CX712 Singapore to Bangkok in Business (with pics)
Jan 12, 2011, 12:16 pm
#1
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CX712 Singapore to Bangkok in Business (with pics)
CX712 Singapore Changi T1 SIN - Bangkok Suvarnabhumi BKK
08 December 2010
Boeing 777-200 B-HNL
Scheduled ETD/ETA: 13:55-16:30
Actual Time of Departure/Arrival: 14:17-15:12
Seat No: 15K
Boarding pass and lounge invite for CX712 flight to Bangkok
Having booked an economy class return trip from Singapore to Bangkok, and chosen my seats upon purchase as a benefit for Silver-tier Marco Polo Club members, I was suprised to be asked for seat preference on aisle or window when checking in at Changi Terminal 1. It seems I have scored yet another upgrade with Cathay Pacific, and I asked for a window seat on this flight, similar to my original window seat arrangement. This was totally unexpected having actually checked my online status the day prior to departure when I still saw my original seat at the back of the cabin. It was thus a great choice I made to travel with Cathay on this route when many others budget airlines like JetStar, Tiger Airways and Air Asia flies this routing frequently. I did check prices for JetStar but found their prices to be uncompetitive compared to Cathay.
Air Seychelles and a distant Air Asia in Lotus Racing livery
EVA Air 777-300 at Changi
After the prompt check in, I was issued the Lounge invitation for the Skyview Lounge which Cathay Pacific operates, and serving as lounge for other carriers like Garuda Indonesia. Cathay's airport and ground services in Singapore seems lacklustre at most, with departures from the antiquated Terminal 1, the small and unimpressive Skyview Lounge with limited food offerings and small space. Lucky for aviation enthusiasts, the Lounge had great views out towards the tarmac offering plenty of plane spotting opportunities. Spotted on the tarmac that day are several interesting airplanes, like an Air Seychelles, lots of Air Asia flights (shouldn't they be using the Budget Terminal?) and one Air Asia with a Lotus Racing livery
Food at the Skyview Lounge
Additional seating at the corner of the lounge
I helped myself to a cup noodle and browsed through the various offerings of pastries, sandwiches and drinks offered. Overall it was a disappointment as far as airport lounges were concerned. I tried to enquire at the front desk on the ability to visit the British Airways/Qantas Lounge since I was travelling on Business Class. The lounge agent gave a flat 'no' as an answer, though I left earlier from the Skyview Lounge and decided to try my luck nonetheless. With no lounge invitation on hand, and just a Business Class Boarding Pass, I made my way to the secluded BA/QF Lounge. The First Class Lounge was closed due to the lack of flights operated by BA and QF and the Business Class Lounge was virtually empty, with only a section of it being lit up. Amazingly, I was allowed entry into the lounge though the lounge agent indicated no boarding call will be made for my flight. Again I wondered why Cathay didn't just utilize this lounge with its oneworld partners. This lounge is not only spacious but was also impeccably served, though little food options were available. A lounge attendant was helpful enough in offering me snacks and food. I declined and just went for a banana for a small healthy snack. Magazine options in this lounge was also much better with a larger variety of newspapers available.
Entrance to the Skyview Lounge which is the main lounge used by CX at Changi Airport
Buffet Table at the BA/QF Business Class Lounge
After a short while in the lounge, I headed straight to the boarding gate, only to find that most of the passengers had boarded and I was one of the few remaining passengers to board. An Indian/Pakistani man was being caught up within the security screening for the large amounts of liquid and herbal concoctions onboard his carry-on luggage. Obviously, the security personnel had to take a lot of stuff out of his bag and he seemed half-puzzled, half-resigned to all this trouble. I made my way into the empty aerobridge and took my seat in the window seat, noticing the nearly full flight even in Business Class.
CX712 headed to Hong Kong via Bangkok
View of a Kingfisher and Emirates Jet from my seat
It seemed that it was a full load on the B777-200 regional flight to Bangkok and eventually Hong Kong this afternoon. My late boarding of the plane also meant I skipped on the welcome drinks but boarding was completed in no time so there is no need for one either. We were soon taxiing towards the runway on the opposite side, meaning the plane had to cross one of the overhead bridges spreading over the East Coast Parkway. The seats on the Boeing 777-200 seems antiquated and is similar to the seats on the regional Dragonair Business Class seats which I took between Hong Kong and Shanghai earlier this year. With a generous recline and comfortable footrest and adjustable lumbar support, this was adequate for a short regional routes not more than 3-4 hours. For longer regional routings, I doubt Cathay's business class could hold on its own compared to nicer regional offerings like Garuda's Executive Class flatbeds that is offered on Jakarta-Tokyo routes. Headphones and the menus for today's flight were distributed while the plane made its pullback before the flight attendants returned to their seats. The plane soon took off to glorious views of Pulau Tekong in the northern shore of Singapore before the plane took off above the skies over Peninsular Malaysia. Good weather was experienced throughout the flight which meant cabin service was uninterrupted throughout the flight.
