The Airline: Thai Airways

The Flight: TG 476 Sydney to Bangkok

The Equipment: B777-200ER (Seat 11K)

Time & Date: 1000 on 15/02/10

Overview:

Thai Airways celebrated its 50th birthday this year, and it is one of a group of airlines which has been undoubtedly instrumental in setting the standards for premium long haul carriers and service. It has always boasted a safe, modern fleet, excellent in-flight service, and a friendly professional staff on the ground and in the air. In recent years, however, competition has been heating up in the skies, with new services launching between Australia and Asia, and beyond to Europe, with airlines such as Etihad and Emirates in particular upping the ante. I had flown Thai Airways many years ago and found its service, even in economy class, impressive. But the premium classes, in particular premium economy and business, are where a number of airlines are investing the big bucks, so on this flight I was curious to see how Thai's Royal Silk Class stacked up against some of the competition.

Check In:

Check-in was quick and relatively trouble-free and speedy, and I was soon on my way through security and immigration, and then heading for the lounge. Thai Airways uses the Air New Zealand lounge in Sydney, which is located on the upper level near the walkway to gates 50-63. It's a large facility seating 280 people, with plenty of seating in an open-plan arrangement, a few televisions dotted around, light refreshments and a decent bar. There are plenty of magazines and newspapers for entertainment, internet access, and facilities including five showers.

The Service:

The service throughout the nine-hour-odd flight was swift, friendly and efficient. Nothing was too much trouble, from finding an extra pillow to prop up my bung shoulder, to bringing plenty of water for in-flight hydration.

The Food:

My flight departed at 10am, but not long after take-off I was offered a welcome drink, fresh nuts and a menu to peruse. Then came lunch. The wine list was decent, with plenty of choices, and the food was excellent with nice Asian touches. I particularly liked the Thai fishcakes appetiser. Later we were served a light meal, which was also excellent.

The Seat & Entertainment:

My flight was on a B777-200ER with a two-class configuration - economy and business. On this plane there were 30 seats in Royal Silk, five rows running six across in pairs. My seat was 11K, which oddly was on the first row, and a window seat. The cabin decor is bright and airy, with accents of the rich purple hue for which Thai's livery is famous.

 Royal Silk Class on the 777 aircraft have comfortable capsule chairs with a pitch of 155 cms between seats, and they stretch out to 178 cms. A drawback, however, is that they only have a maximum recline angle of 163 degrees, so they're not fully lie flat. That makes them good for relaxing but not serious sleeping, but as my flight was operating during the day that wasn't a problem.

The seat does, however, have an LCD screen and the entertainment system had a decent selection of movies, music and games. I passed part of the flight watching Slumdog Millionarie, which had only recently been in the movies, and chatting to my neighbour as there is no privacy screen. All of the seats also have telephone and PC power outlets, should you feel unable to leave the office while you fly.

The Verdict:

This was an excellent flight, but without a total lie-flat seat it would not have been as comfortable had it been an overnight flight. That aside, Thai has always provided quality service throughout its aircraft, and when it comes to business class travel, it's still in the game.