Review of Thai Airways flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok in Economy

Introduction: TG109

Hey there, 'flight-reporters!'. It's been a while since I posted on here, so I may be a little bit rusty. Sorry in advance! Anyways, in this trip report, I'll be reviewing Thai Airways International's Economy Class on their Boeing 777-200ER from Chiang Mai to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. Whilst it's definitely not the most exciting or modern aircraft in THAI's fleet, their recent absence made this flight so much more exciting! Well, to me at least.

Here is my video review of this exact same flight on YouTube:

Why was this flight was special?

This flight was considered 'special' because Thai Airways International has stopped operating domestic flights completely (though their regional subsidiary, Thai Smile still does), since the beginning of mid-2020. However, due to the relatively low rates of Covid-19 infections within Thailand (throughout the year until December 2020), THAI decided to resume domestic service to Chiang Mai and Phuket with wide-bodied aircraft. The poster below was used to advertise their "return".

Funny enough, the first picture featured in the poster was taken on one of their A330-300s, and not 777-200ERs, but I don't think that many people would notice.

This decision was then reversed, as a result of the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus in Samut Sakhon near the end of December 2020. Consequently, the Thai Government and CAAT (Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand) prohibited the consumption of all food and beverages on board domestic flights. Furthermore, THAI stopped domestic operations once again, after 2 roundtrip flights to Chiang Mai and 3 roundtrips to Phuket. Well, I guess we won't be getting our famous Thai Airways Chinese Doughnuts anymore..

The Advertisement for THAI's return

CHIANG MAI international airport: Departure

My journey started at Chiang Mai International Airport's rather dated domestic terminal, where I had to go through baggage screening before being allowed into the landside. Whilst it may be a standard procedure in some countries, only a handful of Thai airports such as Hat Yai and Chiang Mai has this feature. Fortunately, there was no queue and we were in the landside in no time.

I headed over to Thai Airways' Check-in counters on the far left of the terminal and was pleased to see the screens project THAI's logo and staff wearing purple uniforms. It's a fairly rare sight these days, even in Thailand. Fortunately for THAI, many passengers (myself included) decided to splurge extra money just to experience THAI again.

Thai Airways' Check-in counters at CNX

 The check-in process was quick and efficient. I appreciated the smiley and attentive staff members, especially in this trying time. 

Signage at Thai Airways Check-in Counters CNX

Display Monitors at Thai Airways' Check-in Counters CNX

 After the breezy check-in, I headed upstairs to the airside right away. Having travelled through CNX more than 10 times in the past year, I did not take any pictures on this trip. The interior was due for an upgrade anyway. Right before security screening, there were several shops such as McDonald's, Dairy Queen, and Burger King, the last of which were closed. Moreover, there were also several smaller shops which sells Northern Thai gifts and food.

My Thai Airways Boarding Pass

Display Monitor in CNX's airside, right after security screening

Chiang Mai Airport's Domestic Airside doesn't have much to offer in terms of entertainment, but there were several food outlets, as well as Thai Airways' New-ish Royal Orchid Lounge, which I won't be visiting today. I headed to gate number 5 right away. 

Gate Number 5 in CNX's Domestic Airside

Gate Number 5 in CNX's Domestic Airside

Gate Number 5 in CNX's Domestic Airside

Finally, the gate agents called for passengers to board the aircraft. Given the recent spike in Covid-19 cases a few weeks prior, no ceremony took place at the gate. All passengers boarded just like on any other mundane flight. I can't blame them for being extra cautious, though.
 

Onboard

The aircraft taking me back to Bangkok is a Boeing 777-200ER (HS-TJS) royally bestowed "Phra Nakhon". It is currently 14.7 years old at the time of publishing this review. Weirdly enough, the seat and IFE looks like it was from 2 decades ago..

THAI's Boeing 777-200ERs  can carry a total of 292 passengers. 30 in Royal Silk Business Class, and 262 in Economy Class.

The Economy Class Cabin onboard THAI's Boeing 777s are in a comfortable 3-3-3 setup, which gives every passenger 18" inches of seat width. Compared to an extra row (3-4-3) on the likes of Cathay and Qatar. However, the Royal Silk Class cabin is in a 2-2-2 configuration, and still features THAI's outdated (and rather uncomfortable) "angled-flat" seats.

These 777s were mainly used on short-haul flights to places such as Singapore, Jakarta, and Kathmandu, as well as on longer routes such as to Seoul, Moscow, and Auckland. Originally, they planned on refurbishing these 777s a few years back, but much like TG being logical, it never happened. 

Economy Class Cabin onboard THAI's 777-200ER

Economy Class Cabin onboard THAI's 777-200ER

Economy Class Cabin onboard THAI's 777-200ER

 Whilst the cabin is outdated, I didn't mind too much since the flight would be less than an hour. Note that some seats in the rear economy class cabin has an enormous amount of legroom due to the curvature of the fuselage.  Here's me sitting in 58K, for instance.

THAI 777-200ER Economy Class Legroom

THAI 777-200ER Overhead Bin

THAI 777-200ER Economy Class Seats

THAI 777-200ER Safety Card

Thai Lion Air 737-800 at CNX

 Soon enough, we pushed back from the terminal and headed for RWY36.

THAI 777-200ER Wingview

THAI 777-200ER Takeoff over Chiang Mai

THAI 777-200ER Takeoff over Chiang Mai

THAI 777-200ER Takeoff over Chiang Mai

The Flight

Not long after, we reached our cruising altitude. Originally, according to the ad (at the beginning of the report), each passengers will be served THAI's legendary Chinese Doughnuts (or Pa Tong Ko), which were a fad at that time. Sadly, due to the spike in covid-19 cases a few weeks earlier, airlines were banned from serving food and beverages to curb with the outbreak. Moreover, passengers are not allowed to bring their own food to consume onboard.

However, each passengers received a snack bag during the de-boarding process at BKK. Pictures at the end of the report.

THAI 777-200ER Economy Class Cabin

THAI 777-200ER Inflight Entertainment Screen

The IFE screens are very outdated, but remained on for the rest of the flight. However, they were not interactive and only the flight path map were shown. 

THAI 777-200ER Economy Class Seat

Wingview over the Northern Mountains

Seat pocket

Wingview over the Northern Mountains

Wingview over the Northern Mountains
 
The flight was uneventful. It didn't take long for us to start our descent into Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport  

Over Bangkok Don Mueang Airport (DMK)

Over Downtown Bangkok on a smoggy day

Over Bangkok's "Green Lung" or Bang Nam Phueng District

Descending into BKK

Descending into BKK

Bangkok suvarnabhumi airport: Arrival

We flew into the Gulf of Thailand, made a U-turn, then landed smoothly on RWY 01 L. It's so sad to see all these aircraft parked at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Hopefully, they'll get a chance to fly for TG again one day. Unfortunately, this one that I'm on isn't, as they plan on retiring all 777-300s, 777-200s, 777-200ERs, A330-300s, and A380s, in an effort to simplify their fleet.

Taxiing in BKK - Aircrafts parked next to new Satellite Terminal 

THAI 747-400 parked at BKK

Pulling into the gate

Little did I know, TG had one last surprise for us: 

It's definitely a cute gesture. Love it when airlines do quirky things like this, even though it could go easily unnoticed by fellow passengers. 

THAI's surprise waiting for us at the stand

Economy Class Cabin during disembarking

Economy Class Cabin during disembarking

THAI's (very) old royal silk class cabin

Snack bag given to passengers during disembarking

Contents of the snack bag: Tuna Quiche (left) & Brownies (right)

Arrival hall at BKK

Thank you very much for following this journey and reading 'til the end! :-)