Culinary Journeys with Thai Airways

I have to admit, Thai Airways has to be one of my favourite carriers.

Upon boarding the aircraft, the cabin crew, all decked out in their brightly coloured traditional dress, gracefully wai passing passengers, and chirping out a resounding "Sawasdee Ka!" or "Swasdee Krub!"

What a great first impression onboard the national airline of the Kingdom of Thailand.

I really like how Thai Airways has branded their inflight cabin service as Royal Orchid Service. And they deliver this promise well. A luxurious royal purple colour and intricate orchid motifs are infused into everything onboard, from the seats to the entertainment system interface to the packaging of the drinking water to the flight attendants' uniforms.

Great job, branding team!

And I am pleased to say the excellent service I've encountered on my flights compliments the physical branding aspects very well. The cabin crew on my flights consistently are polite and show enthusiasm about their work. I have noted that Thai Airways cabin crew possess excellent language skills - displaying a very fluent command of English (sometimes, with an accent giving away their overseas education background). I also noticed on many of my flights, cabin crew members who can converse in Mandarin.

One of my deepest impressions of Thai Airways' excellent hospitality is during the Economy Class meal service, the cabin crew actively offer wine refills from the bottle (on a short 2 hour flight between Bangkok and Singapore, nonetheless!). On another occasion, the cabin crew actively offer extra breadrolls to the passengers from a basket. Though this might be a common procedure in Business Class, it is quite extraordinary in Economy Class. What strong dedication towards the satisfaction of their passengers!

Speaking of meal service, what really stands out for me in Thai Airways is their excellent catering standard. Even in Economy Class, meals are carefully designed to reflect the strong aromatic flavours of Thai cuisine. I can attest to that for sure. I have enjoyed authentic Thai cuisine such as Sautéed Snapper with Basil and Chilli, and Beef Curry Pa-naeng onboard Thai Airways Economy Class!

What I like about Thai Airways catering is the great diversity of ingredients (including lotus seeds, lotus root, dried sweet beef slices, basil leaves, sliced chilli, and the list goes on) and the adventurous gravies and curries used in the cooking, going beyond what many other airlines are willing to experiment. Strong flavours are definitely a hallmark of Thai Airways inflight meals, which easily put meals served by fellow Star Alliance member Singapore Airlines to shame. (I don't think I can stomach another bland portion of fish with potatoes or chicken with potatoes, however the sweet Singapore Girl tries to convince otherwise!) But perhaps that's me, I do love strong flavours in my food. If you are sensitive to spicy flavours, it would be really wise to check with the cabin crew on your Thai Airways flight on your meal option!

Just take a look at some of the meals I have had on my flights with Thai Airways. They definitely bring back the oh-so-good memories! Aroi Mak Mak!

It is great to know that Thai Airways uses sustainable produce in their ingredients from the Royal Projects in Northern Thailand, which also provides a livelihood to the local farmers. Feel good about what you eat!

As the saying goes, the way to the man's heart is through his stomach. I can't agree any less! Thai Airways have certainly won my heart through the memorable culinary journeys I have had with them. I can't wait to dine onboard Thai Airways again.

Full flight reviews of my Thai Airways flights are linked here for your viewing pleasure.

Thai Airways flight TG404 from Singapore to Bangkok

Operated with the Boeing 777-300ER