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Trip Report: Thai Airways Royal Silk A380 Business Class June 2016

Flight:  TG911 Aircraft Type:  A380-800 Class:  ‘Royal Silk’ Business Class Route:  LHR-BKK Date:  June 2016

www.thaiairways.com

Their recent announcement of their ‘New Royal Silk Service’ product in business class, where passengers are treated to restaurant-style service and turn-downs before sleep was welcome news, and we couldn’t turn down an opportunity to trial it.

On The Ground

Thai Airways is one of the Star Alliance carriers that utilizes Terminal 2 at London Heathrow. We’ve always applauded the terminal and still find it the best terminal to fly from.

Thai Airways check in is situated in Zone A, and is actually the furthest check-in desk from the entrance, situated right in the corner of the check-in zone.

Star Alliance carriers all get to use the banks of self-service check in desks, and behind those are the regular economy banks of desks.

Our only criticism is that the business and first class traditional bank of desks are hidden behind this wall of economy desks, and as such is hard to find unless you know where they are.

Once at the desks, we were greeted by friendly staff who quickly processed the bags and handed our tickets. A simple request to select further forward seats in a pair was also honoured and we were told to head to the United Airlines lounge in the satellite terminal.

Utilising Fast Track, we were through security quickly, and made our way through the main terminal, long walkway to the satellite and to the waiting area.

Against the recommendation of the check in staff, we opted for the smaller, more intimate Singapore Airlines lounge nearby. The lounge as we’ve covered before is quieter, especially at the time of day, as a previous Singapore Airlines flight leaves a couple of hours before the Thai Airways day flight.

The flight was delayed, but only by 15-20minutes, so approximately 15 minutes before departure we made our way to the gate for boarding.

We were given priority boarding and made our way up the dedicated ramp to the upper deck of the A380

The Thai Airways A380 follows a fairly traditional layout, with the lower deck being comprised entirely of economy class seats, and the upper deck featuring 12 first class seats at the front, 60 business class seats and eight rows of economy in the very rear.

On the entering the aircraft, we turned right, and headed through an already busy galley, with staff making drinks and preparing the cabin for passengers.

The cabin utilizes the Sogerma Solstys seats, virtually identical to those found in Alitalia, Etihad, Iberia and Vietnam Airlines which means the seats offer an alternating 1 x 2 x 1 configuration, with 75% of the seats offering privacy, and the others as centre seat pairs, perfect for those travelling together.

The cabin is a sea of purple hues with beautiful patterns adorning the rear bulkhead. On boarding, the colours are enhanced by the mood lighting that the A380 offers, which adds warmth in the orange tones to the walls.

The main cabin is fairly vast, and it is easy to forget the entire deck below, but the seats manage to create a sense of privacy and the high walls to the seats mean you don’t feel like just one of many people. This is an important factor for such a large cabin, to ensure that premium passengers do actually feel premium.

On arrival at the seat, a beautifully dressed cabin crew arrived in a traditional Thai silk dress with sash, introduced herself by name, greeted us by name and offered to take my coat, and offered a glass of Veuve Cliquot.

The seat is virtually identical to the traditional Sogerma Solstys seat, with just the colour, seat fabric and trim being customized to the Thai Airways brand. This has been updated on the 777 product , but has yet to be retrofitted onto the A380 (if that even happens.)

The centre ‘honeymoon’ seats are actually very close together and perfect for travelling with a partner, as it’s almost like sitting on a sofa or when reclined sleeping in a double bed.

If you aren’t ‘close’ to the person next to you, we recommend picking one of the solo seats, which are either window seats or aisle seats.

The seat offers good space for a passenger, and those away from the aisle offer enhanced privacy. One thing we found was there was limited secure storage, with a large side table and small tray situated next to the IFE controller.

That said, the side table came in use, with plenty of extra space to store laptops, magazines or drinks when eating from the main fold down table.

The seat turns into a sizeable bed, and a slow massage function is a welcome addition to reduce any aches and pains. The footwell is also fairly spacious and we didn’t find it too restrictive when sleeping.

The seat is actually very comfortable, with thick padding, and while there is a three point seatbelt for take off, this reduces the need for an airbag, and as such, when sleeping with a seatbelt on, the lack of an airbag makes it much more comfortable.

