#42 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings.
398 reviews
Following my stay at the Diamond Hotel in Manila, I decided to head to the airport about 3 and a half hours before departure so I was able to review the lounge (or lounges which I wasn't aware of). Something to be aware of is I was deathly sick on this flight so this review isn't as extensive as I would like it to be (more on why I didn't cancel in the next trip report). However, I tried to make the most of it.
Moving on after that took me about 20 minutes to write the routing ?
Check-In
Not much to report around check-in. I arrived curb-side in my grab, no wait in the priority lane to grab my boarding passes, and strolled right through immigration. On a different note don't get me started on selecting seats when booking Thai awards through United. It's like the 1960s (I wasn't alive then, did they have email back then?) where I had to email them to assign seats, hoping they were still available. TG was very responsive though just expect a 24-hour delay in response.
<i style="">What To Expect
How I booked this ticket
Lounge (Singapore)
Boarding
Departure
The Seat/Cabin
Amenities/IFE
Meal Service
Overall Service
Arrival
Conclusion
As I wrote about in my intro to the round-the-world routing I booked this ticket for 28K United Miles+ about 15$ in taxes. This also included a leg in economy from Bangkok-Phnom Penh. It would have been the same price if that leg was in business class but no award space was open and didn't open up closer to departure. The points were transferred from Chase UR instantly.
I see this as decent value, not the best but decent.
After visiting the shocking Marhaba lounge which I won't even waste your life reading, I decided to try my luck in getting into the Singapore lounge. I figured since I held a Star Alliance business class ticket I would be allowed in. Originally upon check-in, the agents told me I could only go to the Marhaba lounge (not Thai staff rather contract staff). When I first passed the lounge it was closed interestingly but an hour later it was wide open.
Lounge Location:
The SQ lounge in Manila is located right next to the Marhaba lounge on level 4. Up the lifts and turn right, you cannot miss it.
Right next to the CX lounge, which looks really nice. Oh well, next time!
The Lounge
UHHH civilisation (This the so-cal kicking in)!! Once again please disregard the entitlement but in honesty, if you are paying for a business class ticket the Marhaba lounge doesn't cut it.
The lounge is one big space with plenty of seating to be found. It's pretty large with a capacity of roughly 100 people I would say. Considering SQ has about 40 odd seats per plane I couldn't imagine this lounge getting near capacity, at least during my time it wasn't too busy.
I grabbed a water and took a seat
But not long after I decided to explore the options they had!
Originally when you walk in on the right-hand side there are more private (ish) cubicles, perfect if you are working. Pictured is what it looks like from the back of the lounge looking towards the front. At the back of the picture (front of the lounge), there are also some more comfy-looking chairs but I didn't sit there as I like to see out onto the tarmac.
Moving on…
There are a few family tables with 4 chairs and being the obnoxious person that I am I took one of the few. Only since I need a chair per carry-on which totals 3 ?. It feels very much like you are in Singapore with the designs.
The rest of the lounge was very similar to the pictures above… just more of it I guess. Apart from this workstation which was nearby to the buffet. Sort of reminds me of a workstation at Starbucks in New York City, now can Singapore Airlines bring in a Starbucks to the lounge?
The Food
The food offering was (buzz) lightyears better than the offering at the Marhaba lounge. It was night and day. The buffet is in the center of the lounge (impossible to miss) and consists of various options from rice to meat to fresh fruit etc…
However, I saw a sign saying they offered ice cream upon request. Being that I'm on a very strict diet I decided to go with the ice cream?, diet is a subjective word ?. No, the real reason I ate ice cream is because I still was feeling horrific and on occasion, ice cream (in moderation) can actually help me feel better.
The Bathrooms
The toilets are located in the very back of the lounge and consist of a women's toilet and a men's toilet. While I didn't take any pictures of the toilets it was very basic, albeit they were a lot cleaner than the ones at Marhaba. I did not see any showers available so if you are thinking about taking a shower at the lounge, think again!
Not before long I was on my way to board a 787-8 to Bangkok!
Our inbound plane was a little bit late (about 10 minutes) which meant boarding was delayed for, you guessed it, 10 minutes. I managed to capture a quick shot of the 787-8 I was on for today's 3-hour flight to Bangkok.
I lined up for boarding and within 5 minutes I was walking down the jetbridge onto a battered 787-8. I was having withdrawals after not flying for 28 hours (I might have an addiction). I'm thinking maybe I should open a recovery center for flying addicts. Gosh, I keep getting sidetracked.
Moving on, I boarded through door 2L and was greeted warmly but two wonderful FAs who showed me to my seat. Talk about service ehhh.
The same FA came around a couple of minutes later to offer me a pre-departure beverage. Not that it mattered since I could barely move with the 24-hour flu but Thai does not offer alcohol on the ground in Manila. Either the tax is too high or the route is not prestigious enough or both. The reason why I say prestigious is that alcohol is offered on the ground on the Hong Kong route. With no choice but to be a responsible young adult I chose water, and a hot towel was offered as well.
In the past 4 Thai flights I've taken with a 2-2-2 configuration they had blocked the seat next to me (maybe they think I'm royalty? even when I'm 567th in line for the thrown or something like that) and for a moment I thought they had done it again. They hadn't. My seatmate was the last to board the aircraft and she turned out to be an elderly woman. She was lovely and more on that later because I was super impressed with the service offered to assist her.
At this point I became violently ill, not vomiting yet or anything but an extremely weak body. I contemplated getting off the plane. We pushed back about 2 minutes after our scheduled 1:10 pm departure and made our way to the runway.
