Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus - TR: First & Business Class: Taipei-Bangkok-Paris

This trip report will originally be in three parts. First, a report on my business class flight from Taipei to Bangkok. Second, a report on my experience on transferring in Bangkok, the highlight of which is of course the First Class Lounge. Third, a report on my first class fligh from Bangkok to Paris.

Taipei Airport

Thai departs from Terminal 1 of Taipei’s Taoyuan Airport. (Following the KMT’s win in the recent elections, many locals were speculating it would again be re-named as Chiang Kai-shek Airport).

At first sight, Terminal 1’s exterior design seems to have been inspired by Eero Saarinen’s main building at Washington Dulles Airport --- one of the most beautifully-designed airport terminals ever in my opinion. If Terminal 1 was inspired by Dulles, it was very poorly executed. Upon entering Terminal 1, it reveals itself as a very sad place indeed. Dilapidated and shoddy are the first adjectives that come to mind.


Check-in

There were 15 people ahead of me in line at the Royal Silk Check-in counters and I waited about 25 minutes to reach the front of the line. This is one of the longest waits I’ve had at a business class check-in. It turned out that most people were actually flying economy with no status. However, the location of the Royal Silk check-in desks was closest to the doors and upon seeing a line most people seemed to join it. There was no checking of tickets or gold cards in the line and the agents checked everyone in at the Royal Silk counters. I saw them reaching out to get the economy class boarding passes and a staff member confirmed this. I suppose one could like Thai for doing this if one is in economy – but I certainly didn’t.

The agent very quickly processed me and gave me my boarding pass and continuing boarding pass to Paris. She went out of her way to highlight that my miles were entered correctly. She also informed me of the location of the Thai Lounge: ahead of immigration and security. As I had inquired on FlyerTalk before, I knew I had a better option of going to the Singapore Airlines Lounge in Terminal 2. When I asked about this, the agent said that it would take me 30 minutes to get there (I assume this was round-trip) and strongly advised against it. I checked monitors and found no departing Singapore flight, so I decided not to chance it and headed to the Thai Lounge.
 

Thai Lounge

There’s a long escalator that goes up from the check-in area to the immigration/security area. I took it; half-way up I saw the Thai Lounge. So, I walked back down half-way to reach the Lounge. A poor design – and symbolic for the airport in general.

The lounge is small but I found it actually nice. It was about half-full at its very busiest, which may have contributed to it being nice. I asked if they made announcements and the agent was very clear that I should wait for her announcement.

There were 2 computers there – with fast access. The selection of food was excellent in my view but I cannot comment on its quality as I had none. The wine selection was limited to one red and one white from Concha y Toro in Chile: the quality was not good it goes without saying. There was also an extensive selection of liquor.

Time flew by quickly as I was doing e-mails and before I knew it the lounge had completely emptied. The lounge attendant told me to continue waiting in the lounge. She then came to me and told me I should go now. I was thinking she would escort me since time was very short before departure but no --- I lugged my carry-on's back down the stairs and caught the escalator back to the top.


Immigration & Security

To my astonishment there was not a single person waiting at immigration. I was through in less than 15 seconds ! Security was similarly a breeze.

But the feeling of emptiness quickly faded – it was as crowded as a rock concert once beyond. Tons of people and crowded stores. I also caught a glimpse of a Cathay Pacific lounge – obviously better located!!!


Boarding

Unlike at check-in, business class (premium) boarding was very separate from economy --- and enforced. It was very quickly done. The plane came from Seoul and I realized that most people were coming from there due to the transit cards they were holding. It explains the empty lounge and confirms the complete disorganization of premium-checkin.


First Impressions On-board

The 777-300 was an old (or regional?) configuration with 2-3-2 seating. The seats were very old style and had certainly seen better days. The upholstery was very worn. I certainly felt for people who’d had to experience this cabin on long-haul routes! The only plus was the high seat-backs which gave an intimate feel to the cabin.

