate. Little did I know but there was a Cathay Pacific lounge right near my departure gate that was far superior to the lounge I had just visited. And they had showers! It was a no-brainer to take advantage of that as well as the food spread.
The flight back to DFW was on American's new 777-300ER and I was excited to get to try it. I had a window seat of three for this segment and my seatmates were from China - they were very pleasant and mostly kept to themselves for most of the trip. The food overall was excellent - entertainment system had a plethora of choices - and I was able to conk out for another 7 hours of sleep. Landing to Dallas was smooth and passport control was fast (thank you Global Entry), and with an upgrade on my last segment to LAX I was in a good place to end my trip.
A few final thoughts:
I was very grateful to find this entire trip (courtesy of flyertalk) and get it ticketed properly, and the price point was perfect for exploring new airports and airlines that I will find valuable for future excursions in Asia. It also was helpful to accrue a significant number of AA miles and EQM's for the year. A few takeaways:
1. Lesson learned in Jakarta - I figured this out the hard way but I'm now very aware of the transit rules for Indonesia. Too bad they're changing in a few short months which will make it easy for transit passengers. Also helpful to have along some backup US currency.
2. Economy wasn't bad - Before departing I was a bit worried I would have a hard time in economy seats for that many miles/hours. I was pleasantly surprised that it really was not awful. In fact, I think I slept the most I ever have on that length of flight. Neck pillow was a necessity.
3. Disconnecting - I can't put into words how nice it was to disconnect for a while from phone, internet, and email.
4. Bang for the mileage buck - I couldn't beat the ticket cost and mileage haul. The long weekend worked out well to get me closer to Exec Plat on American for the year.
5. Satellite trip tracking - I tried to get my inReach to work to follow my trip locations. Unfortunately it would not connect from within the terminals. Need to experiment with that for the future.
I'm really excited to try another trip like this one when the next sale comes up. It made sense for my plans this year and fit in over a long weekend.
My flight information eventually made the screen and I was off on the trek to the gate. Little did I know but there was a Cathay Pacific lounge right near my departure gate that was far superior to the lounge I had just visited. And they had showers! It was a no-brainer to take advantage of that as well as the food spread.
The flight back to DFW was on American's new 777-300ER and I was excited to get to try it. I had a window seat of three for this segment and my seatmates were from China - they were very pleasant and mostly kept to themselves for most of the trip. The food overall was excellent - entertainment system had a plethora of choices - and I was able to conk out for another 7 hours of sleep. Landing to Dallas was smooth and passport control was fast (thank you Global Entry), and with an upgrade on my last segment to LAX I was in a good place to end my trip.
A few final thoughts:
I was very grateful to find this entire trip (courtesy of flyertalk) and get it ticketed properly, and the price point was perfect for exploring new airports and airlines that I will find valuable for future excursions in Asia. It also was helpful to accrue a significant number of AA miles and EQM's for the year. A few takeaways:
1. Lesson learned in Jakarta - I figured this out the hard way but I'm now very aware of the transit rules for Indonesia. Too bad they're changing in a few short months which will make it easy for transit passengers. Also helpful to have along some backup US currency.
2. Economy wasn't bad - Before departing I was a bit worried I would have a hard time in economy seats for that many miles/hours. I was pleasantly surprised that it really was not awful. In fact, I think I slept the most I ever have on that length of flight. Neck pillow was a necessity.
3. Disconnecting - I can't put into words how nice it was to disconnect for a while from phone, internet, and email.
4. Bang for the mileage buck - I couldn't beat the ticket cost and mileage haul. The long weekend worked out well to get me closer to Exec Plat on American for the year.
5. Satellite trip tracking - I tried to get my inReach to work to follow my trip locations. Unfortunately it would not connect from within the terminals. Need to experiment with that for the future.
I'm really excited to try another trip like this one when the next sale comes up. It made sense for my plans this year and fit in over a long weekend.
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