Thai Airways has been an underdog of Star Alliance for quite some time. Despite providing quite a good service and delivering food and drinks during flights, Thai Airways still has issues of being quite unreliable, which affects the reputation of the company.
Thai First Class flight from Seoul Incheon Airport (ICN) to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) was a nice and pleasant surprise.
While flying first class with any airline from Star Alliance via Seoul ICN airport, you will have access to Asiana first class lounge, which is ok, but definitely not the best lounge out there. Check the review of Asiana first class lounge here.
Thai flight to BKK was boarding on time and had no delay, it was operated by Airbus 747 with the updated cabin, which is a drastic improvement to old 747 cabins, but yet nothing compared to Lufthansa first class cabin. The most interesting part is definitely a middle seat, which is quite a unique seating combination, compared to other airlines. It is an interesting concept to keep one more row as just one seat, but also looks weird.
Booze:
Thai Airways does not have much of variety in first class service when it comes to champagne. It is Dom Perignon Vintage 2006, but it is a very good choice! Definitely, no complaints on the bubbly choice. Wines are less interesting and presented by some generic Australian, New Zealand and European varieties.
Food:
This particular flight it was bad… It was just really bad. When flying to BKK you cannot “order a Chef” service, so you are limited to the menu options. Beef with rice was just disgusting, it looked like baby vomit and the taste was corresponding, One messy place of some overcooked beef mixed with some over boiled rice, nothing to complement there.
And here is vegetarian option offered in Thai Royal First cabin
It was definitely tasting much better than meat. Some tofu with curry, good tomato soup, and different veggies.
Service:
Definitely, a strong side of most Asian airlines and especially Thai Airways is exceptional service onboard. Flight attendants in Thai Royal First class are putting extra effort into making it a very pleasant and relaxing experience. They are always there for you and trying to go an extra mile no matter what request you have.
Cabin:
Depending if you like those personal “cubicles” or not, you will love or hate Thai new cabin. For me, I like more open spaced cabins and those cubicles looked wrong. Especially, if you are flying with 2 friends and want to talk to them, rather than being isolated. By no means, it provides any sort of additional privacy in comparison to popular private suites. Yet, the seat is nice, it transforms into the full flatbed, allows to have a dining table enough for 2 persons (to dine with a friend), has all the extra space needed to store your belongings.
Amenity Kit:
On the bright side, I managed to get PINK Rimowa amenity kit. It is the cutest looking amenity kit out there made by Rimowa and Lufthansa does not carry that color. On the other hand, Thai Royal First does not provide any decent products in those kits. It is really the cheapest possible products, nothing compared to Lufthansa La Prairie skin care.
Overall:
Thai Royal First is a good alternative within South Asia. It is the only direct flight with first class from Seoul (ICN) to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) available with Star Alliance. The cabin is nice, service is good and champagne selection is delicious. Food wise, it’s a complete gamble. You can get something delicious, or gross as I did.
In Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) if you transfer to a domestic flight, do not rush to domestic lounge. It does not have a single drop of alcohol and no smoking area. Try staying in the International part of the airport, otherwise, you might need to pay 25 Euros for a bottle of Prosecco and drink it on the rocks!
