Danang To Saigon Flight Experience
All Aboard!
Okay boarded. I was last in. Soon as I stepped into this plane, they closed the door!
So I settled into my seat and appreciated the earth-toned, kind-of-airy surroundings.
Hindi sya 'cheapeepai' tingnan like all budget airlines are - in bold reds or yelllows or oranges or blacks - na para kang nasa kids' play area, tadtad ng advertising stickers na na-aagnas na o di-kaya natutuklap na or both! Ganyan ang budget airlines, di ba?
Here, interiors are respectably cool, parang PAL or other Full Service Carriers (FSCs).
And look at the bulkhead (front wall), me round mistletoe pang nalalaman. Sosyalin!
Ahehe, Christmas Day kasi kahapon! Yep, all of Vietnam does celebrate Christmas, even if they are non-Christians. And Vietnam Air (VN) joins-in with refined elegance!
Uncommon Seat Nomenclature!
Let me just call it "uncommon" for it's not "unique", I think. Just a little different from many other airliners, especially ours in the Philippines. Let's start with my Seat 14G.
That's a window seat on the right side of the plane if you're seated and facing front. Oh yes, this is an Airbus A321-200, that big airliners in the Philippines also do have.
But in your Airbus travels in the Philippines, window seats are usually A (left) and F (right side), because these planes usually have 6 seats (3 on each side of the aisle).
It's ABCDEF for 6 seats, diba? For example: if you're in row 11, seats there would be 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E & 11F, korek? Why would VN have 11G? Pito per row sila?!
Hiyay! Ang sikip na nga ng animan, gagawin mo pang pitohan? No naman. Ganire:
[I grabbed that seat map from their website]. Look at the blue seats (economy) and look at Row 11. You'll notice, there's no F. It's ABCDEG. Bakit? Gusto nila, aangal ka?
Hahaha, that's what they want, then so be it. Walang basagan ng trip!
Seriously, when it comes to seat numbering and naming, there is really no hard rule that airliners must adhere-to. There are only "best practices" or "general standards".
But in the above case of VN, why don't they want to use F? Ahw, there could be any number of reasons. All airlines have their 'respective quirks' and everything is valid!
I was guessing, and I thought they don't like passengers, crew and staff mistaking E and F since they look the same. But in their big planes (A350 & B787) they do use E.
Anyway, curiosity dictates, I'll keep asking around until we know their real reason.
Commonly Weird Seat Naming Practices!
Hmm, if in the above section our topic was the uncommon and/or unique, let us talk about some very common seat naming practices that many passengers find 'weird'.
Look at the business class seats (orange-colored) in the above map. They are from rows 1 to 4. But economy class starts at row 10. Where are rows 5 to 9, nagsilayas?
Wala talaga! Airlines try to standardize their seat numbers across many kinds/types of planes. Example, they want economy class seats to start at the same row number.
Why is that? Uh, so that, in case they need to change planes due to technical issues, there'll be less chaos with "pilosopo" passengers. Hay nangyayari yan - ng madalas!
Real example: A passenger was on Seat 7A (economy). But, due to aircraft problem, airline changed their plane with a bigger one - where economy only starts at row 10.
Rows 1 to 9 are business class on the new plane, so, Mr. 7A must be transferred to an economy seat e.g., 12A. Aba ayaw, 7A daw kasi seat niya per orig boarding pass.
Naghuhuramentado, abogado daw sya, maghahabla daw sya etcetera etcetera. Ang totoo as in truth, gusto nya lang makatikim ng business class na libre. Patay-gutom!
That's an example. Maraming ganyan, esp yung mga... "alams na"!
Thus, for Vietnam Air (look at their seat maps for all planes) economy class start at Row 10 - even if there're few business seats, since 1 to 9 are business class in A350.
That situation is more for FSCs (full service carriers), because most budget airlines do not have business class - meaning Row 1 to eternity is all economy! Oh however:
Majority of airlines, FSC or LCC, do not have Row 13! It's also a common practice of not only airlines, but so many establishments on earth! It is about 13 being unlucky!
I said majority, since not all people/airlines believe in that superstition. However, an airline is a business. They listen to clients. Why put a Row 13 when nobody likes it?
That, is the story about Row 13. Now look at the seat map above again....
After 12 it is 14. I was seated on 14G. So kung tutuusin, 13 yun, just renamed to 14, therefore malas pa rin? My answer: hay naku pakialam ko sa mga pamahiin na yan!
All I know is: this is the best row for me!
The Widest 'Emergency Exit Row'?
I didn't measure it hehe, but Row 14 and my Seat 14G certainly felt that way to me.
Widest for a "small" plane. I could stretch my legs not reaching seats in front of me!
