Airline: Thai Airways International
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Departed: Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Arrived: Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK)
Class: First Class
Seats: 1E & 1F
Length: About 6 hours
My wife and I recently embarked on a major bucket list trip to Thailand. Since this was a rare sans-toddler trip, we decided to go all-out and burn pretty much all the miles and points we could get our hands on to fly some premium cabins. We were fortunate enough to be able to scrape together just enough points (mostly thanks to being new homeowners) to fly to Bangkok in first class. Our final leg of the inbound journey was on a Thai Airways A380 from Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK).
Thai Airways’ A380 Royal First Class cabin – Photo: David Delagarza | AirlineReporter
We arrived at Tokyo Narita on ANA’s new Houston to Tokyo service in first class which, in and of itself, was an amazing experience. Our layover at Narita was about three hours long, during which time we availed ourselves of ANA’s First Class suite lounge.
BONUS: Flight Review: ANA First Class Houston to Tokyo on a 777-300ER
Shortly after taking our seats in the lounge, a representative from Thai Airways found us, introduced herself, and asked if we needed anything. We asked if she could look into the status of our checked bags, as we’d had a little bit of difficulty getting them checked all the way through to Bangkok. She left with our passports, boarding passes, and bag claim tickets. When she returned she had new boarding passes printed on Thai stock and she informed us that they had located our bags and they were all set to be loaded on the aircraft. She also informed us that due to a late inbound aircraft, the flight would be about fifteen minutes late, and she would get us when it was time to board. No problem, I needed a shower anyway. Is there any greater feeling than showering in the lounge between long-haul flights?
One of two Singapore Airlines A380s in special livery – Photo: Singapore Airlines
NOTE: The contest has now ended. If you didn’t win, but still want of these sweet models — you can still buy one direct. Thanks for participating and wait for our next one!
Luckily for us, many airlines have come up with special liveries over the years creating an extra sense of wonder when you spot one out in the wild.
Recently, Singapore Airlines unveiled a livery to celebrate the country’s 50th anniversary (SQ50) and we wanted to do a little celebrating with them and you. The airline was nice enough to offer two (very nice) models of the Airbus A380, wearing this livery. Read on to learn more and to possibly win!
The 1:200 model up for grabs – Image: Singapore Airlines
ABOUT THE SINGAPORE AIRLINES SQ50 AIRBUS A380 MODEL
According to the airline, this model is, “a limited edition replica of the Singapore Airlines SG50 livery aircraft. Made of hard ABS plastic with a perfect snap fit construction, this highly detailed superior graphics true-to-scale 1:200 A380 model comes with landing gears and a display stand.”
This model is legit and not small. It’s length is 14.3’ and the 15.7 ” wingspan is impressive.
If you do not end up winning and still want to get one… you can. They are $128 (plus a 10% discount going on right now) on the Singapore Airlines Kris Shop.
A LOT Embraer E-175 landing at Prague – Photo: Jacob Pfleger | AirlineReporter
Flying business class within Europe is not often an exciting nor noteworthy affair. That said, I was pleased to recently discover that it can still be a positive experience, with a lot more than meets the eye, and at a very affordable price.
I was fortunate enough to recently experience LOT Polish Airlines’ business class product from Warsaw to Prague. As part of its ongoing brand redevelopment, LOT, like many other carriers, has introduced an online bidding system for unsold business class seats, called plusgrade.
The only business class difference versus economy on intra-European flights – Photo: Jacob Pfleger | AirlineReporter
The system allows passengers to make a bid up to 72 hours before the flight’s departure, and there is a minimum amount that can be bid (in my case, it was approximately $80). At 48 hours prior to departure, I received an email that my bid was successful, and was issued a new ticket for business class — sweet.
The Four Seasons 757 landing in Sydney, Australia last year – Photo: Bernie Proctor
Last year, the Four Seasons hotel and resort chain did a hospitality industry first: They made an inclusive, sometimes round-the-world, travel experience called the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience. By inclusive I mean that everything you saw after arriving at the airport was either arranged or directly handled by them.
The biggest of the trips is the 24-day Around the World adventure. And because this is the Four Seasons, everything is going to be high-end. That includes transportation to your destination(s) on one very VIP Boeing 757. During a stopover in Seattle, I was invited to take a tour and I was impressed.
All three ANA Star Wars liveries – Photo: ANA
YES — AvGeek and Star Wars goodness together!
ANA has just announced that they will be putting two new Star Wars themed liveries to their fleet, which will jin the previously announced R2-D2 ANA Jet on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The first will feature BB-8, a brand new droid from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which will be on a Boeing 777-300ER.
Special Star Wars BB-8 and R2-D2 combo livery on a Boeing 767-300 – Image: ANA
The second will be a combination livery of BB-8 down one side and R2-D2 on the other of a Boeing 767-300. If you want to see more images, we have plenty to share…
