Quick Update – We’re Back (Soon)!

~ Alvin ~ 2 Comments

Hi everyone!

Aviation blogging has always been a hobby, but it’s also been a passion. I’m very glad that I’ve gotten so much support thus far, be it through comments, my YouTube channel, or on my Instagram page, The Alviator. I can’t take for granted the fact that people are taking time out of their day to read some of the tips and reviews that my team and I have posted on my blog thus far.

On that note, I realise that posts have been drastically reduced lately. I wanted to post to promise those that continue to read the blog every so often that we’ll be back…as soon as next week. As far as life updates go, I’m a few days away from finishing my high school career as I push through the end of exams, and Jason, Ethan and Mallesh all have busy travel schedules planned.

Continue reading “Quick Update – We’re Back (Soon)!” →

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Review: Thai Airways 777-300ER Economy Class Hong Kong to Bangkok

~ Jason ~ Leave a comment

I recently took a school trip to Surat Thani in Thailand. I flew Thai Airways and Thai Smile Economy Class and documented the experience in this mini trip report series. I was especially interested to see how Thai Airways stacked up against Cathay Pacific’s regional Economy Class experience, given how loyal I am to my hometown carrier. 

Thai Airways check-in counters in Hong Kong are located in Terminal 2, which is shared with many most low-cost carriers. Check-in was efficient, and there was no line save for our school group. I was ushered by the station manager to the Royal Silk check-in counters. The ground staff were friendly and efficient and was sent on my way through security and onto the train between Terminal 2 and Terminal 1.

59763442_340602059932011_6468738390119415808_n-1Thai Airways Hong Kong Airport Check-In 

Continue reading “Review: Thai Airways 777-300ER Economy Class Hong Kong to Bangkok” →

Etihad Awards Bookable On AAdvantage Website!

~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Around a month or two ago, American Airlines started allowing Etihad awards to be bookable from Asia through to Europe, which was great news for us living in Hong Kong, since we can book Etihad awards the same way we can book Qatar Airways awards. This was particularly good news, since Etihad award space between Hong Kong and most of Europe is usually wide open in business class, and not too bad in first class.

Unfortunately Etihad award space wasn’t bookable through the aa.com website, and I’d always have to call American Airlines to book a flight on Etihad. Well, that changes today.

Etihad Airbus A330 Hong Kong Airport

Continue reading “Etihad Awards Bookable On AAdvantage Website!” →

Review: Thai Airways 777 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok

~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

 Introduction: Spending The Calm Before The Storm In Bangkok
Thai Airways 777 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok – Premier Twin Room
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok – Duplex Cabana
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok – Grounds and Facilities
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge Bangkok Concourse E
Thai Airways A330 Business Class Bangkok to Hong Kong

Thai Airways flies a bunch of aircraft to Hong Kong. At the time that I took this flight, Thai Airways operated three A330s, two 777-300ERs and one Thai Smile A320 to Bangkok every day (one of these 777s has since been replaced by an A350, and one of the A330s has been replaced by a regional 777). I had flown Thai Airways’ A330 many times, and the 747 once; however, this was my first time flying a Thai Airways aircraft outfitted with their longhaul configuration.

I got to the gate at 11:45 AM in anticipation of a 12:05 PM boarding time, and was face to face with the sleek Thai Airways 777:

Thai Airways Boeing 777 Hong Kong Airport

Continue reading “Review: Thai Airways 777 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok” →

Introduction: Spending The Calm Before The Storm In Bangkok

~ Alvin ~ 1 Comment

Introduction: Spending The Calm Before The Storm In Bangkok
Thai Airways 777 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok – Premier Twin Room
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok – Duplex Cabana
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok – Grounds and Facilities
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge Bangkok Concourse E
Thai Airways A330 Business Class Bangkok to Hong Kong

First of all, as the trip report suggests, my few days of quasi-relaxation in Bangkok were meant as a break before my final push to get through the IB. Well, now is the time that I’m pushing through my final days of the IB, so I’m going to struggle even posting one installment per week. The idea is that I’ll try to get one installment out every Friday up until around the beginning of May, and after May 23rd (my last exam) I’ll write up the last three installments at once. Writing is therapeutic for me, and I can’t wait to tell you guys about this trip, so stay tuned!

Welcome to my next trip report, where I’ll be sharing details of my five day trip in Bangkok regarding my flights and hotels – specifically, two Thai Airways business class products, a lounge that I hadn’t visited yet during my lounge hop in 2017, and the Siam Kempinski Hotel in Bangkok.

Bangkok, Thailand

The thought process of going to Bangkok was simple: we wanted to go somewhere cheap and close by during Chinese New Years’, and my parents didn’t want to go to Singapore, my favourite city. We were all enthralled by the prospect of going to Bangkok again, since none of us really got to know the city the first time around, so we organised another trip there.

