- Introduction: A Two-Part Birthday Trip To The Golden Triangle
- Review: British Airways Lounge Miami Airport (MIA)
- Review: American Flagship Lounge Miami Airport (MIA)
- Review: Qatar Airways Qsuites Business Class Airbus A350 (MIA-DOH)
- Review: Qatar Airways Qsuites Business Class Boeing 777 (DOH-BKK)
- Review: Rosewood Bangkok, Thailand (Solid, Second Tier Luxury City Hotel)
- Review: Capella Bangkok, Thailand (City Oasis, Ranked World’s Best Hotel)
- Review: Four Seasons Bangkok, Thailand (A World-Class Urban Resort)
- Review: Aman Bangkok, Thailand (One Of The World’s Best City Hotels)
- Review: Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Thailand (How Fun!)
- WOW: My Visit To Laos’ Creepy, Lawless “Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone”
- Review: Thai Airways Business Class Airbus A320 (CEI-BKK)
- Review: Royal Jordanian Business Class Boeing 787 (BKK-AMM)
- Review: Royal Jordanian Crown Lounge Amman Airport (AMM)
- Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Amman Airport (AMM)
- Review: Royal Jordanian Business Class Embraer E190-E2 (AMM-FRA)
- Review: Kennedy 89 Hotel Frankfurt, Hyatt Unbound Collection (I’m A Fan!)
- Review: Brunfels Hotel Mainz, Hyatt Unbound Collection (Charming, Mostly)
- Review: Lufthansa First Class Lounge Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
To kick off the return portion of my two-part birthday trip to the Golden Triangle, we flew Thai Airways’ Airbus A320 business class on the 70-minute flight from Chiang Rai (CEI) to Bangkok (BKK).
On the outbound, we lucked out and had a flight operated by the Airbus A321neo, which features flat beds, and is intended primarily for international routes. Meanwhile the A320s are Thai Airways’ domestic workhorse aircraft, so I appreciated the opportunity to compare these two experiences.
Thai Airways actually only recently reconfigured its A320s to get modern cabins and proper business class seats, given that these planes previously flew for subsidiary Thai Smile (which was discontinued).
For a flight of this length, the experience was good, with comfortable and clean cabins, friendly service, and a decent meal. However, these planes are definitely on the basic side, and don’t have power ports, Wi-Fi, or seat back entertainment. Furthermore, manage your expectations when it comes to inflight service, as there’s no alcohol (not that I wanted or needed it, but it’s just an interesting note).
In this post:
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 check-in & boarding
We arrived at Chiang Rai Airport a little before 9AM, for our 10:10AM flight to Bangkok. The airport is quite small, and the Thai Airways check-in area was empty, so we got our boarding passes within minutes.
Security took all of a few minutes, and then we found ourselves in the domestic departures area of the airport, which is just one, big rectangular room, with several gates, and a shared seating area.
There’s no lounge at Chiang Rai Airport, so we were each given a 150 THB (~5 USD) voucher to use at Black Canyon Coffee & Eatery, the primary airside outlet.
Our flight was departing from gate three, with boarding scheduled for 9:40AM, 30 minutes before departure. Boarding actually ended up starting a few minutes before that, with business class passengers being invited to board first.
Thai Airways A320 business class cabin & seats
At the door I was greeted by two friendly flight attendants, and turned right into the business class cabin. Thai Airways’ Airbus A320 business class cabin consists of 12 seats, spread across three rows, in a 2-2 configuration.
In terms of spaciousness, these seats are very similar to what you’d find in domestic first class within the United States. Seats have 38″ of pitch, so offer plenty of legroom for the short missions that these planes fly.
The seats do feature 5″ of recline, and they also have leg rests, which you don’t typically find within the United States. Then again, I don’t actually know what purpose these leg rests are supposed to serve, unless you’re about four years old, since I’m not sure where feet are supposed to go. The seat recline and leg rests can be controlled via buttons to the side of the seat.
There’s no seat back entertainment on these planes, and for that matter, there’s not a personal device holder on the seat back. Instead, there’s just a storage pocket.
The tray table extends out from the far armrest, and can be folded over in half, depending on whether you need the whole thing or not. There is a small personal device holder on the tray able, though it’s not quite as useful as one on the seat back would be.
One thing that I find disappointing is that the airline didn’t install in-seat power on these planes, so there are no options for charging your electronics. Yes, of course these planes largely operate short flights, but still, it’s nice to be able to charge electronics. After all, people may have had a long drive to the airport, then a long drive from the airport, and may then have plans beyond that.
As is standard on A320s, there were overhead consoles with individual air nozzles and reading lights.
When it comes to amenities, there was a substantial pillow and blanket at each seat, as well as bottled water and refreshing towels.
Thai Airways A320 business class entertainment
When it comes to inflight entertainment, Thai Airways’ Airbus A320 business class offers streaming entertainment, but no seat back entertainment or Wi-Fi connectivity. There’s a card in the seat pocket explaining how to connect to Thai Airways’ Wi-Fi network.