Upon boarding, the crew was very good in assisting with stowing carry-on’s and taking coats. They immediately returned with pre-takeoff drinks, (VERY) hot-towels, and menus. There was no amenity kit, but sockettes were ”pre-boarded” in each seat pocket, along with headphones. A (very fluffy) blanket and pillow were resting in each seat upon entering.


Taste

First Course
Goose Liver Pate, Parma Ham

Main Course
Pan-fried Grouper in Basil Tomato Sauce
Boiled Potatoes, Spinach, Grilled Herb Tomato

Or

Braised Beef Chin in Soy Sauce
Fried Rice Thai Style, Pak-choy
Sauteed Red and Green Capsicum

Or

Chicken with Tomato Concasse
Capellini Pasta with Olive Oil, Sauteed Vegetables

Or

Prawns Curry “Chu-Chee”, Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice
Stir-fried Green Bean


Assorted Breads, Crackers, Butter
Cheese and Fresh Fruits Tray

Dessert
Taro Cake
Tea, Coffee
Espresso, Cappuccino


Wine

Champagne - Brochet-Hervieux Brut
Red Wine – Chateau La Bonnelle Saint Emillion Grand Cru 2002
Red Wine – Bourgogne Pinot Noir Vielles Vignes, Alert Bichot 2002
White Wine – Chateau Thieuley 2006
White Wine – Chateau de Maligny 2006
White Wine – Macon Village Albert Bichot 2005


IFE

Can’t say much about the selection. I kept the air-show map on throughout the flight, although it was a very different looking air-show map than the typical -- attempting at times to be 3D and show the curvature of the earth. There was no AVOD on this flight.


Crew

The crew – which was overwhelmingly male on this flight – was very good. Service can only be described as professional, prompt and responsive.


Overall

Despite all of the above, there was something intangible missing on the flight. I still can’t put my finger on it. It did not feel like a good Singapore Airline flight, for example. But it was a very good flight indeed, just not excellent.

I was greeted by a hostess holding my name as soon as I left the jet-way at the gate. I was a bit disappointed that I did not see a buggy, though ! There was however nothing to fear since the reason for us walking to the lounge was in fact that it was right around the corner from the gate - about a 2 minute walk.

What a fantastic sanctuary this lounge is !!!

The hostess found me an empty cabana (if that's the right term for the semi-private rooms) where I dropped my luggage. She then asked if I'd like something to drink and immediately brought a glass of champagne over. I believe they serve Moet et Chandon Brut in the lounge.

A few minutes later another hostess came and walked me over to the food room. In this room, they have examples of all the food on offer and it's a very nice offering. You point to what you want and it's brought to you. I had a club sandwich, which was excellent. As an example of the superlative service offered in the lounge, the hostess brought another glass of champagne with the sandwich. How observant!

Another hostess came by to ask if everything was OK and if I needed anything. I said that everything was perfect and that I'd be leaving the lounge for a few minutes to buy orchids. She immediately then escorted me to a store selling orchids, which was located close to the lounge. How perfect.

Back in the lounge, I finished my glass of champagne and waited to be told that it was time to go to the gate. I became a bit nervous as the departure time of the flight was rapidly approaching. A hostess sensed that I was getting a bit nervous and told me that everything was OK. A few minutes later a hostess came to escort me to the gate. We walked a bit and went down an escalator where a buggy was waiting. We drove to the gate area for what seemed a very long time - my god I wouldn't want to do that walking !!! Nearing the gate, we passed through security which was empty. At the gate, it was clear that the flight had fully boarded already.

PS- I did not experience the Spa as my stop-over was less than 1 hour.

I cannot describe how attentive, proactive and - in a word - flawless the entire ground first class experience is at Bangkok. I'd say it's better than the First Class Terminal experience at Frankfurt.

