Background 

Go Air, India’s low-cost carrier began its international flight operations in the last quarter of 2018. The airline’s very first international flight was to Phuket followed by Male, Muscat, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok and now Kuwait. At present, Go Air also flies to 24 domestic destinations including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai among others.

Boarding 

I reached Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai’s Terminal 2 at 1030 to catch the inaugural flight to New Bangkok International Airport (Suvarnabhumi) at 1345 (local time). The Go Air staff ensured that I was given a priority check-in. My boarding pass was handed over to me within a few minutes.

Since, this was an inaugural flight, I was greeted by some officials from Go Air, who asked me to be a part of their big celebrations. We all mingled over a piece of chocolate cake and I was also gifted a mini model of the Airbus A320neo aircraft, which is being deployed on the Mumbai-Bangkok route. I got an opportunity to interact with the captain and the crew, who were cordial and at the same time excited about this maiden flight. My flight G8-025 departed from gate 46B, on time.

The Seat

The A320neo aircraft comes in a configuration of 3-3 for 186 passengers (in a comfortable layout) out of which the first two rows are dedicated to Go Business passengers. Most of the seats on the first few rows on the inaugural flight were reserved for Go Air officials and journalists from India. The seats were decent. For a medium-haul flight, the seats were comfortable for a short nap.

Best seat 

Since it is a small aircraft and space is limited, book the first row for good leg space.

The Flight 

The afternoon flight between Mumbai and Bangkok is for about four hours and 35 minutes, during which meal services are offered for purchase. Soon after take-off from Mumbai, the crew came around distributing menu cards and orders for the meals were taken then. The onboard food menu includes items like sandwiches and Punjabi samosa starting at ₹350. Hot meals available onboard are rava upma, poha, cup noodles, vegetable biryani, curry and rice starting from ₹350. Other quick bites served are cookies, popcorn and nachos from ₹70 and refreshing beverages for ₹200. I chose a paneer sandwich and a box of gourmet popcorn. In the meanwhile, the crew came around to take orders for beverages. I had a cup of Kashmiri kahwa, an aromatic green tea. During the flight, the cabin crew were pleasant and were able to calm passengers during turbulence.

Arrival

We landed in New Bangkok International Airport (Suvarnabhumi) at 1955. Go Business passengers disembarked first, and immigration took about 20-25 minutes, including the time for the visa-on-arrival process. All thanks to the Go Air staff who pulled this off so well. Upon arrival, we were given a Thai-style welcome with the traditional garland called Phuang Malai.

Verdict

The service was attentive and systematic throughout.

Configuration 3-3

Flight Time 4 hours 35 minutes

Price Internet rates for a one-way Go Business class from Mumbai to Bangkok is upwards of ₹26,000

Contact goair.in