THAI AIRWAYS: Resuming daily Bangkok to Perth route

Thai Airways will resume daily flights on the Bangkok to Perth route from 31 March 2024. The route will be serviced by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner for the seven-hour-plus journey in Business Class with an outdated 2-2-2 configuration.

This means Thai Airways will provide the only direct route between Perth and Bangkok, which will also be the quickest.

Boeing 787 – Thai Airways

Thai Airways currently has 6 of these Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

The 22 outdated Business Class seats do not provide the industry standard of direct aisle access for every passenger. The aircraft has 234 Economy seats in a 3-3-3 configuration divided into two cabins. There is no First Class in this aircraft.

You would need to be flying one of the two Boeing 787-9s Thai has to experience the airlines’ contemporary version of Business Class with all direct aisle access

Due to court-administered bankruptcy arrangements, Thai Airways has severely slimmed down and simplified its fleet. A slow increase in aircraft numbers returning to the air has allowed this increase in flights servicing Perth.

The Flights

Running seven days a week between Perth and the Thai capital, Bangkok, you will need to be up early to catch the flight out of Bangkok, but will be in Perth in time for dinner:

• TG481 departing Bangkok at 7.20 am, arriving in Perth at 3.05 pm same day
• TG482 departs Perth at 4.20 pm, arriving in Bangkok at 10.20 pm same day

The Lounges

In Perth, Business Class and Star Alliance Gold, including Thai Airways Royal Orchid Gold members, can access the Air New Zealand or Singapore Airlines lounges. These lounges have variable hours according to their respective airline’s flights’ first arrival and last departure. The Air New Zealand lounge usually opens from 4 am through until the last AirNZ flight departure. Singapore Airlines lounge opens at 1:40 pm and again closes after the last SIA departure.

If you have access to Priority Pass or are willing to pay, you could also access the Aspire lounge at the International Terminal.

Cost

Currently, the price for a return journey out of Perth in April runs at about AU$ 875 for discount Economy, up to just shy of AU$1,000 for a flex fare. Business Class is going to set up back just shy of AU$3,750 return. For a Business fully flexible, think more like AU$5,500. Obviously, prices will vary according to season.

2PAXfly Takeout

This will be a relief for Perth residents eager to travel to Thailand. The direct route and the daily flights make it a much more convenient proposition. Although you will pay more on Thai for fully flexible pricing, especially in Business, on the whole, the fares for these nonstop return flights are quite competitive, say, versus Singapore Airlines. On SIA, fares in business via Singapore are AU$ 4,320 for their Standard business fare and AU$ 4,600 for flex. So you won’t even be paying for the more direct route.