Agency Selling Thai Airways Ticket Only To Thai People

[aeon]

is it normal that an agency sells thai airways tickets (at very special prices) only to thai people? as I am foreigner (farang) I can't buy it because I was told from them that those prices are only for thais.

[ricwoo09]

yes, very normal - and not just Thai Airways. I first came across this some years ago when I wanted to go to Hong Kong; fortunately my Thai was good enough to know what the agency staff were saying in Thai i.e. "... we can't sell these cheap tickets to foreigners can we?..." " no we can't..."

[bkkjames]

is it normal that an agency sells thai airways tickets (at very special prices) only to thai people? as I am foreigner (farang) I can't buy it because I was told from them that those prices are only for thais.

do tell more!

[surayu]

....one more nail on the fuselage!

[lopburi3]

Thai has always offered a special 3 month validity ticket inside Thailand (Thai or foreign) which can not be sold outside of the country. I suspect that is what you may be talking about? But you do/did not have to be Thai to buy them inside Thailand. I have not traveled for a few years so not sure if they still have the same system or not.

[South]

It's been like that for years. Thais using Thai Airways on international flights would get a 10% discount. At one stage, farang husbands were entitled to that too - not sure if they still are though.

Edited October 29, 2009 by South

[aeon]

is it normal that an agency sells thai airways tickets (at very special prices) only to thai people? as I am foreigner (farang) I can't buy it because I was told from them that those prices are only for thais.

do tell more!

I am planning a trip to tokyo, my collegue (thai) he bought already a ticket (the period of travelling is different but the offer is still available throught the same agency), so I ask him about the price he paid and being quite convenient compared to thai air website, I tried to book through the same agency. Being their website all in thai language, he called them for me, and when they knew i am not thai they replied that I can't buy the ticket. It is quite sad considering that I pay taxes in this country (quite big amounts).

[Redhawk]

It is the same in Germany, if a Thai citizen is going to buy a ticket of Thai Airways for a hometrip, they are eligible to a much better price then I would be offered, i.e. I can not purchase a ticket to the price they are given to. These are the things what makes life so interesting and funny.

[ozsamurai]

Very commendable on Thai Airways side, I wish other carriers would give a home crowd advantage, how 'bout it QANTAS, knock a few Baht off for a poor old expat??

Oz

[bkkjames]

is it normal that an agency sells thai airways tickets (at very special prices) only to thai people? as I am foreigner (farang) I can't buy it because I was told from them that those prices are only for thais.

do tell more!

I am planning a trip to tokyo, my collegue (thai) he bought already a ticket (the period of travelling is different but the offer is still available throught the same agency), so I ask him about the price he paid and being quite convenient compared to thai air website, I tried to book through the same agency. Being their website all in thai language, he called them for me, and when they knew i am not thai they replied that I can't buy the ticket. It is quite sad considering that I pay taxes in this country (quite big amounts).

I wonder how TG feels about this arrangement.

[aeon]

well I manage to flight with another company (japanese), cheaper than the "thai special discounted price" and same mileage accumulation. But I ask myself what if my friend would like to buy me a ticket, let's say as a "gift"? Will he pay special or normal price?

The problem with these things is that are random, once I went to a national park, they asked me to pay like 10 times more than a thai, so I said I work here and show them some document and allowed me to pay normal price, another time happened the same but they pointed the finger on me saying I am not thai and they charged me the high price for me and my friend (she is thai but she didn't talk maybe), so I noticed that she is not farang and she have to pay normal price.

[trainman34014]

is it normal that an agency sells thai airways tickets (at very special prices) only to thai people? as I am foreigner (farang) I can't buy it because I was told from them that those prices are only for thais.

Happens all the time. Not just Thai Airways but the smaller carriers too.

Took my wife down to Perth last year with Thai and I paid 12% less for her ticket then mine. She has been offered cheaper flights on Bangkok Airways than me too.

Unlike ozamurai, I think it stinks like all the other price hikes for Farang in Thailand. It is positively Racist!

Edited October 29, 2009 by trainman34014

[losworld]

is it normal that an agency sells thai airways tickets (at very special prices) only to thai people? as I am foreigner (farang) I can't buy it because I was told from them that those prices are only for thais.

do tell more!

I am planning a trip to tokyo, my collegue (thai) he bought already a ticket (the period of travelling is different but the offer is still available throught the same agency), so I ask him about the price he paid and being quite convenient compared to thai air website, I tried to book through the same agency. Being their website all in thai language, he called them for me, and when they knew i am not thai they replied that I can't buy the ticket. It is quite sad considering that I pay taxes in this country (quite big amounts).

If you make the big bucks who cares. Just pay it. Everything else is cheap.

