17/MAY
FD3025
BKK-HKT
B737-300
1D Economy

by airoli
There was no line at all at the AirAsia counter, and I was quickly checked in once I managed to retrieve my booking confirmation. AirAsia only allows 15kg of free baggage, and the scales clearly indicated 16.4kg for me. But nobody seemed to mind. In true low-cost fashion, my boarding pass was a slip of paper reminding me of my last grocery shop receipt. But hey, considering that this flight has cost me CHF33 all in (less than airport taxes in ZRH alone :rolleyes: ), I won’t complain. I proceeded into the domestic departure wing, cleared security in a breeze (no fussing about liquids and taking notebooks out in this part of the world) and found myself in a rather spartan bus boarding gate. Various podiums were occupied by staff boarding various flights (well, busses really), and the only indication to the flight’s destination was an A4-sized paper stuck to the respective podium, While that design definitely has some room for improvement, I was eventually squeezing into the right bus, where a very strong “generic human” odor prevailed. Fortunately, the drive out to our aircraft wasn’t long, and boarding was quick thanks to AirAsia’s free seating concept. I was surprised to find an empty seat in the bulkhead row, next to two elderly Thai ladies, and sat down there. Both of them were unable to find out how the intricate mechanics of a seatbelt worked, and were glad for my pantomime explanations. (Naturally, I was an expert at this considering how many times I was instructed how to open and close my seatbelt in various safety demonstrations) What I witnessed next was an excellent example of customer service: An AirAsia employee came running up the stairs and handed a folder to the flight attendant, who then went on to page Mr. airoli over the intercom. I was then returned my receipts folder, which I had inadvertently left behind at the check-in desk. Thanks a lot, AirAsia!!

Takeoff was about 20 minutes behind schedule, but thanks to generous padding in the flight times, an on-time arrival into Phuket was still forecast. The flight was like riding a bus – nothing much to write about. Food and drinks were sold on board, and while the selection looked okay, I passed. In HKT, we pulled up to the domestic wing of the airport and deplaned via a jetbridge. I quickly reached the baggage belt, but another 20 minutes passed until the bags finally appeared – on a carousel labeled “PGxxx / Koh Samui”. Oh well. Once outside, I was quickly met by the Le Méridien’s representative, who whisked me to the hotel in a 90 minute Lexus drive.

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