Review: Thai Airways A350 Business Class [BKK-MEL]

Last year in March, I travelled from Delhi to Ho Chi Minh City, where of three segments, Thai Airways operated two. This year, March took me to Australia & Indonesia. After a lot of back & forth, I booked a Thai Airways Business Class from Delhi to Melbourne with a stopover in Bangkok; not much has changed for DEL-BKK Business class, and you can find the review here. Afterstopover in Bangkok, I flew Thai Airways Business Class in its A350 to Melbourne. Here is how it all went.

Basics

• Airline: Thai Airways
• Aircraft: A350
• Flight Number: TG 461
• Route: Delhi [DEL]-Bangkok [BKK]-Melbourne [MEL]
• Departure Flight Time: 8:20 AM BKK
• Duration: 8 hr 24 min
• Cabin: Business Class
• Layout: 1-2-1
• Frequent Flyer Program: United Mileage Plus
• Miles Cost: 110K United Miles Including for DEL-BKK Route
• Taxes & Fees: ₹ 2800 [$32]
• Ticket Price: ₹ 160K [$1840]
• One Mile Value: ₹ 1.43 [1.64 Cents]

How did I Book a Thai Airways A350 Business Class?

Initially, I didn’t have plans to book a business-class flight from Delhi to Melbourne. I booked a Thai Airways Economy cabin flight from Hyderabad & Kolkata to Melbourne twice. But to be onboard on any of these two flights, I had to take a connecting. A few days before my travel date, Thai Airways opened its Business Class availability from Delhi, which was bookable with United Miles. I have always noticed how Thai Airways is easily accessible to United. So, I cancelled my earlier booked Economy Cabin flight and booked a better-suited flight from Delhi to Melbourne on Thai Airways A350 Business Class. The flight costs 110K United Miles and just ₹ 2800 in taxes.

Issue in Selecting Seats & Meals

Like last year, I had to update my contact details by calling Thai Airways on the Indian helpline number 18001021225. I could choose my seats and meals once they updated my email and mobile number.

Lounge Access

Since BKK-MEL was a connecting flight, I went to Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Bangkok, and it was not what I expected. I didn’t have much there and left. The only reason I went out there was to review this lounge, but I just couldn’t have the vibe to actually write about it. However, I recommend you read this review if you want to know more about Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Bangkok.

Boarding

Flight TG 461 was departing from gate C2, and I reached the gate when it was boarding.

It was a mess.

Even though there is a clear demarcation for boarding Economy and business class passengers, it gets messed up. Bangkok is the Hub for Thai Airways, and they should be able to handle it the best. But it wasn’t very clear.

Welcome Drink

As we got comfortable in our seats, the Cabin Crew came and handed us hot towels and our choice of drinks. As usual, I went with Orange Juice. However, unlike last time, it didn’t taste as good as I expected.

Amenity Kit and More

The Thai Airways amenity kit was from Jim Thompson. As I was checking the items provided in the amenity Kit, a senior flight attendant passed by and explained to me the use of each item. It was a good conversation.

There were blankets & pillows as well, which were good and useful for the flight time.

Seats

All Business Class seats in the A350 are flat beds and functional. For couples, E&F seats will be best, as the seat console will be outside the seat.

The seats are large enough, and the flatbeds are comfortable. Falling asleep is easier with a nice blanket and a good pillow.

Thai Airways A350 IFE

One thing Thai Airways has to work on is its IFE. The entertainment options are limited. Yes, there are good options, but they aren’t refreshed.

But one thing that I like is they have a Camera.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi was available on this flight. However, it is only free for Royal Orchid Platinum Members and is chargeable even for Business Class passengers. I purchased the Wi-Fi, which cost $24.99. The speed was good enough for texting and surfing. I think the pricing is expensive.

Meal

Thai Airways has decent meal options, but they are just not there. Over the last year, I have travelled on several airlines, and they had better meals than Thai Airways, both in Business Class and Economy Cabin.
You can either pre-select your meal or use the in-flight menu. I had pre-ordered my meals.
We were given breakfast shortly after take-off and a second serving three hours before landing on this flight.

For breakfast, the oatmeal was good.

You can order meals from the menu if you haven’t preselected.

Cabin Crew

The Thai Airways Cabin Crew is fantastic. They always try to make our journey better.

Baggage

So, Thai Airways mishandled by Baggage. Our flight landed around 9 PM, and deboarding started within 10 minutes, and immigration was also done quickly. I quickly reached baggage belt No. 8; however, baggage delivery started at 9:30 PM. Since I was travelling in business class, I expected my Baggage to arrive shortly. The Baggage was left in Bangkok itself. I had to contact the Baggage services counter, where they filed my claim and assured me that the Baggage was on another Thai Airways flight and would arrive tomorrow. The Baggage did arrive the next day, and I received it around 2 PM. I emailed Thai Airways about the baggage delay and have not received any communication. I expect them to state the facts and provide me with relevant information. This sort of communication is not expected from full-service carriers. However, I have learnt something: I will start again the use of the Apple Air tag.

Will I again fly the Thai Airways?

In the last year, I have taken around six flights with Thai Airways, four in Business Class & two in Economy Cabin. I have mixed experiences, especially in terms of food. The only advantage Thai Airways has is the massive availability of United Miles members, which also comes with free cancellation. Having exhausted my United miles, I don’t intend to travel to Thai Airways at least this year. Avios is a great option (more on this in a separate blog). Thai Airways would rather be my backup airline than my first choice airline. At the same time, I’m surprised by the lack of communication from Thai Airways regarding the baggage delay issue. It is always better to communicate, even if the results are not positive than to keep the customer hanging.

Bottomline

Thai Airways A350 Business Class on the BKK-MEL route is comfortable. However, the airline needs to improve its food and entertainment offerings. Unless it does, customers will probably switch to other good carriers.