Review: Thai Airways Business Class Airbus A321neo (BKK-CEI)

For the next portion of my two-part birthday trip to the Golden Triangle, we flew Thai Airways’ Airbus A321neo business class on the 65-minute flight from Bangkok (BKK) to Chiang Rai (CEI).

I was looking forward to this flight, as the A321neo is Thai Airways’ newest plane, with flat beds in business class. So while I knew service would be limited on a domestic flight, I was still excited to give this product a try.

All-in-all, I found the Thai Airways domestic business class experience to be great, and to come at a reasonable premium. While it’s nothing over-the-top, the seats were comfortable, the service was friendly, and the food was pretty good as well.

How I booked my Thai Airways business class ticket

We booked our return flights between Bangkok and Chiang Rai with cash, as the pricing was reasonable, and there was no award availability. Specifically, we booked the following in business class for $330.24 per person roundtrip (that was about $50 more each direction than economy, at the time we were booking):

4/21 TG132 Bangkok to Chiang Rai departing 11:35AM arriving 1:10PM
4/25 TG131 Chiang Rai to Bangkok departing 10:10AM arriving 11:40AM

The outbound flight was operated by the A321neo, while the return flight was operated by the A320, so that allowed me to compare the two experiences.

Thai Airways business class lounge & boarding

We arrived at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 10AM, for our 11:35AM flight. We quickly found the domestic check-in area, where there was no queue for business class.

We then headed to Thai Airways’ domestic lounge, located in Concourse A, near gate A1. I won’t be reviewing the lounge in full since we just briefly stopped in. I’d describe the lounge as being basic but sufficient, and it wasn’t overcrowded, which was appreciated. It had a modest selection of hot and cold food, as well as non-alcoholic drinks.

Our flight was departing from gate B4, with boarding scheduled for 11:05AM, 30 minutes before departure. It was a quick walk over to Concourse B, and that’s also where we cleared security — there was no queue of any sort.

At the gate we saw the A321neo with the registration code HS-TOA, which is basically brand new (sorry for the picture quality, because Bangkok Airport just has those windows you can’t easily photograph through).

Boarding ended up being delayed by around 15 minutes due to cabin preparations. It finally started at 11:20AM, with business class passengers, along with those needing extra time, being invited to board first.

Thai Airways A321neo business class cabin & seats

At the forward door we were greeted by two friendly flight attendants, and then found ourselves in the business class cabin. Thai Airways’ Airbus A321neo business class consists of 16 seats, spread across five rows.

This is a staggered layout based on the Thompson Aero Vantage platform, so rows alternate between being in a 2-2 and 1-1 layout. This is a pretty typical staggered configuration, similar to what you’ll find on some A321-family aircraft flown by Aer Lingus, JetBlue, Scandinavian Airlines, and TAP Air Portugal.

One of the first things that stood out to me about the cabin finishes is how Thai Airways dialed back the amount of purple it uses on its newest planes — I think this design is a nice balance, with a little purple, but nothing too over the top.

In this configuration, you’ll find three rows with pairs of seats. These are probably better if you’re traveling with someone, though note that because there’s a console between seats, you actually sort of have to lean forward to communicate with the person seated next to you.

You’ll also find four individual throne seats. The idea with this configuration is that the footwell is to the side of the seat in front, so that’s why the seats are staggered like this. These are the preferred seats in terms of offering direct aisle access plus a window view.

All seats have a little vertical storage space next to them, with reading lights, USB-A and USB-C charging, and universal power outlets (when it comes to the latest tech, the only thing missing is wireless charging).

The tray tables in this configuration extend out from the side of the seat, where they’re stored vertically. When stored, they’re folded over in half, so you have to flip the table over to fully extend it.

These throne seats really have a ton of space on each side, as the window-side armrest acts as a huge storage space as well, where you can place things, like a laptop, during the flight.

Seat functions can be controlled via a simple panel to the side of the seat.

The one downside to the throne seats, as I see it, is that their footwells are quite small. That’s because they’re smushed between the two seats in front, and that’s not a huge space. So when reclined in bed mode, expect it to feel tight, especially if you have big feet.

In terms of amenities, there was a substantial pillow and blanket, as well as a bottle of water, waiting at each seat upon boarding.

The only other thing worth mentioning is that this plane had the latest Airbus Airspace cabins, so that includes huge overhead bins, and modern overhead consoles. There were also individual air nozzles.

Below is one last cabin picture, by the way, taken inflight. Yes, we had the business class cabin all to ourselves on this flight.

