A Stamp Collecting Journey with TG, OZ and TK

[SilverChris]

Some say I'm crazy. Some say I've nothing better to do. I don't blame them, really. I may have taken one too many shots that night. I don't even know what motivated me to do this. It may have been a combination of family matters (both of them being 5000 miles apart) that can't be ignored, an urge within me that can't be satisfied without travelling, and a stash of Star Alliance miles that have the words "burn me!" written all over. The phasing out of my beloved Spacebed didn't help either. All I remember is being woken up by a phone call by the bank confirming several foreign charges on my credit card. "Everything's ok", I said - and the rest, as they say, is history.

And so I found myself embarking on an epic adventure of 20,000 miles - in three days. This was the only window I could get away from reality, with uncertainties and countless commitments in the year ahead.


TG420 KUL - BKK AB6 Business
TG475 BKK - SYD 744 First
OZ602 SYD-ICN 772 Business
TK91 ICN-IST 343 Business
SQ391 IST-SIN 772 Business (This sector is special enough to deserve its very own TR )

<><><><><><><><><><>

It's a Monday morning, and it's still dark and gloomy outside. Here I was waiting for the fourth KLIA Express service of the day from KL Sentral to the airport.


The train filled up pretty quickly, and we departed at exactly 0600. It almost felt like Japanese precision.


An uneventful 30 minutes later, I'm at the check-in desk of TG420.


Check-in is handled by MH staff, who can be rather indifferent at times. My request for my checked bag to be tagged up to BKK only was acknowledged with nothing more than a nod. In fact, the only time the agent made eye contact with me was....never.

After sneaking a bottle of water from the Plaza Premium Lounge, I headed into the the TG Royal Silk Lounge, which is the nicest one in the Satellite after MH's in my opinion.


I helped myself to some Nasi Lemak, which is pretty decent though my appetite hasn't quite kicked in yet.


The sun has risen for a while now, but it was still rather gloomy over KLIA. Seen here is the usual MI A319 operating one of the several KUL-SIN runs, a Nepal Airlines 757 to KTM (here's a wonderful TR by our Grand Dame SQFG)and an exotic-looking United Airways MD83 to DAC.


I left the lounge a tad early and headed towards our gate for today, C13. Next door to us was a Lion Air 737 to CGK.


The morning "rush" hour is just beginning, though that's a relative term. We all know the real hustle and bustle of KUL is in a shack on the other side of the tarmac which Air Asia calls home.

I was actually quite looking forward to this flight, as it was operated by a classic A300 which won't be around for much longer! (Or maybe TG will keep them until the world runs out of oil - it's anyone's guess).

Here's HS-TAX. Sorry for the reflections!

[SilverChris]

Priority boarding was called just as I cleared security, and all hell broke loose. There were several large groups of Chinese tourists returning to Chengdu, and the moment they heard the word "boarding" they grabbed their bags literally and made a mad dash to the the aerobridge. The agents had a heck of a time controlling them, and it was like witnessing the riot police trying to contain a rally. The agent noticed my C boarding pass and gestured for me to come forward, but it wasn't funny trying to pass through a crowd who think you're cutting their "line".

THAI Airways TG420
Depart: Kuala Lumpur - KUL 0755
Arrive: Bangkok -BKK 0900
Aircraft: Airbus A300-600R
Registration: HS-TAX

Sawadeekap! I was warmly greeted at the door and directed to the correct aisle. The cabin wasn't exactly in tip-top condition, but it did look very warm and inviting.


Menus were handed out soon enough. The Mee Hoon Siam sounded interesting but I had enough of Asian food for the past few days so I went with the crepe.


Hot towels were next, and were handed out with a smile.


Pushback was on time, and we taxiied towards the usual 32R for takeoff.

It's MH land alright, save for the lone Firefly 737 which remains as a keen reminder of its short-lived commercial jet operations.


A DC-8?


Soon after takeoff, breakfast is served. It's a simple affair this morning with everything on a single tray.


The crepe was acceptable (in the air, that means it's just about edible) while the hashbrown tasted like it'd been badly reheated several times. On the bright side, the sausages were great.

Headsets were distributed, but there's hardly any IFE to speak off, so I took a stroll around the cabin.

The Business seats remind me of MH's 734s!


I was told a few days ago that this flight would be overbooked, with every seat upfront being taken. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. I had two seats to myself, which does help make the flight that much more enjoyable.

