Samui-ho! SYR-CLE-LAX-BKK-USM and return in CO Y & F and TG C & Y
Sep 26, 2010, 3:17 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: JFK/EWR/LGA
Programs: A shadow of my former self
Posts: 928
Samui-ho! SYR-CLE-LAX-BKK-USM and return in CO Y & F and TG C & Y
I enjoy everyone else’s trip reports so much that it’s high time I returned the favor. This trip was a combination EQM run, birthday celebration, Ph.D. completion celebration, and new job celebration for my husband & me.
In early July, Thai Airways International (TG) was offering excellent B-class economy fares from LAX to Bangkok (BKK). B fares earn 150% EQM on Continental (CO) and are upgradeable via Star Alliance with CO OnePass miles. We wanted a beach vacation in a far-away destination that earned a lot of EQMs but didn’t break the bank, so this was perfect. This weeklong trip would earn nearly 31,000 EQM per passenger.
We booked through to Koh Samui (USM) to try someplace new -- we had already been to Phuket. Accommodation prices on Samui were extremely reasonable, perhaps because of the summer’s street protests in Bangkok. After the TG tickets were purchased and upgrades confirmed, we booked SYR-CLE-LAX separately on Continental, leaving a 4+ hour connection at LAX on the outbound and a 36 hour layover to see family on the return.
The whole adventure was basically flawless. Every flight was within a few minutes of on-time. No bags were mishandled. All service was good; some was exceptional. The vacation itself was relaxing and luxurious. I’ll let the pictures do the talking here, but would be happy to answer any questions.
Thursday 2 September 2010
CO 2681, SYR-CLE, Embraer RJ-135, domestic economy class, 317 miles
Scheduled 2:05p-3:17p (1h12m) | Actual 2:05p-3:00p
The planes would get successively better until we arrived in Thailand… ERJ to 737 to A340!
Here’s the interior of the ERJ
At least we were in the exit row.
Obligatory legroom shot.
Pushback was right on time.
So long, SYR… at least for now.
There was no departure delay, so we rolled right into a westerly takeoff on runway 28.
Service was prompt and friendly.
The route of flight was nearly direct.
Cruising at 26,000 feet.
We had lovely views of downtown Cleveland off the starboard wing on approach.
Arriving at gate D-12.
We headed through the underground tunnel.
To the Presidents Club in the C concourse.
In early July, Thai Airways International (TG) was offering excellent B-class economy fares from LAX to Bangkok (BKK). B fares earn 150% EQM on Continental (CO) and are upgradeable via Star Alliance with CO OnePass miles. We wanted a beach vacation in a far-away destination that earned a lot of EQMs but didn’t break the bank, so this was perfect. This weeklong trip would earn nearly 31,000 EQM per passenger.
We booked through to Koh Samui (USM) to try someplace new -- we had already been to Phuket. Accommodation prices on Samui were extremely reasonable, perhaps because of the summer’s street protests in Bangkok. After the TG tickets were purchased and upgrades confirmed, we booked SYR-CLE-LAX separately on Continental, leaving a 4+ hour connection at LAX on the outbound and a 36 hour layover to see family on the return.
The whole adventure was basically flawless. Every flight was within a few minutes of on-time. No bags were mishandled. All service was good; some was exceptional. The vacation itself was relaxing and luxurious. I’ll let the pictures do the talking here, but would be happy to answer any questions.
Thursday 2 September 2010
CO 2681, SYR-CLE, Embraer RJ-135, domestic economy class, 317 miles
Scheduled 2:05p-3:17p (1h12m) | Actual 2:05p-3:00p
The planes would get successively better until we arrived in Thailand… ERJ to 737 to A340!
Here’s the interior of the ERJ
At least we were in the exit row.
Obligatory legroom shot.
Pushback was right on time.
So long, SYR… at least for now.
There was no departure delay, so we rolled right into a westerly takeoff on runway 28.
