Thai Makes A Disabled Australian Woman Choose- Wheelchair Or Cloths

[Tomtomtom69]

Nothing wrong with Thai. Only a moron would assume this is Thai Airways fault when it's clear the issue was not with the PER-BKK leg.

Exactly. I fly THAI all the time and it's a pretty good airline; besides it's not THAI's fault here but Kenya Airlines fault as to what happened to this poor lady. However, it's kinda weird to fly to Bangkok first in order to get to Africa. It still surprises me that there are even flights from Bangkok to Africa...However, I believe there are flights from Perth to South Africa, Mauritius etc. from where you can connect to Liberia. Or go via Dubai one-stop with Emirates. Emirates seems to fly everywhere these days.

It's also a pity that the morons at Qantas decided that they don't fly from Perth to Bangkok when there would be tons of money to be made flying all the holidaying mining people out on their monthly 2 week off holidays to Bangkok and all the other working people for whom a 6 hour flight to Bangkok and hotel food etc. comes out cheaper for a week's holiday than going to Sydney. I still like Qantas but they are best at terminating routes permanently than actually flying somewhere...like for example Perth-Hong Kong, Sydney-Singapore-Frankfurt are in the process of being terminated in the next few weeks. Why anyone would still fly with an airline that doesn't fly anywhere anymore is beyond me but of course this thread is not about Qantas...anyway I digress.

[Tomtomtom69]

Look forward to the Thai bashers to join the thread, despite this happening in Perth.

Is there anyone out there who would book with Thai airlines? It's expensive. It's worse than other carriers on the same route. It's out of question.

Maybe for you it is...but I can justify spending a little extra for better service, free food and drinks, a large baggage allowance and perhaps most importantly a frequent flyer program where you can eventually get enough mileage for gold status allowing you one free round-trip upgrade, higher baggage allowance, priority waitlisting, guaranteed seating in economy class on fully booked sectors and many other advantages including being upgraded at the airport quite regularly (in some cases 1 out of every 3 or 4 flights). Of course you can't get any of this with Tiger Airways or Air Asia. And yes, THAI is a little more expensive on intra-Asia flights like from Bangkok to Vientiane, Yangon, Ho Chi Minh, Phnom Penh etc. than it's competitors. But, I don't see how it is worse than it's competitors with all these advantages that other airlines don't have. Sounds like you just don't like THAI that's all.

[asiaexpat]

One point, in oz it is very easy to get a bit of paper from a Doctor to say you are disabled, so you can get a disabled parking sticker etc, and this also covers situations like this. If she really was disabled, absolutely no check-in in oz would refuse a wheel chair.

Come to think of it, I think it is very likely their is more to this story. Combine that with "nazi" attitudes of many check in staff in oz who get a commission's for any excess baggage. Very different to BKK where you can take a kitchen sink if you desire it seems. Maybe the ScabStar (JetStar) syndrome is spreading

Agree, you can find 'nazi' check-in staff in every country.

I encountered one a couple of years back at the AA check-in desk in Houston, rudest most obnoxious check-in lady i've ever encountered.

I had all my documents well prepared, nothing out of the ordinary, suitcase well under max. weight, one small cabin bag. I asked for nothing except normal check-in, but the lady was simply determined to turn the situation into a nightmare and be as rude as she possibly could.

I did notice her giving the person in front me a hard time, and loudly, but I guessed there were some problems with the passengers documents or weight or something.

At the gate I mentioned the rude check-in lady, the response: "Well what do you expect, she had to deal with hundreds of morons every day".

Rudeness is standard policy at all AA check in counters to prepare customers for the cabin crew experience. I quit doing the trans Pacific with AA due to the totally rude aged cabin crew. Korean Air or JAL are much better.

[Wat dee]

99% of all people bitching about check in personnel are full of shit.Regulations are for a reason and person following em are doing their jobs!!"I had everything 100% right etc" stories usually contain 5 kg's of excess baggage which of course should be free of charge.<br />Have to say. Working check in counter in any airline must be a challenge,with constant newbies onboard

[Phronesis]

disabled or obese?

