Still a good way to fly

I respect Nigel Pike’s comments, but my experience is quite the opposite. I still find that Thai Airways is far superior to the other airlines when it comes to travel within Thailand. Queuing at check-in is “smooth as silk” and buying tickets at the airport (I use Chiang Mai) couldn’t be simpler.

Check-in queues for Thai are usually extremely short compared to its competitors, from what I have observed. Flight departures are made very clear via the large-screen TVs located everywhere, including at the boarding gates, so there’s no need for those annoying announcements that are always hard to hear and understand.

People wanting alcohol on a domestic flight has always concerned me. Surely they can imbibe at the end of the journey rather than during, whether they travel in business class or economy. The flight times are usually short, so I question whether the demand justifies the need and I support Thai Airways in its decision not to serve drinks. I have always felt that seatback TVs are for international travellers, so again I question the need for using them on short domestic trips.

I was a business traveller  and, if I needed electronic entertainment, I would use my laptop, which most regular business-class travellers prefer.

I do have one question about local air travel, though. I recently needed to buy two tickets at short notice for a return flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Online it would have cost Bt12,000, but at the Thai ticket office at the airport, I paid only Bt8,600. I always thought it was cheaper to buy online, but in the last year or two this hasn’t been my experience. I would be interested to hear other people’s experiences on this point.

Steve Marsh

Chiang Mai