Thai Airways Increases Fuel Surcharges

[TOMCATfrench]

Hi there,

First post after almost a year of observation , first of all I'm working as Captain eventhough I am not flying for majors anymore but for Humanitary Companie and also creating my own litlle Cargo Cie in BKK. I do have type rating on the B747-series among others... it is 0.45kgM per passenger but this varies a lot depending of the way you travel, East use less fuel (tons less) than if you travel West.. weather, Flight Level assigned or requested but not always granted and so on.

All that to say .. YES it appear that this announcement sounds to me ... very high up above the need requested to just covers from the fuel prices soaring. For example Majors Compagnie in Europe have announced a surcharged of 10€ (BTH 509) on all their intl' flight. Here again the announcement makes no sense at all in terme of the money asked on the behalf of increases in fuel price. Also a fact that few know about Airline industry: We do not really make money with passenger flight.. the real income is the freight or Cargo which generate the overall profit. The increase in Cargo prices goes far beyond what could be donne in terms of increase of passenger ( PAX ) prices because of the way the market works.

QUOTE entergraph " It is strange that Air Asia holding their move, they must run pretty good profit margin to be able to hold on surcharge increase." No it is not, because of the structures of Air Asia being a low cost.

But it does not mean they will not follow the exemple set here by Thai Airways...

... NOW for what I remember in Majors Cie .. NO you do not have to pay for that surcharge once you already have your ticket paid, since a ticket is a CONTRACT and terms of contract can not be changed as one wishes to. Just stand on your positions and threat to sue them and to report the ICAO.

Again it will vary from Cie to Cie and and from how strong you will be able to fight for your right.

Now last but not least and for what it worth ... my opinion on the way so called "DIRECTORS" are managing THAI AIRWAYS. I will only say .. as for a lot of thing here in Thailand .. it is ruled more than managed by selfish person looking for their own interest and not really trained and so not aware of the whereabout of the aviation industry. This country is in its stone ages when it comes to aviation, but ... everyone has to start somewhere right.. Thailand will do fine .. in time .. when Thai People will learn to give the key management posisition to Thai willing to work for the country development instead of working for their pocket..

This is just a FARANG opinion ... a flying one !

thank you for reading it and see you up there !

[TOMCATfrench]

Anyone with an A380 is really looking quite dumb now. Guess 787 will win this one.

Not really, since A380 is flying higher, hences low fuel consumption, and uses EFFICIENT jet engines ...

[Peterpan]

The average fuel consuption is (3 Litres) per 100Km per passenger, the A380 is (5 Litres) per 100 km per passenger.

A surcharge is after you buy your ticket, and pay at departure.

Emirates prices have been going up every month since December, My ticket BKK Via DXB to Karachi/ Return was 1195 pounds sterling Business class.

Its now 2,100 pounds sterling, I fly every 28 days and each ticket just went up 10% each month.

Just been on Emirates web booking, BKK via DXB Manchester 107,565 THB 20th June out 1 Aug Return Economy.

My mate paid 120,000THb Business class in Jan to Newcastle.

They are climbing quickly.

[Prakanong]

Anyone with an A380 is really looking quite dumb now. Guess 787 will win this one.

Not really, since A380 is flying higher, hences low fuel consumption, and uses EFFICIENT jet engines ...

Exactly - SIA are laughing all the way to the bank with theirs.

To make sure I got the 380 Biz Class to London I had to book three months ahead for a business trip in September

[Sunderland]

It's very likely that all airlines will be looking to make fuel savings.

My wife works for Emirates. She told me last night that Emirates are removing foot rests to reduce weight and save on fuel. They have also started being much more strict on excess baggage. Whereas it was quite easy to get away with anything from 21-25 kilos before, it is very possible that you'll be paying for anything in excess of 20 kilos on Emirates flights from now on.

[ovenman]

anyone know what thai ais is doing for nyc to bkk ticket holders after 7/1/08?

From what I have read both here and elsewhere... not an awful lot. It doesn't appear that THAI really has their act together in regards the handling of this situation.

[MaiChai]

I bought a BKK-LHR return about 4 weeks back; got my skates on because its only going to get more expensive. Anyway, turns out at the time BA was the cheapest (code sharing with Quantas), while Thai and even EVA prices had already rocketed. Seems like European airlines can take the hit better then their Asian cousins?

Conclusion: everyone is going to be tightening their belts. For me I saw this coming and have reduced the number of flights I make by spending longer time here between returns to Europe, and reducing my living costs. For me life is still good despite the belt tightening. The global economy is going to hit the bottom, so I would say try and reduce the costs in your life and save more. If you have loads of debt, then you are stuffed.

