Flip-flops on aircraft? If foreigners can why can't we, moans Thai passenger

[Machiavelli]

2 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Thai Air is more expensive than some airlines. Emirates is also more expensive than some other airlines. So is Cathay. So what ? They price what they think they can get away with and if you don't like it you are free to look at other airlines.
I've flown on numerous carriers over the last 14 years. Gulf Air, Emirates, Thai, Air India, Philippines Air, Korean Air, China Air as well as a few on the "lower end" of the scale (Egypt Air, Ariana Air and some dubious charter airlines).
Some airlines have newer, nicer planes. Maybe better seats, facilities amenities. Some airlines are subsidized by their host country. Some aren't. Some have higher overhead. Some want higher profit margins.
No "farang" is also paying "the airfare for the Thai". That's just straight out BS and pathetic to even think that.  

When I book flights I usually do it myself over the internet. I've used other websites like Kayak, Cheap Flights, Expedia and so on, until I noticed that on some of those sites you can end up paying 50% (or more) for a flight than if you booked it through the airline's website directly. (It has a lot to do with whether or not the ticket site/agency has any deals in place with the airline you want to fly on). I recall trying to book a flight to Canada once and Expedia and Kayak were quoting me a price that was $1,200 US over what the exact same flight was priced at on the airline's website (and yes, I checked, double-checked and triple checked to make sure I had the same flights to the same locations on the same dates and even checked that it was the same plane/configuration).

 

I've also used one of those little travel agencies like the ones you see all over the place in the cities in Thailand. I remember having a problem booking a flight online (when I was in Afghanistan) so I contacted the "boss" at SaveFlights and gave (him ?) my details and (he ?) was able to make the booking for me. (And no, I didn't get charged double what a local would have paid for the same flight. I know because I already knew what price the airline was charging for that flight before I contacted the  travel agency).

On a couple other occasions the boss offered cheaper alternatives and explained that because they didn't have any arrangements with my preferred airline(s) they couldn't get me a cheaper ticket. (Though there was the one time when he did get me a cheaper flight, but I ended up with a 22 hour layover in Manila because the flight from Thailand landed 2 hours after the flight to Vancouver had departed. Sometimes "cheaper flight" doesn't mean "cheaper trip !)

Ticket prices can also vary depending on the origin/destination of the flight as well. For example, in 2008 I booked a Business Class, round trip ticket on Philippines Air from Bangkok to Vancouver (via Manila of course). I then booked another Business Class ticket on the same airline, but from Vancouver to Bangkok (via Manila). One ticket was for me to fly to Canada (and back), the other ticket was for my father to fly to Thailand (and then back to Canada).
Guess whose ticket was $300 more expensive ?

The one that originated in Canada. Same route. Same seats (we even sat together on the flights back to Bangkok). Try as I might, I could not get rid of that $300 difference. Apparently, landing fees in Canada are higher (no surprise) as well as assorted taxes (no surprise) and cost of fuel (etc, etc) so tickets that originate from there are more expensive (at least they were back in 2008).

Another thing to keep in mind if you are shopping for flights online using sites like Expedia or Kayak (or any other similar site). 
Clear your browser history/cache before searching !!

Many websites leave "cookies" on your computer and those "cookies" contain information the website can use when you visit it again. If the site(s) see you've been shopping for flights (say from Bangkok to Berlin) it is possible that any prices you see will be higher than normal.

(This info came from a well known travel website that apparently discovered and tested this a few years ago. Clearing the cache and deleting the cookies resulted in being shown cheaper prices for the same flights they'd just looked at minutes earlier.)

 

That is another reason why I often buy my tickets directly from the airline site instead of through a ticketing agency. I'll use the ticket sites to see which airlines have flights on the routes/dates I want, then go to those airline's websites and look at their prices to see which is the better deal.
(Doing that is also how I ended up flying (a lot) of Business Class flights on Gulf Air from Dubai to Bangkok (via Bahrain) for $200(+/-) more than flying Economy Class on Emirates or Thai. The extra $200 was so worth it and I still arrived at the same time as I would have if I'd taken Emirates/Thai as that flight left hours later than the Gulf flight.)

(Note - at the time Emirates and Thai had a code share agreement. I had flown Emirates Business Class once and it was awesome so on another trip I booked Emirates Business Class again. However, it was a Thai "code share" flight operated by Thai Air. Emirates wouldn't let me use the Emirates Business Class Check in or the Emirates Business Class lounge because the flight was "operated" by Thai Air. (Was a little p/o'd by that as their Business Class check-in and Lounge was one of the reasons I went with Emirates. That was also the last time I flew with them actually.) Still, it was Thai Royal Silk Class and was also an awesome flight (though if I recall, had I booked through Thai Air it would have been more expensive).

