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Theairplaneguy4ever

Hello!

I thought I'd just make a quick TR on my return from Chiang Mai to Bangkok on Thai Airways.

Jumping in,

Thai Airways TG121 : Chiang Mai - Bangkok

Booking & other nonsense

This was the second last flight of the day back to Bangkok and it was convenient for our connecting flight, leaving just 4 hours to connect. Moreover, this flight was listed as a 777-200/300 on Thai's website as opposed to the other two evening flights which both displayed 777-200 on that day. Fingers crossed.

Flying time!

As usual starting with the video TR :

http://youtu.be/ffTcpdwHhyM

PS: You might wanna grab a pair of headphones for this video as I messed up the mixing for the soundtrack.

Chiang Mai Airport - CNX airport is a bit old and is stuck in the 80s and 90s as I might say. It's almost like Kochi in terms of passenger numbers as well as the overall feel. But, there is one thing different. Efficiency. Since, the people at Thailand are well aware that most people flying out of CNX are heading to Bangkok, and usually connecting to another flight as well, they've integrated the international and domestic terminal very effectively. Well, yes, India has that too, but the process is much more seamless, all you have to do is check in at the international terminal, board through the same gate as the domestic passengers, follow the signs in Bangkok and connect to your next flight. Easy!

Highlights

Rejoice! IFE was switched on! Although, headphones were not distributed. The moving map was enough for me though

Farewell Chiang Mai! I'll miss this place!

I haven't flown domestic outside India for a very long time. Others being MSP-ORD/NYC/IAH hops.

HS-TJE, "Chaiyaphum", a 777-2D7, not a 300. Missed the 773 again. We parked at the International terminal and were bused to another part of the International terminal, where domestic and international passengers were split up.

Quick comparison with Jet Airways on Chennai - Thiruvanthapuram 9W844

Now I thought I'd do this because,

MAA-TRV and CNX-BKK are pretty much the same distance and duration.

TG and 9W have (had, 9W844 has been axed) fairly similar fares on this route around 3,200 for TG and 3,300 for 9W at the time (Although, I flew 9W on a connecting ticket priced at 3.6K, COK-MAA-TRV).

They're both one of the best airlines in their respective countries. One even being among the best in the world. You know which one I mean.

Here's the video TR for the Jet flight if you'd like to watch,

http://youtu.be/emMY_cU1lEc

Seat

Jet

Thai

I found Jet's seat to be incredibly cramped and I could barely sit in it (I'm 184cm) . TG is a clear winner here even with their IFE box in the way.

Thai 1 : Jet 0

IFE

Thai trumps Jet on this, as 9W doesn't turn on their IFE on domestic routes, how nice of them. Again, there were no headphones, but I doubt you'd be able to watch anything on an hour's flight, excluding the seatbelt sign being switched on 25m before landing and being turned off 10m after takeoff.

Thai 2 : Jet 0

Meal

Jet

Thai

This is where Jet excels. Their catering is remarkable and the portions are much larger compared to TG. But, 9W don't give out any drinks apart from a sole Tea/Coffee run. Whereas, TG gave a coffee run, plus a refill, along with three drink runs! Plus a refill for that as well. Of course, selection is limited to water, pineapple juice and mixed fruit juice, but I can't think of any airline which gives four drink runs on a one hour hop.

One all.

Thai 3 : Jet 1

Crew

Again, Jet loses out here, with their crew. I found the crew on Jet to be polite and helpful, but they're not really friendly and as I've read on some other TRs, whenever serving you, they give a quick smile before hurrying back into the galley with a worried expression on their face. The crew are certainly not bad on Jet, but compared to TG? JetChildren as their called here. TG's crew are great! They are much more friendlier and open while maintaining a professional attitude. I think many of the members here will agree with that. All though I did notice they were slightly tired and sagged a bit. Still better than Jet!

