The last report concluded at Dhaka’s domestic terminal. After being ripped off/overcharged when I first arrived in Bangladesh, I decided to do some extreme bargaining with the taxi drivers hanging around outside, which netted me a reasonable fare into town.
I knew that it was Bangladeshi New Year, but I was completely ignorant of what it involved. The first pleasant surprise was that in parts of the city, there was no traffic.
Street cricket
I left my stuff at the “just about ok” Hotel Pacific, and got a rickshaw to see what was happening. It didn’t take long to find a very big traffic jam, where I got off, and joined the crowds on foot.
The atmosphere was great, although I didn’t know why there were giant conga lines floating around the streets. I had a wander, bought a coconut, then sat and people watched (unfortunately there are no nice street-side cafes in Dhaka). In the evening I headed out again, and ended up in a very nice rooftop restaurant.
The next morning I got a taxi back to the airport. I paid for the taxi through the hotel, but lo and behold, the taxi actually had a WORKING meter, and was ON! It was rather annoying actually as it showing I’d overpaid massively….
Outside the airport
I managed to get my stuff out of the taxi, and fight my way through the crowds to the x-ray leading to the terminal.
Inside
I was accosted by an airport official with a wad of departure cards, and asked for my details. It was only after they got half way through that I realised that it was a paid service rather than a complimentary one. I’d spent all my change by this time, so got the card off them, and headed to check in. I noticed on the FIDS that the flight was now scheduled at 1100, rather than the 1000 on my confirmation issued yesterday afternoon. Unsurprisingly, I’m not surprised.
There was also a flight checking in for LHR, but no dedicated queues for each flight. There are people everywhere, I decide to join the business class queue. It moved as slowly as the others. I had a chat to the Swiss guy in front (also flying in Y to KTM), and jointly bemoaned the “system”. To cut a long and boring wait short, I eventually got checked in (45 mins queuing time), and issued with a boarding pass with a window on the right hand side (in a vain attempt to get a mountainesque approach). As you can see, there are plenty of New Year decorations.
B777-300ER routes
Thankfully immigration was empty, and I’m airside in less than a minute.
The luxurious waiting area for mothers
FIDS
EK
BG DC10 – not “New Era”
Air Arabia for SHJ
BG to LHR
Airside
I got a real shock when I saw “Kathmandu 1440” until I realised that that was for Arrivals.
Muscat is due an hour early….how did that happen? Maybe it’s 23 hours late…
With my nice long wait before departure, I thought about trying to blag my way into the TG lounge (“my next flight is in TG Business!.....”) but it was closed.
I went along to the joint lounge afterwards, but the staff were so rude I decided to not bother. Upstairs, there is a big empty area.
What next? Time for some food at the only restaurant. Whilst not the cheapest, or with the friendliest service, the food was ok.
As I was finishing up my fried rice, a gate finally was posted for the KTM flight. The queue on the right was for BG to KTM, and on the left was FlyDubai to…Dubai.
There was a bit of a queue for security and a document check, before finally being allowed into the goldfish bowl waiting room.
Regent, the plane I flew the previous day
FlyDubai
Boarding finally commenced at 1151, over an hour later than their rescheduled time. Once on board the crew quasi-apologised saying that the flight crew had got “stuck in traffic”. Of course this is a completely unacceptable reason for delaying a flight. If all the passengers can get there on time, the crew (whom surely know the local traffic conditions) can do the same? I think the plane was originally rescheduled as it was late inbound from somewhere in the Middle East.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 1, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 13491 times:
April 2012
Dhaka (DAC) – Kathmandu (KTM)
Biman Bangladesh BG 701
Scheduled: 1000-1110 (1h25m) (yes, there is a 15 minute time difference)
Re-scheduled: 1100-1210 (1h25m)
Actual: 1233-1324 (1h06m)
Airbus A310 S2-AFT
Economy
.
