Smooth as Silk? We take a seat on Thai Airways’ Royal Silk Class from Sydney to Bangkok.
Flight: Sydney to Bangkok
When: Saturday 11 June 2016
Aircraft: 747 – TG476
Class: Royal Silk Class (Business Class)
Configuration: 2-2-2
Seat: 16K (Upper deck, exit row)
Duration: 9.20 hours
Verdict: 8/10
Frequency: Thai Airways operates daily flights between Sydney and Suvarnabhumi Bangkok International Airport.
Frequent Flyer: Thai Airways has its own Royal Orchard Plus frequent flyer programme, but is a member of Star Alliance.
Lounge: Thai Airways does not have a dedicated lounge at Sydney International Airport, instead shares Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand’s recently refurbished lounge. Royal Silk (Business) Class customers can utilise this lounge (as I did) before jumping on board.
Baggage: Thai Airways economy passengers are afforded a whopping 30kg check-in, while Royal Silk (Business) Class customers are treated to 40kgs.
Checking in:
So this happened. While a regular trip for me to Sydney International Airport usually takes approximately 20 minutes, on this unfortunate Saturday, the journey took over an hour leaving me with just under 60 minutes before my flight (and the cut off time for dropping off baggage). Thankfully, as I rushed through the airport doors and breathlessly approached the check-in counter, the polite Thai Airways staff were extremely cordial, blaming roadworks and increased weekend traffic instead of me for my tardiness. Apparently, even flight crew were delayed due to the external factors and the flight took off 20 minutes later than scheduled, though arrived on time. I was immediately checked-in, handed an express path card and told to enjoy the lounge, albeit for a few minutes, as thankfully it was located just next to the boarding gate.
Onboard:
The Thai Airways Boeing 747-400 has 375 seats in total and is configured in 3 classes, Royal First Class with 10 seats, Royal Silk Class with 40 seats and Economy taking up the bulk with 325 seats.
The jet has two levels, with the second exclusively for Royal Silk Class (Business Class) customers. I was kindly offered assistance with my hand carry up to level 2. The aisle was spacious, and as soon as I stored my luggage in the overhead compartment, the morning’s frazzled state dissipated as I was handed a hot towel and offered juice, water or champagne (Veuve Cliquot). Needless to say, there were a few options picked!
Seat:
While Thai Airways’ fleet of A380s and its new Boeing 777s and 787s all feature 180-degree fully lie flat beds, its older 747 fleet, which services the Sydney to Bangkok route, offers Business Class customers seats angled to about 160-170 degrees. There’s also a button I realise as soon as I hit it that provides a ‘massage’ option on the back rest, pretty cool. There’s also a privacy screen should you prefer to separate yourself from your travelling mate. As I was on an exit row, my entertainment unit was stored within my arm rest, and had to be brought up for viewing. However, this didn’t affect the comfort of the seat nor my exaggerated leg room due to the exit row seat, making for a very comfortable day flight.
Passengers are provided with a travel accessories kit (Samsonite no less!) filled with the usual travel accessories of earplugs, an eye mask, socks and an assortment of hand and face creams.
Service:
Thai Airways crew are renowned for being extremely polite and helpful, and this experience was no exception. There was at least 6 cabin crew attending to the handful of passengers on board, so even more extremely attentive to their passengers.
Meals:
Menus are handed out before take-off to give passengers enough time to peruse what they’re in the mood for.
There aren’t any decisions to be made for starters (Pork Gyozas) and entrée (Roast beef and lobster with tomato chutney) as everyone is offered the same, but there’s a whopping four options for mains incorporating Western and Asian flavours.
Before meal service commences, cabin crew circulate to take orders, which is great for a slow eater like myself, as they don’t rush you for the sake of other passengers – everyone is served individually. I opt for the Roast Hake fillet with roast vegetables, and wasn’t disappointed. The creamy dill sauce complimented the fish, which was served piping hot – just the way it’s meant to be. Despite being overwhelmingly full, the meals are generous, I tuck into the cheese selection and crackers but decline the macadamia apple tart which is on offer for dessert.
With regards to the beverage selection, there was a good array, including Veuve Cliquot as their chosen Champagne served, as well as a number of non-alcoholic choices.
Entertainment:
Business class passengers can navigate what to watch on 16 inch flat screen TVs, loaded with about 100 movies, TV and music programmes. The headsets were noise cancelling and I can see why cabin crew come along to collect this before landing – they were pretty nifty. Power points are also available in seats, as well as USB ports. I opt for a Rom-Com and the flight hours pass by quickly.
Daisy flew to Bangkok as a guest of Thai Airways.
