Frequent Business Traveler » In Flight

Delta BusinessElite Flight 1565 New York-JFK San Francisco – Review

Jonathan Spira — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:02:07 +0000

Terminal 2 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport opened in 1962 and was used by Northeast Airlines, Braniff, and Northwest Airlines until Pan American World Airways took it over following the demise of Northeast and Braniff.

Following Pan Am’s demise it was taken over by Delta Air Lines, as was the Pan Am Worldport next door. First- and business-class passengers as well as SkyMiles Medallion and SkyTeam Elite Plus can proceed directly to a dedicated SkyPriority drop-off level that is far more quiet and relaxed than one would expect at a busy airport.

Since I already had my electronic boarding pass on my smartphone, I proceeded directly to the security checkpoint, which was devoid of passengers (this was the case for the SkyPriority line as well as the regular line). Clearing security took a matter of seconds and the full-body scanners were not in use when I was there.

I moved on to the SkyClub since I had more than an hour before my scheduled departure time. It was a bit crowded, which I found surprising as both the drop-off point and the security checkpoint had been empty, but I found a comfortable seat and relaxed with a glass of apple juice and sparkling water (known in German as an Apfelschorle).

BOARDING

Boarding for the 5:15 p.m. departure started around 4:45 and the gate was very close to the SkyClub so I gathered my things and headed over.

Boarding had already begun by the time I arrived but I was able to board immediately using the SkyPriority lane that is dedicated to passengers traveling (on this flight) in BusinessElite as well as for higher-level Medallion members of the SkyMiles program.

Once inside the Boeing 757-200, I found a blanket and pillow as well as a bottle of water and a red amenity kit at my seat. Flight attendants were in the aisle offering pre-departure beverages and to hang up coats and jackets.

SEAT COMFORT

Our aircraft, a single-aisle Boeing 757-200 configured for the domestic BusinessElite service (known internally as the 75E), featured comfortable seats in a 2-2 configuration. Pitch was 55″, width is 19.5″, and the seat reclined to a comfortable position of 150°. The seats were electronically controlled and easily adjustable. I was able to configure the seat for all of my needs including taking a nap and doing some work.

This was my first time flying on a Delta transcon and I was very pleasantly surprised by the comfortable cabin (as well as by the fact that we received an amenity kit on a domestic flight).

Click here to continue to Page 2 – In-Flight Service and In-Flight Internet

Continental BusinessFirst New York EWR Tokyo Flight 79 – Review

Jonathan Spira — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:01:30 +0000

Newark Liberty International Airport is the New York area’s busiest in terms of flights and it is a major hub for United-Continental. It’s also the airport the furthest distance from my residence.

There is nothing like leaving home with plenty of time to catch a flight, and watching your car’s navigation system predict your arrival to be 15 minutes after your flight will have departed.

Luckily, I had arranged for Gateway Special Services, a company that offers VIP meet-and-greet services at numerous airports around the world, to whisk me from curbside through security to my gate so my arrival 45 minutes prior to departure was a non-event. Indeed, I even ended up having a few minutes to relax in the spacious and comfortable United Club lounge and take a few photos of some aircraft since the lounge afforded a particularly good view.

BOARDING

As I arrived at the gate, boarding had almost been completed. BusinessFirst passengers had been invited to board first but that was well in advance of my arrival. United also has Premier Access (née Continental Elite Access and United red carpet) lanes for BusinessFirst passengers so premium passengers can board at any time without having to wait. I was one of the last passengers to arrive at the gate and soon I was on board and comfortably ensconced in my seat (11E), in the last BusinessFirst row.

SEAT COMFORT

The BusinessFirst cabin in this Boeing 777 aircraft (United, incidentally, was the launch customer for this type back in 1995) was configured in a 2-2-2 configuration, and I chose 11E (one of the middle two seats) to ensure not only direct aisle access but also that no one would be climbing over me to reach the aisle.

This was my first ever Continental Airlines flight and I had heard that the BusinessFirst seats were very, very comfortable. It turns out that what I heard was correct. The seats were extremely comfortable, both for sitting, reclining, and sleeping. Each seat is 6’6” (198.1 cm) long and 27” (68.9 cm) wide.

