Flights From Uk

[sadman]

I'm now at my wits' end, officially.

I travel UK - LOS 6 or 7 times each year, sometimes during chool hols, sometimes not. I have no allegiance to any particular carrier, but take the cheapest convenient flight (the only way I can afford 6 or 7 trips).

I'm trying to book for the end of October, but am getting the cheapest at around GBP 450 each (there are 3 of us, so small price differences mount up). I know oil has gone up, it's the UK school hols, no more post-tsunami promotions and so on, but this is more than 20% up on previous flights. Even the travel agents here are puzzled.

Has anyone any idea why they are so pricey, or where I can get better ones?

[The_Moog]

Probably because it is Tourist High Season in Thailand during October.

...There is always some reason why its expensive! But even in June I paid 70% more to fly back to UK than I did 2 years ago.

Long haul is no longer going to be a cheap option for UK tourists, not when you've got Ryan Air and Easyjet who can offer bargains closer to home.

[bangbuathongben]

Moog,

cool avatar!!!

hope the mods dont kick yours off too!!

Big thumbs up

Bang..........

[chonabot]

Probably because it is Tourist High Season in Thailand during October.

...There is always some reason why its expensive! But even in June I paid 70% more to fly back to UK than I did 2 years ago. 

Long haul is no longer going to be a cheap option for UK tourists, not when you've got Ryan Air and Easyjet who can offer bargains closer to home.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Moog , I find your avatar distasteful , where can I get one ?

[Davey]

I'm now at my wits' end, officially.

I travel UK - LOS 6 or 7 times each year, sometimes during chool hols, sometimes not. I have no allegiance to any particular carrier, but take the cheapest convenient flight (the only way I can afford 6 or 7 trips).

I'm trying to book for the end of October, but am getting the cheapest at around GBP 450 each (there are 3 of us, so small price differences mount up). I know oil has gone up, it's the UK school hols, no more post-tsunami promotions and so on, but this is more than 20% up on previous flights. Even the travel agents here are puzzled.

Has anyone any idea why they are so pricey, or where I can get better ones?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

£ 450 is a bargain! Considering the points you made about UK school hols, price rise in oil and of course it coming into high season in Thailand £ 450 seems an extremely reasonable price

[lovethailandlongtime]

I'm now at my wits' end, officially.

I travel UK - LOS 6 or 7 times each year, sometimes during chool hols, sometimes not. I have no allegiance to any particular carrier, but take the cheapest convenient flight (the only way I can afford 6 or 7 trips).

I'm trying to book for the end of October, but am getting the cheapest at around GBP 450 each (there are 3 of us, so small price differences mount up). I know oil has gone up, it's the UK school hols, no more post-tsunami promotions and so on, but this is more than 20% up on previous flights. Even the travel agents here are puzzled.

Has anyone any idea why they are so pricey, or where I can get better ones?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

£ 450 is a bargain! Considering the points you made about UK school hols, price rise in oil and of course it coming into high season in Thailand £ 450 seems an extremely reasonable price

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Some of the rock bottom airlines have move out of the market for this particular route.ie. phuket air/uzbhekistan air

this may have some bearing on the recent hike.

i came back to london a couple of weeks ago and return in november,the best deals i have seen are with the middle eastern routes.£450 seems to be the base rate..

IMO it is worth the extra £50 to fly with eva direct,rather than have to stop in a sh'thole like the middle east.

BTW.have you tried i-italia???They do a good budget service which only stops in venice for 2hrs..

Edited August 21, 2005 by lovethailandlongtime

[Narachon]

Probably because it is Tourist High Season in Thailand during October.

...There is always some reason why its expensive! But even in June I paid 70% more to fly back to UK than I did 2 years ago. 

Long haul is no longer going to be a cheap option for UK tourists, not when you've got Ryan Air and Easyjet who can offer bargains closer to home.

The Moog , I find your avatar distasteful , where can I get one ?

Am I missing something here...It's just a picture of a dog.

As for airplace ticket prices to Thailand going thru the roof, It's also more expensive traveling to and from America.

It's the rising price of Oil. Until we all grow wings, I guess we have to put up with it.

[britmaveric]

Well oil is the root cause. Prices have nearly dbled in the last few years. Prices will drop once oil situation gets back under control - when that is who knows?

[Ice Maiden]

I usually fly from Humberside to Amsterdam (with KLM) then via Amsterdam to BKK (with China Airlines) that flight has most of the time been the cheapest option for me.

