Thai Airways

Based in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand’s flagship airline has been known under its current name since 1988 and has the distinction of being the first Asia Pacific airline to serve London Heathrow.

Thai Airways is part owned by the Thai government and is also a major shareholder in both Nok Air and Thai Smile. Thai Airways is one of the most popular airlines in the region, welcoming over 20 million passengers aboard each year.

Thai Airways serves a huge range of routes, both domestically and internationally. In fact, it is possible to visit almost any destination in the world with the airline.

From Bangkok there are 10 daily flights to Chiang Mai, in the north of the country, with departures throughout the day from 07.00 until around 22.30. This flight should last less than 90 minutes and tickets are available from THB1,400.

It is possible to visit the country’s world-famous beaches in the south as well, with daily services from the capital to Koh Samui, Krabi and Phuket. There are two flights each day to Koh Samui, with tickets for the hour flight usually costing around THB4,595. Krabi and Phuket are both served by Thai Airway with a flight time of under 90 minutes, there are five flights to Krabi and 15 departures to Phuket each day, with tickets available from THB1,700 and THB1,900 respectively.

One of the most popular routes offered by Thai Airways connects Bangkok with Kuala Lumpur, one of the region’s major transport hubs. There are three departures a day to KL from Bangkok, with a flight time of just over two hours and tickets usually costing around THB6,135.

Penang in the north of Malaysia is connected to the Thai capital with one flight per day, lasting under two hours, and priced at about THB5,765.

Also on the Malaysian peninsular is Singapore, which you can easily visit with Thai Airways as there are five flights per day leaving Bangkok. The flights are scheduled to take just over two hours and fares are often priced at around THB7,365.

Thai Airways provides regular services to Thailand’s neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

There are three departures every day from Bangkok to Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, with a flight time of a little over an hour and two daily flights to Siem Reap to visit the world-famous site of Angkor Wat. Tickets are usually priced at around THB6,375 and THB6,270 respectively.

There are two flights each day to both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with a scheduled flight time of two hours and 90 minutes respectively. Tickets to either destination are priced from THB6,070.

There are also three services to Yangon in Myanmar every day, with tickets costing around THB7,095.

Travellers wishing to visit Indonesia have the option of flying with Thai Airways to either the capital, Jakarta, or to the popular tourist destination of Bali. There are two flights each day to Jakarta and one daily service to Denpasar in Bali with tickets usually costing around THB8,600 to either destination.

For those looking to head further afield, Thai Airways offers direct services to China, Japan, South Korea and India. There are two daily flights to both Beijing and Shanghai, with flight times of four to five hours and tickets priced from THB11,500. There are also five departures each day to Tokyo from Bangkok, which will take almost six hours, and two services to Seoul. Delhi and Mumbai can both be visited with Thai Airways with fares usually starting from THB12,100.

From Bangkok, there are daily direct flights to destinations across Europe including Paris, Moscow, Rome as well as two services each day to London. It is possible to visit North America from Bangkok but you will have to catch a connecting flight along the way, for example, flights to New York will take at least 19 hours.

There really is huge choice when flying with Thai Airways, you can seemingly visit almost anywhere in the world you might want! Especially when travelling within Thailand or around neighbouring countries, Thai Airways is the best option for those looking to travel in style.

Tickets are competitively priced as well as there are often sales with great deals up for grabs so it is important to research before you book your travel. After all, you don’t want to find out that you could have booked a comfortable flight with Thai Airways for a similar price to a 10-hour bus ride!

When purchasing your ticket with Thai Airways, you will be delighted to know that not only will you receive a complimentary meal (no matter how short the journey is!) but 30kg of checked baggage is also included! When travelling with budget airlines across the region it can often be the case that the cost of baggage is similar to the airfare so Thai Airways can sometimes be the cheaper option. As an added bonus, some classes include access to lounges where complimentary drinks, snacks and even massages are on offer. The perfect way to relax ahead of your flight.

Of course, domestic flights with Thai Airways are usually far more expensive than bus or train trips across the country, so may not be an option for those travelling on a tight budget.

Thai Airways has received numerous awards for great service and excellent quality. At the 2017 SkyTrax Awards the airline won awards for Best Economy Class, World’s Best Airline Lounge Spa and Bes Economy Class Onboard Catering. Thai Airways was also ranked 11th in the Top 100 Airlines this year!

Passengers love the wide range of departure times and routes that are offered by Thai Airways, with options that are sure to suit your schedule. Although the tickets can be more expensive than travelling by land, or using some budget airlines, the fact that 30kg of checked baggage is included in the cost of a ticket means that there are no hidden costs and the price you see is exactly what you pay, so promises great value for money.