Review: Thai Airways A320 Business Class Hong Kong-Bangkok
- Konrad Tillman
- Apr 16
- 7 min read
Intro
Hello from Bangkok, gosh is it beautiful here! Following a flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to try out Thai Airways Business Class on their A320 from Hong Kong to Bangkok.
As someone who loves Thai Airways and ranks them as my number 1 airline in the world, how was this brand new product? The hard business class product is a huge letdown and not worth the upgrade. I honestly think that European Business Class is better.
Please do not ever mistake criticism for complaining. I love Thai Airways and feel like it is good to honestly reflect. In addition, apparently, many people have complained...
Route-Hong Kong-Bangkok
Flight Number- TG603
Seat- 14K
Aircraft- Airbus A320
Date- April 13th, 2025
Flight Time- 2 Hours and 49 Minutes
Price Paid- Miles+ 254$ Upgrade
Boarding
Once landing and transiting Hong Kong airport, I headed off to the gate to submit a Standby upgrade to Business Class. While the price is 254 USD on this route, I figured that I might as well try out the product since no one has yet to try it out…
So I head to the gate, and they say you “can’t standby upgrade” on an award ticket… I mean, okay, that doesn't make much sense, but alright. Surely they would want to sell open seats in a cabin at a fixed rate?
Anyways, the flight was delayed and we ended up boarding at 7:40 am for a scheduled 8:15 am departure. It is what it is…
The Seat/Cabin
Stepping back to my seat in 35H in economy, I was well familiar with the A320 configuration in economy. Seats are laid out in a 3-3 configuration and offer a decent amount of legroom, as well as good recline.
But that’s not the point of the review: we are reviewing the A320 in Business Class, not economy. Prior to departure, I had mentioned to the cabin crew that I would like to pay the fee to upgrade and wondered if they could do it onboard. Apparently, they couldn't do it onboard, but not all hope was lost just yet. If there is one thing that people tell me in life, it is that "when I put my mind to something, I tend to get that task done."
I mean, look, I really do understand the whole process of not being able to upgrade on an award ticket, but I did push back a little bit just because I really did want to review the brand-new business class product. In no way disrespectful at all...
Well, once we were wheels up, things changed…
The Upgrade
Once airborne and the sound had gone off to signify we had reached 10,000 feet, a lovely cabin crew member came around to let me know that she could try and process the upgrade. She informed me to grab my passport, my belongings, and of course, myself...
Business Class Cabin
Stepping up into the Business Class cabin, which was empty, I had most of the cabin to myself, minus two people in seats 12A/B. Seats are laid out in a 2-2 configuration across 3 rows, totalling 12 seats.
Considering Thai Airways just installed this seat, this is a huge disappointment. While there is a nice recline and a good footrest, the legroom is tight, there is no IFE screen, and there is no in-seat power. I am sorry (I love TG), but having no in-seat power for a business class product in 2025 is unacceptable. Even their dated 772s have in-seat power…
While I do like the extended leg rest, it still felt quite tight for a business class product.
Dining
When it comes to dining, this is the area where TG shines. Once upgraded, a lovely flight attendant came over to offer me the two menus for today's flight over to Bangkok. One was the food menu, and the other was a drinks menu, which had just been introduced in early 2025.
Due to stocking up at the lounge in Hong Kong briefly, I decided to keep it easy and have a couple of glasses of champagne, as well as a few croissants. Delicious all around.
For a 1100-mile flight, not bad at all…
Amenities
Speaking to the flight attendants, they informed me that there are plans to retrofit these aircraft with WIFI and IFE, but at the moment, there is nothing offered. In all honesty, considering these aircraft can operate flights upwards of 4 hours and they were just retrofitted, unacceptable in my opinion, and maybe I am being a little harsh.
However, I was pleased to find the classic Thai Airways blanket and pillow, which are always perfect for a daytime flight. The only issue is that the seat is so tight for Business, you cannot get comfortable.
They have these weird champagne glasses though on the A320 which I don’t like… Come on, if you are selling business class, bust out the flutes, TG
Service
The main reason why I rate Thai Airways so highly is due to their service, and today was no exception. Service on this flight was nothing short of exceptional, and a prime example is when I came back from the bathroom and found an FA waiting for me, informing me that she would attempt to process the upgrade.
Additionally, my champagne was topped off frequently without asking throughout the flight, which is a classic sign of TG…
Lavatories
Thai Airways might have renovated its A320 Business Class, but nothing else has changed onboard. Heading back to the lavatory, it was exactly the same lavatory I found when flying the month prior from Yangon to Bangkok…
Which brings me to my next point...
What Is Going On Here?
Look, I get it. Thai Airways is attempting to once again be one of the best carriers in Southeast Asia, and in order to do so, they have to offer business class fleet-wide like its competitors. However, you can clearly see that they rushed this product, as I can confidently say that this product is one of the worst business-class narrow-body products in the world (which is a proper business class). I get that flat beds are coming to the A321Neo, but considering the airline flies 20 (I think) of these A320s around to certain high-yield destinations (Taipei, Hong Kong, and more), this is a huge disappointment as someone who adores the airline.
I hope they take the customer feedback and change the rest of the retrofits...
Arrival
Due to some delay in Taipei that was never announced, the captain came on at 10:00 am Bangkok time to announce our descent into Bangkok. It was a beautiful day to be in Thailand, and even more beautiful to be landing on the second day of Songkran.
We ended up touching down at 10:24 am and had a short taxi over to C gates. Hey, at least it wasn't S gates and we had to take the train over...
Being the first one off the plane, I was through in no time and within an hour and a half, stuck into a water fight. Gosh, I love this city...
Final Thoughts
Please never mistake a harsh review for a lack of appreciation and gratitude that I have for Thai Airways. However, I was extremely disappointed with Thai Airways on their brand new A320 Business Class product. To introduce a brand new business class cabin in 2025 and have no in-seat power, no wifi, and no IFE, is severely dropping the ball. As someone who has seen Thai Airways become infinitely better in the past few years, it's sad to see the hard product on the A320 now.
But, the rest of the flight showed that even with a lacking hard product, the staff at Thai Airways always shines brightly through. Thanks to the FAs onboard, the flight was somewhat saved. The one thing you can count on with TG is that when flying business class, the cabin crew treat you amazingly well.
Now, would I pay for this upgrade again? Absolutely not, but I am happy that I got to try it out. However, once Thai Airways introduces its A321Neo, I will even attempt to get on the inaugural.
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