THAI to cut costs by selling decommissioned jet-liners

[pineapple01]

6 hours ago, torturedsole said:

Have a look at Flightradar for a more balanced view of the airline industry.  

Naughty, then everyone can see the Swampy truth with the destinations to a place called n/a since the lockdown.????

[buick]

there are 4 TG 747's at the airfield/graveyard in mojave, california.  you can see them via google maps satellite view.

[cheshiremusicman]

16 hours ago, jimmybcool said:

Very sad.  I like flying on the 380.  Smooth, quiet.  Oh well.  Guess they misjudged the market.  

Totally agree with your remarks. The 380 is the very best aircraft I've ever flown on, particularly in business class. I for one will be very sad to see them go out of service.

[GinBoy2]

53 minutes ago, cheshiremusicman said:

Totally agree with your remarks. The 380 is the very best aircraft I've ever flown on, particularly in business class. I for one will be very sad to see them go out of service.

The first two to be scrapped were from SQ, and they actually re-emphasize my earlier point.

 

They flew out from Changi to Tarbes Lourdes airport after being repainted all white. They were both leased aircraft and even before all this nightmare, after SQ returned them, the leasing company couldn't find homes for them and decided it was just best to cut their losses and chop them up for parts.

 

So the bottom line is that even the leasing companies will bite the bullet and scrap an asset is telling. They are awash with aircraft now, and I'll sit back and watch how they quietly send aircraft to the scrapyard rather than paying to store them and just take the write down on the books.

 

But thats how a real company would assess the current situation, so don't hold your breath for the TG board to do anything like that

Edited May 3, 2020 by GinBoy2

[Estrada]

They had an auction to sell off their old aircraft and had no takers

 

[GinBoy2]

5 hours ago, Estrada said:

They had an auction to sell off their old aircraft and had no takers

 

Well the A340-500's are a great example of TG's backwards thinking.

 

Even before the market tanked for all aircraft types, the A340-500 was almost unsellable.

 

The fact that the 'sold' one to RTAF was a left pocket right pocket transaction. 

 

But they actually did receive a real offer from a middle east company back in 2014

 

But in typical TG commercial thinking, since it was less than what they had it on the books for, they turned it down. 

So here we are with airframes which will by now be in appalling conditions, a market where everyone is desperate  to dump capacity, so I wonder if anyone in TG looks back and thinks...'well that probably wasn't the smartest decision we every made'.

 

There is a great story in the industry about the A380 purchase.

I forget which of the revolving door TG leaders it was, who when he was appointed, actually rightly recognized that TG would not be able to make money with the A380's (and to be fair most airlines have come to the same conclusion). 

So he tried to cancel, but he discovered that the crack TG negotiating team had signed up for cancellation term with Airbus so punitive, that it would have cost more to cancel rather than take delivery.

 

So this is all just a continuation of TG delusion and incompetence 

[babakut]

20 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

The freighter market is always replacing their old stock, so Thai Air and others

can sell their unused decommissioned aircraft for sure, as long as they stay

real in their expectations. Having many types of aircraft with many brands

is very expensive. All Boeing parts do not fit Airbus parts just like cars, so engineers 

have to be skilled with many different tools etc to work on the many companies and their 

associated aircraft models.

If you see an airline that has only Boeing, or one that is pure airbus, that is a smart

airline. and so many are very unwise with many types and company makes.

Bankruptcy helps this problem for sure.

Geezer

that would be logical. i see that especially in low cost companies having either A320 or B737 types. But it seems big Airline Companies always had by choice a mix of Boeing and Airbus planes. i never understood why? it’s like a racing team with 2 cars in the pit. a mercedes and a renault.

 

[soi3eddie]

20 hours ago, buick said:

there are 4 TG 747's at the airfield/graveyard in mojave, california.  you can see them via google maps satellite view.

Sam Chui recently did a video inside one of the THAI 747s at an aircraft graveyard. YouTube >  

 

[essox essox]

On 5/3/2020 at 3:42 PM, cheshiremusicman said:

Totally agree with your remarks. The 380 is the very best aircraft I've ever flown on, particularly in business class. I for one will be very sad to see them go out of service.

smooth because it most probably HAS ROLLS ROYCE rb 211-22b engines on them.....or R R trent 900 engines !!!

