Thai Airways To Increase Flight Prices

[george]

THAI to increase flight prices

THAILAND: -- Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced that it will increase its ticket prices on both domestic and long-haul international flights, but cut prices on flights to some destinations within Southeast Asia, to reflect the price increases in fuel.

The new prices will come into effect from June 1.

The price adjustments will be calculated based on the distance flown. This means that while ticket prices for domestic and long-haul international flights will increase, fares to destinations within Southeast Asia will be cut.

Tickets for flights on THAI’s popular Phuket-Bangkok leg, along with all other THAI flights within Thailand, will increase by 100 baht for a one-way ticket and increase by 200 baht for a return flight.

Price increases on tickets for long-haul destinations in Europe, Australasia and the Americas - from Bangkok - will increase by 600 baht.

Flights to Seoul or Busan will cost 400 baht more each way, while flights to Taipei will cost 200 baht more; to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka about 400 baht more; and to Beijing and Shanghai about 200 baht more.

However, flight prices to Vientiane and Phnom Penh will fall by 600 baht, and prices for flights to or from Singapore will fall by 400 baht. Flights to Malaysia will cost 440 baht less.

Somchainuk Engtrakul, a member of the company’s board of directors, said that the adjustment in the fuel surcharge was the result of the increased fuel costs over the past months that have affected all commercial air carriers worldwide. He added that the price changes implemented by THAI are in line with measures taken by other major airlines.

--Phuket Gazette 2006-05-09

Thai Airways promotions right now:

http://203.150.31.41:8080/NASApp/IP_SPECIAL/DisplaySpecial

[jdinasia]

So ... where there is competition with low cost carriers .. rates are down ... everywhere else rates are up?

[Joey Boy]

So ... where there is competition with low cost carriers .. rates are down ... everywhere else rates are up?

This must be the masterplan to sort Thai Airways business out.

Thailand, the hub of complete ###### in charge of big business

[Bangkok Barry]

I'm a frequent flyer, and have found Thai to be the most expensive carrier in Asia while giving the poorest service. Their planes are many years behind most other carriers in what is provided for the passengers. I can't imagine why anyone would fly with them if they have a choice. I've now changed to Singapore for Australia and Austrian for Europe.

And something I've never understood is why the stewardesses change out of their beautiful silk dresses to drab mauve uniforms for when the plane lands. What better advertising for the country and the airline could there be than the beautiful flight crew girls walking through airports in their finery. They'd put the famous Singapore girls to shame. It completely baffles me.

[VanZam]

I'm a frequent flyer, and have found Thai to be the most expensive carrier in Asia while giving the poorest service. Their planes are many years behind most other carriers in what is provided for the passengers. I can't imagine why anyone would fly with them if they have a choice. I've now changed to Singapore for Australia and Austrian for Europe.

And something I've never understood is why the stewardesses change out of their beautiful silk dresses to drab mauve uniforms for when the plane lands. What better advertising for the country and the airline could there be than the beautiful flight crew girls walking through airports in their finery. They'd put the famous Singapore girls to shame. It completely baffles me.

Agreed, I never fly Thai anymore.. The most expensive airline in Asia, with the worst planes and the poorest service.

[Rinrada]

Last time that I was in town I took wife and 4 nieces up to Chiangers for a couple of days with Nok instead of Thai (first time ever )and the savings for the 6 of us were almost Bt 15,000

We are both Gold Card members (Star Alli)and the only thing we missed were some air miles and a cup of lukewarm coffee with those "orrible sweet soggy buns you get in the Donny M Domestic "business lounge"

Although I like Thai Air etc. smooth as silk-fly the bird of paradise etc...like most democracies around the world.. we voted....with our wallets.....Dont you still WANT Us......and the many others who will simply say...pop gan MAI

[JimmyGreaves]

One of main main reasons for flying Thai economy is leg room. They are better than all other carriers London - Bangkok.

