rkkwan

I made a quick trip from L.A. to Hong Kong earlier this month, with very short notice. I was open to use any airline with no more than one-stop, and NW was the cheapest one at under $1,100 despite being just before the Beijing Olympics. CX's non-stop was about $1,600, while other airlines are somewhere in between, with also one-stop in NRT, TPE, ICN, etc.

I had a very long history of flying NW. In fact, my very first trip across the Pacific was on NW, in 1971. The LAX-HNL-TYO (Haneda) part was on a 747-100; TYO-SEL(Kimpo)-HKG was probably a 707, though I'm not sure. It required an overnight at Tokyo.

I flew them on another time across the Pacific during Christmas 1991, on their brand-new 747-400. Westbound DTW-SEL flight was heavy with cargo and had to stop at ANC, which I didn't mind. But I remember poor service and food. The maindish was hamburger meat with peas/corn.

And because of the extra stop, they have to hold all SEL-Asian flights to wait for us. We were 2 hours late into Seoul, and about an hour late departing for Hong Kong, arriving close to midnight. And then at Kai Tak, they were of course too cheap to pay for a gate, so it was a bus ride.

But back to this trip, I was actually somewhat happy to fly NW one more time to Hong Kong before they merge with Delta and the Northwest name disappears forever. I was hoping to get a A330 for at least one of the legs, but during this time of the year, it's all 744 for LAX-NRT and NRT-HKG.

Now when I went to get seat assignments on nwa.com, I'm surprised to be able to grab either 63A or 63K for 3 of the legs. NW's 744s have 4 rows of 2-by-2 seats on the outside in the rear of the plane, and 64-67 are either blocked for elites or are require paying for coach choice. So, 63 is the only row that's free. Since all my flights were full or very close to full and I booked only about 2 weeks prior to trip, I figured that many people either still don't know to go get seat assignments online, or they buy early and forget to get seats after NW open seat assignments at 60-day before flight.

rkkwan

One nice thing about NW is their 60-day WorldClub membership. These are real membership that allow bringing in guest, as well as reciprocal entries at DL and CO clubs. It used to be $85, which is really a steal, but with all the increased fees, it's now $125. I didn't find out until I got to the Worldclub at LAX, but it's still worth it. [You can only get them at an actual WorldClub location. Can't do it online or at a DL/CO club.]

Anyways, I arrived at LAX T2 early, checked my bags and went through security in no-time and then headed straight to the WC (WorldClub, not water closet) on the upper level. It has view to the NE, but can't see the gate where the 744 is parked at. Free drinks and snacks. Basic stuff, but comfortable and not crowded at mid-day.

First leg NW1 LAX-NRT was on 744 NW664US that was delivered in April 1989. That makes the plane just over 19 years old. Compared to NW's DC-9, they are still babies, if you want to look at it another way.

I had 63K, and I was extremely lucky that 63H was a no-show. Don't know how, and I don't care. The seatback cushion was so worn that I could feel the metal bar in it; and the seat in front of me, ie. 62J, was just damn broken. It had double the recline, and there's no-way I could survive sitting in there for 10 hours. But I sat at 63H for most of the flight and let the couple in front enjoy that extra recline.

Not only do these 744 have no IFE, but there are no extra monitors in above the aisle mid-cabins. Only screens are the large projector ones. So, forget about watching anything on these planes. The 13-channel audio wasn't adequate either.

Compared to the horrible hardware on these 744s, the software part on NW's longhauls are actually very good. There was one towel service, and there's printed menu. Food was better than CO, which I've flown most frequently recently. There was both a appetizer and salad, for example. And main dish quite tasty. Mid-flight, there was a ice-cream sandwich. Breakfast has one hot dish plus fruit cup AND muffin. All quite presentable.

There was some strange weather going on, and we encountered no headwind at all. Total flight time was only 9:59, making it one of the fastest westbound Pacific trip I have had. And got to gate 56 minutes early.

dfr4848

Good to hear from you and glad the trip went OK. I've never been partial to NW, but haven't flown their A330 which does get good reviews.

Good luck in LA!!!