Service was prompt and friendly.
The route of flight was nearly direct.
Cruising at 26,000 feet.
We had lovely views of downtown Cleveland off the starboard wing on approach.
Arriving at gate D-12.
We headed through the underground tunnel.
To the Presidents Club in the C concourse.
Sep 26, 2010, 3:18 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: JFK/EWR/LGA
Programs: A shadow of my former self
Posts: 928
Thursday 2 September 2010
CO 535, CLE-LAX, Boeing 737-800, domestic economy class, 2,052 miles
Scheduled 4:55p-6:45p (4h55m) | Actual 5:05p-6:56p
A Thursday afternoon transcon is not the time to expect a complimentary elite upgrade, so we weren’t surprised to be numbers 5 and 6 on the list as the door closed. We took solace in our reclining exit-row seats, a fistful of Continental Currency, and a final free coach cheeseburger to look forward to before “free meals at mealtime” are just a memory.
Boarding the DirectTV-equipped 737-800.
At 6’3” I appreciate the exit row legroom.
CLE is Continental 737-land.
We were again #1 for takeoff, again to the west on runway 24L.
The flight was smooth and the view of earth from above was as transcendent as ever.
It was now afternoon someplace, so time for happy hour.
You’ll have to take my word that a complimentary meal was served. I forgot to photograph its greasy, cheesburgery deliciousness. In this cabin shot you can see the detritus on other passengers’ tray tables.
We detoured around a gigantic thunderhead… I had never seen a cloud like it, narrowing to a tiny wasp’s waist near the ground.
I can spend hours looking out the window on a transcon.
Thank you Crystalvue.
Chasing the sun, we approached the City of Angels…
and landed late because of our detour.
4:51 takeoff to touchdown.
LAX is a spotter’s paradise, including two A345’s daily.
We approached our gate in Terminal 6 as the sun was setting…
thanked our 737 and her crew for safe passage…
and stopped at the Presidents Club to freshen up, since TG check-in would not open for another hour.
We walked slowly from T6 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), breathing our last fresh air for nearly 24 hours. It was hard to believe that our upcoming 17 hour flight would be entirely in darkness. We did some spotting in the gloaming, including a Qantas 744 and Qantas A380 boarding next to each other at the north end of TBIT.
TG’s check-in counters opened slightly before the published opening time of 3 hours before departure.
We checked one suitcase and passed through security swiftly and without incident, heading to the unremarkable but pleasant Star Alliance lounge.
The lounge became increasingly more crowded as the night wore on, with Asiana passengers competing with TG passengers for prime seats.
CO 535, CLE-LAX, Boeing 737-800, domestic economy class, 2,052 miles
Scheduled 4:55p-6:45p (4h55m) | Actual 5:05p-6:56p
A Thursday afternoon transcon is not the time to expect a complimentary elite upgrade, so we weren’t surprised to be numbers 5 and 6 on the list as the door closed. We took solace in our reclining exit-row seats, a fistful of Continental Currency, and a final free coach cheeseburger to look forward to before “free meals at mealtime” are just a memory.
Boarding the DirectTV-equipped 737-800.
At 6’3” I appreciate the exit row legroom.
CLE is Continental 737-land.
We were again #1 for takeoff, again to the west on runway 24L.
The flight was smooth and the view of earth from above was as transcendent as ever.
It was now afternoon someplace, so time for happy hour.
You’ll have to take my word that a complimentary meal was served. I forgot to photograph its greasy, cheesburgery deliciousness. In this cabin shot you can see the detritus on other passengers’ tray tables.
We detoured around a gigantic thunderhead… I had never seen a cloud like it, narrowing to a tiny wasp’s waist near the ground.
I can spend hours looking out the window on a transcon.
Thank you Crystalvue.
Chasing the sun, we approached the City of Angels…
and landed late because of our detour.
4:51 takeoff to touchdown.
LAX is a spotter’s paradise, including two A345’s daily.
