#1915 – 2017 Easter Long Weekend Trip (The Transport)

ENGLISH

Posts in the 2017 Easter Long Weekend Trip series:
1. Introduction
2. The Transport
3. Zürich

My routing to get to/back from Zurich was quite interesting:

The routing this long weekend. Created with gcmap.com

Yep, I flew Amsterdam – Paris CDG – Rome FCO – Amsterdam, haha 😆 .

Departure to Zurich

My KLM Amsterdam – Paris flight departed from an “unusual” gate at Schiphol. Usually, an Air France/KLM Amsterdam – Paris vv flight uses a gate in Pier C of Schiphol. This one, though, used gate D61, thus indicating (to me) that the plane was used from a non-Schengen route before my KL1233 flight to Paris.

Delayed flight to Paris

Anyway, the flight was delayed today due to its late arrival from Birmingham (See, my guess was correct 😀 ). I wasn’t worried with my connection as the delay wasn’t that bad and I had enough transit time in Paris.

It was another full flight today with a Boeing 737-800 reg PH-BXE that was named “Havik”. It was a regular Amsterdam – Paris flight where we took off from Polderbaan and landed at runway 27R of Paris – Charles De Gaulle.

A KLM’s Boeing 737-800 reg PH-BXE

Obviously, I waited at a Salon Air France in Paris. During my latest AvGeek Weekend Trip, the lounge was closed for a renovation. So obviously I was quite excited to see the “new” lounge.

I was disappointed with the renovation result. The small alley connecting the two sides of the lounge was removed and I only noticed minor changes with the furniture. What disappointed me the most was, however, the food service. Only few things were served in the food area. Considering this was an Air France lounge in their main hub (Paris – Charles De Gaulle Airport), this was sad.

The food service at an Air France’s lounge in Paris. This looked sad to me.

My flight AF1814 to Zurich departed on time. It was operated with an Airbus A318 reg F-GUGK. We took off from runway 26R of Paris – CDG and then headed east towards Zurich. As before, I felt like the complimentary snack quality in Air France decreased this year. They served vegetarian sandwich in this flight. While it was bigger than KLM’s sandwich, it was much less tasty to me; which was a shame considering they were French 😦 .

A vegetarian sandwich as a complimentary snack

Anyway, about one hour later, we landed at runway 28 of Zurich – Kloten Airport. Here is the landing video:

To my liking, we parked at a remote stand upon arrival, where the passengers were, then, brought by a bus to the terminal building, haha.

An Air France’s Airbus A318 reg F-GUGK

Back to the Netherlands

I was excited especially for my first flight because: (1) it would be operated with an airline I had never tried before (Alitalia CityLiner) and (2) it would be operated with an airplane type I had never tried before (Embraer ERJ175). Yeay!! 😀

I arrived at Zurich – Kloten Airport about two hours before the flight. After checking-in and passing security, I headed to a Dnata lounge. The lounge was nice enough for an “off airport” SkyTeam lounge (Zurich Airport was more of a Star Alliance Airport, given that it was the main hub of Swiss International Air Lines). I was still full with my complimentary breakfast at the hotel, though, so I was not really in the mood of eating anything in the lounge anyway.

Dnata Lounge at Zurich – Kloten

Boarding went quite smoothly, where the 88-seater Alitalia CityLine Embraer ERJ175 reg EI-RDG was ready to take us to Rome – Fiumicino. It was a regular Alitalia flight, where a bag of mini chocolate biscuits was served with some limited selection of drinks. The weather in Rome was also nice today, as we were landing in runway 34R of Fiumicino Airport. Here is the landing video:

Again, I was happy that the plane parked at a remote stand today, haha 😛 .

An Alitalia CityLiner’s Embraer ERJ175 reg EI-RDG upon arrival in Rome-Fiumicino

My transit time was not very long today and I knew that Alitalia’s lounge was quite far away. So I decided to walk briskly there, had a quick lunch for 15 minutes, then went back to the departure area, haha 😛 . The food in the lounge was quite good, though, in my opinion. The lounge lady was also super friendly. Yeah, still pretty much the same impression of the last time 🙂 .

The food service at Alitalia’s Schengen lounge

My AZ110 flight back to Amsterdam was operated with an Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTA. Here is a timelapsed video of the departure from Rome-Fiumicino:

Departure and take off from runway 25 of Rome-Fiumicino, @alitaliaofficial flight AZ110 Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTA 🇮🇹🛫🇳🇱. #Zilkos2017WeekendTrip #timelapse #Alitalia #SkyTeam #Airbus #A320 #A322 #AirbusA320 #Airbus320 #runway25 #✈️ #aviation #avgeek #avgeeks #instaaviation #instaplane #instarunway #takeoff #🛫 #EIDTA #AZ110 #FCOAMS #instatravel #travelgram #wanderlust #iloveflying #frequentflyer #Fiumicino #airport #instaairport

A post shared by Aurelius Zilko (@azilko) on Apr 17, 2017 at 8:26am PDT

It was an uneventful flight with Alitalia. This flight made me realize that, indeed, Alitalia had cut “cost” big time with their services on board. When I asked the flight attendant what they served as drinks, it turned out that they only had water, tea, coffee, and cola. Yep, that was all. No juice, no beer/wine. For snacks, on the 2 hours and 15 minutes flight to Amsterdam, the choices were only biscuits or crackers. Given that Alitalia has been struggling financially, this might not be of a big surprise, though.

Complimentary snack and drink on board Alitalia’s AZ110

We landed at runway 36R of Schiphol Airport. This was a convenient runway where the taxi time to the terminal building was very short, haha. I got off the plane, and then took the train back to Amsterdam. Here, my short long weekend ended 🙂 .

Seats on board PH-BXE

Complimentary snack on board a KLM flight

Aisle seat

On board Air France’s Airbus A318 F-GUGK

Seats on board F-GUGK

Yeay empty middle and aisle seats!!

Taking off from runway 26R

Dnata Lounge

Zurich Airport

Hello, CityLiner

My 5A seat on board EI-RDG

Good seat pitch

ERJ175 safety card

Taking off from runway 28 of Zurich Airport

The Alps

Complimentary snack service on board Alitalia CityLiner

Seat 10F on board EI-DTA

The right wing of Alitalia’s EI-DTA

On board Alitalia’s Airbus A320-200 EI-DTA

Alitalia’s hand soap

Alitalia’s Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTA

BAHASA INDONESIA

Posting-posting dalam seri 2017 Easter Long Weekend Trip:
1. Introduction
2. The Transport
3. Zürich

Ruteku untuk pergi ke/kembali dari Zurich cukup menarik:

Ruteku long weekend ini. Dibuat dengan gcmap.com

Yep, aku terbang Amsterdam – Paris CDG – Rome FCO – Amsterdam, haha 😆 .

Keberangkatan ke Zurich

Penerbangan KLM Amsterdam – Parisku berangkat dari gate yang agak “nggak biasa” di Schiphol. Biasanya, penerbangan Air France/KLM rute Amsterdam – Paris pp menggunakan sebuah gate di Pier C Schiphol. Kali ini, yang digunakan adalah gate D61, yang mana (untukku) mengindikasikan pesawatnya digunakan di rute non-Schengen di penerbangan sebelumnya.

Penerbangan ke Paris terlambat

Anyway, penerbangannya sedikit terlambat hari ini akibat pesawatnya terlambat tiba dari Birmingham (Nah kan, tebakanku benar 😀 ). Aku sih tidak khawatir dengan keterlambatan sebentar ini karena waktu transitku di Paris cukup panjang.

Penerbangan ini penuh dengan pesawat Boeing 737-800 dengan rego PH-BXE dan bernama “Havik”. Ini adalah penerbangan biasa di rute Amsterdam – Paris dimana kami lepas landas dari Polderbaan dan mendarat di landasan pacu 27R Bandara Paris – Charles De Gaulle.

Sebuah Boeing 737-800nya KLM dengan rego PH-BXE

Jelas, aku menunggu di Salon Air France di Paris. Nah, di waktu AvGeek Weekend Trip terakhirku, lounge-nya sedang ditutup akibat pekerjaan renovasi. Jelas dong kali ini aku penasaran dengan lounge “baru”-nya.

Aku sungguh kecewa dengan hasil renovasinya. Gang kecil yang menghubungkan dua sisi lounge-nya kini tidak ada lagi dan aku hanya melihat adanya sedikit perubahan saja dengan mebel-mebelnya. Yang paling mengecewakan adalah layanan makanannya. Hanya sedikit sekali yang disajikan hari itu. Dengan mempertimbangkan ini adalah lounge-nya Air France di bandara yang merupakan markas mereka sendiri (Paris – Charles De Gaulle), menurutku ini menyedihkan.

Layanan makanan di lounge-nya Air France di Paris. Untukku, ini nampak menyedihkan.

Penerbangan AF1814ku ke Zurich berangkat tepat waktu. Penerbangan ini dioperasikan dengan sebuah Airbus A318 dengan rego F-GUGK. Kami lepas landas dari landasan pacu 26R Bandara Paris – CDG dan kemudian bergerak menuju arah timur. Seperti yang lalu, aku merasa layanan snack di penerbangannya Air France juga menurun kualitasnya. Mereka menyajikan sandwich vegetarian di penerbangan ini. Walaupun ukurannya lebih besar daripada sandwichnya KLM, rasanya lebih tidak enak untukku; yang mana sungguh disayangkan dengan mengingat mereka kan maskapai Prancis ya 😦 .

Sandwich vegetarian sebagai layanan snack

Anyway, sekitar satu jam kemudian, kami mendarat di landasan pacu 28 Bandara Zurich – Kloten. Berikut ini video pendaratannya:

Yang aku suka, kami parkir di sebuah tempat parkir remote loh, dimana penumpang dibawa dengan bus ke gedung terminal, haha.

Sebuah Airbus A318 milik Air France dengan rego F-GUGK

Kembali ke Belanda

Aku merasa bersemangat terutama dengan penerbangan pertama hari ini karena (1) akan dioperasikan dengan maskapai yang belum pernah kunaiki sebelumnya (Alitalia CityLiner) dan (2) akan dioperasikan dengan tipe pesawat yang belum pernah kunaiki sebelumnya (Embraer ERJ175). Hore! 😀

Aku tiba di Bandara Zurich – Kloten sekitar dua jam sebelum keberangkatan. Setelah check-in dan melewati sekuriti, aku menuju ke Lounge Dnata. Lounge-nya cukup oke untuk ukuran lounge SkyTeam “airport luar” (Bandara Zurich adalah bandara Star Alliance karena merupakan markasnya Swiss International Air Lines). Aku masih kenyang sih dari sarapanku di hotel, sehingga aku sedang tidak ingin makan apa-apa di lounge-nya.

Lounge Dnata di Zurich – Kloten

Boarding berlangsung lancar, dimana Embraer ERj175nya Alitalia CityLiner yang berkursi 88 buah itu siap mengantarkan kami ke Roma – Fiumicino. Ini adalah penerbangan reguler dengan Alitalia, dimana sebungkus biskuit coklat disajikan dengan pilihan minuman yang terbatas. Cuaca di Roma juga sedang baik hari ini, seperti yang nampak ketika mendarat di landasan pacu 34 Bandara Roma – Fiumicino seperti di video berikut:

Lagi, aku senang pesawatnya parkir di tempat parkir remote, haha 😛 .

Sebuah Embraer ERJ175 milik Alitalia CityLiner dengan rego EI-RDG ketika tiba di Roma-Fiumicino

Waktuku transit tidak terlalu lama sementara aku tahu lounge-nya Alitalia cukup jauh. Jadilah aku berjalan cepat kesana, makan siang cepat-cepat selama 15 menit, dan kembali ke area keberangkatan, haha 😛 . Makanan di lounge-nya lumayan oke, menurutku. Petugas lounge-nya juga ramah banget. Ya, impresi positifku masih seperti ketika terakhir kali aku ke sana 🙂 .

