Thai AirAsia (FD) is a low-cost airline based at Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) in Bangkok, Thailand. A subsidiary of Malaysia-based AirAsia (AK), Thai AirAsia operates an extensive domestic network, as well as several dozen short-haul international flights to other countries in Southeast Asia. Over the years, I’ve found Thai AirAsia to be one of the most useful airlines for exploring Southeast Asia.
Cabin class, seats & legroom
Thai AirAsia operates its fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft in an all-economy configuration, though you can pre-purchase seats with extra legroom.
Hot Seats
When I fly Thai AirAsia, I usually spring for one of the so-called Hot Seats. These are located in the first few rows of the plane, as well as the emergency exit rows. They feature extra legroom and also entitle you to board the plane early.
My personal favorite seats are in Row 2. You’re near the front of the plane and can get off early, but unlike in Row 1, you have underseat storage.
Although I typically sit in aisle seats when I fly economy, I usually choose a window seat on Thai AirAsia. This is first and foremost because of how amazing views out the window are in Thailand. Secondly, however, entire Hot Seat rows often go unsold, which means that you may not have to climb over anyone else to go to the bathroom.
Standard Seats
If you don’t want to pay to book a Hot Seat in advance, you’ll need to sit in a Standard Seat. Although you can pay a slightly lower fee to book a Standard Seat before traveling, I don’t find this worthwhile, since you’ll be assigned a free Standard Seat during check-in.
Pre-flight experience
Here’s what you need to know about the airport experience when flying with Thai AirAsia.
Baggage policy and fees
Like most low-cost carriers, Thai AirAsia requires passengers to pay for checked baggage, whether à la carte or as part of a bundle. On the other hand, I’ve found the airline is much more lenient about carry-on baggage size and weight than many of its counterparts, particularly when flying in a Hot Seat in boarding zone 1.
Baggage bundles
If you think you’ll need to check a bag, it may make sense to purchase one of Thai AirAsia’s bundles. Branded as Value Pack and Premium Flex, these bundles combine several add-ons at a discount compared to what you’d pay for features individually.
Value Pack is cheaper of the two, and includes a free Standard Seat assignment as well as an inflight meal.
Premium Flex costs a bit more, but allows you to select a Hot Seat for free. As its name suggest, it also allows more flexible ticket changes than ordinary Thai AirAsia flights.
Check-in
Over the years, Thai AirAsia has greatly improved the functionality of its website and mobile app, practically eliminating the need for airport check-in in the process. This is in contrast to when I first started flying them and I almost always needed to stop by an airport counter due to some bug.
Notable exceptions to this rule are first and foremost when you need to check a bag, though this is done at a self-service kiosk if you’ve paid in advance online. Another exception is if your final destination requires a visa, such as for India and mainland China.
Lounges
Thai AirAsia does not operate its own lounges, though passengers who purchase its Red Carpet service can access an exclusive area of the Coral Executive Lounge at DMK.
I personally find this to be a questionable add-on. When flying domestically, you typically won’t arrive at the airport early enough to make visiting the lounge a worthwhile use of time.
When traveling internationally, you can purchase access to the Coral Executive Lounge à la carte for a reasonable fee, presuming you aren’t simply able to access it via Priority Pass or a similar lounge access program.
Onboard experience
Here’s what you can expect onboard a Thai AirAsia flight.
Wi-Fi & entertainment
All Thai AirAsia planes are equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, though I’ve found that the service is not always reliable. Additionally, pricing is quite high compared to other carriers. Given the short length of most FD flights, I usually opt against purchasing Wi-Fi.
On the other hand, I do find the Wi-Fi connection to be valuable for accessing the AirAsia MOVE entertainment library. Selections aren’t as expensive as they are on more global airlines; but again, flights tend to be so short that this isn’t really an issue.