Pre-takeoff and first impressions

What a relief it was to enter the cabin and see it was the new version – always an unnerving aspect of flying Thai First. My seat – 2A – looked very inviting indeed! I like the layout of the Thai First cabin – a sense of open space rather than the enclosed suite units on some airlines. I like the fact that the seat and the ottoman/footrest being separate. Of course, there’s less privacy as a result…

A stewardess was standing by the seat and was over-eager in wanting to strip me of my hand-luggage immediately and store my carry-on’s in the front closet. I needed to get some gadgets, medicines, magazines, etc. out. She waited patiently as I did this and then took them away. She then returned to place my box of orchids in an overhead bin. A few minutes later one of her colleagues was seconds away from putting somebody’s oversized bag on top of them --- which I was thankfully there to prevent!

A distinct negative of the Thai First Class seat is the lack of personal storage space in the seat. There’s a tiny bin that can be closed near the foot-rest where the amenity kit is located and a magazine pocket. Perhaps I’m showing my ignorance of the seat – so please let me know if there’s a secret cubby-hole that I have not discovered! Otherwise the seat was fine. The upholstery seemed almost brand-new. The fact that there’s an obvious storage shelve for shoes in the ottoman is a very good design feature. The in-seat personal light was not swiggly, but fastened at an almost useless angle.

They came quickly to ask what I’d like as a pre-take off drink – i.e. it was not a tray with glasses of water/OJ/champagne. From looking around, whisky seemed to have been the favored beverage! I opted for a glass of Dom as I would many times during the flight! They came around with the glass pre-poured. Not like Singapore Airlines where they make a big show of pouring from the bottle at your seat. They then came around with the bottle of Dom to offer a refill. Excellent!

The amenity kit was Hermes-branded and had all the usual items. The flight attendants then came around with pyjamas – seemingly available in two sizes. They were very cheap looking and certainly not branded.
Menus were in the seat upon boarding and they came around prior to take-off to take orders. This took most passengers by surprise so they let people study the menu for a few minutes before coming around to take the orders.

I went to the bathroom prior to take-off and was surprised at their location. They’re right behind row 5 middle seats (If I remember correctly) and the doors of the bathrooms open towards the first class cabin. Although there’s not much traffic, this must be a nuisance for people in middle seats of row 5. The bathroom was immaculately clean with Bvlgari products.


Taste and Wine

First Serving

First Course
Wing Bean Salad with Smoked Duck Thai Style
Duo of Marinated and Smoked Salmon
Rolled Grilled Zucchini with Porcini Mushroom Italian Style

Main Course
Pan-fried Australian Veal Loin, Three Peppercorn Sauce
Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary, Grilled Vegetables

Or

Roasted Duck Breast with Duck Juice
Apple Compote with Rosemary, Duchess Potatoes, Vegetables

Or

Pork Mignon in Curry Pa-naeng
Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice, Sauteed Kailan with Oyster Sauce

Or

Stir-fried US Scallops with Yee Heong Sauce
Egg Noodles, Vegetables


Bread Selection
Assorted Cheese Tray / Fresh Fruits

Dessert

Assorted Cakes
Tea, Coffee, Esporesso, Cappuccino

Second Serving

Fresh Fruits
Plain Yoghurt, Fruit Yoghurt
Cereals

Main Course
Italian Basil Frittata topped with Lobster Tomato Herb Sauce
Bacon and Herb Sausage
Roesti Potatoes with Cheese and Bacon
Grilled Carrots and Zucchini

Or

Pancake stuffed with Cream Asparagus
Bacon and Herb Sausage
Grilled Mushrooms and Vegetables

Or

Cold Cuts Platter
(Bierwirst, Cooked Salami, Farmer Ham, Tilsiter Cheese)

Or

Instant Noodle Soup with Fish Shrimp Balls
Soya Roll, Pain au Chocolate, Croissant
Butter, Mamalade, Jam, Honey
Tea, Coffee, Ovaltine

Wine

White Wine - Mercurey Domaine Michel Juillot 2001 Chardonnay

White Wine - Le Divinus De Chateau Bonnet 2006

Red Wine - Chateau Dauzac Margaux Grand Cru Classe 2004

Red Wine - Givry 1er Cru, Le Manoir Murisaltien 2002



Champagne - Dom Perignon Vintage 2000


Liqueurs, including Hennessy Paradis Extra

I will say that the food was not of very high quality on this flight – as indeed has been my experiences on all my Thai flights especially in First where you expect them to make an effort, especially from their home base.

