THAI Ranks 5th As World’s Best Airline In 2011

[supercharlie]

one of the poorest in my opinion, how they can get ranked above Emirates is beyond me. no IFE average food. would not make my top 10

[DumFarang]

This is not my own opinion but that of my Thai wife. She has flown Thai a few times betwen BKK and LHR and after the last flight vowed never to use them again. Old planes, poor IFE and seating, terrible food and poor service are her reasons. Those ranked below 5th must be utterly appalling if her experience is accurate.

Sorry to say she's not accurate. I was actually surprised to see Asiana ahead of Thai. I've flown on both and, while both are quite good, I thought Thai had a slight edge on Asiana.

[DumFarang]

So they are better then Lufthansa, Air France, KLM all American airlines etc.. they must be blind or on drugs at Sky trax.

You've got to be kidding. Everytime I get on an airline from the U.S. I cringe at how rude they are. One woman almost chewed me out when I asked for another cup of water, she was barely able to control herself. Obviously it was a bad day for her, but that would only happen on any Asian airline after lots of pushing, and finally pushing them too far. The American intl. flights usually have nice seating and things like TV's with touch screens on the all the seat backs, but the staff just utterly ruin it. I doubt this survey failed to note that too.

[jimmym40]

I've been a GOLD member for six years previously with my flights back and forth to the US. But last year my status expired and I used all my miles and not using Thai anymore, mainly because of their outrageous fares. Their ROP (frequent flyers club) isn't that great. Sure you can get "free" flights, but their add on taxes you have to pay are almost what to pay for a low cost airline from BKK to CNX. Miles don't have much value.

Edited June 25, 2011 by jimmym40

[Bkkorupcountry]

classic forum behaviour - of course 18.8 million people can be wrong!

2011 World Airline Awards

Voted by over

18.8 million airline passengers

from

100 different nationalities

, the World Airline Awards™ are the most prestigious and respected quality recognition of front-line product and service standards across the world airline industry. With

200 airlines

featured, the awards reflect customer satisfaction levels across 38 different items of airline front-line product and service.

AirAsia

retained their crown as the World's Best Low-Cost Airline

Do you really think that 18.8 million people voted?

[Parker1973]

Having been fortunate enough ,or unfortunate,depending on your view,to have travelled extensively the last 2 years,mainly Lhr-Bkk i have experienced many different airlines...my Uk agent usually gives best prices on Thai or Eva,i find Thai better overall,however,i am an ipod and sleeping pill type of traveller,havent used IFE on a flight since i got my first ipod.

This trip Qantas came up cheaper,id heard bad reviews before, but the flight was one of the best ive ever had,i was fortunate to get a great seat,good food and staff and also,which i find can make or break a flight,the passengers in my immediate vicinity were well behaved,no seat bashing etc.

Flew Jet last year,great service,even tho its thru Mumbai,which makes u appreciate how civilised Thailand is....

Had amazing flights transatantic on both AA and Continental,when most people slaughter Us carriers,even Air Asia has been faultless....

Going off thread a touch,but i do think people do expect a little too much from a carrier sometimes,its a bus taking you from A to B.My biggest concern is good food,sensible passengers around me and dont lose my bag.....im quite happy with that and dont need pampering for 12 hours.....tho im sre some will disagree.....

As a previous poster commented,u can have good and bad flights on the same airline,2 passengers on the same flight could have 2 totally different views on the airline depending on how their flight was,the inflight meal i enjoy may not be to the taste of the person sitting next to me,does that make the food bad??so many variables.....for me,im 37 and still love getting on a plane and hope to continue to do so.....

Im off to London next week and after this post i will probably have a stinker of a flight........

[Bkkorupcountry]

Having been fortunate enough ,or unfortunate,depending on your view,to have travelled extensively the last 2 years,mainly Lhr-Bkk i have experienced many different airlines...my Uk agent usually gives best prices on Thai or Eva,i find Thai better overall,however,i am an ipod and sleeping pill type of traveller,havent used IFE on a flight since i got my first ipod.

