Frankfurt Rhein Main

I left the Sheraton Hotel at Frankfurt around noon and walked over to terminal 1C, where the counters of Thai Airways are located. Economy Class check-in counters were busy, but there was nobody queuing at the counters of Royal First Class and Royal Silk Class. I was addressed by an agent at the entrance to the check in area and asked in which class I was traveling and directed to the Royal First Class counters. I handed my passport to the agent and she retrieved the ticket and confirmed that I was traveling to Bangkok and then on the Hong Kong.

I asked if it was possible to check my pre-assigned seat 01 A to 03 K, which I was unable to get earlier and to my surprise I could change seats and was able to get it. The first class cabin was not full, only 10 of the 12 seats were taken.

She notified me, that she was unable to print my boarding pass for my flight to Hong Kong due to a different system in Bangkok and in Frankfurt. I should ask to get the boarding pass either in the lounge or at the transfer desk in Bangkok, but most likely I would be picked up at the gate by Thai Airways ground staff and driven to the Royal First Class lounge in Bangkok.

I was given directions to the Senator Lounge and also to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge which was also close to my gate in the B concourse of Frankfurt’s Rhein-Main Airport. Soon I was on my way to immigration and customs at the B concourse.

The security check point was not very busy. There was a dedicated fast track line for passengers traveling in First and Business Class, which was empty. The staff working at security was surprisingly friendly and relaxed, something I have not experienced that often in Frankfurt. Maybe it helped that the checkpoint was not that busy. I already had stored my belt and my watch in my carry on, so it was only laptop out of the bag and I could pass security without need to be padded down by one of the officers.

Immigration was also not very busy and with only one passenger ahead of me I was able to pass immigration in just seconds and soon was on my way to the lounge. The B concourse was busy with a number of long-haul flights to China and India scheduled to leave at this time of the day.
The Maple Leaf Lounge is upstairs opposite gate B 42 in one of the transfer corridors to the C concourse and the skytrains.

A hallway leads from the entrance to the reception desk, where I was welcomed by one of the agents, who checked my boarding pass and after I mentioned that this was my first time in the lounge gave me a brief overview of the features and the design. I have to admit, that I was impressed by the lounge. It is nice and modern with a lot of wooden elements with leather chairs, separate areas divided by glass and steel. The lounge offered good views of the tarmac and the runways and one could see the planes taking off from runways 25 L and R. The offerings on the buffet are also very good with salads, different hot dishes, rolls and sweet temptations as well as fruits and yoghurt. Beverage included wine, beer and spirits. The newspaper and magazine selection consists mostly of Canadian and some German one and I was able to grab the latest issue of the inflight magazine of Air Canada “en route”.

As the Senator Lounge in the B Concourse was also recently refurbished I decided to check this lounge out as well. This lounge is also located one floor up from the main concourse. Boarding passes are checked at the entrance. The lounge was also not that busy and had the new design. I left it after a couple of minutes and walked down to my gate B 46 where our Airbus A 380 was awaiting us.

Boarding had not started yet and they were a bit late, though the green lights were already flashing. Boarding started with a little delay of ten minutes at 14:05 with passengers traveling in First and Business Class. My ID was checked and soon I was on my way to the escalator one floor upstairs.

02 May 2014
FRA – BKK
[Frankfurt International – Bangkok Suvarnabhumi]
TG 921; Airbus A 380 (HS-TUD / ‘Phayuha Kiri’)
Gate B 46
14:45 – 06:25 [effective 14:35 – 06:25]
First Class
Seat 03 K

I was the third passengers to board the plane and the first one in the First Class Cabin. I was greeted as I stepped into the plane and shown directions to my seats. I used the time I had the First Class to myself to take some pictures of the cabin and the seats as well as the front area of the cabin before I took my seat.
I was asked about my choice of pre-departure drink and asked to get a glass of champagne. Another flight attendant appeared with the bottle and a glass. She showed the bottle of Dom Pérignon to me before she filled my glass with the beverage created from grapes from the Champagne region in France.

Pre Departure Drink

Dom Pérignon Vintage 2004

The Rimowa First Class Amenity was already placed at the seat as well as noise-canceling headsets. Pillows and blankets were placed on the seats, the slippers on the footrest respectively.

The cabin filled with passengers and the crew was busy assisting the newly arrived passengers, serving pre-departure drinks and offering refills of champagne.

The ground crew said “good bye” via the intercom and handed us over to the crew after all passengers had boarded the plane. The flight deck welcomed us on board and informed us about the expected flight time to Bangkok and we could expect to arrive a bit before the scheduled boarding time at 06:25.
The printed menu were presented on the ground in a nicely leather folder and the flight attendant also confirmed that I had ordered a special menu from the selection made available for those traveling in Royal First and Royal Silk Class. Of course it would also be possible to have a dish from the main menu, if I had changed my mind.

