DAD-HAN-BKK-AUH-CAI on Vietnam Airlines, THAI, and Etihad in J with Pics
Jul 20, 2014, 10:19 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Vancouver
Programs: AC SE, AS 75K
Posts: 32
Da Nang-Hanoi-BKK-AUH-Cairo on Vietnam Airlines, THAI, and Etihad in C with Pics
Hi! This is a continuation of our round the world trek we did last fall. The other pieces of the trip can be found on any of the links below. If you are interested in some of our other adventures, we keep our posts on a blog you are welcome to check out. Two Mos Travel Blog
Here are the other pieces we have posted on Flyer Talk:
Part 1. YVR-SEA-NRT on the 787, NRT to BKK with Thai on the A380
Part 2. Domestic Travel around Thailand and Phuket to Hongkong on Thai Airways in F
Part 3. Hong Kong to Hanoi with Thai Airways in J
Part 4. Vietnam Airlines Hanoi to Da Nang in J
After about a week in Vietnam we were onto the next leg of the trip. This would be a very long travel day. We had looked at a number of itineraries, including a rather quick and comfortable one on Singapore Airlines, but the most reasonable - price wise - was by far this mixed bag.
Our journey from Hoi An to Cairo would take four flights on three carriers, and a span of about a day and a half. This was a bit by design, as we wanted to fly Etihad's business service from Bangkok to Abu Dhabi, and gave ourselves a long connection there to check out the airport and lounges.
Da Nang to Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines
We arrived at Da Nang airport by the same driver that picked us up, arranged by the hotel. It's a small terminal with several flights a day to Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, and a few other Domestic and South East Asian destinations. Check-in was a breeze with the Priority Lane, and we were able to have a look at the small Vietnam Airlines lounge upstairs when through security. For a modern, glassy airport the lounge is damp and stuffy, with low-slung chairs crammed in, and a small buffet in the corner. Having had breakfast at the hotel, we opted for a morning soda water and beer before heading down to the bus gate.
Tom relaxing in the bright Vietnam Airlines lounge
Breakfast Offerings - well they did have noodles too
Thomas aboard the bus ready to go to a remote stand
Everyboady climb aboard
Pre-departure OJ and a cold towel
Priority boarding was offered, but with the bus gate it's rarely effective. Packed on the bus with the other passengers, it's usually just a crapshoot of which door the bus pulls up to, and which side opens. Seated at the front of the plane, we really didn't mind though. We were again on a brand new A321, and the flight up to Hanoi was almost identical to the previous one, except this flight attendant was able to get her seatbelt done up correctly.
Flying out of Da Nang
A quick Cabin short
Wonderbread plate of sadness (inflight snack)
Bens reaction to the inflight snack - perplexed
Once airborne, we were offered a snack - a sad wonderbread platter of ham slices and sliced mini-corn - and served an alcohol-containing beer on the "dry" flight. The typhoon gone and weather clear, the ride back up to Hanoi was entirely uneventful, landing at the northern airport a little early and taxiing up to a remote stand.
Hanoi to Bangkok on THAI Airways
Our onward connect to Bangkok was booked on THAI, so we had to check back in entirely. Hanoi has priority screening for premium international passengers, and it was definitely worth the extra outlay here - both customs and the regular security lines were horrendous.
While Ho Chi Minh handles most of the big international traffic, Hanoi only sees a few of the major carriers. The international departure area is thus a little sparse, filled with seating but not much in the way to see, do or eat. Upstairs at the far side, a restaurant serves as the Star Alliance contract lounge. The lounge has an expansive view of the apron and runway, as well as a handful of drinks and snacks at hand, with a menu of food available for order. After a quick gin & tonic and snack, we head down to the A330 waiting for us at the gate.
Huge lounge in Hanoi
Surprisingly very good offerings, Congee and spicy beef
Instead of the nice new international business class, we once again had a THAI A330 with the old-style seats. It's still comfortable enough, but nothing spectacular. Cold towels and pre-departure champagne were offered, and soon enough we were airborne over Hanoi, turning over the jungle and towards Thailand.
http://static.squarespace.com/static...g?format=1000w
Pre-departure breakfast champers
Printed Menus and only once choice - nice touch though
Comfortable but old A330 J cabin
Just in case!
Interesting inflight meal of rice
Another picture of the old cabin, very light upfront today, only 4 of us
Pre-order meal service isn't available on THAI from Hanoi, and the on-board menu consisted of only one meal: Thai-style fried rice with prawn salad. The fried rice was a ketchupy mess, and the prawn salad lacked any kind of flavour...totally removed from our previous dining experiences on Thai. Partnered with more champagne, though, who could hardly tell the difference. The onboard entertainment is virtually non-existent on these older aircraft, but on the short flight it's nice to just unplug and watch the jungle deepen.
