Bangkok Airways, Strange Event.

[alant]

what is with the having a go at the op "what are you complaining about etc?

it is good to know, I too have had Bangkok air cancel 2 flights on me last year. I also was transferred to Thai but only because I said the wait was not acceptable for me. Knowing about these things helps me judge reliability and these events have made Bangkok air an unlikely choice for me if i am connecting.

[bazza40]

I've found Air Asia to be the cheapest, and ( touch wood ) have never been bumped. Bangkok Airways run a fairly poor second or third.

Was bumped once in the USA, but with a night's accommodation and $US200 in compensation ( not in a hurry ) I was not going to complain.

[mikiea]

what are you complaining about ? ok ... so you were one hour late , but you were given 2,000 baht each as compensation.

If it was anywhere else you may have got nothing and been shown the door ....

I'd be thankful for what you got.

it must be easy to be you .... no standards , no concept of right and wrong , willing to lecture someone because it does not effect you ? did I get that right ? I think so ..............

[steven100]

what are you complaining about ? ok ... so you were one hour late , but you were given 2,000 baht each as compensation.

If it was anywhere else you may have got nothing and been shown the door ....

I'd be thankful for what you got.

it must be easy to be you .... no standards , no concept of right and wrong , willing to lecture someone because it does not effect you ? did I get that right ? I think so ..............

it's not a matter of who is right or who is wrong ... ! that attitude will get you no where in Thailand.

It's getting to a compromise and a win-win situation. thats your lesson finished for today .. hahaha

Jai yen

Edited January 2, 2016 by steven100

[The Deerhunter]

what are you complaining about ? ok ... so you were one hour late , but you were given 2,000 baht each as compensation.

If it was anywhere else you may have got nothing and been shown the door ....

Dont agree.. Airlines overbook.. They know they need to pay compo when they fail to accomodate everyone..

Pretty routine to get something..

When BA overbooked & didn't have a seat for me some years ago on a Qantas code-share, all they offered was a bottle of JW Red and a room til tomorrow

[frank0424]

what are you complaining about ? ok ... so you were one hour late , but you were given 2,000 baht each as compensation.

If it was anywhere else you may have got nothing and been shown the door ....

I'd be thankful for what you got.

Yes I thought the post was going to be grateful for the 2,oo0 baht compensation but he went off on a different tangent.

[Asiantravel]

I've found Air Asia to be the cheapest, and ( touch wood ) have never been bumped. Bangkok Airways run a fairly poor second or third.

Was bumped once in the USA, but with a night's accommodation and $US200 in compensation ( not in a hurry ) I was not going to complain.

there is a far worse airline in Thailand than the ones you mention- their booking and administration is a shambles plus they are highly unreliable cancelling flights at the last minute without even giving a reason.

I have started to call them cannot airlines

Edited January 2, 2016 by Asiantravel

[jacko45k]

what are you complaining about ? ok ... so you were one hour late , but you were given 2,000 baht each as compensation.

If it was anywhere else you may have got nothing and been shown the door ....

I'd be thankful for what you got.

He is complaining about the fact he needed to complain and likely stand his ground, otherwise he would have been expected to hang around for 4 hours with nothing to do. Also he is informing everyone here that they should complain and reject the initial alternative offered.

Fair plays on Bangkok Airways though for coming through......

[Bangkok Barry]

I was once on an early morning flight out of NY for Chicago. A 747 and only about six of us on board, and they decided the plane had a problem and offloaded up onto a later flight.

Another time I was flying BKK to LAX with United. Showed up, flight canceled as the plane didn't work, have a hotel and come back tomorrow. As I lived in Bangkok I declined the room, Returned the next day, still no flight and we'd be transferred to Cathy via Hong Kong. I smelled a rat here. How come a Cathy flight suddenly had enough seats to take what was now two 747s of United passengers. I was travelling business (upgraded with points). I say this because I walked over to the Cathy desk and raised my doubts that they could accommodate us, and was told Business passengers would be downgraded to Economy - oh, and there was an eight hour stopover in HK that United had also forgotten to mention. Back to the United desk, where I said I was on to their little game and what were they going to do about it. I ended up swiftly transferred to a Korean flight, First Class. That wasn't the end of the story. I had miles to gather and was certainly not prepared to miss out on all those miles to LA, so when I got back I went to see the boss at United, who agreed that I had a point and the miles were awarded.

