Thai Airways May Cancel A380 Jet Order

[BAZZAT]

We gave up flying Thai airways years ago ,poor planes,poor service and to expensive ,now use Eva or Emirates,good srvice modern seat back tv ect.

Same here gave them up years ago, food for thought lets hope thai airways do's not end up the same as a certain Russian fleet stuck together with elastoplast and hope!! with the potential to drop out of the sky at any time aircraft engineers do a great job but there comes a time when age gets the better and hope reigns.

[wackysleet]

Good grief...what a bunch of miserable s.o.b.'s the vast majority of you people on here are! Such colonialist, superior and arrogant attitudes and points of view. While maybe not as great as Quantas or some others, THAI is vastly superior to many (if not most) international airlines.

Compared to qantas, these days, Thai IS a good airline. thats a bad comparison as qantas has slipped to the level of a second rate airline too.same problems as Thai..crappy old planes, indifferent and surly crew,profit at all costs obsessed management, indifference to their core customers, and a slipping safety record. they have become an embarrassment to australia.

It's apparent that your at odds with fyaman001 as in his opinion Quantas is great where as you believe Thai to be a good airline and Quantas to be an embarrassment to Australians which only endorses my comment that it's ones own experiences that determine ones opinion.

[Carmine6]

Thai airways is not the only company suffering from the global money problems, and the related travel cutbacks. All mayor airlines are hurting bad. Contracts are being cancelled, aircraft are being stored, you name it, and it is happening.

I agree to an extent but they cannot keep those 747's airborne too much longer and makes sense to have a few A380's so they can cut the number of flights to say london but just use bigger planes, end effect surely cost savings.

Replacing the old 747's makes sense, but replacing them with A380s is a hard sell. They can't be easily redeployed to other routes or swapped out if they need unexpected repairs. They need specialized gate facilities which someone has to pay for, and they're pretty expensive themselves. Plus they'll have to train maintenance crews and carry a whole new inventory of parts.

With general passenger numbers falling off worldwide, and specifically dropping off to Bangkok, they should just buy more of what they already have. Either the long haul Airbuses or the 777s. If they discontinue the LAX to BKK direct as keeps coming up, they'll actually have several nice A340s to redeploy.

[touseefashfaq]

I guess they are starting to realise that farangs no longer see thailand as a holiday destination.

Not as THE only holiday destination, watch people start to travel to Vietnam soon and see the difference in attitudes.

For years now I've been using Air France for Europe-BKK flights. On the approach to BKK the cabin crew put little "Final" markers on the seats of those passengers who are continuing to Vietnam. Out of idle curiousity I've been monitoring this. Until fairly recently, the number of Final markers on any given flight tended to be minimal. This year however I have noticed a marked increase - when I last arrived at Suvarnabhumi in April I would estimate the number of passengers continuing to Vietnam to have been more than 50%. Not a scientific analysis by any means, but one gets the feeling that the balance is shifting in Vietnam's favour.

hahahhahah you rocks..

[meelousee]

Glad they canceled.

A380 is a death trap.

I will NEVER get on one.

The recent crash of an A330 with 280 folks dead. Just think when the A380 falls out of the sky the number will be 800! And it is not if it will it is only when.

Airplanes crash Boeing and Airbus alike. It is not something I wish for.

Ok why death trap? 33 injured in Airbus A380 evacuation drill and the title of the story I read. One with a broken leg and one died. But the story was edited and now states 32 injured one accidentally broke a leg. What? Accidentally broke a leg as if one would do that on purpose. The one that died was removed from all stories about the test because the autopsy states the person died of a heart attack and not as a results of the safety drill. So I guess the person had a heart attack on purpose

Airbus has always been in a jam from the start they are behind in manufacturing and thus delivery.

Now about Thai Airlines. My story: I flew from BKK to LAX after 45 min or so into the flight I remembered my sisters birthday and decided to buy some perfume, the staff was helpful in my selection, as I know zip about the stuff that ladies like. Then 45 min before landing I wanted some booze for myelf and I was told that the price was now in US$ and I could not pay in Thai B, I asked why and then was told that since we were no where near to Thailand I had to pay in Dollars not Bhat. I got a bit upset and gave the perfume back and ask for a refund when the stewardess returned and tried to give my 1500 Bhat back I said NOway I want US$ since we are nowhere near Thailand I want US$ at the same rate your crappy airline gave me.

