Business Class Fares & Offers

[Stillearly]

Etihad have a sale on at the moment 10% off all classes 

[dontpanic]

Flying home with Turkish Airlines gave me the choice of Eva or Thai lounges in BKK so I opted for Eva as it was nearer my Gate and it was a great decision. Lovely lounge, about 5 people in it so lots of room. Just had a drink as I had my by now traditional Burger King(last junk food for a while). Really comfortable and well laid out, then I decided I needed to use the toilet before my long flight to Istanbul. Fk me, a heated toilet seat complete with water spray controls and after spray heating controls. I wish I brought my camera just to take a pic of the control panel. All cleaned up and never had to move from the heated seat - This is worth paying for!

Flights home were half full at best, The A330 from BKK is lovely and spacious but works better if there's nobody beside you and it looks like check in staff took this into account when allocating seats. Service was very good although they seemed to be looking for something to do all the time, maybe the lack of numbers was surprising. Sleeping wasn't that easy as the seat doesn't lie flat but at an angle. It was ok, Etihad was better. Although TA do make your bed for you after take off. 

Overall for 1600 Euro I though Turkish Airlines really delivered a very good service at an exceptional price. It ticked a lot of boxes for justifying the Business class expense but I very much enjoyed it and would happily use again.

[T-T-T]

On 7/12/2018 at 07:18, thinkingallowed said:

Gulf Air are supposed to have started using a 787 on the Heathrow Bahrain route. The new business class seating looks jolly nice.

 

I'm due a trip in September and there are tickets available for £1071 so I'm very tempted.

I will be on it in 3 weeks will keep you posted .. it does look the nuts .....  wonder if they have free wifi ? 

[hammerman]

On 16/06/2018 at 20:23, T-T-T said:

Fuck it booked it  :-)  20/12 to 13/1 £1068  Thanks GreatThings  for posting momondo didn't have it but skyscanner found it and booked through Flysharp 

Just FYI, Flysharp=Southall Travel.

I too have a Gulf booking via Flysharp and just received notification of flight schedule change. Email came from Southall Travel but signed Flysharp.

My flights are either side of the clocks changing in Uk, so the 1hr stopover in Bahrain is now a leisurely 2 hrs. 

[thinkingallowed]

10 hours ago, T-T-T said:

I will be on it in 3 weeks will keep you posted .. it does look the nuts .....  wonder if they have free wifi ? 

Not sure but if they had I think this guy might have mentioned it. Slightly annoying voice but not a bad review of the new business class seating...

 

[bigbadbaz]

Doing my usual flight browsing at work today and came across an excellent Etihad offer, I normally go out Sat 6/7/8 December and have to be back on Boxing Day for work on the 27th.

Booked Sat 8th and leave 8pm Xmas day so back on 26th

£1455.00 inc tax Bizz class Manchester to Bkk, booked through Travelbag. On the Etihad site is £1525sh. Maximum layover of 2-3 hours

Recent reviews not been the best and not the best Bizz class but for £5/600 saving I can live with that

 

[neilri2001]

On 7/12/2018 at 07:18, thinkingallowed said:

Gulf Air are supposed to have started using a 787 on the Heathrow Bahrain route. The new business class seating looks jolly nice.

 

I'm due a trip in September and there are tickets available for £1071 so I'm very tempted.

At the moment there are still Business class return tickets on Gulf Air to Thailand available in the £1000 to £1100 range. If you are planning a trip over the coming months it might be worth jumping in now as with the introduction of the new dreamliner business class product between London and Bahrain its hard to see how these prices can be maintained. I would expect the cheap tickets to rise to £1500 in the very near future. 

[docbunsen]

On 29/07/2018 at 19:56, bigbadbaz said:

Doing my usual flight browsing at work today and came across an excellent Etihad offer, I normally go out Sat 6/7/8 December and have to be back on Boxing Day for work on the 27th.

Booked Sat 8th and leave 8pm Xmas day so back on 26th

£1455.00 inc tax Bizz class Manchester to Bkk, booked through Travelbag. On the Etihad site is £1525sh. Maximum layover of 2-3 hours

Recent reviews not been the best and not the best Bizz class but for £5/600 saving I can live with that

 

I have been looking myself right up to next May . There are some good deals some under £1400 for this year with no long layover.  Even with the 4-5 hr layover on return leg wouldn't really bother me you can get a shower and go sit in the lounge hassle free.

[davidge]

Sat in the new Singapore lounge at BKK now. Very quiet. Not the widest food selection but ok. Has toilets but no showers. Certainly better than the Thai lounges here but not as good as Eva’s imo.

