United MileagePlus (Consolidated) - UA vs TG Biz Review

I just completed an international round trip in C on Thai Airways.

While the flight was nice, it wasn't even close to being as nice as a flight in BusinessFirst on UA. Not. Even. Close.

UA WINS ON:
UA warm nuts vs TG mixed nuts in a package.
UA very comfortable 180 degree flatbed vs TG 168 degree seating.
UAs seven course meals are FAR, FAR better quality than the three course meals on TG.
UA no carts in the aisles in C vs TG carts in the aisles
UA no trays/no plastic wrap vs TG trays and plastic wrapped crackers, etc.
UA ice cream sundaes vs. TG standard dessert
UA bottle of water vs. TG have to rely on flight attendant refills
UA ipod integration vs TG none
UA better boarding procedures vs TG two groups (Business/*G & Economy)

TIE:
Entertainment programs are about equal.
UA flight attendants (in my experience) equalled the TG flight attendants in terms of friendly service.
I hate to mention this but some will want to know: Contrary to popular opinion, TG flight attendants are not perky 20-somethings either.

TG WINS ON:
Better blankets
Better cheese (and that was a shock, since Thais mostly hate cheese.)
Aigner designed convenience kit

UA no carts in the aisles in C vs TG carts in the aisles


Really??? This must be new... no drink carts or appetizer carts in the aisles?

I just completed an international round trip in C on Thai Airways.

While the flight was nice, it wasn't even close to being as nice as a flight in BusinessFirst on UA. Not. Even. Close.

UA WINS ON:
UA warm nuts vs TG mixed nuts in a package.
UA very comfortable 180 degree flatbed vs TG 168 degree seating.
UAs seven course meals are FAR, FAR better quality than the three course meals on TG.
UA no carts in the aisles in C vs TG carts in the aisles
UA no trays/no plastic wrap vs TG trays and plastic wrapped crackers, etc.
UA ice cream sundaes vs. TG standard dessert
UA bottle of water vs. TG have to rely on flight attendant refills
UA ipod integration vs TG none
UA better boarding procedures vs TG two groups (Business/*G & Economy)

What UA routes in C have 7 courses?!?! I can think of 5 myself...

UA C will be aligning with CO BF in bringing serving carts down the aisles by the way...but then again LH F does this (as does TK C, sure there are others) and I think those are nice services.

TG C seats are behind the times, no doubt - I'm flying their new A380 in Nov and it has LX/NH-style staggered seating in C, which will be an upgrade on UA.

Really??? This must be new... no drink carts or appetizer carts in the aisles?

I was talking about the big food carts.

What UA routes in C have 7 courses?!?! I can think of 5 myself...

UA C will be aligning with CO BF in bringing serving carts down the aisles by the way...but then again LH F does this (as does TK C, sure there are others) and I think those are nice services.

TG C seats are behind the times, no doubt - I'm flying their new A380 in Nov and it has LX/NH-style staggered seating in C, which will be an upgrade on UA.

The NRT routes. I'm counting the nuts and ice cream.

The services are different, but I would hardly count UA as a slam dunk over TG.

I do not have a lot of TG C class experience, but I was impressed with the quality and quantity of food, much more so over UA. I will admit this might be dependent on routes and lengths of flights, so not discounting your experience...just acknowledging there are many possible scenarios.

And I can't remember ever getting a bottle of water in UA C class...is this a legacy CO BuisinessFirst thing? I have not yet flown in BusinessFirst on a 2-class plane...

I strongly agree that the new config UA C class seat is a lot better than TG C.

And I can't remember ever getting a bottle of water in UA C class...is this a legacy CO BuisinessFirst thing? I have not yet flown in BusinessFirst on a 2-class plane...


Yes, and BF C is much nicer than C on a 3-class plane. (With the exception of the filet mignons they serve on NRT-BKK.)

I can tell you this.. While your assessment may be accurate for the old Thai C, the "new Thai C" which exists rarely, and as far as I know, only on the leased Jet Airways planes which fly HND<->BKK and possibly some other routes, is fantastic. The soft product including service and quality of food I have always found better on TG than UA in C (or F), and the hard product in this "new" Thai offering is equivalent IMHO to the new UA C.

