11 hours in a 777-300
Route: Auckland - Bangkok
Airline: Thai Airways
Date of departure: 15th July 2018
Aircraft: 777-300ER
Flight duration: 11 hours 21 minutes
Flight distance: 9,549 km
Total distance flown so far this trip: 30,048 km
Like my flight on the way out to Auckland, this flight was originally scheduled to be operated by a 787-900. The limitations on how far from land these aircraft can fly still apply, due to engine issues. The 787-900 is apparently due to be reinstated to this route in August. Until then, we were warned by a sign at check-in in, this flight would be operated by a 777-200 with 170° angle-flat seats (the ones you tend to slide towards the floor on as I wrote a bit about in an earlier post). I had checked on flightradar24 the night before when the aircraft had taken off from Bangkok to Auckland and had seen that on this particular day a 777-300ER was operating. That's the one with the fully-flat seats and with direct aisle access from all seats. So I was lucky. But as this was a daytime flight and I had no intention of laying down to sleep anyway, and I could see that the business class cabin was not full, a -200 wouldn't have been a disaster, just disappointing.
Auckland's international terminal was in the middle of a serious makeover. Most of the inside of the terminal was plasterboard rather than shops, with posters of which shops would be opening where in the future. I eventually found the Air New Zealand lounge which is used for all Star Alliance airline partners.
This is a great lounge. It is light, can be full but never seems overcrowded, and the furniture has enough space between it that you don't feel like you are sitting on top of your neighbour. The food selection is varied and replenished often. Plates and cups are cleared pretty quickly, so it never looked messy all the time I was there. And the barista makes great coffee which you order on a tablet and are given a pick-up time. The lounge overlooks the runway, and it is interesting to see airlines you don't see in Europe such as Fiji Airways, Air Chathams, Aircalin and Virgin Australia coming and going.
The barista-made coffee and a glass of bubbles as I overheard a couple of New Zealanders calling it
This poster was hanging in the lounge. From the days when people put on their Sunday best to fly and a ticket cost more than you could pawn certain parts of your body for. When flying definitely wasn't for the likes of most of us, but a luxury reserved for a very few. How times have changed. Using a low-cost carrier these days is much like getting on a bus.
We departed bang on time, pulling back from the gate two minutes before scheduled departure time. The cabin was the same as on the outward flight. Business class was not full, but the flight otherwise seemed pretty busy.
Pink champagne was served as a welcome drink.
The Thai alphabet is a work of art!
I spotted this engine and its unusual form on an Air New Zealand 777 which was parked next to our aircraft. I thought it might have been something Air New Zealand had commissioned for themselves,but I saw the same design on the engine of a Thai Airways 777 later that evening in Bangkok. Must be something the engine manufacturer has designed rather than something specially ordered by the airlines themselves.
There were two meals on this flight, called first service and second service.
Flying over the coastline of New Zealand out over the Tasman on a very wet day
Thai Airways' noise cancelling headphones. Not bad, but nowhere near as good as Bose which American Airlines use in their business class. These were a bit loose fitting. Either that or my head is unusually slim.
Drink service started around 25 minutes after take off. I went for a gin and tonic, made with Bombay Sapphire gin.
I really wanted Thai food,but so did everyone else in the cabin, so even though I was sitting in the 4th row in seat 15A, all of the Thai options had gone by the time they got to me. This was the only one disappointment for me on this flight. Thai is promoting "Thainess", and in that respect they really should ensure that they have enough Thai meals for everyone. I ended up with a western option - chicken, which was actually very good. Quite unlike the usual rubber chicken you often come across in the air. Thai Airways takes your order, then each course is served to you from the galley one by one, rather than from a trolley.
The starter for everyone was salmon
My main was chicken
Then cheese followed (Thai's cheese course is definitely more limited than its competitors, and strange that they serve crackers in a plastic wrapper. Ruins the overall effect)
Dessert was caramel mousse with raspberries. Again, the Thai option was long gone by the time I was ready for dessert.
First serving over, and I raised the window shade to see that we were flying over Brisbane
Strangely enough, the second serving came more than 5 1/2 hours before landing. This may have had something to do with the four-year time change between New Zealand and Thailand, so that this was seen as a late lunch Thai time, but who knows. It was a bit too close to the previous meal for me, but I ate nevertheless. This time it was chicken fried rice followed by a black cherry trifle. The fried rice was ok, but the trifle was excellent.
By this time we were just east of Darwin
I watched three films on this flight, films I didn't even know existed, including "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool". We landed in Bangkok almost 25 minutes ahead of schedule, and even though we were not parked at a remote stand we were bussed to the immigration area.
And here's another great thing about business class: fast track. Which in Bangkok means fast track immigration. Meaning that immigration took under a minute, and my luggage was first out and arrived on the luggage carousel about 45 seconds after I got there. From plane via bus and immigration and baggage pick-up and customs took an incredible 14 minutes.
Again, a very good, comfortable flight with Thai. The on!y real downside was that they didn't have enough Thai food for everyone, which doesn't quite gel with their Thainess campaign. And let's face it, given the option between Thai and western food when you are flying the Thailand, which would you choose?
