Hello everyone and welcome to my flight report!
Introduction :
Back in summer 2013, I got a chance to redeem Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus miles with 50% discount thanks to The ROP’s 20th Anniversary Promotion for a round-trip ticket in Business class with Thai Airways for the BKK-SIN-BKK route. This was a short weekend break. I did not intend to write a flight report at the time I took the flight so these reports will be quite brief and lack some photos.
The routing is simple :
TG413 BKK-SIN C A340-600 —> You are here!
TG410 SIN-BKK C B777-300 —> http://flight-report.com/en/report-9412.html
I decided to take the mid-day flight which departed at 11:30am. This flight was operated by an A340-600 which I had never flown before so it would be a great opportunity to try it out.
Photo courtesy of http://www.planespotters.net/Production_List/Airbus/A340/681,HS-TNB-Thai-Airways-International.php
I left my place in downtown Bangkok using the BTS skytrain and here was what I found. :D
TG branded train : A380 The Smoothest way to fly (which is quite true indeed.!)
I arrived at BKK after a 40-minute journey on the BTS and the Airport Rail Link. I took the elevator up to the Departure Level which was situated on the 4th floor. The dedicated check-in area for TG’s J pax is located at row A on the far left end of the terminal. Check-in was a breeze and the agent was friendly and did her job with a smile.
Sit Down check-in Service is provided at Row A1-A19
The Fast Track lane for security was also right behind the counters.
The Royal Silk Lounge (D concourse) was just downstairs from the Immigration.
I went straight to the Royal Orchid Spa for a 30-minute neck and shoulder massage.
I forgot to take any picture of the spa but it was great and very relaxing.
Then I headed back to the lounge and grabbed something to eat since I had not eaten anything that morning. The catering was not that good but not so bad either.
When it was nearly time for boarding, I went to the gate C4 which turned out to be a bus gate this time. It was my first time being transported to an aircraft by bus. :D
The priority boarding was respected. Always the case with THAI
The bus’s window
My ride for today. This is one big bird. ;P An 8 year-old A340-600 HS-TNB named Saraburi ; a province in central Thailand.
Climbing up the stars. strange feeling as I was only used to the jet bridge. ;P
THAI’s A340-600 features 8 pod-style Royal First Class seats (similar to those found on their non-refurbished B747s), 60 angled-flat seats in Royal Silk (Business) Class and 199 Economy class seats with 34 inch pitch. ;)
This is how my seat looks like. (I did not take the photo of the seat. Photo courtesy of Travelsort http://travelsort.com/blog/thai-airways-business-class-review
The seat was undeniedly old but still very more than comfortable on this short day flight of less than 2 and a half hours. It was reported as difficult to sleep on which of course would cause a great issue on long-haul flights and THAI also flies these birds to European destinations. The retirement is coming soon http://centreforaviation.com/news/thai-airways-accelerates-a340-600-retirement-to-28-mar-2015-418587
The safety instruction pamphlet
My seat was 11J which was a bulkhead aisle seat. The window seat 11K was taken by my friend.
The legroom :D
I aslo noticed that even though THAI doesn’t sell First Class seats on this route. There was one passenger sitting in the F section on this flight (with J class service of course.) He also got some kind of special treatment from the crew.
When I had settled down a senior female flight attendant came around offering welcome drinks and newspapers. I opted for the champagne. The scented hot towel was also distributed.
When we reached the cruising altitude, the crew started the lunch service. The flight was pretty much 70-80% full so it might take a bit of an effort to serve a three course meal on this short flight. It did feel a bit rushed.
The Brown rice crackers was served with the appetizer of smoked duck and salmon. THAI should get rid of the tray in J class meal service once and for all, really.
THAI logo printed butter :D lovely!
I pre-ordered the main dish from the pre-order meal service available to F and J pax departing from BKK and some other outstations. I chose a Thai dish called Prawn Chu-Chee (A TRADITIONAL THAI DISH COOKED FROM PRAWN, RED CHILLI PASTE, COCONUT MILK, FISH SAUCE, KAFFIR LIME LEAVES, SERVED WITH STEAMED RICE.) which was very tasty.
No cheese and fruit service. The dessert was served along with coffee and tea service. It was a Raspberry Mascarpone cake was but which tasted nice.
The flight was uneventful after the meal service and it was not long before we arrived in SIN.
This flight was code-shared with Bangkok Airways ; The world's best regional airlines in 2014 :D
The Merlion and The Marina Bay Sands
Thank you for reading. :D