[mesquite]

On a flight from LAX to BKK years ago, Thai brought the wrong plane as in it had no premium economy. Some of the ticketed premium economy passengers ended up in economy. One guy about 6'3" understandably refused to board. Don't know what happened to him.

[smotherb]

I don't like to fly cheap airlines or Middle Eastern airlines. On the few instances I have, I regretted it. When I flew on the company, it was first or business class; on my tab, I usually fly economy. In 50 years, I have had two bungled flights on my preferred airlines, both re-compensated me well. It's your dime and your time, spend them as you will.

[Konini]

BKK Air operate both A320 and the slightly smaller A319, so it could have been they changed the 320 to the 319 as they needed the bigger plane for Samui, for example. That is a normal operational occurence, particularly during peak season.

From what the OP reported, BKK Air handled the case very well. I doubt any other Airline based in Thailand would have done it any better.

And indeed ALL Airlines do overbook, US and European Airlines are particularly guilty of such behavior. Frequent-flyer Forums even sometimes discuss which flights on which days to book to be an "overbooking victim" and cash in a hefty compensation.

I was once booked on a LH flight FRA-BKK, and while the PAX were already waiting at the boarding lounge, the announced that the flight is overbooked and they need a few PAX surrendering their seats. I agreed as I had no duty the next day in BKK, got a room for the night and a lovely dinner-buffet and a 600€ compensation in cash right away. was booked on a TG flight just 17 hrs later.

A few days ago, I was on a LHR-BKK flight on a Malaysian A380. I was flying Y-class but I am a status member and can board early, so I had a few minutes time to chit-chat with some cabin-crew. They told me the flight is actually overbooked in all three classes. Not sure if any PAX were left behind, but it shows it is a common (albeit unfortunate) occurence.

2K Baht for 1 hr delay on a domestic flight seems perfectly acceptable to me

A lot of people don't realise that you can be down-graded just as easily as upgraded, I've seen several people knocked out of business over the years, and I can only assume that they either used frequent flyer points or got the same discounted fare we did and checked in later or had no or less status points than us. I've only once seen someone bumped from first to business, and seriously, you'd think that his firstborn had been tortured. It happens, and if you paid for your ticket you will get something in return, especially if you paid for a ticket at the pointy end of the plane - on points there generally is no compensation at all, you don't even get your points refunded for a downgrade on Qantas, although you may be flagged for an upgrade on your next flight (not much compensation a free Sydney to Melbourne when you lost out on a 12 hour long haul flight).

We've played the voluntary bumped from flight game a few times when we didn't have a connection or work the following day and have come out of it very well - once was a flight from Copenhagen to Melbourne via Hong Kong. The announcement came over at the gate lounge, then another more generous one 10 minutes later, then another 5 minutes an even more generous one and we made it to the desk before a few other people. We were flown back to London, put on a Cathay Pacific flight and were only 5 hours later getting into Hong Kong, where we were staying for a couple of days anyway. We opted for the $1,600 airline credit rather than $800 cash (each, of course), and used it to buy a return trip to England the following year where we were upgraded to business for half of it both ways. That said, SAS is not an airline I would recommend to anyone. We've even been given packed lunch type meals 3 times by Air Asia when flights have been delayed by 4 hours or so, certainly didn't expect anything from a discount airline, but for the rest, ask and you shall receive. (Don't even have to ask most of the time, it's automatic).

[sandyf]

I would have A big attitude.I mean you booked 4 months in advance.They should bump people that booked 2-7 days in advance not the other way around.They bumped you just the opposite the way they should.They still maid money off of you even giving you A

Refund.I'm not thrilled with that airline.

