9:30AM would actually have been a great time to fly, if only the departure airport isn't 60km from the city.
So the saviour turned out to be the Narita Skyliner, which helped bring our overall travelling time to the airport to slightly over an hour.
This time round, we only managed to get our boarding pass to SGN, and the counter staff informed us that we need to approach the transit counter in SGN to obtain our boarding passes for the second leg.
Tokyo (NRT) – Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
Wednesday, June 1 2016
Depart: 09:30AM
Arrive: 01:30PM
Flight time: 6hr
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
We had about slightly more than an hour to spare and hence did some last minute shopping at the airport before proceeding to the gate. While mornings are typically busy for Narita, we cleared security and immigration fairly fast and were at the gate in less than 15 minutes. As we approached the gate, boarding has already begun, and just for this time, we did not wait for the final boarding call.
It's funny that there was another Vietnam Airlines 787 parked right beside us, operating the flight to Hanoi.
At 9:22AM the crew came on PA, welcomed all passengers on board and declared a shorter than estimated flight time of 5hr35min. We pushed off on time at 9:26AM, bidding the other 787 goodbye.
Till we meet again bro, but only on foreign land.
On the taxi to the runway, I noticed this beautiful Garuda 777-300ER which has just pulled into the terminal following its flight from Bali.
The taxi to the runway was quick with only 3~4 planes lined up ahead of us, which was not bad given how busy Narita is, and we took off promptly at after an Air China 737.
Once airborne we made an about turn, heading south towards Vietnam.
Service began soon after we levelled off. The menus were distributed along with the headsets and drinks were served soon after.
Again I had the Western option, since after 10 days in Japan it hardly makes sense to have another washouku meal. The starter was excellent by any standards. The prawns were fresh and succulent. In fact, if removed from the plastic container and served instead on china, it would have instantly qualified for business class meal service. The same could be said for the fruit plate.
Again I had the Western option, since after 10 days in Japan it hardly makes sense to have another washouku meal. The starter was excellent by any standards. The prawns were fresh and succulent. In fact, if removed from the plastic container and served instead on china, it would have instantly qualified for business class meal service. The same could be said for the fruit plate.
I had a glass of sparkling to accompany the lunch and it was fairly good. Throughout the meal service, several rounds of drinks were offered. While the stewardess only carried either juice or red and white wines, I would like to think that other beverages would also be served upon request.
After lunch I started browsing though the in-flight entertainment system. The selection was far from extensive, though I am contented with watching a rerun of The Intern.
After lunch I started browsing though the in-flight entertainment system. The selection was far from extensive, though I am contented with watching a rerun of The Intern.
We landed on time in SGN at 12:57PM, well ahead of schedule. However, there was a fairly long wait on the tarmac, and we ended up pulling over at the domestic terminal. Since there are no immigration facility in the domestic terminal, all passengers were ferried by bus to the international terminal. Sometimes I just can't help but to wonder whether it was because of the cheap fares that I paid which landed me in such situations.
There was no queue at the transfer counter and we quickly got the boarding passes to Singapore.
Vietnam Airlines 655
Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) – Singapore (SIN)
Wednesday, June 1 2016
Depart: 02:30PM
Arrive: 05:25PM
Flight time: 1hr55min
Aircraft: Airbus 321
When we arrived at gate 8, there was no indication on the display screen, while an A330 was parked there. It was quite obvious by then that the gate printed on our boarding pass was wrong since it's unlikely Vietnam Airlines suddenly decided to switch to a wide body on this segment.
Shortly, an announcement was made, declaring that the departure gate for our flight has been changed to the neighbouring gate 9. However, there was no aircraft parked on the tarmac. Subsequently another announcement was made informing passengers that our flight has been delayed due to incoming aircraft arriving late.
Boarding began at 2:45PM, almost an hour behind schedule and it did not help that the cabin was fairly warm, though I thought that was somewhat expected given the sunny weather and high ground temperature in Ho Chi Minh.
Boarding was completed fairly quickly, though it took another few minutes for the crew to clear with the ground staff before the cabin door was shut and pushing off at 3:14PM.
We took off after a short taxi from runway 25L, and it amused me somehow that I was quite disturbed by the roar of the A321's engines after being used to the quieter 787's turbofans. For the record, on both legs I had the window seat since I wanted more photoshoot opportunities and my friend specifically requested for an aisle seat.
Meal service began shortly after take-off. I might have missed it on the outbound flight from Singapore but I was quite surprised that alcoholic beverages were served even on this short-haul flight of less than 2 hours.
Meal service began shortly after take-off. I might have missed it on the outbound flight from Singapore but I was quite surprised that alcoholic beverages were served even on this short-haul flight of less than 2 hours.
The salad was exceptional, and the fruits were fresh and tasty. The beef was slightly overcooked but well-marinated.
In any case, this should be considered a decent lunch (albeit a late one) for a short-haul flight, which probably would not even include a full meal service in Europe or US, and here there was even tea and coffee offered after meal service, complete with lime.
We touched down in Changi at 6:07PM, zooming past a BA 777 while decelerating.
It was a short taxi to terminal 3 and we arrived at the gate at 6:11PM.
Conclusion
Despite the delay at SGN, the flight has been an exceptional experience, with the service excellent by economy standards, well exceeding my expectations.
In particular, I am impressed by the standard of catering, as well as the alcohol available. This is in addition to fairly good hard product in terms of seating and IFE system (although the content remains limited).
Also, it is worth noting that the airline has done a good job providing a slightly simpler service which more or less has the same effect. For instance, while it would have fantastic to have a hot towel service, that would have added to extra work load on the crew since they would have to pre-heat the ovens onboard. In this case, Vietnam's additional offering of a packaged wet serviette prior to departure is a great substitute.
Overall, I really think Vietnam Airlines represents good value. While I might not be prepared to fly them on intercontinental routes as yet, I think the adventure seeking side of me will want to experience the latest addition to their fleet, such as the A350, especially if I somehow managed to come across such a great fare again.
In any case, this should be considered a decent lunch (albeit a late one) for a short-haul flight, which probably would not even include a full meal service in Europe or US, and here there was even tea and coffee offered after meal service, complete with lime.
We touched down in Changi at 6:07PM, zooming past a BA 777 while decelerating.
Conclusion
Despite the delay at SGN, the flight has been an exceptional experience, with the service excellent by economy standards, well exceeding my expectations.
In particular, I am impressed by the standard of catering, as well as the alcohol available. This is in addition to fairly good hard product in terms of seating and IFE system (although the content remains limited).
Also, it is worth noting that the airline has done a good job providing a slightly simpler service which more or less has the same effect. For instance, while it would have fantastic to have a hot towel service, that would have added to extra work load on the crew since they would have to pre-heat the ovens onboard. In this case, Vietnam's additional offering of a packaged wet serviette prior to departure is a great substitute.
Overall, I really think Vietnam Airlines represents good value. While I might not be prepared to fly them on intercontinental routes as yet, I think the adventure seeking side of me will want to experience the latest addition to their fleet, such as the A350, especially if I somehow managed to come across such a great fare again.
No comments:
Post a Comment