Category: Airbus A 350-900

Introduction

The day after I arrive in Bogotà, I receive an email and text message from Lufthansa, telling me that my flight back to Frankfurt has been cancelled due to industrial action in Germany planned for later in the week. Alas, the correspondence does not include an alternative routing or anything of the sort. Not trusting Lufthansa to come up with a viable solution to reprotect me, on Tuesday evening I call them to claim a refund of the unused half-return portion of my ticket.

And that, boys and girls and non-binary persons, is how I find myself returning from Bogotà to Amsterdam on Iberia. But I’m not complaining. I think the A 350 is a beast, so I could have done much, much worse.

In the winter schedule of 2023/2024 Iberia operates three daily services from Madrid to Bogotà.

Check-in

I arrive at Bogotà’s El Dorado airport at 16:15. International flights arrive and depart from Terminal 1. Online check-in is available. However, you still have to show your passport at check-in or at the gate, so I figure I might as well do everything in one go at the check-in counter.

There are two dedicated counters for Business Class passengers.

Security and passport control are quiet. There is no dedicated lane for Business Class passengers.

Airside

Iberia uses the LATAM lounge opposite gate A1 in Bogotà. But I don’t bother. Boarding is supposedly starting in less than an hour and the views from the gate area are excellent. So instead, I park myself by gate A6 to take a few photos of my ride arriving from Madrid.

Such a gorgeous bird!

Okay, maybe just one more photo.

And another just to catch the strobe light.

Getting closer…

Am I the only one here who really envies that marshaller right now?

Satena taking off in the background.

We’re ready for your close up, Ma’am.

Okay, one more from a different tangle.

And in closeup.

The airbirdge is quickly moved into position and passengers start disembarking.

Meanwhile, this 737 taxies out in the backround.

From where I’m seated, I can watch all the proceedings down on the ramp. I find it interesting that before the cleaning crew are allowed on the plane, they are all patted down by security and even have to take their shoes off.

Not sure how effective that mop is going to be after being dragged along the ground…

Boarding

My boarding pass shows that boarding should begin one full hour before departure. My first assumption is that they probably say that to make sure that people arrive at the gate on time… or maybe not.

Boarding takes an hour because they only allow small groups at a time into the airbridge. Which at least gives me a good opportunity to take a photo of our neigbour.

Once inside the airbridge, passengers are instructed to place their hand luggage in a row in the middle. Then women and men are segregated, with the women on the left, and the men on the right. Next, we are asked to turn to face towards the wall with our hands raised above our heads. We are then patted down individually while a sniffer dog checks each piece of luggage for narcotics.

The Cabin & Seat

The Business Class cabin is located between the L1 and L2 doors. The seats are configured in a 1 + 2 + 1 layout.

Uneven numbered seats are on the aisle and the even numbered seats are next to the window.

I am seated on 1C, which is the bulkhead row.

This seat is remarkable in that it has its own storage compartment. It’s big enough to hold my suitcase and backpack.

The seat has a nice finish. The only thing is that the colours are perhaps a little drab.

There is a further storage compartment for smaller items next to the seat.

Strangely, I also seem to have a second pair of earphones.

The seat has a sliding door for privacy. The way the cabin is configured I cannot see the person on the other side of the aisle.

Even without the door, the seat feels quite private.

Amenities

At my seat is a small amenity kit with the usual contents, including a pair of good quality socks and eye shades. There’s also a seat cover, blanket and a nice fluffy pillow.

It’s not the most spectacular kit I’ve seen, but it serves its purpose.

The Service & Crew

The crew are a delight. It’s been a very long time since I had such a pleasant service. They’re helpful and proactively explain what’s going on every step of the way.

The service on the ground starts with a choice of still water, orange juice or cava.

The flight time is announced as nine hours and fifty minutes.

We push back from our stand thirty minutes late.

We take off towards the south and then make a sweeping left turn to point us towards the Caribbean coast for the Atlantic crossing.

I always find there’s something very special about a night time departure.

After take-off, the crew distribute warm towels ahead of the meal service.

The hot towel is presented on a small dish, which is a nice touch.

The Meal – Dinner

The menus are distributed while we’re still on the ground.

There is one menu that contains the dining options and the beverages list.

There are two options for the starter, and three for the main course and dessert.

The tray is delivered with the first course and two bread rolls. The cabin crew asks me if I prefer butter or olive oil with the rolls.

Homemade guacamole.

The guacamole is just lovely. It has a rich texture and a healthy dose of refreshing coriander.

This is quite an unusual dish for an airline meal.

