Thai Airways flight delay drama: Couple tell their side of the story

[josephbloggs]

14 hours ago, Lingba said:

Congratulations to Thai Airways as this incident is now all over the international news headlines....

No it isn't.

[petedk]

19 hours ago, starky said:

This story gets more ridiculous in the retelling. Now it's 4 pilots who wanted to pick their own seats in business? Nothing to do with first class as reported before and how the <deleted> were 4 pilots going to share 2 seats. This whole story is a huge steaming load. So was there 4 pilots or 2  and were they off duty or "deadheads" and what they just walked onto a TG flight and said oh yeah I want to sit there? Hard to know what the truth is here with so many conflicting reports and I have zero idea of airline policy regarding this but if this account has any semblance of truth then all 4 or 2 or however many pilots there were should be sacked and those on the flight deck who caused the delays should face suspension and absorb all associated costs. Hahaha oops this is Thailand none of that gonna happen

 

It seems that the plane was a Boeing 747-400 and the first class seat were not being sold as first class but business class.

 

You can read more here: https://onemileatatime.com/thai-airways-first-class-seat-delay/

[meinphuket]

We can argue about many aspects, but the fact remains that these selfish deadheads forget who pays their salaries, no wonder Thai, deservedly,  turns a loss year after year after year...

 

I always travel business class between BKK and Phuket and always suffer delays. When I asked the chief steward why we always have to board on time, but then made to sit and wait,he said 'not my problem' This is how their staff react to passengers, even to business travellers who are the bread and butter of every flight. 

[Burma Bill]

It was a known fact that in years past THAI Airways employees and their families travelling on "freebie/discount" tickets were prioritized over the general travelling public but I do not know THAI's policy these days - possibly still unchanged. 

[Srikcir]

19 hours ago, smedly said:

once they set foot on that plane they are "for all intents and purposes" in Thailand 

Can you give a cite for that statement?

You might be correct if the aircraft was operating under a diplomatic clearance. Other than that -

While the aircraft is on the ground in a parked position (ie., for loading and unloading passengers), sovereignty over the aircraft belongs to the nation where it is parked until there is a pilot in command that "commences when an aircraft moves under its own power for the purpose of flight and ends when the aircraft comes to rest after landing."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_in_command

 

 

[OJAS]

16 hours ago, melvinmelvin said:

yes, chartering a plane is easy-mak

but bottom line is that this is a tg problem not a pax problem

 

Yep, just click your fingers and, hey presto, a plane instantly appears before your eyes.

 

As you have already stated the bottom line is that this is a problem which was caused by the bungling incompetent morons who call themselves the ZRH ground staff over whom neither TG nor any other airline has any control.

Edited October 21, 2018 by OJAS

[meinphuket]

We can argue about many aspects, but the fact remains that these selfish deadheads forget who pays their salaries, no wonder Thai, deservedly,  turns a loss year after year after year...

 

I always travel business class between BKK and Phuket and always suffer delays. When I asked the chief steward why we always have to board on time, but then made to sit and wait,he said 'not my problem' This is how their staff react to passengers, even to business travellers who are the bread and butter of every flight. 

[Ulic]

BeOf course the whole sad story is ridiculous. The deadheading pilots should have just taken the other available business class tickets. Just because they wanted to hold hands like an old married couple they have caused a huge public relations nightmare for the company. It may be their right to request the seats they wanted but to escalate things to this level was plain stupidity.

[chuang]

The couple should stand their ground not give in to these dickheads....it would be interesting if the couple is from PRC....

[puck2]

I think this thread needs some facts we miss to read here.

 

• This TG971 flight normally is made by a Boeing 777 which has no first class.

• Instead of the Boeing 777 Thai Airways deployed a Boeing 747 (jumbo) which has a first class.

• It's usual that passengers from the business class are upgraded to the first class in such a case.

• The upgrade is limited because the first class has a lower number of seats than the business class. This is up to the airline. Some chose priority passengers or those with the earliest booking time.

• At the end, Thai Airways cancelled the upgrading.

 

Of course, that's no excuse for the management of this affair.

[NanLaew]

17 minutes ago, chuang said:

The couple should stand their ground not give in to these dickheads....it would be interesting if the couple is from PRC....

No. They were Thai like the flight crew and the station manager and just about everyone else at the front of this bus.

[NanLaew]

51 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Yep, just click your fingers and, hey presto, a plane instantly appears before your eyes.

 

As you have already stated the bottom line is that this is a problem which was caused by the bungling incompetent morons who call themselves the ZRH ground staff over whom neither TG nor any other airline has any control.

I reckon THAI has a Thai national as ZRH station manager... as if that makes anything better of course.

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, Patriot said:

By all accounts the pilot’s handling of the situation is under investigation. By stating that he wouldn’t take-off until the situation was resolved and then hide in the cockpit doesn’t exactly demonstrate admirable leadership qualities 

With the facts of the late equipment change and the addition of a First Class being serviced as 'premier' Business Class, the possible late addition of the dead-heads to the pax manifest and the suggestion that the 2 pax that caused the delay were actually upgrades from Coach to Business on what would have been the original 777 equipment means the perfect storm was brewing. All it needed was incompetence.

 

The Captain should have been aware that deadheads get priority seating as he expects no-less himself when he has to do it since it is company policy for TG and most other full-service carriers. If indeed he was hiding in the cockpit, (which I doubt), maybe it was because he was the one who wrangled the 2 upgrades from Coach for some friends and when it all went pear-shaped and they were being re-seated and not downgraded due to ground staff's incompetence, maybe that 'face' thing meant he had to suddenly develop seriously sloping shoulders?

