In late 2022, as entry restrictions across Asia slowly eased, I decided to plan a trip to and around Asia. The journey was put together using a mix of airlines, alliances, hotel programs, paid fares, award tickets, and a combination of paid and points-based nights — and aside from a cumulative delay of just under four hours across 13 flights, a damaged suitcase mid-trip, and lost luggage on the final leg, everything went largely as planned. Major cancellations and schedule changes largely left me alone.
The flight routing was planned as follows:
ZRH-NRT KIX-TPE-MNL-POM-LAE MAG-LAE-POM-SIN-KUL-SGN-SIN-CDG-ZRH
The airlines and cabin classes I chose were:
ZRH-NRT (LX F)
KIX-TPE (CI C)
TPE-MNL (BR C)
MNL-POM (PR C)
POM-LAE / MAG-LAE-POM (PX Y)
POM-SIN (PX C)
SIN-KUL-SGN (MH Y)
SGN-SIN-CDG (SQ C)
CDG-ZRH (LX C)
This map was created using http://www.gcmap.com/.
The trip gave me the chance to discover new airlines and cabin products — or revisit some old favorites.
Booking
In this review I want to take a closer look at the flight from Port Moresby to Singapore. As usual, I booked directly through the airline’s website. The fare on my desired travel date had suddenly dropped by 50%, so I decided to book and invest the difference into a bid upgrade to business class — especially since the flight was scheduled to run over six hours.
The bid upgrade was confirmed, and I was able to use the business class check-in.
Check-In
When travel day finally arrived, my mood lifted. Why? First, online check-in had worked without a hitch, and second, my upgrade had been accepted — which meant I was able to snag a window seat.
At check-in and bag drop in Port Moresby, all documents were checked thoroughly, and my luggage was checked through for my onward flight with Malaysian Airlines — even on a separate ticket, this was handled without any issues.
Security & Passport Control
Security went smoothly and maintained a reasonable standard — which isn’t always a given on domestic flights. Passport control, however, made my hair stand on end (what little I have left). With two international departures within the space of an hour, only one (1) counter was open for outbound passport control, handling both locals and all other nationalities alike. As a result, I spent over two hours in the exit queue. To make matters worse, there was no Wi-Fi available — not even paid Wi-Fi. This led to some quality time with Netflix and a chance to chat with fellow passengers.
After clearing passport control, I had just enough time for a quick visit to the lounge, which I reviewed separately here.
Shortly before boarding, I left the lounge and made my way to the gate. Boarding was orderly, with business class passengers and status customers going first.
Cabin
There aren’t many reviews out there covering the cabin and seats of this over-20-year-old Boeing 767 — which is largely due to the fact that Papua New Guinea is not exactly a tourist destination. Business class was not fully occupied, which made for a relaxed atmosphere. As a long-time Lufthansa and Swiss frequent flyer, I genuinely appreciated the bright cabin interior. Compared to Lufthansa’s long-haul business class, the 2-1-2 seat configuration offers enough room to stand up and leave your seat without disturbing your neighbor.
The cabin, however, was not particularly clean. I wiped down my seat, tray table, and armrests myself with a wet wipe — and let’s just say the white cloth was no longer white by the time I was done.
The entertainment system offers a modest selection of films, series, and music — nothing that impressed me. The headphones are not of outstanding quality, though I’ve certainly experienced worse in the air.
Dining
The menu comes with a removable insert, which helps keep printing costs down — just a standard A4 sheet rather than a full booklet.
For the main course, I went with the stroganoff, which was unfortunately a little too tough for my taste. When rating the food, I have to find some balance between the price paid, the fact that the country is very much a developing nation, and how the airline compares to others. That said, the drinks selection on a business class flight like Zurich–Frankfurt with Lufthansa/Swiss or Zurich–Madrid with Iberia is noticeably more generous.
Unfortunately, there was no amenity kit — this was a daytime flight, so none had been loaded.
Service
The overall service was friendly and pleasant. The crew and their hospitality standards are not comparable to Eva Air or China Airlines, but drinks were always brought when asked.
Verdict
If you’re flying to Papua New Guinea, your options beyond Air Niugini are limited to Philippine Airlines (twice weekly) and Qantas — and the fares, whether economy or business, are steep compared to other intra-Asian routes on five-star carriers. Either way, it was absolutely worth the adventure. In the end, it’s the experiences that count.
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