BKK-ZRH business Lie-flat seats comfortable ?

[THAIPHUKET]

Comfort of seats is more important than age of stewardesses, need to feel a bit spoiled. Any suggestions including nice stop- over for a few days to make the stop easy and enjoyable. NO STRESS Brainstorming.

Appreciated!

Edited August 2, 2019 by THAIPHUKET

[henry2109]

I can advise you to check with Finnair, so you will get a stopover in Helsinki, which is ok for a flight-change. The flight schedule usually is good, and not too much waiting for the connecting flight.

 

The still pretty new A350 has a comfortable configuration for business class, and the airplane as well as the service overall is top notch. There are only 4 business-class seats in one row, so plenty of space.

 

Finnair has a business-class special from time to time (around 80'000 Baht). If you manage to get one of those, it is a very good deal.

[Swiss1960]

Swiss LX181 has a great business class with seats that go 100% flat. If you book early, you might be able to choose a single window seat, which is my preferred seat. Food, wines, spirits, Nespresso coffee all fell to enjoy and relax.

 

Just one thing: for big people (sideways or lengthways), the seat will be a tight fit for sleeping (no problem with sitting). First class seat would then solve that problem also...

[KittenKong]

13 hours ago, THAIPHUKET said:

Comfort of seats is more important than age of stewardesses, need to feel a bit spoiled. Any suggestions including nice stop- over for a few days to make the stop easy and enjoyable.

For the last few years I've only flown business class and now I will only fly with airlines that offer lie-flat seats. I have never had a really bad lie-flat seat, though with some airlines the foot space available can be a little limited due to the herringbone layout. (That said, I really like the herringbone layout and would always go for it when available, as it gives me a very private window seat.)

 

Finnair are OK except for the fact that the short regional legs are likely to be in an older/smaller plane (probably an A32*) in which the seats and service will not be proper business class. The same applies to other airlines that have hubs within a few hundred km of the final destination. Also the Helsinki lounge is busy and not up to much. But worth checking the schedule to see what plane you would get from HEL<>ZRH.

 

So for a good flight on comfortable lie-flat seats on every leg, and good food and drink, and good airport lounges, and the possibility of an interesting and cheap stopover, I would look at the middle eastern airlines. Qatar, Emirates, Etihad are all fine in my book, and some of them offer heavily subsidised stopovers in their home country. Oman is fine in every respect apart from the Muscat lounge which is quite poor for such an opulent new airport. Their Bangkok lounge is good though.

 

Other options might be Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific, both of which fly big planes for the local legs and both of which usually offer stopover packages in their home country. They also have good lounges. They probably wont be very cheap though, and of course Singapore and Hong Kong are both Asian and similar to here in many respects so not much of a stopover break.

Another option might be Turkish though you would want to check on which plane they use for the short legs.

Another option could be Sri Lankan as they have quite nice business class seats on the local A321 BKK<>CMB leg, and a nice lounge in CMB. Depending on the schedule they may also put you in a hotel near CMD for free and they probably have a stopover package available too. I've flown with them many times.

 

Caveat: I have not bothered to check if all the above actually fly direct from their hub to Zurich, or if they code-share, or the size of planes they use for all legs, so my recommendations are just general ones.

As a general rule I would look for A330/350/380 or B777/787 planes, all of which are fine in my experience.

[Fairynuff]

On 8/3/2019 at 8:39 AM, KittenKong said:

As a general rule I would look for A330/350/380 or B777/787 planes, all of which are fine in my experience.

I’ve been using mostly Emirates business and always makes sure I use A380 flights. The Middle East airlines don’t consider the BKK route a premium one and many of their 777 and 330 flights are older non flat bed planes as I learned to my cost on my switch to Etihad for my current ticket. No way will I be using Etihad again.

Oman are using 787 Dreamliners and I found them excellent. The lounge in Muscat I thought was excellent once I discovered that it’s not just the small section at the front but much larger if you go further in.

Muscat is also much easier to get around than Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Emirates win out over the others with free chauffeur and free onboard WiFi but their meal service in business is rubbish compared to how it was just a few years ago.