The "new" TG F though is amazing!

I am curious too and I don't recall any UA C serves 7 courses.
If you go to TG website to pre-reserve your meal, there are about
15 to 20 course to choose.
UA new C is indeed much better than the TG old C.

The NRT routes. I'm counting the nuts and ice cream.

TPAC or intra-Asia?

I am curious too and I don't recall any UA C serves 7 courses.
If you go to TG website to pre-reserve your meal, there are about
15 to 20 course to choose.
UA new C is indeed much better than the TG old C.

I think most would consider UA int'l C 5 courses:

-appetizer
-salad
-main
-cheese
-dessert

(I recognize that it only used to be 4 for PMUA - separate cheese course is nice)

Now I would like to see a comparison of UA and TG F. Next March I am on UA F ORD-FRA then TG F FRA-BKK (on the A380). I will write a full report. I suspect TG will win....

I just completed an international round trip in C on Thai Airways.

While the flight was nice, it wasn't even close to being as nice as a flight in BusinessFirst on UA. Not. Even. Close.

UA WINS ON:
UA warm nuts vs TG mixed nuts in a package.
UA very comfortable 180 degree flatbed vs TG 168 degree seating.
UAs seven course meals are FAR, FAR better quality than the three course meals on TG.
UA no carts in the aisles in C vs TG carts in the aisles
UA no trays/no plastic wrap vs TG trays and plastic wrapped crackers, etc.
UA ice cream sundaes vs. TG standard dessert
UA bottle of water vs. TG have to rely on flight attendant refills
UA ipod integration vs TG none
UA better boarding procedures vs TG two groups (Business/*G & Economy)

TIE:
Entertainment programs are about equal.
UA flight attendants (in my experience) equalled the TG flight attendants in terms of friendly service.
I hate to mention this but some will want to know: Contrary to popular opinion, TG flight attendants are not perky 20-somethings either.

TG WINS ON:
Better blankets
Better cheese (and that was a shock, since Thais mostly hate cheese.)
Aigner designed convenience kit

I flew LAX-SFO-HKG on UA C and HKG-BKK-LAX on TG C back in March and I can't agree more. TG's flight experience, especially the food, really turned me off and made me wish I was flying on UA...

Now I would like to see a comparison of UA and TG F. Next March I am on UA F ORD-FRA then TG F FRA-BKK (on the A380). I will write a full report. I suspect TG will win....

It's not even close.

Even in the "old TG F", the purser brought me a full bottle of Johnny Walker Blue en route from NRT to BKK. At 10am. Need I say more? I mean, seriously, the service is over the top, the food and beverage is great. Although the old TG F hard product leaves something to be desired.

Now, if you fly HND to BKK on the "new TG F" which is that leased Jet Airways plane, it's basically like the new NH F, a complete compartment suite. Very luxurious, brand new IFE, same great Dom champagne, and a great meal. Amazing stuff.

While the new UA F hard product is good, the soft product can't stand up to 25% of TG's F - old or new.

TPAC or intra-Asia?

TPAC

I think most would consider UA int'l C 5 courses:

-appetizer
-salad
-main
-cheese
-dessert

(I recognize that it only used to be 4 for PMUA - separate cheese course is nice)

Also soup.

It's not even close.

Even in the "old TG F", the purser brought me a full bottle of Johnny Walker Blue en route from NRT to BKK. At 10am. Need I say more? I mean, seriously, the service is over the top, the food and beverage is great. Although the old TG F hard product leaves something to be desired.

Now, if you fly HND to BKK on the "new TG F" which is that leased Jet Airways plane, it's basically like the new NH F, a complete compartment suite. Very luxurious, brand new IFE, same great Dom champagne, and a great meal. Amazing stuff.

While the new UA F hard product is good, the soft product can't stand up to 25% of TG's F - old or new.

According to an article in the WSJ last week, airlines worldwide are phasing out F with more to come. Based on that article, I suspect it's not long before most F is gone, so enjoy it while you can.

