I took Air Premia YP601 to Bangkok, Thailand, and also booked Suvarnabhumi Airport fast track immigration.
When I headed to Bangkok this February,
I booked my flight super last-minute—literally about two days before departure,
so there really weren’t many options left.
Korean Air didn’t have seats at the time I wanted,
so I decided to finally give Air Premia a try.
I’d heard the seats were roomier than a typical budget airline,
and that the onboard service was solid too,
so after a very short debate, I booked the flight for our Bangkok trip.
Air Premia departs from Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 if you’re flying this route.
Since it was February, it was still heavy puffer-coat weather in Korea,
but Bangkok is obviously hot, so we needed somewhere to store our winter coats before leaving. Since there were two of us and this was a 5-night, 6-day trip, I spent a while hunting for the most affordable option.
I used a service called Drop the Coat,
but while checking MyRealTrip, which I’ve been using a lot lately,
I found another option that looked even better price-wisecalled ForHoliday,
so I figured I’d share both.
Drop the Coatis near Exit 9 across from Counter H,
and ForHolidayis behind Counter N near the traveler booth.
You can compare prices by trip length, luggage size, and weight, then choose whichever works best—or just pick the one closest to your check-in counter.
After dropping off our coats, it was time to check in.
Air Premia is currently checking passengers in at Incheon Terminal 1
at Counter J.
My first time flying with them—boarding pass secured.
We stopped by duty-free and the lounge first,
and then boarded right on time with no delay.
The aircraft was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The windows were pretty cool—not the usual pull-up shade setup.
Instead, you adjust the tint with a button.
It was bright outside in the middle of the day,
but once I darkened the window,
it looked way more heavily tinted than the one in the row ahead. Very cool.
The B787-9 seat maplooks like this.
The front section has extra-roomy Premium Economy seats with 42 inches of pitch,
and the light blue section is standard Economy with 35 inches of pitch.
We were in Row 30 in regular Economy,
and with 35 inches of seat pitch,it actually felt pretty spacious.
My husband is 182 cm, and I’m 169 cm,
and even without sitting all the way back, we still had plenty of legroom.
No matter where we go, our airport departure outfits somehow always look the same.
Hi there.
Some low-cost airlines don’t even have seatback screens,
but this plane had large screens,
and everything still felt new, which I liked.
There was also a pretty wide range of food and drinks available for purchase.
They even had Amigo Nacho,
which we love, so I had to take a photo.
Overall, the prices didn’t seem bad at all.
I also liked that you could track the full flight timeline
from takeoff to landing on the screen.
The flight to Bangkok takes about five and a half hours.
I must’ve been in a great mood because I took so many photos.
Once we reached cruising altitude,
the in-flight meal was served. The dish itself had a pretty unusual shape.
I was happy it was bibimbap,
though I was slightly disappointed that it came with tuna instead of beef. Still, the portion was big enough that I couldn’t finish it.
They also lend you earphones, though the sound quality isn’t great.
I watched Honey Sweet, and honestly… not that interesting.
The bathroom was just your standard airplane lavatory,
but they even had a scented sachet hanging inside, which was a nice touch.
That long flight was finally almost over.
The seatback screen also showed arrival airport information,
which was genuinely convenient.
We landed at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.
I couldn’t take photos of the seats while boarding because there were too many people,
so I snapped a few on the way out instead.
The photo on the left is the 35-inch Economy seat,
and the one on the right is the 42-inch Premium Economy seat—they even provide a pillow.
Since we landed at around 9 p.m. local time,
I knew that if immigration took too long,
hotel check-in would get way too late and we’d be exhausted,
so I booked Suvarnabhumi fast track immigration in advance.
After landing, you just keep walking toward Arrivals,
head to the pre-arranged meeting point,
and a local staff member is waiting there for you.
They check your name and guide you right away.
That entrance you can see in the photo
is the dedicated Bangkok airport fast track lane
used by airline crew and VIP passengers.
This was around the Lunar New Year holiday, so the airport was absolutely packed,
but because we used Suvarnabhumi fast track immigration, it was expensive but
cut down our waiting time dramatically,
and honestly, it was 100% worth it. Such a smart move.
If saving time matters to you,
definitely book this before your trip. Highly recommend.
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
is known for long immigration lines and slow processing,
so by the time most people get through,
the baggage carousel is usually already packed and bags are just circling endlessly.
Even though we got out relatively quickly,
our luggage was already on the belt going around.
I don’t think I’d ever seen a carousel that full before.
Half the bag owners still hadn’t even made it out yet.
Anyway, we made a quick escape, grabbed a Grab, and headed to the hotel.
Since we arrived so late on the first night,
we just needed a good-value hotel to sleep in,
so we booked Grand Mercure Bangkok Atrium.
I haven’t written the full review yet,
but it was perfectly fine for a one-night stay.
And if you’re planning a Bangkok hotel stay,
check out my Pullman Bangkok King Power review too.
