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I hope you're all enjoying the ride ...

The drive back to Katunayake International was exactly the same as the drive into town had been. Endless checkpoints, flashlights and questions, but once again with smiles all around. Only ticketed passengers are permitted inside the terminal at Colombo, and the two lines for entry were each around 50 people long. I learned years ago in India that lines really mean nothing but a place to stand and chat in this part of the world, so rather than standing around sweating with all the tourists queuing politely for their turn, I simply walked purposefully to the front of the line and into the terminal, flashing my passport at the guard. Hey, when in Rome, right? Once inside there were only about ten people in front of me for the security checkpoint, and I did wait my turn. Just as I reached the x-ray machine, I was brushed aside by an extremely large sari-clad woman muttering in Sinhala (I'm making a language assumption here, but it could have been something else) and waiving her documents about with bangle adorned arms. I then watched and waited as her three porters (yes, three of them) deposited her eleven(!) pieces of luggage onto the conveyor belt as she talked loudly on her cell phone while being wanded by the security guard. "Wow, she's good!" I thought to myself as I pretty much sat right on the belt to wrestle my rollerboard into the machine ahead of a now highly impatient businessman. I was of course hoping to be caught up in her wake and pulled along into the terminal as she cleared a path for me, but that was not to be as a family with several small and rather uncontrolled children took forever to file through the magnetometer.

Okay. Two hurdles jumped. They certainly don't make it easy to leave Sri Lanka, do they? Next, me and about 200 other people surged like a sweaty, smelly river, down a stuffy, hot temporary passageway to the check-in area (International Departures is currently under construction.) I’ve flown Sri Lankan, Emirates, Thai and Singapore Airlines out of Colombo before, but never Cathay Pacific, and it took a few minutes to find the two check-in counters that were open. To my dismay, there was no premium line and a large group of badminton players milling about, but it proved not to be an issue. The line I chose moved quickly and I was soon offered my boarding pass and a lounge invitation, directed through the speedy passport control counters, and upstairs to the newly refurbished terminal.

I planned to briefly say hello to another fellow FlyerTalker (I don't know his FT handle) who was arriving on the Singapore Airlines flight that same evening, and the arrivals monitors showed that I had about half an hour to wait, so I decided to stop in for a drinkie and snack at the Araliya Business Class Lounge. This is one of three new lounges in the new terminal. Sri Lankan has a dedicated (and very nice) lounge, and there are pool lounges for premium customers traveling on other carriers. The Araliya Lounge is for business class, and the Lotus Lounge for first class. Since Cathay only operates a two cabin configuration into Colombo, I had no choice. What a disappointment after my most enjoyable visit to the Sri Lankan Airlines Lounge the last time I was in Colombo!

A report on the Sri Lankan Airlines lounge can be found here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...=498447&page=4

The Araliya Lounge was crowded with the many late night departures, and on the warm side. There was no enclosed smoking section, but rather a cordoned off area at one end of the lounge, so the entire place had a hard-to-describe aroma of stale cigarettes, bad cologne and curry powder. In fearless defiance, and not wanting to let my readers down (), I pushed on through the haze and found the bar, the gin, some ice and tonic, and settled in to relax for a bit.

Actually, it wasn’t that bad. The old lounges at Colombo were far worse. In fact some carriers merely used to give you restaurant vouchers in lieu of an actual lounge visit. Smoke doesn’t particularly bother me, but those who are sensitive to it would not be happy here. The bar contained mid shelf liquors as well as red and white wines, beers and the usual soft drinks, juices and waters, along with coffee and tea. Food wise, it was quite impressive. At least as far as variety, although the actual taste and quality left a bit to be desired. I sampled the satays (not bad), the mini pizzas (disgusting), the samosas (just edible) and the pan fried noodles with spicy sauce (overcooked.) There was also pasta with tomato sauce, finger sandwiches, cheese and crackers, fruit, and a variety of cookies and pastries. A large and varied selection, but perhaps they need to focus more on quality over quantity. A gin and tonic later, I wandered to the gate to meet the SQ468 from Singapore. My flight had also been called for boarding, but knowing that in Colombo they a) always call the flights too early, and b) make business class wait until after economy class to board, I wasn’t rushed.

As I approached the gate, I saw the Singapore Airlines 777 already parked, although there appeared to be no passengers disembarking, so waited expectantly for a few moments, but nothing happened. I asked the security guard what time the flight had arrived, and he told me 20 minutes ago!

