A 747 First Class You Can Never Fly Again — Thai Airways Royal

October 2017. Flight TG659. Thai Airways Boeing 747-400 Royal First Class. Seoul Incheon to Bangkok, seat 2K. Dom Perignon, a Rimowa amenity kit, a 180-degree lie-flat bed, a full-course meal served one dish at a time. This aircraft made its final commercial flight in March 2020 and has since been fully retired. This is a record of an airplane nobody can ever board again, and a seat that no longer exists anywhere in the world.

A First Class Seat for $1,300 — The Decision That Started It All

Thai Airways Royal First Class on the Boeing 747-400 was typically priced around $2,200 round-trip on the Seoul–Bangkok route, but a holiday fare sale in October 2017 brought it down to roughly $1,300. With Korean Air economy tickets running around $1,000 due to the Chuseok holiday rush, paying just $300 more for first class was a no-brainer.

Honestly though, the value wasn't the only reason. When I landed in Bangkok that day, I was going to meet my now-wife for the very first time. A special day called for a special seat. And that's how my very first time in first class happened.

Thai Airways uses the Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge at Incheon Airport. I would have loved to review the lounge too, but this was back in 2017 and I have zero photos left from it. So this review starts from the moment I stepped on the plane.

Boeing 747-400 Retrofitted First Class — First Impressions

The Boeing 747-400 is an aircraft whose design lineage traces back to the 1960s. But stepping into this cabin, you'd never guess it. Thai Airways completely overhauled the first class section in 2012, reducing the layout from 10 seats to 9, adding partitions around each seat to create private suites. A 23-inch monitor, wood-tone console, and a single fresh orchid beside every seat. I'd walked in expecting something dated, so the moment I sat down, my expectations got completely flipped upside down.

The monitor displayed a welcome message in Thai. An orchid motif with purple and gold clouds across the screen. It matched the tone of the real orchid tucked into the console right next to it. That kind of cohesive aesthetic detail — it's something only a Thai airline would pull off.

Welcome Drink and the Flight Attendant's English

The moment I sat down, a flight attendant offered me a welcome drink. I asked what they had, she rattled off the options, and I picked apple juice. It came with a warm towel, both placed neatly on the console. What really caught me off guard was her English. There was almost no Thai accent at all. She sounded like she could've been American. Thai Airways clearly assigns a different caliber of crew to their Royal First Class cabin.

I had four or five windows all to myself. In economy you're side-eyeing the person next to you over a single window, but here the entire Incheon Airport tarmac stretched out in front of me like a panoramic screen. In a few hours I'd have to step off this plane and meet someone for the first time, but until then, this view was entirely mine.

Seat Controller and Blanket

There's a touchscreen controller built into the armrest. It displays the Thai Airways logo with traditional Thai patterns, and from there you can adjust the recline, lighting, and monitor. There are also physical buttons along the bottom edge.

Tapping the touchscreen brings up a seat position menu. Takeoff mode, dining mode, sleep mode, reading light — all laid out as icons, which is intuitive enough. But the panel was installed in 2012, so the screen resolution looks a bit rough by today's standards. Sitting next to the 23-inch main monitor, you can really feel the generational gap between the two screens.

The blanket came individually sealed in vinyl. Gold-colored with the Thai Airways logo and a tracking number printed on the packaging. Even before unwrapping it, the weight told you this wasn't some flimsy throw — it was seriously thick.

The Menu Book and Wine List

Out came a leather-bound menu book. Drinks and meals were in separate sections, and the wine list was surprisingly thick for a regional route.

For a Seoul-to-Bangkok route that's barely over 5 hours, this lineup could hold its own against any long-haul first class wine list.

The In-Flight Meal Menu

The top of the meal menu read "Seoul – Bangkok." They design a separate menu for each route.

The Rimowa Amenity Kit

The amenity kit was a miniature Rimowa suitcase-shaped pouch — one of those collectible airline amenity kits that aviation enthusiasts go crazy for. The Thai Airways logo was embossed on top, and from the moment I tore open the plastic wrap, it was clear this wasn't something you use once and toss. I still use it at home as a small accessories pouch to this day.

Inside: Evian facial mist, a toothbrush and toothpaste set, socks, and a pen. Everything you'd need during the flight was in there.

Takeoff, and a Flight I Wished Would Last 20 Hours

We took off. The airshow map appeared on the 23-inch monitor — 3,628 km to Bangkok. The flight path traced southward as we left Incheon behind.

