Bangkok Air is now the worst Airline in the World

[tartempion]

transit[/u] from international airports like Phuket or Chiang Mai without passing immigration at Suvarnabhumi and so this is ridiculed by the new baggage handling?

In this case it's really a drawback.

Yes. In past transit was no problem with them. Flew HKT-BKK-HAN-FRA roundturn before sometimes and all was easy. Pass Immigration on HKT and got baggage in FRA.

Because of this change Bangkok Air is also for me no more option in the future.

Indeed, 80% of people replying don't don't have a clue, but hey: they know it, not the OP

[Bsd]

I must admit that I don't know the procedure when changing from a domestic flight, to an international flight, in Thailand.

Are you saying, that in the past, it was possible to bypass all of the international security procedures at Swampy airport, simply by flying into Swampy on a domestic flight?

If this is the case, I applaud the change of policy.

I don't know of any country where it is possible to change from domestic to international flights without first clearing international flight security checks.

Should try some of the transit flights through Doha. Security screening at an international transit point?!?

Let me try and explain what is happening here. There is in Thailand a process called CIQ (Customs Immigration and Quarantine) where if you were flying from one of the 8 largest provincial airports to Survanabhumi and then connecting to an international flight you can check in for both flights at the provincial airport, clear security and immigration at the provincial airport, take your domestic flight and then use a special security check point to access the international departure level, and finally collect your bags in London or where ever it is that you were flying to.

So you do have to clear security between flights.

The big advantage of this is that the security and immigration queues at an airport like Samui (owned by Bangkok Air) is non-existent. So you can arrive at Samui airport an hour before your flight to Bangkok and only have say 90 minutes as the connection time in Bangkok because you know that you are not going to be stuck in any queues.

The issue here is that airlines have 2 basic types of agreements:

1. Interline - where you can check in bags on each other flights as long as the customer has a valid ticket (and sometimes print boarding passes as well).
2. Code share - Where you sell tickets on each other flights.

Previously Bangkok Air had about 30 inter-line agreements and 3 codeshare agreements, so you would turn up at Samui Airport with 2 tickets (Bangkok Air USM->BKK and BA BKK->LHR) and they would check you in to both flights and you would travel CIQ as above.

Now Bangkok Air has about 10 codeshare agreements and are saying they won’t interline. So if you turn up with 2 tickets you have to collect your bags in Bangkok and check in for your international flight and clear security there. If you have 1 ticket (which you have to buy from the airline that isn’t Bangkok Air because they don’t sell tickets on flights they don't operate even when they code share on the flight) they will check you through like they use to.

The problems here are:

1. (Minor) You can no longer book the USM->BKK flight by cashing in Bangkok Air flyer bonus points because those have to be a separate ticket.
2. (Major) They have made this change without any warning and now people who booked tickets with what use to be enough time to change planes suddenly find themselves at risk of missing international flights through no fault of their own.

Basically I see this change saving Bangkok Air money in 3 ways

1. Fewer rewards tickets issued because you can't use them on connecting flights.
2. Lower interline fees
3. They can cut some checkin staff because interline checkins take at least twice as long.

[Stray]

I must admit that I don't know the procedure when changing from a domestic flight, to an international flight, in Thailand.

Are you saying, that in the past, it was possible to bypass all of the international security procedures at Swampy airport, simply by flying into Swampy on a domestic flight?

If this is the case, I applaud the change of policy.

I don't know of any country where it is possible to change from domestic to international flights without first clearing international flight security checks.

Should try some of the transit flights through Doha. Security screening at an international transit point?!?

Let me try and explain what is happening here.

<SNIP>

Thank you, Bsd, for explaining the process, changes and affects. Appreciate the time you have taken.

Also, understand how this change in policy, if not clearly announced, could cause problems with people's travel plans, due to unexpected delays at Swampy.

Edited May 9, 2016 by Stray

[Tidybeard]

I must admit that I don't know the procedure when changing from a domestic flight, to an international flight, in Thailand.

Are you saying, that in the past, it was possible to bypass all of the international security procedures at Swampy airport, simply by flying into Swampy on a domestic flight?

If this is the case, I applaud the change of policy.

I don't know of any country where it is possible to change from domestic to international flights without first clearing international flight security checks.

Should try some of the transit flights through Doha. Security screening at an international transit point?!?

Let me try and explain what is happening here. There is in Thailand a process called CIQ (Customs Immigration and Quarantine) where if you were flying from one of the 8 largest provincial airports to Survanabhumi and then connecting to an international flight you can check in for both flights at the provincial airport, clear security and immigration at the provincial airport, take your domestic flight and then use a special security check point to access the international departure level, and finally collect your bags in London or where ever it is that you were flying to.

So you do have to clear security between flights.

The big advantage of this is that the security and immigration queues at an airport like Samui (owned by Bangkok Air) is non-existent. So you can arrive at Samui airport an hour before your flight to Bangkok and only have say 90 minutes as the connection time in Bangkok because you know that you are not going to be stuck in any queues.

The issue here is that airlines have 2 basic types of agreements:

1. Interline - where you can check in bags on each other flights as long as the customer has a valid ticket (and sometimes print boarding passes as well).
2. Code share - Where you sell tickets on each other flights.

Previously Bangkok Air had about 30 inter-line agreements and 3 codeshare agreements, so you would turn up at Samui Airport with 2 tickets (Bangkok Air USM->BKK and BA BKK->LHR) and they would check you in to both flights and you would travel CIQ as above.