KipM

I flew NW last February, from DWT to KIX on a 744, and i too had seat 63K. I liked the extra room b/w the seat and the window to store my coat(so that i could easily get it to use as a blanket). On the trip over, i had a very petite japanese girl sitting next to me (hardly knew she was there), and the trip back, no-one was sitting next to me in 63H, so the extra room was nice. I too thought the food was pretty good (chicken, rice, asparagus,etc), and the service was quite good as well. I wish they would have had the personal video screens, but i made due with the overhead movies, just had to continually move my head from left to right until the people in front of me went to sleep or just settled down.

rkkwan

Well, I needed a lot of rests, so IFE is really not an issue. I grabbed a WSJ and a Financial Times (I think) at the World Club, and that was more than enough reading material for me.

And of course I had a iPod nano. NW's 744 uses the single 1/8" plug, so no adapter necessary. [I do use an inline attenuator as my volume control on all aircrafts. I turned the volume to the highest on the armrest, and then use the attenuator to lower it to exactly the level I want. This way, distortion and noise is lower, and I have a much finer control over volume.]

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Next installment later today, which is the best part of the trip - the NRT WorldClub.

DonTopaz

re Kai Tak:

All my flights to/from Kai Tak were bus gates -- I didn't even know that they had airbridge gates. (OK, so it was only 6 flights, and all on UA, in the late 80s/early 90s when they were still a good airline.)

wally34949

Any free booze to go with that Ice Cream?

rkkwan

rizzuto - There are definitely airbridges at Kai Tak. They just cost the airline more. You'd see most of the "premiere" airlines like BA, LH, SQ having 747s parked there, along with CX's longhauls. NW's flights arrived late in the evening, when all those above-mentioned airlines were boarding their red-eyes to Europe. So, another reason NW always used a bus gate.

wally - NW has free booze on trans-Atlantic flights to match KL's service; but $5 on Asian flights. I know they'd take CO's coupons (at least for domestic flights), but I had enough to drink <b>for free</b> at the WorldClubs that I saved my CO coupons for later use.

rkkwan

The transit at NRT is both the worst and best part of the trip. Worst is reclearing security. All transit passengers have to go through them, and they only have 4 x-ray machines. Because our flight was so early, they only had 2 lines open initially. As I sat in Row 63, I was almost the last one off. It was a 20 minute wait until more of the security personnel showed up and opened the other two.

And Japanese people are just too nice and polite. They should be screaming &quot;TAKE YOUR LAPTOPS OUT!!!&quot; and &quot;PUT YOUR STUFF IN YOUR CARRYON FOR X-RAY!!!&quot;, like TSA. Complain about TSA as much as you want, at least they manage to hurry passengers through the lines. The wait can be cut in half if the Japanese scream at people instead of bowing.

Next is the best part of the trip. NW's new WorldClub on top of Satellite 2 at NRT T1. First, this place is huge, with great view of the main runway. Second, it has at least 2 dozens brand-new iMac for people to use. Third, there's some nice snack like sushi and vietnamese spring roll, and two hot soups! But the coolest thing is the <b>automatic beer machine<b>. Grab a pre-chilled glass from the fridge, put it in the machine (like a soda fountain), press a button, and it will tilt the glass and pour a nice draft beer with a perfect head. They have Asahi and I think Sapporo. All the Americans at the club marvel at it.

Anyways, I haven't waited for planes at NRT T1 for over a decade, and they have really made it much nicer, including outside the club area. Now, they just have to fix the security line issue.</b></b>

wally34949

So Northwest charges for booze across the Pacific but not the Atlantic? Does United still charge for booze across the Atlantic but not the Pacific?

This sounds like airline fares; no logic.

rkkwan

Sorry for the delay in posting my report. Still adjusting to my new life in L.A.

Back to 8/6/08. Typhoon Kammuri skirted Hong Kong just around the time we were boarding NW11. The #8 typhoon signal was hoisted and lots of flights into and out of HKG were canceled and delayed in the late afternoon/early evening hours.

But our flight was on-time. And interestingly, the cockpit crew never mentioned anything about &quot;typhoon&quot;, &quot;storm&quot; or even &quot;wind&quot; throughout the flight.

