For this flight back to Europe, I’ll be flying Thai in Business Class as I did on the outbound flight and, once again, I’ll be flying on the newest aircraft in their fleet: the A350. In the end, the flight will be a carbon copy of the experience of the first leg, with the same strengths and weaknesses.
For the record the air routing for this holiday:
You will find all the articles related to this trip in Australia at the bottom of the page.
Connection and ground course
I arrive at the airport mid-afternoon from Sydney and have 8.5 hours to kill until my flight to Stockholm leaves.
The passage of the security checks, mandatory to reach the departure level, is fast and I find myself in the huge terminal.
To pass the time I will visit a large part of the lounges to which I have access, i.e. …..6. It is thus tired (the 8,5 hours) and with a full stomach (the 6 lounges + the 3 in Sydney) that I reach my boarding gate shortly before 1:00 am.
Not everyone is lucky enough to have lounges for long connections…
Boarding
The departure lounge is already full when I arrive.
A huge thunderstorm is raging outside and makes me think that there is a chance of traffic disruption. I don’t know if this is the reason, but we will be boarding a little late. But no announcement will be made to announce this.
First the people with reduced mobility and then almost immediately the priority passengers.
I am the first to enter the cabin.
Thai’s A350 business class cabin
No surprise: it’s the same as on the outward journey and the same cabin as on all Thaide’s twin-aisle aircrafts for at least the last ten years.
The staggered configuration means that every other row has a seat very close to the aisle with limited privacy and this is precisely the seat I will have.
Once in bed position it is just right for me: my head touches one end while my feet touch the other. So if you are 1.88m or taller you know you are not going to have a memorable night.
The state of wear is surprising for such young aircrafts. One more thing that doesn’t change…
The IFE screen will promote a Wifi that no longer exists, Thai having removed it for cost reasons.
The flight and the service
No sooner had I settled in than they brought me a hot oshibori and a glass of champagne.
It will help pass the time during boarding…
A second glass will arrive as the purser comes by to introduce herself to all the passengers, confirm the flight duration and tell us that we may encounter turbulence on the early part of the journey.
Shortly before the end of boarding my order for the different meals will be taken: still no paper menus and it’s more cost cutting than anti COVID measures.
We take off amidst the lightning and the service starts quite quickly.
We start with the appetizers… it’s good and fresh.
And yet another oshibori!
As an appetizer, I’ll have shrimp with lemongrass.
It’s fresh and has a lot of pep.
For the main course I’ll have a beef steak. Service is by the plate.
Meat and vegetables are very well cooked, which is notable for the meat as the red meats are a bit like Russian roulette on a plane.
A little bland, but the sauce will enhance the dish perfectly. The vegetables, on the other hand, lack taste.
Then comes a nice plate of cheese and…. no dessert. Weird.
Given the time, I will fall asleep immediately and wake up above Turkey, near the Black Sea. We are 2 hours away from Stockholm, our destination.
I’ll have tea and soda water and as a main course I’ll have chicken. The orders having been taken before the night, the dishes are taken one by one from the galley and brought directly to the seat.
Melt-in-the-mouth chicken, well-cooked rice, spicy and fresh sauce: an excellent dish.
All I have to do is look at the images provided by the outside cameras until we arrive.
The Crew
Always very courteous, the crew once again live up to the airline’s reputation. It is a pity that the hard product does not follow.
Landing and arrival
The flight ended uneventfully with some very nice pictures.
I landed among the first and said goodbye to this beautiful plane.
I take the connection route and go through the security and immigration checks again to get back to the boarding area from where I will leave for Zurich a few hours later.
Checks in a calm manner and without unnecessary pressure. Welcome to Sweden!
Bottom line
Overall a very good flight thanks to the crew and a more than correct catering. But the cabin remains the real black spot: old design, worn seats and too short in the bed position for a large aircraft… what a pity on a brand new A350.
Articles about this trip to Australia
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Thai business class from Sydney to Bangkok: great service, outdated cabin
