FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Miracle. Mystery. Myanmar! (DTW-RGN/NYU, an RTW: DL F, PR J, 8M Y, 6T Y, TG F, UA F)
Old Dec 26, 2012, 11:30 pm
  #4  
SEA_lurker
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: either on a trans-Pac, or on an Amtrak
Programs: Amtrak (AGR) Select, AA Plat, DL Gold, Shangri-La Golden Circle Jade, HHonors Silver, BonVoy Gold
Posts: 67
Part 1. The Journey. (continued: BKK-FRA...)

“Excuse me please, where is F check-in?” BKK-FRA: TG 920 in F on a 744

I just knew it: I made the classic TG F newbie mistake when I showed up at BKK for the starting leg of my 70,000-mile UA
StarAlliance F one-way ticket, BKK-FRA-IAD-ORD. (I had bought the miles with UA’s 30%-off targeted offer.) Since there
was no TG F counter in sight, I walked up to the TG J counter, and was sweetly told that the TG F “check-in lounge”
(not a counter) would be right behind me. Once I found this “lounge,” I was duly impressed by the efficiency of its
enthusiastic (mostly young and male) staff. In no time at all, I was seated in a comfortable armchair, in front of a
coffee table on which a bottle of water and a wet towel (on a little tray with an orchid, of course) appeared
seemingly out of nowhere, while my boarding pass was being printed and my bags were tagged all the way to ORD.
I was then whisked to the elite security line, with the convenience of a TG F check-in staff member as my personal
“caddy,” helping me with my few belongings on and off the security belt until after I cleared security. Once airside,
I was driven directly to the TG F lounge in a golf cart. So far, so good. The lounge, however, was a disappointment.
My request for a cabana was curtly countered since “they were all occupied,” so I had nothing to do other than hang out
in the seating area at the center of the TG F lounge, which had a very, umm, un-F feel to it:



TG lounge staff, chatting between themselves, oblivious to any possibility of walking around the lounge taking drink orders
from the uncomfortably-seated pax… is this what an F lounge is supposed to be about?



Finally, my glass of Moët et Chandon (served in the lounge; the Dom is served in-flight) arrived. As you can see, finding space
for champagne and a laptop on the cramped TG F lounge tables was quite a challenge:



With much time to kill, and no chance of a cabana, I at least decided to check out the shower. To my surprise, it had a
grungy, gym locker room smell to it, and the towels as well as the amenities were quite minimalistic. The water pressure
was low and the water wasn’t hot enough. The lounge front desk staff did not even say bye or smile as I left the lounge
to walk over to the gate. TG’s F lounge at its home airport certainly left much room for improvement (while having little
“room” for the pax).

Onboard, TG F, BKK-FRA:

Myanmar on the front page of the news weekly – how appropriate, after my epic-albeit-brief foray into the country.
Alain Delon PJs, an orchid, a glass of Dom, and the AsiaNews magazine with Myanmar on the front page, at my seat:



“Oooh, I love those Rimowa amenity kits in F!” – quote by a certain famous FTer

Legroom in seat 1K, the personal ottoman, the amenity kit, and the black box containing the noise-canceling headphones:





Menu:



Wines:





First serving, choices:



Second serving, choices:



I didn’t eat dinner, fell asleep after a couple of glasses of Dom Perignon (no problem with “refills” on this flight), and woke up
to a light breakfast (including an egg fried to order, another lovely perk of TG F food) that was augmented by three cups of
cappuccino (those onboard espresso machines in the TG F galley must be a great thing).

I belatedly realized that TG had an outstanding AVOD selection, well-stocked with a type of music I love to listen to,
contemporary pop hits by Indonesian and Filipina singers virtually unknown outside of their countries (sorry, blurry photo):



The stationery kit, a charming touch that I hope TG keeps for the future:


Last edited by SEA_lurker; Dec 27, 2012 at 12:37 am Reason: formatting line breaks
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