Crossing the Overhead Tarmac over East Coast Parkway
Aerial view of Pulau Tekong in Singapore
Table setting at Cathay Pacific Business Class
Shortly after the plane reached cruising altitude, seat belt signs were turned off and meal service was started. The dining tray with a placemat was placed on the foldout tables and the menu of the day was as follow:
Starter 頭盤
Grilled scallops with mesculun salad 烤帶子鮮蔬沙律
Main Courses 主菜
Braised chicken and dried scallops with steamed rice, choy sum and carrots 瑤柱燴雞柳 配白飯，菜芯及胡蘿蔔
Boneless lamb shank in tomato raisin sauce with gnocchi, Kenya beans and carrots 燴羊腱伴番茄葡萄醬汁 配意式粉糰，邊豆及胡蘿蔔
Häagen Dazs Ice Cream 雪糕
Tea and Coffee 名茶及咖啡
Praline 精美朱古力
Drinks List 飲料
Juices: Orange, Apple, Tomato 果汁：橙汁，蘋果汁，番茄汁
Soft Drinks: Coke Zero, Coke, Coke Light, Sprite, Perrier water, tonic water, soda water and ginger ale 汽水：零系可口可樂，可口可樂，健怡可樂，雪碧湯力，梳打，薑啤，巴黎礦泉水
Freshly brewed coffee 特級咖啡
Teas 名茶
Hong Kong style milk tea 港式奶茶
Ceylon, Japanese, jasmine 錫蘭紅茶，日本綠茶，香片
Organic selection: camomile, earl grey, peppermint 有機系列：甘菊茶，伯爵茶，薄荷茶
Hot Chocolate 熱朱古力
Wine List
Champagne: Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne
White wines: P.Ferraud & Fils Viré-Clessé 2008 / Next of Kin Margaret River Chardonnay 2008
Red Wines: RockBare McLaren Vale Shiraz 2008 / Lionel Osmin Haut Capitole Fronton 2007
Port: Dow's Late Bottled Vintage Port 2005
Aperitifs and Cocktails: Gin, Rum, Vodka, Martini Rosso, Martini Extra Dry, Campari, Sweet and Dry Sherry, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver
Whiskies: Chivas Regal 12 Years Old, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Jack Daniel's, Canadian Club
Cognac: Hine 'Rare and Delicate' Fine Champagne
Liqueurs: Drambuie, Cointreau, Bailey's Irish Cream
Beer: International selection
CX Signature Drinks:
Cathay Delight - A kiwifruit based non-alcoholic drink with coconut juice and a touch of fresh mint
Pacific Sunrise - A refreshing combination of champagne and Drambuie with the zest of orange and lemon
The grilled scallops was great, bringing me back to the excellent scallop appetizer I also had on my Dragonair flight. The salad with the dressing was forgettable though. A veriety of bread was offered with the appetizers and I selected the really crunchy garlic bread. I chose the braised chicken main course which was another excellent choice and one of the best meals I had up above 30,000 feet. The gravy was so savoury I used it to as a dipping sauce for the vegetables. Ice cream was Strawberry flavour and there did not seem to be any choices even for business class passengers, unlike in Dragonair flights. I chose Japanese green tea to end the meal and ordered a glass of Cathay delight as well. The alcoholic cocktail Dragon Sunrise served on Dragonair seemed much better and the Cathay delight was too heavy for my palate. Perhaps the Pacific Sunrise would be nice. The Japanese Green Tea did not come with Praline, unfortunately which was really disappointing, when I usually enjoy this part of a Business Class flight the most. Perhaps it was a full business class cabin or that I was on an upgraded seat, the meal service felt no different to that on a regional economy class on a Dragonair flight. Other than the excellent main course and the glossy menus, it was nothing special to shout about.
Cruising in the front of the cabin
Inflight reading materials with a duty free catalogue
Cathay Pacific's old regional business class cabin on the 777-200
Flight attendants then went around offering duty free items around the cabin before the captain called for descent shortly afterwards at around 15:54 Singapore time. The descent was quick and before long we landed at Bangkok's vast international airport at Suvarnabhumi by 15:12 local time which was an hour later than Singapore. Being my first time visiting Bangkok, the array of airlines in the airport was interesting enough to keep me glued to the window. Two new airlines new to me I spotted included an Egyptair 777 with the Star Alliance livery and a Kenya Airways 777.
Kenya Airways 777 at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Our plane docked at the end of the terminal as it allows disembarkation of passengers headed to Bangkok while passengers headed to Hong Kong are requested to remain on board. My seat mate on the aisle seems headed to Hong Kong while most of the Business pax started to retrieve their luggage from the overhead compartments. Our docking area puts passengers at the end of the terminal concourse and it as a really long trek to the immigration, and after the initial good impression of Bangkok's airport, it has to be said I had a long wait at passport control, even with a lot more counters open than Jakarta. The number of visitors into this country is just phenomenal, and it took me about 45 minutes or so to finally get to the front of the line and collect my luggage. By then, nearly all the luggages have been rotating on the carousel and not just the priority ones.
Overview of the 2-3-2 seating on Cathay Pacific's old business class cabin
Looking back on the trip, I was not so impressed by the service offered by Cathay Pacific on their Business Class and even found the service on Dragonair to be a notch higher. This is especially when comparing the 2-3-2 abreast Business Class seats on Cathay's 777 with the 2-2-2 abreast Business Class seats on Dragonair's A330. For what it's worth the Dragonair's seats seems much wider and comfortable, and meal service much more complete with the whole mile including tea with the praline. If I were a paying passenger on the cabin, I would totally have felt cheated of service by a 5-star airline. For a passenger travelling on an upgraded ticket, it beats having to pass 2 person to get to the aisle anytime and the meal service was satisfying with all the bells and whistles. But to ask me to pay for such a Business class offering, I rather spend it elsewhere.