Another thing to watch for. In most cases when you are entering dates for your flights, those dates are "flexible". However, many sites have the option of selecting (or deselecting) something like "Fixed Dates" or "I must fly on these dates" and so on. Telling them that you have to fly on a specific date(s) can result in a huge increase in ticket price. In some cases, double the cost (or more) !

I flew another Philippine Air flight to Canada in 2010 for a (very) short trip. I was going to arrive on a Sunday afternoon, take care of some personal business on Monday morning and fly out again that night. 
I could not get their system to accept those dates unless I selected "Must fly on these dates" (or whatever it is on their site, can't remember off hand). I even played with the dates (a lot) and found there was no problem with seat availability on the dates I wanted, unless I selected "Flexible dates". However, when I selected "Must Fly", the price of the ticket almost doubled !! No explanation why ! The seats were available on every flight I looked at, and if I selected fixed dates, the price doubled !
(I ended up flying in on the Sunday, doing my business on the Monday morning, flying to Calgary that afternoon, back to Vancouver on Wednesday morning and then out on Wednesday evening. Still ended up cheaper than paying double the ticket price !)
It seems some airlines, for some reason, don't like the idea of people flying in and back out within 24 hours. Not sure why but they seem to expect at least 3 days between arrival and departure (Maybe it's just Philippine Air or maybe it's just on long haul flights or just into/out of certain destinations. I couldn't tell because I couldn't find anything anywhere that said there had to be at
least 3 days between the flights.)

 

Oh and most airlines also have dress codes not just for employees, but for regular passengers (and more so for those in Business/First class and the associated lounges as well). Employees (and their families) are probably flying on discounted (or upgraded) tickets and are expected to dress appropriately as they are considered (in a way) to be representing the airline, especially if they are travelling in (for example) the Business or First Class cabins.  

 

 

You must be in the blog business. 

[The manic]

4 hours ago, Seismic said:

I would have to disagree, and a simple search on websites like Kayak or skyscanner would show quite quickly that Thai do not appear to be able to match the fares of many other major airlines.

If you wish to fly with 3rd World Airlines, Arab Airlines or even worse...British Airways.

[zaphod reborn]

5 hours ago, sirineou said:

Only while on duty, 

 

Not necessarily.  Thai labor law allows the employer to require the employee refrain from specific conduct in off-hours or offsite which may shed the company in a bad light and cause damage to its public image.  Here, the employee is using a company-provided benefit (discounted airfare through credit card purchase) and can be required to agree to a dress or conduct code as a condition to availing themselves of the benefit.  Unless you have read the collective bargaining agreement for THAI employees and the terms and conditions of the credit card purchase, you can't know what was prohibited by way of footwear for this particular employee benefit.

[bananafish]

I've always preferred to dress well when I'm getting a flight. A buttoned shirt, long pants and closed shoes. No reason besides vanity really, just not wanting to look like a scruff ball. 

[natway09]

The bloody things should be banned worldwide.

Try getting into a good nightclub in KL with them on ,,,,, no way, & I am glad about that

[BEVUP]

& I choose to just wear a Pollo shirt ,shorts with elastic & flip flops (thongs ) so I don't need to go to the trouble of undressing & to be comfortable on longish flights

[SoulWater]

2 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Thai Air is more expensive than some airlines. Emirates is also more expensive than some other airlines. So is Cathay. So what ? They price what they think they can get away with and if you don't like it you are free to look at other airlines.
I've flown on numerous carriers over the last 14 years. Gulf Air, Emirates, Thai, Air India, Philippines Air, Korean Air, China Air as well as a few on the "lower end" of the scale (Egypt Air, Ariana Air and some dubious charter airlines).
Some airlines have newer, nicer planes. Maybe better seats, facilities amenities. Some airlines are subsidized by their host country. Some aren't. Some have higher overhead. Some want higher profit margins.
No "farang" is also paying "the airfare for the Thai". That's just straight out BS and pathetic to even think that.  

When I book flights I usually do it myself over the internet. I've used other websites like Kayak, Cheap Flights, Expedia and so on, until I noticed that on some of those sites you can end up paying 50% (or more) for a flight than if you booked it through the airline's website directly. (It has a lot to do with whether or not the ticket site/agency has any deals in place with the airline you want to fly on). I recall trying to book a flight to Canada once and Expedia and Kayak were quoting me a price that was $1,200 US over what the exact same flight was priced at on the airline's website (and yes, I checked, double-checked and triple checked to make sure I had the same flights to the same locations on the same dates and even checked that it was the same plane/configuration).

