Best Star Alliance Business Class Service from Birmingham (or Heathrow) to Hong Kong
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Best Star Alliance Business Class Service from Birmingham (or Heathrow) to Hong Kong
Mrs.Businesstraveller and myself are looking to make a return trip to Hong Kong a little later this year and would like to burn some Star Alliance miles.
Options are going to be preferably from Birmingham (local) with Lufthansa, Swiss, SAS or Turkish or from Heathrow with Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand or possibly Thai. All subject to redemption flight availability and how reasonable the airlines view your requested routing of course.
I'd be interested to hear views on the best service one might choose when considering:
1) Quality of seats/beds
2) Onboard service
3) Catering
4) Ground facilities - departure/arrival lounges
From previous experience (not on such long routes however) and what I hear, I get the impression Thai and Swiss would be near the top and SAS near the bottom. Views would be received with interest however.
Options are going to be preferably from Birmingham (local) with Lufthansa, Swiss, SAS or Turkish or from Heathrow with Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand or possibly Thai. All subject to redemption flight availability and how reasonable the airlines view your requested routing of course.
I'd be interested to hear views on the best service one might choose when considering:
1) Quality of seats/beds
2) Onboard service
3) Catering
4) Ground facilities - departure/arrival lounges
From previous experience (not on such long routes however) and what I hear, I get the impression Thai and Swiss would be near the top and SAS near the bottom. Views would be received with interest however.
Air New Zealand
Flew with ANZ two years ago LON/HKG/AKL/SFO/-LAX/LHR
I like their business seats. As a bed they are genuinely flat. You get a duvet. The seat is pretty flexible. I didn't like the fact that it's difficult to see out a window.
On board they were friendly and the food was really quite good. I only drink soft drinks on board.
The Star Alliance lounge in T1 isn't amazingly inspiring but it's OK. I can't remember the one in HKG; make of that what you will.
I like their business seats. As a bed they are genuinely flat. You get a duvet. The seat is pretty flexible. I didn't like the fact that it's difficult to see out a window.
On board they were friendly and the food was really quite good. I only drink soft drinks on board.
The Star Alliance lounge in T1 isn't amazingly inspiring but it's OK. I can't remember the one in HKG; make of that what you will.
Always interesting to look at Skytax www.airlinequality.com. Treat with caution as those who post may not be representative of all travellers but useful all the same. You can also try Flyertalk but more "geeky".
I've always flown One World to HKG. However, work colleagues I spoke to weren't too impressed with Virgin. I flew with Swiss and Lufthansa to Tokyo a few years ago. Swiss was good and ZRH an excellent transfer airport. LH's IFE was a bit basic but otherwise OK. Munich also a good place to change planes, Frankfurt a bit hit or miss - you would be better to try the former. Please note that all of this was in economy.
If you are happy to fly from Heathrow check out All Nippon Airways - I've not flown them myself I've heard good things about them.
I've always flown One World to HKG. However, work colleagues I spoke to weren't too impressed with Virgin. I flew with Swiss and Lufthansa to Tokyo a few years ago. Swiss was good and ZRH an excellent transfer airport. LH's IFE was a bit basic but otherwise OK. Munich also a good place to change planes, Frankfurt a bit hit or miss - you would be better to try the former. Please note that all of this was in economy.
If you are happy to fly from Heathrow check out All Nippon Airways - I've not flown them myself I've heard good things about them.
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Air New Zealand are by far the best for the LHR-HKG route. I travel with them regularly. Far superior comfort and service compared to any other Star Alliance carrier for this sector. And fully flat beds, good sized.
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The Swiss leg to Hong Kong is with the A340, and as far as I know, not all the 340s have been upgraded to the "new" business class seat. If it is, then its good, if not then its only mediocre.
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I've had a change of heart and decided to move my own goal posts. Looking to make the journey in F class now, so probably ruling out Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand whilst looking more closely at Swiss Air/Lufthansa from BHX or Singapore/Thai from LHR. There are worse decisions to have to make in life I suppose...
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I've done business class in Lufthansa, Swiss and Air New Zealand and the latter were definitely the best: the bed is really flat, the service and food excellent. I don't know whether it's worth spending extra miles on first class when you also have to consider that the connection from BHX on Swiss or Lufthansa will probably be in a cramped regional jet. That be said, Zürich and Munich are well organised for transfers and perhaps Swiss will have the business class installed by the time you travel. But I'd shall out for a limo to LHR and go with New Zealand.