We approached our gate in Terminal 6 as the sun was setting…
thanked our 737 and her crew for safe passage…
and stopped at the Presidents Club to freshen up, since TG check-in would not open for another hour.
We walked slowly from T6 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), breathing our last fresh air for nearly 24 hours. It was hard to believe that our upcoming 17 hour flight would be entirely in darkness. We did some spotting in the gloaming, including a Qantas 744 and Qantas A380 boarding next to each other at the north end of TBIT.
TG’s check-in counters opened slightly before the published opening time of 3 hours before departure.
We checked one suitcase and passed through security swiftly and without incident, heading to the unremarkable but pleasant Star Alliance lounge.
The lounge became increasingly more crowded as the night wore on, with Asiana passengers competing with TG passengers for prime seats.
Last edited by IndyDavid; Sep 28, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Sep 26, 2010, 3:18 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: JFK/EWR/LGA
Programs: A shadow of my former self
Posts: 928
Thursday 2 September 2010
TG 795, LAX-BKK, Airbus A340-500, international business class, 8,270 miles
Scheduled 11:20p-6:40a+2 | Actual 11:20p-5:52a+2
We caught up on e-mail, freshened up with a shower and change of clothes, and approached the miracle of engineering that is the A340-500 shortly before boarding began.
Once on-board we settled into Royal Silk Class. Here’s the obligatory legroom shot -- quite a step up from this morning’s ERJ.
A flight attendant brought around a tray of pre-departure beverages, from which Champagne was notably absent. We were told apologetically that they could not serve alcohol on the ground, but as soon as the boarding door was closed, we heard the telltale pop. We enjoyed a lovely bit of bubbly during pushback…
…and engine startup.
We taxied past the aforementioned Qantas A380.
And were again #1 for takeoff from 25R.
The flight time showed as a quick 15 hours and 15 minutes.
The cabin settled in for dinner, a movie, a nap, a snack, a movie, a nap, a movie, and yet another snack.
In all, three meals were served, the first being the most elaborate. The first was served shortly after takeoff, around 2:30 p.m. Bangkok time. The next meal was served at 9:00 p.m. BKK time. The final meal was served at 4:30 a.m. BKK time -- as late as possible before landing.
Wine and cocktails were served first. Wine choices included Piper Heidsieck Brut Champagne… Château Le Crock 2007 and Beaune Bastion 1er Cru Pinot Noir 2007… and Bourgogne Chardonnay “Maximum 2009”, Chablis 1er Cru 2009, and Villa Im Paradies 2007.
The first course was a grilled tiger prawn with mango salsa and a mixed green salad with lemongrass vinaigrette. I could have eaten half a dozen of those prawns, and the mango salsa was perfection.
The main course options were grilled beef tenderloin with bordelaise sauce, gratin dauphine potato, green beans and shallots confit, and stewed tomato… or fried noodles pad thai with grilled salmon tamarind glase… or chicken cordon bleu with buttered rice, broccoli, and carrot… or stir-fried prawns and squid with garlic and pepper and steamed thai hom mali rice.
I had the chicken cordon bleu, figuring I’d be overdosing on Thai delicacies over the coming week. It tasted exactly like it looks.
The cheese and fruit course with port was both appreciated and pedestrian.
Dessert was a divine mango crčme brűlée that I inhaled so quickly it couldn’t be photographed.
Some time later, I regained consciousness long enough to eat Meal #2. We were mid-Pacific…
…with 10 hours to go.
The second meal was American breakfast, served on one tray. Everyone received fresh fruit, yogurt, and a selection of baked goods. I had the crępe with scrambled egg and smoked salmon.
Other choices were boiled rice with pork and garnitures… or stir-fried yellow noodles with chicken and vegetables and black mushrooms (shown below and heavy on the noodles).
Our route of flight was surprisingly southerly, tracking around the fat part of the globe due west to Taipei, bending around the tip of Taiwan, and then overflying Da Nang and Ubon Ratchathani before turning direct to BKK Suvarnabhumi.
