TG472
SYD-BKK
Duration: 9:30.(8:38).
74R: HS-TGP (Retro livery)
F class
Seats 1A & 1K, pre assigned, 2 pax / 10 seats
About one hour before our scheduled departure time, there was still no indication of which boarding gate we would be at on the screens located in the lounge. Despite me inquired several times about it, no agent could help.
I was curious to see which aircraft we would get. I was hoping for TGY or TGZ which were aat the time the 2 aircrafts fitted with the new 9 seats F. And I was hoping as well to avoid the dreadfull 747 All series and it's very old product.
So we left the lounge, and on the first screen we found our gate assignment was indicated (yeah, great job Koru club staff...).
We proceeded in that direction to discover that boarding had not started yet and that we would be on TGP. A decent 10 seats F product sounded quite good to me, and as faith would have it, we would finally fly with TGP which was the aircraft that operated the segments MUC-BKK and BKK-SYD that we missed a few weeks back. TGP is a beautiful bird indeed with the Scandinavian Airlines Dragon retro livery.
After a few minutes, the staff started boarding calling F and C passengers together. There was a priority line which we used, but since all C passengers were there, boarding was quite slow.
We received a very warm welcome on board but not by our names. It seems however that the crew was not quite ready for us, as there was no FA in the F cabin. The female attendant who welcomed us on board was slightly stressed as she was calling for someone to replace her at the door so that she could take care of us. I realize of course that they were not expecting us until the rest of the passengers had boarded. I am sure that if we had waited longer in the Koru club we would have been called. But after a 6 hours layover, and given the lack of friendliness in the NZ lounge, we were happy to get cracking.
TGP, with its SAS Dragon inspired livery
Priority line at boarding
Our 10 seats, 74R F cabin
After boarding was completed we realized we'd have the F section all for ourselves! We suddendly got that private jet feeling and we were very excited about the flight. We'd hope to be in for a treat, but more about that later.
The cabin itself looks actually quite nice. I really liked the colours scheme, and thought it was very pleasant to look at and be in. Of course the cabin is a bit oldish now and the seats show clear wear signs. The old screen and odd gallery appointment also reveal the cabin's age. It is very roomy though, and there's a lot of space to move around. Seats 1A and 1K are indeed very nice when travelling as a couple, as they are close to one another, yet still offer some independance, and crucially for me still have a window with a view.
The seat itself was very comfortable in seat mode. As it is from an older F class generation, one quickly realies that it lacks a bit of privacy. But other than that the seating position and comfort was perfect. In bed mode though, I found the seat to be quite hard and uneven, despite the additional madras.
Seat with a view! Because to the angle of the 747 hull one can actually see through several windows simulatenously. Quite a ncie experience.
Seat 2A
Seat 2A in bed mode
Seat controls
Before departure we were served a glass of Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003. It was lovely! We were also given our amenity kit, the Tumi version, noise canceling headphones, slippers and PJs.
Dom and the WSJ, offered after boarding
Goodies
Slippers
The content of the Tumi kit was alright I guess, with two Hermès products and a breath freshener, something I have not seen anywhere else. Still there was only one unisex version, that was a bit disappointing
Once boarding completed, the cabin was promptly prepared and we were pushed back with only a few minutes delay. During our ascent I managed to snap a last pic of Sydney. By for now, see you soon again hopefully!
Sydney down town
Part 2 coming up...