London to Hong Kong

Just another reason why I love Starbucks: At the airport I asked if I could pay with my phone. The barista said no, they’re not set up for it. No problem, I said, and took out some cash. She fiddled with the cash register and, with a beaming smile, informed me that she’d taken all the extras off. This is one of the benefits of having a Starbucks card and when you have as many extras as me, it almost cuts the price in half. I thanked her, beaming back. How could you not love that level of service?

And, apart from the Starbucks thing, I am totally ruined. Like the husky let into the house, I have feasted upon the comfort that is Premium Economy and I’m going to find it next to impossible to fly in the back with the chickens and goats any more.

A lot of this is because of the seat I had. 30H is behind no-one. There is room for me to stretch my legs completely out. There’s also room for the person in the window seat to pass by without you having to vacate your seat. Genius. I am seriously going to have to get this seat on my return flight. But not just that, the Premium Economy seats are extra wide.

And the food is delicious (though that could just be Cathay Pacific). Deep fried prawns in a sweet chilli sauce, rice and pak choy. We were even given a glass of champagne before we took off. I reckon it’s just like business class but without the bed. Very, very lush.

I must have slept for about five hours, though it was interrupted a bit due to my annoying coccyx. This is more than I usually manage on long haul flights. It’s a lot to do with the legs.

The lady sitting next to me was on her way to Manila to visit her sister. At first I thought she was going to drive me mad, talking all the way to Hong Kong but she was okay. I think she wanted some distraction on take off. She told me that she’s a very good traveller.

Given I slept so much, I didn’t watch a lot of movies. I did see Oz, the Great and Powerful, which I thoroughly enjoyed though I really need to watch it on a proper sized screen to truly appreciate the effects. I also watched Guilt Trip with Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogan. Very American, very predictable but with some funny dialogue. I thought Barbra was very good.