Nov 5, 2015, 10:10 am
Last edit by: Matt4
QR to and from Bangkok
What to expect
A recent trip report for this journey, can be found here:
Photos of the Cabin
You will find photos galore of the J cabin on the A380 and 777 which are some of the aircrafts QR use on the DOH-BKK-DOH route.
You will find photos galore of the F cabin on the A380 here.
Aircraft Layouts
A380: 1-2-1 layout in F and J, 3-4-3 (Lower deck) and 2-4-2 (Upper deck, only accessible for OneWorld status passengers unless the lower deck is full) in Y
787: 1-2-1 layout in J and 3-3-3 in Y
777: 2-2-2 layout in J, 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 (QR834 DOH-BKK-HAN, QR835 HAN-BKK-DOH) in Y
A340-600: 2-2-2 layout in J and 2-4-2 in Y
Which Lounge should I use at BKK?
There are multiple lounges to use in Bangkok, and the best option for you will likely be determined by the time of your flight, and the location of your departure gate.
QR are in the process of opening their own lounge in Bangkok, but as of April 2016, we know very little other than it will be located on Concourse D. Until then, QR recommend J and F passengers use the lounges provided by Thai Airways. These lounges are scattered throughout the airport.
For F passengers, you will get an invitation to use the Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, which is located on Concourse E. It is a small area, but QR no longer have an Agreement to use the larger Thai Airways Royal First Lounge on Concourse D. The small area is roped off, and there is a small menu (no buffet), with a decent drinks selection.
For J passengers, and Y passengers with status (Silver and higher) you will receive an invitation to use the Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge. These are located on Concourse C, Concourse D, and Concourse E. A map of the lounges can be found here.
OneWorld Emerald or Sapphire card holders or F or J passengers have also access to two lounges situated on or near the 3rd floor, Concourse G: the recently-opened (2015) Cathay Pacific Lounge (04:00 to between 18:30 and 01:00), and the Japan Airlines lounge (05:45-09:55, 18:00-00:40). While the CX and JL lounges are quite close together, they can be a distance from the QR gates - so keep an eye on the time!
Connecting from Thai (TG) domestic
Thai will through check-in your bags and facilitate you as a "CIQ" passenger through an airside transfer at BKK. They will do this even if you are travelling to BKK on a completely separate TG ticket, but you will need to show evidence of the QR flight (ticket number or online check-in receipt). This is based on leaving from Chiang Mai, but should work for other Thai airports.
The process is particularly useful in avoiding security queues landside to airside at BKK, and gets neatly around QR's restrictions on check-in opening times at the airport.
CIQ stands for Customs Immigration and Quarantine: nothing to do with Chiquimula airport in Guatamala
Will I be given pyjamas and an amenity kit? Reports vary, but have a look at this thread before flying to prepare your expectations -
What meals are served? This is dependent on the timing of your flight and class of travel, but 1 or 2 full meals are usually offered by QR. Menus can be found via the QR Dashboard. F menus and Y menus are here.
Will I be offered Fast-Track through Immigration?
- Departure from BKK : you will get a Fast-Track (Premium Lane) voucher if travelling in J or F, or travelling in Y with Silver, Gold or Platinum status.
- Arrival to BKK : if you are traveling in J or F, you will be provided with a Fast-Track voucher upon landing in Bangkok. Hold on to your boarding pass as you deplane, as the brown Fast Track vouchers are sometimes given out at the top of the gate rather than on the plane. If you are traveling in Y with Silver, Gold or Platinum status, you have to request the Fast-Track voucher at the QR agent at the gate.
What time does check-in open? Check in opens 3 hours before your departure time. QR police this quite strictly.
What to expect
A recent trip report for this journey, can be found here:
Photos of the Cabin
You will find photos galore of the J cabin on the A380 and 777 which are some of the aircrafts QR use on the DOH-BKK-DOH route.
You will find photos galore of the F cabin on the A380 here.
Aircraft Layouts
A380: 1-2-1 layout in F and J, 3-4-3 (Lower deck) and 2-4-2 (Upper deck, only accessible for OneWorld status passengers unless the lower deck is full) in Y
787: 1-2-1 layout in J and 3-3-3 in Y
777: 2-2-2 layout in J, 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 (QR834 DOH-BKK-HAN, QR835 HAN-BKK-DOH) in Y
A340-600: 2-2-2 layout in J and 2-4-2 in Y
Which Lounge should I use at BKK?
There are multiple lounges to use in Bangkok, and the best option for you will likely be determined by the time of your flight, and the location of your departure gate.
QR are in the process of opening their own lounge in Bangkok, but as of April 2016, we know very little other than it will be located on Concourse D. Until then, QR recommend J and F passengers use the lounges provided by Thai Airways. These lounges are scattered throughout the airport.