I genuinely wished this 5-hour flight were 20 hours long. I was about to meet someone for the first time once we landed, and I felt this strange mix of nerves and excitement. I just wanted a little more time in this seat to settle my thoughts.

Shortly after takeoff, a flight attendant rolled out the wine cart. The ice bucket was loaded — champagne, red, white, the works. I don't drink alcohol, so I just took photos. Having Dom Perignon sitting right in front of me and not being able to drink it was honestly the only real regret of this entire flight.

I slipped on the provided slippers and stretched my legs out. The seat pitch is 76 inches. My feet didn't even come close to touching the wall in front. Economy class is typically 31–32 inches, so this was more than double the space. With my legs propped up on the gold blanket and the sky outside the window, I could feel the tension slowly start to melt away.

First Class In-Flight Meal — The Multi-Course Experience Begins

In first class, the in-flight meal isn't a tray with everything crammed together — it's a proper multi-course dining experience served one plate at a time. The first dish was chicken satay, placed alone on a gold-rimmed plate. In business class, everything comes on a single tray and you're done. Here, it was a full restaurant-style course service at 35,000 feet.

I noticed a flight attendant approach the passenger across the aisle and ask, "Would you like me to take your photo?" She took his phone and snapped the picture herself. These crew members smiled differently. It wasn't the kind of professional, go-through-the-motions smile — it felt genuinely warm, like they were enjoying themselves. People call Thailand the Land of Smiles, and I'd never really understood that until this flight.

Table Setting

A male flight attendant pulled a table out from the wall and unfolded it. It's a fold-out design, but when fully extended, it's surprisingly big.

Right after, a female attendant draped a white tablecloth over it. I'd never seen a tablecloth being laid on a table inside an airplane before.

Here's the full table setup for the first course. White tablecloth, gold-rimmed plates, silver cutlery, bread basket, butter, salt and pepper. One wine glass. I'd told them I don't drink, but the attendant said this particular wine really pairs well with the course and gently offered just one glass. I accepted.

First Course and Soup

The first course plate. Skewered chicken, pickled lotus root, burdock-wrapped eel roll, almond shrimp cake, egg cake, and Japanese-style grilled taro with miso. Each item was arranged on a banana leaf, plated at a level that could easily pass for a high-end Thai restaurant. A small bowl on the side held a vinegar seafood salad. The whole thing was a Thai-Japanese fusion, and remarkably, there was none of that usual soggy airline food texture — every flavor was sharp and distinct. I thought the portion was small, but this was only the beginning.

The bread basket had whole wheat rolls, brioche, and grissini, all served warm. The garlic bread, though — that was next-level. Butter and herbs had soaked all the way through, crisped up perfectly, and it was honestly the best bread I've ever had on a plane.

Basil tomato soup. Tomato acidity layered with basil aroma, thick but smooth on the way down. It felt like a palate cleanser that pulled together all the different flavors from the courses before. Dipping that garlic bread into this soup was the perfect combination.

The Main Course — Pork Medallion

The main event. Out of the three options I went with the Western choice — a pork tenderloin wrapped in speck (Italian smoked prosciutto) and grilled, served with Pommery boletus sauce alongside potato gnocchi, sautéed asparagus, and grilled cherry tomatoes.

The cross-section tells the story. The speck wraps tightly around the meat, locking in all the juices. Cut into it and the inside is moist, with a smoky flavor that complements the mildness of the pork really well. That said, the salt level was a bit aggressive. Speck is inherently salty, so eating it without the sauce hit pretty hard on the sodium.

The gnocchi were seared crispy on the outside, and the asparagus still had a nice crunch to it. Popping a cherry tomato released a burst of acidity that helped balance out the saltiness. The sauce was a Pommery mustard and porcini mushroom base — a subtle kick from the mustard with that deep porcini umami layered right behind it. Spooned over the salty meat, it brought everything into balance.

The main course shot from the window side. Natural light streaming in made the colors pop. Brown, green, yellow, red — all neatly arranged on the gold-rimmed plate. It looked as composed as something from a proper restaurant kitchen.

Dessert, and the Happiest Kind of Struggle

Fruit and cheese platter. Pomelo, melon, apple, and pear on one side; blue cheese, brie, and cheddar with celery and carrot sticks on the other. The melon was carved into an elephant shape — traditional Thai fruit carving, an actual art form in Thailand.

I'll be honest: at this point I was about to explode. From the satay to the soup, the bread, the main — the food had been coming nonstop and the portions were no joke. I'd gotten all of this on a $1,300 deal, so leaving anything felt like a waste. But physically, I didn't know if I could eat another bite. The happiest kind of struggle.