The Food & Service

If you have travelled with Thai Airways before, you may have experienced the older service style, which involved trolleys being carted through the galleys. This has all changed due to the carrier’s introduction of the ‘New Royal Silk Service’ currently being rolled out route by route.

The service is personalized, champagnes and wines poured at seat, food brought in by tray seat by seat rather than en-mass and seats turned down into beds by cabin crew.

After take-off an aperitif was served, along with warm nuts, we stuck with the champagne. After this, in a relaxed service style, we started our meal service.

We opted for both dining styles. One is the Thai concept of Samrab and the other is Western Cuisine, which offer courses paired for the best experience, although naturally you could pick which of any of the dining options to go for.

The Thai Samrab was all served at the same time. It featured a wonderfully authentic Pork Salad, and a Chicken in Coconut Galangal soup. These were accompanied by perfectly cooked rice and a choice of Beef Massaman curry or a Prawn in Chu Chee curry which we opted for.

The food was fantastic. It was some of the best Thai food of our entire trip and packed the heat we had hoped from a spicy Thai palette.

We also tried the Seared Scallops on Lemon and Waldorf salad with poached prawn on pea puree, it was delightfully presented and light on the stomach.

This was followed by the grilled salmon, which was again, perfectly cooked and fantastically plated.

Both desserts of the baked egg custard with Taro and the Amaretto Mascarpne with Marshmallow ice cream were great.

During the flight there were a variety of dining options, and we opted for the Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce which was a perfect midnight snack.

Approximately 2 hours before landing we were woken up and our tables once again laid and fresh juice served.

Then a seasonal fresh fruit salad was served as a starter, followed by a cheese omelet which contained smoked pork loin, roasted mushrooms and accompanied with grilled asparagus and tomato.

There was a wide range of breads, pastries and preserves, as well as fresh coffee and teas.

Just before landing, jackets were returned and the cabin crew went around thanking each passenger for their custom, asking if there was anything they could have done better. It’s this attention to detail that we admire from a carrier that is happy to try and better themselves.

The Entertainment

Thai Airways doesn’t offer the largest screen in the skies, however, the range of movies, TV shows and audio is pretty extensive. The noise cancelling headsets are also decent, although I had a minor issue with feedback on one set, which was replaced as soon as I brought it up with the crew.

The IFE system is intuitive to use, the tail camera always a delight, and the handset a welcome addition, especially when reclining so as not to have to reach to the touchscreen to change the programming.

There was also a wide range of newspapers and magazines, including their Sawasdee inflight magazine.

Thai Airways offer a wide range of extras, from slippers to a quilted cushion for the bed. The Samsonite amenity kit was also a welcome keepsake, filled with traditional amenity kit supplies. The toilet even has its own eau de Toilet by Thai Airways (which was quite nice!). The hot towels were even branded with the Thai logo and the reappearance of the Orchid on the seat as we boarded was a fantastic reminder of what made us fall in love with Thai Airways in the first place.

But perhaps what could be considered as a new extra for Thai Airways was the new service concept, which has catapulted the carrier ahead in terms of their business class offering. It’s a noticeable shift, and when speaking to the crew before we deplaned, it was clear to see that the crew are genuinely determined to offer the best service they can.

In Conclusion

Thai Airways have really managed to deliver on a new promise. The hard product has always been of a good quality, and the new 777  interior shows how the carrier is continuing to invest in the hard product. But Thai Airways’ new service offering is what has elevated what is an always-affordable business class option from Europe to Asia. We were pleasantly surprised by food, service, seat comfort and price.

The Big Picture

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TheDesignAir travelled as guests of Thai Airways, but the opinions expressed here are our own.

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Posted by: Jonny Clark

4 replies on “ trip report: thai airways royal silk a380 business class june 2016 ”.

Thai is usually the most expensive premium class ticket by a large margin, at least ex-Bangkok. I, and nobody else I know, who live in Thailand, even consider Thai when flying long-haul international. Emirates, Swiss, and Austrian all have equal hard and superior soft products than Thai Airways.

In despite of the fact that I do not find Thai Airways any better than any other regular airline, this report was very well done, and gives the readers all information about what they are going to find when flying Thai. Congratulations !!

Flew April 16 lhr to bkk business class return. It was OK. Went to sit in my seat once boarded and the armrest fell off. 380’s seem a bit worn these days. Business class lounge at bangkok very shabby, worn out and dirty. Come on thai airways, this is your home lounge! Trying eva next time.