But sometimes it is a bit annoying when you are waiting in Amsterdam for a few hours but I guess it dosen't really matter if your paying a little less, more money for spending in your pocket after all.

[STEALTH K3]

I have just paid £511 with EVA could have paid £448 but left it too late for the date I want in November. In May I paid £410 with Thai Airways the same Flights I also saw for £380

[think_too_mut]

Probably because it is Tourist High Season in Thailand during October.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is that right?

My company always does conferences in October and April in Thailand, that's the rock bottom season when the best hotel/flight bargains can be had.

October is also rainy.

Last year at the Marriott Hua Hin (price in October was 3500B instead of 11000B in high season), I remember Europen tourists who took 3 weeks packages to Hua Hin for the price of 2...even in the rain they were sitting around the pool to max their investment.

[jackr]

There's a few public holidays towards the end of October here, but the high season is most definitely from November to March.

[sadman]

£450 seems to be the base rate..

IMO it is worth the extra £50 to fly with eva direct,rather than have to stop in a sh'thole like the middle east.

BTW.have you tried i-italia???They do a good budget service which only stops in venice for 2hrs..

Thanks. No, I haven't tried Alitalia, but may well do so. And I do agree about Eva Air. I really like Evagreen Economy Deluxe but, as I said, with 3 of us at 6 trips a year, it does get pricey.

[Rinrada]

Just ran a quick check for end of Oct with A.N.to first week in Nov...for comparison

Also had a look at other sites and notice that EVA is doing a flight at around £475.00...but what on earth is Thai thinking about?

I have got used to direct flights (getting on a bit)...Board at the Row and off at Bangers but when the Spread between say Qatar Airways...@ 1 stop and TG is hitting £200 well gotta think about it...

Agree Oct prices should drop...but...

Economy Class ...21st Oct -5th.Nov.(incl taxes)

LHR Qatar Airways £444

LHR Qantas Airways £464

LHR Emirates £470

LHR Cathay Pacific Airways £478

LHR Singapore Airlines £485

LHR KLM Royal Dutch Airlines £486

LHR Qatar Airways £494

LGW Qatar Airways £502

LHR Austrian Airlines Group £530

LGW Emirates £548

LHR Gulf Air £581

LHR Lufthansa £584

LHR Thai Airways International £610

[ovenman]

Also had a look at other sites and notice that EVA is doing a flight at around £475.00...but what on earth is Thai thinking about?

I have no experience with the LHR-BKK route specifically but generally speaking, a carrier that offers non-stop service on a particular route commands a premium for that privilege. I'm not at all surprised that TG would be the highest cost carrier into Bangkok. If this hasn't been the case in the past then I would say that was the anomaly.

[think_too_mut]

I have no experience with the LHR-BKK route specifically but generally speaking, a carrier that offers non-stop service on a particular route commands a premium for that privilege.  I'm not at all surprised that TG would be the highest cost carrier into Bangkok.  If this hasn't been the case in the past then I would say that was the anomaly.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

From the airlines on the list, Qantas flies non-stop LHR-BKK and is still at 464 pounds.

[Rinrada]

Also had a look at other sites and notice that EVA is doing a flight at around £475.00...but what on earth is Thai thinking about?

I have no experience with the LHR-BKK route specifically but generally speaking, a carrier that offers non-stop service on a particular route commands a premium for that privilege. I'm not at all surprised that TG would be the highest cost carrier into Bangkok. If this hasn't been the case in the past then I would say that was the anomaly.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fair point on route ..but privilege/preminum....doubt it.

As has been well documented Thai Airways has just sacked its boss and formed what sounds like a crisis management setup to save the company.

In these days "derrieres on seats" at competative prices are what counts and if they continue to cost themselves out of the market the way they are doing then there is only one way to go ...and it aint up.

They are flying a squadron of near second world war 747s between London and Bankok which to any other flying circus would truly merit a preminum service and they only really survive due to the god awful services provided by our Preminum carriers BA/Quantas.

They however (BA/Q)have the clout,muscle and the dosh to really smack Thai where it hurts and could be after they have solved their sandwitches and crisps problems ...do just that.

I actually LIKE Thai Airways and support it by flying with them as often as possible....but guess wot ....mai mee chop...rip off.

[ovenman]

From the airlines on the list, Qantas flies non-stop LHR-BKK and is still at 464 pounds.