I can tell you this.. While your assessment may be accurate for the old Thai C, the "new Thai C" which exists rarely, and as far as I know, only on the leased Jet Airways planes which fly HND<->BKK and possibly some other routes, is fantastic. The soft product including service and quality of food I have always found better on TG than UA in C (or F), and the hard product in this "new" Thai offering is equivalent IMHO to the new UA C.

I would argue the TG 77W C hard product is better than UA C- you have 0% chance of having to climb over people to get to the aisle. ;)

Very comfy seats with lots of stash space for personal effects. I'd fly it anytime.

The soft product on UA/TG C isn't all that (it's fine but I'd actually take OZ C soft product over both of them), but I'd say anything where you have your own personal space (TG A380 or 77W C > shared C space while completely flat (PMCO > PMUA) > not lie flat (OZ C > TG, LH C).

I would argue the TG 77W C hard product is better than UA C- you have 0% chance of having to climb over people to get to the aisle. ;)

Very comfy seats with lots of stash space for personal effects. I'd fly it anytime.

That's true, there were fewer seats in C on my flight, too. But they weren't anywhere near as comfortable as the PMCO BF seats.

That's true, there were fewer seats in C on my flight, too. But they weren't anywhere near as comfortable as the PMCO BF seats.

You probably didn't fly 77W C- it's full lie-flat. (Picture from lucky9876coins.)

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/onemileatatime/files/2011/10/IMG_4324.jpg

Very comfy IMO. (Flew it on BKK-FRA this January. My seat was 16 A, back where the FA is. Has a little extra privacy because of the bulkhead, and stash space.)

This, on the other hand, is the business class seat for most of TG's routes, and what I suspect you had (I've flown it too, but only on regional flights like ICN-HKG or DPS-BKK.)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2157/2369049844_f7d9613f72.jpg

I just completed an international round trip in C on Thai Airways.

While the flight was nice, it wasn't even close to being as nice as a flight in BusinessFirst on UA. Not. Even. Close.

UA WINS ON:
UA warm nuts vs TG mixed nuts in a package.
UA very comfortable 180 degree flatbed vs TG 168 degree seating.
UAs seven course meals are FAR, FAR better quality than the three course meals on TG.
UA no carts in the aisles in C vs TG carts in the aisles
UA no trays/no plastic wrap vs TG trays and plastic wrapped crackers, etc.
UA ice cream sundaes vs. TG standard dessert
UA bottle of water vs. TG have to rely on flight attendant refills
UA ipod integration vs TG none
UA better boarding procedures vs TG two groups (Business/*G & Economy)

TIE:
Entertainment programs are about equal.
UA flight attendants (in my experience) equalled the TG flight attendants in terms of friendly service.
I hate to mention this but some will want to know: Contrary to popular opinion, TG flight attendants are not perky 20-somethings either.

TG WINS ON:
Better blankets
Better cheese (and that was a shock, since Thais mostly hate cheese.)
Aigner designed convenience kit

In a F comparison, TG blows UA out of the water.

In terms of in J your comparison is highly slanted to make your point.

If one assumes everyone prefers ice cream over a quality desert, then you can check that box for UA. Many people don't

In terms of the quality of ingredients, I think TG in J rates higher than UA. They just don't Americansize the portions with tons of glop. The CO style BF appetizers of over fried fatty coconut shrimp and wontons with a soup of sludge are hardly haute cuisine.

I also haven't run into any grumpy TG FAs. I haven't had TG run out of meal choices. Ive had TG FAs offer seconds (ha ha seeing that on UA).

UA J seats are of course superior to the TG ski slopes. TG J seats 1x2x1 on the ex-Jet Airways 777s are of course much better than either the UA or CO versions of J.

My conclusion is both airlines leave a lot to be desired in J. Neither are close to world class. In F, TG is one of the better airlines.

You probably didn't fly 77W C- it's full lie-flat. (Picture from lucky9876coins.)

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/onemileatatime/files/2011/10/IMG_4324.jpg

Very comfy IMO. (Flew it on BKK-FRA this January. My seat was 16 A, back where the FA is. Has a little extra privacy because of the bulkhead, and stash space.)

