Promo Radar™
List of promotions, sales, and discounts as announced by airlines.
We are currently monitoring over 150 carriers, including Thai Airways.
updated November 27, 2023
What is the best time to book Thai Airways flights?
The best time to book international Thai Airways flights is between 2 to 8 months before your travel date. The prime booking window (the most likely time to find the bargains) is 4–6 months before takeoff. For Thai Airways domestic flights within Thailand, making a reservation from 4 to 8 weeks in advance is recommended.
Why do prices fluctuate?
Airfare prices fluctuate due to demand, seasonal trends, and competition, causing numerous price drops and increases as your departure date approaches.Airlines such as Thai Airways use sophisticated revenue management systems to adjust pricing for optimal seat sales. Generally, as seats are sold, prices tend to become more expensive.
Don’t book too early
Thai Airways start selling their flights 9–12 months in advance. However, booking a ticket too early in that window can be an expensive mistake – the airline typically starts by setting prices at a relatively high level to capture early demand from those willing to pay more to secure their seats.
Prime Booking Window
For long-haul flights with Thai Airways, the best time to book your ticket is around 4–6 months before departure. It is the “Prime Booking Window” – after some seats have already been sold, the airline starts dropping prices to stimulate demand. It may also offer promotions and sales (especially for flights departing from its hub in Suvarnabhumi Airport BKK). This is the ideal time for bargain hunting.
Fly on weekdays
It makes a difference which day of the week you board the plane. Midweek travel (especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays) is less busy and likely cheaper than flying on weekends. The Thai airline charges higher prices for weekend travel due to the high demand from people going on short getaways or visiting family and friends.
Opt for early morning flights
Select a late night or early morning (1–5 am) flight to save on airfare. Thai Airways often offers discounts on their first morning flight (up to 15-20%) simply because of lower demand – most people are not willing to go to the airport so early. Moreover, morning flights have fewer delays, and airport queues are usually shorter.
Peak seasons are expensive
Peak travel seasons are always expensive – due to higher base prices set by Thai Airways for dates it expects to be popular. Avoid the high season during summer and major holidays, including holidays in the country you’re flying to.
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Why is Thai Airways so cheap on ATC?
Thai Airways can be extremely cheap when you seize opportunities such as ‘mistake fares‘, sudden price drops, sales and promotions or employ strategies like hidden city ticketing. Moreover, Thai Airways flights associated with their main Thai hub airport — Suvarnabhumi Airport BKK — are typically priced lower due to the benefits of economies of scale and streamlined operations.
Air Traveler Club has a team of experts who diligently monitor for price reductions, promotional offers (often not widely advertised), under-the-radar airline sales, and other potential savings on flights. In the case of Thai Airways, we particularly focus on tracking prices for flights originating from their Bangkok hub.
These valuable findings are then promptly relayed to our subscribers as exclusive SuperDeals.
Thai Airways reviews 2023,A.I. summary
We let the A.I. analyze thousands of Thai Airways reviews for an averaged, more accurate rating and opinion. Please note: this is an experimental feature.
Overall rating
| Baggage handling | ★★★★☆ |
|---|---|
| Seat comfort | ★★★★☆ |
| Food | ★★★★☆ |
| Entertainment | ★★★★☆ |
| Crew | ★★★★☆ |
| Customer support | ★★★★☆ |
Is Thai Airways a good airline?
Thai Airways earns its 4/5 rating from passengers largely due to its exceptional in-flight service and comprehensive route network.
When compared to its regional competitors, Thai Airways offers a robust selection of destinations, particularly within Asia and key global cities. While its pricing may sit on the higher side of the spectrum, the airline compensates with spacious seating and a strong focus on customer service. However, some reviews point to occasional delays and inconsistencies in the quality of in-flight meals.
Overall, for passengers prioritizing comfort and service over cost, Thai Airways provides a solid value for money.
Strengths
- In-flight service: Thai Airways often receives commendation for its attentive and courteous cabin crew. The airline’s in-flight service is highlighted as being a notch above competitors, enhancing the flying experience.
- Seat comfort: Passengers frequently praise the airline for its spacious and comfortable seating, particularly in business and first class. Even economy seats tend to offer better legroom compared to other airlines.
