best or worst airline that flys in or out of thailand

[yogavnture]

3 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Yes VJ fly from Swampy.

 

VN  is way more expensive and their website is terrible to try to book on.

totally disagree . Vietnam airlines has an easy simple website .  and its simple to add on extra luggage. they just keep it simple selling in 5kg blocks u can buy as many as you want. it don't get any easier. I would consider flying them from us to asia but they only fly from west coast of us  I think

[Fookhaht]

Thai Airways -  still bottom of the heap for me

After bad experiences (10 years ago - domestic;  3 years ago - international), I thought I'd give them one more try for a domestic flight Bangkok to Khon Kaen.  The flight was booked online without much trouble two months ago as an extension of an international journey on other airlines.  

The problems surfaced when I tried to add my frequent flyer number to my existing reservation (Process:  "Manage Your Booking").  Trying to do this simple task was like working with a third-world country national airline.  

#1 Failure:   iPhone App -- could not bring up the booking (entered correct details multiple times)

#2 Failure:   Online website - could not bring up the booking (entered correct details multiple times)

#3 Failure:   Phone (reservations and ticketing) -  first two tries rang for 5 minutes and then a recording ("Party not answering phone" followed by automatic disconnect). 

After a  third phone try, I got a human.  Could not understand heavy Thai accent trying to speak English.  Requested them to repeat sentences multiple times.  I read my frequent flyer number to service person FOUR times VERY slowly  (twice in English and twice in Thai) before he could get it straight.  I am fluent in both languages with no problems communicating outside of a Thai Airways phone call.   He could never tell me why my booking could not be brought up on the phone app nor the website.  

I wasted a total of about 30-45 minutes for a simple procedure.  Now, I'm dreading the actual flight.   Thai Airways as a future choice for travel is going right into the waste bin unless I hear of something dramatic happening (privatization, total swamp drainage, etc.  Yes, when pigs fly.) 

[Kinnock]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 2:24 PM, Belzybob said:

I'd put Thai close to top if it wasn't for being bussed to and from remote stands on every flight in the past eighteen months or so. Some of the food offerings aren't too flash lately either.

 

Ah yes - Smooth as silk .... except for the bumpy ride to the plane in a rickety Thai bus for more than half their flights.

[Kinnock]

Best - Emirates or Eva.

 

Worst - BA.  The world's least favorite budget airline.  Pay to book a seat ...... in Business Class (or whatever they call Business - Clubbed Seal or something), and horrible seat layout that gives you a perfect view up the nose of the person sitting opposite.

[yogavnture]

2 hours ago, Kinnock said:

Best - Emirates or Eva.

 

Worst - BA.  The world's least favorite budget airline.  Pay to book a seat ...... in Business Class (or whatever they call Business - Clubbed Seal or something), and horrible seat layout that gives you a perfect view up the nose of the person sitting opposite.

I agree ba sucks

Edited March 31, 2017 by yogavnture
addditioon

[mogandave]

The Thai App works for me, I use it several times a month.

I generally do not have trouble getting anyone to answer the phone.

I fly them a couple times a month and like them. Lounges have improved a pilot as well.

Nice to have choices.


Live, love, laugh

[rak sa_ngop]

Emirates are good when planes are flying on time. But when there are delays and you have to be rebooked onto a different flight in Dubai, that's when the omnishambles starts.

 

Even with one delayed flight (Gatwick needed a emergency runway patch up) and therefore with about 8 hours notice when arriving in Dubai, the ground staff are in a complete disarray. Even though they have may have rebooked many people onto different flights already, there is nobody in charge organising the rapid handing out of new boarding passes. Had to wait about 3 hours to get a boarding pass that had been printed out already!

 

A few years before it was even worse when sea fog had rolled into Dubai and many flights were affected. People standing for hours in-line to get new boarding passes.

 

Where were the managers when these situations happen????

