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Home  >  thai airways  >  The End Of First Class On Thai Airways?
thai airways

The End Of First Class On Thai Airways?

Matthew Klint Posted onNovember 19, 2022November 19, 2022 29 Comments

While Thai Airways is still selling first class tickets on at least two routes, I do wonder what kind of first class experience it can offer if its first class lounge and spa are permanently closed.

Permanent Closure Of First Class Lounge Does Not Bode Well For The Future Of Thai Airways First Class

Over the years I have had many opportunities to fly in Thai Airways First Class and always enjoyed the onboard experience. But what I enjoyed most of all was the ground product in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, which included the Royal Orchid Spa (first class passengers could enjoy a one-hour full body massage at no charge) and a great first class lounge with a la carte dining and excellent service.

Both were closed during the pandemic. While the Thai Airways website indicates that both the lounge and spa are only “temporarily” closed, an Instagram account I follow suggests that the Thai Airways First Class Lounge is now called the Coral Lounge and open to Priority Pass members.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by @weknowhowtofly

Which Routes Does Thai Airways Still Sell First Class On?

Thai is still selling first class seats to London and Tokyo:

I suspect, since nothing seems to ever change onboard at Thai Airways, that the onboard experience is still excellent. But if tickets now only include Royal Orchid lounge access, that marks a big devaluation.

CONCLUSION

From being picked up at your aircraft in a golf cart and whisked to passport control to amazing massages to semi-private rooms in first class lounge…I will greatly miss the totality of the first class experience.

Even if first class survives on a handful of routes, it sounds like it will just be a shell of its former self. If Thai is serious about maintaining first class, it cannot abandon its ground product.


> Read More: Thai Airways Royal Orchid Spa – Bangkok (BKK)
> Read More: Thai Airways Airways Royal First Lounge Bangkok (BKK)

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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29 Comments

  1. mnlbay Reply
    November 19, 2022 at 9:45 am

    I took a journey on the Thai A350 in July from ARN-BKK. An extremely disappointing experience and subpar when compared to regional competitors. Food was not great, staff seemed demotivated and the cabin poorly maintained.

    Wouldn’t be surprised if Thai converted F to a Business Plus cabin similar to Malaysia Airlines or ability to select an F seat for An extra charge on J ticket.

  2. Willem Reply
    November 19, 2022 at 9:57 am

    Thai was my first First Class flight from BKK to Sydney in June 2017 (just after graduating University), and that lounge set an impossibly high standard… I’ll miss it greatly

  3. Willwar14 Reply
    November 19, 2022 at 9:59 am

    They’re also selling F on the BKK to KIX route.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      November 19, 2022 at 10:42 am

      Thanks. I’ve traveled that route before in F (A380). Miss it! Can’t wait to get back to Osaka.

  4. Mike Reply
    November 19, 2022 at 10:03 am

    I was in BKK two weeks ago and traveled on two TG flight. Still several of their aircraft parked and stored. The two 777s I flew on in business class were very worn and tired. The product looked at least a generation old and is in desperate need of replacement. BKK itself still has many closed areas and is not – in my opinion – operating at 100%.

    The TG lounge is also in need of a refresh. Same old, dark chairs, not much else. The food was OK, the barista coffee was excellent and both the TG aircraft crews and those staffing the lounge were great.

    Like you I have made many trips to BKK and hope that BKK and TG restore themselves to the wonderful experience they have been in the past. Lots of work to do for sure. On a brighter note, nice to see Air Canada launching the first direct connection to BKK from North America. I’m not an expert on the industry like you and others reading your blog, but it would seem there is demand for more direct lift from the US to BKK.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      November 19, 2022 at 10:44 am

      I’m very excited about AC’s new BKK flight. In fact, if I wasn’t going to be on another trip at the time, I would have tried to be part of the inaugural flight. I hope the new route is successful and sticks around.

  5. Hoang Reply
    November 19, 2022 at 12:44 pm

    I just did F from BKK – LHR in Oct, one of the best aspects of flying F on TG pre-covid was the ground services and amenities. I was pretty disappointed and my POV is they won’t bring them back any time soon, check Google flights and they are selling F tix cheaply compared to other airlines. They also quietly removed Dom on F but the sad part, the inflight menu still showed Dom as the champagne of choice! The only highlight of the flight was the crew. So yeah it may be the end of TG F like you said.

  6. Dick Bupkiss Reply
    November 19, 2022 at 2:07 pm

    TG is a hot mess. Has been for a long time, will be going forward, too, because the root cause of the problems at the airline (incompetence, epic corruption, denial, failure to live in reality) are deeply rooted in Thai society, and the airline simply reflects the larger issues afflicting Thailand. The airline won’t change until the country changes, and that’s not imminent.

    None of this is going to change anytime soon.

    Expect things to continue as they are and worsen going forward. Thailand has a very rough road ahead for most of it’s citizens and visitors. For the tiny number of ultra-elite Thais, laissez les bontemps roulez. What a shame.

    • Matt Johnson Reply
      November 21, 2022 at 6:07 am

      Nailed it, monsieur.