As I was wandering down to the Araliya Lounge, I had noticed throngs of customers at the Transfer Desk, and briefly wondered if something had been delayed or canceled that evening, not even thinking (at the time) that our fellow FlyerTalker had to use that very desk to retrieve his return boarding pass to Singapore that night. Remembering the mess at the Transfer Desk, I turned and walked back to the main terminal, knowing that someone was not going to be a happy camper . Sure enough, there were still at least 50 people awaiting service, but unnamed FTer had managed to push his way to the front and was tapping his fingers on the counter as the agent tapped his fingers on the keyboard behind the counter. We said a brief hello, and he explained that United had double booked him on the Singapore Airlines flight, so they had canceled everything! Just as I exclaimed yikes, the agent handed him a first class boarding pass, and we both sighed with relief. He told me that the reason for the massive queues that evening was because the Sri Lankan flight to London had been delayed for hours, then made an aborted takeoff, so all the passengers were being rebooked or put up overnight. What a mess! It was now twenty minutes before departure for my flight, so we said a quick goodbye, and I sped to the gate for boarding, just as they were announcing my name over the PA system.

CX 710 / CMB-HKG (via SIN)
Boeing 777-300 / Seat 16G (sometimes) / Business Class
Scheduled 1240-1150 / Actual 1240-1144

As I boarded (last) through doorway 1L, I was warmly greeted by the Purser, and directed through the galley towards my mid-cabin seat in the enormous forward business class section on Cathay’s stretch 777. Approaching 16G it became apparent that an elderly gentleman had already settled himself comfortably into my assigned seat. Just as I was about to ask him if he was in the correct seat, a flight attendant quietly requested that I take any available seat in the cabin for this sector from Colombo to Singapore. I actually preferred the window on an overnight flight anyway, and gladly settled into 16K for the short ride. There were a total of 11 passengers in the entire front cabin, and nobody in the second business class mini-cabin for this portion. The flight attendant explained that he had been seated in the last row of the second cabin by himself and they had moved him forward after they thought everyone had boarded the aircraft. I really didn’t mind at all, even though she was making a big deal out of it. She said that the continuation from Singapore to Hong Kong would be completely full, and asked that I move to my originally assigned seat after the cabin had been prepared in Singapore. As I kept telling her, it was not a problem.

Juice or water was offered pre-departure, along with newspaper and magazines, hot towels, headsets, menus and amenity kits. The Purser came around and introduced herself personally to each business class customer, thanking us for selecting Cathay for our travel this evening, and assuring us a comfortable flight. The captain added his welcome, and let us know it would be mainly smooth until descent into the island nation, where some lingering thunderstorms were expected. Pushback was exactly on time, and since Colombo isn’t exactly the busiest airport, we began our takeoff roll ten minutes later. I can’t be sure, but I’m almost positive I saw guards with machine guns in the bunkers that line the runway at CMB, which wouldn’t surprise me under the circumstances. The last time I made a daylight takeoff from Colombo I noticed the bunkers, but they appeared un-manned. Cathay Pacific has cameras outside the aircraft and you watch the takeoff roll on the main cabin screen, which is pretty interesting. Other carriers I’ve seen this on are Emirates and JAL. Climb-out was smooth and the seatbelt sign extinguished shortly as the twinkling lights slipped away beneath us. It all appeared so peaceful as I quietly, sadly contemplated the horrors inflicted on this lovely country in recent times, both at the hands of Mother Nature, as well as her own people.

Service began as soon as the seatbelt sign went off. Drinks and roasted almonds were served from a cart, with refills offered as the table linens were laid. Preset trays containing the appetizer course were then presented. Bread and wine followed immediately. Once the first course had been cleared, carts were rolled down the aisle with the main courses on display so that each customer could make a selection. The service was speedy due to the late hour and short duration of the flight, but did not seem rushed. Our menu was as follows:

REFRESHMENT

APPETIZER

Gravlax Salmon with Waldorf Salad

MAIN COURSES

Prawn Maharaj
Risi Risi Rice and Bindi Mapis

Stir-fried Pork with Chili Bean Sauce
Steamed Rice and Stir-fried Mixed Vegetables

Cauliflower Cream Soup with Scallops

DESSERT

Baked Blueberry Cheesecake with Mango Coulis

TEA AND COFFEE

PRALINES

The white wines were Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne, Arthur Barolet et Fils Saint Veran 2004 (Burgundy) and Climbing Chardonnay 2005 (New South Wales.) Available reds were Laboure Roi Aloxe Corton Les Hautes Tours 2000 and Vieux Chateau Landon Cru Bourgeois Medoc 2002.

The salmon and Waldorf salad were delicious, and I followed with the cauliflower soup, which needed salt and pepper, but was light and tasty with perfectly cooked scallops. A few glasses of the Billecart-Salmon went down nicely, too. I had not planned on dessert, but the flight attendant insisted, and I complied, taking a couple of pralines to finish my last glass of champagne. For some reason I wasn’t tired, so played with Studio CX for a while, then fell asleep just as we began out descent into Singapore. It turned out to be a smooth descent and landing, putting us at the gate almost 15 minutes early. Through passengers were asked to remain onboard during the layover for security reasons, but to please stay in our originally assigned seats until the security check had been carried out. I had always assumed that Cathay Pacific overnighted their crews in Colombo since the aircraft originates and terminates in Hong Kong, but that is not the case. There was a crew change at Singapore, so the flight attendants who had served us from Colombo to Singapore bid us farewell and a pleasant onward journey. The fresh crew boarded and prepared the cabin for departure. The cleaners did an amazing job in a very short time, too. As usual with flights that depart from most Asian airports, the cabin was spotless before our new companions joined us for the final sector to Hong Kong. The flight attendant from the Colombo-Singapore leg did not lie when she said that this portion of the service was completely full. Every single seat.

