[MartynSinclair]

The BA lounges in BKK are fantastic, manned only by Lounge Angels!

[VintageKrug]

Though the angels are helpful enough, the BKK F lounge is tiny and poorly ventilated. The showers don’t have much oomph.

[MartynSinclair]

Granted the F lounge is not the size of Heathrow, but the Executive Club lounge across the way is more than adequate to cater for the BA/QF + Finnair flights. Food offerings and juices are plentiful and if you need any ‘specials’ you only need to ask.

Can’t comment on the showers, generally arrive at the airport, having showered before I leave the hotel (not as a transit passenger).

One word of warning that may put travellers off the airport are the prices. Apart from ciggies (for those that smoke) I find everything else highly priced becasue of the weak sterling.

DoS would be impressed though, the staff are as quiet as mice but will provide help and assistance when ever you want.

[JohnPhelanAustralia]

Nigel – yes, MEL has showers in the lounge.

I’m presuming you will be transferring to QF domestic, so you’ll need to walk about 200 metres from the international terminal to the QF domestic (all inside as the MEL terminals are all effectively in the same building). Qantas Club and Qantas Business lounges are then upstairs after security.

[AdrianHenryAsia]

I do both LHR-BKK-SYD and LHR-SIN-SYD quite regularly and the crew are always very clear – take all of your hand luggage with you! I am surprised in this day of heightened security why anyone would leave a bag on a plane as it could cause the next sector to be delayed, causing disruption to the hundreds of other passengers.

The Lounge in SIN is OK – in my opinion, the business lounge is better than the First lounge, although Qantas have said they will refurb the First lounge in the near future – both have showers. I don’t know what flight you are on however if its BA15, you generally have at least a few hours to kill

Regarding the 100ML rule – I was in SYD last weekend and the Australians are going to drop it from next year I believe – doesn’t help with the transit issues though!

[NTarrant]

Thanks John thats really helpful. Yes international to domestic from QF30 to QF420.

[HedgeFundFlyer]

Thanks. Yes – it’s BA15. Useful comment about Duty Free. I rarely pass through an international airport without picking up a bottle of Tanqueray or, if it’s there, Tanqueray Ten. Both I and Mrs HFF are partial to a drop. I will resist the urge at LHR!

[VintageKrug]

Sadly, there’s only Bombay for purchase on board on your final sector:

http://www.highlifeshop.com/c-133-spirits.aspx

SYD Duty Free on arrival is a (compulsory) opportunity to purchase some Ten.

[rferguson]

Just to confirm whether you transit through BKK or SIN on your way to SYD the end result will be the same. You MUST disembark the aircraft and take all personal belongings with you. Do not buy any liquid D/F items on the LHR-BKK/SIN sectors or at the airports as it will be confiscated. At SIN baggage is screened at the gate. And although at BKK the baggage is screened at a central security point a seperate bag search is conducted at the gate and any duty free items confiscated. This is NOT a BKK airport security rule. It is enforced by the Australian government. Hence it does not happen during the transit on the return journey (you can carry duty free on board that you purchase in SIN or BKK onto the aircraft and there is no secondary bag check at BKK for the London bound flights). Quite a bonanza for the arrivals duty free shop you are forced to walk through on arrival in Sydney!

Personally I prefer to fly via BKK over SIN and will be disappointed when that route ends in March. I like that the two sectors are more ‘even’. As they are both night flights arriving into Sydney around 6am I try and stay away for the LHR-BKK sector then take a sleeping pill for the BKK-SYD sector as it is ‘night time’ in Australia. The BKK-SYD sector is around 8:45min and facilitates this well. The SIN-SYD sector is only about 6:45 airborne so doesn’t really last long enough for me to have a deep sleep, wake up and feel semi human.

On a side note…..does anyone have any idea why the new ‘joint’ flights from March next year flying LHR-BKK with BA and BKK-SYD with QF have such hideous transit times in BKK (in the region of 6hrs in each direction!)?

[HedgeFundFlyer]

VK: you are a scholar and a gent. Mrs HFF will be delighted that we can kick off our Sydney evenings with a Ten & Scheweppes in our hotel room before heading out.

[JohnPhelanAustralia]

rferguson – QF has had to change the timings of its flights because the aircraft will now fly SYD-BKK and then turn around to return to SYD.

Because SYD (like LHR) has a curfew, to enable the aircraft to meet the curfew requirements, the whole BKK pattern has had to be moved to about five hours earlier than previously. This change of timing is what will cause the lengthy transit time if connecting QF-BA or vice-versa.

[JamesBAgold]

I posted this in the Qantas (SIN, LAX etc.) lounge thread but this one seems more appropriate.

I’m returning to SYD for a holiday on BA15 via SIN in early February.

In light of the current hiatus, not only with the imminent termination of the kangaroo route JV but also with the slow ongoing redevelopment/replacement of the BA/Qantas lounges in SIN, what is/are the current best option(s) for a quick shower & freshen up whilst in transit in SIN?

[Papillion53]

JamesBAGold

We were there in September and I guess it hasn’t changed since then. You will probably find the lounge quite a walk from the gate. I would suggest you head or “march” along the walkways and go up to the lounges. At you turn at the top of the escalators you will see signs saying Club to the right and First straight ahead (I believe they were swapped in readiness for upgrading!) but the F lounge is for all – CW, golds etc., so keep on there and you will come across a white desk with several lounge dragons.

After you’ve been checked in, turn right and head for the showers – they are very clean, fresh towels and gels, and the attendants are very slick with the turnover of shower rooms. We had no problem getting a shower right away but we were first off, and kinda knew where to go!

I found the signage at SIN very poor, but they do have lots of ground staff when you get off the flight to point you in the right direction.

Allow enough time to stroll back to the gate – it was so hot in the terminal by the time we got back to the gate, we could almost have done with another shower!! And of course, time to go back through security at the gate – no fast track.

Don’t forget the ice-cream at the food buffet!!! 😉 🙂

[JamesBAgold]

That’s really helpful papillion53. Thanks very much.

[IanFromHKG]

Everything you need to know:

http://www.ausbt.com.au/singapore-airport-s-best-lounges-for-qantas-ba-cathay-pacific-oneworld-travellers

I love the way our forum host’s Antipodean counterpart writes these lounge reviews and gives different recommendations depending on what your priorities are. I have rarely found them to be wrong. Indeed, on a trip through LHR T3 earlier this year I visited the three oneworld lounges and found their assessments to be spot on

Also note: http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-new-first-class-lounges-coming-for-singapore-hong-kong-los-angeles-lax. I am not sure exactly when the new lounge opens – the article says December, but not when in December!

[Author]

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