With just under 1˝ hours to go, I was overjoyed to see the third and final meal included a large helping of my favorite food: melted cheese! This is Florentine lasagna with cheese and sauce.
The other option was stir-fried vermicelli with shrimps and woodear mushroom, egg, and that old standby, steamed thai hom mali rice.
What’s interesting about TG’s map view is that Suvarnabhumi Airport isn’t on it. The airplane goes to the right place, but the satellite view shows grassy nothingness.
It was just dawn as we touched down. It had been raining and the windows fogged up straightaway.
TG 795, LAX-BKK, Airbus A340-500, international business class, 8,270 miles
Scheduled 11:20p-6:40a+2 | Actual 11:20p-5:52a+2
We caught up on e-mail, freshened up with a shower and change of clothes, and approached the miracle of engineering that is the A340-500 shortly before boarding began.
Once on-board we settled into Royal Silk Class. Here’s the obligatory legroom shot -- quite a step up from this morning’s ERJ.
A flight attendant brought around a tray of pre-departure beverages, from which Champagne was notably absent. We were told apologetically that they could not serve alcohol on the ground, but as soon as the boarding door was closed, we heard the telltale pop. We enjoyed a lovely bit of bubbly during pushback…
…and engine startup.
We taxied past the aforementioned Qantas A380.
And were again #1 for takeoff from 25R.
The flight time showed as a quick 15 hours and 15 minutes.
The cabin settled in for dinner, a movie, a nap, a snack, a movie, a nap, a movie, and yet another snack.
In all, three meals were served, the first being the most elaborate. The first was served shortly after takeoff, around 2:30 p.m. Bangkok time. The next meal was served at 9:00 p.m. BKK time. The final meal was served at 4:30 a.m. BKK time -- as late as possible before landing.
Wine and cocktails were served first. Wine choices included Piper Heidsieck Brut Champagne… Château Le Crock 2007 and Beaune Bastion 1er Cru Pinot Noir 2007… and Bourgogne Chardonnay “Maximum 2009”, Chablis 1er Cru 2009, and Villa Im Paradies 2007.
The first course was a grilled tiger prawn with mango salsa and a mixed green salad with lemongrass vinaigrette. I could have eaten half a dozen of those prawns, and the mango salsa was perfection.
The main course options were grilled beef tenderloin with bordelaise sauce, gratin dauphine potato, green beans and shallots confit, and stewed tomato… or fried noodles pad thai with grilled salmon tamarind glase… or chicken cordon bleu with buttered rice, broccoli, and carrot… or stir-fried prawns and squid with garlic and pepper and steamed thai hom mali rice.
I had the chicken cordon bleu, figuring I’d be overdosing on Thai delicacies over the coming week. It tasted exactly like it looks.
The cheese and fruit course with port was both appreciated and pedestrian.
Dessert was a divine mango crčme brűlée that I inhaled so quickly it couldn’t be photographed.
Some time later, I regained consciousness long enough to eat Meal #2. We were mid-Pacific…
…with 10 hours to go.
The second meal was American breakfast, served on one tray. Everyone received fresh fruit, yogurt, and a selection of baked goods. I had the crępe with scrambled egg and smoked salmon.
Other choices were boiled rice with pork and garnitures… or stir-fried yellow noodles with chicken and vegetables and black mushrooms (shown below and heavy on the noodles).
Our route of flight was surprisingly southerly, tracking around the fat part of the globe due west to Taipei, bending around the tip of Taiwan, and then overflying Da Nang and Ubon Ratchathani before turning direct to BKK Suvarnabhumi.
With just under 1˝ hours to go, I was overjoyed to see the third and final meal included a large helping of my favorite food: melted cheese! This is Florentine lasagna with cheese and sauce.
The other option was stir-fried vermicelli with shrimps and woodear mushroom, egg, and that old standby, steamed thai hom mali rice.
