Update, October 2026: this route is gone for now
This is a 2014 flight on Thai’s Boeing 777. Thai stopped flying Brisbane to Bangkok in 2020 and, as of October 2026, hasn’t brought the route back; in 2024 the airline said it hoped to return once more of its new 787s arrive. So read the seat, food and entertainment notes below as history.
Australia trip report (2014)
On my way home from Australia I took slightly interesting route – I flew West, which is the slowest way to get home. Thankfully it also provided me more time in the air, which is where I enjoy being! I needed to get to Colombo, Sri Lanka and decided to get there via Thai Airways.
Thai flies a 777 on their Brisbane to Bangkok route and I thought it would be great opportunity to try it since the flight wasn’t particularly long. And really, I’m very glad the flight wasn’t long because I most certainly did not enjoy it.
Boarding was completed easily enough and the Business Class cabin was nearly empty – maybe only 7 passengers in a large cabin. Upon boarding I was offered a hot towel, a welcome drink option of champagne, orange juice, or water, and a selection of newspapers.
Already at the seat were a pair of noise cancelling headphones and a Borghese amenity kit. Shortly after being seated I received a menu, and my order was taken just a few minutes after that. The efficiency reminded me of Lufthansa, but with friendlier service.
After I got settled in I started to play with the in-flight entertainment. Except for one thing…my remote didn’t work. The screen itself was a touch screen so I was able to still make use of it, but the screen was pretty far from the seat and it was very uncomfortable to reach forward to make selections. I did think about using my feet, but better judgement prevailed.
I let the flight attendant know about the broken remote and she went to check something, then came back and said to give her 5-10 minutes to reset it. I’d experienced this before with other airlines and this seems to be the go-to solution.
The food service started and since I wasn’t particularly hungry, I declined the first course. I know…not very blogger-like, but I just didn’t feel like ordering something just for the picture.
After waiting 10+ minutes, I asked another flight attendant about my IFE since I was getting a bit bored in my seat (the first FA didn’t pass by again, otherwise I would have asked her). She disappeared into the front galley and a third flight attendant came by to let me know that they “told the boss” and they’re resetting it for me.
This time I saw the screen reset, but then realized the reset everyone’s screen in the cabin since I had a slight view of other screens. I felt bad since many people were in the middle of their own movies and shows! My remote still had the same “top gear” text that was displayed from the start, so I started to figure it was going to be broken for the duration of the flight. I didn’t really want to switch seats but figured I’d have to.
Sure enough, the remote did not work. Oddly enough I don’t think I was the only one having this problem. Although I couldn’t hear the conversation, the FA spoke with the guy behind me and proceeded to test the system in the seat across the aisle from me, which was apparently working. I eventually switched seats to the opposite side of the cabin where the IFE did work.
I then proceeded to watch The Lego Movie, which was AWESOME.
Food also continued to be served as my IFE drama unfolded. I mentioned I skipped the first course, and the second was brought out in a tray that looked straight from Economy. The Caesar salad was alright, minus the croutons that were soft and not crunchy. The garlic bread was room temperature as well, and even my Coke Zero tasted funny. So far I was not at all impressed, and it looked like I was in for a long flight.
My main course was brought out in an again Economy-style dish. For it being a longer flight, it sure looked like they treated it as a regional flight with regional-style food. The beef and rice were just OK, and the mushrooms and leeks were flat out gross. I had another piece of bread that was also cold and not very good.
After the main course was picked up, I was brought a fruit, veggies, and cheese plate. Thankfully this one tasted as it should. The dessert was also gross, which was a terrible way to end the meal.
The meal was terribly disappointing and I couldn’t wait to get to Bangkok to have a decent meal!
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