THAI's Sky-High Deal: 45 Dreamliners to Revamp Fleet

[Mr Meeseeks]

On 4/9/2025 at 4:27 PM, soi3eddie said:

 

 I flew on Thai 787-8 from Bangkok to London in August 2022.  6 seats across in "business" class 2-2-2 - terrible! Economy was very cramped and narrow aisles with 3-3-3 seating. Hope you can enjoy that if they do same on the new orders.

 

 

The lesson is never fly Thai on business long haul unless there is absolutely no other option.

 

I just flew back from the UK on QR in business with Q-Suites on the second of the legs, and it was excellent. Dine on demand, private cabin, fantastic entertainment options, great selection of bevvy etc.

 

Don't know why people persist on these expensive mid/low tier bus class products from TG when there are so many superior options available at less cost.

[Mr Meeseeks]

19 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

A380, A350, B787, B777 in that order for me.

 

Same for me when only considering the aircraft.

[NanLaew]

8 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

The lesson is never fly Thai on business long haul unless there is absolutely no other option.

 

I just flew back from the UK on QR in business with Q-Suites on the second of the legs, and it was excellent. Dine on demand, private cabin, fantastic entertainment options, great selection of bevvy etc.

 

Don't know why people persist on these expensive mid/low tier bus class products from TG when there are so many superior options available at less cost.

 

I also like the seasoned front-of-the-bus flyers that post their apples to oranges comparisons.

 

Airlines make the bulk of their profits on those who 'turn-left' at the door when boarding. Since they have maxed-out their profits with the limited variations allowed in Coach, ie. economy, economy plus, economy lite, 3-4-3, 3-5-3 seating and other nuances beyond a few more inches of legroom, 'premium' meals, paying for checked baggage and the like, the focus is on the business (or better-off personal) traveler.

 

At the front of the airplane, there are increasingly more variations and price banding options, but that depends on the fleet size, destinations served, length of non-stop sectors, etc.. Not all airlines can afford to offer the individual suites and cabins that SQ pioneered and Qatar have tweaked. Thai learned that they cannot compete, as have most who bought less than half-a-dozen A380's, with the higher-end, longer-haul airlines. Good luck to them in staying flexible enough to work profitably and safely in an industry where the dynamics are rapidly changing. To me, it's a bus that flies and airports are bus stations.

 

Disclaimer: I have never worked, or pretended to work, in the airline or travel business. Just a tired old frequent flier who misses the Constellation and the stopovers in Constantinople, Delhi and Rangoon.

[Mr Meeseeks]

Just now, NanLaew said:

 

I also like the seasoned front-of-the-bus flyers that post their apples to oranges comparisons.

 

Hardly apples to oranges.

 

I was comparing QR business class to TG business class on the same route BKK-LHR.

[josephbloggs]

12 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

The lesson is never fly Thai on business long haul unless there is absolutely no other option.

 

I just flew back from the UK on QR in business with Q-Suites on the second of the legs, and it was excellent. Dine on demand, private cabin, fantastic entertainment options, great selection of bevvy etc.

 

Don't know why people persist on these expensive mid/low tier bus class products from TG when there are so many superior options available at less cost.

I used to work for a big well known Thai company here. The CEO flew everywhere on Thai because he thinks Thai is the best. 

I had to do a trip to the UK with him and I said I'll meet him there as I am not flying Thai. Eventually I persuaded him to try Emirates. I met him in the lounge at BKK and he just said "wow". I gladly don't work there anymore as it was a terrible company and he was a moron, but he was blown away by the difference. I still see him on Facebook back on Thai though (he's one of those people who posts pictures of themselves in business class - I hate those people).

I've said it many times, but I really like Thai as a regional carrier, it is as good as anyone and I include Singapore in that. Long haul it is shocking though.

The poster who said business long haul is 2-2-2 must have been on a really old plane. I have been in business on A350 and B787 and they are all 1-2-1 - and the three point seatbelts are cool! Think the 777s are 2-2-2. No way was he on a 787 with 2-2-2. (Edit: ah, the 787-8 is 2-2-2, the 787-9 is 1-2-1).

(Shockingly Emirates still runs an appalling 2-2-2 business on most of their 777s. If it's not an A380 I'm not going)

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 minute ago, josephbloggs said:

(Shockingly Emirates still runs an appalling 2-2-2 business on most of their 777s. If it's not an A380 I'm not going)

 

They have just released a new bus class product which is pretty decent.

 

 

I am Platinum on QR so hence my loyalty is with them.

