After pandemic flight, Is Bamboo Airways overrated?
Bamboo Airways is a new Vietnamese airlines and third largest airlines in Vietnam. They are the second airlines in Vietnam that use wide- body aircraft. With a mix of low-cost and traditional airlines, Bamboo Airways is on the track to become the largest airlines and the 1st 5 stars airlines recognized by Skytrax in Vietnam. However, due to financial difficulties, they had to return 3/3 of Boeing 787-9 and reduce their fleet size. Let’s have a look at my experience back in July 2022, when I took a return flight between Melbourne ( MEL) and Ho Chi Minh city ( SGN).
Bamboo Airways Boeing 787-9 Economy Class Seat
Here is the seat on the Dreamliner, which has a good legroom with a seat pocket, a foldable tray table and of course an entertainment screen. A power outlet where we can put our charger in is also available at the seat. A soft pillow and blanket was provided as well. Other than that, the service was really good. There were two meals in each flight, which were tasty.
For the 1st meal, I went with fish rice option. Salad, a bread roll and cake were also on the tray, which was very impressive. The quality of this meal was really good and I enjoyed it a lot. For the second meal, which was served 2h before landing, I went with fried noodle option, which came with bread, Italian salad and a banana cupcake. Once again, this meal was delicious and I had no concern about the catering in this flight. The crew was friendly and helpful, which was great.
For the flight back to Melbourne, I had the same experience as the first flight. On this another 8h flight, 2 meals were served. For late dinner, I went for beef rice option, which wenr with salad, bread roll and a caramel flan cake. This was a good meal, not too salty but the taste was delicious. 2h before landing, breakfast was served. For this meal, I went with congee option, which has a small tray of fruits, bread rool and a cup of yoghurt, which was excellent for breakfast. I also had a cup of coffee to keep me awake.
Beverages were served in both flights, the crew was very nice, which was similar to my experience with Singapore Airlines. Entertainment had a lot of contents and movies, which was sufficient for long-haul flights. However, the facilities were decent and not too good in both flights. Some seats were broken, which was unable to recline while some seats had a broken screen. Lavatory were clean and enormous so I didn’t have any concern on that.
Overall, I don’t think Bamboo Airways is overrated, their service was at a very high standard with wonderful crew and food. However, due to financial issuses, we don’t know when Bamboo Airways will re-welcome Boeing 787-9 to their fleet. Their services has improved date by date and they still operate some domestic flights so there is still a chance to fly with them in the future.
For booking flights with Bamboo Airways, visit their website: https://www.bambooairways.com/vn/en
Have you ever flown with Bamboo Airways, share your experience below:
What does a mid-range domestic flight look like on Vietnam Airlines? Have a look at my 1h20' flight from Quy Nhon to Hanoi.