Thai AirAsia FD358 from Singapore Changi Terminal 4 to Bangkok Don Mueang Terminal 1 Flight Review

Thai AirAsia FD358 is the first Thai AirAsia fight of the day out of 5 daily flights from Singapore to Bangkok Don Mueang. Heading up to Chiang Mai to catch the train back, I took Thai AirAsia FD358 to have just enough time to transit in Bangkok Don Mueang to get into Chiang Mai in the afternoon.

Changi Airport Terminal 4 Shuttle Bus

I arrived at Changi Airport by MRT, which is connected to Terminals 2 and 3. To get to Terminal 4 where Thai AirAsia is departing from, I used the free Changi Airport Terminal 4 Shuttle Bus from Terminal 3.

The exterior of the Changi Airport Terminal 4 Shuttle Bus.

The interior of the Changi Airport Terminal 4 Shuttle Bus. Luggage racks are available with lots of standing space for flexibility of storage.

Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 4

The Changi Airport Terminal 4 Shuttle Bus drops off at Terminal 4 Door 4 at the departures level in the middle of the terminal building.

AirAsia Check-in

Check-in for all AirAsia flights is at Row 4, which happens to be just in front of Door 4.

Heading to the FAST check-in kiosks to reprint my boarding pass.

My boarding pass for my Thai AirAsia FD358 flight from Singapore to Bangkok Don Mueang, printed from the FAST check-in kiosk.

Immigration & Centralised Security Screening

Heading to immigration and centralised security screening.

The departure board with gates displayed is available just after security. Looks like my flight is departing from Gate G2.

The typical path to the gates leads through the duty-free shops.

Shortcut to Gates G1-G5

However, here’s a life hack for you if you need to rush to Gates G1 to G5 at Terminal 4. Ignore the main sign and head to the trolley area on the right.

The path turns right without any signs past a toilet and water refilling station.

And voilà, you are magically at Gate G4 in like 15 seconds, without needing to walk past any duty-free shops.

Of course, this direct route means that you will not enjoy any facilities aside from the toilet and water refills, but it’s extremely useful if you’re rushing for a flight and you’re lucky enough to be assigned these magical gates.

Gate G2

HS-EAB was already at the gate when I got to it. Now you know why I needed to use the shortcut.

However, I was not super late yet as passengers were still waiting at Gate G2.

Boarding

There was a bit of delay, and boarding commenced at 10.15am, which is the scheduled departure time of my flight.

Heading down the ramp to the aerobridge.

A closer look at HS-EAB when heading down the ramp to the aerobridge.

Alas, boarding was rushed due to the delay, and arriving passengers from the incoming flight were still disembarking from the aerobridge.

Heading down the aerobridge after arriving passengers had cleared.

Boarding HS-EAB.

Thai AirAsia FD358

The interior of Thai AirAsia’s Airbus A321neo with Mirus Hawk Slimline Seats installed.

My assigned aisle seat at 23D.

The legroom available on board Thai AirAsia’s Airbus A321neo.

Looking at the opposite row for a better picture of the Thai AirAsia Mirus Hawk Slimline Seats. While they look thin, and they were indeed quite hard, the contours of the seat still made it comfortable and snug.

A tray table is provided with some extra frills.

Aside from the typical cup holder groove in the tray table, there is also a phone and tablet slot, with a fold-up stand to place your mobile device upright for use.

To complete the mobile-centric setup, a USB power socket is also provided in the armrest. This is switched on after seat belt signs are switched off when cruising.

The use of the USB power socket is free of charge.

It was quite a full flight this morning from Singapore to Bangkok, as it usually is.

My Thai AirAsia FD358 flight departed from Singapore Changi Airport at 10.55am – 40 minutes delayed.

USB Power Socket

The USB power socket was switched on after the seat belt signs were switched off once cruising.

Yup, the charge works well, and best of all, it’s free of charge. Bring your own cable to charge your device.

Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak

As one does when flying with AirAsia, I pre-booked a Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak even when I’m on board Thai AirAsia.

As my flight was more than 2 hours, I could choose a hot coffee or mineral water as my inclusive side drink. Hot coffee it is.

The Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak looks right, until I took a bite of it.

It was probably the Thai catering, and the Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak tasted very Thai and I don’t know how to describe it properly, but here goes.

The rice was not lemak, and the rendang had a lemongrass smell and taste to it. The sambal was also not Pak Nasser’s sambal, with very weak hints of onions and a very, very spicy taste. Compared to the normal Pak Nasser’s sambal on AK and even QZ, which is full of onions and on the sweet-spicy side, this packed too much of a punch, but the spicy level would probably be acceptable to Thais.

Although I have to say that the many variations makes it almost not Nasi Lemak any more.

Chamen

To soothe my tongue after the Thai Pak Nasser’s sambal (Khun Naseer?), I ordered a Chamen from the trolley as it passed by. This was made very skillfully and enthusiastically by a very enthusiastic steward and presented to me with a “tadaa~”. The drink and performance costed me 90 Baht.

The drink is called Chamen because it’s a bubble tea which looks like Ramen, complete with “noodles” and an “egg”. These were just toppings to replace the tapioca pearls in regular bubble tea, and made the drink a lot more fun.

There were some Japanese food for order on board, which I considered ordering as a snack, but I reminded myself that I have another meal on my connecting flight to Chiang Mai happening quite soon.

A Japanese set of Chicken Tsukune with Japanese rice, Gyoza, and Chamen can also be ordered at 290 Baht.

Toilet

The Airbus A321neo toilets at the aft are very slim.

The toilet on board Thai AirAsia FD358.

Bangkok Don Mueang International Airport Terminal 1

My Thai AirAsia FD358 flight arrived at Bangkok Don Mueang International Airport at 12.02pm – 22 minutes delayed.

Disembarking from the aircraft.

Heading up the aerobridge.

Thank you, HS-EAB.

Heading up the pier to the main terminal building.

A better look back at HS-EAB from the terminal.

Heading to the transfer area.

I had pre-printed my onward boarding pass at home for my onward Thai AirAsia FD3439 flight to try to use the transfer path for a quicker journey to my next gate.

Heading straight past immigration towards the transfer area.

Taking the right path to domestic transfers.

Failed Transfer to Domestic

The transfer from international to domestic is first met by an AirAsia transfer desk, followed by immigration just behind. The special immigration counters here expedites life by clearing you into Thailand first and sending you straight to the domestic transit area.

However, I was met with a hiccup here as the AirAsia transfer desk did not allow me to proceed even with my boarding pass in hand, because I made separate bookings for my Singapore-Don Mueang and Don Mueang-Chiang Mai flights, and I still had good time to do my manual transfer the long way round. Only passengers with a single booking with Fly-Thru included can avail the use of this transfer desk.

Sigh, transiting in KLIA Terminal 2 is much better then.

I was told to return back to the regular immigration counters to enter Thailand as per normal and walk to Terminal 2 to proceed with my domestic flight as per normal.

Thankfully, there was almost no queue at the regular immigration counters, and I was through in less than 5 minutes. With no baggage to pick up, I could also proceed with my walk in the public area.

I was hoping not to see this on this transfer to Chiang Mai, but here I am.

Heading up the escalator to the departure level to cross over to Terminal 1 to prepare for my next flight on to Chiang Mai.

Conclusion

There was a bit of a delay for my Thai AirAsia FD358 flight, but still survivable since at the end it was just 22 minutes delayed on arrival. I had factored in sufficient time to transfer between flights in Bangkok Don Mueang, and my planning paid off, since my flight was delayed, and got rejected to use the direct transfer route from the international arrivals area to the domestic departures area, and was required to go the long way around via the public area.