However, not before doing some plane-spotting. I was originally booked on this 350 but changed it!
Surprisingly, I really enjoy Air Asia, pretty livery as well! Would love to try this neo!
We then pulled up behind Philippine Airlines A321 (just joking it's an A320 but wanted to see if you caught it ? since I always mix them up) which was hopefully bound for a more exotic destination than Bangkok.
We departed into clearer skies bound for Bangkok with a smooth takeoff roll.
View out of Manila
The Thai Airways 787-8 features 24 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration with lie flat seats. For those readers from the USA think about the old Polaris on the United 787-9. Here is a picture of the seat map.
I was seated today in 11A which is my favorite seat when I fly the Thai 788. This is solely due to the fact of the larger footwell. I have big shoes and on the odd chance I keep my shoes on during the flight I like to be able to rest them both with no problem. other than that all seats are created pretty equally.
The controls to the seat and the remote were situated to my right, although if you are seated on the right hand side of the aircraft (11K) it would switch. Can we acknowledge how battered these seats are.
As this is a dreamliner there are electronic window shades which errmmm well did work but look at these buttons! They have seen better days.
Another aspect of the seat that I forgot to photograph is there are USB plugs and a charging socket behind your head to the left. Just like the classic configured 2-2-2. Please excuse my lack of photography, besides this flight and the next all other reviews are 1000x more detailed.
The seats do recline into lie-flat mode but when reclining 11A it was so loud I wouldn't have been surprised if I woke those in the back of economy. I felt horrible.
As mentioned above I was brutally ill and didn't get all the shots I wish I had. Headphones were offered which you will see in my future TG report but no amenity kit was offered.
The IFE was completely reasonable. Definitely old but not vintage, let's say more antique. There were plenty of movies offered but I did not partake as I slept almost from wheels up to wheels down.
A pillow and blanket were offered. Helped me sleep like a baby, at least I wasn't crying!
Meals can be pre-ordered on Thai Airways but I didn't see eligibility for this flight.
I fell asleep straight after takeoff but woke up when they came around to deliver my glass of champagne. Now I've heard this rumor that a glass of champagne helps to dispose of the toxins in your body. I also felt the need to partake to experience everything offered, for review purposes of course ?.
I do like that Thai serves Tattinger in flutes.
Nuts were also accompanied, damn thats nuts.
The meal service came out about 30 minutes after takeoff.
I'll be honest, I don't remember the other options.
Garlic bread, Lasagna and champagne. One word- Sensational! It was truly a good meal and even though I was sick I devoured it.
After the meal service I fell into a coma for the rest of the flight, waking up on final descent. Not for long since I fell asleep again after putting my seat up ?.
While I was asleep for most of the flight a couple of aspects reconfirmed why I believe Thai Airways might have the best service in the sky.
Throughout the meal service they were asking if there was anything they could do to make me more comfortable, as I think they could tell I was ill. Offering me another pillow and another blanket if I needed. I politely declined but the thougth was nice.
As mentioned earlier I had an ederly women sitting next to me. For the moments I was awake the flight attendants were unbelievably nice to her, more than any other time I had ever seen in my flying experinces.
They offered to recline her seat
They offered to put the pillows behind her head
Kept re-assuring her for about 5 minutes that no-one would steal her bag and they would keep an extra eye on it
They would grab her son from economy whenever she needed him (If I wasn't feeling like I was on my deathbed I would have switched with him in a heartbeat)
A fantastic crew once again on Thai Airways! 10/10.
I woke up for the second time as we were about 60 seconds from touchdown… oops!
We touched down right on schedule from the south to the north.
We had a short taxi to the gate and I was the first one off the plane on my way to what would be the worst layover I have ever had in my life… more on that in the next post.
The next review will be more wordy speaking about the horrific layover I had in Bangkok. After that the remaining flights I have taken at least 60 pictures for each!
Even though I was violently ill it was still a very pleasant flight. It's all about perspective so yes the seats are old but they are lie-flat and they are also the only airline to offer nonstop lie-flat seats on this route. Yes, the plane is battered but the soft product makes up for it with good food and stellar service. Plus add on the champagne flutes and I'm a happy bunny. I would fly this route again with Thai 100%, although their 777 was an even better experience ?. No wifi but that works in favor for me!
Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 4 avis concernant 2 compagnies sur la ligne Manila (MNL) → Bangkok (BKK).
La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Thai Airways avec 8.1/10.
La durée moyenne des vols est de 3 heures et 21 minutes.
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3 Comments
You're likely right that it's a mix of both. Being that serving alcohol on the ground in most countries (where alcohol is legal) does indeed come with a tax, most airlines will designate certain routes as being premium enough or not to take on this extra cost. Your example of HKG is perfect as it's traditionally considered a more premium-heavy destination, whereas MNL is often considered lower-yielding. So those 2 cities are a perfect illustration of this phenomenon.
Ugh, I feel for you, I've flown sick before and it is not fun. A few years ago I had a weird quick 24-hour flu too (which could've been just food poisoning) right as I had to fly back from ATH to DC (connecting over LHR as usual), and was miserable for the whole 14-hour trip. Luckily, at the time I had a nice window seat on the upper deck of the BA 747, which was probably one of the most private seats you could have once the partition was up. I slept the whole way, hiding from the world. Good thing your flight was relatively short.
I've only flown Thai a few times, but completely agree about the wonderful service on board. I think a lot of it has to do with the Thai culture of being so welcoming and friendly.
Thanks for sharing!
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