The journey starts after having passed immigration at Chengdu-Tianfu (TFU) International airport. Despite the relatively big amount of foreign visitors, China customs & immigration handles the process quickly.
Tianfu Airport is relatively new, spacious and luminous. The terminal for economy passengers is rather simple but offers cold & hot water, a standard service throughout China airports and railway stations.
The boarding starts on-time. We are greeted with a big smile by the Thai International crew members. Finding my seat and getting ready is easy.
The taxiing and take-off happen shortly after pushing back. A few other non-Chinese carriers are at the gates, such as Qatar. But the post-pandemic aviation landscape of Chengdu Tianfu is rather … dull.
About 20 minutes after take-off, my meal is being served. I ordered a vegeterian meal while online checking-in. And it's being delivered ahead of passengers' regular meals. With my name on it! Quite the lovely attention. As always with Thai, the food tastes good. However, the choice of beverages is rather limited; it isn't that important as the flight is less than 3 hours long.
The offer an movies and TV series seems interesting, but limited too compared to major international airlines such as Qatar, Air France or LH group. The interactive map is also different from other major airlines: no option to zoom in, zoom out or play with the map. But the IFE is very fluid and the screens, very responsive.
The flight goes on without many turbulences; as I go to the restroom, I have the great pleasure that Thai has chosen to offer free toothbrushes to passengers. The restrooms are being cleaned regularly, even if our flight isn't full & the passengers aren't using them that much.
As we approach Bangkok main airport, announcements are made. Passengers can then continue enjoying their movies, almost until the plane lands. Taxiing and disembarking are fast: many busses allow passengers to quickly and comfortably join the terminal.
Overall, a(nother) very pleasant flight with Thai and its lovely crew. So far, I've never been disappointed by this airline and will keep flying with them.