Amenities
Thai AirAsia doesn’t provide complimentary amenity kits to passengers, though you can order items like blankets and pillows, either through online pre-ordering or when the duty-free cart comes by during the flight. I only find this useful on longer international segments, and rarely when flying domestically within Thailand.
Food
Thai AirAsia doesn’t offer complimentary meals, which isn’t surprising; no low-cost airline does. However, I do recommend pre-purchasing one (they’re branded as Santan) in advance. Whether you choose Thai-style stir-fried basil with rice or Malaysian-style chicken rice, these meals are delicious, affordable and authentic.
Loyalty programs, miles & credit cards
Thai AirAsia uses AirAsia BIG, the frequent flyer program of AirAsia Malaysia (AK). While this isn’t especially lucrative if you only earn miles from flying, there are ways to make it worth your while.
AirAsia BIG
As is the case for most other airlines, passengers who’ve signed up for AirAsia BIG will earn miles on all flights, awarded based on the fare class purchased. However, I’ve found earnings rather meager across the board, and even after being a member for over a decade have not earned enough for a single free flight.
Local friends in Thailand and Southeast Asia suggest that the key to maximizing AirAsia BIG is to earn points through a range of purchases, not only flights but also stays at AirAsia-operated Tune Hotels, food delivery, and shopping. However, this strategy may have limited appeal for tourists who are only visiting the region.
Credit cards
Bangkok Bank offers an AirAsia credit card, which entitles holders to perks when traveling on all AirAsia subsidiaries (not just Thai AirAsia), as well as the opportunity to earn BIG points on everyday purchases.
However, since these cards are only available to citizens and legal residents of Thailand, I don’t find them useful. Additionally, since AirAsia BIG is not a transfer partner of any major credit card currency, earning and using miles and points for traveling on FD flights tends to be ineffective.
Thai AirAsia at BKK vs DMK
Thai AirAsia’s main hub is at Don Mueang Airport (FD), the older and smaller of Bangkok’s two airports located in the northern part of the city. However, the airline also added a handful of domestic and international flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) after the pandemic, and maintains them to this day.
Make sure to take note of which Bangkok Airport you’re using well in advance of travel. These facilities are at least 90 minutes from one another, even in a best-case scenario. If you arrive at one but are meant to fly from the other, you’re almost certain to miss your flight!
Thai AirAsia Fly-Thru
Thai AirAsia, like many low-cost carriers, is a point-to-point airline. This means that by default, it sells direct itineraries and not connecting ones.
However, in some cases, you may be able to purchase a connecting flight. During the book process, you’ll see the phrase “Fly-Thru,” which indicates that you’ll be able to fly the entire journey without collection or re-checking bags, as well as without having to exit the sterile area and re-clear security.
This service is offered both on domestic Thai trips (for example, if you’re flying from Chiang Rai to Phuket via Bangkok), as well as limited flights to other destinations within and beyond Southeast Asia.
Thai AirAsia vs Other AirAsia Subsidiaries
Sometimes, when booking an international AirAsia flight to or from Bangkok, you’ll notice that the code is not “FD.” This reflects that another AirAsia subsidiary operates the flight. For flights to and from Kuala Lumpur (KUL), this is usually AirAsia (AK), for example.
While this distinction won’t have a major impact on your inflight experience, the different code can trip people up sometimes, so be mindful of it.
Thai AirAsia X
AirAsia operates several long-haul flights per day from DMK, under the brand Thai AirAsia X (XJ). While these journeys are bookable via the main AirAsia website (and, if you use the Fly-Thru service, in conjunction with domestic FD flights), there are some important distinctions.
Firstly, these flights (which operate to cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Sydney and Melbourne) use long-haul Airbus A330 family aircraft, which feature a greater variety of seating options. This includes lie-flat beds on select aircraft.
The aircraft also feature “quiet zones,” which controversially ban small children and also strictly enforce limits on conversation and other noise. On these flights, I personally find it makes more sense to pay in advance to select seats and meals and also to purchase amenities like blankets and pillows.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
