Review: Thai Airways 777-300 Business Class Hong Kong-Bangkok
Intro
The next portion of my around-the-world segment would consist of flying on my favorite airline in the world from Hong Kong to Bangkok on their 777-300ER. Following a fantastic three days consisting of staying at the Four Seasons, getting a suit made, taking the star ferry, and enjoying Pizza Express, it was time to head back to Bali.
All in all, there is a reason why Thai Airways ranks as my number 1 airline in the world. This flight was nothing short of spectacular. From the second I stepped onboard, I was transported into a world of luxury with comfortable bedding, unbelievable service, free-flowing Laurent Perrier, and a decent beef cheek for dinner.
Let's get into it!
Route-Hong Kong-Bangkok
Seat- 19A
Flight Number- TG607
Aircraft- Boeing 777-300
Date- January 10th 2024
Flight Time: 2 Hour 59 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.
Getting To Hong Kong Airport
Hong Kong is a little of a way outside of the city, not like Dakar, where it's almost two hours, but still quite a way. Once I had my fitting done for my suit, I ordered an Uber to head back to the Four Seasons. However, as my Uber was 2 minutes away, I found the most unbelievable bag that displays my personality perfectly. See belowđ .
It was approximately 20 minutes before I arrived downtown, and since I had the time, the train sounded like a good ideađ, not before meeting my mum for a quick coffee to say adios.
Trains have always been a fascination to me, so I thought, why not? It turned out to be both cost-effective and efficient on the ride over to the airport. Just over 30 odd minutes later I want to say, the train pulled into the station where we disembarked.
Boarding
Check-in was a breeze, along with immigration and security. Within a matter of minutes, I was airside to visit the somewhat disappointing Plaza Premium First Lounge and the Singapore Silverkris Lounge for a brief period.
Just like that, the 8:00 pm boarding time started right on the dot. Seeing as I was unbelievably excited to step onboard this aircraft, but also a little sad as my mum and I's trip had come to and end, I rushed down the jetbridge as the first onboard.
Once onboard, the Thai Airways hospitality began the second my first foot hovered above the aircraft. In the sweet Thai voices with incredible smiles, it was a warm "welcome onboard."
The Seat/Cabin
Thai Airways has two subsets of 777's operating, featuring two different configurations. Three aircraft are outfitted with 8 First Class Suites (which I have reviewed), while the other active 17 are configured in a 2 class setup. These 17 jets have 2 business class cabins, the first one containing 24 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.
The second cabin has the same setup but with only 18 seats.
Upon entering my favorite airplane, which is currently operating, I made a quick right to find a beautiful-looking, empty cabin. Thai Airways, the seats might look a little antique, but I love the purple!
As I was sitting in 19A, the first row of the second cabin was on the right-hand side, and it was easy to locate my seat. In fact, it would have been harder to locate another seatđ.
The first thing I noticed (the last time I flew this plane to pick up the LV bag pictured above in Beijing) was the location of the tray tables. Oftentimes, the tray table in business is located in a tedious position, but not on Thai Airways đ.
To the right of me lay a few seat controls, as well as the remote for the IFE. Dated, of course, but they did function perfectly.
A small light was accessible just above the mini table on the right-hand side of the seat. The one thing I will mention is that the power ports were in a peculiar place, right at the bottom of the seat.
When I flew this product back in 2020 from Bangkok to London, it seemed to be exactly the same. I'm happy to report that the Thai Airways fleet isn't aging too badly!
IFE/Amenities
Thai Airways, you have my heart once again. Waiting at my seat was a plush pillow and a thick but comfortable blanket. From my recollection, this is the foundation bedding that is found on long-haul routes, although I am not 100% on that.
Also featured were the standard-issued AKG headphones. If you have flown United Polaris and American Airlines business class, these headphones are right in the middle of them.
The IFE summed up Thai Airways as a whole. A little bit dated, yet still functioning and somewhat charming with a touch of swagger. The options were decent, but nothing to write home about.
USB ports were located underneath the screen, which did look a touch out of place.
Departure
Now that the heavy lifting is out of the way let's get into the fun flight review!
Not even a minute before taking my seat 19A, the FA taking care of me came over with a hot towel, introduced herself, welcomed me personally onboard, and offered me a glass of champagne. I mean, if you're offering, I can't really say no đ.
Additionally, she informed me that only one other person would be in this cabin for the flight. I love how the Thai Airways hot towels are branded!