- Route network: The airline boasts an extensive list of destinations, providing a great deal of flexibility and options for travelers. Their strong presence in Asia makes them a go-to carrier for regional travel.
Weaknesses
- Pricing: Despite the high levels of comfort and service, some passengers feel that ticket prices are on the higher side. This is particularly true for routes where budget airlines offer competitive alternatives.
- Inconsistency in meal quality: While Thai Airways generally offers a broad food menu, the quality can be inconsistent. Reviews often mention that the meals range from excellent to mediocre, depending on the route and class.
- Operational delays: Another sticking point in passenger reviews is the frequency of flight delays. While not a constant issue, it’s mentioned enough to suggest that operational efficiency could be improved.
Passenger's experience
Is Thai Airways a budget airline?
No, Thai Airways is not a budget airline but a traditional, full-service carrier. It is one of the largest airlines in Thailand, a member of the Star Alliance, and it offers a broad spectrum of services that distinguish it from budget airlines. These include free checked baggage, complimentary meals and beverages (even in Economy), on-board amenities (blankets, pillows, sometimes noise-cancelling headphones) on long-haul flights, and a wide range of in-flight entertainment.
Furthermore, Thai Airways provides multiple travel classes, such as Economy, Premium Economy, Business, First — each with varying levels of comfort, space, and amenities. In contrast, budget airlines typically offer only Economy class with minimal benefits.
What can I expect when flying with Thai Airways?
When flying with Thai Airways, passengers can expect a blend of traditional Thai hospitality and modern amenities.
The airline is renowned for its courteous in-flight service, where attendants go the extra mile to ensure passenger comfort. The seating across all classes is generally spacious, with business and first-class passengers enjoying near-luxury conditions. While the airline offers an extensive menu that seeks to cater to diverse tastes, the quality of meals can be inconsistent.
Overall, Thai Airways aims to deliver a superior air travel experience but comes with a price tag that may be higher than budget alternatives.
What are the seating options?
Thai Airways offers a range of seating options designed to cater to varying passenger needs, each replete with distinct amenities:
- Economy Class: Designed for budget-conscious travelers, the Economy Class offers basic amenities, including an adjustable headrest and reasonable legroom. In-flight entertainment options and meals are included.
- Premium Economy Class: A step up from Economy, Premium Economy provides passengers with additional legroom, enhanced meal choices, and upgraded in-flight entertainment systems. It’s ideal for long-haul flights where more comfort can make a significant difference.
- Business Class: Also known as Royal Silk Class, Business Class offers flat-bed seats that convert into 180-degree lie-flat beds. Passengers can also access exclusive lounges, gourmet meals, and state-of-the-art entertainment systems.
- First Class: Branded as Royal First Class, this option provides an unparalleled travel experience. Amenities include spacious suites that convert into fully flat beds, personalized in-flight service, caviar on the menu, and access to opulent airport lounges.
Is Thai Airways economy comfortable?
Thai Airways’ Economy Class is generally considered to offer a comfortable experience for the price point.
The seats come with adjustable headrests, and the legroom is reported to be adequate for long-haul flights. In-flight entertainment options and complimentary meals add to the overall comfort, making it a preferred choice for travelers seeking reasonable comfort without the premium price tag.
How to get an extra legroom seat on Thai Airways plane?
Securing an extra legroom seat on a Thai Airways plane requires some planning and flexibility, but you can easily score one of these seats by familiarizing yourself with the cabin layout and checking in for your flight early. You may also consider paying for an upgrade to a seat with ample legroom and enhanced comfort.
As the location of the extra legroom seats varies depending on the aircraft, we recommend visiting the SeatGuru website. By simply entering your Thai Airways flight number, you can access a detailed seat map specific to your flight. Hover over individual seats to identify those with ample legroom. They are often found in exit rows, bulkhead rows (the first row in each cabin section), or other designated areas that offer additional legroom.
Due to their desirable features, the preferred seats are in high demand. They are often limited in number and typically incur additional fees. Seats with extra legroom located in front and exit rows ("hot seats") are priced higher. However, for medium– and long–haul flights, the additional cost of $10-$50 may be worth the increased comfort. Hot seats typically provide at least 36 inches of legroom (4-6 inches more than standard economy seats), wider seat pitch, and may also have adjustable footrests and recline further back.