Edited March 31, 2013 by Phronesis

[Scottythai]

This thread makes me LOL. Look at the people who are trying to bash Thai. Well when I was working in Auz I used to dread checking into my flights. (All Thai Air but Qantas staff serves) The people there (auzzie staff) are power tripping morons. As I work month on and month off I fly there, I would get the same person and she would go through the same routine every time. " Sir you don't have a ticket out of Thailand i can't let you fly there." ME - " Pardon it says nothing about that if you have the money to cover the cost of flights in your account" Lady - "Sir we have had people sent back for trying to fly into Thailand and we get fined," ME- "look in my passport see all the stamps there from going in and out, I do live there you know" Lady - "I don't see a VISA for that" Me - " Do you have any actual Thai staff here" Lady- "Yes sir but I know the rules " Me - " Please get them" 20 minutes later. Thai Staff. "Hello how may I help you" Me - "Need to fly home here is my ticket." Thai Staff - "looks good to me whats the issue" Me - "This Ladys says i can't go" Thai Staff " Ok I will tell her you are fine to leave sir" Me - 'Thanks see you in 2 months" Rinse and do over every 2 months.

Perth Airport is full of overweight Auzzie's who feel a bit empowered and think they run the show. When the airport blockade that exact lady told me Austrailan governemtn would not let anyone fly there. I said But I am not Australian so it does not apply to me. She said rules are rules. Again to the Thai rep and they booked me Perth - Singapore then SG to Phuket. Not Thai Air it's 100% Auzzie ground staff

[GrantSmith]

That must be a Qantas thing, I had the exact same thing happen to me about 4 years ago - I was on the return portion of a ticket ex-ADL to SIN via SYD.

Have had this issue several times in the past with both TG and SQ both having raised the question "you only have a one way ticket, do you have an onward ticket?" A reply of yes hasn't resorted to a need to produce said onward ticket.

I believe the "fine" the airline receives for the so called illegal act of allowing you on the flight would be the cost to the airline of losing revenue because they have to send you back.

[GrantSmith]

Perth Airport is full of overweight Auzzie's who feel a bit empowered and think they run the show.

Nah there's only one of them and that's Gina Rinehart

[stevenl]

This thread makes me LOL. Look at the people who are trying to bash Thai. Well when I was working in Auz I used to dread checking into my flights. (All Thai Air but Qantas staff serves) The people there (auzzie staff) are power tripping morons. As I work month on and month off I fly there, I would get the same person and she would go through the same routine every time. " Sir you don't have a ticket out of Thailand i can't let you fly there." ME - " Pardon it says nothing about that if you have the money to cover the cost of flights in your account" Lady - "Sir we have had people sent back for trying to fly into Thailand and we get fined," ME- "look in my passport see all the stamps there from going in and out, I do live there you know" Lady - "I don't see a VISA for that" Me - " Do you have any actual Thai staff here" Lady- "Yes sir but I know the rules " Me - " Please get them" 20 minutes later. Thai Staff. "Hello how may I help you" Me - "Need to fly home here is my ticket." Thai Staff - "looks good to me whats the issue" Me - "This Ladys says i can't go" Thai Staff " Ok I will tell her you are fine to leave sir" Me - 'Thanks see you in 2 months" Rinse and do over every 2 months.

Perth Airport is full of overweight Auzzie's who feel a bit empowered and think they run the show. When the airport blockade that exact lady told me Austrailan governemtn would not let anyone fly there. I said But I am not Australian so it does not apply to me. She said rules are rules. Again to the Thai rep and they booked me Perth - Singapore then SG to Phuket. Not Thai Air it's 100% Auzzie ground staff

You do realise the Auzzie staff is correct and you could be refused boarding since you don't have the required visa/ticket out of Thailand. Money in the bank has nothing to do with this.

[bapak]

This thread makes me LOL. Look at the people who are trying to bash Thai. Well when I was working in Auz I used to dread checking into my flights. (All Thai Air but Qantas staff serves) The people there (auzzie staff) are power tripping morons. As I work month on and month off I fly there, I would get the same person and she would go through the same routine every time. " Sir you don't have a ticket out of Thailand i can't let you fly there." ME - " Pardon it says nothing about that if you have the money to cover the cost of flights in your account" Lady - "Sir we have had people sent back for trying to fly into Thailand and we get fined," ME- "look in my passport see all the stamps there from going in and out, I do live there you know" Lady - "I don't see a VISA for that" Me - " Do you have any actual Thai staff here" Lady- "Yes sir but I know the rules " Me - " Please get them" 20 minutes later. Thai Staff. "Hello how may I help you" Me - "Need to fly home here is my ticket." Thai Staff - "looks good to me whats the issue" Me - "This Ladys says i can't go" Thai Staff " Ok I will tell her you are fine to leave sir" Me - 'Thanks see you in 2 months" Rinse and do over every 2 months.