Layanan makanan di lounge Schengen-nya Alitalia

Penerbangan AZ110ku kembali ke Amsterdam dioperasikan dengan pesawat Airbus A320-200 dengan rego EI-DTA. Berikut ini video timelapse keberangkatan dari Roma-Fiumicino:

Departure and take off from runway 25 of Rome-Fiumicino, @alitaliaofficial flight AZ110 Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTA 🇮🇹🛫🇳🇱. #Zilkos2017WeekendTrip #timelapse #Alitalia #SkyTeam #Airbus #A320 #A322 #AirbusA320 #Airbus320 #runway25 #✈️ #aviation #avgeek #avgeeks #instaaviation #instaplane #instarunway #takeoff #🛫 #EIDTA #AZ110 #FCOAMS #instatravel #travelgram #wanderlust #iloveflying #frequentflyer #Fiumicino #airport #instaairport

A post shared by Aurelius Zilko (@azilko) on Apr 17, 2017 at 8:26am PDT

Ini adalah penerbangan uneventful dengan Alitalia. Di penerbangan ini, aku disadarkan dengan pemotongan “biaya” besar-besarannya Alitalia dengan layanan mereka di pesawat. Ketika aku bertanya ke salah seorang pramugara mengenai pilihan minuman, dijawab mereka hanya menyediakan air putih, teh, kopi, atau cola. Iya, itu doang. Nggak ada jus, nggak ada bir/anggur. Untuk snack, di penerbangan 2 jam 15 menit ke Amsterdam ini hanya diberikan pilihan biskuit atau crackers. Yah, dengan mempertimbangkan kesulitan finansialnya Alitalia, ini tidak lah begitu mengherankan sih ya.

Layanan snack dan minuman di penerbangan AZ110nya Alitalia

Kami mendarat di landasan pacu 36R Bandara Schiphol. Landasan pacu yang nyaman banget dimana waktu taxiing-nya singkat, haha. Aku keluar dari pesawat, dan kemudian menaiki kereta kembali ke Amsterdam. Di sini, perjalanan singkat long weekend-ku berakhir 🙂 .

#1889 – Post-PhD Trips (Part IV: Roma)

ENGLISH

Posts in the Post-PhD Trips series:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Genova
3. Part II: Cinque Terre
4. Part III: Firenze
5. Part IV: Roma
6.Part V: A Weekend in Marseille

Getting There

To go to Rome, we took the business class high-speed Frecciarossa train from Firenze – Santa Maria Novella to Roma Termini. As in our trip to Firenze (read Part III), the business class tickets were cheaper than economy when we bought them, haha 😆 . With the high-speed train, the almost 300 km ride was done in less than two hours.

Travelling business class with Frecciarossa

The Vatican Museum

Anyway, I only had half a day with my parents and brother in Rome. Originally we planned to make use of the time by going to the Colosseum. But then, we made a last minute switch of plan to the Vatican Museum instead.

The always crowded St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City

My brother and I planned to visit it in our year end 2012 trip but could not because it was already closed due to the holiday season and stuffs. And I really wanted to show them this amazing museum (It is still my most favorite museum in Europe, btw; even more than Louvre!), which I last visited in 2010. So there we went!! 😀

Vatican Museum

Luckily we did not have to queue for too long to enter the museum this time. But it was still very crowded inside, probably because today was a Saturday, haha. As before, I enjoyed my time a lot in the museum. It was not only its collection, but the interior itself was super mesmerizing!! It was definitely worth the entrance fee!! 🙂

The School of Athens by Raphael at the Vatican Museum

The one part of the museum my parents really wanted to see was the one and only Sistine Chapel, where Michaelangelo’s super famous The Creation of Adam was located. As in six years ago, people were not allowed to take any pictures inside the Chapel; and the securities were really strict about it! Haha…

Another part of the museum I would want them to see was the photogenic Instagrammable purple spiral stairs near the exit, haha 😆 . I was not very satisfied with the photo I took six years ago so I was glad I got another chance now! 😛

The famous spiral stairs at Vatican Museum

Roma

Anyway, as usual, Rome was a nice city for a vacation, even though we were quite unlucky that the weather today was not the best.

Colosseum

From Vatican City, we made a stop at the Colosseum. It was already too late for entrance, so we decided to just walk around it.

Bucatini carbonara!!!

For dinner, we decided to dine at my favorite pasta restaurant in Rome: Pastarito! Haha 😆 . As in my previous visits there, obviously I ordered the super delicious bucatini carbonara! Haha 😀 . And I still loved it! 😀

Back to the Netherlands

Flight: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 1598
Equipment: Boeing 737-800 reg PH-BXC named “Korhoen”
ATD: 10:16 CET
ATA: 12:12 CET

I took the Leonardo Express train to Rome-Fiumicino Airport from Roma Termini. The total trip was in less than 30 minutes so it was quite convenient.

After checking-in and passing the security check, I was looking for Alitalia’s lounge for Schengen flights. However, it was located quite far away from the SkyTeam departure hall, which was unfortunate, in my opinion; even though it was probably due to space limitation. Nonetheless, the lounge facility was quite good in my opinion, actually even better to me than the non-Schengen counterpart at the same airport.

KLM’s Boeing 737-800 reg PH-BXC

Anyway, the flight today would be operated with KLM’s Boeing 737-800 reg PH-BXC. Everything about the flight went quite smoothly, today. After take-off, a mini snack service with drinks were served. Overall, it was a regular uneventful but pleasant flight with KLM, as usual. At 12:12 PM, we landed at the infamous Polderbaan of Schiphol.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Frecciarossa to Rome

Complimentary snack and drink in business class

Vatican Museum

Vatican Museum

Vatican Museum

Vatican Museum

Vatican Museum

Vatican Museum

A Swiss Guard at Vatican City

St. Peter’s Square

Vatican City

Colosseum

Leonardo Express

Alitalia Lounge at FCO

Taking off from Rome-Fiumicino

Complimentary snack and drink on board flight KL1598

On board KLM’s Boeing 737-800 reg PH-BXC

Landing in Amsterdam, notice the weather

BAHASA INDONESIA

Posting-posting dalam seri Post-PhD Trips:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Genova
3. Part II: Cinque Terre
4. Part III: Firenze
5. Part IV: Roma
6.Part V: A Weekend in Marseille

Menuju Roma

Untuk pergi ke Roma, kami menaiki kereta super-cepat Frecciarossa di kelas bisnis dari Stasiun Firenze – Santa Maria Novella ke Stasiun Roma Termini. Seperti di perjalanan kami ke Firenze (baca Bagian III), tiket kelas bisnis waktu itu lebih murah daripada tiket kelas ekonomi loh, hahaha 😆 . Dengan kereta super-cepat, jarak sekitar 300 km ini ditempuh dalam waktu kurang dari dua jam.

Menaiki Frecciarossa di kelas bisnis

Museum Vatikan

Anyway, aku hanya memiliki waktu setengah hari di Roma bersama orangtua dan adikku. Awalnya, rencana kami adalah memasuki Colosseum. Tetapi kemudian, kami mengganti rencana kami dengan Museum Vatikan.

Lapangan Santo Petrus di Kota Vatikan yang nggak pernah sepi

Adikku dan aku berencana mengunjungi museum ini di perjalanan kami di akhir tahun 2012 tetapi tidak bisa karena waktu itu museumnya sudah ditutup karena musim liburan. Dan aku sangat ingin menunjukkan museum ini ke orangtua dan adikku (Museum ini masih museum paling favoritku di Eropa loh, bahkan aku lebih menyukainya daripada Louvre!), yang terakhir kali kukunjungi di tahun 2010. Jadilah kami kesana!! 😀

Museum Vatikan

Untungnya kami tidak harus mengantri lama untuk memasuki museumnya. Tetapi di dalamnya ramai banget sih, mungkin karena hari ini adalah hari Sabtu, haha. Seperti yang lalu, aku benar-benar suka museum ini. Nggak cuma koleksinya aja, tetapi interior bangunannya itu mempesona banget!! Benar-benar layak banget untuk dikunjungi dan setimpal dengan tiket masuknya!! 🙂

The School of Athens karya Raphael di Museum Vatikan

Satu bagian museum yang ingin banget orangtuaku kunjungi adalah Kapel Sistina, dimana karya super terkenalnya Michaelangelo, The Creation of Adam, berada. Seperti enam tahun yang lalu, di dalam kapel dilarang mengambil foto; dan petugas sekuritinya ketat dan galak banget loh dengan ini! Haha…

Satu bagian lain dari museum ini yang ingin kutunjukkan adalah tangga spiral berwarna keunguan yang fotogenik dan Instagrammable banget itu, haha 😆 . Aku kurang puas dengan foto yang kuambil enam tahun yang lalu sehingga aku senang aku berkesempatan mengambil fotonya lagi! 😛

Tangga spiral yang terkenal itu di Museum Vatikan

Roma

Anyway, seperti biasanya, Roma adalah kota yang asyik untuk berlibur, walaupun kami cukup kurang beruntung sih hari ini cuacanya sedang kurang oke.

Colosseum

Dari Kota Vatikan, kami mampir di Colosseum. Waktu itu sudah kemalaman sehingga kami sudah tidak bisa masuk. Jadilah kami mengelilinginya dari luar saja.

Bucatini carbonara!!!

Untuk makan malam, kami memutuskan makan di restoran pasta favoritku di Roma: Pastarito! Haha 😆 . Seperti di kunjungan-kunjunganku yang lalu kesana, jelas dong aku memesan bucatini carbonara-nya yang enak banget itu! Haha 😀 . Dan aku masih sukaa!!

Kembali ke Belanda

Penerbangan: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 1598
Pesawat: Boeing 737-800 reg PH-BXC bernama “Korhoen”
ATD: 10:16 CET
ATA: 12:12 CET

Aku menaiki kereta Leonardo Express menuju Roma-Fiumicino dari Roma Termini. Total perjalanannya kurang dari 30 menit sehingga cukup nyaman juga.

Setelah check-in dan melewati pemeriksaan sekuriti, aku mencari lounge-nya Alitalia untuk penerbangan Schengen. Ternyata, lokasinya jauh banget dari area keberangkatannya SkyTeam, yang mana sayang banget sih menurutku; walaupun mungkin penyebabnya adalah keterbatasan tempat ya. Toh walaupun begitu, fasilitas lounge-nya cukup oke kok menurutku. Bahkan aku lebih menyukainya daripada lounge non-Schengen-nya di bandara yang sama.

Boeing 737-800nya KLM dengan rego PH-BXC

Anyway, penerbangan hari ini akan dioperasikan dengan Boeing 737-800nya KLM dengan registrasi PH-BXC. Semua hal yang berkaitan dengan penerbangan ini berlangsung mulus hari ini. Setelah lepas landas, layanan snack dan minuman dibagikan. Secara umum, ini adalah penerbangan reguler dan uneventful tetapi nyaman bersama KLM, seperti biasanya. Jam 12:12 siang, pesawat mendarat di Polderbaan di Schiphol.

BERSAMBUNG…

#1874 – 2016 Year End Trip (Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam)

ENGLISH

Posts in the 2016 Year End Trip series:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Amsterdam to Rome to Shanghai
3. Part II: Shanghai to Bali
4. Part III: Bali
5. Part IV: Yogyakarta
6. Part V: The Food in Yogyakarta
7. Part VI: Yogyakarta to Bali to Shanghai
8. Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam
9. Part VIII: A Weekend in Amsterdam

Transitting at PVG

This time, my luggage was tagged all the way to Paris so in Shanghai I would not need to pass immigration and recheck it in (read Part II); but of course this meant I would need to do that in Paris. But this was not a problem as I knew Terminal 2E, 2F, and 2G of Paris – Charles De Gaulle well (the terminals of SkyTeam flights 😛 ).

At least we parked at a proper gate at Shanghai Pudong

Anyway, my transit experience this time was not as seamless as in Part II mainly because there were two checks a transit passenger had to pass, and in each there was a quite long queueing line.

The first one was a document check. I chose to “take a risk” and took the shorter automatic line (where instead of being checked by a human officer, I would need to use the automatic machine myself to scan my documents). I saw some people in front of me failed to scan their documents so they went all the way to the back of the manual-check queue. Luckily, when it was my turn, it all worked well! The second check was the standard security check.