There was plenty of storage including generously-sized overhead bins and an under the seat shelf (think owner’s manual shelf in your car’s glove box, but larger) suitable for storing a laptop or tablet computer when not in use.

The seat’s electrical outlets will accept virtually any plug without an adapter but the placement of the outlets (behind my right shoulder) was somewhat inconvenient.

The seat was very adjustable, including a lumbar control (reminded me of my car) and fully-adjustable headrest.

The entertainment system had a large fixed display and an excellent selection of movies. While normally I rely on my iPad for entertainment, I noticed my neighbor watching The Help, a movie I had wanted to see. Since I had 10 more hours of time on the aircraft, I availed myself of the opportunity to watch it.

Click here to continue to Page 2 – In-Flight Service and Dining

Air France 7184 Brussels-Midi-Zuid to Paris Charles de Gaulle SNCF French Rail TGV Review

Jonathan Spira — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:01:03 +0000

When I booked the leg of my trip that would take me from Brussels to Paris so I could fly home on board Air France’s Airbus A380 to New York’s JFK airport, my Air France “flight” never left the ground. Rather, it is an Air France code share with SNCF French Rail, which operates the TGV.

The TGV, Train à Grand Vitesse in French or high-speed train, capable of going as fast as 320 km/h (199 mph), first went into service in 1981. It holds the record for the world’s fastest long distance run, set in 2001 between Calais-Frethun to Marseille at a speed of 306 km/h or 190 mph. It has spawned numerous offspring, including the Eurostar, which is quite similar, and Amtrak’s Acela Express, which uses TGV motor technology although the train itself is different.

Upon arrival at Brussels-Sout (Bruxelles-Midi in French, Brussel-Zuid in Dutch), which has the airport code ZYR, I simply checked for flight 7184 at Air France roughly 30 minutes prior to my train’s 10:21 a.m. departure (Air France requests passengers arrive at least 15 minutes prior to departure). The agent was a bit gruff but checked in for my entire itinerary including the transatlantic flight. He gave me boarding passes for the final leg as well and invited me to wait in the lounge, which is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Coffee and tea as well as Wi-Fi were available and made the experience quite pleasant.

BOARDING

Curious to see my train arrive, I proceeded to the platform a bit early and the TGV arrived shortly thereafter.

Boarding was simple, there were no security checks and an Air France representative was on the platform, attending to checked luggage (which I had to bring with me to the platform) and cautioning passengers to watch out for pickpockets.

Although the Air France Web site promises a first-class car that is “specially reserved” for Air France passengers, the first-class car was simply the TGV’s first-class car and other first-class passengers were on board. Once underway, an attendant offered a choice of beverage and snack. I chose water and madeleines. Surprisingly, a second drink or snack were not available.

THE TRIP

The train on this route is a SNCF TGV Réseau model, built by Alstom in the 1990s. The first-class car has a 2-1 configuration.   The interior was designed by Christian Lacroix with a harmonious grey color scheme. Tray tables fold down from the seatbacks . Power is available at each seat. I was assigned a seat in the last row on the right but, since the two seats across the aisle from me were vacant, I moved there for more room. Legroom was more than adequate for the short trip and comparable to domestic first class cabins on a Boeing 737 or 757 aircraft.

ARRIVAL

We arrived on time at 11:36 a.m. at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport’s the train station (an integral part of the airport). The entire train trip had only taken one hour and 15 minutes. I then had one hour and 54 minutes to transfer to my flight, which was more than enough time using the CDGVAL train that links the airport’s terminals and car parks.

BOTTOM LINE

The train trip took one hour and 15 minutes. The sequence I took, AF7184 and AF007, was a pleasant 11 hour and 14 minute trip and an excellent opportunity to travel by rail in a very civilized manner before flying the world’s largest aircraft to New York.

Munich Airport VIP Wing – Review

Jonathan Spira — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:01:52 +0000

Air travel – and airports – once were indeed glamorous, but today, long security lines, crowded airline lounges, and indifferent staff make that image seem like another world.

It is possible, however, to recapture some of that glamour – for a small fee. Airports in cities from London (Heathrow) to Singapore (Changi) to Munich offer a very different arrival and/or departure experience for those willing to foot the bill.