I am now on a watch list, for any flight with Thai international.

So I fly Emerates or Korea Air where I am treated like a customer and not a criminal. Now days airlines do not care about the customer and airline staff are more important than passengers. The only time Thai Airlines is polite is before you buy a ticket after they get your money they could care less!

PS I got my money back plus US$25 but it took 1 year and 9 months for Thai Airlines to pay up.

[meelousee]

Good grief...what a bunch of miserable s.o.b.'s the vast majority of you people on here are! Such colonialist, superior and arrogant attitudes and points of view. While maybe not as great as Quantas or some others, THAI is vastly superior to many (if not most) international airlines. And the belief that all things Thai must come with a back story, hidden agenda or potential scam is ridiculous. Why do so many of you live in Thailand and continue to travel there if you are so jaded and dissatisfied? Do all of us (and the Thai people as well) a favor and pack your bags or zip your lips!

Someone should cut off your fingers! The crud you spread could harm someone. One might get AIDS from listining to such @ssholes like you. Thai Airlines is KNOWn for their corruptions throught the industry, they sport the nickname 'sticky finger air' and not only that services for Thai Airlines must be paid in cash in 21 countries including Cambodia

[bkk_mike]

The a380 is a very expensive aircraft. Most other airlines are also defering theirs. The whole reason for the a380 beign bought was for the BKK-LHR and/or BKK-Syndney route which are currently packed. However the route will take years possibly decades to recover the 300 million investment.

The A380 is a LOT cheaper to fly per passenger than a 747. And nobody's going to persuade me that they don't NEED to replace the old 747 clunkers they have on some routes to Europe. People getting on the plane in London are shocked to see no IFE in this day and age.

And the main reason the LON-BKK route is full is that they're competing with BA (and I'll take Thai's lack of IFE over BA's lack of legroom any day.) However, Qantas upgraded their cabins last year so that's definitely a better option on direct flights, even though they make buying tickets a painful experience. Also Emirates and the other Middle Eastern players all have far better planes than Thai, with the stopover being the only issue. (but if you're going to Glasgow or Manchester, I'd take a change in Dubai over a change at Heathrow.)

[tso310]

The A380s were specifically ordered for the Frankfurt and London routes. This was in a presentation that gave a few years ago. The problem is that those 747s are getting old. The one advantage they have over other current long haul a/c (except the A380) is the amount of cargo they can carry. Alot of fresh food is transported by Thai to Europe and that has been a big money spinner for them over the years.

Thai has a lot of a/c that are getting long in the tooth eg the remaining A300s, The B737s and the B777-200s. As per usual their long term fleet planning is a mess.

[meelousee]

Well this is no wonder. Thailand has been doing everything possible lately, to sabotage it's tourism industry. If Thai Airways is

so serious about reviving it's business, would it not make sense to lower prices? I am always checking their prices, and they

are always much higher than either bangkok air, for domestic routes, and Eva Air for international routes. The one time I

tried them I did not think they were much better. And their surly attitudes did not help. What about the Thai visa policies?

When all of their neighbors are making visas easier for foreigners, one would think Thailand would follow the lead. Eliminating

visa fees accomplishes nothing. Anyone considering a trip here is not going to make that decision based on a tiny savings on

visa fees. How about lengthening the visa periods? How about making it far easier to re-new the visa? Policy of substance is

what we are looking for, and what the Thai government seems incapable of. What about eliminating this heinous ATM fee?

Thailand should be subsidizing ATM withdrawals, not taking them. With 30% hotel occupancy nationwide, one would expect some

constructive policy. Do we see any? Do we see any cooperation between the immigration office, the tourism dept, and the central

govermnent? Is this too much to ask? Why is this country so fabulously dysfunctional?

