From October 1st, Emirates will introduce the new double-deck Airbus A380 on its daily Bangkok/Hong Kong service. On the internet, economy return prices are quite high at Bt. 7,635, but business class return is about the cheapest for that route at Bt. 14,900. I expect agents will be offering inaugural discounts below these prices for the first few weeks.

The business class fares look like good value... Maybe I'll make a side trip to Hong Kong.

Emirates is a nice airline...flew it to Hong Kong from BKK.. nice service, good food, and helpful cabin crew.

I wonder what first class from BKK to Hong Kong is... with the showers and all.

I wonder what first class from BKK to Hong Kong is... with the showers and all.

Same as long haul - i.e. with individual suites. The aircraft is not dedicated to that one route. It comes in from Dubai and then returns to Dubai.

Sorry, I meant "I wonder what it is" in terms of price.

 

I heard the short-haul 3-hour flight from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand on the Emirates 380 was AUD$2,000.

First Class on that route with EK currently 39,000 Bht. If you are a gold Skywards member like myself you could pay the biz class fare currently (14,000 bht) and use a few miles to upgrade free.

Also Emirates has it's own dedicated lounge at BKK.

 

 

Check the link for a peek.

 

http://www.emirates.com/english/flying/our_fleet/emirates_a380/first_class/first_class.aspx

Interesting... that's probably the most affordable Emirates Suites route around then. I think the Sydney-Auckland route used to be the most affordable.

First Class on that route with EK currently 39,000 Bht.

On EK's website, first class return fares for the new A380 service are Bt. 27,245. That's cheaper than business class on Cathay!

 

Also Emirates has it's own dedicated lounge at BKK.

 

 

http://www.emirates.com/english/flying/our_fleet/emirates_a380/first_class/first_class.aspx

 

Emirates has it's own dedicated lounge in BKK that isn't used by any other carriers?? They don't seem to have enough daily flights to make that cost effective.

On EK's website, first class return fares for the new A380 service are Bt. 27,245. That's cheaper than business class on Cathay!

 

A great deal then! I'm off to HK on Friday for the weekend with the other half, maybe I will save on the miles...

Emirates has it's own dedicated lounge in BKK that isn't used by any other carriers?? They don't seem to have enough daily flights to make that cost effective.

 

As BKK is a stopover point for flights to Sydney and Christchurch/Auckland along with HK the lounge is pretty full most times and I would guess cost effective. They so sell quite a number of stand alone tickets from BKK to these destinations, hence the introduction of an A380 to HK.

On a wider note the dedicated lounge concept is just part of their strategy to become a global airline. They are becoming a major force in serving North and South America also. They don't intend to join any airline alliance (ie Star,Oneworld etc). Hence the dedicated lounges....

Also Emirates has it's own dedicated lounge at BKK.

That's odd! According to EK's website, neither Bangkok nor Hong Kong have dedicated lounges. They share with other carriers.

 

A great deal then! I'm off to HK on Friday for the weekend with the other half, maybe I will save on the miles...

I can only find the new fares from October onwards. Besides, the A380 service does not start till then. Presently it's their rather old 777s.

 

As BKK is a stopover point for flights to Sydney and Christchurch/Auckland along with HK the lounge is pretty full most times and I would guess cost effective. They so sell quite a number of stand alone tickets from BKK to these destinations, hence the introduction of an A380 to HK.

There's a problem, though, because the HKG/BKK/HKG flights require an overnight stop in both directions if you want to connect to/from Sydney or Christchurch. If EK wants more connecting traffic, you'd have thought they'd change their schedules. So I don't understand the move to put the much larger aircraft on the BKK/HKG route. SInce it's just one flight a day, fares have to be lower than the carriers like CX and TG with 5 each. Besides, EK already has a non-stop HKG/Dubai service.

That's odd! According to EK's website, neither Bangkok nor Hong Kong have dedicated lounges. They share with other carriers.

 

There you go....you're probably looking at their partner lounges where they are still yet to provide the upgrade.