Paying for an extra legroom seat is usually a more affordable option than upgrading to a Premium Economy.
What is the baggage allowance?
When flying with Thai Airways, your baggage allowance varies depending on your class of travel:
- Economy Class: Passengers are allowed one piece of checked luggage with a maximum weight of 30kg (66 lbs). Carry-on luggage is limited to one bag weighing up to 7kg (15 lbs).
- Premium Economy Class: The checked baggage allowance is increased to 40kg (88 lbs), while the carry-on limit remains at 7kg (15 lbs).
- Business Class: Travelers in this class are entitled to 40kg (88 lbs) of checked baggage and are also permitted two pieces of carry-on, each weighing up to 7kg (15 lbs).
- First Class: Those flying First Class can check up to 50kg (110 lbs) of luggage and may also bring two pieces of carry-on luggage, each not exceeding 7kg (15 lbs).
Does Thai Airways have Wi-Fi?
Yes, Thai Airways offers in-flight Wi-Fi across a variety of their long-haul aircraft, including the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777 models.
Does Thai Airways have refundable tickets?
Here’s a breakdown of Thai Airways’ refundable ticket options, categorized by each class:
Economy Class:
- Flexible Fare: Fully refundable, though a cancellation fee may apply.
- Saver Fare: Partially refundable, cancellation fees apply.
- Promo Fare: Generally non-refundable.
Premium Economy Class:
- Flexible Fare: Fully refundable, a cancellation fee may apply.
- Saver Fare: Partially refundable, cancellation fees apply.
Business Class:
- Flexible Fare: Fully refundable without fees.
- Saver Fare: Partially refundable, cancellation fees apply.
First Class:
- Flexible Fare: Fully refundable without fees.
How do I obtain my Thai Airways boarding pass?
Thai Airways boarding pass is a travel document that contains crucial information about your flight, confirms your seat and allows you to board the plane. It includes the passenger’s name, flight number, boarding time, boarding zone, gate number, seat number, and other essential flight details. The Thai Airways boarding pass can be in paper or electronic format. The boarding pass is issued during check-in — online on the airline's website (usually available 24 hours before the flight), its mobile app (mobile boarding pass) or at the airport. You can print your boarding pass at home or use a mobile app to store the digital boarding pass on your smartphone. Alternatively, you can check in at the airport, where the airline's representative will issue the boarding pass for you.
How to check Thai Airways flight status?
If you have the flight number at hand, you can conveniently check the Thai Airways flight status on the airline’s website. Visit the flight status page to get the reliable information regarding the scheduled and actual departure and arrival times.
There are several online platforms where you can check the status of Thai Airways flight: FlightRadar24, FlightStats, or FlightAware. They offer comprehensive information about any flight (regardless of the airline) – including real-time flight tracking.
Alternatively, input your flight number directly into Google's search bar. Drawing data from diverse sources (including the airlines themselves), Google will provide you with all the crucial flight information right on the search results page.
Thai Airways shortcuts
Essential links to Thai Airways official website.
Thai Airways flight booking
Search Thai Airways flights and book your Economy, Premium Economy, Business, First class ticket online.
Online check-in
How to check-in and receive your Thai Airways boarding pass?
Thai Airways baggage policy
Learn about checked and hand luggage regulations on Thai Airways flights.
Flexible tickets
Want to change your flight? Thai Airways flexible booking offer and policies.
Refunds and cancellations
Guidelines on returning a Thai Airways ticket and getting your money back.
Thai Airways help & support
Get in touch with the airline: customer service numbers, call centers, offices, and more.
Why are Thai Airways flights so expensive in 2023?
Airfares soared in 2023. Thai Airways flights are more expensive now due to rising demand, limited supply, inflation, fuel prices, closed airspace, and increased operational costs.
One key factor within your control is the timing of your booking. To save money on travel, it’s wise to plan ahead – the best time to book international flights with Thai Airways is between 2 to 8 months before your departure date.
The primary elements that impact the cost of flights:
- Rising demand With more people traveling in the post-pandemic era, airlines have no incentive to lower prices. Instead, they capitalize on spiked demand and raise prices to make up for lost revenue during the period of 2020-2022.