[wackysleet]

The A380s were specifically ordered for the Frankfurt and London routes. This was in a presentation that gave a few years ago. The problem is that those 747s are getting old. The one advantage they have over other current long haul a/c (except the A380) is the amount of cargo they can carry. Alot of fresh food is transported by Thai to Europe and that has been a big money spinner for them over the years.

Thai has a lot of a/c that are getting long in the tooth eg the remaining A300s, The B737s and the B777-200s. As per usual their long term fleet planning is a mess.

Cannot say when Thai Airways took delivery of their first 777-200 but the very first one was delivered to United Airlines in May 1995.

[Carib]

Well this seems to have gone of topic here and there. People already seem to know what caused crash which just happened (air France), giving false reasons for other crashes and telling absolute nonsense as facts about certain aircraft/manufactures and draw attention to totally unrelated subjects to prove some point. This looks more like a gossip corner than anything else.

It is a good thing that the general public has a bad memory since they can only seem to be able to remember the last crash and the reason they made up for it. If they could remember more than that they would never ever step into an aircraft type made by their favourite manufacturer, some are defending right now. Shit happens and it happens everywhere, nobody wants it to happen, not the crew nor the manufacturer, nor the passengers but still it does. Multi million dollar projects (nasa) are brought down by a simple leak because of a faulty O ring, or even a piece of insulating foam , or the weather, but we still think that " it cannot happen". Compare aviation to any other means of transportation which we get in/use daily and look at the figures there, but still we do participate every day. How stupid can we be.

Back on topic;

Air transport either passengers or freight is taking a big blow right now in the economic turmoil, that is the main reason for cancelling orders or parking brand new planes with almost 0 hours in a dessert and hope for better times. Thai Air is not the only one cancelling orders or delaying them. Others do too, or change the way they are trying to keep the company running.

[tomo22]

That last post reminds me of myself so much. LOL you must be my brother.

Glad they canceled.

A380 is a death trap.

I will NEVER get on one.

The recent crash of an A330 with 280 folks dead. Just think when the A380 falls out of the sky the number will be 800! And it is not if it will it is only when.

Airplanes crash Boeing and Airbus alike. It is not something I wish for.

Ok why death trap? 33 injured in Airbus A380 evacuation drill and the title of the story I read. One with a broken leg and one died. But the story was edited and now states 32 injured one accidentally broke a leg. What? Accidentally broke a leg as if one would do that on purpose. The one that died was removed from all stories about the test because the autopsy states the person died of a heart attack and not as a results of the safety drill. So I guess the person had a heart attack on purpose

Airbus has always been in a jam from the start they are behind in manufacturing and thus delivery.

Now about Thai Airlines. My story: I flew from BKK to LAX after 45 min or so into the flight I remembered my sisters birthday and decided to buy some perfume, the staff was helpful in my selection, as I know zip about the stuff that ladies like. Then 45 min before landing I wanted some booze for myelf and I was told that the price was now in US$ and I could not pay in Thai B, I asked why and then was told that since we were no where near to Thailand I had to pay in Dollars not Bhat. I got a bit upset and gave the perfume back and ask for a refund when the stewardess returned and tried to give my 1500 Bhat back I said NOway I want US$ since we are nowhere near Thailand I want US$ at the same rate your crappy airline gave me.

I am now on a watch list, for any flight with Thai international.

So I fly Emerates or Korea Air where I am treated like a customer and not a criminal. Now days airlines do not care about the customer and airline staff are more important than passengers. The only time Thai Airlines is polite is before you buy a ticket after they get your money they could care less!

PS I got my money back plus US$25 but it took 1 year and 9 months for Thai Airlines to pay up.

[wackysleet]

Glad they canceled.

A380 is a death trap.

I will NEVER get on one.

The recent crash of an A330 with 280 folks dead. Just think when the A380 falls out of the sky the number will be 800! And it is not if it will it is only when.

Airplanes crash Boeing and Airbus alike. It is not something I wish for.

