Review #55
| Departure planned (actual) | 05.10. 22:35 (23:05) |
| Arrival planned (actual) | 06.10. 05:25 (05:05) |
| Flighttime planned (actual) | 12:50 (12:00) |
| Delay | 30 minutes at departure 20 minutes early at arrival |
| Aircraft type (call sign) | A330-900 neo (D-ANRC) |
| Class | Business |
| Seat | 6 A |
Content
Arrival
Suvarnabhumi Bangkok Airport (BKK) is well served by the Bangkok Airport Rail Link, which runs directly from the city centre. Of course, you can also take a taxi or grab. If you are arriving by car, you will be dropped off at the departures level of the airport and just cross one of the bridges to get to the ticket hall. The train station is also on the ground floor of the terminal.
We had just returned from our short tour of Thailand, landed here after a short domestic flight from Krabi and continued our journey straight away. So the journey from our last hotel, TreeHouse Villas on Koh Yao Noi, was a bit long and uncomfortable.
Departure Airport
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is by far the largest airport in Thailand and home base of Thai Airways. There are flights to the Thai capital from almost every capital in the world.
However, the airport should not be confused with the city’s old and now second airport – Don Mueang. Don Mueang is also within the city limits of Bangkok and is mainly used for domestic flights and by budget airlines. Always check which airport you are departing from before you fly.
BKK for Suvarnabhumi in the east of the city and DMK for Don Mueang in the north.
Check-in
We arrived by taxi and were dropped off at Gate 2 of the airport. From here you can go straight into the departure hall and find the Condor counters in area B, where you can check in your luggage and pick up your boarding pass.
Area B is normally used by Thai Airways, but today this seems to have changed. In our experience, Condor’s flights to Frankfurt are handled in section N, so always check the display board for the current status. The counters are divided into Business, Economy and Premium Economy, with Business and Premium Economy passengers having one counter each and Economy passengers having 3 counters.
As we were travelling without checked baggage, as usual, we did not have to check-in at the counter. We had already checked in online and received our boarding passes digitally.
By the way, we highly recommend travelling with just hand luggage. If you can manage to travel with just one small suitcase, there are really three main advantages. First, you always have everything with you, second, you don’t have to wait long at the check-in counter and third, you woun´t be annoyed if your luggage doesn’t arrive at your destination. So if you’re not travelling for a longer period time, or simply don’t need that much clothing during your trip – go for it. Actually, it’s quite easy to break the habit of carrying a lot of luggage. I speak from experience!
How do you manage? Let us know in the comments how much luggage you usually take and if you’ve managed to switch from a large suitcase to a carry-on.
Security check
As a Condor Business Class passenger, you can use the Fast Lane at Bangkok´s Suvanabhumi Airport. This is located at the very end of the terminal behind the check-in counters in Row A. You have to show your boarding pass to get in and then you have a few options to have yourself and your hand luggage checked. In our case, there was really nothing going on and we were checked straight away. That’s really a great benefit as at this airport for all the other passengers it’s more like wishful thinking.
Lounge
Condor gives you free access to the Coral Lounge with a business class ticket. This one is not a very nice on though, so well simply skip it.
With our American Express Platinum Card however, we also received one Priority Pass per person as an additional benefit. If you also have such a pass, you can use these 11 lounges here at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Boarding
Our Condor flight DE 2363 was handled at gate 119, which is located in the brand new satellite terminal at Bangkok Suvanabhumi Airport.
To get there, go through passport control and take the escalators down directing you to gates S101 – S128, just behind the large dragon statue. From there, it’s a few minutes’ ride in a kind of underground train carrying you to the satellite building and then back up the escalators to the gates. Once in the gate area, you will be greeted by two iconic elephants. Pretty cool, aren’t they?
By the way, the Business Class and Status lounges here in the satellite are still under construction, so it will be a while before they are accessible.
So let’s make our way to our gate, S119.