Buffet warm noodles dish at China Eastern Lounge

Obviously I went back to the awesome China Eastern Lounge. Unfortunately, though, all seats in the best spot of the lounge (read: the massage chairs area 😆 ) were already taken. Well, I was hungry after the non-existence of breakfast service on my earlier China Eastern flight MU5030 anyway (read Part VI), so I stayed downstairs in the restaurant area. The breakfast was good, actually, where they provided quite proper Chinese noodles dish!

AF 117 (Shanghai – Paris)

Flight: Air France AF 117
Equipment: Boeing 777-300ER reg F-GSQG
ATD: 11:19 CST
ATA: 15:45 CET

My Air France flight to Paris today would be operated with a Boeing 777-300ER reg F-GSQG. I was really lucky because the cabin of F-GSQG had been upgraded to Air France’s newest one!! 😍😍😍

An Air France’s Boeing 777-300ER reg F-GSQG

Anyway, after boarding I settled onto my 31A seat. Luckily, seat 31B was left unoccupied for the flight!! Yeay!! So me and Mr. Seat 31C co-used it as our extra space, lol 😆 . Once boarding completed, we departed and took off from runway 17L of Shanghai Pudong Airport. The weather condition had not changed that much since I landed three hours prior, where low-hanging cloud was still there.

Taking off during rain

Not long after take-off, the flight attendants distributed the complimentary mini snack service along with some drinks. About an hour later, this was followed by the lunch service which options were French (beef and spaghetti) or Chinese (I didn’t even bother to memorize what it was). It was a super easy decision to always choose the French option on board an Air France flight! Haha 😆

First lunch service on board flight AF 117, the French option

The meal service was delicious enough, though I had had better ones on Air France. Throughout the flight, some snacks and drinks were provided for free in the galley as well; though Air France did not promote it as much as some other airlines (like KLM or Garuda Indonesia).

On board Air France’s Boeing 777-300ER F-GSQG

As I said before, the cabin F-GSQG had been upgraded to Air France’s newest cabin. This meant: the newest generation of AVOD PTV!! First of all, the size of the screen was optimal. It was big enough without being too big that it hurt your eyes, lol. The content had improved a lot since the last time I flew long-haul with Air France too (flight AF 7 from New York to Paris last year). Air France branded their new AVOD as “Air France Touch”, possibly as it was a touch screen as well.

Air France Touch

I watched three movies: How To Be Single (🙈), Zootopia (thanks to my new colleagues), and Crazy Stupid Love. The music collection was quite descent too, though I still found it to be really really “French-centric” 😛 . Anyway, one of the best feature of the new AVOD was the Map! It was really cool and the level of details was amazing.

The super cool new map feature!! 😍

I was able to sleep for about four to five hours in total on this flight, which was not bad considering it was a day flight. About two hours before landing, a second lunch service was provided. There was no option for this one, though, which was chicken and rice with tuna salad.

The second lunch service on board flight AF 117

The weather in Paris was also not in the best condition today where, just like in Shanghai, it was full of low-hanging cloud. At 15:45, we landed at runway 26L of Paris – Charles De Gaulle Airport. Here is the landing video:

Thankfully we parked at Gate K in Terminal 2E, so the walk to Terminal 2F would not be that far. Long story short, I passed immigration and took my luggage.

Transitting at CDG

Thanks for the ride, F-GSQG!!

From the luggage hall of Terminal 2E, I crossed the airport to Terminal 2F where I checked-in at Air France’s priority desks. I got my Paris – Amsterdam boarding pass, checked-in my luggage, and passed the security heading towards the lounge.

I wanted to check the flight status so I looked at my boarding pass for the flight number. And then I just realized that I had been upgraded to Europe Business Class!! 😍😍😍

Champagne at Salon Air France

Anyway, I waited for my flight at Salon Air France at Terminal 2F. At one point several lounge attendants went around distributing some champagne, haha.

KL 1244 (Paris – Amsterdam), Europe Business Class

Flight: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 1244
Equipment: Boeing 737-800 reg PH-BXI named “Zilvermeeuw”
ATD: 19:04 CET
ATA: 19:51 CET

After boarding, I settled onto my 2D seat. The flight was full today so boarding took some time to complete. Anyway, as in the standard European flight, business class on board PH-BXI was “Europe Business Class”, i.e. the seats were as in economy but with some extra legroom and blocked middle seats.

Obviously the mandatory Europe business class selfie

Once we departed and reached the cruising altitude, the dinner service was distributed by the crew. It was just a mere 50 minutes flight so, indeed, it felt a little bit rushed. Anyway, the main course was mixed salad which was really delicious. They also served warm bread with it, though my favorite (aside from the salad) was the delicious mini mousse. For the drink, I chose sparkling wine.

Dinner service on board KLM’s Europe business class

After I finished my meal, the purser took my empty tray and asked me what I wanted to drink. Well, considering a friend was waiting for me in Amsterdam and I was just coming back off a 36+ hours journey from Indonesia, I asked for a cup of warm coffee, haha.

A glass of coffee before landing

Anyway, at 19:51 we landed at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. It took me about 30 minutes before I got my luggage (typical Schiphol 😆 ), and then I met my friend in front of Burger King.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Noodles for breakfast at China Eastern Lounge

My seat 31A on board Air France’s F-GSQG

Stuffies

Empty middle seat!

Air France branded headset

Air France’s chic safety demo

An electricity port

Snack and drink service just after take-off

The left wing of F-GSQG, a Boeing 777-300ER

Tea

The front economy section on board Air France’s Boeing 777-300ER F-GSQG

Drinks at the galley

The level of details of the map feature was amazing!

Back in Europe!!

Snacks at the galley

Some snacks to accompany my movies

Started the descent towards Paris

Seat 2D in KLM’s Europe Business Class

The legroom of seat 2D

Sparkling wine

The dinner menu

BAHASA INDONESIA

Posting-posting dalam seri 2016 Year End Trip:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Amsterdam to Rome to Shanghai
3. Part II: Shanghai to Bali
4. Part III: Bali
5. Part IV: Yogyakarta
6. Part V: The Food in Yogyakarta
7. Part VI: Yogyakarta to Bali to Shanghai
8. Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam
9. Part VIII: A Weekend in Amsterdam

Transit di PVG

Kali ini, bagasiku langsung di-tag menuju Paris sehingga di Shanghai aku tidak perlu melewati imigrasi dan meng-check-in-ulangkannya lagi (seperti di Bagian II). Tetapi memang sih, ini artinya di Paris aku perlu mengurusnya lagi. Tapi ini bukan masalah karena toh aku cukup familier dengan Terminal 2E, 2F, dan 2Gnya Bandara Paris – Charles De Gaulle (terminal-terminalnya penerbangan SkyTeam 😛 ).

Setidaknya kami parkir di gate deh di Shanghai Pudong

Anyway, pengalaman transitku kali ini tidak semulus di Bagian II karena ada dua cek yang harus dilewati setiap penumpang transit, dan untuk setiap cek itu kami harus antri super panjang.

Pengecekan pertama adalah pengecekan dokumen. Aku memutuskan untuk “ambil risiko” dan mengambil jalur pemeriksaan otomatis yang antriannya lebih pendek (jadi bukannya dicek petugas, aku harus menggunakan mesin untuk pengecekan dokumen-dokumenku). Aku lihat beberapa orang di depanku gagal dalam pengecekan dokumennya sehingga mereka harus kembali dan mengantri di urutan paling belakang dari jalur pemeriksaan manual. Untungnya, ketika giliranku, semuanya berlangsung lancar! Pemeriksaan keduanya adalah pemeriksaan sekuriti.

Mie hangat buffet di Lounge China Eastern

Jelas dong aku kembali ke Lounge China Eastern yang keren banget itu. Sayangnya, kali ini semua kursi di bagian terenak dari lounge ini (baca: area kursi pijat, haha 😆 ) sudah dipakai orang lain. Yah, karena toh aku sedang kelaparan akibat tidak adanya layanan sarapan di penerbangan China Eastern MU5030ku pagi itu (baca Bagian VI), aku makan saja di area restoran di lantai bawah. Sarapannya sendiri enak loh, dimana mereka menyediakan menu masakan mie ala China yang enak!

AF 117 (Shanghai – Paris)

Penerbangan: Air France AF 117
Pesawat: Boeing 777-300ER reg F-GSQG
ATD: 11:19 CST
ATA: 15:45 CET

Penerbangan Air France-ku ke Paris hari ini akan dioperasikan dengan pesawat Boeing 777-300ER dengan rego F-GSQG. Aku beruntung karena kabin F-GSQG ini sudah di-upgrade ke kabin model terbarunya Air France!! 😍😍😍

Sebuah Boeing 777-300ERnya Air France dengan rego F-GSQG

Anyway, setelah boarding aku duduk di kursi 31Aku. Untungnya, hari ini kursi 31B kosong loh!! Horee!! Jadilah aku dan Bapak Kursi 31C menggunakan ruang ekstra dari kursi yang kosong ini, haha 😆 . Setelah semua penumpang naik, kami berangkat dan lepas landas dari landasan pacu 17L Bandara Shanghai Pudong. Cuacanya masih belum berubah dari tiga jam sebelumnya ketika mendarat, dimana awan-awan masih menggantung rendah.

Lepas landas ketika hujan

Tidak lama setelah lepas landas, awak kabin membagikan layanan snack mini dengan minuman. Sekitar sejam kemudian, layanan ini diikuti dengan makan siang dengan pilihan Prancis (daging sapi dan spaghetti) atau China (yang mana aku tidak pedulikan, haha). Jelas adalah pilihan amat mudah untuk selalu memilih pilihan Prancis di penerbangannya Air France kan ya! Haha 😆

Layanan makan siang pertama di penerbangan AF 117, pilihan Prancis.

Layanan makanannya sendiri enak kok, walaupun aku pernah makan yang lebih enak sih di Air France. Di sepanjang penerbangan juga terdapat snack dan minuman cuma-cuma yang disajikan di dapur; walaupun Air France tidak terlalu mempromosikannya seperti beberapa maskapai lain sih (misalnya KLM atau Garuda Indonesia).

Di dalam pesawat Boeing 777-300ERnya Air France dengan rego F-GSQG

Seperti yang kubilang sebelumnya, kabin F-GSQG telah di-upgrade ke kabin terbarunya Air France. Ini berarti: generasi terbaru pula untuk AVOD PTV-nya!! Pertama-tama, ukuran layarnya optimal banget. Cukup besar tetapi nggak terlalu besar sehingga tidak menyakitkan mata, haha. Isinya juga sudah jauh lebih baik daripada terakhir kali aku terbang jarak jauh dengan Air France (penerbangan AF 7 dari New York ke Paris tahun lalu). Air France menamai AVOD baru ini “Air France Touch”, mungkin karena layarnya adalah layar sentuh.

Air France Touch

Aku menonton tiga film di penerbangan ini: How To Be Single (🙈), Zootopia (gara-gara kolega baruku nih), dan Crazy Stupid Love. Pilihan musiknya juga cukup lengkap kok, walaupun menurutku sih masih agak terlalu “sentris Prancis” 😛 . Anyway, fitur terkeren AVOD baru ini adalah petanya!! Keren banget dah dan detailnya mengagumkan.

Fitur peta baru yang keren banget!! 😍

Aku bisa tidur selama sekitar empat sampai lima jam di penerbangan ini, yang mana lumayan juga mengingat ini adalah penerbangan di siang hari. Sekitar dua jam sebelum mendarat, layanan makan siang kedua diberikan. Tidak ada pilihan untuk layanan ini, yang mana berisikan nasi dengan ayam dan salad tuna.

Layanan makan siang kedua di penerbangan AF 117

Cuaca di Paris juga sedang kurang oke seperti di Shanghai, dimana penuh dengan awan-awan rendah. Jam 15:45, kami mendarat di landasan pacu 26L Bandara Paris – Charles De Gaulle. Berikut ini video pendaratannya:

Untungnya, kami parkir di Gerbang K di Terminal 2E, yang mana artinya aku tidak perlu berjalan jauh ke Terminal 2F. Singkat cerita, aku melewati pemeriksaan imigrasi dan mengambil bagasiku.

Transit di Paris CDG

Terima kasih atas tumpangannya, F-GSQG!!

