Company : Hong Kong Airlines Plane: Airbus A330-200 Class: Club Premier Seat: 7K Flight number: HX875 From Hong Kong (HKG) to London Gatwick (LGW) Flight Time : 13 hours Date: 08 June 2012 This time we checked in at the In-town Check-in service that is available for many major airlines at Hong Kong and Kowloon train stations. Your luggage goes […]
by Rens
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Company : Hong Kong Airlines
Plane: Airbus A330-200
Class: Club Premier
Seat: 7K
Flight number: HX875
From Hong Kong (HKG) to London Gatwick (LGW)
Flight Time : 13 hours
Date: 08 June 2012
This time we checked in at the In-town Check-in service that is available for many major airlines at Hong Kong and Kowloon train stations. Your luggage goes to the airport by train. The In-town check-in can be used between 90 minutes and 24 hours ahead of your scheduled flight departure time.
Hong Kong Airport Check-in:
At the airport we didn’t had to check-in so saved a some time. Off we went to checkout the Hong Kong Airlines Business lounge between gate 23 and 25. The entrance looks very modern, the rest of the lounge a bit outdated. It’s a small lounge with 31 sofa seats, 4 bar chairs and 3 workspaces with computers. The selection of food and drinks is not very large. There are some English and Chinese newspapers available as of some magazines. The staff is friendly and helpful, so for example a power adapter is quickly arranged. In the lounge, as at the rest of the airport is free Wi-Fi Internet access available. Compared to the NO1 lounge in London Gatwick, which we visited on the way over to Hong Kong, this lounge is a bit disappointing. Honk Kong Airlines should be offering a better lounge at it’s main hub.
Due to problems at the Hong Kong Airport the plane wasn’t located at the gate, but at the tarmac. Because the plane has fewer seats than a regular configuration the boarding takes less time. This is a great advantage compared to regular configuration flights. The very friendly and polite crew, welcomes you on board, guides you to your seat and offers you a small drink. We were offered a choice of apple juice, water or orange juice. Before takeoff we got our slippers, pajamas and a headphone for the IFE. After take off we were also brought a large Bvlgari amenity bag.
The seats which can fully recline are comfortable for both sitting and sleeping . Underneath the 15.5 in. screen there is an ottoman seat on which you can rest your feet. The table is movable in a down position so you can stand even if the table is down. The storage space isn’t that big, but there is an area next to you in the seat were you can store the headphones, mp3 player etc. All seats come with in-seat power that takes a UK plug as well as US.
After takeoff the dinner is being served. It’s a 5-course meal with a nice menu.
The menu on this flight:
Menus
Canapes: Salamon Roe Blinis and Pumpernickel
Starters: Chicken Breast Roll with Mushroom Filling with Permesan Cheese Dressing or Crab Meat with Mixed Vegetable
Soup: Roast Tomato Soup or Chinese Mushroom and PorkSoup
Main courses: Grilled Beef Fillet in Mushroom Red Wine Blue Cheese Sauce and Mixed Vegetable or Tar Morma Lamb with Green Bean Masala and Basmati Yellow Rice or Pan Fried Salomon with Harrissa Sauce and Pesto Linguini or White Chinese Shark Fin Noodle with Wheat Gluten Curry and Sweet & Sour Sauce
Cheese: A Selection of Fine Cheese
Desserts: Mousse White Chocolate Jelly, Macaroon, Double Chocolate Mousse Cake or Hot Black Sesame Sweet Soup or Seasonal Fresh Fruit
Along with this excellent menu comes a fine assortiment of wines.
Wines
Champagne: Lanson black label
White wines: Santa Rita Medalla Read Chardonnay 2010, Legende Bordeau Blanc 2010 (Lafite), Winery Terra Palatina, Riesling Spatlese 2011
Red wines: Santa Rita Medalla Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Legende Bordeaux Rouge 2011 (Lafite), Chateau de Lisse Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2006. Sandeman Ruby Port
During the flight there is a bar between the two Club Premier cabins were you can get snacks, drinks, newspapers and magazines.
Inflight entertainment is good. The touch screen TV, placed right in front of you, is a good size (15.5in). They’re loaded with the usual array of movies, TV shows, music and games. There is also a kids section to entertain the youngest travelers. Besides the inflight entertainment you can check-out the flight information. The remote is placed in the side of the seat.
On the plane you have wifi internet. It worked without a problem, though is only useful for light use (Skype worked, but with a delay!). The On Air wifi comes on a scratch card. Club Premier passengers get a 20MB card. (Club Classic passengers get a 10MB card.)
I woke up when breakfast was being served. It was again a nice menu with3 choices.
Breakfast
Prelude: Banana and Pineapple Smoothie
Starters: Seasonal Fresh Fruit, Cereal and Yoghurt
Main courses: Parsley Omelette with Emmental Sausage, Roasted Potato Wedge and Sauteed Mushroom or Vegeratian Abalone with Chicken Slice Congee with Stir Fried Noodles and Assorted Chinese Dim Sum or French Toast with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream
Flown both the Club Classic and the Club Premier this week and yes, there is a great difference between the 2 classes. The greatest one is the seats. But is it worth the extra costs?
If you have only a short time to stay in Hong Kong, than I would definitely go for the Club Premier, otherwise spend the $ 1,000.00 in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Airlines Club Premier is rated: Very Good.