Review: Bamboo Airways Business Class A321neo (SGN-HAN)

Review: Bamboo Airways Business Class A321neo (SGN-HAN)

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FROM: SGN
TO: HAN
CABIN: Business
DATE: January 2023
REVIEW RATING:
SEAT MAP: A321-200neo V.2
BEN SAYS: Bamboo Airways' A321neos are brand new, and have comfortable seats, combined with friendly service and good food. I'd recommend Bamboo Airways on short haul flights.
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For the last portion of the outbound journey of my whirlwind Aeroplan adventure, I was flying Bamboo Airways’ A321neo business class from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. As an avgeek, I can’t even put into words how excited I was to fly Bamboo Airways. I had seen virtually no reviews online about this product, and to me there’s a real thrill in an experience like this, where you have no clue what to expect.

Well, I’m happy to report that Bamboo Airways’ domestic product exceeded my expectations, with comfortable seats, good food, and friendly service. Being the only business class passenger certainly didn’t hurt either…

How I booked my Bamboo Airways business class ticket

I booked my Bamboo Airways business class ticket using points (you’ve gotta love how many unique airline partners Aeroplan has!). Specifically, I redeemed 115,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points to fly from Chicago to Vienna to Rome to Bahrain to Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, all in business class.

For more details on how I booked that, see my post about how to redeem Aeroplan points like a pro. Aeroplan points are easy to come by, as the program is transfer partners with Amex Membership RewardsCapital One, and Chase Ultimate Rewards. On top of that, there’s the Aeroplan® Credit Card (review) in the United States, which is phenomenal.

Specific to the Bamboo Airways portion of my trip, here’s the flight I took:

1/08 QH256 Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi departing 10:10PM arriving 12:20AM (+1 day)

For what it’s worth, the following day I flew from Hanoi to Frankfurt on Bamboo Airways’ Boeing 787. That was the start of my return journey, so I’ll talk more about that booking process when I review the flight.

Bamboo Airways business class check-in & lounge

After my Singapore Airlines Boeing 787 business class flight from Singapore, I cleared immigration and headed over to the domestic terminal. There I easily found Bamboo Airways’ check-in area. I know I’m strange, but I got downright giddy seeing anything Bamboo Airways branded “in the flesh” for the first time.

Bamboo Airways check-in counters Ho Chi Minh City Airport

While there was a wait at the main Bamboo Airways check-in counter, there was no queue for business class, and I was helped immediately. I explained which flight I was on, but oddly was asked for my ticket number before the agent even tried to look up my reservation (so it’s not that she couldn’t find my reservation). Odd, but okay…

Bamboo Airways check-in counters Ho Chi Minh City Airport

Once I provided my ticket number, the check-in process was efficient, and I was shown a seatmap of the plane I’d be flying (an Airbus A321neo), to confirm my seat selection.

Bamboo Airways A321neo seatmap

At this point the check-in agent handed me over to her colleague, who escorted me to the entrance of the premium check-in line. It’s nice that the domestic terminal at the airport offers a totally separate premium queue, since the main security area was packed. I was through security within five minutes.

Ho Chi Minh City Airport domestic security check

From there I headed to Le Saigonnais Business Lounge, which Bamboo Airways business class passengers can use (it’s the only lounge in the domestic terminal). I reviewed the lounge in a separate installment.

Bamboo Airways business class boarding

Boarding for my Bamboo Airways flight was scheduled for 9:30PM, 40 minutes before my 10:10PM departure. Boarding was scheduled for gate 14, located just a short walk from the lounge. I knew the flight would be departing from a remote stand, as there were stairs leading down to the bus area.

Bamboo Airways departure gate Ho Chi Minh City Airport

There were no announcements in English, so it was hard to make sense of what was going on when boarding started. Usually business class passengers are invited to board first, but in this case I was asked to just stand to the side, while seemingly half the plane boarded.

The gate agent was trying to explain there would be a separate bus for business class, and I should wait. Sure enough, after about 10 minutes she motioned for me to proceed to the gate.

Bamboo Airways departure gate Ho Chi Minh City Airport

At this point my boarding pass was scanned, and I was asked to follow one of the gate agents. This was rather awkward, as there was a line all the way down the stairs to the bus, but she made everyone move so that we could squeeze through.

