Will Thai Smile make me smile? A TR on TG's new offshoot

[stigsfilocousin]

Well, who would have thought that buying a business class ticket is cheaper than paying for two seats in Y?? That's what exactly happened when I was looking at flights to Krabi from Bangkok but I wont be flying TG's regional J product; I will be flying with its new's offshoot Thai Smile and their J product called Smile Plus.

This is my first time on the pointy end (well there is exactly no pointy end on Thai Smile flights, just a curtain separating the two classes) so I will be doing this TR in three batches: check-in and the Royal Silk Lounge for domestic TG, then TG745 BKK-KBV, and finally, a combined lounge/flight review on TG744 KBV-BKK.


PART 1: Check-in at Swampy and the Royal Silk Lounge for TG Domestic

I left the hotel at around 10:45am (I'm actually writing this TR whilst in the lounge) and due to a Michael Schumacher wannabe of a taxi driver, I made it to the airport at around 11:20. Proceeded to Counter D to find only two queues but no actual distinction between the two queues..I put myself into the second queue and waited around 3 mins before the agent arrived at the check-in desk. Check in took around 5 mins tops although the agent didn't mention to me that I get lounge access (I knew this beforehand but it would have been good to be told of what you can get) and my bag was tagged priority as well (not that it really needs it since i'm only going to KBV).

After passing through security, I made me way down to the lounge near A2 (hooray!!! its almost opposite my gate) and I handed the lounge dragon my BP and was then let in (on a side note...I don't look Thai but everytime I speak to someone to ask something, I'm always spoken to in Thai and not just the usual greeting). I always have to cut them off and say that I don't speak nor understand Thai). I then plopped myself into a seat near the toilets and the bank of desktop computers and proceeded to wonder at what I have been missing out on. After 20 mins, I compose myself and got some food; the food choice was nothing fancy i.e. ham sandwich, a veggie option, some pastries, juices (orange and tomato), and some steamed buns plus noodles. I manage to grab two ham sandwiches, a sweet bean bun, and a glass of OJ. Lounge looks a bit full but doesn't feel crowded.

NEXT PART: TG745 BKK TO KBV (will be writing this one up when I reach the resort this arvo).

Stay tuned....!

 

[stigsfilocousin]

PART 2: TG745 BKK-KBV A320
Dep: 13:40 Arr: 15:00
Actual Dep: 14:50 Actual Arr: 15:50

So after enjoying the lounge, I proceeded to A2 at around 13:00 to wait for TG745 to start boarding at 13:10; unfortunately, as soon as I got to the gate, an announcement was made that the flight is delayed by an hour due to the late arrival of the plane. I then went back to the lounge and came out after 30 minutes to hang around in the waiting area. Boarding commenced around 14:30 and all notion of priority boarding was somehow thrown out the window (families with small kids and prams, and business class passengers were asked to come first but all the Y pax decided to join the priority queue anyway). I went to 32K and immediately raised the armrest so that I can utilise all the space available. Now, Thai Smile's business class is called Smile Plus and it is essentially the first 3 rows (31-33) and behind 33 is a curtain. The seats are typical Y seats but when you book it and try to do OLCI, the middle seats are blocked by default so you will get either an aisle or window seat plus the pitch is 33 inches instead of around 28 for Y. No IFE means the armrests retract fully so you've got oodles of room especially if seats C and H are also empty.

Today, loadings were almost 100% for Y and 6/12 for J and so happens that the emex row and 32C/32H were empty. We took off around 14:55 and after around 10mins, the FAs asked all the J pax what drink they wanted and the what was in the snack box they had on today. I asked for Coke (don't drink alcohol as I take motion sickness pills when I fly) and was given that a few mins after they gave away the snack boxes. The box had a croissant with a schnitzel in it, a container of minced chicken with a bit of chilli, a chickpea patty, and for desert, a brownie with glazed fruits. Taste wise, it wasn't too bad (then again i'm so used to Y food that so long as it is edible and not greasy I will eat it). Drinks were served in a glass cup as per normal J standards and the FA checked time to time if you wanted some more.

We landed in KBV around 15:50 but the German DYKWIA decided to be a smart cough before landing by talking back to the FA when he was told off for not wearing his seatbelt and not securing his tray table. He reckons CX don't enforce the same policy and that Thai Smile's food was ****. Well la di freaking da...go fly something else you sod!!! Anywho...KBV has a weird setup wherein after you leave the bridge, you go downstairs where a bus is waiting for intl pax who needed to clear immigration and collect bags; if you're domestic you walk a few steps and go back up again to the carousel. My bag was one of the first ones to come out although the first 5 bags were not priority tagged....hmm methinks Priority tagging is not needed at this airport.

I will post photos later on tonight or tomorrow morning once I move them off my camera.

 

[krisflyer]

looking forward to seeing your photos!

 

[stigsfilocousin]

Apologies for the long long gap between posts but I've been busy with exams and also had to deal with the fact that when I came back, I was told that my position at work will be abolished next year and I had to choose either redundancy or try my luck with the new position that will replace the one I currently hold.

Anyway, here are some photos of the first leg of this trip (in clockwise order: the cheapest J fare I've ever encountered (a measly $350 return), enjoying some of the food that the Domestic J lounge has to offer at Swampy, the bank of computers near the hallways leading to the restrooms and a private area aka The Garden Zone, lounging on one of my must visit sites Whirlpool, and the outside of the lunch box they give you on the plane).

I'll post the next set as a new post as I'm still limited due to my status.

 

[stigsfilocousin]

As promiised, some more photos from the first leg:

J class on Thai Smile is essentially a block of 3-4 rows sealed off by a curtain; these rows have a higher pitch than the rest of the seats behind and the middle seats are never sold so you are always guaranteed a free seat beside you. In my case, I had two seats free i.e oodles of room to place my camera bag and any other knick knacks I had with me.



This is the lunch box they serve you in J class; Y class gets a similar one but smaller. Being a hybrid LCC, you can buy food and drink if you're still famished after eating the lunch box. J class is subject to the same rules but drinks are free as they will come around to ask you if you want more water or fizzy drinks. On the return leg, I felt like buying a pack of salted nuts so the FA had a look at her trolley and within 3 mins I was 40 baht lighter but 100 times more satisfied.