Sad what’s happened to a once very good airline. Politics killed it.

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Review: THAI Airways A350-900 Business Class (SIN-BKK)

THAI's A350 Business Class seat ticks all the right boxes, although it's probably not a must-try experience.

Towards the end of 2022, I did a quick two-night getaway to Bangkok. 

Singapore Airlines had no award space available, but THAI Airways had plentiful seats in both Business and Economy Class. The mileage required was the same, and my only gripe was the fuel surcharges that THAI imposes on redemptions (albeit modest at ~S$92 for a one-way Business Class ticket).

Still, it was a chance to review THAI’s A350-900 Business Class product, which is regularly deployed on their long-haul flights to Europe and high-yielding regional routes like Seoul. 

THAI Airways A350-900 Business Class

THAI Airways has a total of 12 A350-900s in their fleet. Each has 321 seats, split into 32 Business Class and 289 Economy Class.

The 32 Business Class seats are configured in a 1-2-1 layout with all-aisle access in a single forward cabin. 

Business Class passengers enter through the front doors of the aircraft into a cabin decked out in THAI’s signature purple colour scheme, accented by dark wooden finishes. 

Business Class runs from rows 11 to 19, skipping the unlucky number 13. E & F seats in the middle are the “honeymoon seats”, best suited for couples travelling together. If you somehow end up here as a solo traveller, there’s an adjustable privacy divider that provides some degree of separation. 

D and G seats are the “divorce seats”, separated from each other by the console tables. In this position you’re more exposed to the aisle, however, so that’s the trade-off. 

An interesting side point: Seats 19D & 19G at the rear of the cabin have an extra-long console, since there’s no need to provision space for a seat behind them. 

If you’re travelling solo, you’ll probably prefer the single seats at the side, in particular the A & K seats which are closer to the window (the B & J seats are closer to the aisle). 

I went with seat 17A, on the port side of the aircraft. Business Class seats are reasonably wide, measuring 21 inches across (about the same as Singapore Airlines’ regional Business Class on the B787-10). The seat uses a three-point seatbelt which isn’t the most comfortable, but the shoulder strap only needs to be fastened during take-off and landing. 

Below the 15.5-inch touchscreen display is the cubby for your feet. It’s on the cosy side, but if it’s any consolation, the ottoman isn’t fully enclosed. This provides additional space for moving your feet around.  

Beneath the IFE screen are two USB Type-A charging ports. I don’t think this was the best location for them, however. If you plugged in a device and left it on your side table, you’d get tangled up when exiting the seat. It would make much more sense to build the USB ports on the side table. 

Each passenger also has a universal power outlet and a headphone jack. 

The seat console provides a place to put drinks and loose items, though it needs to be kept clear during take-off and landing. 

Built into the console are the seat controls, with presets for full upright, lounging, and full flat. You can also adjust individual components of the seat like the back rest and leg rest, or turn on a massage function. The touchscreen IFE remote can be found here too. 

Below the armrest is a storage nook that would fit a small tablet or your passport- though leaving your passport there might be asking for trouble.

The tray table folds down from the shell of the seat in front of you. It’s an average-sized tray for Business Class, but can pivot outwards to allow easy entry and exit from the seat during meals.

Singapore to Bangkok is too short a flight for amenities kits to be offered, but every passenger received a plastic wrapped blanket, as well as a pillow. 

Food & Beverage

Pre-departure drinks were offered before take-off, with a choice of apple juice, orange juice and water. Champagne was not available on the ground out of Singapore, but on my return flight from Bangkok it was poured on request. 

After take-off, the crew did a round of drinks service, together with cold mixed nuts. THAI Airways serves Laurent Perrier champagne ( 4.1/5 on Vivino), which is a perfectly fine, if unexciting entry-level brand (before the pandemic it was Veuve Clicquot, but Emirates has secured an exclusive agreement to be the only distributor for that brand in the sky). Champagne is served in flutes, and while this makes for a nicer photo, they’re rather impractical given turbulence and their higher centre of gravity. Many other airlines have switched to stemless glassware for exactly that reason. 

When I asked for a refill, I noticed the flavour and colour of the second glass was vastly different- lighter and sweeter. I strongly suspect (but couldn’t confirm) that they switch to a cheaper sparkling wine after the champagne is finished, so be on the lookout for that.

