Amsterdam – Abu Dhabi – Bangkok and now Pattaya
The day of my departure on May 5 was a bright spring day in the Netherlands with a pleasant 20 degrees. At 22.00 pm I left with Etihad for Abu Dhabi, a 6 hour journey.
Although I had booked a seat next to the window, a friendly flight attendant pointed out that I could also choose another seat; there were quite a few seats empty. I immediately moved to the middle row with 4 empty seats; so I could stretch out and sleep soundly. A lucky one.
Abu Dhabi airport was quite disappointing to me. I found terminal 1 especially chaotic, busy and small. Boarding to the flight to Bangkok was also not very efficient. It is now clear to me why Schiphol always scores well in all rankings. They can learn a lot from that in that sandbox,
The arrangement of the seats in the Boeing 777 to Bangkok was different 3 – 4 – 3. I sat by the window again and had no one next to me, could also sleep well again and stretch my legs. At 6.00 am I landed in Bangkok. My first flight with Etihad went well.
Incidentally, I did not find the service on board particularly. I mean, not really any better or worse than I'm used to. Found the food very mediocre; serving took forever, resulting in cold food. It also took a very long time to get your first drink. To be honest, I found the service at EVA Air and China Airlines better.
The hotel in Pattaya where I am now staying (D-Appartment on Soi Buakhao) is excellent. It is new and that already gives a good impression. A large room, balcony, well-furnished with kitchenette, sufficient closet space, clean shower, etc. And certainly not unimportant a fast and stable internet connection, so that I can also work properly on Thailand blog. All that for 1.200 baht per night. I am a satisfied person.
Am I reading that you had to check in again in Abu Dhabi for the flight to Bangkok? Do you not get a boarding pass at Schiphol for the 2nd part of the journey?
Dear Cornelis, I had an electronic boarding pass. By Check-in I again meant through the security check and the check of your boarding pass. Basically boarding. I'll edit it in the article.
Best,
then you must have very exceptionally had a bad flight. i have already flown with several airlines (including klm and eva) and think etihad far exceeds them. food always tasty (for a flight), service always perfect. you let it come or you go get yourself a drink in the back. the stewards always stay with the same smile.
and the airport in abu dhabi is super. in terminal 3 you have an english style beer bar (bill bentley) where you can get belgian draft beer.
Also have a look http://www.sanya-Apartments.com. Also in the Soi Buakhao on the square where there is also THE market on Tuesdays and Fridays.
It is very nice with Louis (a Dutchman) and Sanya.
The prices are also very attractive !!! I think cheaper than where you are now and the apartments are also very spacious.
We've been there a few times and it was great!!!
Say hello to Louis and Sanya.
Happy Holidays
Tjitske
Dear Tjitske,
Thanks for the tip. There will undoubtedly be even cheaper or nicer rooms. The range is large and is only getting bigger. I only spend 6 nights here and then move on so I'm satisfied.
I have been flying 2 to 3 times a year with Etihad for years and I already have a Gold guest card. I used to fly with Singapore airlines. I still think the service from Eitihad is top notch. In all those years I also had indeed, fortunately only 1 time, a lesser service. So it depends on the crew. On the other hand, Etihad has been one of the best airlines in the world for years and rightly so!
Welcome back to ever-bustling Pattaya!
Enjoy your holiday, your girlfriend and everything this beautiful city has to offer.
See you soon!
Mark your words dear Gringo, although I personally agree with you 100%! haha. With this Khun Peter, wish you a very nice holiday!!!
Can remember that we had to go through a long corridor there at AUH, that corridor was like a kind of bottleneck where we continued shuffling then standing still in the direction where the plane to BKK was waiting.
Indeed an ordinary decent airline, no more than that. Booked because of the favorable price at the time, well it saves some beers. 😉
So you have landed in the old airport of Abu Dhabi.
I am now also a gold member at Etihad and think it is the best I have flown so far.
Save miles so you can upgrade to Pearl Business.
Worth a try. Book a hotel in Abu Dhabi (premier inn) This is a hotel at the airport. Sleep there for a night. Rested, continue flying the day later. This stop over is sometimes an additional cost. Sometimes not.
Tjitske hello, what should I expect from sanya apartments, it's so cheap! Gret white.
I still think Etihad is one of the better ones.
Terminal 1 in Abu Dhabi is indeed busy, but usually the journey can be done via terminal 3 and it is very spacious and large there.
The service on the plane is also good, small tip: if you book your trip via the internet you can choose your meal and you get it BEFORE everyone else gets their food, so always hot food ;).
I've already flown with them 4 times and will always do so, price / quality perfectly fine!
If you don't like the airport in Abu Dhabi, be glad you didn't fly with Qatar Airways, that airport there is I believe 100 years old and 10 sizes too small for visitors with all the consequences that entails.
Dear Rick, for the people flying to Bangkok with Qatar. You are right, but you are also far behind! 4 km away, the brand new airport called Hamad International Airport has opened. The old one was indeed only suitable for 12 million passengers, while there were 18 million annually. Of course a drama! Now it can handle 29 million passengers and in 2017 it must be fully operational and can handle 50 million passengers. Even 6 A 380s can be serviced at the same time! and 41 trunks for wide body aircraft. There is a lot of investment, it was about time, but it will happen!
Terminal 1 in AUH is too small, although it remains beautiful with the dome.
April 28 I arrived in T3 and departed with Air Berlin from T1. Nice bit of stroll but my muscles liked it after the 6 hour drive from BKK. AUH is in no way inferior to other airports and okk for me our own Schiphol is far above it. I think AUH is better than Suvarnabhumi in terms of possibilities, but that is personal of course. I recently ordered low fat food at Etihad and I didn't like it. Earlier flights the normal food and all this for the first time in years. But taste also changes, of course. For the price of between 400 and 550 for return and the saving of miles and tiers on the cheap tickets, Etihad definitely has an advantage.