LIVE: Plane spotting trip to Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand
Mar 5, 2017, 11:48 am
#47
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: SFO
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Posts: 756
How does one go about recognizing the aircraft down to the subtype? For example, I can probably figure out what an A330 looks like, but I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between an A330-200 and A330-300. The differences are too subtle that I wouldn't even know where to start.
Nonetheless, the photos on such a wide number of aircrafts and airlines is impressive.
Nonetheless, the photos on such a wide number of aircrafts and airlines is impressive.
Mar 5, 2017, 1:38 pm
#48
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Join Date: Jul 2014
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Mar 5, 2017, 1:40 pm
#49
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: WAW ✈ LHR ✈ GLA
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Posts: 2,498
How does one go about recognizing the aircraft down to the subtype? For example, I can probably figure out what an A330 looks like, but I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between an A330-200 and A330-300. The differences are too subtle that I wouldn't even know where to start.
Mar 5, 2017, 3:23 pm
#50
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Day 9 - Phuket to Bangkok
I woke up early that morning feeling a bit excited as I was about to fly the Queen of the skies - Boeing 747! It's quite remarkable that Thai Airways operates heavies between Phuket and Bangkok - and there's a wide choice - from Airbus A330 through Boeing 777-200, 777-300 to Boeing 747. Occasionally they also send Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and I guess Airbus A350 will make appearances too. I've booked myself for 10:55 departure scheduled to be operated by Boeing 747-400 series.
I did check-in on-line the day before and got assigned seat 24A - at the back of business class cabin at the lower deck - at least I had a window seat! I guess Thai Airways did not recognise my Avianca Amigo Diamond status. Their website does not distinguish Avianca from Avianca Brazil unfortunately and contacting them by twitter and facebook didn't help - I had better luck with LOT Polish Airlines on the other occasion.
But first things first - before heading of the airport I had a breakfast - hotel breakfast was pretty decent, a small buffet of European and Asian hot bits. It was ok, but nothing to write home about.
The breakfast room was located on the third floor - it would be nicer if it was on the rooftop (which was mainly unused but swimming pool). View from the breakfast room:
I planned to walk to the airport, but the reception told me there was a free shuttle service - why not then? I took one at 8:30 - bit early, but I wanted to meet fellow aviation geek flying from Phuket on an earlier flight.
TG204: Phuket to Bangkok
Airline: Thai Airways
Flight: TG204 HKT ✈ BKK
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 HS-TGB
Gate: 11
There was a security scan at the entrance to the domestic terminal, very efficient one - I guess they were looking for large/obvious things. After security I headed to the business class check-in desk to ask if I could get boarding pass printed and cheekily asked if I could move to the front of the plane. Check-in agent spoke to someone on the phone and asked if 2A was ok - it was more then ok! Basically got moved from "extra recliner seat" to "fully flat bed suite"
I also put my hand luggage suitcase into hold - not sure why I broke my own rule of taking it as hand luggage whenever I could.
Anyway, I was happy I was flying in the First Class seat on this short hop to Bangkok
After another security check I quickly located my friends and spent time chatting with them till their departure time - they were on TG202 departing 50 minutes before my flight. When their boarding was called, I still had few minutes spare, so decided to check out the lounge offering in Phuket.
I went to the Thai Airways business class lounge which was located at the back of the terminal building. It was small, but I think adequate as most flights departing from here were short hops around Thailand anyway.
There was also a section reserved for First Class passengers and top tier frequent flyers
Some hot snacks (dim sum?)
Cold snacks
Drinks and sandwiches
Since I had a good breakfast, I only opted for some fruit salad snack
While waiting in the lounge there were two power outages roughly 5 minutes apart - no one seemed bothered by it!
Boarding was called around 15 minutes before scheduled departure time - there was no announcement in the lounge, attendant just carried around the lounge a sign with a flight number.
We've boarded through the gate 11 - the jetty was attached to the new terminal and we had to walk through the corridor from old domestic to the new international terminal building. Interesting thing was that there were also passengers boarding from the international side - transfer passengers maybe?
My date for today's flight:
Boarding completed reasonably fast, while waiting for the departure I got a welcome drink - iced tea - and a hot refreshing towel.
My seat looked rather impressive:
The seat felt very private - I could barely see other passengers on board with me - here the view from seat 2A:
There were also some newspaper laid out in the middle section - they were put away before departure as no one was interested in them
Before we took off (a very short taxi to the take off!) I've caught Thomas Cook Airbus A330-200 parked nearby next to the domestic terminal:
I guess the corridor connecting domestic and international can be used in both directions according to demand.
New terminal building from the tarmac:
Taking photos through the windows was a bit difficult for two reasons - I was far away from the window and the windows itself were a bit bended making some parts of the image blurred.
After take off before turning left towards Bangkok I snapped a glimpse of Ao Phang Nga National Park in the distance:
Shortly after take off breakfast was served - there were no menus and no choice, despite being seated in the First Class cabin the service was exactly the same as in business class. Today's only option was prawn and rice omelette:
Accompanied by fair trade coffee served with organic sugar!
After service has been completed, I had a look around cabin. The thing I've noticed earlier was - this First Class seat had exclusive access to 4 windows:
It's worth mentioning that while BA fits 14 First Class seats in the nose section of 747, Thai has only 9.
