Thai Airways changes air mile bonuses

[snoop1130]

Thai Airways changes air mile bonuses

By The Nation

 

 

Thai Airways has announced a change in its mileage accrual and award tickets chart from October 1.

 

The adjustment will see its frequent flyer programme members earn miles based on fare tickets and bonus miles based on membership status while increasing the number of miles used to redeem award tickets. 

 

According to the new mileage accrual, the number of miles that a member earns will depend on the class chosen and fare.  

 

The higher the price paid for tickets, the more miles the passenger will receive.  

 

Royal Orchid Plus members will also receive bonus miles for Thai international flights. 

 

The airline said the changes were necessary to be in line with other airlines’ frequent flyer programmes.  

 

The new chart for Thai and Star Alliance network will see the number of miles used to redeem award tickets on certain routes increased on an average of 24 per cent. 

 

With the new awards, members may now redeem one-way award tickets, using 50 per cent of a roundtrip instead of the previously required 68 per cent.

 

Members may redeem miles based on the current award chart until September 30.

 

More details can be found at thaiairways.com/rop

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30367142

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-04

[richard_smith237]

I'm wondering what the true impact will be... 

 

I recall Thai Airways doing the same a about 5 years ago....   Doubling the price for rewards in effect halving the value of miles. 

 

I recall using up our air-miles quickly before and booking a weekend break before the effective value of our miles dropped. 

 

We've since had just enough air-miles each year to secure an award trip to Japan - it'll be disappointing to see these same trips offered for a 28% increase in miles. 

 

Such is business, but it seems that TG is never doing itself any favors when placed in comparison with Emirates etc.

[Able]

Thai airlines reward program is poor compared with the likes of Qatar, Emerates, Etihad etc. 

The last few years I did a minimum of 8 international business class flights and a further 16 domestic 'premium' class flights per year and still didn't get close to a gold card. 

Got loads of emails telling me my miles were about to expire though .......

[shaurene]

I left Thai Air many years ago, i had a gold card for 5-6 years onnthe trott. Flew Business class from New Zealand to Bangkok and India 3-4 times a year on business. Then the prices started to rise. They ended up to be the most expensive of the airlines for my destinations. And many miles expired.

i now use Qantas and Emirats.

Thai Air will never be what they were before. They have to get international top management, and the government to keep their noses out of the business. And stop all the free tickets for govenment employees and their friends. No other airlines do this. It is a main reason they are close to bankrupsy.

Edited April 5, 2019 by shaurene

[owenm]

I had a Royal Orchid platinum card for several years and the points accrued always had a use by date. I think at one stage I had points for a o/w trip to CM that I never redeemed. Then on cheap class seats to Oz points were reduced to zero because of the fare class. 

 

The major benefit I gained was an additional 10kg of baggage allowance on top of their standard 30kg check-in. But now 30kg free on Thai has been reduced to 20kg..

Now an expensive airline with little benefit or incentive to use when other carriers offer far better value for money IMO.. 

 

[Artben]

Thai Air Frequent Flyer program one of the worst in the industry.  Flights require large amount of miles and program has restrictive regulations.  I apply earned miles to other Frequent Flyer programs in the Star Alliance and use other airlines where possible.  Not consumer friendly  

[taninthai]

Thai air air miles are a waste of time now since they bought the many options in when booking a flight example my flight over here was £80 cheaper if I agreed to only 25% air miles and no name or date changes.

[rimmae2]

17 minutes ago, taninthai said:

Thai air air miles are a waste of time now since they bought the many options in when booking a flight example my flight over here was £80 cheaper if I agreed to only 25% air miles and no name or date changes.

I think that you will find that with most if not all airlines the more you pay the more air miles you receive. It depends on how much you value air miles; if 80 GBP more to obtain 100% air miles on a round trip to Ho Chi Minh which is for a few days and min air miles are obtianed in any case then not worth it, but if one way or round trip from Europe people who want the miles to use (book a flight using miles) before end of Sept 2019 then 80 GBP is not so much.

[Trouble]

Seems Thai is just following what many others like United, Delta, American are doing.  They are giving the bigger rewards to people that spend more.  I have many miles on the books  with various airlines and my goal now is to just use them up.  Time to start purchasing tickets beneficial to my travel plans rather than trying to stay loyal to any particular airline.  Basically they want to reward business travelers and they could care less about everyone else.

[arithai12]

18 hours ago, shaurene said:

I left Thai Air many years ago, i had a gold card for 5-6 years onnthe trott. Flew Business class from New Zealand to Bangkok and India 3-4 times a year on business. Then the prices started to rise. They ended up to be the most expensive of the airlines for my destinations. And many miles expired.

i now use Qantas and Emirats.

Thai Air will never be what they were before. They have to get international top management, and the government to keep their noses out of the business. And stop all the free tickets for govenment employees and their friends. No other airlines do this. It is a main reason they are close to bankrupsy.

You left "many years" ago, and perhaps you do not know that TG is now very competitive in price with airlines like Emirates. For domestic flights they are in fact quite competitive also, with a service which is immensely superior to s*y airlines like Airasia. Just days ago I compared EK, EY, TG flights on business to DXB/AUH and I chose TG when one throws all in (EK EY force you to fly Thailand domestic segment on Bangkok Airways in economy at exorbitant mark up).

 

Although I was an Emirates gold member for years, I had to leave it because if you are based in Thailand it is only useful if you fly via Dubai (with a couple of exceptions like HK and Aus/NZ), and you get miles only when you fly with EK tickets, they have no alliance and the stops in DXB mostly in the dead of night frankly suck. They are usually good in service, but I lost all the EK miles, which have an expiry date just like TG's, simply because there was no useful manner to use them. And they also give you miles according to fare, like most airlines. TG is simply falling in line with the rest.

 

I have TG gold since a decade, and it's one of the easiest to get. For me the benefits of lounge access and preferential check-in count a lot. I will have to see how the new rules play out, before being negative.

 

I do agree that their attitude towards special friends and guests (eg monks) is annoying, and certainly they can improve their business model. The connections from CNX to BKK are poor and their overlap with Thai Smile is confusing.

[keemapoot]

3 hours ago, arithai12 said:

they are usually good in service, but I lost all the EK miles, which have an expiry date just like TG's, simply because there was no useful manner to use them. And they also give you miles according to fare, like most airlines. TG is simply falling in line with the rest.

 

I have TG gold since a decade, and it's one of the easiest to get. For me the benefits of lounge access and preferential check-in count a lot. I will have to see how the new rules play out, before being negative.

 

I do agree that their attitude towards special friends and guests (eg monks) is annoying, and certainly they can improve their business model. The connections from CNX to BKK are poor and their overlap with Thai Smile is confusing.

I agree with your points on TG. I was top member for many years, and quit using them about 9 years ago because they were no longer competitive. I haven't checked recently, but agree those who travel for business, including myself, value greatly preferential check-in and lounge access above all else, including mileage accrual. 

 

As far as the preferential treatment of monks, I travel on Bangkok Airways a lot internationally, and I usually book in the very first row of the plane as a premier member. I have quit doing that because there are so many monks traveling now for some reason and they always put them in row 1 or 2 and only a male can sit next to them. They are fine and quiet people, never eat, and I always smile & chat with them, but unfortunately, because of their vows and lifestyle, do not use deodorant, and well, you get the idea....