Thai Royal First, Bangkok to Frankfurt

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I'm posting this from the transit lounge of the Frankfurt airport as I await my flight to Newark Liberty. I flew in Thai Royal First from Bangkok. It was quite an experience. I'd never flown first class on Thai. I have flown in first class on other airlines, but it was nothing like first class on Thai.

 

At Swampy, as soon as I entered the Royal First check-in area, I got my own "assistant" who took care of my suitcase and carry-on bag. You don't stand at a counter to check in, but the assistant takes your passport and you sit in an armchair and are served a botle of water.

 

 

 

In a few minutes, the assistant came back with my passport, boarding passes and luggage claim. He then took me through the Premium Lane security check immigration control, then put me on an electric cart that scooted me to the Royal First lounge. There I had a room to myself (!) and was served a meal of snacks.

 

 

 

 

I watched TV and surfed the net until it was time to board. Again, the assistant carried my hand baggage and an electric cart delivered me to the departure gate. The first-class seats are full recliners. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good picture of it.

 

 

From the Thai Web site:

 

 

Edit in: I'm doing stream-of-consciousness posting. They called my name in the departure lounge and I thought there might be something wrong with the onward flight as it was too early for boarding, but it turned out to be a really trivial matter. Boarding starts in about 30 minutes.

 

The in-flight dinner began with Russian caviar and a shot of vodka:

 

 

 

Then prawn salad with pesto:

 

 

 

Main course was jaegerschnitzel and spaetzle (German dumplings):

 

 

Followed by cheese and fruit:

 

 

After dinner, I watched a movie, then went to sleep until the stewardess woke me up for breakfast two hours before landing.

 

The breakfast:

 

 

 

 

A parting gift from Thai Airways, an orchid and a deck of playing cards.

 

 

But the first-class treatment didn't stop even after landing. Another assistant met me at the gate and escorted me to a Lufthansa lounge to wait for my flight to Newark.

 

If you have to fly, this is certainly the way to do it!

 

Evil

Edited October 16, 2013 by Evil Penevil

[syd_tybil 70]

Thanks for ruining the "flying scene" for the rest of us!

 

Have a good trip.

[marleyboy 140]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, If only! Ive been in Business 2 or 3 times . London to Bangkok......but never in first.......that's going to have to wait until those elusive 6 numbers turn up! lol! Thanks for posting, Next time I fly Thai (ECONOMY!) in January............I will remember this post!

[MM 6,562]

My last flight to the USA was in Thai Royal First, at least the leg to Narita. It's awesome indeed. The treatment is definitely "first class"...and here I thought that treatment was because they liked the cut of my jib

 

I don't recall if I posted this video before..I think it was only on Facebook..but this is the ride in the electric cart thru the airport. Sadly I stopped the video before the escort yelled "get out of the way" to the plebians, lol.

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

[chuckrivera 1]

Not to hijack, but since you didn't get photos of your seat, I'll add some of mine. Same Royal First, only different leg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jacko 8,813]

Darn...my Emirates First didn't treat me so well!

Had to bloody walk to the lounge and the gate.

 

That looked very very VIP.

[steamer 158]

The stewardess woke you up? What's the deal with that?

[jacko 8,813]

The stewardess woke you up? What's the deal with that?

Depends how they wake you up................

Actually I think they ask you if you want to be woken for breakfast.

Did you get a nice 'puff pack'..Emirates gave me a nice one with razor, foam, anti-sweat, perfumes and creams in a nice zip up case.

[steamer 158]

Depends how they wake you up................

Actually I think they ask you if you want to be woken for breakfast.

Did you get a nice 'puff pack'..Emirates gave me a nice one with razor, foam, anti-sweat, perfumes and creams in a nice zip up case.

 

I remember two instances (cattle class). One was on Cathay and they left a nice note saying that a meal would still be available. The other was on United where the geriatric x crossing guard woke me and as we all know a McD's meal makes their in-flight grub look like prison gruel in comparison .

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Thanks for ruining the "flying scene" for the rest of us!

 

Have a good trip.

Thank you! I landed at Newark Liberty a few hours ago and am now safely ensconced in my hotel.

The stewardess woke you up? What's the deal with that?

She had asked me if I had wanted to be woken up two hours before landing so I could eat breakfast. I said yes. I noticed a few other passengers in the first-class cabin had elected to sleep and were woken up about an hour before landing.

 

Evil

Edited October 16, 2013 by Evil Penevil

[Gus 97]

Crap...... No HP sauce bottle with the breakfast!

[js007 795]

When I win the lottery I'm going to spend my time flying around the world first class and staying in five star hotels.

 

The flight looked nice. On YouTube there are a few videos of the treatment you get in Thai first class. I guess some of the lounges have a massage service. I wonder how that is?

[atlas2 4,329]

There are a couple of first/Bizz class threads at the moment, to which I have nothing to add other than churlish resentment.

Edited October 17, 2013 by atlas2

[jacko 8,813]

There are a couple of first/Bizz class threads at the moment, to which I have nothing to add other than churlish resentment.

I shall return a snobby snort down my nose while peering through the curtains at the slave galley.

[atlas2 4,329]

I shall return a snobby snort down my nose while peering through the curtains at the slave galley.

 

Just dan't 'it me wiv yer riding crop guvnor!!! These are me own teef..............Well I paid for 'em anyway.

