Samui residents: Bangkok airways are a rip off!

[rooster59]

Samui residents: Bangkok airways are a rip off!

 

Image: Daily News

 

A Samui residents' association gathered at the Rama V monument on the island yesterday to air grievances about Bangkok Airways.

Chief of the complaints from the group of Bo Phut residents was the cost of flights. They said when compared to other routes on similar planes with similar services in Thailand Bangkok Airways were clearly 2 to 3 times more expensive than they should be.

They called on the airline to lower their prices.

In addition the group said that people in the area were suffering from ever worsening noise pollution and vibration from aircraft. The most serious issue in this regard was the affect on students and teaching in schools in the area.

Daily News reported that the group were headed by a former navy man who read out the list of complaints.

Following this the group dispersed.

 

Source: Daily News

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-02-12

[Thechook]

How much is the airport charging the airlines to arrive and take off

[stuPhuket]

Pretty irrelevant as bangkok airways own the Airport.

They can charge what the want. And do.

but I agree that flights to Samui are expensive. Lets hope this group get

something done.

But don't hold your breath !!

[asiaexpat]

Bangkok Airways flights to Samui are higher than other locations because the ticket price must support the operation of the airport while tax money pays for services and operations at other airports. If the residents want lower airfare then they should pay for airport operations and maintenance through some form of subsidies. I doubt they would agree to such payments. Currently all passengers support the airport, especially tourists.

[carmine]

Its been ripping everyone off for fifteen years or more.  Why the fuss now?  I suppose because of late the tourism is so massively down every avenue is being looked at.

 

Don't blame Bandit Airways, blame whoever allowed them to do what they have been doing in the first place.

 

But of course, yes its obviously a major reason why families steer clear of Samui as the BKK/USM flights are just outrageously high and have become restrictive too many more tourists

[Ace of Pop]

They own Sukhothai Airport well And the BKK Flights are fair ,and a beautifully maintained area with Zoo,Hotel etc. Sounds to me Like forces beyond causing the bleatings


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[carmine]

7 minutes ago, Ace of Pop said:

They own Sukhothai Airport well And the BKK Flights are fair ,and a beautifully maintained area with Zoo,Hotel etc. Sounds to me Like forces beyond causing the bleatings


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

WE all know they own the airport and yes its beautifully maintained.  However, the chose to own it as opposed to rent the land and the prices are not ar all fair, they are three times other domestic flights.

 

Ask passengers whether they would prefer a zoo at three times the cost or fair and competitive pricing and you and everybody else knows full well the answer.

 

With your opinion i doubt you live here.  More like a sunday troll for a bored weekend.

[Mister Fixit]

Bangkok Airways were a huge rip-off in 2004 when I moved here.

 

I'm not sure why Thais have waited so long to protest - do many Thais even use Bangkok Air?

 

I would have thought it should the tourists who are being ripped off who should be protesting anyway - with their wallets.  

[Mister Fixit]

32 minutes ago, carmine said:

 Bandit Airways

Ha!  I love it!  So true.  

[samuijimmy]

But maybe they are listening? .... they have a sale, as posted here by Poorsucker:

 

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/968411-bkk-airways-sale/

 

I have friends trying to get here from Penang ... they used to allow Firefly to come into Samui, but now stopped apparently ...To use BKK Airlines, they would have to go to KL and then fly here at huge expense... they are now considering flying to Surratthanni. .... and putting up with the longer trip.

 

Problem is  for tourist coming on Joint Airline tickets from overseas, the price they pay is not such a bad deal... they don't feel the high price as we do living here in Thailand.

 

 

 

 

 

[carmine]

17 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

Bangkok Airways were a huge rip-off in 2004 when I moved here.

 

I'm not sure why Thais have waited so long to protest - do many Thais even use Bangkok Air?

 

I would have thought it should the tourists who are being ripped off who should be protesting anyway - with their wallets.  

Its probably a case of as long as the tourists keep rolling in who cares which is understandable but in recent months they very obviously are not and the islands hurting.  

 

When theres a genuine downturn you look for answers and heres a glaring one

[samuijimmy]

Removed a couple of posts for bickering....

[sungod]

I use Bangkok airways all over the region where I can by choice.  They are generally cheaper than Thai (I never go to Samui) and the food and service is far superior on these short hop flights. Because my travel is local I would never qualify for the Thai gold card, but do for Bangkok airways premier card. Besides Bangkok airways supply lounges in some airports for all its customers.

 

I don't believe they deserve a blanket bashing......

[carmine]

34 minutes ago, sungod said:

I use Bangkok airways all over the region where I can by choice.  They are generally cheaper than Thai (I never go to Samui) and the food and service is far superior on these short hop flights. Because my travel is local I would never qualify for the Thai gold card, but do for Bangkok airways premier card. Besides Bangkok airways supply lounges in some airports for all its customers.

 

I don't believe they deserve a blanket bashing......

What you say is true but we are only talking about Samui!!  Its a completely different ball game flying in and out of Samui.

[carmine]

18 minutes ago, hansnl said:

Is Bangkok in the name of a company inherent to ripoffs?

Is that a coded post?  Perhaps you could explain in plain English

[Tchooptip]

Most Thai people I know in Samui are taking the boat to Surat Thani airport!

[blazes]

2 hours ago, sungod said:

I use Bangkok airways all over the region where I can by choice.  They are generally cheaper than Thai (I never go to Samui) and the food and service is far superior on these short hop flights. Because my travel is local I would never qualify for the Thai gold card, but do for Bangkok airways premier card. Besides Bangkok airways supply lounges in some airports for all its customers.

 

I don't believe they deserve a blanket bashing......