Dari aula pengambilan bagasi di Terminal 2E, aku menyeberangi bandaranya menuju Terminal 2F dimana aku check-in di konter prioritasnya Air France. Aku mendapatkan boarding pass Paris – Amsterdam-ku, memasukkan bagasiku, melewati pemeriksaan sekuriti, dan kemudian menuju ke lounge.

Aku ingin mengecek status penerbanganku sehingga aku mengecek boarding pass untuk melihat nomor penerbangannya. Nah, baru lah aku sadar kalau ternyata aku telah di-upgrade ke kelas bisnis Eropa!! 😍😍😍

Champagne di Salon Air France

Anyway, aku menunggu penerbanganku di Salon Air France di Terminal 2F. Di satu waktu, beberapa petugas berkeliling lounge sambil membagikan champagne, haha.

KL 1244 (Paris – Amsterdam), kelas bisnis Eropa

Penerbangan: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 1244
Pesawat: Boeing 737-800 reg PH-BXI bernama “Zilvermeeuw”
ATD: 19:04 CET
ATA: 19:51 CET

Setelah boarding, aku duduk di kursi 2Dku. Penerbangan hari ini penuh sehingga boarding memakan waktu cukup lama. Anyway, sesuai standar penerbangan di Eropa, kelas bisnis di dalam PH-BXI adalah “kelas bisnis Eropa”, artinya kursinya sama seperti kursi di kelas ekonomi tetapi dengan legroom yang sedikit lebih lapang dan kursi tengah yang diblok/tidak digunakan.

Jelas dong selfie wajib kelas bisnis Eropa

Begitu kami berangkat dan mencapai ketinggian jelajah, layanan makan malam dibagikan kru. Karena penerbangan ini hanya sepanjang 50 menit saja, memang rasanya agak terburu-buru. Menu utamanya adalah mixed salad yang mana rasanya enak loh. Mereka menyajikannya dengan roti hangat, walaupun favoritku (selain saladnya sih) adalah mousse mini yang enak banget!! Untuk minuman, aku memilih minum sparkling wine.

Layanan makan malam di kelas bisnis Eropanya KLM

Setelah aku selesai makan malam, purser-nya mengambil nampan kosongku dan bertanya aku ingin minum apa. Berhubung temanku sudah menungguku di Amsterdam sementara aku baru nyaris tiba setelah perjalanan selama 36 jam lebih dari Indonesia, aku memilih segelas kopi hangat, haha.

Segelas kopi sebelum mendarat.

Anyway, jam 19:51, pesawat mendarat di Bandara Schiphol di Amsterdam. Aku harus menunggu sekitar 30 menit sebelum mendapatkan bagasiku (Schiphol banget deh 😆 ), dan kemudian bertemu temanku di depan Burger King.

BERSAMBUNG…

#1872 – 2016 Year End Trip (Part VI: Yogyakarta to Bali to Shanghai)

ENGLISH

Posts in the 2016 Year End Trip series:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Amsterdam to Rome to Shanghai
3. Part II: Shanghai to Bali
4. Part III: Bali
5. Part IV: Yogyakarta
6. Part V: The Food in Yogyakarta
7. Part VI: Yogyakarta to Bali to Shanghai
8. Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam
9. Part VIII: A Weekend in Amsterdam

GA 252 (Yogyakarta – Denpasar/Bali)

Flight: Garuda Indonesia GA 252
Equipment: Boeing 737-800 reg PK-GMO
ATD: 17:09 WIB
ATA: 19:06 WITA

My flight was scheduled to depart at 16:15, so I arrived at Adisutjipto Airport at 14:15. Upon checking-in, I was told that the flight would be delayed for about 30 minutes due to late departure from Denpasar. Well, given that I would have hours to kill in Bali before my next flight anyway, I was not bothered with the delay, haha 😛 .

Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge

I waited for my flight at Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge using my SkyTeam Elite Plus status from my Flying Blue Gold membership. The last time I used this lounge was probably a decade ago, lol. The lounge was descent, with good selection of food, drink, and snack; though the room itself felt claustrophobic with few windows.

Garuda Indonesia’s Boeing 737-800 reg PK-GMO

Anyway, the flight today was with Garuda Indonesia’s Boeing 737-800 reg PK-GMO. Boarding started at about 16:35 and I settled onto my 21K seat. Long story short, we departed and took off from runway 09 of Adisutjipto Airport. See you, Yogyakarta!

It was a pleasant flight with Garuda Indonesia, as usual. Complimentary snack was distributed midway through the flight and I used the IFE to listen to some music. It was a turbulence-free flight, even though it was really cloudy outside that I could not see the land all the way above Java! Haha 😛 .

Cloudy Java

Almost an hour later, we were already approaching Ngurah Rai International Airport. We would land at runway 27 so we made a u-turn above Nusa Penida and passed Sanur Beach and Bali Mandara Toll Road. Here is the landing video:

Garuda Indonesia’s Amazing Cabin Crew

I believe one strong point of Garuda Indonesia is the cabin crew who, in my opinion, is indeed the best in the world (they won three consecutive best cabin crew award in 2014, 2015, and 2016). Really, it is not for nothing as this was reflected in this flight GA 252.

Parked at a remote stand at DPS

The plane was parked in a remote parking where the passengers would be taken by buses to the terminal. So we had to go down the stairs to the tarmac. In front of me was an elderly lady carrying two bags. Seeing this, on her own initiative a flight attendant offered to carry the two bags for her! She then walked down the stairs carrying two bags while assisting the elderly lady as well.

Two Garuda Indonesia flight attendants (clearly not from this flight 😛 ).

It might be a small thing, indeed; but small things do matter. And it appears that Garuda Indonesia’s cabin crew consistently delivers this level of service, for instance this time in January when a flight attendant carried an elderly lady off the plane because no wheelchair was available. To be honest, I have never seen such level of care and service from the cabin crews of any other airlines I have every flown. Yeah, Garuda Indonesia deserves that award.

Transitting at DPS

Garuda Indonesia Arrival Lounge at DPS

With my SkyTeam Elite Plus membership, upon arriving at Denpasar, I could go to Garuda Indonesia’s Arrival Lounge. There, an officer took my luggage tag and he would take the luggage for me while I was waiting in the lounge! 😮

Yeah, it was awesome!! Haha 😛

The international hall of Ngurah Rai Airport

With the delay, I decided to just wait at the airport (at first I had a thought to probably have dinner at Kuta). I went to a cafe and prepared a blog post to pass some time, haha. At 22:30, I entered the departure area to check-in.

I checked-in at the regular lane because I could not find a SkyPriority lane, which I found strange at the time. But then it turned out there was a special lounge for it more in the inside, which I did not see 😦 .

An Indonesian buffet dinner at Garuda Indonesia International Lounge at DPS

After quick immigration check (the line was not very long for Indonesians 😛 ), I went to Garuda Indonesia’s International Lounge. I had not had dinner yet so I was feeling quite hungry. Lucky the lounge provided quite a descent option of buffet that evening! The lounge was good even though the wifi connection was troublesome.

MU 5030 (Denpasar/Bali – Shanghai)

Flight: China Eastern MU 5030
Equipment: Airbus A330-300 reg B6095
ATD: 02:00 WITA
ATA: 07:46 CST

Boarding started a little bit late today. And some economy passsengers tried to board via the priority lane. The officer asked them that it was not their lane, but they complained, in Chinese, lol 😆 . The (Indonesian) officer then said: “If you want to say something, please do so in English“, lol 😆 .

A China Eastern’s Airbus A330-300 reg B6095

Anyway, the flight today would be operated with China Eastern’s Airbus A330-300 reg B6095. At first I was excited because the plane was in China Eastern’s new livery!! But then, after boarding I got super disappointed because:

No PTV on board China Eastern’s B6095

Yes, no PTV!! 😱 😱 😱 Like, seriously? I thought this was 2017 and China Eastern was NOT an LCC!?!? Well, not that it would matter big time as this was a redeye and I planned to sleep anyway. This was actually good as I would not have anything else to do than to sleep, lol. But still, overally this was disappointing and showed me the huge inconsistent level of service and comfort between China Eastern’s long-haul fleet.

Long story short, we departed and took off from runway 27 of Ngurah Rai Airport at 02:00. Then, we made a turn to the north towards China.

On board China Eastern’s Airbus A330-300 reg B6095

The service on this flight was really weird. And I still can’t wrap my head around it.

Take-off took place at 02:00 so naturally most passengers would like to get to sleep right away. But then, not long after take-off, a dinner service was served!! Yep, a proper dinner service at around 02:30!! No wonder many passengers declined it. I did not, only because I wanted to see what it was and took a photo, haha 😛 . In the end, I only ate the chicken, egg, and fruit as I was not really hungry anyway.

Dinner service on board flight MU5030 at … 02:30 AM!! 😣

And then, the flight was scheduled to land at around 08:00. However, there was NO service at all prior to landing! No breakfast, no small snacks, no coffee/tea/etc. Nothing. It was so strange! I just don’t get it. If it were me, I would swap the dinner with a breakfast service.

Cloudy Shanghai

Anyway, the weather in Shanghai was not in the best mood, again, haha. Thick cloud was hanging and we had to land in the rain, again. Here is the landing video:

This time, though, at least we parked at a proper gate with an air bridge.

Yeah, overall, it was a rather disappointing flight with China Eastern. To be honest, after landing in Shanghai, I was very glad to have chosen Air France as my connecting flight to go back to Europe.

TO BE CONTINUED… 

Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge at Adisutjipto Airport

Traditional snack and jamu at Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge

Boarding Garuda Indonesia’s PK-GMO

My seat 21K on board PK-GMO

AVOD PTV on the bulkhead

Garuda brand headset

Candies before take-off

Garuda Indonesia was the most loved airline of 2016

Thick cloud above Java

On board Garuda Indonesia’s Boeing 737-800 reg PK-GMO

PK-GMO’s right winglet

Complimentary snack box on board Garuda Indonesia GA 252

Garuda Indonesia Arrival Lounge at DPS

A priority check in counter at DPS

Garuda Indonesia International Lounge at Ngurah Rai Airport

The duty free area of Ngurah Rai International Airport

Wines at Garuda Indonesia International Lounge. I finished both of them 🙈

My seat 33L on board China Eastern’s B6095

A China Eastern’s B6095 lavatory with an air freshener

Transit information

B6095’s right winglet

BAHASA INDONESIA

Posting-posting dalam seri 2016 Year End Trip:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Amsterdam to Rome to Shanghai
3. Part II: Shanghai to Bali
4. Part III: Bali
5. Part IV: Yogyakarta
6. Part V: The Food in Yogyakarta
7. Part VI: Yogyakarta to Bali to Shanghai
8. Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam
9. Part VIII: A Weekend in Amsterdam

GA 252 (Yogyakarta – Denpasar/Bali)

Penerbangan: Garuda Indonesia GA 252
Pesawat: Boeing 737-800 reg PK-GMO
ATD: 17:09 WIB
ATA: 19:06 WITA

Berhubung penerbanganku dijadwalkan berangkat jam 4:15 sore, aku tiba di Bandara Adisutjipto sekitar jam 2:15. Ketika check-in, aku diberi-tahu bahwa penerbanganku akan terlambat selama sekitar 30an menit akibat keberangkatan pesawat yang terlambat dari Denpasar. Yah, karena toh aku akan memiliki banyak waktu untuk dihabiskan di Bali sebelum penerbangan lanjutanku juga, aku sih tidak begitu masalah dengan keterlambatan ini, haha 😛 .

Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge

Aku menunggu penerbanganku di Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge dengan menggunakan status SkyTeam Elite Plus dari keanggotaan Flying Blue Gold-ku. Terakhir kali aku menggunakan lounge ini adalah sekitar 10 tahun yang lalu, haha. Lounge-nya sendiri lumayan lah, dengan pilihan makanan, minuman, dan snack yang cukup lengkap; walaupun ruangannya sendiri terasa sedikit klaustrofobik akibat tidak terlalu banyak memiliki jendela.

Sebuah Boeing 737-800nya Garuda Indonesia dengan rego PK-GMO

Anyway, penerbangan hari ini adalah dengan sebuah Boeing 737-800nya Garuda Indonesia dengan registrasi PK-GMO. Boarding dimulai sekitar jam 4:35 sore dan aku duduk di kursi 21K. Tak lama kemudian, pesawat berangkat dan lepas landas dari landasan pacu 09 Bandara Adisutjipto. Sampai jumpa, Yogyakarta!

