Service may have fallen, but this Asian airline still delivers

The airline: Thai Airways

• Route Sydney to Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok, flight TG476
• Frequency Twice daily
• Aircraft Airbus A350-900
• Class Economy; seat 59F
• Flight time 9 hours, 5 minutes. We land 20 minutes early.

Checking in

Online check-in, seat selection and boarding pass issue is relatively straightforward via Thai Airways’ occasionally awkward website. Better still is the frequent flyers’ Royal Orchid Plus app, which generates a QR code. With a short queue for the bag drop, the airport process is completed in five minutes. Boarding, by numbered groups, is orderly.

Baggage

The checked baggage allowance for a standard economy fare is one piece weighing up to 23 kg. As a Thai ROP Silver member, I’m allowed an extra 10 kilos. Carry-on is one item of 7 kilograms but this limit is not enforced, it seems.

Loyalty scheme

Thai Airways is part of the Star Alliance network and frequent flyer points earned on its ROP program can be used on Star partners such Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand.

The seat

The 289 economy class seats are in a 3-3-3 layout. My aisle seat (59F), in the aircraft’s middle block has a 32-inch (81 cm) pitch and 18-inch (46 cm) width, with an adjustable headrest. Boarded passengers receive bottled water, pillow, light blanket and disposable earphones. The legroom is sufficient and there’s space to stow a small bag under the seat in front. The traveller ahead of me considerately keeps their seat-back upright. The one to my left, a newcomer to air travel has little concept of private space or armrest etiquette; by the time we’re around Broome they get the idea.

Entertainment + tech

The seat has universal AC and USB-A sockets. The 11-inch (28 cm) HD display features touch-screen menus. There’s poor audio quality due to a loose connection in the headphone socket. The English language movies are almost entirely mainstream American with an emphasis on franchises (John Wick, Expendables, the Twilight Saga, X-Men and Ant-Man).

There’s a blinkered absence of anything European or art house. Asian cultures fare better with a range of subtitled Thai, Chinese, Indian and Korean features, as do kids’ films, games and cartoons. Television series, docos, spoken word programs and music albums are complemented by a downloaded e-library (multinational newspapers and magazines). The latter, however, isn’t available because there’s no Wi-Fi on this flight. The live, in-flight images, transmitted from the plane’s tail and nose cameras can be mesmerising.

Service

Service is cheerful but hurried. The cabin and bathrooms are clean throughout. Following the first meal, the crew are seen infrequently but remain on-call. Optional drinks are available on request. The Skytrax 2025 World Airline Awards rated Thai at 11th in world in the Best Cabin Crew category; in 2021 they ranked third.

Food

The first meal, brunch, arrives just 20 minutes after take-off, with pre-ordered, special diet options served first. Twenty minutes later come the standard meals, a choice of chicken stir-fry or fish with potatoes and vegetables. Carrot cake and Italian wines (chardonnay or Sangiovese), plus beer, some spirits, tea, coffee or soft drinks round out an adequate meal. Fresh fruit, crackers and extra water are available during the flight in the galley. The last meal, served 90 minutes before landing is a tasty single offering of chicken and noodles, plus a small fruit salad and a Tim Tam.

Sustainability

The airline has a range of short-term (reducing waste, recycling) and long-term (sustainable aviation fuel, carbon offsetting) goals, including net zero by 2050.*

One more thing

Arriving foreigners now need to show a Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) QR code at Immigration. It’s best to complete this online before travelling but it can be done at a Bangkok airport kiosk screen if your phone has a Thai network connection. The TDAC is issued free; see tdac.immigration.go.th

The price

From about $1600, economy class return**.

The verdict

A comfortable flight on a well-maintained aircraft, although Thai Airways regional competitors continue to outrank it various ways.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer flew at his own expense. See thaiairways.com

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change. Quoted fares may currently be above average due to increased fuel prices.