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*A First Class triple dose to Venice: TG vs LH vs SQ

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  • *A First Class triple dose to Venice: TG vs LH vs SQ

    Background

    I have always been wanting to go to the Venice Biennale but never really put my mind to make the trip because it takes place in the summer when it's much harder for me and especially my partner to take leave from work. But this year's September, due to my partner's boss also being away for quite awhile, and on account that I would be having my birthday at around the same time, we decided to make a special birthday trip to the Biennale especially since it is the architectural biennale this year, and is curated by the usually-thought-provoking Rem Koolhaas and I being an admirer.

    We have generally been loyal SQ flyers and have flown many times with them in all their cabin classes. While it is certainly on and off depending on the crew, we had some excellent superbly memorable service with them especially in F and Suites. No doubt we always think of SQ as the best out there. But we are also aware that other airlines are catching up and it's neck-to-neck race in premium cabins. So we want to check the competition out there. We were burning miles for this trip and it was quite a fair bit more expensive to use these partner airlines but our curiosity trumped over my propensity to hoard miles.

    This report will be about First Class experience with 3 airlines which are reputedly the best of the best and I will be comparing them both on ground and in the air. I started the journey in Singapore with SQ J but I am not starting the report with this flight since my focus is on F of the 3 airlines. Hope you guys enjoy. And thank you for reading.

    Flight number: TG920
    Route: BKK-FRA
    Reg: HS-TUB
    Seat: 1F


    My experience with TG started with disembarkation from SQ978, docked at gate D2 of Suvarnabhumi Airport.





    I was booked SIN-BKK-FRA-VCE in the same ticket and told myself there is a 50% chance that TG would pick me up at the gate and drive me with a buggy to the First Class Lounge. If so, then it would be a major tick to their First Class ground service. Considering I came off a competitor airline, they are not obliged to know that I arrive or give me such treatment. If I had arrived off a TG flight, then yes, they must do that.

    Well, yes, they did pick us up at the gate. A young smiling agent (everyone smiles in Thailand, the land of Smiles anyway...)was holding a placard with our names and greeted us with a nice Wai and "sawasdee kha" as we emerged from the aerobridge. Well done TG for the special treatment. The trip started with a good note.



    The buggy ride was speedy to the intersection between the C and D wings where we got off the buggy and then up the lift and walked a little bit to the First Class Lounge. I was initially hoping that the buggy would drive us all the way into the lounge like some TRs mentioned. It was not the case apparently. Perhaps not if you arrive from a transfer flight at the arrival level.



    The First Class Lounge was manned by more smiling dragons who enthusiastically welcomed us and were about to quickly shepherd us into the lounge when I asked them if we could do the massage first. "Ah, Good idea, Mr SQueeze", they said. So one of them escorted us to the Royal Silk Spa while the other took our carry-ons to be stored aside under their watch.



    At the spa, we were immediately seated at one corner and served glass of cold drink.



    "Good evening Mr SQueeze, welcome to Royal Thai Spa, we have two different massages here, the Touch of Silk and the Royal Thai. Which would you want, sir? "

    "Oh, what's the difference?"

    "Touch of Silk with oil. Royal Thai no oil", she said in her melodious Thai accent.

    Both of us opted for the "without oil". First impression so far was just ok. The place is quiet but does not feel posh and expensive like what I expect a First Class lounge to be.

    Decor is soothing with plenty of timber accents but is rather simple and lighting is basic. It won't win any interior design award.



    We were soon escorted to the treatment room which is much nicer. It's huge. There is a tub at one end. I am not sure if it can be used. I was not offered to use it.



    The bathroom is huge too.



    Robe is provided. And the black item wrapped in plastic is a very sexy short shorts. It's super elastic and super short. I wish I could take home some. Haha.



    Huge wardrobe to hang jackets and our clothes is towards one corner of the bathroom



    And slippers are provided. I like the design but didn't get to use it much.

    Last edited by SQueeze; 11 November 2014, 10:55 AM.

  • #2
    It was then a nice soothing massage for 60 minutes although I must say that I have had better massage elsewhere. They also mixed up on my massage selection. It was supposed to be without oil but I was rubbed all over with it. Ok, fine, they made an error. It doesn't really matter to me so I just continued with it.

    Post-massage, we were free to roam around and we settled down in the lounge where there was an assortment of snacks.



    Tea was served. The banana snack was pretty good.



    Watching a tacky TV screen that shows lotuses and ponds. Errrr.... Could be much better with a real one. But this is an airport, not a resort. I better manage my expectation.