Thai 4 : Jet 1

So, why am I not surprised by these results? Though, MAA-TRV isn't one of Jet's best routes in comparison to Thai's BKK-CNX, I'm sure everyone can agree that the JetExperience is pretty similar all across India. This was an internationally configured 737 for Jet as well, so no excuses that TG had the better aircraft. Overall, some very simple changes can make the difference on Jet. The simplest, being turning on the IFE. I wouldn't blame the crew too much, because the passengers on India's routes aren't the greatest. But still, Jet have a long way before becoming the best in Asia, let alone the world.

Coming back to Thai, this has had to be my best domestic flight ever, which I enjoyed a lot. I'd recommend flying Thai domestically whenever you can. It is great!

Thanks for reading this TR!

Feedback & comments appreciated.

Adi,

Theairplaneguy4ever
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India's first HD Video Trip Report Channel : www.youtube.com/Theairplaneguy4ever

jbalonso777 · Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 4:38 pm Post subject:

Hey TAG4E!
Strange that no one has replied to this wonderful TR yet, so I shall have the honour in taking pole position for this very reason Smile

Starting off with the video. Great as usual. I didn't find any defect with the sound mixing as you mentioned, or maybe I do not know much about that unique hobby! Anyways, you mentioned that this flight departed from the international terminal. What does that mean? All passengers were not entering BKK from that flight? Or does it mean that the flight carries on? (schedules mention otherwise)
The B777 RR sounds. Wow. Simply stunning!
I checked on FR24, TG121 has been operated by A333, B772/3/W aircraft of recent!

Now, to the text.
As you rightly mentioned, one of them is among the best. Doesn't that make it a bit of an unfair comparison? Yes, I agree both are best in their respective countries, but for me personally, this is a slightly steep comparison. Rolling Eyes

9W should turn on the IFE maps at least, instead of that annoying thank you message.
Agree with your point on 9W's crew. Just a few steps away from being a world class crew, that is all.

Theairplaneguy4ever · Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:34 pm Post subject:

justbala · Member Joined: 11 Jan 2007 Posts: 1898 Location: Bangalore

Theairplaneguy4ever · Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:23 pm Post subject:

stealthpilot · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 2325 Location: BLR, DXB

IMO the most painful part of writing a TR is organising the pics ..... but putting together a video TR is work x10... so awesome job!!!
I didnt find anything wrong with the audio either.

On a side note, comparing Thai on Chiang Mai-Bangkok vs. Jet on Chennai-Trivandrum isn't really fair Wink

.... altho I guess on most sectors the outcome would be the same.
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eP007

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

One of the most disappointing parts of a hectic schedule (including a lot of travel) is that I end up missing one section I love the most on this forum - trip reports, since I usually read the short articles, drop in a comment or two to satisfy my ego, and then leave the TRs for a leisurely read.
I missed two great trip reports in this hiatus: yours Adi, and Ameya's.
Once again, I first looked around for the video report, and...found the usual delights still there. Lovely self-composed music (which seamlessly blends with the report flow), superb editing, nice captures, and above all, great commentary, audio at the important points, and...leaving me yearning for more. Now, with a heart full of excitement, I turned to the written version for details. I liked the theme: the domestic trip in Thailand compared with a domestic experience in India, the former being told in a way comparing it with the latter. Very nice idea, and presentation! The old Chennai terminal brought back many memories for me. It is quite ironic that my first domestic trip on an international flight was on the same sector, MAA-TRZ-TRV on 05 Mar 2008, as IC 589. I'll join Jishnu in upping the ante to request you to hurry up with that particular trip Smile

Thanks a lot once again, for this wonderful multi-media effort - my God, this is really a labour of love.
Cheers, Sumantra.

Nimish · Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 4:02 pm Post subject:

Thanks for sharing - loved the TR - esp. the Video TR. I was cursing our IT department yesterday as the internet was really slow, but finally it "speeded up" towards late evening, and I was able to watch the video in full.

When you say "drinks run" - was that soft-drinks only, or did it include adult beverages as well?
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We miss you Nalini!

Theairplaneguy4ever · Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 2:49 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi