Phil1964

Good points made here by a few posters but in essence China's leadership is controlling it's masses to retain the tourism and leisure spend in their domestic economy as much as possible.

Their economy is for China underperforming, (there's been interesting articles online at the level of collapse in exports to USA and Europe), property crisis well documented and if you're one of the rich Chinese I doubt Thailand, (it's virtually China's 'Benidorm'), features high on their must see bucket list??

To cope with all those foreign tourists from Europe?

Thought Thailand did'nt want the dirty western farangs?

Anyway, £1,000 plus standard economy airfares from Europe to Thailand v regularly sub £600 return fares from Europe to USA, Brazil, Mexico. To attract western farangs the cost of a (family) holiday to Thailand needs to be more competitive and compelling compared to the global market.

False smiles.

False people.

False country.

12 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Guys got some issues...

Yeah he has been around Thais too long that their volatile nature has rubbed off on him! 

????

Unbelievable.  But why am I not surprised at yet another classic example of the Thai 'short fuse' in play and their tendencies to simply lash out owing to their volatile temperaments. 

'Land of Duplicitous Smiles' more like.

Like the Tories in the UK he obviously has a deep understanding of the day to day life and situations of the working class population in his own country? 

#outoftouchremovedfrom reality

On 8/30/2023 at 1:21 PM, Elkski said:

This thread prompted me to check airfare and cimpare to last year.  

Last year we go RT fare of 780$ lax-bkk dec 6- jan 20th which was actually a bery low price compared to 2016-2019.  These dates, for years,   have seemed to be just in front and back of high sesson rates.  Currently on same korean air these flights are 1370$    a hefty chunk of change for 2.  Luckily we dont have plans for Thailand this high season.  Im rhink a clean beach relaxed area in Mexico to show my Thai wife how <deleted>ty Thailand is  

Exactly, flights from UK to Thailand are silly money now, despite flight prices heading west out of the UK being nearly back to pre-covid levels. Think airfares to Thailand et al from UK are not showing the 'same value' as a lot of long haul carriers such as BA either totally exited, or reduced their route options from UK to SE Asia, leaving the remaining operators to fill their flights more effectively without dropping their prices to do so.

7 hours ago, Trip Hop said:

Used it once myself and would never again.  Terrible service/attitude considering the way they try to portray themselves and received far better service elsewhere.  Would welcome it to return though, if only to relieve the demand on the competition?

I never used the old BA option when I learned the 747 on that route was the oldest 747 in BA's fleet and prone to issues. Someone I knew spent 48hrs in Athens circa 2018/19 when BA's LHR>BKK flight had to make an unscheduled stop there for repairs!

Used BA 3 times in total, once they lost my luggage, once they tipped a whole glass of wine over my ex-wife and the final time we were stuck on a runway at Phoenix waiting over 2 hours with no cooling ventilation or liquid refreshments and could'nt be arsed to check if elderly passengers and children were okay.

I holidayed in Thailand this month from the UK. While flights out and back, (Eva Air - LHR / BKK), were full, Brits were a minority on both flights.

Here in the UK we have high inflation, GBP exchange rates are rubbish compared to last 20years averages, for many people stagnant / declining wages are a reality, (I was made redundant 2 weeks before flying out), and airfares to SE Asia are ridiculous compared to heading westwards. In my circle the only people I know going to Thailand or long haul are those who have family in Thailand, or who are well-off. People on £40k  / year simply can't afford long haul family holidays anymore...

Well in today's FT it reports that China's sluggish economy is leading many Chinese to save, not spend. We've ridiculous flight costs from Europe to Thailand reducing European visitor numbers, so maybe a missed TAT visitor tourist quotient in Q4 2023 extending into 2024 may just focus the neanderthal minds of some of these rip off Thai merchants that customer service is what we want, not abuse, scams and p*** poor service. There's plenty of other countries where we can spend our tourist 'dollars' in far more welcoming, interesting and cultural places on this planet. 

6 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Problem here is that they are expecting Joe Foreigner to pay 50% more for their long flights to get there first, and only a certain amount are gullible to do this - that and China is flat out broke out and are not coming.

Only 50% more?

During European holiday times flights to Thailand are double or more what they were in 2019, pre-pandemic.

Tickets in the £600 plus region are appearing but are for bookings 6 months plus in advance, that or the journeys involve long layovers across 1 or 2 stops.

However, flight prices to north America, Caribbean, India, even Latin America are nearly back at pre-pandemic levels.

Add in that hotel rates and cost of excursions in Thailand have gone up quite a bit too.

8 hours ago, webfact said:

The authority has cautioned visitors and operators about the strong waves, urging them to ensure vessel readiness.

So it's up to the tourists to arrive in plenty of time to enable them to do a risk assessment and safety check of the mode of ferry transport? FFS!!!

"Oi El Capitane, do you have enough life jackets for XYZ passengers onboard and are lifeboats fully operational? May we witness the ship's crew undertake a lifeboat drill before sailing"?

16 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Emirates last week into Bangkok was an A380.

The departing flight a few weeks earlier also was.

 

In fact... of the 5 flights per day (BKK-DXB and DXB-BKK) 4 of them are an A380.

 

Onwards - that depends solely on the destination...  and also what the airport is set up for. 

Heathrow - All flights are A380

Manchester - 2 of 3 flights are an A380

Birmingham - 1 of 2 flights are an A380

 

All can be checked when looking at the website... 

