Review: Thai Airways 777-200 Business Class Royal Silk Bangkok-Denpasar (Bali)
Intro
This flight is one I have been looking forward to reviewing for a long, long time due to how special it is to fly on a 777-200 with Thai Airways. TG has 5 777-200s active in their fleet, and this would be the fourth one I have flown on (since then, I have flown the sixth).
The next segment in the round-the-world Asia routing would take me from Bangkok to Denpasar on a 777-200 with Thai Airways in Business Class. Following Thai Airway Business Class on their 777-300 from Hong Kong, I had a layover in Bangkok, where I stayed at the Lancaster and got upgraded to their largest suite!
This flight over to Denpasar was an absolute treat and set me up for a great 10 days at home (second home, I guess). The cabin on the 777-200 is old but debatably the most elegant cabin in aviation, in my personal opinion. It reminds me of the golden era of aviation, at least from what I hear😅. The flight was flawless consisting of a great chicken dish, free-flowing Laurent Perrier, an empty adjacent seat, and fabulous service.
Let's get into it!
Route-Bangkok-Denpasar
Seat- 16K
Flight Number- TG431
Aircraft- Boeing 777-200
Date- January 11th 2024
Flight Time: 4 Hour 20 Minutes
Price Paid- 28.8K Miles+45$ (2 legs)
How I Booked
There are a couple of different ways to get from Hong Kong to Bali with the most direct being the Cathay Pacific flight into Denpasar. However, Cathay Pacific is stingy about releasing business-class award space to Bali, so I decided against them. Thankfully, United has some space to fly on Thai Airways in business class with an overnight layover in Bangkok for 28.8K miles. Not a bad deal at all.
Unfortunately, United has devalued awards around Africa/Asia in Business Class, as well as their International First Class when departing/arriving from the Americas. The cost of awards around Asia now costs 82.5K miles in Business Class, which is simply disgraceful.
Check-In
The 5:30 am alarm went off, and I contemplated life for a hot minute. Tiring is traveling, or shall I say traveling is tiring😅. After a snooze or two, it was time to head off on the 25-minute drive to the airport. Grab offers a pre-arranged service online, which creates much less stress in the morning.
Not long after, I had arrived at door 1 of Terminal 1. Passengers flying in Business Class have access to a dedicated check-in and checkpoint. Additionally, if you have read my First Class review, there is an even more exclusive First Class check-in.
Fast track for immigration and security is available next door to the check-in. What a lifesaver this is as I was through it all in under 5 minutes!
Lounge
Once through immigration, the Thai Airways lounge is located just down the escalators. The lounge is on the better end of the business-class lounges I have experienced, although not in the top ten. A full review is posted here, just so as not to get distracted from this fun flight 😅.
Boarding
TG431 would be departing from Gate E3 on this fine Thai morning. The sun was booming down, and a couple of mimosas were in my belly. I strolled over to the gate area in order to get on board early. Lying right in front of my eyes was a beautifully looking 777-200.
Boarding commenced at 8:10 am for our 8:50 am departure. Surprisingly, I have yet to be delayed more than 15 minutes on Thai Airways (when arriving). Business Class passengers are first to board, and seeing as I was in Business, it was time😃.
Thai Airways consistently uses two jetbridges in Bangkok on widebodies, at least from my experiences. A small thing, but that is greatly appreciated.
The Cabin/Seat
In my past experiences with Thai Airways, I've had some good cabin crews and fantastic cabin crews. This morning, there was an undescribably positive vibe circulating the cabin, primarily coming from the cabin crew.
The Thai Airways 777-200 cabin is laid out with angled flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration across five rows. These 5 rows are between doors 1 and 2, meaning it's pretty easy to locate your seat. (side note: this photo was taken two weeks ago, flying Dhaka-Bangkok).
Every time I have flown the 777-200 on Thai Airways, I select seat 16K. This seat is in the very last row on the right-hand side of the aircraft. Thai Airways can make seat selections a bit of pain online at times, and I have noticed that 16J is the seat that is most likely to fly empty. (By the way, if you email Thai Airways with a seat number you want, they will assign it within 12 hours usually).
Okay, the cabin is showing extreme signs of age. In some ways, this is bad, but the carpet is stunning, with the royal purple bursting with eccentric vibes. The legroom is decent as well.
A small button, a remote for the IFE, as well as seat controls, were located on the armrest closest to the window. Even if the cabins are old, these all worked flawlessly.
Switching to the left, lay the headphone jack, charging port, and tray table located in the drinks table (more on that later).
Unlike Turkish Airlines or LOT, which I recently flew, there was a partition between the seats! Antique>modern every day, although I was raised in an antique house, so maybe I am biased🙃. A small light was located right next to my shoulder.
However, Thai Airways, I am docking points for no overhead air vents. I guess that is mostly the norm across Asian carriers, though.
Amenities/IFE
Amenities were vastly similar to the flight experienced the day prior. The only differential was a high-quality amenity kit for a short-haul flight. They have the same blanket, the same pillow, and the same headphones.
