Seatlink

Thai Airways A380 First Class Seat Review, Hong Kong (HKG) to Bangkok (BKK)

A solid all-around A380 first class product...

Flying from HKG to BKK is a short flight...but that doesn't mean you have to get stuck in regional business class! Given that I'm such an airline cabin geek, I searched and searched and finally found a direct flight on a Thai Airways A380. Having flown their 744 in first (a completely different suites product) I thought it would be fun to compare, so I transferred some Ultimate Rewards from my Chase cards to United and booked a 35k point one-way ticket. I only got about $0.04 per point on this, and that's usually below my threshold for a redemption, but I figured it would be worth it to review a new product. Here's how it stacks up...
What's awesome:
  • good storage space since these suites are on the upper deck (think side bins)
  • decent size IFE screen
  • pleasant service from the cabin crew
  • it was nice that they had a full meal service on such a short flight
What's not:
  • the way these seats switch from reclining mode to dining mode is awkward
  • these "suites" could be much improved with a door or longer partition next to the headrest
  • in bed mode the seat wasn't perfectly flat, probably because the cushion was a little worn out

The Gallery

Redeeming points for Thai Airways First class

As a Star Alliance (*A as us pros abbreviate it) airline, Thai Airways can be booked through United quite easily online, but you can also transfer points directly to Thai. Getting CC points to United means Chase Ulitmate Rewards points, and for those there are three great cards:
  1. Sapphire Reserve
  2. Sapphire Preferred
  3. Freedom Unlimited
I talk a lot about the Sapphire cards as they have two huge benefits for travelers: 3x (Reserve) or 2x (Preferred) on air/hotel bookines and the same on dining, all with no foreign transaction fees. The new Freedom Unlimited is a solid everyday card, earning 1.5x on all purchases without the higher yearly fees. Now, for getting those Citi ThankYou points, my go-to card is Citi Prestige, which is kind of like Amex Platinum or Sapphire Reserve in terms of perks. Another good option if you don't vibe on the Prestige card and its high yearly fee is the ThankYou Preferred card, which as of this posting has no yearly fee.

The Bottom Line:

I think this is a solid performer. It's not going to blow your socks off like Singapore or Emirates, but the service is friendly and attentive (as you might expect), the seat is spacious and comfortable, and the food is decent (gain not going to win any awards, but still...). I'm looking forward to testing this out on a true longhaul, but for a short hop from HKG to BKK, this is no doubt a great way to travel — it's almost too short!

What else?

Have you flown on Thai's A380 before? What did you think? Tell us in your comments below!