 

I've also used one of those little travel agencies like the ones you see all over the place in the cities in Thailand. I remember having a problem booking a flight online (when I was in Afghanistan) so I contacted the "boss" at SaveFlights and gave (him ?) my details and (he ?) was able to make the booking for me. (And no, I didn't get charged double what a local would have paid for the same flight. I know because I already knew what price the airline was charging for that flight before I contacted the  travel agency).

On a couple other occasions the boss offered cheaper alternatives and explained that because they didn't have any arrangements with my preferred airline(s) they couldn't get me a cheaper ticket. (Though there was the one time when he did get me a cheaper flight, but I ended up with a 22 hour layover in Manila because the flight from Thailand landed 2 hours after the flight to Vancouver had departed. Sometimes "cheaper flight" doesn't mean "cheaper trip !)

Ticket prices can also vary depending on the origin/destination of the flight as well. For example, in 2008 I booked a Business Class, round trip ticket on Philippines Air from Bangkok to Vancouver (via Manila of course). I then booked another Business Class ticket on the same airline, but from Vancouver to Bangkok (via Manila). One ticket was for me to fly to Canada (and back), the other ticket was for my father to fly to Thailand (and then back to Canada).
Guess whose ticket was $300 more expensive ?

The one that originated in Canada. Same route. Same seats (we even sat together on the flights back to Bangkok). Try as I might, I could not get rid of that $300 difference. Apparently, landing fees in Canada are higher (no surprise) as well as assorted taxes (no surprise) and cost of fuel (etc, etc) so tickets that originate from there are more expensive (at least they were back in 2008).

Another thing to keep in mind if you are shopping for flights online using sites like Expedia or Kayak (or any other similar site). 
Clear your browser history/cache before searching !!

Many websites leave "cookies" on your computer and those "cookies" contain information the website can use when you visit it again. If the site(s) see you've been shopping for flights (say from Bangkok to Berlin) it is possible that any prices you see will be higher than normal.

(This info came from a well known travel website that apparently discovered and tested this a few years ago. Clearing the cache and deleting the cookies resulted in being shown cheaper prices for the same flights they'd just looked at minutes earlier.)

 

That is another reason why I often buy my tickets directly from the airline site instead of through a ticketing agency. I'll use the ticket sites to see which airlines have flights on the routes/dates I want, then go to those airline's websites and look at their prices to see which is the better deal.
(Doing that is also how I ended up flying (a lot) of Business Class flights on Gulf Air from Dubai to Bangkok (via Bahrain) for $200(+/-) more than flying Economy Class on Emirates or Thai. The extra $200 was so worth it and I still arrived at the same time as I would have if I'd taken Emirates/Thai as that flight left hours later than the Gulf flight.)

(Note - at the time Emirates and Thai had a code share agreement. I had flown Emirates Business Class once and it was awesome so on another trip I booked Emirates Business Class again. However, it was a Thai "code share" flight operated by Thai Air. Emirates wouldn't let me use the Emirates Business Class Check in or the Emirates Business Class lounge because the flight was "operated" by Thai Air. (Was a little p/o'd by that as their Business Class check-in and Lounge was one of the reasons I went with Emirates. That was also the last time I flew with them actually.) Still, it was Thai Royal Silk Class and was also an awesome flight (though if I recall, had I booked through Thai Air it would have been more expensive).

Another thing to watch for. In most cases when you are entering dates for your flights, those dates are "flexible". However, many sites have the option of selecting (or deselecting) something like "Fixed Dates" or "I must fly on these dates" and so on. Telling them that you have to fly on a specific date(s) can result in a huge increase in ticket price. In some cases, double the cost (or more) !

I flew another Philippine Air flight to Canada in 2010 for a (very) short trip. I was going to arrive on a Sunday afternoon, take care of some personal business on Monday morning and fly out again that night. 
I could not get their system to accept those dates unless I selected "Must fly on these dates" (or whatever it is on their site, can't remember off hand). I even played with the dates (a lot) and found there was no problem with seat availability on the dates I wanted, unless I selected "Flexible dates". However, when I selected "Must Fly", the price of the ticket almost doubled !! No explanation why ! The seats were available on every flight I looked at, and if I selected fixed dates, the price doubled !
(I ended up flying in on the Sunday, doing my business on the Monday morning, flying to Calgary that afternoon, back to Vancouver on Wednesday morning and then out on Wednesday evening. Still ended up cheaper than paying double the ticket price !)
It seems some airlines, for some reason, don't like the idea of people flying in and back out within 24 hours. Not sure why but they seem to expect at least 3 days between arrival and departure (Maybe it's just Philippine Air or maybe it's just on long haul flights or just into/out of certain destinations. I couldn't tell because I couldn't find anything anywhere that said there had to be at
least 3 days between the flights.)

