SkyTeam members Air France and KLM have come up with a really attractive offer for business class from Swedish airports Stockholm and Gothenborg to Bangkok, Thailand. With a stop in Amsterdam or Paris, you can reach Thailand’s capital for as little as €929 (~SEK 10,758), while spending most of the time in a lie-flat-seat.
At KLM & Air France, all tickets can still be rebooked without a change fee, but you will unfortunately now have to pay the price difference. You can also exchange the flights for a non-refundable voucher, valid for 1 year. Unfortunately, the option to have the value of the voucher paid out to your bank account no longer exists since March 1st. You can read the rules here.
Our availability calendar shows you all possible flight dates for trips up to 28 days. If you select an out- and inbound flight date, it will forward you to KLM, where you should book to benefit from their rebooking policy without much hassle.
Air France operates a mix of Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A350-900 aircraft between Paris and Bangkok. You can find a detailed review of the former’s business class product here and the latter here. If you decide to fly via Amsterdam, a KLM Boeing 777 takes you to Southeast Asia. While not as comfy as Air France’ premium product (mainly due to a 2-2-2 seating pattern), it still gets some fairly good reviews.
Before Covid-19, Air France still had 4 different business class versions, but now, as the A380 & A340 have left the fleet, only 3 remain. The business class in the A380 was no longer up to today’s standards, unlike the business class that’s installed in the Boeing 787-Dreamliner and Airbus A350, which is modern and comfortable. This business class is now continuously being installed in other Air France planes as well.
By now, modern seats have also become the norm at KLM. Its business class is definitely not a bad choice, also thanks to the good service. Like many other airlines, the Boeing 787 always has the newest business class seats installed.
Search & Book
According to the fare rules, tickets are on sale until January 30, 2022 for departures before June 30, 2022. Availabilities start in February 2022. You can find multiple weekly departures at the lowest fare until the end of the travel period.
Google Flights is a reliable source for additional flight dates. To make refunds easily accessible, as well as other reasons, we strongly recommend buying your tickets directly on klm.com.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Mileage
Sadly, long haul tickets are issued in booking class O, one of the worst business booking classes in existence. You can expect to earn the following mileage:
- 13,338 RDM + 2,668 MQD on Delta SkyMiles
- 13,102 Miles on CSA OK Plus
- 13,102 Award Miles on Etihad Guest
- 12,942 Miles on Aerolíneas Argentinas AerolíneasPlus
- 12,942 Miles on GOL Aéreos Smiles
- 12,864 Miles on MEA Cedar Miles
- 12,864 Miles on Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles
- 12,628 Points on Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- 12,628 Miles on Korean Air Skypass
- 4,800 Award Miles + 80 Tier Points on Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 3,280 Award Miles + 102 XP on Flying Blue
- 2,500 Miles on Aeromexico Club Premier
- 1,660 Miles on Saudia Alfursan
- 1,186 Miles on Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles
- 1,186 Miles on Air Europa Suma
While Thailand has a lot of famously cheap hotels, you still might want to check out our coupons to edge out a few extra bucks:
Information & Tips for Thailand
Thailand is an increasingly popular holiday destination for Europeans – both beach and party tourists get their money’s worth in the South Asian tropical state.
Whether Bangkok, Koh Samui or Phuket, Thailand offers multi-faceted cities and quiet beaches. Also, the country is always easy to reach from Europe. Especially to Bangkok, there is almost always at least a good deal!
Best Time to Visit
While hot summer temperatures prevail the whole year long in tropical Thailand, the best travel time is definitely the winter from November to February. Thanks to the northwest monsoon it doesn’t get warmer than 33 degrees. In summer the temperatures can quickly reach 40 degrees. The rainy season also starts in June and will last until October – high humidity is what you’ll have to prepare for!
Entry & Visa
Most EU citizens do not need a visa for stays up to a length of 30 days. The entry permit can be extended by another 30 days before expiration by local immigration authorities.
Currency
The national currency of Thailand is the Baht (THB) which is divided into Satang. One Euro is about 40 THB.
Finding the Best eSIM Plan
We’ve compared various eSIM providers, such as Nomad, Airhub, and RedteaGO. To see which plan is best for your travel needs, and which network offers the best coverage, feel free to read our detailed guide:
The Best eSIM Plans for Thailand 🇹🇭 Compared (Bangkok, Phuket…)
→ All Dealz for Thailand
Cover Picture: © Air France
Comment (1)
Great tip, thanks so much. We booked our easter holiday and everything went well. Unfortunately Air France features the old business class on the way back, but we will keep our fingers crossed that there still might be a change.