  7. Aaron Reply
    November 19, 2022 at 2:52 pm

    You’ve been doing articles about the demise of this particular first class for 2 years now…

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      November 19, 2022 at 2:55 pm

      They are dismantling it one mile at a time.

      • Aaron Reply
        November 19, 2022 at 3:37 pm

        Could be they just don’t want to let it live and let’s fly.

        • Lukas Reply
          November 19, 2022 at 4:30 pm

          Perhaps, but any frequent miler would miss it for sure.

          • AlanJ
            November 19, 2022 at 8:41 pm

            Possibly Thai doesn’t like their view from the wing

  8. Markj Reply
    November 19, 2022 at 3:43 pm

    I live in Bangkok and flying Thai in a premium cabin would only happen as a last resort. That said…I did fly BKK-NRT in F and it was a great experience. Of course it helped the plane was brand new.

    I have read that the A380 may come back in 2024. If that happens then maybe First Class is a decent option with Thai again.

    • Safari Reply
      November 23, 2022 at 2:27 pm

      Tell me about opening date?

  9. Omar Reply
    November 19, 2022 at 3:46 pm

    I had a fantastic flight on Thai first BKK-KIX about 3 weeks ago. They currently segregate a significant portion of the business lounge for F pax which was almost completely empty when I visited (while the business section was completely packed). There is still a menu that you can order a la carte. They still escort you from check in through immigration to the lounge. No golf cart this time since the distances were short.

  10. Charles McLaughlin Reply
    November 19, 2022 at 3:52 pm

    The First Class lounge was open in October 2022. I used it when I flew Swiss first class from Bangkok to Zurich.

  11. Carolyn Reid Reply
    November 19, 2022 at 6:05 pm

    I flew first l class to London in October and the lounge is still serving a la carte and is not open to priority passengers. The food on board was equal to any first class restaurant – starting with a course of caviar with accompaniments, chilled vodka and endless Dom Perignon. Needless to say the service was wonderful. I don’t know where you get your information from but for a struggling Thai Airline it is a disgrace. Do your homework more thoroughly and ont listen to hearsay

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      November 19, 2022 at 10:05 pm

      I trust the source. Do you have some pictures to share?

  12. Not Lucky Reply
    November 20, 2022 at 12:22 am

    The Coral lounge has replaced the old F lounge, but there is an F section of the Prestige lounge so there is an area earmarked for F passengers. With only a couple of F services, this makes sense. The spa is gone though.

    I am glad I cashed in so many 35-40K UA awards for BKK-SYD and vice-versa in F. Those were the glory days. HKG-BKK, NRT-BKK, and BKK-EU flights were also routinely cheaply available on miles. Never had a sub-par experience on TG F either, whether the old-old, old, or new seats on the 747, or the new A380, or the ex-Jet 777’s.

  13. Banana boy Reply
    November 20, 2022 at 1:40 am

    Bkk-NRT two weeks ago.

    Cabin was 6/8 seats taken. Plenty space in F lounge. Food was mediocre.but I didn’t eat anything. I could tell from look.

    No golf cart. They still walk you which is nice.
    Terrible food on board.
    No menu.
    Non branded champagne and wasn’t offered – had to ask.
    Seat 1a broke … the armrest just broke into the floor on the left.
    Plane conditions for age was not good. Dirty.
    Service was good though.

  14. James Harper Reply
    November 20, 2022 at 11:29 am

    This is disappointing and given that to a point Thai always depended on filling F with those travelling LHR-BKK-SYD that there is no longer BKK-SYD rules that out, you might as well just book business all the way. An F fare is still available but it is what F was for the whole trip.

    Not as bad as SQ though who if you try to book F LHR-SIN-SYD will, if you are not careful put you on Scoot for the SIN-SYD leg, at a fare in excess of GBP12000! At the same time, unless you book it as four legs, they won’t offer SIN-SYD on the A380 at all if it’s a connection.

  15. Jacky Reply
    November 20, 2022 at 9:42 pm

    As far as I asked TG regarding to First Class Lounge, they relocated the lounge to be inside the new Business Class Lounge. For the Spa, they claimed the spa is currently renovated and should be reopened next year.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      November 21, 2022 at 12:26 am

      I certainly hope you are correct concerning the spa. I thought it was perfectly fine as is.

  16. noel Reply
    November 21, 2022 at 5:04 am

    Oh no. That is so sad. I’ve flown Thai First so many times between Sydney and Paris. The refurbed 747s were amazing and the a380s had one of the widest seats available. The service was always excellent!

  17. Matt Johnson Reply
    November 21, 2022 at 6:04 am

    Thai, like Malaysia Airlines, has been living on past glories for a heck of a long time now. Living in the region, and having travelled numerous times Thai for the past 25 years, I am baffled as to why people still rave about it. It’s just not that good.

  18. john Reply
    November 21, 2022 at 6:24 pm

    Thai just took delivery of three new 777-300ER aircraft with first class seats. That doesn’t sound like they are getting rid of first class.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      November 21, 2022 at 8:40 pm

      I hope not!

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