London to Bangkok, British Airways, Coach - bad?

[Greyhat]

BA: budget service at premium prices.

 

I usually use Emirates or Qatar airlines, excellent economy class and reasonable prices. Can't fly direct but I like an hour or so to stretch my legs anyway.????

[wgdanson]

8 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

My experience of BA is that they are okay, nothing more. Certainly, they are a second class airline now. I used to fly THAI as I was a gold member, and their seat pitch was bigger than BA, But I found with THAI that the crew were either very good or very bad, rarely anything inbetween. On my next trip I would probably use BA again as the timings are good. Emirates is tempting at the same price, but once on the plane I want to get there and then rest at the other end, not rest halfway. I have no experience of Eva.

 

By the way, it's interesting that some posters here have complained about BA but also said the flights were full. So I guess BA must be doing something right.

Is the 'resting' bit not done ON the plane?   

[Bangkok Barry]

26 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

then there is the issue with their badly behaved kids, who are not chastised by their parents.

 

Slightly off-topic, but I was once flying from Dubai to Doha on Qatar, and before we left there was a kid on board screaming so loud it would have drowned the noise of the jets. The crew made an effort to de-plane the family and put them on the next flight, but that was full so we got stuck with them. Good effort though and much appreciated.

[toofarnorth]

4 hours ago, roquefort said:

I don't think BA run a coach service from London to Bangkok.

 

Seriously, EVA is by far the best direct flight. Prices similar when booking from UK.

I'm only looking at this to find out how BA run a coach to Bankers from London.

[Estrada]

I also flew direct from Bangkok to London by B.A. 5 years ago. The condition of the aircraft was appalling, the seats bad and they still had the ultra small TV screens on the back of the seats which were so scratched and the viewing quality so bad, the in flight movies were unwatchable. I think they leased the planes from Air India. I went back to using Qatar Airways which I have made over 100 flights on. The next worse flight I had was on Sri Lanka Airlines. The seats were like deck chairs and the food was brought around in big tureens and ladled onto individual's plates. The worst was on a Pakistan airways flight, in the '80s, when a passenger got out a camping stove and started to cook some curry.

[Tuvoc]

EVA Air has been by far the best for me, but I usually just choose on price between EVA and Thai Airways, and also Emirates, Qatar at times when the direct flights are really expensive. I do quite like splitting up the journey with a couple of hours on the ground to walk around, but it cost you time out of your holiday.

[Andrew Dwyer]

I also flew direct from Bangkok to London by B.A. 5 years ago. The condition of the aircraft was appalling, the seats bad and they still had the ultra small TV screens on the back of the seats which were so scratched and the viewing quality so bad, the in flight movies were unwatchable. I think they leased the planes from Air India. I went back to using Qatar Airways which I have made over 100 flights on. The next worse flight I had was on Sri Lanka Airlines. The seats were like deck chairs and the food was brought around in big tureens and ladled onto individual's plates. The worst was on a Pakistan airways flight, in the '80s, when a passenger got out a camping stove and started to cook some curry.

I flew PIA from Heathrow to Islamabad in ‘84 and as it was my first long haul I thought it was okay.
Boy oh boy was I in for a shock when I flew other airlines !!
PIA were so bad they made BA look good [emoji51]

[poohy]

3 hours ago, mercman24 said:

for me personally, i love the half way halt option, no rush, get time to chill out for a few hours, have a walk, explore, 13 hours on a bloody plane is too long for anyone been there, done that,  and yes not much to choose between them all. OH i liked the heading *COACH* didnt know there was a bus service running to the uk (sorry)

I agree i like half way break sadly Qatar Doha  break on last 2 flights BKK BHX is only about 90 mins , with planes arriving late both times make it a very rushed connection now

[nontabury]

Last time I flew with BA was about 4 yrs ago, agree with most poster,regarding the state of the aircraft. But the thing that really pxssed me of, was their air stewardess, every one seemed to be in their 50’s or 60’s which along with their grumpy attitude,did make for good flights.

[potless]

3 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

I always go for BA for a couple of good reasons 1 direct 2 extra bag £60 total 46kg and up to 23kg in hand luggage Thai are coming out cheaper right now but 20kg 7kg hand and £567 for an extra bag making it cheaper to buy 2 seats the 20% off sale they are advertising right now for economy is unobtainable all greyed out so your forced to choose the full flex ticket that is 20% dearer or a scam to you and me????  

There is a 30kg option for Thai economy. Cost me an extra 1000 baht for 30kg. Prices can vary though. Can be as much as 2500 extra. Just a case of whats on offer when you book. cheaper than B.A. for the date I wanted. 

[Essex Reject]

1 minute ago, nontabury said:

Last time I flew with BA was about 4 yrs ago, agree with most poster,regarding the state of the aircraft. But the thing that really pxssed me of, was their air stewardess, every one seemed to be in their 50’s or 60’s which along with their grumpy attitude,did make for good flights.

