Review - Thai Airways Business Class A350-900 Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Chengdu Shuangliu

TG618 BKK-CTU

March 16th, 2023

Posts in this series:

Introduction - A Long March To China

Review - United Airlines Business Class B767-400 Newark to London Heathrow

Review - EVA Air Business Class B777-300ER London Heathrow to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi

Review - Thai Airways Business Class A350-900 Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Chengdu Shuangliu

Review - JW Marriott Singapore South Beach

Review - Singapore Airlines Business Class A380 Singapore to London Heathrow

Review - United Airlines Business Class B777-200 London Heathrow to Newark

Check-in:

Since late last year, China started to backtrack on many of its Covid restrictions. Taking advantage of more relaxed entry requirements and a bit of downtime before a new job, I embarked on this long overdue journey to visit friends and family back home.

I flew myself to Bangkok first, as Thailand was one of the first countries to qualify for a departure PCR test exemption. All you had to do to board your plane was a self-administered antigen test, which the airlines weren’t tasked to verify.

I arrived at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) at around 7:30am for my 10:20am departure. I got there a bit earlier than usual knowing I’d be spending at least an hour at the duty free stores😉.

Having flown in and out of BKK enough times, I asked to be dropped off at the front of the terminal building, where the premium check-in is located. Thai Airways doesn’t do a whole lot to its premium check-in area, but it gets the job done nonetheless. Thai Airways used to be one of the more upscale airlines in Asia. At one point, it was flying nonstop from Bangkok to New York. Unfortunately, I was born a few years too late for that. For as long as I can remember, Thai Airways had always been pretty average.

The best use of this facility, however, were the fast track security check and immigration, which can get quite hectic at BKK during rush hours and most certainly before the pandemic.

Lounge:

Within 5 mins I was airside. After getting my shopping out of the way, I stopped by the (relatively) new Thai Airways Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge.

The Prestige Lounge shares the same entrance as the older Royal Orchid lounge and is located one level below the premium security check and passport control. You just need to take the escalators down and make a right for the updated Prestige Lounge.

At the entrance of the lounge, there was a giant Thai Airways A380 model, which is always cool to see.

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge Entrance BKK

To the left of the reception was the bar area, as well as what appeared to be a roped-off seating section.

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge Bar BKK

On the opposite side was where the majority of the lounge was, with seating options in different arrangements.

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge BKK

Towards the center of the lounge were the various buffet stations, featuring some rather underwhelming breakfast dishes.

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge Buffet BKK

While not exactly chef-prepared gourmet dining, there was at least a live cooking station where you could get a few things made to order.

Overall I’d say the lounge was of decent size, given how much Thai Airways shrank over the years. If you happen to have a connection at BKK it’s a perfectly pleasant place to wait for your next flight. Personally I wouldn’t arrive early just to visit this lounge. Come to think of it, I don’t think BKK as a whole has any inspirational lounges. I loitered around for about 30 minutes and caught up with my calls before heading to the boarding gate.

Boarding:

Boarding commenced on time with priority passengers being invited to board first. The gate agents deserved a kudos for enforcing the boarding order, as several passengers were turned away from the priority lane. There was a dedicated jet bridge to door 1L, which meant economy class didn’t have to walk through business class.

Thai Airways selected a rather dated product for its A350 business cabin, in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration. These are the same seats you’d find on Iberia and have been around for quite some time. Suffice to say the seats were not cutting-edge, but that doesn’t mean they were uncomfortable.

Thai Airways A350-900 Business Class Cabin

Thai Airways A350-900 Business Class Seat

I chose the seat 7K. The window seats on the A350 alternate between closer to the window and closer to the aisle.

Upon boarding, one of the flight attendants came by with a tray of welcome beverages. I chose the tropical juice, which was served with a cold towel on a proper towel dish. None of the welcome beverages seemed to be alcoholic, for those who care.

Thai Airways Business Class Pre-departure Drink BKK-CTU

While we were on the ground, my eyes were glued to the traffic outside.

Inflight:

We pushed back a bit behind schedule but were airborne shortly after that. While we were still on the ground, the FAs took drink and meal orders. The main course options were described to me as lamb chops, seafood pasta or Thai salmon. I chose the Thai salmon and a glass of champagne. I wasn’t presented with the bottle so unsure what brand it was. It was perfectly drinkable, though.

All but 12 minutes into the flight I was served the apéritif along with some mixed nuts.

Thai Airways Business Class Lunch Apéritif BKK-CTU

Then another 15 minutes later, I was served my lunch, with everything on one tray. The selection included a shrimp and duck breast salad, salmon curry with egg fried rice, a cheese plate and a small dessert.

Thai Airways Business Class Lunch BKK-CTU

45 minutes past take-off, my table was cleared, and I was left with almost two hours before landing for a perfect nap.

On our descent, I gazed outside the windows as we were flying over the lakes outside Chengdu. I was surprised by how great the visibility was. I heard China had been cleaning up its air for the past few years, and I really noticed the difference during my visit this time.

On Arrival:

At this point of my journey, I was pretty agnostic about the flying experience itself. Thai Airways is a decent airline if you come in with the right expectations. The flight attendants were in a way similar to a stereotypical US Big-3 flight attendant - they weren’t actively indifferent, but also weren’t hospitable. The ground experience, hard product and soft product were all run-of-the-mill. For a short flight like this, I didn’t mind it. However, on an intercontinental route from SE Asia to Europe, I’d most likely reassess my options.

Review - Thai Airways Business Class A350-900 Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Chengdu Shuangliu

TG618 BKK-CTU

March 16th, 2023

Review - Singapore Airlines Business Class A380 Singapore to London Heathrow

Review - EVA Airways Business Class B777-300ER London Heathrow to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi

Satay Away