This trip Qantas came up cheaper,id heard bad reviews before, but the flight was one of the best ive ever had,i was fortunate to get a great seat,good food and staff and also,which i find can make or break a flight,the passengers in my immediate vicinity were well behaved,no seat bashing etc.

Flew Jet last year,great service,even tho its thru Mumbai,which makes u appreciate how civilised Thailand is....

Had amazing flights transatantic on both AA and Continental,when most people slaughter Us carriers,even Air Asia has been faultless....

Going off thread a touch,but i do think people do expect a little too much from a carrier sometimes,its a bus taking you from A to B.My biggest concern is good food,sensible passengers around me and dont lose my bag.....im quite happy with that and dont need pampering for 12 hours.....tho im sre some will disagree.....

As a previous poster commented,u can have good and bad flights on the same airline,2 passengers on the same flight could have 2 totally different views on the airline depending on how their flight was,the inflight meal i enjoy may not be to the taste of the person sitting next to me,does that make the food bad??so many variables.....for me,im 37 and still love getting on a plane and hope to continue to do so.....

Im off to London next week and after this post i will probably have a stinker of a flight........

Good points, although I should point out that those things that means a lot to you (passengers around you, lost luggage) are really beyond the airline's control.

However, what should be in the control of an airline is their inventory, or more accurately, where their planes are at any time. During the volcanic eruption in Iceland last year, I was stuck in Paris. On the day I was supposed to fly off, I could not get any information either from any Thai office in Asia or France as to whether there would be a flight or not, and no information either on the website. Mind you, on that same day, EK, SQ and MH all had flights flying out of CDG. And then lo and behold, on the morning of the supposed flight, I get a call from my agent in Hkg (and my colleague got a call from her agent in Malaysia) that there will be a flight. Apparently, TG had a plane that was diverted from London to Paris a few days earlier when LHR was closed but CDG was still open.

I "flew" to the airport in a taxi only to see the big board with the dreaded words, ANNULLE (or something like that, which means CANCELLED). I approached the TG desk, and said politely to the staff there that TG Bkk had sent a telex out to all Asian stations that there was a flight from Paris that morning. The station manager came over to me and said that he as far as he knows, there's no TG plane in CDG. Anyway, we had a good laugh and he really helped to confirm me instead on a flight from Athens the following day (I would have had to stay an extra six days in Paris otherwise, God forbid)

So, on essentially the same journey, I had the best and worst of an airline.

[ginjag]

classic forum behaviour - of course 18.8 million people can be wrong!

2011 World Airline Awards

Voted by over

18.8 million airline passengers

from

100 different nationalities

, the World Airline Awards™ are the most prestigious and respected quality recognition of front-line product and service standards across the world airline industry. With

200 airlines

featured, the awards reflect customer satisfaction levels across 38 different items of airline front-line product and service.

AirAsia

retained their crown as the World's Best Low-Cost Airline

Do you really think that 18.8 million people voted?

Is 18 million about a third of the Thai population ?? sorry

[Parker1973]

I think ive been incredibly lucky re flights,that or im easily pleased,maybe a bit of both....

Big things for me are nice food,which is in the airlines control,and having sensible people sitting around me,total potluck,again,what bothers one person doesnt trouble another.....

Stll love flying regardless.....so many have never had the chance to see other countries and cultures and never will........ill take a bad meal now and again for that wonderful opportunity......

[jdfmail]

So they are better then Lufthansa, Air France, KLM all American airlines etc.. they must be blind or on drugs at Sky trax.

Can't speak for the EU airlines but Thai or for that matter 90% of all Asian airlines are better than any US airline. That's for sure. The service on US airlines sucks...I'm American so it's not an anti-American thing. I don't want 50 yo hostesses that don't give a crap and refuse to be nice and helpful.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

It is just ludicrous that THAI is fifth. Ahead of Etihad? THAI product simply is not consistent enough to be ranked that highly. SKYTRAX has lost all credibility with that ludicrous result.

[trotbot]

The majority of voters fly economy, and Thai economy give better quality alcohol and decent seats on the way to a great holiday, so the voters are happy. They are not the 5th best in absolute terms, but they are not as bad as many posters suggest. The food and TV choice has got a lot better, and all long hauls have decent business entertainment, which an increasing number of medium and short hauls having similar facilities

[Jawnie]

Can't believe that Air China isn't in top 5 - excellent.

