[esselle]

I sense the last couple of comments may be fine if “champagne is champagne”. But of course, it is not. If airline “A” serves tellicherry pepper in a grinder, and airline”B” serves pepper in in a tear off sachet, do we say its like for like?

For those who know the price of everything, but the value of nothing, it’s just champagne, which is a fizzy wine from a particular region.

If you manage to serve the cheapo and nobody cares,good luck.

Bring back the Don Cortez Spanish Burgundy! Nobody will ever know.

[BAGoldcard]

If I am paying a large amount of money or miles for my J or F trip, I do expect to receive decent quality wines and champagnes, especially when the airline boasts about the quality of its premium product.

In the past, BA have provided £35-ish champagne in F (Prelude), which was poor.

I am pleased to say that the wines have, generally, improved in recent years, although there are occasional slip ups!

I enjoy trying decent wines that I would otherwise not have the opportunity to try and enjoy.

[IanFromHKG]

Cathay periodically provide a wine “special” – I remember on trips over the last year a very nice dessert wine and on another occasion a rose. The former was a treat, but I have to say I was blown away by the rose. The extra fuitiness and slight extra sweetness worked really well at altitude – lots of flavour but without the heaviness of a red. Mind you I must confess to being quite fond of (decent) rose generally – it is a shame that so many people tend to be snobbish about it.

[RichHI1]

Whilst i like my Krug ( not VK) but 98, I am not overly fussed by specific selection. Worrying trend that annoys me on AA international is they are cutting the inventory in First. Last 3 trips across the pond (ord, lax and jfk to lhr) they have run out and asked me to switch to something else. Problem seems to be US preference for cocktails, so if 2 or 3 pax start on champagne, drink with meal and stay with it their 3-4 bottles run out. I will8295ca91 have to take VK’s advice and bring my own. Flight attendants confirm they are happy to serve your alcohol providing you are not intoxicated. So that will be own food and own booze. Good job they are finally providing pajamas…

[FlyingChinaman]

Rich: Hello from Sydney!

BYOB is not the away forward even if the cabin crew don’t mind serving your own drinks!!!!

But I accept the fact that Americans are not great champagne drinkers.

[RichHI1]

FlyingChinaman good to hear from you. Aloha from Honolulu. Had 4 days with accountants here. Didn’t see you or Becky on Hanalei Beach. Depression has set in, NY tomorrow… London for a few days next week. Packed all my cold clothes… You are right though. Despite Chapter 11 and the accountants they should have enough Champagne at these prices. Looking forward to Hawaiian direct from JFK in summer. Should be nicer trouble is Scarebus 330… Happy new year to you and all my hawaiian cousins…

[IanFromHKG]

Rich – why do you fly AA across the pond when you could (I presume) fly BA and get all the same oneworld benefits and, of course, enough champagne to bathe in?

[RichHI1]

Three reasons; 1 AA first suites are longer and I sleep better, 2 door open to TSA check in for hawaii connection 25-30 minutes as against 2.5 hours with BA and TBIT also Terminal change, 3 as an AA VIP I get special treatment whereas with BA an English accent and an AadvNtage card just produces distain but heh it is the year of the dragon so good luck to them.
And also if I am honest I like AA even though a lot of the things they do suck. I find them predictable whereas BA (sorry VK) are sometimes fantastic and sometimes …

[IanFromHKG]

Fair enough, Rich!

What special treatment? I am top tier with Cathay but all I seem to get (apart from the standard benefits) is the senior cabin crew coming along and introducing him/herself on every flight (usually in the middle of a film – very irritating)

[RichHI1]

When things go wrong (we are talking LHR after all. They fix it, rerouting, hotels, getting right seat with leg room etc plus the bowing and scraping you describe though BA do that before they say you are scr*wed as theplane was late and half of Korea is in the line before you.
I had an ear infection when I flew back for Thanksgiving and collapsed on the elevator in immigrAtion. AA had parMedics and doctors in the first class lounge like you would not believe. They went the whole
Nine yards. Doctor said he would prefer me to go to Hospital in LA rather than continue to Hawaii. Guess which one I chose… But I was surpirsed that AA actually cared and did not make red cent out of it. Probably why they are in chapter 11. Also from JFK the AA is one hour later which means limo at 7 am. whereas BA is 6 am. .
Tend to use BA to Africa and of course dear old Club Europe…
I like BA and kudos to CX and JL who are my choice out East or I guess west from here…

[FlyingChinaman]

Rich: I was too busy entertaining two of my Italian friends in Hawaii (Oahu and Kauai) over the Christmas period.

Beckyboop will have to wait for the next opportunity!

Continental has a non-stop flight from Honolulu to Newark using a 767 with international business class for this domestic sector. Quite comfortable in fact.

AA is not bad as you say very predictable. At least you know what you will get compare to BA.

[RichHI1]

We should meet up next new years on kauai
And that includes you Becky… Have you ever tried Moochi?

[RichHI1]

FC a lot of my buddies from NY use the continental but I have a thing anout EWR it is like LGW on steroids. Excuse me Liberty Airport…

[FlyingChinaman]

Rich: I am only concern with my travel comfort on US domestic routes and CO suits my requirement with the BusinessFirst seating. Most of the other US carriers offer rubbish seating facility on the Hawaiian run.

[RichHI1]

Absolutely. When flying to or crom HNL I try to use the ORD flight as it is 763 with business class seats. Trouble is they cut it from everyday and first gets busy. DFW has 2 763 flights but I seldom use DCW except when going to Mexico.

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