IFE was stuck on map and adverts - so I couldn't test it. Screen was large and of average quality, it was also fixed to the wall.
I really liked though the fresh flower they had in the cabin - each seat had one!
The seat itself was very wide and would make a very comfortable bed I bet!
I also checked out the business class cabin:
Not sure if I would be up for spending 10 hours in one of these on the way from London to Bangkok!
On approach to Bangkok I snapped a photo of the airport from the air:
And the rooftop of the Phoenix Hotel, where I would spend next 48 hours!
air Hong Kong Airbus A300
Royal Flight Boeing 757-200
And another one which I think just landed:
Etihad Boeing 777-300ER
We were following that Shanghai Airlines Boeing 737-800 quite close... too close!
And eventually we've parked next to Thai Airways Airbus A330-300
As it was domestic flight, we made our way to the luggage reclaim belts, it took a bit for bags to arrive:
Out of boredom I snapped the garden outside...
When my suitcase arrived I found it that the handle would not pull out
So it survived a JetStar flight, but not Thai Airways... argh!
I headed to the baggage handlers where a very nice Thai representative took an incident report. She promised someone would arrive at my hotel within 2 hours to collect my bag and fix it by the end of the next day. I kind of doubt that but decided to remain positive. I went out looking for my hotel's shuttle, but could not find one. Queue to taxis was long, so decided to take the train - as it was just one stop and a little walk, so why not?
15 baht later I've arrived at the train station only to realise that it was 1pm and sun was baking everything what was moving right now. I had to walk 1.5km with my camera backpack and suitcase without pull out handle. Nice - 20 minutes later I was at the hotel. Hotel was OK, quick check in and I got my hotel room key. A shower later I unpacked my suitcase and headed back to the reception to leave it for repair man to collect. The reception girls were super helpful, my suitcase got indeed collected an hour later.
Since I had nothing better to do, I headed upstairs to the rooftop to check out the spotting location. I've spent a whole afternoon there - there's a bit of a shadow, hotel has got cafe downstairs and alternatively sells cold drinks at the reception. I'll cover spotting in the separate post. Here's what the rooftop terrace looks like:
Around 5:30pm they've changed runaways, so I headed downstairs to get another refreshing shower - it was very humid and hot up there! Then headed to the main local street in search for place to eat.
Nearby temple from the bridge on the main road:
My dinner for tonight looked a bit rough
The menu was in Thai, but had descriptions in English too. After ruling out cats, frogs and snakes I went for just sweet and sour chicken with chestnuts.
While I was eating local cat came and sat close to me watching something moving in the distance
After dinner I headed for Seven Eleven to stock up for the next day of spotting at the rooftop. The plan was to go to the other location mid day when the sun changes. So I need water and snacks.
In front of Seven Eleven a local lady was selling fried fish - why not? It was delicious!
Spicy dried mango - one of my favourite snacks!
Dehydrated mango - all time classic.
I did check-in on-line the day before and got assigned seat 24A - at the back of business class cabin at the lower deck - at least I had a window seat! I guess Thai Airways did not recognise my Avianca Amigo Diamond status. Their website does not distinguish Avianca from Avianca Brazil unfortunately and contacting them by twitter and facebook didn't help - I had better luck with LOT Polish Airlines on the other occasion.
But first things first - before heading of the airport I had a breakfast - hotel breakfast was pretty decent, a small buffet of European and Asian hot bits. It was ok, but nothing to write home about.
The breakfast room was located on the third floor - it would be nicer if it was on the rooftop (which was mainly unused but swimming pool). View from the breakfast room:
I planned to walk to the airport, but the reception told me there was a free shuttle service - why not then? I took one at 8:30 - bit early, but I wanted to meet fellow aviation geek flying from Phuket on an earlier flight.
TG204: Phuket to Bangkok
Airline: Thai Airways
Flight: TG204 HKT ✈ BKK
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 HS-TGB
Gate: 11
There was a security scan at the entrance to the domestic terminal, very efficient one - I guess they were looking for large/obvious things. After security I headed to the business class check-in desk to ask if I could get boarding pass printed and cheekily asked if I could move to the front of the plane. Check-in agent spoke to someone on the phone and asked if 2A was ok - it was more then ok! Basically got moved from "extra recliner seat" to "fully flat bed suite"
I also put my hand luggage suitcase into hold - not sure why I broke my own rule of taking it as hand luggage whenever I could.Anyway, I was happy I was flying in the First Class seat on this short hop to Bangkok
After another security check I quickly located my friends and spent time chatting with them till their departure time - they were on TG202 departing 50 minutes before my flight. When their boarding was called, I still had few minutes spare, so decided to check out the lounge offering in Phuket.
I went to the Thai Airways business class lounge which was located at the back of the terminal building. It was small, but I think adequate as most flights departing from here were short hops around Thailand anyway.
There was also a section reserved for First Class passengers and top tier frequent flyers
Some hot snacks (dim sum?)
Cold snacks
Drinks and sandwiches
Since I had a good breakfast, I only opted for some fruit salad snack
While waiting in the lounge there were two power outages roughly 5 minutes apart - no one seemed bothered by it!