A few moments later, a freshly opened bottle of Laurent Perrier was waiting at my seat in a flute! Talk about sublime service!
All strapped in, the captain came on to announce our flight time of 2 hours and 20 minutes over to Bangkok this evening.
We pushed back a couple of minutes behind schedule, and as it turned out, we were parked right next to the BA 787-8 that would be flying my mum over to London that night. So close, yet so far.
I'm not quite sure what got into the captain, but I am all for it. I've seen some quick taxi speeds before, but on my app it shows that we eclipsed the 30 knots mark heading out to the runway. I think the captain had reservations for a nightclub that night, or maybe they needed the plane for another route (more likely). đ
As it would turn out, once we got to the runway, we ended up holding for 10 minutes đ. My initial thought was that he exceeded the 35-knot taxi limit, and the ATC was angry, but my imagination likes to play games.
Well, we waited, and waited, as planes kept taking off.
15 minutes later, it was our turn on a cloudy night in Hong Kong.
Hearing those GE-90 engines will never get old.
Following our short takeoff roll, as this was a 2-hour flight on a virtually empty 777-300, it seemed that we had leveled out at somewhere between 4,000 and 7,000 feet. I don't fly out of Hong Kong a lot, so not sure if this is the norm. For the first few minutes, I wasn't concerned, but as I kept seeing actual boats for 10 minutes straight, I started to worry. Was there an engine failure? Hydraulic Issue?
It turns out that I was a melon as 10 minutes after the GE-90's fired back, and we began our ascent.
A lot of people don't know this about me, but I actually used to suffer from a fear of flying for 18 months after I came close to death in the seaplane crash in Syndey. At times, I would have panic attacks.
Meal Service
As soon as we hit 10,000 feet, the crew snapped into action.
The menu for tonight's flight consisted of three main options. Naturally, as I usually eat beef for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I went with beef cheeks with brown sauce.
By 18,000 feet, the Laurent Perrier had made it to my seat. đ
This tray table is fantastic. With a little pull and a rotation, it comes down to produce a surface that is large enough to work with a laptop while storing a drink next to it. To add on, it swivels out in case you need to use the restroom (or break the seal) during the flightđ.
My main course was presented about 35 minutes after takeoff. The starter didn't look that appealing, and seeing as I needed some rest, this sounded like the better option.
All in all, the meal was on the better side of the Thai Airways spectrum. The beef was tender and flavorful, while the garlic bread put the cherry on top.
Everything on Thai Airways is branded, including the salt and pepper packets. One thing I would love is for Thai Airways to introduce something similar to the Virgin Atlantic Salt and Pepper shakers.
My Laurent Perrier and garlic bread was kept topped off throughout the flightđ .
Rest Of The Flight
With an hour and a half left until Bangkok, I reclined my seat into bed mode and decided to take a little rest. The bed was very comfortable, and one of the most comfortable business class seats I have had a nap in.
Arrival
Thankfully, the cabin crew allowed me to sleep until we were on final descent. Waking up to the bright lights of Bangkok, there are certainly worse places in the world to beđ.
We touched down ahead of schedule and motored off the runway at a rate of knots. It felt as if we were on a rollercoaster taking corners at 20 knots (if my memory serves me right). I am all for it, as we ended up pulling into the gate ahead of schedule.
The crew came around to thank me for flying Thai Airways and to say that they hoped to see me again. Gosh, I love the crew on Thai Airways, always and beyond, even in economy.
A gate, or so I thought. No! A remote stand for a 777-300? At Bangkok? On the national carrier? Are you taking the mickey?
To be honest, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal until I forgot to take a picture of the beautiful beast that flew us here.
Bangkok has a dedicated immigration line for business and first-class passengers. Within a matter of minutes, I was on my way to my hotel!
Final Thoughts
Flying from Hong Kong to Bangkok on Thai Airways was an absolute treat; even saying that is underselling how good it was. Having one other person in the cabin, out-of-this-world cabin crew, great quality champagne that was re-filled without request, and good food, sign me up for more and more. For 28K miles, this is certainly one of the better redemptions that I have utilized. The cabin itself is conflicted across the aviation world, but personally, I love its rustic charm, and the seats are very comfortable.
If I could be nitpicky, I would love to see little salt and pepper shakers. Everything else is so premium that it almost feels out of place.
No, I am not sponsored in any way by Thai Airways. However, the moral of the story is to book Thai Airways! đđ
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