Executive Class
And economy. My first shock (other than the colours!) was that the aircraft was ain a 3x3x3 layout. I guess it makes sense for an airline like BG, with a large and fairly poor population. It was my first time on a 3x3x3 Airbus. There was two (rather spacious) toilets adjacent to the central emergency exits, which split the Y cabin in two parts.
Legroom. Despite the layout, the seats were fairly comfortable and perfectly acceptable for a short flight towards the Himalayas this afternoon.
My last time on an A310 was in May 2003 when I flew SQ SIN-PEN in First Class in seat 1A. Unfortunately that was long before my trip writing days, but I do remember I head a very nice prawn dinner, and spent many hours eating Häagen-Dazs in the lounge beforehand. Here’s a seat map for old times’ sake:
Boarding
The flight seemed to fill up quite well, mainly with local looking people, as well as a smattering of hippies and backpackers (myself not included in any of the aforementioned groups) . Given how few foreigners I saw in Bangladesh, there were a lot on the plane. I guess the load in Y was around 70%, although once boarding was completed, on my row of 9, there were just 2 seats taken – lots of space?
Safety Card
Outside
I was actually quite surprised to see that the bulkhead mounted TV screens actually worked (although 99% of my photos came out appallingly).
Once everyone was seated, the FAs came through with juice cartons. “Here we go again”, I thought, “no service in the air”.
Pushing back
As we were trundling towards a little Nepali man came bounding up, and slotted himself into the middle seat. I get quite territorial about my space on planes, so I wasn’t very happy about this at all. I suggested he sat in the aisle seat (or indeed anywhere else in the nearly empty row), but he explained he wanted to look outside. Awhhh. Unfortunately for him, he probably picked the worse person on the plane to try and get to swap a window seat for. Still, I let him sit on the middle seat, as I continued taking photos.
If you’d like to see the take off video, please click here!
Once we were airborne, and it clouded over outside, I thought I might as well let him enjoy whatever views there were (he was still steadfastly leaning over me), so I swapped for the aisle. He stayed glued to the window for almost the entire flight. Sorry, the photo is completely out of focus, but demonstrates my point.
Landing cards and Visa-On-Arrivals forms were passed out. Interestingly, they seem to have been printed by BG. In KTM, all the other passengers seemed to have completely different looking arrivals cards. Still, they worked.
Moving map
I was very pleasantly surprised when the trolleys rolled to the front, and meals were handed out. A pre-take off drink AND a meal on a short flight. Well done BG! There was a soft drink, a tasteless muffin, a chicken sandwich, and a mystery dish.
Initially I thought these were meant to be noodles, but they were sweet, and had almonds in, so I assume it was some sort of dessert. Quite tasty actually.
Window
Originally with Balair of Switzerland, she then moved on to Oman Air, and then Air Comet, hence the Spanish.
Map again
I felt quite charitable giving up my window seat. Thankfully, I also enjoy the aisle seat on a wide body on occasion.
Once the trays had been collected, I wondered down to the back, where the FAs were milling around, trying to look busy. I asked one if it might be possible to visit the flight deck. She immediately apologised saying that this flight was too short and the pilots too busy. I asked if she should phone the flight deck and see, to which she agreed after asking for my nationality and seat number. A few minutes late she came to find me apologising again, and saying that it wasn’t possible. Damn, will have to book a longer flight with BG soon, as they seem very amenable to flight deck visits!
Wing shots
As the seatbelt sign flashed on, I asked my Nepali friend to shift over. Instead of sitting back in the middle seat as expected, he ran (literally ran) off to the back of the plane, never to be seen again. How odd.
My hopes of some gorgeous mountain views were dashed with the awful cloudy weather
If you’d like to see the landing video, please click here!
Welcome to Nepal, my 90th country!
For some reason I though that Air Nepal had divested themselves on the old 757s I saw once mentioned many moons ago in an airline magazine. But no, both were still there, awaiting their next missions.
Silk Air from SIN
It’s a shame that the Air Nepal livery isn’t a bit more exciting. If you’re going to have a flag like this, you could do something quite cool on the tail?
