Azman MN

Been very busy lately. Too much work. Anyway, winter is fast approaching and I want to wrap up this series with some selection of shots I took in the summer: Reminds me of old Swissair adverts... "the most refreshing airline" Interesting special livery: This one was delayed for a few hours... and then turned up with a new(old) nose...

cilaka... where are the pics of you guys sleeping in C Class seats?

wow, they are all waving! Good shots pieter!

At long last, another upgrade. I don't get it... I got upgraded, my boss, who is a M&M Hon, did not. Maybe the gate agent found me really charming!!

Allright! Me going on biz trip to Oz next March... ZRH-SIN-SYD return. Looking good But 1-2-1 seating? How to get award ticket for wife and sit next to her and still get the window seat? Not possible anymore Then again... getting award ticket on SQ is impossible. Actually, SQ is so good, I think probably too good for their own good. Crowded lounges... difficult to get tickets... now they want to increase their prices? Maybe I will fly MH after all. Even though MH is way too late with redefining the experience... and still having flat-at-angle even though they increase leg room termendously... SQ is getting a bit to elitist for me...

wow Raj, that NZ panning shot is stunning!

that's the royal plane? Nicely understated and very good of them to use local product!

wahh... 757 with winglets! Geese really flying that high? Yeah... that time of the year for birds to migrate...

Kinda what I suspected anyway. I heard that with Swiss, on top of the status and ticket type, the computer will also sort you according to how much you have flown with them in the past 12 months. So if I am *gold with only 5k status miles this year, I will be behind the *gold with 50k this year. I have been upgraded on more than half my longhaul flights with Swiss since achieving gold status. Before that I was never upgraded, and after the Miles&more merger last april, also never... Maybe LH has a different system? My assumption is always to assume that the computer has done the choosing, and if I made it, then I better be sure that I don't piss off the agents before they have a chance to give it to me. I just smile and be polite, and I never go as far as giving compliments and all that because then I would just appear really fake. I just want to be sure that if my name comes up, they don't take it off the list, and if there is a tie break, they will choose me!

NO, because MH needs cash... yes really... I had a meeting with the CFO of an Airline which has ordered the A380 (we do financial guarantees for them), and they also had to decide what to do. Cancellation is ok, but better to hold on to the order because: 1) compensation payment 2) this airline knew that they didn't really need the 380 so soon, but ordered anyway because of the discounts they receive for being one of the early customers. Now the situation is perfect, they like the delay, but of course they complain like hell to EADS (see point no.1) 3) As a previous launch customer for another aircraft from a certain very large European manufacturer, they knew that there will always be teething problems which will get sorted out once the aircraft has flown for a couple of years. This is also a consideration for no.2 above... 4) This gives them more time to design/layout their cabin, and also their lounges (for the extra premium pax) 5) Showing loyalty to airbus means that boeing will not stop offering discounts... 6) and halfway through the delay, if Airbus does not give compensation, then let the info leak that you are talking to Boeing about some 748 because you "cannot rely" on Airbus... If Airbus does give compensation,cash is a good thing. Then if you decide that you don't need the 380 after all, you can always lease it out or sell it off for the original price you paid - assuming that because you are one of the earlier customers, airbus will be happy to give yours away to other customers who are waiting, and you still keep the cash compensation... This is what I heard from an "insider".... business-wise, it makes sense, but personally, I just think that the 380 is so ugly....

wow Ray, excellent shots! Love the night pics and the pics with the moon (EK and Philippines). Is that French one a 773ER?

excellent shots especially NRT from the air! I heard that the dispute is finally over?

I think that Regent of Perlis was the MAS rep in Zürich before he was called back to Perlis...

Edwin I so envy you! All the variety! I flew that SK MD80 last month. I never realize how nice it is.. especially sitting closer to the front, it is really quiet.

amazing shot of romeo hotel. Reminds me of that pic of F15 breaking the sound barrier!

thanks mafanyau. Interesting about Sandakan... why is Sepilok disappointing? Never been there... Naim, I thought that you are an anti-tourist ?

you guys having so much fun there... love all the pics... but the one that I am staring at for a long time is the jumbo water melon juice... trying to read all the menus and missing all the food from home.... cilaka... got Satay Lembu as well!!

excellent stuff Sneeze! You have to teach my friend Patrick a few things when you and him finally find some time together!

yeah nice story about the bargaining tactics... but not proud at all about all the under the table payments to all the middlemen... Surely some $$million went into some people's pockets...

Cubana!! Wow... good scoop!

eh? should have known you were there. I was there the whole week last week. You guys still at MonteCasino?

Hibby & Control tower - excellent

well, dumping fuel over Germany (black forest) to be exact... very unfortunate for MAS that this pic made it to the front page of the local papers, and the kid was interviewed on prime time news. After that, I hear a lot of people saying that they prefer to fly SQ instead of MH because of this tail strike... uh, hello, wasn't there an incident in New Zealand with SQ??? Romeo Juliet was then stuck in ZRH for about 2 months for repairs...

spooky alright... but excellent spotting pics!

Hi Pieter, its a very nice airport - got any pics of it? Sterling seems quite popular in Scandinavia. Was at CPH/ARN last week and the queues for check-in were very long compared to other airlines.