Yea, true dat.

 

Glad someone started this thread as was gonna book with BA but will pay the extra 5k for Eva.

[potless]

3 hours ago, Oxx said:

Probably worth remembering that the BA pilots are voting on strike action at the moment.  Maybe one airline to avoid for now.

I think EVA cabin crew are also going on strike Or maybe already are. I saw that on the news a few days ago that hundreds of flights are or will be cancelled.

[ballpoint]

7 hours ago, daveAustin said:

BA cattle seems to draw in the ruffians more so than the others. Get a window seat and knock yourself out with something.

I'm sure one of the ruffians will oblige if you look at him nicely.

[Bredbury Blue]

4 hours ago, mwbrown said:

I flew the BA BKK-LHR flight on June 1 and returned June 24, in coach.  The plane is a tired old 777 with a tiny blurry seatback screen.  The available space was tiny, as with any large long-range jet. 

 

The biggest issue however, was the airspace over Pakistan was closed (as is now Iran) so we had to fly around it.  We left BKK 1.5 hours late due to the delay on the incoming flight, then 1.5 additional hours in the air, so we missed our last-flight-of-the-day connecting flight to Marseilles, along with most other people on the flight with connections.  The hotel process and getting back to the airport for the 7am flight the next morning was a nightmare.  I'll never do that again.

 

We flew beginning of May from BKK to LHR to Manchester. First the flight departure time from BKK was put back so we no longer had a 2hr connection when we bought the tickets but had a tight 70minute connection - we were assured by BA staff "no problem, you'll make the connection". We arrived at Swampy to find that the flight departure was delayed 30 mins so we would miss our connection in LHR, would have to stay at a LHR hotel and fly on to Manchester the next morning (as it was a Friday we had a choice of first flight early morning or last flight at 8pm to Manchester - not great). There were so many people on the flight that missed their onward connections in the UK and overseas. Interesting then that a calendar month later BA were still having the same issues and people were missing their connections at LHR.

 

Agree with pretty much all the negative comments on this thread. Never again for us!

 

Previous trips had been with KLM, Etihad and Emirates. All 3 were good. So it's back to one of those 3 of us.

Edited June 24, 2019 by Bredbury Blue

[potless]

8 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

If you are not pressed for time, other alternatives would be to take a day flight and stop off overnight at one of the 'Air-side' terminal Hotels in the Middle East (i.e. Emirates or Etihad) which breaks up the flight into 6/7 hour legs and seats into the jet-lag a little. 

The laws of the middle east are draconian. U.K. disc jockey gets 4 years jail for having 0.003 grams of marijuana stuck to the bottom of his shoe. Swiss man gets 4 years for having 3 poppy seeds on his clothing from a bread roll he bought at Heathrow > Codeine illegal and i also think paracetamol unless prescribed by a local doctor. Many other things too. They use hyper sensitive equipment to detect the slightest trace. Be very careful. I avoid middle east airlines for those reasons.

[ballpoint]

In related news, veal calves have begun protesting outside the BA head office to try and end the inhumane conditions that humans are transported under.

 

 

Edited June 24, 2019 by ballpoint

[ThaiBunny]

4 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

In related news, veal calves have begun protesting outside the BA head office to try and end the inhumane conditions that humans are transported under.

Further related news, Boris Johnson's rival in the leadership race, Jeremy Hunt is a former BA flight attendant

[transam]

1 minute ago, ThaiBunny said:

Further related news, Boris Johnson's rival in the leadership race, Jeremy Hunt is a former BA flight attendant

No wonder he has a permanent smile...

[sammieuk1]

2 hours ago, wgdanson said:

Have you ever tried to get a 23kg hand baggage into the overhead locker?   LOL

Eat your Weetabix and your good to go 18kg 4 weeks ago ???? 

[brewsterbudgen]

I think EVA cabin crew are also going on strike Or maybe already are. I saw that on the news a few days ago that hundreds of flights are or will be cancelled.

EVA are on strike now. Most BKK/LHR flights cancelled.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[PerkinsCuthbert]

4 hours ago, Estrada said:

I also flew direct from Bangkok to London by B.A. 5 years ago. The condition of the aircraft was appalling, the seats bad and they still had the ultra small TV screens on the back of the seats which were so scratched and the viewing quality so bad, the in flight movies were unwatchable. I think they leased the planes from Air India. I went back to using Qatar Airways which I have made over 100 flights on. The next worse flight I had was on Sri Lanka Airlines. The seats were like deck chairs and the food was brought around in big tureens and ladled onto individual's plates. The worst was on a Pakistan airways flight, in the '80s, when a passenger got out a camping stove and started to cook some curry.