It doesn't work like that. I was bumped off a Gulf Air flight to London on to Cathay Pacific, bit annoyed as I had booked a year previously but the guy said it was company policy to move people travelling alone first. Worked out ok, took off same time, landed at the same time which was surprising as it was via HK rather than Bahrain, and the service was better.

I turned up at DM one time for a flight to China only to find it was cancelled, no notification whatsoever. Ended up on Air Asia flight an hour later.

Last minute changes happen and generally speaking they do what they can.

[sandyf]

We've played the voluntary bumped from flight game a few times when we didn't have a connection or work the following day and have come out of it very well -

Back in 2003 and I can't remember the airline, I was asked if I would take the flight to London the next day. Said they would provide a hotel in Bangkok for the night and £200 in cash. I turned it down as I needed to get back to work, big mistake, turned up for work and got made redundant.

[Jackin1960]

what are you complaining about ? ok ... so you were one hour late , but you were given 2,000 baht each as compensation.

If it was anywhere else you may have got nothing and been shown the door ....

I'd be thankful for what you got.

Thankful for not getting what you have paid for!!!! How odd!

[samsensam]

nothing strange in this except how it was handled by the airline staff. the customer should have been offered the alternative flight and compensation as a matter of course and not because he complained. shoddy customer care.

airlines will often ask for volunteers to be bumped offering them financial compensation for their inconvenience, which is a better way of handling the situation rather than risking annoying, and potentially losing, customers by wanting to save a few baht.

[flyingdoc]

Yes, fares to Samui are daylight robbery and the service is deteriorating as well !

[Najinsky]

Individual experiences can vary wildly, so it's better to look at a wide range of experiences, such as those gathered at SKYTRAX airline reviews:

http://www.airlinequality.com/review-pages/a-z-airline-reviews/

To save you the hassle, here are the current rankings:

8/10: Bangkok Airways (4*)

8:10: Thai Smile (Thai Airways) (Unrated)

7/10: Thai Airways (4*)

7/10: Nok Air (3*)

6/10: Air Asia - 4/10: Thai Air Asia (3*)

6/10: Orient Thai Air (unrated)

4/10: Lion Air (2*) - 8/10: Thai Lion Air

The star rating is the 'official' Skytrax star rating (based on facilities and service), and the score out of 10 is based on customer reviews.

Some observations:

Bangkok Air is highest rated by customers and Skytrax.

Lion Air is rated 2 star and scores only 4/10 under that name. Under the name Thai Lion Air it is not rated by Skytrax but scores a much better 8/10 from customers.

Air Asia scores 6/10 under that name but is not rated by Skytrax. Under the name Thai Air Asia, it is rated 3 star but scores only 4/10 from customers.

Nok air seems to be punching slightly above it's 3* rating

Thai smile is slow taking off with a good start (but that could just be because of the new aircraft a current low customer volumes).

And from my own recent Flying experiences:

Bangkok Airways has been an excellent boutique airline but is possibly starting to lose a little quality. Have no hesitation in using them.

Air Asia is starting to get a lot more right, and when it all works, it's very cheap and very efficient and can also save you money on hotels at your destination (cheaper than Agoda). However, they need to sort out their check-in as the queues are longer each time I use them. This applies to the web-check-in baggage drop area too, though not quite as bad.

Looking forward to trying Thai Smile as they ramp up their routes.

[kjhbigv]

We've played the voluntary bumped from flight game a few times when we didn't have a connection or work the following day and have come out of it very well -

Back in 2003 and I can't remember the airline, I was asked if I would take the flight to London the next day. Said they would provide a hotel in Bangkok for the night and £200 in cash. I turned it down as I needed to get back to work, big mistake, turned up for work and got made redundant.

There are now minimum compensation payments under European Law, these are minimums that European Airlines should pay.....

For example: If your flight from LHR-BKK arrives more than 4 hours late you are entitled to 600 Euro's compensation!

