FLIGHT REVIEW : Thai Airways from Melbourne to Bangkok – ‘Old School’ but Classy

Today’s article is from TLFL writer Jason. You can follow Jason on Instagram here @planejayds

Booking

I used Air Canada Aeroplan points to book this one-way trip from Melbourne to Bangkok which amounted to 45,000 points plus CA$153. I rate Air Canada Aeroplan one of the best programs out there for two main reasons.  Firstly, they have a huge number of partners you can redeem with apart from all the Star Alliance carriers including Emirates, Air Mauritius, Azul Brasil, Etihad, Gulf Air and Virgin Australia. What’s more, they often have generous bonuses on purchasing points which can result in a very reasonable one way semi flexible business class fare. Once I had my PNR from Air Canada I was able to fully manage my booking in the Thai Airways app including selecting my seat.

Check In

I could not check in online so went to the Thai Airways business class line but was called over to an empty economy desk.  I was travelling with hand luggage only (a cabin wheelie bag and a backpack) and the check in agent insisted on weighing my wheelie bag and then told me I would have to check it in as it was more than the allowed 7kg.  I remarked that if the bag were empty would probably weigh 5kg and she retorted that the reason was that it could injure someone if it fell from an overhead locker.  I mentioned I had never had a problem taking it on any other airline as a business class passenger and then it was like a light bulb went off ‘oh you are business class, oh it’s fine then!’, almost as if heavy falling bags can only injure economy passengers!

Although there is no priority security or passport control it was all extremely stress free and quick as the security check point has the new machines so nothing out of bags and the passport control is automatic gates.

Thai Airways passengers have the choice of either the Air NZ or the Singapore Airlines lounges in Melbourne and you can read about them from my last Singapore Airlines review here.

Boarding

There is a kind of quasi direct boarding facility from the lounge precinct, nothing fancy like lounge-to-gate boarding but instead, it creates a bit of a shortcut. 

I boarded the beautiful A350, and Thai is one of those airlines where you instantly get a feel of the country and the culture you are heading to purely from being on one of their aircraft.  Some of the crews are decked out in traditional Thai dress and I admired the on-brand cabin of purple, purple purple whilst Thai pop music played during boarding.  It made a nice difference to the bland cabin interiors of the Iberia A350 I recently flew.

The cabin seemed completely full and was predominantly all fellow Aussies heading to Bangkok and beyond.  I located my seat (17K) and already waiting for me was a washbag, the bedding, a bottle of water, and the headphones. 

One of the delightful cabin crew named May came along and welcomed me on board using my name and introduced herself.  She continued to give me a full briefing of what to expect on the flight – the duration (8hr35min), what meals would be served, and when.  There were no menus either printed or loaded on the IFE, so it was quite the briefing!  She also took my order for both meals.  Another crew member passed around with pre take off drinks (tamarind tea and juices although I did also notice a few glasses of champagne appear from the galley) as well as a hot towel.

There is something that just felt very ‘old school’ and classy about Thai.  Especially the crew, and the way they interact and carry themselves.  For example, my backpack was by my feet and had to go in the overhead locker, and with many airlines you would just be barked at ‘that needs to go up in the locker for take-off’.  The Thai crew phrases it differently ’may I help you with your luggage into the locker for take-off’? 

Pushback was on time at 9:20 am and the crew positioned themselves at the front of the cabin and made a traditional bow accompanying a ‘Sawasdee ka’ announcement.  The safety video was played after which a very thorough securing of the cabin was made by the crew, and we were airborne by 9:39 am.

The Seat

Thai has a few different seating products on their A350’s however on this particular flight I had the Solstys seat which is a staggered product.  It has now become one of the older direct aisle access flatbed products in the age of doors and ‘suites’ however it still ticks all the boxes for me.  Many airlines use this same seat including Emirates, Etihad, Air France, and Iberia.  All seats convert to a fully flat bed and have direct aisle access and it is a staggered configuration.  The Thai Airways A350 has 32 seats in total arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration over 8 rows they are upholstered in fabric (purple of course) with wood trip on some of the surfaces. 

A, B, J and K seats are all window seats however A and K seats are closer to the window with the side table on the aisle offering the most privacy, fortunately, I had one of these, 17K.  B and J seats are also solo seats by the window, but the side table is on the window side and the seat itself is more exposed to the aisle.  Middle seats are lettered D, E, G and H and again these are staggered.  E and G seats are ‘honeymoon seats’ perfect for couples as the seats are close together with the side tables on the aisle side of each.  D and H seats have both side tables in the middle so are better if you are unable to nab one of the single seats by the window and are travelling solo.  The disadvantage to these seats is they are exposed to the aisle traffic.  The seat isn’t particularly wide in full bed mode, but I have also had narrower, and as one of the side armrests can be pushed all the way down it wasn’t too bad.  You can place shoes or a small handbag underneath the area that your legs rest on when in bed mode and there were two small shelves that could accommodate a specs case or such. 