    A short while later we were back at the First Class lounge.

    We walked past the semi private rooms but they were all already filled I guess we were too late. We should have reserved one of them first before the massage. Most of them were filled with just 1 pax, so it's such a waste of space. One of them was even reserved for someone who was absent for 2 hours plus. I am really disappointed. There should be better management of these spaces. First, I think they should be smaller for 2-3 people rather than the 5-6 they can accommodate now.

    So we had to settle in the main room.

    Welcome drinks were quickly offered and drink and meal orders taken.

    Since all the semi private rooms were taken, I have to be contented with just a peep through. They are more open than i initially thought they were. They seem quite cosy, like a living room. And I think it is definitely much better than being in the main room.

    The main room is quite small considering that this is TG's main hub and it soon filled up and it felt quite crowded for a First Class lounge. The ceiling is low too so it doesn't feel grand. I guess I am too used to the serenity of the Private Room at Changi and the grandeur of the lofty volumes of the lounges there. TG's is quite a disappointment. Perhaps my expectation was too high?



    Nice cozy seating area. I think it's the nicest in the lounge. But this is a seating area to wait outside the toilets. What a waste. They should have more of these in the main room.



    Our cocktails soon came and my goodness, what a copious amount of it.



    Food came next and it all hardly could fit onto our table. I guess we should have gone to the dining section which I think was located off one corner. But the food was really good, and let me say it again, it was REALLY REALLY good. Amazing. Every single bit of it was soon wiped clean off the plate.



    I really liked the Pad Thai and the Tom Yum. The bowl, I think, is the duck curry. I am not a fan of ducks so I tasted the soup only and it was good.

    Tender grilled beef a la Thai was served slightly later. It was also very delicious.



    There was a buffet too. I picked a few items but they were not good. They were cold and after the first bite, you know it's food that has been lying around for awhile. So when in Thai First Class lounge, order a la carte only....



    Flight was scheduled to depart at 1145pm. After reading a few TRs here, I was expecting another escort to come and fetch us with another buggy ride to the gate. I saw a few of them had already come and picked passengers. I waited and waited until 1105pm but nobody had come yet. So I went to the reception and asked

    "Excuse me, our flight is departing soon, is anyone going to pick us up? Is the gate far?"

    The lounge dragon was a rather flamboyant character and with lots of dramatic hand gestures replied, "Sir, going to Frankfurt, right? " (wow, he remembers). "Coming sir, please sit down, we will call you. Gate is not far, it's only about 10 minutes walk" (hmm, ok. So it's going to be on foot, and it's 10 minutes away".

    Ok, fine, so I went back to my seat and waited for another 10 minutes. It was then already within half an hour of departure. I was getting uneasy, the lounge was quite claustrophobic and I also looked forward to my first time in TG First, so we decided to make a move.

    We passed the reception again, and our flamboyant lounge dragon just bowed and then a Wai "oh, leaving already, sir? Thank you very much. Enjoy your flight."

    So much so for expecting an escort who never came. But it's not a big deal to us. Perhaps there are just too many passengers departing around the midnight bank of departures. I would rather be early rather than rushed to the plane. So we walked towards our gate C3.



    BKK is a grey drab depressing architecture. It is just so total opposite of the Thai qualities of warmth, friendliness, and relaxed attitudes. Whichever committee approved this kind of architecture for Thailand's main hub deserves reprimand.

    Comment


    • #3
      Gate C3 is actually not far from the lounge. We were there in no time.



      The travellator down to the holding area.



      Oh boy, it's extremely crowded. Only then you feel what kind of a fat beast the A380 is to be able to carry these many passengers.



      20 minutes before the flight and we had not boarded. It was a sure delay. How is TG going to board 400 passengers in 20 minutes for a timely departure.
      Boarding started about 10 minutes before STD 1145pm. Elderly passengers and passengers needing assistance were called first. And then First and Business Class passengers. And almost parallely Economy class passengers from a separate door. We were almost first to board and were welcomed enthusiastically by a friendly team of crew.

      Leading today's team is a lady inflight supervisor. I am not sure what is TG's order of crew. I am only familiar with SQ so let's just call her the same - Mrs IFS. She is a motherly lady who is around the same age like my mom and carries a very big hairdo just like many of my more flamboyant Indonesian aunts when they go to weddings. She introduced herself to all passengers and profusely apologized for the delay.



      " I am so sorry for the delay, Mr SQueeze. We had a lost phone on the earlier flight from Tokyo and the previous crew couldn't leave in time." (Ok, fine, a small phone delays 400+ passengers, I better make sure I never lose my phone onboard).

