Elite status: none
Aircraft type:
A321-200
Seat: 16C
The seats definitely showed a lot of wear and the aircraft had a musty smell in the cabin. The cabin is in need of an update.
Padding:
The padding was adequate even though the seats were very worn. Good enough for a longer flight.
Recline:
Recline was good at 4 inches from the upright position.
Pitch:
The pitch was very good. There was nearly a 5 inch gap between my knee and the seat in front of me.
There was 18 inches between armrests. The living space was 30 inches from seat back to the seat in front. Very roomy!
CMB-BKK
March 1, 2019
Distance: 1,487 miles
Schedule:
Depart: 2:35PM
Arrive: 7:40PM
Scheduled: 3h 35m
Push back: 2:23PM (12 minutes early)
Touch down: 7:13PM (27 minutes early)
Arrived at gate 4m later
Actual duration: 3h 24m
Cost:
Paid with: miles
Prices at time of booking:
Miles: 17,310 Chase Ultimate Rewards (1.5 cents each)
Cash: $259.66
Payment method reasoning: I don’t chase airline status. This was a last minute booking that was reasonable. Departure taxes from CMB are very high! The fare portion of the ticket was only $100 USD.
Boarding:
We boarded from a remote stand. “Gate” R3 and took a bus to the aircraft. Security checks are done before going to the gate at CMB.
Boarding was chaotic. No announcements made. Doors were opened to the bus and a mad dash began. Same for getting off the bus and onto the aircraft.
Flight attendants were helpful getting passengers to their seats and helping stow bags above. They also handed out blankets to those who requested.
Service:
During pushback and taxi the crew offered a cup of water from a pitcher to the economy passengers. Juice and cookies were also offered to the children on board. A nice touch!
This was my first pre-departure beverage offer in economy class in over 600,000 miles flown!
After the seatbelt sign switched off the crew handed out headsets to all passengers free of charge. They quickly followed with a menu for the onboard meal. It is rare to see menus in economy these days!
Meal service started with special order meals. After they served the meals and drinks at the same time. Service was quick and efficient. After they came by again to offer coffee and tea.
The crew times service well and cleared the meal service shortly after everyone finished eating.
IFE and power:
Each seat had a 7 inch seatback touch screen. Movies, music, TV shows, games, and a kids section were available. It had a good selection of western and local content. Recent movies were offered.
Every seat had a USB port that could be used for charging small devices. There were no normal power outlets. I was able to charge my iPhone 7 in flight albeit slowly.
I watched Deadpool 2 in flight which was a very entertaining movie. The touch was a little off and response slightly slow but still worked well.
WiFi:
Not available on this flight.
Food:
We were served a meal in flight.
I had the Lemon Chicken with mixed vegetables and egg fried rice.
It was good. It tasted more like a curry and not much lemon. The side salad was not good and dessert was an ok custard.
Drinks:
Drinks offered were coffee, tea, juices, soft drinks, spirits, beer, and wine.
All drink options were complimentary.
I had a Coke and a Stella Artois beer.
Best seats:
Exit row
Bulkhead
Any non-middle seat
Pros:
Good pitch and good IFE selection. Food was good and the crew was friendly and helpful.
Cons:
Checkin was very slow so you need to arrive early as lines can be long. Online checkin doesn’t save you any time at the airport.
The worn interior and slight smell is an easy thing for the airline to correct. It needs updating!
Would I fly again?
Yes. If other airlines had a cheaper price and better product I would probably fly them instead. Service was good but the product is very worn and dated.