[NowImEasy]

Thai Airways increases Fuel Surcharges; to Suspend Bangkok-New York Flights

This will sure help tourism and all related facets of the domestic economy!

Thai should stop using aircraft which are not fuel efficient (A345 & A346) and use more fuel efficient like the boeing 777LR. These surcharges amount to a 60-70% increase in ticket prices and not many farang will be able to cope with that. I usually make 4-5 trips a year from California to BKK, but now i can see maybe 2. Good luck Thai economy!

Maybe some of the girls at Nana will have to revisit their rice planting skills!

bada boom !!

[crock]

I bought a BKK-LHR return about 4 weeks back; got my skates on because its only going to get more expensive. Anyway, turns out at the time BA was the cheapest (code sharing with Quantas), while Thai and even EVA prices had already rocketed. Seems like European airlines can take the hit better then their Asian cousins?

Conclusion: everyone is going to be tightening their belts. For me I saw this coming and have reduced the number of flights I make by spending longer time here between returns to Europe, and reducing my living costs. For me life is still good despite the belt tightening. The global economy is going to hit the bottom, so I would say try and reduce the costs in your life and save more. If you have loads of debt, then you are stuffed.

Preparing to be stuffed!!

Bought tickets through an agent yonks ago, when, were and will a surcharge be added

[kauailance]

Thai Airways increases Fuel Surcharges; to Suspend Bangkok-New York Flights

This will sure help tourism and all related facets of the domestic economy!

Thai should stop using aircraft which are not fuel efficient (A345 & A346) and use more fuel efficient like the boeing 777LR. These surcharges amount to a 60-70% increase in ticket prices and not many farang will be able to cope with that. I usually make 4-5 trips a year from California to BKK, but now i can see maybe 2. Good luck Thai economy!

Maybe some of the girls at Nana will have to revisit their rice planting skills!

Hey Maybe this is good news! Less guys traveling=less demand="more friendly girls"=more competition=better time!! Just plan another 2 weeks and skip the extra trip.Most importantly bar girls don't run on gas!!!

[dougieboy]

The days of cheap flight from Europe, America to Thailand may well be over and not just on TG.

It was very cheap though with prices as low as 350 GBP to be had and an average of around 500 GBP

It was more expensive than that in the ealy 80's I think - anyone?

The extra 100 SGD will not be much of a bother for us down here though - plenty of choice

Ere ere, I been twice now and both times for less than£400 return, I have been trying to booksince April for October 2008 and cannot find less than £520, and then its a flight withstop at Jordan for few hours grrrrrrrrrr

[Geraldb3]

Yes normally you pay the surcharge at the airport or when you confirm your ticket. It is has nothing to do with already having a ticket, it is a SURCHARGE so it is collected up and above the ticket price you already paid.

When you collect and pay for your ticket including fuel surcharges you have entered into a contract with the airline and its agent. Do not pay any demand for further money at check in. That is a breach of the original contract.

[BusyBee123]

well if it gets rid of the bottom breeders visiting thailand i'm happy

[BenMajor]

I, for one, loved the New York to Bangkok flight. I've gone the cheap route, and it takes some endurance. In fact, since I live in Ohio, most people of western origin I know prefer that route if they can afford it. Oh, well, I guess.

I lived until recently in the Midwest, I recently moved to NYC. I first started going to Thailand three years ago. I had to take FOUR flights to get to BKK at a good rate (on EVA). I didn't realize how exhausting that would be! I found it to be a terrible way to start and end a vacation of 3-4 weeks, which is all I could swing 20 years away from retirement...

Not many Americans visit Thailand compared with Europeans and countries on that side of the globe; it just too expensive in time, money, body, etc to take more ~24 hours time with 2-4 flights to have fun and feel young again.

So, what joy it was, then, that I discovered I could take just one cushy flight direct from my backyard now in NY to The Land of Smiles. Sure, the direct flight was more expensive, but it made my trip so much more pleasant it was worth the extra hundreds of dollars. So far, I have taken the round trip twice in five months. About 17 hours flight time, but I can sleep through half of it, eat myself silly and watch a good selection of movies the rest of the time.

So now they are ditching that direct flight? Ouch. Jep Mak Mak!

Thank to the rising price of...everything, the multi-leg flights will now be more expensive than the direct flight ever were.

Add together the higher cost of travel + more travel pain + raging inflation in Thailand. + a whole lot deep financial and political turmoil on the horizon there....Well, I just don't think I'll be going there in the future.

Oh well, indeed.

