Bangkok Airways A319 Blue Ribbon Club (Business Class) Review BKK to Samui

This is sort of an update of a Review I did a few years ago of Bangkok Airway's A319 Economy Class https://www.patstravelreviews.com/post/bangkok-airways-atr-72-a319-review-from-phuket-samui-bangkok. I reviewed it as the pandemic was coming to an end and PG (Bangkok Air) was only flying aircraft with an all-Economy layout. Now that the pandemic is history, Bangkok Airways is back to flying both versions of their A319's. The Economy Class version that I reviewed and the two-class configuration with both Economy & Business. My wife and I were lucky enough to be back in Thailand flying to Samui and I decided to try their Business Class out.

Bangkok Airways promotes themselves as Asia's Boutique Airlines. They are a full-service airline and have a fleet of 22 aircraft. Their ATR72's & A320 are only fitted with Economy Class and about half of their A319's are also one-class aircraft. So that only leaves a handful of planes that have the Blue Ribbon Club seats. Therefore, it appears they only use these planes on a few of their international routes like to the Maldives, Singapore, Hong Kong plus the Samui - BKK route.

I have actually flown Bangkok Airways Blue Ribbon Business Class in the past, but that was several years ago (within Thailand and to Cambodia). I remember being very impressed with their service then and had recently heard (or read) they are still serving a hot meal in Business on the 55 minute flight between BKK & USM. That along with the minimal fare difference and my curiosity motivated me to buy a Business Class ticket over Economy. I was also curious if the Lounge experience was different flying Business compared to Economy as Bangkok Airways provides Lounge access to all passengers at BKK (and Chang Mai & Phuket). Business Class passengers (and those that pay) can access their Blue Ribbon Club Lounge. It is located in Concourse A near their all-access Boutique Lounge at BKK in the Domestic departure area (PG also have Lounges in the International departure area, Concourse D). The Blue Ribbon Club Lounge is a bit more private, has more food options, and has a couple Massage Chairs. It’s definitely nicer than the Boutique Lounge, though not dramatically so… which honestly says more about how good the regular Boutique Lounge already is.

Check-in was very easy at BKK. There is a dedicated line for Blue Ribbon Club passengers and Premier Plus/Premier members. Our gate was a little bit of a walk from the Lounge. By the time we arrived they just started boarding. Business Class passengers boarded after those that needed special assistance. A warm greeting by both flight attendants.

The flight attendant uniforms are quite casual, reminding me of the style Thai Airways used with its low-cost subsidiary, Thai Smile, a few years ago. Business Class consists of three rows, with 12 seats in total, while Economy has 108 seats. We were seated in row 2 (2A and 2C). Although the seats feel a little dated, they are very spacious, offering more than 45 inches of seat pitch and a generous width of over 20 inches (I read somewhere 22"). The bulkhead seats have about the same room as the other two seats. The seats are upholstered in light-blue fabric and come with adjustable headrests. In rows 2 and 3, each seat has two generously sized seatback pockets for storage, while the bulkhead seats have a much smaller pocket built into the wall. There’s also a small compartment on the side of the center armrest that provides extra storage. Not sure if that was its original purpose? On the front of the center armrest, you’ll find a power outlet (plug only) along with a small storage bin. The leg rest can be raised and extended slightly and has a significant recline. Because the pitch is so generous the forward seat will not infringe to much into your space if fully reclined. The seat controls are conveniently located on the outer armrest. The overheads are large enough to fit a standard rollaboard, but you need to put them in sideways.

After settling in one of the flight attendants offered a pre-departure drink of cold water or juice. Champagne was not an option, and I am not sure whether any alcohol was served onboard at all. A chilled refresher towel packet (was cloth towel) accompanied the drink. Knowing that a meal would be served on this short flight and assuming there would only be one option (which turned out to be true), I decided to pre-order a Fruit Plate for my wife in case seafood was the only choice. I don’t like seafood and she does. Fortunately, Chicken Teriyaki & Friend Rice were served for lunch instead and as I suspected she slept and didn't eat either meal. So, I enjoyed both meals, The Fruit dish had three different fruit servings, and the Chicken was very good. A simple meal, but one I enjoyed immensely. I can't say I enjoyed the Dessert as much. In fact, I am not even sure what it was. After the meals the flight attendants (one served while the other prepared behind the curtain) managed to offer Tea or Coffee to the twelve passengers.

Years ago, Bangkok Airways offered In-flight Entertainment (IFE) in Business, with monitors built in the center armrest. However, when the Pandemic hit, the airline chose to remove them. They also do not have Wi-Fi on board. Something in this day & age that is somewhat expected (I was too busy eating to care ;)). Additionally, there were no blankets waiting at the seat upon boarding, although very nice ones were available if you requested them. There is one standard Lav forward for Blue Ribbon customers and two in the rear. Announcements were in Thai & English.

I enjoy visiting Thailand for many reasons, one of them getting the chance to fly Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways on domestic routes. In some ways, it feels like stepping back in time to a more refined era of aviation service. Unfortunately, Bangkok Airways only has a few aircraft equipped with the Blue Ribbon configuration, so the experience is limited. It would be great to see this service offered on routes like Bangkok - Phuket and other popular routes within Thailand. There is some encouraging news, though: Thai Airways has reconfigured its Thai Smile A320s with larger proper Business Class seats.