Ok why death trap? 33 injured in Airbus A380 evacuation drill and the title of the story I read. One with a broken leg and one died. But the story was edited and now states 32 injured one accidentally broke a leg. What? Accidentally broke a leg as if one would do that on purpose. The one that died was removed from all stories about the test because the autopsy states the person died of a heart attack and not as a results of the safety drill. So I guess the person had a heart attack on purpose

Airbus has always been in a jam from the start they are behind in manufacturing and thus delivery.

Tests on the evacuation procedures on trials with the 747 resulted in a time of 2min 30secs instead of the actual time laid down by the FAA with numerous injuries, more trials resulted in even more injuries even though the 1min 30 sec required time was achieved but even more problematic was the evacuation procedures from the upper deck where conventional chutes were replaced by volunteers escaping by using a harness attached to a reel, sorry but even though I was at these trials I cannot remember how many were injured.

[timinchina]

And adding this in the wake of the French airbus plane going down in a severe storm,

for me at least, brings into question the robustness of Airbus's 'fly by wire technology'...

Which of course would be quite similar in the A380 too.

Most aircraft use similar probes on their planes and a lot of aircraft especialy military planes can only operate by using computers as it would be impossible to fly them manually.

Please don't worry about the.... fly by wire technology, they use very strong wire, .

Air forces craft crash even more....

more cutting edge experimental compared to most commercial aviation.

I lived in France 10 years and knew several Airbus employees from engineering to fabrication,

this was a common theme with them privately; Lightning strikes causing catastrophic loss of control.

And remember the NYC crash caused by faulty airspeed readings also if memory serves.

Something besides a micro burst caused this crash, and lack of ANY communications from the crew,

during a decent from 40,000 feet is mega troubling.... long time to not have ANY radio coms....

I can't imagine the amount of money Airbus will spend to find out the reasons. But they MUST find out.

regardless of pronouncement from lower end government weenies.

They now believe that the "Pitot tubes" or air speed sensors froze over giving a false reading to the rudder limiter causing the rudder or vertical stabilizer to shear off.

A memo sent to Air France pilots by the Alter union Monday and obtained by The Associated Press urges them to refuse to fly unless at least two of the three Pitot sensors on each planes have been replaced.

So it's not actually the fly-by-wire system under scrutiny here.

[sanmiguellight]

The only reason to fly Thai from the Uk is because they fly direct, the service staff are ok, the same as most other airlines but like many have said before the planes are utter sh7te and need replacing ASAP, for this reason alone i'd always go with EVA instead of Thai.

Surely to fcuken god theyve made enough money in the boom in tourism of the last 10 years to be able to afford a few new planes, and despite the downturn in tourism Thailand is still a major tourist destination where many people have to fly long haul to hence want a bit of luxury on the plane.

PS To all you who compain the food is no good on Thai airways, which airline offers 5 star food in Cockroach class?

[Cobalt60]

Hope they dont get the deposit back. No thoughts about all the job losses this could bring to Airbus? How is it so easy to just cancel an order.

[jackdanielsesq]

Wrong post

BR>Jack

Edited June 9, 2009 by jackdanielsesq

[khunjamespittman]

Good grief...what a bunch of miserable s.o.b.'s the vast majority of you people on here are! Such colonialist, superior and arrogant attitudes and points of view. While maybe not as great as Quantas or some others, THAI is vastly superior to many (if not most) international airlines. And the belief that all things Thai must come with a back story, hidden agenda or potential scam is ridiculous. Why do so many of you live in Thailand and continue to travel there if you are so jaded and dissatisfied? Do all of us (and the Thai people as well) a favor and pack your bags or zip your lips!

WOW! Why so testy? DIdn't you have your coffee yet? Please do some research before railing. Like it or not TG IS quite pricey. Like it or not the Thai fleet is aging compared to several other airlines and is in bad need of upgrading. Sorry my post does not comport with yours. Can I please stay and continue to offer my opinions just as you have done.

[haxxej]

I have used Thai Airways only once from CM to BKK and was pretty much satisfied with their service..the crew were all young and smiles as one could expect from Thailand...have never used them for long distance flights, since a. they are not available where I live and b. they were more expensive than the competition when leaving from London.

