Flyer_Tuck
Mar 22, 05, 3:48 am
As I’ve got so much good information from FlyerTalk over the last few months, I thought I’d try to give a little back and have a go at writing a trip report for my latest odyssey.
Just over a week ago a friend suggested a trip to Asia over the Easter holidays and I was happy to tag along if I could get hold of a reasonably priced ticket from London. Well, that was looking dodgy, so I thought I’d call Delta SkyMiles and see if they could do anything. The very obliging Billy Dee was extremely patient with me and after half an hour of tossing options around I found myself with confirmed reservations for Korean Air Prestige (C) class routing LHR-ICN-BKK and returning the same way. SPG then delivered some good deals in Bangkok and Penang and the plan of flying to Bangkok then train to Penang started to come together.
Suddenly it’s March 20th and it’s time to head out to Heathrow.
20th March 2005
LHR ICN KE908 STD 2100 ATD 2102 STA 1655 ATA 1653
C Class Seat 7B. Boeing 747-400
Getting to terminal 3 at around 7.15 I felt like I was walking into a scene from Dante’s Inferno, crowds of harried people everywhere. The KE check-in was, thankfully, less frenetic with dedicated desks for business and first class. Two minutes later I had my boarding passes, my bag was checked through to Bangkok and I was heading for the shopping mall that doubles as a departure lounge. The fast track channel had me in the lounge in a couple of minutes and I threaded my way through the throng to the Morning Calm lounge. And it lives up to its name. Very restful even though it’s pretty full and with a decent variety of nibbles (including Twiglets: yum!) There’s free internet access through a couple of PCs and a printer that actually works (a rarity at shared public facilities in my experience). Soon enough KE908 is announced as ready for boarding and I start the trek towards gate 15. Getting there I find Dante again: yes, the flight is ready for boarding but it’ll be five minutes before boarding actually begins. When boarding does start it’s a painless process for us at the pointy end as we have our own air bridge.
Immediately the very gracious crew spring into action offering to hang my jacket and as I settle into my seat one of the crew comes round with a tray of orange juice and water. Next a selection of newspapers is offered. The captain comes on to welcome us aboard and while I was probably expecting someone from Seoul or Pusan, it sounds as though Captain Avery comes from somewhere near Sheffield. Soon enough we’re ready to go and push back pretty much on time.
Impressions of the cabin are neutral: the décor is very simple with little decoration. The seats are an older cradle design with a pitch of 50”. As I’m in the bulkhead row I have great space in front of me and no intrusion from a seat in front reclining back. All pretty standard but as I settle down I’m struck at how comfortable the seat is. On KE no amenity kits are handed out but the toilets are very well stocked (and replenished) with everything you might need. In the seat pocket in front of me there’s the usual magazine and safety card along with a stationery pack, very basic headphones, a pair of slippers and a menu in a leather cover. Load on the lower deck is 20 of 28, but the crew is always on hand should we need anything.
Drinks service starts quickly and dinner orders are taken. Time to investigate the IFE and, alas, it’s rather disappointing. There is a personal TV in the armrest but it’s not very big and the selection is restricted: 10 channels with 5 showing films, all running on a loop. One very irritating feature is that the film doesn’t pause when the PA comes on. As each announcement is made in Korean, English and Japanese this quickly becomes annoying.
Dinner service starts with linen tablecloths and trays containing the pre-plated appetiser (salmon tartare – very tasty!), bread plate, cruet set, glassware and plastic cutlery (sigh), followed immediately by a good selection in the bread basket and the wine rack featuring two reds and two whites including a tasty Alsace Gewurtztraminer. Main courses are served from the trolley and tonight there’s a choice of oriental beef, baked cod and, of course, Korean bibimbap. I’ve chosen the cod and it’s very good: hot, nicely presented and very tasty. Next is a desert and cheese trolley with a choice of mandarin cake or ice cream and Port Salut, Emmental and Camembert cheese.
After dinner I feel full and drowsy and think I’ll try for a little nap. I wake up to find we’re two hours out and would I like some breakfast? I’ve had 6½ hours solid. Breakfast is unremarkable and shortly we’re taxiing to the terminal at Incheon airport. This is a beautiful facility, airy and spacious, but the transit security check can be very lengthy. Today I queue for about 20 minutes before I find myself on the departures level and start towards the KAL first class lounge. But times have changed and Skyteam Elite Plus members no longer have access to the first class lounge so I head over to the Prestige class lounge instead.
This is huge as you might expect from KE’s primary hub. Great view of the apron through enormous windows, extensive selection of hot and cold food catered by the Hyatt Regency Incheon, business centre, showers, slumber room: it’s all there. Very impressive. I shower and sit down to log on to the free wi-fi network and wait for my connecting flight.