The terminal
A nice little jet
Disembarking past 2R
There are a few pairs of seats
Goodbye!
TG en route to BKK. My next international flight will be on this very aircraft and route.
We were loaded into buses, and driven in a big circle to the far side of the terminal, from where we had to do quite a long walk to get to immigration. KTM is one of those airports where you would love to ask the architect exactly what they were smoking when they came up with the design. It wasn’t “out there” like CDG T 1, or just dank and dark like LHR’s old T2, just completely unsuited to its purpose as an airport. Lots of going up, and down, round corners, and nowhere with adequate waiting and queuing space (and of course, no nice views).
I, along with the majority of tourists, got my visa on arrival. It’s the same price as Indonesia for a short stay ($25/15 days), although the Indonesian one is valid for a month. I queued for about 30 minutes before I was processed in a very haphazard way. There were a LOT of Bangladeshis in the queue with their money ready, only to find at the front that they were eligible for one free visa a year, and had to re-queue in the next line (another 30 mins?) to get their free visa.
By the time I reached baggage reclaim, my bag was already merrily spinning around.
I proceeded outside (via a rather pointless x-ray scanner, where the staff were arguing whether I needed to put my bag through – I eventually did). Most budget hotels in Kathmandu offer a free transfer, which is great. Unfortunately for the guy picking me up, I was about three hours late by this stage (he, of course, hadn’t checked the flight info before leaving) so was rather pissed off. Still, I’d made it to Kathmandu!
My hotel room. A bargain for $9/night with ensuite and wifi.
Kathmandu’s answer to Khao San Road:
After the complete lack of tourist infrastructure in Bangladesh, it was a pleasure to be “back in the system”. Time for a beer.
I will leave this part here. The next part, not previously mentioned, is the famed “Mountain Flight”, the tourist sightseeing flight around Mt. Everest.
So, what did I think of Biman? Once again it was a short flight and once again we were delayed. The onboard meal was nice, and it was great to get another flight on the A310 after all these years. If BG can sort out the awfully slow and chaotic check in procedure in DAC, and get their fleet running to schedule, then they’ll be well on the way to being a nice little airline.
FLIEGER67 From Georgia, joined Sep 2003, 4387 posts, RR: 57 Reply 4, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 12928 times:
Hey, Gabriel
another really good read.
Sure a good catch these oldy A310 with BG.
Shame with the weather on approach, some mountains are always nice to follow.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter):
My last time on an A310 was in May 2003 when I flew SQ SIN-PEN in First Class in seat 1A. Unfortunately that was long before my trip writing days, but I do remember I head a very nice prawn dinner,
Count me in this way with all these historic experiences and no stories about it.
flightsimboy From Canada, joined Sep 2005, 848 posts, RR: 4 Reply 6, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 12711 times:
Nice to see a trip report on the A310, and that too on the interim colour scheme.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I had a wander, bought a coconut, then sat and people watched (unfortunately there are no nice street-side cafes in Dhaka).
You weren't exactly in Paris.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Muscat is due an hour early….how did that happen? Maybe it’s 23 hours late…
Maybe it was earlier
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I thought about trying to blag my way into the TG lounge (“my next flight is in TG Business!.....”) but it was closed.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I went along to the joint lounge afterwards, but the staff were so rude I decided to not bother.
Were you trying to blag your way into the joint lounge, and the staff gave you a hard time to get in...or did you get in and they were rude?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Once on board the crew quasi-apologised saying that the flight crew had got “stuck in traffic”. Of course this is a completely unacceptable reason for delaying a flight. If all the passengers can get there on time, the crew (whom surely know the local traffic conditions) can do the same?