With the starter there is also a choice of olives, cheese or nuts.

It doesn’t say on the menu what cheese it is.

The salt and pepper shakers are interesting.

For the main course, I have the spinach ravioli with ricotta and a tomato sauce. This is probably the best meal I’ve had all week!

This dish is, quite simply, divine.

The pasta has managed not to dry up during heating and the tomato sauce is rich and tart.

Dessert is also very nice and just the right size. With that, I have a mint tea.

Two hours after take-off, the meal service is done. The crew hand out little dark chocolate pralines and bottles of still water. I change into my sweatpants and turn the seat into a bed. The seat is incredibly comfortable to lie in.

And then I sleep for a solid six hours.

The Second Service – Breakfast

One hour before landing, the lights go on and the breakfast service begins. I have the omelet with zucchini, mushrooms, and sausage (I don’t eat the sausage).

The tray is served with a roll, a croissant and butter and jam. To drink I have coffee and orange juice.

Time to open the shades and take a peek outside.

Arrival in Madrid

Just after we cross the border from Portugal into Spain, we start a slow descent into Madrid.

There is quite a bit of snow up on the hills just north of Madrid.

We land and have only a short taxi to our stand on the satellite Terminal 4S.

The satellite 4S is used for non-Schengen flights, which are mostly long-haul.

Conclusion

This flight with Iberia was an unexpected pleasure and an absolue delight. The cabin is very nice and my seat on 1C was spacious and comfortable. The fact that I slept for six hours solid says it all. The crew were genuinely friendly and warm, and very attentive. And the food was great too. I think I should have chosen Iberia for this trip from the start, and saved myself the aggravation.

Introduction

I’m guessing that the more frequent visitors to my travel blog probably knew exactly what I was planning the moment I mentioned catching a plane from Paris to Copenhagen: as the result of decreased demand for air travel between Singapore and Europe, Singapore Airlines has merged its routes to Copenhagen and Rome into one flight. Flight SQ352 routes SIN-CPH-FCO and then back the same way. What is interesting about the flight, is that the aircraft and its crew spend a total of thirty hours on the ground in Rome. IT then returns home with the same crew. And the airline has secured fifth freedom rights between Denmark and Italy!

Getting to the airport

I spend the night in Copenhagen at the Comfort hotel at Kastrup airport. The facility is fairly new, and I’m quite sure I’m the first person to spend the night in that room. Everything looks new. Other than that though, the hotel is a bit meh… service is not something they do well in Scandinavia. The nice thing is that the hotel is only about three minutes away from Terminal 3 on foot and has some great views!

Check-in

I really want to argue the case of the airlines, because I don’t think it’s fair the way they are being treated. And the entry requirements into Italy are a good example of this: I check in online for the flight to Rome. Then one day before departure, I get another mail from Singapore Airlines with a link to the ELF, which is the system the Italian government is using to track all arrivals into the country. You need to create a login and the whole process is just one huge pain in the ass.

Then when you arrive at the gate for boarding, you are handed another form that you need to complete and hand over to the authorities upon arrival in Rome. Only, when eventually I land in Rome there’s nobody there to hand my form to. My point is that a lot of restrictions and rules have been imposed on the airlines that a) do not apply to ground transportation for no apparent reason, and b) are then secretly removed without anybody bothering to inform the airlines about the changes.

The SAS lounge

As a member of the Star Alliance, Singapore Airlines uses the SAS lounge in Copenhagen, which is in the Schengen area. The lounge is divided in two floors. Normally, the upper level is for gold passengers, while the lower level is for regular Business Class passengers. However, with the diminished demand for air travel, the lower floor has been closed off, and now all passengers use the upper level.

The design of the lounge is very nice and has a nordic feel to it. But that may just be an impression caused by my own cultural biases!

The food offerings are adequate and make for a nice breakfast spread. However, I remember from my previous stay that the selection does not change throughout the day.

Boarding

This is where the fun part begins: the non-Schengen concourse is on the C pier, which is where the flight from Singapore ends. Passengers making the journey from Singapore to Rome have to go through immigration in Copenhagen. And then from there, the flight continues as a Schengen flight to Rome. As the C pier is not equipped for dual Schengen/non-Schengen ops, boarding for the flight to Rome is from one of the bus gates on the E pier, which is really out in the sticks. As my luck will have it, boarding is through the rear door. Oh happy day…!

The load in Economy Class and Premium Economy is not too bad. In Business Class there are six passengers.

The cabin

Singapore Airlines has its own signature scent for its aircraft, and the familiar smell hits me the moment I step aboard.

