Why is it more expensive to fly from Bangkok to the UK ?

[simoh1490]

28 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Just for entertainment:

one-way flight on BA from BKK to LHR in June(Tue, 13), cheapest:

 

24120 THB

 

So much on one-way with traditional carriers.

As written, LCC to Germany is below 12000.

....and for further entertainment and trivia:

 

Buy that ticket using a foreign (UK) credit card from the BA web site, then change your mind within 24 hours and your money will be refunded in full. BUT, the refund will come from India where they will take the UK Sterling price of the ticket and convert it to THB which will then be credited to your charge card - that little escapade will cost you about 60 Pounds, along with two foreign currency transaction charges from card supplier which will amount to about 40 Pounds. In total, a 100 Pound charge  for changing your mind and with cancellation charge from BA. I did exactly that in March using Barclaycard and will happily post the charges if required.

[joskeshake]

Same from BKK to Belgium,sometimes about 150 to 200 € mor expencive then the other way, Brussels - BKK. and booking on the internet, not in thai shop.

[Deeprun]

I can explain market demand as to why prices fluctuate.

I am in Logistics and today I can send a 40 foot ocean container USA to Europe for USD100.00 and yet the same container will cost $1500-$2000 for the return leg.

Same scenario from Asia to USA.  Airlines and steamship lines react to market demand.

[KittenKong]

3 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

BUT, the refund will come from India where they will take the UK Sterling price of the ticket and convert it to THB which will then be credited to your charge card - that little escapade will cost you about 60 Pounds, along with two foreign currency transaction charges from card supplier which will amount to about 40 Pounds. In total, a 100 Pound charge  for changing your mind and with cancellation charge from BA. I did exactly that in March using Barclaycard and will happily post the charges if required.

 

You need to change your card provider. When Natwest processes a refund on my Mastercard they apply a positive amount of the exchange fee applicable at the time so a refund does not automatically incur any loss (outside of normal currency fluctuation over time).

I know this because a hotel recently charged an amount to my card rather than just block an amount as a deposit which they normally do. The amount was refunded automatically after a week or two and as the USD had gained in value in the meantime I actually made a small profit on both the converted sum and the exchange fee which are shown separately as two debits and two credits.

[joecoolfrog]

23 hours ago, possum1931 said:

The capitalists at work, will screw the ordinary people all the time if they can get away with it.

Except flights from Heathrow to Thailand are cheaper than they were 15 years ago. Does that mean UK capitalists have gone soft ?

[sandyf]

Its been that way a long time. In 2010 I went back to the UK with my wife on Jet Airways and she was sat next to me. We both had return tickets but mine had been bought in the UK for £499 but hers was bought in Thailand, about £750 at the time.

[sandyf]

23 hours ago, joecoolfrog said:

Except flights from Heathrow to Thailand are cheaper than they were 15 years ago. Does that mean UK capitalists have gone soft ?

I would disagree with that. I started coming here in 1999 and in the first 5 years never paid any more than £400 return, in fact during that period I came 3 times for £330 return. You just cannot get prices like that anymore.

One of those cheap flights was Lufthansa from Birmingham. Went back from Bangkok to Frankfurt on a Thai Airways 747 and I could see 12 other people from where I was sat in the cabin. Very unlikely you would get that these days.

[oldsailor35]

On 5/4/2017 at 8:47 PM, KhunBENQ said:

A non-stop(!) from Australia to London?

I thought it is still a "dream" of the future.

18h+ flights are more a like a nightmare to me.

About 15 yrs ago i flew Brisbane to London 23 hrs. We stopped at Singapore just to pick up and to drop off passengers.  This was considered a NON Stop flight for London passengers.

[oldsailor35]

On 5/5/2017 at 9:49 AM, jesimps said:

Your first para sounds about right, but then you contradict it with your second para.

 

Surely the Brits returning to UK on their return tickets make the demand as high as flying out to Thailand. I can't see demand being the reason for the high prices. I think the reason they charge a lot is because they can.

