There were really good deals to Asia and Europe in May, so I booked a bunch of tickets to visit some cities that I had been to before, and some that would be new. It was also a good way for me to maintain my Star Alliance Gold status with Turkish Airlines. Unfortunatley, flying on a partner airline doesn’t really mean much other than having extra baggage allowance and lounge access, which I actually think is pretty valuable at some airports

You might have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting upgraded on a partner airline, unless the flight is oversold and all nobody has status on that airline.

My flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo was operated by United Airlines

Lunch consisted of a dish much like Teriyaki Chicken. There was a salad with wheat berries, apples and cranberries, and a roll. The chicken teriyaki tasted much like you would get at Flame Broiler, but the rice was a little on the mushy side. The salad wasn’t bad, but I am not a favorite of sweet things in salad, so the apples and cranberries were a little off putting. I did not eat the roll.

After dishes were removed, which took quite a while, a little container of Raspberry Sorbet was served. It was a little sweet, and not the best sorbet in the world.

Breakfast consisted of an omelet with a sausage link, and potatoes. The eggs were kind of nasty, as they were made with powdered eggs. If the potatoes had been crispy, they would have been much better. Also served was a cookie much like an almond cookie that you would find at a Chinese restaurant, only without the almond. Once again, I did not eat the bread.

After a brief layover, in which I was able to visit the ANA Business Class Lounge at Narita in Terminal 1, I boarded my next flight.

The flight from Tokyo to Bangkok was operated by ANA Airlines.

A snack of Rice Crackers was offered. I didn’t eat these so I don’t know what they tasted like.

The meal consisted of curry chicken with rice and vegetables. Although the chicken didn’t look too appealing, the taste was actually not too bad. The salad was a little on the skimpy side as it consisted of iceberg lettuce, and a few shards of carrot with a sesame dressing. Dessert consisted of a chocolate cake with a slight lemony frosting.

The meals on both airlines are about what you would expect in economy. I would say that the food and portion size was slightly preferred on ANA.