21st March 2005
ICN BKK KE653 STD 2035 ATD 2050 STA 0010 (+1) ATA 0030 (+1)
C Class Seat 8F. Boeing 777-300
Walking down to the gate it looked as though this was going to be a fairly light load on the plane. As soon as boarding was announced though the crowd rose as one and bore down on the gate agents. Thankfully there was also a business/first station with no line, so very quickly I made my way aboard. Pre-flight drinks and newspapers were immediately offered and the drink selection included champagne and a very welcome mimosa.
A note about the cabin crew on this flight: the crew included two Bangkok-based Thai stewardesses and, as I’ve noticed on many flights on other airlines, the ‘out-station’ crew’s standard of service was even better than the rest of the ‘host nation’ crew. My side of business class was served by one of these ladies and she was truly outstanding.
The flight departed a little late with no explanation offered and shortly after take-off the pilot came on with our flight details. This, and indeed all PA’s, was announced in Korean, English, Japanese and Thai which made for some lengthy announcements. Thankfully, unlike on the 747 on my previous flight, the IFE paused while all the info was trotted out. Next came a drinks service and the opportunity to select our menu choices. Main course options were the ubiquitous bibimbap, steak or chicken in yellow bean sauce. I asked for the steak and was asked how I’d like it cooked. I asked for medium but was frankly sceptical about how much control the crew would have. Then it's out with the tables, on with the tablecloths and here's your tray with glasses, china and metal cutlery :D .
Meal service on the flight was a very good dinner, remarkably good in fact. The appetiser of smoked salmon, tuna and marlin with a wasabi sauce was exceptional and a generous portion. After a salad my steak arrived and shame on me for my cynicism because it was just how I’d asked for it. Well done Korean Air! Cheese and fruit came next along with a relaxing glass of port and then I thought I’d better check out the IFE. Well next thing I know the PA announces we’re on final approach: those seats really are comfortable! We land at Don Muang and get to the gate around 20 minutes behind schedule. Even past midnight it’s still 29C outside but, thankfully, not especially humid.
Immigration is deserted and bags arrive quickly and I walk through customs to look for the agent from the Comfort Suites hotel. Finding him easily it’s a matter of minutes before the van arrives and whisks me a couple of kilometres to the hotel. Although the Comfort Suites may have once been associated with Choice Hotels (the branding looks very similar), it's now part of a local chain but retains the name. Bottom line: I’m staying in a hotel and not getting any mileage or points whatsoever. The shame! The hotel is nothing special but it’s clean and the aircon works well in my room and at THB 1300 (less than USD 35) it’s considerably cheaper than the Amari that connects directly onto the airport terminals.
I check out at noon and pay a quick visit to the hotel’s barber for a quick trim and the obligatory head massage. Next it’s a cab ride into town which comes to the princely sum of THB 175 (less than USD 5) and delivers me to the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, my home for the next four nights. I’ve stayed at the Westin over the road before and was very impressed but figured that, in the name of research, I ought to try the Sheraton. Opinion from FlyerTalk has been very positive and at USD 145 a night for a deluxe room using an SPG 50% off award it looks like good value. I thought that by using the 50% off award the hotel might skimp on the platinum benefits but wow, was I wrong!
I’m writing from my Grande Suite with a great view down to the tropical garden pool area. Very, VERY nice :D . A comfortable living room, half bathroom, very spacious bedroom, dressing room and gorgeous main marble bathroom with a large tub and huge shower stall (so big it’s even got a seat in there). I’m like a pig in the brown stuff! Lots of goodies, my own butler, free breakfast, free internet access and even three items of laundry on the house. My friend gets in later today and she’s going to be very impressed by the room!
Impressions so far:
KE: overall positive. I’d not tried their business class before and although they’re not SQ or CX they do offer good service and the catering is very good. No amenity kits is, IMO, an excellent idea if you keep the toilets properly stocked (which KE do). The IFE is, frankly, lousy with a poor selection and very basic headphones. Cabin crew: very attentive and helpful and although their English is not as proficient as some other carriers, they make up for this with a very positive, caring attitude. The seats may be older and the pitch isn’t over generous but I slept very well on both sectors so they get two thumbs up from this 6’3” 250lb guy. The lounges: good at LHR and excellent at ICN: the latter is right up there as a contender for best airline lounge anywhere. IMO KE beats any of the North American carriers and most of the Europeans.
Comfort Suites BKK airport: a great option if you’re arriving very late or very early. Very close to the airport (less than 5 minutes in the shuttle bus), inexpensive especially when booked online and much better value than the ludicrously expensive Amari.
Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit: I could live here. My room is fantastic, service so far has been outstanding, location is great with the Skytrain and subway literally outside the door.
