I flew Thai Airways often when I lived in Bangkok, logging nearly two decades of experience with Thailand’s national flag carrier. Thai Airways (often abbreviated to ‘TG’) operates from its hub at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), serving destinations from Europe to Australia, as well as across Thailand and throughout Asia. Here’s what you need to know about the kingdom’s full-service carrier.
Cabin class, seats & legroom
Thai Airways keeps things simple on most international flights with a two-class setup: Business and Economy. Some domestic routes including flights to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Phuket, Hat Yai, and Krabi get a Business Class cabin too, and only three specific Boeing 777-300ERs have a First Class cabin for those looking to splurge.
Royal Silk Class
Unless you’re on a short hop within Southeast Asia, all of Thai’s international flights have a Business Class, which they call Royal Silk Class. The catch? The experience can be a bit of a mixed bag.
The seating you’ll get depends entirely on which aircraft you’re on. A350s and refurbished 777-300ERs feature staggered 1-2-1 seats, while the 787-9 fleet has reverse-herringbone 1-2-1 arrangements.
On 787-8s and A330s, you’ll find fully flat beds in a 2-2-2 configuration, while older 777-300ERs have angled-flat beds in the same layout.
The downside? Thai Airways is famous for last-minute aircraft swaps that usually switch newer planes for older ones. This happens so often that ‘getting TG’d’ has become a meme among aviation enthusiasts. The good news is that regardless of which seat you end up in, Thai’s Royal Silk Class catering is wonderful.
You’ll get two full meals on longer flights to Europe and Australia, and one on trips to Japan, Korea, and other spots in Asia. You can usually pick between a Thai dish like green curry chicken or a spicy pork salad, and a Western option like steak. Trust me on this one, always go for the Thai option.
The service is also top-notch, especially in Royal Silk. Many of the cabin crew have been with the airline for over a decade, and they’re professional, efficient, and genuinely friendly. I’m also a big fan of their traditional Thai uniforms, with beautiful silk dresses for the women and colourful suit jackets for the men.
Domestic/regional Business Class
If you’re flying on one of Thai’s A320s for a domestic trip or a short flight to a neighbouring country, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Thai Airways recently upgraded their A320 fleet with dedicated Royal Silk Business Class reclining seats in a 2-2 configuration, replacing the old Economy-seat-with-blocked-middle setup.
These new seats are available on domestic routes like Chiang Mai and Phuket, as well as regional flights to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. While not lie-flat, they’re a significant improvement and worth considering if the price is right.
Premium Economy
After years without a Premium Economy option, Thai Airways recently launched the cabin on select Airbus A330-300 aircraft. It’s currently available on regional routes from Bangkok to Chennai, Dhaka, Hyderabad, Jakarta, and Kathmandu, featuring a 2-3-2 configuration with 48 recliner seats.
They even offer a ‘Premium Economy Plus’ product on these same aircraft, which uses the former Business Class lie-flat herringbone seats – quite a unique offering. The airline plans to expand Premium Economy to long-haul routes to Europe and Australia with retrofitted 777-300ERs and new 787-9s.
Extra legroom
Thai offers ‘Preferred Seats’ for an extra fee, which include bulkhead and exit row seats with extra legroom, as well as seats in the cabin’s front rows. I typically select the latter, as the most important thing for me is getting off the plane quickly.
Unlike some airlines with tiered pricing, Thai keeps it simple with one Preferred Seat category, though the actual legroom benefit varies by location.
Economy
Thai’s Economy tends to be more pleasant than other carriers, starting with the food. In-flight meals are better than average because Thai flavours (especially the spicy notes in curries and soups) remain potent even at high-altitude. The cabin aesthetics help too. I love the bright orange, pink, and purple colours throughout, which have deeper meanings in Thai culture and create a soothing atmosphere.