 

http://www.emirates.com/english/flying/lounges/the_emirates_lounge.aspx

 

 

I can only find the new fares from October onwards. Besides, the A380 service does not start till then. Presently it's their rather old 777s.

 

The 777 that flies that route is pretty new. Also has the upgraded interior with same FC suites as A380...I fly this route from Dubai to BKK on every visit to Thailand..

 

 

http://www.emirates.com/english/flying/service_finder/flight_services.aspx?arrAp=HKG&depAp=BKK&UID=773LFJY&depDate=100903&searchType=ServiceFinder&h=4a868dc59ceee5ee1a75ed8e2b965d0343de1d1

That's odd! According to EK's website, neither Bangkok nor Hong Kong have dedicated lounges. They share with other carriers.

 

There you go....you're probably looking at their partner lounges where they are still yet to provide the upgrade.

 

http://www.emirates.com/english/flying/lounges/the_emirates_lounge.aspx

 

 

I can only find the new fares from October onwards. Besides, the A380 service does not start till then. Presently it's their rather old 777s.

 

The 777 that flies that route is pretty new. Also has the upgraded interior with same FC suites as A380...I fly this route from Dubai to BKK on every visit to Thailand..

 

 

http://www.emirates.com/english/flying/service_finder/flight_services.aspx?arrAp=HKG&depAp=BKK&UID=773LFJY&depDate=100903&searchType=ServiceFinder&h=4a868dc59ceee5ee1a75ed8e2b965d0343de1d1

There's a problem, though, because the HKG/BKK/HKG flights require an overnight stop in both directions if you want to connect to/from Sydney or Christchurch. If EK wants more connecting traffic, you'd have thought they'd change their schedules. So I don't understand the move to put the much larger aircraft on the BKK/HKG route. SInce it's just one flight a day, fares have to be lower than the carriers like CX and TG with 5 each. Besides, EK already has a non-stop HKG/Dubai service.

 

I missed the last one. I don't quite understand about the overnight stop for Aus/NZ?

EK flies 5 times daily combined to to Aus/NZ some flights stopover for an hour enroute..no overnight stop?

 

In terms of the HK route I agree with you..no reason why they need an A380 on that route..it's rarely full hence the cheap fare...probably a prestige thing. As you're probably aware Arab airlines are very much about prestige...even comes before profit!

There you go....you're probably looking at their partner lounges where they are still yet to provide the upgrade.

 

http://www.emirates.com/english/flying/lounges/the_emirates_lounge.aspx

You are correct - apologies. Since "The Emirates Lounge" seemed to me to imply one Lounge rather than a class of Lounges, I had clicked on "Worldwide Lounges".

 

http://www.emirates.com/english/flying/lounges/worldwide_lounges.aspx

 

It's about a year since I flew EK on the HKG route. That was definitely on the older 777 with old-style seats. I certainly plan to try the new service.

 

I missed the last one. I don't quite understand about the overnight stop for Aus/NZ?

EK flies 5 times daily combined to to Aus/NZ some flights stopover for an hour enroute..no overnight stop?

I was referring to the possibility of EK passengers from HKG transiting in BKK on to EK flights to Sydney and Christchurch. These require overnight stop-overs both ways, and so I assume that idea did not play much part in EK's decision to increase capacity on the BKK/HKG route.

You are correct - apologies. Since "The Emirates Lounge" seemed to me to imply one Lounge rather than a class of Lounges, I had clicked on "Worldwide Lounges".

 

http://www.emirates.com/english/flying/lounges/worldwide_lounges.aspx

 

It's about a year since I flew EK on the HKG route. That was definitely on the older 777 with old-style seats. I certainly plan to try the new service.

 

 

I was referring to the possibility of EK passengers from HKG transiting in BKK on to EK flights to Sydney and Christchurch. These require overnight stop-overs both ways, and so I assume that idea did not play much part in EK's decision to increase capacity on the BKK/HKG route.