08 December 2010
Boeing 777-200 B-HNL
Scheduled ETD/ETA: 13:55-16:30
Actual Time of Departure/Arrival: 14:17-15:12
Seat No: 15K
Boarding pass and lounge invite for CX712 flight to Bangkok
Having booked an economy class return trip from Singapore to Bangkok, and chosen my seats upon purchase as a benefit for Silver-tier Marco Polo Club members, I was suprised to be asked for seat preference on aisle or window when checking in at Changi Terminal 1. It seems I have scored yet another upgrade with Cathay Pacific, and I asked for a window seat on this flight, similar to my original window seat arrangement. This was totally unexpected having actually checked my online status the day prior to departure when I still saw my original seat at the back of the cabin. It was thus a great choice I made to travel with Cathay on this route when many others budget airlines like JetStar, Tiger Airways and Air Asia flies this routing frequently. I did check prices for JetStar but found their prices to be uncompetitive compared to Cathay.
Air Seychelles and a distant Air Asia in Lotus Racing livery
EVA Air 777-300 at Changi
After the prompt check in, I was issued the Lounge invitation for the Skyview Lounge which Cathay Pacific operates, and serving as lounge for other carriers like Garuda Indonesia. Cathay's airport and ground services in Singapore seems lacklustre at most, with departures from the antiquated Terminal 1, the small and unimpressive Skyview Lounge with limited food offerings and small space. Lucky for aviation enthusiasts, the Lounge had great views out towards the tarmac offering plenty of plane spotting opportunities. Spotted on the tarmac that day are several interesting airplanes, like an Air Seychelles, lots of Air Asia flights (shouldn't they be using the Budget Terminal?) and one Air Asia with a Lotus Racing livery
Food at the Skyview Lounge
Additional seating at the corner of the lounge
I helped myself to a cup noodle and browsed through the various offerings of pastries, sandwiches and drinks offered. Overall it was a disappointment as far as airport lounges were concerned. I tried to enquire at the front desk on the ability to visit the British Airways/Qantas Lounge since I was travelling on Business Class. The lounge agent gave a flat 'no' as an answer, though I left earlier from the Skyview Lounge and decided to try my luck nonetheless. With no lounge invitation on hand, and just a Business Class Boarding Pass, I made my way to the secluded BA/QF Lounge. The First Class Lounge was closed due to the lack of flights operated by BA and QF and the Business Class Lounge was virtually empty, with only a section of it being lit up. Amazingly, I was allowed entry into the lounge though the lounge agent indicated no boarding call will be made for my flight. Again I wondered why Cathay didn't just utilize this lounge with its oneworld partners. This lounge is not only spacious but was also impeccably served, though little food options were available. A lounge attendant was helpful enough in offering me snacks and food. I declined and just went for a banana for a small healthy snack. Magazine options in this lounge was also much better with a larger variety of newspapers available.
Entrance to the Skyview Lounge which is the main lounge used by CX at Changi Airport
Buffet Table at the BA/QF Business Class Lounge
After a short while in the lounge, I headed straight to the boarding gate, only to find that most of the passengers had boarded and I was one of the few remaining passengers to board. An Indian/Pakistani man was being caught up within the security screening for the large amounts of liquid and herbal concoctions onboard his carry-on luggage. Obviously, the security personnel had to take a lot of stuff out of his bag and he seemed half-puzzled, half-resigned to all this trouble. I made my way into the empty aerobridge and took my seat in the window seat, noticing the nearly full flight even in Business Class.
CX712 headed to Hong Kong via Bangkok
View of a Kingfisher and Emirates Jet from my seat
It seemed that it was a full load on the B777-200 regional flight to Bangkok and eventually Hong Kong this afternoon. My late boarding of the plane also meant I skipped on the welcome drinks but boarding was completed in no time so there is no need for one either. We were soon taxiing towards the runway on the opposite side, meaning the plane had to cross one of the overhead bridges spreading over the East Coast Parkway. The seats on the Boeing 777-200 seems antiquated and is similar to the seats on the regional Dragonair Business Class seats which I took between Hong Kong and Shanghai earlier this year. With a generous recline and comfortable footrest and adjustable lumbar support, this was adequate for a short regional routes not more than 3-4 hours. For longer regional routings, I doubt Cathay's business class could hold on its own compared to nicer regional offerings like Garuda's Executive Class flatbeds that is offered on Jakarta-Tokyo routes. Headphones and the menus for today's flight were distributed while the plane made its pullback before the flight attendants returned to their seats. The plane soon took off to glorious views of Pulau Tekong in the northern shore of Singapore before the plane took off above the skies over Peninsular Malaysia. Good weather was experienced throughout the flight which meant cabin service was uninterrupted throughout the flight.