 

Agree with you both - A380 is definitely  better than the 777... but we can easily find out.

(*last min tech difficulties and switches aside of course). 

 

 

Yeah, I've been fortunate to enjoy A380's on both legs on return flights from Birmingham > Dubai > Bangkok and vice versa. Also, 'suffered' the Boeing 777 on the leg from Dubai to Bangkok.

Mind you this last trip took Eva Air direct flight and not overly impressed with movie selection, seat room and lack of fluids during the flights. Though the air stewardesses were a lush mix of Thai and Taiwanese. ????

14 hours ago, London Lowf said:

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Seatguru has not been updated since before Covid?

 

Anyway, last June I flew economy LHR-DXB in a 380 and then DXB-BKK in a 777, with the reverse on the return two mnths later - the 380 was far more roomy and comfortable.

Airbus A380 knocks spots off the Boeing 777. A disappointment when one of the legs usually Dubai to Bangkok is not in an A380, especially if there first leg out to Dubai was ilan A380.

Good shared info here on this topic.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers.

17 hours ago, hotchilli said:

The Thai culture, light the fuse wire and boom.

 

Appears that way. My wife and especially more so now her 10year old daughter have no filter or intermediate level between placid state and the raging, foaming psychopathic state that we read about every day in the English language Thai media. 

On 8/3/2023 at 3:59 AM, Henryford said:

Plus for us Brits you get pension inflation increases. Quite a bit now with 10.1% inflation, 7% next year?

How does that work, please?

I thought if you resided overseas then your UK state pension was paid until your death at the same rate which it was on the day you left the UK to live elsewhere, (devoid of any annual increase)? Hence devaluing your pension income over time.

Or have the rules changed and / or only if moving to certain countries?

(Sorry, for asking. I'm not a pensioner yet, 8 years to go).

Thanks folks.

13 hours ago, Vatman said:

We live in small village, 200 miles north of Bangkok. Bank is SCB. I can't sack the wife as she owns the house we live in that we built 28 years ago & besides she's been 100% until this. The Covids killed so many businesses here & money is scarce now in the village. I'll travel to the Pattaya agent if I can get this sorted.

Just look after yourself and stay safe.

Hope your wife appreciates the years you've been together and what you achieved during that time? 

6 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

Is it not appaling, how medieval all this musical-chair-performance of all those dinosaurs appears? Anutin can "supply" MPs to get a political party into the driver seat. In a democracy voters are the legislative and the Anutins are the executives but here .......

Democracy in Thailand is confirming, once more again, the very own interpretation of the system without similarity to the proclaimed manifest. But it remains with the semi-divine Thai voters to live with the mess they have been voting ...... or for their unwillingness to change a completely rotten system so utterly misused all in the name of their nation, religion and monarchy. 

Going the same way as Cambodia. Namely controlled corrupt officials, (Cambodia by ex: Khmer Rouge, who instead of holding high office should have faced a death penalty).

Going the same way as Myanmar, controlled by an oppressive dictatorial, military junta!

Let alone Vietnam and Laos...

Pity the SE Asia block can't see it!

Myanmar generals must be rubbing their hands in glee, "takes the international spotlight off our atrocities". China rubbing their hands too, "Destabilise Thailand and move on in".

Hold on tight. Maybe the Thai army will enlist the Soviets 'on holiday' there??

Shame the generals and the corrupt can't see what a <deleted>storm they're brewing.

9 hours ago, mrfill said:

I just checked Skyscanner for a London-BKK flight in January. EvaAir direct flight - £697.41. Qatar (1.5hr transfer) - £704

Eva flights to Thailand have been over £1,000 pretty much all through 2023. Ditto Thai Air.. 

Booked in early April my Mrs and her 10year old daughter on Eva Air return flights for a one month trip 17th July > 17th August, (which is before most English schools close for summer hols), cost £2,100 for 2 pax - 1 adult / 1 child.

To have travelled for Easter it was even worse. 

Maybe I'll book myself 2 weeks away from them, their constant arguing and the UK winter on the flights you mentioned. I'll have a look, book and not tell them where I'm going. ????

Air fares from Europe for anything resembling a convenient hassle free journey are now a £1,000 plus, (Thai, Eva, Emirates, Qatar, FinnAir). My Mrs is going to her family this month and Eva Air was £1,100 return when booked in April! Flights westwards to Mexico, Caribbean and USA are popping up in price brackets akin to 2018-19 at £350 to £500 return. Heading east is a non-option at present. It's cheaper to fly to many Latin American than SE Asian destinations in 2023 from London, (it's a long time since that has been the case).

Thailand is Asia's Spain /Portugal, 'so near and on the doorstep' hence the visitor numbers from India, China, Singapore etc, these days dwarfing the number of debt encumbered visitors from recession haunted western economies.

I guess not what the beer and bar girls want to hear or endure. 

Be interesting if political unrest erupts, then watch tourism die a death and the baht tank...

4.8% increase down to imports. 

Thailand taxes to the hilt any imports to protect it's own economy and manufacturing base, (I thought, or am I mistaken on this)? Plus it mentions revenue coming in from previously deferred taxes.

Like others say on here this money won't filter down the social classes.

How long until Thailand's junta 'does a Myanmar' on it's own populace to retain their power and privileges?