Royal Jordanian RJ183 - January 6th 2019
Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok - 21:25
Bangkok Subarvarnahmi BKK - 23:20
Boeing 787-800 - JY-BAA - Seat 01A, Window seat, Business class.
RJ's dreamliner
It was my first time flying on RJ and together with S7, the only remaining OneWorld member airline I never had the opportunity to fly. RJ used to fly this route with an old Airbus 340-300 in the past, with a recliner business class seat. Since the introduction of the Dreamliner into their fleet, the comfort on this route increased substantially as the business class seat can be set to a lie-flat position. The cabin configuration in business class remained in 2-2-2 seats across though. Only one bridge was connected to the aircraft, but considering the very low attendance that night, the boarding process was very smooth.
RJ's business class on the 787
Seat 1A
The seat was presented with a pillow, a duvet and a pair of noise cancelling headphones. No amenity kit or bottled water was provided for this regional flight. The traditional power socket and USB port was available at the seat.
The cabin was not full on this fifth freedom route
The flight was clearly not full that Sunday evening and we were barely 10 passengers seated in business class. The seat 1C next to me remained empty during the flight. The cabin crew in the front cabin was composed of a Jordanian purser and two flight attendants, with one Thai FA, who was providing most of the service in the cabin, as the other two remained most of the time not really visible, in the galley. Oddly enough, the purser kept mentioning on the PA that we were in Kuala Lumpur - and not Hong kong… probably due to the fact this fifth freedom flight goes to Kuala Lumpur half of the time instead of Hong kong…
A pre-departure beverage was offered before closing the doors and I opted for water. I do not recall seeing alcoholic options. No food menu was distributed besides a wine list. We took off at 21:15 towards the south-west.
Seat features
Wine list HKG-BKK-(AMM)
Safety movie
The IFE Royal Jordanian is using mostly features middle-eastern shows and movies, and I cannot recall seeing many western options (to my taste at least) besides the usual big bang theory. The quality of the picture was quite poor, like watching a VHS from the 90’s ! However, I liked the fact you could use the P.I.P function (picture into picture) to have the moving map enabled during the movie (I eventually used the IFE of the seat next to me to keep the moving map during the flight :-))
RJ's IFE
The selection of programs is not very extensive, with mstly middle eastern programs.
Big bang theory, VHS quality !
But the Picture in Picture feature is available
Even better when you have two screens for you !
The meal service began around 22:00 and consisted into cold cuts of fish and a garden salad. Although it was quite good, I was glad to have eaten at the lounge as the portion was quite small. The Chablis white wine I opted for was pretty good. Coffee/tea service was provided afterwards, with Ahmad tea bags from London available. Although this « snack plate » was good, I think that Cathay Pacific or Thai would do better on this route. But this is what you get when you fly a fifth freedom route typically !
Snack plate HKG-BKK RJ Business class
Tea service
Considering the seat could go to a full lie flat mode, I had a short 20 min nap half-way through the flight and it was reasonably comfortable. The fact I had no seat mate was certainly an added benefit.
Relax mode
Sleep mode !
And work mode !
We landed at 23:10 Bangkok time and while the immigration forms were distributed by the crew onboard, the fast track vouchers were provided by the ground staff on the jet bridge of BKK. Those are pretty handy in such a big airport like BKK, as I barely waited 10 minutes to clear immigration, compared to a much longer queue at the regular counters.
Total route HKG-BKK
Very useful fast track pass
Immigration took only a few minutes, compared to the regular lane...
My bag was already waiting on the belt when I reached the luggage claim area and I was happy to be able to catch the last train to my hotel located near Makkasan station.
First... and last bag !
Decorated like a christmas tree !
Last train to Bangkok