[Kron]

20 minutes ago, Fairynuff said:

Emirates win out over the others with free chauffeur and free onboard WiFi but their meal service in business is rubbish compared to how it was just a few years ago.

Emirates also gives you a thin mattress to place over the seat which helps with the comfort. 

[KittenKong]

37 minutes ago, Fairynuff said:

The Middle East airlines don’t consider the BKK route a premium one and many of their 777 and 330 flights are older non flat bed planes as I learned to my cost on my switch to Etihad for my current ticket. No way will I be using Etihad again.

I'm surprised. I've never had a flight out of Bangkok on a middle-eastern airline that hasn't been in a lie-flat seat.

 

38 minutes ago, Fairynuff said:

Oman are using 787 Dreamliners and I found them excellent. The lounge in Muscat I thought was excellent once I discovered that it’s not just the small section at the front but much larger if you go further in.

I liked Oman too, but I didnt find a larger lounge and I toured the entire area very well. How recently were you there? Maybe they have extended it since I was there.

[millymoopoo]

I would also suggest Oman air, I've not flown them yet (have a trip coming up in Sept) but have heard good reports.

But aeroplanes used are a big influence, generally the Airbus wide bodies are very good, especially the A380 and the new A350, although the B787 (Boeing) is not as good as the A350, it is a contender, avoid B777 as they are old and noisy. And very few airlines offer a flat or even an angle flat bed seat on a narrow body aeroplane. Check the airline hub, if in Europe the connector will be a narrow body with Euro business, which at best is poor, better to try for a mixed class fare, long haul in business and within Europe in economy.

[paddyfield7]

On 8/2/2019 at 7:31 PM, henry2109 said:

I can advise you to check with Finnair, so you will get a stopover in Helsinki, which is ok for a flight-change. The flight schedule usually is good, and not too much waiting for the connecting flight.

 

The still pretty new A350 has a comfortable configuration for business class, and the airplane as well as the service overall is top notch. There are only 4 business-class seats in one row, so plenty of space.

 

Finnair has a business-class special from time to time (around 80'000 Baht). If you manage to get one of those, it is a very good deal.

Finnair's prices are usually amongst the cheapest indeed, but be aware outbound is a pure day flight leaving BKK 085:55 arriving HEL 15:15, which is not everyone's case.

[Fairynuff]

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

I'm surprised. I've never had a flight out of Bangkok on a middle-eastern airline that hasn't been in a lie-flat seat.

 

I liked Oman too, but I didnt find a larger lounge and I toured the entire area very well. How recently were you there? Maybe they have extended it since I was there.

I was there last year. Inbound to BKK I thought the lounge was tiny. Outbound I walked a bit further and found the rest of the lounge with much more food!

some Emirates 777s are still the old non flat as are the Etihad ones.

[Searat7]

I have flown Thai Airways and Swiss on this route in Business Class. Both use Boeing 777 planes and the lie flat seats are ok for sleeping. I prefer Thai because they don’t use carts in the aisles; they carry everything whereas Swiss seems to have carts in the aisle often. 

Edited August 4, 2019 by Searat7
Spelling

[dabhand]

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

I'm surprised. I've never had a flight out of Bangkok on a middle-eastern airline that hasn't been in a lie-flat seat.

 

I liked Oman too, but I didnt find a larger lounge and I toured the entire area very well. How recently were you there? Maybe they have extended it since I was there.

Seems like they upgraded it last year. Looks good.

 

https://samchui.com/2018/06/30/oman-air-new-first-business-class-lounge-muscat/#.XUZ5c_nwbIU

[KittenKong]

14 minutes ago, dabhand said:

Seems like they upgraded it last year. Looks good.

 

https://samchui.com/2018/06/30/oman-air-new-first-business-class-lounge-muscat/#.XUZ5c_nwbIU

That's the lounge that I used two months ago. I was disappointed. Though in retrospect and in fairness I was there in the middle of the night each time and the menu service wasn't functioning, so I just had the buffet as shown in that report. The dates were fantastic - a selection of varieties - but the rest was only average. (No big deal as all the in-flight meals were very good, and I was stuffed anyway.)