Accepted.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I guess it makes sense for an airline like BG, with a large and fairly poor population.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): The flight seemed to fill up quite well, mainly with local looking people, as well as a smattering of hippies and backpackers (myself not included in any of the aforementioned groups)
My aren't you quite full of yourself....a bit of a swollen head
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): As we were trundling towards a little Nepali man came bounding up, and slotted himself into the middle seat. I get quite territorial about my space on planes, so I wasn’t very happy about this at all. I suggested he sat in the aisle seat (or indeed anywhere else in the nearly empty row), but he explained he wanted to look outside. Awhhh. Unfortunately for him, he probably picked the worse person on the plane to try and get to swap a window seat for. Still, I let him sit on the middle seat, as I continued taking photos.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Once we were airborne, and it clouded over outside, I thought I might as well let him enjoy whatever views there were (he was still steadfastly leaning over me), so I swapped for the aisle. He stayed glued to the window for almost the entire flight. Sorry, the photo is completely out of focus, but demonstrates my point.
Unlike you with your many flights, this poor man probably knew he was not going to travel again soon or it was probably his first flight, might have gone by rail to Dhaka, being Nepali. Well whatever the reason your kind gesture is apprecaited.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Initially I thought these were meant to be noodles, but they were sweet, and had almonds in, so I assume it was some sort of dessert. Quite tasty actually.
It was probably Eid celebrations, and the dessert you were served is one that is made especially during Eid. Of course any Bangladesh a.netter can correct me.
The777Man From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 6080 posts, RR: 56 Reply 7, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 12710 times:
Hi Gabriel!
Very nice report with very nice pictures !
DAC doesn't look so great and seems in desperate need of a new terminal.
BG looks pretty good except for the 3-3-3 seating on a 310. I'm not a fan of those colors inside the cabin but otherwise seems like a nice fairly short flight.
Great with the pictures from Nepal ! Very much looking forward to the sightseeing flight report around Mt Everest!
The777Man
Need a Boeing 777 Firing Order....Further to fly....GA, T5, CI and LX 777s
Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 6): Were you trying to blag your way into the joint lounge, and the staff gave you a hard time to get in...or did you get in and they were rude?
I was trying to ask about paying to use the lounge, but the decided better of it - they wouldn't even look at me
Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 6): My aren't you quite full of yourself....a bit of a swollen head
I beg your pardon? In what way? Bangladesh has a large population, and the GDP by capita of around 155 in the World. That makes it quite poor. The aim of BG by and large is to move the population either to work in the Middle East, or VFR in Asia or Europe, hence having a high density aircraft. I think even the best spin doctor would have a had time persuding many that Bangladesh is an affluent nation.
And being neither Nepali or Bangladeshi, or being one of the many people with dreads and piercings (the hippies) or with a backpack (the backpackers), I'm NOT in one of the aforementioned groups....is that being full of myself?
Quoting The777Man (Reply 7): Very nice report with very nice pictures !
Thanks
Quoting The777Man (Reply 7): DAC doesn't look so great and seems in desperate need of a new terminal.
Actually, DAC on the inside wasn't too bad. There weasn't much to do, but the place was clean, and well air conditioned. It was much better than CCU or KTM.
Quoting The777Man (Reply 7): BG looks pretty good except for the 3-3-3 seating on a 310. I'm not a fan of those colors inside the cabin but otherwise seems like a nice fairly short flight.
Well, the colourscheme does make it stand out from the crowd! And the 3x3x3 wasn't too narrow I didn't think
Quoting The777Man (Reply 7): Great with the pictures from Nepal ! Very much looking forward to the sightseeing flight report around Mt Everest!
flightsimboy From Canada, joined Sep 2005, 848 posts, RR: 4 Reply 9, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 12523 times:
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 8): I beg your pardon? In what way? Bangladesh has a large population, and the GDP by capita of around 155 in the World. That makes it quite poor. The aim of BG by and large is to move the population either to work in the Middle East, or VFR in Asia or Europe, hence having a high density aircraft. I think even the best spin doctor would have a had time persuding many that Bangladesh is an affluent nation.
And being neither Nepali or Bangladeshi, or being one of the many people with dreads and piercings (the hippies) or with a backpack (the backpackers), I'm NOT in one of the aforementioned groups....is that being full of myself?