Bamboo Airways boarding Ho Chi Minh City Airport

At this point I was put on a 16-person bus. Once the door closed, it became pretty apparent to me that I was the only one in business class — awesome!

Bamboo Airways bus Ho Chi Minh City Airport

We drove right behind the first “regular” bus to the plane, and it was quite a long drive.

Bamboo Airways bus Ho Chi Minh City Airport

When we pulled up to the plane, the crew wasn’t quite ready for boarding, so I was asked to wait for about five minutes. At that point I was invited to board first, while the passengers were then allowed to get off the other bus. My goodness, this is about as close as you’ll get to a Lufthansa First Class Terminal or Air France La Premiere Lounge experience while in business class!

Bamboo Airways A321neo business class cabin & seats

My flight was operated by a just over one-year-old Bamboo Airways A321neo with the registration code VN-A228. Bamboo Airways’ A321neos feature a total of 196 seats. I quickly glanced into the economy cabin (since I was the first to board). That cabin features 188 seats, with pitch starting at 30″.

Bamboo Airways A321neo economy class cabin
Bamboo Airways A321neo economy class cabin

Meanwhile there are eight business class seats, spread across two rows in a 2-2 configuration. These seats should look familiar, as they’re from the same seat manufacturer as American’s domestic first class seats. As you can see, there isn’t a proper bulkhead between business and economy, though there are thick curtains that more or less give you full privacy.

Bamboo Airways A321neo business class cabin

Seat pitch on Bamboo Airways’ A321neos is 38″, which is a bit better than you’ll find in first class on most US airlines nowadays. I’m also a fan of the seat finishes, which add a bit of personality to the cabin.

Bamboo Airways A321neo business class cabin
Bamboo Airways A321neo business class cabin

I assigned myself seat 2A, the window seat on the left side in the second row.

Bamboo Airways business class seat A321neo
Bamboo Airways business class seat legroom

The seats have buttons on the center console, which can recline the seat or raise the legrest. It’s nice that Bamboo Airways has legrests on its A321neos, unlike what you’ll find on US airlines.

Bamboo Airways business class seat recline

Below is a picture taken later in the flight of the seat recline and legrest.

Bamboo Airways business class seat recline

There’s a center console between seats where you can place drinks during the flight, if you’d like.

Bamboo Airways business class seat center tray table

The armrest can be raised, and under it is a storage compartment, as well as the power outlets.

Bamboo Airways business class seat storage

The outlets feature both AC and USB power.

Bamboo Airways business class seat power outlet

The tray table extends out from the far armrest, and can be folded over in half.

Bamboo Airways business class seat tray table

I also like how Bamboo Airways’ A321neos have both individual air nozzles and reading lights in the overhead consoles.

Bamboo Airways A321neo overhead console

It’s cute how Bamboo Airways has orchids on the bulkheads — that’s a nice touch that I wish we’d see on more airlines, as it adds color and warmth to the cabin.

Bamboo Airways business class bulkhead A321neo
Bamboo Airways business class bulkhead A321neo

All-in-all, this is a lovely cabin for a domestic flight. It’s a bit more comfortable than you’ll find within the United States, and on top of that the cabin felt brand new. For what it’s worth, Bamboo Airways also flies 787s on some domestic routes, but I specifically avoided that, since I’d be flying it on a long haul flight the next day.

Bamboo Airways A321neo entertainment & Wi-Fi

Bamboo Airways’ Airbus A321neos don’t have Wi-Fi, and also don’t have any personal entertainment. This isn’t a huge deal on a short domestic flight, though on a flight of several hours within Asia, that sure would be a valuable feature.

Hopefully the airline considers at least introducing streaming entertainment in the future. In the meantime, make sure you bring your own entertainment.

Bamboo Airways business class amenities

Within a minute of settling in, one of the two lovely business class flight attendants was by my seat to offer me the choice of water, orange juice, or apple juice, as well as a cold towel. I felt a bit bad that they poured all three glasses (since I was the only passenger) rather than just asking me.

Bamboo Airways business class drink & towel

As far as other amenities go, I was also offered a rather mediocre blanket, which was fine for a short domestic flight. There were no pillows.

