Thai Airways offers cargo service on passenger seats as alternative revenue source

[Artisi]

On 2/4/2022 at 8:03 AM, phetphet said:

Unfortunately, the only one (I think) that it flying direct non -stop to the UK at the moment.

 

Passing through business class on a recent flight, it looked dire. EVA has much better seating.

 

Perhaps they should consider mixing passengers and cargo boxes if desperate.

 

Mind you. It wouldn't be much fun being sat between two boxes for twelve hours. ????

 

I've sat between people on long flights and would loved to have exchanged them for boxes. 

[scorecard]

Agree, once flew American Airlines (AA) in a 4 person seat row section on a jumbo tokyo to Texas, a long flight.

 

One person on my left side, 2 on the others side, same row.

 

Perhaps 30 minutes after take off I realized all 3 were close friends and were travelling together. I offered to move to the aisle seat so they could be close together, my offer refused.

 

For the next god knows how many hours all 3 engaged in a long converstaions, with me in the middle on the backeards and forwards dialogue. A lot of their conversations focused on how to get extra service out of AA.

 

Every time a snack, meal, drink came they got into a serious argument with the cabin crew, and several times they pressed the call button and demanded the supervisor come. End result, supervisor wants everything calm and agreed to their demands. 

 

On top of this they talked none stop about every basic subject known to mankind; clothing prices at Walmart and more.  

 

I was flying economy because my university was bound by regulations to only pay for economy.

 

On arrival I went to the AA desk and shared what had happened on the just completed flight.

 

I asked if an upgrade to business was possible for the return flight and I got it (return flight was 3 days later and it turned out it was an unpopular flight with lots of vacant seats all classes).

 

Great return flight, no noise, but the AA food and service was just awful. 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by scorecard

[kimamey]

On 2/4/2022 at 1:03 AM, phetphet said:

Unfortunately, the only one (I think) that it flying direct non -stop to the UK at the moment.

 

Passing through business class on a recent flight, it looked dire. EVA has much better seating.

 

Perhaps they should consider mixing passengers and cargo boxes if desperate.

 

Mind you. It wouldn't be much fun being sat between two boxes for twelve hours. ????

 

Quiet though.

[josephbloggs]

On 2/4/2022 at 10:58 AM, Enoon said:

If you look at the side rows you will see they are strapped fore and aft (blue strap) as well as over the top (orange strap).

 

Can you really not see that?

 

I do not think it unreasonable to assume that the blue straps in the front row of the centre block are out of frame.

To think these people look down on Thais - there is a 30 page IATA guideline document on carrying cargo in passenger compartments.    Yet the anti Thai bias in some posters is so strong they would willingly ignore the picture and willingly believe TG is allowed to fly internationally without following IATA guidelines.  Like they just plonk boxes and seats and that is it.  Moronic.

[josephbloggs]

On 2/5/2022 at 4:05 PM, GinBoy2 said:

Except with most airlines the seats are removed for cargo only operation.

 

There is a reason aircraft seats are basically slotted on to a rail and secured, it means they can easily be removed or replaced.

 

You then use cargo straps which secure to the former seat rails, it's not rocket science, just standard industry practice.

 

But this is TG, and always the maverick of the industry! LOL

You ever thought that perhaps they want to use that plane in a passenger configuration shortly afterwards?  If they are purely shifting cargo back and forth on a route they can use a cargo plane. 

If you want to remove the seats to carry cargo you need to have the plane reassessed, inspected and re-certified for the purpose by the national aviation authority of the country of origin.  

Carrying cargo in the passenger cabin in this way means the plane does not need to undergo recertification, they can generate extra revenue on otherwise empty flights, and the plane can immediately be reused for carrying passengers as it does not need to undergo testing and recertification.

So no, TG is not being the maverick, they are complying with international aviation guidelines and being smart about it.  Of course all the TVF experts who should be running TG know better (except they clearly don't).

If you wish to read the IATA guidelines on this:

https://www.iata.org/contentassets/094560b4bd9844fda520e9058a0fbe2e/guidance-safe-transportation-cargo-passenger-cabin.pdf