[Paul888]

The way to look at it is not that us Farang pay more, but that Thai companies understand that generally Thais have less money, so the Thai prices are discounted.

They just should present it differently ie everybody pays "X" baht, but if you are Thai we will discount or rebate you "Y" baht. The way they do it with the two tiered price structure that makes us think we are paying more and loses them business for sure.

The only thing I concern myself with is whether the price I have to pay is reasonable to me.

[jimmym40]

This practice seems a bit strange to me, if true.

Where can we get a definitive answer?

Do you think the Thai Visa Travel Agency can answer this for us and set us straight???

If no comment from them, then I would believe it is TRUE.

[bkkjames]

The way to look at it is not that us Farang pay more, but that Thai companies understand that generally Thais have less money, so the Thai prices are discounted.

They just should present it differently ie everybody pays "X" baht, but if you are Thai we will discount or rebate you "Y" baht. The way they do it with the two tiered price structure that makes us think we are paying more and loses them business for sure.

The only thing I concern myself with is whether the price I have to pay is reasonable to me.

Good logic, no wonder TG is so deep in the red.

Perhaps other foreign carriers will discriminate the same way towards Thais?

[aeon]

The way to look at it is not that us Farang pay more, but that Thai companies understand that generally Thais have less money, so the Thai prices are discounted.

They just should present it differently ie everybody pays "X" baht, but if you are Thai we will discount or rebate you "Y" baht. The way they do it with the two tiered price structure that makes us think we are paying more and loses them business for sure.

The only thing I concern myself with is whether the price I have to pay is reasonable to me.

I agree, if is reasonable is good, but what I don't think is reasonable (maybe because of my western way of thinking) why the 2 different prices? If should be related to incomes maybe I would pay less than many thais i know.

[chiang mai]

It is indeed true that Thai and other airlines have different priced tickets for Farangs and Thai's in Thailand, if you have a workl permit you can usually get the Thai price on them however. Cathay Pacific also runs specials through agents where there is one price for Thai residents and one for everyone else - I tried to buy one of these special tickets from Cathay years ago but was unable to do so.

[alyx]

I am quite surprised as I have never heard anything like it before (I am talking about the airlines) at least in Thailand (it is common knowledge in Vietnam)

Furthermore I regularly buy two tickets (one for Thai and one for non Thai) and usually go to their main TG office as it is conveniently located for me, and always have queries about fares, miles etc... Not once was I told there was a better price for Thai Nationals; the only thing I can remember being told was that I should contact my travel agent to get such or such promotion or book on their websites to take advantage of it

Any specifics about it because, if that is really the case, I would, at least, purchase one cheaper ticket out of the two

Thanks

[chiang mai]

I am quite surprised as I have never heard anything like it before (I am talking about the airlines) at least in Thailand (it is common knowledge in Vietnam)

Furthermore I regularly buy two tickets (one for Thai and one for non Thai) and usually go to their main TG office as it is conveniently located for me, and always have queries about fares, miles etc... Not once was I told there was a better price for Thai Nationals; the only thing I can remember being told was that I should contact my travel agent to get such or such promotion or book on their websites to take advantage of it

Any specifics about it because, if that is really the case, I would, at least, purchase one cheaper ticket out of the two

Thanks

I can't add anything more to this subject other than to say that I don't believe it happens on all flights to all locations, the examples I have experienced involve heavily advertised flights/fares from BKK to London and Hong Kong. On that note, try reading the travel agent adds in the Bangkok Post, frequently you will see a heavily discounted ticket price advertised and followed by a note stating that it is only available for Thai's.

[bridge]

I am a former IATA agent, and I can confirm 100% that Thai Airways has what is known as VFR fares (visiting friends and relatives). One of the discounts they gave was if you had a Thai surname.

Work that out, so you could be a UK, US or whatever national, but if you had a Thai surname, then you could receive the discount.

[jontom]

is it normal that an agency sells thai airways tickets (at very special prices) only to thai people? as I am foreigner (farang) I can't buy it because I was told from them that those prices are only for thais.

do tell more!

I am planning a trip to tokyo, my collegue (thai) he bought already a ticket (the period of travelling is different but the offer is still available throught the same agency), so I ask him about the price he paid and being quite convenient compared to thai air website, I tried to book through the same agency. Being their website all in thai language, he called them for me, and when they knew i am not thai they replied that I can't buy the ticket. It is quite sad considering that I pay taxes in this country (quite big amounts).

If you make the big bucks who cares. Just pay it. Everything else is cheap.

Does that logic mean Thai people that make big bucks should pay it as well? Everything else is cheap?A lot of food is now cheaper in supermarkets in England than Thailand so everything else is cheap? What about beer? now cheaper in England in a lot of pubs. This dual pricing is a scam like many others and shouldnt be accepted by Farrang, you can and always should vote with your feet and not accept it.

