I spent half a day walking around Bangkok, near the park Lumpini but by the end of the day, the goal of my stop in the Thai capital was just to begin a new trip. My journey down under started with a cheap MH positioning flight to Kuala Lumpur, where I could start a more luxurious journey to Sydney on Malaysia Airlines new Airbus A350 business class. Not only, I got a reasonably cheap round-trip (about 950 Euros, with the return early April), but I was lucky that MH decided to swap the aircraft type a few months before departure from an Airbus 330-300 to a 350-900, still keeping me on one of the few throne seats ! But more on that part later…
To go back to the positioning to KUL, my ride to BKK airport using the airport train was convenient from Makkasan station (although the traveller with baggage should be aware that some train stations, like this one, is not really baggage friendly…)
Check-in in BKK was swift using the priority lane, and registering my bag to my final destination, Sydney, was not an issue (I was on two separate bookings - I just had to provide the agent with the booking reference and he managed to issue both boarding passes). The premium lane voucher for security and immigration clearance, and the Miracle lounge invitation was also provided without asking. Nice touch that MH provides fast lane vouchers to status passengers even travelling in economy !
BKK International terminal land side, good times where people could still travel around !
Haven't seen such departures board for like a month :-)
MH check-in BKK
Bag in... bound for SYD
Fast track access despite flying economy
Security and emigration procedures were swift using the fast track, although the rest of the airport was quite busy…
After my extended lounge hopping a couple months before, I decided to directly proceed to the Cathay lounge.
BKK International terminal, airside
I arrived there around 15:45 and the buffet was quite disappointing, with a lot of empty plates, so I headed to the noodle bar where I ordered… some spaghettis bolognese ! (Not really Thai food I know, but I was just craving for some western food !). The Moet Chandon I ordered for the aperitif was smooth, such as the cathay delight at the end of the meal !
CX lounge BKK entrance
Self service buffet was quite disappointing...
CX lounge BKK
CX lounge BKK bar
Bar selection
Noodle bar menu
Was tasty ! (although it was not Thai food)
The buffet got eventually restocked later and I finished my meal with some little snacks from it.
The buffet got eventually restocked...
Little snacks from the buffet...
The place got however quite crowded and noisy, so after 10 more minutes or so, I left the lounge and went closer to the departing gate, to find that my aircraft had not yet arrived from KUL. So… with my Priority Pass card in hand, I entered the Oman Air lounge next to me for the first time…
The Oman Air lounge was certainly less crowded than the Cathay and I have to say the atmosphere was very pleasant, such as the staff working there. Upon entering the lounge, the agent provided me a laminated list of amenities available and it is worth noting that the lounge is equipped with a shower which could be a plus in BKK (I don’t recall having seen any on the CX or JL lounge, QR lounge has some, but you need to fly business class to access to it).
Oman Air lounge BKK
The King of Thailand and the Sultan Qaboos of Oman (R.I.P)
I did not stay long in there, and haven’t tried any of the buffet items. The wifi was working well and the seating was comfortable. I found it a good place to spend some time in, especially for a Priority Pass lounge !
Oman air lounge lobby BKK
They give you this welcome card when entering the lounge, highlighting the different facilities available
Looks good, but I was too full to taste !
Side lounge
Around 1630 I left the lounge to find my Boeing 737-800 from KUL parking at the gate. 20 minutes later, the boarding began
MH Boeing 737-800 to KUL
S7 is the only remaining OneWorld airline I haven't tried yet (And starting tomorrow RAM will be the other one)
9M-MXI
Malaysia Airlines MH783 - January 7th 2019
Bangkok Subarvarnahmi BKK - 17:00
Kuala Lumpur Intl KUL - 20:20
Boeing 737-800 - 9M-MXI - Seat 05C, Bulkhead seat - Economy class
I was lucky to be able to select a bulkhead seat on the first row of the economy class, which had extra legroom. There were lots of university students coming from the US who were coming back (I guess) from a cultural exchange trip and I was pretty much seated in the middle of them…
Row 5, the first row of economy class
Legroom was good
We departed the gate late, due to the late arrival of the aircraft and service began shortly afterwards with a choice of chicken with rice or fish with noodles and I opted for the latter which was fine. For a two hour flight, compared to what they serve on European major airlines (when they still serve something, looking at you BA and IB) or North American carriers, I still think that MH did fine !
Economy class meal MH BKK-KUL
Besides that, the flight was quite uneventful, the service was nothing special to remember about and we landed 25 min late in KUL, at one of the main terminal gates.