[Bangkok Barry]

Agree about the leg room. But I save 20-25 percent using other carriers. And Austrian just upgraded me to a bed flying BKK-VIE.

[marquess]

I'm a frequent flyer, and have found Thai to be the most expensive carrier in Asia while giving the poorest service. Their planes are many years behind most other carriers in what is provided for the passengers. I can't imagine why anyone would fly with them if they have a choice. I've now changed to Singapore for Australia and Austrian for Europe.

And something I've never understood is why the stewardesses change out of their beautiful silk dresses to drab mauve uniforms for when the plane lands. What better advertising for the country and the airline could there be than the beautiful flight crew girls walking through airports in their finery. They'd put the famous Singapore girls to shame. It completely baffles me.

Agreed, I never fly Thai anymore.. The most expensive airline in Asia, with the worst planes and the poorest service.

My only regret flying with Singapore, is that their flight isn't direct from Melbourne to Bangkok. Now I have a theory as to how Thai Airways has managed to survive, most Thai would prefer to travel with them beacause of the language thing, despite the ridiculous prices. Hence I doubt that they will really ever price themselves out of the market. I should love to see an independent break down of their passenger traffic!

Edited May 9, 2006 by marquess

[hkt83100]

THAI to increase flight prices

Interesting, since fuel prices are going down again

I go domestic on Nok/Air Asia, international on Singapore Airlines, get my miles on Royal Orchid from SG and get my free ticket on THAI, doing so for a few years now. The service on THAI is just lousy or none at all (on domestic flights).

Bye-bye THAI.

[Thaipwriter]

for farang or Thai?

[jtb]

One of main main reasons for flying Thai economy is leg room. They are better than all other carriers London - Bangkok.

Not anymore they're not. EVA's new 777s have better legroom and video-on-demand in economy. No contest.

[Rinrada]

One of main main reasons for flying Thai economy is leg room. They are better than all other carriers London - Bangkok.

Not anymore they're not. EVA's new 777s have better legroom and video-on-demand in economy. No contest.

And they are CHEAPER....Deals on at the moment from Lon-Los include Thai for @ £412 r/t with EVA at £399...

Only wish they would join Star Aly ....done deal.

[farang2002]

So ... where there is competition with low cost carriers .. rates are down ... everywhere else rates are up?

Looks like Nok & Air Asia for me. Flying Air Asia to Hanoi in June...3,500b

Thai price was 17,000b...no contest!

[GuestHouse]

My wife refuses to fly Thai Airways on the grounds the service is garbage, the aircarft old and rickety and the facilities onboard ancient.

I'm inclined to agree with her and have just booked with Singapore Airlines for our next visit.

[Pui]

Finished with Thai air for life. My girlfriend with 120,000+ air miles that where not accumulated in 12 months so still no gold card.

The planes are falling apart.

The shared TV screen for long haul flights. It’s like going back in time.

The lounge at Don Muang has gone down hill; the food gets worse and less varied. Has anyone seen the Cathy lounge in HK? It’s amazing!

If they where even mid priced it wouldn't be so bad but they are so expensive.

Then there are the nightmare stories.

They over sold my seat in China. They had me on stand bye for 7 days. Until my ticket became invalid.

I had to go across land to Hong Kong and buy an expensive business class ticket back to Bangkok.

Everything seems to being getting cut back. Cheaper and cheaper and now the tickets are going up. They can keep it.

Most expat friend agree and some will no longer travel if Thai air is the only choice.

Thairair are not going down hill they are at the bottom.

Eva air is a very good direct alternative to the UK.

They are a budget airline and miles better than Thai...The national carrier.

Emirates are quite good as well.

[jdinasia]

THAI to increase flight prices

Interesting, since fuel prices are going down again

I go domestic on Nok/Air Asia, international on Singapore Airlines, get my miles on Royal Orchid from SG and get my free ticket on THAI, doing so for a few years now. The service on THAI is just lousy or none at all (on domestic flights).