 

 

[Heng]

Nowadays I generally go by aircraft type, seating configuration, and of course departure times (don't like to wake up early when possible, not even to fly) within a collection of airlines.  EVA, SQ, ANA, Korean, JAL, Cathay to the right.... and EVA, Finnair, Emirates to the left.  For example I'll try to schedule around Emirates 777 operated flights for their A-380 flights or Finnair's A350 over their A-330 flights when connecting through Helsinki.   Direct to Heathrow, Amsterdam, or Paris... hard to go wrong with EVA Royal Laurel and there's no worries about aircraft changes as it's been 777 for some time now and will likely continue to be so for awhile.

 

To the right it's more complicated but all it takes is a few extra clicks and using Flight Radar 24 + Seatguru makes it easy.   For example there is a tangible level of happiness/comfort difference when you're connecting through Tokyo on JAL and your first leg (and more importantly 2nd leg) is on their 787 vs. one of their older 777-200s or if it's a Cathay connection through HK on their A-350 vs. one of their 'regional business class' A-330s or 777s.   Rinse and repeat, double check all legs and you're set.  

 

Worst case, if there is a plane change: unplanned or seasonal, I think back to when I was 10, flying on the TG Dallas to Seattle to Tokyo to Bangkok run sitting in the back of a 747 thinking: ONLY TWO STOPS to Thailand and 5 restrooms within a few rows of my seat, such convenience, ...this must be the good life. 

[mogandave]

I liked the Asiana service BKK-ICN-LAX




Live, love, laugh

[kevvy]

Hi

Just flew on "Hong Kong express " .The day we were booked in , they sent 3 emails in a space of 2 hours telling us in each email a different boarding time . Instead of getting in to Hong Kong at 8.30pm  we arrived here at 10.15pm. The service on the plane , well what service!!! A small bottle of water was $20 Hong Kong dollars !! On the flight home there was another 3 delays.  Sevice was the same ....What service. Never again...

Edited April 2, 2017 by kevvy

[Ace of Pop]

Be nice if you state whether theCarrier is Budget or not. Been a few posts bashing non budget airlines for being expensive in other posts.[emoji106]


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[meatboy]

for over 30yrs.THAI INTERATIONAL gets my vote,the tuther vote goes to  B loody A wfull.

[rak sa_ngop]

12 hours ago, kevvy said:

Hi

Just flew on "Hong Kong express " .The day we were booked in , they sent 3 emails in a space of 2 hours telling us in each email a different boarding time . Instead of getting in to Hong Kong at 8.30pm  we arrived here at 10.15pm. The service on the plane , well what service!!! A small bottle of water was $20 Hong Kong dollars !! On the flight home there was another 3 delays.  Sevice was the same ....What service. Never again...

Next time fly Emirates to Hong Kong in Business Class. Wonderful food and champagne in the lounges, great experience in the A-380 on-board lounge/bar and not too expensive. Less than 15,000 baht return.

[kevvy]

7 hours ago, Ace of Pop said:

Be nice if you state whether theCarrier is Budget or not. Been a few posts bashing non budget airlines for being expensive in other posts.


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Sorry , yes it was a budget airline. I  have also flown on great airlines on long hauls(Emirates, Singapore) .  This BUDGET Hong Kong express   is one is the worst .

[Heng]

CX for J class to HK.... EK is great of course, but that return flight time gets back in town a bit late.

[Kadilo]

Best experiences in and out of Thailand: Emirates, Cathay
Worst: Oman Air, Thai, Qantas (to be fair, the Qantas flight was a long time ago, maybe better now)
So-so: Etihad, Qatar, Air France, Turkish, KLM

Just flew Quantas to Dubai. Awful. Dirty plane , broken seats, crap service. Never again.


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[Kadilo]

Direct from London I use either Thai air or Eva whichever is cheaper at the time. Both very good service. Used BA once not impressive. Older plane and service not a patch on the other two.
Domestically I always use Thai smile. Can't say a bad word about them. Excellent service, clean, very friendly and good value.


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[kevvy]

13 hours ago, Kadilo said:

Just flew Quantas to Dubai. Awful. Dirty plane , broken seats, crap service. Never again.


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Qantas use to be a great airline ...once.... not any more . The hostess think they their to look at , I dont know why as they are all old , just like the airline.Had to fly to Australia 4 times a year not long ago and used Qantas

.I soon woke up and went to Thai airline.

