For the last leg, we would be flying short haul on Thai Airways business class to Phuket. I picked a slightly longer layover for a chance to fly on the 747-400, but as is typical on Thai, they had an aircraft swap a month before the trip and switched to the 777-300ER on this route.

We cleared immigration upon arrival in Bangkok, but would clear customs upon arriving in Phuket. As a business class passenger, but also as a Star Alliance Gold member, I had access to the domestic Royal Silk Lounge at Concourse A. It was definitely not as fancy as the international lounges at the airport and it was quite warm, but it was better than waiting with the gate lice out in the terminal.

 

Bangkok to Phuket

Thai Airways flight 221
BKK [Bangkok] to HKT [Phuket]
June 28, 2019
Depart: 6:15 PM
Arrive: 7:35 PM
Duration: 1hr20min
Aircraft: 777-300ER
Seat: 14E

The boarding process for this flight was fascinating to say the least. Business class was called first and we were escorted to a bus that would take us to our plane parked across the airport. Either the domestic terminal didn’t have enough gate space for the giant 777-300ER or it was just easier to bus us to the plane at the international terminal instead of moving the aircraft.

Nonetheless, we were driven around for a while in the fanciest airport bus I’ve ever been on and then walked up a set of outdoor stairs to enter the jet bridge and board our plane.

Once onboard, we got situated in our seats at row 14, which was the third row back on this plane.

The business class seats were staggered in a 1-2-1 configuration and the vibrantly colored economy seats were in a 3-3-3 arrangement, which is much more spacious than most major airlines.

Once situated, the crew came by to offer towels and an assortment of beverages including an extensive list of teas. I honestly don’t know which tea I tried, as I just picked one out of the list at random.

They also had headphones, but I highly advise bringing your own, as these were probably some of the lowest quality I’ve ever seen in business class.

Once in the air, we were served a light dinner. I chose the seafood, which was a little spicy, but not full Thai spicy, if that makes sense. Along with the entree, there was a cup of Thai fruits, but I had no clue what they were.

Sadly, there was no alcohol on this flight, as Thai Airways doesn’t serve it on domestic itineraries.

Overall, it was a solid flight. The crew was nice, food was good, and the seat had more than enough space for this one hour flight. You also get to ride on a really fancy bus.

My recommendation though: unless you’re purchasing this domestic business class flight as part of a larger business class itinerary, economy class is just fine for one hour. You don’t get alcohol and although the lounge is nice, it’s definitely quite basic. I found out on my return flight that Thai’s economy class was more than adequate, even for someone of my stature.

Next up was a wonderful week in Phuket, courtesy of Marriott.

Thanks for reading!

-Matt