 

Oh and most airlines also have dress codes not just for employees, but for regular passengers (and more so for those in Business/First class and the associated lounges as well). Employees (and their families) are probably flying on discounted (or upgraded) tickets and are expected to dress appropriately as they are considered (in a way) to be representing the airline, especially if they are travelling in (for example) the Business or First Class cabins.  

 

 

Had to quote this if nothing else to double the length of the forum.

 

The previous replies gave the correct summary thai Airways are not a budget airline so tend to be more expensive than competitors - also if staff members are travelling under guidelines they should be adhered to

[DLang]

"Oh don't worry" replied the check-in staff, "We saw they were farang, so charged them triple kaa."

[Zack61]

2 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Thai Air is more expensive than some airlines. Emirates is also more expensive than some other airlines. So is Cathay. So what ? They price what they think they can get away with and if you don't like it you are free to look at other airlines.
I've flown on numerous carriers over the last 14 years. Gulf Air, Emirates, Thai, Air India, Philippines Air, Korean Air, China Air as well as a few on the "lower end" of the scale (Egypt Air, Ariana Air and some dubious charter airlines).
Some airlines have newer, nicer planes. Maybe better seats, facilities amenities. Some airlines are subsidized by their host country. Some aren't. Some have higher overhead. Some want higher profit margins.
No "farang" is also paying "the airfare for the Thai". That's just straight out BS and pathetic to even think that.  

When I book flights I usually do it myself over the internet. I've used other websites like Kayak, Cheap Flights, Expedia and so on, until I noticed that on some of those sites you can end up paying 50% (or more) for a flight than if you booked it through the airline's website directly. (It has a lot to do with whether or not the ticket site/agency has any deals in place with the airline you want to fly on). I recall trying to book a flight to Canada once and Expedia and Kayak were quoting me a price that was $1,200 US over what the exact same flight was priced at on the airline's website (and yes, I checked, double-checked and triple checked to make sure I had the same flights to the same locations on the same dates and even checked that it was the same plane/configuration).

 

I've also used one of those little travel agencies like the ones you see all over the place in the cities in Thailand. I remember having a problem booking a flight online (when I was in Afghanistan) so I contacted the "boss" at SaveFlights and gave (him ?) my details and (he ?) was able to make the booking for me. (And no, I didn't get charged double what a local would have paid for the same flight. I know because I already knew what price the airline was charging for that flight before I contacted the  travel agency).

On a couple other occasions the boss offered cheaper alternatives and explained that because they didn't have any arrangements with my preferred airline(s) they couldn't get me a cheaper ticket. (Though there was the one time when he did get me a cheaper flight, but I ended up with a 22 hour layover in Manila because the flight from Thailand landed 2 hours after the flight to Vancouver had departed. Sometimes "cheaper flight" doesn't mean "cheaper trip !)

Ticket prices can also vary depending on the origin/destination of the flight as well. For example, in 2008 I booked a Business Class, round trip ticket on Philippines Air from Bangkok to Vancouver (via Manila of course). I then booked another Business Class ticket on the same airline, but from Vancouver to Bangkok (via Manila). One ticket was for me to fly to Canada (and back), the other ticket was for my father to fly to Thailand (and then back to Canada).
Guess whose ticket was $300 more expensive ?

The one that originated in Canada. Same route. Same seats (we even sat together on the flights back to Bangkok). Try as I might, I could not get rid of that $300 difference. Apparently, landing fees in Canada are higher (no surprise) as well as assorted taxes (no surprise) and cost of fuel (etc, etc) so tickets that originate from there are more expensive (at least they were back in 2008).

Another thing to keep in mind if you are shopping for flights online using sites like Expedia or Kayak (or any other similar site). 
Clear your browser history/cache before searching !!

Many websites leave "cookies" on your computer and those "cookies" contain information the website can use when you visit it again. If the site(s) see you've been shopping for flights (say from Bangkok to Berlin) it is possible that any prices you see will be higher than normal.

(This info came from a well known travel website that apparently discovered and tested this a few years ago. Clearing the cache and deleting the cookies resulted in being shown cheaper prices for the same flights they'd just looked at minutes earlier.)

