TRIP REPORT: An early morning at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, and The Miracle Lounge, D Pier – Taking the Long Way to Singapore

An early morning at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, and The Miracle Lounge, D Pier
Taking the long way (and back) to Singapore

It’s time to lose myself… and get lost in a big airport. The joy of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi first thing in the morning. 

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

With my night in the capsule hotel completed, I followed the signs back to life and towards the main terminal area.

Past the Airport line.

Rule one: when in doubt-  cheat. 

I headed back up to the departure level, and I found my boarding passes had soaked the day before. Never a good thing. I headed to an automatic machine (as I was having trouble working out where Finnair departures were being handled from).

Annoying, but there it is.

And it was a damned good thing I did, as the Finnair Reservation system had played its magic again… and converted all my segments with a British Airways reservation frequent flyer number to… you guessed it – the Finnair one.

Thankfully, I could fix this there and then.

I swear at this point, Finnair’s IT makes British Airways IT look world-class.

And trust me – BA’s isn’t exactly great.

At least the seat assignments I chose in Singapore a few days earlier had stuck – if they had moved, there would have been some sliced Moomins being sent to Finnair HQ after the flight.

With new boarding passes in hand (with the correct frequent flyer account attached), it was time to go through Security and emigration.

Security took a little time to get through (as I just went through a normal security lane, not a fast-track one), with emigration being quick.

I was soon out, in front of the Churning of the Great Milk River.

The next challenge was to find out which gate I was going from – after all, it would dictate which lounge I would go to. I knew that I could use one of the Miracle Lounges.

But there are a lot of them. Yes. I started going the wrong way, then checked my flight and the gate, and headed back, noting there was a Miracle Lounge in the D segment.

That would do.

I also took the chance to spend the last of my Thai Baht getting trinkets on the way. Well, it would be better here, than living in my wallet with other unspent currencies.

It is odd seeing brands you know and trust many miles away.

How to be the least wanted person on a flight.

One thing you have to remember about Suvarnabhumi airport is that it is a long walk anywhere. 

By the time I had reached the lounge, I had about 30 minutes on the clock left before boarding the plane.

Down to D

The Miracle Lounge, D Gates

I headed into the lounge and was welcomed. The agents took a photocopy of my boarding pass and asked if I had a lounge invitation.

Ah. Of course, this is Asia. Lounge invitations are normally a thing.

I explained that I checked in using a machine. With some umms and ahhs, I was let in the lounge.  Sigh. I do wish this lounge invitation thing went away. It would make life so much easier.

I found a seat near the dining area to camp out at – as that seemed the easiest place to be. On the other hand, I could see the Finnair gate – it was right opposite.

That would be useful.

Sandwiches

Light them up 

Salad Bar

Fried Rice

Eggs 

Non-Halal selection 

We scream for iced deserts 

Coffee station

Cold drinks station, with a sign asking not to take drinks outside the lounge. Frequently ignored. 

Mr Booze. 

I went grazing on the breakfast offerings… and to be honest, there wasn’t a whole lot to write home about there in terms of content.

There was a Halal and Everyone Else section, so at least those following Halal diets could have a good go at the buffet too.

I also took the opportunity to grab some water and cola for later on – sometimes, I just want a drink without getting up to grab one.

With the boarding queue mostly vanishing, I decided to make tracks to the gate itself.

Arriving at the gate, my barcode was scanned – and I was directed to see a member of the Gate staff.

Time for more paperwork.

I headed to the podium and presented myself. They confirmed they had one bag in transit for me and that my final destination would be Stockholm Bromma. With other API data confirmed, I was allowed to proceed onto the plane.

It was time to hit the Airlounge again for a 12-hour flight as I put Asia behind me for a while.

Next:

Finnair AY142 Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Helsinki Vantaa Airport. Daytime or nighttime? Just pull the blinds down.

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.