I even had to walk when I needed to read the things "in the seatpocket in front of me"! Well, as seen in the photo above, it's a real exit door, not an emergency exit window.
I guess that's why the space is wide, since it is a real door, not an overwing window.
Now look at row 14 again on the seat map above. There's something missing - Seat 14D. It appears on the map as if it were a blank space, right? Actually, there's a seat!
That, is where Ms Stewardess is seated. It's a seat yes, but "not for sale"! It's not for us passengers. Many airline people I asked call it a Jumpseat or a Jump Seat. Awk!
Diha mu-lingkod ugsa mu-ambak sa hoyohoy. Diyos ko gino-o ko, ayaw oi!
Seriously, and this is by law, there has to be a jumpseat on that part of the plane, as there is a door. A crew needs to quickly access and operate that door when needed.
Kelan ba talaga nangyayari o mangyayari iyang "when needed" na yan? Ah whenever that is, ayoko na maulit. Tama na ang once in my lifetime! In the name of the father...
Ikaw na lang kung gusto mo. You want? I-txt natin ke San Pedro para ma-ilista ka!
Enough of that cringe-inducing topic. Basta, some seats are not for us hahaha!
Welcome Amenities!
Oh yes, VN is not a budget airline, so there "still" are some welcome amenities.
Oh well okay, singular... amenity! At kung masasarapan ka man dyan, bahala ka na!
Ang pagkaka-alam ko kasi pamunas yan. It's wet and cold. Refreshing nga!
Pero kung gusto mong ngatain yan, go ahead! Tell us nalang kung ano lasa hahaha!
But seriously, at least there is still something to welcome the passengers on board. Fewer are the airlines - FSC or LCC - that still do/have that in their economy service.
With most airlines you get nothing but a smile. With many budget airlines, simangot!
Tara let's go!
Taxiway Sights & Scenes
I liked this one-in-a-million chance I accidentally captured, and now I'm proud :)
After a bit of time on the taxiway (I think it might have been 3 kilometers), our plane stopped a few meters from entering Runway 35R, which we all know, is very normal.
Yes, planes usually stop before stepping on the runway, to give way to other planes that are already about to take off, or especially those that are already about to land.
Minsan matagal yan, pag madami silang lalapag. So I said "waiting time again", and I busied my royal self appreciating the field. I was saying "it looks just like sa Pilipinas".
The green grass with patches of brown... o pwede rin the brown grass with patches of green. Wet with sporadic rain here and there. Still a beautiful 'Boxing Day'. No snow!
I was wondering if those hills in the distance may already be Hòa Khánh Bắc or Hoà Sơn, which would be the actual middle, the heart of Da Nang. Click, click, click, and...
Whah and whooa! That plane just appeared on my shot! And I did not see it coming!
Nice shot, right? If you look at the 2 pictures above, they're the same, except that on that last photo, there suddenly appeared a Vietnam Air plane, as if suspended in air!
I had no idea it was coming. I just shot those 2 pics for the grassy greens!
Anyway.., so here we were positioning on the runway, ready for take off to Saigon.
I took this picture since those hangar-like buildings were fascinating to look at. I am sure those are not all hangars - ang dami naman! About 62, per my quick count. Da!
They look regular from my phone's vantage. But near them, like when we passed-by, they're actually big. Each single structure with 'arched roof' design can fit an aircraft.
You'll see all those hangar-like structures, when I post my takeoff video, here, soon!
Takeoff!video will be here
We took off at 1208H noontime. At 5 minutes thereafter, nothing much to see!
I looked left (inside the cabin), ayan si F/A, waiting for the "fasten seatbelt" lights to be "switched-off" by the captain, so she/they could proceed with their cabin service!
Oy by the way, I once talked to a PAL stewardess, she told me, they 'most often' pray at this stage, that the weather be good. Not that they're afraid of turbulence hehehe!
They just want that "fasten seatbelt" sign to be out, so they could work na! If it does not go away soonest, they may have to rush things later. Nakakawala daw ng poise!
Oo nga naman 'no?
But that's a PAL crew's "service mentality". Yung iba, lalo na yung sa mga budget air, malay natin, baka iniisip nila, "salamat kapitan, no work to do, sitting pretty lang kami"!
How can you still serve inflight snacks when you've only got a few minutes left prior to landing? For budget airlines, it's not serve, it's "sell"! Just the same, they need time.
Anyway, look at the photo above again.., when I looked to my right, wonderful cloud views. So, even without sunglasses on, I spent the entire flight looking out that way!
About 35 minutes into the flight, I liked the hide-and-seek with land and the clouds!
Couldn't tell where in Vietnam we already were. But I still loved gazing down at land.
But about an hour into the flight, I could see water and the plane started descent...
