An AFF member who recently flew Thai Airways Business class believes the experience was poor value for money.
SCW flew Thai Business class from Sydney to Lahore via Bangkok. The cabin crew were great. But in this member’s opinion, the Business class seats, catering and in-flight entertainment were all below-par.
I recently flew Thai business SYD-Bangkok-Lahore return. Very disappointed in the seat comfort, the food & the entertainment options. The staff were very friendly but that did not make up for the bad experience. The cost was substantial as it was 2 weeks out. I usually fly QANTAS / One World & will avoid Thai in the future
Other AFF members have mixed opinions on Thai Airways Business class. One member recently flew Thai from Melbourne to Bangkok and was also disappointed with the seat.
I recently flew MEL-BKK-MEL on their new A359s in business. Certainly a big step up from the old biz, but still poor hard product for a brand new fit out. Very limited pitch so much that I had my legs permanently bent and the width is preeptty poor too all adding up to overnights flights where you are so uncomfortable that you wake up every half hour or so needing to change position.
But it seems that the aircraft type can make a big difference to the Thai Airways Business class experience. Another AFF member flew on Thai’s new Boeing 787-9 and enjoyed the experience. (Just beware that Thai Airways has banned obese passengers and lap infants from its Boeing 787-9 Business class seats for safety reasons.)
Despite the furore I liked the TG 789 J cabin BKK-BNE.
The Thai menu was extremely good. But you needed to like spice.
Like most airlines, Thai Airways has a range of different aircraft types in its fleet. Some aircraft are fitted with a better hard product than others. As MEL_Traveller comments, Thai’s Boeing 747s and some Boeing 777s have angle-flat beds in Business class. But most other long-haul aircraft have superior lie-flat beds.
TG’s 747s, 777-200s and some 777-300s all have angled beds in business class. The rest of their intercontinental fleet are all flat bed including the 77W, A380 and A350.
Thai Airways operates three different aircraft types to Australia. Modern Boeing 787-8s currently serve the Perth-Bangkok and Brisbane-Bangkok routes, while new Airbus A350s operate to Melbourne. The Boeing 787-8 has lie-flat Business seats in a 2-2-2 layout, while the Airbus A350 has lie-flat beds in a superior 1-2-1 configuration. Meanwhile, Sydney is served by older Boeing 747s with angle-flat Business seats. These are best avoided unless you plan to upgrade to First class.
The 747’s they fly to Sydney are old-old-old-old-old. Not just the aircraft, but the fitout. My workmates who have fairly regular trips to Bangkok don’t necessarily avoid Thai Airlines, but they do from Sydney!
Flying from Sydney, SCW would have flown on a Boeing 747. This is likely a factor in the poor review of Thai Airways Business class. There are rumours that the Boeing 747s will soon be removed from the Sydney-Bangkok route. This is good news for Business passengers as the replacement aircraft will likely have much better Business class seats. But it would also mean the loss of First class, unless Thai was to bring A380s to Sydney.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Thai Business class – poor value.