 

That is another reason why I often buy my tickets directly from the airline site instead of through a ticketing agency. I'll use the ticket sites to see which airlines have flights on the routes/dates I want, then go to those airline's websites and look at their prices to see which is the better deal.
(Doing that is also how I ended up flying (a lot) of Business Class flights on Gulf Air from Dubai to Bangkok (via Bahrain) for $200(+/-) more than flying Economy Class on Emirates or Thai. The extra $200 was so worth it and I still arrived at the same time as I would have if I'd taken Emirates/Thai as that flight left hours later than the Gulf flight.)

(Note - at the time Emirates and Thai had a code share agreement. I had flown Emirates Business Class once and it was awesome so on another trip I booked Emirates Business Class again. However, it was a Thai "code share" flight operated by Thai Air. Emirates wouldn't let me use the Emirates Business Class Check in or the Emirates Business Class lounge because the flight was "operated" by Thai Air. (Was a little p/o'd by that as their Business Class check-in and Lounge was one of the reasons I went with Emirates. That was also the last time I flew with them actually.) Still, it was Thai Royal Silk Class and was also an awesome flight (though if I recall, had I booked through Thai Air it would have been more expensive).

Another thing to watch for. In most cases when you are entering dates for your flights, those dates are "flexible". However, many sites have the option of selecting (or deselecting) something like "Fixed Dates" or "I must fly on these dates" and so on. Telling them that you have to fly on a specific date(s) can result in a huge increase in ticket price. In some cases, double the cost (or more) !

I flew another Philippine Air flight to Canada in 2010 for a (very) short trip. I was going to arrive on a Sunday afternoon, take care of some personal business on Monday morning and fly out again that night. 
I could not get their system to accept those dates unless I selected "Must fly on these dates" (or whatever it is on their site, can't remember off hand). I even played with the dates (a lot) and found there was no problem with seat availability on the dates I wanted, unless I selected "Flexible dates". However, when I selected "Must Fly", the price of the ticket almost doubled !! No explanation why ! The seats were available on every flight I looked at, and if I selected fixed dates, the price doubled !
(I ended up flying in on the Sunday, doing my business on the Monday morning, flying to Calgary that afternoon, back to Vancouver on Wednesday morning and then out on Wednesday evening. Still ended up cheaper than paying double the ticket price !)
It seems some airlines, for some reason, don't like the idea of people flying in and back out within 24 hours. Not sure why but they seem to expect at least 3 days between arrival and departure (Maybe it's just Philippine Air or maybe it's just on long haul flights or just into/out of certain destinations. I couldn't tell because I couldn't find anything anywhere that said there had to be at
least 3 days between the flights.)

 

Oh and most airlines also have dress codes not just for employees, but for regular passengers (and more so for those in Business/First class and the associated lounges as well). Employees (and their families) are probably flying on discounted (or upgraded) tickets and are expected to dress appropriately as they are considered (in a way) to be representing the airline, especially if they are travelling in (for example) the Business or First Class cabins.  

 

 

Good info. Probably the longest post I've read. 

[TEFLKrabi]

Most airlines have a fairly strict policy for staff travel. One of the conditions of traveling at a fraction of the cost.

[DLang]

[Svante]

14 minutes ago, zaphod reborn said:

 

Not necessarily.  Thai labor law allows the employer to require the employee refrain from specific conduct in off-hours or offsite which may shed the company in a bad light and cause damage to its public image.  Here, the employee is using a company-provided benefit (discounted airfare through credit card purchase) and can be required to agree to a dress or conduct code as a condition to availing themselves of the benefit.  Unless you have read the collective bargaining agreement for THAI employees and the terms and conditions of the credit card purchase, you can't know what was prohibited by way of footwear for this particular employee benefit.

Correct, just about all airlines that provide so called ID90 tickets to staff and their immediate dependents have dress code when traveling on said tickets.

ID90 means no confirmed seats until the check-in closes and only then on a first come first served basis, considering you only pay 10% of normal Y-class fare, this is quite acceptable. For Qatar and Gulf Air the dress code means slacks, proper shirt and shoes with socks. Flip flops, T-shirts and shorts are not allowed. This goes for crew as well as dependents. Idea is that you represent the airline, whether on duty or not, as an ID90 ticketed traveler.

[OJAS]

2 hours ago, MaxYakov said:

I remember when flip-flops used to be called "shower shoes". AFAIC, the only place they should be worn is ... wait for it ... in the shower.

 

Certainly not on the street and while traveling on aircraft, no matter who one is or what kind of ticket one has. 

 

1 hour ago, rkidlad said:

P.s - everyone should be forced to wear shoes and socks when getting on a plane. Can take your shoes off when on the plane, but leave your socks on. Strictly so socks and sandals...nor Crocs. They're an abomination. 

