I too am a Brian. I appreciate your advice and the email address. I sent my third email and hope to hear something. I live in Tokyo, and was going down to BKK just to get this kind of special flight to JFK. So I have a ticket from here to BKK, and the JFK to RDU leg that are effected by this mess.
A lot of e-mails to TG end up not going through (get bounced back as undeliverable)--even responding to their e-mail. I kept re-sending and eventually delivered with no reject message.
Also I tried to politely complaint about something two years ago, and the same subject last year, and those always got rejected as undeliverable--so they never got the complaint.
I took brianclev's advice and did write email to the two addresses he recommended. Don't know if that triggered it, or the other two I sent this week, but I've been pushed aside again.
I called the Tokyo office last Monday, but they said to call Bangkok since that's where the ticket was issued and it's an e-ticket. Now Bangkok, on Saturday, is telling me to contact Tokyo again.
I've spoken to 6 agents, and only one of them actually took time to hear me out and actually tried to do something for me. Unfortunately, this was today, a Saturday, and she could only confirm me in economy class as the other airline's offices are closed. I'm waiting until Monday and hoping for the rebooking in the class I paid for (premium). If this one effective agent comes through, then all is well. If not, that's the last straw and I'll eat the cost of the connecting flight, and I'll rebook myself. Ridiculous!
It's a shame how this has become such a thorn in my side and how they refuse to simply rebook me!
Although I paid for Premium Economy, they booked me in "Y" class (I don't know what that means) in TG flight BKK-NRT, and in Economy NRT-JFK. I'm very happy to get that! I'm just glad to get a return trip July 7.
I kept sending e-mails responding to their e-mails (they wanted me to approve their plan for my return trip) and they were getting bounced back as undeliverable. I also wanted to get window seats. No response--although I think at least one e-mail made it through.
So I called yesterday 011-66-2-356-1111 around 11:30 p.m. EST. I gave the lady my e-reservation number and she immediately had all the info., and it was all booked. She immediately gave me seat only on TG flight BKK-NRT, and said they didn't know yet on ANA flight NRT-JFK.
Also, my experience with TG is: if you e-mail them to change a seat assignment, they will do it, but not tell you. So a LOT of calls to them are just to confirm they did something (they could have confirmed by e-mail to start with).
Last edited by brianclev; Jun 14, 08 at 3:49 am.
Reason: typo
Although I paid for Premium Economy, they booked me in "Y" class (I don't know what that means) in TG flight BKK-NRT, and in Economy NRT-JFK.
That means you are now booked into the economy cabin, at full fare, yet you paid for PE. Considering the fare difference is $300+/- I'd pursue some avenue of refund.
In a call to Thai Air, BKK branch, today on matters entirely different, I inquired about my return flight to LAX in Jan. She said I was booked on the flight etc etc. But when I mentioned the airplane change she could only muster something to the effect of 'the A345 will run through Oct' or something of the like. Even after putting me on hold for a little while she had no new information.
I think we here at FT have more knowledge than most of the employees at Thai Air who either feign ignorance or are actually kept in the dark. Neither of which makes me feel all that warm and fuzzy inside.
As long as you have the Amadeus reservation number, which is different from the official Thai PNR (Passenger Name Record) Locator but which is often used by Thai anyway, you can always check the status of your booking on www.checkmytrip.com. TG's own website is a little more difficult to log into sometimes, but you can also check there.
Considering the fare difference is $300+/- I'd pursue some avenue of refund.
Since they only re-booked me on my July 7 return flight, I'm really out only half the $300--not enough for me to want to try to get refund. I also had to pay $75 to change my Delta flight time JFK-CLE. I just don't care anymore. Another thing--I picked certain seat assignments on the JFK-BKK flights. TG then booked me with different seats. Called and changed. Then they put me back to original wrong seat. Had to correct that again. Also why can't TG just allow seat changes to be made online?
I might try to get partial refund of half the $300+ when trip is completed. Although I wonder if my option was to get a total refund and cancel the whole trip. I wonder if now they'll say I agreed to the re-booked flight in Economy, and that cost of re-booked flight was higher anyway.