That's not all that uncommon either. If Qantas's primary objective is selling tickets from the UK to Australia, they may have some excess capacity on either leg of their through flight. One other example that I am familiar with is KLM on their AMS-BKK-Tapei route. They generally have extra seats on the Bangkok-Tapei portion of the overall journey. One can generally pick up a fairly cheap ticket on that route on short notice.

Then again, it's the airline industry. If any one of us really understood why things are the way they are, that person could either make a fortune in consulting or by writing a book explaining the whys and wherefores of the business!

[Jack Jones]

There's a trick to booking with Thai Airways which I discovered earlier in the year. I booked a flight in January for March at £500. The price for the same flight was then dropped to £400 if you booked in February. I've noticed this a lot on Thai flights. The earlier you book, the more expensive it is. If you can leave it to one month before hand then the price is generally a lot cheaper.

My next trip to LOS is next week. I booked this last month for £410 plus tax. If I'd booked the flight May/June it would have cost me £700?!? Just something to bear in mind when using Thai

[sadman]

Then again, it's the airline industry.  If any one of us really understood why things are the way they are, that person could either make a fortune in consulting or by writing a book explaining the whys and wherefores of the business! 

How do you think I feel? I wrote my MBA dissertation on the workings of the airline industry and I'm as confused as anybody!

Like rinrada, I would rather support Thai than put my money into the thieving, two-bob, second-rate joke of a flag-carrier that is BA, but it's just too expensive. I wouldn't have a problem if it were an annual holiday, but I'm a regular so can't afford it.

[Ricardo]

Likewise , I prefer to fly Thai if I can , and spent 2 fun years doing revenue-accounts for the world's largest holiday-airline. But £250 excess is way over-the-top.

Note however that the ROP-airmiles from each LHR-BKK-LHR are worth perhaps £100 per trip (you need just over 4 return-trips to get a 'freebie').

Perhaps they want to try and fill the plane, a few months ahead, with higher-priced passengers. Then just sell-off the remainder at short-notice for whatever they can get. Which is a fairly normal pricing-strategy. Until you get a reputation for being always too-pricey, and drive your regular customers away, as seems to be happening now.

I seem to remember that Ryanair & EasyJet, when faced with a similar drop in the market after Gulf-War-2 , responded by slashing prices and filling empty seats, when all the European full-fare operators just sat around bemoaning their losses. But then they had a genuinely low-cost operation, unlike Thai Airways, and dynamic management too.

[ovenman]

I seem to remember that Ryanair & EasyJet, when faced with a similar drop in the market after Gulf-War-2 , responded by slashing prices and filling empty seats, when all the European full-fare operators just sat around bemoaning their losses.

Although it flies in the face of conventional business wisdom, it's not all that uncommon to see a Thai business raise prices when business is bad. If I am not mistaken, even THAI did this when the airline business was down post-SARS. Let's make the loyal customers who are still standing make up the shortfall in revenue...

[Rinrada]

Likewise , I prefer to fly Thai if I can , and spent 2 fun years doing revenue-accounts for the world's largest holiday-airline.  But £250 excess is way over-the-top.

Note however that the ROP-airmiles from each LHR-BKK-LHR are worth perhaps £100 per trip  (you need just over 4 return-trips to get a 'freebie').

Dont forget that they recently slashed their milage awards levels for flight class designation-W-V from 100% to NIL

Someone later obviously had a change of heart and it has since been re-set to 50% on classes V and W.

Class of Service-Actual Miles Flown

Economy Class – Y, B, M, H, Q, T, K, S -100%

Economy Class (discounted fares) V, W -50%

Premium Economy Class -110%

Royal Silk Class -125%

Royal First Class -150%

On Star Alliance operated flights, you earn:

Class of Service-Actual Miles Flown

Economy Class-100%

Business Class-125%

First Class-150%

not quite....

However, some discounted Economy Class fares with designated booking class codes, designated routes, or short haul flights may not qualify for full mileage accrual

http://www.thaiair.com/Royal_Orchid_Plus/E..._of_service.htm

[Steve2UK]

I've been looking at London-BKK-London flights for October/November and I agree that £450 is about the norm (once you factor in taxes etc) for the cheaper end with the main carriers.

I tended to go for Thai or Eva direct before, but anything over the £550 level gets me looking at alternatives more closely. I have done the Gulf area routes before, but I'm less keen on them now that I also have to include Chiang Mai in the itinerary - and I got older .