Hmm, water on my right side on a southward flight from Danang to Ho Chi Minh? It can't be East Vietnam Sea, right? That must be the now-getting-famous Trị An Lake.
In a flash I was seeing urbanity. So, this river that appeared in my views must be the Đồng Nai River, flowing from the Trị An Dam (also known as Trị An Man-made Lake).
This river is a natural boundary of HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City) and Đồng Nai Province.
And the plane was steadily bulusoking (descending hehe) to HCMC or Saigon...
And I could sense we were heading southwest from northeast of the city...
So I knew were were hitting Runway 25R of Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport...
Ka-blag ng konti, but smooth landing pa rin. And smilingly, I silently said: hello again Saigon, I won't see you for now, a big middle-eastern plane is already waiting for me!
We have already talked about HCMC sometime ago, remember?
So, let's continue my story, transiting in Saigon, on the way to Phnom Penh.
That's next!
Okay boarded. I was last in. Soon as I stepped into this plane, they closed the door!
Hindi sya 'cheapeepai' tingnan like all budget airlines are - in bold reds or yelllows or oranges or blacks - na para kang nasa kids' play area, tadtad ng advertising stickers na na-aagnas na o di-kaya natutuklap na or both! Ganyan ang budget airlines, di ba?
Here, interiors are respectably cool, parang PAL or other Full Service Carriers (FSCs).
Ahehe, Christmas Day kasi kahapon! Yep, all of Vietnam does celebrate Christmas, even if they are non-Christians. And Vietnam Air (VN) joins-in with refined elegance!
Uncommon Seat Nomenclature!
Let me just call it "uncommon" for it's not "unique", I think. Just a little different from many other airliners, especially ours in the Philippines. Let's start with my Seat 14G.
That's a window seat on the right side of the plane if you're seated and facing front. Oh yes, this is an Airbus A321-200, that big airliners in the Philippines also do have.
But in your Airbus travels in the Philippines, window seats are usually A (left) and F (right side), because these planes usually have 6 seats (3 on each side of the aisle).
It's ABCDEF for 6 seats, diba? For example: if you're in row 11, seats there would be 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E & 11F, korek? Why would VN have 11G? Pito per row sila?!
Hiyay! Ang sikip na nga ng animan, gagawin mo pang pitohan? No naman. Ganire:
Hahaha, that's what they want, then so be it. Walang basagan ng trip!
Seriously, when it comes to seat numbering and naming, there is really no hard rule that airliners must adhere-to. There are only "best practices" or "general standards".
But in the above case of VN, why don't they want to use F? Ahw, there could be any number of reasons. All airlines have their 'respective quirks' and everything is valid!
I was guessing, and I thought they don't like passengers, crew and staff mistaking E and F since they look the same. But in their big planes (A350 & B787) they do use E.
Anyway, curiosity dictates, I'll keep asking around until we know their real reason.
Commonly Weird Seat Naming Practices!
Hmm, if in the above section our topic was the uncommon and/or unique, let us talk about some very common seat naming practices that many passengers find 'weird'.
Look at the business class seats (orange-colored) in the above map. They are from rows 1 to 4. But economy class starts at row 10. Where are rows 5 to 9, nagsilayas?
Wala talaga! Airlines try to standardize their seat numbers across many kinds/types of planes. Example, they want economy class seats to start at the same row number.
Why is that? Uh, so that, in case they need to change planes due to technical issues, there'll be less chaos with "pilosopo" passengers. Hay nangyayari yan - ng madalas!
Real example: A passenger was on Seat 7A (economy). But, due to aircraft problem, airline changed their plane with a bigger one - where economy only starts at row 10.
Rows 1 to 9 are business class on the new plane, so, Mr. 7A must be transferred to an economy seat e.g., 12A. Aba ayaw, 7A daw kasi seat niya per orig boarding pass.
Naghuhuramentado, abogado daw sya, maghahabla daw sya etcetera etcetera. Ang totoo as in truth, gusto nya lang makatikim ng business class na libre. Patay-gutom!
That's an example. Maraming ganyan, esp yung mga... "alams na"!
Thus, for Vietnam Air (look at their seat maps for all planes) economy class start at Row 10 - even if there're few business seats, since 1 to 9 are business class in A350.
That situation is more for FSCs (full service carriers), because most budget airlines do not have business class - meaning Row 1 to eternity is all economy! Oh however:
Majority of airlines, FSC or LCC, do not have Row 13! It's also a common practice of not only airlines, but so many establishments on earth! It is about 13 being unlucky!
I said majority, since not all people/airlines believe in that superstition. However, an airline is a business. They listen to clients. Why put a Row 13 when nobody likes it?
That, is the story about Row 13. Now look at the seat map above again....