Crossing the Overhead Tarmac over East Coast Parkway
Aerial view of Pulau Tekong in Singapore
Table setting at Cathay Pacific Business Class
Shortly after the plane reached cruising altitude, seat belt signs were turned off and meal service was started. The dining tray with a placemat was placed on the foldout tables and the menu of the day was as follow:
Starter 頭盤
Grilled scallops with mesculun salad 烤帶子鮮蔬沙律
Main Courses 主菜
Braised chicken and dried scallops with steamed rice, choy sum and carrots 瑤柱燴雞柳 配白飯，菜芯及胡蘿蔔
Boneless lamb shank in tomato raisin sauce with gnocchi, Kenya beans and carrots 燴羊腱伴番茄葡萄醬汁 配意式粉糰，邊豆及胡蘿蔔
Häagen Dazs Ice Cream 雪糕
Tea and Coffee 名茶及咖啡
Praline 精美朱古力
Drinks List 飲料
Juices: Orange, Apple, Tomato 果汁：橙汁，蘋果汁，番茄汁
Soft Drinks: Coke Zero, Coke, Coke Light, Sprite, Perrier water, tonic water, soda water and ginger ale 汽水：零系可口可樂，可口可樂，健怡可樂，雪碧湯力，梳打，薑啤，巴黎礦泉水
Freshly brewed coffee 特級咖啡
Teas 名茶
Hong Kong style milk tea 港式奶茶
Ceylon, Japanese, jasmine 錫蘭紅茶，日本綠茶，香片
Organic selection: camomile, earl grey, peppermint 有機系列：甘菊茶，伯爵茶，薄荷茶
Hot Chocolate 熱朱古力
Wine List
Champagne: Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne
White wines: P.Ferraud & Fils Viré-Clessé 2008 / Next of Kin Margaret River Chardonnay 2008
Red Wines: RockBare McLaren Vale Shiraz 2008 / Lionel Osmin Haut Capitole Fronton 2007
Port: Dow's Late Bottled Vintage Port 2005
Aperitifs and Cocktails: Gin, Rum, Vodka, Martini Rosso, Martini Extra Dry, Campari, Sweet and Dry Sherry, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver
Whiskies: Chivas Regal 12 Years Old, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Jack Daniel's, Canadian Club
Cognac: Hine 'Rare and Delicate' Fine Champagne
Liqueurs: Drambuie, Cointreau, Bailey's Irish Cream
Beer: International selection
CX Signature Drinks:
Cathay Delight - A kiwifruit based non-alcoholic drink with coconut juice and a touch of fresh mint
Pacific Sunrise - A refreshing combination of champagne and Drambuie with the zest of orange and lemon
The grilled scallops was great, bringing me back to the excellent scallop appetizer I also had on my Dragonair flight. The salad with the dressing was forgettable though. A veriety of bread was offered with the appetizers and I selected the really crunchy garlic bread. I chose the braised chicken main course which was another excellent choice and one of the best meals I had up above 30,000 feet. The gravy was so savoury I used it to as a dipping sauce for the vegetables. Ice cream was Strawberry flavour and there did not seem to be any choices even for business class passengers, unlike in Dragonair flights. I chose Japanese green tea to end the meal and ordered a glass of Cathay delight as well. The alcoholic cocktail Dragon Sunrise served on Dragonair seemed much better and the Cathay delight was too heavy for my palate. Perhaps the Pacific Sunrise would be nice. The Japanese Green Tea did not come with Praline, unfortunately which was really disappointing, when I usually enjoy this part of a Business Class flight the most. Perhaps it was a full business class cabin or that I was on an upgraded seat, the meal service felt no different to that on a regional economy class on a Dragonair flight. Other than the excellent main course and the glossy menus, it was nothing special to shout about.
Cruising in the front of the cabin
Inflight reading materials with a duty free catalogue
Cathay Pacific's old regional business class cabin on the 777-200
Flight attendants then went around offering duty free items around the cabin before the captain called for descent shortly afterwards at around 15:54 Singapore time. The descent was quick and before long we landed at Bangkok's vast international airport at Suvarnabhumi by 15:12 local time which was an hour later than Singapore. Being my first time visiting Bangkok, the array of airlines in the airport was interesting enough to keep me glued to the window. Two new airlines new to me I spotted included an Egyptair 777 with the Star Alliance livery and a Kenya Airways 777.
Kenya Airways 777 at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Our plane docked at the end of the terminal as it allows disembarkation of passengers headed to Bangkok while passengers headed to Hong Kong are requested to remain on board. My seat mate on the aisle seems headed to Hong Kong while most of the Business pax started to retrieve their luggage from the overhead compartments. Our docking area puts passengers at the end of the terminal concourse and it as a really long trek to the immigration, and after the initial good impression of Bangkok's airport, it has to be said I had a long wait at passport control, even with a lot more counters open than Jakarta. The number of visitors into this country is just phenomenal, and it took me about 45 minutes or so to finally get to the front of the line and collect my luggage. By then, nearly all the luggages have been rotating on the carousel and not just the priority ones.
Overview of the 2-3-2 seating on Cathay Pacific's old business class cabin
Looking back on the trip, I was not so impressed by the service offered by Cathay Pacific on their Business Class and even found the service on Dragonair to be a notch higher. This is especially when comparing the 2-3-2 abreast Business Class seats on Cathay's 777 with the 2-2-2 abreast Business Class seats on Dragonair's A330. For what it's worth the Dragonair's seats seems much wider and comfortable, and meal service much more complete with the whole mile including tea with the praline. If I were a paying passenger on the cabin, I would totally have felt cheated of service by a 5-star airline. For a passenger travelling on an upgraded ticket, it beats having to pass 2 person to get to the aisle anytime and the meal service was satisfying with all the bells and whistles. But to ask me to pay for such a Business class offering, I rather spend it elsewhere.
Last edited by quirrow; Jan 12, 2011 at 1:36 pm
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Jan 12, 2011, 2:02 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: CGK
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Posts: 1,563
Jan 12, 2011, 4:59 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Toronto
Programs: SPG Gold, HH Silver
Posts: 855
Thanks for the informative report! I will be booking this route so I really appreciate the information.
One question; was there a choice of appetizers and main courses? I want to know if there are any fish or vegetarian options in J on CX on this route...