Check out BA website below under "Right to Compensation"

http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/legal/flight-cancellation-compensation

[CNXBKKMAN]

Individual experiences can vary wildly, so it's better to look at a wide range of experiences, such as those gathered at SKYTRAX airline reviews:

http://www.airlinequality.com/review-pages/a-z-airline-reviews/

To save you the hassle, here are the current rankings:

8/10: Bangkok Airways (4*)

8:10: Thai Smile (Thai Airways) (Unrated)

7/10: Thai Airways (4*)

7/10: Nok Air (3*)

6/10: Air Asia - 4/10: Thai Air Asia (3*)

6/10: Orient Thai Air (unrated)

4/10: Lion Air (2*) - 8/10: Thai Lion Air

The star rating is the 'official' Skytrax star rating (based on facilities and service), and the score out of 10 is based on customer reviews.

Some observations:

Bangkok Air is highest rated by customers and Skytrax.

Lion Air is rated 2 star and scores only 4/10 under that name. Under the name Thai Lion Air it is not rated by Skytrax but scores a much better 8/10 from customers.

Air Asia scores 6/10 under that name but is not rated by Skytrax. Under the name Thai Air Asia, it is rated 3 star but scores only 4/10 from customers.

Nok air seems to be punching slightly above it's 3* rating

Thai smile is slow taking off with a good start (but that could just be because of the new aircraft a current low customer volumes).

And from my own recent Flying experiences:

Bangkok Airways has been an excellent boutique airline but is possibly starting to lose a little quality. Have no hesitation in using them.

Air Asia is starting to get a lot more right, and when it all works, it's very cheap and very efficient and can also save you money on hotels at your destination (cheaper than Agoda). However, they need to sort out their check-in as the queues are longer each time I use them. This applies to the web-check-in baggage drop area too, though not quite as bad.

Looking forward to trying Thai Smile as they ramp up their routes.

The OP's experiences with Bangkok Airways proves why it is a highly rated airline even though he may not be aware of it. They provided a free of charge alternative flight on TG and compensation very quickly. They took responsibility and sorted it out. Under the circumstances that is as good as it gets.

[JaseTheBass]

Individual experiences can vary wildly, so it's better to look at a wide range of experiences, such as those gathered at SKYTRAX airline reviews:

http://www.airlinequality.com/review-pages/a-z-airline-reviews/

To save you the hassle, here are the current rankings:

8/10: Bangkok Airways (4*)

8:10: Thai Smile (Thai Airways) (Unrated)

7/10: Thai Airways (4*)

7/10: Nok Air (3*)

6/10: Air Asia - 4/10: Thai Air Asia (3*)

6/10: Orient Thai Air (unrated)

4/10: Lion Air (2*) - 8/10: Thai Lion Air

The star rating is the 'official' Skytrax star rating (based on facilities and service), and the score out of 10 is based on customer reviews.

Some observations:

Bangkok Air is highest rated by customers and Skytrax.

Lion Air is rated 2 star and scores only 4/10 under that name. Under the name Thai Lion Air it is not rated by Skytrax but scores a much better 8/10 from customers.

Air Asia scores 6/10 under that name but is not rated by Skytrax. Under the name Thai Air Asia, it is rated 3 star but scores only 4/10 from customers.

Nok air seems to be punching slightly above it's 3* rating

Thai smile is slow taking off with a good start (but that could just be because of the new aircraft a current low customer volumes).

And from my own recent Flying experiences:

Bangkok Airways has been an excellent boutique airline but is possibly starting to lose a little quality. Have no hesitation in using them.

Air Asia is starting to get a lot more right, and when it all works, it's very cheap and very efficient and can also save you money on hotels at your destination (cheaper than Agoda). However, they need to sort out their check-in as the queues are longer each time I use them. This applies to the web-check-in baggage drop area too, though not quite as bad.

Looking forward to trying Thai Smile as they ramp up their routes.

Just had a couple flights with Nok Air and thought them excellent value for money. The planes are recent and relatively comfy. The only hitch was upon arrival at CNX we had to wait 5 mins because an AirAsia plane held up our gate.