The Business Class seat is large and bulky and looks nice. There is also a lot of storage space available in the seat. Other than that though, I can’t say that I’m a fan of this seat. First, because I don’t think it’s all that convenient if passengers need to stand up and get out of their seat to convert it into a bed. Second, I think the fact that Singapore Airlines seems to see the need to show a video on how to operate the seat says a lot. Third, it’s difficult to find a comfortable lounging position without having to turn the seat into a bed. And finally, speaking for myself only, I have tendency to align with the bed I’m lying in when I sleep. As such, the necessity to lie at an odd angle to fit into the bed is inconvenient. Still, for a flight of two hours it certainly beats Alitalia, and any SAS narrow-bodied.

The cabin crew

This is where Singapore Airlines really shines on this flight. The crew are just so polite and properly trained. Their manners are impeccable and they are personable and friendly. Which is even more amazing considering that they’ve already been on this aircraft for about twelve hours, having come all the way from Singapore. When I reach my seat, there is a bottle of water, a sanitary pack and a set of earphones waiting for me. The crew help me with my luggage and then bring me a glass of orange juice.

Originally, I’m on 12A, but 11A appears to have had a bath in some dreadful aftershave that’s making it hard for me to breathe. So the crew help me to resettle on 16A, where I have loads of peace and quiet. Throughout the flight, the crew address me by my family name and take good care of all the passengers.

The meal

Just before departure, one of the crew comes to take my order for the inflight snack. There are no menus, but she tells me there is a choice of some sort of portobello mushroom sandwich or a smoked salmon focaccia. I go with the latter.

The meal is a bit of a let down. I mean, I wasn’t expecting a full on Business Class hot meal, but I think they could have done a bit better than just a cold and soggy bit of bread with salmon.

After the tray is removed, the crew pass through the cabin with a snack basket and champagne twice. I request a coffee and some lovely salted almonds.

Arrival

And then all too soon we’re descending into Rome. The weather outside is lovely, and the pilot reports they’re expecting a temperature of 36 degrees upon arrival.

The airport is quite busy when we land. We come to a stop at the newest pier in Fiumicino and I disembark into the heat. From our gate it’s a fairly long walk to customs and arrivals, and as I already mentioned, nobody checks my passport, temperature, certificate or anything of the sort.

Getting into town

To get into town I’m taking the train. The Leonardo Express is the nonstop train that runs to Roma Termini in just 30 minutes. There is a surcharge on this train, which is why you need to get a first class ticket for EUR14. Tickets are only valid on the train selected at the time of purchase. There are cheaper trains, but they take much longer and stop at basically every hay stack in between the airport and the city.

The station at Fiumicino is two floors up from arrivals and well signposted.

Transfer in Taipei

My flight to Sydney will be departing from the D concourse, which is either new or newly renovated, because it doesn’t look quite as drab as the arrivals concourse my flight from Singapore ended at. Taipei has two Terminals and technically, the D concourse belongs to Terminal 2, which is not the China Airlines terminal. There is a China Airlines lounge on the D concourse, but from what I understand, their main lounge is over in Terminal 1. But that seems like just too much of a schlepp right now.

If you’re transferring between international flights in Taipei, you will not need to go through either immigration or customs, but you will have to undergo security screening.

The China Airlines Lounge

The entrance to the lounge is right opposite from gate D4, which rather conveniently happens to be the departure gate for my flight to Sydney.

The lounge looks new and well maintained. Like the rest of the D concourse, it’s basically one long and narrow room. It has all the basic facilities, including computer work stations, toilets, showers and a dining area with a noodle bar. The lounge is located in the basement, so there are no windows.

It’s not a bad place to wait for your connecting flight. But my layover is nearly five hours and for that both the terminal and the lounge are not really very pleasant.

Boarding

Boarding starts with a slight delay due to ‘ground operation’ issues – whatever that means. Never mind, it’s only a minor delay and all I plan to do on the flight is sleep. There is a separate air bridge to the L1 door for Business Class passengers. Economy Class passengers use the L2 door.

The Cabin

China Airlines has a herring bone seating configuration on its A 350-900, which provides direct aisle access for every passenger and a lot of privacy. On China Airlines, the seats are staggered, so that once you’re seated, you can’t actually see your neighbour on the other side of the aisle unless you lean forward.

The colours China Airlines has gone with in the cabin are very dark. And admittedly, that does make the cabin look elegant and stylish. But with the dimmed lighting during boarding for one, and the fact that I have seriously deteriorating eye sight for another, the upshot is that it’s rather difficult for me to actually see anything much as I stow away my things and settle in for the flight. It also strikes me that the colours they’ve gone with for the carpets, upholstery and the shell of the seat do not reflect the livery or the logo of the airline.