Last edited by brianclev; Jun 15, 08 at 3:46 am.
Reason: add info
Programs: Thai Gold, NZ Silver, QANTAS Club Bronze
Posts: 2,883
Quote:
why can't TG just allow seat changes to be made online?
They do, provided that the booking was initially made using THAI's website or if not, then any tix holder can OLCI within 24 hours .
Remember too, that seat assignments are never 'guaranteed' - single traveller can be at risj of being moved to accommodate pax groups, the sick, the arrested, VIPs (real or imagined). Not often, but re-assignment does happen. Holding status reduces the odds, but it still happens.
It's impossible to figure out how to change an assigned seat. I booked with TG online and have e-ticket (and my itinerary shows up with my reservation number on TG web site). I always end up calling or e-mailing for them to change assigned seat. It's just amazing how difficult the web site is to use--and things make no sense.
The problem is I selected seats when booking JFK-BKK-JFK, but they defaulted me to totally different seats. First trip (first booking) when I called, they said the seats I selected weren't available. But it would have been nice if seat map showed unavailable seats to begin with. Then this year, picked seats that should have been available--but again defaulted to totally different seats. Had to call to get seats originally selected.
Last edited by brianclev; Jun 15, 08 at 3:47 am.
Reason: add info
Programs: Thai Gold, NZ Silver, QANTAS Club Bronze
Posts: 2,883
I don't hold a current booking with THAI made online (more's the pity) so can't check for you, but certainly when making the initial booking, there is a small 'tick' box that you gotta select if you want to make meal choices and seat selections. I can't recall, however, if this tick box is available for modifying an existing booking but before teh OLCI becomes an option.
I usually revert to a call to the Bangkok Office if I can't do what I want on the web.
Annoyingly, THAI award reservations don't show on any system (even THAI's own) so you have to resort to email/fax to confirm detaails or to check if changes requested have been made (seat allocations, changed dates etc)
Since they only re-booked me on my July 7 return flight, I'm really out only half the $300--not enough for me to want to try to get refund. I also had to pay $75 to change my Delta flight time JFK-CLE. I just don't care anymore. Another thing--I picked certain seat assignments on the JFK-BKK flights. TG then booked me with different seats. Called and changed. Then they put me back to original wrong seat. Had to correct that again. Also why can't TG just allow seat changes to be made online?
I might try to get partial refund of half the $300+ when trip is completed. Although I wonder if my option was to get a total refund and cancel the whole trip. I wonder if now they'll say I agreed to the re-booked flight in Economy, and that cost of re-booked flight was higher anyway.
Since NRT-JFK looks to be NH flight, it will be less than half the $300+ price difference.
If you are booked in "Y" class, you will be able to select Premium Economy product on NH.
So, it will be much more complicated calculation.
__________________
I'm reading FT on Friday night because I have 6AM flight on Saturday morning...
I am currently in BKK and looking to get back to NY in August on the second half of my ticket. I spent two hours at the Thai Airways ticket office last Thursday and ended up with no return booking. It seems like the local people do not know what is going on and do not know their alternatives. This afternoon I am going to the airline's main offices in Lad Prao and hoping for the best. I had paid Premium Economy tickets.
Since NRT-JFK looks to be NH flight, it will be less than half the $300+ price difference.
If you are booked in "Y" class, you will be able to select Premium Economy product on NH.
So, it will be much more complicated calculation.
Flight NH 010 (All Nippon Airways) NRT-JFK has three economy classes. Premium Economy (E Premium) is about double the cost of the cheapest economy (E Super). E Standard is in between (but only slightly higher cost than E Super). My assigned seat is 25K--which is E Standard (just behind E Premium and in front of E Super). I wonder--given that E Premium is double the cost of economy--if I'm really entitled to Premium Economy on ANA flight? I'll see how TG responds.
Round trip price quotes from ANA's web site: Premium $3291.40, E Standard $1786.40, E Super $1571.40.
Last edited by brianclev; Jun 16, 08 at 12:52 am.
Reason: change
