The service aboard TG491 was great: regular water top-ups and hot towels came before you could ask for them. Photo / Creative Commons image by Flickr user Aero Icarus
Jamie Morton heads home on TG491.
The plane: Thai Airways Boeing 777-300, smooth enough through a thunderstorm, which is all that matters.
Class: Economy.
On time: Slightly delayed because of runway traffic in Bangkok, but not by enough to warrant complaint.
My seat: 55A.
Fellow passengers: An empty seat next to me provided some welcome arm space, and a polite Sri Lankan gentleman in the aisle seat was happy enough to let me clamber over him at toilet time.
How full: Mostly full, although the numbers, thankfully, didn't translate to screaming infants, arguments with flight attendants or Blackberry alarms going off in stowed luggage as their owners snoozed.
Entertainment: A competitive selection of new releases, yet The Spy Who Loved Me earned my top pick.
The service: No worries here: regular water top-ups and hot towels came before you could ask for them.
Food and drink: A good wine selection for an economy menu, although I chose a pocket-sized can of coke for sustenance. The green chicken curry was also an impressive touch.
The toilets: Small queues to get to them, but spic and span once inside.
Luggage: One piece, but with reasonable overhead storage space and easily accessible.
The airport experience: A luggage hiccup saw me have to re-check my suitcase, prompting a hurried process at Suvarnabhumi Airport and an airport tax of 700 baht, or just under $30, which had to be delivered in cash. But all-in-all, a clean, well configured airport and no tales of bad service.
Would I fly this again: No problem.
Holiday home owners fear angry people will show up at their door demanding money.