Looking through the usual online sites recently, I spotted that some of the European carriers (KLM particularly but also Austrian, Alitalia - and maybe Swiss) can offer a relatively easy schedule with a change at their hub that doesn't add much to the overall journey time compared with a direct flight - maybe an hour or so. Because I like to fly at night both ways (better chance to get some sleep and adjust for the time difference), I look for evening departures from London and BKK. KLM's a particularly good bet because a] short hop London-Schiphol, b] plenty of flights London-Schiphol and therefore c] short gap between flights in Schiphol.

I also recommend the Travelocity site if your dates are flexible e.g. all of October or October/November, say; you can access a feature which will show cheapest flights in the period that you select.

http://www.travelocity.co.uk/

I've just booked KLM flights London-BKK-London for 23 November & 14 December for £438 - I thought that's not bad for the time of year. I also agree with the earlier posts that no way is October high season for Thailand - it's generally reckoned to start mid-November.

[loong]

my return flight bkk LGW cost me equivalent of £405 with emirates, 29,500 Baht

I have just checked the prices with Emirates and can't believe it. A return from Uk is £748. But a return, same dates from Bangkok, if you buy in Thailand is 34,000 Baht.

Talk about dual pricing.

Obviously not a good idea to book direct with emirates from Uk as can get cheaper thru agents

[Thaipwriter]

www.ebookers.co.uk always get my cash.

they have lhr to bkk 1 stop in vienna for 425gbp inc taxes right now, which is a good deal me thinks

they also normally have killer deals on emirates too

[Ricardo]

www.ebookers.co.uk always get my cash.

they have lhr to bkk 1 stop in vienna for 425gbp inc taxes right now, which is a good deal me thinks  

they also normally have killer deals on emirates too

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

also just heard from ebookers that they have Gulf-Air mid-Sept to late-Nov for £405 incl taxes

[Jack Jones]

www.ebookers.co.uk always get my cash.

they have lhr to bkk 1 stop in vienna for 425gbp inc taxes right now, which is a good deal me thinks  

they also normally have killer deals on emirates too

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

also just heard from ebookers that they have Gulf-Air mid-Sept to late-Nov for £405 incl taxes

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're a braver man than me if you fly Gulf. Went with them a couple of times when I first started going to Thailand but got p*ssed off with the delays and waiting around in the Middle East. I would rather pay £50 more and have the relative comfort of a direct flight

[Rinrada]

You gotta suss them out but they are doing a return with Air miles for £485...

and £600 to Auz...

Singapore Airlines

Heathrow Bangkok GBP485 Economy...air miles... Yes

For outbound travel Heathrow .........Manchester

01 Jan – 14 Jan 2006 fr £685 ..........fr £685

15 Jan – 03 Apr 2006 fr £485 ..........fr £485

05 Apr – 15 Apr 2006 fr £775 ..........fr £775

16 Apr – 15 Jun 2006 fr £685.......... fr £685

16 Jun – 30 Jun 2006 fr £725 ...........fr £725

15 Aug – 30 Nov 2005 fr £485 ...........fr £485

01 Dec – 09 Dec 2005 fr £695............ fr £695

10 Dec – 23 Dec 2005 fr £870............ fr £870

24 Dec – 31 Dec 2005 fr £750.............fr £750

Great Britain Promotions

Round The World Pass

also...

Singapore Stopover Holiday Rates

Valid for travel from 1 April 2005 until 31 March 2006

Exclusively for Singapore Airlines and SilkAir passengers going beyond Singapore, we offer the following attractive rates for you to live it up in Singapore.

Hotel Category

First Night (GBP) Extra Night (GBP)

Twin-share Single Twin-share Single

A 16 30 18 32

B 21 40 24 43

C 28 54 30 57

D 42 83 46 89

http://oz.singaporeair.co.uk/NewMicrosite/

[Cheeky Farang]

Heathrow Bangkok GBP485 Economy...air miles... Yes

Hi Rinanda, are you sure air miles will be allocated to a TG Royal Orchid miles account, looks like TG do not recognise most SINGAPORE flights. ( is this allowed under the Star Alliance regulations ? )

Singapore Airlines

G,N,Q,R,V = No miles

Note Should any sector in a Economy class ticket contain these classes, the entire ticket will not be eligible for mileage.

1 Apr 2000

1 Jun 2004

25 Mar 2001

http://www.thaiairways.com/Royal_Orchid_Pl..._of_service.htm

I just wonder if SIN recognise TG miles, are these 2 airlines still standoffish with each other?

Cheers, please reply b4 I book with SIN