As "innocuous" as this question may seem, I often see it asked on Facebook groups and forums about Thailand, as well as opinions on this or that company. So I thought, why not do a little overview of the different connections and companies available to get your stay in Thailand off to a good start!
To complement this article, I've already discussed your rights in case of a delayed, cancelled, or overbooked flight ; feel free to take a look 😉
Gulf Companies
By Gulf companies, we can include all those companies that have their headquarters in the Arabian Peninsula. These companies offer some of the best value for money to get to Thailand, with the advantage of having a stopover about halfway. Among these companies, we can broadly include:
- Emirates
- Etihad
- Qatar Airways
- Oman Air
- Gulf Air
My very first trip was in 2006. At that time, I chose a very young Gulf company, Etihad, the United Arab Emirates company, based more precisely in Abu Dhabi (its "sister" company, Emirates, also from the Emirates, is based in Dubai).
This choice was mainly dictated by the cost of this trip, but also by looking at the reputation of the company. Etihad had only existed for 3 years, but already had very positive reviews at the time. And this first experience was all the more good because, as I knew I was going to make a few round trips in the coming months, I immediately took out a subscription card with them.
And it was a good initiative, since in doing so, I was lucky enough to be upgraded several times during these 2 years that I remained loyal to Etihad, knowing that I was making round trips every 3 months or so. Traveling alone and the company being regularly overbooked at that time (I don't know about recently), I was able to test the luxury of business class.
Their planes were brand new, the staff, smiling and very attentive for the most part. The stopover was in Abu Dhabi, after about 6 hours of flight, there was about the same to arrive in Bangkok. Practical, because it cuts the trip in 2, it allows you to stretch your legs without getting bored, because these are generally short stopovers, around 1h30-2h.
Afterwards, I suspect my opinion was partially biased since I had simply never traveled on a long-haul flight and was just floating on air, in "everyone is wonderful" mode. However, even 10 years later, Etihad remains quite well-rated, even if it no longer appears in the top 10 airlines, unlike its competitors Qatar Airways, the best airline in the world in 2019, or Emirates, which was 5th that year ( see the airline rankings on the official Skytrax website ).
When the time came to settle in Thailand, I had to wait another five years before flying back to Europe… And this time, it was with two different airlines. 2013 was a bit of a special year, as we went to Sri Lanka together on the outbound journey, and I continued my trip to France via Emirates, taking advantage of the stopover in Dubai to visit the city.
On the return journey, I used Qatar Airways to join my other half in Calcutta to visit a part of India before heading to Thailand (quite a journey, especially since I passed through Amsterdam in between!).
Qatar Airways is a company that regularly holds the top spot in the world in terms of best company (it was in 2011, 2012, 2015 and again in 2019).
And without being expensive (the advantage of the Gulf countries, which can have cheap kerosene), it is an excellent company and to date a safe bet. In addition to the competitive price and its recognized service, Qatar has the advantage of offering the possibility of flying without necessarily landing in Bangkok and without necessarily leaving from Paris.
A concrete example, it is possible to make a Nice – Phuket flight with only a stopover in Doha (in Qatar, therefore where the company is based), in this case, you can find flights for less than €600. A Nice – Bangkok can be found for less than €500, which is even cheaper than a Paris – Bangkok on the same dates tested.
After flights with only one stopover are limited, but in absolute terms it is possible to make a flight with a final city such as Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi or even Pattaya, which often includes an additional stopover in Bangkok (but not always, I have seen return flights with only one stopover to make a Krabi – Paris).
Even with an additional stopover, Qatar, through partnership, can therefore take care of your trip from several provincial cities, which can be one less headache. After seeing if it's worth it by making the report, travel time + cost in combo or independently of the company.
With all that, Qatar is not my favorite airline to date, even if it comes down to very little... I tend to slightly prefer Emirates, which is also often in first place on the podium (already crowned in 2001 and 2002 and more recently in 2013 and 2016, and still in a nice 4th place last year).
I can't say whether it was the staff who seemed more attentive to me, the stopover in Dubai, unique, but it was also with this company that I spent my stay in France 2 years ago.
But since the price remains an important argument, it is again with Qatar Airways that I will return the next time in France... In both cases, I had setbacks with these companies which did not really influence my general impression.
Concerning Qatar, it was a delay on my Paris-Doha flight that made me miss my connection to Calcutta, but which was rather well managed, making me land in New Delhi and follow on a flight of the Indian company Jet Airways to Calcutta, at their expense, because the delay was their responsibility.