[CarbonMan]

TG420 KUL - BKK AB6 Business
TG475 BKK - SYD 744 First
OZ602 SYD-ICN 772 Business
TK91 ICN-IST 343 Business
SQ391 IST-SIN 772 Business (This sector is special enough to deserve its very own TR )

All that in 3 days?!? Yes, the word "crazy" is quite apt, even in J.

[SilverChris]

As I pulled away the curtains and stepped into the Y cabin, I had to double check if I'd accidentally walked through some magical closet. It was a complete mess. Spilled drinks, loud passengers who couldn't give a hoot about the other passengers hoping to get some shut eye and rubbish strewn all along the aisles made the difference between J and Y so very stark. The crew did a great job in cleaning the cabin and managed to get everyone to quiet down.


The remaining 45 minutes passed uneventfully with the usual bumps during our descent.


At least there's a Flight Map shown on a main screen.


I was packing up my iPad when I realised I'd actually taken a copy of the NST onboard. The headline was a total turnoff, and once again cemented the fact that the mainstream media is anything but independant.


We landed at Bangkok Su-wa-na-pom 5 minutes ahead of STD


I was expecting us to arrive at a domestic or remote gate and deplane by stairs, though luck was on our side today!


Or so, I thought. It was still quite a trek to immigration. The buggy fails to make an appearance, and to add insult to injury other F pax get escorted to their own buggies.


I had a 9 hour connection, so I headed into town to meet up with a friend. Inflight service on this short hop couldn't be faulted, and that's pretty much all I expect of TG nowadays - especially on a 2 hour flight like this. The real test comes next, and I couldn't wait to try out TG's infamous ground services.

Stay tuned!

[SQGamespeed]

TG420 KUL - BKK AB6 Business
TG475 BKK - SYD 744 First
OZ602 SYD-ICN 772 Business
TK91 ICN-IST 343 Business
SQ391 IST-SIN 772 Business (This sector is special enough to deserve its very own TR )

AB6 in 2013?! You sir are ambitious! Crazy start to a crazy trip! At least it is a short flight on J. I am happy that my last flight on them was a short hop from BKK to CNX, and don't have more domestic or regional TG flights for a while so I hope they can FINALLY decommission these as soon as they say (though you never know with TG being TG). I would cringe to be on these on 5 or 6 hour (especially in Y) trips like those to PUS or CTS that they used to operate with the AB6 .

Keep the TR coming though!

Btw was the AB6 scheduled or was it another swap?

[SilverChris]

Btw was the AB6 scheduled or was it another swap?

It was scheduled to be an AB6 ever since I booked a few months ago. Will change to the 333 at the start of the N.Winter schedule. I think it's the old config, so not really an "upgrade".

[sqdazz]

Oh the old config A330 is definitely an upgrade to the A300. However I dont mind the A300 on runs up to 2 hours. Don't think there is many, any, 5 hour A300 sectors around anymore.

[SilverChris]

Much as I love many things Thai, Suvarnabhumi is not among them. I have several gripes, but its unnecessarily complicated split-level layout must top that list, and the lack of a decent airfield view follows next.

Anyway, at about 1400 I was back at Suvarnabhumi, happy to be away from the sweltering heat of downtown BKK.


I entered through Door A, the oh-so-exclusive entrance for TG's premium passengers.


An agent noticed my dishelved look (I'm blaming the tropical heat for this one, though my wardrobe could use a bit of sprucing up in any case) and directed me to the Economy counters. The look on his face was priceless when I asked "Oh sorry...Where's the First Class area?"

After a series of warm welcomes, I was invited to "Please take a seat" and presented with a cold towel and a bottle of water - much needed after a day in the unbearable heat.






I was then escorted through security and immigration, where I was officially stamped out of the Kingdom.


A buggy was waiting below the escalator at the entrance to the D concourse lounge and drove me to the legendary Royal First Lounge.




I was warmly greeted as I entered the lounge, and my boarding pass was examined by a "student trainee". They weren't too well informed with everything, and my questions pertaining to seat assignments and spa appointments were all met with a shrug. Not a good start so far.


I was brought to my own semi-private room, and was left there for about an hour without anyone checking if I was still alive. I don't want to sound like a snob, but I don't exactly remember my last experience (courtesy of SIA5390) being this way. No-one came over to offer me a drink, nor was I offered anything to eat.


The lounge wasn't busy at all - there must have been half a dozen other passengers at most. And no, they weren't understaffed at all.

[sqdazz]

i'm a little shocked at the TG f lounge experience thus far, I've never not been continually waited on. Maybe it's your young appearance that has them confused?