Yes Bangladesh is a poor nation, not to mention the services you received at most places is not the best. You were in Bangladesh and you should have not expected anything better. And backpackers and hikers are found in abundance in Nepal, hence so many on the flight who were heading there. (And who probably spents days in Dhaka without as much as complain) No need to highlight in such detail the country's shortcomings and to quite specifically indicate you are not part of those other groups of non-Bangladesh individuals. We all know you aren't part of that economy, and neither are you part of the backpacking lot, hence the swollen headed attitude towards the above.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 11, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 12418 times:
Quoting airtrainer (Reply 10): Another amazing trip report, thanks for sharing ! The BG A310 looks pretty neat, too bad you weren't allowed in the flightdeck...
Thanks! Yeah, missing out on the flight deck was a shame. Next time!
Thanks, I'm thinking where to go for my centenary now!
Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 9): We all know you aren't part of that economy, and neither are you part of the backpacking lot, hence the swollen headed attitude towards the above.
YOU think I have a swollen head? And what of it? I suggest in the future you stick to commenting on the planes, rather than your perceptions of the author so as to cause no further offence.
After seeing the pleasant colours scheme in J, the Y seats would be a shocker. I rather like the airline livery, though.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I get quite territorial about my space on planes, so I wasn’t very happy about this at all.
Heh, we all like a bit of extra space but you only have an entitlement to one seat. If you get a free row that's a bonus, but we can't complain if others also want to spread out.
Shame about the adverse weather for photography during approach.
As Gabriel correctly pointed out, it was Pôhela Boishakh (Bangla New Year’s Day), which is celebrated on 14th April each year. Which Eid are you referring to? If I am not mistaken Eid ul-Fitr falls on the 18th August this year (just a few days before my own Eid al-Milad), while Eid ul-Adha falls on 26th October.
“Not to laugh, not to cry, not to hate, but understand.” Spinoza
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Muscat is due an hour early….how did that happen? Maybe it’s 23 hours late…
lol, the latter most probably.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Given how few foreigners I saw in Bangladesh, there were a lot on the plane.
If not all of them?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Awhhh. Unfortunately for him, he probably picked the worse person on the plane to try and get to swap a window seat for. Still, I let him sit on the middle seat, as I continued taking photos.
That’s really hilarious. I guess this man was - without him knowing - an aviation enthusiast himself?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): and had to re-queue in the next line (another 30 mins?) to get their free visa.
Poor folks. Something similar happened to me in IST. Without knowing I queued for border control, only to find out at the booth that I had to buy a visa at another booth which meant another lenghty queue and then again the queue for another border control. My own stupid mistake...
dc9northwest From Romania, joined Feb 2007, 1735 posts, RR: 4 Reply 15, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 11555 times:
Hi Gabriel, thanks for the TR!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I noticed on the FIDS that the flight was now scheduled at 1100, rather than the 1000 on my confirmation issued yesterday afternoon. Unsurprisingly, I’m not surprised.
I'm not surprised either. Should I be? Naaah.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I got a real shock when I saw “Kathmandu 1440” until I realised that that was for Arrivals.
A heart attack moment for sure.
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): Boarding finally commenced at 1151, over an hour later than their rescheduled time. Once on board the crew quasi-apologised saying that the flight crew had got “stuck in traffic”. Of course this is a completely unacceptable reason for delaying a flight. If all the passengers can get there on time, the crew (whom surely know the local traffic conditions) can do the same? I
LOL. That wouldn't fly in many places. I get the traffic can be bad, but really, that's the official explanation?
Looks quite good... I thought they wouldn't have a premium cabin, like on the DC10...
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): My first shock (other than the colours!) was that the aircraft was ain a 3x3x3 layout. I guess it makes sense for an airline like BG, with a large and fairly poor population.
Yeah, it makes sense. Short-ish flights, I suppose, as well. Still, not a big fan of the 3-3-3 at all.
