Thai Airways Cut Domestic, International Fares

[Pistolbelt]

I just booked PER-Bkk-LHR return with a stopover in Bkk on the return for slightly over the thaiairways websites pre-tax quoted price (with no stopover). So I think a saving of around $700. The travel agency have deals with Thaiairways for flights departing Oz. I dont work for them or have anything to do with them but it was a good deal: travel.com.au

Also, I flew per-Bkk on xmas day this year, and the stewards were positively encouraging us to drink...Wine before the meal, wine with the meal, brandy afterwards, and not one nasty look no matter howmuch people ordered more....the bloke next to me was well pished

better than flying brunei..

[ricardofel]

A responsible airline would have their website ready to go with a "promotion". Thai Airways has NEVER done that in the past....and every promotion that have advertised has been a SCAM. It's no wonder they are on the verge of bankruptcy and need to borrow 15-20 billion baht!

[dseawarrior]

thai airways hasn't cut prices on anything, they are still one of the most expensive airlines from lax, have been checking prices since last month. thought jan 20th cut was coming, but china airlines which i flew 3 times has good prices and i had a great flieght each time.

Hey there,

I have to agree with TT... For international flights and price, China Airlines beats Thai Airways hands down and has been that way for a LONG time... Sure you can have a flight from LAX to BKK with only one leg -- but you will PAY an ARM and a LEG to get there...

I usually travel from point A to B with price being the biggest concern and then the number of transfers -- with China Airlines -- you have one transfer (e.g. LAX to TPE to BKK) -- the hassle factor is minimal and only a couple of extra hours -- that sure beats paying hundreds of dollars (US) extra for the convenience of a direct flight...

Plus, I don't believe the commercials... Use your head think about what is most important -- time savings or money savings...

Like many things Thai in this economy, prices will absolutely need to drop soon, but the airlines will be kicking and screaming all the way... Have they dropped any of those "fuel surcharges" yet? Don't hold your breath! Oil was $35 / barrel last I checked...

BTW, China Airlines is also quite good on making last minute changes in flights without huge add-on costs... I recommend China Airlines if you like saving money... Food and services are OK for economy class, too.

My than my 2 satangs...

Chok dee na krab!

[DaleBlue]

Can I join the choir?

I paid last year BKK-DPS-BKK with thai about 17.000 baht. old plane no tv crap food.

This year (with all the surcharges) I'll fly with Singapore Airlines for 12.000 (just 2 hours stop in SIN)

TG CIAO

You can fly AirAsia for much less. However, no free services and not much leg leg room.

[boggzzy]

I don't understand. How to book this and when? On the Thai-air site, fairs seem to be normal. Could be interesting for me, as I was plan to leave February 27 th....

i use to use the web site for booking until i was told by a mate to check out the travel agents. i had already booked a flight on line i then checked with a TA and got the same flight AUD200 cheaper. i have built up a good relationship now and always get cheap flights with a TA

[uncola]

I am officially impressed. Good on them.

You have a very narrow and tunnelled vision of Thai commercial announcements.

LETS SEE THE PROOF!!

could it be that thai airline is reducing fares but only for thais. i mean they have this double pricing system all over the country. i for one refuse to pay more in hotels or parks etc. you should too!

[Crash999]

Looking at all the negative posts re Thai Airways and seeing who the posters are, I really hope they never fly with The Royal Orchid again!

Having only ever experienced great and friendly service in both First Class and steerage, I can only think it is the traveller not the airline that causes issues.

I look forward to sitting in the departure lounge at the airport, seeing and hearing Thai people - I know then that my next visit to Thailand is starting and I can shed the cares of the west for a few weeks.

So if you are a grouch and have grumpy, grouchy friends, please, please, use any airline other than Thai.

I fly HK->BKK->HK very often. Some observations:

- Thai and Cathay have the most flights but are prices at the highest tier

- China Airlines, Kuwait, Egypt, etc. all are moderately cheaper but service is questionable and one flight per day (or less)

- Air Asia just added the HK route and is around 1500 baht cheaper than the others but be careful of baggage costs

- It's always cheaper to buy tickets originating in HK. For a one year round-trip the cost is over 20k baht in Thailand compared with 12k baht in Hong Kong.

- Thai has an old fleet though this doesn't translate to discounted costs

For regional flights I choose Thai so long as the costs aren't significantly more than other options. The cheaper alternatives invariably have limited seating, less desirable flight times, and the environment isn't as good (take China Airlines as an example!).

For long-haul flights I go for Singapore wherever possible and then look for airlines with new equipment such as Air New Zealand, South African Airlines, etc. Right now the Korean airlines like Asiana are running very good deals to and from the US. It means stopping in Seoul but the planes are new and the service is excellent.

Overall I'd rate Thai to be middle of the road, lower than Singapore and Cathay but certainly higher than China Airlines and of course the American carriers!

[Crash999]

A responsible airline would have their website ready to go with a "promotion". Thai Airways has NEVER done that in the past....and every promotion that have advertised has been a SCAM. It's no wonder they are on the verge of bankruptcy and need to borrow 15-20 billion baht!