Edited June 13, 2008 by BenMajor

[john b good]

Yes normally you pay the surcharge at the airport or when you confirm your ticket. It is has nothing to do with already having a ticket, it is a SURCHARGE so it is collected up and above the ticket price you already paid.

Not so!!

Have flown zillions of times (70 - 80 last year) and never once paid anything extra at the airport. Once you have paid for your ticket "it's done and dusted"

[meandwi]

Our flight on July 24th JFK to BKK was cancelled. We have already had the monies returned via our credit card company. Now, trying to rebook, and the prices are through the roof! Cathay Pacific airlines seems to have the best prices from Miami, but still looking. Any more ideas?

[bKkRk]

TG mismanagement - will do them in. Great route and stupid decision.

Just paid $1200 for Oct/Nov, 1stop with UAL.

It will be interesting to see your true cost of the trip with UAL's brilliant new baggage policy...

[harsh4]

Hi

Anybody know what happens when youve got an open return ticket - will they charge you at the airport or is the surcharge on 'new' tickets

Thanks

JohnB

Never heard of that happeneing and never experienced it myself. Once you have paid and have your ticket it is valid for the duration of the terms that it applies to. Usuallythat's a year on a standard open ticket.

Yes, you're safe. Fuel surcharge applies to tickets purchased after the effective date of price increase. You need not worry. You have an open ticket and can book your flight to get a seat (subject to availability) regardless of current fuel surcharge.

Hope that helps...:-)

[britmaveric]

TG mismanagement - will do them in. Great route and stupid decision.

Just paid $1200 for Oct/Nov, 1stop with UAL.

It will be interesting to see your true cost of the trip with UAL's brilliant new baggage policy...

Premier Exec (Gold), so baggage fees no apply to me.

[SNGLIFE]

Yay! I had the most horrible experience in my LIFE on the BKK->NYC route back in May. The old hag SUPERVISOR had the nerve to talk down to and try to embarrass my wife not knowing that I speak Thai VERY well. I'll spare the details, but it was such a horrible experience that the Mrs. called and even wrote letters (plural) of complaint about her behavior and received zero response or satisfaction. Although I feel sorry for the rest of the crew who did a good job, we are BEAMING with joy that the uppity bytch hopefully was the first to get the boot!

FWIW, on the Thai language boards, there are loads of complaints from Thais about how differently they are treated compared to farangs. Especially if they have an Isaan accent. They are also som-non-na (ing) about it. lol

[som-non-na is the equivalent of "That's what you get!"]

[Peterpan]

A surcharge is payable after you have bought your ticket, how can it be before.

Read Emirates Rules and Notices

Page 11

Section 4.3

If there is a surcharge you will be contacted, different airlines start the surcharge on different dates.

[NanLaew]

Funny how all the resident Thailand bashers latch on to this and make it a 'typical Thai incompetence' thing. That is just rude as well as being wrong. Hello? have you missed the recent collapse of four Business-Only carriers? Did you not read about the reduced earnings of the budget airlines? Southwest Airlines are 37 years old this month. Will they still be here for their 38th? BA warned of very real service reduction and increased fares last month after their fuel bill rose from 9% of a ticket cost to nearer 40%. Qantas chopped a whole chunk of domestic and far east services ahead of them paying current market rate for avgas next month after their hedged gas deal expires. Virgin Atlantic, Cathay and several others have already announced their planned increases.

Can't have happened at a better time! Now maybe legitimate business travelers and those on well-earned vacations can get a seat this summer. The past 2 summers have been a personal disaster especially when traveling long-haul on the last weekend of [insert any country] school summer holidays. Overbooked, delayed, canceled and the airline lounges are full of families in beach attire and their noisy brats. With the credit crunch and gas prices, more will have to stay home and forego their 2nd or 3rd overseas vacation in a year.

Edited June 14, 2008 by NanLaew

[Prakanong]

"The past 2 summers have been a personal disaster especially when traveling long-haul on the last weekend of [insert any country] school summer holidays. Overbooked, delayed, canceled and the airline lounges are full of families in beach attire and their noisy brats. With the credit crunch and gas prices, more will have to stay home and forego their 2nd or 3rd overseas vacation in a year."

There there diddums - have the nasty families with a right to be in the lounges as much as you been disturbing you then?

Are you arguing that TG is a well managed and well run airline - ROFLMAO

Do you really fly anywhere or is this and armchair rant?

[NanLaew]

There there diddums - have the nasty families with a right to be in the lounges as much as you been disturbing you then?

Yes, the ignorant and rude traveling masses get right up my nose almost as much as the ignorant and rude keyboard jockeys. You are so sharp you'll cut yourself.