Boarding was called around 15 minutes before scheduled departure time - there was no announcement in the lounge, attendant just carried around the lounge a sign with a flight number.
We've boarded through the gate 11 - the jetty was attached to the new terminal and we had to walk through the corridor from old domestic to the new international terminal building. Interesting thing was that there were also passengers boarding from the international side - transfer passengers maybe?
My date for today's flight:
Boarding completed reasonably fast, while waiting for the departure I got a welcome drink - iced tea - and a hot refreshing towel.
My seat looked rather impressive:
The seat felt very private - I could barely see other passengers on board with me - here the view from seat 2A:
There were also some newspaper laid out in the middle section - they were put away before departure as no one was interested in them
Before we took off (a very short taxi to the take off!) I've caught Thomas Cook Airbus A330-200 parked nearby next to the domestic terminal:
I guess the corridor connecting domestic and international can be used in both directions according to demand.
New terminal building from the tarmac:
Taking photos through the windows was a bit difficult for two reasons - I was far away from the window and the windows itself were a bit bended making some parts of the image blurred.
After take off before turning left towards Bangkok I snapped a glimpse of Ao Phang Nga National Park in the distance:
Shortly after take off breakfast was served - there were no menus and no choice, despite being seated in the First Class cabin the service was exactly the same as in business class. Today's only option was prawn and rice omelette:
Accompanied by fair trade coffee served with organic sugar!
After service has been completed, I had a look around cabin. The thing I've noticed earlier was - this First Class seat had exclusive access to 4 windows:
It's worth mentioning that while BA fits 14 First Class seats in the nose section of 747, Thai has only 9.
IFE was stuck on map and adverts - so I couldn't test it. Screen was large and of average quality, it was also fixed to the wall.
I really liked though the fresh flower they had in the cabin - each seat had one!
The seat itself was very wide and would make a very comfortable bed I bet!
I also checked out the business class cabin:
Not sure if I would be up for spending 10 hours in one of these on the way from London to Bangkok!
On approach to Bangkok I snapped a photo of the airport from the air:
And the rooftop of the Phoenix Hotel, where I would spend next 48 hours!
air Hong Kong Airbus A300
Royal Flight Boeing 757-200
And another one which I think just landed:
Etihad Boeing 777-300ER
We were following that Shanghai Airlines Boeing 737-800 quite close... too close!
And eventually we've parked next to Thai Airways Airbus A330-300
As it was domestic flight, we made our way to the luggage reclaim belts, it took a bit for bags to arrive:
Out of boredom I snapped the garden outside...
When my suitcase arrived I found it that the handle would not pull out
So it survived a JetStar flight, but not Thai Airways... argh!
I headed to the baggage handlers where a very nice Thai representative took an incident report. She promised someone would arrive at my hotel within 2 hours to collect my bag and fix it by the end of the next day. I kind of doubt that but decided to remain positive. I went out looking for my hotel's shuttle, but could not find one. Queue to taxis was long, so decided to take the train - as it was just one stop and a little walk, so why not?
15 baht later I've arrived at the train station only to realise that it was 1pm and sun was baking everything what was moving right now. I had to walk 1.5km with my camera backpack and suitcase without pull out handle. Nice - 20 minutes later I was at the hotel. Hotel was OK, quick check in and I got my hotel room key. A shower later I unpacked my suitcase and headed back to the reception to leave it for repair man to collect. The reception girls were super helpful, my suitcase got indeed collected an hour later.
Since I had nothing better to do, I headed upstairs to the rooftop to check out the spotting location. I've spent a whole afternoon there - there's a bit of a shadow, hotel has got cafe downstairs and alternatively sells cold drinks at the reception. I'll cover spotting in the separate post. Here's what the rooftop terrace looks like:
Around 5:30pm they've changed runaways, so I headed downstairs to get another refreshing shower - it was very humid and hot up there! Then headed to the main local street in search for place to eat.
Nearby temple from the bridge on the main road:
My dinner for tonight looked a bit rough
The menu was in Thai, but had descriptions in English too. After ruling out cats, frogs and snakes I went for just sweet and sour chicken with chestnuts.
While I was eating local cat came and sat close to me watching something moving in the distance
After dinner I headed for Seven Eleven to stock up for the next day of spotting at the rooftop. The plan was to go to the other location mid day when the sun changes. So I need water and snacks.
In front of Seven Eleven a local lady was selling fried fish - why not? It was delicious!
Spicy dried mango - one of my favourite snacks!
Dehydrated mango - all time classic.
Last edited by megaloman; Mar 5, 2017 at 4:19 pm
Mar 6, 2017, 12:40 pm
#51
Join Date: Aug 2006
Programs: BAEC Gold/GGL, IHG Diamond AMB
Posts: 1,074
Really enjoyed the TR so far - some beautiful photos and good dialogue too
HK lounge has to be The Pier First Class for me - absolutely awesome. On the CX First Check In comments - incredibly helpful staff but once I had to be reticketed in IRROPS and was sent to sit on a bench for 20 minutes whilst they sorted it!
HK lounge has to be The Pier First Class for me - absolutely awesome. On the CX First Check In comments - incredibly helpful staff but once I had to be reticketed in IRROPS and was sent to sit on a bench for 20 minutes whilst they sorted it!
