Nickbots visit SE Asia on SK, LH, EK, TG and (last but not least!) SQ

[DeltaFlyingProf]

Not a problem SQ LPP It was lovely to meet up with DFP again,...we were so pleased he made the effort to be with us at the IC so early

Mr and Mrs nickbot, II was very happy to see both of you again! I too am looking forward to see you again!

I actually said "we both hope to catch up again in the not too distant future" rather than the "near future" We can't afford to travel at the moment unfortunately

Maybe I should come out of Sherwood forest and make it Nottingham!

[jhm]

Maybe I should come out of Sherwood forest and make it Nottingham!

When you do, Nickbot, please do post a picture of DFP wearing his green tights.

[phaleesy]

When you do, Nickbot, please do post a picture of DFP wearing his green tights.

Are green tights the latest trend?

Robin Hood, (DC) Robin, Peter Pan, DFP ...

[SuperJonJon]

Are green tights the latest trend?

Robin Hood, (DC) Robin, Peter Pan, DFP ...

The whole gang of merry man that works for Robin Hood or possibly working for DFP wears green tights as well.

[SQ LPP]

Well, it's FRIDAY again. Back to writing your report, nickbot!

[nickbot]

Maybe I should come out of Sherwood forest and make it Nottingham!

Yup, always welcome at hotel nickbot

When you do, Nickbot, please do post a picture of DFP wearing his green tights.

Consider it done

Well, it's FRIDAY again. Back to writing your report, nickbot!

Yessir, have sorted out all of the SQ/SIN memorabilia and am planning a busy session tomorrow morning

[nickbot]

SQ F BKK-SIN Part I - Check in and a long journey to the SKL

Singapore Airlines, flight No. SQ 973 [BKK-SIN]
Dep. 11:15, Arr. 14:40 [2h 25m]
Boeing 777-300
F Class, Seats 2 A/B

Well, D-day had arrived (okay, D-day part one!), the first part of evil CGK's plan (remember him folks?!) was about to be put into place, the nickbots were soon to be flying SQ F and facing financial ruin due to Y and C never being good enough for future travel! As per our usual preference, we arrived pretty early at Suvarnabhumi; we wanted to explore both the SQ and TG lounge offerings and generally have a stress-free journey with no rushing. By this time, I was starting to feel truly awful, but the excitement of flying in First Class with the best airline in the world kept me going

We made our way to the single F class check-in counter (where there was no queue whatsoever) and checked our bags straight through to LHR. I think in this instance (i.e. a "non-stopover" of less than 24 hours) we wouldn't have had the option to collect our bags in Singapore anyhow, but this was no problem as we'd packed everything we both needed for the short stopover in my Tumi. The check-in agent was polite and efficient, and pointed out that our seat selection for the following day (SIN-LHR) was rather unconventional for a couple travelling together; we thanked her for being conscientious, but assured her that those were the seats we wanted

Such a momentous occasion in the nickbots flying career (i.e. becoming fledgling F-Class PITAs!) called for a quick photoshoot:

Looking slightly disheveled at the F counter (note the difference in length between the red and blue carpets!)



mrs nickbot, looking a little better!



Our First SQ F check-in experience was over before it began (I suppose that's how it should be!) and left us with a warm glow inside (or was that just the amoebic dysentery?! -only joking folks!) Relieved of our luggage, we made our way to the small collection of shops to the right hand side of the immigration desks so that I could visit Boots and mrs nickbot could pick up a few last minute gifts for her work colleagues from the food/general store next door. Boots were able to give me a couple of drugs that (with upright man's kind and invaluable advice) made me feel a little bit better.

We then proceeded to join the looong immigration queues -something I could really have done without at that point, as I was really ready for a sit down (sorry, I sound like an old man!) As far as we knew, there wasn't any form of fast track for premium pax, but I could've really done with that service at the time. We eventually made our way through airside, where one is met with a rather spectacular statue (which I struggled to fit into my camera viewfinder):

I presume it's some kind of sea serpent, but am happy to be corrected!