]


These are the planes that Gulf Air leased from Jet Airways a couple years back for their longhaul routes out of Bahrain. Great hard product.

In a F comparison, TG blows UA out of the water.

In terms of in J your comparison is highly slanted to make your point.

If one assumes everyone prefers ice cream over a quality desert, then you can check that box for UA. Many people don't

In terms of the quality of ingredients, I think TG in J rates higher than UA. They just don't Americansize the portions with tons of glop. The CO style BF appetizers of over fried fatty coconut shrimp and wontons with a soup of sludge are hardly haute cuisine.


I slightly resent the slanted comment... I was fully expecting TG to be FAR better based on what I often hear on this site (and their Skytrax rating) and was surprised when it was not only not better, but of a somewhat lower standard. True, there were no rude flight attentants, but I rarely experience that on UA for some reason.

Anyway:

The tiramisu we got on TG was about what you would get in an Asian quick service place. It wouldn't pass as tiramisu in the US or Europe. The little pastries they offer on UA are better (and admittedly, they are probably the weakest part of the UA offering).

In terms of ingredients, I remember thinking that my dinner was about the same quality as a coach meal from the US in the late 1980s. It was even packaged in the same plastic tub with foil wrapper. A bit better than just edible. No better than that.

You probably didn't fly 77W C- it's full lie-flat. (Picture from lucky9876coins.)

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/onemileatatime/files/2011/10/IMG_4324.jpg

Very comfy IMO. (Flew it on BKK-FRA this January. My seat was 16 A, back where the FA is. Has a little extra privacy because of the bulkhead, and stash space.)

This, on the other hand, is the business class seat for most of TG's routes, and what I suspect you had (I've flown it too, but only on regional flights like ICN-HKG or DPS-BKK.)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2157/2369049844_f7d9613f72.jpg

Strange. It was neither of these... my plane was a wide body 777. But they were closer to the photo on the bottom for sure.

I slightly resent the slanted comment... I was fully expecting TG to be FAR better based on what I often hear on this site (and their Skytrax rating) and was surprised when it was not only not better, but of a somewhat lower standard. True, there were no rude flight attentants, but I rarely experience that on UA for some reason.

Anyway:

The tiramisu we got on TG was about what you would get in an Asian quick service place. It wouldn't pass as tiramisu in the US or Europe. The little pastries they offer on UA are better (and admittedly, they are probably the weakest part of the UA offering).

In terms of ingredients, I remember thinking that my dinner was about the same quality as a coach meal from the US in the late 1980s. It was even packaged in the same plastic tub with foil wrapper. A bit better than just edible. No better than that.



I certainly wouldn't rate TG J as anything exciting - F is where TG does a very good job.

But again, back to your comparison. The BF J appetizers and soup on UA are at best TGIF. The cream of mushroom type soups are just awful and beyond unhealthy as are the microwave style coconut shrimps type appetizer.

Main courses can vary and I can say IME they often run out of choices on UA. Keep in mind my experience is mainly 2-class EWR BF to Europe - maybe Asia is different. If you get a 757 or PMCO 767 you get a lounger seat than is as poor as the TG ski slope. The TG ex Jet Airways 777s have much better J seats than even the new UA or CO BF seats.

You got a TG plane with the inferior seating. Could have been the reverse. @:-)

The only real tangible difference is your perception of the TG main course and the fact you prefer ice cream sundaes.

Other edges with TG you didn't note are plentiful magazines and newspapers and clean lavs - they frequently clean the toilets on TG in F and J unlike UA where by mid flight they are disgusting.

Again, I am not saying TG J is something amazing. It's a slightly above average product. If you can schedule you flights you can get a great seat. If it was a choice of UA vs. TG and UA had the better seat option, I would take UA but nothing beyond that would be more than a tie at best.

About 2 weeks ago I swore off posting to this forum, but I have a minor passion for TG & vastly prefer TG over some other revered Asian airlines.

I flew UA IAD-LHR then LHR-BKK & BKK-FRA in F on TG this month. TG was great. Dom Perignon flowed like water, the other wines were superb as was the caviar. Tumi amenity kits & PJs. Super seats. There is a lot of personal attention. The BKK lounge is very fine. My UA IAD-LHR F segment was in the old cabin. It was worn, but I slept just as well as I did on TG.