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): As we were trundling towards a little Nepali man came bounding up, and slotted himself into the middle seat. I get quite territorial about my space on planes, so I wasn’t very happy about this at all. I suggested he sat in the aisle seat (or indeed anywhere else in the nearly empty row), but he explained he wanted to look outside. Awhhh. Unfortunately for him, he probably picked the worse person on the plane to try and get to swap a window seat for. Still, I let him sit on the middle seat, as I continued taking photos.
What an interesting seatmate! Yeah, I know what you're saying about personal space.... and it's hilarious how he ended up next to you. Maybe the camera attracted him?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): As the seatbelt sign flashed on, I asked my Nepali friend to shift over. Instead of sitting back in the middle seat as expected, he ran (literally ran) off to the back of the plane, never to be seen again. How odd.
Haha. What? Very strange.
Anyway, thanks for sharing. I enjoyed the 313 from DAC to KTM (certainly a flight for the die-hard A.netter).
Nepal is a place I'd like to visit soon. Interesting aviation scene. Lukla, etc... Terrifying, nonetheless.
palmjet From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2001, 1051 posts, RR: 20 Reply 16, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 11376 times:
Hi Gab
Thanks for posting this one. Very nice to see an A310 report too. I was also surprised to see those seats - perhaps someone else has already made the comment but I wondered whether BG cannibalised these from one of the now retired DC10s? They look very retro but unique at the same time.
Nice to see the Nepal Airlines 757s still flying. IIRC these are the only two 757 Combis flying in the world today? I remember seeing one of the 757s at LGW back in the day when they flew here. Back then, they were Royal Nepal Airlines - before the monarchy there was disbanded. Looks like the 757s could do with a wash!
I also really enjoy your destination pics - thanks for posting all of these.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 17, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 11348 times:
Thanks for the comments!
Quoting Quokkas (Reply 12): Once again an interesting read with some lovely photos showing the places visited.
Thanks
Quoting Quokkas (Reply 12): After seeing the pleasant colours scheme in J, the Y seats would be a shocker. I rather like the airline livery, though.
Yeah, it's funny J was so "normal"
Quoting Quokkas (Reply 12): Heh, we all like a bit of extra space but you only have an entitlement to one seat. If you get a free row that's a bonus, but we can't complain if others also want to spread out.
Yeah, I know, I only paid for 1 seat so shouldn't complain. But he wasn't really spreading out if he ignored the empty 3 middle seats, ans the aisle seat!?
Quoting Quokkas (Reply 12): Nice shot of all the airlines that the agent can book you onto.
Supposedly book on to
Quoting omidp (Reply 13): Excellent and amusing report. Thank you
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): Poor folks. Something similar happened to me in IST. Without knowing I queued for border control, only to find out at the booth that I had to buy a visa at another booth which meant another lenghty queue and then again the queue for another border control. My own stupid mistake...
Quoting palmjet (Reply 16): I was also surprised to see those seats - perhaps someone else has already made the comment but I wondered whether BG cannibalised these from one of the now retired DC10s? They look very retro but unique at the same time.
I wonder what the Airbus seats were like before...
Quoting palmjet (Reply 16): Nice to see the Nepal Airlines 757s still flying. IIRC these are the only two 757 Combis flying in the world today? I remember seeing one of the 757s at LGW back in the day when they flew here. Back then, they were Royal Nepal Airlines - before the monarchy there was disbanded. Looks like the 757s could do with a wash!
I'll have to try and get a ride on one of these when I next over there
Quoting palmjet (Reply 16): I also really enjoy your destination pics - thanks for posting all of these.
MSS658 From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2204 posts, RR: 14 Reply 18, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 11235 times:
Hi Gab!
Thanks for sharing the final part! It was a pleasure to read!
Quite interesting to see the 15min time difference, a bit funny
The 310 looks nice as well, decent seating and legroom for a 1hr flight!