[jimmybcool]

On 5/3/2020 at 1:42 AM, cheshiremusicman said:

Totally agree with your remarks. The 380 is the very best aircraft I've ever flown on, particularly in business class. I for one will be very sad to see them go out of service.

My only trips were with Korean Air I believe.  Upstairs in biz class lie flats.  The seats themselves were average in comparison to Cathay and EVA etc.  But it was a quieter and smoother flight.  Perhaps the Dreamliner is as good.  Haven't flown one yet.

[pineapple01]

Some Airlines that land at DM look like they came from Graveyards. Hope the Avionics are OK from being grounded so long, back in my day they never turned them off,20 years ago.

[jackinthebox]

On 5/2/2020 at 6:07 AM, mtls2005 said:

Crazy! That is in the middle of nowhere. Is it a software-bug in google-maps? How did the plane get there?

 

On 5/2/2020 at 6:07 AM, mtls2005 said:

HS-TGR

 

Before: https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/boeing-747-400-hs-tgr-thai-airways-international/e9w183

 

After: 15°11'26.7"N 100°09'14.3"E  Chai Nat

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/15%C2%B011'26.7%22N+100%C2%B009'14.3%22E/@15.1906909,100.1535552,270m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d15.1907368!4d100.1539764

 

 

 

[bodga]

On 5/2/2020 at 7:01 AM, scorecard said:

But wait up, this idea has been floated several times before, and failed.

All the  more  reason to try it  again!

[Vigilante]

That's what happens when you don't heed the warning signs (Thai's loss of competitiveness)

An unforeseen event (Covid-19) brings the message home big-time but it's too late to do anything

Thai will be a drain on the public for a long time to  come, unless they let it fold.

 

[bodga]

40 minutes ago, jackinthebox said:

 

 

Streetview

[GinBoy2]

19 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

Sam Chui recently did a video inside one of the THAI 747s at an aircraft graveyard. YouTube >  

 

I actually hated that longitudinal galley configuration they had on TG's 74X. It was really weird feeling that you couldn't see out of the right side of the aircraft.

 

But on the upside that was the high point of Royal Silk service, which I really liked

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, Vigilante said:

That's what happens when you don't heed the warning signs (Thai's loss of competitiveness)

An unforeseen event (Covid-19) brings the message home big-time but it's too late to do anything

Thai will be a drain on the public for a long time to  come, unless they let it fold.

 

Loss of competitiveness has many factors, just one is customers. I flew TG several times every week regionally out of BKK for over 10 years. Quite a few flights were quite OK (but very few more than OK) in terms of customer service/satisfaction but I could write a book of complaints/serious complaints from: booking, check-in, boarding, changing flights, rudeness of staff, lack of any help where needed (and where there was opportunity to gain a 'thrilled customer', and more.

 

I flew TG because I worked for an international company which had a policy that we had to use the national airline of the country where staff were posted. My Thai consultants staff who also flew regularly to Singapore, HK, Jakarta, Shanghai etc., continuously complained bitterly about poor service, lack of service, rudeness, refusal to listen, lack of any attempt to help coordinate on going flights and more, and my company had a contract with TG.

 

My consulting staff complaints to me were 50/50 about them receiving poor service & rudeness and events they had observed where TG staff deliberately 'looked the other way', refusal to help Thai women with Essan appearance. They shared several situations where other passengers jumped in to help ladies who were travelling with perhaps a couple of kids and a baby and their requests for help from the flight attendants were totally ignored an/or gained just rude even insulting responses from cabin crew.

 

I encouraged my staff, with help from our admin. manager to submit written / e.mailed complaints. Over perhaps 10 years my guess is lodging 80 complaints. We never received one reply.

My own worst experience was travelling with my 18 Year old Thai son both in business class Bkk to Jakarta evening flight. After the dinner was served and packed away my son politely asked a bus. class hostie for a glass of Coca-Cola. she didn't stop to recognize his request, she just kept walking yelled back at him 'go and ask in economy class'. I intervened requesting that the same hostie come back to talk to me. She did about 5 minutes later. I mentioned that my son was entitled to the same service as all other bus. class passengers. Her response 'no, children should not ask their elders for service, not polite'. (I paid for my son's ticket, most expensive level of tickets because I needed to regularly change dates / flights and often everal times.)

 

More to this story but the final item was another hostie coming to my seat and saying loudly 'your a very rude person, why do you not have respect for my colleague, she comes from a famous family'. 