The streaming entertainment includes around 130 movies, around 75 TV shows, a variety of music, and a moving map. Given the short duration of flights on this plane, you should have no issues staying entertained.
Thai Airways A320 departure from Chiang Rai
Boarding was super quick, and wrapped up by 9:50AM, 20 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure time. Business class had five of the 12 seats occupied, and I’d estimate that economy was around half full, give or take.
As boarding wrapped up, the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 70 minutes. Shortly later, at 9:55AM, the main cabin door was closed, and then we immediately began our pushback.
Around this time, a manual safety demonstration was performed. Then at 10AM we started our taxi…
…and by 10:05AM we made it out to runway 21, where we were immediately cleared for takeoff, still five minutes ahead of our scheduled gate departure time.
We had a smooth climb out, and the seatbelt sign was turned off around five minutes after takeoff.
Thai Airways business class meal service
Thai Airways serves hot meals and non-alcoholic drinks in business class on domestic flights. To drink, I had a Coke Zero, which was presented with a glass and ice.
About 15 minutes after takeoff, the meal was brought out. The main course was stir fried chicken with noodles, along with a side of fruit and a milk chocolate tart. There was also another bottle of water on the tray.
The food here isn’t anything to get excited about, but it was a perfectly edible dish, especially for a flight of this length.
Thai Airways A320 business class lavatory
After the meal, I checked out the lavatory at the front of the business class cabin. The Thai Airways A320 has a lavatory right by the cockpit, and it was in pristine condition — it was spotless, and the toilet paper was even folded in perfect triangles.
There were also a couple of extra business class amenities, including special hand wash and fragrance, along with an orchid.
Thai Airways business class service
The Thai Airways business class crew on this flight was excellent. There were two flight attendants in business class, so with only five passengers, service was very attentive. They were friendly and engaging, though admittedly there’s not much to the service beyond bringing out the meal tray and offering drink refills.
Thai Airways A320 arrival in Bangkok
At 10:35AM, roughly 30 minutes after takeoff, the captain was on the PA to announce that we were at our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet, and would be landing in 35 minutes. Around 10 minutes later we began our descent, and then at 11AM, the seatbelt sign was turned on.
There wasn’t much to note about the descent, and we touched down on runway 19L at 11:15AM.
From there we had a short five minute taxi. The airport traffic in Southeast Asia is always fascinating, especially when you see liveries like the below (or that former Spirit Airlines plane I saw in Vietnam).
We pulled into our gate at 11:20AM, next to a Bangkok Airways A319.
We then went to collect our checked bag, and were delighted to find that the bag arrived at the carousel before we could even make it there. Why can’t we hav nice things like that in the United States?!
From there, we headed to the Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, where we spent the night (though I already reviewed that, to get all the Bangkok hotel reviews published sequentially). Next, it was time for me to fly Royal Jordanian’s Boeing 787 business class to Amman (AMM), so expect a review of that next.
Bottom line
Thai Airways Airbus’ A320 business class offers a pleasant but basic experience for flights within Thailand. On the plus side, the flight operated reliably, the seats were comfortable, the service was friendly, and the food was quite good.
However, there also aren’t many frills to the experience. There’s no in-seat pocket, no Wi-Fi or seat back entertainment, and there’s no alcohol. Business class often comes at a reasonable premium, so I find it to be worthwhile, but definitely don’t get too excited.
What’s your take on Thai Airways’ A320 business class?
Unless I’ve missed something there is, or used to be, a Coral lounge in CEI. I used it last in February 2025. Perhaps it closed, but a quick google search indicates otherwise.
I read in an interview that the THAI CEO did a while back saying the decision to not install power in this seats was due to 2 factors, 1. These 20 A320s being leased frames and all do not have that long of a future at TG and 2. They reconfigured these 20 planes in 5 months, with reconfiguring taking around 5 days per aircraft, they said this was only possible due to not installing...
I read in an interview that the THAI CEO did a while back saying the decision to not install power in this seats was due to 2 factors, 1. These 20 A320s being leased frames and all do not have that long of a future at TG and 2. They reconfigured these 20 planes in 5 months, with reconfiguring taking around 5 days per aircraft, they said this was only possible due to not installing power in the seats and it was a choice the airline made to ensure the A320 fleet had proper Business seats ASAP.
Congrats on another nice review that generated so much trash from some of your regulars. Under what rock do you find those folks?
The review was useful to me. My wife and I will be flying two legs up front on a Thai 320 in January (KTI-BKK-CNX). Nice to know what to expect. First time in country since my Air Force days there in 1975.
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks…”
Baggage claim wait times in the United States drive me absolutely insane. It's honestly faster everywhere else in the world - even in countries that aren't particularly known for efficiency, like Brazil, Greece, Spain, etc. In the US it's perfectly normal to stand in front of a motionless carousel for 40-60 minutes, with no updates and not even a hint of an apology. I'm sure it's due to understaffing, but it's infuriating.
Brazil? Have you claimed luggage at CGH recently? 60 minutes doesn't sound too bad!
Unions.