When it came time to serve the food, the crew got the table out of its setting. It revealed itself as a very large table – ostensibly because you could have someone join you for dinner with them sitting on the ottoman. The odd thing however was that it was all scratched and stained – very different from the state of the seat itself. More strange still was the fact that the table cloth the crew brought out only covered about 1/3 of the table.
The table was setup individually – i.e. no trays were brought. The crew brought all the plates, utensils and accessories without benefit of a trolley. They were all of high quality.

I only drank Dom throughout the whole flight so cannot comment on the wines. I can confirm that they had Paradis on board because the person across from me had that on several occasions.

During the middle of the flight, I asked for a snack and was brought a totally inedible ham and cheese sandwich. The term industrial does not come close to describing it. As I said, the food overall was BAD.



IFE

The IFE is AVOD. The technology is very good and I’d say the offering is only second to Singapore Airlines in my experience. The headsets offered are not noise cancelling.

Sleeping

I experienced the seat as very good for sleeping. The pillow was very fluffy and nice. The duvet however was not very comfortable. It was covered in silk which I’m not used to in a duvet!!! There was no sheet to put on the seat.

Earlier this year, I flew from Bangkok to Seoul on an overnight nonstop flight in business and the duvet there was super fluffy --- and I remembered commenting to a colleague that it was the best duvet I’d had on an airplane. Unfortunately, what’s offered in First on this flight was inferior to that business offering.


The Crew Disappearing Act

As sadly on most airlines, the crew totally disappeared following dinner. I have now become more comfortable with pushing the call button on such occasions. There was a great turnover of crew during the overnight and some were good at coming back with a refill whereas (most) others were not.

On the whole, the crew on this flight was VERY good. One of the flight attendants (female) told me that the Paris flight was the most sought after by flight attendants.

Having been challenged by BKKROP to write about the CDG experience – and there can be no ruder awakening than arriving at CDG – I had to rest before allowing myself to revisit the experience. Sorry for the delay.

First, this is no anti-France rant. I love living here and almost all aspects of this country.

Thai uses Terminal 1 at CDG – the old one. It’s been in a long state of disrepair but has been undergoing renovations for several years now – although for many it’s hard to tell which part has been renovated and which has not! Many think the airport operator does this on purpose to give an advantage to Air France which operates out of Terminal 2. Who knows? The only advantage of Terminal 1 is that there are plenty of gates there and being transported by bus between the terminal and the plane is unheard of there – whereas it’s quite common at Terminal 2.

---

The Thai crew ensured that First Class passengers were the first to leave the plane. In fact, they were somewhat aggressive (for Thais) in making sure that no Business Class people tried to go ahead of us. I was in 2A and found it somewhat bemusing to see other First Class travelers behind me very leisurely getting there carryon’s as the throng of Business Class passengers was held back.

At the other end of the jet-way were French immigration officers checking passports. The 2 persons in front of me thought this was excellent and how efficient the French authorities were. I knew better. This check is (apparently) meant to sift out people with no travel documents so they can be deported immediately back to the country they came from before getting into the general pool of people arriving where it’s more difficult to see which country they should be deported to – and thus start a long legal process. This took no time for me, but I would’ve hated to be at the back of the plane…

Next we walk to the exit of the gate area where each person has to individually go through a security door. It’s similar to the system in some countries for entering/exiting bank branches. Except of course, it didn’t work. There was some button you could push for assistance but no one responded. So, the line was backing up. Until a native French person simply made her way through a door next to the security one marked (I’m translating from memory): “Absolutely no exit, alarm will sound, penalties.” She was quickly through and once the rest of us saw that this had not triggered an armed response (I guess we’re all influenced by American airports) the rest of went through.

For those that have not been to Terminal 1, it consists of a number of satellites that are connected to a main building by (lengthy) underground electronic/moving walkways. On this particular day and on many previous occasions, they were of course not working. It was a heavy slog --- down numerous steps, long walk, and then up numerous steps on the other side... From being driven in a buggy to the plane in Bangkok to this… ;-)

Next obstacle course for entering France – the real immigration process, not the pre-immigration at the jet-way. I do like the fact that France is very egalitarian in not observing the EEA vs. rest of world in terms of lines, unlike the UK for example… For the curious – and I had to ask a long time ago – the EEA stands for the European Economic Area and consists of the EU countries plus Iceland, Norway and I think Switzerland. This was, however, no obstacle course at all and it rarely has been for me. On long-hauls I usually fly in first or business and on short-hauls where I fly economy, there is no immigration. I think there were 2 people ahead of me in the line… Terminal 1 has (at least) two sets of immigration points. If one is full, then definitely go to another one – the other one is usually empty.

Next came the escalator in the sky from the immigration area to baggage claim. Thankfully, it was working. I never check bags when travelling alone. (With the family, we check bags which reinforces my belief not to check bags when one has the possibility not to. CDG is horrible in delivering bags – assume an hour wait at the baggage claim.) And if they have Priority tags, assume a longer wait since the communist baggage claim workers will make sure to deliver them last.)

On this particular occasion I was less than 10 minutes from the aircraft touching down to entering a taxi and that must be a very good record for an international airport of the scale of CDG. I however can easily imagine being there for 2 hours had I been with the family in the back of the plane and checking bags.

Taxis from CDG to Paris are plentiful but incredibly expensive – I’ve never had one for less than Euro 60 to my home in central Paris – and often significantly higher. A colleague of mine said that taxi drivers in Paris were very honest since there was absolutely no need for them to be otherwise since the metered fares were so outrageous to begin with.

I arrived happily home and was able to present my orchids… (They’re still beautiful, by the way .)

Hi Braniff,

Great reports, Enjoyable reading, the best part about these reports is that as a reader we are able to avoid the pitfalls of previous flyers and concentrate on the good parts. Only once have I waited for them to take me to the gate, I am unable to cope with the stress:p so I wander down on my own. The aircraft sounds great,slightly changed to what I recall, so this must be a newer one again. We are all different which is good I suppose, but I prefer the open plan, ie I dont like the cubicle style of flying, I need space around me. Interesting that the crew all still disappear after 3am, maybe they are on a 4 hours on then a break set up, leaving a junior to look after the nightowls. Hope you write about your arrival at CDG, albeit last year they were still renovating the terminal, but it is a shock to the system. I will be interested to hear about your overall impression of the whole trip, is there a return?, I have enjoyed it so much, can't wait for installment number #3/4/5/6. regards bkkrop

I cannot describe how attentive, proactive and - in a word - flawless the entire ground first class experience is at Bangkok. I'd say it's better than the First Class Terminal experience at Frankfurt.
Having visited both on the very same trip a couple weeks ago, I was able to do a direct comparison and I must say I agree with this. The TG F ground experience ex-BKK really is better than the LH F experience ex-FRA. Although driving to the plane in a Porsche is a bit more dramatic than a golf cart. :eek: :D

. Although driving to the plane in a Porsche is a bit more dramatic than a golf cart. :eek: :D
You have convinced me, I just have to do it this year, wow, I can just see me now. We have no shame, no loyalty, offer me a Porsche, a lobster, massage, bottle of Krug, I will change my story, alter my flying habits, even change airlines (it's shocking really, after years of telling everybody how terrible I thought QF were, they opened a superb spa here in MEL, now they are the finest in my opinion), regards bkkrop

Pre-takeoff and first impressions

The Crew Disappearing Act

As sadly on most airlines, the crew totally disappeared following dinner. I have now become more comfortable with pushing the call button on such occasions. There was a great turnover of crew during the overnight and some were good at coming back with a refill whereas (most) others were not.

On the whole, the crew on this flight was VERY good. One of the flight attendants (female) told me that the Paris flight was the most sought after by flight attendants.

Thank you for a very high quality detailed trip report! I'm glad you had a pleasant experience with TG. I must agree with you regarding the disappearance of First Class FAs after lights out. They tend to congregate in the galley, although I always spot one sitting/nodding just behind the curtain to guard business class passengers from entering the First class loos.