Ini adalah penerbangan yang nyaman dengan Garuda Indonesia, seperti biasanya. Layanan snack dibagikan di penerbangan ini dan aku memanfaatkan IFEnya untuk mendengarkan musik. Penerbangan ini bebas turbulensi walaupun di luar sedang sangat berawan, sampai-sampai aku nggak bisa melihat pulau Jawa! Haha 😛 .

Pulau Jawa yang berawan

Sekitar sejam kemudian, kami mulai mendekati Bandara Internasional Ngurah Rai. Kami akan mendarat di landasan pacu 27 sehingga kami berputar-balik di atas Nusa Penida dan kemudian melewati Pantai Sanur dan Jalan Tol Bali Mandara sebelum mendarat. Berikut ini video pendaratannya:

Kru kabinnya Garuda Indonesia yang keren banget

Satu faktor keunggulan Garuda Indonesia adalah kru kabinnya yang, menurutku, memang yang terbaik di dunia (Garuda memenangi penghargaan kru kabin terbaik tiga tahun berturut-turut di tahun 2014, 2015, dan 2016). Dan ini memang nampak di penerbangan GA 252 ini.

Parkir di tempat parkir remote di DPS

Pesawat diparkir di sebuah tempat parkir remote sehingga penumpang akan diantar ke terminal dengan bus. Artinya kami harus turun tangga ke tarmac bandara. Di depanku adalah seorang ibu-ibu tua yang menjinjing dua buah tas. Melihat ini, seorang pramugarinya berinisiatif untuk membawakan dua tas ibunya itu! Ia kemudian juga ikut menuruni tangga dengan menenteng dua buah tas sambil menuntun ibu tua tersebut.

Dua pramugari Garuda Indonesia (jelas bukan dari penerbangan ini 😛 ).

Mungkin ini memang hal kecil ya; tetapi hal-hal kecil begini itu penting juga lho. Dan memang nampaknya kru kabin Garuda Indonesia konsisten dalam level pelayanannya ini, misalnya awal Januari lalu ketika seorang pramugari menggendong seorang ibu tua turun dari pesawat karena ketiadaan kursi roda. Sejujurnya, aku belum pernah melihat level pelayanan dan kepedulian yang setinggi ini dari kru kabin maskapai-maskapai lain yang pernah aku naiki. Iya, memang Garuda Indonesia berhak memenangi penghargaan itu.

Transit di DPS

Lounge Ketibaan Garuda Indonesia di DPS

Dengan status SkyTeam Elite Plus-ku, ketika tiba di Denpasar, aku bisa menunggu di lounge ketibaannya Garuda Indonesia. Di sana, seorang petugas mengambil tag bagasiku dan ia akan mengambilkan bagasiku untukku sementara aku bersantai menunggu di lounge-nya! 😮

Iyaa, asyik banget dah! Haha 😛

Hall international Bandara Ngurah Rai

Akibat keterlambatan ini, aku memutuskan untuk menunggu di bandara saja (awalnya aku sempat berpikiran untuk pergi makan malam di Kuta). Aku pergi ke kafe dan mempersiapkan sebuah posting untuk blog ini untuk menghabiskan waktu, haha. Jam 10:30 malam, aku masuk ke area keberangkatan untuk check-in.

Aku check-in di jalur reguler karena aku tidak menemukan jalur SkyPriority, yang mana waktu itu aku merasa aneh. Nah, ternyata di dalamnya lagi ada lounge spesial untuk check-in prioritas itu dong, yang mana awalnya aku kan nggak tahu 😦 .

Makan malam buffet Indonesia di Garuda Indonesia International Lounge di DPS

Setelah pemeriksaan imigrasi (yang mana antriannya nggak panjang untuk orang Indonesia 😛 ), aku pergi ke Garuda Indonesia International Lounge. Karena belum makan malam, aku merasa lapar. Untungnya lounge-nya menyediakan buffet yang cukup lengkap malam itu! Lounge-nya sendiri nyaman banget walaupun sayang koneksi wifi-nya lambat.

MU 5030 (Denpasar/Bali – Shanghai)

Penerbangan: China Eastern MU 5030
Pesawat: Airbus A330-300 reg B6095
ATD: 02:00 WITA
ATA: 07:46 CST

Boarding dimulai agak terlambat kali ini. Dan beberapa penumpang ekonomi reguler ingin menyerobot antri di jalur prioritas dong. Mas petugasnya memberi-tahu bahwa itu bukan jalur mereka, tetapi mereka komplain dong, pakai bahasa Mandarin pula, haha 😆 . Jadilah petugasnya (orang Indonesia) berkata: “Tolong menggunakan bahasa Inggris“, haha 😛 .

Sebuah Airbus A330-300nya China Eastern dengan rego B6095

Anyway, penerbangan hari ini akan dioperasikan dengan Airbus A330-300nya China Eastern dengan rego B6095. Awalnya aku excited karena pesawatnya ber-livery barunya China Eastern! Tetapi kemudian, setelah boarding aku langsung super kecewa karena:

Nggak ada PTV di dalam B6095nya China Eastern

Iya dong, nggak ada PTVnya!! 😱 😱 😱 Yang bener aja nih? Bukannya ini tahun 2017 dan China Eastern kan bukan LCC!?!? Yah, ini bukan masalah besar sih sebenarnya karena ini adalah penerbangan malam sehingga toh aku berencana untuk tidur juga. Mungkin ini justru bagus karena aku jadi tidak ada pilihan lain selain tidur, haha. Tapi tetap aja lah, secara keseluruhan ini mengecewakan dan bagiku menunjukkan ketidak-konsistenan level pelayanan dan kenyamanan di armada jarak jauhnya China Eastern.

Singkat cerita, kami berangkat dan lepas landas dari landasan pacu 27 Bandara Ngurah Rai jam 2 subuh. Lalu, kami belok ke arah utara menuju China.

Di dalam Airbus A330-300nya China Eastern dengan rego B6095.

Layanan di penerbangan ini juga aneh sekali. Dan aku masih gagal paham nih.

Lepas landas berlangsung jam 2 subuh yang mana artinya kebanyakan penumpang berencana untuk beristirahat. Tetapi kemudian, tak lama setelah lepas-landas, malah layanan makan malam dibagikan dong!! Yep, makan malam jam 2:30 subuh!! Nggak mengherankan lah banyak penumpang yang menolaknya. Aku sih engga, soalnya ingin tahu makan malamnya apaan dan ingin aku foto, haha 😛 . Akhirnya, yang kumakan hanya daging ayam, telur, dan buah-buahannya saja karena aku nggak lapar sama sekali.

Layanan makan malam di penerbangan MU5030 jam … 2:30 subuh!! 😣

Dan kemudia, penerbangan ini dijadwalkan tiba sekitar jam 8 pagi kan. Nah, justru malah TIDAK ADA layanan apa pun dong sebelum mendarat! Tidak ada sarapan, snack kecil apa gitu kek, teh/kopi/dll. Aneh banget deh!  Aku gagal paham bener deh. Kalau aku sih, aku akan menukar layanan makan malam itu dengan layanan sarapan.

Shanghai yang berawan

Anyway, cuaca di Shanghai sedang tidak oke lagi nih. Awal tebal menggantung di atasnya sehingga kami harus mendarat di tengah hujan, lagi. Berikut ini video pendaratannya:

Setidaknya, kali ini kami parkir di sebuah gate dengan garbarata.

Ya, secara keseluruhan ini adalah penerbangan yang agak mengecewakan dengan China Eastern. Sejujurnya nih, setelah mendarat di Shanghai, aku merasa lega banget telah memilih Air France untuk penerbanganku kembali ke Eropa.

BERSAMBUNG… 

 

#1864 – 2016 Year End Trip (Part II: Shanghai to Bali)

ENGLISH

Posts in the 2016 Year End Trip series:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Amsterdam to Rome to Shanghai
3. Part II: Shanghai to Bali
4. Part III: Bali
5. Part IV: Yogyakarta
6. Part V: The Food in Yogyakarta
7. Part VI: Yogyakarta to Bali to Shanghai
8. Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam
9. Part VIII: A Weekend in Amsterdam

Seamless Transiting Experience at Shanghai Pudong (PVG)

As I mentioned in Part I, my luggage was tagged only to Shanghai. Consequently, at Shanghai Pudong I would need to take my luggage and recheck it in to Bali.

Arriving in Shanghai

After the bus took me to the terminal, I asked for the transfer desk. I could not find any, instead, I faced two options: to go left to the “international transfer” area or to go right to the immigration area. As I was transiting internationally, I turned left.

The officer told me I could go in because I already had my Shanghai – Bali boarding pass. But then when I asked her about my luggage, she hesitated a little bit and then told me I needed to go out, take my luggage, and recheck it in myself, indeed.

So I turned back and went to the immigration area. Here is the thing. I did not have a valid Chinese visa at the time. But I was not worried at all because I knew I qualified for the visa exemption, under the “24-hour direct transit” rule.

Shanghai Pudong

The immigration officer asked me when my connecting flight would be. I told him it would depart in about 2.5 hours, lol 😆 . He was surprised to hear that as why would I need to enter China, then? I told him about the luggage situation. He then called his colleague, who took a copy of my passport. Then, they put a “Temporary Stay Permit” that was valid for 24 hours in my passport, and stamped my entrance to China.

Seamless!! I was really impressed!!

This experience meant I could say that I was back IN China after about 6.5 years!! Well, despite for only like 30 minutes this time, lol 😆 .

Gate to Bali

Being tagged with a priority label, my luggage had been waiting for me at the belt when I left immigration. I took it and went to the transfer area. I had to scan my luggage first and then I could recheck-it in to Bali.

I went upstairs to the departure area, where I was immediately directed to the immigration area as I already had my boarding pass with me. I queued for a little bit and when it was my turn, the officer told me I had not filled in the departure card so I had to go out the line, filled it in first, and requeued. But then, seeing that I was about to queue AGAIN after I filled the card in, another officer told me to go to the priority lane instead!!

Wow!! Seamless, again!!

Dimsum for dinner at the lounge

After immigration and the security check, I went to China Eastern’s lounge. And I have to say I was impressed with the lounge! There were two floors, where hot food could be found on the first (and it was the busier of the two) while people could relax more on the second. Moreover, the best area of the lounge was on the second floor, this spot:

A massage chair at China Eastern Lounge!

Yesss!!! Complimentary full-body massage chairs!! As someone who never went to a massage parlor in Europe, this was like heaven to me! Lol 😆 .

Some massage modes

There were many massage programs we could choose (shiatsu, kneading, tapping, etc) and even we could ask the chair to massage a specific part of our body. I chose the sport relaxation massage, which would last for a good 30 minutes. The machine started with “sensing our body” before the massage began, and that it would start massaging accordingly!!

Amazing!!

MU 5029 (Shanghai – Denpasar/Bali)

Flight: China Eastern MU 5029
Equipment: Airbus A330-300 reg B5953
ATD: 18:40 CST
ATA: 00:34 WITA

Boarding was delayed for about 30 minutes. I found the boarding to be rather unorganized, though, where they switched the priority and regular lanes after people had started to queue, and they opened the two lanes at the same time (so what was the point of the priority lane, then? 🙄 ).

A China Eastern’s Airbus A330-300 reg B5953

Anyway, the flight today was upgraded from an Airbus A330-200 to an Airbus A330-300 with registration B5953. I settled onto my 33A seat after boarding. Luckily, the seat next to me was VACANT today, yeay!! 😀

Shanghai Pudong Airport was quite busy this evening. We had to wait for quite a long time before getting the permission to take off. Once we did, we immediately headed south towards Indonesia.

The dinner service on board China Eastern MU5029 to Bali.

About an hour after take-off, dinner was served. I chose the beef and rice option, which was quite good and tasted “so Chinese”, haha. The vegetables reminded of my trip to China 6.5 years ago.

Hello, Indonesia!!