For F passengers, you will get an invitation to use the Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, which is located on Concourse E. It is a small area, but QR no longer have an Agreement to use the larger Thai Airways Royal First Lounge on Concourse D. The small area is roped off, and there is a small menu (no buffet), with a decent drinks selection.
For J passengers, and Y passengers with status (Silver and higher) you will receive an invitation to use the Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge. These are located on Concourse C, Concourse D, and Concourse E. A map of the lounges can be found here.
OneWorld Emerald or Sapphire card holders or F or J passengers have also access to two lounges situated on or near the 3rd floor, Concourse G: the recently-opened (2015) Cathay Pacific Lounge (04:00 to between 18:30 and 01:00), and the Japan Airlines lounge (05:45-09:55, 18:00-00:40). While the CX and JL lounges are quite close together, they can be a distance from the QR gates - so keep an eye on the time!
Connecting from Thai (TG) domestic
Thai will through check-in your bags and facilitate you as a "CIQ" passenger through an airside transfer at BKK. They will do this even if you are travelling to BKK on a completely separate TG ticket, but you will need to show evidence of the QR flight (ticket number or online check-in receipt). This is based on leaving from Chiang Mai, but should work for other Thai airports.
The process is particularly useful in avoiding security queues landside to airside at BKK, and gets neatly around QR's restrictions on check-in opening times at the airport.
CIQ stands for Customs Immigration and Quarantine: nothing to do with Chiquimula airport in Guatamala
Will I be given pyjamas and an amenity kit? Reports vary, but have a look at this thread before flying to prepare your expectations -
What meals are served? This is dependent on the timing of your flight and class of travel, but 1 or 2 full meals are usually offered by QR. Menus can be found via the QR Dashboard. F menus and Y menus are here.
Will I be offered Fast-Track through Immigration?
- Departure from BKK : you will get a Fast-Track (Premium Lane) voucher if travelling in J or F, or travelling in Y with Silver, Gold or Platinum status.
- Arrival to BKK : if you are traveling in J or F, you will be provided with a Fast-Track voucher upon landing in Bangkok. Hold on to your boarding pass as you deplane, as the brown Fast Track vouchers are sometimes given out at the top of the gate rather than on the plane. If you are traveling in Y with Silver, Gold or Platinum status, you have to request the Fast-Track voucher at the QR agent at the gate.
What time does check-in open? Check in opens 3 hours before your departure time. QR police this quite strictly.
QR to and from Bangkok (BKK) - Non Lounge Discussion
Jun 7, 2019, 12:55 pm
#1756
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: SE ASIA
Programs: SQ KF GO, OZ GO, QR PC PLAT, TG ROP SL, LCAH SL, IHG SPIRE, Marriott BONVOY GO, HILTON GO
Posts: 641
Hi all. Apologies in advance but this will be a long post with some specific questions due to our specific situation flying into BKK from ARN-DOH on 23 December in J with QR.
We land on QR832 at 17.45. Essentially we don’t want to go landside for reasons I’ll explain in a minute.
Ideally we’d like to fly to SIN on eitherSG SQ or Jetstar after 20.00.
We’re also open to anywhere in Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia or Cambodia. We will have checked luggage. Our return ticket from BKK with QR to ARN is 3rd January. We know this is peak passenger traffic time, hence our time-related queries towards the end.
The context - we will be splitting our time between Thailand and one or two of the aforementioned countries, and we want to spend NYE in Chiang Mai. I have a visa exemption, but my wife can only get VOA.
Given this, and the fees associated with re-entry on VOAs we would like to avoid entering Thailand at all on the 23rd and just enter the once on our way to Chiang Mai. I was in DOH yesterday and the QR customer service rep there said no problem to through check our luggage from ARN to whatever final destination as long as it’s a full service carrier (I guess that throws Jetstar out the window), even on separate tickets. He specifically said that SG, Vietnam Air, Malaysia and Thai are no problem for QR to interline with on sep tickets.
Another point, and one which I faced on the trip I took this week with QR and SG, is that I could never seem to get mobile boarding passes and I always had to pass by check in to pick them up. So here come the series of questions:
1. Is there somewhere in the international transit area in BKK to pick up physical boarding passes (we will have checked in online), like the transfer desks in SIN for example?
2. Should I trust the QR customer service rep’s response that they will check bags through (even if SG don’t give us the mobile boarding pass and we have to pick it up in the international transit hall)?
3. In worst case scenario, and we actually do have to go through VOA, immigration and then re-check in (in which case we’d go for 21.10 or 21.20 flights to SIN):
A. Is there also fast track for J passengers for VOA in BKK?
B. Is 3hrs30 mins enough to make the connection with SG or Jetstar?
My final fall back option is that is that we just check in one suitcase in my name, I go through immigration, pick it up and then check in again at the desks landside. But this is dependent on my wife getting her BP from a transfer desk airside.
