20161106 Thai Airways TG413, Bangkok-Singapore

Checking in to Flight TG-413

TG-413 is a two-hour direct flight from Bangkok to Singapore, and it is a flight that Thai Airways operates every day. The flight usually departs from Suvarnabhumi at 11:30am (Bangkok time) and arrives at Changi at 2:50pm (Singapore time). With this, I could expect enough time to tuck in to at least one airline meal and finish a movie from the inflight entertainment system aboard the plane.

At this point, I should declare that I strongly believe that a flight should not just be a flight. It should instead be an all-encompassing experience delivered by the service provider (the airline) for the customer, i.e. the passenger, from the very moment he arrives at the airport check-in counter. Thus, it was with this mentality that I started queuing at the Thai Airways check-in booths in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. And, to say the least, I was very pleased with the start of my “all-encompassing experience.”

The counters for Thai Airways were packed to the brim with passengers, as you would expect from Thailand’s national airline. However, it was far from disorganised pandemonium. On the contrary, the airline had deployed two counter staff to courteously direct waiting passengers to counters as the queues ebbed and flowed. I did not have to wait too long before I was ushered to a counter to be greeted by a staff member with a warm smile on her face and palms clasped together in a traditional Thai greeting. So far, so good.

My TG-413 Flight Experience

I was in for another pleasant surprise as I approached my aisle seat in the plane. I was able to fit my rather elongated frame into my seat without too much difficulty. So much for the narrow seats I was worried about before the flight. Of course, the space I was afforded in my seat was by no means luxurious, but it was hardly cramped either, and I could move my legs with more freedom than I had expected. And, as if sensing my earlier concerns, a smiling stewardess kindly asked me if all was well just as she was walking by to help the adjacent passengers settle into their seats. I smiled back and nodded in reply.

As the plane was taxiing down the runway and preparing for take-off, I was thoroughly impressed by the professionalism and excellent service standards displayed by the crew in this flight. They were always at hand to provide assistance whenever the passengers needed it, and were even performing the safety demonstrations with gusto and ever-present smiles, which I had to admit, is rare these days. At the same time, I took the opportunity to explore the plane’s interior.

About 45 minutes after take-off, lunch was served aboard the plane. I managed to snap a few photos of my three-course lunch meal. The first picture shows the main course, which was surprisingly scrumptious. I was nearly deceived by the main course’s modest appearance. The stir-fried chicken was very succulent and obviously well-marinated, the vegetables crunchy and not at all overcooked, and the basmati rice fragrant as if it were just out of the kitchen.

After cleaning off every delightful bit of the main course, I next proceeded to the appetiser, which was a generous slice of smoked salmon served with diced cold potatoes tossed in sour cream sauce and spring onions, and a slice of cabbage. The smoked salmon was not too salty, which went well with the main course I had just finished. And the potatoes served to complement the savoury foods well with a refreshing tang from the sour cream, at the same time gently easing my taste buds towards dessert.

After the main course and appetiser, which left me in no doubt of the culinary expertise of Thai Airways, I moved on to what I considered to be the pièce de résistance of my lunch meal: the dessert, which was a refreshingly sweet pudding served with a little dollop of cream on top. It completely satisfied my sweet tooth, and capped my mini-journey from the savoury main course, to the slightly more neutral appetiser, and finally this lovely pudding.

To conclude my meal, I sipped on a cup each of Riesling (white wine) and orange juice as I sifted through the movie list of the plane’s inflight entertainment system, which I am confident, would please any motion picture connoisseur. A wide variety of movies are on offer, across the entire spectrum of genres, up to date with a very current selection of the latest movies of offer. Personally, I am quite a fan of superhero movies, so I selected “Doctor Strange” and settled down in relative comfort for the remainder of the flight.

As it approached 2:45pm, the pilot announced on the plane’s PA system that he was about to land the plane in Changi Airport, and made the perfunctory request to the cabin crew to prepare for landing. Truth be told, I was rather disappointed that the flight was coming to an end, which was an emotion I had never expected to experience prior to boarding this plane. In my experience with my flight, Thai Airways had more than lived up to their reputation as an established airline in the Asian region, having been founded 56 years ago.

Furthermore, their mission states that they strive “to serve a holistic airfreight for domestic and international markets while focusing on standard, safety, convenience and service that reflect Thai identity to deliver the valuable and dependable products along with strengthen impressions and good relationship with customers.” That, along with their membership in the Star Alliance, ensures that the quality of their service remains consistently high.

As I disembarked the plane after landing, gently ushered out by the warm friendliness of the cabin crew, I was most happy to conclude that all the preconceived notions and biases that I had before the flight were thoroughly unfounded. Not only would I certainly fly with Thai Airways again, I would strongly encourage all readers of this article to do the same. As the Thais would say, kob kun mak krab (“thank you very much”).