I quickly took my shower, all the while amazed at how far aviation has come. From the Wright Brothers, to the jet age, to flat-beds, to in-flight showers. What’s next?
I soon returned to my seat and was greeted by new favorite FA within a few seconds. “How was the shower?” Sublime.
As soon as I sat down, my meal service began. Given the short sector, this probably isn’t indicative of a normal EK meal, but still miles better than anything you’ll find on a similar U.S. flight. For example, HKG-BKK is 1050 miles, shorter than LAX-DFW, MIA-JFK, and DEN-ATL.
I was also asked what I’d like to drink with my meal. I perused the wine menu but wasn’t really a fan of any of the selections. NFFA stated, “we have another bottle of Dom, in case you’d like to have that.”
Hey Lucky, I think I have a competitor for your favorite SQ FA.
I obliged. While the meal isn’t the best in the world, it’s still great for such a short flight. In fact, it was better than any meal I had on my two 11-hour UA F segments on this trip. Below is the menu (I took pics but they're tough to read if I don't post them at maximum resolution).
Light Meal
Appetizer
*Pastrami Salmon - freshly cured salmon, topped with aromatic oriental spices, served with a delicious mustard sauce and a creamy apple and potato salad garnished with quail's egg
Barbequed crispy duck - thin slices of barbequed duckling breast, glazed with plum sauce, served on sweet and sour fruit salad
Salad
*Seasonal salad - crisp fresh garden salad leaves with tomatoes, tossed in your preferred dressing
Main Course
*Prawns Asian style - stir-fried prawns dressed in lemongrass and ginger sauce, garnished with mixed chillies, served with egg noodles and fresh snow peas
Braised beef with black beans - prime beef tenderloin marinated braised with oriental black bean sauce, served with egg fried rice, pak choy green and carrots
Pan-fried chicken break - tender chicken medallions topped with a light chicken jus with sautéed mushrooms, served with garlic infused mashed potatoes, broccoli florets and pumpkin
Steamed sea bass fillet - fresh fish fillet steamed and topped with a mixed herb butter, accompanied by roasted red cherry tomatoes and steamed rice
Vegetables - we offer a selection of vegetables to your taste, including roasted red and yellow peppers, fine French beans, fried new potatoes and turmeric rice
Bread
Bread basket - choose soft, crusty, granary, garlic or Arabic from our variety of freshly baked rolls and breads
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Dessert
Raspberry gâteau - light raspberry cake, topped with roasted almonds
Cheese
Cheese board - a carefully chosen assortment of the finest boutique cheese from around the world; served with a selection of crudites, crackers, and dried fruits.
Table setting, with the logo facing myself.
Salmon appetizer. I don't know what it is about salmon on airplanes, but it's always a good selection. The salad was a bit dry (even with some vinaigrette) but the main appetizer was delicious in all ways.
I would visit restaurants with this setup. It took some fiddling with, but I was finally able to remove the seat controller a while after takeoff - massage functions, suite door controls, secondary airshow (when on the dock), lighting controls are all on there.
Prawn entrée. A good amount of spice, especially for an airline meal.
Private meal.
Raspberry gâteau. Small but tasty.
An unexpected box of Godiva
Service was quick, with a flight attendant walking down the aisle every so often to quickly clear plates and refill water/Dom.
Yes, Mr. Martin and Co. This could be Para, Para, Paradise. And Mr. Flo Rida (né Dillard), if you want a Good Feeling more than sometimes, I recommend booking an EK F ticket.
After the 40-minute meal service, we had just about an hour before reaching BKK. NFFA invited me to follow her to the full-service bar at the back of the J cabin. I obliged, and it is definitely something to be seen. I didn’t spend much time there, because at the moment, I was scheduled for a J return a few weeks later (I later upgraded to F but that's another part of the story ... and more pictures). Placing F and J together on one deck is also something that invites a much different experience; with Y fully on the lower deck, it gives an almost “full-premium” feel to the aircraft. The bartender offered up quite a selection, including some Moët. No thanks, I have some other good stuff awaiting me up front.
Packed forward J cabin with staggered setup. If I were a single traveler, definitely an A/K seat with both window and direct aisle access (set away from the aisle). For a couple, definitely E/F since it's direct aisle access but set away from the aisle as well.
Smaller rear J cabin. Closer to the bar but not as vast. I was booked for 23A (bulkhead window) on the return at the time, which seems to be a good selection.
For those who jumped on the ex-RGN F fares ... position using EK F?
Full J = full bar
Bar bites
I'm not a club kind of guy, but I wouldn't mind dressing up and ordering bottle service on an A380.
I returned to my suite and loaded up the IFE. What a selection. I can see why people rave about it. I told many friends I’d fly EK on this trip, and each one of them raved about the airline, particularly the IFE, even though all flew in Y.
The plane might have had a couple bottles of Dom as well
With less than a half-hour to BKK, NFFA came by and asked how the flight was. “Incredible,” I responded. “I need to make an excuse to come to Dubai soon with Emirates.” I also need to figure out a way to accumulate a ****load of AS or EK miles to do so, but I didn’t say that. There's no AS chart out yet, but it costs 210K KE via UR miles to fly F USA to Dubai rt, so I don't have high hopes for a longer mileage redemption.
She also brought along the rest of the 2nd bottle of Dom and left it with me. It was good for about 1.5 more flutes. As soon as I finished, it was collected for landing.
When you turn down the lights, the amount of bling goes down.
BKK landing
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a flight to not end. Sure, the crew wasn't as formal as TG or CX or SQ, but they loved their work and the attitude was contagious. It also helps to have an amazing hard product. Would I fly EK again? Definitely, if I needed to go from North America to the near Middle East. Otherwise, I'll stick with the Asian carriers I've come to enjoy for trips further east.
We made a quiet descent into BKK and landed shortly after midnight. A quick deboard (with J pax held back for the 3 F pax to go first) and I was at immigration, the priority pass not needed. My bag arrived first, so “Priority First” actually means something on EK.
My SQ flight to SIN wasn’t until 9:40am, so I found a cheap airport hotel that provided free shuttle services. The 1.5 bottles of Dom hit me as I entered my room, perfect for a 6.5-hour siesta.