What’s interesting about TG’s map view is that Suvarnabhumi Airport isn’t on it. The airplane goes to the right place, but the satellite view shows grassy nothingness.
It was just dawn as we touched down. It had been raining and the windows fogged up straightaway.
Last edited by IndyDavid; Sep 28, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Sep 26, 2010, 3:19 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: JFK/EWR/LGA
Programs: A shadow of my former self
Posts: 928
Saturday 4 September 2010
TG 281, BKK-USM, Boeing 737-400, domestic economy class, 288 miles
Scheduled 7:45a-8:50a | Actual 7:45a-9:06a
By this point we had lost track of how many hours we had been traveling. Our early arrival meant plenty of time for a refreshing shower, but the domestic TG lounge doesn’t have showers and getting to the international departures level required an international boarding pass departing BKK, which we didn’t have. So we sat here in the domestic lounge’s “garden terrace”…
…wondering if it was possible to access the gorgeous formal gardens immediately outside…
…and marveling at the architecture of the terminal itself.
Our 737 to USM departed from a hard stand, so we rode the bus and climbed the stairs, seen here from the zero legroom seats in the first row of coach.
E-gad! This is worse than the ERJ.
The purple curtain dividing first from coach was inches from my face.
In far less than an hour, however, paradise approached.
On this trip, every other flight was a 737.
Unlike T6 at LAX, this one landed in a tropical wonderland whose byways were plyed by wiki-wiki bus HNL-style jitneys.
A quick, blessedly air conditioned ride later, we were at the Peace Resort on Bophut Beach, bungalow #124.
It was a perfectly fine place to stay, but several other establishments up and down the beach seemed nicer (and less crowded!)
Final evaluation of the trip: pleasant, unremarkable, maybe a notch above average, even for international business class, even on an Asian airline. The TG flight’s biggest letdown was the seat, which is seriously hard and not fully flat. (Even the TG website only promises 170°.) The meals were above average, the IFE was fine, the service was excellent, and the flights were on time.
TG 281, BKK-USM, Boeing 737-400, domestic economy class, 288 miles
Scheduled 7:45a-8:50a | Actual 7:45a-9:06a
By this point we had lost track of how many hours we had been traveling. Our early arrival meant plenty of time for a refreshing shower, but the domestic TG lounge doesn’t have showers and getting to the international departures level required an international boarding pass departing BKK, which we didn’t have. So we sat here in the domestic lounge’s “garden terrace”…
…wondering if it was possible to access the gorgeous formal gardens immediately outside…
…and marveling at the architecture of the terminal itself.
Our 737 to USM departed from a hard stand, so we rode the bus and climbed the stairs, seen here from the zero legroom seats in the first row of coach.
E-gad! This is worse than the ERJ.
The purple curtain dividing first from coach was inches from my face.
In far less than an hour, however, paradise approached.
On this trip, every other flight was a 737.
Unlike T6 at LAX, this one landed in a tropical wonderland whose byways were plyed by wiki-wiki bus HNL-style jitneys.
A quick, blessedly air conditioned ride later, we were at the Peace Resort on Bophut Beach, bungalow #124.
It was a perfectly fine place to stay, but several other establishments up and down the beach seemed nicer (and less crowded!)
Final evaluation of the trip: pleasant, unremarkable, maybe a notch above average, even for international business class, even on an Asian airline. The TG flight’s biggest letdown was the seat, which is seriously hard and not fully flat. (Even the TG website only promises 170°.) The meals were above average, the IFE was fine, the service was excellent, and the flights were on time.