[awd]

One of the reasons most of us enjoy living here in Thailand is the dual pricing system which is quite simply that prices here are generally less than back home. If you are finding that you are not finding it cheaper to live here in Thailand then by all means feel free to return home. Otherwise, enjoy this beautiful land; it really is quite nice here...

[trainman34014]

I am a former IATA agent, and I can confirm 100% that Thai Airways has what is known as VFR fares (visiting friends and relatives). One of the discounts they gave was if you had a Thai surname.

Work that out, so you could be a UK, US or whatever national, but if you had a Thai surname, then you could receive the discount.

If I had known that before my wife changed her surname to mine, I would have changed mine to hers!

[basjke]

One of the reasons most of us enjoy living here in Thailand is the dual pricing system which is quite simply that prices here are generally less than back home. If you are finding that you are not finding it cheaper to live here in Thailand then by all means feel free to return home. Otherwise, enjoy this beautiful land; it really is quite nice here...

Jeez it took almost 12 hours to get the "if you don't like it go home" guard to arrive.Thought they were too busy enjoying dual pricing.

[awd]

One of the reasons most of us enjoy living here in Thailand is the dual pricing system which is quite simply that prices here are generally less than back home. If you are finding that you are not finding it cheaper to live here in Thailand then by all means feel free to return home. Otherwise, enjoy this beautiful land; it really is quite nice here...

Jeez it took almost 12 hours to get the "if you don't like it go home" guard to arrive.Thought they were too busy enjoying dual pricing.

Buddha, grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change

The courage to change the things I can

And the wisdom to know the difference!

[trainman34014]

One of the reasons most of us enjoy living here in Thailand is the dual pricing system which is quite simply that prices here are generally less than back home. If you are finding that you are not finding it cheaper to live here in Thailand then by all means feel free to return home. Otherwise, enjoy this beautiful land; it really is quite nice here...

Jeez it took almost 12 hours to get the "if you don't like it go home" guard to arrive.Thought they were too busy enjoying dual pricing.

If prices keep rising the way they have been over the last couple of years and exchange rates continue to worsen, how long will it be before 'THEY' go home?

[jontom]

One of the reasons most of us enjoy living here in Thailand is the dual pricing system which is quite simply that prices here are generally less than back home. If you are finding that you are not finding it cheaper to live here in Thailand then by all means feel free to return home. Otherwise, enjoy this beautiful land; it really is quite nice here...

Jeez it took almost 12 hours to get the "if you don't like it go home" guard to arrive.Thought they were too busy enjoying dual pricing.

Quite right, I like Thailand a lot but I dont like everything about it especially some of the idiot farrang that encourage Thai people to remain a third world country with their nonsense ideas such as encouraging the notion of 'cheat the farrang because you obviously cant make a living any other way.' How about as an alternative educating them that they can get much much richer by not scamming people? Probably too deep for the "if you dont like it go home brigade' poster.

[citizen33]

It is the same in Germany, if a Thai citizen is going to buy a ticket of Thai Airways for a hometrip, they are eligible to a much better price then I would be offered, i.e. I can not purchase a ticket to the price they are given to. These are the things what makes life so interesting and funny.

If this is the case, I wonder if anybody affected might care to draw it to the attention of the authorities, since it appears to breach a current EC Directive. Much as many apologists for dual pricing on TV like to claim that Western countries also allow price discrimination, new regulations are making this rarer.

See this issue of IATA News.- http://www.iata.org/NR/rdonlyres/1DA8A6DB-...er_aug08fin.pdf. The relevant passage is as follows:

In July 2006, the European Commission proposed a revision of that “third package” (see IATA Europe News issue number 2).

The procedure for the adoption of this new regulation is now nearly complete. The new regulation will become effective upon publication in the Official Journal, which is not expected before October. Proposed passenger rights reforms include the requirement that:

Published tariffs (in all advertising and on web-based fare quote and sales transactions) should include all non-optional taxes, fees, charges and surcharges. The various components that make up the final price have to be specified.

Passengers should have access to airfares (available to the general public) throughout Europe, regardless of their nationality or place of residence or the place of sale within the European Union.

The transparency and non-discrimination requirements will apply to all flights from European Community airports worldwide, including flights operated by third country airlines.

[aeon]

for me the dual pricing is non-sense, I can understand for tourists (even if this promote tourism towards other countries), but not being a tourist, having a working visa, and paying taxes (my incomes maybe are higher than many thais, but not higher than many other thais) I feel this not reasonable (for my way of thinking of course).

Having a thai surname makes you a thai, so nothing change. "People who don't like this they can go home" (a bit tired to hear this though) maybe can be a good solution to make things changing.

Edited October 29, 2009 by aeon