Mumbai Flights Always Take Bus From The Gate To The Plane, Why?

[petecooper]

I fly very frequently between BKK and BOM (Mumbai) on the Thai Aiways pair of flights TG317 and TG318.

What I don't understand is why at the BKK end, we ALWAYS have to take a bus from the boarding gate to the plane, or vice versa. This is even true when arriving back at BKK, when the flight arrives at 5.30am and the rest of the airport is deserted, and all the gates empty... still got to catch the bus!

Are they trying to save money on the gate fees, or what gives here? Why would they do that on this flight and not others?

Any ideas?

Thanks

P

[chinthee]

I fly that route and the one to Delhi and Chennai a lot too, always on Thai. Last time I came back from Bombay was about a month ago, and we docked directly at the gate.

[Crossy]

If you had a shiny new airport would you willingly let it touch something that a couple of hours before had been attached to the international terminal at Mumbai airport? :)

Seriously, I've flown that route three times in the last two months, going BKK-BOM we've always had a docked aircraft, coming back (on the 5.30 arrival) we've always had a bus. I see no reason why unless the aircraft is due for a major turn round service / clean.

[ovenman]

As far as that goes, back in the old days at Don Muang, THAI's India-bound flights always seemed to depart from the crappiest oldest gates (numbered in the teens).

[chinthee]

As far as that goes, back in the old days at Don Muang, THAI's India-bound flights always seemed to depart from the crappiest oldest gates (numbered in the teens).

For some reason, today, most of the India flights at BKK depart out of very close gates across from the ROP club, I believe D concourse.

[petecooper]

As far as that goes, back in the old days at Don Muang, THAI's India-bound flights always seemed to depart from the crappiest oldest gates (numbered in the teens).

For some reason, today, most of the India flights at BKK depart out of very close gates across from the ROP club, I believe D concourse.

My last two have departed from E1A and F1A (or is that E2A and F2A? I can't recall but you get the idea).

I see from earlier comments too that people have got an aerobridge on these flights sometimes; I remember that used to be the case, but I've been flying back and forth every 10 days since January and for the last few months there hasn't been a bridge in sight - there did used to be, though.

And yes they do use the oldest and crappiest planes too. Perhaps they're trying to prepare you for what Mumbai's like?

[think_too_mut]

I fly very frequently between BKK and BOM (Mumbai) on the Thai Aiways pair of flights TG317 and TG318.

What I don't understand is why at the BKK end, we ALWAYS have to take a bus from the boarding gate to the plane, or vice versa. This is even true when arriving back at BKK, when the flight arrives at 5.30am and the rest of the airport is deserted, and all the gates empty... still got to catch the bus!

Are they trying to save money on the gate fees, or what gives here? Why would they do that on this flight and not others?

Any ideas?

Thanks

P

It happened to me from Tokyo.

Probably, not to save but to earn money. TG might be giving their slots to others that are late for their air bridge slots and get the fees.

TG is a government company, still?

Edited September 7, 2007 by think_too_mut

[chinthee]

As far as that goes, back in the old days at Don Muang, THAI's India-bound flights always seemed to depart from the crappiest oldest gates (numbered in the teens).

For some reason, today, most of the India flights at BKK depart out of very close gates across from the ROP club, I believe D concourse.

My last two have departed from E1A and F1A (or is that E2A and F2A? I can't recall but you get the idea).

I see from earlier comments too that people have got an aerobridge on these flights sometimes; I remember that used to be the case, but I've been flying back and forth every 10 days since January and for the last few months there hasn't been a bridge in sight - there did used to be, though.

And yes they do use the oldest and crappiest planes too. Perhaps they're trying to prepare you for what Mumbai's like?

Well said, but I don't think anything can prepare you for Mumbai. I do like buying those cheap novels from the street boys that come to your car window in traffic, though last one was missing something like 20 pages at a key point in the story! Almost shot myself.

[Weho]

It is my understanding that there are a lot of curry-eaters on these flights, and "for the comfort of all" (according to an airport spokesperson), they simply don't use the gate.

[Captain Chaos]

I fly very frequently between BKK and BOM (Mumbai) on the Thai Aiways pair of flights TG317 and TG318.

What I don't understand is why at the BKK end, we ALWAYS have to take a bus from the boarding gate to the plane, or vice versa. This is even true when arriving back at BKK, when the flight arrives at 5.30am and the rest of the airport is deserted, and all the gates empty... still got to catch the bus!

Are they trying to save money on the gate fees, or what gives here? Why would they do that on this flight and not others?

Any ideas?

Thanks

P

I used the do the same route twice a month from Don Muang and it was always a bus job on early morning return to BKK. No idea why. And yes, it often departed from those horrible 'low number' gates at DM too! In the end I switched to flying CX on that route - the only downside was that immigration was somewhat busier as it arrived mid-morning back in BKK

Never done that trip from SVB but as it seems to be the same routine quite often my guess is that it would be most likely to do with planes going off-service for maintenance?

Or it could be to do with curry eaters as Weho has so 'brilliantly' suggested ...

Edited September 10, 2007 by Captain Chaos