Welcome
We were greeted warmly at the door and shown to our seats. Within moments of stowing our hand luggage, sitting down and getting comfortable in our seats, we were served a refreshing hot towel at our seats.
Start & Routing
We took off from Bangkok’s Suvanabhumi airport about 30 minutes late and flew over the southern tip of Myanmar and the Bay of Bengal, on through India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, but past Iran and over the Caspian Sea. Then via Azerbaijan and Georgia, and along the Black Sea, across southern Europe to Germany, where we landed in Frankfurt 20 minutes before our scheduled arrival time.
Interestingly, our departure time was actually delayed as planned, otherwise we would have arrived in Frankfurt well before the permitted landing time. Frankfurt Airport opens the runway for arrivals at 5:00 local time. Only emergency landings are allowed before that time.
Quelle: flightradar24
Cabin & Seat
Condor divides this new aircraft into three classes, although the actual product in Economy and Premium Economy does not differ directly in terms of seating, only in terms of seat pitch. In both classes there is a 2 – 4 – 2 configuration, but at the rear of the aircraft the seats taper down to a 2 – 3 – 2 configuration in Economy Class.
The situation is quite different in the eight rows of Business Class, where the first row has what Condor calls the Prime Suite. This is the normal seat with a little more room and a real ottoman for your feet across the full width of the seat. There is always a surcharge for this seat.
Condor’s Business Class seats are arranged in a 1 – 2 – 1 configuration. They alternate between being closer to the aisle and closer to the window. In the middle they also alternate between being next to each other or next to the aisle. You can imagine it a bit like Thai Airways Business Class on their 777-300 ER.
Then let’s board the plane and in the very front row you will see the so-called Condor Prime Seat with even more space for you, which you can only reserve for an additional charge. In other words, you’ll have to pay at least another 200 euros, or even more depending on the route.
Quelle: aeroLOPA
Seat
My seat on this flight is 6A, which is a true window seat with the stowage area separating it from the aisle. A blanket, pillow, mattress topper and slippers are already on your seat when you arrive. The latter even come in a striped Condor design.
The table is angled under the TV and releases at the touch of a button. The button was a little hard to press, but the system is extremely practical as you can pull the table all the way in and then push it back out again.
There are six different buttons built into the side console to adjust the seat to your preferred position. There are 3 preset positions and 3 buttons to adjust the seat individually.
A reading light, a set of noise-cancelling headphones, a bottle of water and the amenity kit can be found at the seat. As with many other Business Class products, the new A330-900 neo features a three-point seat belt, which must be fully fastened for take-off and landing. During the flight, however, you can remove the upper body belt and use only the lap belt.
Your footrest is located under the front seat shelf and there is storage space underneath for shoes or similar items. The side console at head height provides another small stowage area. The side of the storage area has a number of charging options.
Bed
For the first time in Condor Business Class, the seat can be converted into a fully flat bed at the touch of a button. On the older aircraft, it was always just an inclined lie-flat so this is the first time Condor has done that and it doesn’t disappoint. As for the bed, you simply place the mattress topper on your seat and will certainly be helped if you ask. However, I didn´t ask and therefor wasn´t helped.
Entertainment
Personally, I really liked the in-flight entertainment on my flight. It was very easy to use via the touchscreen and had everything I needed in terms of films, series, moving maps, etc. The only thing I would have liked to see was a few more videos about Condor itself, which were available on Lufthansa, Thai or Turkish. However, the screen can also be controlled via a small mobile control unit located in the side console next to the storage area.
By the way, I found Condor’s safety video really unsuitable. Please take a look at the YouTube review. It looks so childish and may be okay in keeping with Condor’s old product as a family holiday airline, but it doesn’t do justice to the new product.
Amenities
Condor offers its Business Class passengers a four-part series of gifts – which I think is great – I got a very useful thermal bag! But I’m a little ambivalent about the amenity kit itself.
