Would Normal Tourists Accept This?

[Mac Mickmanus]

2 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

They do not offer date changes free of charge if the fare on that day is different - which it usually is.  I had to change my outbound at the last minute due to my daughter being taken in to hospital - it cost me £310.

Yes, the do have to pay the difference between the price you paid and the current price , but there is no charge for changing the date 

[robblok]

5 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

Firstly, please read my post correctly - I did say that the problems were not just down to one particular sector.

 

I booked solo travel from the airport after reading about someone being required to quarantine after travelling from the airport with a passenger who subsequently tested positive.  On my first trip back in December, the hotel complied with my request at no extra charge.  I asked for the same this time and they failed to comply.

 

Manchester, Doha and Suvarnabhumi are all 24 hour international airports - Suvarnabhumi is the only one I know of where all cafe's close around midnight - the others are also quieter than normal.

 

Overall, please try to understand, I am asking if a 'normal tourist' would wish to accept travel like this.

Look its quite simple, normal does not exist anymore. We are still in a recovering phase. Things are not back to normal. Anyone traveling should understand this and I think most people do understand this. 

 

If you booked solo travel and they pick you up in a group you got all the rights to complain agree 100%.

[sjaak327]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

Look its quite simple, normal does not exist anymore. We are still in a recovering phase. Things are not back to normal. Anyone traveling should understand this and I think most people do understand this. 

 

If you booked solo travel and they pick you up in a group you got all the rights to complain agree 100%.

They did pick me up solo, but went from Bkk airport to Rama 4 and back to lat krabang to test and back to bkk  just because of sheer incompetence of the driver, nothing to do with pandemic, some things actually never change here..

[KhaoYai]

6 hours ago, London Lowf said:

Qatar airways are quite popular at the moment, because they are cheap - invariably top of the listings (or very close) on Skyscanner.

 

Personally, I take my chances with with the risky Thai Airways rather than supporting any Middle-Eastern regime.

My post is about whether tourists will accept conditions at the moment and are an account of what I actually experienced on my trip.

[KhaoYai]

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Sure, that is money and it adds up. But then again, if 2000B per day is the difference between hating every day of it or actually enjoying it I think that money is well invested.

As I have said, I only expected to be there for 6 hours. I wasn't expecting high quality but regarding the hotel, I was expecting the same service I experienced last time.

[KhaoYai]

2 hours ago, robblok said:

Look its quite simple, normal does not exist anymore. We are still in a recovering phase. Things are not back to normal. Anyone traveling should understand this and I think most people do understand this. 

 

If you booked solo travel and they pick you up in a group you got all the rights to complain agree 100%.

So I should have expected things to have deteriorated at the hotel? I should have known my PCR result would take 13 hours?  Each time I went to reception there was at least one guest, sometimes more, asking where their results were.  I met a group of young German girls in Bangkok who had no idea that the night clubs were closed - why would they?
 

In my opinion Thailand is not ready for tourists to return yet - people go on holiday to have a good time, not to find half the place is closed.  They have also had plenty of time (and complaints according to the TAT) to get the whole Test & Go thing working correctly- it doesn't and in fact applications have got much slower, not better.

[KhaoYai]

4 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Yes, the do have to pay the difference between the price you paid and the current price , but there is no charge for changing the date 

Have you ever found the price to be the same or lower?

[KhaoYai]

8 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Did you book and they confirm it ? 

Or, did you make the request ? (there’s a subtle difference).

Yes and yes.

[KhaoYai]

5 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Why the nasty insult directed at us Middle Easterns?    Maybe that hotel wouldn't normally allow you to buy a cup of tea there?

Where's the nasty insult?  I'm not a fan of Arabs or their habits, is that illegal?

 

is the whole purpose of your membership to disect people's posts and make negative comments?

[KhaoYai]

5 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Could be that you have just arrived in the U.K after a long flight , its cold and maybe you are a bit tired, fatigued and jet lagged ?

  You could rest for a few days and you may be in a better mood then ?

No it could not. I would remind you that I said that I and others that have connections to Thailand accept all the hoops and problems as we have no choice.  The question is whether tourists will - and I doubt that very much.  One thing I did notice was that there was a higher percentage of Thai's on my flights than usual. Probably visiting relatives now they don't have to quarantine on return. 

 

My experience this time was much worse than December/January - I would have thought things would have improved not got worse.

[Mac Mickmanus]

17 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Have you ever found the price to be the same or lower?

