Thai Airways has announced plans to reintroduce a Premium Economy cabin as part of its growth plans for 2025. In addition to bringing back a refreshed Premium Economy, the airline will also update its Business Class and introduce new fuel-efficient aircraft to its fleet.
The Star Alliance member used to have Premium Economy on some Boeing 777s and its older Airbus A340s but during the downturn in travel from COVID-19, the cabin class was removed during construction. Thai Airways will debut the new Premium Economy cabin across a fleet of refurbished Boeing 777-300ER jests as part of an extensive tip-to-tail makeover, which will also see upgrades to other cabin classes and the inflight entertainment system.
Why Bring Back Premium Economy?
This refresh is in response to consumers' growing demand for affordable yet comfortable air travel. Thai Airways is not the only airline introducing or updating its existing Premium Economy to match this growing demand. Emirates introduced Premium Economy in 2023 on selected routes and has plans to extend its Premium Economy network after reporting huge successes in the last two years. Similarly, Cathay Pacific has increased the size of its Premium Economy cabin on several of its Boeing 777s by around 50% as the demand for high-comfort levels among Economy Class travellers continues to build.
Thai Airways Plans to Bring Back Premium Economy
The airline announced plans to reintroduce Premium Economy at a special event to celebrate its new slogan, “Fly for New Pride.” At the event, Thai Airways' CEO also announced that the carrier will significantly upgrade the Business Class cabins on its fleet of 777-300ERs and revamp its First Class offering.
These announcements come as the company exits its restructuring program in 2025. After massive capital restructuring in the aftermath of COVID-19, which saw the airline streamline operations and retire old aircraft, Thai Airways can now invest in the products it offers customers.
Thai Airways hopes to expand it’s Premium Economy network through codeshare and partner airline flights with other Star Alliance members. Contact our team of experts to book your next Thai Airways Premium Economy flight, or take a look at our latest Premium Economy deals to book today.