TG biz class is another matter. There's a huge variation in hard product and there's always a chance of an equipment substitution that gives on a product that was dated by mid 90s. I think UA wins hands down in C save perhaps the amenity kit.

Supposedly TG will return their F product to the US market next year. I truly hope so.

Strange. It was neither of these... my plane was a wide body 777. But they were closer to the photo on the bottom for sure.

That's upper deck 747, obviously. You probably flew a 777 (not a 77W, which is a different plane, leased from another company as mentionedl).

http://www.airreview.com/Thai/777-Seat.jpg

(TG has them in 2-3-2 and 2-2-2.)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/3784572629_e033919358.jpg

Fly a lot of both TG and UA F and J internationally.

Hard product

New TG F > OLD TG F=NEW UA F > OLD UA F > New TG J > PMCO J > New PMUA J > Old TG J > Old PMUA J

Service
UA F = TG F (but it varies by flight) > TG J >>>>> UA J

Food & Drink
Hard to generalize

Lounges
TG F >>>>>>>>> Some UA IFL > TG J > Othter UA IFL >>>>>>>> UC

I would argue the TG 77W C hard product is better than UA C- you have 0% chance of having to climb over people to get to the aisle. ;)

Very comfy seats with lots of stash space for personal effects. I'd fly it anytime.

The soft product on UA/TG C isn't all that (it's fine but I'd actually take OZ C soft product over both of them), but I'd say anything where you have your own personal space (TG A380 or 77W C > shared C space while completely flat (PMCO > PMUA) > not lie flat (OZ C > TG, LH C).

Absolutely correct. I flew TG C class on a 77W BKK-HND recently and it was really good in every way. Blows UA out of the water, and also much better than anything on NH.

I certainly wouldn't rate TG J as anything exciting - F is where TG does a very good job.

But again, back to your comparison. The BF J appetizers and soup on UA are at best TGIF. The cream of mushroom type soups are just awful and beyond unhealthy as are the microwave style coconut shrimps type appetizer.

Main courses can vary and I can say IME they often run out of choices on UA. Keep in mind my experience is mainly 2-class EWR BF to Europe - maybe Asia is different. If you get a 757 or PMCO 767 you get a lounger seat than is as poor as the TG ski slope. The TG ex Jet Airways 777s have much better J seats than even the new UA or CO BF seats.

You got a TG plane with the inferior seating. Could have been the reverse. @:-)

The only real tangible difference is your perception of the TG main course and the fact you prefer ice cream sundaes.

Other edges with TG you didn't note are plentiful magazines and newspapers and clean lavs - they frequently clean the toilets on TG in F and J unlike UA where by mid flight they are disgusting.

Again, I am not saying TG J is something amazing. It's a slightly above average product. If you can schedule you flights you can get a great seat. If it was a choice of UA vs. TG and UA had the better seat option, I would take UA but nothing beyond that would be more than a tie at best.

UA BF service to Asia is strictly 777 and all of those planes have the new seating, so it could not have been the reverse. It makes little sense to compare UA TATL service to anything offered by TG because TG does't have TATL flights.

I haven't experienced dirtily lavs in UA BF ever--but again all of my BF experience is TPAC to NRT.

TG had a lot of magazines, I'll give you that, but 75% of them were in Thai. They didn't have (or ran out of) WSJ and Economist on my flight.



TG J >>>>> UA J

Disagree with this 100% on my flight, but every flight is different I suppose.


Lounges
TG J > Othter UA IFL


I would have disagreed with this as well when comparing NRT to BKK, but now that TG has added the spa service in BKK I agree that they have the edge now. ^


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/3784572629_e033919358.jpg

It was this one.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/3784572629_e033919358.jpg
I've also flown on TG with this setup, and agree that UA J (both both PMCO and new PMUA) is a much better seat.

UA BF service to Asia is strictly 777 and all of those planes have the new seating, so it could not have been the reverse.
<snip>


Just a correction here....United is in the process of updating the seating on 777s (UA pre-merger metal), so not all of them have the new seating. All pre-merger UA 747 and 767 have the new seats.
Also, UA certainly flies 747s to Asia.

