Review: Thai Airways New First Class, Bangkok-London

Airline- Thai Airways

Seat- 1A

Flight- TG910

Flight Time- 12:15

Aircraft- 777-300ER

After arriving on TG434 from Jakarta I had a long layover in Bangkok. Once off of the business class portion of the trip a staff met me at the gate and offered to escort me to the lounge. However, I decided to head into Bangkok for a couple of hours since I had 8 hours to kill. They stowed my luggage at the First Class check-in counter which meant I did have to take it with me, thank you THAI!!

I arrived back at the airport all sweaty around 8:30 PM for a 12:15 AM departure. They checked my bags through and was escorted through immigration by a lovely Thai representative.

He ushered me through the business class lounge quickly and straight to the first class lounge where 3 beautiful Thai staff greeted me. I asked for a glass of champagne and their response was prompt in acquiring a glass of Moet for me. Something to note for a first-class lounge the champagne could be improved. They offered to let me take a shower and I jumped on that decision quickly. I felt safe leaving my bags in the lounge since I was the only one there and just grabbed some clothes. The showers are very basic so no photos were taken but they have all the necessities needed to freshen up. 

Upon arriving back in the lounge I still had give or take 3 hours until boarding so the staff offered me the "Private Room".  

While not like the residence room for Etihad The Private Room is my favorite aspect of the Thai Lounge since it is very spacious, and enclosed, and has a comfortable couch and a TV to watch shows/movies on. I got some work done, had a couple more drinks, ate some dessert (before my main), and relaxed in my almost "hotel room" in the TG F lounge.   

By this point, I was feeling the champagne and decided to go have my signature meal which I have every time I fly this route in the lounge at the dining table. The Thai style Beef. Thai offers an extensive menu of delectable dishes on the ground and this hits the spot every time without failure. Although not my preference for sparkling water Perrier was served alongside the dish.  

After eating 2 servings (Yes it's that good) the time to board was near. The staff informed me to wait as boarding had not commenced yet but I decided to head down to the gate where to my surprise boarding had commenced! A little miscommunication between the two parties involved (Yes I ended up carrying my own bags hashtag first-world problems). I jumped straight to the front of the queue and boarded through door 1L where I was greeted and asked what I wanted to drink and pajama side. Surprise Surprise! Champagne it was. Thai serve LPGS in F which is a nice champagne that accompanies well with caviar. 

A change of clothes and a couple of glasses of champagne later, pushback was approved. The GE-90's revving up is a sound for sore ears which quite literally I had. The Cabin only had three others in it tonight all on windows so it created a quiet ambiance. A 30-minute taxi occurred I believe due to congestion. But up up and away we went. 

As this is a whole night flight pretty much the primary focus is on rest. I was shattered but had to make sure to get in a good meal before heading to bed. The crew quickly came around and distributed menus (only for food) which were recently brought back since the last time I flew this route no hard copy menus were available. I usually never have just one main course if there are more available and since F was only half full they said they were happy to let me know at the end of the meal service. This is what the menu looked like for tonight. 

They proceeded to keep my champagne topped off throughout the flight and were proactive at taking what was finished away quickly (just like SQ). I eat quite funky so I started with caviar and no amuse bouche. 

To note TG does not serve blinis which is okay since the crackers are quite bland and you will be able to taste the delicacy of the caviar still (I hate when caviar is served with salty crackers, my preference). Unlike LH and Emirates they only load enough caviar per passenger on Thai so don't expect to get more unless someone skips out. Previously I would have 3 servings but tonight it was only 1. 

Next up came the main course of the Thai Wagyu Steak which was cooked a perfect medium rare (for those asking they did not ask). The bread basket also came out warm which is always a treat while being replenished whenever one went missing in my tummy. 

I opted to go with a Pinot to pair as I like to stay on the lighter side. Side note that is quite the pour!!!! Not complaining but we were hitting some turbulence at that point and I always get a bit anxious the glass might tip over! I opted to skip dessert since I was very full and exhausted but the meal was wrapped up in an hour and a half. It could have been longer if I wanted but I like to eat fast and then rest and snack throughout the rest of the flight. 

I got up, took a big gaping yawn, and went to the toilet. Nothing special to note about the toilet but when I came back to my seat the bed was made!! Talk about some amazing service!! 5 Stars there.

If you are deciding whether to fly F in Thai something to note is proper duvets are not offered like on SQ or some other F products but a very comfortable mattress pad, blanket, and many pillows are offered. 

That isn't F, only with a blanket??! Well, every time I fly this route I sleep like there is no tomorrow. Today was no different, sleeping straight through for 8.5 hours. For some reason, this bed is unbelievably comfortable and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. I slept better than in EK F and LH F combined. 

I arose probably 3 hours before landing with a glass of champagne and a coffee next to my seat within 5 minutes. Let's talk about the elephant in the room, no doors. Yes, there are no doors and at some points, it can be a little bit irritating for privacy reasons after shelling out 3K+ a ticket. However, when lying down it is very private and you cannot see anyone else. Nor did I have any issues throughout the flight feeling "exposed".

I don't like breakfasts on the plane full stop so I ordered the duck from dinner which they still had left over. It was another fantastic dish. The crew were coming around again and checking in on me to make sure everything was okay, I had enough champagne, etc. However, it didn't feel like they were being too invasive which is nice as sometimes certain crews can come off that way. 

The sunrise now came into sight and my word I was lost for words. This flight is notorious for running about 20-30 minutes behind schedule which is a blessing since you can watch an amazing sunrise. The captain shortly announced that we would soon be starting our descent and thanked us for flying with Thai.

The crew came around to thank you for flying Thai and gave us a special box of the divine chocolates which they always give out (sorry forgot to take a picture). When the crew came around it was the two F FAs and the pursuer knelt on the floor and were very sincere about how grateful they were that I chose to fly Thai. 

Another side note about the crew they folded my clothes and put them on the ottoman. It's the small details that stand out!

London then came into sight! But my time onboard was almost finished! 

We landed at 6:43 AM and taxied past two Jetblue A321 at LHR. Love seeing this! We were at the gate in no time and waiting for us was a buggy to take us to immigration! Talk about great service! 

It's a shame I had an 11-hour flight from London to New York coming up in Polaris (another first-world problem).

Conclusion

Thai First Class is a great way to get from SE Asia to Europe. It's a shame only 3 aircraft have F class since the service is polished, the beds are made from heaven, the food is divine and everything on the ground is immaculate. The new Thai F is a big upgrade from what was offered on the A380 and 747. I think it's worth flying if the price is right or if mileage redemption pops up as it did for me. I would rank it in the top 7 First Class products out there at the moment!