Hello there, 'flight-reporters!' This is my second Flight Report on this website, so this one should be better than my first. So anyways, today I'll be flying Thai Airways International flight TG917 from London Heathrow to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. As I said in the review of my outbound flight, there was an equipment swap on TG910/911, and TG916/917. TG910/11 was originally operated by the almighty Airbus A380-800, and TG916/17 was operated by the smaller Boeing 777-300ER.
This flight was operated by an Airbus A380-800 named Kamalasai (HS-TUF), which is THAI's newest and last Airbus A380 to be delivered. Speaking of something new, this plane is only 5 years old, which is relatively new compared to THAI's other aircrafts.
THAI's A380 Seat Map
And it begins!
Our journey started at London Heathrow's Terminal 2, called "The Queen's Terminal". Our flight departed from gate B47, which was really far away. It was quite a long walk til we reached the gate. I was one of the first people to arrive, with the exception of Flight Attendants and Captians already waiting to board the huge aircrafts. I took a few pictures of it, then I did some plane spotting after that. I actually wasn't excited too excited to board this flight, as I have flown the A380 numerous times. Once with Qatar, and the rest is on THAI.
Thai Airways A380 at London Heathrow
Air China 77W at London Heathrow
Air India 788 at London Heathrow
Of corse, Heathrow has a lot interesting traffic, as it is one of the busiest airports in the world (in terms of flights). I also spotted Ethiopian's A359, Korean 747-8, and Qatar's A350. All of which I don't commonly see in BKK.
Boarding and Interior
Door: L2 Seat: 63A
Thai Airways A380 Cabin Interior
I was one of the first Economy Class passengers onboard, so I know that I don't have much time before it gets really crowded. One thing I've gotta say about my first fifth impression of the interior are; DAMN.. it looks amazing!, and considering the fact that pink is one of my favorite colours, I loved the interior colours! Good job, THAI! This looks better than the A359/77W seats in person, but the gradient on those are a little more impressive.
Thai Airways A380 Cabin Interior
While I didn't have a lot of time, I talked to one of the FAs about the load factor of this flight. She said there's only around 385 pax, which is weird, because when I was choosing seats, it looked like it was almost full. She is super nice and friendly, and luckily, she will be serving my row!
Thai Airways A380 Economy Class Seats
Thai Airways A380 IFE Screen
The IFE Screen is the Panasonic eX2, and is decently sized. It is touch-screen, but isn't very responsive so instead, I used the remote control.
Thai Airways A380 Safety Video 2012
The safety video was then played during pushback, and surprise, surprise! It's still the boring less colourful version. I just wished they used the 2017 version instead, not sure wether it's only for the 787-9 or not, but if it is, then it's a shame, honestly. Since they've only got 2 787-9s in their fleet, and only flies Bangkok to Auckland and Taipei. I still hope they install it on other aircrafts as well.
*Edit (AUG18): The new safety video has now been installed on all aircrafts.
Dinner and Beverage service
After takeoff, the crews started serving Sour cream Pretzels and Beverages. I chose Cola, because why not? If my parents were here, I wouldn't be able to ;) (Let's hope they're not reading this) ?
Cola and Sour Cream Pretzles
Soon after that, the actual meals were served. There was a choice between Laab Gai for the Thai option, and something else which I can't remember. Of corse, I chose the Laab Gai.
The delicious Laab Gai (ลาบไก่)
The Laab Gai was delicious! Sour, spicy, and simply flavorful! I was quite surprised by fact that they serve Laab Gai on flights from Europe. The pasta in presto sauce also tasted quite nice, and the brownie was a nice dessert. Everything I ate was nice, and I wish all TG meals were like this.
After the dinner service, the cabin crews turned off the lights of the passengers to sleep. I also asked one of the crews for an eye mask, he obliged then went back to the galley and returned a few minutes later. As I wasn't too tired, I only slept for 2 hours and then decided to watch a few movies and a TV show.
After a few hours of browsing the Entertainment System, the crews turned on the light. I believe that this is supposed to represent the sunlight at dawn.
Good morning!
Thai Airways' eye mask
Cabin view before meal service
The meal was then served, and there was only one option, as usual. It was Cheddar Cheese and Egg Soufflé with Sausages and Veggies. It comes with a Croissant, Butter, Jam, Strawberry Yoghurt, Orange Juice, and Fruit Salad. The presentation was nice enough.
Meal before landing
The Egg Soufflé was fine, but the sausages were very nice. I didn't touch the Veggies though. Everything else on the tray was good as well, especially the Croissant.
A hot cup of Tea
It was then followed by a choice of Coffe or Tea. I chose Tea of corse.
Wingview
Seat fabric
The OTOP magazine
Safety Card
View over Myanmar
As we started our descent for Bangkok, a video about Suvarnabhumi Airport was played.
Video about Suvarnabhumi Airport
View as we descend to BKK
Landed at BKK
After we landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport, we pulled into a gate, and was parked next to one of El Al's 767s
Parked next to El Al 767
Disembarking the aircraft
Thanks for scrolling through this review! I apologize for the late report. I forgot all about it u til today! ?
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Verdict
Thai Airways
9.3/10
Cabin9.5
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Meal/catering9.0
London - LHR
8.9/10
Efficiency9.5
Access8.5
Services8.5
Cleanliness9.0
Bangkok - BKK
8.5/10
Efficiency9.0
Access8.5
Services8.5
Cleanliness8.0
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this Economy Class flight onboard TG's A380. Everything was nice. The seat was comfortable and has a lot of legroom, thought unfortunately, there was an IFE Box obstructing the legroom. The food was also quite nice and flavorful. Kudos to Thai Airways for finally serving good Thai food onboard. The crews were friendly and talkative. I even talked to one about the aircraft, the flight, the load etc. There were a lot of movies available, but there could've been more in my opinion. It kept me entertained throughout the flight though.
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Thanks for this FR. TG indeed provides a really good service in economy, I was pleased with my flights with them last year. The catering was especially nice and tasty. It seems you had plastic cutlery, a year ago it was still metal ones we got, too bad they were discontinued.
It was indeed a pleasant experience wit TG! These A380s are getting old now, especially the seats and the IFE. Hope they start retrofitting them in a few years :-)
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4 Comments
TG indeed provides a really good service in economy, I was pleased with my flights with them last year.
The catering was especially nice and tasty.
It seems you had plastic cutlery, a year ago it was still metal ones we got, too bad they were discontinued.
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