Bamboo Airways business class blanket

Bamboo Airways A321neo departure from Ho Chi Minh City

Boarding was pretty efficient, and by 10:10PM the main cabin door was closed. A moment later the lead flight attendant made his welcome aboard announcement. At this point the crew members stood throughout the aisle with their hands on their hearts and bowed, which was a charming touch. That was the first of three times during the flight where that happened. We were informed of our flight time of 1hr40min.

Shortly thereafter the manual safety demonstration was performed, in both Vietnamese and English. The crew’s English was definitely lacking a bit, and that was apparent during the safety briefing. It was like he was trying to read the letters off a script without understanding what the words meant. In fairness, I don’t have much room to talk, as my Vietnamese isn’t great. 😉

At 10:20PM we began our taxi — there was no need for pushback, as we just started taxiing forward, since we were at a remote stand facing a taxiway.

We had a short taxi, and by 10:25PM we were cleared for takeoff on runway 25L. We had a smooth climb out, and the seatbelt sign was turned off within five minutes. The crew immediately closed the curtains between the galleys and cabins.

Bamboo Airways business class cabin inflight
Bamboo Airways business class cabin inflight

Bamboo Airways business class food & drinks

As soon as the seatbelt sign was turned off, one of the flight attendants came by my seat to take my dinner order. There were no paper menus, but rather I was shown an iPad that had the choice of meals and drinks. You can find a picture of the options below.

Bamboo Airways business class menu
Bamboo Airways business class menu

It’s quite impressive to have three meal options on such a short domestic flight! Unfortunately since I don’t eat pork, that eliminated two of the options. As a result, I selected the minced beef congee with goji berries. As you can see, the drink selection was quite limited. The only alcoholic drink that Bamboo Airways serves on domestic flights is beer.

Shortly after my meal order was taken, I was presented with a tablecloth.

Bamboo Airways business class tablecloth

Then about five minutes later I was brought my meal. I’ve gotta say, the meal was very good. It came with two pieces of bread, a side of yogurt, and a side of fresh fruit.

Bamboo Airways business class meal

I loved how everything was Bamboo Airways branded, including the salt & pepper shakers.

Bamboo Airways business class salt & pepper shakers

To drink, I ordered a beer, even though I hate beer. Why? Well, I mean, I’m trying to review the product, and I figured I wouldn’t have a whole lot to say about a glass of water, so I ordered this instead. I can confirm that I still hate beer, though I recognize others feel differently.

Bamboo Airways business class beer

After the meal, I was asked if I wanted anything else. I requested a cup of coffee, and was asked if I wanted it hot or iced. Wait, Bamboo Airways has iced coffee?!? Yes please! The flight attendant made me a tasty (sugary) Vietnamese iced coffee.

Bamboo Airways business class iced coffee

After that, I was given a warm towel at the conclusion of the meal.

Bamboo Airways business class warm towel

I dozed off for around 30 minutes, and then as we started our descent the crew proactively brought me a glass of water.

Bamboo Airways business class water

Bamboo Airways business class service

While the crew didn’t have a great grasp of the English language, other than that, they were lovely and professional:

  • Bamboo Airways uniforms are really sharp, and the crews take great pride in their appearance, which is good to see, even on such a late night flight
  • They seemed well trained in how to provide premium service; for example, when I was using my laptop, the flight attendant opened the tray table in the empty seat next to me, and placed my drink there, so I’d have more space
  • It’s cute how the crew members bowed in the aisle on three occasions with their hands over their hearts

Also, while I can’t credit the crew for this, Bamboo Airways has hilarious automated announcements. I’m not sure if they’re intended to be funny, but, well, they are.

For example, when the seatbelt sign goes on, there’s a very excited voice that says “there goes the seatbelt sign, please sit down and buckle up, thanks.” That was then repeated two more times. Come and think of it, I’d probably appreciate it less on an overnight flight, as it would make me up every time.

Similarly, when we arrived at the gate, there was an automated announcement saying “we’re heeeeerre, we’re heeeeerre, we’re heeeeerre.”

I also found it interesting how there was an announcement saying “we hope you enjoyed your experience, if you have any complaints, please contact our cabin manager.”

