Review of Myanmar Airways International flight from Yangon to Bangkok in Economy

INTRO

After having taken a break from writing (and in the sequence of flights, enjoying a lot of what Myanmar has to offer), it's time for me to head home on a new airline for me: MAI! But, the plane I'm flying on isn't any ordinary A319 of MAI; it's essentially the Burmese Air Force One!

RGN AIRPORT

It's been a good six years since I've last flown from RGN. Let's see what has changed!

One thing that hasn't changed are these departure boards. "On Time" won't end up being the status for too long.

A whole bunch of abandoned facilities…

Check-in.

Mmmm! AI slop burger with two top buns!

Bags are checked through JFK (where I will have to collect them), via BKK and DOH.

Dare I say, that's some good boarding pass backing!

On the way to departures.

Immigration and security cleared, relatively quick. Of course, empty lines and lower-tech, where you have to take off shoes.

A model showcasing what I think was an expansion project of RGN?

Up the escalator.

Surprise! Consumerism Duty free right after security! My favorite part of an airport! (/s)

And of course it's empty.

Same goes for this Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, which I'm pretty sure is the only Western brand airside (there's a KFC landside, and quick side tangent, Burmese KFC is quite different from American KFC, with Coke instead of Pepsi, the "Double Down", rice instead of wedges (although there are different fries), and a few other menu changes).

Abandoned room.

RGN is a very liminal airport.

Surprisingly, this was the only squat toilet I've encountered on this trip.

Time to head over!

Even more empty halls and abandoned shops.

Stopped to grab my last bottle of Alpine for who knows how long at a convenience store, also noticed a (probably unlicensed) "Jaguar" microwave.

A decent Oreo coffee from one of the shops.

Welp, phone running low, let me charge at a charging sta- oops! Very poor outlet that isn't working right, and I spotted a baby roach. There were also ads for the Tecno Phantom V 2 series of phones, launched back in 2024.

Time to head to the gate! One more look at the liminal terminal.

Finally! Some power! There doesn't seem to be any standard regarding power sockets in Myanmar (and many outlets are just universal, but not all), so bring a travel adapter! Just make sure it can handle 230V/50Hz.

Oooh, a suggestion stand!

One thing I know for certain: don't expect Paris to be on RGN's map anytime soon.

Yep, even more liminal spaces.

Gate 8 has the plane taking me today. Good ol' monsoon season in SE Asia is much better than the ongoing drought back home in Raleigh.

Enough talk regarding the airport, here's my palace plane taking me to Bangkok tonight. XY-ALK is a 14.1 (as of writing) year-old Airbus A319, delivered new to Avianca Brasil as PR-ONJ back in June 2012. It was then acquired by MAI in December 2019. In March 2025, the Burmese Air Force took over ownership so the aircraft can be used to transport Myanmar's president on state visits, a Burmese Air Force One if you will. When not transporting the president, this plane is leased back to MAI for passenger flights like today's flight.

It's almost time to say goodbye to the Golden Land and head home! I wonder what the inside of Burmese Air Force One is like? Surely, it must be lavish with gold fittings and a VIP configuration, right?

BOARDING

Welp, time to step onboard!

I love glass jetways. Too bad most airports in the US lack them.

ONBOARD

Welp, this isn't the super fancy stuff I thought…
Welcome onboard this MAI A319, with 8 recliner seats in business class (which I have no clue on the seat model, other than the fact that it doesn't seem to be the B/E Millennium, and that this same model is also used on some American A320s). Please tell me if you know what seat this is.

But what I can identify is what's in the back. This MAI A319 has 132 Recaro BL3510 seats in economy, in the standard A320 series 3-3 configuration. I selected 6F for a very small fee (I think it was $6, although the ticket was booked via a Qatar interline agreement).

Man, these seats are truly bottom of the barrel. There isn't even a seat pocket! Legroom and padding are non-existent, being 5' 11". This seat makes even the NEK Lufthansa seats seem decent in comparison, considering they had seat pockets. This is bad for this short hop to Bangkok, and I can't imagine what it's like on a 5 1/2 hour flight to Seoul! Must be brutal! Keep in mind that KE flies Dreamliners on that same route (albeit once weekly)!

Lots of moisture outside, but it will clear up soon.

Time to see what MAI has in the literature pocket! Sorry if the photos are out of order. Anyways, there's a safety card, a duty-free catalog, and a copy of MAI's magazine, Mingalabar. Like MNA, Mingalabar can be viewed on the MAI website. As if they knew I was going to complain about their seats, I found out in the July issue (after this flight) that MAI will refurbish the cabins of their aircraft soon. Good riddance to the Recaro ironing boards!

DEPARTURE

Bye bye Myanmar!

IN-FLIGHT

Lights are on, meaning that a service is beginning. The crew here is just as good as MNA.

Boom! A snack box! Not as nicely presented as the trays on MNA, though.

Inside was a (admittedly kinda disgusting) ham and beef pastry, a gelatin-topped cake, and a cup of water. Stay hydrated!

Stay fresh, too! At least, that's what the towelette said.

The cake was the highlight of this box. So tasty!

I actually thought this was a cinnamon roll at first…

Afterwards, drinks were served. I went with a tea. Not as good as Burmese milk tea (amazing stuff!), but still good.

Cheers to the rest of the flight!

ENTERTAINMENT

Unlike MNA, MAI has streaming entertainment, although without proper WiFi. You can see that Yangon is shown on the map (but not on the flight info tab) by its old name "Rangoon" for some reason, and I suggested the seat replacement (and proper WiFi) via the survey. Maybe they listened there? There are a couple of movies and TV shows, not single digits, but less than 50 per category. You can also read issues of Mingalabar on the portal, too.

ARRIVAL

Welcome to Thailand, where I have a Qatar A380 to catch!

Sign is off, lights on. Also note the air gaspers, typical for a narrowbody.

One last window glimpse, the new KE livery has grown on me, but it looks much nicer in day.

Last glimpse of economy.

And business.

Of course, there were no good photo opportunities tonight.

Following the arrow.

To be continued…