[Jonnapat]

22 hours ago, sweatalot said:

if they were 4 dead heads they probably wanted to sit together and needed the couple's seat for that. Understandable but stubborn and not justified.

Sometimes a group of passengers (in bc) cannot sit together, too because seats are allocated to other passengers. 

Thai airways should be shamed for this - btw. can every "high so" still fly for free in fc or bc? A reason for me to avoid them. Middle eastern airlines have a better service

Better service and usually better prices

[NanLaew]

22 hours ago, sweatalot said:

...btw. can every "high so" still fly for free in fc or bc? ...

Where's mythbusters when you really need them.

 

They've got connections and a wedge so can easily afford to fly up front but they don't fly for free. That's a rumor that was probably started by some disaffected, uppity farang when his once-in-a-lifetime BC upgrade on TG was whipped away from under his nose at the 11th hour... because they can do that.

[Vacuum]

20 hours ago, bowerboy said:

This report is from Sanook...I would believe the accounts from other more reputable media outlets...

Agree. I waite for a full report from The Sun, or the like.

[NanLaew]

1 minute ago, Vacuum said:

Agree. I waite for a full report from The Sun, or the like.

The Daily Star mate. The Sun makes things up.

[observer90210]

This case was widely reported in many international medias on their websites. A disgrace for Thailand and a big disgrace for Thai Airways. Carry on the great work fellas. And wait till your Chinese pals get hold of this story !! ????

[Knocker33]

Sure it's dead heads and not d**k heads? 

[DJ54]

The concept of involuntary bumping from a flight has been around for a long, long time, and it only takes simple arithmetic to figure out that if a flight somewhere further along the line cannot depart for lack of crew, to use one possible example, it is much cheaper to bump a paying pax, compensate according to the rules and get the employee where he/she needs to be, than cancel the flight that employee needs to be on. 

 

Employees dead-heading to a destination for work are not considered crew by the FAA. The only way to guarantee a seat on an aircraft is to own it, and even then it's not always a sure thing.

 

 

 

When overbooking occurs, the Department of Transportation requires airlines to ask people who aren’t in a hurry to give up their seats voluntarily, in exchange for compensation.

 

If passengers don’t voluntarily give up their seats, the airline can then bump passengers against their will. Those passengers bumped involuntarily are, with a few exceptions, entitled to compensation.

 

Concernig where they sit is probably according to airline internal policy. Maybe a pilot doesn’t want coach and forces the issue.

[DJ54]

Was on flight from US thru Hong Kong to China. Storm in area delayed us in the air. The storm caused so many delays a lot of

fights were cancelled, The airline wasn’t required to put us up 

for the night. Everyone on the flight were taken to hotels with 

transportation at no charge. Passengers were booked for flights

the next day. Nice little break in Kowloon in decent hotel  paid for....I think it included breakfast 

[cookieqw]

i always thought that pilots were the last persons to want a plane delayed,  i was totally wrong their. and if you are on board you have to sit in the seat relevant to your boarding pass - safety reasons

[Jonmarleesco]

On 10/20/2018 at 4:47 PM, rooster59 said:

Thai Airways have promised a full investigation with senior executives scurrying to limit damage from the story that has caused much negative comment online for the national carrier. 

They'd better do somewhat more than scurry. The idiot employees who caused this issue need a good a__e kicking to start. 

[cookieqw]

22 hours ago, melvinmelvin said:

piss talk

this is no Thai bash

this is hate talk re airlines selling products - collecting money - not delivering

 

oh, hello Mr Rest,

sorry we can not deliver that blue sofa you bought - we have same same in green and in yellow

you see, yesterday one of our employees wanted a blue one and we had to give it to him

 

yes i know you booked the room for your wedding reception but one of our managers has just got married so he is using it.   555

[Patriot]

I will be traveling to Zurich on Thai mid November on redeemed miles and using the annual upgrade to Buisiness! I haven’t a chance of surviving, I’d best prepare for the worst ie sitting amongst the baggage 

[metisdead]

Some off topic posts and the replies were removed. 

[Jonmarleesco]

On 10/20/2018 at 4:47 PM, rooster59 said:

Flight TG 971 was delayed more than two hours bound for Bangkok after four off duty pilots insisted it was their right to select seats ahead of fare paying passengers. 

TG had better sort out their policy, and their staff. Because the next time this happens, the crew just might p_ss off entirely the wrong passengers. 

[melvinmelvin]

5 hours ago, OJAS said:

Yep, just click your fingers and, hey presto, a plane instantly appears before your eyes.

 

As you have already stated the bottom line is that this is a problem which was caused by the bungling incompetent morons who call themselves the ZRH ground staff over whom neither TG nor any other airline has any control.

yes, chartring at zrh is easy peasy, never mindthat.

 

don't skew the responsibility,

TG rents/pay for the ground staff they want - its TGs responsibility, they could also use own staff surveying

whats going on - several airlines do that, this is under TG control.

[scorecard]

5 hours ago, Ulic said:

BeOf course the whole sad story is ridiculous. The deadheading pilots should have just taken the other available business class tickets. Just because they wanted to hold hands like an old married couple they have caused a huge public relations nightmare for the company. It may be their right to request the seats they wanted but to escalate things to this level was plain stupidity.

Well at least they didn't instantly spray the aircraft and the staff black colour.

 

 

[newnative]

So much for 'the customer always comes first.'