Are you arguing that TG is a well managed and well run airline - ROFLMAO

Funny how all the resident Thailand bashers latch on to this and make it a 'typical Thai incompetence' thing... ad nauseum. Note that Thai and their domestic 'rivals' are still in business whereas the ones that have 'crashed' so far are all western managed and/or middle eastern financed. I am not a TG frequent flier by any yardtsick but they aren't bad compared to some with a bigger profile and fancy advertiser.

Do you really fly anywhere or is this and armchair rant?

Let's see now... last 24 months, 4 round-the-world-with 4 to 5 stopovers. 6 US domestic flights, 10 Latin American regional flights, 8 Brazilian domestic flights, 4 African regional flights, 7 European regional flights, 1 British domestic flight, 7 Asia/Far East regional flights, 2 Vietnamese domestic flights, 6 Thai domestic flights...

Nope, I guess I am just another pain-in-the-arse armchair tourist/keyboard jockey. What's your excuse sir?

[jfchandler]

I agree with Nan....

I think we'll all be much, much happier when the price of fuel gets so expensive that no one at all can fly... Then, the airport/airline lounges will be blissfully quiet and peaceful, with no teeming hordes of boorish ex-pats or noisy Thai families bothering everyone.... Not even any jet noise either...

Ooops.... gee.... I guess there won't be anyone there bothering anyone... and... there won't be anyone there to be bothered either.... just Nan... all by herself... alone in the quiet, peaceful airport.... What a delight!!!

[Peterpan]

Bangkok-London-Bangkok: Charges 230USD EXTRA for aviation fuel increases... Hmmmm... Say 400 Passengers on a 747-400 on average: 400x230USD = 92,000 USD. The distance Bangkok to London and back to Bangkok is approx. 12,000 Miles. So thats an exta of 7.67 USD per Mile! Does anybody have an idea of how much fuel a 747-400 needs per Mile? And how much is a liter of aviation fuel. Just wondering

Jet Fuel Price Monitor

Each week IATA updates its jet fuel price index to provide the latest price data from the leading energy information provider Platts. The weekly index and price data shows the global average price paid at the refinery for aviation jet fuel.

This week's price of aviation jet fuel:

Percentage change vs.

06-Jun-08

Jet Fuel Price

168.1 $/barrel

400.3 cts/gal Cents

1325.0 $/mt Dollars

Impact on this year's fuel bill of the global airline industry:

New fuel price average for 2008

Impact on 2008 fuel bill

$132.9/b

+$76 billion

Estimated by IATA IATA Methodology

http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/economics/fue...nitor/index.htm

[cloudhopper]

That's a lotta Baht!

[Hollywood]

I, for one, loved the New York to Bangkok flight. I've gone the cheap route, and it takes some endurance. In fact, since I live in Ohio, most people of western origin I know prefer that route if they can afford it. Oh, well, I guess.

I lived until recently in the Midwest, I recently moved to NYC. I first started going to Thailand three years ago. I had to take FOUR flights to get to BKK at a good rate (on EVA). I didn't realize how exhausting that would be! I found it to be a terrible way to start and end a vacation of 3-4 weeks, which is all I could swing 20 years away from retirement...

Not many Americans visit Thailand compared with Europeans and countries on that side of the globe; it just too expensive in time, money, body, etc to take more ~24 hours time with 2-4 flights to have fun and feel young again.

So, what joy it was, then, that I discovered I could take just one cushy flight direct from my backyard now in NY to The Land of Smiles. Sure, the direct flight was more expensive, but it made my trip so much more pleasant it was worth the extra hundreds of dollars. So far, I have taken the round trip twice in five months. About 17 hours flight time, but I can sleep through half of it, eat myself silly and watch a good selection of movies the rest of the time.

So now they are ditching that direct flight? Ouch. Jep Mak Mak!

Thank to the rising price of...everything, the multi-leg flights will now be more expensive than the direct flight ever were.

Add together the higher cost of travel + more travel pain + raging inflation in Thailand. + a whole lot deep financial and political turmoil on the horizon there....Well, I just don't think I'll be going there in the future.

Oh well, indeed.

My thoughts too BenMajor. I have now discovered Puerto Vallarta, Mexico as a great spot. 3 hour flight, no jet lag and everything I'm looking for.

[britmaveric]

Well I think its well known TG is an incompetent mismanaged mess which is big part reason its doing so poorly. If govt didnt prop it up, we all know it would be DOA. Face issue is the only reason it survives.

[nickynomates]

Just had to change my flight plan

Original TG to germany and then lufthansa internal.

TG will no longer be in co-operation with lufthansa or Swiss on joining flights.

I re booked Lufthansa all the way now.

Suicide