I can't understand  why Bangkok Air provide free food for all passengers on the ground in their lounge at Suvanaphumi AND then on a one-hour flight to CM they offer you yet more food (in a box).  If they want to save money, they could stop this mindless provision of free food.  Waste of money and  ecologically damaging.

[sungod]

2 minutes ago, blazes said:

I can't understand  why Bangkok Air provide free food for all passengers on the ground in their lounge at Suvanaphumi AND then on a one-hour flight to CM they offer you yet more food (in a box).  If they want to save money, they could stop this mindless provision of free food.  Waste of money and  ecologically damaging.

 

Same for any airline that provides a lounge service, whatever the class.

[GreasyFingers]

When I was a once a year tourist going to Samui the Bankok Air flight from Phuket was almost half the price as that from Bangkok. Same airline and about the same distance. It was also cheaper to fly to Phuket from Bangkok than it was to fly to Samui. Yes, it was and is a rip-off.

[blazes]

1 minute ago, sungod said:

 

Same for any airline that provides a lounge service, whatever the class.

 

1 minute ago, sungod said:

 

Same for any airline that provides a lounge service, whatever the class.

No, I was saying that it makes no sense to offer free food on the ground and then free food on a one-hour flight.   

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I use Bangkok airways all over the region where I can by choice.  They are generally cheaper than Thai (I never go to Samui) and the food and service is far superior on these short hop flights. Because my travel is local I would never qualify for the Thai gold card, but do for Bangkok airways premier card. Besides Bangkok airways supply lounges in some airports for all its customers.
 
I don't believe they deserve a blanket bashing......

I used Bangkok airways lounge in Laos many times when I was doing visa runs. The lounge was pretty good and had better food than many premier lounges in big airports.

Really miss flying with them.

[sungod]

1 minute ago, blazes said:

 

No, I was saying that it makes no sense to offer free food on the ground and then free food on a one-hour flight.   

That would depend how hungry you were !

 

Personally I eat in the lounge and just have a drink on the plane, you can say no :)

[elgordo38]

With the draconian defamatory lawsuit laws here I am surprised at the Bangkok Airways name being bandied about. Could they do a reverse class action lawsuit??

[Briggsy]

The Bo Phut Residents Association (read : mafia) will never be silent...........

 

 

until they receive some sort of bung or free flights.

[Thechook]

31 minutes ago, sungod said:

 

Same for any airline that provides a lounge service, whatever the class.

But drinks are nice

[spidermike007]

It was the responsibility of the government several years ago, when their lease on the airport was up for renewal (contrary to popular opinion they do not own the airport, they lease the land from the government, and built the airport) they should have brought in other airlines, to compete with these monopolists (on the Samui-Bangkok route). They are absolute scalpers. A total boycott is in order, for this route. When I used to live on Samui, I would fly out of Surat airport. I paid between 200 baht (during the special deals) up to 900 baht, for Surat-Bangkok. It takes a few hours to get to the airport. But, it was worth it, just to be able to say no to BA. They are a decent airline. Nothing great. 

[FitnessHealthTravel]

2 hours ago, carmine said:

Is that a coded post?  Perhaps you could explain in plain English

I think he means 'Bangkok' the word when used in the name of a Company tend to charge more.  i.e Bangkok Hospital, Bangkok Air etc

[FitnessHealthTravel]

Bangkok Airways own the lease on the Koh Samui Airport and have upgraded it to one of the nicest small Airports in Asia. They also offer free food and drinks in their free lounges. They call themselves 'Boutique' as in 'Asia Boutique Airlines' and this here seems to means 'charge more' a little like the local fruit shop calling themselves 'Organic' when they aren't really. They have to pay for the Airport and all the goodies they give away.  Yes it is outrageous but until their lease runs out on the Airport I can't see them reducing cost too much.

[SaintLouisBlues]

10 minutes ago, FitnessHealthTravel said:

Bangkok Airways own the lease on the Koh Samui Airport and have upgraded it to one of the nicest small Airports in Asia. They also offer free food and drinks in their free lounges. They call themselves 'Boutique' as in 'Asia Boutique Airlines' and this here seems to means 'charge more' a little like the local fruit shop calling themselves 'Organic' when they aren't really. They have to pay for the Airport and all the goodies they give away.  Yes it is outrageous but until their lease runs out on the Airport I can't see them reducing cost too much.

"boutique" and "organic" are excuses to charge more, just as "aerobics" is simply a pretentious name for doing exercises (trying doing anaerobic exercises if you don't believe me - they'll kill you (literally), unless you're a UK Tory politician)

[khunPer]

Before Bangkok Airways built the private owned airport on Samui – it's not built for tax-payers money – the alternative was ferry and land transport. No one need to use the benefits of flying out/in directly on the island Samui, where the airport has a higher operation costs than government funded airports, wherefore all the money shall come from operations, which even is limited to a certain number a day. Furthermore the price of Bangkok Airways tickets include a higher basic service level than for example Air Asia. If one intend to fly for a lower price, there are several affordable alternatives from the mainland, among others Air Asia from Surat Thani.

 

Furthermore Samui-residents has the opportunity of applying for a Bangkok Airways resident card, giving them discount of the normal price, when flying direct from/to Koh Samui. Any newcomer residents knew about the airfare conditions, before they moved in.

 

Without Bangkok Airways initiative Samui might still mainly be growing coconuts; with some backpacker tourist coming for partying and diving, but presumably nothing in the level as it is today. The tourism growth beginning around 1990 is heavily based on the initiative and financial risk taken to invest in an airport – the original locals should be thankful for the higher life-style that initiative has given them...

Edited February 12, 2017 by khunPer