[josephbloggs]

2 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

They have just released a new bus class product which is pretty decent.

 

 

I am Platinum on QR so hence my loyalty is with them.

Yeah, and they are gradually retrofitting their 777s, but not worth the risk of getting a non retrofitted one...

[Mr Meeseeks]

5 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

I used to work for a big well known Thai company here. The CEO flew everywhere on Thai because he thinks Thai is the best. 

I had to do a trip to the UK with him and I said I'll meet him there as I am not flying Thai. Eventually I persuaded him to try Emirates. I met him in the lounge at BKK and he just said "wow". I

 

The TG business class lounge at Suvarnabhumi is no better than the Miracle or the Coral which are run-of-the-mill lounges that Dragonpass and Priority Pass holders can use. Food and drinks options are very poor indeed.

 

The new Emirates lounge in the new terminal does look good though, although I have not been in.

 

As Qatar have started flying from the new terminal they are using the Miracle Business lounge which is very average.

 

I tried the Miracle First Class lounge at the new terminal on the way out last week, and it was better. Can get in with Dragonpass or Priority Pass.

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

Hardly apples to oranges.

 

I was comparing QR business class to TG business class on the same route BKK-LHR.

Comparing non-stop to one-stop.

 

Pick your own fruit then.

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

They have just released a new bus class product which is pretty decent.

 

 

I am Platinum on QR so hence my loyalty is with them.

 

And once upon a time, I was FL-class diamond-encrusted Rhodium with KLM before they climbed into bed with Air France.

 

Now I've got a two-dozen points on ThaiVietjet that their website doesn't recognise, but good to know my Priority Pass allows me to rub shoulders with the more entitled at the satellite Miracle Lounge at BKK.

[Mr Meeseeks]

7 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Comparing non-stop to one-stop.

 

Pick your own fruit then.

 

I'd rather have the stop and have a decent experience overall. I suspect many agree.

 

Again, I don't get the importance of having a non-stop flight that long unless you are disabled or ill.

 

Another negative for TG is they are part of Star Alliance and their membership scheme Royal Orchid Plus is rubbish as it offers few benefits compared to OneWorld etc. 

[NanLaew]

2 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

I'd rather have the stop and have a decent experience overall. I suspect many agree.

 

Again, I don't get the importance of having a non-stop flight that long unless you are disabled or ill.

 

Another negative for TG is they are part of Star Alliance and their membership scheme Royal Orchid Plus is rubbish as it offers few benefits compared to OneWorld etc. 

Good points, well made. Some of my long non-stops have been better of late.

 

On my way to get one now. Managed to find some money down the back of the sofa for window seat Eco+ upgrade, so with two large glasses of house red before i left the hotel, I'll enjoy the legroom and the snooze.

 

Safe flying out there.

[Mr Meeseeks]

4 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Good points, well made. Some of my long non-stops have been better of late.

 

On my way to get one now. Managed to find some money down the back of the sofa for window seat Eco+ upgrade, so with two large glasses of house red before i left the hotel, I'll enjoy the legroom and the snooze.

 

Safe flying out there.

 

You too. 

 

 

[LosLobo]

13 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

What's wrong with that? IMO the A350 is a better plane too. More airy, quieter, and just a nicer place to be. Plus it is a lot less likely to fall out of the sky.

Interior seat comfort varies by airline, as does service and IFE, but the plane is the plane. And the A350 is a nicer place to be than a 787 for me.

Not sure why you struggle with that concept. 

A380, A350, B787, B777 in that order for me.

Your reply seems to miss the point of my query. The issue isn’t whether the A350 is a better aircraft overall—it’s the contradiction in claiming that seat comfort depends entirely on airline fit-outs, while simultaneously asserting the A350 is superior because of its seating —this would seem to suggest a non sequitur logic fail.

If seats are airline-configured, then the aircraft model itself shouldn’t determine comfort.

Your additional comments are irrelevant to the specific discussion about seat comfort, which was the focus. Broader comparisons between the A350 and 787 are a separate discussion.

[kimamey]

On 4/13/2025 at 11:58 AM, LosLobo said:

So, the seats depend on the fit-out, not the manufacturer— yet somehow the A350 wins?

Well on the ones I've flown, yes. The dreamliners have mainly been Gulf Air but other airlines as well for both planes. I'm not that tall so seat pitch isn't so relevant for me, the width is more important. That's been about the same an most of them. Pressurisation is different I think, and also the the A350 is quieter. Another factor is the age of the fit out.