I'm not saying that I have any inside information but it is possible that the idea to cut rates significantly was a political one done with minimal consultation of the airline itself who must now scramble to figure out how to get this done.

As for SCAMs, have they been taking you to jewelry factories via tuk-tuks and offering you to buy at a special sale prices?

[boggzzy]

Looking at all the negative posts re Thai Airways and seeing who the posters are, I really hope they never fly with The Royal Orchid again!

Having only ever experienced great and friendly service in both First Class and steerage, I can only think it is the traveller not the airline that causes issues.

I look forward to sitting in the departure lounge at the airport, seeing and hearing Thai people - I know then that my next visit to Thailand is starting and I can shed the cares of the west for a few weeks.

So if you are a grouch and have grumpy, grouchy friends, please, please, use any airline other than Thai.

i have been traveling with Thai for four years origanally the standard originally was very good. now the whole package is crap. With repeatedly cancelled flights, delays and now very ordinary service in flight they cant even sincronise thier uniforms. they have a piss poor frequent flyer programme and are for ever missing off my points even when the boarding pass has the FF number printed on it. Many people i am sure are just like me use alternative flights where they can.in my case thay have lost around AUD40,000 dollars but hay thier loss not mine

[Crash999]

in flight they cant even sincronise thier uniforms.

Did you ever take a look at the back section of their Sawasdee magazine? There's a whole system surrounding the clothes they wear- the uniforms worn during takeoff and landing aren't the same as the ones worn in mid-flight, and each person wears a different uniform depending on their rank.

[boggzzy]

Looking at all the negative posts re Thai Airways and seeing who the posters are, I really hope they never fly with The Royal Orchid again!

Having only ever experienced great and friendly service in both First Class and steerage, I can only think it is the traveller not the airline that causes issues.

I look forward to sitting in the departure lounge at the airport, seeing and hearing Thai people - I know then that my next visit to Thailand is starting and I can shed the cares of the west for a few weeks.

So if you are a grouch and have grumpy, grouchy friends, please, please, use any airline other than Thai.

thai Airways have the same tone as you.... moronic. every negative post they should be taking note of instead they fob us off....its called customer satisfaction/service. there used to be a time when Thai Air was striving to be the best now they are on the verge of bankruptcy. the sooner the better out of the ashes will rise a quality airline i am sure.

[boggzzy]

Prices from Germany to BKK are about 25-30 % lower now,

but thats no big deal, as crude oil was falling from $ 147 to right now $ 41, an 72 % slide.

with much lower crude, a 30 % price cut is something to expected, no big deal

some airlines hedged the oil price and are still paying $100 a barrel.you cant always use the spot pice as a guide.

[dunroaming]

I flew return Chiang Mai/Bangkok/Chiang Mai on Tuesday and paid 3,540 baht round trip. Special promotion price. That was booking at the airport in Chiang Mai which is usually cheaper than online. This beat Bangkok Air, Nok and Air Asia in that order. You really have to keep checking as things change daily. I do agree however that Thai Airways is a mere shadow of it's former self

[geriatrickid]

Just checked the TG website vs Orbitz & Priceline for LAX-BKK-LAX

A J class is in excess of $4K USD and still far more expensive than the superior rated EVA flight, However, it was $1500. less than that quoted on Orbits and about $1000 less than on Priceline. Orbitz used to offer seats at lower cost than TG's website. So maybe there have indeed been price adjustments. It's just that if you were 2X more expensive than other airlines to begin with and only cut 50% you will still be uncompetitive.

Dunno. Don't care. TG lost me as a PAX long ago. EVA does a better job of flying the route even if you go through TPE and EVA hides the booze after the 1st drink is served.

[Hobart]

Wonder if they are offering special promotions to Elite Card members on top of this ?

[seank]

I checked the flight prices and I can not see any difference. I think this is a wind-up and I laugh when I see the extra 700bt on my ticket just to leave the country.

[rockyysdt]

Funny.

My experience with Thai Airlines was very good.

I've found they aren't the cheapest and seem to discount via Travel Agents who combine airfare with hotel accomodation.

Other than the price I found the service was good.

Flying Melbourne-Bangkok return (Nov-Dec 08) in a Boeing 777, service included a newspaper of my choice, great food, rear seat LCD panel with inhouse movies, free beer, wine, cognac, spirits and very friendly service. I chose several Smirnoffs with soda and a slice of lemon and must say I was quite typsy on arrival.

The toilets included "hygiene hand-gel, and "wet ones" towelettes and the flights were on time. In fact the return flight arrived 30 minutes early.

Can't say I needed much else.

You'll always hear of bad experiences with any business, but writing them off over a disagreement will ultimately burn your own bridges.

Sure, if price matters, shop around, but beware of false economy.

Jetstar doesn't fly daily and could cost you valuable days on the ground.

Flying Air Asia via Kualar Lumpar saves you a few bucks but exposes you to substantial flight delays and transit lounge time.

A friend chose AA and arrived in Bangkok 10 hours later than me, feeling very tired and grumpy. To make matters worse he missed out on the value of his first nights hotel booking.