[SilverChris]

After working on my iPad for an hour it was time for a shower. Thankfully, the staff started to notice my existence and did offer me a drink, and escorted even me to the shower rooms.

It's reasonably nice and spacious with nice Crabtree & Evelyn amenities (or was it L'Occitane - I can never really tell the difference )


I headed to the SKL for some food as I knew it wouldn't disappoint.


The highlights included Nasi Biryani, Singapore Laksa, Macaroons, Mango Sticky Rice, Haagen Daaz and best of all, Thai coconuts - All of which were delicious

It was fairly crowded when I entered, so I was a tad conservative on my photo taking.








Back in the FCL, I was welcomed back by another student trainee. I enquired about making a spa appointment, and got a blank stare followed by "I...don't know". Luckily, her senior comes to the rescue and we agreed on an hour-long massage at 1630.

I went back to checking my email as the appointment time drew closer. at 1625, I was expecting someone to come escort me anytime now, though it seems I've become non-existent again. At 1628, I left my room and headed to the Royal Orchid Spa for my much awaited oil massage. I'm not complaining about the lack of attention, but I was just a bit surprised that they didn't really bother if you missed your massage or not.

An agent in her early 20's with an Australian accent welcomes me with another "wai" greeting, and invited me to take a seat on sofa behind the counter. I wasn't required to sign a health form, and my masseuse immediately escorted me to a massage "suite" where I was told to change into a purple bath robe.

[SilverChris]

There's nothing more relaxing than an hour-long massage before boarding a 9 hour haul. The announcements in the terminal for that occasional missing passenger could be heard in the massage room, and served as a constant reminder that you're still in and airport and not floating in cloud nine

Back in the FCL, it was almost boarding time. I knew the staff like to cut it close and board their F passengers last, so I didn't give it a second thought and went back to my "room" and worked a bit more on my iPad. There was no mention of an escort when I re-entered the lounge, which I found a bit strange.

1800 came and went, and I started to get a bit worried and proceeded to the reception area, where an agent casually said "Oh, escort... There." as he pointed to an unmanned buggy outside. Another escort shows up, and I was on my way.



Could I have been so non-existent that I could have missed my flight without any of the agents knowing? I'd rather not know, but I was just glad to be driven to the aircraft!

"Gate is at the E-area at the west. It's a long walk so we'll go back downstairs then reclear transit security when we arrive at the west side". The aircraft could have been 10 miles from the lounge for all I cared. The joy of being driven past fellow jetlagged travellers (who were being asked to get out of our way ) was just awesome.



The holding area was pretty much deserted, but the jumbo was still there. (phew!)


Outside, HS-TGP (50th anniversary retro livery!) was awaiting its last passenger.


THAI Airways TG475
Depart: Bangkok - BKK 1820
Arrive: Sydney - SYD 0740+1
Aircraft: Boeing B747-400
Registration: HS-TGP (Retro Livery)

"Welcome onboard, Mr SilverChris!". Wow, were my ears deceiving me? I was actually addressed by name on TG!


Seat 3A


Before I could get settled in, *BAM*, the door was closed. Yep, looks like they've been waiting for me alright.

The seat is the same type as the old LX and MH F (though the latter is now completely phased out), and definitely past its prime. It offers little privacy to speak of, and barely an inch wider than the J seats. Still, I was thankful I didn't end up in one of TG's 747 All Series delivered even before Siam was renamed Thailand.



As the last passenger to board, only one miserable glass of water was left on the welcome drink tray, but I wasn't in the mood for champagne just yet anyway.

[SilverChris]

Although I wasn't lucky enough to get one of those 9F suites equipped 744s, I still appreciated the spacious and roomy feeling of this cabin.


Newspapers were handed out first.


Followed by noise cancelling headsets. I always thought they were placed at the seat before boarding.


Next came the pajamas. I went with an M sized one which was grey whereas the S sized ones were light blue.




And next came the most valuable giveaway - amenity kits! No Rimowa tonight, just Tumi kits for us. (#firstworldproblems)


Menus were then distributed, presented in nice and thick folders.




None of the main courses sounded particularly exciting, as warned by sqdazz, though thankfully I'd preordered the Lobster Thermidor, which was confirmed by the FA as she handed out the menus.

[SilverChris]

The breakfast, or rather "second serving" menu. Like many aspects of TG, I just don't get why they don't name their "servings" breakfast, lunch and dinner.


