Review: THAI Airways B777 First Class, London-Bangkok

 

THAI Airways B777 first class, London to Bangkok

Trip to Asia Flying Thai Airways First Class and EVA Air Business Class

Flight: TG911
Departure time in London (LHR): 12:30
Arrival time in Bangkok (BKK): 6:00 (+1)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300 (HS-TTC)
Seat: 2F
Duration: 11h 30m
Date of flight: September 21, 2023
*This is an award ticket using SAS miles, First Class flight #56

Video on YouTube



London Heathrow Airport, Terminal 2

I arrived at the Queen´s Terminal (Terminal 2) at 9:40 am for my 12:30pm flight and quickly went my way to check for the THAI check in desks, which turned out to be Zone D.

Zone D, Heathrow Terminal 2

Check-in, Desks 31-37

Check-in desk D37 was for first class passengers although there was a group (apparently flying in business class or ROP Platinum status) who came first so I went to the next available business class check-in desk where I got help by a friendly agent.

I inquired about any window seat available but just like what was shown on the seat map the other night, the only available seat was also in the middle of the cabin. Check-in went smoothly as I only had a rollaboard and minutes later, I was given my boarding pass.

Star Alliance Gold Track

As a first class passenger, I was able to use the Star Alliance gold track making my passage to security a breeze.

Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge

Flying with THAI Airways in first class, I could visit all the four Star Alliance lounges in Terminal 2. I skipped the Lufthansa Lounge in the A gates and went directly to B gates. I first went to the United Club, then the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge before settling in in the first class section of the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge.

Boarding, Gate B44

I left the lounge at 11:50am and was by the boarding gate in a minute.

At 12 noon, boarding commenced starting with first class passengers.

First Class Cabin


Seat map

The first class cabin actually was full, while the business class cabin had 3 seats unoccupied so I would say premium passengers are abundant on this flight 😉 

The first class cabin consists of 2 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. 

First class cabin

Since directly behind me is the business class cabin, I decided to take a photo on one of the seats which I thought were average for business class.

Seat, 2F

My seat for the next 11 hours or so. Not that bad huh 😉

There used to be some orchids beside the personal screen pre-pandemic.

Seat controls and IFE controller

Seat controls

Mattress storage (ottoman)

Storage for headphones, amenity kit and bottle of water.

Acqua Panna bottled water

The first class headphones are now branded (from AKG) and are much better than old ones.

Headphone socket, USB socket

Power port

There is also a hook for the headphones.

To the right of the seat is a mini wardrobe with a hanger.

Inflight magazine, wifi card, safety card

I remember getting complimentary wifi for first class passengers last time I flew with THAI but it is no longer the case this time. I was told that there were 2 plans: one costs about 7 USD and the other (unlimited) costs 27 USD.

The first class amenity kit consisted of a hard case from Porsche, dental kit, socks, earplugs, eyemask, comb and 3 items from Payot (4g lip balm, 10ml facial mist and a 30ml nourishing body cream.)

Moments after settling in, I was offered some pre-departure drink and I was informed no alcohol is being served before take off. I settled for a glass of ginger ale which was served with a cold towel. A box of chocolate was already waiting at my seat.

I was also offered the first class pyjamas (Boggi) a little later.

The seat does not have doors but they have dividers which you can use.

Since I wanted to have privacy, I raised the divider between seat 2E and my seat 2F 👍

Safety Video

At 12:27pm, the inflight safety video was played on the screen.

Menu Card & Drinks List

I have seen videos of first class passengers in the past not getting a physical menu card but rather the flight attendants are using their ipads to show the menu so I was really glad they have brought it back 👍









The flight attendant starts taking meal orders for lunch while we taxied. For my main course, I chose the Beef fillet Steak with Truffle and butter Sauce. I was thinking of ordering the Asian breakfast but was informed by the flight attendant that they ran out of Asian so I had no choice but to take the Western breakfast. As for my drinks, I ordered the Thai signature tamarind tea.

Take Off

We actually had a delay due to German traffic control problem, but we could eventually take off at 1:08pm.

Dining

First, I was served some mixed premium nuts with golden raisins and drinks. Afterwards, the amuse-bouche came which consisted of herbed prawn ball, smoked salmon with pickled ginger and truffle roulade with tomato bread, all of which were very good.

Table being set up

Bread and butter

It´s caviar time 👍 The flight attendant came to each seat offering blinis for the caviar although I declined.

I was also offered some vodka, after ordering a glass of bubbly.

I just love the way the Italian caviar (Caviar Giaveri white sturgeon deluxe) was presented complete with mother of pearl spoon and shell with ice cubes 😉 Looking at the price, 50 grams of this kind costs 83 Euros. And yes, it was excellent!

The smoked king salmon with caviar and lobster slices was 👍

Beef fillet steak with truffle and parmesan butter

I was also offered some cheese but declined. The passenger seated in 2K had it so I just took a photo (without his knowledge).

To end the meal, I had the Thai dessert and a cup of chamomile tea.

Turn-Down Service

As expected after the meal service, the flight attendant offered to make my bed.

Entertainment

The size of the personal screen is average for first class. However the contents is sub-par as the movie selection was a bit limited.

I ended up watching "Minimata" and another film during breakfast.

Airshow

Airshow enroute to Bangkok

I was able to sleep for a few hours and when I woke up, I could not fall sleep again so I decided to order some snacks.

All Day Dining

For my drinks, I had the coconut water.

The Sau Tao Noodles with Roast Duck was very good 😋

Breakfast

Less than two hours before landing, the crew started serving breakfast.

Water and towel

Bread basket, sliced fruits and chamomile tea

Muesli

The Western breakfast was very good especially the sausage.

Lavatory

There are two lavatories in the first class cabin: this is the smaller one located on the right side behind the cockpit.

There were the usual towels and Payot perfume spray and hydrating fluid.

Lavatory

This is the bigger lavatory located to the left behind the cockpit.

Bassinet

Landing in Bangkok Airport

Before landing in Bangkok Airport, the crew and the cabin manager came to each of us (the passengers in the first class cabin) to thank us personally and give us this THAI chocolates 👍

We landed in Bangkok Airport at 6:22 am, almost half an hour behind schedule. As a first class passenger, I was met by a ground agent with a welcome card with my name on it.

CONCLUSION

It has been five years since I last flew with Thai Airways in first class and I remember it being really one of my favorites. After the pandemic, there had been changes which although minimal were still worth mentioning. The caviar being served now is the white sturgeon which I believe is cheaper than the osietra I had with them in 2018 from Bangkok to Sydney. Champagne is now Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle while they used to have Dom Perignon. As for the amenity kit, my favorite brand Rimowa is now replaced by the Porsche hard case. Still, I had a wonderful flight as the crew were just fantastic and the meal served was impressive. 

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