[ladada]

In cattle class:

1st) Singapore, by a mile. 2nd) Qatar, say 4/5  3rd) Emirates 3/5

 

All the rest Jet, Etihad, Malaysian, AirIndia, BA, Lufthansa  are just okay 2/5. Wouldnt dream of flying anything less than that longhaul - e.g. Norwegian, Brussels Airlines, airasiax etc..

 

Suspect all will take a notch downwards in the next few years, all seem to be regressing to 31"/17" on new planes such as 787, a350 etc.. 

[mogandave]

People always rave about Singapore, I never thought it was all that.


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[Chou Anou]

On 3/1/2017 at 7:55 PM, GOLDBUGGY said:

For Domestic Flights I generally go with Thai Airways (Smile). Nothing special I could see on their flights, but they do go straight to the International Airport in Bangkok, which is why I go with them.

 

Other than that my favorite is Nok. I used to hate all low cost airlines in Thailand because of the old airport they use. But it is much better now and even have walkways, which is new for these places.

 

When I travel with Nok for a weekend in Bangkok, I also always go Premium Class. It cost a bit more but for me it is worth it and still cheaper than Thai Airways. The seat is more comfortable, you get a cup of coffee, and if I have to be jammed in with somebody, it might as well be my Thai Wife. Always room for Carryon and the first to go.  

I've been very happy with Thai Smile.  Switched to them for regular BKK to Ubon trips and I'll never go back.  One of the big reasons for the switch was being able to fly out of Suvarnnabhumi instead of the awful Don Meuang (funny, I loved it back when it was the only airport in Bangkok).  I also like that Thai Smile's premium class is not that expensive, and totally worth the extra money.

[Chou Anou]

I've always been very happy with EVA and China Air, flying from San Francisco to Bangkok.  For a while I stuck with EVA because they use 777s (as opposed to 747s...much smoother ride) and I felt they had slightly better service than China, but now I've switched pretty much exclusively to China Air.  The reasons?  EVA was just getting too expensive, and China got new planes on the route I fly: first 777s, and now A-350s.  Plus, since China doesn't have Premium Economy on the TPE-BKK leg of my trip, by paying Premium Economy for my ticket, they automatically bump me to Business for that last leg, and along with that of course comes the coveted "VIP Immigration pass," worth its weight in gold these days in Suvarnnabhumi.  To top it off, after only two US-Thailand flights, they gave me Gold Card frequent flyer status, which means boarding with First Class, and use of their lounge.

[Chou Anou]

On 3/2/2017 at 1:50 AM, jerojero said:

Fly with them often. Not one issue. Suggest your one time bad experience isn't the norm.

I can never understand all the hate for Air Asia.  I've never had a problem with them.  Only reason I gave them up was I hate the zoo that Don Meuang has become, including getting to/from it.

[ladada]

8 hours ago, mogandave said:

People always rave about Singapore, I never thought it was all that.


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For local flights its pretty meh e.g. BKK to Singapore, but long haul service to UK is consistently awesome be it their 777s or a380s, what other airline do you get a cocktail menu in economy, and for snacks between meals a hot chicken wrap instead of some 10c pot noodle.  Transitting through Changi and walking out onto soft carpet more suited to a 5* hotel is pretty <deleted> too.. 

Edited May 3, 2017 by ladada

[mogandave]

For local flights its pretty meh e.g. BKK to Singapore, but long haul service to UK is consistently awesome be it their 777s or a380s, what other airline do you get a cocktail menu in economy, and for snacks between meals a hot chicken wrap instead of some 10c pot noodle.  Transitting through Changi and walking out onto soft carpet more suited to a 5* hotel is pretty too.. 

Whatever, never thought much of Changi either.

Bags roll a lot easier on tile than carpet.

[bubba]

On 01/04/2017 at 8:09 PM, mogandave said:

I liked the Asiana service BKK-ICN-LAX




Live, love, laugh

 

I have done that flight in business class three times in the past 18 months, but only because it was the cheapest *A flight (and I need to maintain my status). The main pain about this flight is the 8 - 10 hour connection time at ICN, Yes, they give you a free (cheap) room over in Incheon city, but I would rather get it over with. 

