transpac

My best guess is that:

- it was known that this seat was not fully functional
- the pax originally assigned to this seat was some sort of poo yai, certainly of a high social status.
- ground staff looked for the pax with the lowest possible social status, and swapped them into the non-functional seat.
- the Thai gentleman "volunteer" was staff/VIP (non-rev).

Welcome to the Land of (fake) Smiles.

BinSabai

^you are a real genius to get to this conclusion!
the "phoo yai" you are calling the American lady, who held the reservation on the malfunctioning seat could actually be a reference
- to her high social status
- to her size
- to her age (grand ma)
To look for the passenger with the "lowest possible social status" from a passenger list is probably pretty difficult, but of course many Thais like to play lottery, in particular those in the airline business!

transpac

To look for the passenger with the "lowest possible social status" from a passenger list is probably pretty difficult

Not really given all the data the airline has, and if after check-in, perhaps a slam dunk?

I am fairly certain that a great deal of thought, examination, discussions and ultimately a management decision went into this seat swap.

My point, such as it is, is that this sort of thing is SOP with TG, and unless you catch it up front - "why are you changing my seat assignment?" - you are at a disadvantage.

I would ask for an outrageous amount of compensation, in the hopes of getting something other than a wai/bow/sharp stick in the eye.

It could have been worse; your departure could have been delayed four hours while you waited for a VIP, whose entourage relocated everyone out of F and into C or Y, and if you complained on board you would be subject to arrest when landing at SBIA/BKK.

behuman

Dear fellow FTalkers !

What happened to the party of the OP is appalling, but not surprising.

Why you still bother? There are so many alternatives to TG and even to ROP. Did you notice that TG is now more expensive than other full service carriers on the same routes. For example LX is 10 % cheaper now in business class (with a much better product) and the same price in F flying from BKK to ZRH.

Even for flights towards Oceania, SIN is a convenient hub and SQ has a business class product which is even better than TG F.

Also by supporting TG you indirectly help a military dictatorship as TG is state controlled. Let the TIP's party for themselves in the TG premium classes (and the Thai governmenet pay the bill).


P.S.: This said, it is of course still convenient to redeem US FF points for awards on TG given the increasing reluctance of many airlines to open award space (LX as an extreme case where F awards are only available for M&M elites). Just keep your expectations down. This is what the OP should do: Be happy that you (still) could get an F award........

wheresmybagba

Not particularly convenient given that US are a member of OneWorld...

behuman

I mean the country USA , NOT the airline US ..... US Americans are sitting on huge amounts of points/miles they are trying to redeem and understadeably are trying to fly with the best possible carrier. TG for such a redemption is for sure a good choice. Just be aware what to expect.

artemis021

Are you saying that the person who originally had the broken seat was on a paid ticket and your wife was on award ticket?

If so, than I think that's the reason, instead of racism, that your wife had to move.

Transpacificflyer

Perhaps a phone call from the desk agent. Also, many of the gate staff will come over from check in for boarding duties.

I sympathize with this person because I too had a terrible F seat when I flew from FCO. My experience has been that broken seats or malfunctions are part of the TG inflight experience. Mai pen rai............

Thaikwai

How could the OP know that the "American" lady was on a revenue ticket? An Award ticket is also a paid ticket...you buy it with your points, just a different form of currency.

There should be no reason to differentiate between the methods of payment for tickets. You are in the F cabin, you get the same treatment as everyone else in the F cabin.

I am very surprised that the OP did not question the reason for the seat re-assignment. I would not have surrendered my wife's boarding pass until they told me the reason why

jfk747

If you don't get what you expected take award business elsewhere