SethLevy

I recently flew from JFK-BKK on May 8. There were roughly 25 passengers in Business class. I believe PE and Y were also not very full. However, the second J cabin was closed. It was completely dark during the entire flight, with the shades drawn. As a result, at check-in everyone was seated in teh first cabin, which meant almost everyone had a seatmate, while had they used the second cabin, no one who did not want a seat mate would have one. I would have liked the seat next to me free and would have enoyed my flight much more.

Is this routine that they do not use the second cabin, perhaps because of weight and balcne issues?

I was also surpirsed by no amenity kits and the fact the FAs handed out menus just after I boarded and immediately came back to take meal orders for the three meals and took menus immediately back.

ylwae

Not sure about weight and balance, but it's probably easier to carry out the in-flight service if everyone is cooped together in one cabin.

Rambuster

Couldn't you just have refused to give your meal order for all meals at once and just kept the menu ? (with the risk of being stuck to take whatever is leftover by the time you decide...)

SK AAR

I have experienced this before on SK flights. The smaller second C cabin was empty and closed due to few pax in C class. Obviously, it makes service easier for FAs to have all pax in one cabin. I also believe that the empty cabin was used a rest-area for the FA's/crew (they were sleeping in the C seats)

vivamuci

Exactly. Also happens on B747 flights with light loads. They close the main deck and all c pax have to move upstairs even if u got a BP for the main deck. When you go down to use the lave u see the crew sleeping / sitting there.

Grace B

I'm sorry Seth, but when I flew TG JFK-BKK in C I didn't notice that there was a second C class cabin.

However, there was a premium economy class cabin, and it was empty.

Is this what you could have seen?

Rampo

There most definitely are 2 Royal Silk cabins in addition to PE and E. I can't imagine that PE would ever be entirely empty.
Seatmap

SethLevy

It could have been because of service issues (ease of service). I walked back to the back of the plane at least 20-25 times during the flight, and at no point in time were there ever any staff sleeping or using the seats in the empty J cabin. Which surprised me. On a US carrier (AA, UA, NW, CO) the staff (FAs) would be having a party in the empty cabin).

I suspect it is a weights and balance issue as it really is not that difficult for the staff to service 30 people between two cabins. I assume based on the load factors, it is decided prior to flight and communcated to check-in staff.

Rambuster

Are you sure you didn't drive all the other pax nuts with your excursions past them ?

ekartash

is one business class section better than the other? i just upgraded from economy plus into business using miles for my flight in january. they gave me row 14. would i want to try to get any other row?

since i paid for economy plus, but then upgraded to business, do i still earn miles?

ylwae

Another poster wrote of a similar experience on a different airline. He was sitting in the aft C cabin and was asked to move to the forward cabin for service purposes. He mentioned having his meals in the forward cabin and then returning to the aft cabin when done.

Tuen

Hi ekartash

you still earn economy plus' miles ^

have a nice trip

flyrights

Not certain, but perhaps on the A340-600, there is only one business cabin, then premium economy. I was once on the flight and they moved everyone from premium economy into business, and left premium economy empty.

not sure why these flights aren't always packed, other than the high prices Thai charges, presumably as a premium to take the only nonstops.

service and food are excellent in all cabins on Thai.

Personally, i prefer to make a stopover in Japan or Korea for about 8 hours on some other carrier...

kinchai

But the A340-600 doesn't have PE

Blackcloud

I believe that flyrights mistakenly put 600 instead of 500. Referring to the BKK-JFK route. Are the cabin load factors that low?
You are right A340-600 does not have PE, but one cabin of First, 2 cabins of Business and for me an unknown number of Economy.