This trip was due to the obligation of going to work in a country that I understood to be rarely visited by Thai people, and there were no direct flights from Thailand. That country is Papua New Guinea (PNG). Even though it shares a border with Indonesia, that border is straight and distinct (like the map below), but Papua New Guinea is actually classified as part of the continent of Australia, not Asia.
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On this trip, I traveled with Air Niugini, which is the national flag carrier of Papua New Guinea. The most convenient route (saving time and travel costs) was to transit through Singapore. Currently, there are flights almost every day compared to my first visit two years ago in 2012, where there were only three flights per week. It’s safe to say that there are more options available now. I embarked on my journey on 15th November 2014.
This is the flight infomation.
Airline : Air Niugini
Route : Singapore (SIN) – Port Moresby (POM)
Flight : PX393
Aircraft : Boeing 767-300
ETD : 20.25 (GMT+8)
ETA : 05.00 +1 (GMT+10)
Duration : 6 hours 35 minutes
Cabin : Economy
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I began my journey by traveling from Bangkok to Singapore in the morning. Afterward, I spent the midday exploring and relaxing in Singapore. Once it was time, I proceeded to check-in at Changi Airport.
*** Air Niugini’s online system was not developed yet, so I couldn’t manage my booking or do online check-in. Anyone traveling with this airline should be cautious and allow at least 2-3 hours before the departure time.
I arrived at Changi Airport around 5.30PM. Three hours before the departure, the check-in counters had just opened, and I noticed that about half of the people in the queue were Papua New Guineans. The rest were mostly business travelers and people going for work purposes (hardly anyone seemed to be indicating that they were going on vacation). Besides the Papua New Guineans, I observed that the passport holders were mainly Chinese, Malaysians, Indonesians, and Singaporeans. The check-in process took quite a while for each person, especially the Papua New Guineans, as they had a lot of baggage to carry. By the time I finished checking in, it was already 6.15PM.
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And then, I got boarding pass. The boarding would be at the Gate No. D42, which wasn’t too close or too far. It took me about 10 minutes to walk to the gate. After that, I went through the immigation. I had sometime to look for something to eat before boarding.
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After finding something to eat, it was time to board. I walked to my gate immediately, noticing from the signs that I had arrived at the correct destination.
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I reached the gate at 7.25PM, just as the gate opened on time. Passengers and cabin crew started lining up in front of the gate, but there was a slight delay in the gate opening. It finally opened around 7.40PM.
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As soon as the gate opened, I didn’t waste any time and went through the security check to enter the boarding area. I looked out the window and there it was, the majestic Boeing 767-300 waiting for us.
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Just as I arrived at the gate, they immediately announced boarding. I wondered if there was heavy traffic at the airport, causing them to expedite the boarding process and take off quickly (I guessed). 🙂
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The business class seats were arranged as 2-1-2
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For the Economy class, it was arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration. Each seat had a personal PTV (Personal Television). However, there weren’t many options to choose from. There were around 10 movies and approximately 10 albums of music available. Apart from that, the screen also displayed flight status information and a few documentari
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The seating space was relatively narrow, I would say. Being 183 cm tall, I felt it was a couple of inches narrower than Thai Airways. I estimated it with my own eyes.
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It had safety instruction sheet and magazine in front seat pocket.
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After the plane took off, the meal service immediately began. For the economy class, as far as I heard from the cabin crew, there were two options: “Chicken with Rice” or “Lamb steak.” Since I don’t eat beef (or something similar), I had to go with the Chicken with Rice. Its appearance matched my expectations, but the taste was just so-so. I would rate it 6 out of 10. Nevertheless, I finished the meal because I was afraid of getting hungry during the journey. 😀
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After I was full, I decided to survey the lavatory. The cleanliness and facilities in the restroom were just average and needed improvement. I would rate it 3 out of 10. I noticed that they still provided bar soap instead of liquid soap. 😦 It was easy to get contamination from the person who used it before.
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After I finished digesting the meal, I fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up, it was already bright outside. I prepared myself for landing, but unfortunately, I didn’t capture any photos during the descent because I was still groggy, and the cabin crew had started conducting security checks. I didn’t dare to take out my camera.
One area that needed improvement was the Medium Haul flight, which flew overnight until morning. In reality, there should have been blankets provided, but unfortunately, there were none available. I had to request one myself ! And even then, there was a limited number of blankets, and I didn’t manage to get one in time. The response I received was, “No more blankets, they’re already used up.” 😦
Overall, this airline still needs a lot of improvements. This includes the pricing aspect because for my 6.5-hour flight, the round trip ticket cost me 1,400 USD (non-flexible fare). If it were another airline, I could have flown comfortably from Asia to Europe at this price.
In terms of service mind, customer service, food, and passenger convenience, they needed urgent improvement as well.
Overall, I would rate this airline 4 out of 10.
This was just my opinion. I did hope that Air Niugini would be able to improve their service and quality to reach the global standard soon. 🙂
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Written by : SHIPY SIWARIT TIASUWATTISETH
Shipy-Ship 
😊😊
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