Regent Sydney, Beijing

[PaulaJK]

Is anyone familiar with the airlines Regent has utilized between New York and these cities? Any comments on their business class onboard product would also be appreciated. Thanks Paula

[JMARINER]

In the past, United and Air New Zealand. From Oz there are not that many choices to US. Also depends on your Gateway city.

J

[Balliett]

not exactly on point, but fresh info: regent booked us AA business class from Beijing to Chicago, then when the Chinese wouldn't give AA a good time slot, they have us booked Beijing to Washington Dulles on UA, both non-stop.

My impression is that if you give Regent air a few suggested routes/carriers they will cooperate. You might have to pay a deviation fee.

[room010]

You will have to ask Regent or your TA which specific airline(s) they plan to book you on. The business class "experience" can vary wildly depending on the airline :eek: I've flown with most of them on the trans Pacific routes so if you can find out which one you'll be booked on I can give you a better idea of what to expect.

[Dreps]

As I mentioned on the Advice thread, I found out from my TA that Delta was one of the carriers being used and paid the deviation fee because of FF considerations. Delta is also using their new business class product on the LAX-SYD run, which I wanted to try. I also know that Regent is using Qantas from LAX to SYD, and one can even book the A380 if you want. Our best business class experience has been on Qantas, though Delta Business Elite is pretty good. However if one chooses Qantas to SYD, I'm not sure which airlines would be used for the return from PEK.

A good TA can easily find out if your preferred carrier is an option. I also learned that if one sticks to the same airline --at least for the complete leg -- it is often the case you will fly cross country in first class. It may also happen with codeshares or if the airlines differ, but it may be more problematic.

[Balliett]

well we aren't there yet, but our planned UA from Beijing to Dulles is lie-flat first. But then the leg from Dulles to Cle is a small plane with no front cabin.

[PaulaJK]

Thanks for your replies.
Has anyone been booked on Asiana?
Balliett, hope you'll follow up after your flight. Was it Regent that booked you on UA in FC?

I am re-reading the the thread that has lots of advice about deviations and TA interactions....just wondering about the specific airline experience.

[Dreps]

Have you ever looked at the Web site airlinequality.com. There is a forum with individual reports on experiences. I sometimes follow airlines that I fly frequently, and you can easily see which class of service is being discussed.

[JMARINER]

I also know that Regent is using Qantas from LAX to SYD, and one can even book the A380 if you want. Our best business class experience has been on Qantas.....

I am surprised to hear that Regent used Qantas as Qantas is usually the most expensive guy on the block.

If Regent is still using Qantas and you can book the flight on the A380, that is the way to go. The business section on the Qantas A380 is exceptional and is better that most other airline first class. They have an 80" pitch which is 15"-20" more than most others. Made the 14hr flight to LAX seem like only 7hr.

Qantas A380 also has a nice premium economy section that Regent might get you into cheaper.

J

[room010]

I can also recommend airlinequality.com as a good source of info from real passengers' experiences. No airline is perfect and we all have horror stories but overall it boils down to whether you have good flight attendants and that's often a question of pure luck. I've had very poor service with Qantas and a superb flight with United. I've never flown Delta but know people who fly with nobody else and others who swear "never again". The "hot" new trans Pacific airline at the moment is V Australia which gets glowing reports from my TA and the people I know who've used them. They are the new kid on the block and so perhaps they are trying hard to make a good impression but it's another option to consider.

[Balliett]

We flew yesterday on UA from Peking to Dulles. I had posted I would be in first, but actually, Regent had us in business, which is what we paid for. Alas, these were not the new lie-flat business 777s, but the old style with 55" between seats, in a 2-3-2 config. The check in at the most excellent airport was fine. UA and AC (which has a flight to Toronto) use the Air China business class lounge, which is spacious, with free self-serve food and drink. (Note, AA has an early morning flight to Chicago). Fellow Regent cruisers were on all three of these flights, but of course we dk what AA and AC did for them.

On board, the 777 cabin was quiet, stews were well experienced, friendly and efficient and the flight was smooth. I can't say I like the seats. Mine was balky in operation and for me uncomfortable. I am familiar with Delta's similar seats which I like much better. Food and wine were fine. Movie and music selections were limited to about 8 each. and 8 hours into the fiight, the only video selection available for a while was Mary Poppins.

Safe travel. I liked Bejing but it's a long way back there. Jim in Ohio

[Travelcat2]

Regent seems to have a "thing" for United. We got stuck on one of their planes with the old Business Class seats (from Rio). We should have deviated. However, if you do not use Regent Air, and the ship you are on has a problem (like the Voyager), you are the the last passengers that Regent will assist with flights home.

[PaulaJK]

Balliett

Thank you for your flight report. Except for the seat [admittedly not a minor point] your flight sounded good. Hopefully your Regent transfers were successful. Have a wonderful cruise!

TC2

More now than ever, I do agree with you re: benefits of Regent air. On our pod terminated cruise, the air arrangements were predictably convoluted and UA was a popular choice by Regent. However, once Regent decided to move the ship to the port for Rome, in preparation for dry dock in Genoa, we were able to change our own tickets on Continental to a flight out of Rome. This turned out to be luckier for us,,,but you would need to be on the correct carrier. I just wanted to remind any stranglers to look at their own ticketing possibilities.

Between this repetitive pod issue and the thoughts of disembarking in Beijing [current stories] I am rethinking our choice to join our friends on this cruise.

[getiton]

Gee,Paula hang in there.Feb.23,2011 is a long way off.Ray

[PaulaJK]

Ray

I expect Voyager's pod to be repaired in the near future. But just reading these tales of aborted cruise, flight re-scheduling woes, 1 am wake-ups for 3am departures [pack in between] is giving me 'deja vu all over again'! Some folks still in the work force have that month of time frozen/ x-ed and can't be very flexible in hopping on another ship. I do realize that everyone...from Regent to crew to pax...suffers. Can you imagine being GM Mike Coghlan? He is entitled to deja vu. And I feel sorry for furloughed crew members too.

Anyway, let's hope that all return home safely and Voyager sails the seas again very soon. Paula