Of course these are different then the 2 cabin pre-merger Continental 777s, which have newer seating already and are not being changed as far as I recall...


As far as the seating, I will take true lie-flat seating (new UA) over any sloped seat for long TPAC flights. For intra-Asia, non-lie flats are fine.

Just a correction here....United is in the process of updating the seating on 777s (UA pre-merger metal), so not all of them have the new seating. All pre-merger UA 747 and 767 have the new seats.
Also, UA certainly flies 747s to Asia.

Of course these are different then the 2 cabin pre-merger Continental 777s, which have newer seating already and are not being changed as far as I recall...


I think ALL planes that have a BF cabin have the new seating.

I think ALL planes that have a BF cabin have the new seating.According to this site (http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/InteriorConversions_(UA)) (which is pretty accurate), only 72% of UA BF planes have new seats. That does not even count former CO B767-200 planes that are not scheduled for new BF seat conversion.

According to this site (http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/InteriorConversions_(UA)) (which is pretty accurate), only 72% of UA BF planes have new seats. That does not even count former CO B767-200 planes that are not scheduled for new BF seat conversion.

I can't find the term BusinessFirst being used on that page. It was my understanding that UA calls it Business if it has the old seats and BusinessFirst if it is a two cabin plane with new seats--e.g. a PMCO plane.

Im not sure, though, and maybe I have just been lucky or maybe this is an Asia thing, but every single time I have been on a plane in which my tix said BusinessFirst I have had the new seats.

I think ALL planes that have a BF cabin have the new seating.

Sorry, but this is simply wrong. I flew last week BKK to NRT in the old seats.

I can't find the term BusinessFirst being used on that page. It was my understanding that UA calls it Business if it has the old seats and BusinessFirst if it is a two cabin plane with new seats--e.g. a PMCO plane.

Im not sure, though, and maybe I have just been lucky or maybe this is an Asia thing, but every single time I have been on a plane in which my tix said BusinessFirst I have had the new seats.

Tom - In a three cabin plane, UA calls the products Economy, Economy Plus, BusinessFirst and Global First. I don't believe it matters if its reconfigured or not. In a two cabin aircraft, I believe it's Economy, Economy Plus and BusinessFirst.

Tom - In a three cabin plane, UA calls the products Economy, Economy Plus, BusinessFirst and Global First. I don't believe it matters if its reconfigured or not. In a two cabin aircraft, I believe it's Economy, Economy Plus and BusinessFirst.

Strange. I could swear that some of my tix have said Business and others BusinessFirst.

Tom - In a three cabin plane, UA calls the products Economy, Economy Plus, BusinessFirst and Global First. I don't believe it matters if its reconfigured or not. In a two cabin aircraft, I believe it's Economy, Economy Plus and BusinessFirst.


This is correct if the plane is internationally configured. For a domestic configured 2 class plane, the cabins are economy (and economy plus) and United First, which is not at all the same as BusinessFirst or GlobalFirst. United First (domestic) are recliners with about 38 pitch / 21 width / no foot rests...

No wonder it is confusing....and this is before reconfigured and non-reconfigured is even a consideration.

While the new UA F hard product is good, the soft product can't stand up to 25% of TG's F - old or new.
In a F comparison, TG blows UA out of the water.
I certainly wouldn't rate TG J as anything exciting - F is where TG does a very good job.


Don't think so, even for F TG is about equal to UA except the F seat on TG's 77W.

TG F: Japanese course served with no miso soup or cold soba noodles, beef was low quality, didn't even ask how I would like to be cooked, the result was rubbery steak. Tiny pork balls with rice soup served as an entree. (This would be something that served in CX Y !) Cheese was presented in foil paper, and some of them are wrapped in plastic wrap, yogurt served in its original cup.

TG's ground product in F is exceptional, but not so much for inflight.



I also haven't run into any grumpy TG FAs. I haven't had TG run out of meal choices. Ive had TG FAs offer seconds (ha ha seeing that on UA).