I have always flew to Thailand using Emirates on economy and it's a very good company but I always wanted to try TG after the short experience I had with them, that and the fact that I'm in love with anything Thai...but after reading this thread, I have made other opinions on the carrier...

as for those ppl talking about corruption, I have yet to read about a country which is not corrupt...where I live is another example...the staff in the state owned air carrier are all employed because of their political beliefs and not on how good they are...so these things do not happen Only in thailand...

[MarkyM3]

I fly to and from Thailand a couple of times each year from LHR and also fly internally within the country.

I've used Thai a couple of times but as other posters mention, the 747-400's they use are in dire need of an interior overhaul. I'm sure the planes themselves are well maintained but there's no IFE and the disinterested cabin service puts me right off. Don't know if anyone else has found this but I found that the flight attendants would always serve drinks & meals to any Thai passengers in my row before me, even if they're sitting either side of me. What's that about?

I switched over to EVA three years ago and found them superior in most respects. Better prices, decent IFE and nice, helpful flight attendants. Only drawbacks are mediocre food and drinks rationing.

Within Thailand, Thai seem better. Flown to and from CM a few times and it was fine. Same for Air Asia. By far the best product I've come across is Bangkok Airways, am not surprised they've consistently won the best regional carrier award for Asia.

[puyaidon]

A few years ago, it was reported that Thai Airways had 5900 people working in its organization which Singapore Airlines had only 2900 people. Both had the same number of airplanes and aircraft travel routes. Too many people before, same now, so giving up the A380 was the only option. Before, government officials either flew free or at a half-price figure. But there will always be someone who will think of a way to gouge the customer. We just have to wait for him to be appointed to the Board of Directors. Someone who makes good sound economic decisions will not last long.

[Callanbkk]

I guess they are starting to realise that farangs no longer see thailand as a holiday destination.

Not as THE only holiday destination, watch people start to travel to Vietnam soon and see the difference in attitudes.

I totaly agree with you man...I think "farangs" are now taken as granted and a long break with no farang income or business would change attitudes. I would love to see it happen, I dont think Thailand realises how much it needs farangs

[lordkamala]

The main reason Thai Air is stuck with 6 A380's it doesn't want is because the EU twisted Thailand"s arm way up its

back with the threat that if Thailand didn't buy their crappy aeroplane then Thailand would might well face extra tariffs when exporting goods to Europe etc etc.

The joint european Airbus project had to be seen to be successful so they used their power to force smaller countries to buy.

I am sure that six expensive impractical aircraft were the last thing the management of Thai Airways wanted.

[humfurry]

The main reason Thai Air is stuck with 6 A380's it doesn't want is because the EU twisted Thailand"s arm way up its

back with the threat that if Thailand didn't buy their crappy aeroplane then Thailand would might well face extra tariffs when exporting goods to Europe etc etc.

The joint european Airbus project had to be seen to be successful so they used their power to force smaller countries to buy.

I am sure that six expensive impractical aircraft were the last thing the management of Thai Airways wanted.

I find that a very believable statement.

[wackysleet]

Thai Airways have on order 6 A380s, everyone knows that their fleet is getting past it's sell by date and needs renewing sooner rather than later.

So as the A380 is one of the only planes that can be delivered in freightliner configuration from new why not exchange some of the A380s they have on order for something more suitable, Air Bus have several smaller wide bodied planes.

Thai Air could fly once a day from BKK to LHR with passengers and fly A380s for their cargo business on their second daily slot, this application could of course be used on other routes as well.

By the way, for you cynics out there Fed Ex has 10 A380s on order in freightliner configuration, just a thought.

[atyclb]

Glad they canceled.

A380 is a death trap.

I will NEVER get on one.

The recent crash of an A330 with 280 folks dead. Just think when the A380 falls out of the sky the number will be 800! And it is not if it will it is only when.

Airplanes crash Boeing and Airbus alike. It is not something I wish for.

Ok why death trap? 33 injured in Airbus A380 evacuation drill and the title of the story I read. One with a broken leg and one died. But the story was edited and now states 32 injured one accidentally broke a leg. What? Accidentally broke a leg as if one would do that on purpose. The one that died was removed from all stories about the test because the autopsy states the person died of a heart attack and not as a results of the safety drill. So I guess the person had a heart attack on purpose

Airbus has always been in a jam from the start they are behind in manufacturing and thus delivery.