Mar 6, 2017, 1:30 pm
#52
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: WAW ✈ LHR ✈ GLA
Programs: BA GfL/GGL/CCR, HH Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,498
I'll cover my visit to the Pier soon - together with a flight back to London
Mar 6, 2017, 2:58 pm
#53
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,426
I know it's Wikipedia and all but the Chinese language page on the planespotting area, which is comprehensive, does not mention anything about this ban, either.
Mar 6, 2017, 3:06 pm
#54
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: WAW ✈ LHR ✈ GLA
Programs: BA GfL/GGL/CCR, HH Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,498
Was this a change recently? I have some Instagram contacts based in Taipei and they are still taking photos and such from the famous spot at the end of the runway.
I know it's Wikipedia and all but the Chinese language page on the planespotting area, which is comprehensive, does not mention anything about this ban, either.
I know it's Wikipedia and all but the Chinese language page on the planespotting area, which is comprehensive, does not mention anything about this ban, either.
Mar 12, 2017, 7:37 am
#56
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: WAW ✈ LHR ✈ GLA
Programs: BA GfL/GGL/CCR, HH Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,498
Day 9/10/11 - Spotting in BKK
I've allowed myself 3 days of spotting time in Bangkok - afternoon after arrival from Phuket, then a full day, then morning till midday before departure back to Hong Kong. That was a good decision - traffic at BKK is superb and there's much variety that you don't get easily bored. I will be going back to Bangkok for sure. The only downside here is the weather - usually hot and humid with occasional heavy rains.
Before I get to photos - when preparing pictures for this part of the report I have realised I've lost photos from part of my stay
I remember changing my card on second day around 4pm, next photos on that card are from... Hong Kong, so 2 days later. I have no idea what has happened and why I would loose them - I probably pressed the format card option by accident and wiped out all photos at some point. This is very upsetting me as I had there two interesting aircraft from Bhutan, Rossiya on 747-400 and Mahan Air on A340-600... sad loss! That simply means - next trip to BKK is already in planning phase
Staying at the Phoenix hotel also means that you're likely to meet other plane spotters there. Most of the time on the rooftop terrace I've spent with Damien and Paul - thank you very much guys for sharing your knowledge with me and keeping me company up there!
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Airport has two parallel runaways with a single terminal building in the middle between them. While I was there most arrivals happened on 19R while take offs were from 19L.
Spotting locations
A - The Phoenix Hotel Bangkok or rather viewing terrace on top of it. Good light condition there are from early morning till midday. There's a few benches, tables and garden chairs up there, plus some shadow. Hotel has a cafe style dinner downstairs and also sells cold drinks at the reception.
B - King Kaew Walkway at the end of King Kaew 64 Alley - roughly 30 minutes from the Phoenix hotel, basically a walkway by the water - good for arrivals at 19R after midday. In the end I didn't go there, as it was cloudy and could rain at any time. There's nothing nearby, no shade, so bring plenty of water and sunblock!
C - Observation deck inside the terminal building - once inside main terminal building it's to the right. Unfortunately there's a double glass to take photos through plus plenty of obstructions. Viewing terrace has no security and is accessible to the general public.
I did managed to take a few photos from the observation deck, but... they're gone :-(
Photos taken from the Phoenix Hotel Bangkok
Day 1 - there were no clouds and sun was in the full, so most photos came out backlit
JetStarPacific Airbus A320
Japan Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321
Biman Bangladesh Airlines Boeing 737-800
Thai Airways Airbus A330-300
ElAl Boeing 747-400
Xiamen Air Boeing 737-800
Austrian Airlines Boeing 777-200 in new colours
China Eastern Boeing 737-800
S7 Airlines Airbus A320
Thai Airways Boeing 747-400
Qantas Airbus A330-300
Bangkok Air ATR-72
Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300
EVA AIR Boeing 777-300ER in new colours
Thai Airways Boeing 777-300
Shanghai Airlines Boeing 737-800
Thai Airways Boeing 747-400 in StarAlliance colours
Air Astana Boeing 767-300
ANA Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Bangkok Air Airbus A320
Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737-800
Turkmenistan Airlines Boeing 777-200LR
China Cargo Airlines Boeing 777F
Bangkok Air Airbus A320
At some point they've swapped runaways, so planes were landing at 19L, here are a couple of (poor quality) photos taken using the 1.4x extender:
Bhutan Airlines Airbus A319
Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300
China Airlines Boeing 747-400
Day 2 - it was more humid and cloudy throughout a day with some heavy rains nearby and just occasional sun spells. Rain was the reason I decided not to go to spot B.
Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A330-200F
Air Astana Boeing 757-200
Thai Airways Airbus A330-300 in StarAlliance colours
Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-300
Etihad Boeing 777-300ER
Cebu Pacific Airbus A320
Nippon Cargo Airlines Boeing 747-400F
Lao Airlines ATR-72
Air France Boeing 777-300ER
Niki Airbus A319 in Air Berlin colours
Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-300
Myanmar Airways International Airbus A319
Gulf Air Airbus A330-200 in F1 colours
Thai Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Finnair Airbus A350-900
Bankok Air ATR-72
ThaiVietJet Airbus A320
Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A330-300
Myanmar National Airlines Boeing 737-800
AzurAir Boeing 757-200
China Airlines Boeing 747-400
Thai Airways Boeing 737-400
Swiss Boeing 777-300ER
British Airways Boeing 777-200
Soneva Kiri Cesna 208B Grand Caravan
Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800
Hainan Airlines Boeing 737-800
China Eastern Airbus A320
flyDubai Boeing 737-800
Thai Airways Airbus A330-300
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777-300ER
China Southern Boeing 737-800
Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-900
EVA AIR Boeing 777-300ER in old colours
Niki Airbus A320
Thai Smile Airbus A320
Tigerair Airbus A320
Bangkok Air ATR-72
Aeroflot Boeing 777-300ER
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200
Thai Airways Boeing 777-200
Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-200
SriLankan Airbus A330-300
S7 Airlines Boeing 767-300
Philippines Airlines Airbus A330-300
Emirates Airbus A380-800
Royal Brunei Airbus A320
Myanmar National Airlines Embraer E190
Windrose Airbus A330-200 for Ukraine International
Shanghai Airlines Boeing 737-800
Thai Airways Boeing 747-400
RoyalFlight Boeing 757-200
Korean Air Boeing 747-400
Qatar Airways Airbus A380-800
Ethiopian Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Jet Airways Airbus A330-200
Thai Airways Airbus A350-900
IndiGo Airbus A320
Capital Airlines A320
Spring Airlines A320
Lufthansa Boeing 747-400
Japan Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Turkish Airlines Boeing 777-300ER
Austrian Airlines Boeing 777-200
There was a few more photos to share, but sadly, they're gone. I can't get my head around how that has happened Next time I'll do daily backups to prevent this happening again.
Before I get to photos - when preparing pictures for this part of the report I have realised I've lost photos from part of my stay
I remember changing my card on second day around 4pm, next photos on that card are from... Hong Kong, so 2 days later. I have no idea what has happened and why I would loose them - I probably pressed the format card option by accident and wiped out all photos at some point. This is very upsetting me as I had there two interesting aircraft from Bhutan, Rossiya on 747-400 and Mahan Air on A340-600... sad loss! That simply means - next trip to BKK is already in planning phase Staying at the Phoenix hotel also means that you're likely to meet other plane spotters there. Most of the time on the rooftop terrace I've spent with Damien and Paul - thank you very much guys for sharing your knowledge with me and keeping me company up there!
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Airport has two parallel runaways with a single terminal building in the middle between them. While I was there most arrivals happened on 19R while take offs were from 19L.
Spotting locations
A - The Phoenix Hotel Bangkok or rather viewing terrace on top of it. Good light condition there are from early morning till midday. There's a few benches, tables and garden chairs up there, plus some shadow. Hotel has a cafe style dinner downstairs and also sells cold drinks at the reception.
B - King Kaew Walkway at the end of King Kaew 64 Alley - roughly 30 minutes from the Phoenix hotel, basically a walkway by the water - good for arrivals at 19R after midday. In the end I didn't go there, as it was cloudy and could rain at any time. There's nothing nearby, no shade, so bring plenty of water and sunblock!
C - Observation deck inside the terminal building - once inside main terminal building it's to the right. Unfortunately there's a double glass to take photos through plus plenty of obstructions. Viewing terrace has no security and is accessible to the general public.
I did managed to take a few photos from the observation deck, but... they're gone :-(
Photos taken from the Phoenix Hotel Bangkok
Day 1 - there were no clouds and sun was in the full, so most photos came out backlit
JetStarPacific Airbus A320
Japan Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321
Biman Bangladesh Airlines Boeing 737-800
Thai Airways Airbus A330-300
ElAl Boeing 747-400
Xiamen Air Boeing 737-800
Austrian Airlines Boeing 777-200 in new colours
China Eastern Boeing 737-800
S7 Airlines Airbus A320
Thai Airways Boeing 747-400
Qantas Airbus A330-300
Bangkok Air ATR-72
Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300
EVA AIR Boeing 777-300ER in new colours
Thai Airways Boeing 777-300
Shanghai Airlines Boeing 737-800
Thai Airways Boeing 747-400 in StarAlliance colours
Air Astana Boeing 767-300
ANA Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Bangkok Air Airbus A320
Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737-800
Turkmenistan Airlines Boeing 777-200LR
China Cargo Airlines Boeing 777F
Bangkok Air Airbus A320
At some point they've swapped runaways, so planes were landing at 19L, here are a couple of (poor quality) photos taken using the 1.4x extender:
Bhutan Airlines Airbus A319
Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300
China Airlines Boeing 747-400
Day 2 - it was more humid and cloudy throughout a day with some heavy rains nearby and just occasional sun spells. Rain was the reason I decided not to go to spot B.
Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A330-200F
Air Astana Boeing 757-200
Thai Airways Airbus A330-300 in StarAlliance colours
Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-300
Etihad Boeing 777-300ER
Cebu Pacific Airbus A320
Nippon Cargo Airlines Boeing 747-400F
Lao Airlines ATR-72
Air France Boeing 777-300ER
Niki Airbus A319 in Air Berlin colours
Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-300
Myanmar Airways International Airbus A319
Gulf Air Airbus A330-200 in F1 colours
Thai Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Finnair Airbus A350-900
Bankok Air ATR-72
ThaiVietJet Airbus A320
Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A330-300
Myanmar National Airlines Boeing 737-800
AzurAir Boeing 757-200
China Airlines Boeing 747-400
Thai Airways Boeing 737-400
Swiss Boeing 777-300ER
British Airways Boeing 777-200
Soneva Kiri Cesna 208B Grand Caravan
Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800
Hainan Airlines Boeing 737-800
China Eastern Airbus A320
flyDubai Boeing 737-800
Thai Airways Airbus A330-300
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777-300ER
China Southern Boeing 737-800
Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-900
EVA AIR Boeing 777-300ER in old colours
Niki Airbus A320
Thai Smile Airbus A320
Tigerair Airbus A320
Bangkok Air ATR-72
Aeroflot Boeing 777-300ER
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200
Thai Airways Boeing 777-200
Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-200
SriLankan Airbus A330-300
S7 Airlines Boeing 767-300
Philippines Airlines Airbus A330-300
Emirates Airbus A380-800
Royal Brunei Airbus A320
Myanmar National Airlines Embraer E190
Windrose Airbus A330-200 for Ukraine International
Shanghai Airlines Boeing 737-800
Thai Airways Boeing 747-400
RoyalFlight Boeing 757-200
Korean Air Boeing 747-400
Qatar Airways Airbus A380-800
Ethiopian Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Jet Airways Airbus A330-200
Thai Airways Airbus A350-900
IndiGo Airbus A320
Capital Airlines A320
Spring Airlines A320
Lufthansa Boeing 747-400
Japan Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Turkish Airlines Boeing 777-300ER
Austrian Airlines Boeing 777-200
There was a few more photos to share, but sadly, they're gone. I can't get my head around how that has happened
Next time I'll do daily backups to prevent this happening again.
Last edited by megaloman; Mar 12, 2017 at 8:30 am
Mar 12, 2017, 11:19 am
#57
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: WAW ✈ LHR ✈ GLA
Programs: BA GfL/GGL/CCR, HH Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,498
Day 10 - Dinner
On the second night in Bangkok I was due to meet my local friends for dinner. They were running late due to the traffic - it took them over 2h to get there from downtown Bangkok!
Apologies for quality of photos here - I only had my phone camera with me.
Sunset from the rooftop of the hotel
While waiting for them I've noticed my the Phoenix hotel featured a small massage studio, it opened a few minutes later. Can't comment on their services as I didn't use them.
My friends took me for the dinner to Koh Lantaa - an open space restaurant and hotel nearby the airport, so I could watch planes while we dinned - they know me well!
And as promised, I could see planes landing quite low:
For dinner we opted for fried fish, crab cakes, king prawns and few other things I don't remember well now - all selected by my friends and all tasted really good!
Food was delicious, after meal I had a last look at the surrounding water side
After dinner I got straight back to the hotel, as I wanted to wake up early morning next day to catch Mahan Air and a couple of other early arrivals. Still can't get over it I lost those photos!
Apologies for quality of photos here - I only had my phone camera with me.
Sunset from the rooftop of the hotel
While waiting for them I've noticed my the Phoenix hotel featured a small massage studio, it opened a few minutes later. Can't comment on their services as I didn't use them.
My friends took me for the dinner to Koh Lantaa - an open space restaurant and hotel nearby the airport, so I could watch planes while we dinned - they know me well!
And as promised, I could see planes landing quite low:
For dinner we opted for fried fish, crab cakes, king prawns and few other things I don't remember well now - all selected by my friends and all tasted really good!
Food was delicious, after meal I had a last look at the surrounding water side
After dinner I got straight back to the hotel, as I wanted to wake up early morning next day to catch Mahan Air and a couple of other early arrivals. Still can't get over it I lost those photos!
Mar 12, 2017, 4:20 pm
#60
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: WAW ✈ LHR ✈ GLA
Programs: BA GfL/GGL/CCR, HH Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,498
Day 11 - Bangkok to Hong Kong
Had an early start of the day as I wanted to catch Mahan Air landing at BKK airport. Mission was accomplished successfully, but photos now lost
Around 9 am headed down to the cafe for some breakfast - The Phoenix Hotel offers 4 sets to choose from, yesterday I had scrambled eggs, today I went for an omelette. Good enough to start a day.
After breakfast I've enquired at the reception about my suitcase. To my surprise, it arrived and the pull out handle worked! Yay. Never been happier to see my suitcase
My Thai friends told me that I should buy a back up suitcase and not trust anyone who said my suitcase would be fixed in less than 48 hours. I was glad I stayed positive. My backup option was to buy a simple replacement suitcase from a nearby local supermarket - I've seen one which was cheap and good enough to get me back to London in case my suitcase didn't show up. After packing I went upstairs for some last minute spotting.
CX712: Bangkok to Hong Kong
Airline: Cathay Pacific
Flight: CX712 BKK ✈ HKG
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900 B-LRB
Gate: G2
At 1pm hotel's free shuttle took me to the airport - it took maybe 10 minutes? It needs to be pre-booked and runs every hour.
I think Thai people really loved their king, they even built a memorial inside the terminal building!
Check-in was very quick for me - no queue as it was 3h till my departure - so got my boarding pass, immigration pass (for premium line) and lounge invitation.
