chazbag

Have a bit of a champagne problem and thought I'd post here for advice. I'm having a lot of trouble deciding on carriers for an upcoming trip.

I'm planning a scuba trip with an open jaw flight in March headed LHR -> HKT then BKK -> LHR. Both will be in J. I'm only considering star alliance carriers, so for this route really only Thai and Eva.

Thai and Eva have pretty similar prices for my dates and I'm torn between them. I made a list of pros and cons and would appreciate if anyone has additional factors I should consider. For context, I've flown Thai a number of times and am pretty fond of them. I have never flown Eva. I'll either by flying on my own, or with a friend.

BR
Pros
Service sounds excellent
PJs etc
Nicer amenity kit
Better champagne

Cons
Connecting flight is Bangkok Airways
Airplane is 777-300er in and outbound

TG
Pros
Samrab meal concept is awesome
A380 inbound
A350 outbound
Better ground service (massage etc)
Connection on TG

Cons
No PJs
Seat slightly less nice
Inconsistent service

Feedback v much appreciated!

Cheers

andyptrav

This is just my personal view, I have only flown EVA LHR - HKT in J once but have flown TG LHR - HKT in J more than 20 times in the last 4 years. TG wins completely but I am pressed for time to detail the reasons.

djjaguar64

I have flown both TG & BR and TG in the 350. I prefer BR, the food is much better. TG is a great airline but this last flight we took from KUL to ZRH, TG's inflight service was below par. Asked for a cappuccino and the steward and older man, microwaved the coffee and served it to me. I had to send it back.

BR's inflight service and food was remarkable. I loved their mid flight hamburger and their Steak. So why not try something different if you always fly TG.

Kungpo

Having flown BR on my last trip to BKK, I thought it was outstanding! The staff are not quite as proactive as TG's but the actual service itself was as good as I have experienced (the only better I've enjoyed is 1st on TG and QR).

The BR 777 fleet is quite new and although not the latest and greatest, I found the seat very comfortable and is the only J seat I have slept on properly. The PJs are comfy and the Rimowa amenity kit is cute.

Great choice of food if you preorder. They did however run out of Champagne on the outbound leg.

chazbag

Thanks for the food for thought, all. Horrified by the thought of running out of champagne but I suppose it's always a risk and certainly I'll survive if it happens

I suppose part of my reluctance to jump into BR is that I really appreciate the effort that's gone into the improvements TG have made in J. Still, would be good to check out the competition if I go in that direction.

djjaguar64

Believe me you will not regret it. BR is a great airline with a great crew!

BinSabai

considering your champagne Problem: what kind of champagne do they serve in EVA J?
TG's Veuve Cliquot, that they have now on most long haul J is not bad. And one pro of TG you forgot: chance of an op upgrade (or with miles/paid) on the A380 with the opportunity to enjoy Dom Perignon

UAuhoh

EVA's hard product, from the reverse herringbone seats to the champagne (Dom or something just as good) and the top quality pre-order meals, is much better than Thai. Service on EVA tends to be a bit robotic but at least they are consistent in delivering a nice ride.

Thai used to be one of the best in the world but the last ten years or so has seen a steady decline in almost every area. It used to be that an outstanding crew would make the negatives less noticeable but even the service has suffered.

Just my two baht worth.

BinSabai

steady decline during last 10 years of TG J?
- most of mid- to long haul flights have now full flat seats in J
- introduction of new service and food concept
and you call this steady decline?

Lament

Krug Grande Cuvee so no contest here . As for Op ppgrade on TG you might as well forget about it . Been Platinum for 5 years , now and never had a single one .

Noppasit

You forget one thing for EVA, its cheaper than TG.

chazbag

Totally agree re: new service- I think it's great.

Given all the other factors I think I'll try BR to see how it is. I thought I might try to upgrade to F on TG using miles as I need to burn some but to book into the right fare bucket to use Aeroplan ones basically makes it redundant.

Thanks, all, for your help. Will try to post back in here after I've flown if only to confirm they don't run out of champagne.

UAuhoh

Too little too late as all of their long haul planes should have full flat seats by now. Especially so when your plane gets substituted at the last minute with angled seats, which happens way too often on Thai.

Lament

How can you be so ungrateful to Thainess ? Be careful otherwise killer prayuth will call you in soon for some attitude adjustment