THAI CHARM: THAI Airways' Transformation, Ambition, Future

LONDON — In the first week of November, Airways attended THAI Airways International’s (TG) London Business Briefing at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. It was the first event of its kind held by the Thai flag carrier. 

The THAI Future

THAI’s vision to become a “High Quality Full Service Carrier with [a] Strong Thai Brand, Connecting Thailand to the World and Generating [a] Consistently Healthy Profit Margin” was unveiled at the beginning. This vision sets the airline’s ambitions very clearly, as shown by its several new projects.

Next year, their “Good Taste for a Good Cause”, “The Journey of Taste”, and “Echoes of Thai Charm” campaigns, along with their two catering and amenity kit improvements, will continue, and the arrival of the Airbus A321neo will help modernize their fleet.

Catering and More

The airline’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Mr Kittiphong Sansomboon, gave an informative presentation highlighting THAI’s efforts to improve passenger experience. Here, he showed off the airline's current projects in motion, launched in early May, such as the “Good Taste for a Good Cause” culinary campaign, which sources ingredients and meals from local Thai businesses.

Regarding catering, Thai Airways has introduced two new items to its growing selection of in-flight food. In collaboration with Ohkajhu, a popular healthy Thai restaurant, travelers in Economy class can enjoy a uniquely purple chicken wrap on domestic Thai routes and flights to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam (CLMV). For passengers in premium cabins, there is a new cocktail, “Oriental Dawn”, which was made in collaboration with the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok.

Jim Thompson, a renowned Thai silk luxury brand, has partnered with THAI to produce new pyjamas for Business Class passengers. The inspiration for the elephant pattern design came from the “elephant pants” sold at many landmarks in Thailand, which have been well-loved by tourists. 

IFE Upgrades

The airline also announced the addition of “The Mindful Journey,” a new feature of their soon-to-be-upgraded in-flight entertainment system (IFE). The CCO recognised that some passengers may not want to listen to music or watch a film, so this will be added to increase variety. Thai Airways has also introduced wireless in-flight entertainment, “THAI Vision Connection”, aboard its Airbus A320 fleet. Mr Kittiphong explained that, as the aircraft were leased, it would be difficult to install a physical entertainment system and touchscreen, so they settled on this streamable service instead.

To complement the upgrades in entertainment, Thai Airways has introduced an improved version of its pre-existing in-flight Wi-Fi service. Available on certain 777-300ERs, A350-900s, A330s, 787-8 and -9s, and soon the A321neo after its delayed delivery in 2026. 

The service includes several packages that can be purchased, unless you are a Royal Orchid Plus (ROP) Platinum member or travelling in First class, in which case you receive unlimited surfing. Business class and ROP Gold members receive a 60-minute surfing plan, whereas Silver and basic members receive 30 minutes free. 

Separately from the event, THAI announced that it would install “high-speed” in-flight connectivity aboard all incoming Boeing 787 aircraft, the first of which is due to arrive in 2027. Neo Space Group (NSG), which is wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), has been contracted to line-fit the aircraft.

Retrofits, New Cabins

Earlier this year, in an exclusive interview with Airways, THAI’s CEO, Mr Chai Eamsiri, revealed that 14 of the airline’s 17 Boeing 777-300ERs will be retrofitted. At this recent event, further details about the new cabin and seats were revealed. 

Currently, these 14 aircraft are configured with a two-class cabin: Royal Silk (business) and Economy class. Post-refurbishment, there will also be a Premium Economy cabin, with seats designed by Safran. Business class seats, which Thompson Aero Seating creates, will feature a sliding privacy door, and the first row will “offer an experience close to First class”.

Finally, Economy class seats from Recaro will feature the same upholstery and padding as on the retrofitted A320s and will have much larger entertainment screens. The airline will also abandon the 3-3-3 configuration in favor of the more common 3-4-3.