The seat could be controlled by the push buttons into pre-set modes of relax, dining or flat bed.  There was a universal plug for charging as well as a USB point.  I did notice that there were quite a few scuffs and nicks on the armrest and such but nothing that affected functionality.

The Flight

Service got started as soon as the seatbelt sign was switched off and things moved swiftly with the generous crew complement in business of four cabin crew plus the Inflight Manager.  Tablecloths were first laid and then drinks were served, champagne for me which was poured in a full-size flute alongside some chicken dumplings and nuts which was a nice change from the standard munchies on most carriers’ business class. 

The meal service started soon after with the crew first laying the tablecloth.  The service flow was a little different from most I have experienced with the crew starting with the trolley on one side of the aircraft from the front then crossing over at the doors two galley and working down the other side from the back.  Tables were laid up restaurant style, there were no meal trays.  Of course, with no menu the starter was to be a bit of a surprise, it ended up being duck breast and everyone received the same.  This was followed by wine, water, and bread top ups, and the starter plates were cleared and the mains hand delivered.  The main course I selected was the ‘Thai salmon’ option and it was served in a few different items of chinaware.  I really enjoyed the meal and it certainly helped me get into Thailand mode.  The wine and water top ups were continuous, my glass was never left empty. 

The main meal was cleared and then it wasn’t a choice of cheese OR dessert, instead, both were offered separately.  The trolley came through with a cheese and fruit service and then dessert (apple crumble or ice cream) tea and coffee followed.  I had the cheese of which there was a generous portion of three varieties although only two thin crackers accompanied it.  Hot towels concluded the service at 11:15 am.

One thing I really loved about the meal service was EVERYTHING was branded with either THAI or the Royal Orchid logo.  It is refreshing to see in a world where plain white dishes and bowls and tablecloths seem to be on trend.

Following the meal, I thought I would get some shut eye as it had been an early morning.  The bedding was quite good with a mattress topper and a decent sized pillow and duvet, however, those continuous wine top ups seemed to help the gentleman across from me fall into a very deep sleep with very loud snoring.  I dozed a bit, but the snoring combined with people dining stopped me from having a proper sleep.  Thai offers ‘dine on demand’ dining and as much as this sounds great on paper it can be disturbing for the 90% who eat after take-off and before landing while the 10% that want the full-on meal in the middle of the flight in a darkened cabin with the clinking of cutlery and crockery.

I woke up after a few hours and asked for a coffee.  The crew member placed it and a Thai branded chocolate bar so delicately on the table it almost put me in a trance.  Also, noticing my empty water bottle she proactively took it and returned with a new one.  There was still about two hours to go until the pre landing service and the crew were constantly patrolling the cabin seeing if anyone needed anything.

The ambient lighting was switched on two hours before arrival into Bangkok and the pre landing meal was a choice of pork fried rice or chicken and leak pie.  I went for the former and it was served on a tray alongside some fresh fruit, a dessert, and a selection of bread.  A full bar service, tea, and coffee was also offered.

The second meal was concluded pretty quickly, in fact, I had my tray cleared with 90 minutes still to run to Bangkok.  The lights were again dimmed until the captain made the announcement that we had commenced our descent around thirty minutes before arrival.  The crew thoroughly secured the cabin again for landing and then took their positions at the front of the cabin to once again bow whilst ‘every moment you spend with us on Thai is meaningful for us’ was announced. 

We arrived at our gate bang on time.

IFE/Wi-Fi

The inflight entertainment could be controlled by either the touch screen or the remote in the armrest and it was responsive with good resolution.  There were only 8 Hollywood new releases but plenty of older classics and world films.  There was also a good selection of box sets.  The highlight for me was the camera views. The aircraft also had Wi-Fi, oddly the only option was to purchase a full flight pass.

Verdict

I loved my flight with Thai.  Everything that is important to me was there – the obvious stuff like a flat bed with direct aisle access and good on time departure but also superb catering and inflight service.  In the region they operate, their competitors are pretty good too – the likes of Singapore Airlines, Cathay etc and Thai seemingly is still right up there with the best.  I am not sure whether the missing menu was just a one off on this flight, but I do wish they would provide either a printed menu on board or load a digital one onto the IFE.  Thai is slowly growing again after a recent bankruptcy and allegations of political interference and corruption (it is a state-owned enterprise).  I really hope Thai makes it back to the top of the league where it once was!

What are your thoughts?  Have you flown Thai and how do you think they measure up to the Asian competition?