On approach into BKK
No doubt where this is.
Rainy Bangkok Evening
Once we'd arrived at Bangkok, we had 14 hours before our next flight onwards to Abu Dhabi. We tried to grab boarding passes to save time later, and also tried to scout out the airport's observation deck...to no avail. Stairs were closed for whatever reason, and the elevator access was slow at best.
Instead, we dropped our bags with left luggage and hopped on the train back into Bangkok. Our first stop was for a quick drink near Aree BTS station, to cool off from the hot, humid weather.
The best way to deal with nearly 40'c heat
Stepping outside was like stepping into a blast furnace, and both of us were drenched with sweat in minutes in the afternoon sun, so we head to the Siam Center mall to walk around in air-conditioned bliss. Siam Center is a weird must-see for Bangkok, a strange collection of small stores set in an artsy black-walled building with strange lighting and art everywhere. It's a cool place to gawk at expensive, beautiful things that us westerners could never fit in. We grabbed lunch at the Shabushi, a shabu-shabu place that sold us on the conveyer belt system. Both of us had the spicy soup, a poor choice for our already sweat-soaked selves.
Hehe - had to grab a picture of this one
Once the sun was down, we braved the outdoors again, long enough to get to Silon Soi 4 again and take up residence on Balcony's patio. Here, sipping on 2-for-1 gin and tonics, we spent the rest of our evening chatting with the waiters and watching Grindr meetups awkwardly go down.
2 for 1 gin and tonics and then it was time to head back to the airport
Fueled by a late-night coffee at our favourite hipster coffee shop in Aree, we made tracks back to Suvarnabhumi.
Here are the other pieces we have posted on Flyer Talk:
Part 1. YVR-SEA-NRT on the 787, NRT to BKK with Thai on the A380
Part 2. Domestic Travel around Thailand and Phuket to Hongkong on Thai Airways in F
Part 3. Hong Kong to Hanoi with Thai Airways in J
Part 4. Vietnam Airlines Hanoi to Da Nang in J
After about a week in Vietnam we were onto the next leg of the trip. This would be a very long travel day. We had looked at a number of itineraries, including a rather quick and comfortable one on Singapore Airlines, but the most reasonable - price wise - was by far this mixed bag.
Our journey from Hoi An to Cairo would take four flights on three carriers, and a span of about a day and a half. This was a bit by design, as we wanted to fly Etihad's business service from Bangkok to Abu Dhabi, and gave ourselves a long connection there to check out the airport and lounges.
Da Nang to Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines
We arrived at Da Nang airport by the same driver that picked us up, arranged by the hotel. It's a small terminal with several flights a day to Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, and a few other Domestic and South East Asian destinations. Check-in was a breeze with the Priority Lane, and we were able to have a look at the small Vietnam Airlines lounge upstairs when through security. For a modern, glassy airport the lounge is damp and stuffy, with low-slung chairs crammed in, and a small buffet in the corner. Having had breakfast at the hotel, we opted for a morning soda water and beer before heading down to the bus gate.
Tom relaxing in the bright Vietnam Airlines lounge
Breakfast Offerings - well they did have noodles too
Thomas aboard the bus ready to go to a remote stand
Everyboady climb aboard
Pre-departure OJ and a cold towel
Priority boarding was offered, but with the bus gate it's rarely effective. Packed on the bus with the other passengers, it's usually just a crapshoot of which door the bus pulls up to, and which side opens. Seated at the front of the plane, we really didn't mind though. We were again on a brand new A321, and the flight up to Hanoi was almost identical to the previous one, except this flight attendant was able to get her seatbelt done up correctly.
Flying out of Da Nang
A quick Cabin short
Wonderbread plate of sadness (inflight snack)
Bens reaction to the inflight snack - perplexed
Once airborne, we were offered a snack - a sad wonderbread platter of ham slices and sliced mini-corn - and served an alcohol-containing beer on the "dry" flight. The typhoon gone and weather clear, the ride back up to Hanoi was entirely uneventful, landing at the northern airport a little early and taxiing up to a remote stand.
Hanoi to Bangkok on THAI Airways
Our onward connect to Bangkok was booked on THAI, so we had to check back in entirely. Hanoi has priority screening for premium international passengers, and it was definitely worth the extra outlay here - both customs and the regular security lines were horrendous.
