kv99

I'm planning to fly TG317/318 this summer between BKK and Mumbai. The aircraft is a 2-cabin Airbus 330 and I'm trying to decide whether to fly coach or business. Coach prices at $470 and business at $812. Is the business seat a decent business seat or the standard complained-about Thai Airways stuff? Is the food likely to be better? How about lounge access in BKK or BOM? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...

MilesDependent

This very much depends on which A330 you get. Thai have two configurations, the 330 and the 333.

The 333 is excellent in C, heaps of seat pitch, PTVs, spacey cabin. There are 42 seats in this cabin.

The 330 is much more crampted and does not have PTVs. They are used domestically and on short-haul runs around Asia. There are 50 seats in this cabin. I personally found my recent flight on this a/c to be more crampted than C on the AB6.

So, I wouldn't bother with C for that price if you are going to be on a 330, but I think it is worth it for the 333. I did a quick search and it seems TG are scheduled to use the 330 on the BOM run. However, they do tend to mix up the 333 and 330 depending on load factors. So, maybe you could check with reservations to find out which one you would be getting.

As for food, I have only flown domestically in TG C and can report satisfactory food. However I am sure it would be better on a longer flight.

There are a couple of TG lounges at BKK. Apparantly one is good, and one is not. Unfortunately I have only been to the SQ one (which was OK). I'm sure others can fill you in here.

HTH,

MD

spk

I looked at their schedule and it shows equipment code 330 which is the old configuration. You won't get a good business class seat on this one.

Check again with THAI. They sometimes upgrade or downgrade equipment.

Check out the schedule. If it indicates equipment code 333 then you'll get a new business class seat which is very good in comfort plus PTV.

BoSoxinBkk

Flew the 333 to Beijing today and last week from Delhi. Seat pitch is fantastic though the footrest does not extend enough and the seatback feels a little thin.

There is not much difference in Y and C food on the Indian sectors. Only differnce I've noticed is the "Hot Savories" that come with drinks for C, which is usually Chiag Mai sausages or satays.

You dont need the C for BKK-BOM but definitely for the return, which is an overnighter. I would pay Y and buy the one-way upgrades that TG is currently offering for $125 on this sector.

alexwuk

Hmm;

I'm up for a C run to PEK on TG. Any seat recommendations? IIRC I've got 11K (Front Cabin, First row, bulkhead window. Should I change it?

Regards,
Alex

BoSoxinBkk

I'd change it. The fuselage noticeably curves in the front and row 11 looks cramped. Also avoid row 24. We were moved to 24AB on the return flight on Tuesday. Its the last row and recline is limited.

Rows 15 and 22 looked best to me.

jebediah

When i did BOM-BKK in january in Y, the load factor was relatively low. since i couldn't get an extra-leg room seat, the check-in officer offered to reserve me all the four seats in the middle row, which was briliant. had a good sleep. couldn't say i missed C-class any much.

cheers
jEB.

MilesToGoBeforeISleep

My vote is DEFINATELY business! I go in and out of India and I always try to fly business at least for the leg in and out of India but not because of the seat pitch because it is much easier to deal with the airports in india in premium classes. I've skipped 2 hours plus lines to X-ray your baggage etc. from being in premium classes. Also, there is much less chance of you being 'bumped' for no apparent reason. Just my personal experiences, definately worth the extra $$.

MilesDependent

Would Star Gold or Oneworld Sapphire/Emerald accomplish this?

MilesToGoBeforeISleep

not really in my experience. It's better than being in Y. It's the whole, "sorry sir, the aircraft is overbooked and your seat is not confirmed". My *Gold status did not usually help but this never happened with me in C or F.

kv99

Bump -- My sister ended up doing this flight in C this summer and thought it was well worth the $275 dollars additional, that it cost. Ended up $525 for coach and 800 or so for Business. Both flights were run using 333s with PTVs and decent pitch, she tells me. Good food and service, lounge access, and tremendously shorter check-in lines in both BKK and BOM made it well worth the extra $$.

I'm doing BKK-BOM and CCU-BKK in a few weeks in C (because the flights were very heavy and couldn't get a Y ticket), so will give a full report. Both flights are currently scheduled as 333s.

erik123

you should check if you can buy two one ways - flights in c out of bombay may well be heavily discounted on TG.

Toby on the road

FWIW -> TG in ' Y ' is like being on the back of a Elephant in Chiang Mai - i have done both - and trust me on TG only from 'C' upwards for now and ever.

cheers - best wishes to all
Toby on the road

Austman

I disagree completely. I've done dozens of TG flights in both Y and C. TG's Y product is very good for Y class (compared to other airline's Y class). It's their J class product that is not so good (compared to other airline's J class).


[This message has been edited by Austman (edited 12-03-2002).]

spk

THAI's A330 is a very comfortable aircraft to fly on. The new business class has been installed on all but one aircraft in this fleet and features good (roughly 48-50 inch) legroom, electronic seat controls, and PTV. The Y class seats are also quite comfortable even though there is no PTV in Y class.