Last edited by IndyDavid; Sep 28, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Sep 26, 2010, 3:20 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: JFK/EWR/LGA
Programs: A shadow of my former self
Posts: 928
Thursday 9 September 2010
TG 282, USM-BKK, Boeing 737-400, domestic economy class, 288 miles
Scheduled 9:30a-10:35a | Actual 9:30a-10:29a
TG 794, BKK-LAX, Airbus A340-500, international business class, 8,270 miles
Scheduled 7:30p-9:35p | Actual 7:30p-9:18p
The best part of our 5 luxurious nights at Bophut Beach was 5 amazing fresh seafood dinners at 5 different restaurants in Fisherman’s Village.
The Peace Resort driver took an ingenious backroads route to the airport, delivering us back to the tarmac paradise where our Boeing chariot awaits.
I do love boarding by stairs.
This time we lucked into the exit row, making up for the legroom fiasco on the way down.
As with the flight down & the resort itself, the flight back was 100% German tourists. Well, maybe not 100%, but awfully close. We saw more Asian people at the South Coast Plaza mall than during our week in Thailand.
The flight was smooth as, oh, I don’t know, tuile? Smooth as velvet? Smooth as crepe?
Eventually it was time to climb back aboard the A345 time machine and return to Los Angeles.
There were again three meals, none of which was recorded photographically for posterity. As before, the first meal was the most elaborate, marked “Special Design By Assistant Professor Srisamorn Kongpun, Authentic Thai Cuisine Expert.” It featured a preliminary amuse bouche in addition to the appetizer, main course (lobster, beef, chicken, or salmon), fruit & cheese course, and dessert. The second meal was a choice of panini sandwiches. The third meal combined the breakfast favorites fruit and yogurt with savory fare: Chilean sea bass, braised noodles with pork char siew, or saffron tortellini. The wine list was unchanged.
We did fly through a few hours of sunshine this time.
But it didn’t last.
We took a more typical great circle route.
And made it down to the O.C. in plenty of time for my birthday party Friday night.
TG 282, USM-BKK, Boeing 737-400, domestic economy class, 288 miles
Scheduled 9:30a-10:35a | Actual 9:30a-10:29a
TG 794, BKK-LAX, Airbus A340-500, international business class, 8,270 miles
Scheduled 7:30p-9:35p | Actual 7:30p-9:18p
The best part of our 5 luxurious nights at Bophut Beach was 5 amazing fresh seafood dinners at 5 different restaurants in Fisherman’s Village.
The Peace Resort driver took an ingenious backroads route to the airport, delivering us back to the tarmac paradise where our Boeing chariot awaits.
I do love boarding by stairs.
This time we lucked into the exit row, making up for the legroom fiasco on the way down.
As with the flight down & the resort itself, the flight back was 100% German tourists. Well, maybe not 100%, but awfully close. We saw more Asian people at the South Coast Plaza mall than during our week in Thailand.
The flight was smooth as, oh, I don’t know, tuile? Smooth as velvet? Smooth as crepe?
Eventually it was time to climb back aboard the A345 time machine and return to Los Angeles.
There were again three meals, none of which was recorded photographically for posterity. As before, the first meal was the most elaborate, marked “Special Design By Assistant Professor Srisamorn Kongpun, Authentic Thai Cuisine Expert.” It featured a preliminary amuse bouche in addition to the appetizer, main course (lobster, beef, chicken, or salmon), fruit & cheese course, and dessert. The second meal was a choice of panini sandwiches. The third meal combined the breakfast favorites fruit and yogurt with savory fare: Chilean sea bass, braised noodles with pork char siew, or saffron tortellini. The wine list was unchanged.
We did fly through a few hours of sunshine this time.
But it didn’t last.
We took a more typical great circle route.
And made it down to the O.C. in plenty of time for my birthday party Friday night.
Last edited by IndyDavid; Sep 28, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Sep 26, 2010, 3:21 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: JFK/EWR/LGA
Programs: A shadow of my former self
Posts: 928
Saturday 11 September 2010
CO 750, LAX-CLE, Boeing 737-800, domestic first class, 2,052 miles
Scheduled 9:15a-4:45p | Actual 5:05p-6:56p
CO 8689, CLE-SYR, DeHavilland Dash 8-200, domestic economy class, 317 miles
Scheduled 6:20p-7:44p | Actual 6:20p-7:33p
It seems to me that Continental’s domestic first class offering has been covered here at great length. Or maybe I’ve just eaten too many of these breakfasts.