Time for a quick view of menu and whine list (click on icon, opens new window)

The safety video was shown while we were still at the gate. We pushed back at and taxied to the runway. At 15:00 the captain powered the four powerful Rolls Royce Trend 970 engines – each of them with a thrust of 70,000 lbf or 310 kN – and we accelerated in the cloudy sky above Frankfurt.

Our plane for this Bangkok bound flight was Airbus A380-841 with registration HS-TUD and the fourth Airbus A 380 delivered to Thai Airways International. Delivered on March 21, 2013, it made its first flight nearly half a year earlier on October 12, 2012 under the then test-registration F-WWSE. Like all Airbus A 380 it is equipped with 12 seats in First Class, 60 seats in Business Class and 435 seats in Economy Class.

There will be 24 cabin attendants on-board each Thai A380 flight, tending seven galleys and food service stations – more than any other airline, according to a press release by the carrier given out at the time as they received the first of their six ordered A 380s.

First class offers one large toilet in the front of the cabin which includes a dressing area and a smaller toilet in the rear part (behind seat 03 k). The 12 seats in Royal First are fully flat beds offering a seat pitch of 83 inch and seat width of 26.5 inch and have a 23 inch touch screen. Configuration is 4 rows in 1 – 2 – 1. There is plenty of storage space, especially at the window seats with the additional storage compartment between seat and window.

The seats are nothing special and especially are not the newest and most sophisticated product available. All first class seats are upholstered in creamy-beige leather and offer a foot stool that doubles as the end of your bed if the seat is in the full lie-flat position.

The tray table is under the monitor and slides along a track to be closer to you in seated position during meal service or if you need.

The seat has one universal outlet where the most plugs should fit and also two USB plugs; the slightly disadvantage is that these outlets are under a latch. There is also purple mood light on the side of the seat.

At the front of the suite at the aisle side is a small closet with a hanger to hang a jacket. It is very small and a coat and jacket does not fit that easily in it. The best is to hang them over each other. A small carry-on fits under the food rest; especially at window seats this is the best place as there are no overhead bins at this side.

Thai offers noise cancelling headphones manufactured by Phitek also used by Singapore Airlines and Emirates among other airlines.

(Read this report about Thai Airways Business Class cabin in the A 380)

Round about ten minutes after we left Frankfurt the seat belt signs were switched off and the crews moved to their stations. First the pajamas were offered, I was offered L with the option to switch to M if L would be too large. I used the first minutes in flight to have a quick glimpse at the front part and the lavatories, which are quite big and at the same place where Emirates offered shower facilities and also Lufthansa had its big First Class bathroom. If you are used to the small bathrooms in Economy Class or even Business Class, this is quite a large one with its own area with seats to change clothes with a large mirror. Overall quite impressive and also a change from the most lavatories of First Class Cabin I am flown so far.

As I returned to my seat, I was asked what I wanted to drink with my amuse-gueule or snack as it was called by the flight attendant. I choose a glass of orange juice and it was delivered soon later with some warm nuts. A little bit later the amuse-gueule arrived. It consisted of two pieces of some sort of foie gras and terrine.

Amuse Geule

Soon later the used dishes were cleared individually by the crew. Trays were laid individually with linen by the crew shortly thereafter beginning with the A / C seats before the other aisle were served. The bread basked was already part of the arrangement and prefilled with two rolls and a focaccia with olives and herbs. Garlic bread was brought a couple of minutes later.

First Course

White Sturgeon Caviar with Garnitures

Domaine Louis Moreau Chablis1er Cru Vaillons 2010

Second Course

Beef Fillet with Herb
Potato Salad with Horseradish, Herb Crème Fraîche in Tomato Cup
Marinate King Prawns, Smoked Trout

Domaine Louis Moreau Chablis1er Cru Vaillons 2010

Main Course

Beef in Green Curry

Domaine Louis Moreau Chablis1er Cru Vaillons 2010

Dessert

Cappucino Cream Cake Raspberry Sauce

Green Tea

Around 45 minutes after we took off in Frankfurt, the meal service started with caviar and eggs, onions, citrons and vodka was also available. I had only a small spoon of caviar since I am not a huge fan of these black eggs. I skipped the vodka though and opted for a glass of the Louis Moreau Chardonnay which was delivered immediately. The caviar was okay, but I still do not get why everybody is so enthusiastic about this dish. Maybe it is part of the first class experience? Okay, but on the ground? Simply because it is expensive and rare? Anyway, I would not pay for it myself and I am not disappointed if it is not available as part of a first class flight.