Looks like the menu service is much better.

[KittenKong]

23 minutes ago, Searat7 said:

I have flown Thai Airways and Swiss on this route in Business Class. Both use Boeing 777 planes and the lie flat seats are ok for sleeping. I prefer Thai because they don’t use carts in the aisles; they carry everything whereas Swiss seems to have carts in the aisle often. 

Yes, they are both fine but neither offer a stopover which the OP was interested in getting.

[Aussieroaming]

2 hours ago, Fairynuff said:

I’ve been using mostly Emirates business and always makes sure I use A380 flights. The Middle East airlines don’t consider the BKK route a premium one and many of their 777 and 330 flights are older non flat bed planes as I learned to my cost on my switch to Etihad for my current ticket. No way will I be using Etihad again.

Oman are using 787 Dreamliners and I found them excellent. The lounge in Muscat I thought was excellent once I discovered that it’s not just the small section at the front but much larger if you go further in.

Muscat is also much easier to get around than Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Emirates win out over the others with free chauffeur and free onboard WiFi but their meal service in business is rubbish compared to how it was just a few years ago.

Yes I flew Etihad a couple of months ago to the OK and the BKK-Abu Dhabi sector was woeful there and back. Oldest business class I've been on ages.

[Aussieroaming]

44 minutes ago, millymoopoo said:

I would also suggest Oman air, I've not flown them yet (have a trip coming up in Sept) but have heard good reports.

But aeroplanes used are a big influence, generally the Airbus wide bodies are very good, especially the A380 and the new A350, although the B787 (Boeing) is not as good as the A350, it is a contender, avoid B777 as they are old and noisy. And very few airlines offer a flat or even an angle flat bed seat on a narrow body aeroplane. Check the airline hub, if in Europe the connector will be a narrow body with Euro business, which at best is poor, better to try for a mixed class fare, long haul in business and within Europe in economy.

I flew with Oman J Class 6 months ago, all I can say is excellent on-board experience but the window seat is much better than the aisle seat in regards to privacy and leg room (more like a suite feeling). Heathrow lounge mediocre due to being a shared lounge. Qatar or Oman Airlines both excellent choices in my view.

[KittenKong]

43 minutes ago, millymoopoo said:

avoid B777 as they are old and noisy

I went from Bangkok to LAX with Qatar, the long way round via Doha. The leg from Doha to LAX was on a B777 and is one of the world's longest flights. I loved it. Big fully-reclining seats with lots of space. Felt like I was sitting in someone's living room. The food and drinks were all spot-on too.

 

As for them being old, they are still making them.

[rbpeters]

If you fly Qatar you should look for the flights that have the new Qsuites - there are at least two flights a day from BKK with them. You now get a sliding door to give you complete privacy. They also now have their new lounge open in Bangkok which is quite impressive and only for business and first class passengers - not frequent flyers in economy.

[Fairynuff]

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

I went from Bangkok to LAX with Qatar, the long way round via Doha. The leg from Doha to LAX was on a B777 and is one of the world's longest flights. I loved it. Big fully-reclining seats with lots of space. Felt like I was sitting in someone's living room. The food and drinks were all spot-on too.

 

As for them being old, they are still making them.

 Correct, they are still making them. Emirates have some and are apparently excellent but they aren’t used between DXB and BKK

[briley]

Reading all of this it seems everyone is travelling on their own, or with someone they do not wish to talk to.

 

Two people travelling together on Finnair and you have seating that means you can not see let alone talk to each other. Similar with other airlines.

 

Emirates do have a few seats that are "two together" in the middle but they do sell out fast. Got the last one out of Manchester last month for a flight in October!

[Mavideol]

you guys must have a great retirement pay check, I am having a hard time just trying to fly with economy

[manhood]

For me the most comfortable and most spoiled airline in business class is Emirate, especially if its the A 380. Just the stopover time is sometimes long.

