At BKK - 2
The helpful transit desk agent did give me directions to the F Lounge, but I soon found myself in the wrong part of the airport and had to double-back on my tracks. Some Spanish tourists whom I had passed during my intended quick stroll to the lounge gave me quizzical looks as I passed them again going in the opposite direction.
But I did find the lounge (again not too fussed by the delay, thanks to my wheeled luggage and the empty airport), and the staff welcomed me warmly. I have to admit, the lounge experience is where TG F surpasses SQ F. Not being the familiar face at SIN SKL that CGK or SQflyergirl is, I found (based on this and my subsequent visit) that I, as an occasional passenger, was greeted more warmly by the TG lounge staff.
Secondly – though this might change with the opening of T3 and the yanking away of QPP privileges – the TG F lounge at BKK feels more spacious and less crowded. Before my 0845 flight, the lounge felt a lot more civilised and, dare I say, more exclusive than SKL F.
I also found the shower room less cramped:
and additionally, there was a decent set of toiletries (by L’Occitane) you could take with you:
.
I didn’t show it here because the picture wouldn't be that interesting, but the fact that the toilet was located in the shower room was a lot more convenient for this customer.
A bizarre design choice for the TG F lounge is that the toilets not in the shower rooms are located off to one side of a room that looks like it would be desired by customers wanting a quiet little private lounge area, one without the flat screen TVs and located away from the general seating area. This means that if you do choose this lounge area, you might find your quiet time interrupted by customers heading to the toilets. I don’t quite understand why the toilets were located in this manner.
After my shower (sooo nice that I took my time and chose to forgo the full opportunity to savour the lounge’s food offerings), I went to the general seating area to get a quick breakfast. I had wanted to order the pad thai but they didn’t seem to have it on offer. CGK had highly recommended the wonton soup, though, so that’s what I ordered. A feature of the TG F Lounge I did appreciate is that the staff will bring take note of your choices and bring your food to you; again, it's all about feeling pampered.
As always, CGK didn’t lead me astray. With a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, the soup was close to perfect as an early morning meal. (Only the SKL F laksa has so far exceeded it, IMHO.) Delicious!
Soon I headed to the gate. I had trepidations about packing the L’Occitane toiletries in my rollaboard (to my luggage mentors StarG and taipeiflyer: yes, it was a 20” G4), but I needn’t have been concerned. I presented my 1-litre ziplock bag, kept the toiletries inside the G4, and sailed right through the security point.
Boarding had already commenced by the time I reached the gate. No crowds in the departure area, so no stress. I could barely contain my smile when I turned left on Door A. Home again on my favourite airline …
The helpful transit desk agent did give me directions to the F Lounge, but I soon found myself in the wrong part of the airport and had to double-back on my tracks. Some Spanish tourists whom I had passed during my intended quick stroll to the lounge gave me quizzical looks as I passed them again going in the opposite direction.
But I did find the lounge (again not too fussed by the delay, thanks to my wheeled luggage and the empty airport), and the staff welcomed me warmly. I have to admit, the lounge experience is where TG F surpasses SQ F. Not being the familiar face at SIN SKL that CGK or SQflyergirl is, I found (based on this and my subsequent visit) that I, as an occasional passenger, was greeted more warmly by the TG lounge staff.
Secondly – though this might change with the opening of T3 and the yanking away of QPP privileges – the TG F lounge at BKK feels more spacious and less crowded. Before my 0845 flight, the lounge felt a lot more civilised and, dare I say, more exclusive than SKL F.
I also found the shower room less cramped:
and additionally, there was a decent set of toiletries (by L’Occitane) you could take with you:
.
I didn’t show it here because the picture wouldn't be that interesting, but the fact that the toilet was located in the shower room was a lot more convenient for this customer.
A bizarre design choice for the TG F lounge is that the toilets not in the shower rooms are located off to one side of a room that looks like it would be desired by customers wanting a quiet little private lounge area, one without the flat screen TVs and located away from the general seating area. This means that if you do choose this lounge area, you might find your quiet time interrupted by customers heading to the toilets. I don’t quite understand why the toilets were located in this manner.
After my shower (sooo nice that I took my time and chose to forgo the full opportunity to savour the lounge’s food offerings), I went to the general seating area to get a quick breakfast. I had wanted to order the pad thai but they didn’t seem to have it on offer. CGK had highly recommended the wonton soup, though, so that’s what I ordered. A feature of the TG F Lounge I did appreciate is that the staff will bring take note of your choices and bring your food to you; again, it's all about feeling pampered.
As always, CGK didn’t lead me astray. With a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, the soup was close to perfect as an early morning meal. (Only the SKL F laksa has so far exceeded it, IMHO.) Delicious!
Soon I headed to the gate. I had trepidations about packing the L’Occitane toiletries in my rollaboard (to my luggage mentors StarG and taipeiflyer: yes, it was a 20” G4), but I needn’t have been concerned. I presented my 1-litre ziplock bag, kept the toiletries inside the G4, and sailed right through the security point.
Boarding had already commenced by the time I reached the gate. No crowds in the departure area, so no stress. I could barely contain my smile when I turned left on Door A. Home again on my favourite airline …
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