We decided that the newly opened SKL would be our first port of call, so armed with directions from SQTalk we made our way down there. I can't say we found it easy to find the SKL (or the other lounges for that matter), both due to this being our first proper visit to Suvarnabhumi and the poor signage; I'm afraid my memory of the route is a little rusty, so please don't quote me on this or rely on my thread to navigate to the SKL folks!

First, head downstairs - could this sign be any smaller?!?



...along the corridor and another small sign (at least there's a familiar kebaya-clad SQ FA to guide us this time)



What's that in the distance, hidden in the corner with the cleaning equipment?? I can just make out another kebaya I think...



Silly me, on closer inspection it's not the cleaners' equipment store, it's the SKL!

[nickbot]

SQ F BKK-SIN Part II - Bangkok SKL

I suppose once you know where the SKL is you'll have no trouble in finding it, but they could do with improving the signage (perhaps now, a couple of months on, this has been addressed?) This visit to the lounge marked another first for the nickbots - access to an SKL on our own merit, without the assistance of the dastardly CGK! The smiling faces of the lounge staff and the beautiful golden goose SQ logo offered a warm welcome to the lounge:

Welcome to the SKL - greeted by smiling lounge staff



First impressions weren't that great to be honest, yes it was quiet (probably due to most pax not knowing it existed!), but to us it felt a bit poky and small; perhaps I'm being harsh, as those adjectives could easily be spun into "calm and intimate", but let's just say it didn't wow me as an F-Class passenger. I suppose a premium passenger on SQ should be wowed at SQ's home airport and not at BKK (whether that actually happens is open to debate!) I found it a little difficult at times to take photographs, as one couldn't get enough distance from objects, but here are a selection:

Magazine selection around the back of the front desk (mrs nickbot in far LHS at the computer terminals)



As one enters the lounge, the computer workstations are located to the right hand side of the main desk; there is a selection of Macs and PCs (maybe two of each IIRC). Both of the PCs were occupied when I sat down to check my email and so I ventured over to the dark side for the first time in about ten years (I was an early Mac advocate, but saw the light ) -let's just say, I won't be repeating that in a hurry unless I'm absolutely desperate,...style over substance IMHO!

Computer terminals, facing the frosted front windows of the SKL



To the left hand side of the front desk is the food and beverage area. We didn't sample the food, only having a couple of Diet Cokes instead, so I can't comment on the quality of the offerings.

Food and beverage area I - small selection of spirits plus sandwiches and cakes (and F crockery below)



Food and beverage area II - hot food and sachets of impostorchilli



Food and beverage area III - coffee and tea selection



Food and beverage area IV - fruits, juice and wine



Well stocked beverage fridge



Haagen Daz ice cream fridge



Walking further from the entrance desk brings you into the seating area; from the photograph below you can just make out the corner of the F&B section to the RHS behind the three level lamp; turn right here and this brings you to the front entrance.

Seating areas



To the left of the shot above is a long window, offering pleasant (if obscured) views of a rather well kempt garden.

Garden view from the seating area



To its credit, the seating and partitions appeared to be arranged in such a way that the lounge offered a feeling of privacy, but it just felt too small to be honest. Our stay in the SKL was rather short (perhaps 15 minutes at most) as we were eager to check out the TG F lounge; maybe I was a bit harsh with my first impressions, as this is just a satellite lounge, so I'll leave my impression of the BKK SKL as one of "ambivalence".

[nickbot]

SQ F BKK-SIN Part III - Bangkok TG F lounge

After a little disappointment with the new kid on the block, we made our way to the much recommended Thai First Class lounge; once again, as complete newcomers to Suvarnabhumi, we were a little unsure of where the lounge was located (and ended up in a completely different TG lounge whilst in the process of finding the F lounge!), we eventually found the correct place. Shame Nokia Maps doesn't: a) work inside and b) have the lounge locations as points of interest

First view of the TG Royal First Lounge



Our main overarching impression of the TG F lounge was, as others have noted, that you can hardly turn around without a member of staff (or two or three or four) asking if you would like something to drink/eat etc.!