[JimGant]

I've never flown Qatar airlines, but since it's number one, at least in this survey, I just checked prices on Kayak for BKK to IAD (Wash DC). For business class, one-way, on Sept 21, it's $3269. One stop (Doha), with 3 hour layover. This beats all in price but Eva/China/US Air, thru Taipei and LA, for $2900. But, the additional stop, plus no lie-flat seats, isn't worth the savings. If I wanted one-stop, and lie-flat seats, United's business class has now been refitted -- and the layover (Tokyo) is about the same as Doha. However, the price is $1300 more than Qatar. Plus, Qatar's seats are bigger (78 vs 55 pitch, 22 vs 20.5 width), their IFE is better advertised, AND it really is quasi first class, as Qatar, unlike UA, has no first class, so its business class is as good as it gets. (Oh, first class, BKK to IAD on UA, is *only* $8000. I'd choke putting that much out -- and for less service, no doubt.)

Mileage going thru Doha is almost the same as going the other way, thru Tokyo. But, it is a couple hours longer due to jet stream. No big deal, in a comfortable seat, with a good movie and a martini.

Anyway, I mention all this because, at my age, flying coach half way 'round the world no longer works. Plus, I'm 99.9% sure our money will outlive us, so why would I want to scrimp so that my nephews and nieces get even more of my money.

Anyway, at least to the US East Coast, Qatar seems like a great deal, particularly if the service is as advertised. (The coach fare is $1141, complete, -- the lowest I found on Orbitz.)

Thai Air to Washington DC? $5053 business class. Seats are quasi lie flat (almost flat, at 170 degrees). One-stop (LA) -- but it's for over 8 hours. Then you catch a UA 319, where you get a first class recliner seat. Coach? $5053. Both options are laughable.

[SantiSuk]

So they are better then Lufthansa, Air France, KLM all American airlines etc.. they must be blind or on drugs at Sky trax.

Strange - I would have said that Thai are at least better than Lufthansa, Air France, KLM and all American airlines ... but that's not saying much.

Charm and Asian smiles tend to override most things if the surveyors were men - bet they were.

[DumFarang]

I've never flown Qatar airlines, but since it's number one, at least in this survey, I just checked prices on Kayak for BKK to IAD (Wash DC). For business class, one-way, on Sept 21, it's $3269. One stop (Doha), with 3 hour layover. This beats all in price but Eva/China/US Air, thru Taipei and LA, for $2900. But, the additional stop, plus no lie-flat seats, isn't worth the savings. If I wanted one-stop, and lie-flat seats, United's business class has now been refitted -- and the layover (Tokyo) is about the same as Doha. However, the price is $1300 more than Qatar. Plus, Qatar's seats are bigger (78 vs 55 pitch, 22 vs 20.5 width), their IFE is better advertised, AND it really is quasi first class, as Qatar, unlike UA, has no first class, so its business class is as good as it gets. (Oh, first class, BKK to IAD on UA, is *only* $8000. I'd choke putting that much out -- and for less service, no doubt.)

Mileage going thru Doha is almost the same as going the other way, thru Tokyo. But, it is a couple hours longer due to jet stream. No big deal, in a comfortable seat, with a good movie and a martini.

Anyway, I mention all this because, at my age, flying coach half way 'round the world no longer works. Plus, I'm 99.9% sure our money will outlive us, so why would I want to scrimp so that my nephews and nieces get even more of my money.

Anyway, at least to the US East Coast, Qatar seems like a great deal, particularly if the service is as advertised. (The coach fare is $1141, complete, -- the lowest I found on Orbitz.)

Thai Air to Washington DC? $5053 business class. Seats are quasi lie flat (almost flat, at 170 degrees). One-stop (LA) -- but it's for over 8 hours. Then you catch a UA 319, where you get a first class recliner seat. Coach? $5053. Both options are laughable.