Edited October 17, 2013 by atlas2

[Bushcraft 2,579]

Forgive me being nosey, but what was the cost of that 1st Class leg to Frankfurt?

Just so that I can boggle at the (for me) unaffordable.

[MM 6,562]

I should mention that I am not nearly rich enough or self-indulgent enough to actually pay for a 1st class intercontinental flight. I ain't no LDOP.

 

My last R/T first class tickets to the USA were from redeeming frequent flyer miles in the Star Alliance ... my ticket cost me $61 USD.

 

I did pay an additional $50 each of the two times I changed my flight schedule, so all in was $161.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Forgive me being nosey, but what was the cost of that 1st Class leg to Frankfurt?

Just so that I can boggle at the (for me) unaffordable.

It cost me US $71.32 - and 70,000 frequent-flyer miles. But if you pay for all of it in hard money, I believe the cost is about US $13,000.

 

Evil

[jacko 8,813]

Glad to hear you guys got a mileage deal on your 1st Class trips.

I actually went to the Thai site and priced a First ticket to Amsterdam, as close as they go to Manchester.

Not as much as I expected but it was 50% more than my Emirates 1st Ticket Ex Manchester.

And that I did pay myself, perhaps a bucket list item!!!!!!

[MM 6,562]

Amazingly (to me, at least) a first class ticket was 70k miles, while business was 60k. For an extra 16.7% of miles, choosing first class is a no brainer.

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

 

[jacko 8,813]

Amazingly (to me, at least) a first class ticket was 70k miles, while business was 60k. For an extra 16.7% of miles, choosing first class is a no brainer.

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

Strangely enough, when I was booking my Emirates ticket, I plugged in 1st one way and Biz coming back, and they 'Free Upgraded' the return leg to 1st (Fully booked in Biz they said), meaning only £300 more for 1st over Biz Class price at the time. Also a no brainer for me.

[steamer 158]

I find a lot of first class to be empty or nearly empty on many of my flights. Can they really make a profit with First class being

 

 

I remember returning to LHR thru Delhi. I was asked to show my ticket a total of 6 times going thru customs and baggage check etc. When the air waitress asked me the final time I pulled out my ticket and was given special treatment and was ushered to a really nice seat . Fook, this is great I thought. Then the bugger noticed that I had accidentally produced my BKK to DEL ticket rather than the DEL to LHR one. I was dropped like a hot potato obviously.

[timorno 30]

I find a lot of first class to be empty or nearly empty on many of my flights. Can they really make a profit with First class being

 

 

I remember returning to LHR thru Delhi. I was asked to show my ticket a total of 6 times going thru customs and baggage check etc. When the air waitress asked me the final time I pulled out my ticket and was given special treatment and was ushered to a really nice seat . Fook, this is great I thought. Then the bugger noticed that I had accidentally produced my BKK to DEL ticket rather than the DEL to LHR one. I was dropped like a hot potato obviously.

Well first class gets removed from many airlines as the competition from affordable private jet options and a business class products that look like first class ten years is just too much. Even Emirates and Lufthansa don't offer first on all longhaul routes anymore.

On flights between key cities like London, New York, Singapore, Tokyo, Dubai and Hong Kong a first class can still be filled with paying pax, on other routes its getting difficult.

But just putting more economy seats in is not the answer as its would kill the yields. Thats why more and more airlines are experimenting with premium economy products

[steamer 158]

Well first class gets removed from many airlines as the competition from affordable private jet options and a business class products that look like first class ten years is just too much. Even Emirates and Lufthansa don't offer first on all longhaul routes anymore.

On flights between key cities like London, New York, Singapore, Tokyo, Dubai and Hong Kong a first class can still be filled with paying pax, on other routes its getting difficult.

But just putting more economy seats in is not the answer as its would kill the yields. Thats why more and more airlines are experimenting with premium economy products

How many economy seats does an empty first class seat replace? Sure, premium economy is the next one to try.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Not to hijack, but since you didn't get photos of your seat, I'll add some of mine. Same Royal First, only different leg.

Many thanks for your pics! One feature I really liked was the the roomy storage bin under the window. I could stash my laptop there along with reading material and other items I needed in-flight without having to open the overhead bin.

 

I have some more pics I'll post of the United flight between Frankfurt and Newark. It was supposed to be in Global First, but United switched planes to two-cabin metal and I ended up in biz. It wasn't bad, the United biz seats are lie flat and very comfortable, but the service didn't come within light-years of Thai's. Just one illustration: the boarding card I got for the FRA-EWR leg didn't have the departure gate. The lady in the Lufthansa lounge gave me a gate number that didn't exist. When I realized this, I asked a United employee who was standing nearby if she knew the departure gate for the Newark flight. She barked at me, "I don't know, I'm meeting arriving passengers," and demonstratively stepped away. It was easy to find the departure gate by looking at a monitor, so no real harm done, but the United staffer had a piss-poor attitude.

 

For my return flight in a week, I'm booked on Asiana in one of their first-class suites where you can close a door for full privacy. JFK to Inchon (first), then Inchon to BKK (biz). And in December, I fly between Narita and Denver on the Boeing Dreamliner. The upgrade situation isn't clear yet.

 

Evil

Edited October 19, 2013 by Evil Penevil