The first time you travel with a new airline, there is often a novelty factor where things look and feel better than you expected, so they stand out and can magnify that elusive feel-good experience. The real test is a follow-up flight that puts an airline's consistency to the test, the quality that's the hardest to achieve in commercial aviation.
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A second Dreamliner flight on Royal Brunei
As some readers may recall, I traveled to Brunei for the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines 68th Assembly of Presidents earlier this month. The Assembly gathered airline CEOs and senior executives from airlines and OEMs throughout the region for three days of discussions and networking in Brunei, a small resource-rich nation in the South China Sea.
Photo: Royal Brunei Airlines
On November 10, I traveled to Brunei from Melbourne (Australia) on a Royal Brunei Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, my first flight with the nation's flag carrier. I reviewed the flight for Simple Flying and was very impressed with the aircraft and the experience, but more of that is on this link. This review is for Royal Brunei Airlines (Royal Brunei) flight BI5, the overnight return service to Melbourne, also operated with a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
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Photo:Hafit Irawan | Shutterstock
Australia is an end-of-line destination, which often means overnight flights that land or take off in the middle of the night or early morning. I have no idea what the majority of passengers prefer, but I am not a big fan of overnight flights on any airline in any class, mainly because I actually enjoy flying and find most night flights a rush to get a meal served and the lights turned off so people can sleep. Here is my experience on the Royal Brunei flight to Melbourne on November 14, 2024.
The Brunei International Airport experience
Brunei International Airport has a large, bright and well-maintained terminal that is moderately busy around the early evening peak but sparsely populated if you arrive some hours before your flight, as I did. The airport is served by airlines including AirAsia, Singapore Airlines, Cebu Pacific, AirAsia Indonesia and Royal Brunei.
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Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying
Royal Brunei Airlines has an unusually comfortable priority check-in area, where waiting passengers can sit in comfortable armchairs if they need to wait at all. The priority area is available to business class passengers and Royal Skies Gold and Silver members. With no flights departing any time soon, the check-in process was friendly and very quick, as was the passage through immigration and security screening.
Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying
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Royal Brunei has two distinct airside lounges, the Business Class Lounge and the Sky Lounge, which share a common reception area. With so much time on my hands and the gracious assistance of Royal Brunei staff, I reviewed both lounges, which will soon appear on Simple Flying.
Business Class on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
As I have reviewed this recently, I will just add that Royal Brunei's 787-8s have a very spacious, open and light business class cabin configured in a 2-2-2 layout of three rows. The seat is 21 inches wide with a 79-inch pitch and provides a personal reading light, both USB A and plug-in laptop power, a 15.4-inch entertainment screen and plenty of storage space.
The priority boarding was speedy, and when I boarded, noise-canceling headphones, a pillow, and a blanket were waiting on my seat. The amenity kit contains an eye mask, socks, toothbrush and paste, lip balm and moisturizer from HARNN, one of Thailand's leading skincare brands.
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Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying
An unexpected visitor and a chat in the cockpit
While settling into my seat with snacks and a cold fresh fruit juice, Captain Pg Hj Abdullah appeared and invited me to join him and Senior First Officer Riduan in the cockpit. As an aviation journalist, I obviously accepted, and they introduced me to the aircraft and shared some of their experiences from flying it around the globe for Royal Brunei.
Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying
I must quickly add that the aircraft was still parked at the gate, and the cabin and cockpit doors were open, so there was no security breach. The Dreamliner was on an epic rotation that started on Wednesday in the UK with a flight from London Heathrow (LHR) to Dubai International (DXB) and on to Brunei.
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Flight BI5 departed Brunei at 20:10 and, after a 6:42-hour flight, landed at Melbourne Airport (MEL) at 05:52. The operating aircraft was a 2013 Boeing 787-8, registration V8-DLB and MSN 34786, one of five in the Royal Brunei fleet. The Dreamliner left Melbourne that afternoon at 13:44 and arrived in Brunei at 17:32.
Consistency and quality are at the heart of Royal Brunei
The early stages of an overnight flight always appear taxing for the cabin crew, and with a full load in business class, this crew was quick to greet guests, settle the cabin, offer a drink and get the aircraft ready to depart in an organized manner. Once the seatbelt sign was turned off, they were immediately on their feet to take dinner orders or to make up beds for those who had eaten in the lounge and just wanted to sleep.
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The full dinner menu was available, which included an entree of Smoked Chicken with Thai cashew pepper salad dressed in tamarind sauce and Mushroom soup, both served with a wide selection of fresh bread products. The main course choices were:
- Roasted Chicken with brown sauce and fragrant rice,
- Beef stewed paired with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables
- Seabass in curry sauce with steamed rice served with fried okra.
- Light bites included mushroom quiche, instant noodles served with shredded Chicken and oriental garnishes, and other snacks.
- Dessert was a Chocolate Ganache tart
Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying
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It may be just me, but soup seems to be a highlight for Royal Brunei. It was again beautifully presented at just the right temperature in a fine china bowl. I chose the Cream of Mushroom Soup, Roasted Chicken and Chocolate Tart, and the quality, freshness and presentation were once again first-class and a high testament to the standards of the airline's kitchens and suppliers. Also, eating off china using a complete set of cutlery, with starched linen as a backdrop is so enjoyable.
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A dedicated team of cool, calm and collected flight attendants
This crew had a lot to live up to after my initial Royal Brunei flight a week earlier, and for me, flight attendant consistency is what sets airlines apart, particularly in premium cabins. I had nothing to worry about as they were professional, friendly and super efficient in serving a full dinner, clearing it away and making up beds for 18 passengers along the way.
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Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying
Many decades ago, Singapore Airlines built an amazing brand around its flight attendants, known as the Singapore Girl, as the face of its inflight service. My interactions with Royal Brunei and its people have proven to me that this airline lacks nothing in looking after its guests, both on the ground and in the air, and stands among the world's best airlines on that front.