Royal First Class
Once a standard feature on most of Thai’s long-haul fleet, Royal First Class is now a rare treat found only on three specific 777-300ERs (registrations HS-TTA, HS-TTB, and HS-TTC).
It features semi-private suites in a 1-2-1 layout and over-the-top extras like silken caviar and fine champagne. If you’ve got the budget and are lucky enough to find a flight with it, it’s an incredible experience.
Onboard experience
Here’s what you can expect once you’re on a Thai Airways flight.
Wi-Fi & entertainment
Thai Airways officially offers Wi-Fi (branded as THAI Sky Connect) on A330-300, A350, 787-8, 787-9, and 777-300ER aircraft. In practice, I find it often doesn’t work or only works part of the time, so I don’t recommend purchasing access.
Seatback entertainment is more reliable, with Thai offering a better selection of films and TV series than most other Asian airlines. Entertainment screens in Royal First are massive 24-inch high-definition displays, while Royal Silk features 11 to 16-inch HD screens. Back in Economy, they’re more variable – unless you’re on an A350 or refurbished 777-300ER, expect a small screen with mediocre definition and questionable touch responsiveness.
Amenities
The amenity kits in Royal Silk and Royal First Class have a distinctly Thai feel, just like the cabins and crew uniforms. On a recent flight, I got one from a collaboration with Jim Thompson, Thailand’s well-known silk brand, with designs inspired by the Thai epic Ramakien.
Pre-flight experience
Here’s everything you need to know about the airport experience when flying with Thai Airways.
Baggage policy and fees
Thai Airways offers a generous baggage policy compared to Western airlines. For international flights (excluding USA/Canada routes), Economy passengers get at least 23 kg of checked bags without restriction on the number of bags – you can bring multiple bags as long as the total weight stays under your allowance.
For USA and Canada flights, you’re limited to 2 pieces at 23 kg each. Premium class travellers and elite status members can check even more – Royal Silk and Royal First passengers get 40-50 kg, while Royal Orchid Plus Gold members receive an additional 20 kg.
The hand luggage policy is even better in practice. I’ve flown Thai over 100 times and haven’t been stopped once for hand luggage weight or size checks.
Check-in
Thai Airways has check-in desks and kiosks at the airport for all flights out of Bangkok. At other airports, you’ll mostly find kiosks, but I almost always check in online anyway.
The one exception is when I’m flying Business or First Class from Bangkok. In that case, I head to Thai’s exclusive Royal Silk and Royal First check-in area at Row A. It has a premium, personalised feel with seated check-in that kicks off the trip on a high note.
It’s also just a few steps from the Fast Track security and passport control queue, which leads you right up to the Royal Orchid and Royal Silk Lounges in Concourse D.
Lounges
Thai has several Royal Orchid and Royal Silk Lounges at Suvarnabhumi Airport, plus a single Royal First Lounge in Concourse D. To be honest, I think the lounges are a bit dated and can’t really compete with other Star Alliance lounges at BKK, like the ones from Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and EVA Air. TG also has a domestic lounge in Concourse A and lounges at a few other Thai airports like Chiang Mai (CNX) and Phuket (HKT).
Loyalty programmes, miles & credit cards
Thai’s loyalty programme is called Royal Orchid Plus. Even when I lived in Thailand, I never found it to be particularly useful.
Royal Orchid Plus
On the bright side, Royal Orchid Plus (or ROP) still awards miles based on how far you fly, not how much you spend. You’ll get a bonus if you have elite status or are flying in a premium cabin. Cheaper Economy tickets might earn you less than 100% of the miles flown.
The reason I prefer to credit my miles to another Star Alliance programme, like Air Canada’s Aeroplan or United’s MileagePlus, is the redemptions. The number of miles you need for a flight on Thai or its partners tends to be higher with ROP, and the award booking website is clunky to use.
Credit cards
Like many Asian airlines, Thai Airways only offers ROP credit cards through local banks like UOB and AEON, so you have to be a resident of Thailand to get one.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up to date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