As you can see, our upgrades cleared. Not as surprising for an early-morning Saturday departure. With a thought to that tragic day 9 years ago, we took our ample-legroom seats.
We had a bˇtchin’ tailwind and arrived in less than 3ľ hours…
…having cruised at 37,000 feet.
Many, many people were watching the Ohio State Buckeyes play football on board, thanks to DirectTV.
We then groggily boarded our last aerial ride of the day, a hot, cramped, buzzy Dash 8. Royal Silk Class has left the building.
In all, we covered 21,854 statute miles in happiness and gratitude for the great good fortune of our lives.
(Map credit: the Great Circle Mapper at gcmap.com)
Thanks for reading. Happy trails to all!
CO 750, LAX-CLE, Boeing 737-800, domestic first class, 2,052 miles
Scheduled 9:15a-4:45p | Actual 5:05p-6:56p
CO 8689, CLE-SYR, DeHavilland Dash 8-200, domestic economy class, 317 miles
Scheduled 6:20p-7:44p | Actual 6:20p-7:33p
It seems to me that Continental’s domestic first class offering has been covered here at great length. Or maybe I’ve just eaten too many of these breakfasts.
As you can see, our upgrades cleared. Not as surprising for an early-morning Saturday departure. With a thought to that tragic day 9 years ago, we took our ample-legroom seats.
We had a bˇtchin’ tailwind and arrived in less than 3ľ hours…
…having cruised at 37,000 feet.
Many, many people were watching the Ohio State Buckeyes play football on board, thanks to DirectTV.
We then groggily boarded our last aerial ride of the day, a hot, cramped, buzzy Dash 8. Royal Silk Class has left the building.
In all, we covered 21,854 statute miles in happiness and gratitude for the great good fortune of our lives.
(Map credit: the Great Circle Mapper at gcmap.com)
Thanks for reading. Happy trails to all!
Last edited by IndyDavid; Sep 28, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Sep 28, 2010, 12:39 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: MCO
Posts: 867
Sep 28, 2010, 7:51 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Los Angeles, CA USA
Programs: AA/UA
Posts: 325
What great memories of the LAX-BKK ultra long haul.. I see not much has changed.. still to this day don't get why TG doesn't serve dinner on regular plates... Did you hit much turbulance over Japan area?
Sep 30, 2010, 5:51 pm
#14
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Los Angeles, CA USA
Programs: AA/UA
Posts: 325
Wow... that's interesting because on all my flights over Japan airspace we hit some REALLY REALLY strong turbulance.. my flight attendant didn't martini shaker to mix my martini it was that strong
Sep 30, 2010, 7:42 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: AA Gold AAdvantage Elite, Rapids Reward
Posts: 38,311
Wow! What an excellent trip reports!! I'm glad that you are so enjoyable that you flown on TG out of LAX-BKK-LAX nonstop on entire A345 aircraft. You were sleep all the way out of LAX-BKK? How many hours that you were sleep on the plane? Are you too extremely tiredness that you flew long jetlags out of LAX-BKK-LAX.
I can't personally why that I haven't been on entire A345 aircraft before. I could try to get on TG out of LAX-BKK nonstops. I am going looking forward to it. I will be very extremely tired that I am already flew from USA-ZRH by last 2 previously trip. This time that I am going back on long-haul flight again. If I am not too tired during overnight on the plane.
I can't personally why that I haven't been on entire A345 aircraft before. I could try to get on TG out of LAX-BKK nonstops. I am going looking forward to it. I will be very extremely tired that I am already flew from USA-ZRH by last 2 previously trip. This time that I am going back on long-haul flight again. If I am not too tired during overnight on the plane.