Next time avail yourself more time at BKK airport and try the oil massage. It's very relaxing.

:)

Thank you for all your kind remarks and I apologise for being so sinfully late in doing so. I have posted my arrival experience in CDG in post #5.

Next we walk to the exit of the gate area where each person has to individually go through a security door. It’s similar to the system in some countries for entering/exiting bank branches. Except of course, it didn’t work. There was some button you could push for assistance but no one responded. So, the line was backing up. Until a native French person simply made her way through a door next to the security one marked (I’m translating from memory): “Absolutely no exit, alarm will sound, penalties.” She was quickly through and once the rest of us saw that this had not triggered an armed response (I guess we’re all influenced by American airports) the rest of went through.

Thank you so much for taking up the "challenge", it's little gems like this that can be our saving grace one early morning arrival, or conversely they may have repaired it and our entrance to Paris could be noisy:)

For those that have not been to Terminal 1, it consists of a number of satellites that are connected to a main building by (lengthy) underground electronic/moving walkways. On this particular day and on many previous occasions, they were of course not working. It was a heavy slog --- down numerous steps, long walk, and then up numerous steps on the other side... From being driven in a buggy to the plane in Bangkok to this… ;-)

They do it so well in their home town, it spoils us for the rest.

Next came the escalator in the sky from the immigration area to baggage claim. Thankfully, it was working. I never check bags when travelling alone. (With the family, we check bags which reinforces my belief not to check bags when one has the possibility not to. CDG is horrible in delivering bags – assume an hour wait at the baggage claim.) And if they have Priority tags, assume a longer wait since the communist baggage claim workers will make sure to deliver them last.)

That escalator is always not working, you should have taken a photo of it in working mode. I have made a decision not to check in luggage again to CDG, it can take well over an hour, and you make me laugh about your baggage handlers, I am sure they are the same the world over.

On this particular occasion I was less than 10 minutes from the aircraft touching down to entering a taxi and that must be a very good record for an international airport of the scale of CDG. I however can easily imagine being there for 2 hours had I been with the family in the back of the plane and checking bags.

10 minutes is exceptional, I shall follow your lead in July, don't know just yet if I am game enough to push that "NO EXIT" bar. You are a legend, Braniff.

Taxis from CDG to Paris are plentiful but incredibly expensive – I’ve never had one for less than Euro 60 to my home in central Paris – and often significantly higher. A colleague of mine said that taxi drivers in Paris were very honest since there was absolutely no need for them to be otherwise since the metered fares were so outrageous to begin with.

the second) and he graciously floated us into town in a Merc for double that.60 Euro, last time I succumbed to taking a limo driver who appear just at the right time when the wheels came off the bags and some high heels bit the dust (they must practice this down to

I arrived happily home and was able to present my orchids… (They’re still beautiful, by the way .)

Wonderful report Braniff, these are so useful to us Australians down in the bottom of the globe, who only see the bright lights twice a year if we're lucky, regards bkkrop

Unfortunately, I must agree with Braniff experience in CDG 1, except that I never had the initial passport check which seems to be random (police does not have hte staff to do it for every arriving aircraf).
Luggage delivery at CDG1 is awful.There are numerous intercontinental flights landing early morning and wait for baggage can easily be one hour. F luggage tend to arrive last. This late delivery of "premium" bags can also be the case for AF flights! The communist explanation is probably a good one. Someone ventured another cause involving tipping/corruption. Airlines need to tip bagage handlers handsomely to get them to follow the delivery priority rules...

I'm thinking of choosing TG F for a forthcoming trip to Southeast Asia. Can anyone confirm if this is (still) available on the CDG route.... I ask this because of all the cost-reduction talk...

I'm thinking of choosing TG F for a forthcoming trip to Southeast Asia. Can anyone confirm if this is (still) available on the CDG route.... I ask this because of all the cost-reduction talk...

They served caviar on my BKK-CDG-BKK trip in early June.