      " But the captain will make sure we try to catch up later. Are you on a connecting flight? " she was holding the list of passengers on board and seemed to be noting down onward connection and the timings."

      " Oh yes, we are connecting to Venice on the 8am Lufthansa flight"

      " Oh, I think we should be ok. We are probably delayed by half an hour or so. You should still be able to make it in time. That gentleman there is connecting to Vienna would have a tighter connection. We'll make sure we'll take care of you when we land in Frankfurt. Just enjoy the flight. No worry."

      Then she went around and did the same to all the other passengers - all 12 of them. She was very relaxed, very seasoned facing first class passengers. I must say she is very very good. This is exactly how I would like to be received in First Class. The crew should be like a host, proud to be there, enthusiastic to engage, and be very comfortable with themselves. Well done. I would give it (10/10).

      Now it's time to check the hardware. First impression was so so, just ok. The seat is huge as expected in First Class. The tan colour of the leather is quite nice. But the off-white shouts cheap and looks dirty. It is very plasticky. It definitely doesn't feel as posh as SQ's classy elegant design.



      Privacy is the bare minimum. While you can't see your fellow passengers' faces, you can see what they are watching.



      Screen is wide. Magazine pocket is a bit far next to the screen and is not reachable without standing up first. The table below the screen is not very functional either because it's too far to reach.



      The space underneath is very handy to place more things although there are also overhead compartments above. Here, it's handy for my soft plush toys which are my bolsters to sleep later. At the lowest level, plenty of space for shoes and even one cabin bag. The cream-coloured bag seems to be the safety vests. So lots of functional storage space.



      Control for the seats and lights is very straight forward, far far easier to use than the row of buttons on SQ's New New Business Class.





      IFE control is on the inner side with a very functional pocket to charge phones. At least phones don't have to lie around and risk getting lost. Very thoughtful. So how on earth did some guy drop a phone somewhere and then delay 400 people?

      Last edited by SQueeze; 10 November 2014, 10:15 PM.

      Comment


      • #4
        The outer side of the seat is where you find the headphones. That's another pocket. Notice the dirt accumulating around the arm rests. TG, please take note.



        More detailing issues in the execution that screams Cheap Design.



        And to my horror : hair! Whose hair!



        Overall, I think the hardware is quite disappointing. I have so far only flown with LH Old First, TAM Old First, and SQ's all types of First Class. I think TG's is the worst of the lot hardware-wise especially considering this is a relatively new product. From pictures, I also thought that their New First on the retrofitted 747s to be much better, at least design-wise. I am not sure about comfort-wise, I think a lot of people like the A380 version much better. I would just rate it (7/10)

        As expected, take off was late by more than half an hour. Post-take off drinks were served soon after. Actually there was also pre-take off drink - the Dom Perignon.



        Time to check the menu, which was bound in nice silk fabric - very Thai.



        But inside is a normal booklet which again screams cheap with glossy paper and purple fonts. Once upon a time, may be it was considered stylish. But it does need some updating now.





        Table cloth was soon spread over.



        A full basket of breads was served. Very generous although the quality is not very good.



        Salt and pepper shakers with distinctly Thai design. Quite elegant.



        The caviar cart came next. Very classic way of serving. I guess it must have been like this in the bygone era. SQ prepares the dish in the galley now.



        Oh boy, what a huge serving of it. It looks like more than half a tin.



        Instead of Melba toast on SQ, TG serves it with blinis. My fault of not picking more blinis. I need more of them and I should have asked more to balance the saltiness. Shot of vodka was served at the same time but I don't recall it being chilled. I prefer it chilled, which I think I did have a chilled one with SQ though I don't think it's on every one of their flights.
        Last edited by SQueeze; 10 November 2014, 10:31 PM.

        Comment


        • #5
          The appetizers came next.



          From the menu, it appears that there should be 3 dishes: foie gras, quenelles of apples, and Thai salad. But it came as a single integrated dish. It looks really good and refined as a plate too. The taste was good too but they don't 'talk to each other'. It's strange to eat foie gras with papaya salad. This dish is conceptually a fusion but was not conceptualised well.

          I had a pre-booked menu of prawn red curry.



          I originally wanted the Thai set. One is supposed to be able to do it online but it couldn't work for my booking, perhaps because it was an award flight. So I called the Singapore office to preorder but they didn't see any Thai set menu. I read what was listed on the website but she said what was on her screen was different. Almost giving up, I asked her to read for me one by one. And I settled with the prawn red curry.