One question; was there a choice of appetizers and main courses? I want to know if there are any fish or vegetarian options in J on CX on this route...
Jan 13, 2011, 12:22 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: CGK
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Posts: 1,563
Though one could always request for a vegetarian meal on check-in or when purchasing tickets online. It wasn't on the menu though, since what was on the menu has been reprinted on the above post. Hope that helps!
Jan 17, 2011, 4:56 pm
#12
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Thanks everyone for the great comments. I have included some photos of the 3 days I spent in Bangkok, and thought that it is a really nice city to spend time in to explore a unique culture within S.E. Asia, enjoy the savoury Thai food and to shop in the numerous malls in the city.
Flags along Chao Phraya River
Cruising the Chao Phraya onboard the Water Bus
Mandarin Oriental at Bangkok
Upscale Gaysorn Mall
Wat Phra Kaew - Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Roof Detail of the Chakri Maha Prasat Hall in the Grand Palace
Erawan Shrine at Night
Flags along Chao Phraya River
Cruising the Chao Phraya onboard the Water Bus
Mandarin Oriental at Bangkok
Upscale Gaysorn Mall
Wat Phra Kaew - Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Roof Detail of the Chakri Maha Prasat Hall in the Grand Palace
Erawan Shrine at Night
Jan 17, 2011, 5:02 pm
#13
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Return Trip - CX713 Bangkok to Singapore in Business
CX713 Bangkok Suvarnabhumi BKK - Singapore Changi SIN
11 December 2010
B777-300 B-HNL
Scheduled ETD/ETA: 1245-1630
Actual Time of Departure/Arrival: 1301-1616
Seat No: 16K
On the last morning, I had another nice serving of coffee with danish pastries which I had while watching the day's news from the bed. Then, it was time to prepare myself for the flight back to Singapore as I began to pack my bags and check that I don't leave anything behind. With my flight from Bangkok due to depart at 1245, I checked out after breakfast and called the bellboy to pick my luggage from the room and requested for a taxi as I settled the hotel bill. The hotel stay was nice except for one incident when I requested for bedroom slippers, and the housekeeping staff was like checking the room for the slippers since there wasn't one in the room. Somehow I don't see what is the big deal over a bathroom slipper that he had to search the whole room.
Leaving Bangkok, and this LG advertisement greets me goodbye
I took a taxi from the hotel as I didn't really want the hassle of taking the public transport and for wanting to check out Cathay's Lounge in Bangkok. Being a Sunday morning, there wasn't much traffic along the roads and it was a smooth journey in the city centre, as the taxi driver pointed out to me some of the malls I have yet to visit in Bangkok. He was also quite talkative, and we got into a chat on car prices in Thailand and comparing that to Indonesia, albeit in a mixture of English and Thai involved since he wasn't that fluent in English. Before long, I arrived in Bangkok and was dropped off at Section gate 6 of the departure hall with lots of time left to explore the airport. First though it was to check-in for my flight and I headed towards the self check-in counter which was the shortest amongst all the lines and was served almost immediately. Like my Singapore-Bangkok flight, I got upgraded again on this journey which was really nice since I got to be able to travel on Business while paying for Economy. I was handed my boarding pass and the lounge invitation. With Bangkok being a small hub for Cathay due to connecting flights that departs from Bangkok, CX actually operates 2 lounges in Bangkok, and the check-in agent indicated on a map the closest lounge to my boarding gate.
Cathay Pacific Check-in counter at Suvarnabhumi
Security check and immigration which followed after check-in was quick and efficient, and I was soon through into the main departure concourse, greeted by this large sculpture of Thai mythical guardians and people carrying what looked like a three-headed dragon. The concourse spread out on both sides of the airport and with lots of time to spare, I decided to do some shopping first at the airport and found some really good prices on a winter jacket which would be useful for my upcoming trip to North America for snowboarding. Then at the Tod's boutique I got another good deal on a pair of their loafers and they had the size that would fit my Dad, and it would be my souvenir for him from Thailand then. After much shopping, it seems I have lot of carry-on items, though luckily I am traveling on Business Class so I hope its not gonna be much of a trouble. I explored parts of the airport terminal and came across an interesting photo taken by the Royal Family on the sixtieth anniversary of the ascension of the King to the throne. The photo did not just have the Thai Royal Family in it but also other royalties from around the world. With roughly an hour more before boarding, I proceeded to the Cathay Pacific Lounge, but this lounge located at the G Concourse, which was closest to the boarding gate at G3 was relatively small. I didn't bother to check out the other lounge as I found the airport to be quite inconvenient in providing access from one concourse area to the other. This is one area where it lost out to other international airports.
Cathay Pacific Lounge at Concourse G in Suvarnabhumi
Food inside the lounge was alright and I thought the lounge offerings were better compared to that in Singapore. I had a plate of Pad Thai and tried one of the Tom Yum flavoured Instant Vermicelli. There were also packets of crackers, potato chips and nuts which guests could help themselves too. I picked a few to put inside my bag just in case I didn't like the food provided or if I needed some snacks on my flight. The small lounge had a view of the tarmac, but the steel trusses around the airport meant that the view wasn't as good, though I did manage to get a glimpse of CX713 from the lounge.
