Review of Bangkok Airways flight from Chiang Rai to Bangkok in Economy

Welcome to my new series of FR's on my trip to Thailand this December!

BACKGROUND
This December, I went with my Dad and Brother to Thailand. My dad used to live here so it is a very special place for him. I've never been before, so we saw this opportunity. We settled on flying Y+ on CI for $1800 roundtrip SFO-TPE-BKK rt. The plus for CI Y+, is that on regional flights (without Y+), you are put in J! For the domestic flights, we flew on PG (Bangkok Airlines).
The itinerary is as follows:
PART I:
SFO-TPE — Y+ — CI 003 — 12/17/16 http://flight-report.com/en/report/21926/China-Airlines-CI-003-San-Francisco-SFO-Taipei-TPE
TPE-BKK — J — CI 823 — 12/18/16 http://flight-report.com/en/report/24111/China-Airlines-CI-823-Taipei-TPE-Bangkok-BKK%3Fv=53&edit=_edit_report
BKK-CNX — Y — PG 906 — 12/18/16 YOU ARE HERE
PART II:
CEI-BKK — Y — PG232 — 12/27/16 [COMING SOON]
BKK-USM— Y — PG135 — 12/27/16 [COMING SOON]
Part III:
USM-BKK — Y — PG148 — 12/31/16 [COMING SOON]
Part IV:
BKK-TPE — J — CI836 — 1/2/17 [COMING SOON]
TPE-SFO — Y+ — CI004 — 1/2/17 [COMING SOON]
Here is my routing for my international flights:

And the domestic ones:

CNX – Chiang Mai
CEI – Chiang Rai
USM – Koh Samui

C'Mon Max… Lets Talk About the FLYING Bit Already!!!

We arrived at CEI with our tour group at the end of the trip. We were headed to Koh Samui by way of Bangkok. Security at the airport door was very crowded (sorry no pics allowed). Eventually we walked through the outdated check in hall to PG check in counters. Check in was a breeze with exactly no line (take that UA J class check in at LHR!!!!)

We went through the security checkpoint which was unremarkable. It was efficient but not quite as impressive as other Thai airports. There is a common waiting area for most passengers, with about enough benches (no pics). In that area, there was a counter with free drinks and sandwiches exclusively for PG pax. Great job PG!!!! Nobody in the airline industry but PG seems to understand how much goodwill a bag of chips can buy (lol) :)
Once our flight is called we walk into our gate, which involves walking by the window and admiring the a/cs:

Up the escalator:

Admiring more a/cs:

And through the jetway to our A320:

Boarding pic:

My seat:

Legroom is a thumbs-up:

Red Bird! Red Bird! Fly through my window! (Actually, on second thoughts, I'd rather fly PG)

Contents of seat pocket, and a refreshing wipe handed out by crew:

There is a ~ 5 min delay. But soon, we are taxiing:

And in the air:

Beautiful countryside where I had been biking earlier, and the magnificent city of Chiang Rai:

~ 10 mins after takeoff, the crew conducts a very efficient meal service:

Entree:

And tea after the meal:

The food wasn't too my taste, but great job to PG for providing a meal on a shorter flight.
Outskirts of Bangkok:

And final approach:

Bangkok Airport:

We park at a remote stand and are bussed to the terminal:

CONCLUSION

PG is a great choice for Thai domestic flights. The service is great and the price is right.
CEI is an efficient (except for the security check at the terminal door) if not slightly outdated airport. Up to my standards for a domestic outstation. However, it is a little far from the city.
The cabins on PG were a little outdated, but the legroom was okay. I wouldn't expect anything more for a short flight.
The crew were friendly and efficient. Great job!
The PG inflight magazine could use some work, but I brought my own material and looked out the window. So IFE was good.
The catering was more than sufficient for a flight of this length, even if it was not very good.
BKK is a wonderful modern airport that I think sets the standard for what a good airport should be.
Thank you for dropping by, and please drop me a line in the comments section.