No, Eskimo, unions are not to blame for delayed bags; it’s a combination of understaffing by the airlines, high-turnover because it is grueling physically demanding work at low pay, and some airports are using outdated systems and technology. But, sure, go ahead, perpetuate a tired old trope, and just blame the workers… *sigh*
On the subject of baggage handling in the U.S. Is there not a baggage handling company who is responsible for handling all baggage movements, to which the airline pays a fee per plane?
It depends on the station. Baggage handlers are often employees of the airlines themselves, particularly at the bigger hubs.
I've always assumed there just simply aren't as many baggage handlers per flight in the US as there in other parts of the world, and (especially at the big hubs), connecting bags get priority, so O&D pax simply have to wait until the under-manned team can drive their bags over to the carousel.
RE:...
It depends on the station. Baggage handlers are often employees of the airlines themselves, particularly at the bigger hubs.
I've always assumed there just simply aren't as many baggage handlers per flight in the US as there in other parts of the world, and (especially at the big hubs), connecting bags get priority, so O&D pax simply have to wait until the under-manned team can drive their bags over to the carousel.
RE: Brazil, I haven't been in about two years, but on every visit I've made, including multiple flights to CGH, I've always had my suitcase waiting on the carousel when I came down the escalator.
Thanks James.
Please consider… carry-on only…
Every time I land at Chiang Rai the bags arrive within 3-5 minutes, regardless of which airline it is. Bangkok is a little slower but still excellent.
Prefer the 320 to thr 321 seat as 321 seems too low. Service on both is very good though
I considered doing Thai BKK-HKT in J but when I saw this was the product, meh, it just didn't seem worth paying an upcharge for when I could fly DMK-HKT for like $25
Thank you for that review Ben, it looks like a half-decent ride. Might well give it a squirt when we follow in your footsteps to the golden rain, I mean golden triangle …. :-)
That was the real AeroB13a.
Thank you for clarifying... *squirt squirt*
(Hey, real Aero, everything alright over in Belfast? NYT was reporting some protests.)
Sadly everything is not alright in NI, 1990. Nor for that matter, here on the mainland either.
It is reported that a Sudanese illegal immigrant attempted to behead an Irishman. The locals have revolted causing extensive damage to the property housing immigrants. Further unrest and street protests have followed.
Irish dissidents have taken the opportunity to attack the police as is their way. This might well be the start of something which the Labour government...
Sadly everything is not alright in NI, 1990. Nor for that matter, here on the mainland either.
It is reported that a Sudanese illegal immigrant attempted to behead an Irishman. The locals have revolted causing extensive damage to the property housing immigrants. Further unrest and street protests have followed.
Irish dissidents have taken the opportunity to attack the police as is their way. This might well be the start of something which the Labour government is incapable of stopping on both sides of the water.
Oof. Sorry to hear this. Was having flash-backs to the Troubles when I saw the reporting.
Semantics, but by 'both sides of the water,' the 'water' in-question, is the Irish Sea, no? Whereas, the 'pond' is the Atlantic? (Trying not to be an uncultured 'chav' over here.)
Correct on both counts:
Water = Irish Sea.
Pond = Atlantic.
Plus: ….
Chav = unprintable …. :-)
In ‘Straya, they called ‘bogans’… g’day
Yes, the British service personnel who came into contact with their Southern hemisphere counterparts yonks ago, corrupted “Bogans” into “Bogging” meaning filthy or disgusting.
Every day is a school day 1990.
You're an excellent tutor!
This was the same kind of aircraft for flights I took from MNL-BKK and BKK-MNL last week. For a 3 to 3.5 hour international flight, and for what one pays for the flex fare (about $2k), it is disappointing as a business class product. TG should at least provide WIFI service and the meals could possibly be served per course as most airlines do on international business class and as TG does in their bigger...
This was the same kind of aircraft for flights I took from MNL-BKK and BKK-MNL last week. For a 3 to 3.5 hour international flight, and for what one pays for the flex fare (about $2k), it is disappointing as a business class product. TG should at least provide WIFI service and the meals could possibly be served per course as most airlines do on international business class and as TG does in their bigger aircraft, as opposed to bread, starter, main course, dessert, and beverage all on one tray at once, which was the case on my flights.
For all of Ben's talk of these aircraft operating short flights, they also do a significant number of 3-4 hour routes to Philippines, Indonesia, India. Very underwhelming on those longer flights. Even more disappointing recently, many short widebody routes are being downgraded to these A320s because of fuel prices and decreased demand
Recently flew on one of Thai's new A320, in the 2-2 recliners between BKK-SAI (glad they're not still fighting over those temples at the border...) Anyway, it reminded me of American Airlines US-domestic first class recliners (no IFE). Of course, even on a short 1-hour flight, a much better meal than on AA. Bah!
All the leg rests do is cut off circulation to one's lower legs, causing deep vein thrombosis - at least if one is > 1.8 meters / 6' tall.
And typical Southeast Asians are not even close to 6' tall. Hence the foot rest that is practical.
"And typical Southeast Asians are not even close to 6' tall. Hence the foot rest that is practical."
You're beautiful.
Get a room, you two!