Thai Airways Amsterdam to Bangkok: a Royal Silk review of the new daily flight

In collaboration with Thai Airways.

After 28 years, Thai Airways is flying from Amsterdam again. We took the route both ways in Royal Silk, and found a flight whose best qualities are not in the specifications.

A little past eleven on a Friday in September, and nobody is waiting at the Thai Airways counter in Departure 3 at Schiphol. The woman behind it looks up, presses her palms together, and smiles. Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles, and this is where it starts: in a Dutch departures hall, with Bangkok still a night away.

Thai Airways left Amsterdam late in 1998, when the city was only an extension of the Zurich route. Since July 1 this year there has been a daily flight to Bangkok, and for the first time in a generation KLM has real competition on the city pair.

We flew out on September 11 and home two weeks later. This is a look at the Thai Airways Amsterdam to Bangkok route for anyone thinking of booking, and an account of how the trip actually went.

Thai Airways Amsterdam to Bangkok: the route, briefly

A route with a history

In the years Thai was gone, KLM had the route almost to itself. Before the reopening the Dutch carrier held 78 percent of the seats between the two cities. The rest belonged to Taiwanese EVA Air, which stops in Bangkok three times a week on the way between Taipei and Amsterdam.

One daily A350 changed the math. Thai added around 4,500 seats a week and took about a third of the market from the first day. Amsterdam became the airline’s twelfth city in Europe.

The first aircraft, registration HS-THH, landed around 12:30 on July 1 and taxied to gate E19.

For Nordic readers there is a footnote worth knowing. Thai Airways was founded in 1960 in cooperation with SAS, which owned 30 percent of the company in the early years.

Why the middle of the day

TG937 leaves Amsterdam at 14:15 and lands in Bangkok at 06:35. KLM departs at 17:15. EVA Air does not leave until 21:40. Thai is alone on the daytime departure, and that is the route’s clearest trait.

You feel the advantage at both ends. A morning flight from most cities in northern Europe makes the same-day connection. In Bangkok you land before the city has had time to get hot, with a full day you would otherwise have spent in the air.

The cost shows up on the way home. TG936 leaves at 05:35, which means an alarm around three. You are in Amsterdam at 12:40.

From Norway: via Amsterdam, or direct?

This should be said plainly. Thai Airways also flies direct between Oslo and Bangkok, daily in the winter season. For most Norwegians that is the simpler way.

The Amsterdam route is built for travelers from the Netherlands, Belgium, and the rest of northwestern Europe. From Norway it makes sense if the price is better, if the direct flight is full in Royal Silk, or if you want a day in Amsterdam on the way.

We took the morning flight from Oslo with SAS. Under two hours and a cup of coffee later we were there, and it is easy to forget how close Amsterdam actually is.

Do the same and three things matter. On separate tickets Thai is not responsible if the first flight is late, so leave at least three hours. SAS and KLM are in SkyTeam and Thai is in Star Alliance, so plan to collect the bag and check in again. And fares from Amsterdam apply from Schiphol, not from Gardermoen.

At Schiphol

Check-in took a couple of minutes. What stood out was not the speed but the tone. Everyone we met from Thai Airways was precise and professional, and friendly in a way that does not come from a training course. Anyone who has been to Thailand recognizes it at once.

On our trip Royal Silk passengers used KLM Crown Lounge 52, the lounge Schiphol lists for Thai.

We ate a light lunch, then went up to the bar lounge, sat by the window with a coffee, and watched the ground crew working around the aircraft outside. Lounge agreements change, so check your boarding pass.

Boarding started on the minute. So did the departure.

Royal Silk

The cabin is purple. Thai Airways has kept the color for decades, and in Royal Silk it runs through the seat covers, pillows, and blankets. In a photograph it can look like a lot. On board it makes the room warmer and a little darker than the gray and beige cabins most of us are used to, and it suits a long flight. The crew met us in silk dresses, and there was an orchid at the seat.

The 32 seats are laid out 1-2-1 across rows 11 to 19, so everyone has a clear path to the aisle.

Choosing a seat

The rows are staggered, so the seats are not the same.

Alone: 12A, 15A, or 17A, and the same on the K side. You sit against the window with the console as a screen toward the aisle.

Two together: E and F in a row where the center seats sit close. On the way home we were in 18E and 18F and could talk without leaning forward.

Skip: the first row by the galley, and the last row against economy.

There is no row 13. Thai also has four different A350 cabins, with between 30 and 33 seats in Royal Silk. The aircraft on this route have so far been the 32-seat version. The seat map in the booking is the answer.

The seat

The seat is good to sit in and simple to work out. It has a power outlet, USB, and a 17-inch screen. Fully flat it becomes a bed that Thai lists at 187 centimeters. If you are much taller than that, your feet will notice. The bedding was clean, the pillow was a proper one, and the duvet held the right warmth.