Bamboo Airways A321neo business class lavatory

There was a lavatory at the front of the A321neo cabin, exclusively for business class passengers. The lavatory was immaculately clean (down to having folded toilet paper), had cool wallpaper, and even had a diffuser with Bamboo Airways’ signature aroma.

Bamboo Airways business class lavatory A321neo
Bamboo Airways business class lavatory A321neo
Bamboo Airways business class lavatory A321neo
Bamboo Airways business class lavatory A321neo

Bamboo Airways A321neo arrival in Hanoi

Almost exactly 30 minutes before landing we began our descent toward Hanoi. At this point the crew started preparing the cabin for landing, and then 20 minutes before arrival the seatbelt sign was turned on.

It was a nice night in Hanoi, and we had a smooth approach. We touched down there at 12:10AM, and had a short five minute taxi to our arrival gate. We taxied past a VietJet Air A330 and Bamboo Airways 787.

Bamboo Airways A321neo arrival in Hanoi
Bamboo Airways A321neo arrival in Hanoi
Bamboo Airways A321neo arrival in Hanoi

I bid farewell to the crew, and prepared for a quick overnight in the airport sleep pods, which was an experience that I don’t need to repeat anytime soon (more on that in the next installment).

Bottom line

Bamboo Airways offers a great experience on its Airbus A321neos. The planes are brand new, the crews are friendly, the food is pretty good, and the airline offers a good ground experience for business class passengers, with a separate bus. While it would be nice to have Wi-Fi and/or some sort of entertainment, that’s not a big deal on a short flight.

I’d fly Bamboo Airways’ A321neo again in a heartbeat…

What do you make of Bamboo Airways’ A321neo business class?

Conversations (17)
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  1. ChrisN Guest

    Hi Ben, thanks for this report! Very fun to see you on different and lesser-known airlines. Looking forward to your Bamboo long-haul review. Have you forgotten to publish it? Your latest reviews seem to have moved on from Asia. . .

  2. Nick R Guest

    In the 7 or so years I have been following your blog & every trip review, I dont think I have ever seen you order a beer!!!

  3. אבי Guest

    The review is very nice but I don't think you can really appreciate business class service no matter which company when you are the only passenger it is not wise for the staff to be kind and generous that they only have one passenger a real review can be written when the business class is at least half full
    In any case, good review and writing as usual, thank you very much

  4. West Coast Flyer Guest

    Nice review. Airplanes are probably the worst place to experience beer, as the selection is almost universally bad. Those cheap Asian pale lagers are some of the worst beers out there.

  5. Jerry Diamond

    I want to fly 'em just to hear the automated announcements

  6. Scott Guest

    We have just got back from Vietnam and you were very lucky that they didn’t have any wine on the flight! We travelled for 3 weeks and we’re served the most horrible wine in virtually every bar we went in (apart from western hotels!). It’s not something they do at all, beer on the other hand- is virtually everywhere and is extremely cheap, the least we paid was $0.50 for a beer in Hanoi!

  7. Sandy Guest

    I think the agent asked for the ticket number may be because you booked with Aeroplan points so the ticket number begins with 014, which maybe unfamiliar to the agent. Hence the need to verify. Just my two cents

  8. tuotuo Gold

    (it’s the only lounge in the domestic terminal)
    At the other end of the terminal there should be a Lotus Lounge of Vietnam Airlines.

  9. Clayton Guest

    I won't go spoiling anything for you @Ben but a certain Mr Bunnik recently reviewed Bamboo Air and was in the same boat, unable to find other reviews. The ground experience was awash with eccentricities like yourself and he managed to bag a whole 787 J cabin to himself on an international leg where the crew proceeded to spoil him rotten.

    His take away was that the crew where a pleasure and knew that...

    I won't go spoiling anything for you @Ben but a certain Mr Bunnik recently reviewed Bamboo Air and was in the same boat, unable to find other reviews. The ground experience was awash with eccentricities like yourself and he managed to bag a whole 787 J cabin to himself on an international leg where the crew proceeded to spoil him rotten.

    His take away was that the crew where a pleasure and knew that delicate line between friendly and in your face.