I'm no wine connoisseur, so I won't comment on the quality of the selection, but here's the list anyway.






But what I do know is that this is some good stuff




Before takeoff the female FA working in F came over to every passenger (there were 6 of us in the nose of the 747) and introduced herself, informing us of the flight time and thanked us for choosing TG. She was a very pleasant and friendly FA who also made small talk with the passengers. Looks like I did get lucky with TG tonight.

After takeoff I realised the recline function wasn't working well, so the crew came over to have a look and advised me to move over to 3K for the time being. Meanwhile, warmed nuts and champagne were served by the purser.



Luckily the problem was fixed and and I moved back to 3A, and the table was set shortly after.


First up, caviar! It was served directly from the galley, as the cart was "broken", apparently. According to the FA it was up to the purser so I'm not sure if he was trying to cut corners or something, though I gave them the benefit of the doubt.


While I'm not a fan of caviar it didn't hurt to be pretentious for once

[SilverChris]

Next came the appetizer of quail salad, which was terrible. At least, the quail was.


After that was done with the soup was promptly presented, along with the sorbet which made for an odd combination in my opinion.


It was pretty disappointing, and I had no more than 4 sips of it before sending it back.

Next came the most anticipated part of the meal - lobster!


They were pretty generous with the lobster portion, though it tasted rather average. At least the potatoes were delicious.

The cheese and fruit cart was wheeled out after the main course was cleared.




Slices of watermelon which I don't remember ordering showed up on the plate, but I wasn't about to refuse anyway.


TG had one last chance to save the meal from becoming a train wreck with the desserts, which I looked forward to.


It's pretty apparent TG isn't overly creative with their F desserts unlike SQ which sometimes serves desserts that are works of art.

I had the mascarpone and créme brulee. Let's just say I've tasted way nicer desserts made by 5th graders in their baking classes.

[SilverChris]

After an underwhelming dinner I entered one of the lavatories to change into my PJs, and as I stepped out the female FA was waiting with a hanger, offering to hang my clothes and make the bed. Impressive!

Back in 3A, I fired up the IFE which featured AVOD, though the selection wasn't overly impressive. I settled for Here Comes the Boom - not a bad movie, though not something I'd want to watch again in the forseeable future,


As my bed was being made I took a stroll around the aircraft, and my first stop was the upper deck.

The signature stairway of the 747.


It seemed like quite a full load in J, including a few young children. (I hope they don't grow up being too used to flying in luxury!)


Thankfully for the Y passengers, TGP is among the 6 or so refitted 74Rs with AVOD installed in the steerage - a place I'm far more accustomed to.


I fell asleep after some tossing and turning, waking up slightly over 2 hours out of SYD, in time to witness an event that never gets old - the sunrise!


I'm a sucker when it comes to inflight breakfasts. Especially on overnight flights where I'd have awaken from fitful slumber, and all too often, find myself shivering from the sub-zero temperatures (it never dips below 20°C where I live, so I have an excuse for this one), hence my appetite never kicks in for inflight breakfasts.

I know this didn't do any favors for my trip report, but I just had some fruit and coffee for "breakfast".


Soon enough, the sunlight was piercing into the cabin from both sides.


We made a smooth touchdown 20 minutes ahead of schedule.


This Virgin Australia 77W greeted us as we pulled into the gate.


I thanked the crew for their great service (that was pretty much all I could be happy for on this flight) and hightailed it to immigration (I had to recheck my bag with liquids, and had to meet a relative to pick up a few documents)



Unfortunately for us we'd arrived after two heavybodies from the States, which meant 15 minutes in line behind a whole lot of bleary eyed Americans from across the Pacific. My scheduled connection time was 2 hours and 40 minutes, though luckily, I was landside by 0815, in time for my 1010 onward flight to ICN.

If there's one aspect about the Australian immigration officers it has to be the fact that they just randomly flip to an unused page in the passport and stamp there, even if the last used page is 20 pages away. While there's nothing wrong with that, it makes it harder to keep track of one's travels, especially for stamp collectors like me. Seriously though, for those who haven't used up 80% of their pages, is it really that hard to look for the first available page?



****

While the ground experience at BKK left a bit to be desired, it was still enjoyable nonetheless. Inflight, the service was probably among the best I've had onboard TG (i've had mostly indifferent crews in the past), although the food was a letdown. Every airline has its "on" and "off" days, so I wouldn't be judging the FCL service based on my limited experience.

Stay tuned for the next installment, a 5000 mile journey north to ICN!