Headed to the observation deck which was located inside the main terminal building, on the right hand side. The observation deck is on the 6th floor, but lift or escalator will take you only to the 5th.
Observation deck overview
View from the deck is full of obstructions - photos are doable though - managed to snatch the JetAsia...
There was an exposition describing some of the airports all around the world
It's worth noting that there's a little bit less obstructions if you take photos from next to airlines offices on the floor 5
Not impressed with the observation deck I decided to head to the lounge and have some lunch as I haven't eaten since breakfast and was getting hungry.
Security check and immigration took seconds to go through - not sure how bad the regular route would be, premium line was very quick.
Departures board airside
My flight was departing from gate G2 which was basically next to the Cathay Pacific lounge. Last year, when visiting Bangkok with my partner, we've missed Cathay lounge as it was full, so we headed to the nearby Priority Pass one. I hoped this time it would be less crowded.
But before getting into the lounge I decided to stop at the nearby restaurant to have a sticky rice with mango - that was my last chance to have it during that trip!
Restaurant looked rather authentic local, not a boring western chain.
While waiting for my order, I've noticed that my "fixed" pull out handle didn't look good at all!
That wasn't good. I wondered if the suitcase would survive trip back to London. Handle was dangerously moving by now - at this point I should have got some duct tape or sth, but that seemed impossible to get it inside the airport.
Few minutes later my sticky rice and mango arrived - not amazing, but did a job
Cathay Pacific lounge was just around the corner from here
This time lounge looked empty. I headed to the noodle bar to have some dim sum. There were three different to choose from, so I went for all of them.
Dim sum itself looked and tasted really good
Lounge offers an apron view, but it's useless for photography I am afraid.
Noodle bar overview:
Noodle bar also has it's own cold/hot drinks station, which includes some beers too:
After noodles I headed to the lounge part and found myself an empty privacy pod:
Very comfortable to spend a couple of hours waiting for the plane.
Lounge overview
Bar offering champagne, wine and spirits
I like when lounges provide computers with printers for travellers to use - very handy to print out flight booking confirmations or boarding pass...
There's also a snack bar with a buffet - useful if short of time between flights.
On offer were bite sized sandwiches
And a salad buffet:
There was also fridge with cold drinks and desserts
Having eaten already I opted for a healthy fruit salad with some fizz:
Followed bit later by empty calories snack:
Our flight was delayed by 30 minutes I think, so announcement was made when it was ready for boarding.
My date was for today's flight was already there:
But boarding was not starting for another 10-15 minutes. Unique feature of Bangkok airport is a separate door for premium and non-premium passengers - they all get mixed up, but non-premium pax are held till all premium pax board first. I was amused how well this was policed, including gate agent manning the door and turning away anyone who wasn't eligible.
Once on board I got a pre departure drink - this time I went for another glass of fizz:
This time there'll be no plane pictures spotted from the aircraft - as mentioned before, I've lost them
The seat is good - as far as I remember it's the same seat as on A330s and B77Ws, so nothing new there. It looked a little bit less "premium" than the seat on China Airlines. On the other hand Cathay Pacific seat offered a bit more space. Both seats are perfectly acceptable for 2-3 hour hop, I'm yet to test them on an overnight flight!
The seat
I liked the foot space
There was a handy storage space
And another little storage for head phones with power sockets - so you can keep there your phone charging - handy!
Seat control with IFE handset
Pop-out IFE screen - good size and good quality screen.
Menus were handed over after departure
Then pre-meal drinks were offered - I've asked for Cathay Delight - which was nice
Then meal trays were handed over
Starter with bread roll
For main I've opted for pan fried kapong fish
After meal cabin remained lit which is a shame as I hoped to see Cathay's version of mood lighting...
Btw: Cathay still does flowers in the bathroom in business class, while BA enhanced away flowers even in First
Landing in Hong Kong felt a little bit like arriving at home! This time we've arrived to gate in the main terminal building, so it was a short walk to immigration and then through to the train station.
Yes, it was much colder than Bangkok, but only 3 minutes waiting time for the train.
This time I decided to stay at the Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Kowloon East located next to the shopping mall near Tseung Kwan O metro station. Journey there from Central took around 15-20 minutes and was very smooth.
Hotel looked brand new and a bit poshed up to my liking, but for the price you pay it's really nice. It was cheaper then Holiday Inn Express Soho, but offered much bigger room. This time no luck for me, I didn't get upgrade to the Club Room.
Spacious room
Big and comfortable bed
And a welcome snack, yay
I was a bit tired, but as I wanted to start getting used closer to my time zone, I've spent evening preparing photos and text for another part of my TR.
Around 9 am headed down to the cafe for some breakfast - The Phoenix Hotel offers 4 sets to choose from, yesterday I had scrambled eggs, today I went for an omelette. Good enough to start a day.
After breakfast I've enquired at the reception about my suitcase. To my surprise, it arrived and the pull out handle worked! Yay. Never been happier to see my suitcase
My Thai friends told me that I should buy a back up suitcase and not trust anyone who said my suitcase would be fixed in less than 48 hours. I was glad I stayed positive. My backup option was to buy a simple replacement suitcase from a nearby local supermarket - I've seen one which was cheap and good enough to get me back to London in case my suitcase didn't show up. After packing I went upstairs for some last minute spotting.
