Thai Airways Domestic flights - worth flying Business or not?
 

We will be on holiday Dec 2010 in Thailand and will be taking a number of short internal flights: Phuket to Chaing Mai; Chaing Mai to Bangkok etc. Is it worth spending the extra money on Business fares on Thai or is it - frankly - not worth this additional spend domestically? I am looking at a fare difference btw Economy and Business of only about 8,000 bhat for 3 domestic flights for 3 pax. My husband is tall so if there is a considerably better seat pitch in Business then it'd be worth it... If however it is like BA Economy and Club Europe I'm not convinced it's worth shelling out for!
Also, what about Thai Airways Business BKK to Singapore? It is cheaper to fly Business on Thai than Economy on Singapore Air. I don't know either of these airlines at all - other than by general reputation (BA through and through :)!
Any advice greatly appreciated.

I think business class is worth the premium. Sometimes Thai fly 747's from Bangkok to Phuket, so you end up in the nose of the plane with a very large seat.

Singapore Airlines is overall, IMHO, better than Thai, but Thai business class between Singapore and Bangkok will certainly be better than Singapore Airlines economy class.

Yes, IME TG domestic J is worth the difference. I like Thai domestic business - priority boarding, a snack/light meal dependent on the time of day, cold (soft only) drinks & tea/coffee, complmentary newspapers. Generally, very attentive service too. The seating is way superior to BA domestic/euro J. I think the worst seat pitch is c38" (equal to BA WT+!") and if you get the right a/c c80" on the B744 (seated in F but paying J, if you check-in early enough). You will get lounge access too, if you don't already have *A Gold. Extra miles too. Enjoy.

If you can forgo the points and lounge, I would fly Nokair in Nok Plus where available.

We answer our own questions when we buy overseas airline tickets, don't we?

50quid for a little comfort, a snack and a hot towel, thats after we have shelled out a couple of thousand to get there. Yes I always buy Business domestically and regionaly when I travel, whilst at home I would be happy in economy on Qantas to fly the 1 hour flight up to Sydney.

I also think my familly are paranoid snobs when they fly overseas, they don't want to line up with the millions of travellers, they read about all the things that go on at airports and can relate them verbatem to me, and they just want a boarding pass and escape into a lounge, not to reappear until minutes before departure. For the short hop up to Singapore, I don't believe there is a lot of difference in airlines, I choose the one that is easier for me, gives me points, or if like you flying from UK, fly with the same airline, it is not going to cost you anything. If you are flying around Thailand, there is an explore Thailand fare, from memory it is $99 a sector.

For most domestic flights TG J offers a few more inches of leg room, but little else. The meals I've had are sometimes edible. There's no alcohol on domestic flights.

Thanks to you all. As usual FT comes up trumps! I don't care about the meals at all (generally not great in my opinion) - it's all about leg room/ lounges really! Will go for Business on Thai.

Hi All,

I am planning to fly TG J Class on the Bangkok-Phuket (BKK-HKT) sector. I understand that TG operates 744s on select flights on this route. The TG website indicates which flights these are. So, I had a few questions:

1) Is there a reasonable guarantee that one would get a 744 if the TG website says so (allowing for equipment swaps for tech issues, etc)

2) AFAIK, there are two configs for the TG 744s. Does TG operate a particular config on the HKT route, or is it a lottery?

3) I read somewhere that one can select an F class seat (with J service of course) while checking-in. Is this true? If yes, can one select the F seat by doing a web check-in well in advance? (24/48 hrs?)

4) Any idea how many *A miles does one earn on the BKK-HKT sector? (including the Business Class bonus)

5) Finally, how are the TG Domestic lounges at BKK & HKT? Are these good enough for a couple of hours stay? (food/drink, etc)

Thank you all in advance for your help! :)

- Vivek

I always take the J option on internal flights mainly for the extra miles on my BMI account :)

For domestic I would agree it's worth the small amount extra they charge.

That tells it's own story. ;)

Seriously though, that is another no brainer as J is still J is still J and pretty good between BKK and SIN, unless they put you one a horrible AB6 - which I haven't had in my last dozen or so BKK-SIN vv flights - you are better off going for TG J, especially if it's cheaper.

This past week I flew BKK-CNX-BKK in Royal Silk.

There were hot meals on both flights. On TG 100, BKK-CNX, (6am departure) there was french toast/ syrup with slices of ham along with peas and cherry tomatoes. This was served with a small fruit bowl.

On TG 111, CNX-BKK, (3pm departure) there was red curry snapper served with rice and scrambled eggs mixed with vegetables. Dessert was a coffee cake roll. Drink offerings are the usual tea, coffee, and soft drinks.

The TG lounge in CNX was nice but small. Good selection of snack offerings in both BKK and CNX lounges. Wi fi also available.

Compared to no lounges, so so food, etc on domestic business UA in the U.S. that I am used to, I'd say TG domestic business is pretty worth it.

C all the way! It is always worth the extra bucks... ;)

Cheers,

AG. :-:

Is there a business lounge in Chiang Rai (CEI)?

Fly Air Asia
 

It actually used to be worth going first/biz on TG and one got more miles on UA plus nice food, tons of room etc etc. But half the time they don't have food these days and the fares are a ripoff compared to Air Asia or Nok Air. Of course if you are rich or on business with money to spare then go for it - and don't waste your time reading Flyertalk.