This is the start of our journey from the mistake fare we scored with Hong Kong Airlines back in August. You can read about it in more detail here and here. This is the first part of an overall trip review. In this post, I will be sharing my review of the 15 ½ hour flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong and some thoughts on the Hong Kong to Bangkok flight which was on the same plane.

This is part of a broader trip report and you can find the other installments below:

• HK Airlines LAX – HKG – BKK
• HK Airport Atus Lounge
• St Regis Bangkok
• Gaggan (Asia’s top rated restaurant)
• Exploring and Activities – Bangkok
• Thai Airways – 777 to Chiang Mai
• Le Meridian Chiang Mai
• Elephant Sanctuary
• Exploring and Activities – Chiang Mai
• BKK Miracle Lounge
• Thai Smile and way home

We showed up at the airport around two and a half hours before departure (unusual for us) since HK Airlines doesn’t participate in TSA-Precheck and we’ve heard horror stories about the International Terminal at LAX.  The check-in was fast and efficient. Within a few minutes, we had our boarding passes and a pass for “The International Lounge”, a contract lounge with Hong Kong Airlines. The security lines were as long as expected and there were no clear markings for premium passengers or airport employees in sight. After a few minutes in line we realized that there was a separate line for Business class passengers. We stayed at a hotel right near the airport, but it still hook us an hour from leaving the hotel to get through security.

Pro Tip: Stay to the right to find the premium line and don’t get discouraged is you don’t see clear signs at first.

Lounge space is always appreciated before a flight

With some time to kill, we decided to check out The International Lounge. It is on level six, above the terminal and actually has some nice views of the terminal. The lounge is overall very small and provides a random selection of drinks and snacks. This was an good space to kill an hour or so, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit it again.

Our flight was at 10am, but if it was later in the day, we probably would have checked out PF Chang’s, as it is now part of the Priority Pass network. Each one of us would receive $28 off the bill, so would have been a great alternative for some food.

With about an hour before the flight we headed over to the boarding area, which was ultimately delayed by 30 minutes. Boarding happened through two doors. The left reserved for Business and the right one for Economy.

First time to experience a new “Plane” smell

As mentioned in my first impressions post, we had a brand new plane. It had less than three weeks in service at the time.

The seats were super comfortable and angled away from the aisle. Each seat also had ample storage space all around you, so putting stuff away wasn’t an issue. One thing I realized was how far away the ottoman/foot cubicle was when sitting upright. I am 6’3” and could barely reach it to rest my feet. I would have certainly preferred it to be closer. At the seat were purple/pink headphones, which were not quite my style but did the trick.

The seat can also be made into a lie-flat bed. Of course, I forgot to take a picture on how that looks. The armrest lowered to make the seat even wider. They also provide a fairly large plush pillow and blanket. The pillow was great for me and one of the best I’ve had in the sky. I found that I was most comfortable slightly reclined in the seated position seat. Lying flat, it was difficult to move my legs in the narrow foot cubby. Even so, I comfortably slept/napped multiple times for a few.

Basic, but functional Amenity kit

During the boarding process, the flight attendants distributed the amenity kit. As per the picture, below I would describe it as basic. It had some hand cream and lip balm from L’Occtaine. Elli tells me that those are nice and high quality. The other items like toothbrush, ear plugs, eye mask and socks were great for more of a one-time use.

Large Touch screen and good movie selection

As you can see in the picture there is also a large monitor at every seat. The monitor was touchscreen and super responsive. It also had great clarity for the movies and I didn’t have any issues with a glare from the lights. Since we had over 15 hours to kill I was happy to see that they had agood amount of recent releases. The selection included many movies I hadn’t seen and was excited to be able to try on this flight.

The TV schedule was light, however for my personal preference that was alright.

Small but super cleanbathrooms

Before take-off, Angus the flight attendant working my side of the aisle introduced himself and provided the menu for the flight. He was a delight and overall the service was great and very attentive. One interesting thing was that the entire business class crew was men, which has not been the norm in my experiences.

Overall the food service was really good, even if the first main course wasn’t a standout. The appetizer with smoked salmon was super delicious. The main course of seafood stir fry tasted kind of like it looks. The side of garlic bread and ultimately cheese plate were again outstanding. For the cheese plate, you have to take Elli’s word for it, as I am not a big cheese guy. As a mid-flight snack I had the dim sum and washed it down with Hong Kong Milk tea, both of which were outstanding. Before landing, I indulged on an excelled Stir-fried Udon with chicken.

Between sleeping and eating and movies and more eating, the 15 hours went by fairly quickly. Below is a quick review of our Hong Kong to Bangkok flight.

Hong Kong to Bangkok also on the A350

As mentioned in the introduction, we got very lucky. We had the exact same plane type that we were on from Los Angeles to to Bangkok. That meant great lie-flat seats in a brand new plane. On the way home we weren’t as lucky, but more about that later.

This time we had seats 19 D and G assigned to us. With plane swaps, you are never guaranteed your original selected seats and in both cases it worked out fine as there is no bad seat really. Still I would always recommend to be proactive with your seat selection, as you otherwise never know where they might seat you.

This flight was only 2 hours and 30 minutes and we left Hong Kong close to midnight. Since we were fed well on the previous flight and at the lounge between flights, I wasn’t hungry at all. So I skipped everything but the welcome orange juice and as soon as possible , I lay down and slept the whole flight.

Below is the menu for people who are interested.

We landed in Bangkok a little after 2am local time. As Business class passengers, we did receive fast pass cards for immigration. This was a huge time saver as the airport was super busy at this time. Since we only had carry-on bags, we were out of the airport within 15 min of opening the airplane door and on our way to the hotel for some more sleep.

Pro Tip: If they don’t voluntarily provide the fast pass, make sure to ask for it.

Use AOT for airport transportation in Thailand

We used AOT for a ride into the city. AOT manages airports and I some transportation. They have different car levels and we settled for a Toyota Camry. The woman at the desk gave us the cost of a Mercedes first, but thanks to my research I knew what the cost should be. Overall, the cost came to around $35, including all tolls and tips. The car was basically brand new and right outside the arrival doors. This couldn’t have been smoother and worth the extra cost for us instead of taking the train or regular cab into town.

Summary:

I was very impressed by Hong Kong Airlines. The plane was obviously brand new and very comfortable. From the cabin crew to the food and the seat/bed, everything was excellent. I can compare it to a very lazy day at home on the couch. Lots of lounging around, watching movies and food, that ultimately prepares you for your next nap. Based on this experience I can highly recommend to fly in Business class with them.

Scores:

Seats: 8/10

Entertainment: 7/10

Food and Service: 8/10

Amenity Kit: 6/10

Overall: 7/10