 

7 minutes ago, bananafish said:

I've always preferred to dress well when I'm getting a flight. A buttoned shirt, long pants and closed shoes. No reason besides vanity really, just not wanting to look like a scruff ball. 

 

So how do you chaps manage to cope with the over-fussy miserable jobsworths at Security who insist on you removing your shoes before being screened - which more often than not means that you have to balance on 1 foot and then the other to unlace each shoe and then repeat this ritual in order to lace your shoes back on afterwards, because there is no bloody place for you to perch your bum on?

 

Some of us - myself included - have a physical disability which makes it impossible for us to balance on 1 foot, And that is the main reason why I always wear sandals when flying - and intend to continue doing so, thank you very much, whether you chaps like it or not.

 

That said I am prepared to - and do - make the effort to attire myself in a buttoned shirt and long trousers.

[steve187]

5 hours ago, sirineou said:

Only while on duty, 

all staff rebated travel comes with dress restrictions.

[Argus Tuft]

4 hours ago, Thian said:

I just compared prices between thai and klm....thai costs 6000 more. In the past thai costed almost double so they improved it seems but are still more expensive.

Hardly double is it?  

[Argus Tuft]

10 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

 

 

So how do you chaps manage to cope with the over-fussy miserable jobsworths at Security who insist on you removing your shoes before being screened - which more often than not means that you have to balance on 1 foot and then the other to unlace each shoe and then repeat this ritual in order to lace your shoes back on afterwards, because there is no bloody place for you to perch your bum on?

 

Some of us - myself included - have a physical disability which makes it impossible for us to balance on 1 foot, And that is the main reason why I always wear sandals when flying - and intend to continue doing so, thank you very much, whether you chaps like it or not.

 

That said I am prepared to - and do - make the effort to attire myself in a buttoned shirt and long trousers.

 

Have not been asked to remove my shoes for many years.  Belt off is enough.
12 international flights last 2 weeks and not once did I have to take my shoes off.
Might want to look at your shoes...

[Rimmer]

A troll post has been removed

[cracker1]

I applaud you Thai Airways for insisting on a dress code for your staff travelling.

[OJAS]

6 minutes ago, Argus Tuft said:

Might want to look at your shoes...

I prefer to look at my sandals instead.

[Katipo]

4 hours ago, Seismic said:

I would have to disagree, and a simple search on websites like Kayak or skyscanner would show quite quickly that Thai do not appear to be able to match the fares of many other major airlines.

Thai airways flights to and from Thailand are typically direct. If you compare against comparable national carriers offering the same, you will see the prices are more or less inline.

Indirect flights are typically cheaper to make them more attractive. Otherwise why would one fly for 16 hours to Frankfurt on an indirect flight when you can fly direct in less than 11?

[Argus Tuft]

9 minutes ago, OJAS said:

I prefer to look at my sandals instead.

Fair enough OJAS!  Nothing wrong with sandals :)

[thedemon]

2 minutes ago, Katipo said:

Thai airways flights to and from Thailand are typically direct. If you compare against comparable national carriers offering the same, you will see the prices are more or less inline.

Indirect flights are typically cheaper to make them more attractive. Otherwise why would one fly for 16 hours to Frankfurt on an indirect flight when you can fly direct in less than 11?

Exactly. Lot's of posts on TV complaining about the price of flights to/from Europe on THAI compared to the gulf carriers.

 

Fly direct on THAI, sleep 6-7 hours, I just need a shower and good to go (work or whatever) compared to changing aircraft in the middle of the night and feeling jetlagged for days. If you don't mind that then sure, those carriers are better value.

[MaxYakov]

28 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

 

 

So how do you chaps manage to cope with the over-fussy miserable jobsworths at Security who insist on you removing your shoes before being screened - which more often than not means that you have to balance on 1 foot and then the other to unlace each shoe and then repeat this ritual in order to lace your shoes back on afterwards, because there is no bloody place for you to perch your bum on?

 

Some of us - myself included - have a physical disability which makes it impossible for us to balance on 1 foot, And that is the main reason why I always wear sandals when flying - and intend to continue doing so, thank you very much, whether you chaps like it or not.

 

That said I am prepared to - and do - make the effort to attire myself in a buttoned shirt and long trousers.

Can't set your butt on the floor and remove your shoes (or find some place to sit down, remove your shoes and pad around in your socks)?

 

Perhaps, you should be the exception that proves the rule, that's all. Anyway, I didn't say sandals, I said shower shoes and your excuse sounds pretty lame to me.

 

I'm not letting the terrorists or the TSA force me into really tacky attire that even a child probably shouldn't be wearing (in the interests of foot protection). 