Similarly, the IFE offers the same selection. However, please note that no Wifi is offered on the 777-200's. Only A350s, 787s, and select 777-300s offer Wi-Fi for a fee.
On this flight, I was so lost in the Thai Airways experience that I didn't even watch anything!
Departure
Yay! Heavy lifting is done. I do the above sections for those looking to fly this product so they know what to expect. Now, let's get into the fun flight!
Once onboard, I was greeted with a hot towel and a flight attendant saying, "Mr. XXX, welcome onboard Thai Airways; how are you today"? Simply sublime.
She inquired about my pre-departure beverage choice, and I asked for champagne. Moments later, a flute of delicious Laurent Perrier magically appeared at my seat😅
My meal order was taken just as we were getting ready to push back.
The captain came onto the speaker system to announce our flight time of 3 hours and 50 minutes over to Denpasar this morning. He expected a smooth flight and an on-time arrival. Well, isn't that a good sign?
Moments later, we pushed back 1 minute late.
Part of me loves Bangkok Airport due to the incredible aircraft you see, such as the Aeroflot 777. However, it also makes me sad to cruise by all the retired Thai Airways planes😞.
It was a long taxi out to the runway since we ended up being wheels up at 9:16 am local time.
Meal Service
The meal service on this particular flight was leisurely, unlike the night prior out of Bangkok.
On the ground, the flight attendant took my order of the steamed chicken thigh. Considering I don't eat eggs, this remained to be the only viable option. Here is what the rest of the menu looked like:
The tray table table pops out with a little pull. This design is completely unique😉. For the next 15 minutes, it was time to lounge around and gaze out of the window... until I spotted this little thing. They have steps on the seat to reach overhead bins. Interestingly, since this flight, I have started to notice them more on more business class seats😳.
It was a relatively full flight, with only the seat next to me empty and one in the center seats of row 15.
Eventually, my sparkling water and champagne came out.
10 minutes after the champagne was brought out, my meal tray was brought out. A flight attendant came around with a choice of bread, pastries, and croissants. NO GARLIC BREAD, but maybe that's just me thinking about it at 10 am😂.
The croissants were delicious, and the jam was of high quality.
Not long after, my main dish was presented.
The chicken thigh with rice was very pleasant. Oftentimes, I find airlines offering a healthier protein breakfast, as sausages aren't very healthy in my book. I ended up eating almost all of it!
Rest Of The Flight
Following the meal service, the cabin crew dimmed the lights with just over two hours to Denpasar. Since the only non-wifi application I had downloaded was Crib, I ended up playing a couple of games. One time, I even double-skunked the computer😅.
It was time for a little bit of rest and a few champagnes, which were constantly topped up. The bed on the Thai Airways 777-200 is angled flat. Certainly not the most comfortable, but it's still neat to be able to lie down. An adjustable footrest is at the end, although, at times, it can malfunction.
Lounging around, I had a lovely time and felt very at peace. Considering the privacy screen and no one next to me, it felt more private than any other 2-2-2 configuration I have been on.
Lavatories
40 minutes before landing, the flight deck came on to announce our initial descent into Denpasar shortly. For 30 passengers in a full business cabin, Thai Airways has 3 restrooms utilizing a 1:10 ratio (very good).
I have yet to fly Thai Airways and see a dirty bathroom, even on my economy flights. It's not over-the-top luxury like Singapore Suites😉, but tidy, large (the one by door 2R), and with a few amenities.
Arrival
Bali is hit-or-miss weather, but on this particular Thursday, it was gorgeous. Our approach consisted of a routing just south of Mount Agung with the 777 pointed towards Penida/Lembongan.
The crew came around and thanked me personally for flying Thai Airways again. Another fantastic Thai Airways moment.
Moments later, Penida and Lembongan came into sight. We eventually had a right bank flying right over Lemongan; perhaps a parachute would come in handy in here?😅
The flight deck made a wonderful landing at 2:07 local time (1 hour ahead of Bangkok), and 4 minutes later, we arrived 4 minutes early in Denpasar.
Once off the plane and onto the jetbridge, my Jumpa fast track assistant was waiting to escort me to my driver. By 2:24, I was in the car on the way to town. Interestingly, that included being stopped for secondary inspection by immigration officials. Not to search my bags, to ask for my instagram (no I am not famous😅).
Welcome home again!
Final Thoughts
Thai Airways certainly isn't for everyone, but it is for me. There is something breathtaking about flying on the 777-200 cabin in Business. For economy passengers, Thai Airways has a 3-3-3 configuration on this subfleet. The service is unbelievable, just like with every flight. The champagne was fantastic, the carpets were elegant, the food was above average, and we arrived early. If you are flying Business on the 777-200, keep in mind that these aircraft are typically operated on flights around Asia and as far as Delhi and occasionally Pakistan. Sorry, got sidetracked, my point was to select seat 16K in the future, as you also get those engine views!
The downsides are that there is no Wi-Fi onboard these planes, the cabins are old, and the seats are angled flat. However, thank you, Thai Airways, for flying me from Bangkok to Denpasar; certainly a memorable flight!
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