Lunch was served on this flight to Bangkok, with a choice of duck curry, beef lasagna, or chicken with mashed potatoes. In theory, THAI has a portal that lets you view the inflight menu prior to your flight. It didn’t work when I tried though, and no physical menus were distributed onboard either.

I went with the duck which was average at best. The curry was very oily, the vegetables completely overcooked and wilted, and it felt more like an Economy Class meal with slightly nicer presentation. 

Inflight Entertainment

THAI Airways uses the Panasonic EX3 IFE system, with a 15.5″ touch-sensitive inflight entertainment screen for Business Class passengers. However, the screen is not very responsive, so you need to press very hard for inputs to be registered. It’s probably better to default to the IFE remote. 

THAI, unfortunately, stopped updating its inflight entertainment page at the start of the pandemic, so you can’t see in advance what titles will be available on your flight. There were about 90 different English movies to choose from; recent releases included Jurassic World: Dominion, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Elvis, Moonshot and Father of the Bride. This definitely won’t be competing with KrisWorld or ICE anytime soon, but it was more than adequate for a regional flight. 

Even better was the high-definition tail camera, which made watching take-offs and landings extra fun.

Business Class passengers receive a pair of noise-cancelling AKG headphones. I have to be honest, I wasn’t expecting these to be very good. But when I tried them on, the noise-cancelling performance was excellent. I only wish they were over-ear instead of on-ear, to improve the passive isolation. 

THAI Airways offers Wi-Fi connectivity on its A350-900 aircraft (along with selected A330-300s, and all A380-800s & B787-8/9s). 

There were two plans available:

• Unlimited chatting: US$7.99 (suitable for text-only messaging)
• Unlimited surfing: US$24.99

It didn’t really make sense to pay US$24.99 for a two-hour flight, so I decided against purchasing access. THAI should really rethink its pricing for shorter flights, perhaps offering cheaper 3-hour options. 

Prior to COVID, Business Class passengers would receive a scratch card with 20MB of free internet. That obviously wouldn’t last you very long, but I didn’t receive anything on this flight anyway. 

Sleep Experience

A flight this short doesn’t cater much time for sleeping, but I managed to experiment with the various napping and sleeping positions of the seat. 

The preset napping position puts the seatback into a 135 degree recline and lifts the leg rest, making it suitable for a brief power nap. 

If you’re ready to retire for the night, the seat transforms into a 1.85m long bed. I found the cushion padding to be adequate, and I appreciated that you could manually adjust the recline to whatever angle you prefer. That already makes it a better sleep experience than Singapore Airlines’ long-haul Business Class, in my book. 

Business Class passengers have access to three lavatories, one just outside the cockpit and two by the galley separating Business and Economy Class.

Lavatories feature touchless taps, although flushes and bins are still the old-fashioned sort. That’s weird, because the THAI A350-900 I flew back in 2017 had contactless bins. I wonder what happened to those?

It’s a small detail, but the hand soap had not been properly fastened in its holder, hence the odd-looking black ring next to the tap. Instead, it’d been placed in the slot where a towel-wrapped hand lotion should normally be. 

Hand lotion and eau de toilette from Institut Karite were stocked in the Business Class lavatories. 

I noticed the toilets weren’t in great condition, even upon boarding in Singapore. The floor and counter top area were wet, with some tissue paper poking out of the bin. 

Service on this flight was efficient and friendly, with staff taking the time to chat with passengers before take-off, and addressing them by name on occasion (though not as consistently as Singapore Airlines). 

They even had a pre-departure hot towel service, something that SIA has yet to bring back!

However, a handful of them really struggled with English, especially during the meal ordering when passengers were asking about allergens or alternatives. That was surprising to see, since in my experience THAI crew are generally fluent in English. 

I don’t know if I should put this under service, but on both the outbound and inbound leg the flight was delayed by almost 90 minutes. I’ve looked at the historical performance of the flight, and it’s rather poor. Keep that in mind if you’re planning to catch a connecting flight or have reservations soon after landing. 

THAI’s A350-900 Business Class product ticks all the right boxes: full-flat beds, all-aisle access, adequate storage space and solid inflight entertainment selection. That said, I did notice a fair bit of wear and tear on the seat as well as technical glitches with the IFE system (it kept registering phantom touches), which is surprising given that most of the aircraft are less than five years old. 

