This gallery contains 22 photos.
About a decade after the opening of The Wing, Cathay Pacific’s Hong Kong Lounge for First Class passengers and oneWorld Emerald members, it closed its door late in 2012 for a much needed renovation, and it reopened about a month … Continue reading
Hong Kong Airport is about to get busier with the planned third runway that had just gotten government conditional approval, pending environmental review. The one matter at hand: The safety of the Chinese white dolphins, which are protected under the social territory’s law. A recent study by the World Wildlife Fund presented findings that land reclamation for the purpose of the building of the third runway would have a negative impact not only on the dolphins but also to the ecosystem and the region’s fishing industry.
Read all about it HERE.
American Airlines Admirals Club Flagship Lounge at Terminal 8, New York JFK International Airport. The Flagship Lounge is for First Class Passengers, as well as AA Executive Platinum and oneWorld Emerald members traveling internationally. It is located near the TSA Security Check Point, before the walkway to the satellite terminal. (The regular Admirals Club is located at the satellite terminal.)
JFK: AA Flagship Lounge, a set on Flickr.
HND: JAL Sakura Lounge, a set on Flickr.
During the six years that I lived in Tokyo, I have gone through the Haneda Airport only three times, on regional flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong. The experiences then were mostly positive, with the exception of boarding and disembarkation not through jetways but by bus; although two of those flights were with Japan Airlines. (I would understand a foreign airline like Cathay Pacific not getting a preferential treatment; but this was JAL, one of the nation’s main two airlines.)
The rest of my trips originated and ended at Narita. You can blindfold me, and I can still find my way to and from and around the airport: Any trips from home to the Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Tokyo stations, and then with the N’ex (Narita Express) to T1 or T2; Continue reading
Soon enough Bloompy will try the New York-Haneda (JFK-HND) route, a roundabout way for someone who resides in California; but after years of landing at Narita (NRT), it will be great to land inside the city of Tokyo.
Below is a recent late-night testing of Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Haneda: Between 23:00 – 04:00 when the airport is not open commercially, Boeing and Haneda conduct a “dress rehearsal” for the eventual landing, taxiing, and parking of Dreamliners in the near future. This one belongs to All Nippon Airways (ANA).
And below is ANA’s Dreamliner Interior Shot. Minute 01:50 is what matters to Bloompy: Washlet (Smart Toilet: Bidet function built into the commode)! How I wish all airlines in the world would install this. (There is no audio for this video; don’t adjust your volume.)
You’ve made it through the long dash to the immigration, and then through the long queue there; customs are behind you, and now you are at the Narita Arrival Hall, and given the options of how to reach the city. There are actually at least 5 ways of which I can think: Private limousine or taxi; pick-up by a friend or company car; take the slow train; take the fast train; or take the airport-city bus.
I have experienced three of these methods, but one of them, the taxi ride, can cost upward Continue reading
For me, there is no convenience in the world like there is at Narita with regard to luggage shipment. Because I take N’Ex (Narita Express) most of the time, and because almost always I carry two huge suitcases plus two carry-ons, I opt to drop the big ones off at a Continue reading
There are two sections of the Sakura Lounge at the Main Terminal 2 of Narita International Airport (there is an additional Sakura Lounge at the Satellite Terminal): The First Class and the Business Class lounges. At the main entrance, guests either make a left turn to head for the FC section or a right turn for the BC section.
Immediately behind the check-in counter at the First Class lounge, one could find another counter, this one for Spa treatment. Each guest is allowed a 15-minute massage, courtesy of JAL: Full body massage, Head massage, or Foot massage (reflexology). But really, a 15- Continue reading
SFO: American Airlines New Terminal T2, a set on Flickr.
Click HERE for information on the art installations found at Terminal 2 (American Airlines & Virgin America) San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
HKG: The Wing Business Class Lounge, a set on Flickr.
Cathay Pacific’s the Wing’s Business Class Lounge at the Hong Kong International Airport is gearing to close its lounge for a renovation. The Lounge, located on the 7th floor near the Immigration and Customs area, and adjacent to the Wing’s First Class Lounge will temporarily be located on the lower floor (6th floor), closer to the boarding gates 1-4.
For LAX and SFO-bound passengers, this temporary Lounge will be convenient, especially if Cathay Pacific continues to use Gates 2 & 3 for LAX and SFO.
The renovation is slated to run this early summer of 2011. Afterwards, the Wing’s First Class Lounge will have its turn. Why they decide not to take care of the First Class Lounge first, I am not sure; but let’s hope that the result will be a welcome change. After almost a decade of using the Wing’s FC facilities, some elements start to deteriorate. Plumbing on the shower at the Cabanas causes so much rattling noises that it almost feels as if there were an earthquake.
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