This past June, Munich Airport opened up the VIP Wing. Designed by Erich Gassman and Tina Aßmann, the expansive building is located next to Terminal 1 and is a 1,200 m²(13,000 sq. feet) oasis, identified by a discrete sign at the end of the terminal.

CHECK-IN

The rainy night of my Lufthansa flight from Munich to Brussels on the first day of Oktoberfest, my driver, Rolf Raffelsieper, approached the front entrance. A VIP Wing staff member, dressed in a Dirndl (a traditional dress worn in Bavaria and Austria), met my car with an umbrella, taking my luggage from Rolf and escorting me inside.

The first step was to go through security. After all, this is an airport. But here, I had three members of the airport security team all to myself.   My large suitcase had already been whisked away (and presumably checked) so all that I had with me was my Tumi backpack . I was through the metal detector in seconds and this all happened so quickly I almost didn’t notice it.

THE VIP WING

Once inside and since it was my first visit to the VIP Wing, my escort showed me around, pointing out the bar area and the adjacent dining area, the various lounge spaces with ultramodern (and rather comfortable) chairs, and the suites (including the Schloß Schleißheim conference room and three private suites, also named after nearby castles). There were quiet places to work, free Wi-Fi, a smoking lounge, an interdenominational prayer room, and a genuine feeling of tranquility.

Did I have any value-added tax (VAT) forms that required a customs stamp, I was asked. No, but I had a few that had already been stamped for which refunds had not yet been obtained. About 20 minutes later, I was discretely given an envelope with my refund, roughly €75. I sometimes end up forfeiting my VAT refunds when lines are long, which is usually the case at London-Heathrow.

That evening, I was one of perhaps half a dozen passengers at the VIP Wing. Since I was giving a speech in Brussels, I shifted to one of the semi-private alcoves and got to work. The Wi-Fi was fast (and free) and the workspace was comfortable.

Click here to continue to Page 2 – Pre-Flight Dining, Boarding, and Virtual Tours of the VIP Wing

ANA Boeing 787 Dreamliner Tokyo Haneda to Okayama – My First Flight and Review

Jonathan Spira — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 03:00:02 +0000

ANA is the first airline in the world to fly the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. To celebrate, the airline’s first two Dreamliners received a special livery that features the numbers 787 painted in large bold numerals on the front of the fuselage.

By the end of 2012, ANA expects to have 20 Dreamliners in its fleet and it will have a total of 55 by 2018. They will be configured in short- and long-haul versions, with different seating plans. The long-haul aircraft will provide 158 seats (46 in business, 112 in main cabin) and the short-haul jets will have 222 seats (42 in business, 180 in the main cabin).

Initial flights for crew familiarization are on domestic routes from Tokyo (Haneda) to Okayama and Hiroshima. The two initial Dreamliners have a temporary configuration of 264 seats (12 business class, 252 in main cabin). The Tokyo-Okayama route is the first regularly scheduled 787 run and started operation on November 1. Hiroshima started later the same day.

The 787 is an integral part of ANA’s future business plans. At the roll-out of the very first 787 this past August in Seattle, Mitsuo Morimoto, a senior vice president at ANA, made it clear that the Dreamliner will be used “to expand our business, particularly our international routes” and that the aircraft will play an “instrumental role” in significantly increasing revenue from international operations.

ANA sees the 787 as strategic in a manner similar to how Pan Am saw the 707 and 747 in the early days of the jet age. ANA doesn’t only want to be the number one airline in Asia in passenger traffic and revenue; it also wants to be perceived as the number one airline for “customer satisfaction” and “quality” according to Morimoto.

ANA also expects to generate fuel savings of up to ¥10 billion (ca. $132 million) per year thanks to the Dreamliner’s greater fuel efficiency (20%) which comes from the composite materials used in the fuselage and more efficient climate control systems.

Click here to continue to Page 2 – First Flight and Cabin and Seating

Delta First Class New York JFK to Phoenix Flight 1481 Review

Jonathan Spira — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:42:45 +0000

Pan Am’s Worldport, which opened in 1960 at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (then Idlewild) in New York, was a harbinger of the jet age. Terminal 3, as it is known today, is used by Delta Air Lines for many of its international flights.

