Information on Thai Airways Flights

Thai Airways (TG) is the flag carrier for Thailand and the founding member of the Star Alliance network, represented by United in the US. It flies to 35 countries and serves domestic, regional and intercontinental routes via its hub at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The 60-year-old carrier is one of the leading airlines in Southeast Asia. It is known for its quality cabin crew service, recently ranked 8th best in the world by Skytrax, a global rating agency.

Why fly Thai Airways

Thai Airways flies to Europe, the Middle East and Asia/Pacific. In many of these locations, it is often the only airline with nonstop service to and from Bangkok. For US travelers, TG offers a convenient way to hop between Europe and Asia.

Thai Airways also flies to 10 domestic destinations like Chiang Mai and Phuket, making it an easy choice for travelers who want to see Thailand beyond Bangkok.

Where TG shines is its route network in the Asia/Pacific region. It serves 39 destinations in the region, including multi-city coverage in countries like Pakistan, Australia and more. While Thai Airways planes tend to be on the older side, they have reliable service and a good price-to-value ratio.

Finally, TG is a Star Alliance airline, meaning you can earn and redeem miles with Thai Airways versus other Thai operators. (More on this below).

Cabin classes, seats and legroom

TG operates 3 classes of service: First, Business and Economy. The airline’s fleet consists of Airbus and Boeing aircraft and its First cabin is only available on certain models. Let’s look at each.

First class

Thai Airways offers First Class (TG calls it Royal First) exclusively on its Boeing 777-300ER (77Y) models. Although this is subject to change, these aircraft operate on 3 flights: non-stop from Bangkok to Tokyo’s Narita, Osaka’s Kansai and London’s Heathrow. There are only 8 seats in this cabin (2 rows of 4 seats each).

At 27”, TG’s Royal First seats aren’t the widest in the industry, but they still have typical first-class features like fully lie-flat reclines, individual service and ample legroom. The suites are not enclosed; they have a sliding door that offers partial privacy.

Some Royal First flights have 2 fare types: Standard, which allows changes for a fee, and Full Flex, which features better mileage accrual and free changes. Cancellations for both fare types aren’t free.

Business

Thai Airways Business class, called Royal Silk, is offered on most TG routes. While the majority of the aircraft are outfitted with newer business class cabins, some are older so be sure to pay attention to aircraft type when you book.

Avoid booking flights serviced by Boeing 777-200ER. Their Royal Silk seats come in the straight 2-2-2 configuration with no direct aisle access for window seats. These are also some of the oldest planes in the TG fleet and as a result, the cabin experience is not up to modern standards. TG’s Boeing 787-8 models also feature a 2-2-2 configuration, but at an angle, providing a bit more privacy.

TG offers 3 Royal Silk fares: Standard, Flexi and Full Flex. The lowest fare has the most restrictive change policies and accrues miles at the lowest rate, while Full Flex features no-fee changes and preferential miles accruals. I typically go for Standard because, even with change fees accounted for, it’s the most cost-effective fare.

Economy

In my experience, the TG economy cabin offers good value for the money. Across the fleet, these seats have comfortable padding and adequate space with an 18” width and 32” pitch. Since TG doesn’t currently have Premium Economy, I recommend seats at the front of the cabin for faster deboarding.

In Economy, TG has 3 fares: Standard, Flexi and Full Flex which go from the most restrictive fare change policies to the least. On some of its shorter flights to domestic or nearby regional destinations like Hanoi, the airline also operates an Economy Plus fare. It includes a seat with more legroom in the first few rows of the cabin where the airline blocks middle seats for more privacy.

Economy Plus costs about 3 times more than Standard. Because it’s offered on shorter flights of 1 to 2 hours, I don’t recommend it - your money can be better spent elsewhere. TG is planning to introduce Premium Economy to its intercontinental routes. For these longer flights, this fare will be worth the splurge.

Pre-flight experience

Here’s what you need to know about the TG pre-flight experience.