Now Bangkok Air has about 10 codeshare agreements and are saying they won’t interline. So if you turn up with 2 tickets you have to collect your bags in Bangkok and check in for your international flight and clear security there. If you have 1 ticket (which you have to buy from the airline that isn’t Bangkok Air because they don’t sell tickets on flights they don't operate even when they code share on the flight) they will check you through like they use to.

The problems here are:

1. (Minor) You can no longer book the USM->BKK flight by cashing in Bangkok Air flyer bonus points because those have to be a separate ticket.
2. (Major) They have made this change without any warning and now people who booked tickets with what use to be enough time to change planes suddenly find themselves at risk of missing international flights through no fault of their own.

Basically I see this change saving Bangkok Air money in 3 ways

1. Fewer rewards tickets issued because you can't use them on connecting flights.
2. Lower interline fees
3. They can cut some checkin staff because interline checkins take at least twice as long.

Thanks BSD a perfect summary... Bangkok Air saving money and pissing off nearly every tourist travelling to Thailand and flying to provincial airports....

To the guy who told me to fly Thai... Bangkok Air own Samui airport, so we only get 1 Thai flight per day.... so Bangkok Air have us all by the short and curlies !

[johnnynmonic]

I've always had a good experience with them. Much better than the budget carriers in the region. Sorry you were inconvenienced by their new policy.

[evadgib]

How can they justify charging more for domestic flights than the cost of flights of similar length between EU capitols or NY? When added to the budget of inbound families it deters many from holidaying on monopolized routes!

Other than the above i'm quite happy with their service.

Edited May 9, 2016 by evadgib

[slipperylobster]

Careful what you say here, if you are in the Country.

As mentioned earlier, we are not at liberty to condemn businesses freely in the media.

It should at least be accurate...but even then...

Thailand Government is very quick to pickup on things, and Tourism is a major source of income.

Thai Air recently got a lot of bad publicity, and Bangkok Air may indeed consider the title of this thread as defamatory.

(as mentioned earlier)

Hope you move around a lot.

Edited May 9, 2016 by slipperylobster

[iian23]

Hang on hang on! you don't have to go through immigration when you are coming from an internal flight and if you were coming from the other direction(from overseas to internal) then you would have to go through immigration and customs as well ?

I'm not sticking up for the airline, it's just commen sense! If you were coming from an internal bangkok airline flight then for secutity sake you will have to pick up your bag from domestic and reapply for your international flight, considering that the domestic flight lands at DM and the international from Suvanabumi hoow are they going to transfer the bags??

Read the OP's post before jumping on him and posting irrelevant details. you obviously have no idea what he is talking about.

what a ridiculous and overly dramatic title to your thread just over baggage handling procedures. You want to be very careful making accusations like that on the Internet or you might find yourself being sued for defamation.

Has it ever occurred to you that such policies might have nothing to do with the airline itself and might have been introduced by the airport.

Again another ill informed poster. Firstly it is the airlines policy and secondly the airport is owned by Bangkok airlines

Just take hand luggage then you wont have the problem. Personally I don't consider it a big deal but obviously the OP does

You still can no longer do immigration in Samui either as we used to be able to, unless you have a through ticket.

The OP brings up a very valid complaint also one that people need to be aware of or they could find themselves missing connections in Bangkok that they used to be able to make. Its a shame so many ill informed Thai visa posters jump on people so often, especially when they clearly have no idea what they are talking about.

I fully understand the OP's opinion as a fellow traveller who will be inconvenienced by this cost saving measure. What you lot seem to forget or in most cases probably don't even know is that we have to pay extortionate prices to fly out of Samui and therefore entitled to expect the best service possible.

[Heng]

Bangkok Air is now the worst Airline in the World according to Thaivisa Forum Member Tidybeard

[Ricardo]

I too encountered this problem several weeks ago, and started a thread about it, to warn others.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/909958-bangkok-airways-changed-policy-on-connecting-flights/

It does indeed make our lives more complicated & expensive, and less convenient as the OP says, when traveling with the "Boutique airline", which I've previously found to be well-worth the extra cost. .

I'd booked a trip for September before PG decided to change the rules, with connecting-times which would formerly have been fine, but were now going to be very tight.

When I contacted them, and after some emailing back-and-forth, they did offer a fee-free change-of-flight to their earlier flight CNX-BKK, but this still means I'll have a long wait in Bangkok for my onward flight on EVA to London, and a very-early-morning check-in rather than a more-convenient mid-morning one.

This applies only to people traveling with two separate tickets, the old service is still available if both your flights are on the same ticket, so it is clearly not down to security-rules as some mistakenly thought.

And it's not about dodging security-checks, it was just more-convenient to wave good-bye to my hold luggage at CNX for the whole trip, and to clear Immigration at a quieter CNX rather than having to go through the whole process down at Swampy.

So I too am a disgruntled loyal-passenger on Bangkok Airways, who resents this deliberate reduction in convenience, on the airline's part. And I too will be less-likely to choose to fly PG for my connecting-flights in-future.

And I hope they rethink this, and reverse the policy-change, the whole point is that Bangkok Air used to deliver clearly-superior service, and now they've deliberately cut a facility which passengers liked & wanted.

[Fookhaht]

None of this inconvenience can stack up to their VIP lounge with refreshments for all passengers!

Still the best boutique airline in SE Asia!