Thai AirAsia X to launch Brisbane-Bangkok flights

Thai AirAsia X to launch Brisbane-Bangkok flights

Up to 120,000 bonus Points - American Express® Westpac Altitude Black Bundle Ad

Enjoy up to 120,000 bonus Qantas or Altitude Points when you apply for the two-card bundle, are approved and meet the minimum spend of $3k for each card - Westpac Altitude Black Mastercard and the American Express Westpac Altitude Black Card. T&Cs apply. Minimum spend. Click here to apply.

by Chris Chamberlin | February 7, 2019

Brisbane travellers will have a new way to reach Thailand from June 25 2019 when Thai AirAsia X kicks off non-stop flights between Bangkok and the Queensland capital.

Using an Airbus 330 aircraft, the airline's business class experience is sold as 'Premium Flatbed', offering angled-flat seats in a cosy two-row, 12-seat cabin, arranged in a 2-2-2 layout:

Despite AirAsia more commonly being known as a low-cost airline, Premium Flatbed passengers receive complimentary inflight meals and drinks, 40kg of checked baggage, inflight entertainment, airport perks like priority check-in, boarding and baggage delivery, and more.

AusBT review: AirAsia X Airbus A330 Premium Flatbed class (Kuala Lumpur-Sydney)

Running from Brisbane four times per week and bound for Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport (DMK), flight XJ311 will be wheels-up at 12:50pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, reaching the Thailand national capital at 7:10pm local time.

From Bangkok, XJ310 will fly to Brisbane at 11:40pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, touching down at 11:35am the following calendar day.

Star Alliance member Thai Airways already flies between Brisbane and Bangkok's main Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), but in recent times has pared its own service back to four flights per week, with Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff commenting that Thailand as a destination is currently "underserved" from Brisbane.

Thai Airways has also twice downgraded the business class experience for Brisbane travellers in recent years, from the earlier Boeing 777-300ER with fully-flat beds in a 1-2-1 layout to a Boeing 787-8 in late 2015 – still with fully-flat beds but losing universal aisle access – to now fly an older model of the Boeing 777 which offers a similar angled-flat, 2-2-2 business class seat as AirAsia X will fly aboard its own aircraft.

The new AirAsia flights are expected to go on sale today.

Brisbane Bangkok AirAsia X

Chris Chamberlin

Chris Chamberlin

chris@ausbt.com.au / @ChamberlinChris

Chris Chamberlin is a senior journalist with Australian Business Traveller and lives by the motto that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, a great latte, a theatre ticket and a glass of wine!
 

11 comments


  • Mark

    Mightyreds

    7 Feb, 2019 04:33 pm

    Thai Airways need to really introduce a consistent product or they will continue to slip down the pecking order with additional competition from many fronts.
    No member give thanks

  • Michael Humphries

    Whale Watcher

    7 Feb, 2019 07:06 pm

    Hi Chris, can you clarify.....Air Asia out of OOL generally don’t include drinks. You’ll normally score one freebie with your (included) meal but then its MYR or credit card thereafter.
    No member give thanks

  • Dale

    hakkinen5

    7 Feb, 2019 09:37 pm

    That's not Thai Air Asia though I don't believe. It's a different airline.
    No member give thanks

  • CityRail

    CityRail

    7 Feb, 2019 08:43 pm

    I hope Virgin Australia can see the gap and introduce BNE-BKK using A330-200 aircraft, featuring 'The Business'.
    No member give thanks

  • afloskar

    afloskar

    7 Feb, 2019 08:59 pm

    Never going to happen
    No member give thanks

  • Dan

    DanV

    7 Feb, 2019 10:15 pm

    Nope. BNE-BKK is too low yielding for VA and there are no codeshare partners in Thailand to make it work for VA.

    BKK is better served through the SQ partnership for VA.
    No member give thanks

  • Flyman

    Flyman

    7 Feb, 2019 10:25 pm

    Another day flight over and overnight back. Some different dep times would be good, like overnight to Thailand and day back
    No member give thanks

  • Jeremy Paton

    AJeremyP

    8 Feb, 2019 03:22 pm

    Confirming Whale Watcher's comment. I recently flew AVV-KUL-AVV in AirAsiaX business class and received exactly one meal and one bottle of water free of charge on each sector. Even a cup of breakfast tea on the return sector was charged at MYR6.00. Everyone I have described this to thinks it's hilarious. I have to agree, considering that Business is AUD600+ over Quiet Zone Economy.
    No member give thanks

  • Adrian Scherma

    s4172249

    8 Feb, 2019 05:59 pm

    AirAsia's business class is a bit of a joke and wouldn't hold a candle to even Jetstar's business class, despite the lack of a lie-flat bed on Jetstar. You get one economy class meal replete with foil tray and plastic cutlery, and a mini-sized bottle of water, and that is literally it. No soft drinks, no alcohol, no different meals, no proper cutlery, no inflight entertainment. Not worth the money for the extra space, in my opinion. Just buy a regular economy seat on sale with AirAsia and pay for an exit aisle if it's space you're after. It's an angled lie flat bed anyway so no good for sleeping on.
    No member give thanks

  • L Mck

    Lmc

    9 Feb, 2019 09:44 am

    I have to agree, having flown both i would book JQ “business class” over Airasia.
    I have to say i was actually quite surprised with the level of service on a recent HKT - MEL flight on JQ J.
    No member give thanks

  • Anthony Spasevski

    Zaps1971

    9 Feb, 2019 04:23 pm

    Thai Airways business class is poor in the 747 time for an upgrade please Thai Airways.
    No member give thanks

Guest

20 Feb, 2019 12:46 pm

×
×

Forgot Password

If you’ve forgotten your password, simply enter your email address below, then click 'Submit'. We’ll send you an email to re-activate your account and enter a new password.

Login
×

Resend activation email

If you have not received the activation email, simply enter your email address below, then click 'Submit'. We’ll send you an email containing the activation link.

Login
×