Well, I am in Bangkok with somewhat limited time, but I will do my best. It is a good relief from the taxis and tuk tuk drivers. Where you go? Where you goooooeeeeeeing? I take you. 10 baht per hour. Velly cheep....

This was an exciting day for a first class virgin like myself. I had flown United and American domestic first, but never any sort of international first class. First let me say thank you to all those who sent me private emails, urging me to go first instead of biz. Well worth the money. And for those who wrote that I should take biz because I would get spoiled, you were absolutely correct. I think my excitement may have been conveyed to the FA staff, because I seemed to be attended to a bit more by them. One in particular, who in retrospect, I would call the best FA I have ever had. Don't know her name (would probably recognize it), but she worked the LON-BKK route and was a tall english lady with short hair. I know that describes a quarter of the country, but if you get her, I envy you.

As I wrote regarding another question, I was a little disappointed in the lounges in LHR terminal 4. They were certainly nothing special, and I felt that the domestic Qantas clubs in Australia were far superior. They did have a small assortment of finger foods and drinks, but it was crowded and a but stuffy. They are still working on parts of lounge, so that might have added to it. I did watch a bit of football/soccer on the telly, and had a soda water or three. I was dressed in "smart casual", and got some very odd looks from one of the people in the lounge. One of the things that I have wondered about is whether I would be treated differently because I am not a business person or a world jetsetter, and it was the first time I noticed it. The only other time was in Perth, when the QC guy scrutinized my ticket like I had forged it on my Cray in the lab in my basement. Other than that, I am thrilled to say that the answer has been no, and that I have (perceived) to have been afforded the same treatment as the others. I am not demanding, though. I don't make a fuss when something is a little off, since I know what it is like when something is out of a person's control. I only will get irritated when something is wrong because someone didn't care enough to make it right. The flight was called about a half an hour before scheduled departure, so I headed out to the gate and got in line with everyone else. When I got up to the front, the guy scolded me for waiting in line with a first class ticket, and told me that I could just walk right up next time. I didn't (and don't) care, as long as they don't leave without me. I did realize, though, that this was a different world than I am used to.

As I walked up to the door of the 744, I was greeted by the head FA and shown to my seat by the aforementioned FA and promptly was introduced and called Mr. X. After correcting her that Mr. X is my father and that my name is Darren, I began to get situated in the commander seat that looked straight out of a Star Trek movie. It had more buttons than I care to admit, a blanket, pillow, matress pad, socks, and a sundries box that included all sorts of neat things. I actually kept the box because I don't have one. Has proven very useful. Although pretty, I have not found a use for the one from Cathay yet. There are 14 seats in the cabin. Five rows with 2-2-2-4-4 across, respectively. I was in seat 3a I will eventually change my assignment to 2a, which has a bit more room and less traffic. I expected row 1 to be claustrophobic, but it didn't appear to be.

The seats had a personal video system with 9" (or so) touch-sensitive screens. Nice touch because the manual controls are in a bit of an awkward place. Videos were 8mm and included a selection of about 30 or so English titles, and a few non-english. I watched Gladiator and the Patriot, and enjoyed both. Had not seen either because my personal life doesn't afford much time to get out to the movies much.

The flight was pretty much a non-stop eat and sleep fest, if you chose it to be. I chose it not to be, because of the length of the flight. Canapes, then meats and cheeses, then salad, then starter, then main course, then cheese, then dessert, then after dinner drinks, then death from exhaustion. I partook in the starter, main course, and cheese (mmmmm ), which was all very good. The main disappointment was that the menu listed a Shiraz, but there was none aboard, so I went for the Bordeaux. If you can call that a disappointment. Overall, Bordeaux is my favorite style anyway. I am having trouble remembering the starter (will edit it later because I took the menus), but the main course was a grilled steak, which was quite good. The rolls were crispy and fresh, and everything was served on china and glass with heavy silverware that didn't come in a bag with salt and pepper. The salt and pepper were both in a grinder, which I thought was a nice touch. Also a nice touch were the full size wine glasses, instead of the annoying little ones that they insist on using for the pre-flight drinks. Also a nice touch were that the seats are arranged so that there is a mini seat across from the main seat, so that two people can dine together if they choose. Given that one is less comfortable, but they sit where your feet go when the seat is in "flat" mode. Service was efficient, but extremely personal and friendly. More noise was made by the diners than by the servers, and they didn't grab the things out of in front of you like they were rushing you in and out at Dennys. Always, "Would you like more wine, Darren? Is everything satisfactory, Darren?" I don't think my mother has used my name so much as my FA. The 12 hour flight flew right by, and it felt like it was closer to 3 or 4 hours. Like doing a lax-ord run. The matress cover was a godsend. Note: if they don't have them out, ask for one. Breakfast was a choice of a bunch of items, of which I had the porridge. I am not into breakfast (eating oatmeal 6 of 7 days, and an egg on the last), so the porridge was perfect for me. Came with devon cream, which I had not had before (and liked). Tea, of course, which I also drink everyday with my oatmeal.