As I’m flying Thai, it was a bit of a trek to get here. It’s right at the end of D concourse on level 3 - near gate D7. I’ll need to allow plenty of time to get to my gate later. The Eva lounge would be more of a trek though.

Edit: wandered up closer to gate so trying one of small Thai lounges at beginning of C concourse. Quiet here too. Very limited choice of food but they do have toilets & showers here if ever you need them. Think it’s only this one that has showers (rhs, even numbered gates) and not the lounge opposite.

Edited August 6, 2018 by davidge

[davidge]

Just flew back with Thai on the 777. Food was better and service was very good. Maybe having a smaller Biz section makes for better service - or they don’t staff the 380 properly.

On the down side, the plane was showing it’s age. Seat not as comfortable and zero storage in the seat.

The seats are staggered similarly to the 380 so a window seat better than an aisle seat. Even rows are window seats.

[davidge]

10 hours ago, davidge said:

Just flew back with Thai on the 777. Food was better and service was very good. Maybe having a smaller Biz section makes for better service - or they don’t staff the 380 properly.

On the down side, the plane was showing it’s age. Seat not as comfortable and zero storage in the seat.

The seats are staggered similarly to the 380 so a window seat better than an aisle seat. Even rows are window seats.

PS One slightly odd thing was the timing of the meal service. First one was about an hour out of BKK, as expected. The second was only about 3 hours after they’d cleared the first. Still more than 5 hours to go to Heathrow! 

 

[Eric Le Roi]

7 hours ago, davidge said:

PS One slightly odd thing was the timing of the meal service. First one was about an hour out of BKK, as expected. The second was only about 3 hours after they’d cleared the first. Still more than 5 hours to go to Heathrow! 

 

Time for a good sleep I suppose.

[thinkingallowed]

8 hours ago, davidge said:

PS One slightly odd thing was the timing of the meal service. First one was about an hour out of BKK, as expected. The second was only about 3 hours after they’d cleared the first. Still more than 5 hours to go to Heathrow! 

 

Slightly odd? I'd say that was terrible service.

[hammerman]

On 13/07/2018 at 23:49, T-T-T said:

I will be on it in 3 weeks will keep you posted .. it does look the nuts .....  wonder if they have free wifi ? 

How did the flight go?

 

[T-T-T]

On 8/23/2018 at 15:58, hammerman said:

How did the flight go?

 

yes it was good..London - Bahrain the new seats could be a little softer but otherwise excellent,   very private,  was like having your own mini cabin 22 inch TV. Service was a bit late ...took about 2 hours to be served would have nicer to have it sooner so you can get your head down..  again when it did arrive all excellent. Unfortunately they ran out of Lamb Shank my favorite  by the time they took my dinner order. But still had a good dinner ..was very comfortable  flight.  If the service had been quicker would have been perfect 

Bahrain - Bkk All good again I was at this point just happy to get my head down. Told the chef the CHef to wake me up 1 hour before landing so I could have some food. I actually woke up 1.5 hour before and after quick wash my food was waiting for me. Having been on the other plane this did make this plane feel a little dated and old but still good sleep and arrived rested and on time. 

Heading back tomorrow and if I get time will try and write something a bit more in depth. 

FOr the price you can pay for his flight it has to be best product out there with the new planes on the London - Bahrain

SO tomorrow plan is BKK - Bahrain .. eat on the plane .. relax maybe get a few zzzz  then Bahrain - london .. head down straight way , hopefully get a full 5.5 - 6  hours sleep skip any initial food and have a very light breakfast just before landing .. hopefully all will be on time and I will be back at my desk by 9:30 am. 

Edited August 26, 2018 by T-T-T

[hammerman]

1 hour ago, T-T-T said:

yes it was good..London - Bahrain the new seats could be a little softer but otherwise excellent,   very private,  was like having your own mini cabin 22 inch TV. Service was a bit late ...took about 2 hours to be served would have nicer to have it sooner so you can get your head down..  again when it did arrive all excellent. Unfortunately they ran out of Lamb Shank my favorite  by the time they took my dinner order. But still had a good dinner ..was very comfortable  flight.  If the service had been quicker would have been perfect 

Bahrain - Bkk All good again I was at this point just happy to get my head down. Told the chef the CHef to wake me up 1 hour before landing so I could have some food. I actually woke up 1.5 hour before and after quick wash my food was waiting for me. Having been on the other plane this did make this plane feel a little dated and old but still good sleep and arrived rested and on time. 

Heading back tomorrow and if I get time will try and write something a bit more in depth. 

