Thai Airways opens elite invitation-only Royal Orchid Plus Platinum tier

Thai Airways has joined the 'invitation-only' club with the creation of a new Royal Orchid Plus level for its most frequent flyers.

The Royal Orchid Plus Platinum level will be an invitation-only tier perched well above Royal Orchid Plus Gold. Qualifying criteria include flying either a minimum of 50,000 miles or 40 international flights with Thai in a calendar year.

That's clearly within the reach of many Royal Orchid Plus members whom Thai contacted prior to the launch and extended an invitation to join the programme and have already received their shiny new Platinum cards, which are said to contain a microchip and RFID chip similar to those of the Qantas Q Cards.

So what do Thai fans get for their long-time loyalty? For starters, their miles will never expire as long as they retain Platinum status, whereas Gold and Silver members lose their points after three years.

Fees on redemptions, such as for rerouting a reward ticket or changing the award nominee, are also dropped.

Thai also promises Platinums will enjoy a dedicated check-in area at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, access to the airline's Royal first class lounges and BKK's Fast Track immigration lane even when travelling on an economy ticket.

The baggage allowance is also boosted by 30kg on top of your ticketed travel class, compared to the extra 20kg given to Golds and 10kg to Silvers.

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.