FINNAIR is also fine as i use as well. I like the luggages i can take, 4 piecess as Silver member and when i come from Europe its all "needed". Flight schedule is perfect for me , going FRA.

SWISSAIR, had also a great service, nothing to complain

 All gave flat bed now!

Enjoy

[richard_smith237]

17 minutes ago, manhood said:

For me the most comfortable and most spoiled airline in business class is Emirate, especially if its the A 380. Just the stopover time is sometimes long.

FINNAIR is also fine as i use as well. I like the luggages i can take, 4 piecess as Silver member and when i come from Europe its all "needed". Flight schedule is perfect for me , going FRA.

SWISSAIR, had also a great service, nothing to complain

 All gave flat bed now!

Enjoy

 

Emirates Business Class every time... 

I do the BKK - DXB route about 16 times per year - 4 out of 5 daily flights are with an A380 which has one of the best flatbed flights I've been on. 

The Bar at the back of a plane is a bit of novelty, the 'mattress' (a 2" thick 6ft cushion) makes the seats one of the most comfortable. 

 

If stopping off in Dubai there are plenty of quality hotels for a couple of days of luxury - Airport transfers with Emirates would be included. 

 

Recommending a hotel in Dubai would be a bit silly, there are simply so many hotels of all ranges. 

 

OR, another option is to take the daytime flights, enjoy the service and take and overnight stop over at the Dubai Terminal Hotel without having to leave the airport or pass through immigration and customs, then jump on the flight the next day without any hassle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Letseng]

On 8/2/2019 at 7:31 PM, henry2109 said:

I can advise you to check with Finnair, so you will get a stopover in Helsinki, which is ok for a flight-change. The flight schedule usually is good, and not too much waiting for the connecting flight.

 

The still pretty new A350 has a comfortable configuration for business class, and the airplane as well as the service overall is top notch. There are only 4 business-class seats in one row, so plenty of space.

 

Finnair has a business-class special from time to time (around 80'000 Baht). If you manage to get one of those, it is a very good deal.

Finnair has no high rating. Food is not very appealing and of poor quality. HEL airport is mayhem, long queues, no fasttrack, overcrowded lounges. Within Europe planes are old, and business class is nothing but 3 seats for 2 pax. Look at or Omanair. Omanair has comfy seats.

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, Letseng said:

Finnair has no high rating. Food is not very appealing and of poor quality. HEL airport is mayhem, long queues, no fasttrack, overcrowded lounges. Within Europe planes are old, and business class is nothing but 3 seats for 2 pax. Look at or Omanair. Omanair has comfy seats.

 

The only advantage for Finn is that their Business Class flights are often very competitively priced - they also have extremely fast layovers (i.e. 40mins to connecting flights). 

 

Their long haul seats are ok - when I flew them about 4 years ago it was not 100 lie flat, it was inclined lie flat which is not as comfortable. The Connecting flights within Europe was exactly as you wrote, 3 seats of a normal seat cabin for 2 passengers. 

 

I'd fly them again, but only based on price, not if looking for additional comfort. 

 

Personally, I'd prefer to choose Emirates Economy day time flights (A380) and over night at Dubai terminal hotel ahead of flying Finn Business for 10hrs, then getting on another 3 hr flight on a smaller air-craft. 

 

BUT, the op is looking to be spoilt - Emirates it is !!!

[Fairynuff]

If you really want to be spoiled then it has to be Emirates First. I hasten to add that I only every fly First using miles!

[moonseeker]

Did ZH-Istanbul (free 5 day stopover) - BKK recently.  Enjoyed Turkish Air and Istanbul very much. And very cheap on top of that.  MS>

[CH1961]

Stopover from Bkk to ZRH? 

Sorry, what for? 

Both, Swiss and Thai provide non stop flat.

[CH1961]

1 hour ago, moonseeker said:

Enjoyed Turkish Air and Istanbul very much.

If you like Muslim ????

[THAIPHUKET]

 The mattress is good idea. On Etihad + Oman I could feel my bones. Tough for a long flight