Review: Thai Airways 777-200ER Business Class Dhaka-Bangkok
Intro
The next part of the series "5 Nights on a Plane" would entail the best flight of the series. Following a lovely day in Bangladesh that included riding on a boat, taking a rickshaw around town, and a full-on day tour, the time had come to head off to Bangkok!
So how was the Thai Airways 777-200ER? Thai Airways is my favorite airline in the world, and this flight reconfirmed my thoughts on this. While the hard product might be dated, these cabins on the 777-200ERs typically rarely go out full. Combining that with a nice cabin decor, and the best service in the sky, this was a fantastic 2 hour run down to Bangkok.
Interestingly, this is the last one of the five Thai Airways 777-200ERs that I hadn't been on prior. So, for the first time in my life, I had flown every aircraft in a certain variant of that fleet (Aero Dili doesn't count IMO). New life accomplishment checked off!
Route-Dhaka-Bangkok
Seat- 16K
Flight Number- TG322
Aircraft- Boeing 777-200ER
Date- August 17th 2024
Flight Time: 2 Hour 39 Minutes
Price Paid- 87.5K Aeroplan Miles+120$ (4 legs)
How I Booked
As I wrote about in a separate post, I booked this flight as part of a multi-city Aeroplan adventure for 87.5K Miles. Ordinarily, this flight would cost 20K Aeroplan points in Business or 45K on United. Considering I paid 87.5K Miles for the following, this is a fantastic redemption:
Dhaka-Bangkok TG 777-200 Business
Check-In
With a scheduled departure time of 1:35 pm from Dhaka, it wasn't until 11:30 am that my newfound friends dropped me off at Dhaka Hazrat Airport.
When I visited Bangladesh it was right after the old PM stepped down and fled the country. While the military patrolled the streets, and a level 4 warning was issued by the government, the airport was very straightforward.
How cool is it to see Tuktuks at an airport? I mean in a lot of places where Tuktuks are present, they usually aren't allowed to enter an airport. In Dhaka, they can!
Once curbside, the same immigration assistant who picked me up that morning (courtesy of my friend) was waiting to escort me to check in.
Thai Airways uses check-in counter "Row A" at Terminal 1 in Dhaka, and while there was a business class line, it seemed not to matter at this hour. However, the immigration assistant took my passport and moments later came back with a boarding pass. Gosh, this might sound bad, I really love my friends 😅.
Lounge Situation
All checked in, it was off to immigration and security which took a grand total of 8 minutes for them both. Dhaka airport is one of the more efficient airports in the region, at least based on my experience.
Once all of the technicalities had been sorted out, I headed off to the Balaka Lounge and then on to the American Express X Citi Bank Lounge (both reviewed separately). Passengers flying Thai Airways Business Class get access to the Balaka Lounge which is alright, not amazing, but the American Express lounge is a bit better.
If you have some time to kill before your flight, check out the lounge, just be aware that alcohol costs money at the bar unless you are flying Singapore, Qatar, or Turkish Airlines.
Boarding
Working in the lounge for a bit I almost forgot that I had a flight this afternoon over to the capital of Thailand 😅. At 12:50 sharp, the agents at the Balaka Lounge informed me that I should head down to the gate as there was additional screening.
Headin over on the 5-minute walk to the gate I was treated to some marvelous views of the 777-200ER taking us over to Bangkok. You can love or hate Thai Airways, but you can't deny that livery isn't gorgeous...
With the brief security check complete (it's just an X-ray scanner, 1:00 pm came around and it was time to get on board the last TG 772! Walking down the jetbridge I was met by a Thai Airways flight attendant who verified my boarding pass and proceeded to escort me to my seat by last name. What service...
The Seat/Cabin
Walking down the aisle, I was all to familiar with this seat (review from Bangkok-Denpasar). Some might call the seats onboard the 777-200ER highly uncompetitive and rightly so, as there are 5 rows of business class angled flat seats laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration. As per usual, I selected seat 16K, which is in the final row on the starboard side of the aircraft.
To me, the business class on these jets is like finding a significant other in life (IMO). It's not necessarily all about the looks, but the personality that is more important. There is a sense of nostalgia that fills the cabin, the color schemes are gorgeous, and you can feel the history in this product.
My seat for the day: 16K. Each seat in this configuration isn't cutting edge but features all of the basic amenities you need for a flight time of this length. Including a lamp by your head, a partition divider (unlike LOT and TK), seat controls, and a cut-out for your legs.
So here is my argument for these seats, ready?
Thai Airways solely uses the 777-200ERs on low-premium demand routes such as Chennai, Dhaka, Islamabad, and Jakarta. None of these routes clock in (wheels up to wheels down) at more than 5 hours, and every time I have flown these routes the seat next to me remains empty. Sure it's not the 777-300ER or the A350-900, but I would take a cabin that is a third full minus a fully lie-flat seat with a full cabin on a 2-hour hop.
Departure
Within moments of settling into my seat, the flight attendant came over to welcome me onboard by last name, offer me a hot towel, and inform me of the flight time. Additionally, she asked me if she could get me something to drink, to which I responded "a glass of water please". Less than a minute later, my water was brought out.