Food and Beverage offering in the Lounge, the covered dish is the Pad Thai
Boarding was soon called and I left the lounge and proceeded to the boarding gate. Many passengers have started boarding and I joined the short queue to board the plane. Onboard the plane, I found my seat and stored my shopping bags on the overhead compartment while taking out my camera. The first thing I noticed about the seat was the newer seat in dark green compared to the blue furnishing of the older seat. Instead of the 3 toggles that one use to operate the foot rest and recline of the seat, there was a touch-button controls by the side of the seat as well as an inflight entertainment controller by the hand-rest. Seat pitch seems similar to the old style Business Class seats, though I found the older seats to be softer and slightly more comfortable.
Slightly newer regional Business Class seat in Cathay Pacific's 777-300
I was offered drinks and I initially requested for the Pacific Sunrise drink which is another of Cathay's signature drink, but the stewardess thought they were only offered on flights to Hong Kong. Since it was not available, I stick to Apple Juice, though not long afterwards, the same stewardess returned and apologized, stating that the drink is actually available and asked if I would like one. Since we were due to take off soon, I declined. My seat mate has not arrived, but I had picked a window seat for this flight and the check-in agent was pleasant enough to give me the window seat. I was also given hot towels to refresh myself and offered newspapers to read. I relaxed on my seat and looked out of the window, before my seat mate who is an Indian businessman arrived and took his seat. An Iran Air Jumbo Jet soon arrived just before the doors of the plane was closed and the captain requested for ground crew to leave the plane. It was the second time I saw an Iran Air plane, with the first time when I was in Hamburg Airport. This 747 is also interesting in its size and shape since it was the 747SP which I no doubt believe that Iran Air obtained from Boeing well before US sanctions was placed on Iran. Besides that, I also got to see a Qatar Airways jet, a Finnair A340 and of course the beautiful Thai Airways in their home base.
Apple Juice for my welcome drink
Iran Air B747SP in Suvarnabhumi
The plane took off at slightly past 1 pm and was a little bit behind schedule, though the clear day at Bangkok provided great views during take-off, including that of a distant downtown Bangkok covered in smog. Once again, it seems I was in the right side of the plane providing some nice views on take-off.
Highway linking Bangkok to Suvarnabhumi Airport
It wasn't long before the plane reached cruising altitude as it makes the journey down towards the Gulf of Thailand, and there was some interesting fields patterns seen from the air. Now I wonder what those fields contain, or what kind of plants are grown there. As we entered the Gulf of Thailand, there isn't much else to see, as I reclined my seat and started on the personal inflight entertainment by drawing out the TV screen from underneath the hand-rest. I got to watch an episode of CSI on the flight, though with no AVOD in place, it meant I couldn't pause or choose to start another channel without losing the start of that program. Not good for a long haul flight, but acceptable for this short flight.
Interesting field patterns at the bottom of the photo
Personal IFE on CX Regional Business Class
Inflight meal menu and wine list
The menu for lunch that day were as follows:
Starter 頭盤
Marinated Thai seafood salad 泰式海鮮沙律
Main Courses 主菜
Salmon chu chee curry, steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried kailan with carrots 椰汁咖喱三文魚 配白飯，芥蘭及胡蘿蔔
Stir-fried lamb loin with black bean sauce, egg fried rice, kailan, carrots and straw mushrooms 豉汁炒羊柳 配蛋炒飯，芥蘭，胡蘿蔔及草菇
Häagen Dazs Ice Cream 雪糕
Tea and Coffee 名茶及咖啡
Praline 精美朱古力
Häagen-Dazs ice cream and the flight map
Obviously from the photos above, I chose the stir-fried lamb loin thinking that the fried rice might be more savoury. The lamb was frankly speaking quite terrible as it was too tough, and I was kind of regretting my decision, though I was quite full from my meal at the lounge. The salad was good but I think the scallops salad was much better. The meal was also served with the usual choices of bread from the basket and service was beverages were replenished. The wine list was similar to the one I had on my flight to Bangkok, and I got a glass of Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne which was a pink champagne. I am not an avid wine drinker, and the taste of the pink champagne just doesn't do it for me. Throughout the meal service, I could tell one of the crew providing very attentive attention to the Business Class passenger right behind me. In the nearly full flight, I also noticed he was sitting alone on the window seat. It seems like he's some VIP in the cabin as I didn't notice any other passenger getting such an attentive service. Somehow in both flights to and returning from Bangkok missed out on the pralines, which was something I enjoyed as a passenger on the Dragonair flight between Hong Kong and Shanghai.
View during the descent
Batam and the surrounding Riau Islands
By the time the dessert was served, I have already finished my short film and was looking at the flight map. I did enjoy the Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream provided and took a short half an hour nap, before the captain announced the start of descent into Singapore. The clear weather upon descent meant it was another fantastic opportunity for me to capture some nice aerial views. Heavy air traffic control at Singapore perhaps allowed me to soak in views of Batam and the nearby Indonesian islands surrounding Singapore. This meant I got treated to a nice tour of Batam Island from the sky as I got to see the booming shipyard industry in Batam Island.
Shipyards at Batam Island in Indonesia
Harbour traffic nearby Singapore
Landing in Singapore, I managed to capture a shot of the planes lining up for the runway, including a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777, and several Airbus A320s. The weather at Singapore was partly cloudy and it was already afternoon when we arrived. All the passengers disembarked and once again, business class passengers were allowed to alight first. I packed my belongings to my bag and took my shopping bags but not before taking a shot of the overall Business Class cabin which was still in the antiquated 2-3-2 configuration. Passing through Immigration was fast enough that day, albeit there was a little wait. The real irritant that day would prove to be the baggage claim. Even with priority baggage tagged on my luggage, it took a long time for it to appear on the carousel. I even had to enquire about my baggage to one of the service crew in the airport. It was one of the most inefficient at Changi Airport ever and this small incident left me a bad impression on the airport. Singapore's Changi Airport jolly well improve its efficiency if it doesn't want to lose tourism revenue since many cities like Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bangkok and even Jakarta is making it more efficient in immigration and baggage handling for travelers.