Since I hadn’t flown out of Terminal 3 since Pan Am’s days, I checked with the experts at the Delta forum on FlyerTalk, where several recommended using the SkyPriority drop-off area at Terminal 2 (which opened in 1962 as the home of Northeast Airlines, Braniff, and Northwest Airlines). The wait on the SkyPriority line for the security checkpoint was five minutes at most and soon my colleague Christian Stampfer, our European Editor, and I were airside.

We headed for the SkyClub, which was nicely furnished and provided a quiet haven from the busy goings on at JFK. Light refreshments such as salty snacks, vegetables, and drinks were available and SkyClub staff members were very welcoming.

BOARDING

Approximately 45 minutes prior to departure, we left the SkyClub and arrived at the gate, where boarding had already begun.

First class passengers were invited to board first and also via the SkyPriority queue at any time during the boarding process. Once on board, we found individual bottles of water awaiting at each seat and flight attendants were offering pre-departure beverages and offering to hang up coats and jackets.

SEAT COMFORT

Our aircraft, a single-aisle Boeing 757-200, featured domestic first-class seats in a 2-2 configuration. Pitch was 37” and the seat reclined to a comfortable position. Seat width was 21”.

The seats are so close together that it is not possible to put your tray table back into the seatback in front of you if the passenger in that seat has reclined. Other airlines operating the 757-200, such as American Airlines, have a pitch of 39” and the two-inch difference does, indeed, make a difference.

MEDICAL EMERGENCY

When our plane was number two for takeoff, we suddenly started to return to the gate. It turned out that a passenger had become ill and needed to disembark.   It took about 15 minutes to return to the gate and the captain announced that the plane would be met by paramedics. Unfortunately for the ill passenger, none were there and confusion seemed to reign.

It took close to 30 minutes after arriving at the gate before the paramedics arrived. One gate agent who boarded the plane commented that she had been told that no paramedics were needed; in total, at least five Delta employees and two Port Authority police officers boarded the plane before the paramedics and, all in all, starting from the time we started our return to the gate, the ill passenger had to wait almost 45 minutes for the paramedics.

We finally started our second attempt at departure at 8:30, one hour and 38 minutes behind schedule.

Click here to continue to Page 2 – In-flight Service and In-flight Internet

Air France A380 New York JFK to Paris Affaires Business Class Review

Jonathan Spira — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:00:04 +0000

Four airlines occupy Terminal 1 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, including Air France, which currently operates four flights to Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris daily. A fifth flight is operated by Delta Air Lines as a code share with Air France.

One of the flights is AF007, which is an Airbus A380 route. Air France was a launch customer for this particular aircraft, which debuted in November 2009 on the JFK-CDG route. Air France was the first European airline to operate the A380, and the airline currently operates six A380 aircraft from Paris to Johannesburg, Montreal, Washington, D.C., and Dubai in addition to JFK. Starting in the summer of 2012, the airline will operate eight A380 aircraft, adding Los Angeles and Tokyo but discontinuing Dubai.

I arrived at Terminal 1 two hours ahead of departure time and found dedicated lines for first- and business-class passengers, as well as for elite members of SkyTeam frequent traveler programs. I had already decided that this Air France flight would be an excellent opportunity for me to brush up on my French, and I tried it out with the check-in agent, , who miraculously understood me. The wait time for the agent was roughly five minutes.

Check-in took just a few minutes, and I was invited to the Air France lounge, which is past security.

BOARDING

The line to get through security, even for business and first-class passengers, was quite long, with a wait time of roughly 25 minutes. The line is used by passengers of the four airlines that operate in the terminal; Air France, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, and Lufthansa. Terminal 1 is one of only two terminals at JFK that can handle the A380. (The other one is Terminal 4.)

The Air France lounge at JFK has a very open and modern design, with light refreshments and a variety of seating options ranging from comfortable chairs to bistro-style tables and chairs. Amenities include showers, Wi-Fi (although it refused to work with my Apple iPad LINK), computers, television, and photocopy and fax machines.

