Emirates B777-300ER business class; Cathay Pacific A350-1000 premium economy

BANGKOK–HONG KONG

BACKGROUND

Emirates operates a daily service between Bangkok and Hong Kong on the back of one of its non-stop services between Bangkok and Dubai. While you can stay on the aircraft and fly Hong Kong-Dubai with a short stopover in the Thai capital, the real benefit of this routing is that business travellers can take this relatively inexpensive Emirates “fifth-freedom” short-haul flight, but still find themselves travelling in what is essentially a long-haul seat product.

I found myself flying roundtrip from Hong Kong to Bangkok recently, and this is a review of the return leg on flight EK384.

CHECK-IN

Emirates’ check-in desks at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport are located towards the far end of the terminal through Entrance 9 and within Aisle T. I arrived at the airport at 1200 for my 1345 departure.

There was no queue at the business class counter, and I was swiftly checked in by the amiable member of staff. Along with your boarding pass, business class passengers are also given a Fast Track pass for getting through immigration and security, which is a major plus. The Fast Track entrance is directly at the end of Aisle T and I managed to get through both security screening and immigration by 1215.

LOUNGE

From the Fast Track lane, you’ll need to take a right turn towards the G gates to reach the Emirates Lounge on Level 3. Emirates’ flight to Hong Kong doesn’t actually depart from one of the G gates – it goes from Gate E7 – but fortunately both G and E gates are in a similar direction.

The lounge isn’t far, nor especially difficult to locate, though the signage is a bit bizarre. Bangkok airport has a fair few lounges and each seems to have its own collection of retractable banners scattered throughout the terminal indicating where it is. If you find yourself getting lost, follow the signs to the Cathay Pacific or Miracle lounges, as they’re both nearby.

The Emirates Lounge is quite a nice, calm affair – the airline’s signature light-brown colour scheme is present, and the whole space is well lit with natural light. It’s a little old fashioned in its design, but not to the extent that it feels tired.

The lounge is separated into two main areas with a quiet space immediately upon entering and a much livelier dining space. Partitions help separate the spaces and generally I found the quiet zone to be free of distraction. Seating options are generally a standard armchair affair, though there are dining tables and chairs by the buffet section. There are also plenty of universal power sockets by the armchairs, though no USB ports.

On the F&B front, Emirates does quite a good job. While it is just a buffet rather than table service, the dishes are varied and flavourful, presenting a good mix of Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern options – try the Penang curry.

There isn’t a manned bar, but guests do have access to two spirits tables and coffee machines – one in each of the two lounge areas. Bathrooms are at the far end of the lounge, though there are shower rooms with their own toilets and sinks located slightly closer.

The elephant in the room with Emirates’ B777-300ER business class cabin is its layout – it’s in a 2-3-2 configuration

BOARDING

The Emirates Lounge has both information screens and announcements. The boarding announcement for my flight came at 1322 and seven minutes later I’d reached Gate E7, though when I arrived it turned out boarding hadn’t yet begun and I’d still need to wait a minute or two (Emirates does, however, cordon off a section of seats specifically for premium class passengers and loyalty members). Boarding began shortly after, and I was on the plane by 1330.

THE SEAT

The elephant in the room with Emirates’ B777300ER business class cabin is its layout – it’s in a 2-3-2 configuration. Among airlines in Asia-Pacific, this is pretty unheard of nowadays, and it’s undeniable that the cabin has a less spacious and exclusive feel compared to those offered by other airlines with a 1-2-1 or even 2-2-2 set up. It’s also worth noting that this seat product is Emirates’ older 777-300ER seat and not its newer one – both are laid out 2-3-2, but the latter are more up to date.

I was by the aisle in seat

8J on the right-hand side of the cabin. The business class cabin is divided into two sections – the first comprising rows 6 and 7, and the second rows 8 to 11. This means 8J is a bulkhead seat on Emirates’ three-class 777-300ER, giving you plenty of space in front of you for your legs, but there are some strange quirks with the seat as well. For starters, 8J is positioned partway into the aisle such that you can actually see down through the galley and into the cabin ahead when looking straight forward. This positioning also means that the admittedly huge IFE screen is slightly off to the side rather than directly in front of you.

Otherwise, this is quite a comfortable seat for a short hop. The width is slim (just 20.5 inches) owing to the configuration, and while the seat does recline to a lieflat position with a fold-out footrest, it’s not quite a fully flat offering. There’s not a huge amount of space within the seat itself, though one big plus is the space below the armrest by the universal socket, which is big enough to fit a small laptop and makes charging devices very straightforward.

Adjusting the seat is easy with the controls having a number of pre-set options available. The IFE screens are also relatively simple to use courtesy of the two hand-held devices – one a cabled controller and the other a detachable tablet – though I do think having both is a little redundant.

WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE?

Not E. For obvious reasons, avoid the middle seat of the three centre seats. Aside from that, I’d actually suggest one of the window seats (6A-11A/6K-11K). At 6 foot 5 inches, this isn’t something I typically recommend, but for such a short hop – and with the aisle seats being quite exposed – it’s easy to come to terms with being a bit more hemmed in when more privacy is your reward. The bulkhead window seats (6A, 8A, 6K, 8K) are also good for that added space in front of you.

THE FLIGHT

The crew were immediately warm and welcoming, and were the most pleasant part of the flight experience, lending a professional but light-hearted touch to their duties. I was offered a choice of orange juice, apple juice or Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial NV Champagne – hardly a tough decision, even in the middle of the day – and our meal orders were then taken.

Departure was delayed slightly and we ended up taking off at 1414, about half an hour behind schedule. Unfortunately, I did run into a problem with my IFE system almost immediately after take-off. The user interface kept popping up then disappearing every few seconds, making watching anything difficult. This was an issue I saw with a few other screens in the bulkhead row at least, though mine appeared to be the only one that continued to play up. I let the cabin crew know as soon as the seatbelt sign went off and they gave the system a hard reset, which temporarily fixed the issue, though it returned just as we were coming into land less than three hours later.

After take-off we were offered a drink, and having enjoyed the “Old Fashioned” on my initial flight over from Hong Kong the cocktail reprised its role on this flight. Shortly after, our meals were served. Impressed by the curry in the lounge, I again opted for the Penang chicken curry on the flight, which is served with steamed vegetables and jasmine rice. My alternatives were stir-fried prawns with chilli and coriander, or veal emince (thinly sliced). The curry had a pleasantly strong flavour and was set out nicely on tableware. You also get fresh fruit, bread, and coconut and lime cheesecake with the meal, though the latter wasn’t as impressive as I thought it would be. What I did enjoy was the Two Hands Bella’s Garden Shiraz 2015 that was served along with my meal.

ARRIVAL

Landing was on time at 1740 despite the 30-minute delay taking off. Not having any checked-in baggage, I was able to speed through immigration and customs at Hong Kong airport without a hitch.

VERDICT

Well worth the price of admission.

The schedule is decent, though it will eat up most of your working day. For the competitive price, reasonably sized seats, quality of service and lounge access, I’d be tempted to book this routing for future trips between Bangkok and Hong Kong. Craig Bright