Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

I left the Conrad a few minutes before 20:00 and took a cab to the airport. I had a high speed taxi driver who reached the airport from the hotel in less than 25 minutes and it has been not only the fastest but also the cheapest fare with 215 THB and 70 THB in tolls.

The LH counters were already open, but it seems they only have opened a few minutes ago since the signs for Business and First Class counters had not been placed in the right position.

The boarding pass was printed; I had checked in but was not able to print the boarding passes. I got an voucher for the fast track at immigration and was on my way to the immigration checkpoint. The officer finished reading the papers and stamped my passport. I headed for the Royal First Class Lounge one level down. I walked through the Business Class / Royal Orchid Lounge, which was not that full at this time of the day, but it would become full in the next couple of hours, since there were quite a few long distance flights leaving in the late afternoon. At the entrance my boarding pass was once again checked and soon I was in the lounge, where I was friendly greeted.

After a visit in one of the restrooms I took a seat and soon an agent approached me and asked if I would like to have something to drink. I ordered a Tonic Water. Also the buffet where shown. The choices of food where shown on display like in Japanese Restaurants and you can then order the dishes you would like to try. I ordered a prawn soup first and later the Won tan soup, which where spicy and very good.

I took a lounge chairs near a power outlet and first read a bit in the Singapore Straits Times and then continued my work on my trip report and tried to update it. Two glasses of champagne later I was still able to work on my trip report but since it already was 22:30 decided to stop working since I had updated my trip report with the BKK bound flight on Friday and read in an Asian Traveller Magazine until it finally was 23:15 and I headed for the boarding gate. D 7 is quite a distance to work and since I had to pass security again I was sure I would arrive there after boarding had already started. Security took a couple of minutes and I was manually screened. I walked to the gate where boarding had already started but it seems they were boarding in zones as some passengers were already sitting in the waiting area. As I entered the gate I was addressed by the lady, who had checked me in earlier and asked if I would mind to change seats since they had an injured passengers. Since I did not care that much I agreed in the seat change and soon a new boarding pass was issued. And soon I was on my way to the jetbridge boarding the plane.

08 February 2009
BKK – FRA
[Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport - Frankfurt]
LH 773 (Lufthansa); Boeing 747-400 (D-ABVX / Schleswig-Holstein)
Gate D 7
23:55- 05:35 [effective 0:05 – 05:37]
First Class
Seat 82 A

On my way to the stairs I noticed some familiar face among the crew and it seemed that some of them had been working on my flight from Frankfurt to Bangkok and at the top of the stairs I was greeted by a flight attendant who had served me in Business Class. She did not remember me at once but as I mentioned my well know seat neighbor the penny had dropped and she told me she remembered me now as well. We exchanged a few words about Dr. Willemsen and his very nice and friendly attitude on the flight.

I stored my belongings in the seat, its pockets and the overhead compartments while my jacket was taken and stored in the wardrobe. I stored my trolley at the compartment at the stairs myself since the flight attendants were busy helping other passengers and I wanted to have the trolley out of the way to minimize the hassle for other passengers and my seat neighbor, a middle aged woman traveling back to Frankfurt. The pajamas (van Laack) and the amenity kit (Bogner again) as well as the slippers were brought to my seat.

Predeparture drinks were offered and I opted of a glass of champagne which arrived with the macadamia nuts in a bowl. The safety video was shown while we were still at the gate. The captain made a quick visit through the cabin and soon later the purser followed and introduced himself and exchanged few words and asked about connecting flights. We joked about the long way from the concourse C located in “Offenbach” to the concourse A. But he also mentioned the new welcome lounge, which was in his opinion the best way taking a shower between two flights. The captain came also over the microphone which information about the flight. He expected an arrival in time and told us also he expected to arrive a bit earlier.

We pushed back five minutes after midnight and taxied to the runway. The wheels of our 747-400 left the ground at 0:18 and we climbed into the dark sky above Bangkok. There were no clouds so we could see the suburbs of Bangkok while we climbed.
35 Minutes after we left Bangkok a hot towel service was offered and the blankets were distributed.

Let's have a look at the menu and the wine list (click on picture for menu and winelist)

An amuse geule was offered, which was a melon and feta skewer. I choose the Lufthansa cocktail with some champagne as aperitif and I again got the glass filled with half of the small bottle of the Lufthansa cocktail and topped it up with champagne. Of course I got another topping with the rest of the Lufthansa cocktail. During the time the printed menus were also distributed and the tables were laid with linen and the salt and pepper shakers as well as the small plate with butter were placed on the tray tables and the rose were brought. The meal service started at 01:05 Bangkok time and I was shown the different available selections of starters. I opted for the poached prawns and was also offered a second choice; I took the grilled Zucchini. Bread and rolls were also offered

I drank a glass of the New Zealand Sauvignon to got with dinner. I was offered to try it first before the glass was filled. The first course was brought on the cart arranged in an étagère, while the second course was brought individually. I had the Thai Lamb Curry. The portions were not big, but this was okay for me. The glass was refilled often, however the crew was not always noticing it and sometimes I had to ask for a refill or the wine or the water. Not really an issue, but you certainly have higher expectation in First Class and there is still a step between service in Business and First, but the service of SQ and OZ is far better and more attentive, though “your mileage may vary”. I was addressed by name every time and the flight attendants were friendly and relaxed.

The dessert was served from the tray again and the flight attendant convinced me to have a desert wine with the desert. I took the apple tart.

The meal service took until 02:40 Bangkok time and then after the tables were cleared I reclined my seat and soon later the cabin light were switched off and I felt asleep before I even could think about changing into the LH pajamas.

I woke up several times during the flight and went to the galley to get some orange juice. I chatted a bit with the flight attendant, who were on duty at this time about flying, her rotation as she was only flying halftime.

The flight itself were very calm, not turbulences or similar interruption during the night and I managed to get at least five hour of sleep. I think, the older I became, the easier it is to sleep in a plane – or it is just because I was really tired. Anyway, not a bad way, since the Monday would be a busy day for me.

As I woke up around 02:40 German time my seat neighbor was also awake and while she was watching a movie, I continue to listen to music and read a bit in my magazine. At 03:25 German time the light were turned on and one could smell the fresh brewed coffee. A hot towel service was done and soon later the flight attendants appeared and asked if we would like to have breakfast. So the tray tables were laid with linen and the cutlery as well as napkins and salt and pepper shakers were distributed. A menu was distributed, but since I was not really hungry, I just opted for some müsli, fresh fruit and a Danish with the tea and a fresh orange juice. I chatted a bit with my seat neighbor about her trip to Phuket, where her parents lived. She was amused to hear that I was only for two days in Bangkok, but told me, that if I did not mind to fly this distance, it is a nice place, esp. during European winter time.

The flight attendants came several times and offered more tea, coffee as well as some pastries, rolls and bread.

After the tables were cleared the crew began to prepare the cabin for the landing. Breakfast service was not done in a hurry, which I several times have experienced on flights back from the US but also from Asia. I really prefer the more relaxed atmosphere in the first class cabin and wish I could have this also in business class.

I was also amused to see, that in first class nobody of the flight attendants cared about the two people using their laptops during the time it usually is not allowed. It seems there are people and people …

We had already entered German airspace and began our approach into Frankfurt, as or coats were distributed.

We touched down at 05:32 but had a long way back to our gate, which was C 16 this time and this means again a long walk to immigration and the A concourse. We arrived at the gate in time at 05:35 and this time Business Class was hold back until all first Class Passengers had left the plane. My flight attendants addressed me by name while leaving and wished me all the best and looking forward to meeting me on one of my next flights.

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