Landing at Changi Airport
The flight back to Singapore did not really leave much impression except the views on landing. With a short flight, relatively bad inflight catering, and crews who doesn't have thorough understanding of their menu offerings made this an average flight. Nothing special even in Business Class.
Business Class Cabin on CX 777-300
11 December 2010
B777-300 B-HNL
Scheduled ETD/ETA: 1245-1630
Actual Time of Departure/Arrival: 1301-1616
Seat No: 16K
On the last morning, I had another nice serving of coffee with danish pastries which I had while watching the day's news from the bed. Then, it was time to prepare myself for the flight back to Singapore as I began to pack my bags and check that I don't leave anything behind. With my flight from Bangkok due to depart at 1245, I checked out after breakfast and called the bellboy to pick my luggage from the room and requested for a taxi as I settled the hotel bill. The hotel stay was nice except for one incident when I requested for bedroom slippers, and the housekeeping staff was like checking the room for the slippers since there wasn't one in the room. Somehow I don't see what is the big deal over a bathroom slipper that he had to search the whole room.
Leaving Bangkok, and this LG advertisement greets me goodbye
I took a taxi from the hotel as I didn't really want the hassle of taking the public transport and for wanting to check out Cathay's Lounge in Bangkok. Being a Sunday morning, there wasn't much traffic along the roads and it was a smooth journey in the city centre, as the taxi driver pointed out to me some of the malls I have yet to visit in Bangkok. He was also quite talkative, and we got into a chat on car prices in Thailand and comparing that to Indonesia, albeit in a mixture of English and Thai involved since he wasn't that fluent in English. Before long, I arrived in Bangkok and was dropped off at Section gate 6 of the departure hall with lots of time left to explore the airport. First though it was to check-in for my flight and I headed towards the self check-in counter which was the shortest amongst all the lines and was served almost immediately. Like my Singapore-Bangkok flight, I got upgraded again on this journey which was really nice since I got to be able to travel on Business while paying for Economy. I was handed my boarding pass and the lounge invitation. With Bangkok being a small hub for Cathay due to connecting flights that departs from Bangkok, CX actually operates 2 lounges in Bangkok, and the check-in agent indicated on a map the closest lounge to my boarding gate.
Cathay Pacific Check-in counter at Suvarnabhumi
Security check and immigration which followed after check-in was quick and efficient, and I was soon through into the main departure concourse, greeted by this large sculpture of Thai mythical guardians and people carrying what looked like a three-headed dragon. The concourse spread out on both sides of the airport and with lots of time to spare, I decided to do some shopping first at the airport and found some really good prices on a winter jacket which would be useful for my upcoming trip to North America for snowboarding. Then at the Tod's boutique I got another good deal on a pair of their loafers and they had the size that would fit my Dad, and it would be my souvenir for him from Thailand then. After much shopping, it seems I have lot of carry-on items, though luckily I am traveling on Business Class so I hope its not gonna be much of a trouble. I explored parts of the airport terminal and came across an interesting photo taken by the Royal Family on the sixtieth anniversary of the ascension of the King to the throne. The photo did not just have the Thai Royal Family in it but also other royalties from around the world. With roughly an hour more before boarding, I proceeded to the Cathay Pacific Lounge, but this lounge located at the G Concourse, which was closest to the boarding gate at G3 was relatively small. I didn't bother to check out the other lounge as I found the airport to be quite inconvenient in providing access from one concourse area to the other. This is one area where it lost out to other international airports.
Cathay Pacific Lounge at Concourse G in Suvarnabhumi
Food inside the lounge was alright and I thought the lounge offerings were better compared to that in Singapore. I had a plate of Pad Thai and tried one of the Tom Yum flavoured Instant Vermicelli. There were also packets of crackers, potato chips and nuts which guests could help themselves too. I picked a few to put inside my bag just in case I didn't like the food provided or if I needed some snacks on my flight. The small lounge had a view of the tarmac, but the steel trusses around the airport meant that the view wasn't as good, though I did manage to get a glimpse of CX713 from the lounge.
Food and Beverage offering in the Lounge, the covered dish is the Pad Thai
Boarding was soon called and I left the lounge and proceeded to the boarding gate. Many passengers have started boarding and I joined the short queue to board the plane. Onboard the plane, I found my seat and stored my shopping bags on the overhead compartment while taking out my camera. The first thing I noticed about the seat was the newer seat in dark green compared to the blue furnishing of the older seat. Instead of the 3 toggles that one use to operate the foot rest and recline of the seat, there was a touch-button controls by the side of the seat as well as an inflight entertainment controller by the hand-rest. Seat pitch seems similar to the old style Business Class seats, though I found the older seats to be softer and slightly more comfortable.
