Wide Open Thai Airways First Class Award Space

Intro

Following my recent review of the Thai Airways brand new A320 Business Class from Hong Kong to Bangkok, I figured that this would be the perfect time to help readers understand the best way to book Thai Airways with points, as there is no real set rhyme or reason.

The Details

For those looking to fly Thai Airways First Class, the airline has one of the smallest First Class fleets in the world, operating on only 3 777-300ERs to Osaka, Tokyo, and Bangkok daily. Due to the small fleet size, booking Thai Airways First Class can be quite difficult.

Thai Airways First Class is a delicious product

Well, so how do you book the tickets to fly on Thai Airways First? It gets a little bit more complicated.

Previously, the best way to book Thai Airways First Class was through Aeroplan due to the favorable redemption rates. However, a report I recently came across suggested that United has basically bought rights to Thai Airways redemptions (outside of the Royal Orchid program), thus finding award space for Thai Airways on Aeroplan is pretty much non-existent.

Thus, unless you have CitiPoints that transfer at 1:1 to Royal Orchid from a US credit card, your only bet is booking through United at steep rates.

Prices for Citi come out at 125,000 OW ex London, and 67,500 miles to Japanese destinations.

Feel free to enjoy a decent ground experience in the Royal First Lounge with an eligible ticket

So, what is your best bet if you don't have Citi Points? It has to be United, sadly, and award space is slim to none, but not at the moment...

United has dumped lots of award space on the London route, which is showing prices at 220K one way, and this is the most award space I have seen in quite some time. Honestly, you were lucky to find one seat in the schedule.

Thai Airways First Class Award Space

Just next week, I am seeing 4 seats open in First Class, which is a rarity. However, I am not seeing wide open space on the shorter routes to Tokyo or Osaka, which is a shame.

Chase points can be transferred over at a 1-1 ratio to United, so a one-way ticket departing London would come out 220K Miles + 276 GBP. Pricy and maybe not the best redemption, but you won't see the amount of First Class space on any other airline.

Final Thoughts

For those who have wanted to fly Thai Airways First Class, the time is now, as there seems to be a good amount of award space open on their longest flight to London. However, keep in mind that prices are quite steep when booking through United, and there are the classic surcharges tacked on when departing LHR.