Bye-bye THAI.

where are fuel prices going down?

anyways fuel surcharges tend to be a seperate line-item from the fare ....

I almost never fly TG so it really doesn't matter to me

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Last time that I was in town I took wife and 4 nieces up to Chiangers for a couple of days with Nok instead of Thai (first time ever )and the savings for the 6 of us were almost Bt 15,000

We are both Gold Card members (Star Alli)and the only thing we missed were some air miles and a cup of lukewarm coffee with those "orrible sweet soggy buns you get in the Donny M Domestic "business lounge"

Although I like Thai Air etc. smooth as silk-fly the bird of paradise etc...like most democracies around the world.. we voted....with our wallets.....Dont you still WANT Us......and the many others who will simply say...pop gan MAI

Do you actually like that lounge? I like a stiff drink before I fly - not overly sweet orange juice!

[RJJ]

Thai are too expensive; they cost more than Qantas and British Airways!!!

The last time I flew Melbourne to BKK was going to cost around AUD$1250 + tax, I managed to find a discounted flight on Malaysian Airlines for AUD$700 + tax.

I was surprised when I got on the plane from Melbourne, it was a brand new Boeng 777 with more leg room than I have ever seen in Economy.

I have flown Malaysian plenty of times in the past, and their in-flight service is no worse than Thai.

Why would anyone pay nearly double to save 3 hours on the way to BKK, and no difference on the return as Thai fly via Sydney to Melbourne.

Just checked right now, Malaysian Airlines is $795 + tax

For the Aussies, check this out when booking tickets.

I have used their services a few times now and don't bother looking anywhere else anymore.

http://www.travel-etickets.com.au/

Hit the "Specials" link to discover the current promotions and discounts.

[GuestHouse]

Malaysian Airlines are on the list of my employer's banned carriers on account of some pretty dodgy safety and security issues.

I think Emirites have great service and probably one of the best in the price bracket.

Edited May 9, 2006 by GuestHouse

[Backpack_thailand]

One of main main reasons for flying Thai economy is leg room. They are better than all other carriers London - Bangkok.

What planet are you from?? THAI sucks big time!

I've just done BKK - London - BKK with Emirates, absolutely SUPERB! Great food, great service and some excellent duty-free shopping in Dubai.

Emirates all the way for me now!

[Jingjok]

I agree that TG is dreadful: the dinosaur airline. The web site plays up as well. It keeps crashing and losing your details which then have to be tediously re-entered, only for it to happen again

Eva Air is pretty good, I always use them for BKK-LHR. They have a premium economy class which is great value.

The only downside is they are not with Star Alliance. But they do have their own card. Last trip my son and I (he has a silver card and me a gold) got away with 140kg of luggage without any hassle at all. I doubt I'd pull that one off on TG!

I'm building a house here and bring loads of stuff for the house each trip, so pushing the baggage allowance is important to me. Well done Eva!

[Rinrada]

Last time that I was in town I took wife and 4 nieces up to Chiangers for a couple of days with Nok instead of Thai (first time ever )and the savings for the 6 of us were almost Bt 15,000

We are both Gold Card members (Star Alli)and the only thing we missed were some air miles and a cup of lukewarm coffee with those "orrible sweet soggy buns you get in the Donny M Domestic "business lounge"

Although I like Thai Air etc. smooth as silk-fly the bird of paradise etc...like most democracies around the world.. we voted....with our wallets.....Dont you still WANT Us......and the many others who will simply say...pop gan MAI

Do you actually like that lounge? I like a stiff drink before I fly - not overly sweet orange juice!

Wot...Me Drink........Heavens forbid....Reason That I hang on to the Goldie is i like the other lounges before the long haul ...IE.Heathrow,Dony M International,Singapores..etc...also looking forward to the new one/ones at Suwanna when it opens.....

Couple just sent for info...

