Kacee

"The decision of these changes has been made with careful consideration as we have not adjusted the miles in our award charts for almost fifteen years ago since the beginning of our program."

This is a false justification. Any increased ticket prices will necessarily be reflected in the cost to the passenger in accruing award miles. So if (and this is a purely hypotethetical example) BKK-SYD cost $1000 10 years ago, and costs $2000 today, it will have cost the passenger twice as much to accrue those 4674 miles today as it did 10 years ago.

Because award mileage accruals already reflect changes in ticket pricing, raising award redemption rates is just a program devaluation, pure and simple.

anaidross

What the hell is Thai Airways doing with the ROP program?

First, this stupid rolling year expiration policy and the unclear qualification rules. Now redemption miles devaluation.

Do they really think that we are really stupid customers?

I am seriously thinking about dumping this airline's frequent flyer program.

Who knows if these benefits will still last.

COuld you let us know which is a more preferable choice? TK or SQ?

wheresmybagba

They seem to have done something funny with FB pages. The AU one used to be very clearly identifiable as 'Thai Airways Australia'...now it's just called 'Thai Airways'. But there is also another 'Thai Airways' page which is the UK one. Both have exactly the same number of likes, 504k...which is far, far higher than the old TG AU page had...it's like the country sites are sitting under a single umbrella somehow but still with their own content. Both the AU and UK pages are generally very responsive to posts.

Aussie_flyer

Why would anyone stay with ROP under these circumstances. There is nothing to think about. RUN, AS fast as you can

Oorinara

So, this devaluation on TG award means it is way better off to burn on *A? TG site on Air Awards on Star Alliance remains unchanged. Or, just a matter of time, perhaps by 1st Sep 2014?
http://www.thaiairways.com/frequent-...e-airlines.htm

btw, oh I find, TG will give more mile to Gold and Plat. from Aug 2014, which doesn't compensate me as I earn miles most from credit cards...
http://www.thaiairways.com/frequent-...ierBonusEN.pdf

wheresmybagba

No, they change too.

http://www.thaiairways.com/frequent-...ceAirlines.htm (note that these numbers are ONEWAY)

MikeFromTokyo

Fortunately I love TG's F product, as well as J for short and medium haul out of BKK, so I will still be flying TG but most likely crediting miles to UA. It seem utterly insane that they have changed their FFP so that it offers no incentive for many of their own loyal customers.

restlessinRNO

In comparison, current UA award chart shows, for *A award South Asia - Europe return:

110,000 / 170,000 / 230,000.

travelislife

And there are no fuel fines on UA so it is much cheaper there too!

A_Lee

All I can say is that whoever is coming up with these ideas and making these decisions is nothing short of being a complete moron. Already ROP was the worst FFP in the industry (well pretty much tied with SQ's program which they patterned it after). The reason being, the short lifetime of miles (a mere three years). Now with this devaluation, unless you're platinum (and miles don't expire), the average flyer will never be able to save enough miles for any meaningful award. What will they do? Save up enough miles for some economy award and pay so much in taxes and not earn miles on the award ticket such that it's not really even worth it? Or use them for a hotel stay? The ROP program is now completely worthless. Certainly glad I made the decision last year to abandon ship. I'd feel total stupid if I'd stuck with them after their fraud in cheating their best customers out of the mileage validity when switching to the rolling periods. And now this. Shaking my head about how anyone could be so stupid to devise this plan.

Let's see, what have they done to devalue the program recently:
1) This devaluation of miles.
2) Reduced the lifetime of miles by a year
3) Added on bogus additional surcharges for premium awards
4) Increased fuel surcharges

And to top it off, they have the gall to lie to their customers in such a weak attempt at pawning off this outrage as being something that's warranted and overdue, when they've in actuality been raising the miles needed all along.

Absolutely ridiculous. Your continued adding on insult after insult to your best customer really makes me to totally despise you as an airline. I was once one of your biggest fans. Now I have nothing but contempt for your despicable behavior.

EzzerBKK

Can someone post one of their complaint letters or PM, I will be happy to send it through as well (with some limited mods, of course)...

too busy at the moment to draft something new.

Creole Spirit

AALee, I cannot fully agree to your statement:
the hotel vouchers which you mention are not so bad - while I prefer chasing for miles to use them for upgrades (even though now more expensive, but they still work), my friends are using them for hotel vouchers (and have never complained).
Also the new introduction of oneway award tickets is not only bad (because they do now cost the same as a return ticket used to cost) but a fairer way for those who want/need them (not everybody likes flying back and forth the same routing/airline....)

somkiat

What they are certainly targeting at is reducing the number of non-ROP award flyers . Though increasing earned ROP miles between 30 %and 60 % makes no sense against doubling the " price " for their award tickets . There is a different aspect to consider assuming that Thai intends to run the company by selling tickets for cash .

I gave up using them late ast year because it had become impossible to get seats on my preferred flights ( FRA>BKK only ) let alone choose my preferred seats . Thai probaby thinks ( or thought ) maybe 1600 € are better than 4600 € for an F seat . It has been my first letter I ever sent to an airline carefully expaining them what I think about all this and that they can throw my next Platinum card due in July into the nearest dustbin . I am not sure if they have other ways of regulating their award business but this is a sign of hope although upsetting their ROP miles-collectors .

Respectfully .

For the record : Currently (!) using Etihad .

travelislife

How does these changes do that somkiat? I think if anything this will increase not reduce the number of non-ROP award flyers as their current ROP flyers will credit their miles to other programs and then redeem miles from those programs on Thai flights. How do the current changes stop other *A carriers booking award flights on Thai where the value is multiple times better?

RWY02KTM

Already burned large number of miles last year after they started the rolling expiration of miles. Now I think I will try to empty it before September. I have already moved bulk of my miles collection to UA (as I end up flying them more often), I will probably renew Gold for the last time this year and I am already looking at other carriers. seems like Emirates or Qatar may be good idea.