If this is too much stress we’ll probably just go for the re-entry permit, which is crazy expensive if you are only overnighting in Thailand, but anyway, that’s another story.
If some of these Qs are better answered in a specific BKK forum, let me know and I’ll post the relevant questions there.
Thanks a lot in advance
We land on QR832 at 17.45. Essentially we don’t want to go landside for reasons I’ll explain in a minute.
Ideally we’d like to fly to SIN on either
We’re also open to anywhere in Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia or Cambodia. We will have checked luggage. Our return ticket from BKK with QR to ARN is 3rd January. We know this is peak passenger traffic time, hence our time-related queries towards the end.
The context - we will be splitting our time between Thailand and one or two of the aforementioned countries, and we want to spend NYE in Chiang Mai. I have a visa exemption, but my wife can only get VOA.
Given this, and the fees associated with re-entry on VOAs we would like to avoid entering Thailand at all on the 23rd and just enter the once on our way to Chiang Mai. I was in DOH yesterday and the QR customer service rep there said no problem to through check our luggage from ARN to whatever final destination as long as it’s a full service carrier (I guess that throws Jetstar out the window), even on separate tickets. He specifically said that SG, Vietnam Air, Malaysia and Thai are no problem for QR to interline with on sep tickets.
Another point, and one which I faced on the trip I took this week with QR and SG, is that I could never seem to get mobile boarding passes and I always had to pass by check in to pick them up. So here come the series of questions:
1. Is there somewhere in the international transit area in BKK to pick up physical boarding passes (we will have checked in online), like the transfer desks in SIN for example?
2. Should I trust the QR customer service rep’s response that they will check bags through (even if SG don’t give us the mobile boarding pass and we have to pick it up in the international transit hall)?
3. In worst case scenario, and we actually do have to go through VOA, immigration and then re-check in (in which case we’d go for 21.10 or 21.20 flights to SIN):
A. Is there also fast track for J passengers for VOA in BKK?
B. Is 3hrs30 mins enough to make the connection with SG or Jetstar?
My final fall back option is that is that we just check in one suitcase in my name, I go through immigration, pick it up and then check in again at the desks landside. But this is dependent on my wife getting her BP from a transfer desk airside.
If this is too much stress we’ll probably just go for the re-entry permit, which is crazy expensive if you are only overnighting in Thailand, but anyway, that’s another story.
If some of these Qs are better answered in a specific BKK forum, let me know and I’ll post the relevant questions there.
Thanks a lot in advance
Pick your destination (besides BKK & Chiang Mai) i.e. SIN, KUL, or .. it seems like you have a long list of options but only 10 days vacation time.
Flying SQ to SIN direct makes the most sense, more so than via KUL with MH.
You can definitely thru' check your bags if flying MH, but for SQ & the others I'm not so sure as it'll depend on the check in agent @ ARN on the day of travel.
However if flying on SQ & departing from SIN, there'll be no issues thru checking your bags for your QR flights.
Keeping in mind the new immigration process @ BKK (it won't be so new in Dec. but still ...) & the logistics & time needed to apply for VOA, if I were you, I'd do what you mentioned & check all bags in under your name @ ARN.
And yes, you are definitely traveling during the peak holiday season for BKK - Dec./Jan. is when a lot of travelers from this region (Asia) visit BKK so do expect a lot of long lines even at Premium lanes.
Good luck & enjoy NYE in Chiang Mai!
Sawasdee krub
Jul 17, 2019, 6:57 am
#1757
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: QR Platinum, Star Alliance Gold (LH Sen)
Posts: 764
Currently no fast track vouchers are given at checkin. holding a business class boarding pass seems to be sufficient for using the fast track service.
Unfortunately I am not aware about the situation for Silver / Gold / Platinum members, travelling in Eco
Unfortunately I am not aware about the situation for Silver / Gold / Platinum members, travelling in Eco
Jul 17, 2019, 8:20 am
#1758
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 479
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cath...ck-pass-5.html
Jul 17, 2019, 8:50 am
#1759
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Göteborg Sweden
Programs: SPG GOLD / BA GOLD/Club Carlson Gold/AMEX Plat.
Posts: 1,043
to BKK authorities to decided which airlines and class will have them not the airlines ..
Jul 17, 2019, 10:45 am
#1760
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: UK
Programs: Baec
Posts: 191
Departing BKK it is usual to get them when you check in. Sorry was usual.
Last edited by thinkingallowed; Jul 17, 2019 at 9:33 pm
Jul 17, 2019, 9:45 pm
#1761
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: UK
Programs: Baec
Posts: 191
That I can think of there are three types of queue for passengers that are supposed to be quicker than the two normal immigration areas. Premium lane/fast track for non Thai Airways business and first passengers. Thai Airways premium passengers specific queue. Plus the one for elderly, monks, pregnant women, etc.