[TKDfella]

For my thinking wearing flip-flops on an flight is taking casual wear a bit too far but then I admit to being old fashioned.

[off road pat]

5 hours ago, Seismic said:

I would have to disagree, and a simple search on websites like Kayak or skyscanner would show quite quickly that Thai do not appear to be able to match the fares of many other major airlines.

I also fly Thai regularly in L.O.S. and are very pleased with there service. I often have extra luggage and rarely have to pay for it. I am wheelchair bound and had numerous problems with the cheaper airlines (YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE !?!?). Until I flew Thai !.

It was a bit more expensive but well worth it !!!

[Colabamumbai]

3 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Thai Air is more expensive than some airlines. Emirates is also more expensive than some other airlines. So is Cathay. So what ? They price what they think they can get away with and if you don't like it you are free to look at other airlines.
I've flown on numerous carriers over the last 14 years. Gulf Air, Emirates, Thai, Air India, Philippines Air, Korean Air, China Air as well as a few on the "lower end" of the scale (Egypt Air, Ariana Air and some dubious charter airlines).
Some airlines have newer, nicer planes. Maybe better seats, facilities amenities. Some airlines are subsidized by their host country. Some aren't. Some have higher overhead. Some want higher profit margins.
No "farang" is also paying "the airfare for the Thai". That's just straight out BS and pathetic to even think that.  

When I book flights I usually do it myself over the internet. I've used other websites like Kayak, Cheap Flights, Expedia and so on, until I noticed that on some of those sites you can end up paying 50% (or more) for a flight than if you booked it through the airline's website directly. (It has a lot to do with whether or not the ticket site/agency has any deals in place with the airline you want to fly on). I recall trying to book a flight to Canada once and Expedia and Kayak were quoting me a price that was $1,200 US over what the exact same flight was priced at on the airline's website (and yes, I checked, double-checked and triple checked to make sure I had the same flights to the same locations on the same dates and even checked that it was the same plane/configuration).

 

I've also used one of those little travel agencies like the ones you see all over the place in the cities in Thailand. I remember having a problem booking a flight online (when I was in Afghanistan) so I contacted the "boss" at SaveFlights and gave (him ?) my details and (he ?) was able to make the booking for me. (And no, I didn't get charged double what a local would have paid for the same flight. I know because I already knew what price the airline was charging for that flight before I contacted the  travel agency).

On a couple other occasions the boss offered cheaper alternatives and explained that because they didn't have any arrangements with my preferred airline(s) they couldn't get me a cheaper ticket. (Though there was the one time when he did get me a cheaper flight, but I ended up with a 22 hour layover in Manila because the flight from Thailand landed 2 hours after the flight to Vancouver had departed. Sometimes "cheaper flight" doesn't mean "cheaper trip !)

Ticket prices can also vary depending on the origin/destination of the flight as well. For example, in 2008 I booked a Business Class, round trip ticket on Philippines Air from Bangkok to Vancouver (via Manila of course). I then booked another Business Class ticket on the same airline, but from Vancouver to Bangkok (via Manila). One ticket was for me to fly to Canada (and back), the other ticket was for my father to fly to Thailand (and then back to Canada).
Guess whose ticket was $300 more expensive ?

The one that originated in Canada. Same route. Same seats (we even sat together on the flights back to Bangkok). Try as I might, I could not get rid of that $300 difference. Apparently, landing fees in Canada are higher (no surprise) as well as assorted taxes (no surprise) and cost of fuel (etc, etc) so tickets that originate from there are more expensive (at least they were back in 2008).

Another thing to keep in mind if you are shopping for flights online using sites like Expedia or Kayak (or any other similar site). 
Clear your browser history/cache before searching !!

Many websites leave "cookies" on your computer and those "cookies" contain information the website can use when you visit it again. If the site(s) see you've been shopping for flights (say from Bangkok to Berlin) it is possible that any prices you see will be higher than normal.

(This info came from a well known travel website that apparently discovered and tested this a few years ago. Clearing the cache and deleting the cookies resulted in being shown cheaper prices for the same flights they'd just looked at minutes earlier.)

 

That is another reason why I often buy my tickets directly from the airline site instead of through a ticketing agency. I'll use the ticket sites to see which airlines have flights on the routes/dates I want, then go to those airline's websites and look at their prices to see which is the better deal.
(Doing that is also how I ended up flying (a lot) of Business Class flights on Gulf Air from Dubai to Bangkok (via Bahrain) for $200(+/-) more than flying Economy Class on Emirates or Thai. The extra $200 was so worth it and I still arrived at the same time as I would have if I'd taken Emirates/Thai as that flight left hours later than the Gulf flight.)