- Limited supply In 2023 Thai Airways is still operating at reduced capacity after the pandemic. Staffing shortages of pilots, plane crew, and airport workers lead to flight cancellations and delays, affecting the supply even more. With fewer flights, the Thai carrier charges more for the plane tickets that are available.
- Inflation Inflation has a significant impact on flight prices, as it directly increases the cost of fuel and labor for airlines. This can be particularly true for Thai Airways that operates in countries with high inflation rates.
- Jet fuel costs Fuel is a significant airline cost, influenced by crude oil prices, geopolitical tensions, and supply chain disruptions. To cope with rising fuel prices, the airline may pass it on to travelers in the form of a fuel surcharge added to the ticket price.
- Closed airspace Avoiding airspace due to war, political conflicts, extreme weather, or natural disasters make airline tickets more expensive. Thai Airways may be forced to take longer routes to reach the destination airport – which means higher fuel and labor costs.
- Thai Airways operating costs The costs of labor, aircraft maintenance, aircraft leasing or purchasing expenses, marketing, etc. significantly increased in 2023. As Thai Airways aims to remain profitable, it must factor in these operating costs when setting ticket prices.
- Will flight prices go down in 2023?Historical trends suggest that airfare prices will fluctuate based on the factors described above. As long as the demand for travel is up, so is airfare. After tough years the Thai Airways is in no position to offer discounts for passengers and will likely try to maximize profits in 2023.
Thai Airways price history charts
and price-drop alerts
Understanding past airfare trends for your chosen Thai Airways flight route can help you forecast future prices and identify ideal booking times.
Google Flights is one of the best tools that provide access to price history — it tracks airfare fluctuations, predicts price changes based on historical data, and helps to pinpoint optimal booking times. In addition to viewing price history charts, you can set up price alerts for Thai Airways flights via email — and catch price drops as they happen.
While the tracking tools provide valuable insights on Thai Airways price history, they cannot guarantee future prices. They are also usually restricted to one particular route. For regular updates on price drops and deals across various popular destinations (holiday ideas!), consider Air Traveler Club — it’s free to join.
Thai Airways tips
How to ensure smooth transit between Thai Airways connecting flights
Before your trip, research your connecting airport. Familiarize yourself with its layout, terminals, amenities, and the location of your connecting gate. This will save you time and stress during your layover. Every airport has a minimum connection time — make sure your layover is longer than this minimum time.
Additionally:
- You may need to move between terminals if you have a connecting flight with a different airline or separate point-to-point tickets with Thai Airways. Each flight may require individual check-in procedures and an additional pass through security. As your luggage may not be automatically transferred to your final destination, you’ll need to retrieve your bags and check them in again for your subsequent flight.
- When flights are booked on separate tickets, Thai Airways is not responsible if you miss your connection due to a delay with the first flight. Allow plenty of buffer time between flights to account for any potential delays.
- Gate assignments can change. Regularly check the flight information boards to ensure you’re in the right place.
- If your airport connection is tight (1-hour layover or less), pick a set near the front of the plane. It can shave 5–10 minutes off your deplaning time, especially on larger planes. Consider purchasing “hot seats” if available on your plane — they cost extra, but it may be worth it.
- When flying domestically, try not to book the last flight out of your connecting airport. In case of a cancellation, the airline will put you on its next flight, but it will require an overnight stay and arrival a day later.
- Flights can be delayed or canceled. Have a backup plan in case you miss your connecting flight. Know your rights and the Thai Airways policy on missed connections.
Booking group flights with Thai Airways
Flights are cheaper when purchased in bulk rather than as individual tickets. Booking group flights with Thai Airways can be a cost-effective option for a school trip, family reunion, or corporate group traveling to a conference.
To qualify for the special group rate, the group must usually have at least 10 passengers. Discounts depend on the group size and travel dates and typically range from 5% to 20% off the regular airfare.
Thai Airways website typically limits automatic group bookings to 9 passengers. This limit reflects the complexity of managing larger groups, which require personalized service and more time to coordinate. To get the price quote for your group, you’ll need to contact the airline directly.
A travel agent may be better if you want more personalized service. Travel agents may have access to discounted group rates for Thai Airways and can help with logistics and scheduling.