No, because the closer you get to the departure date, the higher the price becomes 

[Mac Mickmanus]

4 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

No it could not. I would remind you that I said that I and others that have connections to Thailand accept all the hoops and problems as we have no choice.  The question is whether tourists will - and I doubt that very much.  One thing I did notice was that there was a higher percentage of Thai's on my flights than usual. Probably visiting relatives now they don't have to quarantine on return. 

 

My experience this time was much worse than December/January - I would have thought things would have improved not got worse.

You didn't have a smooth journey , people/tourists know that international travel is difficult these days and delays are expected . 

   Will tourists cancel their holiday to Thailand because you had to wait for two hours to collect your baggage in Manchester ?

  I dont think they will cancel their holidays 

[KhaoYai]

7 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

No, because the closer you get to the departure date, the higher the price becomes 

How many flights have you booked? They don't - the price is decided by the amount of seats sold.

[KhaoYai]

5 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Will tourists cancel their holiday to Thailand because you had to wait for two hours to collect your baggage in Manchester ?

Its far more than simply a long wait for baggage. Many will be put off by having to apply to go on its own - also the fact that they have to book and pay for a hotel without knowing if their application will be approved.  We may know that having all the correct documents will mean no problem getting approval - a 'normal' tourist is unlikely to.

[Mac Mickmanus]

2 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

How many flights have you booked? They don't - the price is decided by the amount of seats sold.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yes , and the closer to the departure date, the more the seats get sold and thus the price increase .

  The amount of unsold seats isn't going to increase as the departure date gets closer 

[KhaoYai]

Just now, Mac Mickmanus said:

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yes , and the closer to the departure date, the more the seats get sold and thus the price increase .

  The amount of unsold seats isn't going to increase as the departure date gets closer 

As I say, how many flights have you booked? Pre covid I almost always booked last minute due to the nature of my work and have always managed to get reasonably priced flights.  I've often flown on half empty planes - especially at this time of year.

[MajorTom]

QR is overrated IMO. I had a silver card there for a while. Far better than Thai airways of course ???? but nowhere near Emirates or anyone in the same league. How they can be top rated all the time is a mystery to me.

Doha Airport: Makes CDG in Paris look good.

"Always" cramped into a bus when landing or boarding. No gates. And i have never seen a simpler business class lounge than what Qatar offers in Doha.

[KhaoYai]

2 hours ago, MajorTom said:

QR is overrated IMO. I had a silver card there for a while. Far better than Thai airways of course ???? but nowhere near Emirates or anyone in the same league. How they can be top rated all the time is a mystery to me.

Doha Airport: Makes CDG in Paris look good.

"Always" cramped into a bus when landing or boarding. No gates. And i have never seen a simpler business class lounge than what Qatar offers in Doha.

I have to say that I gave them a try on recommendation and the fact that they'd been one of the most reliable during the height of the Pandemic.  The queues at Manchester may well have in part, been connected to a bigger problem being experienced there at the moment but that doesn't explain the queues at Doha and Bangkok.  My first trip with them will be my last. I couldn't see why they've won so many awards either.

 

I've flown mostly with Etihad since they started in 2003 and in my opinion, Qatar can't hold a candle to them - its nothing to do with the Pandemic - I flew with Etihad last December without a single problem.

 

Conversely, I wasn't put on a bus in Doha whereas I have often been in Abu Dhabi but that's because of the construction that's been going on there for the last few years.

 

Unfortunately I couldn't use the business class lounge with Qatar whereas I have used the Etihad business class lounge at Abu Dhabi since 2008 - its excellent. The first class lounge at Abu Dhabi must be out of this world.

[robblok]

4 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

So I should have expected things to have deteriorated at the hotel? I should have known my PCR result would take 13 hours?  Each time I went to reception there was at least one guest, sometimes more, asking where their results were.  I met a group of young German girls in Bangkok who had no idea that the night clubs were closed - why would they?
 

In my opinion Thailand is not ready for tourists to return yet - people go on holiday to have a good time, not to find half the place is closed.  They have also had plenty of time (and complaints according to the TAT) to get the whole Test & Go thing working correctly- it doesn't and in fact applications have got much slower, not better.

I was talking about flying airports and so on, the PCR test i think you just had bad luck or had a cheap place. I have Singaporean friends and they all now travel a bit more regular and get their tests quite fast. One got it slower because of  cheap hotel. These guys/ girls don't go for the cheapest options. Plus (not sure where you did it) they were in BKK. 

 

We are talking about people who have flown in the last few months 2 or more times even my neighbors had their parents over and no problems with the speed of PCR. (all in BKK). Maybe you just had bad luck.

[robblok]

6 hours ago, sjaak327 said:

They did pick me up solo, but went from Bkk airport to Rama 4 and back to lat krabang to test and back to bkk  just because of sheer incompetence of the driver, nothing to do with pandemic, some things actually never change here..