While Ho Chi Minh handles most of the big international traffic, Hanoi only sees a few of the major carriers. The international departure area is thus a little sparse, filled with seating but not much in the way to see, do or eat. Upstairs at the far side, a restaurant serves as the Star Alliance contract lounge. The lounge has an expansive view of the apron and runway, as well as a handful of drinks and snacks at hand, with a menu of food available for order. After a quick gin & tonic and snack, we head down to the A330 waiting for us at the gate.
Huge lounge in Hanoi
Surprisingly very good offerings, Congee and spicy beef
Instead of the nice new international business class, we once again had a THAI A330 with the old-style seats. It's still comfortable enough, but nothing spectacular. Cold towels and pre-departure champagne were offered, and soon enough we were airborne over Hanoi, turning over the jungle and towards Thailand.
http://static.squarespace.com/static...g?format=1000w
Pre-departure breakfast champers
Printed Menus and only once choice - nice touch though
Comfortable but old A330 J cabin
Just in case!
Interesting inflight meal of rice
Another picture of the old cabin, very light upfront today, only 4 of us
Pre-order meal service isn't available on THAI from Hanoi, and the on-board menu consisted of only one meal: Thai-style fried rice with prawn salad. The fried rice was a ketchupy mess, and the prawn salad lacked any kind of flavour...totally removed from our previous dining experiences on Thai. Partnered with more champagne, though, who could hardly tell the difference. The onboard entertainment is virtually non-existent on these older aircraft, but on the short flight it's nice to just unplug and watch the jungle deepen.
On approach into BKK
No doubt where this is.
Rainy Bangkok Evening
Once we'd arrived at Bangkok, we had 14 hours before our next flight onwards to Abu Dhabi. We tried to grab boarding passes to save time later, and also tried to scout out the airport's observation deck...to no avail. Stairs were closed for whatever reason, and the elevator access was slow at best.
Instead, we dropped our bags with left luggage and hopped on the train back into Bangkok. Our first stop was for a quick drink near Aree BTS station, to cool off from the hot, humid weather.
The best way to deal with nearly 40'c heat
Stepping outside was like stepping into a blast furnace, and both of us were drenched with sweat in minutes in the afternoon sun, so we head to the Siam Center mall to walk around in air-conditioned bliss. Siam Center is a weird must-see for Bangkok, a strange collection of small stores set in an artsy black-walled building with strange lighting and art everywhere. It's a cool place to gawk at expensive, beautiful things that us westerners could never fit in. We grabbed lunch at the Shabushi, a shabu-shabu place that sold us on the conveyer belt system. Both of us had the spicy soup, a poor choice for our already sweat-soaked selves.
Hehe - had to grab a picture of this one
Once the sun was down, we braved the outdoors again, long enough to get to Silon Soi 4 again and take up residence on Balcony's patio. Here, sipping on 2-for-1 gin and tonics, we spent the rest of our evening chatting with the waiters and watching Grindr meetups awkwardly go down.
2 for 1 gin and tonics and then it was time to head back to the airport
Fueled by a late-night coffee at our favourite hipster coffee shop in Aree, we made tracks back to Suvarnabhumi.
Last edited by JamersYVR; Jul 21, 2014 at 11:42 am
Jul 20, 2014, 10:26 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Vancouver
Programs: AC SE, AS 75K
Posts: 32
Continued. Bangkok to Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways
We arrived at BKK near midnight, with a 2AM departure time to AUH. Etihad's check-in desks were packed with economy travellers, each with carts towering with bags and boxes to check. The Business Class check-in wasn't much better, but after a few huge Arab families carrying a lifetime of baggage were handed boarding passes, we were checked in and made our way to security. Priority security was closed, but the lineup for the regular checkpoints in Bangkok move fairly quickly.
We've been to several THAI Lounges before, and Etihad uses one on contract for their premium customers in BKK. The Royal Silk business lounges have a good selection of self-serve drinks, and some fairly basic dim-sum style snacks. The lounge was packed and neither of us were hungry, just exhausted after a long day of travel and ready to get on board and pass out.
We took a short delay at the gate, but otherwise boarding went smoothly. We had J seats at the back of the cabin, up against the galley but with a lot of privacy. Etihad's 777s are beautiful, with metal fixtures around the black-lined comfy lie-flat seats, stars on the ceiling and extra overhead storage for the crew. The inflight nanny used this bin to store gear to keep kids entertained and/or passed out, a great idea for a red-eye service.
The seat itself is the new standard lie-flat, very similar to THAI's business seat on their A380, but without the fully-enclosed footrest, so it's not quite as claustrophobic for tall people. Seats on the window side have more privacy, whereas the seats beside the aisle are easier to get into and out of, especially when in lie-flat bed mode. It's easily one of our favourite J seats we've flown in.