Baggage policy

All TG passengers are allowed 1 carry-on bag of up to 15 pounds and 1 personal item. The only exception applies to Star Alliance Gold members traveling on Royal First or Royal Silk with 2 or more Star Alliance partners - they get 2 carry-on bags.

TG allows 2 checked bags per passenger, 70 pounds each for Royal First and Royal Silk and 50 pounds each for the rest. It also has a set of rules for the total weight allowance. For Royal First and Royal Silk, it’s 110 and 88 pounds, respectively. Economy Plus passengers get 77 pounds. For Economy Standard, Flexi, and Full Flex it’s 55, 66 and 77 pounds, respectively.

In my experience, Thai Airways is quite strict with luggage restrictions. Be sure to check your specific fare when you book and plan accordingly.

Check-in

Where available, Thai Airways has separate check-in counters for First, Business and Economy passengers. A word of caution: if you’re flying Economy and checking in bags, expect a long process and give yourself more time than usual. Because the staff often weighs every bag, long queues at economy check-ins are not uncommon.

On board Thai Airways

Here’s what you can expect on-board TG flights.

Cabin service

While Thai Airways may not have the most upgraded cabins or modern equipment, their cabin service is among the best I’ve ever experienced. On these flights, welcoming and attentive cabin crew is typically the norm, not the exception - even on domestic flights.

Inflight entertainment

On domestic flights and shorter regional flights, there are no entertainment options on board, so plan ahead and bring your own. On longer regional and intercontinental flights, TG offers personal screens with a decent choice of movies and TV shows. Depending on the aircraft you get, some touch screens are better than others, but in general, they serve their function.

Meals & amenities

Expect great food on long-haul TG flights, even in Economy. I recommend skipping the western options in favor of Thai dishes: getting a curry meal and a pad thai for breakfast is something I always look forward to. Even on short domestic and regional flights, TG serves a snack with local flavors.

Royal First amenities stand out among the rest of the cabins. While TG flights are often on the shorter side, Royal First passengers get a set of pajamas and slippers, luxurious bedding, noise-canceling headphones and toiletries from prestigious wellness brands that include fragrance, body lotion, facial mist and more.

Lounges

You’ll find TG-operated Royal Silk and Royal Orchid lounges in Bangkok and other domestic airports like Phuket and international airports like Singapore or Manila. Access is typically given to Royal First and Royal Silk ticket holders and Star Alliance Gold members.

Pro tip: United MileagePlus members can access these and other Star Alliance lounges around the world by purchasing a yearly United Club membership (price varies depending on your United status).

Flying Royal First will also get you access to the First Class section inside the Thai Airways Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge in Bangkok. While the lounge itself is a bit underwhelming for first class, I recommend taking advantage of the door-to-door escort service, which is offered free to Royal First passengers. It will greatly speed up your progress through BKK which tends to be crowded.

Loyalty programs and credit cards

Thai Airways is part of the Star Alliance and thus allows United MileagePlus members to earn and redeem miles on its flights as well as earn Premier qualifying credits. That’s why I tend to choose TG over other Thai carriers.

Pro tip: If you’re a United MileagePlus member looking to earn miles on TG flights, avoid booking certain fare classes like E, I, or L - they earn 0 miles. United’s website has a full list of restrictive fares.

Thai Airways’s own loyalty program is called Royal Orchid Plus. Members earn points by flying with TG and Star Alliance partners or staying at hotels like Accor. Unlike many other airlines, TG’s Royal Orchid Plus program uses a single awards chart for all Star Alliance award flights, which means that you can find great deals on Star Alliance member flights, pending availability.

While working towards status on Thai Airways might not be realistic for most US travelers (unless you frequently fly to Southeast Asia), I recommend taking advantage of 2 transfer programs to get specific TG flight awards: Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. The Citi program transfers points at a 1:1 ratio, as opposed to the 3:1 ratio for Bonvoy.