Full Class Business Class.

When Mr Walkabout suggested that he wanted to fly Business Class to Europe, dollar signs rung up in my eyeballs just like in the cartoons. I wasn’t about to come across money, and with a month in Europe ahead of us I knew we’d soon be bleeding money! Business Class was not really on my radar unless we could get the flight using our frequent flyer points. But for anyone that’s tried to find premium class flights with points – yeah, good luck with that!

MW is a big boy and the idea of being able to lie flat and stretch his legs out has always been an attractive alternative to flying Economy on long-haul flights. But, like me, many people ask whether Business Class is really worth the expense. So, let me give you a brief run-down of my first experience flying Long Haul Business Class and maybe it might help you answer the question for yourself.

The Detail

Carrier: Thai Airways, Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Journey: Melbourne to Istanbul via Bangkok, and return

Cost: while flight prices change all of the time this flight in shoulder season was more than AUD$2,000-$3,000 cheaper on a return flight than the supposed premium carriers (Singapore Airlines, Etihad, Emirates, Qantas)

Why Thai?: Reasonable price, good reputation, completely lie-flat beds, short flight time and one stopover of only a few hours.

Ease of booking and customer service

When searching flights, we looked at price, stop over, length of stop over and total flight time to our destination. We balanced out the cheaper flights with the shorter flight time, which is usually more expensive and we wanted an airline with a good reputation. We used various different consolidator sites Skyscanner, Webjet, Kayak to narrow down our options then tried to make our booking. We found various examples of clickbait where the end price was substantially different to the starting price and found examples where mixed class flights were hidden in the detail – so not good value at all. Often checking flights direct with the airline websites resulted in significantly higher prices.

In the end we found the flight we wanted at discount site Aunt Betty (owned by the large Australian travel brand Flight Centre), booked and paid and the booking quickly transferred across to the Thai Airways portal for us to manage it. Thai Airways is a member airline of Star Alliance loyalty scheme, and our booking included complimentary access to Business Class (or equivalent) lounges in all our flight locations.

Seat, comfort and amenities

Seats
Our seats were in the centre of the cabin on both of our flights, with the Business Class cabin being configured as 1 – 2 – 1 across, although the 2 seat configuration still provided you with your own individual compartment. The seats were spacious, with great leg room when seated upright and surrounding you was your own private little ‘capsule’ with lots of compartments for your belongings, which meant that you didn’t sit in close proximity to anyone. You also had your own privacy wall to pull up if you wanted to really separate yourself from your neighbour.

When it was time to sleep, the seats converted to a fully flat sleeping position. It seemed that most passengers slept comfortably however I felt the hum of the plane in my ear and every little flight movement when I lay my head down flat so it was a little uncomfortable for me. I have suffered from vertigo in the past and find that my head is very sensitive to movement and noise, so it’s most likely my problem and most people wouldn’t notice. Still, I managed get a bit of sleep and have a much better rest than sitting upright. It was also great to completely stretch your legs out.

The only other thing which I didn’t really like is that all seats were slightly angled (herringbone style) pointing towards the centre of the plane, not directly forwards, but I suppose this configuration made the most of the limited space. It did, however, make me feel slightly disoriented upon take off when I wasn’t facing forward, and I didn’t have a window seat to look out of.

Amenities
Blankets, pillows and slippers were provided, along with headphones and a Thai silk toiletries kit containing toothpaste, brush, hand cream, lip balm, perfume, etc. On your side table were handmade petit fours in a box which resembled miniature fruit. A lovely touch. You also had your very own overhead compartment for your carry-on luggage – no jostling with other passengers for space to fit your bag.

In-flight entertainment
The in-flight entertainment consisted of on-demand current movies, music, podcasts etc. There were also cameras attached to the plane’s tail and body which live streamed the flight, along with all the flight tracking data.

Food and drinks

A glass of French champagne was on offer as soon as you walked into the cabin. Also on offer was their signature cocktail Rose of the Royal Voyage (French champagne, rose syrup and slice of lime) and a selection of cocktails, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Mr. W probably tried every French wine on the menu! For me the glass of champagne set the scene for an amazing food experience.

Some examples of what we enjoyed were:
Snacks and amuse-bouche – whipped feta with compressed watermelon on skewer, a chunk of smoked salmon and pickled cucumber on cracker, prosciutto with fennel and apple salad, king prawn salad, a jar of caviar with buttered bread….
Breakfast – I chose the whole lobster tail with sambal and pad thai noodles, followed by fruit salad, yogurt, croissants and assorted pastries on-demand. Lobster for breakfast, how decadent! The lobster tail was huge and perfectly cooked. There were also standard breakfast choices like scrambled eggs, cereals and so on, if you preferred.
Lunch – braised pork belly in Thai Tae-Po curry with jasmine rice and prawn cakes. The pork belly was so tender and the curry, to die for!
Dinner – fillet beef and roasted veg with a peppercorn sauce. Dessert was a chocolate lava cake with raspberry coulis (assorted breads, rolls and garlic bread was offered at each lunch and dinner service)
Anytime snacking – available the whole flight, large choice of hot and cold meals, cheeses etc.

If I had to list one negative observation about the food, it would have to be that there was way too much. So much food when you spend so many hours sitting or sleeping seems a bit unnecessary – I’m a big eater but I completely skipped one meal time because I started feeling sluggish and bloated.

In-flight service

We had a fantastic experience. The in-flight service was excellent. Meals were served with a white linen table cloth and your flight attendant would come and discuss the menu with you, take your order and then introduce each meal before placing it on your table. Nothing was a bother, and every request was met with the smile and warmth Thai people are known for. In fact, some of the flight attendants seemed genuinely concerned if you declined your dessert or snack, or another piece of warm garlic bread!

Rating and summing up

Is it worth the cost?
It’s difficult to quantify such an experience, and the extra leg room and lie-flat bed does contribute to you arriving at your destination well-rested and somewhat refreshed. However, I don’t believe that any Business Class flights are worth the cost now. In the last few years, Business Class flights have more than doubled in price. It seems that airlines have taken advantage of the fact that people’s idea of air travel and holidays has drastically changed since Covid. There are far more people travelling than ever before, and spending big on it. Our Business Class cabin was full on both flights and the passengers seemed a lot younger than what you would expect. So, with people prepared to pay the money and demand not decreasing anytime soon, the question is: how much do you really want it and at what price point do you bow out and choose to fly premium economy or economy? It’s a personal decision.

Would I fly Thai Airways Business Class again?
Yes. Definitely. A great experience overall.

Mrs Wanderer
July 2025