View of main seating area



Whilst the lounge was pretty quiet, we were ushered by an assistant into one of the more private rooms (to the left hand side in the above photograph), which was rather comfortable:

mrs nickbot, relaxing in our private room



Because neither of us were really eating or drinking anything, I think we disappointed the hoardes of staff in the lounge! In particular, I don't think that the four members of staff on hand in the food and beverage section could comprehend that I just wanted to have a browse around, take photographs and see if anything took my fancy I'm afraid that the photographs aren't wonderful, but from memory I don't think I was overly impressed with the subject matter - I'm pretty sure one can order more elaborate food (the seating area seemingly dedicated to dining suggests this) but I'm afraid I didn't see any menus for this. I think you can perhaps tell by my deviation from in-depth reporting on such matters that I wasn't really feeling myself at this point.

Buffet selection I



Buffet selection II



Buffet selection III



...as you can see, rather sparse! More disappointingly, we didn't visit the bar, so I can't comment upon the drinks selection (sorry folks!)

Bar area



Main dining area



More private seating/dining area



Computer area

[nickbot]

SQ F BKK-SIN Part IV - Bangkok TG F lounge continued

After sitting in our private area (and calling upright man for his medical advice -thanks again ), mrs nickbot went for a walk around and came back, commenting that the toilets were rather smart, so this prompted me back into trip reporting action.

IIRC, the toilets/bathrooms are located close to the main reception desk; when I mentioned to the staff member in the bathroom area that I'd like to have a look at the shower facilities she thought I was a little strange, and stood with me as I took photographs (I had quite fancied souveniering some l'occitane amenities, but sadly this wasn't to be,...all I came away with was a wooden comb!)

Seating area at the entrance to the shower/toilet section of the lounge



Shower (apologies for the speedily taken/poorly composed photograph, I had a chaperone at the time)



Washbasin area



L'occitane amenities



I also took the opportunity to have a quick look around the rest of the lounge...

Slumber room



Magazine selection



It's difficult for me to pass judgment on the TG F lounge as I'm finding it to difficult to remember details owing to the fact that I was feeling so unwell at the time. It's certainly a whole lot larger than the SKL (size isn't everything of course) and in terms of service we got the impression that one is waited upon hand and foot if desired in the TG lounge. I suppose it's a matter of impressing on home turf as I suggested in my previous post. I'm sure that if we'd have been in slightly better fettle, then we would have probably enjoyed the facilities to their full extent and had a meal and champagne etc. I sincerely hope that we get the opportunity to have a repeat visit at some point in our lives in order to draw a balanced conclusion, but from our short visits we were certainly more impressed with the TG lounge than the SKL.

Well, boarding time was fast approaching, and we were of course eager for our first taste of SQ F, so we made our way towards gate D3 for our date with destiny! Not only was this our first time in SQ F, but it had been just over a year since we last travelled on SQ - I hope you'll agree with my sentiments that any flight on SQ is something to look forward to, and with our first sight of the aircraft at the gate, she set our hearts aflutter

SQ, we've missed you!



A slightly closer view, albeit through a rather dirty window



As I mentioned back in the mists of time when this TR began () we had chosen to take SQ973 because it not only offered us more convenient timings in conjunction with our SIN-LHR flight of choice to fall within the under 24 hour "non-stopover" rule of a one way award ticket, but more importantly because it offered a true first class experience. In my mind, to have redeemed an F award from BKK-LHR and having to travel in C for the BKK-SIN leg would have been such a shame; I know those who have experienced this journey (and indeed SQ premium classes) many times will say that it's only Regional First, but it was of great importance that we flew F for both legs of our journey home in order to maximise the SQ love

I must say, as we made our way to the boarding pass check, the SQ love was running at particularly high levels and we were feeling pretty special (and indeed privileged) to be in this position. We had kept in good contact with the (evil!) CGK that morning via text messages, and I'd like to think that he was there with us in spirit -perhaps not quite so evil as I've previously made out, but evil like a drill sergeant or schoolteacher who pushes you hard to achieve a goal. This was a threshold for the nickbots, and to say we were excited would be an understatement!

