TG 791 BKK-JFK NONSTOP

For our summer vacation this year we decided to venture over the north pole from New Jersey to Bangkok, Thailand. Our journey began at Federal Circle Airtrain Station where we returned our rental car.





We waited for about two minutes until the Airtrain came, which proved to be much faster and smoother than Airtrain EWR



Once aboard Airtrain I was pleasantly surprised by an advertisement on the wall for the flight I was actually taking.



These advertisements lined the entire train boasting it as the fastest to southeast Asia (17 hrs is still pretty long though).





Airtrain gave a great view of JFK airport as we passed by Terminal 1, the second largest multi-use international terminal at JFK after Terminal 4, as well as the Delta terminals 2/3.





Then as we approached Terminal 4 I spotted our A340-500 already parked at the gate along with Ethiad and TAM.



We then approached the Airtrain station at Terminal 4.



Being my first time in Terminal 4 at JFK i was pleasantly surprised by the enormous building. The check-in hall was huge booming high ceilings with a very spacious feel.



We then lined up for our flight (about a 5 minute wait) in the Economy line.



Check-in was extremely slow and took us about 15 minutes as the credit card I used to book the flight had expired between the time I reserved the flight and actually took the flight. We then had to go through loads of paperwork in order to put the new credit card on file. This mayhem then continued at the gate when a rude Swissport employee walked off with my credit card, passport, and boarding pass, and didn't come back for ten minutes.

After we finally checked in we proceeded to the shopping area which was full of duty-free and name brand stores.





We then proceeded through security which took only 5 minutes, and were emptied out into the concourse which was very plain, simple, and empty with a few kiosks, shops, and bars.



With about an hour to kill before boarding I was able to take some photos of all the planes on our concourse.









We then approached the gate where I saw the magnificent Thai Airbus A340-500 which would carry me over the north pole to Thailand for the next seventeen hours.







After going through the entire credit card ordeal one last time, we finally boarded the plane through one jetway which lead us out in the middle of the Royal Silk Cabin, which took up the majority of the aircraft. We then proceeded through Premium Economy to the Economy cabin which was very small and had no more than fifteen or twenty rows.



A little after our departure time at 12:00 noon, we pushed back taxied to the runway and instantly took off with little waiting. Once in the air the entertainment systems started up, which offered about 25 movies (AVOD), a ton of TV shows, and a variety of video games including Nintendo. After about an hour in flight they came down the aisle with drinks and then passed out menus, offering a total of three meals, with snacks upon request in the back.

Flight Path:



For the first meal, which was ultimately the largest (Lunch) I was given the choice of Pork and diced Eggplant in Green Curry "kiew-wan" Sauce steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice, Salted Egg OR Grilled Marinated Chicken with Teriyaki Sauce Steamed Japanese Rice with Sesame Seeds, Vegetables.

I chose the chicken, and was also provided with Baby shrimps marinated cucumber salad, Rolls, Butter, Cheese, and Chocolate.

(Sorry no pictures of the meals for the flight to BKK, please see part 2 for pictures of meals on return flight)

After dinner I then watched movies for about seven hours took some photos of the North Pole, went to the back and got a sandwich, and then was served the second meal.

North Pole:



For dinner we were given the choice of Pork in Red Curry "Pa-naeng" Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice, Kale and Carrot Oyster Sauce OR Baked Cod Fish with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Italian Twist Noodles, Mixed Vegetables.

I chose the pork and was also provided with Mixed Green Salad with Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing, as well as Roll, Butter, Cheese, and Strawberry Chocolate.

I ate very little of the food as I was still stuffed from my first meal.

After dinner I took a three hour nap before waking up. Surprisingly during the entire 17 hour duration of the flight the sun did not set once, and when one person would open their window the entire cabin would glow due to the 24 hour sunlight in the arctic circle.

After watching a few more movies we were served our last meal (Lunch again) before arriving at the new Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok.

For our last meal we were given Phad Thai (which I would be having allot more of for the next two weeks) with prawns and crushed roasted peanuts and Garnitures as well as Toblerone on the side. After eating so many snacks I had only about a quarter of the meal as I was so stuffed.

We then made an extremely smooth landing in Bangkok a day later around four in the afternoon with a warm friendly welcome by the flight attendants to their native country.





The in flight Crew on board the flight was probably the best I've ever had on any airline. They were always smiling despite working for seventeen hours, and were extremely kind, helpful, and polite. Thai's motto came true, as the flight truly was "smooth as silk". Although the longest flight I've ever been on it was by far the best.

Please continue to read the return flight segment: TG BKK-JFK (w/lots of pics) Part 2

[Edited 2007-08-30 20:52:39]