Reasons Why Bangkok Airways As A Budget Airline Would Have To Nickel And Dime Everyone

[livinthailandos]

If somehow bangkok airways changed to a budget carrier like airasia, ryanir, then they could start to be like other airlines and nickel and dime everybody to death, here's somethings they could do to make up for the lost revenue

1. Charge for using the toilet: 20 Baht ( most likely to happen in the future )

2. If you check in at the counter at the airport you must pay for that as well: Price for checking in, in person: 50 Baht ( checking in online free

3. If you want a seat in the emergency exit isle pay extra money: 100 Baht

4. 1st carry on hand luggage charge: 200 Baht 2nd carry on luggage 100 Baht

5. Checking in luggage to put underneath the plane: 500 Baht per luggage

6. Change seats to be minimal as possible, don't input any reading materials, and no magazines

7. Charge for water 50 Baht, soft drinks 80 baht, alcohol 120 Baht, food starting from 400 Baht.

8. Charge for blankets, pillows

9. Quit using the big boeing planes and use the smaller airplanes the AR-72.

10. No complmentary hand tissues to customers

11. Squeeze every inch of the plane to fill the plane with only economy seats

12. Introduce a fat persons tax. If your too big or fat to fit in one seat you must pay for another seat at least half price of the seat otherwise you don't fly

13. No free wifi as well.

I put this in as most of this things are already happening or will happen later on. Plus everyone complains about bangkok airways prices so at least now if you see this list you'll still complain but if the price is really cheap thats all that matters to everyone.

[zzaa09]

Bangkok Airways has gone downhill of late, as to it's ever-changing vacancy of customer-friendly policies. One could suggest that they, like many carriers, are adjusting themselves to "survivor mode". I believe such draconian petty-anty measures will come back to bite them in the backside.

[Tropicalevo]

I see little point in comparing prices regarding things that 'might' happen. (Bangkok Airways 'might' do the same anyway.)

Having lived on Samui for over a decade I have some experience of their service. I have seen the standard fare leap from under 5,000 baht return to over 8,000 baht return.

Regarding your 13 points - here is my personal view

1 Never used the toilet - the journeys are too short! Charge what you like. (My mum always said - go to the toilet before you leave!)

2 I would prefer to check-in online - but it's not an option (I think)

3 Don't care where I sit - it's a short journey (is there an aisle exit on the prop jobbies - cannot remember

4 Carry on - not a problem. If I get a cheaper fare - I would pay more that 200 baht!

5 I do not do check in - people steal from suitcases

6 Don't read their in-house mag. More fun watching everyone

7 Don't usually have a drink - happy to pay for water. Food - NEVER again. Both my friend and I got food poisoning on my last flight in March.

8 I have NEVER been offered a blanket or a pillow

9 What big planes? They are all small. (It's the runway you see. Not very long.)

10 You guessed it - why would I need a tissue? I have a hankie.

11 Squeeze people in - they do anyway. (Better still they cancel flights to make it easier. Shove 3 loads of passengers onto 1 plane when it's quiet)

12 I am not fat. (Well not much.)

13 Who cares about free wifi? It's a journey to get you from a to b. Live without facebook for a bit and gte a real life.

Sorry, but I think I missed the main point of your post. Yes this was written with my toungue firmly in my cheek. All true though

[smokie36]

I'm waiting for the 500 Baht one way to/from Samui........if I swim and jog every day and give up all of my vices I reckon I'll still never see the day......pie in the sky this thread sadly.

[THAILIBAN]

apart from Samui, Bangkok Air offers great value for money on domestic routes, considering you can usually get to Chiang Mai for 1.950 THB and to Phuket for 2.150 THB, including all Taxes and luggage (30 KG allowance if you just sign up for their FF-program, plus another 5 KG if you check-in online). plus access to their lounges at BKK, HKT and CNX.

for that price, you can usually not even get a ticket on AirAsia, considering you have to pay for everything extra, plus "convenience-fees" and the likes.....

I am aware that the same does not apply to the short-Samui-hop ^^

international routes: 4.500 THB for a return-trip to Yangon or 4.700 THB to Phnom Penh is unmatched as well.....

let's hope they do well in the future so there will always be a heatlhy competition between airlines.... as we can experience: if there is NO such competition, like on the routes to Samui or REP, priceswill always be at an artificially high level (same thing as it used to be on the KUL-SIN hop, where SIA and MAS had a monopoly for decades and the fares where ridiculously high. now as low-cost-carriers are allowed to serve the route, fares dropped significantly)

[Tropicalevo]

international routes: 4.500 THB for a return-trip to Yangon or 4.700 THB to Phnom Penh is unmatched as well.....

You forgot to mention the HK route (from 26,000 THB to 44,000 THB return) and the Singapore route which is only 15,000 THB to 26.000 THB return. These are not Peak rates (Christmas). These are for next week.

The only reason that you get good air fares on the less popular routes is because Samui subsidises them. 30 something flights per day from Samui to BKK at peak times! Oh and by the way, they already have a lot of 'no availability' days over December as they are fully booked. My friend has to fly to Japan regularly on business (in economy). The Samui to Hongkonk leg is usually twice the price of the Hong Kong to Tokyo leg

So yes - prices are artifiacially high as you stated, but feel sorry for Bangkok Airways...never. Give me a cheaper flight and I will happily pay the surcharges

(edited to correct typos)

Edited August 8, 2010 by Tropicalevo