First-class flight with Lufthansa from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi), Boeing 747-400
This video shows Lufthansa’s Boeing 747-400 first-class and the Thai Airways Royal Orchid first-class lounge.
Honestly speaking I was slightly dissapointed of the often praised lounge. It looks like an old hotel lounge with traditional Thai interior, comparable with the Dusit Thani Bangkok or Royal Orchid Sheraton Bangkok. The staff is fine, friendly, helpful overall. The buffett, drinks and stuff you can order is ok as well. But standards are in general much worse than in any top Thailand hotel.
Airports are just huge halls with too many people and too many check-points you have to walk through every time. Suvarnabhumi airport already came to its limits, having had 48 million passengers in 2011 and being the 6th largest airport in Asia. They might have to start constructing a new one soon.
Around 90% of all 747-400 Lufthansa machines have the beds in their first-class. On the flight I got told from the purser (they have 2 on their machine) that around end of this year Lufthansa might introduce their new first-class. The A380 first-class from Lufthansa looks pretty cool, though I miss the privacy and would prefer if all 8 seats had closed cabins. I had a chance to look at an Emirates first-class private suite before. The quality of materials and entertainment options are impressive, moreover they have a shower on board of the A380. For me still, most important is clearly the bed. The entertainment and food really isn’t that necessary to me on flights, I just try to sleep/rest as much as I can and try to get over it.
The flight with Lufthansa was the first time I ever flew first-class. Next time I will try Emirates for the route (at least using the A380 between Bangkok-Dubai). Moreover a reader here recommended me to try Thai Airways first class, they use a Being 777 leased from Jet Airways – I will try them after Emirates. When I realize that I could stay around 3 nights in royal/imperial/presidential suites in Thailand for that price, I clearly have to say that flying first-class doesn’t have a great price/value relation. But I probably still continue flying first now on international flights, I just save on re-energizing or possible little sickness time by flying first and I guess my time became valuable enough for that benefit already.
