Review of Thai Airways flight Hong Kong → Bangkok in Economy

overview

Hello everyone, welcome back to another flight report!
I was on a trip to Bangkok, Thailand. This trip report features my flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok, where I fly on Thai Airways.

Aircraft: HS-THP (Airbus A350-941; "Phetchaburi")
Age of aircraft as of flight: 4.0 years
Flight number: TG639
Scheduled flight time: 19:50 (+8) - 21:30 (+7) | 2h40m
Actual flight time: 21:07 (+8) - 22:20 (+7) | 2h13m
Seat: 55K (Economy)

booking

As you can see, I fly to Bangkok on Thai Airways, and I go back to Hong Kong on Emirates. You might wonder why that is the case. That's because I booked the flight tickets from a third-party/ travel agency, and for some reason combining these two tickets are almost as cheap as taking Thai Airways for both flights.

And here is a brief explanation for why I didn't choose other airlines:

1. Thai Airways for both flights: This option would work just fine, but I would like a few more hours in Bangkok. Also I have wanted to try Emirates and fly on an A380 for some time.
2. Emirates for both flights: The flight HKG-BKK-DXB is operated AFTER the flight DXB-BKK-HKG is finished. If I took that flight, I would arrive at Bangkok after midnight, which would make it difficult to leave the airport.
3. Cathay Pacific: I have already flown this route on Cathay back in 2019, and I'd like to try something new this time. Though they have great service, the flight tickets are quite costly comparing to other choices available.
4. Ethiopian: They only operate around 3-4 flights per week. Though they offer a cheap choice, I am highly concerned about their safety. Their flight timings are weird, too, so that's a big no-no from me.
5. Hong Kong Airlines: They use narrowbody aircraft on this route, and their flight is during after midnight (2-3am if I remember), so it's a no thanks from me.
6. Hong Kong Express, Greater Bay Airlines: I personally don't prefer low-cost carriers with no free hot meal service, so no thanks.
7. Thai Air Asia: Same as 6, and also they only operate to Bangkok Don Mueang Airport (DMK), the secondary airport in Bangkok that mostly serves low-cost carriers, so transport might be a bit inconvenient.

I'm pretty satisfied with what I've chosen, as this allows me to try out 2 airlines during the same trip, and try out the Airbus A380 as well. 

This flight allows me to bring 30kg of luggage. 

expectations

Some friends of mine actually flew on Thai Airways a few years back, and from the photos I see, their Boeing 777 cabin is old and disgusting. They also described their service to be below average. Since Thai Airways is known to be quite inferior than the other major competitor on this route, Cathay Pacific, I have quite low expectations on this flight.

arrival at the airport

This trip is particularly exciting for me, as it is the first time I visit the airport and fly since the covid-19 pandemic. As I arrive by an Airport bus that stops at the ground level of the terminal building, I had to walk up instead of walk down from the higher bus station. 

The Thai Airways check-in counter is located at Aisle H, Terminal 1 of Hong Kong International Airport. Upon my arrival (that is 3 hours prior to takeoff time!), a queue is already formed at the line. Interestingly, the check-in counters were not open yet.

I then checked FlightRadar24, but only realised that the aircraft we were taking just took off from Bangkok! 

After security checking, I proceeded to gate 64.

I could've taken the train there, but as an avgeek, I personally like to walk around and do some plane spotting. As it was near evening, a lot of European and Oceanian flights were parked at the gate, ready for their next flight. 

I then arrived at gate 64.

And here's our flight, just landed from Bangkok at 07:00pm, that is, 50 minutes before scheduled departure time. At that moment I already knew some delay is inevitable.

Then, boarding started at around 07:35pm. The premium classes have priority to board. Soon after, the Economy passengers are allowed to board. I boarded at around 07:45pm, that is, 5 minutes before scheduled take off time!!! That pretty much means we're behind schedule.

cabin and seat

The aircraft I'm travelling on is HS-THP, an Airbus A350-941 named "Phetchaburi". It has quite a long history: It was originally delivered to Hainan Airlines in December 2019, but never entered service. After being stored for some time, Thai Airways leased it and it was delivered in June 2023, so the aircraft and the cabin is very new. At the time of the flight, the aircraft is around 4 years old. More information here.

This aircraft features 33 Business seats (1-2-1 configuration) and 301 Economy seats. As for Economy, the seats are in purple and yellow, which are Thai Airways themed. Also, the lighting is adjusted to a mixture of intense purple and yellow, which is very special in my opinion.

My seat is 55K, a window seat on the right side of the aircraft. The seat is pretty new, featuring a touch-screen TV, which in my opinion is near brand-new and the touch screen WORKS! The USB port is located under the TV screen. Beneath the screen is a mini-compartment, with a safety card and paper mask bag. Underneath it is a foldable table, followed by a seat pocket. The seat is reclinable, also featuring an adjustable headrest and a coat hook. 

The seat has a legroom of 31", which is quite sufficient for a short person like me (5'7"). Personally, I really like the design of this seat, as it feels relatively taller and wider than other seats. I think Thai Airways has fully utilised the cabin space for seats, as the aisles feel quite narrow. The seat features are quite useful, such as the mini-compartment beneath the TV, which allows me to place my phone while it charges.

Thai Airways also provides a blanket, pillow and headset for passengers on their seat, since this is a night flight. Nice touch.

This seat is pretty nice for a 2-hour Asian flight, as this is pretty much what you expect from an average Asian full-service carrier on such routes, namely for the legroom and seat dimensions. However, since they also use this aircraft on long-haul routes, this seat might be more close to average for flights with longer durations.

taxi and takeoff

We waited for nearly an hour since boarding, due to "weather issues" (Turns out nothing special happened during the flight but some minor turbulence, which makes me doubt a lot). After quite some delay, we were pushed back and we taxied to runway 07R.

Soon afterwards, we took off from runway 07R at 09:07, 77 minutes after the scheduled takeoff time. We then turned South and Southwest, heading to our destination. It was mostly cloudless that day, and I could capture some pretty nice photos during takeoff:

meal service | dinner

Dinner is served around 50 minutes after takeoff. It features a hot meal, a bottle of water, a bread roll, some unsalted butter, an apple and shrimp salad, and a piece of chocolate cake. Plastic utensils and a wet wipe is provided as well.
For the hot meal, I was provided with 2 options, and I have chosen the Western option, which was the chicken pasta served in a tomato sauce.

This is a meal that is beyond my expectations. It has the right portions and tastes nice.

I originally expected it to be terrible, as Thai Airways sound relatively bad when talking about quality of service. But it tastes quite nice today. 

Firstly, the chicken pasta. It's not overcooked, nor it is undercooked, the pasta has just the right texture. Their choice of using a thicker pasta and curling it up into a pile makes the presentation quite elegant, which is much appreciated.

Secondly, the side salad with apples and prawns. I quite like the combination of the sweetness from apples and the savoriness from the prawns, as well as the slightly acidic sauce, which perfectly balances each other.

And thirdly, the chocolate cake. It's not too sweet, and it has the right portion, making it the perfect ending to this meal. Overall, I think Thai Airways has done a very brilliant job on catering on this flight, so it's a 9/10 for this meal. Well done!

In-flight entertainment

I'm not sure whether I remember the exact details about the in-flight entertainment system, but here are a few things I can recall so far:

1. The screen itself is HUGE, and the respond time of the touch screen is pretty quick. I think that is partially related to the young age of the aircraft.
2. The seat features a decent size of selection of entertainment, which includes TV shows, movies, music and games. It is arranged in multiple columns and rows so it can be quick to navigate through the system.
3. The interactive flight map is decent. I was able to see the nearby cities and the location that I'm at. The map is particularly useful when the touch screen functions properly.

However, one thing I don't quite like about the IFE system is that the headphone port is located underneath the screen, meaning getting out the neighbour's seat can be troubling. 

mid-flight

The weather was mostly clear that day, and I was able to take pictures of multiple cities and towns on the way.

Landing

We approached and landed Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport runway 19L at 22:20, that is 50 minutes after scheduled landing time. 
Afterwards, we taxied to our gate and deboarded.

Since we have landed very late and behind schedule, it was almost near midnight, and the airport is mostly empty with very few passengers. Some parts of the airport have closed as well. The immigration process is mostly rapid and efficient.

This marks the end of my journey. Please stay tuned for my upcoming flight report on my way back, on the exotic Emirates Airbus A380 flight!