Looking forward to the next
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24889 posts, RR: 60 Reply 19, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 11138 times:
WOW amazing report as usual. I always enjoy your style and photos. Love the flower power interiors. What a great experience. That TG lounge is cute too .
I have to say I like the new BG livery but much prefer the original one. Its a classic IMHO . Those DC-10s are cool too. Time is running out for those .
Thanks for a wonderful read.
Regards
Philip
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 20, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 11017 times:
Quoting MSS658 (Reply 18): Thanks for sharing the final part! It was a pleasure to read!
Glad you liked it!
Quoting MSS658 (Reply 18): Quite interesting to see the 15min time difference, a bit funny
Well, they need to differentiate themselves from India somehow
Quoting MSS658 (Reply 18): The 310 looks nice as well, decent seating and legroom for a 1hr flight!
Yeah, was a nice flight
Quoting OA260 (Reply 19): That TG lounge is cute too .
Yeah, shame I couldn't get in!
Quoting OA260 (Reply 19): I have to say I like the new BG livery but much prefer the original one. Its a classic IMHO . Those DC-10s are cool too. Time is running out for those .
I like the Green livery (the A310 one). Now they have 3 different designs on their small fleet.
RvXKaz From Singapore, joined Apr 2011, 182 posts, RR: 3 Reply 21, posted (1 year 2 weeks 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 10672 times:
Hi Gabriel,
Another exciting installment from you, even though its such a short flight, it seemed really exciting indeed, from check-in to boarding, taking-off and landing.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I was accosted by an airport official with a wad of departure cards, and asked for my details. It was only after they got half way through that I realised that it was a paid service rather than a complimentary one.
woah.. what an original idea of making a few pennies!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Boarding finally commenced at 1151, over an hour later than their rescheduled time. Once on board the crew quasi-apologised saying that the flight crew had got “stuck in traffic”.
Most amusing and the oddest thing to say. Well, perhaps not, considering the context!
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): My first shock (other than the colours!) was that the aircraft was ain a 3x3x3 layout. I guess it makes sense for an airline like BG, with a large and fairly poor population. It was my first time on a 3x3x3 Airbus
Look at how narrow the aisles are. Its really cool to sit in this more unusually-configured plane, an A310 nonetheless.
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): pre-take off drink AND a meal on a short flight. Well done BG! There was a soft drink, a tasteless muffin, a chicken sandwich, and a mystery dish.
Not bad at all! Its quite impressive actually, considering the really short duration of the flight!
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): thought I might as well let him enjoy whatever views there were (he was still steadfastly leaning over me), so I swapped for the aisle.
Thats nice of you.
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): I asked my Nepali friend to shift over. Instead of sitting back in the middle seat as expected, he ran (literally ran) off to the back of the plane, never to be seen again. How odd.
Strange indeed but your entire flight experience had been filled with stranger happenings! hoho...
Really great to have read your TR on such a rare airline and rare plane! Kudos on flying on both the A310 and MD-10 of Biman Bangladesh! Quite an experience I must say!
Cheers,
RvXKaz
They say that I'm a dreamer. But I'd only Dreamt Skyward.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 23, posted (1 year 2 weeks 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 10528 times:
Quoting RvXKaz (Reply 21):
Another exciting installment from you
Thanks Gavin
Quoting RvXKaz (Reply 21): woah.. what an original idea of making a few pennies!
Yes, an interesting idea indeed
Quoting RvXKaz (Reply 21): Look at how narrow the aisles are. Its really cool to sit in this more unusually-configured plane, an A310 nonetheless.
I'm glad that the BG 'bus had a very unique interior
Quoting RvXKaz (Reply 21): Not bad at all! Its quite impressive actually, considering the really short duration of the flight!
Yes, more than I was expecting to get
Quoting RvXKaz (Reply 21): Really great to have read your TR on such a rare airline and rare plane! Kudos on flying on both the A310 and MD-10 of Biman Bangladesh! Quite an experience I must say!