At the seat there was a Jim Thompson amenity kit, plus slippers and socks.

It has no sliding door. Thai’s next Royal Silk will, but that does not reach the A350 fleet until 2028 and 2029. I missed it less than I had expected. The stagger between the rows gives more quiet than the seat map suggests.

The food

The welcome drink arrived before we had found the charging cable. Champagne or prosecco, juice or water. I took champagne, a Veuve Clicquot Brut, and a small snack with it. Once we were in the air, a second glass came with two canapés and a bowl of warm nuts.

Before dinner there was tuna tartare and caviar.

 Then the dish I am still thinking about: Flying Boat Noodles from Nara, a known name in Bangkok. Long-cooked beef short rib in a dark, strong broth, with thin noodles, morning glory, and crisp fried garlic. Noodle soup is not the obvious choice at thirty thousand feet. This one was hot, deep, and spiced enough that the taste held up in the dry air, which airplane food rarely does.

For dessert, a mango pudding with coconut cream and a cup of coffee. Before landing we got an omelette, fruit, and a warm croissant.

If food is a reason you travel, our list of the best new restaurants worth flying for in 2026 is a good place to continue.

The people

What separated this flight from other good flights was the crew.

They used our names. Not as a gesture at departure, but through the whole trip. They refilled the glasses without asking, and they understood when we wanted to be left alone. None of it seemed rehearsed. It was closer to being a guest in a house where the hosts pay attention.

Service like that is hard to describe without sounding like a brochure. The simplest way to put it: I remember the faces.

The sleep

I usually sleep badly on planes. Here I fell asleep shortly after the lights were dimmed, and woke many hours later.

Part of the explanation is technical. The A350 is built in carbon fiber, so the cabin can be held at a pressure equivalent to around 1,800 meters, against up to 2,400 on older aircraft. The air is also more humid. You do not notice it on the way. You notice it after landing, when your head is clear.

For the hours awake there are Marshall headphones at the seat, and the film selection had several titles that were still new.

Wi-Fi is free for the first hour in Royal Silk, with a code printed on the boarding pass. A surf package for the rest of the flight costs around 15 dollars, a messaging-only package around one. The connection was fine for messages and email.

Economy

Halfway through I walked back. The cabin seemed calm and well kept, and the mood was good. 

The seats are 3-3-3. They are 18 inches wide with 31 to 32 inches of pitch, a 12-inch screen, USB, and power. Cabin pressure and air are the same as up front, and that is the largest advantage the A350 has over the Boeing 777, which both KLM and EVA Air use on this route.

One thing is missing: premium economy. Both competitors have it.

Bangkok, 06:35

Suvarnabhumi is a different airport that early. The line at passport control was short, the bags were on the belt when we got there, and less than an hour after landing we were in a car heading into the city.

We stayed a few days in Bangkok before flying on to Koh Samui.

Remember the arrival card. Thailand requires a digital arrival card, the TDAC, from all foreign visitors. It is filled in online during the last three days before arrival. You can fill it out on the official site here: https://tdac.immigration.go.th/

Connecting straight on?

Thai sells through tickets from Amsterdam to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Krabi, and Hat Yai, among others. The first morning flight to Chiang Mai leaves at 07:25, the first to Phuket at 07:30. With a 06:35 landing both are tight, so count on a departure later in the morning and let the booking engine show what Thai actually guarantees.

My advice is not to rush it. The early arrival is an invitation to stay a night or two in Bangkok.

The flight home

The ride to the airport took longer than usual, but Royal Silk has its own check-in at Suvarnabhumi, with priority security and passport control, and from there it moved quickly.

Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge is Thai’s flagship. It opened late in 2019, sits in Concourse D by gate D4, holds 463 guests, and connects to the older Royal Silk lounge.

It is also the most beautiful lounge I have been in. Flowers taller than the chairs, in purple and pink. Walls of green plants between the seating areas. The colors from the aircraft in the chairs and the china.

An open kitchen where you can see the cooks working, and several bars with both a bartender and a barista.

The hot buffet was freshly set when we arrived, with the drinks fridges full and nobody ahead of us.

 The chairs are set so you can sit a little on your own, and Forbes is on the tables.

The flight home resembled the flight out. The same attention, a good breakfast, a few hours of sleep, and Amsterdam at 12:40.

Thai, KLM, or EVA Air?

The times are how the route was running in early October 2026.

Thai is the only one of the three with Bangkok as its home base, and it shows in the lounge and in the onward connections. KLM is the natural choice if you are continuing in Europe on the same ticket or want premium economy. EVA Air has a late evening departure, but only three days a week.

Price and season

Fares were checked on Thai’s own site on October 3, 2026. They are the lowest round trip for one adult from Amsterdam, and they move quickly.

