wheresmybagba

More info here:

http://centreforaviation.com/analysi...secured-160934

travelislife

Hmm, not good for *A. This might also be the reason for discussion elsewhere that they were going to install proper business seats. I suppose it will still be easy enough to book all Thai tickets from places like PNH but harder if you want to have it all on *A.

travelislife

Great analysis in that article. Is pretty amazing their break even point is at 50% load factor for Thai smile.

eponymous_coward

Like I said in the A300 thread, it's pretty obvious why TG is dumping the widebodies for narrowbodies on shorthaul...

Aussie_flyer

WOW!

So does this mean Star alliance just lost airports like Hat Yai?

edit: it seems it does!! This is absurd! I use star gold to get into the lounge at HDY, now I won't be able to. HDY is my most frequented TG destination in Thailand now.... very unhappy. I have also been redeeming tickets to HDY with Star Alliance , now impossible. This is the biggest annoyance I have with SQ and Silkair, the lack of alliance benefits.

5khours

WE tickets are cheap even in J, so no *A is not a big deal.

Aussie_flyer

It's a massive deal. It means no star alliance coverage on several fairly major Thai routes, Phnom Penh and Hat Yai and soon almost every Thai city other than Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi.

It's very disappointing. I sometimes buy tickets ex-MEL to HDY via BKK and it means no mileage earning on BKK-HDY anymore. It's crap

dsquared37

This is a huge HUGE kneecapping to me.

First they switched all of our common routes to TG.

Now the loss of *A benies on the routes I frequent means we're going to switch entirely to PG or DD save those times we transfer in BKK and PG doesn't service that route.

This is awful.

Bye bye TG basically.

I'm rather concerned about some upcoming *A awards with TG booked into the mix.

From now own they're TG to me.

5khours

D2 - Don't fly as much Thai domestic as you do, so maybe I'm missing something, but from my perspective having to buy an extra TG ticket is so cheap and easy it doesn't bother me much.....unlike doubling the number of miles required for an LH/TG ticket from NYC > BKK.

Aussie_flyer

You don't see how having to buy an additional SEPARATE ticket (no protection on through itineraries) is going to be a problem?

The ticket I buy now , MEL-BKK-HDY (Q class then H class domestic) offers me miles in every star alliance program, and lounge access at BKK during my transit. Now Thai are telling me to get stuffed, I can sit in the lounge in Melbourne but once I hit Bangkok all my rights vanish as a star gold member. Do I get the increased baggage allowance for the BKK-HDY leg? I know I certainly don't get access to the lounge during my transit.

What about when I check in at Hat Yai to come home, I have no 'status' with Thai Smile now so I can't use priority check-in, no entitlement to extra baggage, no lounge access. But once I get to Bangkok I'm welcomed into the lounge with open arms?

WHAT A CROCK OF SH*T!

The current management team are a bunch utter morons

dsquared37

It's not necessarily the cost that annoys me its much deeper. And I also got fleeced with new UA award chart... but having burnt through 1M miles in the past 15 months (and depleting all but 1K miles) I'm at peace.

THIS. I'll add no priority baggage tags or mileage accrual.....

TG is creating so many levels of hassle for me that I will only step foot on their planes if there is absolutely no other rational choice.

If I'm flying to KKC I can check in at the *G domestic desk and get lounge access, priority tags, miles etc but because I'm flying to UBP I need to wait in line at the TG peon lanes and get nothing for the same thing? No thanks.

Or flying to PNH et al I'm now completely blocked from a shower after a TPAC?

5khours

For me,

1. No checked bags so priority tags not an issue.
2. Assume if I'm in J on , I'll still get into the lounge at BKK, UBP, etc.
3. Get around the TPAC lounge problem by booking a dummy award ticket for the same day and then cancelling once I get into the lounge.
4. I don't actually accrue miles anymore. I just buy PQM for status.

I must say thought that there is quite a bit of difference between flying a new 747 suite to HKT and a "J" seat to UBP.

dsquared37

Not everybody has the ability to fly C regularly and my status just got dinged hard (and I can't even blame UA on this).

Joking aside, other than taking away ease and comfort, which I'm not happy about in the least, it will necessitate purchasing tickets for segments which I was previously able to tack onto an award.

Further, some routes, like PNH-SIN/DPS/CGK etc etc, are probably no longer bookable since the only *A airline servicing PNH will be OZ.

5khours

Could be worse though. You could be flying domestically in the US on an RJ instead getting charged $500 for a 150 mile flight sitting in a medieval torture device reincarnated as an airline seat.

For me anyway this is pretty minor compared to the MP *A deval.

Also I tend to think that enough VIPS who have to fly to the hinterlands will be .....ing about the proximity to the hoi polloi, that there's a good chance we'll see some regular TG service reinstated on some of the routes.

TPJ

Pathetic....

But not unexpected... TG management doesn't know what they are doing, so no surprise here... First they created Nok, now Smiles... I do not see any long term plan here...