Yes, was great to have flown them
Quoting eastafspot (Reply 22):
A very nice TR, with also a great collection of non-aviation pictures.
Thanks Léonard!
Quoting eastafspot (Reply 22): You've logged some classic birds those days, so which one do you prefer?
adamspotter From Netherlands, joined Feb 2011, 775 posts, RR: 2 Reply 24, posted (1 year 2 weeks 3 days ago) and read 9924 times:
Hi Gabriel,
Like always, excellent report with some nice pictures. Looks like you had an ok flight with BG, too bad that they are frequently delayed though!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I thought about trying to blag my way into the TG lounge (“my next flight is in TG Business!.....”)
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): The next part, not previously mentioned, is the famed “Mountain Flight”, the tourist sightseeing flight around Mt. Everest.
Saw that you just posted that part online. Hope to read that one soon
cheers,
adamspotter // Brendan
25 gabrielchew: Thanks Brendan! Yeah, if they could sort out their tardiness, they might be quite good! Out next as Part 10! Thanks Yes, it's out now!
26 YYCFlyer: Great trip report and pictures! My favorite aircraft type the A310!
27 abrelosojos: Wow. Bangladesh continues to be the flavor of the month. Thanks a lot for keeping us in the loop with all your travels. A few comments and observation
28 PlaneHunter: Hi Gabriel, great report, I had been waiting for this one! BG's A310 looks nice, good to get an impression prior to my BG flights next week. Very nice
29 gabrielchew: Thanks No problem Maybe they're planing something amazing....shops? Transit hotel? Yeah, was much better than the DC10 interior Yeah, I completely ag
30 ba319-131: Nice read and pictures GC, thanks for sharing the experience. - With BG that's not a shock really - Yikes! - Wow, never seen an A310 in that layout. -
31 gabrielchew: Thanks Mark! Glad you liked it! No, not really And tastyish Haha
32 tobbry: Very nice TR! I enjoy reading about airlines I probably never would fly . It was nice of you letting the little man take the window seat.
33 gabrielchew: Thanks Tobias Well, there are plenty of inrtesting airlines in Europe Thanks
34 FlyingFinn76: Hi Gab, You keep rolling along like a freight train - another great episode in your life touring the lesser known parts of Asia. Good to read about a
35 SR117: Hey Gabriel Pretty awesome reports !! Thanks for sharing and for the many pics from in and outside the actual flying experience. Handy use of an empty
36 gabrielchew: You'd better keep up! Thanks It's on the list! Good! Will run to a 12 parter! Well, the museums were closed, but there was plenty happening (unlike s
38 signol: HI Gabriel, excellent as usual! Nice to see another rare type still flying in some part of the world. Maybe the guy sitting by you is a prospective me
39 gabrielchew: Thanks! Yeah, I should have told him about a.net!
40 deltamartin: Hi Gabriel! A great report as usual! Looks like you had a nice flight with BG, with a pretty nice meal. Congrats! And very impressive! Will read it so
41 The777Man: Hi Gabriel! I flew S2-ADF a few days ago and it was in a 2-4-2 configuration. The777Man
42 gabrielchew: Thanks for the comments! Thanks Martin! Yeah, the flight was pretty good Thanks! Looking forward to reading about it! Interesting that they have a dif
43 infodesk: Hi Gabriel, Reading these in the wrong order I know, but that's part of playing catch up! Congrats on catching Biman & the A310. I have to admit,
44 roberts87: Hi Gabriel, Nice report as usual! Always nice to get stuck in a unexpected local celebration! That's got to be the best excuse I ever heard for a dela
45 gabrielchew: Biman is certainly an interesting airline Well, it was my good deed of the day! Life is all about trying new things Hannah, even if they are yuck! Ye
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From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, 
. Given how few foreigners I saw in Bangladesh, there were a lot on the plane. I guess the load in Y was around 70%, although once boarding was completed, on my row of 9, there were just 2 seats taken – lots of space?
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Ample and comfortable seating is provided.
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