First- and business-class passengers were invited to board first, and I was one of the first to enter the aircraft.

SEAT COMFORT

My seat, 60F (pictured), was in the first row on the aircraft’s upper deck, which had 80 business- class (“Affaires”) seats, 38 economy plus (Premium Voyageur) seats, and 46 economy (“Voyageur”) seats. On the main deck, there were nine first-class (la Première) seats and 343 Voyageur seats.

Business-class seats, which were not fully flat, were in a 2-2-2 configuration, and they extended to 78” and reclined to 180°. Pitch was 61” and each seat 21” wide. The overhead bins were very spacious.

Air France’s approach to the interior of the A380 is to give each passenger the feeling of a small cabin. It clearly sees the flight as an experience, versus simply transporting the passenger from point A to point B. Lighting is a key element of the design. Mood lighting reproducing afternoon light in the afternoon and evening light as twilight approaches helps passengers adjust to the time change.

Air France has divided the business-class section, which takes up much of the upper deck of the aircraft, into several cabins that give each passenger a far more intimate feeling than if it were configured as one long cabin. In addition, Air France uses the forward right section of the upper deck for the mezzanine, a mini lounge for first- and business-class passengers. Several 15” monitors in this high-tech in-flight gallery display images of artwork from museums such as the Louvre in Paris and New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Unfortunately, it was inoperative on my flight to Paris, as well as my return, as was the in-flight entertainment system on the outbound flight.

I found the seat quite comfortable in both the sitting and reclining position,s but once in the sleeping position, in part because these are not fully lie-flat seats, I found myself sliding down a bit. By using extra pillows to make the seat more comfortable, I was able to sleep for several hours.

Click here to continue to Page 2 – In-flight Service, Arrival, and a Virtual Tour of the Airbus A380

Lufthansa Updates FlyNet In-Flight Internet

Jonathan Spira — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:41:05 +0000

We last looked at Lufthansa’s FlyNet in-flight Internet offering in the spring and Germany’s flagship carrier has been busy equipping more long-haul aircraft with FlyNet and improving the service.

In conjunction with Panasonic Avionics and Deutsche Telekom, FlyNet was relaunched in 2010; the original FlyNet was available from 2004-2006.

Our Lufthansa FlyNet FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) has been updated with the latest information from Lufthansa on where and when FlyNet is available.

Updates include more aircraft (now 45%) providing the service and an increase in download and upload speed.

Visit the FlyNet FAQ.

American Airlines Gogo Entertainment On Demand In-Flight Streaming Video Review

Eva Leonard — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:03:04 +0000

This summer, American Airlines became the first airline in North America to offer Entertainment On Demand in-flight streaming video. The new technology, powered by Gogo, enables customers to wirelessly stream content such as movies and TV shows from an in-flight library to select Wi-Fi-enabled laptops during flights. I recently tested American Airlines Entertainment on Demand in-flight streaming video on AA flight 179 from New York’s JFK airport to San Francisco (SFO). It was not working on my return flight from SFO to JFK however.

Entertainment on Demand is currently available onboard American Airlines flights on 15 767-200 aircraft – primarily transcontinental flights between New York JFK and Los Angeles and JFK and San Francisco. In addition, it is to be installed on more than 90 MD-80 aircraft before the end of 2011. The remainder of the Wi-Fi-enabled fleet, including additional MD-80 aircraft and Boeing 737-800 aircraft, will be equipped with streaming video by the end of 2012.

Seated in economy class on this flight’s Boeing 767-200 aircraft, I found that there was no outlet at my seat to charge my laptop. The passenger sitting in the closest seat with an outlet declined the flight attendant’s request to share hers with me. Although the flight attendant persuaded a more accommodating passenger to switch seats with me, the outlet at my new seat wasn’t working. Fortunately, my laptop had enough juice for the task at hand.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Currently, American Airlines’ in-flight streaming video supports recent versions of popular Web browsers on Windows and Mac platforms including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Gogo will be adding support for certain Android Tablets on December 1, and for the iPad shortly thereafter.