Slightly newer regional Business Class seat in Cathay Pacific's 777-300
I was offered drinks and I initially requested for the Pacific Sunrise drink which is another of Cathay's signature drink, but the stewardess thought they were only offered on flights to Hong Kong. Since it was not available, I stick to Apple Juice, though not long afterwards, the same stewardess returned and apologized, stating that the drink is actually available and asked if I would like one. Since we were due to take off soon, I declined. My seat mate has not arrived, but I had picked a window seat for this flight and the check-in agent was pleasant enough to give me the window seat. I was also given hot towels to refresh myself and offered newspapers to read. I relaxed on my seat and looked out of the window, before my seat mate who is an Indian businessman arrived and took his seat. An Iran Air Jumbo Jet soon arrived just before the doors of the plane was closed and the captain requested for ground crew to leave the plane. It was the second time I saw an Iran Air plane, with the first time when I was in Hamburg Airport. This 747 is also interesting in its size and shape since it was the 747SP which I no doubt believe that Iran Air obtained from Boeing well before US sanctions was placed on Iran. Besides that, I also got to see a Qatar Airways jet, a Finnair A340 and of course the beautiful Thai Airways in their home base.
Apple Juice for my welcome drink
Iran Air B747SP in Suvarnabhumi
The plane took off at slightly past 1 pm and was a little bit behind schedule, though the clear day at Bangkok provided great views during take-off, including that of a distant downtown Bangkok covered in smog. Once again, it seems I was in the right side of the plane providing some nice views on take-off.
Highway linking Bangkok to Suvarnabhumi Airport
It wasn't long before the plane reached cruising altitude as it makes the journey down towards the Gulf of Thailand, and there was some interesting fields patterns seen from the air. Now I wonder what those fields contain, or what kind of plants are grown there. As we entered the Gulf of Thailand, there isn't much else to see, as I reclined my seat and started on the personal inflight entertainment by drawing out the TV screen from underneath the hand-rest. I got to watch an episode of CSI on the flight, though with no AVOD in place, it meant I couldn't pause or choose to start another channel without losing the start of that program. Not good for a long haul flight, but acceptable for this short flight.
Interesting field patterns at the bottom of the photo
Personal IFE on CX Regional Business Class
Inflight meal menu and wine list
The menu for lunch that day were as follows:
Starter 頭盤
Marinated Thai seafood salad 泰式海鮮沙律
Main Courses 主菜
Salmon chu chee curry, steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried kailan with carrots 椰汁咖喱三文魚 配白飯，芥蘭及胡蘿蔔
Stir-fried lamb loin with black bean sauce, egg fried rice, kailan, carrots and straw mushrooms 豉汁炒羊柳 配蛋炒飯，芥蘭，胡蘿蔔及草菇
Häagen Dazs Ice Cream 雪糕
Tea and Coffee 名茶及咖啡
Praline 精美朱古力
Häagen-Dazs ice cream and the flight map
Obviously from the photos above, I chose the stir-fried lamb loin thinking that the fried rice might be more savoury. The lamb was frankly speaking quite terrible as it was too tough, and I was kind of regretting my decision, though I was quite full from my meal at the lounge. The salad was good but I think the scallops salad was much better. The meal was also served with the usual choices of bread from the basket and service was beverages were replenished. The wine list was similar to the one I had on my flight to Bangkok, and I got a glass of Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne which was a pink champagne. I am not an avid wine drinker, and the taste of the pink champagne just doesn't do it for me. Throughout the meal service, I could tell one of the crew providing very attentive attention to the Business Class passenger right behind me. In the nearly full flight, I also noticed he was sitting alone on the window seat. It seems like he's some VIP in the cabin as I didn't notice any other passenger getting such an attentive service. Somehow in both flights to and returning from Bangkok missed out on the pralines, which was something I enjoyed as a passenger on the Dragonair flight between Hong Kong and Shanghai.
View during the descent
Batam and the surrounding Riau Islands
By the time the dessert was served, I have already finished my short film and was looking at the flight map. I did enjoy the Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream provided and took a short half an hour nap, before the captain announced the start of descent into Singapore. The clear weather upon descent meant it was another fantastic opportunity for me to capture some nice aerial views. Heavy air traffic control at Singapore perhaps allowed me to soak in views of Batam and the nearby Indonesian islands surrounding Singapore. This meant I got treated to a nice tour of Batam Island from the sky as I got to see the booming shipyard industry in Batam Island.
Shipyards at Batam Island in Indonesia
Harbour traffic nearby Singapore
Landing in Singapore, I managed to capture a shot of the planes lining up for the runway, including a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777, and several Airbus A320s. The weather at Singapore was partly cloudy and it was already afternoon when we arrived. All the passengers disembarked and once again, business class passengers were allowed to alight first. I packed my belongings to my bag and took my shopping bags but not before taking a shot of the overall Business Class cabin which was still in the antiquated 2-3-2 configuration. Passing through Immigration was fast enough that day, albeit there was a little wait. The real irritant that day would prove to be the baggage claim. Even with priority baggage tagged on my luggage, it took a long time for it to appear on the carousel. I even had to enquire about my baggage to one of the service crew in the airport. It was one of the most inefficient at Changi Airport ever and this small incident left me a bad impression on the airport. Singapore's Changi Airport jolly well improve its efficiency if it doesn't want to lose tourism revenue since many cities like Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bangkok and even Jakarta is making it more efficient in immigration and baggage handling for travelers.
Landing at Changi Airport
The flight back to Singapore did not really leave much impression except the views on landing. With a short flight, relatively bad inflight catering, and crews who doesn't have thorough understanding of their menu offerings made this an average flight. Nothing special even in Business Class.
Business Class Cabin on CX 777-300
Jan 21, 2011, 1:15 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: CGK
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