Yeah yeah yeah, and there were goats being milked in the aisle and chickens loose, flying up and down the cabin. The pilot had a jewel-encrusted dagger in his belt and the head steward had a ginger beard, matted with dried vindaloo.

Heard all those stories over and over.

[CharlieH]

Troll comment and responses to it, removed.

[lagavulin1]

12 hours ago, KneeDeep said:

No improvement. Still using the same old aeroplane.

Though they claim to be working on the interior;

 

 

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/travel-classes/economy/world-traveller

 

 

More recline? <deleted>. More pitch tick. More incline you'll be looking at the guy in fronts dandruff. 

[davidst01]

I priced London to bkk recently and BA cattle class was really expensive compared to thai air. I ended up going for thai air business class. Ba was shit 10 yrs ago

[sandyf]

12 hours ago, mwbrown said:

I flew the BA BKK-LHR flight on June 1 and returned June 24, in coach.  The plane is a tired old 777 with a tiny blurry seatback screen.  The available space was tiny, as with any large long-range jet. 

 

The biggest issue however, was the airspace over Pakistan was closed (as is now Iran) so we had to fly around it.  We left BKK 1.5 hours late due to the delay on the incoming flight, then 1.5 additional hours in the air, so we missed our last-flight-of-the-day connecting flight to Marseilles, along with most other people on the flight with connections.  The hotel process and getting back to the airport for the 7am flight the next morning was a nightmare.  I'll never do that again.

Exactly the same thing happened to me going to Manchester on May 9th, the flight from LHR to BKK should have been rescheduled to an earlier time so the a/c gets back to London in time for these connections, being the last ones of the day.

I was stood outside the Holiday inn at 04.30 waiting for the Hoppa and cars were driving past with frost on the roof, bit of a shock to the system.

[sandyf]

8 hours ago, Estrada said:

I went back to using Qatar Airways which I have made over 100 flights on. The next worse flight I had was on Sri Lanka Airlines.

All part of the same company, it was Qatar a/c BA used during the strike.

Worst experience ever was with Qatar, offloaded at Doha, rerouted through Paris, wrong terminal info provided, flight delayed, arrived in Manchester around midnight 6 hours late and no baggage. Around 20 people in total and took a couple of hours to process the baggage claims. They had separated a guy and his Thai GF who was travelling to the UK for the first time, she had been sat in the airport waiting for him to arrive.

The real value of an airline comes out when things go wrong and I can assure you in that regard BA leaves Qatar on the starting line.

[naboo]

Flew last year, BKK-LHR-BKK

 

The Good:

 

They got me there and back in the fastest time.

They gave me 8000 Avios points for complaining

 

The bad:

 

Seat base broken, fixed by steward, only to break again

Seat reclined by itself, not fixed by anyone

Unexpected and unwelcome early exposure to the (humorous?) British idea of customer service without a smile

On the way, only children's activity pack they had was a colouring book, with no colouring crayons

On the way back, there was no children's activity pack

On board entertainment was mostly straight out of the last century

You have to pay to choose seating - if I wanted FlyBe, I'd have booked FlyBe
 

Still, if they're THB20,000 return again this year, I'll book them again. Direct flight for that price is worth it, despite the service.

[ThomasThBKK]

Way more important than what airline you fly is the plane that is used on your route. 

Airbus a380 beats Boing by a margin especially on business, don't think direct flights are really important, i prefer a stepover actually.

 

https://www.iflya380.com/a380-airlines.html helpful website, etihad seems to be the only ones with a380 to london atm: https://booking.iflya380.com/?class=2&departuredate=2019-07-13&destination=LHR&origin=BKK&returndate=2019-08-06

 

 

[toast1]

I agree about the A380, and the generally 2nd class state of BA planes, my last flight found my screen broken.

 

I expect it is very difficult for BA to compete with other airlines, working under tens of thousands of EU employment laws which make it very difficult to employ people, who regularly go on strike, along with high taxes and endless bureaucracy. 

Asian and Arab airlines have none of these restrictions on employment or crushing taxes or regulation; they exist in a low tax, free market region of high growth which allows them to conduct business efficiently and profitably.

 

 

Well, that's been my observation.

 

 

 

 

 

[naboo]

51 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

Way more important than what airline you fly is the plane that is used on your route. 

Airbus a380 beats Boing by a margin especially on business, don't think direct flights are really important, i prefer a stepover actually.

 

https://www.iflya380.com/a380-airlines.html helpful website, etihad seems to be the only ones with a380 to london atm: https://booking.iflya380.com/?class=2&departuredate=2019-07-13&destination=LHR&origin=BKK&returndate=2019-08-06

 

 

???

 

Emirates have endless A380 flights BKK-LHR

 

And I prefer the Dreamliner to the A380. I really notice the higher cabin pressure, always arrive feeling fresh after a flight on the Dreamliner.

Edited June 24, 2019 by naboo