The used plate was cleared by a crew member passing my seat and a couple of minutes later I received the starter. It was okay, but the smoked trout was a bit try and more or less tasteless. The prawns were medium and the best part was the potato salad with horseradish. The later could be tasted; nevertheless I found this course a bit uninspired. My glass was re-filled with white wine and I also asked for a glass of sparkling water. I took my time to really enjoy the lunch on this flight. After all I am not flying First Class that often. Also it was not the first time in First Class it was the first time on Thai Airways and especially in their newest aircraft, the A 380. To me, it is still different from the average flight, especially if I can enjoy a complete new product on board a quite new aircraft like this Airbus A 380. And since I had a very busy time in my office before I started this trip, it was also my way to relax a little bit and not to think too much of my running projects …

But back to the meal service, my used dish was already cleared while I was musing over the joys onboard First Class now versus a couple of years again, my main dish arrived. Thai Airways offers the option to pre book certain dishes like Singapore Airlines does with the Book the Cook option for passengers in Raffles, First and Suites Class. A less known fact is that e.g. Thai Airways as well as Eva Airways offers such a service to its passengers as well. I had opted for a Thai Beef Curry dish which was available for flights departing in Frankfurt. And this dish was much better than the first course. The beef could have been better, but the dish was spicy and the rice was of a good consistence. The portion was large and quite filling and I already filled quite full.

The used dish was not cleared as the crew appeared and offered cheese and fruits. Immediately they excused for forgetting to clear the dish from my main course. After my used dish was cleared, I asked for a selection of fruit but no cheese. I could have had a glass of port with the fruit but declined the offer for any more alcoholic drink and asked for a glass of Japanese Tea instead, which was brought later. The fruit was okay, quite fresh and tasty. The tea was also quite good. I was asked if I like to have a slice of cake for dessert and if I would care about a second cup of tea. I accepted both and a little bit later the sweat treat of a quite large slice of cake was in front of me.

After the plate of this last course was cleared the linen was removed and I took my laptop out of my carry on and started it using the power outlet at my seat. WiFi was available during this flight with the exception of the time passing the airspace above India and Bangladesh.

Some passengers had already lowered their sun shades and asked for their seats to be converted into bed. I decided to stay awake since I was not tired as I was able to get much sleep in the night before after some nights with less sleep before which means I was not really tired. And with some early morning flights in the next couple of times and not the need to be awake quite long I tried to stay awake on this flight and get earlier to bed in Hong Kong. We will see, if it works this time.

The crew offered bottles of water and collected the menu folders.

The cabin light was already dimmed as one of the flight attendants addressed me and asked if I would like to be woken up for breakfast and if I knew my choice for breakfast, which I told her. I had kept my menu since I collect them.

As mentioned further above I did not sleep on this flight but also wanted to relax, decided to use some of the time to finish several reports I had in the pipeline, updated this report and also re-read some reports and other information about my time in Asia, but without rush and without connection to the available internet. I also had a look at the inflight entertainment system of this Airbus A 380.

I found the music selection to be a bit limited. The selection is good though not as extensive as on Singapore Airlines and there was not much to my taste. It also had a few malfunctions and had to be re-started or re-started automatically. No big issue, but certainly not very nice, if you have to forward a film to the point where it crashed.

Round about three hours before Bangkok I closed my laptop and watched two episode of TopGear from the TV Show selection.

2 hours 15 minutes ahead of scheduled arrival time in Bangkok the lights slightly were dimmed on and the crew began to prepare the breakfast service.

Time for another view of menu and maybe the whine list (click on icon, opens new window)

A hot towel was delivered to those passengers who were awake. I was also asked if I like to have breakfast and of course I was. A glass juice was offered and I opted for a glass of pineapple juice. While I was sipping the juice another flight attendant approached my seat and laid the tray table with linen and placed cutlery and the bread basket on it.

The courses are delivered individually by the flight attendant. I was also offered a selection of different jam, marmalades and honey for breakfast, which was nicely presented in a small basket.
Yoghurt and muesli were also offered, but I declined this offer and only had the hot dish in addition to the fresh fruit.

First Course

Fresh Fruit

Green Tea

Main Course

Crepe Filled with Chicken and Mushroom
Poultry Sausage, Baked Potatoes
Sauteed Mixed Mushroom

While I was having breakfast more and more passengers awoke and the flight attendants asked if they like to have breakfast. While delivering breakfast to other passengers, the flight attendant cleared my table. I decided to use this time to change back in my civil clothes, though it was 90 minutes to go. But later there would most probably some rush for the lavatories.

In the remaining flight time I continued to watch the Top Gear episode which I had stopped while having breakfast.

In the meantime the captain had updated us about the remaining flight time and announced the beginning of our descend into Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Round about 30 minutes ahead of Bangkok the crew began to prepare the cabin for the arrival into Bangkok and collected the headphones. The announcement to put the seat back in an upright position was already made with the speech by the crew, but we were allowed to remain in the relaxed position some more minutes and asked by the crew during their “good bye” round in the cabin to put the seats back in the upright position.

We touched down at 06:16 and taxied to our gate where we arrived right on schedule at 06:25. It took some time before the jetway was attached to the plane and we were allowed to deboard. The passengers in Business Class were hold back.

A member of the ground staff was awaiting us and directed me and another passenger with a connecting flight to a cart which would drove us to the security check for transit passengers and get us into the Royal First Class Lounge.

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