So the reason for this trip was that I had to go to LAX on business, and I spent a lot of time and effort trying to figure out a way to do it
in business without bankrupting myself in the process. SQ's direct flights from SIN were out, and are pretty darn expensive even in (executive) economy, so I initially opted for the next best thing, namely TG's direct services from BKK. Economy rates here were surprisingly affordable, clocking in around S$1400, but executive econ upgrades would have doubled that and business would have been triple -- still a tempting proposition, it must be said. But then a Flyertalker tipped me off about OZ's US$1600 deal from Bangkok, a little research indicated that correctly chosen flights have lie-flat seats, and a friendly TA in Bangkok told me that stopovers are free and scored me seats on the dates I wanted, and the proverbial dice was cast.
My previous experience of flying SIN-ICN in a regional B757 almost put me off OZ for life, and I still didn't really believe the decent seat would materialize until I clambered on board and sat down on it. This 747 has obviously been around for a while and the seat, too, looked like the kinda thing you'd have seen in First circa 1980. There were three controls, two of which did the important bits (pushed back the seat and pushed up the leg rest), but the mysterious middle button didn't do anything despite the best efforts of a FA to coax it to perform. Biz looked full today and my seatmates were all Thais decked out in royal yellow.
Dinner was served promptly after takeoff and, as the menu was snatched away, I'll recreate it from memory:
Smoked salmon with grilled eggplant
Green salad
Assorted seafood brochette with rice and vegetables
Cheese and fruit platter
Banana cake
Presentation was impeccable, the starter was blah and I once again found myself wondering how much of my ticket price goes to pay for this pseudo-gourmet food and the FAs who bring it to me plate by plate. The main, though, was surprisingly tasty, consisting of juicy prawns, scallops and other "assorted seafood" grilled on a stick (I wonder how many people on board understood that from "brochette"?), although I declined the FA's offer to slather it with barbeque or chilli sauce, and the accompanying Californian Sauvignon Blanc was quite drinkable. I nibbled at the cheese and fruits, skipped the cake and coffee and tried to hit the sack. The Thai uncle next to me, though, savored his to the last crumb and drop, jabbered away with the aunties across the row for another half an hour, and when the lights were finally turned off fell asleep immediately and started snoring loudly. And, while thinking how annoying this is and what a waste it was to pay for biz, I fell asleep and slept soundly until morning.