Thai Airways International

About Thai Airways International

Thai Airways International plc is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Formed in 1961 as a joint venture between SAS and Thai Airways Company, the airline has its corporate headquarters in Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Chatuchak district, Bangkok, and primarily operates from Suvarnabhumi Airport. THAI is a founding member of the Star Alliance. The airline is the second-largest shareholder of the low-cost carrier Nok Air with a 8.91 percent stake (2021), and it launched a regional carrier under the name Thai Smile in the middle of 2012 using new Airbus A320 aircraft. In 2023, it was announced that Thai Smile would be merged back into Thai Airways. Source: "Thai Airways International" by Wikipedia contributors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Airways_International), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Edit history on the linked Wikipedia page.

Overview

Thai Airways International is an active scheduled passenger airline based in Thailand. You will see it in booking systems as IATA TG, and on the radio as "THAI". OpenFlights tracks roughly 193 scheduled route pairs flown under its codes, reaching about 88 separate destinations.

Network and hubs

The network depends on three things: where the airline holds slots, the aircraft sitting in its fleet, and the bilateral agreements between Thailand and the countries it serves. Like most carriers of its size, Thai Airways International operates from one or more home hubs, feeds nearby countries with regional flying, and stretches into longer thin routes wherever the demand and the aircraft line up.

Cabins and onboard product

What it feels like onboard depends on the part of the market the airline competes in. A short-haul, single-aisle fleet usually offers a flexible economy product and a front cabin that converts to business class on selected sectors. Longer-haul rotations, where they exist, add lie-flat business seats and sometimes a premium economy cabin in between. Catering, baggage rules, seat-selection charges and buy-on-board pricing all change with the route and the fare class, so the most reliable way to set expectations is to read the fare conditions at the moment you book.

Loyalty and partnerships

Frequent-flyer benefits depend on whether Thai Airways International belongs to a global alliance or runs bilateral partnerships with another carrier. Where alliance membership is in place, members of partner programmes can normally credit miles, get into lounges with eligible status, and through-check baggage on a single ticket. Even outside alliances, codeshare and interline agreements often let you build a simple combined itinerary on one record.

Operating notes

Operationally, Thai Airways International is registered in Thailand and answers to that country's civil aviation authority. Onward flying follows the rules of every other country it serves. When you book, keep its IATA and ICAO codes handy for matching codeshare flight numbers, double-check terminal assignments at multi-terminal airports, and confirm any visa or transit rules that apply to the routing rather than only the marketing carrier on the ticket.

Sample destinations

A sample of destinations served by Thai Airways International in the public schedule. Open any airport for its own terminal and route guide.