Note: Thai Airways does not serve alcohol on the ground here in Dhaka.
By 1:25 pm boarding was wrapped up, and the captain came on to announce our flight time of 2 hours and 5 minutes into Bangkok. He mentioned that there was some weather in the area and we might be landing a little bit late but will do his best to make up the time.
Sure enough, right on time at 1:35 pm, we pushed back next to a Biman Bangladesh plane.
Due to Dhaka not being too busy of an airport, we were wheels up at 1:44 pm local time departing to the South (somewhat). What a beautiful departure, and a beautiful afternoon to fly.
IFE/WIFI
Cruising out of Dhaka Hazrat, I decided to take a peep at the IFE on today's flight. Unfortunately, the IFE screen located in the seatback in front of you isn't touchscreen, but it does offer plenty of options for movies and TV shows (mind the glare por favor).
On one hand, the selections were decent with the IFE, but on the other hand,d no Wifi is provided on these 777-200s. I would also imagine that going forward the airline has no plans to add wifi, as these jets will soon be retired.
Meal Service
Prior to departure, the cabin crew came around to distribute menus for today's flight, as well as take out meal orders. The menu read as follows:
Quite an impressive menu for such a short flight.
Once airborne, it can't have been more than 10 minutes before the fabulous cabin crew snapped into action providing a bottle of water, a glass of San Pellegrino, and a glass of Laurent Perrier.
It's the small details that shine to me as you could clearly tell the champagne had just been opened...
25 minutes after takeoff, the meal was presented. Surprise, Surprise, I went for the beef cheek in a mushroom sauce 😅. Unlike Thai on their long-haul (oh and caviar to Europe now), the food isn't spectacular, but it is tasty enough for a short flight.
Once the cabin crew had finished serving the cabin, they recommended a glass of some European red wine (I forget which one). They brought over the bottle, poured a little for me to taste, and then proceeded to pour the rest.
Additionally, I had about 6 pieces of garlic bread, which might be the closest thing to never mind I'm going to stop there...
Unlike certain other carriers in the region (cough cough EVA), Thai Airways serves Laurent Perrier fleetwide in Business Class, and LPGS in First Class no matter the length. A small detail that the airline gets right, yet again...
All in all, the meal service was wrapped up with a hot towel 45 minutes after departure. Efficient yet polished service; what more could you want?
Amenities
With a garlicy filled-up stomach, it was time for a nap. To say I was shattered is an understatement, going on 79 hours without a bed at this point... But first, let's check out the amenities!
Thai Airways is a bit peculiar on whar routes they offer amenity kits. From my understanding, flights over 4 hours gain amenity kits, and thus a flight attendant came around after the meal service with a basket consisting of what you would usually find in an amenity kit.
Passengers also receive a plush pillow, a large blanket, and a pair of noise-canceling headphones. For such a short flight, this is a more than respectable offering and right in line with Singapore Airlines.
Bed Time
With all the amenities figured out, it was time to check out what this seat was like in bed mode. While certainly better than economy seat or business class recliner, this isn't a product that I would like to be on for a redeye.
It was comfortable and allowed me a quick 20-minute power nap. The only problem I have with this seat in bed mode is that the footrest which stops your feet from slipping down sometimes falls over.
Service
To me, service is what makes or breaks a business/first-class flight. Thai Airways provides the best service in the sky, and this flight was no different. Here were a couple of details that stood out to me:
Being shown to my seat upon boarding by last name
Being formally greeted by the pursuer upon boarding, once again by last name. No sheet, just memorization.
When I asked for a glass of champagne on the ground, they said they could not get it but as soon as we were airborne they would come and pour it at my seat.
The staff are just so friendly all around, kneeling when speaking to you, and when I even asked the FA is they still are serving LPGS in First, she went to go ask the pursuer for me (I didn't mean for it to happen).
I will say it over and over again, but Thai Airways has the best service in the sky. I'd rank them as the Aman of airlines in that regard. Simply amazing!
Arrival
Waking up to the sound of the captain announcing our descent into Bangkok, I was immediately greeted by an FA asking me if I would like anything before landing. When they mentioned there was one glass of champagne left in the bottle... I mean, come on 😅 ( I wonder who drank the rest).
We ended up up having a long and complicated approach into Bangkok this early evening due to navigating weather+traffic.
After some twists and turns, we ended up touching down behind schedule at 5:03 pm on runway 19. Gosh, something about the 777 engines...
From there we had a 10-minute taxi to C gates where we pulled into Gate C7 at 5:14 pm (14 mins behind schedule, no fault to Thai here).
It was sort of sad, as this meant I actually had to get off the plane sadly. I was getting pampered on this journey, and this is why I usually fly Thai Airways...
Final Thoughts
Most people prefer to fly on the 777-300 or Airbus A350 when it comes to Thai Airways Business Class. However, I had the most amazing flight with Thai from Dhaka to Bangkok, filled with nice bedding, a good selection of IFE, a decent meal, and perhaps the best service I have ever experienced in the sky. The 777-200ER cabin on Thai is unique, and I actively seek out this aircraft when I can as I don't know how much longer I'll be able to fly it.
Just be aware, that there is no wifi, the seats are angled flat, and the IFE is not touchscreen.
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