More to follow, if anyone’s interested, after two go wild in Bangkok.
Just over a week ago a friend suggested a trip to Asia over the Easter holidays and I was happy to tag along if I could get hold of a reasonably priced ticket from London. Well, that was looking dodgy, so I thought I’d call Delta SkyMiles and see if they could do anything. The very obliging Billy Dee was extremely patient with me and after half an hour of tossing options around I found myself with confirmed reservations for Korean Air Prestige (C) class routing LHR-ICN-BKK and returning the same way. SPG then delivered some good deals in Bangkok and Penang and the plan of flying to Bangkok then train to Penang started to come together.
Suddenly it’s March 20th and it’s time to head out to Heathrow.
20th March 2005
LHR ICN KE908 STD 2100 ATD 2102 STA 1655 ATA 1653
C Class Seat 7B. Boeing 747-400
Getting to terminal 3 at around 7.15 I felt like I was walking into a scene from Dante’s Inferno, crowds of harried people everywhere. The KE check-in was, thankfully, less frenetic with dedicated desks for business and first class. Two minutes later I had my boarding passes, my bag was checked through to Bangkok and I was heading for the shopping mall that doubles as a departure lounge. The fast track channel had me in the lounge in a couple of minutes and I threaded my way through the throng to the Morning Calm lounge. And it lives up to its name. Very restful even though it’s pretty full and with a decent variety of nibbles (including Twiglets: yum!) There’s free internet access through a couple of PCs and a printer that actually works (a rarity at shared public facilities in my experience). Soon enough KE908 is announced as ready for boarding and I start the trek towards gate 15. Getting there I find Dante again: yes, the flight is ready for boarding but it’ll be five minutes before boarding actually begins. When boarding does start it’s a painless process for us at the pointy end as we have our own air bridge.
Immediately the very gracious crew spring into action offering to hang my jacket and as I settle into my seat one of the crew comes round with a tray of orange juice and water. Next a selection of newspapers is offered. The captain comes on to welcome us aboard and while I was probably expecting someone from Seoul or Pusan, it sounds as though Captain Avery comes from somewhere near Sheffield. Soon enough we’re ready to go and push back pretty much on time.
Impressions of the cabin are neutral: the décor is very simple with little decoration. The seats are an older cradle design with a pitch of 50”. As I’m in the bulkhead row I have great space in front of me and no intrusion from a seat in front reclining back. All pretty standard but as I settle down I’m struck at how comfortable the seat is. On KE no amenity kits are handed out but the toilets are very well stocked (and replenished) with everything you might need. In the seat pocket in front of me there’s the usual magazine and safety card along with a stationery pack, very basic headphones, a pair of slippers and a menu in a leather cover. Load on the lower deck is 20 of 28, but the crew is always on hand should we need anything.
Drinks service starts quickly and dinner orders are taken. Time to investigate the IFE and, alas, it’s rather disappointing. There is a personal TV in the armrest but it’s not very big and the selection is restricted: 10 channels with 5 showing films, all running on a loop. One very irritating feature is that the film doesn’t pause when the PA comes on. As each announcement is made in Korean, English and Japanese this quickly becomes annoying.
Dinner service starts with linen tablecloths and trays containing the pre-plated appetiser (salmon tartare – very tasty!), bread plate, cruet set, glassware and plastic cutlery (sigh), followed immediately by a good selection in the bread basket and the wine rack featuring two reds and two whites including a tasty Alsace Gewurtztraminer. Main courses are served from the trolley and tonight there’s a choice of oriental beef, baked cod and, of course, Korean bibimbap. I’ve chosen the cod and it’s very good: hot, nicely presented and very tasty. Next is a desert and cheese trolley with a choice of mandarin cake or ice cream and Port Salut, Emmental and Camembert cheese.
After dinner I feel full and drowsy and think I’ll try for a little nap. I wake up to find we’re two hours out and would I like some breakfast? I’ve had 6½ hours solid. Breakfast is unremarkable and shortly we’re taxiing to the terminal at Incheon airport. This is a beautiful facility, airy and spacious, but the transit security check can be very lengthy. Today I queue for about 20 minutes before I find myself on the departures level and start towards the KAL first class lounge. But times have changed and Skyteam Elite Plus members no longer have access to the first class lounge so I head over to the Prestige class lounge instead.
This is huge as you might expect from KE’s primary hub. Great view of the apron through enormous windows, extensive selection of hot and cold food catered by the Hyatt Regency Incheon, business centre, showers, slumber room: it’s all there. Very impressive. I shower and sit down to log on to the free wi-fi network and wait for my connecting flight.