 

 

 

 

I see...I agree though with you. I can't see any commercial sense in putting an A380 on that route..there again the DXB-BKK leg is often overbooked. I tend to get a free upgrade to biz as they are overbooked in economy.

I see...I agree though with you. I can't see any commercial sense in putting an A380 on that route..there again the DXB-BKK leg is often overbooked. I tend to get a free upgrade to biz as they are overbooked in economy.

 

Well, Thai Air did (don't know if they still do) fly a 747 round trip once a day on their schedule to Phuket. Seems like a really short haul for a 747, but guess they were booked full too often on their smaller planes. Just get to altitude, and begin your decent.

Well, Thai Air did (don't know if they still do) fly a 747 round trip once a day on their schedule to Phuket. Seems like a really short haul for a 747

TG sometimes puts 747s or 777s on both the Chiang Mai and Phuket routes, but only once or twice a day when they expect a lot of feeder traffic transiting at BKK on to their international routes.

If EK wants more connecting traffic, you'd have thought they'd change their schedules. So I don't understand the move to put the much larger aircraft on the BKK/HKG route

I have now done two BKK/HKG round-trips on the Emirates A380. I think it’s an amazing aircraft. On the evidence of those trips, Emirates does not need connecting traffic as the flights have always been pretty full, even in the 76 seat business cabin.

 

I am so impressed I want to add a bit more to what I wrote in the Suvarnabhumi Voted 5th Best AIrport in World!!!! thread. Upstairs, it somehow does not feel as large as a 747. The first time it took off, I was surprised how quiet it is, and how slow it seemed. I felt it was going not nearly fast enough to haul itself into the air!

 

On board, Emirates has 8 across mini cabins – 6 single and 1 in the centre with 2 seats. Having single cabins sounds like a massive waste of space, but the airline has designed the area very cleverly and you actually have both privacy (especially the window seats) and a lot of space – and a small minibar next to you! For those who want to be more sociable there is the stand-up bar at the back which on my flights has been very popular. Seats are full flat beds with acres of leg room. The TV screen is very large and so clear it is virtually HD, with hundreds of movies and TV shows to choose from. Plus the food is miles better than Cathay Pacific and Thai on this route. I used not to be a fan of Emirates, but I am rapidly changing my mind!

 

With only one daily flight, it can never compete on frequency, and an arrival in HKG around 5pm may seem a waste of half a day to some. But the departure time from HKG of 9:15pm more than makes up for this. For the price, it is way ahead of all other competitors on the route.

 

First class return from Athenes only 2678 Euro with A380 from Dubai to HKG and back. Same ticket only to BKK 2526 Euro... so you pay only 152 Euro more for the HKG return.Better than 8000-10000 Euro from other places in europe with Thai or LH

Hey FH,

 

Interesting article here for you.....

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/business/13emirates.html?_r=1&ref=global&pagewanted=all

Thanks lexusgs. Several interesting points in that article, including this one -

 

Over the next two decades, air travel in the Middle East is expected to grow by more than 7 percent a year, outpacing every other region, according to a forecast from Boeing in 2010. Much of that growth will be spurred by Emirates and two other fast-expanding airlines based in the Persian Gulf area: Etihad Airlines, based in Abu Dhabi, and Qatar Airways

I only took Qatar once, but I thought its 777 business class out of Bangkok the best of the many airlines I have flown - by far! Etihad's standards seem to have slipped after a spectacular start, whereas Emirates seems to be on an upswing again. I also like this quote from Emirates' President -

 

Emirates executives say they recognize the challenges ahead. “We don’t forget who we are, and what we do,” says Mr. Clark, the president. “We’re a bus company. We have seats, we have people, and we recognize what it is that makes life more comfortable. If we hit the spot, passengers come back.”

That's exactly what airlines are nowadays - long-range bus companies. Too many of the legacy carriers price according to the second principle of making life more comfortable, whilst mostly providing merely the first principle of transportation. No wonder the six airlines awarded a 5-star rating by Skytrax all come from Asia and the Middle East.

Cathay seem to following hard the the heels.

This starts in March