Tests on the evacuation procedures on trials with the 747 resulted in a time of 2min 30secs instead of the actual time laid down by the FAA with numerous injuries, more trials resulted in even more injuries even though the 1min 30 sec required time was achieved but even more problematic was the evacuation procedures from the upper deck where conventional chutes were replaced by volunteers escaping by using a harness attached to a reel, sorry but even though I was at these trials I cannot remember how many were injured.

If someone running the boston marathon died from a heart problem, is it correct to make the inference that "running in the boston marathon is dangerous as it causes deaths from heart problems"

People with diagnosed or undiagnosed heart problems are usually not barred from air or ground transportation. The stress from evacuating a train or bus could also lead to death in certain people.

If an A380 is evacuated and the result is one broken leg and a death from preexisting heart disease and everyone else is fine, that isn't bad at all.

If the airlines were to not allow people with medical conditions that potentially can deteriorate into morbidity and/or mortality then the evacuation drills will likely have better results.

[wackysleet]

Tests on the evacuation procedures on trials with the 747 resulted in a time of 2min 30secs instead of the actual time laid down by the FAA with numerous injuries, more trials resulted in even more injuries even though the 1min 30 sec required time was achieved but even more problematic was the evacuation procedures from the upper deck where conventional chutes were replaced by volunteers escaping by using a harness attached to a reel, sorry but even though I was at these trials I cannot remember how many were injured.

If someone running the boston marathon died from a heart problem, is it correct to make the inference that "running in the boston marathon is dangerous as it causes deaths from heart problems"

People with diagnosed or undiagnosed heart problems are usually not barred from air or ground transportation. The stress from evacuating a train or bus could also lead to death in certain people.

If an A380 is evacuated and the result is one broken leg and a death from preexisting heart disease and everyone else is fine, that isn't bad at all.

If the airlines were to not allow people with medical conditions that potentially can deteriorate into morbidity and/or mortality then the evacuation drills will likely have better results.

Actually the quote above as you now see is my quote on the 747 in response to one from meelousee who stated the amount of people injured on escape procedures on A380s my post just highlighted the fact that this injury problem was not new.

[Datsun240Z]

Get real, the only one who cares to fly more expensive airlines, it those with money. The rest all wants cheap. And cheap can also be good. Look at for instance LTU. I can fly 10.000 km roundtrip for 500 euro.

The world world should drop the prices, the problem is everyone tend to get rich quick.

[CHINWA]

The only reason to fly Thai from the Uk is because they fly direct, the service staff are ok, the same as most other airlines but like many have said before the planes are utter sh7te and need replacing ASAP, for this reason alone i'd always go with EVA instead of Thai.

Surely to fcuken god theyve made enough money in the boom in tourism of the last 10 years to be able to afford a few new planes, and despite the downturn in tourism Thailand is still a major tourist destination where many people have to fly long haul to hence want a bit of luxury on the plane.

PS To all you who compain the food is no good on Thai airways, which airline offers 5 star food in Cockroach class?

MANY! you must be one of Thailand's biggest cockroach... in other words, a "Nillionaire" expat who knows a thing or two about good food & 1st class flights. ah ah ah

[Datsun240Z]

I do think, this fat fuc_ker of an A380 isn't the future at all. Supersonic travel is the future. Who want's to sit 10 hours, while he can do it in 3? The main problem is fuel, the Russians are allready doing a Supersonic liner project, but it remains silent for the world. Concorde was a fine piece of engineering, I't never crashed during it's 27 years of operation, only 1 due debry on the runway from an old plane, take took of before the Concorde. BA wanted the plane to remain functional, but Airbus said NO. They blaim the plane to suck fuel with it's afterburners on, that's nonsense. 2 engines of an A380 produce almsot the same thrust as all 4 Concorde's engines.

The whole reason: MONEY, MONEY, MONEY as always. A380 can stuff more people, so more money.