This installment will cover how we booked the flights and hotels, and the thought process behind the choices we made.

Continue reading “Introduction: Spending The Calm Before The Storm In Bangkok” →

Another A380 Leaves Hong Kong: Lufthansa Switches Munich-Hong Kong Flight To A350

~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

I’m sure every single airline operating the A380 has operated it to Hong Kong at some point. Many airlines such as Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Air France, China Southern and Qantas operated A380s to Hong Kong at one point, and no longer do. That being said, more than half of the current A380 operators still operate flights to Hong Kong, and Lufthansa is currently no exception.

I flew Lufthansa’s A380 business class from Frankfurt to Hong Kong in 2017. The Frankfurt to Hong Kong flight is no longer operated by an A380, as Lufthansa switched the A380 over to the Munich-Hong Kong route due to conflicts with Frankfurt Airport. As of April 2019, Lufthansa still operates the A380 from Munich Airport to Hong Kong.

img_5487Lufthansa Airbus A380 Business Class Cabin

Unfortunately as of January 1, 2020, this is about to change, as Lufthansa will switch back to operating the A350 from Munich Airport.

Continue reading “Another A380 Leaves Hong Kong: Lufthansa Switches Munich-Hong Kong Flight To A350” →

BOOKED: JAL Business Class, Cathay Pacific First Class

~ Alvin ~ 1 Comment

There are many good uses of miles. One thing I like is to buy miles during a promotion, when you can score a flight in a cabin that otherwise would’ve cost you double. Another way I like to use miles is to maximise them – for example, flying from Hong Kong to Perth for 65,000 KrisFlyer miles roundtrip, when Hong Kong to Taipei costs 40,000 KrisFlyer miles (actually…)

But there’s no better way than to fly from point A to point B with purpose and redeeming miles for an amazing product when you realise your miles are about to expire in the coming month.


Japan Airlines Boeing 777 Business Class

This is what happened to my mom late last week, so we spent some time securing a couple of flights for myself and her, and I’m so excited…

Continue reading “BOOKED: JAL Business Class, Cathay Pacific First Class” →

FINALLY: British Airways Reveals Industry-Leading Business Class Product

~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

I love the trend that airlines are moving towards higher-end, more space-efficient, more private business class seats. A few years ago I took my first flight in a reverse herringbone seat, and was in awe at how much space the seat provided. Nowadays, reverse herringbone seats are more or less middle-of-the-road, as more airlines have come up with superior seats. I’ve ranked all of the “original” ones here, though will need to try the QSuite (in August) as well as China Eastern and Delta’s A350s.

Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 Business Class 

The above list is what I thought I had to try prior to today, but as of today I need to add one more to the list – British Airways’ new Club Suite.

Here’s a video of the new suite:

Continue reading “FINALLY: British Airways Reveals Industry-Leading Business Class Product” →

Qatar Airways’ New Economy Class Looks A Bit Familiar…

~ Alvin ~ 3 Comments

As you’d expect for a 17-year-old traveller critiquing premium travel, pretentiousness and I go hand in hand. As a result of that, one airline I really love is Qatar Airways. They’re pretentious as hell, but they are perfectionists. They’ve had a couple slip-ups here and there over the past few years, though even when doing so they end up somewhere around the top 10 premium products out there.

Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Business Class

Qatar Airways touted a brand new business class product up until 2017, the year they revealed their QSuite. I’d say the hype was well-deserved, since the product has almost received unanimous praise from everyone I’ve heard from so far. I’m slated to try the product out later this year (assuming there aren’t any equipment swaps), so I’m excited about that.

That being said, Qatar Airways has always said that their economy class has been “like other airlines’ premium economy”. I’m not sure how credible that is given they have a 3-4-3 configuration on their 777s and a 3-3-3 configuration on their 787s, making their seats one of the narrowest economy seats out there. But I haven’t actually taken their economy product before, so I’ll take Akbar Al Baker’s word for it. 😉

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Air Belgium Wants To Lose More Money, Restarts Flights To Hong Kong

~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

While I love when new airlines add flights to Hong Kong (since it gives me more choices personally), Air Belgium’s flight from Brussels-Charleroi to Hong Kong has always been a bit of a joke. They started flights from Brussels Charleroi to Hong Kong last year, and cut them off after a while. I thought that was the end of them at the time.

I wrote about them shortly before they ended flights to Hong Kong, and expressed my bewilderment at their business structure. Sure enough, their flights to Hong Kong didn’t last much longer.

Fortunately Air Belgium has found some luck in wet-leasing their two A340s to other airlines with an aircraft shortage, such as British Airways. That’s good news, since I thought they had a decent cabin product, despite the actual hardware (A340) being outdated.

Continue reading “Air Belgium Wants To Lose More Money, Restarts Flights To Hong Kong” →