Thai Airways A321neo business class entertainment & Wi-Fi

Thai Airways’ Airbus A321neo business class has 17.3″ 4K monitors at each seat. While the monitors are high resolution, they also have quite a bit of glare, especially when cabin lights are on (which made it tough to photograph on a short daytime flight like this). There’s also bluetooth audio, so you can pair your own headphones with the entertainment.

The entertainment selection was good, with a large variety of movies, TV shows, audio, and games.

There was of course also the map feature, which is the only thing I watched on this flight.

Thai Airways claims that it offers Wi-Fi on its A321neos, though there was no signal for the system. When I asked the crew, they explained the plane doesn’t have Wi-Fi. So I’m not sure if they were misinformed, or if the system just hadn’t been activated yet. I noticed the Wi-Fi dome on the plane upon boarding, so maybe it just hasn’t been turned on?

Thai Airways A321neo departure from Bangkok

The whole boarding process was efficient, as the flight was maybe 30% full, with no other passengers in business class. So boarding started at 11:20AM and wrapped up five minutes later, at 11:25AM. Then at 11:30AM the main cabin door was closed, at which point the safety video was screened.

At 11:40AM we began our pushback, and at 11:45AM we began our taxi out to our departure runway.

It sure was cool to see the United Boeing 787-9 in Bangkok, given that the airline now operates daily service to the airport via Hong Kong (HKG).

At 11:55AM we made it out to runway 20L, where we were immediately cleared for takeoff.

We had a very quick takeoff roll, and a steep climb out, given our light load.

The seatbelt sign was turned off around five minutes after takeoff, at which point the crew closed the curtains between cabins. One other amusing thing I noticed — the boarding music wasn’t only played during boarding, but was played all the way until the seatbelt sign was turned off.

I must admit, I find the music to be both annoying and catchy, so I’m not complaining (specifically, the part that starts around three minutes in, with the below video)!

Thai Airways business class meal service

Lunch was served in business class on this Thai Airways flight, along with a selection of non-alcoholic drinks (Thai Airways doesn’t serve alcohol on domestic flights). There was no choice of meals, and on the ground, the crew asked whether we wanted to eat, and also asked for our drink preferences.

Meals were brought out just 10 minutes after takeoff. The main course consisted of a spicy chicken dish with rice and a fried egg, and it was tasty. It was served with a side of fruit, along with a mango pudding dessert.

To drink, I had a Coke Zero, which was served with a (small) glass.

Thai Airways A321neo business class lavatory

Thai Airways’ Airbus A321neo business class has one bathroom, located at the front of the cabin, right behind the cockpit. This was a totally standard forward Airbus A321neo lavatory. The only thing worth mentioning is that the lavatory was spotlessly clean, which always makes a difference (and I guess it’s not too surprising, since we had the cabin to ourselves).

Thai Airways A321neo business class bed

While this very short flight wasn’t long enough to take a nap, that didn’t stop me from reclining the seat and at least giving it a try. Quite honestly, I’ve flown this type of seat so often before, so it was exactly as expected.

The throne seats are great in terms of not having a neighbor, but less than ideal in terms of width, especially in the footwell.

Thai Airways business class service

Thai Airways consistently has great crews, and this flight was no exception. There were two flight attendants working business class, and they were excellent — they were friendly, and as you’d expect, with two flight attendants and two passengers, service was also quite attentive. 😉

That being said, it’s not like there was actually that much service to offer, since we didn’t want anything beyond the meal and accompanying drink.

Thai Airways A321neo arrival in Chiang Rai

At around 12:40PM, 45 minutes after takeoff, we began our descent toward Chiang Rai. At that point the crew started preparing the cabin for arrival.

The seatbelt sign ended up being turned on at 12:50PM. I very much enjoyed the views on approach, though it was a bit hazy (I believe due to fires in the area).

We touched down shortly after 1PM. Upon exiting the runway it was just a very short taxi to the terminal, where we pulled in at around 1:05PM.

The deplaning process was quick, and amazingly, our checked bags arrived at baggage claim three minutes after the aircraft door opened. That has to be some sort of a record.

From there we were met by a representative from the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, and began the next part of our adventure.

Bottom line

I really lucked out getting to fly Thai Airways’ new Airbus A321neo business class on a short domestic flight within Thailand. What a lovely flight, thanks to the comfortable seats and totally empty cabin. The service was also friendly, and the food was decent (though nothing exciting) for such a flight.

While business class isn’t “necessary” on short domestic flights, the premium charged is also quite reasonable, so I was very happy with our overall experience.

What’s your take on Thai Airways’ A321neo business class?