It’s a bit of a drag to have to stay on the airplane during a layover approaching 90 minutes, but boarding was quickly completed and the doors were closed, with another on-time pushback. The new cockpit and cabin crew welcomed all of us aboard again. During boarding, juice or water were once again offered, along with newspapers and magazines, menus, headsets and hot towels. No amenity kits were given out on this sector and there was no wine list for the breakfast service. Due to a fair amount of departing traffic at that time of the day, and taxi and takeoff took about 25 minutes, but we were soon airborne and turning northeast towards the South China Sea.

The seatbelt sign was on for quite some time, but service carts rolled down the aisles as soon as it was turned off. With a completely full cabin, the flight attendants work hard! It’s not a particularly rushed service. It’s just that there are so many passengers to serve. There was no beverage service before breakfast, and tables were laid immediately, followed in short order by the preset tray with appetizer course. Juices were offered at the same time, then bakery items and coffee and tea. Refills followed all around. There was quite a gap between courses since it takes a long time to clear that many first courses away, but the carts were on the roll again soon enough with the main course selections, followed by an additional bread/pastry/beverage offering. All in all a well planned, well executed service for a completely full cabin. And a lot of food, to boot. The menu:

BREAKFAST

JUICE SELECTION

APPETIZER

Fresh Seasonal Fruit

FRUIT YOGHURT, CORN FLAKES OR MUESLI

MAIN COURSES

Scrambled Egg in Pancake
Grilled Chicken Sausage, Hash Brown Potatoes and Mushrooms

Hokkien Mee with Prawns, Fish Cake and Choy Sum

Congee with Minced Chicken and Salted Egg

BREAD BASKED

Assorted Bread and Breakfast Pastries
Served with Preserves, Honey and Butter

TEA AND COFFEE

Unfortunately this meal was one to bring down the score for Cathay Pacific. The fruit appetizer consisted of some unripe melon pieces, a strawberry, and some ripe but nearly frozen pineapple segments. The yogurt was warm. I have to say that the scrambled eggs looked pretty horrific, but I wouldn’t have chosen them anyway since I tend to stick to Asian food on Asian airlines when possible. Whilst I like Congee, I had eaten only soup for my main course from Colombo to Singapore, and wanted something a little more substantial. Which left the noodles. Big mistake. Hokkien Mee is one of my favorite things, and although I can’t expect them to taste fantastic at 30,000 feet, whatever they had managed to do to this main course was astounding. Not only was it completely tasteless, but the noodles were horribly overcooked, the seafood rubbery and the vegetables brown and mushy. One bite of each was all I could stomach. However, since I hadn’t slept out of Colombo, it was definitely time for a nap (after waiting 10 minutes for an available lavatory.)

Now I'm not one to get antsy on airplanes, but for some reason all I wanted was to get off this cramped, overstuffed bird. The sooner, the better. The captain complied with a six minute early arrival into Hong Kong.

The weather in Hong Kong was murky as we made the now boring approach to the new Hong Kong International airport for a smooth touchdown and early arrival. With more than three hours to connect to my Japan Airlines flight onward to Narita, I slowly walked to the connection counter where two agents had nobody in line. I was handed a boarding pass for an aisle seat, and requested that it be changed to a window, which was not a problem. The agent also handed me an invitation to the JAL Sakura Lounge and asked if I would like her to escort me through security and show me to the lounge. I declined, and was through security and upstairs in about 90 seconds. Chep Lap Kok is among the best of the new Asian mega-airports. Designed with the passenger in mind it offers soaring ceilings, lots of glass and excellent views of the field, along with a wide variety of shops and restaurants. The airline lounges are located on balconies above the concourse so you can look down at all the activity below you, as well as out to the ramp and field.

I made my way upstairs to the JAL Sakura Lounge where I was greeted with the customary bow by the front desk agents, and then escorted into the first class section of the lounge, which is really just a portion of seats and tables at the far end that are cordoned off. This turned out to be perfect respite though, since rest of the lounge filled almost to capacity as flight time approached, but the first class section remained blissfully quiet. The agent offered to show me around the lounge, but I declined. She brought me a hot towel, then some Japanese green tea and a small cake, asking that I please contact her should I require further assistance. Fine service indeed! The anticipation was building for my first ever flight on Japan Airlines …