          It was a very good meal. And allow me to repeat again. It was REALLY REALLY good. It was easily one of the tastiest meal I ever had onboard. Big thumbs up to onboard catering. (10/10)

          Cheese and fruit cart came next.



          It looks like an impressive spread but I didn't pick any. Apologies for the quality of the picture. The cabin was already dimmed quite a bit at the time.

          I was very full and was a little hesitant when they offered me dessert but in the end decided that I am too much of a dessert lover to skip dessert.

          "Mr SQueeze, we have western dessert and Thai dessert, what would you like?"

          "Well, I'll have the Thai dessert please" ( expecting cute little Thai desserts)

          A short while later, she came back with the dessert plate and before I said anything, she had already disappeared.



          Other than the blue glutinous rice cake, the brown one was chocolate and the fruit tart was, well, fruit tarts. So this seems like 1/3 Thai. But I didn't want to ping the call button and bother them further. They tasted pretty good anyway.

          After my table was cleared, I checked the IFE, which is just decent. It was a night flight anyway, and it was already pretty late.



          The inflight map has 4 versions - similar to the one on AI 787.



          By that time, we were about to make landfall to India, approaching near Kolkata. And oops, look at the projected flight path. It was going to bring us straight through Eastern Ukraine.



          I popped a bit into the "mini lounge" on the right side of the plane. No windows, and nothing to look at the wall. I wonder if this is the best use of the space. I guess there is the bar nearby but the space is not inviting for people to linger.



          Looking down the steps. It's all economy downstairs. It must be like a sea of seats. Grateful that we don't have to be in economy on long overnight flights for quite awhile now.



          The toilet is on the left side of the plane. It is nice and huge and better than anything on SQ.



          Cool lighting and seat at one corner. The seat is quite handy while changing.



          Then I brushed my teeth, washed my face, applied some moisturizer, and was ready to sleep.

          Comment


          • #6
            I walked back to my seat and surprise surprise, they had prepared the bed for me, even laying out my fluffy friends comfortably. It really put smile on me. This is First Class service after all.



            And I still can't figure out what this purplish monitor for. Is it a night light? Not very useful for me. It's too big to be a night light.



            I slept for 6-7 hours. Not my best best ever sleep but good enough. I found the cabin a little warm for my liking. But I am always the weird one because I sleep at 17 degrees C at home. The cabin should be about 23-24 that night.

            I woke up near Minsk, Belarus.



            Looks like we had steered completely clear of Ukraine and had taken a northerly route.

            The table was soon spread again ready for breakfast.



            I requested for a cup of cappuccino and this was served. It was completely flat and tasted horrible. This has since won the worst cup of coffee ever in my life. Next time, I should just stick with black coffee.



            A basket of pastries was placed to the top left but they were cold.



            A cart of fruits came next. Packets of corn flakes were also on the cart. The pomelo was carved and looks like an interesting sculptural piece.



            I had 5 different types of fruits and a bowl of corn flakes. So far so good.



            Then the main course arrived. For me, it was the Eggs Benedict. Very very nice although the egg could be a little runnier. Plate was wiped clean soon after.



            For my partner, the omelette was good as well. Soft and fluffy in the inside. Another thumbs up to TG catering.

            Comment


            • #7
              After quite a bit of zigzag on approach to FRA, we were soon on a straight descent.



              Runway is now visible through the camera (whose resolution is pretty dismal in the dark)



              And then it was a long taxi to the gate.

              And then we finally docked at the gate after 11 hours 45 minutes. Lufthansa logos grace the gates at FRA.



              Disembarkation was only through door 2 so First and Business Class passengers exited from the same door. The crew did initially attempt to allow F pax to disembark first but for some reason, soon after everybody was to themselves. I guess the delay contributed to the rush.

              Getting off the plane, and as expected, a FRA agent was holding a placard with our names. She would be escorting us through immigration and security to our next gate bound for Venice. We had about 1.5 hours to make the connection. We disembarked at the B gates and now had to make our way to the new A gates. We didn't expect it would be a long walk including through a long seemingly endless tunnel connecting the B and A wings. Good that we had this escorting agent. Otherwise it wouldn't be so smooth. And she was good - a very warm friendly Kenyan lady. We shared stories, and laughed together making the journey felt shorter than it was.