The stopover in BKK was uneventfully hot and sweaty. No, I didn't go to a massage parlor, it was about 95 degrees and 95% humidity. Got a taste of things to come. The BA/QF lounge was nice, with one computer but a big window overlooking the Int'l tarmac. Some neat planes going in and out, including a strange, unmarked 742 and a Russian plane with letters I couldn't understand.

The BKK-SYD flight was about the same. The service wasn't as attentive as the first FA crew, but they were still very (very) good. The food was considerably better, though, as it had more of an Asian flair to it. The starter was a fabulous dish of prawns in lime-dill mayo, and the main course was a prawn stir-fry and rice. On both flights, a selection of about 6 choices was offered.

Overall, the flights were fantastic. Twenty-two hours felt like 6 or 7 at most, and when I got off in Sydney, I was as bright and shiny as the Aussie sun. The flight exceeded every expectation that I had, and I have no complaints at all.

I was going to try to go to the QF flights (I didn't stop until Perth/Brisbane), but I don't have time. I will when I can. Hope you enjoyed it.

Also, my email address for the next while is [email protected] . Forgot to change my profile, and I can't get messages from my regular address until I return.




[This message has been edited by Darren (edited 03-07-2001).]

Darren - can you remember what Champagne they served on the LHR / Bangkok sector?

Having taking some of the same routing as you did, I can also say how much I enjoyed the BKK-SYD portion of my last years RTW in first. I took QF to SYD which was great. Enjoy

Thanks for the insight. Looking forward to my YVR-LHR-BKK-SYD and back itinerary in late spring.

Darren:

Excellent report!

Thank you, Darren.

I am up for a BA F LAX-LHR-SYD return later this year. Sounds enjoyable.

BTW, are you staying in SYD? If you need any help or information, email me.

Andreas

Chelsea, no, I don't remember. Piper-Hendrick sounds familiar, but I could be wrong. I don't remember if I had a glass or not, because I don't like white wine or champagne much. I do have the menus at the hotel (and the wine list). I will post them during my stopover in Hong Kong on my way to Bali in a couple of days.

Sarecca, a slight preview to when I write about my QF domestic sectors, but I wasn't impressed at all with Qantas. In fact, I was disappointed. If you flew any domestic, was the international *significantly* better, or do my tastes just vary from what they offer?

FoxPro, you are a week too late. I was in Sydney for the weekend of the Mardi Gras, which was fun. My pocketbook is still feeling the effects. I have posted my itinerary in several places, though it is most readable if you do a search for my name in the Oneworld forum. I am pretty sure I also included dates on that one.

Thanks again. Off to the Grand Palace and Wat Arun.

Congratulations on your first international First experience Darren - seems like it was a good'un.
Hopefully I'll do the same oneday- but I'm more than grateful for Business at the moment!
Enjoy the rest of your trip and be sure to report back!
Regards
Salt

Your disappointment re: the first class BA lounge in Heathrow T4 is understandable-- as you guessed, it was in the midst of renovation. I am happy to report that it is now open, and one of the best F lounges I have encountered!!! Extremely quiet, a sit down free restaurant (menus with no prices), great work area, etc., etc. An adjacent spa should be finished shortly.

With respect to your attire, as a frequent F int'l traveler, I can assure you that the standards have really changed. In fact, a lot of savvy F class travellers wear old, loose-fitting clothing just to be comfortable (of course, now we've got the airline-issued PJs).

HKG, I assume it was the area off to the left of the entrance, as you walked into the lounge. I saw that area, but no one was there. They also had a sit down area in the first class part of The Wing in HKG. Very nice, I must say. I have another stay in T4 when I go to Cairo in a couple of months, so I will check it out there.

Thanks.