Thai Airways opens restaurant that serves replicas of in-flight meals

An airline in Thailand has opened a new restaurant that serves exact replicas of in-flight meals – for people who miss the normal experience of flying.

Thai Airways opened a restaurant in Bangkok – which serves the actual in-flight meals that the airlines served. The fleet has been grounded for months because of the pandemic – since April 4.

The restaurant is actually a part of the canteen in its head office. You enter via stairs like those you would use to enter a plane, and even the seats are arranged (mostly) like you would have on a plane.

The tables are made from the engine parts of out of commission planes, and the chairs themselves are actually plane seats. There’s even pillows and headrests – and armrests too, in case you really want the authentic experience.

The food itself is relatively cheap for a restaurant where you have to sit down – between $3 and $5. The breakfast is served from 7 am, and the international menu begins at 9 am. That ranges from pastries to caesar salad to shawarma – just like it would on a real flight.

Attendants wait at the entrances and exits as they would normally, and customers even have to book online and scan a QR code – like they would have on a boarding pass – to enter. There’s even a difference between economy and business class seats and dining experiences.

The airline was close to bankruptcy and has asked the Thai government for a bailout (the airline is 48 per cent owned by the Thai government).

Thai Airways has been running a version of this business since April, according to the Guardian – as have other airlines. In Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific has been selling its meals to airport staff, and Garuda, which is the national airline of Indonesia, is also offering its food as takeaway dinners on a tray.

Some airlines are even going one step further – Qantas Air have been selling business class pyjamas, Tim tams, handcream and more as ‘care packages’.

The restaurant that Thai Airways opened is just a pop-up for now, but images show a lot of visitors over its first few days. All you need now is a screaming baby and strange inflight entertainment and visitors will have the authentic flying experience.