Tiny but appreciated amenity kit
Menu Card
Pre-departure champers round 2
Champagne was offered before takeoff, along with a cold towel. Printed menus and wine lists were distributed, and for this overnight flight there would be no set meal service - just a wide selection of a la carte choices and hot breakfasts closer to Abu Dhabi. The Purser took food and drink orders before takeoff, however the taxi time was so long and the hour so late that most people were asleep by the time we were in the air. Both of us ordered a cheese plate, but only Tom was delivered one as Ben was fully asleep when the seatbelt sign was switched off.
This was the magic of the Etihad crew - the Purser made a quick survey of the cabin after takeoff and delivered what was ordered only to those awake extremely promptly. Once awake and upright, he would be at your seat in a moment, unrequested, to deliver a face towel and take your order.
After sleeping for most of the 6 hours, both of us woke up to a delicious scrambled egg breakfast (Ben paired it with a smoked salmon bagel) with champagne before we started our descent into the desert.
Breakfast "Starter"
Breakfast main
super cool red plastic water glass from the Y snackbar
Nearly there
We've been to several THAI Lounges before, and Etihad uses one on contract for their premium customers in BKK. The Royal Silk business lounges have a good selection of self-serve drinks, and some fairly basic dim-sum style snacks. The lounge was packed and neither of us were hungry, just exhausted after a long day of travel and ready to get on board and pass out.
We took a short delay at the gate, but otherwise boarding went smoothly. We had J seats at the back of the cabin, up against the galley but with a lot of privacy. Etihad's 777s are beautiful, with metal fixtures around the black-lined comfy lie-flat seats, stars on the ceiling and extra overhead storage for the crew. The inflight nanny used this bin to store gear to keep kids entertained and/or passed out, a great idea for a red-eye service.
The seat itself is the new standard lie-flat, very similar to THAI's business seat on their A380, but without the fully-enclosed footrest, so it's not quite as claustrophobic for tall people. Seats on the window side have more privacy, whereas the seats beside the aisle are easier to get into and out of, especially when in lie-flat bed mode. It's easily one of our favourite J seats we've flown in.
Tiny but appreciated amenity kit
Menu Card
Pre-departure champers round 2
Champagne was offered before takeoff, along with a cold towel. Printed menus and wine lists were distributed, and for this overnight flight there would be no set meal service - just a wide selection of a la carte choices and hot breakfasts closer to Abu Dhabi. The Purser took food and drink orders before takeoff, however the taxi time was so long and the hour so late that most people were asleep by the time we were in the air. Both of us ordered a cheese plate, but only Tom was delivered one as Ben was fully asleep when the seatbelt sign was switched off.
This was the magic of the Etihad crew - the Purser made a quick survey of the cabin after takeoff and delivered what was ordered only to those awake extremely promptly. Once awake and upright, he would be at your seat in a moment, unrequested, to deliver a face towel and take your order.
After sleeping for most of the 6 hours, both of us woke up to a delicious scrambled egg breakfast (Ben paired it with a smoked salmon bagel) with champagne before we started our descent into the desert.
Breakfast "Starter"
Breakfast main
super cool red plastic water glass from the Y snackbar
Nearly there
Last edited by JamersYVR; Jul 20, 2014 at 10:39 am
Jul 20, 2014, 10:37 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Vancouver
Programs: AC SE, AS 75K
Posts: 32
Continued. AUH lounging and Etihad Regional AUH-CAI
Lounging in AUH
Our 777-300ER pulled up to a remote stand, and we were bussed around the apron for what seemed like hours before being dropped off at the arrivals entrance. Having onwards boarding passes in hand, we head straight for the closest Etihad lounge.
The Abu Dhabi lounges are pretty big, with multiple smaller seating areas, a full buffet, and tended bar. Fortunately for us the bartenders didn't have a cutoff like the do in the States, as we hunkered down for a few hours, sipping champagne and resting over a leisurely breakfast. Both of us were desperate for a shower after the day of sweaty travel, so we booked a spot at the spa to clean up before hopping over to the lounge closer to our gate.
First lounge we would visit today
A tired Tom thinking "we have 8 more hours of this"
Second lounge
Expansive bar seating
Well fed and amazing wines - in proper crystal glasses
super fresh salad spread
This one had a much more expansive bar, and was set up with an array of hot lunch options. Mezze was brought for lunch, and we watched our Airbus 320 pull up to the circular terminal. The concourse level here is really cool, a brightly-coloured mosaic-lined donut, with gates arranged around the outside. Through security again, we were ready to board for the last flight of this leg, onwards to Cairo.