[nickbot]

SQ F BKK-SIN Part V - Boarding and pushback

I think the load for today's flight was extremely low, because there were no other passengers at the gate when we proceeded for boarding (we certainly weren't late) and we saw no other pax in the airbridge. It was a pretty special feeling to walk down the first of the two aerobridges and enter the aircraft directly into the F section where we were warmly greeted and after a quick BP stub check were shown to our seats (2 A/B). The FA offered to help me lift our bags into the overhead compartment, but I said that wasn't necessary (I wanted to sort a few things out to have with us during the flight).

First photograph of mrs nickbot in SQ F (think we could get used to this!)



We were offered drinks service at this point and both opted for a pre-flight glass of Dom Perignon (half a glass in my case, as I had to trade off feeling pretty awful vs. missing out on Dom!) Our drinks were delivered to us, along with a hot towel each. Whilst my camera wasn't able to capture the vapour coming off the hot towel, the condensate on my cold glass of Dom is testament to the fact that they were hot hot hot!

Ahhh the famous SQ hot towel,...welcome home



mrs nickbot testing the hot towel as part of SQ LPP's research project,...yes, it's a pass!



At this time I was busy taking a few photographs around the cabin and the door to the cockpit was open -whilst I don't have an optical zoon on my camera (N95) I decided to lean into the aisle slightly and take a photograph of the view up the aisle and into the cockpit; the IFS saw me lining up to take the shot and (in an extremely friendly manner) said that this was the only thing I couldn't photograph in the cabin! Unfortunately, the following photograph documents the only cockpit view I was able to capture before the IFS had commented.

The view from seat 2B



Menus and newspapers were brought over to us whilst we enjoyed the pre-flight calm in the relatively empty F cabin (the load that day was 4 pax including us!) We found the regional seats to be extremely comfortable as others have mentioned, but can't comment on their reclined comfort as I didn't investigate this option (I must've been feeling ill,...normally I'd have had no qualms about playing with all of the settings). Certainly for the relatively short hop down to SIN, the regional F product offered supreme comfort (and is, naturally, streets ahead of the seats we normally occupy towards the rear of the aircraft).

First things first,...yep,...it passes the legroom check



The doors closed and we realised at that point that there was only going to be the four of us in F that morning, so I asked the IFS if it was ok for me to go and sit in seat 1A for takeoff, he said this was absolutely no problem and moved my glass of champagne for me as I swapped seats. I quite liked the idea of being in "Seat 1A" (that row had been unavailable to us when selecting seats way back when we made the redemption booking)

View of the retracted aerobridge from seat 1A



View of a lonely looking mrs nickbot from seat 1A (window seats are very important to us hehe!)



Legroom check II,...pass!



Glancing right from my new seat I could see the only other pax in F that day -whilst we were lucky to get such a light load, it would've been quite a story to have been the only pax in F, but with only 4 passengers in total, we were pretty sure that the famous SQ F service would be second to none.

View across the almost empty F cabin



Our champagne glasses were collected as pushback commenced in earnest and we were soon on our way.

Leaving gate D3



Once again, similar to our LH flights at the start of our holiday, it was interesting to see the tow vehicle (unsure of the technical name!) from the forward windows of the aircraft - we're normally not able to see this from our regular seats behind the wing. I'm sure mrs nickbot had an equally good view of proceedings, but I felt in absolute prime position to check this out.

Tow vehicle disconnected after pushback and ground staff making their way to a safe distance



One really nice touch that we were able to observe was that the ground staff all stood to attention, made the Wai gesture and then waved the plane off; I only just captured one member of staff waving in the photograph below, but suffice to say this small gesture (aimed I'm sure at the flightdeck crew) was a wonderful farewell gesture from our beloved Thailand, and made our inaugural SQ F send-off all the more special! The nickbots were on their way!

[nickbot]

SQ F BKK-SIN Part VI - Taxi, takeoff and dining

After a pretty short taxi, it was apparent that we were only second in line for take off, with a TG flight departing ahead of us.

TG aircraft (again, no hump!) ready for take off



Promptly after the TG flight departed, we taxied around the corner and lined up for take off; one can just about see the departing TG flight in the distance in the following photograph:

Lining up, ready to go



How else to describe take off apart from "it was fast and smooth"?! Soon we were climbing away from Bangkok and leaving Thailand for another year.