21st March 2005
ICN BKK KE653 STD 2035 ATD 2050 STA 0010 (+1) ATA 0030 (+1)
C Class Seat 8F. Boeing 777-300
Walking down to the gate it looked as though this was going to be a fairly light load on the plane. As soon as boarding was announced though the crowd rose as one and bore down on the gate agents. Thankfully there was also a business/first station with no line, so very quickly I made my way aboard. Pre-flight drinks and newspapers were immediately offered and the drink selection included champagne and a very welcome mimosa.
A note about the cabin crew on this flight: the crew included two Bangkok-based Thai stewardesses and, as I’ve noticed on many flights on other airlines, the ‘out-station’ crew’s standard of service was even better than the rest of the ‘host nation’ crew. My side of business class was served by one of these ladies and she was truly outstanding.
The flight departed a little late with no explanation offered and shortly after take-off the pilot came on with our flight details. This, and indeed all PA’s, was announced in Korean, English, Japanese and Thai which made for some lengthy announcements. Thankfully, unlike on the 747 on my previous flight, the IFE paused while all the info was trotted out. Next came a drinks service and the opportunity to select our menu choices. Main course options were the ubiquitous bibimbap, steak or chicken in yellow bean sauce. I asked for the steak and was asked how I’d like it cooked. I asked for medium but was frankly sceptical about how much control the crew would have. Then it's out with the tables, on with the tablecloths and here's your tray with glasses, china and metal cutlery :D .
Meal service on the flight was a very good dinner, remarkably good in fact. The appetiser of smoked salmon, tuna and marlin with a wasabi sauce was exceptional and a generous portion. After a salad my steak arrived and shame on me for my cynicism because it was just how I’d asked for it. Well done Korean Air! Cheese and fruit came next along with a relaxing glass of port and then I thought I’d better check out the IFE. Well next thing I know the PA announces we’re on final approach: those seats really are comfortable! We land at Don Muang and get to the gate around 20 minutes behind schedule. Even past midnight it’s still 29C outside but, thankfully, not especially humid.
Immigration is deserted and bags arrive quickly and I walk through customs to look for the agent from the Comfort Suites hotel. Finding him easily it’s a matter of minutes before the van arrives and whisks me a couple of kilometres to the hotel. Although the Comfort Suites may have once been associated with Choice Hotels (the branding looks very similar), it's now part of a local chain but retains the name. Bottom line: I’m staying in a hotel and not getting any mileage or points whatsoever. The shame! The hotel is nothing special but it’s clean and the aircon works well in my room and at THB 1300 (less than USD 35) it’s considerably cheaper than the Amari that connects directly onto the airport terminals.
I check out at noon and pay a quick visit to the hotel’s barber for a quick trim and the obligatory head massage. Next it’s a cab ride into town which comes to the princely sum of THB 175 (less than USD 5) and delivers me to the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, my home for the next four nights. I’ve stayed at the Westin over the road before and was very impressed but figured that, in the name of research, I ought to try the Sheraton. Opinion from FlyerTalk has been very positive and at USD 145 a night for a deluxe room using an SPG 50% off award it looks like good value. I thought that by using the 50% off award the hotel might skimp on the platinum benefits but wow, was I wrong!
I’m writing from my Grande Suite with a great view down to the tropical garden pool area. Very, VERY nice :D . A comfortable living room, half bathroom, very spacious bedroom, dressing room and gorgeous main marble bathroom with a large tub and huge shower stall (so big it’s even got a seat in there). I’m like a pig in the brown stuff! Lots of goodies, my own butler, free breakfast, free internet access and even three items of laundry on the house. My friend gets in later today and she’s going to be very impressed by the room!
Impressions so far:
KE: overall positive. I’d not tried their business class before and although they’re not SQ or CX they do offer good service and the catering is very good. No amenity kits is, IMO, an excellent idea if you keep the toilets properly stocked (which KE do). The IFE is, frankly, lousy with a poor selection and very basic headphones. Cabin crew: very attentive and helpful and although their English is not as proficient as some other carriers, they make up for this with a very positive, caring attitude. The seats may be older and the pitch isn’t over generous but I slept very well on both sectors so they get two thumbs up from this 6’3” 250lb guy. The lounges: good at LHR and excellent at ICN: the latter is right up there as a contender for best airline lounge anywhere. IMO KE beats any of the North American carriers and most of the Europeans.
Comfort Suites BKK airport: a great option if you’re arriving very late or very early. Very close to the airport (less than 5 minutes in the shuttle bus), inexpensive especially when booked online and much better value than the ludicrously expensive Amari.
Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit: I could live here. My room is fantastic, service so far has been outstanding, location is great with the Skytrain and subway literally outside the door.
More to follow, if anyone’s interested, after two go wild in Bangkok.