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Bangkok Suvarnabhumi
After I had passed customs I took the escalator up and walked over to the check in desk of Thai Airways in row B where the domestic check-in counters are located. They were not very busy and I was checked in quickly. The agent confirmed that the Lufthansa Senator / Star Gold Number was in the booking and assigned me a window seat on board the Boeing 777 which Thai uses for the flight to Phuket. What I did not notice, that I left my Moleskin notepad at the check in counters, which I used to write down the notes of my trips, as I do not always have the laptop powered or be able to use it. But this went unnoticed by me, and so I was on my way to security, which was not very busy and on my way to the Royal Orchid Lounge for the domestic departures. I was welcomed in the lounge and since I was booked in Business Class, there was no need to show the Star Gold Card.
The lounge was quite busy but I was able to get a seat at one of the windows. There I noticed that I had lost my Moleskin and was at this time unsure, where it might have happened. I usually have a pen in it and thought I left it in the plane since I put it down there to help someone with luggage from the overhead bin and forgot it. So my first thought was it was still on board of the flight. Since I was early, the plane was still there, I decided to give it a try and head up to the check in counters of Eva Airways to see if they can do anything. Although this means, I had to leave the lounge and also to pass security again.
Upstairs at the Eva Airways counters, which were still busy checking in guest for the flight to London, I was directed to the supervisor, who immediately radioed her colleagues at the gate and asks if they had found anything and also to look again. The cleaning crew had already cleaned the seat but did not found anything, so they went to see if it was fallen in the seat. They were not able to find it but the supervisor was very friendly and helpful and asked me to leave my business card with her so that she was able to contact me if it was found later. So did I. As I was unsure, where I had left it, I told her, I would also see if I had left it at the Thai Counter and also was going to contact lost and found of the airport.
The agent who had checked me in, was in her lunch break, but her colleague remembered me and tried to call her on the mobile while the agent now sitting at the desk, who was following our conversation mentioned something to her in Thai and stepped over to the desk aside and asked if I was looking for this – I had indeed left it at the check in counters.
I thanked the agent for keeping it and it seems that they had already contacted the lounge downstairs, but I had left searching for my notepad before they called.
I informed the helpful agent at the Eva Airways counters that I was reunited with my notepad and she was happy to hear, that I got it back and thanked me for informing her.
I passed security again and was on my way back to the lounge and it would have now been very nice, if the domestic lounge has had shower facilities. But alas this was not the case, so I took a juice, grabbed some nibbles from the buffet and tried to calm down. What does this teach me? It is always good to have enough time and to always try to check if you have all your belongings with you and I am already paranoid in this relation.
The lounge was now less busy than before and many seats were available. But in the next hour or so if became again busier. The Lounge offered seating in the lounge but also has a nice adjacent so called Garden area which is usually less busy than the regular lounge. And since is it open space in the terminal, the air is better and there is also less draught from the air condition. I checked this area out in the last 30 minutes I spend in the lounge and there were no more than four of five passengers sitting in this part of the lounge, which also offered a buffet, albeit smaller, but the same cold beverages than the main lounge. The WiFi signal however is much weaker and I was unable to set up a stable VPN connection, but I doubt that this is the reason the most passengers remained in the main part of the lounge.
I left the lounge a couple of minutes ahead of scheduled boarding time and headed over to the boarding gate, which was just a few steps from the lounge.
Boarding had not started yet, but the boarding time was already quite busy. The announcement of the begin of boarding was made just two or three minutes after I had reached the gate area. Boarding started for passengers in wheelchairs and those with small children. Two wheelchair passengers and two families with children were allowed to board the plane. Soon later a queue had formed at the entrance to the jet bridge but the passengers in Business Class or holding Star Gold Status were asked to board through the right entrance and this was enforced as boarding passes were checked and a few passengers were directed to the other queue. I was the fourth passenger to board the plane.
11 May 2014
BKK – HKT
[Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International – Phuket International]
TG 213; Boeing 777-300 (HS-TKC)
Gate A 3
15:30 – 16:50 [effective 15:27 – 16:43]
Business Class
Seat 14 K
At the entrance to the plane I was friendly greeted and walked over to my window seat. The plane was configured with angled seats offering a seat pitch of 60 inch and a seat width of 20 inch. The seats does not go fully flat but reclines 170 degrees. There is a small 10.4 inch screen and also power outlets at all seats in Business Class. Thai Airways uses this for flight to India, Pakistan and also on other intra-Asian flights, but unfortunately also on flights to Japan and Australia.
I stored my carry on in the overhead bin and put my jacket on the seat next to me as it seems that the flight was not full. The Business Class is between first and second door, so the passengers in the Business Class were not disturbed by the passengers in Economy Class.
Pre Departure Drink
Pre-departure drinks were offered and one could choose among orange and apple juice or water. There was not alcoholic beverage offered and I did not ask. The safety video was shown while we were still at the gate.
Push back was ahead of schedule at 15:27 and we taxied to the runway 01 L / 19 R. At 15:36 the captain powered the engines and we climbed into the dusty sky above Bangkok. We flew towards the coast and over the Gulf of Thailand.
Our flight for today was a Boeing 777-3D7 with registration HS-TKC, named “Kwanmuang”. It was delivered to Thai Airways on November 18, 1999 as new plane and is configured with 34 seats in Business Class and 330 seats in Economy Class. It is powered by two Rolls Royce Trent 892 engines offering a thrust of 92000 lbf each.
Main Course
Slices of ham with beetroot
Five minutes after we left Bangkok, the seat belt signs were turned off and the crew went to their stations. In case of us in Business Class, this means, the flight attendant laid the tray table with linen and soon later the tray arrives with the meal. The meal on today’s flight was small slices of ham with a salad of beetroot. Our choice of beverage was also offered, which was in my case just a ginger ale. Coffee and tea were also offered later during our flight, which was rather short with only 1 hour flight time. In so far, the crew had to speed up things, though only 9 of the 27 seats were taken.
The flight was smooth as silk until after we began our approach. With some interesting clouds and quite dark ones as well, the flight became for a couple of minutes a bit bumpy, but certainly nothing to worry about and also nothing really uncommon for this area. The rain season in Phuket is from May to October and thus means there is at least one heavy downpour, sometimes along with thunderstorm in the area.
The captain had already informed us about the begin of our approach into Phuket International Airport and also that the seat belt signs would be turned on due to expected turbulences and also not turned off again. The crew began to prepare the cabin for our arrival into Phuket and collected the remaining items from the service.
We approached the airport from the East, which seems to be always the case – at least I never approached Phuket from Western direction.
The approach into Phuket is always amazing with the islands and the coast. The runway covers nearly the complete width of the island as the airport is located at a place where Phuket Island is quite narrow. We touched down at 16:36 and had a short taxi to our gate, where we arrived at 16.43 ahead of schedule.
Only one aero-bridge was used and thus means the second door. Passengers in Economy Class were hold back until all Business Class Passengers had left the plane. But before we could deboard, the aero-bridge has to be attached to the plane and thus needed some time. Finally the door was opened and we could disembark.
An agent of Thai lead us to the luggage belt and informed us, that luggage checked in at Bangkok, would be on the domestic belt while all other luggage would be on the international belt. My checked suitcase was among the first ones on the belt and soon I was on my way to meet the agent of the Le Meridien in Khao Lak.