Airline: Thai Airways
Date of departure: 15th July 2018
Aircraft: 777-300ER
Flight duration: 11 hours 21 minutes
Flight distance: 9,549 km
Total distance flown so far this trip: 30,048 km
Like my flight on the way out to Auckland, this flight was originally scheduled to be operated by a 787-900. The limitations on how far from land these aircraft can fly still apply, due to engine issues. The 787-900 is apparently due to be reinstated to this route in August. Until then, we were warned by a sign at check-in in, this flight would be operated by a 777-200 with 170° angle-flat seats (the ones you tend to slide towards the floor on as I wrote a bit about in an earlier post). I had checked on flightradar24 the night before when the aircraft had taken off from Bangkok to Auckland and had seen that on this particular day a 777-300ER was operating. That's the one with the fully-flat seats and with direct aisle access from all seats. So I was lucky. But as this was a daytime flight and I had no intention of laying down to sleep anyway, and I could see that the business class cabin was not full, a -200 wouldn't have been a disaster, just disappointing.
Auckland's international terminal was in the middle of a serious makeover. Most of the inside of the terminal was plasterboard rather than shops, with posters of which shops would be opening where in the future. I eventually found the Air New Zealand lounge which is used for all Star Alliance airline partners.
This is a great lounge. It is light, can be full but never seems overcrowded, and the furniture has enough space between it that you don't feel like you are sitting on top of your neighbour. The food selection is varied and replenished often. Plates and cups are cleared pretty quickly, so it never looked messy all the time I was there. And the barista makes great coffee which you order on a tablet and are given a pick-up time. The lounge overlooks the runway, and it is interesting to see airlines you don't see in Europe such as Fiji Airways, Air Chathams, Aircalin and Virgin Australia coming and going.
The barista-made coffee and a glass of bubbles as I overheard a couple of New Zealanders calling it
This poster was hanging in the lounge. From the days when people put on their Sunday best to fly and a ticket cost more than you could pawn certain parts of your body for. When flying definitely wasn't for the likes of most of us, but a luxury reserved for a very few. How times have changed. Using a low-cost carrier these days is much like getting on a bus.
We departed bang on time, pulling back from the gate two minutes before scheduled departure time. The cabin was the same as on the outward flight. Business class was not full, but the flight otherwise seemed pretty busy.
Pink champagne was served as a welcome drink.
The Thai alphabet is a work of art!
I spotted this engine and its unusual form on an Air New Zealand 777 which was parked next to our aircraft. I thought it might have been something Air New Zealand had commissioned for themselves,but I saw the same design on the engine of a Thai Airways 777 later that evening in Bangkok. Must be something the engine manufacturer has designed rather than something specially ordered by the airlines themselves.
There were two meals on this flight, called first service and second service.
Flying over the coastline of New Zealand out over the Tasman on a very wet day
Thai Airways' noise cancelling headphones. Not bad, but nowhere near as good as Bose which American Airlines use in their business class. These were a bit loose fitting. Either that or my head is unusually slim.
Drink service started around 25 minutes after take off. I went for a gin and tonic, made with Bombay Sapphire gin.
I really wanted Thai food,but so did everyone else in the cabin, so even though I was sitting in the 4th row in seat 15A, all of the Thai options had gone by the time they got to me. This was the only one disappointment for me on this flight. Thai is promoting "Thainess", and in that respect they really should ensure that they have enough Thai meals for everyone. I ended up with a western option - chicken, which was actually very good. Quite unlike the usual rubber chicken you often come across in the air. Thai Airways takes your order, then each course is served to you from the galley one by one, rather than from a trolley.
The starter for everyone was salmon
My main was chicken
Then cheese followed (Thai's cheese course is definitely more limited than its competitors, and strange that they serve crackers in a plastic wrapper. Ruins the overall effect)
Dessert was caramel mousse with raspberries. Again, the Thai option was long gone by the time I was ready for dessert.
Strangely enough, the second serving came more than 5 1/2 hours before landing. This may have had something to do with the four-year time change between New Zealand and Thailand, so that this was seen as a late lunch Thai time, but who knows. It was a bit too close to the previous meal for me, but I ate nevertheless. This time it was chicken fried rice followed by a black cherry trifle. The fried rice was ok, but the trifle was excellent.
By this time we were just east of Darwin
I watched three films on this flight, films I didn't even know existed, including "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool". We landed in Bangkok almost 25 minutes ahead of schedule, and even though we were not parked at a remote stand we were bussed to the immigration area.
And here's another great thing about business class: fast track. Which in Bangkok means fast track immigration. Meaning that immigration took under a minute, and my luggage was first out and arrived on the luggage carousel about 45 seconds after I got there. From plane via bus and immigration and baggage pick-up and customs took an incredible 14 minutes.
Again, a very good, comfortable flight with Thai. The on!y real downside was that they didn't have enough Thai food for everyone, which doesn't quite gel with their Thainess campaign. And let's face it, given the option between Thai and western food when you are flying the Thailand, which would you choose?
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