After 12 it is 14. I was seated on 14G. So kung tutuusin, 13 yun, just renamed to 14, therefore malas pa rin? My answer: hay naku pakialam ko sa mga pamahiin na yan!
All I know is: this is the best row for me!
The Widest 'Emergency Exit Row'?
I didn't measure it hehe, but Row 14 and my Seat 14G certainly felt that way to me.
I guess that's why the space is wide, since it is a real door, not an overwing window.
Now look at row 14 again on the seat map above. There's something missing - Seat 14D. It appears on the map as if it were a blank space, right? Actually, there's a seat!
Diha mu-lingkod ugsa mu-ambak sa hoyohoy. Diyos ko gino-o ko, ayaw oi!
Seriously, and this is by law, there has to be a jumpseat on that part of the plane, as there is a door. A crew needs to quickly access and operate that door when needed.
Kelan ba talaga nangyayari o mangyayari iyang "when needed" na yan? Ah whenever that is, ayoko na maulit. Tama na ang once in my lifetime! In the name of the father...
Ikaw na lang kung gusto mo. You want? I-txt natin ke San Pedro para ma-ilista ka!
Enough of that cringe-inducing topic. Basta, some seats are not for us hahaha!
Welcome Amenities!
Oh yes, VN is not a budget airline, so there "still" are some welcome amenities.
Ang pagkaka-alam ko kasi pamunas yan. It's wet and cold. Refreshing nga!
But seriously, at least there is still something to welcome the passengers on board. Fewer are the airlines - FSC or LCC - that still do/have that in their economy service.
With most airlines you get nothing but a smile. With many budget airlines, simangot!
Tara let's go!
Taxiway Sights & Scenes
I liked this one-in-a-million chance I accidentally captured, and now I'm proud :)
Yes, planes usually stop before stepping on the runway, to give way to other planes that are already about to take off, or especially those that are already about to land.
Minsan matagal yan, pag madami silang lalapag. So I said "waiting time again", and I busied my royal self appreciating the field. I was saying "it looks just like sa Pilipinas".
The green grass with patches of brown... o pwede rin the brown grass with patches of green. Wet with sporadic rain here and there. Still a beautiful 'Boxing Day'. No snow!
I was wondering if those hills in the distance may already be Hòa Khánh Bắc or Hoà Sơn, which would be the actual middle, the heart of Da Nang. Click, click, click, and...
Nice shot, right? If you look at the 2 pictures above, they're the same, except that on that last photo, there suddenly appeared a Vietnam Air plane, as if suspended in air!
I had no idea it was coming. I just shot those 2 pics for the grassy greens!
Anyway.., so here we were positioning on the runway, ready for take off to Saigon.
They look regular from my phone's vantage. But near them, like when we passed-by, they're actually big. Each single structure with 'arched roof' design can fit an aircraft.
You'll see all those hangar-like structures, when I post my takeoff video, here, soon!
Takeoff!
We took off at 1208H noontime. At 5 minutes thereafter, nothing much to see!
Oy by the way, I once talked to a PAL stewardess, she told me, they 'most often' pray at this stage, that the weather be good. Not that they're afraid of turbulence hehehe!
They just want that "fasten seatbelt" sign to be out, so they could work na! If it does not go away soonest, they may have to rush things later. Nakakawala daw ng poise!
Oo nga naman 'no?
But that's a PAL crew's "service mentality". Yung iba, lalo na yung sa mga budget air, malay natin, baka iniisip nila, "salamat kapitan, no work to do, sitting pretty lang kami"!
How can you still serve inflight snacks when you've only got a few minutes left prior to landing? For budget airlines, it's not serve, it's "sell"! Just the same, they need time.
Anyway, look at the photo above again.., when I looked to my right, wonderful cloud views. So, even without sunglasses on, I spent the entire flight looking out that way!
About 35 minutes into the flight, I liked the hide-and-seek with land and the clouds!
But about an hour into the flight, I could see water and the plane started descent...
In a flash I was seeing urbanity. So, this river that appeared in my views must be the Đồng Nai River, flowing from the Trị An Dam (also known as Trị An Man-made Lake).
This river is a natural boundary of HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City) and Đồng Nai Province.
And the plane was steadily bulusoking (descending hehe) to HCMC or Saigon...
And I could sense we were heading southwest from northeast of the city...
So I knew were were hitting Runway 25R of Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport...
Ka-blag ng konti, but smooth landing pa rin. And smilingly, I silently said: hello again Saigon, I won't see you for now, a big middle-eastern plane is already waiting for me!
We have already talked about HCMC sometime ago, remember?
So, let's continue my story, transiting in Saigon, on the way to Phnom Penh.
That's next!
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