Economy: from about 750 euros in May and June 2027, about 810 euros in February, and about 1,105 euros over Christmas and New Year.

Royal Silk: from about 2,250 euros in November 2026, about 2,850 euros in spring 2027.

From Frankfurt and Paris, Thai’s own business fares sit several hundred euros higher, so Amsterdam is for now a reasonable place to start for Royal Silk.

Bangkok is driest and most comfortable from November to February, which is also high season. March to May is the hottest. The rainy season runs from May to October, with short, heavy showers and the lowest fares. November is often the best compromise.

What’s coming

Thai has shown the next Royal Silk. The standard seats get a sliding door and a 24-inch screen, the four suites on the first row get 32 inches, and premium economy is introduced.

The Boeing 777 is refitted first, from the middle of 2027. The A350 fleet follows in 2028 and 2029. On the Amsterdam route, the cabin flying now is the one you will get for a good while yet.

The balance

The best

• The crew, and that they remembered our names the whole way
• A quiet aircraft that lets you land rested
• Flying Boat Noodles
• Lounge in Bangkok
• Arrival at 06:35

What could be better

• The 05:35 flight home is very early 
• At Schiphol, Thai uses a partner lounge, not its own
• The seat has no door, and the new one does not arrive here until 2028
• Wi-Fi is free only for the first hour

The verdict

Thai Airways does not have the newest seat on the market, and the airline does not pretend otherwise. What the route has is harder to build: a quiet aircraft, food that tastes of a place, and a crew that makes eleven hours feel like a visit.

It suits you best if you live in or near the Netherlands, if you are continuing in Thailand, or if you would rather have the hosting than the hardware. If you want a full night’s sleep on the way east, or you are continuing in Europe on the same ticket, KLM is a good alternative.

We will fly Thai again.

Worth knowing right now (updated October 3, 2026): Flooding in Bangkok from September 26 brought several days of delays and cancellations at Thai, including on the Amsterdam route. The airline is working to get operations back to normal. Check the status with Thai before you go.

FAQ

Does Thai Airways fly direct from Amsterdam to Bangkok?  Yes, every day since July 1, 2026.

How long is the flight? Around 11 hours and 20 minutes to Bangkok, and 12 hours and 5 minutes back.

What are the flight numbers? TG937 from Amsterdam and TG936 from Bangkok.

Which aircraft is used? Airbus A350-900 with 32 seats in Royal Silk and 289 in economy.

What is the best seat in Royal Silk? 12A, 15A, and 17A if you are traveling alone. E and F in a row where the center seats sit close, if two of you are traveling together.

Does Royal Silk have a flat bed on this route? Yes. The bed is 187 centimeters, and everyone has direct access to the aisle.

How much baggage can I bring? Two pieces of 32 kilograms each in Royal Silk. On the cheapest economy tickets, one piece of 23 kilograms.

Where does Thai Airways check in at Schiphol? In Departure 3. The counter opens three hours before departure.

Which lounge does Thai Airways use in Amsterdam? Schiphol lists KLM Crown Lounge 52.

Can I make Phuket the same day? Yes, but probably not on the first morning flight. Count on a departure later in the morning.

Does Thai Airways fly from Oslo? Yes. Thai also flies direct between Oslo and Bangkok. Amsterdam is an alternative, not the only way.

Do I have to fill in anything before arriving in Thailand? Yes. The digital arrival card, TDAC, is required and is filled in online during the last three days before you land.

Which other airlines fly direct? KLM daily, and EVA Air three times a week.

When is it cheapest to fly? May and June, with economy round trip from around 750 euros.

Watch our instagram reel from the lounge and the flight is here: https://www.instagram.com/traveler/reel/Dd6StyOIfPO/

Does Thai Airways have an Instagram account?

Yes. 

Thai Airways: https://www.instagram.com/thaiairways/

Thai Airways Netherlands: https://www.instagram.com/nl.thaiairways/

About this article

Traveler flew as a guest of Thai Airways and Thai Airways Netherlands. They asked us to try the new daily service between Amsterdam and Bangkok, and to keep the article on that route. There was no other brief. We were not told what to praise, what to skip, or asked to send the piece back before publication.

The article was not paid for. We travelled on TG937 from Amsterdam on 11 September 2026, and returned on TG936 on 26 September. Everything in the piece comes from those two flights. The photographs are our own. Fares, schedules and other practical details were checked against Thai Airways and the airports’ published information at the time of writing, and can change.

Both flights were a pleasure to be on. The crew outbound were calm and attentive, and the crew on the way home had the same ease, which is not a given on a route this new. Our thanks to Thai Airways and to the Netherlands team for the invitation and for leaving the writing to us. Khun Aei from Thai Airways looked after the arrangements from the first email through to departure, and did it with real care and high level of professionalism. Thank you also to the crews on both sectors.

The views in the article are ours.