Edited January 22, 2009 by rockyysdt

[harrisben]

The fact that lower fares are announced, but no details are provided is very telling. I refuse to fly Thai because you never know if you'll get a plane from the 70's or a modern one. Also the service is quite random. In fact, everything about the comany is so random it just isn't worth the hassle when you can fly Singapore Air and know what to expect every time.

[Japhrodisiac]

I just called to book a ticket at the discounted rate (the discounts don't work online) and they said that a condition for the discount is that the ticket must be issued within 3hrs of booking, meaning you have to get your butt to a Thai Airways office (or travel agent must do) immediately, otherwise promotion fare returns to normal fare. A bit silly, no?

[laocowboy2]

I flew Business class to Tokyo in early January, it was like going back in time, there wasn't even video screens in the seat backs, just individual screens that went into the seat armrests, inflight entertainment was a joke.

Very poor service, i wouldn't fly Thai again on that route if it was 50% off, I'd rather pay more and go with an airline that has aircraft with up to date facilities.

You were Lucky!

Landed this am from Colombo after flying business. No individual screens whatever - just ones at the front of the cabin. Usual outdated movies showing. Surly and lazy crew - whom I noted had appropriated 4 out of the available 28 business class seats for their own (sleeping) use during a 3.5 hour flight. No wonder I got downgraded (with to date no compensation) in December on a flight from Delhi to Bangkok - I assume this was to make room for another tired crew member.

Overall aircraft interior was very old - minimal reclie seat and manual footrests - the sort of thing on offer in the early 1990's!

Paying the same prices for this as for Emirates or Cathay is ridiculous but on my routes I do not have those choices.

[DaleBlue]

Wonder if they are offering special promotions to Elite Card members on top of this ?

If you have an Elit Card, I am sure you would rather buy a 1st class ticket at full price.

[almarg3088]

I know it isn't current, but last February I booked Melbourne to BKK and return business class on the net with Thai and when I went into Thai's city office to pay for it, they advised me they couldn't give me a fare as low as what I got on the net.

I also booked all my hotel accomodation in BKK Chiang Mai and Chaing Rai on the net and saved over AU$1200 on what the hotels wanted to charge me over the counter for a three week stay.

Everyone's ripping us off.

Al

[Crash999]

No wonder I got downgraded (with to date no compensation) in December on a flight from Delhi to Bangkok

If you paid for business and were downgraded then they should sort you out immediately- it happened to me before and I received a voucher for a free upgrade from economy to business. Once time has passed it gets much harder to get compensation and no doubt they'll require all sorts of tickets and receipts which will get lost.

[Robbie Dye]

Not impressed as they are losing a ton of money, they will just cut their already low international standards even more and losing more money will mean that they have to keep the older aircraft even longer!!

[cclub75]

Not impressed as they are losing a ton of money, they will just cut their already low international standards even more and losing more money will mean that they have to keep the older aircraft even longer!!

Indeed. They are doomed. When the competition use new airplanes (better for customers and for fuel consumption), Thai Airways is totally stuck. They can't afford. Even to lease.

Thai Airways is the perfect symbol of Thailand : it was shiny during a long time, used its reputation... but the star is fading... Quickly.

They just can't "pretend" anymore.

With the economic downturn, plus the competition... they just can't cope.

The main shareholder (the state) will be unable to pour torrents of money into the company, because they are busy with their bailouts and other "stimulus packages".

Bye bye Thai Airways.

[matcube]

Interesting... so many complaints about Thai Airways. What are the best airlines to fly with, in your opinion? (I wonder if that would be off-topic or a specific topic already exists).

[taichiplanet]

2 weeks ago i looked for a one way ticket Syd-Bkk. Jetstar was the cheapest (including taxes) A$564, Thai Airways was about A$750.

Today Jetstar is A$564, Thai Airways on their website is A$624, and Thai Airways through Travel.thaivisa is A$595.

Considering Jetstar charges an extra A$30 for food, and A$7 for comfort package, Thai Airways is cheaper and give more flight choices.

I don't know what you are all whingeing about!

[ozfarang81]

Australia is spoilt with Thai Airways, we get all the most recent Boeing 777's with good seats and PTV's in both classes. Between Aust and BKK Thai Airways is fantastic.

[Tex79]

Australia is spoilt with Thai Airways, we get all the most recent Boeing 777's with good seats and PTV's in both classes. Between Aust and BKK Thai Airways is fantastic.

I have noticed that also very happy with Thai Air with all my trips due to the new 777 and even the service.

Also just a quick note on the price...the Aus to Thailand flights have already dropped at least $300-$500AUD for return flights...happy days

Edited January 22, 2009 by Tex79

[eggomaniac]

Impressed, but whether it is a good sign, I don't know.

It just confirms in what a mess the world is, if an airlines takes those steps. Welcome to the deflation!

You got it. Alaskan cruises were down so much last summer, they offering 'cut' rates too this summer. The world economy is in heck in a hand basket. huge poop flood about to hit the beaches.

Edited January 22, 2009 by eggomaniac