CX712: Bangkok to Hong Kong
Airline: Cathay Pacific
Flight: CX712 BKK ✈ HKG
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900 B-LRB
Gate: G2
At 1pm hotel's free shuttle took me to the airport - it took maybe 10 minutes? It needs to be pre-booked and runs every hour.
I think Thai people really loved their king, they even built a memorial inside the terminal building!
Check-in was very quick for me - no queue as it was 3h till my departure - so got my boarding pass, immigration pass (for premium line) and lounge invitation.
Headed to the observation deck which was located inside the main terminal building, on the right hand side. The observation deck is on the 6th floor, but lift or escalator will take you only to the 5th.
Observation deck overview
View from the deck is full of obstructions - photos are doable though - managed to snatch the JetAsia...
There was an exposition describing some of the airports all around the world
It's worth noting that there's a little bit less obstructions if you take photos from next to airlines offices on the floor 5
Not impressed with the observation deck I decided to head to the lounge and have some lunch as I haven't eaten since breakfast and was getting hungry.
Security check and immigration took seconds to go through - not sure how bad the regular route would be, premium line was very quick.
Departures board airside
My flight was departing from gate G2 which was basically next to the Cathay Pacific lounge. Last year, when visiting Bangkok with my partner, we've missed Cathay lounge as it was full, so we headed to the nearby Priority Pass one. I hoped this time it would be less crowded.
But before getting into the lounge I decided to stop at the nearby restaurant to have a sticky rice with mango - that was my last chance to have it during that trip!
Restaurant looked rather authentic local, not a boring western chain.
While waiting for my order, I've noticed that my "fixed" pull out handle didn't look good at all!
That wasn't good. I wondered if the suitcase would survive trip back to London. Handle was dangerously moving by now - at this point I should have got some duct tape or sth, but that seemed impossible to get it inside the airport.
Few minutes later my sticky rice and mango arrived - not amazing, but did a job
Cathay Pacific lounge was just around the corner from here
This time lounge looked empty. I headed to the noodle bar to have some dim sum. There were three different to choose from, so I went for all of them.
Dim sum itself looked and tasted really good
Lounge offers an apron view, but it's useless for photography I am afraid.
Noodle bar overview:
Noodle bar also has it's own cold/hot drinks station, which includes some beers too:
After noodles I headed to the lounge part and found myself an empty privacy pod:
Very comfortable to spend a couple of hours waiting for the plane.
Lounge overview
Bar offering champagne, wine and spirits
I like when lounges provide computers with printers for travellers to use - very handy to print out flight booking confirmations or boarding pass...
There's also a snack bar with a buffet - useful if short of time between flights.
On offer were bite sized sandwiches
And a salad buffet:
There was also fridge with cold drinks and desserts
Having eaten already I opted for a healthy fruit salad with some fizz:
Followed bit later by empty calories snack:
Our flight was delayed by 30 minutes I think, so announcement was made when it was ready for boarding.
My date was for today's flight was already there:
But boarding was not starting for another 10-15 minutes. Unique feature of Bangkok airport is a separate door for premium and non-premium passengers - they all get mixed up, but non-premium pax are held till all premium pax board first. I was amused how well this was policed, including gate agent manning the door and turning away anyone who wasn't eligible.
Once on board I got a pre departure drink - this time I went for another glass of fizz:
This time there'll be no plane pictures spotted from the aircraft - as mentioned before, I've lost them
The seat is good - as far as I remember it's the same seat as on A330s and B77Ws, so nothing new there. It looked a little bit less "premium" than the seat on China Airlines. On the other hand Cathay Pacific seat offered a bit more space. Both seats are perfectly acceptable for 2-3 hour hop, I'm yet to test them on an overnight flight!
The seat
I liked the foot space
There was a handy storage space
And another little storage for head phones with power sockets - so you can keep there your phone charging - handy!
Seat control with IFE handset
Pop-out IFE screen - good size and good quality screen.
Menus were handed over after departure
Then pre-meal drinks were offered - I've asked for Cathay Delight - which was nice
Then meal trays were handed over
Starter with bread roll
For main I've opted for pan fried kapong fish
After meal cabin remained lit which is a shame as I hoped to see Cathay's version of mood lighting...
Btw: Cathay still does flowers in the bathroom in business class, while BA enhanced away flowers even in First
Landing in Hong Kong felt a little bit like arriving at home! This time we've arrived to gate in the main terminal building, so it was a short walk to immigration and then through to the train station.
Yes, it was much colder than Bangkok, but only 3 minutes waiting time for the train.
This time I decided to stay at the Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Kowloon East located next to the shopping mall near Tseung Kwan O metro station. Journey there from Central took around 15-20 minutes and was very smooth.
Hotel looked brand new and a bit poshed up to my liking, but for the price you pay it's really nice. It was cheaper then Holiday Inn Express Soho, but offered much bigger room. This time no luck for me, I didn't get upgrade to the Club Room.
Spacious room
Big and comfortable bed
And a welcome snack, yay
I was a bit tired, but as I wanted to start getting used closer to my time zone, I've spent evening preparing photos and text for another part of my TR.