    Here's hoping your long haul segment is as enjoyable as this one even if you don't manage to repeat your sole occupancy. We're considering Vietnam this year and if we do it then I think I'll be proactive in checking them out myself

  10. Daniel from Finland Guest

    The meal looks like breakfast to me. But for a 1 hour 40 min flight, that meal and seat are definitely above the average European J experience.

    PS. I hate beer, too!

  11. RF Diamond

    Seems like a nice experience.

  12. Nathan Guest

    I have a few domestic flights in Vietnam coming up soon. Would you recommend this over Vietnam Airlines domestic business class?

  13. VT-CIE Diamond

    Sorry for the third comment in a short span, but there is some problem with the connection on my end. Too bad there is no IFE on Bamboo — this is where Starlyx and Vistara shine!

  14. VT-CIE Diamond

    Bamboo and Starlux have rightly got all the attention among Southeast Asian airlines, and their brand-new A321neos are a good part of that reputation.

    Now I’d truly be glad if you could review two more A321neo products in the region: Cathay Pacific and Vistara, which are also up there in quality. The latter is especially important since it will hardly be a year before it disappears into Air India, so I fervently hope that you,...

    Bamboo and Starlux have rightly got all the attention among Southeast Asian airlines, and their brand-new A321neos are a good part of that reputation.

    Now I’d truly be glad if you could review two more A321neo products in the region: Cathay Pacific and Vistara, which are also up there in quality. The latter is especially important since it will hardly be a year before it disappears into Air India, so I fervently hope that you, in true OMAAT fashion, book another Aeroplan adventure on Vistara before it’s gone! (And, of course, to see how it compares to Jet Airways’ previous product. Let’s all hope that the original Indian premium airline is able to come back.)

    1. VT-CIE Diamond

      Not to mention that Vistara, like Bamboo, has three 787-9s that fly to Europe.

  15. NedsKid Diamond

    Great report... very attractive looking cabin and just enough colorful finishes to draw attention to the right places.

    Just a point of data: Flying on Breeze Airways last week on an A220 (VRB-BDL), they had the exact same automated seatbelt announcement. Perhaps it is part of a new default pre-loaded package by Airbus?

    During the pandemic when I had a dozen planes from my airline parked at my station, I got to play...

    Great report... very attractive looking cabin and just enough colorful finishes to draw attention to the right places.

    Just a point of data: Flying on Breeze Airways last week on an A220 (VRB-BDL), they had the exact same automated seatbelt announcement. Perhaps it is part of a new default pre-loaded package by Airbus?

    During the pandemic when I had a dozen planes from my airline parked at my station, I got to play with the automated announcement system. Turning the volume all the way up and playing the evacuation tape in screaming German is quite the experience.

  16. Daniel Guest

    Years ago, arriving with Vietnam Airlines on a remote stand in SGN, I also got the separate business class shuttle bus - although at that time the seats were in rather bad condition.
    I wonder whether those buses are a general service at that airport, independant of the airline.

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NedsKid Diamond

Great report... very attractive looking cabin and just enough colorful finishes to draw attention to the right places. Just a point of data: Flying on Breeze Airways last week on an A220 (VRB-BDL), they had the exact same automated seatbelt announcement. Perhaps it is part of a new default pre-loaded package by Airbus? During the pandemic when I had a dozen planes from my airline parked at my station, I got to play with the automated announcement system. Turning the volume all the way up and playing the evacuation tape in screaming German is quite the experience.

5
Sandy Guest

I think the agent asked for the ticket number may be because you booked with Aeroplan points so the ticket number begins with 014, which maybe unfamiliar to the agent. Hence the need to verify. Just my two cents

1
Clayton Guest

I won't go spoiling anything for you @Ben but a certain Mr Bunnik recently reviewed Bamboo Air and was in the same boat, unable to find other reviews. The ground experience was awash with eccentricities like yourself and he managed to bag a whole 787 J cabin to himself on an international leg where the crew proceeded to spoil him rotten. His take away was that the crew where a pleasure and knew that delicate line between friendly and in your face. Here's hoping your long haul segment is as enjoyable as this one even if you don't manage to repeat your sole occupancy. We're considering Vietnam this year and if we do it then I think I'll be proactive in checking them out myself

1
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