Regarding Emirates, I was in Dubai that year in the midst of chaos, as one of the company's planes had caught fire on a runway while making an emergency landing without its landing gear…
Some were stuck for 12 hours... Luckily, I was at a destination with a lot of connections and got away with a slight delay from Paris, which resulted in the distribution of a voucher for free food while waiting, so pretty nice, and only a 2 hour delay in Dubai, despite a total lack of information and support for passengers who were a bit lost about the rest of their journey.
Not yet tested, but with rather positive reviews, we also find Oman Air, a company from the country of the same name which borders the Emirates and Gulf Air, an airline from Bahrain, a small island in the Persian Gulf (northwest of Qatar).
Direct flights to Thailand
To my knowledge, there are only two companies offering direct flights between Paris and Bangkok (or even Phuket):
Thai Airways, the national company, which has a solid reputation, but unfortunately has been in great financial difficulty in recent years... So keep an eye on it because liquidation is not far away...
Air France, yes, cocorico, our “dear” company which has its ups and downs, offers daily flights to Bangkok.
These are two companies that I have never tested… Firstly because personally, I like to make a stopover, it allows you to take a breath, walk and possibly discover new airports. And the other reason, the main argument, remains the cost.
A direct flight will tend to be more expensive than flights with stopovers. However, the difference is sometimes not very big and it can be worth it if you prefer a direct flight. Thai Airways has a very good reputation (2nd worldwide in 2007, 10th in 2019) and will allow you to start your Thailand experience from the beginning.
Regarding Air France, if you collect the miles, it remains a decent and reliable choice, but I admit to being so exasperated by their repeated strikes that I would have difficulty in recommending it in any case...
If you have the option of departing from somewhere other than Paris, such as those near the Swiss border, it's possible to find direct Zurich-Bangkok flights with SWISS. Alternatively, Air France's partner airline, KLM, offers direct flights from Amsterdam to Bangkok.
Other airlines
If we look at the top of the table, some companies often return or remain in the top. If you see attractive rates with companies like:
- Turkish Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Singapore Airlines
- Eva Air
- Lufthansa (more mixed opinion)
These airlines often offer attractive rates (because in the end, that's what counts too) and the reviews are unanimous, you won't have to worry about their services. An alternative would also be Lufthansa, in a good position in the world top, but the reviews are more mixed according to users.
Concerning Turkish Airlines, there again, there is the possibility of avoiding going through Paris, there are for example flights Toulouse – Bangkok with a stopover in Istanbul. Test all the possibilities, but provincial cities are not always neglected!
Of these airlines other than the Gulf carriers, the only one I've tried is Aeroflot, a Russian airline . It doesn't have a great reputation. However, when I flew with them in 2014, their planes were new in both directions, the staff did their job properly, and even the meals were quite decent.
The stopover in Moscow went off without a hitch. The only downside was on the way there, the entertainment system (for movies/games etc.) was down… A bit annoying when you're taking a 10-hour flight from Bangkok to Moscow, it's still long.
How to choose your flight?
I will often look at a flight comparison site like Skyscanner for example to give me an idea of prices on the desired dates.
From there, the price is not the only argument, otherwise this article would make no sense and I would just tell you "take the cheapest, we don't care!!"
Among the cheapest airlines, you'll often find Chinese carriers like China Eastern or even Air China , which don't have a very good reputation. However, since it can be confusing, it's always a good idea to Google the airline's name + reviews, and you'll find sites like this one (in English only, but it can give you an idea of an airline's overall rating).
Looking at this website, despite the similar name, you'll notice that China Southern actually has a rather excellent reputation. Upon closer examination, some of the negative reviews seem exaggerated, but it gives you a general idea. If you're particularly meticulous, you can corroborate these reviews with another similar website in French, which notably provides airline rankings.
Other airlines that often appear in flight searches include Finnair , which has mixed reviews. However, airlines mentioned in this article, such as Gulf Air and Oman Air, also appear. For our Swiss friends, there's also Swiss Air , which offers flights. These aren't necessarily the cheapest, but in my opinion, they offer the best compromise in terms of price, comfort, and layover length.
These are all the points that in my eyes will make me choose the airline. Another detail that also counts, the type of plane, to choose if I can, I like to fly in A380 (which will unfortunately disappear) because they are more comfortable at the level of the legs so I often look at what type of plane will make the trip, generally speaking, I prefer to fly in Airbus than Boeing, question of personal preference.
And you, a particular method of choice? A favorite company to recommend? Tell me in the comments!
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