I might consider flying it again on a short-haul route like Singapore to Bangkok, but probably not on longer routes where the fuel surcharges would be more significant. 

What do you think of THAI’s A350-900 Business Class?

• airline review
• star alliance
• Thai Airways

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Thanks for the review! Did your business ticket entitle you to fast track departure at Suvarnabhumi? The normal security and immigration can be a nightmare at times…

yes, i had access to the fast track departure area.

Its a not bad product indeed. But I think the 787-8 config is slightly different than A350 if i remember correctly

The 787 uses a different kind of seat, yes. was meant to try it on the return leg but got equipment swapped!

787 J seats looked really cramped when i saw it couple days ago bkk-sin. 2-2-2

Thanks for the report, I will fly this route next month too. Do you know if the Royal Orchid Spa was open? This was always a nice feature for international J class passengers: a 30 min complimentary foot or neck/shoulder massage. (1 hour full body for F class). Even for short flights within Asia.

sadly, royal orchid spa continues to be closed.

Think it’s permanently closed https://mainlymiles.com/2023/02/12/thai-airways-singapore-lounge-at-changi-t1-has-permanently-closed/

Talking about a completely different facility- that’s the one in singapore

Any thoughts on Royal Orchid Lounge vs SKL at Suvarnabhumi?

I love the skl at Bkk. Would pick it any day over royal orchid!

Just wondering if they gave out free sim card? I received one on my Thai flight from KUL-BKK last month.

i didn’t receive anything of that sort, though my flight was in dec.

Akg is always better than something like a Bose

SQ amenity kit (blue colour) was on all business class seat for SQ 707 on 10/01/2023

What are the timing of your flights? TG’s timing seem quite bad to and from SG?

I think I landed in bkk at 6+pm and reached SG at around 1+pm

Thanks for the review, i’m looking to fly on their A350 business class BKK-SIN next year. When you redeemed the flight were you able to select your seat in advance during the booking?

yup! no problems.

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Trip Report: Thai Airways B787 Business Class + Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge

I recently traveled on Thai Airways from Bangkok to Denpasar Bali onboard their B787-8 Royal Silk Class (Business Class).

Here are some pictures from my flight and the new Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge experience.

Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge Bangkok

Overall, I think the Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge is a better lounge than Thai Airways has in Bangkok. I was satisfied with the amount of food. I visited the lounge around 8 am during peak morning departure hours and didn't feel too crowded.

The best feature Thai used to have, is the Royal Orchid Spa which Business Class passengers are entitled to spa treatment but I fear that may be in the past now as Thai Airways is going through restructuring.

TG431 Bangkok to Denpasar Bali

My flight was operated by B787-8, which Thai has 6 in the fleet (and 2 B787-9). I notice the exterior of the aircraft is quite dirty.

Thai Airways has just 22 lie flay Business Class on their 787-8 in a 2-2-2 configuration. My seat is in the middle aisle 11D.

While the padding is excellent, the seat feels quite wide open in terms of privacy. Those sitting by the window have to hop over their seat neighbour to get out.

Before landing, the cabin crew came with this QR code for the customs declaration form of Indonesia. There are no more paper forms.

My flight was a smooth one with Thai Airways . The airline fell to the bottom and there is still a long way to go back to its glorious past. I still have the soft spot for them. Clearly, they are undergoing restructuring and attempting to recover. With almost half of their fleet out (retirement of B747-400, A380 and older 777/A330s), I can see there is a shortage of aircraft. Items such as the menu card, Sawadee magazine, and the silky Thai dress are currently all missing onboard. Some positive elements of my flight were the polite and efficient crew.

Hello Sam, I hope this message finds you in good health along with your family. I am a million miler with United Airlines is a Star Alliance member. I travel to Central America, in particular to SAL and MGA from MIA. I book my flights with Alliance members such as Avianca, which has direct flights to the above mentioned cities out of Miami. As you may already know Avianca declared Chapter 11 back in June, 2020. Since then it has been reorganizing itself.I have been a passenger of Avianca, in Business Class in the last 6 months, on an Airbus 319 with very negative results. The service has deteriorated to the lowest point: MIA to SAL is a 3 hour flight. What was offered in Business class was coffee, water and one particular juice (no other flavors), plus a ham and cheese sandwich wrapped in cellophane. They had no alcohol even for sale, no sodas, the video entertainment screen was not functioning , a broken pull out food tray, and a flight attendant that tried to ignore your presence. Its been almost 3 years since Avianca declared bankruptcy, but her reorganization looks stalled. This is an historic airline, the second oldest in the world after KLM, with excellent service prior to Chapter 11. Sam, I suggest that you can bring this this airlines name as a subject on one of your stories or reviews, and help her out of the basement.

