Another Bangkok Hop on TG A350/B773

[ycp81]

A quick report of another trip to BKK over the May Day holidays, where I flew on my usual carrier of choice, Thai Airways. I would be flying on both their newest A350 and oldest B773 in the fleet.

As expected, due to the holidays, the flight was totally packed with locals going on the short weekend break. There was a bit of queue for check-in at Terminal 1.




Colourful boarding pass issued.




The flight was delayed for almost an hour due to the late arrival of aircraft from Bangkok. This was due to bad weather in BKK in the morning, which resulted of several delayed departures from BKK. Departure gate was from D41.




We would be flying on TG's month-old HS-THM. It was still sparkling clean.




Packed gate awaiting boarding.




Albino SQ B773 taxiing past.





28 April 2018
Thai Airways
TG 404
Singapore (SIN) - Bangkok (BKK)
A350-900
HS-THM
Economy Class
Flight Time: 2H04M


Boarding commenced and priorities were enforced.






Welcomed by pleasant crew and into the clean and new economy cabin. On every seat was a pillow while blankets were placed randomly on some seats. Additional blankets were available from the crew.








Loved the blended winglets of the A350.

[ycp81]

Huge IFE touchscreen monitor with remote. Legroom was acceptable. A legrest was affixed to each seat.




Boarding in progress but was completed with efficiently.




Inflight magazines, headset, pillow and blanket. Headset was already placed in the seat pocket.






Safety video played.




Pushed back and started the taxi to Rwy02C. There was camera view from the IFE system.










Departure from Rwy02C and climbing out of Changi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB2mKn6fgQc

[ycp81]

Flying along the coast of Peninsula Malaysia.






Cabin ambience was relaxing with the mood lighting turned on.




Decided to watch The Greatest Showman.






Lunch service started, first with the distribution of meal trays, followed by beverages.




Meal tray, which came with a side salad, warm roll with butter, dessert cake and a bottle of water. The 2 options of the mains were Chicken with Fried rice or Prawn Curry with rice.




Chicken with fried rice option. The salad was fresh and crisp. Main course was flavourful.










The other choice of thai-style Prawn Curry was very good as well, though may be too spicy for some.

[ycp81]

Got a gin and tonic (TG uses Bombay Sapphire in economy) from the beverage cart. TG has all the liquors on display on the beverage carts and cocktails were prepared at your seat. Coffee and tea were offered during the second round of beverage service.




The crumble cake was a bit dry for my liking.




As we were nearing BKK, the weather turned for the worse and we flew in the clouds for the remainder of the flight. Luckily there was not much of turbulence.




Approaching and descending into BKK.








Had a very smooth landing on Rwy 19R.














Video of the landing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnCUC7z1b_c

[ycp81]

We were assigned a remote stand.




Disembarking.






Having a view of the Rolls.




Bus ride on the tarmac to the terminal.










It was again a pretty comfortable ride on the TG A350 on this short 2hr sector. Catering was good, amenities sufficient, service was quick and efficient with smiles. For a 2hrs flight, this is already the one of the best you can get in economy.


For this report, I would be mainly sharing on the food we had in Bangkok, starting dinner at White Flower Factory at Siam Square One. A cafe offering both western and thai cuisine (go for its thai dishes) and famed coconut and thai tea cakes.








Stayed at Dusit Thani again for this trip. The hotel was supposed to have been closed for total redevelopment, but the closure date was delayed till January next year.

[SQfanatic]

Great TR ycp81. Excellent pics of TG and Bangkok so far. Looking forward to the rest of your TR.

[ycp81]

Lunch at Or Tor Kor Market opposite Chatuchak.




Dinner feast at Talad Nam Seafood along a small alley in Silom.










Tried a new restaurant, Kaiyang Boran, which is famous for its grilled chicken.






A limited edition Mango Sticky Rice Toast at After You Café. Yumz!




Dinner at Lek Seafood, a popular local seafood eatery.






Breakfast of wanton noodles with roast meats at Silom.




The Erawan Shrine has turned smokeless.

[ycp81]

Before departing for the airport on the last day, we had a late lunch at a Nara Thai restaurant at Central Embassy.










Checking in at the very empty TG counters.






The large check-in hall and FIDS.







01 May 2018
Thai Airways
TG 401
Bangkok (BKK) - Singapore (SIN)
B777-300
HS-TKA
Economy Class
Flight Time: 1H56M


Surprisingly, we were allocated Gate D7, which is one of the nearer gates from immigration. This is certainly a rarity for TG.






Boarding the B777-300, fitted in multi-coloured but tastefully designed seats. The B777-300 is certainly considered a 'classic' aircraft now compared to the new 787s and A350s. Pillows on each seat and blankets offered on request.

[ycp81]

Took the 2-seater at the 2nd last row of the aircraft, and from past experiences, the seats here offers fantastic legroom!




Spot SQ's B787-10.




May edition of inflight magazine, pillow, blanket, earphones and the 'retro' IFE handset.






Boarding in progress, but was completed efficiently.




Pushed back on schedule and safety video shown.






It was a short taxi and we departed from Rwy19L without any delay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_8L3UnwO78




Watched a comedy on the short flight. The IFE system on this older aircraft is definitely not as responsive as on the A350, but the monitors are still touch-screen enabled. The weak link for TG here is the IFE selection, as the IFE selection for the month of May is exactly the same as for April. No new movies offered. Does anyone knows if TG updates its IFE selection monthly or bi-monthly?




Meal service started from the rear of the aircraft, and we were offered a choice of Soya sauce chicken with rice or Omelette with fried rice. Meal tray came with a salmon and potato salad, warm roll with butter, dessert cake and a bottle of water.

[ycp81]

The chicken in soya sauce with rice option. This was the same meal as was offered on my last flight on TG on the same route 3 months back. The salmon potato salad was good, and the main was tasty as well.








Celebrating its 58th anniversary, TG offered a special dessert for passengers on the flight today. For Business and Economy, it was a Banana Coconut Cake with Caramel Sauce.






The other meal option was Omelette with fried rice. This pales in comparison to the chicken dish.






Beverage service conducted. One area which TG is superior to many airlines on short-haul flights is that the full range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are displayed and offered on the bar carts. Had an apple juice to enjoy my cake with. This was followed by a coffee/tea service before trays were collected.










View of the cabin after meal service.

[ycp81]

Visit to the lavatory at the aft. TG's B773s are equipped with 10 lavatories in the economy cabin (6 at the rear, 4 in the middle), making it the aircraft with one of the most generous pax to toilet ratio in economy. Other than the necessary amenities, there was a eau de cologne.






We soon started descending into Changi.






Flew past Changi Airport during the descent.






Landing on Rwy02L slightly ahead of schedule.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKJ_WVy-UcQ


Disembarking and passing through the Business cabin.








View of the aircraft, which would be night-stopping in Changi before operating the next day's morning flight back to BKK.






A look at the new arrival hall at Changi Terminal 1.




Again, a very comfortable short-haul flight on TG. The 9-abreast B773 is still one of the most comfortable economy class around. Catering is good (but not the best I had on TG) and service is friendly and efficient. Pity the IFE selections are not updated for the month, but only a minor flaw in the experience. Overall, it was still a pleasant Royal Orchid experience on TG.

[SQfanatic]

Great rest of the TR, enjoyed the pics of Bangkok and TG's 773 which is one of the few carriers to retain a 9 abreast 777. Thanks again ycp81