I decided to watch The Legend of Tarzan on my AVOD screen on this flight. I was also quite tired and I was able to sleep for about 2.5 hours, haha. I woke up just in time when we were entering Indonesia. It turned out we did so above the island of Kalimantan, flying over Kota Kinabalu towards Palangkaraya, then made a turn towards Bali.

On board China Eastern’s Airbus A330-300 B5953

At 00:34 WITA, we landed at runway 27 of Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali. I was lucky that the immigration lane for Indonesians was queue-less (while the lane for foreigners was so full of people, lol). But still, the luggage handling was quite long as I could only leave the airport at about 01:30, lol 😆 . My parents and brother had waited for me just outside the luggage area. They picked my up and we went to our hotel in Tanjung Benoa.

Approaching runway 27 of Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali.

Anyway, here, finally I was back in Indonesia. And I was ready for Bali!! 😀

TO BE CONTINUED…

Shanghai Pudong

China Eastern Lounge (second floor)

China Eastern Lounge (dining area)

China Eastern Lounge

Sky Priority in China

Boarding China Eastern

My seat 33A on board B5953

Good seat pitch

PTV Screen with AVOD

Rainy Shanghai

Safety demo

The lavatory

Air fresheners

Both seats were for me!!

Flying over the Bali Mandara Toll Road in high speed

BAHASA INDONESIA

Posting-posting dalam seri 2016 Year End Trip
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Amsterdam to Rome to Shanghai
3. Part II: Shanghai to Bali
4. Part III: Bali
5. Part IV: Yogyakarta
6. Part V: The Food in Yogyakarta
7. Part VI: Yogyakarta to Bali to Shanghai
8. Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam
9. Part VIII: A Weekend in Amsterdam

Pengalaman Transit Amat Mulus di Shanghai Pudong (PVG)

Seperti yang kusebutkan di Bagian I, bagasiku hanya ditandai sampai di Shanghai saja. Sebagai akibatnya, di Shanghai Pudong aku harus mengambil bagasiku dan meng-check-in-kannya lagi ke Bali.

Ketibaan di Shanghai

Setelah aku dibawa dengan bus ke terminal, aku bertanya mengenai lokasi meja transit. Aku tidak bisa menemukannya. Malah, aku dihadapkan pada dua pilihan: belok kiri ke area “transit internasional” atau belok kanan ke area imigrasi. Karena aku akan transit internasional, aku memilih untuk belok kiri.

Petugasnya berkata aku bisa masuk karena aku sudah memiliki boarding pass Shanghai – Bali. Tetapi ketika aku ceritakan mengenai situasi bagasiku, awalnya ia menjadi ragu dan kemudian berkata sebaiknya aku keluar, mengambil bagasiku, dan meng-check-in-kannya lagi sendiri.

Jadilah aku berputar-balik dan masuk ke area imigrasi. Tetapi begini nih situasinya waktu itu. Aku tidak memiliki visa China yang berlaku. Tetapi aku sih tidak khawatir karena aku tahu aku bisa mendapatkan pengecualian visa, di bawah aturan “24-hour direct transit”.

Shanghai Pudong

Petugas imigrasinya bertanya kapan penerbangan lanjutanku akan berangkat. Aku jawab 2,5 jam lagi, huahaha 😆 . Ia kaget ketika mendengarnya karena lantas untuk apa dong perlunya aku masuk ke dalam China? Aku ceritakan situasi bagasiku. Ia kemudian menelepon koleganya, yang kemudian memfoto-kopi pasporku. Kemudian, ia memberikan cap “Temporary Stay Permit” yang berlaku 24 jam di dalam pasporku, dan mencapnya lagi untuk memberikanku akses masuk ke China.

Mulus bangett!! Aku sungguh terkesan!!

Pengalaman ini berarti kini aku bisa bilang bahwa aku kembali DI China setelah 6,5 tahun-an!! Yah, walaupun cuma sekitar 30an menit saja sih kali ini, haha 😆 .

Gerbang keberangkatan ke Bali

Karena diberi label prioritas, bagasiku sudah menungguku di karusel pengambilan bagasi. Aku mengambilnya dan masuk ke area transfer. Setelah bagasinya aku scan, aku meng-check-in-kannya kembali ke Bali.

Kemudian aku naik ke area keberangkatan di lantai atas, dimana aku langsung diarahkan ke area imigrasi karena aku sudah memiliki boarding pass. Setelah sedikit mengantri dan giliranku tiba, petugasnya berkata aku belum mengisi kartu keberangkatan sehingga aku harus keluar antrian, mengisinya, dan kemudian mengantri lagi. Tetapi kemudian, melihat bahwa aku akan mengantri LAGI setelah mengisi kartunya, seorang petugas berkata bahwa aku diperbolehkan mengantri di jalur antrian prioritas!!

Wow!! Mulus banget, lagi, ya!!

Dimsum untuk makan malam di lounge

Setelah imigrasi dan pemeriksaan sekuriti, aku masuk ke lounge-nya China Eastern. Dan harus kubilang bahwa aku sungguh terkesan dengan lounge-nya! Ukurannya besar dengan dua lantai, di mana makanan hangat tersedia di lantai satu (dan lantai ini memang yang lebih ramai) sementara di lantai dua pengunjung bisa bersantai. Lebih jauh lagi, area terasyik di lounge ini ada di lantai dua, bagian ini nih:

Kursi pijat di Lounge China Eastern!

Iyaaaa!!! Kursi pijat seluruh badan komplimen!! Sebagai fakir pijat di Eropa, ini mah benar-benar seperti surga lah ya bagiku! Ahahahah 😆 .

Beberapa mode pijat

Ada banyak mode program pijat yang bisa dipilih (shiatsu, kneading, tapping, dll) dan bahkan kita bisa meminta kursinya untuk memijiat bagian tertentu dari badan kita. Aku memilih program pijat sport relaxation yang panjangnya 30 menit. Mesinnya memulai pijatan dengan “merasakan badan kita” dahulu di mana ia mempelajari lekuk tubuh kita sebelum mulai memijat berdasarkan informasi itu!!

Keren ya!!

MU 5029 (Shanghai – Denpasar/Bali)

Penerbangan: China Eastern MU 5029
Pesawat: Airbus A330-300 reg B5953
ATD: 18:40 CST
ATA: 00:34 WITA

Boarding terlambat sekitar setengah jam. Aku merasa proses boarding-nya berlangsung cukup kacau, sayangnya. Mereka sempat menukar jalur prioritas dan reguler setelah penumpang mulai mengantri, dan kedua jalur mereka buka pada saat yang bersamaan (terus apa dong gunanya jalur prioritas kalau begitu? 🙄 )

Sebuah Airbus A330-300nya China Eastern dengan rego B5953

Anyway, penerbangan hari ini di-upgrade dari pesawat tipe Airbus A330-200 menjadi Airbus A330-300 dengan registrasi B5953. Aku duduk di kursi 33A. Beruntung, kursi di sebelahku KOSONG loh hari ini, horee!! 😀

Bandara Shanghai Pudong sibuk sore hari ini. Kami harus mengantri lama sebelum mendapatkan giliran lepas landas. Setelah lepas landas, kami berbelok ke arah selatan menuju Indonesia.

Layanan makan malam di penerbangan MU 5029nya China Eastern menuju Bali.

Sekitar satu jam setelah lepas landas, layanan makan malam diberikan. Aku memilih pilihan daging sapi dan nasi, yang mana rasanya cukup lumayan dan “mainland Chinese” banget lah, haha. Sayurannya mengingatkanku akan perjalananku ke China 6,5 tahun yang lalu.

Halo, Indonesia!!

Aku memutuskan untuk menonton The Legend of Tarzan di layar AVODku kali ini. Aku juga merasa cukup lelah dan bisa tidur selama 2,5 jam-an, haha. Aku bangun tepat ketika pesawat mulai memasuki area Indonesia. Ternyata, hari ini kami masuk Indonesia melalui langit di atas pulau Kalimantan, dengan terbang dari Kota Kinabalu menuju Palangkaraya dan kemudian berbelok menuju Bali.

Di dalam pesawat Airbus A330-300 B5953nya China Eastern

Jam 00:34 WITA, pesawat mendarat di landasan pacu 27 Bandara Internasional Ngurah Rai di Bali. Beruntung antrian imigrasi bagi pemegang paspor Indonesia kosong hari ini (sementara antrian bagi orang asingnya panjaaaang, ahahah 😆 ). Tetapi sayangnya, layanan bagasinya lama sekali sehingga aku baru bisa keluar bandara jam 01:30, haha 😆 . Orangtuaku dan adikku telah menungguku di luar area pengambilan bagasi. Mereka menjemputku dan kami pergi ke hotel kami di Tanjung Benoa.

Mendekati landasan pacu 27 Bandara Ngurah Rai, Bali.

Anyway, di sini, akhirnya aku kembali ke Indonesia. Dan aku sudah siap untuk Bali!! 😀

BERSAMBUNG…

#1863 – 2016 Year End Trip (Part I: Amsterdam to Rome to Shanghai)

ENGLISH

Posts in the 2016 Year End Trip series:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Amsterdam to Rome to Shanghai
3. Part II: Shanghai to Bali
4. Part III: Bali
5. Part IV: Yogyakarta
6. Part V: The Food in Yogyakarta
7. Part VI: Yogyakarta to Bali to Shanghai
8. Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam
9. Part VIII: A Weekend in Amsterdam

AZ 107 (Amsterdam – Rome)

Flight: Alitalia AZ 107
Equipment: Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTH
ATD: 12:29 CET
ATA: 14:06 CET

Because I could not check in online, I went to the (priority) check in desk at Schiphol Airport. Upon check in, the lady informed me that she could only tag my luggage until Shanghai and, for some reason, she could not tag it all the way to Bali. This meant that I would have to get my luggage, myself, at Shanghai Pudong Airport and rechecked it in to Bali. She also informed me that all window seats had been taken on the Amsterdam to Rome flight. Damn, but at least I got an aisle seat.

After the security check, I went to the KLM Crown Lounge and waited for my flight there. Just before boarding time, I left the lounge and went to the gate. The flight today would be operated with an Alitalia’s Airbus A320-200 with an Irish registration: EI-DTH.

Alitalia’s Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTH

The flight was slightly delayed today and upon boarding, some Christmas-themed songs were played, like Sister Act’s “Happy Days” and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”, haha. Not long after, all passengers boarded and the flight departed.

Overall it was a regular uneventful flight with Alitalia, with a few minor turbulence along the way. I was a little bit disappointed, though, that they did not serve their famous blood orange juice on this flight. At 14:06, we landed at Rome Fiumicino International Airport.

The complimentary snack on board an Alitalia’s flight. No more blood orange juice 😦

Transitting at Rome – Fiumicino

Another situation I had to deal today was that at Schiphol, I was only given the Amsterdam – Rome boarding pass. I would receive my boarding passes for my next two flights with China Eastern in Rome, I was told. I assumed I would be able to do that at an Alitalia’s transfer desk, as both Alitalia and China Eastern were members of SkyTeam. So I went to the first Alitalia transfer desk that I saw in the terminal.

The transfer desk was super busy, not surprising considering it was peak travelling time. The lady said she could not help me as my next two flights were with China Eastern and she shooed me away to “Terminal 3” without giving me any more guidance. Look, I understood that she was probably overwhelmed with the many people she had to deal with today so the rather rude behavior, but I would not mind to have a more helpful transfer agent.

Alitalia’s lounge at Rome Fiumicino

So I went to Terminal 3, upon which I asked an information lady where I could get my China Eastern boarding pass. It seemed to me that this was not the first time she got this question, as she could immediately tell me to go to the gate and the agents there would hand me my boarding passes. So I passed immigration and went to the planned gate. It turned out I was too early (well, I was there like 4.5 hours before departure 😛 ), so I decided to go to an Alitalia’s lounge at the airport. Let’s say the lounge was not the best lounge I had been too, haha, though it was rather sufficient.

About 1.5 hours before departure time, I went to the gate and I got my boarding passes; all the way to Bali. I made sure about my luggage situation, and it was confirmed that I would need to take care of my luggage at Shanghai Pudong.