Your laughable options represent a small percentage of the plane and a small percentage of people. Good points though, just not points most of us care about.

[JimGant]

Coach? $5053. Both options are laughable.

Whoops, I repeated the business class fare. Thai coach fare, BKK to IAD, would be $2593. Not very competitive.

[surangw]

sixth and below must really be bad news

[WilliaminBKK]

I'm one of the 18 million who voted and yes I cast a vote for TG. I have flown all 4 classes and I guess some day the 5th class (cargo)

I head to Canada often and AIr Canada offer a decent product from HKG/NRT, I wont ever fly a US airline frankly too much grief and the service is crap. I try to fly TG as far as I can either in Asia or Europe then off to Toronto. (I wish TG would bring the service to YYZ back)

I like BA QR EY AF JL CX, but the thing for me with TG is once I step on board I feel like I am in Thailand-------

[roamer]

Strangest thing of all is that if you read the passenger reviews on Skytrax site Thai picks up at best, mediocre reviews, except for 1st class. A puzzling contradiction ?

[snamos]

I think the color of their seats cost them a place

[tamsom]

Thai is a middle tier airline. I fly Singapore and Cathay Pacific. I do not know why Emirates has been given a hard time, I thought that they were either 1 or 2 in the world. They certainly have outstanding wines and cuisine.

[smedly]

This is not my own opinion but that of my Thai wife. She has flown Thai a few times betwen BKK and LHR and after the last flight vowed never to use them again. Old planes, poor IFE and seating, terrible food and poor service are her reasons. Those ranked below 5th must be utterly appalling if her experience is accurate.

have to agree 100% with this poor inflight entertainment and additionally getting a drink out of them is a battle, they just seemed reluctant when I tried to order, never experienced this with qatar emirates or etihad although the worst are air india and anything else that uses india as a stop - horrendous airports at both delhi and mumbai (never again)

[tartempion]

Does anyone trust Skytrax?

Last time I flew Thai internationally was 11 May 2000 business class, well business was a great word.

Switched to Qatar and Etihad since, did try BA, LH, Swiss, China Airlines.

Checked Thai economy prices, Qatar/Etihad business class prices are cheaper

From B163950....

Do they expect customers to buy online???

But I do fly Thai domestic when timing is convenient (not going to wait until late afternoon to catch an AA flight when Thai leaves at 10.00) and no hassle with kgs.

Edited June 26, 2011 by tartempion

[kennalder]

Always fly Thai & Singapore. You have good & bad flights on any airline, they all have their good & bad days.

Yes, and that is the very reason for surveys, so that your one good or bad experience does not count.

[ExpatJ]

Terribly small seats in economy- no IFE, even in buisness on many flights. Plus THAI has some of the oldest stewardesses in the industry- and for some reason they put them all in buisness class- so businessmen who paid a premium for buisness class get served by hostesses who literally look like their mothers while economy class gets the hotties:)

[Thaddeus]

Always fly Thai & Singapore. You have good & bad flights on any airline, they all have their good & bad days.

Yes, and that is the very reason for surveys, so that your one good or bad experience does not count.

Not if the survey is only conducted on the best routes with the latest aircraft it doesn't.

[Gonsalviz]

No problem being better than an airline from The states. I refuse to fly any US airline on international flights and I am from the US.

I'll second that. Although I did fly on Virgin America fro LAX to DFW. Very nice.

[DumFarang]

Terribly small seats in economy- no IFE, even in buisness on many flights. Plus THAI has some of the oldest stewardesses in the industry- and for some reason they put them all in buisness class- so businessmen who paid a premium for buisness class get served by hostesses who literally look like their mothers while economy class gets the hotties:)

Oldest stewardesses in the industry? Have you ever been on an intl. flight on an American airline, my god, thanks for the beer granny.

[DumFarang]

No problem being better than an airline from The states. I refuse to fly any US airline on international flights and I am from the US.

I'll second that. Although I did fly on Virgin America fro LAX to DFW. Very nice.

But Virgin, while being American by law, is Sir Richard Branson's brainchild. It's British. There's just a law in the U.S. that foreign investors can't own the majority of an airline based in the U.S.