 

Same as the price of golf here. It should be as cheap as chips, far cheaper than playing in the UK. Land's incredibly cheap, labour's ridiculously cheap, why is it so expensive to play?

Also swimming pools. They're just a hole in the ground with a bit of concreting, tiling, a few pipes and a pump/filter unit. The answer of course is that people are willing to pay the money because they have no option.

 

Same with the flights.

 

That's my opinion anyway, I'd really appreciate a reply from someone who actually KNOWS the answer to the OP's question.

 

Exactly!   Take for example Koh Samui to Bangkok  almost Bht 10000 ret   Suratthani to Bangkok  under Bht 4000 return, same distance. The airline Bankok Air aka Bandit Air  charge what they like because there is no alternative from Koh Samui other than the long ferry service to Suratthani.

[simoh1490]

7 minutes ago, oldsailor35 said:

About 15 yrs ago i flew Brisbane to London 23 hrs. We stopped at Singapore just to pick up and to drop off passengers.  This was considered a NON Stop flight for London passengers.

Ditto LAX to Prestwick via Bangor in the 1970's, easily a 24 hour journey all told and that was classed as non-stop also.

[simoh1490]

On 06/05/2017 at 9:44 AM, joecoolfrog said:

Except flights from Heathrow to Thailand are cheaper than they were 15 years ago. Does that mean UK capitalists have gone soft ?

I would expect flights to get cheaper as the traffic and the competition increases so maybe they are cheaper now than 15 years before. My first trip to the US with Pan Am in 1971 cost me 125 Pound return, a similar journey can be had today for 350 Pounds which in inflation adjusted Pounds is way cheaper.

[oldsailor35]

On 5/5/2017 at 0:46 PM, eddysmit said:

If you do a return trip from BKK to London on BA they will charge you in  thb, I have attempted all different ways to pay in sterling, but, if I try making out I'm booking from the UK the page reverts to the Thailand one, their main office is the UK, the reason being I take it is because the trip begins this end, even tried splitting the trip, the cost of the tickets doubled.

I just shop around for the airline with the best price. This time Aug-Sept it was British Air with the best price although i prefer the Gulf Airlines as one gets a halfway stop over, but price matters most to me, the Gulf Airlines were far higher than BA.

[simoh1490]

2 minutes ago, oldsailor35 said:

I just shop around for the airline with the best price. This time Aug-Sept it was British Air with the best price although i prefer the Gulf Airlines as one gets a halfway stop over, but price matters most to me, the Gulf Airlines were far higher than BA.

I agree, a lot of times BA flights can be quite cheap, especially if booked via their web site very close to the departure date.

[oldsailor35]

On 5/5/2017 at 3:27 PM, KhunBENQ said:

Just for entertainment:

one-way flight on BA from BKK to LHR in June(Tue, 13), cheapest:

 

24120 THB

 

So much on one-way with traditional carriers.

As written, LCC to Germany is below 12000.

Excellent !

 

[oldsailor35]

On 5/5/2017 at 4:22 PM, joskeshake said:

Same from BKK to Belgium,sometimes about 150 to 200 € mor expencive then the other way, Brussels - BKK. and booking on the internet, not in thai shop.

Brussels !  please stop using foul language ............lololololol

 

[oldsailor35]

55 minutes ago, oldsailor35 said:

About 15 yrs ago i flew Brisbane to London 23 hrs. We stopped at Singapore just to pick up and to drop off passengers.  This was considered a NON Stop flight for London passengers.

That fare was $A 1850.   I see today it is $A 2250 = $A400 difference over 15 yrs. So not all fares are cheaper today.

[simoh1490]

3 minutes ago, oldsailor35 said:

That fare was $A 1850.   I see today it is $A 2250 = $A400 difference over 15 yrs. So not all fares are cheaper today.

But if adjusted for inflation it certainly is much much cheaper.

[mercman24]

reply post 56 nchuckle. would that be a non stop flight as i have been monitoring skyscanner for a while with a trip planned end July and it is at 536 english pounds today, that is with one stop ?

[MuntyC0re]

different culture or they hate poor tourists