No grumpy TG FA but TG's FA are very inconsistent, some like to rush the service then hide in the galley, some are forgettable, and some are as old as those UA FA espeically those served in the front ! (remember everyone said UA's FA on TPAC routes are old grandma, well TG have those as well !)



You got a TG plane with the inferior seating. Could have been the reverse. @:-)

But the point is majority of TG planes have inferior seating other than TG's 77W, whereas majority of UA planes have new config. Then not to mention TG have frequent unannounce swap from 77W to 744 or 773.



Other edges with TG you didn't note are plentiful magazines and newspapers and clean lavs - they frequently clean the toilets on TG in F and J unlike UA where by mid flight they are disgusting.

Big deal, TG flights to HKG don't even have a single copy of Hong Kong's local chinese or english newspaper ! Given TG has 7 flights into HKG !




I do not have a lot of TG C class experience, but I was impressed with the quality and quantity of food, much more so over UA. I will admit this might be dependent on routes and lengths of flights, so not discounting your experience...just acknowledging there are many possible scenarios.



Really ? Not sure if you know that they are simply Y food served in china ?

And if you look at the menus, one of the entree in C is the exact same one served in Y.


I am curious too and I don't recall any UA C serves 7 courses.
If you go to TG website to pre-reserve your meal, there are about
15 to 20 course to choose.


Not sure if you have read the TG forum about their pre-order service, I think we have already come to the conclusion that TG's pre-order service is "avoid at all cost"

Many of those items on the pre-order menus are simply average to downright awful, even many TG's own elites agree on that.

Strange. I could swear that some of my tix have said Business and others BusinessFirst.

Certain routes from US to LatinAmerica using narrowbodies is labeled as Econ and Business, IIRC. Are those the ones you're referring to ?

If the 3-class plane is flown domestically (e.g. IAD-ORD repositioning), it's also "United Business".

Certain routes from US to LatinAmerica using narrowbodies is labeled as Econ and Business, IIRC. Are those the ones you're referring to ?

If the 3-class plane is flown domestically (e.g. IAD-ORD repositioning), it's also "United Business".

Could very well be that.

Don't think so, even for F TG is about equal to UA except the F seat on TG's 77W.

TG F: Japanese course served with no miso soup or cold soba noodles, beef was low quality, didn't even ask how I would like to be cooked, the result was rubbery steak. Tiny pork balls with rice soup served as an entree. (This would be something that served in CX Y !) Cheese was presented in foil paper, and some of them are wrapped in plastic wrap, yogurt served in its original cup.

TG's ground product in F is exceptional, but not so much for inflight.





No grumpy TG FA but TG's FA are very inconsistent, some like to rush the service then hide in the galley, some are forgettable, and some are as old as those UA FA espeically those served in the front ! (remember everyone said UA's FA on TPAC routes are old grandma, well TG have those as well !)





But the point is majority of TG planes have inferior seating other than TG's 77W, whereas majority of UA planes have new config. Then not to mention TG have frequent unannounce swap from 77W to 744 or 773.





Big deal, TG flights to HKG don't even have a single copy of Hong Kong's local chinese or english newspaper ! Given TG has 7 flights into HKG !




Really ? Not sure if you know that they are simply Y food served in china ?

And if you look at the menus, one of the entree in C is the exact same one served in Y.

^ ^ ^

Thank you for your comments.

This was almost exactly my experience, including the hiding in the galley part.

I'm not surprised to hear the last one as that was exactly what I thought I received. A Y meal served on china.

Not sure how they have a 4 star Skytrax rating and UA is only 3.

Better cheese (and that was a shock, since Thais mostly hate cheese.)

You are right on this one for sure. As a Thai, I absolutely do not like cheese.

The services are different, but I would hardly count UA as a slam dunk over TG.

I do not have a lot of TG C class experience, but I was impressed with the quality and quantity of food, much more so over UA. I will admit this might be dependent on routes and lengths of flights, so not discounting your experience...just acknowledging there are many possible scenarios.

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Really ? Not sure if you know that they are simply Y food served in china ?

And if you look at the menus, one of the entree in C is the exact same one served in Y.



I was not aware of this, but maybe it is dependent on the route...or maybe you are just referring to the entree course? Or only some routes?