Some of the companies selling fast track were already using the last queue where no boarding pass or special card was needed. I predict more will be doing so now.
If flying economy I used to use Bangkok Flight Services for fast track who seemed to me to be the most legit of the companies offering the service but were the first to stop.
Some of the companies selling fast track were already using the last queue where no boarding pass or special card was needed. I predict more will be doing so now.
If flying economy I used to use Bangkok Flight Services for fast track who seemed to me to be the most legit of the companies offering the service but were the first to stop.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:06 pm
#1762
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,753
There are no more fast passes departing BKK. The only way to get into the premium lane is with a J or F boarding pass (unless one is a monk, but I'm assuming that there are few monks on FT). Boarding passes are checked at the entrance. Of course, this only affects elite status Y pax. However, by eliminating elite status as a premium lane qualifier, it's now much faster. I went through yesterday and there were only me and one other passenger.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:59 pm
#1763
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: QR Platinum, Star Alliance Gold (LH Sen)
Posts: 764
There are no more fast passes departing BKK. The only way to get into the premium lane is with a J or F boarding pass (unless one is a monk, but I'm assuming that there are few monks on FT). Boarding passes are checked at the entrance. Of course, this only affects elite status Y pax. However, by eliminating elite status as a premium lane qualifier, it's now much faster. I went through yesterday and there were only me and one other passenger.
On 13.07.2019 (departing BKK) then it took just 5 min.
Generally I am not happy with the new regulation as another "perk" gone for status pax in Y!
And, as usual, NO information about.....
Jul 18, 2019, 1:33 am
#1764
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: UK/Australia
Programs: BAEC Silver, UA2MM, QF Platinum, VA Platinum., Volare Executive Club
Posts: 2,512
I thought that elderly pax over 70 years of age also qualified.
Jul 18, 2019, 8:57 am
#1766
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Brooklyn, NYC
Programs: QR PC Platinum, TK M&S elite, UA silver, ITA Voltaire Executive (lol), Marriott Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 1,161
With these changes, does anyone know if they’re still giving priority immigration lane passes upon arrival in J? And if not, if you have a J boarding pass, will they allow you to go through fast track immigration? My last arrival at BKK on QR in J they gave me the immigration fast track passes upon leaving the aircraft. However, I’ve flown into BKK in J on another carrier previously where they didn’t give physical immigration fast track passes, and I was denied entry into the fast track lane.
Jul 18, 2019, 6:43 pm
#1767
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Phuket Thailand
Programs: HH Diamond, BA Gold, IHG Gold, Oman Gold
Posts: 1,038
With these changes, does anyone know if they’re still giving priority immigration lane passes upon arrival in J? And if not, if you have a J boarding pass, will they allow you to go through fast track immigration? My last arrival at BKK on QR in J they gave me the immigration fast track passes upon leaving the aircraft. However, I’ve flown into BKK in J on another carrier previously where they didn’t give physical immigration fast track passes, and I was denied entry into the fast track lane.
Last arrival I had was not on QR but no fast track voucher given. Rather now just show your business or first boarding pass at entrance to premium lane. This was a bit of a scandal here. People were using the passes and selling them in, hence the apparent reason to get rid of them and only use actual boarding passes.
Jul 18, 2019, 10:59 pm
#1768
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: QR Platinum, Star Alliance Gold (LH Sen)
Posts: 764
I did ask QRs Twitter team if Golg / Platinum members do have access to the fast track in Bangkok. This was the answer (bolds by me):
QUOTE
Allow us to inform you that at Bangkok airport the fast track is awarded to passengers traveling in Business class and higher.
UNQUOTE
So no fast track anymore for the "loyal" customers in ECO......
QUOTE
Allow us to inform you that at Bangkok airport the fast track is awarded to passengers traveling in Business class and higher.
UNQUOTE
So no fast track anymore for the "loyal" customers in ECO......
Jul 19, 2019, 4:30 am
#1769
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,753
I did ask QRs Twitter team if Golg / Platinum members do have access to the fast track in Bangkok. This was the answer (bolds by me):
QUOTE
Allow us to inform you that at Bangkok airport the fast track is awarded to passengers traveling in Business class and higher.
UNQUOTE
So no fast track anymore for the "loyal" customers in ECO......
QUOTE
Allow us to inform you that at Bangkok airport the fast track is awarded to passengers traveling in Business class and higher.
UNQUOTE
So no fast track anymore for the "loyal" customers in ECO......
Jul 22, 2019, 11:40 pm
#1770
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: QR Platinum, Star Alliance Gold (LH Sen)
Posts: 764
Yes, but that does not change the fact, that QRPC Gold and Platinum Members do not get Fast Track access in Bangkok anymore (if they are travelling in Y)...and that was the information I wanted to transport