Leaving BKK in the distance



As soon as we had levelled off and the seatbelt sign had gone out, I returned to seat 2B. The IFS then came around and personally introduced himself to us, shaking our hands and addressing us by name. He asked if we would like another glass of champagne, but mrs nickbot opted for a G&T and I asked for a glass of orange juice. He described the menu options available today and took our order for lunch. Our drinks soon arrived and we were also offered a bowl of warm nuts each, but we decided to have one between the two of us.

Drinks, warm nuts and F BPs



I've posted the menu for this flight in the appropriate thread, but present it here for continuity:

(Copying SQ LPP's excellent formatting)

Lunch FROM BANGKOK TO SINGAPORE

Create your gastronomic experience from our selection of tantalising options.

APPETISER
Scallop and Japanese seaweed with rocket leaves

MAIN COURSES
*Seared beef fillet in madeira jus, cream corn, green beans and baked potato cake with pancetta

Braised fillet of fish with tomato garlic sauce, seasonal vegetables and fried rice

Pandan flavoured chicken, beancurd with vegetables and fried noodles

FRUITS
Fresh fruits in season

*Exclusively created by Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar & Grill, New York

SQ973A BKK-SIN (L3F) 181-1.1 07 FC

mrs nickbot ordered the beef fillet and, whilst I didn't actually fancy eating anything, I thought it would be worth ordering the fish in case my appetite livened up (and to offer more photographs for your enjoyment ) We then sat back and started watching an episode of Flight of the Conchords.

Crossing over the coast south of Bangkok



As we headed south and crossed over into the Gulf of Thailand, our tray tables were laid and we were again offered drinks service; I opted to stick with orange juice, whereas mrs nickbot had another small glass of champagne.

The lable is laid...



...the scallop starters were then brought out to us, accompanied by a selection of breads from the basket (mrs nickbot had garlic bread but I declined).

Scallop and Japanese seaweed with rocket leaves



The scallops were delicious, but the dressing was a little OTT for my liking. such a small appetiser was of course finished in next to no time, and our plates were cleared to make way for the main course...

My braised fillet of fish with tomato garlic sauce...



...and mrs nickbot's seared beef fillet in madeira jus



Whilst the fish was tasty, just the smell of the cooked food was beginning to turn my stomach, so I only managed to have a couple of mouthfulls of the white fish; mrs nickbot didn't have such a great appetite either, and offered me a taste of her main course. The IFS spotted me leaning over to try the beef and approached us, seeing my pretty much untouched fish dish and enquired if everything was ok; he offered to serve me the beef as an alternative, but we explained that this wasn't necessary. This was a really nice touch, as he was obviously concerned that I was disappointed with the fish. Whilst neither of us ate a great deal, the beef was streets ahead of LH's abysmal offering from earlier on in this trip.

After our main course plates were cleared, we were offered a rather disappointing selection of fruit; from the menu description, I was expecting a well presented plated selection of fruits and berries perhaps, but in reality the fruit selection was rather limited and was silver served from a larger platter by the IFS. As neither of us are melon fans, all we selected were grapes and a small serving of pineapple.

Slightly disappointing dessert



I'm certainly not suggesting that the dessert was unpleasant, and perhaps for some the act of silver service adds to the First Class experience, but to us the dessert was a bit of a let down in comparison to the higher standards set by the preceeding two courses. A very minor point, but worth mentioning for the purposes of a balanced report!

[nickbot]

SQ F BKK-SIN Part VII - Cruise and arrival in SIN

After our table settings were cleared, the IFS came over and chatted to us for a while and we explained that this was our first time in SQ F; we mentioned that we were travelling onto London the following day and he asked if we were flying Suites on the A380 - we explained that we'd missed the upgage of SQ318 by only ten days for our return flight, but that we weren't overly disappointed because of our love for the 744 . He commented that he also had great affection for the 744, but that the A380 was a "beautiful aircraft" (he was A380 trained). We asked him about our chances of seeing an A380 at Changi, but he thought we'd have more chance the following morning. It was really pleasant to chat with him and he seemed genuinely pleased to have helped us enjoy our first ever SQ F experience - he then left us and went over to chat with the other two pax in turn and we continued to watch the IFE.