 

Ten days later I was at the TG HO in Bkk for a meeting about an ongoing consulting project. I spoke to the TG director who was leading the project and shared the story of the Coca-Cola and that I would like to speak to the complaints manager. Directors response, 'complaints manager doesn't meet customers and especially for minor matters'.

 

This was the last straw and I gave my admin. staff an order (overriding company policy) that all further flights were to be SG. We never used TG again even though the contract had about 2 more years to run. TG never contacted us. MY Bkk staff were so happy when I told them no more TG, all flights now on SG, they bought a big cake for a lunch celebration.  

Edited May 5, 2020 by scorecard

[pineapple01]

Its how the Cabin Staff are Chosen. First Requirement for Thai. Must come from Privileged Background. Hence a bit demeaning fetching a Coke for a Kid.!

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, pineapple01 said:

Its how the Cabin Staff are Chosen. First Requirement for Thai. Must come from Privileged Background. Hence a bit demeaning fetching a Coke for a Kid.!

Sure, but not acceptable. At that time my son was 18 years old and behaved as a young man. Not a kid.

[pineapple01]

I was replying to the Topic, not You.!.

[GinBoy2]

7 hours ago, scorecard said:

Loss of competitiveness has many factors, just one is customers. I flew TG several times every week regionally out of BKK for over 10 years. Quite a few flights were quite OK (but very few more than OK) in terms of customer service/satisfaction but I could write a book of complaints/serious complaints from: booking, check-in, boarding, changing flights, rudeness of staff, lack of any help where needed (and where there was opportunity to gain a 'thrilled customer', and more.

 

I flew TG because I worked for an international company which had a policy that we had to use the national airline of the country where staff were posted. My Thai consultants staff who also flew regularly to Singapore, HK, Jakarta, Shanghai etc., continuously complained bitterly about poor service, lack of service, rudeness, refusal to listen, lack of any attempt to help coordinate on going flights and more, and my company had a contract with TG.

 

My consulting staff complaints to me were 50/50 about them receiving poor service & rudeness and events they had observed where TG staff deliberately 'looked the other way', refusal to help Thai women with Essan appearance. They shared several situations where other passengers jumped in to help ladies who were travelling with perhaps a couple of kids and a baby and their requests for help from the flight attendants were totally ignored an/or gained just rude even insulting responses from cabin crew.

 

I encouraged my staff, with help from our admin. manager to submit written / e.mailed complaints. Over perhaps 10 years my guess is lodging 80 complaints. We never received one reply.

My own worst experience was travelling with my 18 Year old Thai son both in business class Bkk to Jakarta evening flight. After the dinner was served and packed away my son politely asked a bus. class hostie for a glass of Coca-Cola. she didn't stop to recognize his request, she just kept walking yelled back at him 'go and ask in economy class'. I intervened requesting that the same hostie come back to talk to me. She did about 5 minutes later. I mentioned that my son was entitled to the same service as all other bus. class passengers. Her response 'no, children should not ask their elders for service, not polite'. (I paid for my son's ticket, most expensive level of tickets because I needed to regularly change dates / flights and often everal times.)

 

More to this story but the final item was another hostie coming to my seat and saying loudly 'your a very rude person, why do you not have respect for my colleague, she comes from a famous family'. 

 

Ten days later I was at the TG HO in Bkk for a meeting about an ongoing consulting project. I spoke to the TG director who was leading the project and shared the story of the Coca-Cola and that I would like to speak to the complaints manager. Directors response, 'complaints manager doesn't meet customers and especially for minor matters'.

 

This was the last straw and I gave my admin. staff an order (overriding company policy) that all further flights were to be SG. We never used TG again even though the contract had about 2 more years to run. TG never contacted us. MY Bkk staff were so happy when I told them no more TG, all flights now on SG, they bought a big cake for a lunch celebration.  

I never had quite that sort of experience, although I think almost anybody who has flown TG in recent years has experienced at least a level of indifference from TG flight attendants, who over the past few years certainly have obtained a sense of over importance....and I'm being kind there!

 

The company I was working for at the time of most of my business travel was contracted with United, so everything was whenever possible Star Alliance.

But TG totally fell out of favor just because of pricing, not withstanding the customer experience, and everything was switched whenever possible to SQ