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Travel Codex

Your Resource for Better Travel

Honeymoon Trip Report: Thai Airways Business Class DPS-BKK and BKK-HKT

• Booking the Honeymoon
• Asiana Airlines Business Class (SEA-ICN, HKG-ICN, and ICN-SEA)
• Seoul-Incheon Airport and Singapore Airlines Business Class (ICN-SIN)
• Singapore Zoo
• Singapore Airlines Business Class (SIN-DPS)
• St. Regis Bali – Part 1
• St. Regis Bali – Part 2
• Day Trip to Ubud
• Thai Airways Business Class (DPS-BKK and BKK-HKT)
• St. Regis Bangkok
• Westin Siray Bay Phuket
• Day Trip to Phi Phi Islands
• Thai Airways Business Class (HKT-HKG)
• Conrad Hong Kong

As I did with Asiana Airlines and Singapore Airlines, I’ll try to consolidate three separate flights, but there will still be two reviews. Today’s post covers flights to and from Bangkok, which had an older seating configuration on an Airbus A300. That and the food weren’t very impressive. About the only thing that I consider memorable was the view flying over the Andaman Sea to Phuket. Simply awesome! Our third flight from Phuket to Hong Kong on an Airbus A330 (similar to Asiana) was significantly better even though I was feeling quite ill. I’ll discuss it separately.

Our drive from the St. Regis Bali to the airport, like our arrival, was complimentary and included newspapers and bottled water in our private car. Now that it was daylight we could see things much more clearly than during our arrival late at night. There is an old jet aircraft parked in someone’s backyard, for example (you see this on most trips, as it’s the same road we used on our day trip to Ubud). That sight and some others may be a thing of the past now after opening the new causeway to Nusa Dua and the international terminal. We still enjoyed the old airport.

Why build a new causeway? The airport is built at the narrowest part of the island, with the original highway to one side. There is really no place to widen the road!

The car dropped us off at the curb, and a porter was already waiting for us with a trolley to take our bags through the airport. In fact, he followed us through check-in and at least one layer of security before finally telling us he couldn’t pass the yellow line at passport control.

And this is where we made our mistake. I knew there was one particularly good lounge at DPS, and the other was awful. Thai Airways customers should get access to both the Prada and Premier lounges, but we were provided an invitation to the Prada lounge. It is, quite literally, a pit. You take an escalator down into a dim, windowless room with ratty furniture and a somewhat unpleasant smell. After five minutes Megan begged to go even though we already saw most people in the terminal had to sit on the floor.

The names are so similar I didn’t bother to pester the agent for an invitation to the Premier lounge instead. When we found it, I had to badger my way inside because I didn’t have that paper slip. I was at least smart enough not to admit I had been given one to a different lounge and feigned ignorance, that I hadn’t received one at all. I’m not quite sure what convinced them in the end, but I laid out my Thai business class boarding pass, my United 1K card (with a Star Alliance Gold logo), and a Priority Pass membership card. Any one of them would grant me access according to the stickers on the window. Megan was much happier.

I think there is another Premier Lounge at the new international terminal, and from the few pictures I’ve seen it also looks nice. This lounge is now in what’s called the domestic terminal. It wasn’t bad as long as you weren’t hungry. I got some weak beer, Megan got a soda, and the food selection — what little there was — didn’t look appetizing. Megan stayed inside to read her book while I went out to the patio to watch the planes land.

Eventually it was time for boarding. The line at the gate security check was incredibly long and we were pretty much the last ones to board. Not that it matters much to me, as long as we don’t miss the plane. We can drink in the club or drink on the plane, so I try not to be a gate louse.

The seats were not uncomfortable but neither were they anything to write home about. The reminded me very much of our Singapore Airlines flight to the island, although this time we weren’t quite as drunk. 😀 Plenty of leg room even though there was not much space on the armrest for a drink.

It was a perfectly satisfactory way to make the short hop to Bangkok and nothing more. We even got to use some retro three-pin headsets!

Departing Bangkok, the lounge experience was a step up but not much better in the areas that count. There’s better food, more seating, faster Internet, and plenty of other reasons to enjoy the Royal Silk lounge, and no bar. This has always bothered me about flying through Bangkok.

No matter, we were soon on the plane. Another A300, and at least this flight was shorter. The meal service, however, was very disappointing.

So I spent most of my time looking outside the window. We had some terrific views, as I said at the beginning. If your only experience with Thailand is Bangkok — as mine was before this trip — then it probably doesn’t strike you as very pretty. It has awesome history and temples, yes, but there is a lot of grit, poverty, and haphazard construction. Bangkok is a very, very busy city. But the Andaman Sea is probably one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

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About Scott Mackenzie

Scott is a former scientist and business student who created Travel Codex to unravel the complexity of travel loyalty programs. After 11 years in Seattle, he now lives in Austin with his wife and flies over 100,000 miles every year.

Middle of the Pack: Flying Business Class on Thai's 777-300ER

My most recent round-the-world trip was one of my longest yet, first bringing me from Newark (EWR) to London (LHR) on Air India , on to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) on Malaysia's A350 and finally to Sydney (SYD) on an MH A330, where I caught a flight on Singapore's new A380 to Changi Airport (SIN) . From there, I had a couple days to get to Toulouse, France (TLS) for the delivery flight of Qatar Airways' first A350-1000 .

Since we try to work reviews into every leg of a trip, my options were incredibly limited. I settled on Thai Airways' 777-300ER for the long-haul segment from Southeast Asia to Europe, in the airline's comfortable 1-2-1 staggered business. I've flown Thai first class on several occasions, on both the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-400 , so I was curious to see what the experience would be like in biz.

We booked the flight via United MileagePlus , for 100,000 miles plus about $64 in taxes and fees.

This is actually United's most expensive saver business-class award, and the pricing doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you ask me. For example, if I had tacked on a flight from, say, Fiji, the rate would have dropped to 75,000 miles, even though I'd be flying a few thousand more miles.

Originating in Australia or New Zealand would have dropped the rate to 90,000 miles. So by adding Sydney-Singapore on the new SQ A380 I would have saved 10,000 United miles plus the 58,000 KrisFlyer miles I used for that flight — unfortunately Singapore's latest premium products can only be booked through KrisFlyer, though.

We could have also booked this itinerary via Aeroplan for 75,000 miles, however we've found that United offers superior customer service during irregular operations, and figured it'd be worth spending the extra 25,000 miles for that insurance policy of sorts, since a cancellation could have caused me to miss key events in Toulouse.

This isn't an itinerary you'd be likely to book with cash, since there are a handful of one-stop options available. A one-stop Lufthansa flight connecting in Frankfurt (FRA) would have run just under $4,000 one-way, however, giving us a value of roughly 4 cents per mile.

Airport and Lounge

My regional 777 flight from Singapore arrived in Bangkok (BKK) a few minutes ahead of schedule, and I passed through security quickly and made my way to the Royal Orchid Spa.

Business-class passengers get a free 30-minute massage (one hour if you're flying to or from Bangkok in first class), and I went with a head and shoulder massage. It was one of the best I've had!

After some post-massage snacks and a delicious ginger tea, I wandered across the hall to the Royal Silk business-class lounge.

Thai's main lounge is gigantic. There's not a lot to see and do, necessarily, but there's plenty of space to stretch out.

There's a satellite salad bar and beverage area, and then one main buffet at the center of the lounge.

I was there during breakfast and lunch, but salad items were available the whole time.

Breakfast eggs and sausage were quickly replaced with stir-fried veggies and a Thai soup.

I grabbed a steamed bun and sticky rice, along with a Singha beer.

The terminal itself is interesting to photograph, and there's decent shopping, but I wouldn't leave the lounge especially early to head to the gate.

Plane-spotting is also a bit of a challenge, with dirty windows and an odd layout. I managed to get a good look at my 777-300ER, though. HS-TKR was delivered from Boeing in October 2013, and has been flying for the airline for some four and a half years. It's used primarily on long-haul routes to Europe, but it operates within Asia as well.

Cabin and Seat

Thai's 777-300ER offers a total of 42 "Royal Silk" business-class seats, with 24 in the main cabin up front...

...and another 18 in a smaller cabin behind the center galley.

I selected 19K, one of the two identified as a "good seat" on SeatGuru (the other being 19A across the cabin).

Like its counterpart on the other side of the cabin, 19K is positioned at the bulkhead, which made it a bit more private, in my opinion.

It's also a window-side seat, whereas 20K behind is closer to the aisle. If you're picking a window seat, I recommend A and K seats in rows 12, 15, 17, 19 or 21, since they offer more privacy.

I also had three windows to myself, which was quite nice, and made it easy to control the light around my seat.

Initially, it looked like there were several decent storage areas. Unfortunately I was mistaken.

There was a small compartment under the foot rest, which is where I stored my shoes.

The foot rest itself was fairly deep and wide — and, since it's fixed, I was able to put my feet up the moment I sat down.

The only real compartment was to the side of the seat, and it was barely large enough to hold my phone and pocket camera.

The seat and entertainment controls were located just above that side compartment, and were easy enough to figure out.

Amenities and Entertainment

The seat was comfortable in bed mode, thanks in part to the comforter and large pillow. I would have loved to have a mattress pad, though.

The business-class amenity kit had a basic assortment of items, including folded-up slippers, an eye mask and earplugs, dental kit, hairbrush, hand cream and lip balm.

The included headphones weren't very good, unfortunately, so I used my own .

Thai's entertainment system was responsive and high-res, but the screen was on the small side.

There were a handful of new releases, plus an assortment of TV shows. Nowhere near the selection you'd find on some carriers, like Singapore , but there was enough to keep me entertained when I wasn't asleep.

Thai does not offer Wi-Fi on its 777s, although it is available on the airline's A380s, A350s, 787s and select Airbus A330-300s. Service costs as much as $35 for 100MB, though, so I wouldn't have gotten much use out of it even if it had been offered on my flight.

Food and Beverage

I was very pleasantly surprised to see that Thai serves Veuve Clicquot, my favorite mid-range Champagne.

I had a glass of that before departure, then shortly after takeoff the full bar cart came around.

At first, I just ordered a sparkling water with lime, since none of the mid-shelf options really jumped out at me.

I did spot something unusual, though — Drambuie — which is a sort of sweet Scotch. It was way too sweet for my liking, but one of the things I love about flying in premium cabin is the opportunity to try things I wouldn't spend for on the ground. So now I can check Drambuie off the list!

I enjoyed some mixed nuts with my Drambuie, which helped cut the sweetness a bit.

The first course was foie gras, which I strongly oppose on ethical grounds — but I won't get into that here. I couldn't tell you how it tasted, though.

I selected the Thai option for my entree, which consisted of seafood lemongrass soup, stir-fried loofa with egg and a choice of chicken or pork curry (I went with chicken). The curry was good but the portion seemed especially small.

The first dessert course was a selection of cheese and fresh fruits — it was pretty sad looking and it didn't taste much better.

I rounded out the meal with banana in coconut milk, along with some tea and Champagne. That was definitely the highlight of the meal.

There was supposed to be a second meal — which makes sense on a 12-hour flight — but somehow I missed it entirely even though I woke up more than an hour before landing. None of the flight attendants approached me to offer anything, either, so about 30 minutes before landing I asked in the galley. Yup, I had slept right through it!

A flight attendant brought me lasagna which I had to eat so quickly that I completely forgot to take a picture. I only had a couple bites though — both because we were about to land and because it was hardly a memorable dish. I figured I'd grab some food in the Lufthansa lounge before my flight to Toulouse, and that's what I did.

Overall Impression

Thai got me from A to B — safely, on-time and using miles — in a lie-flat seat. There was decent privacy, free massages at BKK and a comfortable seat. The food wasn't great, and the product isn't exactly cutting-edge, but for a routine intercontinental hop, this certainly did the trick. That 100,000-mile redemption rate is mighty steep, though. Next time I'm booking through Aeroplan .

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" Always choose Thai Airways if you want comfort on your overseas flight. "

" Don’t fly Thai "

" I would not fly or recommend anyone to fly on Thai Airways after this horrible experience. My family and I are traumatized from this! "

" Avoid this airline unless you are Thai and I assume would have some legal rights against their shenanigans. "

" If there is another airline option take it! This is the second disappointing flight I have had with service at Thai Airways. "

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