Perth Airport is full of overweight Auzzie's who feel a bit empowered and think they run the show. When the airport blockade that exact lady told me Austrailan governemtn would not let anyone fly there. I said But I am not Australian so it does not apply to me. She said rules are rules. Again to the Thai rep and they booked me Perth - Singapore then SG to Phuket. Not Thai Air it's 100% Auzzie ground staff

You do realise the Auzzie staff is correct and you could be refused boarding since you don't have the required visa/ticket out of Thailand. Money in the bank has nothing to do with this.

I have been travelling internationally almost every month.... Living in Thailand and sometimes with Thai but mostly with other airlines. I use a wheelchair 100% of the time and hav NEVER ONCE had an issue. I Understanad that ICAO Regulations state that wheelchair and other mobility devices do not count in any baggage allowance. Even AirAsia obliges... and they mostly even charge of a glass of water.

[NanLaew]

Nothing wrong with Thai. Only a moron would assume this is Thai Airways fault when it's clear the issue was not with the PER-BKK leg.

Moronic claims aside, there was a fairly recent post from a forum member who accompanied a family member to Suvarnabhumi who was returning to Australia via HKG; the BKK-HKG sector was on THAI and the onward was on Cathay. The passenger was facing considerable excess baggage charges on check in at Suvarnabhumi and only after the intervention of a friendly and helpful THAI supervisor, the excess was eventually waived and everyone departed happy campers. On transit in HKG, Cathay proceeded to rightfully nail the passenger for the excess that THAI had courteously waived a few hours earlier.

For all these alliances, code-shares and agreements, one would think that the airlines signing to such agreements would have all their ducks in a row and paying passenger inconvenience and airline wasted time would be avoided by having unified agreement on their cash-cow baggage allowances. However, I don't see that happening soon.

[GrantSmith]

NanLaew,

That may have indeed happened if either Thai Airways or Kenya Airways were part of the same airline alliance, alas they belong to different airline alliances...

[NanLaew]

NanLaew,

That may have indeed happened if either Thai Airways or Kenya Airways were part of the same airline alliance, alas they belong to different airline alliances...

And THAI and Cathay are also not in the same alliance, so your point is....?

My point is the absolute shambles of baggage allowances and handling inside and outside of alliances and code-shares, across the airline business. For example, I fly THAI to Heathrow and then BA onwards to the clan cave. THAI happily check my bag all the way through to the final destination and that is on 2 separate tickets with no alliance or code-share. However, on the return trip, the best BA can offer is get my bag to London and it's up to me to do the inter-airline/terminal checked bag transfer that was so easily done by both airlines when coming in a week earlier. Go figure?!

[BookMan]

It will be a better system all round when airlines allocate a total gross weight allowance, being the total combined weight of the passenger plus all baggage

[NanLaew]

It will be a better system all round when airlines allocate a total gross weight allowance, being the total combined weight of the passenger plus all baggage

Eminently sensible but I can't see that 'flying' so to speak. I mean weighing passengers at check-in where all and sundry can actually see proof that, 'Wow! He really IS a fat bastard person'..? Civil liberties, human rights and all that palaver? Does a fat bastard person have inherently more human rights than a normal-sized one? Seems to be the case these days.

The airlines are currently looking at the viability of seats in a couple of sizes since they can't charge extra for the fat bastards people let alone call them as much. Same as we can't tell the fat bastard person to move their flabby arms out of our own little, private airspace.

Airline checked baggage, like it's delivery at the final destination, will always be a bit of a lottery

[GrantSmith]

And THAI and Cathay are also not in the same alliance, so your point is....?

Indeed well spotted Sherlock...

My point being, if the airlines belong to the same alliance, this nonsense may not have happened...