FOr the price you can pay for his flight it has to be best product out there with the new planes on the London - Bahrain

SO tomorrow plan is BKK - Bahrain .. eat on the plane .. relax maybe get a few zzzz  then Bahrain - london .. head down straight way , hopefully get a full 5.5 - 6  hours sleep skip any initial food and have a very light breakfast just before landing .. hopefully all will be on time and I will be back at my desk by 9:30 am. 

Glad to hear it, got same flight in October.

[basket case]

Not a stellar deal, but good prices for SQ. Oddly cheaper on their phone app than on a PC browser

http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/plan-travel/promotions/campaigns/local/us/great-getaway-2018-us/?utm_source=kf_main_sfo_b&utm_medium=email&utm_content=bkk_jfare&utm_campaign=squs_gimc2018

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[T-T-T]

just checked my xmas gulf air flights and the 787 is now on both legs.  So that is a great flight for £1100.  picked  row1 seat this time so hopefully will get earlier service and get more shut eye on the first 1st leg. 

Update to my experience  from bangkok

Bkk - Bahrain we were bused from the plane back to the terminal and we landed a little late ..got a bit worried as we only had an hour but no need to worry had time for a drink and bite to eat still in the lounge as I wanted to go straight to sleep on the plane. Security was really stepped up had bag scanned twice .. once in transit area  and again at the gate and extra checks at the door to the plane double checking passports. 

Bahrain - LHR So as planned straight to sleep and as requested was woken up 1 hour before landing with Tea, Toast and some fruit. You can have a cooked breakfast but they wake you up 1.5 hours before landing so I opted for the light continental breakfast to max sleep. 

going to try an aisle seat next time .. the window seat can feel a little cramped as you are sandwiched between the cabin/seat next to you and the side of the plane. and can be a little awkward getting out of the seat when not fully up right but it is more private.   on my bahrain to LHR they did offer another layer to put on the seat and make up my bed so think they have clocked on the seats are a little hard and the material is not the softest. 

The only let down on the way back was the time heathrow took to get the bags out. ( what is it they can achieve  in BKK they dont seem to be able to do at LHR) we were waiting at the carousel for around 45 minutes. SO any time benefit traveling business is lost here .. first off plane , express through passport control etc .. but that is not gulf air fault.  then took them 35 to deliver my car back to me so arrived a little late to work but was fully functional by 10am. 

But all in all a good flight back only let down was LHR and the Car service.  looking forward to using them again at xmas .. and another little bonus they land in BKK an extra 1/2 earlier happy days 

 

Warning!!!  do not use Bon Voyage Parking I have a received a car parking fine apparently my car was left on a road for 3 hours when it should have been in there secure private car parking. They are paying it but still my car was left in a non- secure area. 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2018 by T-T-T

[davidge]

I’ve been checking flights for a few dates to keep an eye on how fares are looking. The Gulf £1100-ish fare is still showing up for a number of dates though often with a longer stopover. A few Turkish fares showing up at around £1400 or so.

The bad news is that I haven’t seen Eva for less than £2200 for a while now. They are my preferred option but I won’t pay that fare. Can only hope they offer lower fares again at some point.

 

[bullseye]

i booked Oman air business class for January. 1300 quid. 787 Dreamliner. Be interesting to see how it shapes up.

[T-T-T]

5 hours ago, bullseye said:

i booked Oman air business class for January. 1300 quid. 787 Dreamliner. Be interesting to see how it shapes up.

Looks identical  to Gulf Air from Muscat to BKK except the seat look a bit nicer and softer ... will keep this in mind 

 

[bigbadbaz]

On 21/09/2018 at 14:36, bullseye said:

i booked Oman air business class for January. 1300 quid. 787 Dreamliner. Be interesting to see how it shapes up.

A friend goes Bizz class on Emirates twice per year but last Xmas offer on Oman £1k less so booked it. 

Going out not 787 said was acceptable, not the quality of Emirates but food and service ok and had a decent whiskey so happy. On way back got email day before saying plane overbooked so they paid for extra night and moved him to Qatar for return flight but got free upgrade to 1st class on 1st leg then bizz on 2nd leg. He has his own business so home a day later not a prob.

This year he has gone back to Emirates 

[T-T-T]

Gulf air now offering turn down service as well  ..... it just gets better.  Those seats where a bit hard :-)

Our turn-down service on long-haul flights provide you with a mattress, plush duvet, plump pillow and pyjamas to arrive at your destination refreshed and rejuvenated.  Don't think we will see these seats staying around the £1000 for long. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2018 by T-T-T

[thinkingallowed]

A few pics of my flight on Gulf's 789...

 

[thinkingallowed]