Of course you got idiots things will happen in Thailand  I don't expect high standards in Thailand. Seems like a mess.

[StayinThailand2much]

Sorry to hear about all your troubles.

[robblok]

Just now, StayinThailand2much said:

Sorry to hear about your hard life, i.e. things everyone is going through when travelling.

Indeed, GF is now in the maladives and has to stay longer because of a covid infection (cured now). Things are just harder and inconvenient. Flights get cancelled more often. More hoops to go through. 

 

Its ok for the OP to moan but i think most people understand that the world is not really back to normal.

[bojo]

5 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

My post is about whether tourists will accept conditions at the moment and are an account of what I actually experienced on my trip.

You say that.......................... but some might say that it just sounds like a rant in disguise from someone (who isn't shy to state they are a professional and experienced traveller) that deliberately sets their bar too high and by someone who is annoyed at themself for not sticking to their original airline and enjoyed all the associated Gold card benefits ......................... If tourists like the unfortunate German girls mentioned were to have read the OP's opening statement, then they and the whole world might not travel to Thailand......................................But i would imagine most expect travel to be pretty topsy turvy and wouldn't blink when hotels 'failed to comply'..........................................................

Quite frankly, some members poked typical TV fun at the OP and they were abrubtly shut down, almost as if the OP was literally just waiting to pounce..........................hardly condusive to what could have been an engaging thread....................................................

[OneMoreFarang]

14 hours ago, sjaak327 said:

A third world country, let's not kid ourselves here. 

I guess then you should go for holiday in a first world country. Or maybe stay at home in the first world.

I only wonder why you considered at all to visit a third world country. Did you expect any better in Thailand?

[OneMoreFarang]

8 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

So I should have expected things to have deteriorated at the hotel? I should have known my PCR result would take 13 hours?  Each time I went to reception there was at least one guest, sometimes more, asking where their results were.  I met a group of young German girls in Bangkok who had no idea that the night clubs were closed - why would they?
 

In my opinion Thailand is not ready for tourists to return yet - people go on holiday to have a good time, not to find half the place is closed.  They have also had plenty of time (and complaints according to the TAT) to get the whole Test & Go thing working correctly- it doesn't and in fact applications have got much slower, not better.

What was the guaranteed time for that test? I.e. 24h? Only because you received a service one or a few times faster than expected doesn't mean it will be always like that.

 

And about those ignorant young German girls in Bangkok: Let me guess, they all had smart phones, and probably they were using them about 23h a day. But they didn't know clubs are closed. What does this tell us about the intelligence of those girls? 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, robblok said:

Indeed, GF is now in the maladives and has to stay longer

 

[Rampant Rabbit]

On 4/3/2022 at 7:14 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

Don't expect first class service if you are not willing to pay for it.

And  dont expect it then, these  days  its  seems  they dont give a  sheite,  Ive  flown Business  not first for  years and trust me the service  really aint that  good, then I tried Air  France............ booked dec 2019 flight may 2020.cancelled  by them, ok asked for open ticket, they said  ok, mailed them a few  times  asking if my ticket is  still  ok, yes but if  fly after december 21 you have to pay any cost  difference in fare..........last week asked them hows  my ticket.........ticket cancelled, no refund, Never  flown with them ever  , first  time, and thats  how they treat you. Fought with them for 10  days, two refusals for refund on the website, nonsensical answers from them via  emails in Thailand,  sent recorded sigend for   letter to Air  France PARIS, they called me in Thailand, refunded.

[buick]

covid or no covid, sometimes travel doesn't go as planned and gets very frustrating.  pre covid, i flew long haul three times a year and probably 1 in 12 was 'a bad trip' (that is one way of six round trips went 'wrong', created delays, etc..).  i was generally on star alliance airlines, thai, ana, asiana or eva. 

 

when i flew asiana, SEA-ICN-BKK, last july, everything went fine.  no issues at all. 

[sjaak327]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I guess then you should go for holiday in a first world country. Or maybe stay at home in the first world.

I only wonder why you considered at all to visit a third world country. Did you expect any better in Thailand?

We can always hope that service levels increase over time. Was it a surprise they haven't gone up in the 2,5 years i couldn't or wouldn't go, no. 

 

But if Thailand wants to succesfully re-open for mass tourism, this Test and Go program needs to be vastly improved. 

 

The most shocking wss the low number of people waiting for processing at immigration at 12.15 pm  almost no people where there. Not a good sign to say the least.

[patongphil]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

She must be hiding - can't see her!