The equipment was the same one I took from LAX - NW664US. Luckily, I had 63A this time, and the seat was okay. The flight wasn't full, despite the start of the Olympics in 2 days, and the Japanese girl in 63C moved somewhere else during the flight.

No menu on this intra-Asia flight, and I had shrimp and noodles, which was okay. The other choice was chicken and rice. Again, due to no headwind, it took only 3:29 actual flight time to get from NRT to HKG. Absolutely the fastest I've ever seen. This flight can be 5+ hours in the winter. We arrived at gate 27 (which is a &quot;good&quot; gate at HKG, not too far from immigration) at 9:31, 29 minutes early.

But back to the flight. Like I mentioned a typhoon just skirted HKG a few hours prior. And the captain briefed us before final approach that wind was gusting at around 30MPH. [I later found out that just hours prior, Ngong Ping, at the top of the mountain just south of HKG, gusts over 100MPH were recorded.] And the last 5 minutes on this flight was probably the bumpiest I've ever been in. That's out of the 260+ flights I've been on.

What didn't help was my knowledge of the Mandarin Airline crash at Chek Lap Kok on 8/22/99 during a typhoon.

What's nice is that the passengers on my flight were mostly HKers, Japanese and Americans - all fairly quiet people. In fact, the cabin was eerily quiet during the approach.

Also nice was that it was already night time, so I couldn't see what's outside. I think it'd be a lot scarier. My cousin was piloting a CX A330 from TPE was 2 planes behind our NW 744; and even he as a pilot said it was very bumpy with pretty strong crosswind when he landed.

rkkwan

I took a 30%-off discount taxi from Kowloon to HKG on 8/12/08 because of the early NW departure. Very good deal at HK$189 from Homantin. I told the driver to keep the change from $200, and he found that extremely odd.

Anyways, NW12 was scheduled to depart at 8:10a, but in contrast to conventional wisdom, the check-in line doesn't open at 5:10a. That's because the HKG computers don't come on-line until 5:30a. So, all the contract staff just stood around until that time, and offered no help to the dozen or so passengers who were there before 5:30a. That's one thing I notice about workers in Hong Kong. They will &quot;turn on&quot; their friendly courteous faces when work starts, but they will totally ignore you at 5:29a.

Anyways, I have a violin with me, and airlines no longer give out stickers to let people through the security entrance with oversized carry-ons. Now, they will get a staff to walk you over. [Labor is cheap there.] And the north security/immigration counters don't open at 5:30a either, so we have to walk to the south side.

I was probably the first one over, and headed straight to the Qantas-operated Hong Kong Lounge which NW WorldClub members can use.

The Hong Kong Lounge has the general area and a more exclusive FC area inside. It has Australian magazines and newspapers, computers to use, shower stalls. It also has simple breakfast items, but all western stuff. No Chinese breakfast there. I later realized why. Almost everybody who comes in are non-Chinese, mostly on the morning QF flight to MEL.

rkkwan

I've noticed that for US-bound flights that require secondary screening, departure time posted at HKG are earlier than the airline's schedule. For CO98 that I usually take, it's 10:15 or 11:15, instead of 10:25 or 11:25; 10 minutes early. For NW12, it's 20 minutes early, posting at 7:50a, instead of 8:10a.

I got &quot;lucky&quot; in getting picked for secondary screening. My 2nd time ever, since 9/11. No big deal, and I suspect they really want to see if I have a violin in my violin case.

NW12 on this day was operated by NW662US, even older than the one I took to HKG. Again, I had 63A, and the seat was fine. Flight time was 3:55, and we had choice of chicken noodle or omelette for breakfast. The omlette was pretty bad.

We got into gate exactly on-time, but by now I offically <b>hate</b> NRT again, due to the security screening. In fact, I will recommend against flying NW through NRT specifically because of this. Waiting in line for 20+ minutes watching the Japanese security bow to moronic passengers who are slow and don't know anything about security is enough for me! They should subcontract this operation to TSA!!!