I was sitting there trying to digest when the attendant appeared again with what she called a "special drink." Orange juice in a champagne flute. On the console, the glass of red wine they'd poured earlier — the one I'd accepted but never actually drank — was still sitting there untouched. They'd recommended wine to a non-drinker, let the untouched glass just be, and then on top of that brought another drink. Thai Airways Royal First Class never stops giving you something.

Traditional Thai Desserts and Coffee

The final course. Three traditional Thai sweets and a cup of coffee, served on a gold-rimmed plate.

The yellow one wrapped in banana leaf was khanom sai — a traditional Thai steamed dessert infused with coconut milk and pandan leaf. The clear cup was a coconut pudding, though honestly it was a bit bland. Not very sweet, more snack than dessert. The mini tart was custard topped with a cherry, and the contrast between the crispy shell and the smooth custard was nice. Fair warning: the khanom sai might be hit-or-miss if you're not familiar with pandan leaf aroma.

Having traditional Thai desserts and a Western-style tart on the same plate felt like a microcosm of the entire meal's concept. Thai, Western, and Korean flavors blended together across the courses, but none of them got watered down.

After-dinner coffee. A porcelain cup on a gold-rimmed saucer, filled with black coffee. The taste was ordinary — airplane coffee is always airplane coffee. But the cup and saucer gave it an atmosphere it didn't quite earn on flavor alone.

Even the bottled water was Evian, 500ml. The label had Thai script on it — a locally distributed version.

Lie-Flat Bed, and Service That Reads Your Mind

A 180-degree lie-flat seat on a plane was something I'd never experienced before this flight. It's not a seat — it's a bed. The attendant took this photo of me lying under the gold blanket with the remote in one hand. It was the first fully flat bed I'd ever tried in the air, and it genuinely felt like a hotel bed.

In a few hours I'd be meeting a complete stranger face to face, but this blanket was so comfortable that the nerves faded away for a while.

While I was lying down, a flight attendant walked over and started lowering my window shades one by one. I hadn't asked. With four or five windows to deal with, getting up to close each one myself would've been a hassle — and she just took care of it without a word.

More than the fancy dinnerware or the multi-course meal, this single unprompted gesture — doing something before you even think to ask — is the moment from this flight that I remember most. If I had to pick one scene from the entire trip, it's this.

Time Left to Bangkok

The cabin lights went completely dark. The only glow came from the 23-inch airshow screens, and on mine, the tiny airplane icon had already crossed Vietnam and was closing in on Bangkok.

I opened my eyes and checked the airshow — we were somewhere near Da Nang. 1,120 km to Bangkok, estimated arrival 1:10 PM. Still almost 2 hours to go.

This was not a flight I wanted to end quickly.

The moment I opened my eyes, a flight attendant appeared with ice cream. How she knew I was awake, I have no idea. A glass bowl with a scoop of coconut sorbet, surrounded by pineapple, dragon fruit, mango, and grapefruit, plus a warm towel on the side. My stomach was still full from the marathon of courses earlier, and yet — here was another offering.

On the airshow screen, the airplane was right over Bangkok. Less than 10 minutes to landing. The fresh orchid beside the monitor was still perfectly vibrant, just as it had been when I first sat down nearly 6 hours earlier.

I didn't need to feel too sad about it ending, though. This was a round trip. I'd get to sit in this seat one more time on the way back. Half disappointed, half excited — that's how I stepped into Bangkok.

Suvarnabhumi — The End of 5 Hours and 50 Minutes

Suvarnabhumi Airport. I walked down the jet bridge and into Bangkok.

I wish I had more photos to share, but this was 2017 data and not everything survived the years. So this is where the visual record ends.

Two years after this flight, I'd go on to fly Korean Air's Boeing 747-8i Prestige Class. That's a story for another post.

Thai Airways Boeing 747-400 Royal First Class. A cabin with only 9 seats. Appetizers arranged on banana leaves. A melon carved into an elephant. Window shades lowered without being asked. A $1,300 holiday deal, and the flight where I was heading to meet my wife for the very first time. The airplane has been retired. That seat doesn't exist anywhere anymore. But the nerves and excitement I felt leaving Incheon at 10 AM that morning, and the way those feelings briefly melted away as I lay flat under a gold blanket — that's not something stored in photographs. My body still remembers it. To this day, it's the greatest flight of my life.

This post was originally published on https://hi-jsb.blog.