Thailand...the land of Orchids and beaches(remember Leonardo De Caprio in The Beach?Yep, that’s Thailand)Well, the airline surely scores compared to their Indian counterparts.
I selected Thai Airways to travel from Mumbai to Sydney, with a connecting flight from Bangkok International Airport.Frankly I wasn’t too keen to travel by this airline since the previous year I had made the same journey by Singapore Airlines(WOW).But last minute bookings gave me no choice but to opt for Thai Airways.And I have to admit, I was pretty impressed.Why?Lets see.
The first and foremost reason is that its a total value for money airline.The economy class fares are cheaper compared to others like Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines and Cathay Pacific.Besides the airport tax is lesser too.
The ground services of the flight are pretty ok, if not excellent, with the air hostesses and the stewards(a handsome lot) greeting us with the traditional SAWATDEE KAA.No frowns accompanied!! :) The floral traditional dresses of the air hostesses are pleasing to the eyes and seemingly elegant.
While being ushered to the seats in economy class, one can’t help but envy the spacious Executive and Business Class(why not, with the price tag attached its expected)
However the economy class isn’t bad at all, with just enough leg room.
There’s a variety of in-flight magazines at your disposal,
just to pass the time till the flight takes off.And no safety demos, everything about the same is provided along with the magazines.
PUNCTUALITY:
Being a rather punctual person myself, it was a pleasant change(from the Indian Stretchable Time)to find that the flight took off on time from Mumbai.
FOOD:
Another area where I would rate the airline highly is the food.Having ordered pure vegetarian, my meal was served before anyone else’s was.The food was absolutely deeelicious!!And then there was the regular drinks tray with the meals, had no problems with extra servings of food or drink refills.
In-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT:
The in-flight entertainment was somewhat of a damper, with absence of screens for each passenger.The common screens built overhead were slightly difficult to get used to.Only if you are lucky enough will you get a
seat from where you can view the screen without having sore neck muscles.
The music channels are somewhat sad, with most of the music being played Greek and Latin(actually Chinese and Thai)for the Indian ears.However the list of songs being played on every channel is given in the in-flight entertainment magazine, so carefully going through that might help you find a song that might be familiar(they do have some english songs too)But why lose a chance to learn a song in a different language and sing it for your special someone!!
All in all, the entertainment doesn’s quite serve its purpose, unless some latest blockbuster or a sitcom of your choice is being shown.Best would be to carry a book of your choice or just doze off!!
The staff on flight is friendly.On getting a severe paper cut(damn those magazines!!)the air hostess was prompt to get a first-aid kit.Again, no frowns accompanied(Air India are you listening?)
Normally on the flights between Indian cities and Bangkok, there’s always a group of Indian passengers(read first time travellers or tourists)that cause quite a racket, a menace not only for the staff but to the other passengers too.However its GRIN and BEAR IT policy that the staff cheerfully adopted when an air hostess was called by some Indian tourists, no, not to serve drinks or anything, but to get a photo clicked with them in the plane(hats off to the lady for smiling through the whole episode!)Even the most misbehaved and drunk passengers were handled well by the staff(a bunch of Aussie teenagers).
The stop-over at the BIA for the transit passengers can be a good or bad experience depending upon the time between flights.The airport ranks high in hygiene and not to mention duty free shopping, the airport’s as good as a shopping mall, a large one that too.
A major downside to the airline is perhaps the accent of the staff both on ground and in the flight.That’s why its difficult to comprehend the announcements made by the pilot.So if there’s an emergency situation, this can be a major problem.Though by hook or by crook, the air hostesses manage to convey their message, so no grave problems as such.
OVERALL VERDICT:
If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, Thai Airways is the right choice.No hassles, friendly staff, smiling faces, good food are the reasons why Thai Airways is a good option.All this, at a slight compromise with luxury, but hey, at these prices who’s complaining???