Thai Lion Air Airlines

  About Thai Lion Air

Thai Lion Mentari Co. Ltd.'s low-cost Thai airline, Thai Lion Air, caters to the regional parts of Thailand and also connects to select international routes. Part of the associate companies of Thai Lion Air includes Lion Air Group, Wings Air, Lion Bizjet, Batik Air and Malindo Air. The airline is a joint venture between Thai partners and is an associate company of Lion Air, which is based out of Indonesia. The airline's main hub is at Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport. Plans to expand the airline's reach in terms of catering to more domestic route destinations, as well as scheduled international flights, are in talks. Thai Lion Air's headquarters is also located in Don Mueang District in Bangkok. The airline was founded in 2013 as an agreement between Lion Air subsidiary Malindo Air. This enabled both Thai Lion Air and Malindo Air to operate services between Kuala Lumpur-International and Bangkok. Since 2013, the airline has been functioning across a select few Southeast Asian destinations. Majorly, Thai Lion Air has much of its services reserved for regional spaces and domestic routes in Thailand. There are a few Indonesian destinations that the airline caters to along with Thailand.

Ever since its genesis, Thai Lion Air has been making extensive and aggressive business expansions for offering world-class facilities to travellers and to enhance its current routes. The airline has facilitated various support functions and businesses including a training and education centre with offices and housing complexes for the flight crew and Thai Lion Air employees. They have specific housing complexes established in Lion City-Balaraja, Lion Simulator Center that is located at Bandara Mas-Tangerang, An aircraft maintenance facility called Aircraft Maintenance Facility Batam Aero Technic has also been established and is situated at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. The airline also has plans to add new business networks to its existing airline business. Lion Air Group has recently commenced a freight business called Lion Parcel. The airline also has the Lion Hotel and Plaza that is located in Manado and offers unmatched luxury and hospitality. As part of its fleet, the airline has also added jet planes for efficient flight journeys.

Fleet size of Thai Lion Air

As of 2020, Thai Lion Air's fleet size stands at 32 aircraft that mainly comprises of Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-900ERs, Airbus A330-900neo and Boeing 737 MAX 9. Out of these aircraft, the only massive wide-body aircraft that Thai Lion Air has in its fleet is the Airbus A330neo. The jet-liner can accommodate 436 passengers and also brings forth exquisite amenities and facilities to make the flight experience of passengers enjoyable and comfortable. The aircraft exclusively uses the famous Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engine to enhance the efficiency of the jet aircraft. The other three Boeing aircraft such as Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-900ER and Boeing 737 MAX 9 have a seating capacity of 189 and 215 (737-900ER and 737 MAX 9) respectively. The airline has ordered for additional six Boeing 7370-800s and one Boeing 737 MAX 9 to be part of its fleet. Until June 2015, the airline fleet also had the ATR 72-600 that was perfect for all its short-haul domestic route and regional operations. However, they discontinued the aircraft and currently only accommodate Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

Baggage allowance

Thai Lion Air's baggage allowance is different from international regulatory standards. The airline allows domestic flight passengers to carry baggage weighing not more than 20 kg. This is only applicable for passengers who are travelling by premium economy class. As for the economy class, the airline doesn't allow any checked baggage. For international flights, Thai Lion Air allows baggage weighing not more than 30 kg for premium economy class. The airline has not mentioned any specific baggage allowance for passengers flying international in Thai Lion Air's economy class. The airline does allow one piece of hand baggage that the passenger can carry with them, but it should not weigh more than 7 kg. The dimension of the baggage should also not exceed 30 x 40 x 20 cm. It is mandatory for passengers to follow this protocol as the bags need to fit in the overhead bin. Failing to meet these requirements with respect to Thai Lion Air's baggage allowance would result in the airline asking the passenger to ship the baggage as cargo. Along with the hand baggage, the airline does allow an additional small bag which could be a handbag or a laptop bag. The airline does conduct security baggage screenings of all the bags that pass through with the passenger.

In-flight

Thai Lion Air as a low-cost carrier has enabled a slew of exquisite in-flight services and facilities that have made it a successful airline in such a short span of time. Onboard, the airline caters to a bunch of facilities that range from amazing in-flight meals to great hospitality. Thai Lion Air's in-flight services complement the hospitality that Thailand is known for. The seating of Thai Lion Air is quite convenient for passengers. As the airline majorly has narrow-body aircraft with just one wide-body aircraft, much of the seating configuration is also set in a certain way that caters to easy access to the aisle for passengers. The seats are comfortable and do have a certain degree of recline that passengers in short-haul flights can enjoy. Further, the legroom and availability to upgrade seats to better legroom spaces are again a positive for passengers travelling from Thai Lion Air.

Other brilliant in-flight services of Thai Lion Air include a delicious in-flight meal. The airline provides the best of Thai food that one can enjoy in-flight. They majorly cater to non-vegetarian food. However, travellers can opt for vegetarian meals and even share details of dietary restrictions with the airline. The in-flight crew will work on the same and ensure that all the requirements are met with onboard. Although the domestic route flights do not have personalised entertainment systems attached, the international route flights have enabled the same to give passengers some fun entertainment content.

Popular routes and top cities for Thai Lion Air

Thai Lion Air is a recognised domestic airline with an immaculate domestic route connectivity. A majority of the cities that the airline caters to are predominantly tourist destinations. Passengers who wish to traverse within Thailand can actually book a Thai Lion Air as it mainly connects with several tourist destinations. These include Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phitsanulok, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Hat Yai, Krabi, Surat Thani, Phuket, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang and Pattaya. As a low-cost carrier, the airline is known to connect a handful of international routes as well. Although Thai Air Line only connects with cities in the Southeast Asian destinations, they have chosen the most important and famous ones. The international cities that Thai Lion Air connects with include Singapore, Jakarta, Bali, Yangon, Hanoi, Taipei, Tokyo-Narita, Nagoya, Osaka-Kansai, Fukuoka, Mumbai, Kathmandu, Dhaka, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanchang, Nanjing, Changsha, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Tianjin, Changzhou, Jinan, Wuhan, Ningbo, Hefei, Shenzhen and Colombo.

Why travel from Thai Lion Air?

Thai Lion Air is emerging into one of the fastest-growing airlines in Thailand. Since its genesis, the airline has been working on expansion plans to ensure that the services reach as many destinations as possible. Considering how the airline does face some competition with a bunch of airlines, including Bangkok Airways, it is essential for Thai Lion Air to perform and expand its list of domestic route and international route connectivity. Thailand witnesses a strong number of passengers and travellers every year, especially during the peak season. Hence, this is the time for the airline to make the most of the demand the country experiences.

As a low-cost carrier, it does have some benefits as it helps passengers to choose the airline over the other more expensive ones. Booking a Thai Lion Air flight is quite easy and convenient as it is available on several travel portals and platforms. Plus, the affordability of Thai Lion Air's tickets on these platforms makes it an attractive deal for travellers. Further, the airline recently introduced a mobile app to enhance its facilities and connect directly with the passengers. On the app, the traveller can peruse through Thai Lion Air's flight schedules, the list of in-flight services and facilities that the airline provides, options for web check-in and more. The mobile app also gives passengers a heads up on the flight status. With such impeccable facilities that are available on the app and the official website, Thai Lion Air is further able to keep the travellers engaged.

They also provide a few discounts and offers for Thai Lion Air flight bookings. Some of these include discounts on hotel accommodations in the destinations that the airline has an affiliation with. The airfare on Thai Lion Air is easily one of the best reasons why it becomes a catch and ideal for budget travellers who want to travel across the country by shelling out less money.