(Note - at the time Emirates and Thai had a code share agreement. I had flown Emirates Business Class once and it was awesome so on another trip I booked Emirates Business Class again. However, it was a Thai "code share" flight operated by Thai Air. Emirates wouldn't let me use the Emirates Business Class Check in or the Emirates Business Class lounge because the flight was "operated" by Thai Air. (Was a little p/o'd by that as their Business Class check-in and Lounge was one of the reasons I went with Emirates. That was also the last time I flew with them actually.) Still, it was Thai Royal Silk Class and was also an awesome flight (though if I recall, had I booked through Thai Air it would have been more expensive).

Another thing to watch for. In most cases when you are entering dates for your flights, those dates are "flexible". However, many sites have the option of selecting (or deselecting) something like "Fixed Dates" or "I must fly on these dates" and so on. Telling them that you have to fly on a specific date(s) can result in a huge increase in ticket price. In some cases, double the cost (or more) !

I flew another Philippine Air flight to Canada in 2010 for a (very) short trip. I was going to arrive on a Sunday afternoon, take care of some personal business on Monday morning and fly out again that night. 
I could not get their system to accept those dates unless I selected "Must fly on these dates" (or whatever it is on their site, can't remember off hand). I even played with the dates (a lot) and found there was no problem with seat availability on the dates I wanted, unless I selected "Flexible dates". However, when I selected "Must Fly", the price of the ticket almost doubled !! No explanation why ! The seats were available on every flight I looked at, and if I selected fixed dates, the price doubled !
(I ended up flying in on the Sunday, doing my business on the Monday morning, flying to Calgary that afternoon, back to Vancouver on Wednesday morning and then out on Wednesday evening. Still ended up cheaper than paying double the ticket price !)
It seems some airlines, for some reason, don't like the idea of people flying in and back out within 24 hours. Not sure why but they seem to expect at least 3 days between arrival and departure (Maybe it's just Philippine Air or maybe it's just on long haul flights or just into/out of certain destinations. I couldn't tell because I couldn't find anything anywhere that said there had to be at
least 3 days between the flights.)

 

Oh and most airlines also have dress codes not just for employees, but for regular passengers (and more so for those in Business/First class and the associated lounges as well). Employees (and their families) are probably flying on discounted (or upgraded) tickets and are expected to dress appropriately as they are considered (in a way) to be representing the airline, especially if they are travelling in (for example) the Business or First Class cabins.  

 

 

You are exactly correct. When flying to Canada I look at the length of flights including stopover. Korean airlines, Bangkok-Seoul-Toronto is the least time consuming, flying the polar route.

[OJAS]

7 minutes ago, MaxYakov said:

Can't set your butt on the floor and remove your shoes (or find some place to sit down, remove your shoes and pad around in your socks)?

 

Perhaps, you should be the exception that proves the rule, that's all. Anyway, I didn't say sandals, I said shower shoes and your excuse sounds pretty lame to me.

 

I'm not letting the terrorists or the TSA force me into really tacky attire that even a child probably shouldn't be wearing (in the interests of foot protection). 

Many thanks for confirming your zero tolerance for those with disabilities.

[sammieuk1]

Off topic I was looking for a flight yesterday found 1 on a comparison site £590 rtn LHR to CNX but I will need to bring two bags 30kg very generous excellent so far so tried looking for a extra bag charge no where to be found so I email London office and the reply was shocking 30 kg extra bag $1155 LHR-BKK and $38 BKK-CNX when I replied nicely that BA charge £60 for an extra bag although only 23kg

they seam to have lost what little cool they had filled my inbox of the same email stating they are not BA then today blocked my email nice people so no surprise flip flops are an issue.  

[impulse]

21 minutes ago, Argus Tuft said:

Fair enough OJAS!  Nothing wrong with sandals :)

 

It's the black socks with the sandals.

 

[NanLaew]

5 hours ago, Thian said:

I just compared prices between thai and klm....thai costs 6000 more. In the past thai costed almost double so they improved it seems but are still more expensive.

Comparing a 12-hour, non-stop flight versus a minimum 15 hour, 1-stopover flight with a plane change is a really, really good comparison. Thanks for that.

 

FWIW, if you search one-way BKK-CDG, the quicker TG non-stop trip is about 23k baht versus the longer KL's 1-stopover 35.5k baht trip. Even TG's stopover option (in FRA) is less than 27k baht.

 

Don't give up your day job (unless you're a frequent TripAdvisor contributor where misinformation rules)