Smart With Points Podcast - Boost Your Miles & Points

Welcome to Smart With Points, the podcast that takes you behind the scenes of the wild, wonderful, and sometimes utterly bonkers world of frequent flyer programs. I'm Jack, your host, and if you thought the airline industry couldn't get any more ridiculous, well, buckle up buttercup, because today's story is going to blow your mind.

Picture this: You're sitting in what Virgin Atlantic proudly calls business class on a London to New York flight, paying upwards of two thousand pounds for the privilege. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Thai Airways takes one look at the exact same seats and goes, 'Nah mate, this isn't good enough for business class. Let's call it Premium Economy Plus instead.' I kid you not, this is actually happening right now.

So here's the absolutely mental situation we're dealing with. Thai Airways has acquired three Airbus A330-300s from Virgin Atlantic, complete with thirty-one business class seats. These are Virgin's herringbone configuration seats - you know, the ones they've been flying on their flagship transatlantic routes. Thai passengers took one look at these seats, agreed with all the 'coffin class' allegations we've been hearing about for years, and basically said 'thanks, but no thanks' to calling this business class.

Now, Virgin Atlantic's response to this rejection? They're still happily flying these exact same seats as business class between London and New York, charging premium prices for the privilege. Thai Airways' response? Pure genius, really - they've decided to rebrand the entire cabin as 'Premium Economy Plus.' Because apparently, if you can't beat the criticism, just change the name.

Starting the twenty-sixth of October two thousand and twenty-five, Thai Airways is launching this new 'Premium Economy Plus' product on routes to Chennai, Dhaka, Hyderabad, Jakarta, and Kathmandu. The product features lie-flat seats in a herringbone configuration with direct aisle access and an onboard bar. Sound familiar? That's because these are the exact same Virgin Atlantic Upper Class seats that fly transatlantic routes.

Let that sink in for a moment. What's apparently good enough for Virgin's flagship London to New York service is being downgraded to 'economy plus' on Thai's regional Asian routes. It's like saying a Michelin-starred restaurant meal is actually just a really fancy sandwich.

The controversy around these seats has been brewing for a while. One passenger flying Bangkok to Chennai described the experience as 'lying down in a coffin,' adding they would have been more comfortable in an economy seat. Ouch. The airline has had significant problems marketing this cabin as business class, with passengers and influencers posting that the product was subpar with a serious lack of privacy.

But here's the thing - this isn't really about the seats themselves. It's about managing wildly different passenger expectations across regions. What works in one market clearly doesn't work in another.

So what exactly is this 'Premium Economy Plus' that Thai Airways is offering? Well, they received three ex-Virgin A330-300s between October two thousand and twenty-four and August two thousand and twenty-five. The aircraft feature two hundred and sixty-four seats: thirty-one in the herringbone business cabin, forty-eight in traditional premium economy with a 2-3-2 configuration, and one hundred and eighty-five in economy.

Passengers now get to choose between regular premium economy or this new 'Premium Economy Plus' which offers fully lie-flat beds, direct aisle access, a 1-1-1 configuration, access to an onboard bar, and the exact seat Virgin Atlantic charges over two thousand pounds for on transatlantic routes. It's the same seat, same configuration, but with wildly different perceptions.

This whole situation perfectly illustrates the regional standards gap in premium travel. Thai is reclassifying the cabin for routes where there's limited corporate travel and more price-sensitive markets, rather than spending millions on retrofits. Meanwhile, thousands of passengers happily pay full business class fares for these same seats between London and New York every week.

Now, I've got British Airways Gold status, and I'll be honest - Virgin's herringbone seats aren't exactly winning awards in two thousand and twenty-five. But they're still Virgin's current business class on some major routes. Thai passengers rejecting them says more about regional expectations than actual quality.

Here's where it gets interesting from a points and miles perspective. If Thai prices this sensibly, it could be absolutely brilliant for points collectors. The big question is how this will be categorized for award redemptions. Imagine being able to book what Virgin calls business class but using premium economy awards. That could be a real sweet spot for savvy travelers.

The whole situation is completely bonkers when you think about it. You could fly Virgin business from London to New York in these seats, then discover Thai considers them 'not quite business class' standard. It's the airline equivalent of 'one person's treasure is another's trash' - but in reverse.

So will this work for Thai Airways? Well, that depends entirely on pricing. If Thai offers these seats at a reasonable premium over economy, passengers might actually embrace it. But if they charge near-business prices, expect more of those coffin comparisons to keep coming.

As for me, I'll be sticking with my British Airways business class redemptions for now. At least BA won't rebrand their Executive Club mid-flight.

This story really highlights how subjective the premium travel experience can be. What one airline considers premium business class, another downgrades to premium economy plus. It's a fascinating insight into how different markets and passenger expectations shape airline products.

Thanks for listening to today's episode of Smart With Points. If you enjoyed this deep dive into the wonderfully weird world of airline cabins and rebranding shenanigans, make sure to subscribe to the podcast on all major platforms, or head over to our website at smartwithpoints.co.uk. We've got loads more content to help you navigate the complex world of miles and points.

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