TRIP REPORT: 3K513 – Singapore Changi to Bangkok with Jetstar Asia (Economy Class) – Taking the Long Way to Singapore

3K513 – Singapore Changi to Bangkok with Jetstar Asia (Economy Class)
Taking the long way (and back) to Singapore

Time for my first LCC flight of this trip, as part of the Finnair ticket. How does Jetstar Asia do? Or can Jetstar can, lah?

In this adventure

• I needed a break
• 02:40 on the coach? Nothing changes, with Heathrow Terminal 5 and British Airways South Lounge
• BA776 London Heathrow to Stockholm Arlanda (Club Europe)
• An afternoon in Stockholm featuring ABBA The Museum 
• Off to Stockholm Bromma, AY840 Stockholm Bromma to Helsinki Vantaa with NoRRA (Economy Class)
• A Rapid Helsinki Transit and The Finnair Lounge
• AY099 Helsinki Vantaa to Hong Kong International with Finnair (Business Class)
• Transiting Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific’s The Pier Lounge
• CX715 (AY5855) Hong Kong International to Singapore Changi Terminal 4 with Cathay Pacific (Business Class)
• Into Singapore, IBIS Budget Crystal
• The Mercure Hotel, Bugis
• Boating around the Singapore River
• Exploring Hawker Markets and random fooding around Singapore
• The Best Camera is the One You Have With You – Exploring The Gardens by the Bay
• Up to the Marina Bay Sands Skypark…
• …and the fallout of a stolen and returned iPhone
• Back to Changi Airport the Pokemon Centre at the Jewel and Terminal 4
• 3K513 (AY6379) Singapore Changi to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (Jetstar Asia Economy Class)
• One night in Bangkok and the Avagard Capsule Hotel, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi
• An early morning at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and The Miracle Lounge, D Pier
• AY142 Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Helsinki Vantaa with Finnair in Business Class
• Out of Vantaa Airport and into Helsinki… and a little beyond
• Holiday Inn, Helsinki Airport
• Early morning at Helsinki Vantaa Airport and The Finnair Schengen Lounge
• AY841 Helsinki Vantaa to Stockholm Bromma with NoRRA (Economy Class)
• The slow return to Arlanda Airport (with a military band)
• D84459 Stockholm Arlanda to London Gatwick with Norweigan Air Shuttle
• How to get home… coach or train?
• Sometimes, Simple Isn’t Needed… Or Wanted

It’s time to head down the jetbridge again and onto a new airline for me – Jetstar Asia.

Boarding the Airbus A320, we’re back in low-cost carrier land – with the front row partition deleted to create extra space, and a mini-covered galley on the right. 

I headed down the aisle to row 10 and found the seat. Whilst I can’t pin down the manufacturer it seemed to have some comfort and a recline function installed on it. 

I shoved the backpack in the overhead bin and took my seat. It felt like a lot more room than 29”. But that’s good to see. The seats are a little bit thin, so they’re designed for this sort of workload. 

After all, there’s no point sticking classic seats in a 28” seat pitch – it ends one only way, as I proved with Scoot some years ago. 

The flight filled up – but amazingly, there was no trouble with the luggage, with everyone loading their bags successfully. 

Air Aisa Airbus A320 

With all the seats taken (and the rest of the cabin filled from the looks of it), our aircraft was set for a slightly delayed departure.

Taxiing out. 

Looking in the seat pocket there was a magazine and safety card – with a lot of pre-ordering options, but nothing for on-plane purchase in terms of tax-free shopping. However, there was a strong food and drink selection. 

As I was on an LCC, I honestly expected nothing during this part of the service, so I was happy to skip it. 

With the A320 making a short trip around the airport, soon it was lined up for an evening departure from Singapore.

See you again sometime soon Singapore. 

To be honest, after takeoff, the past day and a bit had hit me hard. Combined with the white noise of an engine whine, I was soon dozing off.

I was woken by the crew, who offered me a sandwich and a drink. A little surprising to say the least. 

It turned out that since I was on a codeshare ticket, I got catering thrown in. 

So, what did I get? A sandwich and a bottle of water. 

I’ve seen worse for segments in the past on paid airlines. For the convenience of the airline and crew, the sandwich was wrapped in a foil container, whilst the bottle of water was a standard 250ml bottle. 

As for the sandwich… well I’m still trying to work out what was going on with it. It had ham, cheese and red pepper. 

Ok. That’s a little different. At least it tasted fresh and not just bread – so we have that at last. 

With the container cleared away, I dozed back off to sleep again, as day had long turned to night.  Thankfully this is only a two-hour flight – so having the opportunity to take a break after some shocking days… was welcome. 

With no inflight connectivity or onboard IFE server – what else is there to do? Unless you’re a nutjob who enjoys raw-dogging (and if you are, well, I’d check what health damage you could do on longer segments).

That, and catch up playing Crossy Road. It still keeps me insane after all these years.

With the crew cleaning up, the flight proceeded along until we started our descent into Bangkok. 

There were clear conditions as the aircraft neared its destination, I was able to see Thailand appear in front of me, in twinkly lights.

And I’ve long been a sucker for twinkly nights in the air. 

With the lights up bright again, the crew conducted their final cabin inspection. The lights then went down for landing. 

The Jetstar A320 safely landed at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. 

A Thai A321 tail 

 With the aircraft on the ground comes the “fun” part of Bangkok – finding a gate. That appears to be a challenge unto itself, with the many piers and areas this airport has.

Japan Airlines and a Thai Widebody strobing

Lit up Scoot

Jetstar Boeing 787-8

Eventually, the aircraft found a Gate at Concourse G – where the aircraft came to stand.

Of course, as the release seatbelt signs went off, everyone began the mad dash for the overhead bins and exit. I reluctantly joined in – as I wanted to make the most of my Bangkok layover. 

What little of it I had. 

As the people began to disperse, I grabbed my rucksack from the overhead bin. With that, I thanked the crew and headed off into Thailand. 

Overall

A surprising segment in some ways. Whilst I did expect crushing seat pitches (and 29″ is 29″, no matter how old or modern a seat is), it seemed to be conformable enough for the two-hour mission between Singapore and Bangkok. Whilst I would have preferred a much more full-service carrier, Jetstar managed to impress with what it offered its codeshare passengers – with a mini-meal and a beverage, along with pre-assigned seating and transferable luggage allowances based on the codeshare ticket.

And it felt a lot more comfortable than Scoot did.

Next

One night in Bangkok, featuring the Avagard Capsule Hotel.

Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.

Our Social Media pool has expanded. You can find us across most networks as @economybeyond on Twitter, Mastodon, BlueSky, Threads and Instagram!

Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.