Singapore Airlines : £285

London Heathrow / Manchester to Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh

*COMPANION FARE: 2 or more people must travel together to qualify for this fare

Choose from any of the following destinations:

Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Chaing Mai, Singapore, Yangon,

Phnom Penh, Phuket, Siem Reap, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur,

Hong Kong, Balikpapan, Brunei, Cebu, Davao, Denpasar, Langkawi,

Manado, Mataram, Medan, Padang, Palembang, Penang, Solo, Surabaya.

Ticket Conditions- Valid for travel from 22 Apr - 30 Jun 06

- Valid for sale until 15 Jun 06

- Departures from London Heathrow or Manchester

- Maximum stay: 3 months

- Stopovers: Permitted in Singapore free of charge each way..

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emirates-Bangkok : £335

Manchester to Bangkok

Ticket Conditions

- Valid for travel from 18 Apr - 30 Jun 06

- Valid for sale until 30 Jun 06

- Departures from Manchester

- Minimum stay: 3 days

- Maximum stay: 1 year

- Fare excludes airport taxes and security charges

-----------------------------------------------------------------

EVA-Bangkok - Economy : £290

London Heathrow to Bangkok

33" SEAT PITCH / 3-3-3 SEAT CONFIGURATION / ADJUSTABLE HEADREST / FOOTREST / SEAT BACK TV WITH TOUCH SCREEN AUDIO VISUAL ON DEMAND (AVOD) FACILITY

COMPANION FARE:

1 PERSON: £305

2 PEOPLE: £300

3 PEOPLE: £295

4 PEOPLE: £290*

Ticket Conditions

- Valid for travel departures from 01 May - 30 Jun 06

- Valid for sale until 22 May 06

- Departures from London Heathrow

- Maximum stay: 3 months

- Outbound date change: Not Permitted

- Inbound date change: Not Permitted

- Fare excludes airport taxes and security charges

- Free Return National Express Coach transfers from anywhere in the UK to London Heathrow

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thai.-Bangkok : £310

London Heathrow to Bangkok

Add just £30 and get a return flight to Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai & many more...

Ticket Conditions

- Valid for travel from 23 Apr - 30 Jun 06

- Valid for sale until 30 Jun 06

- Departures from London Heathrow

- Maximum stay: 02 months

- Date changes: Outbound not permitted / Inbound permitted at a fee of £100

- Fare excludes airport taxes and security charges..

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plus the usual taxes of 80-100 quid..... ....and from West east travel.....

[logbags]

Thai have lost the plot.

Cancelled the Melbourne/Sydney/Phuket route. They have handed Singapore the route for us Bangkok haters.

I mean the new airport hardly inspires confidence does it? Thailands Arthur Daley (Thaksin) probably added it in with the Shin deal while flogging off the rest of the country.

Thaksin trained the shithouse rat.

[eastbaybob]

Am I the only one who likes Thai? They let me check in my bicycle and three pieces of luggage on a flight to Ubon, no extra charges or anything, and the flight left and landed on time. I've only flown on them once to the States, and it was on a free ticket from United, and you know what it was much better than United. I understand thats not saying much however.

I've only flown the discount carriers once, Thai Air Asia, and wasn't too happy with the service, or the tardiness, three hours for a 2.5 hour flight, but that is just one particular flight on one particular day.

And although I Thai, I much prefer Cathay Pacific.

[logbags]

I was in an extremely bad incident with Malaysian airlines. I was escorted out of the airport in KL at machine gun point. I was trying to get from Phuket to Melbourne via Penang.

I had no money, no valid ticket, no credit card etc. I had to go to the Aussie embassy. They gave me a whopping $50 bucks and unvalidated my passport to expire in a very short time.

I made my way back to Thailand and had to wait 3 weeks to get another flight on Malaysia Airlines.

Then there was a handlers strike and I got caught in Sydney for 24 hours.

It took me nearly a month to get home.

All this because some Thai agent sold me a stand-by ticket without telling me. The staff at Malaysian airlines said it would be ok but the plane was delayed in Penang.