              Since we still had about 45 minutes left, she dropped us at the LH Senator lounge. Actually to be frank, there are so many lounges at FRA and I can't recall which lounge was it that we went to. I think it's the Senator Lounge at A gates. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. It's newish and nicely furnished. It was quite crowded that morning although it was a Sunday.



              We just had a few glasses of juice and had some yoghurt there and then slowly made our way to the gate. The A gates seem new and so much better than the FRA I know when flying SQ.



              I wish I were a kid still then I could squeeze into this together with the other kids.



              A gates and Z gates are actually stacked one on top of the other. the Z gates serve Lufthansa's main long haul routes while the A gates serve Schengen routes. Initially we were wondering how come there were 747s after 747s outside the A gates whose information display monitor read Bologna, Milan, Venice etc. Only then we realized that we would be taking a bus to a remote parking stand. The 747s were at Z gates. Sigh, it would be cool to fly 747 intra-Europe ( I knew it would only happen in my dream)



              The remote parking stand for this morning's LH324 to VCE was really remote.

              On the way, we passed by a majestic 747-400.



              And we passed more LH's remote stands.



              We passed by the cargo terminal and it was still some distance to go. I almost thought we could have gone to Venice on this bus.

              Comment


              • #8
                Finally we were there. Boarding was from both doors. Fortunately, the rain had almost stopped too.





                And we were finally seated on a full euro-style business class cabin. It's economy class seat with middle seat blocked.



                The seat is rather thin and doesn't recline much. I wouldn't spend any more than economy had this not been part of a longer first class ticket.



                Legroom is standard economy pitch for a full-service carrier.



                LH Cityline regional jet was by our side.



                We departed on time and after again another long taxi, we were off the ground and soon flew above the clouds and the glorious autumn sunshine basked us with morning light.



                Cold platter was soon served after. It was good except the very red syrupy stuff which was a bit of an acquired taste because of its very gooey texture.

                Comment


                • #9
                  A short while later, we were flying over the sunny Austrian Alps. Looks like it will be sunny Italy, no?



                  Wrong ... Descending below the clouds, we went into very foggy marshy lands.





                  Approaching VCE. The structures on the water, I later discovered, were markers for the boat ways.



                  Finally landing at VCE.



                  An AA-metal with US flight number just landed ahead of us from PHL



                  And here we are finally arrived at Venice.



                  Final thoughts:

                  When I first decided to fly with TG, I didn't have a high expectation. I read and heard that it is consistently inconsistent so I was expecting exactly that. After experiencing it, I think it's better than I thought. The ground service like the lounge is not as polished and refined as SQ's. But there are more perks like free massage and buggy rides (8/10). The onboard hardware is my least favorite. While the comfort is there, design-wise is definitely very average and forgettable (7/10). The crew was great (9/10) and the food was the best of all (10/10). So like an 8.5/10 kind of experience. TG is not SQ but for the price it offers (where F prices are nearer to SQ's J), I think it is worth it. Will I fly with them again? Yes, perhaps, but not using miles because it's cheaper to fly with SQ's own metal for us Krisflyer members.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    And here are some photos of beautiful enchanting Venezia - a must-visit once in a lifetime

                    This is the airport 'bus'.



                    And in bad weather, the trip to the city centre felt like in a James Bond movie





                    It took an hour approximately to our stop Arsenale which is a few minutes walk downstream from San Marco



                    The waterfront around Arsenale stop in the evening is gorgeous







                    More incredible views of Venice







                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Congestion Venetian style





                      Away from the oppressively crowded San Marco are secret corners of charm and quaintness



                      Forget about the crowded Grand Canal, there are photogenic spots at every corner





                      Night time is special too. Do not miss nocturnal Venice. It's so much better with much less crowd







                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Since the trip was about the Biennale, here are some pictures of it

                        Metal sculptural installation



                        The main exhibition showing the contrasting idea of ceiling before (as art and decoration), and ceiling today (as a cover for M&E services)



                        Moroccon exhibit of a prototypical dessert city carved into the landscape



                        Slovak exhibit of stacked Soviet-style public housing



                        A curious installation of space and void



                        New Zealand exhibit of a nature-inspired architecture





                        And that's it for Part 1. Thank you for reading.

                        To be continued to Part 2: from Florence back to Singapore with LH First Class with the Queen of the Skies and SQ First Class.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Great report, SQueeze!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Thanks for the TR, SQueeze! It's nice to be on a holiday especially to a place like Venice.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Great TR

                              TG food does look great. And I love the flight map, something on SQ has deteriorated in 77WN

                              And your Venice pictures bring back fond memories of my own trip there in 2009

                              Comment

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