Being such a short flight (and including relatively elaborate lunch service) we were soon on approach into Singapore; I once again moved into seat 1A in order to have the window view.

Another view back towards a smiling mrs nickbot



I'm afraid that my geography of the approach route isn't that hot, so I'll present the following photographs without a great deal of comment! Obviously we would have approached Singapore from a northerly direction over Malaysia, but where Malaysia ends and Singapore begins I'm a little unsure from the photos

View from the wings



Unspecified scenic view 1



Unspecified scenic view 2



Unspecified scenic view 3



Finally one I can identify! On approach into Changi and another pic for the shipping folk on SQTalk



Touchdown and taxi - glad to be back in Singapore once again



Well, that was it, we'd lost our SQ F virginity! Whilst the BKK-SIN hop is a rather short flight, the service was exemplary and it was thus a wonderful introduction to what SQ can offer to premium passengers. Because neither of us were feeling 100%, we were unable to take full advantage of the culinary and alcoholic delights onboard, but despite that we had a most enjoyable flight. I know it'll probably sound silly, but whenever we take a look at the red top boarding passes (which are hanging round my home office as I write this report), they bring a smile to our faces and a warm glow inside - yes,...we travelled in First Class with the world's best airline, it wasn't a dream (queue evil/satisfied cackle from CGK/SQ LPP ) Whilst our arrival in Singapore marked almost the end point of our holiday, there was no feeling of disappointment as we had plenty of things to look forward to (a longhaul SQ F for one, but also meeting both old and new SQTalk friends). We progressed through immigration (which took longer than we had experienced previously) and bought a couple of bottles of champagne at the duty free for the evening's celebrations before making our way through to the arrivals hall.

As we would be using my mobile relatively heavily during our (sub)24 hour stopover (sorry,...non-stopover) I wanted to purchase a prepaid SIM card; this involved a surprising amount of hassle! mrs nickbot went to join the taxi queue and I queued up at the currency exchange counters, when I reached the front of the queue I was informed that it was cash only to buy a SIM card, so I had to trek to the other end of the arrivals hall to find a cash point. Armed with cash, I trekked back to the currency counter and asked for a SIM card,....only to be told they needed to see my passport (which was in my bag,...in the taxi queue with mrs nickbot!) So I trekked back over to the taxi queue, back to the currency counter and finally managed to purchase the SIM card! This would normally have been only a small amount of hassle, but when combined with not feeling very well at all it turned into rather an ordeal and was the last thing I wanted. Hope this helps others wanting to buy a prepaid SIM in future!

We hopped in a taxi and were quickly on our way to the Intercontinental to grab a few hours sleep before meeting esteemed SQTalk friends later that evening. Pandora's box had been explored, and we liked what we saw!

[unaccompaniedminor]

Singapore Airlines, flight No. SQ 973 [BKK-SIN]
Dep. 11:15, Arr. 14:40 [2h 25m]
Boeing 777-300
F Class, Seats 2 A/B

Ow,Finally after 2 months of waiting.
Do they separate F and J pax in the BKK SKL?

[jhm]

The next instalment , the SKL but ... not yet the plane journey ? Another wait!

I think in this instance (i.e. a "non-stopover" of less than 24 hours) we wouldn't have had the option to collect our bags in Singapore anyhow

You should be able to ask them to tag them through only to SIN and it's then your responsibility of course to collect and check them in again. You could have many reasons for doing this, e.g. you have a bottle of wine in your luggage which you want to take out to give a friend in Singapore.

We then proceeded to join the looong immigration queues -something I could really have done without at that point, as I was really ready for a sit down (sorry, I sound like an old man!) As far as we knew, there wasn't any form of fast track for premium pax

I've never encountered a fast track (when departing BKK on OW) but I do remember seeing a piece of paper which shows such an area. I think it's for TG pax only ?