By the time we got to KL my plane to Melbourne was gone. I must of asked 50 times if I was going to get a flight. They kept saying all was ok. I went off my head.

I had to sleep in park like a hobo. Bus back to Phang-nga. Then red rattler to Phuket. This was in 1986 so very hard going.

[ThomasHOL]

I just read your coments regarding thai air and i dont really understand that thai should be such a expensive company to fly with. I just did a searcd to se what it would cost to fly my family to Thailand from Denmark. The cheapest price I found was with thai air and the price was around 80.000 bath for 2 adults 1 child and one infant and this just confirms what I always found when searching for tickets to Thailand.

Bur regarding the discussions on the price in asia I don’t have to mush experience but I have worked for a Danish low cost airline so I guess I know the business model the lowpriced companies are using. Thi is a structure that is very hard for the older companies to compete with. One of the things that makes the young low cost airlines so cheap is that they have cut down on everything including the wages for the crew. For example in the airline I worked a pilot could only earn about 50% of what he could with a “old company”and I guess that this may also be true with the cabin crew. Another way to same money is to keep the planes in the air as much of the time as possible. I think this is harder to do with long flights and big planes as they require more time to clean and inspect for the next flight.

Regarding the age of the planes I agree that they are getting quite old nd could do with a upgrade to the interior. I also heard that some of the airlines using airbus 340’s have better space for your legs.

[cuddleypete]

I agree with Backpack thailand ,last year i flew with Emirates,3 times absolutely SUPERB! and like he says the food was very good, great service and the duty-free shopping in Dubai is very good as well.

Emirates all the way for me now! thai airways no good and very expensive.

maybe i will try eve airways this year

[schvonsky1]

I'm a frequent flyer, and have found Thai to be the most expensive carrier in Asia while giving the poorest service. Their planes are many years behind most other carriers in what is provided for the passengers. I can't imagine why anyone would fly with them if they have a choice. I've now changed to Singapore for Australia and Austrian for Europe.

And something I've never understood is why the stewardesses change out of their beautiful silk dresses to drab mauve uniforms for when the plane lands. What better advertising for the country and the airline could there be than the beautiful flight crew girls walking through airports in their finery. They'd put the famous Singapore girls to shame. It completely baffles me.

yeah i totally agree m8 and also i am a frequent flyer with thai and wot gets me u only have certain time limit on your miles so i will have to fly again to use mine up but which will not be too bad as i will be upgrading to buisness hopefully the service is tops oh well thai will be losing out big time if enough people change i'll guess i may have to change to singapore

[bkk_mike]

If you've flown Thai to the US (new direct flights), or to Japan, you'll know that they have upgraded some of their economy class to have decent in-seat entertainment. (catching up with everyone else basically - on-demand videos, and surprisingly, I found the video games actually worked.) The Sawasdee magazine even said all planes on international flight would be upgraded by early next year. (but I'm guessing the London flight will be the last one upgraded...)

The planes to Europe and Australia seem to be the ones they haven't upgraded yet (unfortunately).

The only problem I did find was that, with the new system, the box with all the electronics took up quite a bit of the leg room if you had the window seat (and the leg room, the direct flights, and the frequent flyer points, is the reason I fly Thai - and the fact that, a few years ago, when I first got my gold card, I used to get upgraded on half the flights I took. Unfortunately, this last year, I've only been upgraded once).

There is another reason, Thai actually has far better food than any other airline's food I've had in economy, especially around the King's birthday when there's usually a special curry on the menu. (The exception is their breakfasts - I don't think I'll ever like chicken sausage, but at least they stopped doing the crepes...).

(As for BA - If you're over 6 foot - economy in BA is a torture chamber - I flew them once to Bangkok on my first year here, and I will never fly BA economy long-haul ever again. I will admit - if I was under 6 foot, I'd probably have been perfectly happy with BA - or more likely, just be complaining about their miserly frequent flyer programme.)