After we reached cruising altitude, I powered up my laptop and accessed the service. After clicking on Gogo’s Entertainment on Demand banner, I was able to browse movie selections and view trailers quickly and easily before renting a title. I then selected a movie, set up an account, entered payment info, and installed the required browser plug-in.

The more than 100 TV shows ($0.99 cents each) and movies ($3.99 each) available included current shows and films, as well as classics such as “Vertigo” and “Psycho.” After setting Chrome as my default browser, I chose “The Interpreter,” with Nicole Kidman, and followed Gogo’s instructions to download the Widevine Media Transformer Chrome plug-in, which took only seconds.

The Gogo system allows passengers to watch rentals in full-screen mode, and although I found the picture quality to be so clear and sharp that I was immediately engrossed in the film, the audio was quite low and tinny, even when I cranked up the volume. However, this was probably due to the fact that I was using standard earphones, rather than noise-canceling headphones.

Passengers can switch between multiple film rentals (storing selections in Gogo’s My Library section) and finish watching film selections on the ground within 24 hours of purchase, and TV selections within 72 hours of purchase.

BOTTOM LINE

Although I was very pleased with the in-flight streaming video experience, when I tried to view the film on the ground, within 24 hours of rental, I couldn’t. While in-flight, even though I clicked on Gogo’s link to ground-viewing instructions, I couldn’t find them.

After my flight, a Gogo representative explained that the resumption of play on the ground is accessed from a link on the bottom of the customer’s email receipt, provided, of course, that there is an Internet connection and that the customer is within the U.S. territories. (Customers should not clear browser cookies prior to playing.)

Although most at-home broadband connections support playback of TV or video, some Wi-Fi hot spots, such as airport terminals, may have insufficient bandwidth to support playback.

Gogo’s FAQ has a couple of entries regarding this feature, but the Gogo rep agreed that the feature is not accessible enough, and noted that Gogo will be adding a more prominent link to resume play of unexpired rentals on its ground portal in the near future.

RELATED REVIEWS FROM THIS TRIP

American Airlines Business Class Flight 20 San Francisco to New York JFK Review
Vino Volo Wine Lounge, Restaurant and Wine Shop San Francisco Airport Review

American Airlines Business Class Flight 20 San Francisco to New York JFK Review

Eva Leonard — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:01:11 +0000

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the tenth busiest airport in the U.S. and the 12th largest in the world.   Among its many unusual amenities are the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum and the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library. I arrived a couple of hours early at SFO’s Terminal 2 for my 3 p.m. flight. Short queues at both business-class check-in and the Priority Access security lane took about five minutes each to clear, as they moved smoothly, aided by pleasant, efficient personnel.

To pass the time until boarding, I headed to enjoy a glass of wine at Vino Volo (see separate review ). the wine lounge, restaurant and boutique wine shop, located opposite the American Airlines Admirals Club lounge, just after security.

Near the gate, about a five-minute walk from security, a number of waiting passengers were happily ensconced in the very comfortable Arne Jacobsen “Egg” chairs with which American has stylishly furnished the terminal. Ample quality dining options near the gate included celebrity chef Cat Cora’s restaurant and a sushi bar.

BOARDING

First class boarded first, then business class and Priority Access passengers. Aboard this B767, business class was in a 2-2-2 configuration, and pillows and duvets had been placed on the seats. After we were seated, we were offered water, Champagne, or orange juice.

SEAT COMFORT

Seats in business class on American’s 767-200s have a pitch of 49 to 50 inches, a 50-degree recline and an 18.5-inch width.   I found that the seat was comfortable for working, dining, and relaxing, and the recline would have been sufficient for light dozing.

IN-FLIGHT INTERNET

Once aloft, I was able to access the Internet via Gogo Wi-Fi, but the new Entertainment On Demand streaming video system was not available on this flight, as it had been on my JFK-SFO leg. To charge my Lenovo ThinkPad, I used the Innergie mCube Mini 90W auto/air laptop adapter, which fit easily into the seat’s cigarette lighter style socket and worked without a hitch. The MCube Mini comes with 10 tips to accommodate a range of laptops (excluding Mac), a travel pouch, and a car/air charger.

Click here to continue to Page 2 – The Flight, Arrival, and Virtual Tour of SFO Terminal 2