MU 788 (Rome – Shanghai)

Flight: China Eastern MU 788
Equipment: Airbus A330-200 reg B5908
ATD: 20:44 CET
ATA: 14:22 CST

At about 20:00, boarding call was made. I was lucky today. Flight MU 788 would be operated with an Airbus A330-200 reg B5908, which was in SkyTeam livery!! Yes! My first long-haul flight with an alliance special livery!! 😀

China Eastern’s Airbus A330-200 reg B5908 in SkyTeam livery

I was among the first passengers to board the plane, and I quickly settled into my 67L seat. Boarding went rather efficiently. Once all passengers boarded, the doors were closed and the flight departed. We took off in the westward direction before turning eastward towards China.

On board China Eastern’s B5908

About an hour after departure, dinner was served. When the flight attendants reached my row, they had run out of the rice option and I was left with the “noodles” option with fish. Well, I did not mind noodles so it was not a problem. But then, upon opening the lid, the “noodles” was actually “penne pasta”! I like pasta, but to me “noodles” is different from “pasta”! Haha 😆 .

Dinner service (fish pasta) on board China Eastern’s flight MU788

The AVOD on board the flight was actually quite good. It actually exceeded my expectation as there were quite many Western options! I decided to watch Independence Day: Resurgence before sleep and Ice Age: Collision Course after sleep, haha.

On board China Eastern’s Airbus A330-200 reg B5908

The flight attendants were also quite good. They could speak (basic) English, unlike some reviews I read before complaining about this aspect, lol 😆 , and were actually quite attentive.

I could sleep for about four hours in total, which was not that bad, actually, haha 😆 . The flight attendants turned on the cabin light about two hours before landing, while we were already somewhere above Mongolia. Breakfast was served, with the options of omelette or fried rice. I opted for the fried rice one, which was cooked in Chinese style (read: the rice was white and salty 😀 ).

Somewhere above Mongolia

The weather above Shanghai turned out to not be in the best mood today. Thick cloud was hanging and it was actually raining when we approached the airport. At 14:06 CST, we landed smoothly at runway 17R of Shanghai Pudong Airport. Here is the landing video:

As you could see, it was raining when we landed. I also saw that a lot of the gates at the terminal building were vacant, so I thought we would park at one. But then, the plane made a turn away from the terminal, which meant we parked at a remote stand (and would be taken with a few buses to the terminal)!

We parked at a remote stand at Shanghai Pudong International Airport

I was so confused! Normally, actually I prefer to park at a remote stand. However, today it was raining AND I would have to take care of many stuffs (due to my luggage situation) in Shanghai! So I had a mixed feeling about this, haha 😆 .

TO BE CONTINUED…

Boarding Alitalia

Seat 10D on board Alitalia’s EI-DTH

Safety card on board Alitalia’s Airbus A320

Stuffies

On board Alitalia’s Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTH

Alitalia’s Business Class Lounge at FCO

Ferrari

Seat 67L on board China Eastern’s B5905

PTV Screen with AVOD on board China Eastern’s B5905

Safety card on board China Eastern’s Airbus A330-200

Stuffies

See you, Italy!

Some air fresheners inside a China Eastern’s lavatory

Waking up somewhere north to Kazakhstan

A morning view

Canada’s second biggest contribution to aviation 😛

The right winglet of B5905 in SkyTeam livery

The left engine of China Eastern’s Airbus A330-200 B5905

BAHASA INDONESIA

Posting-posting dalam seri 2016 Year End Trip:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Amsterdam to Rome to Shanghai
3. Part II: Shanghai to Bali
4. Part III: Bali
5. Part IV: Yogyakarta
6. Part V: The Food in Yogyakarta
7. Part VI: Yogyakarta to Bali to Shanghai
8. Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam
9. Part VIII: A Weekend in Amsterdam

AZ 107 (Amsterdam – Roma)

Penerbangan: Alitalia AZ 107
Pesawat: Airbus A320-200 reg EI-DTH
ATD: 12:29 CET
ATA: 14:06 CET

Karena tidak bisa check in online, aku harus check in biasa di meja check in (prioritas) di Bandara Schiphol. Ketika check in, petugasnya memberi-tahuku bahwa ia hanya bisa menge-tag bagasiku sampai Shanghai saja dan, entah karena apa, ia tidak bisa menge-tag-nya langsung sampai Bali. Ini berarti aku harus mengambil bagasiku, sendiri, di Bandara Shanghai Pudong dan menge-check-in-nya kembali ke Bali. Ia juga memberi-tahuku bahwa semua kursi jendela telah terambil di penerbangan Amsterdam ke Roma. Sial, tetapi setidaknya aku masih mendapatkan kursi lorong sih.

Setelah pemeriksaan sekuriti, aku menunggu penerbanganku di KLM Crown Lounge. Sebelum waktu berangkat, aku meninggalkan lounge-nya dan berjalan ke gerbang keberangkatan. Penerbangan hari ini akan dioperasikan dengan Airbus A320-200nya Alitalia dengan registrasi Irlandia: EI-DTH.

Airbus A320-200nya Alitalia dengan rego EI-DTH

Penerbangan hari ini sedikit terlambat dan ketika naik pesawat, beberapa lagu bertemakan Natal dimainkan, seperti “Happy Days” -nya Sisters Act dan “All I Want for Christmas is You”-nya Mariah Carey, haha. Tak lama setelahnya, semua penumpang naik pesawat dan penerbangan bisa diberangkatkan.

Secara umum ini adalah penerbangan normal dan uneventful bersama Alitalia, dengan beberapa turbulensi kecil sepanjang jalan. Aku sedikit kecewa sih sebenarnya, karena mereka tidak menyediakan blood orange juice yang terkenal itu dong di penerbangan ini. Jam 14:06, pesawat mendarat di Bandara Internasional Fiumicino di Roma.

Layanan snack di penerbangan Alitalia. Sayang banget nggak ada lagi blood orange juice 😦

Transit di Roma – Fiumicino

Situasi lain yang harus kuhadapi hari ini adalah di Schiphol, aku hanya diberikan boarding pass Amsterdam – Roma saja. Aku diberi-tahu boarding pass-ku selanjutnya dengan China Eastern akan dibagikan di Roma. Aku asumsikan aku akan mendapatkannya di konter transitnya Alitalia, karena Alitalia dan China Eastern kan sama-sama anggota SkyTeam. Jadilah aku pergi ke konter transit Alitalia pertama yang kulihat di terminal.

Konter transitnya amat sibuk waktu itu. Tidak mengherankan sih karena hari ini kan memang puncak-puncaknya lalu-lintas penumpang. Petugasnya berkata ia tidak bisa membantuku karena dua penerbanganku selanjutnya adalah dengan China Eastern. Ia mengusirku untuk ke “Terminal 3” tanpa memberikan informasi lain yang lebih jelas. Begini deh, aku mengerti bahwa saat itu ia sedang sibuk sekali dan mungkin overwhelmed dengan situasinya karena saking banyaknya penumpang yang harus ia layani sehingga mungkin ini menyebabkan ia agak kasar. Tapi tetap aja sih, menurutku akan lebih baik juga andaikata ia bisa sedikit lebih membantu gitu.

Lounge-nya Alitalia di Roma Fiumicino

Jadilah aku pergi ke Terminal 3, dimana di jalan aku bertanya ke seorang petugas informasi dimana boarding pass China Eastern-nya bisa kudapatkan. Nampaknya ini bukan kali pertama ia mendapatkan pertanyaan semacam ini, karena ia bisa langsung memberi-tahuku untuk pergi ke gate dan petugas di sana akan memberikanku boarding-pass-nya. Jadilah aku melewati pemeriksaan imigrasi dan berjalan ke gerbang keberangkatannya. Ternyata aku terlalu awal (iya lah, kan aku sampai di sana sekitar 4,5 jam sebelum keberangkatan 😛 ), jadilah aku memutuskan untuk menunggu di sebuah lounge-nya Alitalia di bandara. Hmm, lounge-nya sendiri bukan lah lounge terbaik yang pernah kumasuki sih, haha, walaupun fasilitasnya setidaknya bisa dikatakan cukup sih.

Sekitar 1,5 jam sebelum keberangkatan, aku menuju gerbang keberangkatan dan mendapatkan dua boarding pass-ku selanjutnya; sampai ke Bali. Aku pastikan kembali situasi bagasiku, dan dikonfirmasi bahwa aku harus mengurusnya sendiri di Shanghai Pudong.

MU 788 (Roma – Shanghai)

Penerbangan: China Eastern MU 788
Pesawat: Airbus A330-200 reg B5908
ATD: 20:44 CET
ATA: 14:22 CST

Sekitar jam 20:00, panggilan naik pesawat dimulai. Aku beruntung lho hari ini. Penerbangan MU 788 dioperasikan dengan sebuah Airbus A330-200 dengan registrasi B5908, yang mana dicat dengan livery SkyTeam!! Iyaaa! Penerbangan jarak-jauh pertamaku dengan pesawat bercat livery spesial aliansi!! 😀

Airbus A330-200nya China Eastern dengan rego B5908 dengan livery SkyTeam

Aku termasuk salah satu penumpang pertama yang naik ke pesawat, dan langsung aku duduk nyaman di kursi 67L-ku. Boarding berlangsung cukup efisien. Begitu semua penumpang naik, pintu-pintu ditutup dan kami berangkat. Kami lepas landas ke arah barat dan kemudian berputar ke arah timur menuju China.

Di dalam pesawat B5908nya China Eastern

Sekitar satu jam setelah keberangkatan, layanan makan malam dibagikan. Ketika pramugarinya sampai di deretanku, ternyata mereka sudah kehabisan pilihan nasi dan yang tersisa adalah pilihan “mie” dengan ikan. Aku sih nggak apa-apa kok makan mie sehingga ini bukan lah masalah. Tetapi kemudian, ketika kotaknya aku buka, “mie”-nya ternyata adalah “pasta penne”! Aku suka pasta sih, tetapi untukku “mie” itu tidak sama dengan “pasta” kan ya! Haha 😆 .

Layanan makan malam (pasta dengan ikan) di penerbangan MU788nya China Eastern

AVOD di penerbangan ini juga cukup oke loh. Sebenarnya malah melebihi sangkaanku karena ternyata ada cukup banyak pilihan hiburan Barat-nya! Aku memutuskan untuk menonton Independence Day: Resurgence sebelum tidur dan Ice Age: Collision Course setelah bangun, haha.

Di dalam Airbus A330-200nya China Eastern dengan rego B5908

Pramugarinya juga lumayan lah. Mereka bisa berbahasa Inggris (dasar sih), tidak seperti beberapa review yang kubaca yang komplain akan hal ini, haha 😆 . Mereka pun sebenarnya juga cukup perhatian juga kok.

Aku bisa tidur selama sekitar empat jam totalnya, lumayan sih itu, haha 😆 . Awak kabin menyalakan lampu sekitar dua jam sebelum mendarat, ketika kami sudah berada di atas Mongolia. Layanan sarapan dibagikan, yang mana pilihannya adalah omelet atau nasi goreng. Aku memilih opsi nasi goreng, yang mana dimasak dengan gaya Chinese food (baca: nasinya putih asin gitu 😀 ).

Di atas Mongolia

Cuaca di atas Shanghai ternyata tidak lah dalam mood yang enak hari ini. Awan-awan tebal menggantung dan di bawahnya turun hujan ketika kami semakin mendekati bandaranya. Jam 14:06 waktu setempat, kami mendarat dengan mulus di landasan pacu 17R Bandara Shanghai Pudong. Berikut ini video pendaratannya:

Seperti yang bisa dilihat, waktu itu hujan turun ketika kami mendarat. Aku juga melihat gerbang-gerbang di gedung terminalnya banyak yang kosong, jadilah aku kira kami akan parkir di salah satunya. Tetapi kemudian, pesawatnya malah membelok ke arah yang berlawanan dari gedung terminalnya, yang mana artinya kami akan parkir di remote stand (dan diantar dengan beberapa bus ke terminal)!

Kami parkir di sebuah remote stand di Bandara Internasional Shanghai Pudong

Aku bingung deh! Biasanya, sebenarnya aku lebih suka ketika pesawat diparkir di remote stand sih. Namun, kali ini kan sedang hujan DAN aku harus mengurus banyak hal juga (akibat situasi bagasiku) di Shanghai! Jadi perasaanku akan ini jadi campur-aduk deh, haha 😆 .

