wolf539

Been waiting and hoping for a Business class sale LAX-BKK for the last few months, but it just doesn't seem to be in the cards and it's about time to book my next trip.

Does anyone have any recent experience with premium economy on this route? I've never traveled in PE with Thai, but based on some older reports it seems like a pretty good deal given the length of the flight. As always, I'm open to advice and suggestions!

Cameron38

I've been flying PE on LAX/BKK since they started the A340 flights. They are well worth the extra few hundred dollars over economy. Tons of leg room, slightly wider seats, you're own arm rest. The seats themselves are pretty hard (same as in Business Class). Food is same as Economy. That being said, I'm always happy when I have enough miles for an upgrade to Business or the few times I have gotten bumped up to Business for free. The PE seats don't recline anymore than Economy and I have a hard time sleeping in a sitting up position. I don't remember ever seeing Thai having a sale on Business Class seats... or a sale on LAX/BKK flights period. The price seems to be stable all year long and the flights are usually pretty full.

wolf539

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

The comment I made regarding a "sale" was not meant to be Thai specific. For instance, in March I was able to get a pretty good business class fare on EVA. No such luck right now, which is interesting considering travel to BKK is supposedly way down right now post red-shirt debacle.

If I have to choose between EVA and Thai's PE, I'll go with Thai. The non-stop flight and lower fare (currently) make it a no-brainer!

planr

I've made the trip about a dozen times in PE since 2007 and agree it is very much worth the premium over the regular Y cabin.

FWIW, in all that time, I have never seen a real "sale" on Biz or PE fares ex-LAX. You can pretty much count on PE fares always being between $1700-2000 and Biz fares between $4300-$4700 depending on season / length of stay / etc.

wolf539

Thanks, looks like I'll be giving it a try unless something changes drastically between now and Thursday. I may consider a paid upgrade to business at check-in outbound from LAX, but it seems pretty costly!

wolf539

Well I bit the bullet and booked my first international flight with Thai in PE; LAX-BKK-LAX in September.

Made the payment yesterday and received a confirmation email, but no e-ticket yet. In the past when I've booked domestic tickets I received the e-ticket within minutes, I guess international takes a little longer to issue?

I'll also be trying Bangkok Airways for the first time on this trip. They bill themselves as a "boutique" airline, so I'm interested to see exactly what that means.

I'll post a report on both when I get back!

glennaa11

Bangkok Airways is pretty good, but nothing really special. You will get a bus gate in all likelihood at BKK which I usually hate. Where are you flying to? I have used them many times. They typically use ATR-72's on most routes but they do fly some A320s. Join their FF program and you get a larger baggage allowance.

wolf539

My buddy and I are flying with them Bangkok-Koh Samui-Phuket... Their fares were quite a bit better than Thai's on this route, and they do Samui-Phuket non-stop. With Thai you have to backtrack to Bangkok and waste half a day.

I know they offer their "blue ribbon" business class on the Bangkok-Samui flight; I'll be interested to see what an upgrade costs at check-in. Since Thai raised their prices it's really not worth the cost for business on such a short flight.

whackyjacky

My friends who live in BKK fly Business on China Air usually. They have affordable prices and deals sometimes. On Eva, look at their HOT-E-FARES. They get cheaper closer to departure. My buddy in London just snagged a 1400 gbp RT to BKK in Premium Laurel. As for BKK Air, I think boutique means that you get a 'prop job' 1/2 the time. Look at buying a 'Discovery Airpass' and saving yourself some $$. wj

wolf539

I flew EVA back in March and got a pretty decent business fare, but I wasn't thrilled with the overall experience. I couldn't afford to wait any longer to book this trip as my dates are not flexible, so Thai PE it is!

Still haven't received my e-ticket though. Seems awfully slow to issue...

whackyjacky

I've had only great experiences in Premium Laurel. IMO they're up there with CX & SQ. A few years ago it wasn't much better than Deluxe and not worth the $$. China Air was just OK the times I've flown them in Biz. Worth the $2500 ? - Yes, but just. wj

dsquared37

I find that TG domestic (non-tourist destinations) and short int hops are much more likely to get a bus than PG is.

wolf539

I've only traveled once this year with EVA in PL (LAX-TPE-BKK-TPE-LAX) so I certainly don't consider myself an expert, however I don't really think they're in the same league CX or SQ. Definitely not SQ... Hard angled seat (not fully flat), service good to poor depending on the crew, food average to uneatable, basic VOD, below average lounges packed to the gills, etc. On the plus side, if you catch a good biz sale they're about the cheapest out there.

Haven't tried China Air yet...

Cameron38

Don't know what you are expecting in terms of an "e-ticket" but all I ever get is a confirmation e-mail with a listing of the reservation number, flight #, times, etc. and the price payed. That's all I show the reservation clerk at the airport.

whackyjacky

Wolf: Were you on a 777 or an old 747 ? I bet the latter. Deluxe is damn near as good as PL in the old metal. I always chow like Joey Chestnut before I fly Elite - Deluxe. You're right - totally inedible - the worst in the air. When I've bumped up, I've found the food OK. I was disappointed with the direct TG flight to BKK last Summer in Biz. Bad food, service, and the same chair as Eva, except it was slippery and hard to maintain a position. They had some grumpy old birds working too. You wouldn't see that on SQ or CX. BTW: if you're using up miles, my last trip on ANA is biz was great. wj