AUH-CAI on Etihad Airways
After finally boarding our last leg, we were greeted with a crimson smile by a wonderful Etihad flight attendant who seated us in the second row and promptly delivered a glass of champagne in a stemmed glass.
It's a very nice touch to see beautiful glassware on board these days, as most airlines have switched to cheap stemless goblets, if not plastic cups. She also brought around a tray of juices, another point that Etihad excels at with their delicious lemon-mint concoction. It's delicious and unexpected for us North American business travellers, even for us alcohol-drinking heathens (though could do with a splash of gin).
The Etihad short-haul J seats are identical to Turkish and Virgin's, only the upholstery is bright blue fabric instead of brown or white leather. They're extremely comfortable, if not a bit garish on an otherwise classically-appointed airline.
Whats cooking?
nuts and white wine to get things going
The lunch starter
The few hours over to Cairo meant a full hot lunch would be served. We started with a full mezze platter, then were served lamb kebabs with a garlicky tomato sauce and Israeli couscous, paired perfectly with a nice crisp glass of white wine.
Lunch Main
Flying over the desert
On approach to Cairo
We're here - finally.
Etihad, unfortunately, arrives at Terminal 1, the older of the CAI terminals and the worst for customs inspection. Rather than the orderly queues to see officers in the nice clean T3, in T1 you end up in a sweat-choked room full of people all jockeying for the front of the line. It's a madhouse, and you have to be aggressive.
Finally through and out landside, Tom's dad was there to greet us along with an Egyptian driver for the ride into Maadi.
Thanks for reading, we really hope you enjoyed this one. If you have any questions or comments - please post a reply.
Up next will be Egypt Air Express and onward trek to Zurich with Turkish Airlines Via Istanbul.
Our 777-300ER pulled up to a remote stand, and we were bussed around the apron for what seemed like hours before being dropped off at the arrivals entrance. Having onwards boarding passes in hand, we head straight for the closest Etihad lounge.
The Abu Dhabi lounges are pretty big, with multiple smaller seating areas, a full buffet, and tended bar. Fortunately for us the bartenders didn't have a cutoff like the do in the States, as we hunkered down for a few hours, sipping champagne and resting over a leisurely breakfast. Both of us were desperate for a shower after the day of sweaty travel, so we booked a spot at the spa to clean up before hopping over to the lounge closer to our gate.
First lounge we would visit today
A tired Tom thinking "we have 8 more hours of this"
Second lounge
Expansive bar seating
Well fed and amazing wines - in proper crystal glasses
super fresh salad spread
This one had a much more expansive bar, and was set up with an array of hot lunch options. Mezze was brought for lunch, and we watched our Airbus 320 pull up to the circular terminal. The concourse level here is really cool, a brightly-coloured mosaic-lined donut, with gates arranged around the outside. Through security again, we were ready to board for the last flight of this leg, onwards to Cairo.
AUH-CAI on Etihad Airways
After finally boarding our last leg, we were greeted with a crimson smile by a wonderful Etihad flight attendant who seated us in the second row and promptly delivered a glass of champagne in a stemmed glass.
It's a very nice touch to see beautiful glassware on board these days, as most airlines have switched to cheap stemless goblets, if not plastic cups. She also brought around a tray of juices, another point that Etihad excels at with their delicious lemon-mint concoction. It's delicious and unexpected for us North American business travellers, even for us alcohol-drinking heathens (though could do with a splash of gin).
The Etihad short-haul J seats are identical to Turkish and Virgin's, only the upholstery is bright blue fabric instead of brown or white leather. They're extremely comfortable, if not a bit garish on an otherwise classically-appointed airline.
Whats cooking?
nuts and white wine to get things going
The lunch starter
The few hours over to Cairo meant a full hot lunch would be served. We started with a full mezze platter, then were served lamb kebabs with a garlicky tomato sauce and Israeli couscous, paired perfectly with a nice crisp glass of white wine.
Lunch Main
Flying over the desert
On approach to Cairo
We're here - finally.
Etihad, unfortunately, arrives at Terminal 1, the older of the CAI terminals and the worst for customs inspection. Rather than the orderly queues to see officers in the nice clean T3, in T1 you end up in a sweat-choked room full of people all jockeying for the front of the line. It's a madhouse, and you have to be aggressive.
Finally through and out landside, Tom's dad was there to greet us along with an Egyptian driver for the ride into Maadi.
Thanks for reading, we really hope you enjoyed this one. If you have any questions or comments - please post a reply.
Up next will be Egypt Air Express and onward trek to Zurich with Turkish Airlines Via Istanbul.