 

The A380 seats are average, certainly not Emirates. Service and food is just OK. Seems like they are on cost cutting mode as they only provide amenity kits out of ICN, but not on the way back.  I would rate their lounge at ICN below average on food and beverage. 

[bubba]

On 12/03/2017 at 10:13 PM, mogandave said:

 

 

I wish they still had the non-stop to LAX...

I lot of people ta sh*t about them, the I think the service is good and the lounges are better than most.

The lounges have improved a lot the last few years, not Emirates, but good.

 

 

 

Just curious, Mogandave...how have the TG lounges improved? Honestly, I gave up on them and use the BR and SQ lounges (as I have a ROP gold card). I do take them up on the free massage when I have time, but not the lounges. The satellite lounges didn't even have wine and then there was that cheap made in the Philippines Gilbey's gin if you fancied a gin and tonic. Most of the food was white bread finger sandwiches or pies. Breakfast was hard boiled eggs in the shell (does anyone want to peel hard boiled eggs in a lounge?) together with hot dogs and some sort of mystery ham floating in oily water. Crowded as well. For their flagship, home base lounge, TG was at best mediocre. 

 

SQ on the other hand serves a very nice spread of hot and cold dishes several different bottles of wine and a nice quiet atmosphere. BR has much better food and beverage as well - even pizza if you are into that, plus a really nicely designed lounge.

 

Should I give the TG lounge another go?

 

 

[mogandave]

 
Just curious, Mogandave...how have the TG lounges improved? Honestly, I gave up on them and use the BR and SQ lounges (as I have a ROP gold card). I do take them up on the free massage when I have time, but not the lounges. The satellite lounges didn't even have wine and then there was that cheap made in the Philippines Gilbey's gin if you fancied a gin and tonic. Most of the food was white bread finger sandwiches or pies. Breakfast was hard boiled eggs in the shell (does anyone want to peel hard boiled eggs in a lounge?) together with hot dogs and some sort of mystery ham floating in oily water. Crowded as well. For their flagship, home base lounge, TG was at best mediocre. 
 
SQ on the other hand serves a very nice spread of hot and cold dishes several different bottles of wine and a nice quiet atmosphere. BR has much better food and beverage as well - even pizza if you are into that, plus a really nicely designed lounge.
 
Should I give the TG lounge another go?
 
 

I'm not saying they are better than Emirates, clearly they are not, but the seats are comfortable, the food is okay and there are lounges all over the airport.

I don't drink so I can't speak to the booze.

[bubba]

Thanks for that and maybe I will have a look at TG again. If you have a *A gold card, you might want to consider the SQ or BR lounges. TG would have to have improved their lounges substantially to get to their level. I would say the SQ lounge is nearly as good as EK's, but smaller and quieter.

[mogandave]

 
I have done that flight in business class three times in the past 18 months, but only because it was the cheapest *A flight (and I need to maintain my status). The main pain about this flight is the 8 - 10 hour connection time at ICN, Yes, they give you a free (cheap) room over in Incheon city, but I would rather get it over with. 
 
The A380 seats are average, certainly not Emirates. Service and food is just OK. Seems like they are on cost cutting mode as they only provide amenity kits out of ICN, but not on the way back.  I would rate their lounge at ICN below average on food and beverage. 

Can't say I disagree with most of what you said, except I don't remember 8-10 hour layover, I remember it being long (5 or 6) going, but short coming back.

In any event, it's still quicker than going through Dubai.

I did a few years on Emirates, and I thought the seats on the Asiana 380 were just as comfortable, albeit somewhat spartan. Emirates entertainment wins hands-down.

Asiana is significantly cheaper, and if not handing out shaving kits helps the keep the price down fine, I never use them anyway.

So what do you think of the "new" Star Alliance lounge at Bradley?

I transferred from a domestic American Airlines flight that morning, and was able to go from (I think) five to Bradly without checking back in or going back through security.