Anyways, fortunately, I can go to the NRT WorldClub and be happy again.

rkkwan

I hit jackpot on my final flight, NW2 NRT-LAX. It is operated by N661US, which is not only NW's oldest 747-400, but it is the very first 744 manufactured by Boeing (but not the first delivered, as Boeing kept it for testing for several months in 1989).

I couldn't get row 63 this time, so I got 39D, an inside aisle seat. My seatmate at 39E was pretty cool, so no big deal. But my seat cushions had zero support - my butt hurts 1/3 into the flight. Again, there was one towel service and there's a printed menu. For dinner, I had Japanese chicken and rice, which was pretty good. Forgot what's the other choice.

I slept through the mid-flight snack, which was a brownie. And I didn't write down or take picture of my breakfast before arriving at LAX. I do remember that the FA that does our part of the plane was very very slow. He's a fairly young guy, but really took his time to do everything. Very annoying.

Flight time was 9:30, which is almost the same as the westbound flight, and because of the lack of tailwind, we were a little late. Arrived gate at 9:59a, 9 minutes late. There was no other flight at US immigration/customs at LAX T2, and since I sat close to the front, there was zero wait to go through US immigration. Bags were slow though. While the first priority-tagged bags came out at 10:23a, mine didn't show until 10:48a.

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So, overall, the flights were okay. The 744s were very very old with no IFE and very worn seats. Service and food is quite alright. The NRT security is a really big minus, however. I do suggest everybody spending $125 to get a 60-day WorldClub membership. That makes the overall trip experience much better.

SophiaMaple

RK
Interesting account of your harrowing landing in HK during the typhoon on Aug 6th. I have been very surprised by how planes still manage to land and take off when signal number 8 is hoisted in HK. Several years when I took a flight from HK to Singapore in August, I was stuck on a UA plane on the tarmac for many hours because of monsoon winds (it was not even a typhoon) - the UA pilot did not get clearance from FAA to take off while other Asian carriers somehow managed to do. I got the impression that FAA standards are far more stringent than the rest of the world -and was nicely comforted by it. Yet your NW pilot did not even mention the approaching typhoon - I wonder what FAA's role is in this case? Do different carriers follow different guidelines rather than the local air traffic controllers? I have heard from HK's limousine drivers that SQ flights are &quot;always&quot; on time and they reckon SIA pilots receive bonus for on-time flights - does that mean they also take bigger risks on take-off and landing? Any pilots out there who can comment?

rkkwan

Sophia - Airports like HKG usually do not officially shutdown like MSY (New Orleans) did last weekend. The tower will give wind and weather condition to the pilots and in the end, it's the pilots' decision to land/takeoff, or not. The pilot has to follow the guidelines given by his/her airline specific for that aircraft type. And the airline writes its procedure manual based on the aircraft manufacturer's recommendation, as well as FAA/CAA or other authorities' rules, regulations and recommendations.

So, it is not impossible that UA has different guidelines for its 744 than Airline XY for its Airbus/Boeing/whatever model.

For my specific flight, what the pilot say to the passenger is totally his discretion. I don't think a flight deck has an obligation to say anything to its passengers! When I fly on Chinese doemstic carriers, I usually don't hear any announcements from the flight deck at all.

As for HKG and landing in adverse weather, in general, the deciding factor is crosswind as well as presence of windshear. HKG has two parallel runways, unlike most large US airports that have runways at more than one heading. So, if crosswind exceeds the limit for that particular aircraft, there's no landing/taking off, period. I believe the pilot of that Mandarin Airlines MD-11 that crashed land in 1999 was landing in HKG at higher crosswind that they were allowed.

But the HKG tower is not the one to decide for you. If suicidal pilots to kill themselves and the passengers, they would let you. Same as windshear. They would notify the pilots of windshear (based on local radar and reports from pilots who landed in front), but in the end, it's still down to the discretion of the pilots.

I have no comments on SQ pilots, except to say SQ in general is a safe airline. But of course, they've also crashed one 747-400 at TPE in recent years when the pilots took off from a runway closed for construction in heavy rain. 10/13/2000. 83 dead.

rkkwan

Sorry for the delay, but pictures for the plane trips are now posted.

http://rkkwan.zenfolio.com/p193159561

Enjoy.