BERSAMBUNG…

#1809 – September 2016 Sabbatical Trip: Europe (Part I: Bucharest)

ENGLISH

Posts in the September 2016 Sabbatical Trip: Europe series:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Bucharest
3. Part II: A Romanian Wedding
4. Part III: The Dracula Castle Tour
5. Part IV: Aegean Airlines and Athens
6. Part V: Santorini

***

Getting to Bucharest

Flight: TAROM RO362
Equipment: Boeing 737-300 reg YR-BGA named “Alba Iulia”
ATD: 12:05 CET (Runway 18L of AMS)
ATA: 15:20 EEST (Runway 08R of OTP)

Ever since I knew I was going to Bucharest to attend my friend’s wedding, I knew it was the perfect opportunity for me to try TAROM for the first time ever 😀 . So we (read: my parents and I) did.

Amsterdam to Bucharest. Created with gcmap.com

We chose the convenient 11:50 AM flight out of Amsterdam, so we left Delft just before 9 AM. At Schiphol, we checked-in at KLM’s priority check-in area (TAROM is a member of SkyTeam), at which our checked-in luggages were tagged with the priority label, and were assigned our seats. The evening before I managed to snatch seat 3A, a window seat in the first row of economy with ample legroom while my parents were assigned seats in the middle of the plane (I booked our tickets separately).

A TAROM’s 23 year-old Boeing 737-300 reg YR-BGA

Long story short, we passed the security check and border control; and arrived at the gate. Not long after, YR-BGA, a TAROM’s 23 year-old Boeing 737-300 (Yeay a Boeing 737 Classic!), arrived at the gate. Soon enough, boarding started. It was visible from the interior that YR-BGA was 23 year-old. The cabin looked old with outdated seats; though comfortable nonetheless.

After boarding completed, we departed and took off from runway 18L of Schiphol Airport. The plane turned east just after take-off, starting the 2.5 hours flight to Romania. A lunch service was provided on this flight. There was no choice of meal; but I found the meal to be quite decent especially for a European flight with a European airline standard. I got a small package of chicken pasta with bread and a brownies cake as the dessert. Of course a selection of drinks were provided as well. Moreover, not long after the meal was provided, a second service of warm drinks were served. I was quite impressed and satisfied.

The lunch service on board TAROM’s flight RO 362

The rest of the flight went rather uneventful as there was no AVOD screen and the only IFE was just the magazine, haha 😆 . Anyway, at around 15:20 local time, we landed at runway 08R of Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest. Here is the landing video:

We passed the border control with no problem. However, the priority labels on our luggages were pretty much useless as our luggages were the last one to be unloaded from the plane. 😦 From the airport, we took a taxi to go to downtown Bucharest, as my Romanian friend suggested (and we were super glad we listened to his advice).

Bucharest

In general, I found Bucharest to be a pretty city with a lot of parks and big old buildings. However, the buildings also reflected that Romania was still not as developed as many Western European countries; but this was probably not surprising.

Bucharest

The old town area in the centre of Bucharest was full of bars and restaurants. The area was only accessible by foot which made it nice to visit. Several small Orthodox churches stood in the city as well. We got the chance to enter a few of them; and they did look nice and were definitely “different” from other churches.

Unfortunately we did not have a lot of time to spend in Bucharest due to the wedding and the Dracula Tour that we had already arranged. Nonetheless, we did the several walking routes suggested in the free Bucharest map that we got from our hotel. This allowed us to see the important sites close to the Old Town, which were nice. However, we did not get the chance to visit the Herăstrău Park. We heard this park was beautiful with a nice museum (Muzeul Satului) in it. Okay, next time, then 🙂 .

The CEC Palace in Bucharest

A (Fatty) Culinary Capital

In July, Aggy wrote a post about Bucharest as a surprising foodie destination. Well, after this trip, I can testify affirming this statement!!

First of all, being an Eastern European country, we found the price to be generally “cheap” when we compare it to the standard Dutch price (haha 😛 ).

A serving of pork knuckle at Caru’ cu Bere

Second of all, and more importantly, the food was AWESOME!! Pretty much everything we had was delicious. In general, though, I found the Romanian food to be big (in serving) and fatty. Plus, it appeared to me that polenta was a popular source of carbohydrate there; much to my delight, of course 😉 .

We visited the famous Caru’ cu Bere in the old town area twice; where I had a traditional pork confit and a gigantic pork knuckle (which I shared with my dad). We also went to Hanu’ lui manuc and Hanu’ berarilor which my Romanian friends recommended. Both restaurants were great.

Romanian KFC

While in Bucharest, I also got the opportunity to try out the Romanian KFC, haha 😆 . While by default it could not be my favorite KFC (due to the non-existence of crispy chicken), they provided really good handmade tomato sauce!!

Alba Iulia

Seat 3A on board YR-BGA

Stuffies

TAROM’s fleet

On board TAROM’s Boeing 737-300 YR-BGA

Old-school sink

The parlement building in Bucharest

Bucharest

Bucharest

The Old Town of Bucharest

An orthodox church in Bucharest

An orthodox church in Bucharest

An orthodox church in Bucharest

A traditional pork confit

Romanian KFC

Ataturk in Bucharest

Bucharest

Bucharest

Bucharest

Bucharest

A traditional Romanian liver dish

BAHASA INDONESIA

Posting-posting dalam seri September 2016 Sabbatical Trip: Europe:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Bucharest
3. Part II: A Romanian Wedding
4. Part III: The Dracula Castle Tour
5. Part IV: Aegean Airlines and Athens
6. Part V: Santorini

***

Menuju Bucharest

Penerbangan: TAROM RO362
Pesawat: Boeing 737-300 reg YR-BGA bernama “Alba Iulia”
ATD: 12:05 CET (Runway 18L of AMS)
ATA: 15:20 EEST (Runway 08R of OTP)

Semenjak aku tahu aku akan pergi ke Bucharest untuk menghadiri pesta pernikahan temanku, aku tahu ini adalah kesempatan yang sempurna untukku mencoba maskapai TAROM untuk pertama kalinya 😀 . Jadilah kami (orangtuaku dan aku) terbang dengan mereka.

Amsterdam ke Bucharest. Dibuat dengan gcmap.com

Kami memilih penerbangan yang dijadwalkan berangkat jam 11:50 pagi dari Amsterdam, jadi lah kami berangkat dari Delft sekitar jam 9 pagi. Di Schiphol, kami check-in di area check-in prioritasnya KLM (TAROM adalah anggota dari SkyTeam), yang mana bagasi kami dilabeli label prioritas, dan kami diberikan kursi kami. Malam sebelumnya aku berhasil memilih kursi 3A, kursi jendela di barisan pertama kabin ekonomi dengan leg room yang lapang sementara orangtuaku diberikan kursi di bagian tengah pesawat (tiket kami pesan sendiri-sendiri).

Sebuah Boeing 737-300nya TAROM rego YR-BGA yang berumur 23 tahun

Singkat cerita, kami melewati pemeriksaan sekuriti dan tiba di gerbang keberangkatan. Tak lama setelahnya, YR-BGA, sebuah Boeing 737-300 berumur 23 tahun milik TAROM (Hore, pesawat Boeing 737 Classic!), tiba. Proses naik pesawat kemudian dimulai. Terlihat jelas dari interiornya bahwa YR-BGA berumur 23 tahun. Kabinnya terlihat tua dengan kursi yang modelnya kuno; walaupun nyaman sih walaupun begitu.

Setelah semua penumpang naik, pesawat berangkat dan lepas landas dari landasan pacu 18L Bandara Schiphol. Pesawat kemudian belok ke arah timur dan penerbangan selama 2,5 jam ke Romania dimulai. Layanan makan siang disediakan di penerbangan ini. Tidak ada pilihan untuk makanan utamanya; tetapi aku merasa makanannya cukup lumayan apalagi dengan mempertimbangkan ini adalah penerbangan intra-Eropa dengan maskapai Eropa. Aku mendapatkan satu kotak kecil pasta ayam dengan roti dan sepotong roti brownies untuk pencuci mulut. Tentu saja beberapa pilihan minuman juga diberikan. Lebih jauh lagi, layanan minuman kedua yang berupa minuman hangat langsung dibagikan. Aku cukup terkesan dan puas.

Layanan makan siang di dalam penerbangan RO 362nya TAROM.

Sisa penerbangan ini berlangsung uneventful dimana tidak disediakan layar AVOD dan satu-satunya IFE adalah majalahnya, haha 😆 . Jam 3:20 sore, kami mendarat di landasan pacu 08R Bandara Internasional Henri Coanda di Bucharest. Berikut ini video pendaratannya:

Kami melewati pemeriksaan paspor tanpa masalah. Namun, label prioritas di bagasi kami tidak berguna sama sekali dong karena bagasi kami justru yang terakhir dikeluarkan dari bandara 😦 . Kami kemudian menaiki taksi untuk pergi ke kota Bucharest, sesuai yang disarankan teman Romaniaku (dan kami lega kami mendengarkan sarannya).

Bucharest

Secara umum, bagiku Bucharest adalah kota yang cantik dengan banyak taman dan gedung-gedung tua. Namun, gedung-gedungnya sendiri juga merefleksikan bahwa Romania masih belum semaju negara-negara Eropa Barat; tetapi ini mungkin tidak mengejutkan lah ya.

Bucharest

Area kota tua di pusat kota Bucharest penuh diisi dengan bar dan restoran. Area ini hanya dapat diakses oleh pejalan kaki sehingga rasanya sungguh nyaman untuk dikunjungi. Beberapa gereja kecil Ortodoks berdiri di dalamnya juga. Kami berkesempatan memasuki beberapa di antaranya; dan gereja-gereja itu nampak cantik dan “berbeda” dari gereja-gereja lainnya.

Sayangnya, kami tidak memiliki banyak waktu untuk dihabiskan di Bucharest akibat pesta pernikahan dan tur drakula yang sudah kami jadwalkan. Toh walaupun begitu, kami masih bisa mengikuti beberapa rute jalan kaki yang disarankan di peta Bucharest gratisan yang kami dapatkan dari hotel. Ini membuat kami bisa mengunjungi beberapa area penting di dekat kota tua, yang mana nampak cakep juga. Sayangnya, kami tidak berkesempatan mengunjungi Taman Herăstrău. Kami dengar taman ini sangat indah dengan museum yang oke (Muzeul Satului) di dalamnya. Oke, untuk kunjungan yang selanjutnya kalau begitu ya 🙂 .

Istana CEC di Bucharest

Sebuah Ibukota Kuliner (Penuh Lemak)

Di bulan Juli, Aggy menulis sebuah posting tentang Bucharest sebagai destinasi foodie yang tak disangka-sangka. Setelah perjalanan ini, aku setuju sekali!!

Pertama-tama, sebagai negara Eropa timur, kami merasa harga makanan disana “murah-murah” ketika dibandingkan dengan standar harga Belanda (haha 😛 ). Penting dong ya ini.

Satu sajian lutut babi di Caru’ cu Bere

Yang kedua, dan yang lebih penting, makanannya ENAK-ENAK!! Bisa dibilang semua yang kami makan di sana enak semua deh. Secara umum, aku amati makanan Romania itu besar (ukuran penyajiannya) dan berlemak. Ditambah lagi, sepertinya sumber karbohidrat yang banyak digunakan adalah polenta; ini aku suka sekali tentunya 😉 .

Kami mengunjungi restoran terkenal Caru’  cu Bere di kota tua dua kali; di mana aku memesan pork confit tradisional dan lutut babi (pork knuckle) raksasa (yang aku bagi dua dengan papaku). Kami juga mengunjungi Hanu’ lui manuc dan Hanu’ berarilor yang disarankan teman-teman Romaniaku. Masakan kedua restoran ini juga enak-enak.

KFC Romania

Mumpung di Bucharest, aku memanfaatkan kesempatan ini untuk mencoba KFCnya Romania, haha 😆 . Walaupun otomatis KFC ini tidak bisa menjadi KFC favoritku (soalnya mereka nggak menyediakan ayam crispy dong), tetapi saus tomat handmade mereka enak banget lhoo !!