Storage space on the seat is somewhat limited though. There is a small compartment in the armrest adjacent to the aisle, but that already contains the amenity kit and a bottle of still water. Then there are two small compartments by the window for storage, but one of these contains the slippers and the earphones. And then there’s another compartment by the side of the seat, but this is not very large either and couldn’t hold more than a kindle, and certainly not a laptop.

But there is more than ample storage space in the overhead bins, even if there are only bins on the sides of the cabin but not in the middle.

The Crew

The crew on this flight is much better than the previous one. They’re welcoming and go out of their way to make sure passengers are comfortable. They also make a point, I think, of interacting with the passengers and chatting with them about little things. And it seems quite natural.

While we’re still on the ground, a welcome drink with a packet of nibbles is served. To drink, there is a choice of still water, orange juice, champagne and smoked plum juice. Of course, it goes without saying that I try the plum juice, because it sounds interesting.

Having tried it, I’m guessing it’s probably an acquired taste. More than anything, it’s just very sweet.

While we’re still on the ground, I quickly nip into the loo and change into my shorts to be ready to sleep once we’re airborne.

The Meal

The flight’s scheduled departure time is 23h55 and the flight time is announced at eight hours and forty minutes. Even at this time of night, the crew are planning on doing a full meal service after take-off and a breakfast service later on. But I tell one of the flight attendants that I will not be having anything, despite having pre-ordered my dinner, and will be going straight to sleep. And indeed, the last thing I remember is the crew handing out the wine list. And then I’m off to the land of nod for nearly seven hours.

When I awaken, I’m feeling rather hungry. The maître de spots me and says ‘oh, you finally woke up’ with a laugh. She also asks me if she can bring me something to eat ahead of the breakfast service. I may perhaps agree to that a little over eagerly, because she laughs again and a short while later returns with plate of fruit, cheese and crackers.

About thirty minutes later, the cabin gradually starts to dawn and the crew start preparing the cabin for the breakfast service. The breakfast is served on one tray. It includes:

A croissant with butter. There are no refills though, and no jam either.

A small ramekin of müsli with fruit and nuts.

A bowl of fruit salad.

Hot breakfast: A hot dish with frittata, tomato, bacon and polenta.

The meal is tasty and hits the spot nicely. It’s quite a large meal for a second service, especially considering that the flight is not that long.

Amenities

The vanity kit comes in a nice hard shell case I may actually be able to use. What’s more, this one also includes a small bottle of Moroccan mint oil, which I can use to keep my beard from drying out the skin on my face. And there’s also an A 350 Sticker! So full brownie points to China Airlines for that!

The slippers are of the same fluffy variety as those on the previous flight. Other than that, China Airlines does not provide pyjamas or bedding for the seat. 

Arrival

Much to my surprise, the weather’s really shitty in Sydney. It’s overcast with a chance of rain and visibility is limited. I know for a fact that we flew past the Sydney CBD with the opera house and the bridge on the approach, but I very much doubt the passengers on the port side were able to see anything much.

We come to a stop on the last stand on our pier and from there it’s a long schlepp to immigration and customs. China Airlines provides its passengers in Business Class with express immigration vouchers, which give passengers access to the fast track. However, if you have a biometric passport, you probably needn’t bother, as the e-gates are much faster and more efficient than the fast track.

Getting into Town

I’m taking public transport into town. I exit through customs and do a sharp right turn. Then I continue to the end of the arrivals concourse where the entrance to the railway station is marked out. To purchase your ticket, you can either queue at the counter or at a vending machine, or you can just badge in and out with your credit card.

The T8 line will take you right into the heart of Sydney, with stops at the central railway station and Circular Quay. I’m staying in Darling Harbour tonight. Normally, I think I’d probably take the train to Town Hall and then walk to Darling Harbour from there. But with the rain, I decide to get off at Central Station and then take the 501 bus instead, which more or less drops me off right in front of my hotel.

Conclusion

I rather enjoyed my China Airline experience. I think their product is solid and makes for a pleasurable journey. The crews were good and especially the crew on this second flight were very pleasant. Of course, it also helps that the A 350 is a pretty mean machine. It’s quiet in the cabin and the interior design of China Airlines’ aircraft is very glitzy – even if the seat could do with a bit more storage space. As I already mentioned above though, next time I transfer through Taipei I think I would try to get a shorter connection, because the airport really isn’t very pleasant for a longer layover.