The last TG C class I took was BKK-PEK, about a month ago. The first round of service (delivered on a tray if I recall correctly) was certainly not Y class food. I didn't take pictures on this trip, but I recall several appetizer portions, including a large portion of well seasoned chicken breast. A nice salad with a personal bottle of balsamic. I recall a cucumber hollowed out and stuffed with a nice cheese mixture....and some other item(s), but memory is now faded. I do remember thinking it was very good quality and I was already pretty full by the time I finished up the first round. The entree presentation was not as nice, but it tasted good.

I have much more experience with UA C class...so maybe I was just thrilled it was not a sauce covered piece of filet...or braised short ribs. :p

I was not aware of this, but maybe it is dependent on the route...or maybe you are just referring to the entree course? Or only some routes?

The last TG C class I took was BKK-PEK, about a month ago. The first round of service (delivered on a tray if I recall correctly) was certainly not Y class food. I didn't take pictures on this trip, but I recall several appetizer portions, including a large portion of well seasoned chicken breast. A nice salad with a personal bottle of balsamic. I recall a cucumber hollowed out and stuffed with a nice cheese mixture....and some other item(s), but memory is now faded. I do remember thinking it was very good quality and I was already pretty full by the time I finished up the first round. The entree presentation was not as nice, but it tasted good.

I have much more experience with UA C class...so maybe I was just thrilled it was not a sauce covered piece of filet...or braised short ribs. :p

I think he was referring to the entree. Everything before and after was better.

You are right on this one for sure. As a Thai, I absolutely do not like cheese.

Cheese for a Thai is like durian for a farang. (Though I have gotten to the point that I can eat it if someone offers it to me, it is still not something I would buy for myself.)

I just completed an international round trip in C on Thai Airways.

While the flight was nice, it wasn't even close to being as nice as a flight in BusinessFirst on UA. Not. Even. Close.



I think ALL planes that have a BF cabin have the new seating.

Once again - you were incorrect in your seating comparison - it varies on both airlines - each have planes with good J seats and not so good.

In terms of cleanliness, you didn't discuss this point - TG IMO wins hands down.

Does TG blow UA out of the water? Never said that. I said TG was a mediocre J product. But so is UA.

Does everyone agree with me? Of course not - but go ask 100 people who've flown multiple TG and UA long-haul flights - my guess is you would get something around a 50-50 split on preference, or perhaps 60-40 TG just on better service.

However your thesis was UA beats TG hands down "not.even.close." That's just dead wrong.

What's interesting to me is that trans-pac TG is just OKAY, but intra-Asia TG is fantastic.

What's interesting to me is that trans-pac TG is just OKAY, but intra-Asia TG is fantastic.

No, I also flew BKK-DPS.

However your thesis was UA beats TG hands down "not.even.close." That's just dead wrong.

Not on any of my four TG flights this year.

Not on any of my four TG flights this year.

The folks who think TG blows UA J out of the water and vice versa are going to be a small minority at either end of the spectrum. Take a few flights on PMCO 757s and 762s and your assessment will change. In the meantime while I won't say TG should be a star ahead of UA on Skytrax, most people who fly J on both are going to find lots of plusses and minuses.

The folks who think TG blows UA J out of the water and vice versa are going to be a small minority at either end of the spectrum. Take a few flights on PMCO 757s and 762s and your assessment will change. In the meantime while I won't say TG should be a star ahead of UA on Skytrax, most people who fly J on both are going to find lots of plusses and minuses.

This was my review of my recent flights. It was not intended to be a review of every possible configuration of airliner and route.

One thing is 100% certain: In my opinion, compared with these four TG flights, the UA products that I have flown over the past year--all BF--have been superior hands down.

If there are non-upgraded UA BF configurations on 777s crossing the Pacific Ocean, I have not see one. I'm not saying that they do not exist. But I have been fortunate in the 16 TPAC flights I have been on in the last two years not to have seen one. (I do try to book flights on PMCO planes when possible, but I am not always successful.)

For those interested I have just posted on the TG forum a trip report on the new TG 747 F cabin which has just gone into service.