The Flight Detective, Author at TravelUpdate

How awful is it having to run for your British Airways Premium Economy flight to Sydney?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Feb 1, 2020 | Airlines, Flight Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 4

British Airways Premium Economy is called World Traveller Plus. I took the Boeing 777 service from London to Sydney via Singapore before Christmas in 2014. My flight from Dublin was very delayed, meaning I almost missed my flight and sprinting through Heathrow is not at all fun! The product remains largely the same today and I find it a nice upgrade from economy class. Heading To Australia For Christmas It is not often that I head back to Australia for Christmas, as airfares are usually stupidly expensive. This time I found an acceptable deal in World Traveler Plus on...

7 pictures of the gorgeous Qantas Hong Kong Lounge from 2015

Posted by The Flight Detective | Jan 31, 2020 | Airlines, Lounge Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 0

Back in 2015, I passed through the new Qantas Hong Kong Lounge and was thoroughly impressed with the design. Here are a selection of pictures which show what the lounge looks like, plus what I wrote about it at the time. Qantas Hong Kong Lounge Let me say, this is probably my favourite lounge in the world now. It has such a stunning design, is bright and airy, and has everything you need in an airline lounge (read: free pour champagne, wifi and food!). Top notch! The entrance is stunning, which you can see at the top of this...

What delights are in business class on a Royal Jordanian A310 in 2008?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Jan 31, 2020 | Airlines, Flight Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 2

Sitting in the first row of a Royal Jordanian A310 meant you had a colossal amount of space to play in. However, since the flight departed just after midnight and I was tired from my previous flight, I took it easy and this short report from 2008 illustrates that. Enjoy! RJ183 – Bangkok to Amman (BKK-AMM) 10 August 2008 Airbus A310-300 – JY-AGN – “Prince Faisal bin Al-Hussein” Seat: Crown Class 1A Departure: 00:30 Arrival: 05:00 I arrived in Bangkok from Sydney on British Airways, which you can read about here. On arrival, I went to the oneworld transfer...

What was Alaska Airlines MD-83 First Class like in 2006?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Jan 30, 2020 | Airlines, Flight Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 0

Originally written way back in 2006, I was pretty pleased to upgrade to First Class on the Alaska Airlines MD-83 for the bargain price of US$50. This is the only time I flew with Alaska and I have a very favourable impression of the airline as a result. AS692 – Vancouver to Los Angeles (YVR-LAX) 14 February 2006 McDonnell Douglas MD-83 Seat: First 1A – paid upgrade I arrived at Vancouver airport well in time for AS632 as I had to check out of my hotel at midday. Once at the counters, I asked the check-in lady if she...

What was economy class like on an Aer Lingus A330 Dublin to New York in 2010?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Jan 30, 2020 | Airlines, Flight Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 0

At the height of the financial crisis, business class airline tickets were not an option. Instead, 2010 saw the salubrious delights of economy class on an Aer Lingus A330 that took me from Dublin to New York for a pre-Christmas visit. With fashion, food and a baby in a box, it was an interesting experience as you’ll see. EI105 – Dublin to New York (DUB-JFK) 3 December 2010 Airbus A330-300 – EI-ELA – “St. Patrick” Seat: Economy 33H Departure: 11:55 Arrival: 13:15 Checking in was swift and efficient, and our bags were tagged and sent on their way. We...

Could flying a Royal Jordanian E195 in Crown Class be any better than this?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Jan 29, 2020 | Airlines, Flight Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 4

For some reason I don’t expect much when I am on what is usually a regional jet. Flying on a Royal Jordanian E195 in Crown Class really exceeded my expectations, especially when it came to the meal service. The food on this flight from 2008 is some of the best I have had in the air, and that is saying something! RJ129 – Amman to Budapest (AMM-BUD) 10 August 2008 Embraer 195 – JY-EMF – “Petra” Seat: Business 2A Departure: 11:30 Arrival: 14:25 I arrived in Amman in the pre-dawn hours from Bangkok with Royal Jordanian. Once on the...

What was Malev business class like twelve years ago?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Jan 28, 2020 | Airlines, Flight Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 0

This flight was the last leg of an epic three airline, four sector journey from Sydney to Dublin back in 2008. I am quite succinct in this one and only took two pictures, which shows just how tired I was! MA622 – Budapest to Dublin (BUD-DUB) 10 August 2008 Boeing 737-800 – HA-LOH Seat: Business 1F Departure: 18:55 Arrival 21:00 I arrived in Departures and went out for a little air for a while. It was lovely to be outside after 30 hours travelling, and I enjoyed it. There is some kind of small aviation viewing park next to...

What’s Premium Economy like upstairs on a Qantas A380?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Jan 28, 2020 | Airlines, Flight Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 0

The flight from Sydney to London is a long one, taking around 24 hours in total. Paying extra for Qantas Premium Economy is a no brainer, especially as it’s essentially a business class lite product rather than economy plus. This is the first time I flew on an Airbus A380, all the way back in 2009. QF31 – Sydney to London via Singapore (SYD-SIN-LHR) 9 June 2009 Airbus A380-800 – VH-OQB – “Hudson Fysh” Seat: Premium Economy 35B Departure: 16:25 Arrival 06:40+1 Cost: £1,549 return The initial part of my trip, London to Sydney via Bangkok will be available...

How fun was flying British Airways Boeing 747 World Traveller in 2008?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Jan 27, 2020 | Airlines, Flight Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 0

As my Qantas flight was unexpectedly cancelled, I was put onto the British Airways Boeing 747 service instead. Originally titled, “Slumming It Down In Economy On BA” because it was the only flight on my itinerary not in business class, I had a really good time, thanks to the people I was sitting next to. A bit of a party flight, really! BA10 (sold as QF301) – Sydney to Bangkok (SYD-BKK) 9 August 2008 Boeing 747-436 – G-CIVL Seat: Economy 35C Departure: 16:35 Arrival: 22:55 I was originally booked on QF1 for this flight. When checking my upgrade requests...

Is Cathay Pacific’s old business class seat (“the coffins”) really that bad?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Jan 27, 2020 | Airlines, Flight Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 0

When I wrote this report back in 2009, I titled it, “A Perfect Flight”. To be quite honest, I found the Cathay Pacific business class seat to be very nice. The public were not happy with the seats though, with frequent flyers referring to them as coffins. The Hong Kong airline replaced them relatively quickly with an all new international business class product. Let’s see what they were like! CX712 – Singapore to Bangkok (SIN-BKK) 20 September 2009 Boeing 777-367ER – B-KPD Seat: Business 11K Departure: 13:45 Arrival: 14:45 Welcome to a report on a wonderful airline experience. Having...