I don’t have a problem with the contents, but the paper wrapping in which the actual items are stored destroys the value of this product a little. It’s a good idea from an environmental point of view – don’t get me wrong, but flying business class I expect something of a higher quality.
Food, Drinks & Snacks
Dinner
About an hour after take-off, we started service with warm mixed nuts and the cocktail service, followed by the starter. This was served on a tray with all the side dishes and also the cheese course. I found this rather odd and also a little impractical. The cheese is actually part of the dessert and if I want to eat it after the main course, I have a rather big problem storing everything on the table.
In addition, the starter, salad and bread choices were so large that I could have eaten all of it and been completely satisfied – and yes, that’s complaining on a high level, but still. There is simply no need for that much food.
There are 3 choices for the main course, and there is no alternative for dessert. Both courses were very tasty and certainly everything has been eaten 😉
Breakfast
90 minutes before landing, it was time for breakfast, and looking at the menu, the only hot dishes on offer were waffles and a hard-boiled egg. At least the latter was ok, but unfortunately the waffles were a complete failure – they were somehow completely soggy. As well as the standard croissant, there was also a small selection of rolls. Besides that there was no choice and everything came on one tray, regardless of whether individual guests might have not wanted certain parts of the breakfast.
Washrooms
Condor offers its Business Class passengers three lavatories on this A330-900. One at the front by the cockpit and two at the rear of the cabin, one on the right and one on the left. The rooms were nice and spacious and there was face cream and moisturiser, which is more or less standard in business class lavatories these days.
For a closer look at the toilets, check out our YouTube video.
Condor Service
I have to say I was a little disappointed with the service – it wasn’t particularly unfriendly, but certainly not warm as well. Service was also a bit slow, which really minimized the amount of sleep I got. Interestingly, the smiles got bigger as the crew realized I was taking photos and videos.
Arrival Airport
Frankfurt International Airport is the largest airport in Germany and one of the largest in Europe. The airport can be reached by car and bus, but it is also very well connected by train, with a long-distance train station right next to the terminal.
Everything is well signposted and easy to find. However, the distances are often quite long and you should take this into account when planning your trip.
Points
We award this Condor flight DE 2362 from Frankfurt to Bangkok 7 out of a possible 10 points.
We deduct one point for the armrest by the seat that can not be lowered, which can really result in restricting you in case you are tall. We also deduct one point for the somewhat lacklustre service and another for the uneven quality of the food. Apart from that, Condor Business Class is a great product and the aircraft was very quiet, new and efficient in terms of fuel consumption. This doesn’t benefit us as passengers that much, but the environment even more so, and if the airline passes on the reduced kerosene consumption in the form of lower fares, even better!
Recommendation
We can definitely recommend Condor Business Class. But it also depends a bit on how and with whom you are traveling.
If you are traveling as a couple, it would be cool if you could sit together and book the middle seats. When traveling alone or on business, we recommend the aisle or window seats (again, we mean the aisle-window seat, not the window seat) because of the extra space.
Airline Homepage
Conclusion
So let’s start with the hard product, the seat. It’s really good, but it has one major drawback if you’re like me and sit by the window. Unfortunately, unlike the armrest on the Lufthansa A350, the left armrest cannot be lowered. This can be a little restrictive. However, it is great that the table can be adjusted so flexibly and the quality of the main course was really good. In terms of service, it could have been better, but I’ll spoil it for you – I’ll be flying this product again and it was a bit better.
Our stay at Phang Nga Bay
We chose Phang Nga Bay for our stay and hotels on Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi. The return flight was with Condor, as was the outward flight. The hotels we chose were the Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resorts & Villas, the Cape Kudu on Koh Yao Noi and the TreeHouse Villas, also on Koh Yao Noi. We also stayed at the Hyatt Regency Phuket.
As always, it remains exciting. So stay tuned!
YouTube Review
Take a look at the video accompanying the article on YouTube, because there’s even more video to go with the text 😉
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