I checked the schedule air fare Bangkok to Shanghai yesterday on the Thai Airways website - Bht 20,000.00 flying time 4:15.

Out of general interest I also checked the Bangkok to Denpasar fare - Bht 40,000.00 flying time 4:20.

I appreciate that I will not be paying the quoted fare at my local travel agent (prolly 60%) but how do they justify such a massive difference?

I checked the schedule air fare Bangkok to Shanghai yesterday on the Thai Airways website - Bht 20,000.00 flying time 4:15.

Out of general interest I also checked the Bangkok to Denpasar fare - Bht 40,000.00 flying time 4:20.

I appreciate that I will not be paying the quoted fare at my local travel agent (prolly 60%) but how do they justify such a massive difference?

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Airport landing fees?

Higher quality pot noodles

In business terms its the difference between being/seeing yourself as a market leader, and being/seeing yourself as a market follower. Price elevation is one of the easiest ways to distinguish yourself.

Less competition?

Less competition?

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Thai to Singapore 20k

air asia 1k

less frills??

LA to BKK on Thai Air - apart from old 747 I have to say service was far superior to most western airlines. Is it worth the price - ###### No. I'll fly on a wing if it gets me there safely/cheaply.

Thai is simply OVERPRICED!!!

prices from the TG Web site tend to be much more expensive than if you call them direct or go through an agent.

In business terms its the difference between being/seeing yourself as a market leader, and being/seeing yourself as a market follower. Price elevation is one of the easiest ways to distinguish yourself.

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Both flights were with Thai Airways so I don't see this being the reason.

I believe the official prices are set by the two Governments, and the "guest" Airline has to charge a price the same as the national carrier. In this case the national Carrier (Garuda) may have set this as the official price, whilst the Chinese Government set a lower tarrif for it's representative Airline.

At the end of the day virtually no one pays the full price even when buying directly from the airline except maybe at the airport. Most people will have noticed a totally different price on their tickets than the price they actually paid.