This is where my latest travel blog begins — in the Al Dhabi Plaza Premium Lounge at Abu Dhabi Airport.
Check in with Oman Air (using Etihad staff and facilities) at the Terminal 1 business and first-class counter was quick and smooth, and it was my first opportunity to use the new E gates at AUH, which require a scan of your passport, a scan of the boarding pass, and an eye scan/ photo and you’re through with no human intervention.
So far, so very efficient. While not up to the very high standards of the Etihad offerings, the Plaza lounge is ccomfortable, with attentive staff, and it offers a good selection of food and beverages.
As always at the start of a flight, the challenge is not to overindulge at the very start of the trip.
I have the short, dry flight to Muscat ahead of me, a spell in the Oman Air lounge and then a business class flight to Bangkok.
I had a bit of fun on the flight to Muscat when the flight attendant photobombed me.
A pleasant hop of a few hundred kilometres. I drank orange juice and watched an Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon plus a “reality” show about a New Jersey bakery.
Now in Muscat, at the Oman Air lounge enjoying this:
The flight to Bangkok was everything I expected, as I’ve flown in business class on Oman Air’s Dreamliner before. I watched some sit com episodes, had a nice braised lamb dinner, and caught a couple of hours sleep.
The very early — pre-6am — arrival is brutal on the body clock, but this time I was smart enough to request an early hotel check in.
The staff at the Marriott Courtyard were eager to oblige and offered me an upgrade to the executive floor at a “modest fee” (THB1,800 — US$50 — on top of my total two-day bill of about THB9,000).
This means breakfast, afternoon and evening snacks and drinks in the executive lounge, plus that valuable extra sleeping time.
After about five hours of extra rest, I’m ready to go.
Part two will cover my experiences in Bangkok, and s review of the hotel will be posted after I leave.
