Thai is getting VERY unattractive from London
Oct 21, 2012, 2:27 am
#31
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Warks.England
Programs: Thai Silver,Skywards Silver,Gulf Silver, Interconti Prority Platinum, FR Priority Q!
Posts: 697
Just a quick note.
I tried a dummy booking,LHR/BKK/LHR out 27/12/12 back 14/01/13. Using the "Chose seats" feature for both daily flights only one seat in F available going out,full on both returns.
In J only 2 seats free LHR/BKK and 3 on the returns.
OK it is peak,peak season but it looks as if by using the 340,with more J seats than the 747 (and only 2 less in F compared to refurb 747) has paid off.
Price in J was about Ł2600 return-Ł4100 in F.
I tried a dummy booking,LHR/BKK/LHR out 27/12/12 back 14/01/13. Using the "Chose seats" feature for both daily flights only one seat in F available going out,full on both returns.
In J only 2 seats free LHR/BKK and 3 on the returns.
OK it is peak,peak season but it looks as if by using the 340,with more J seats than the 747 (and only 2 less in F compared to refurb 747) has paid off.
Price in J was about Ł2600 return-Ł4100 in F.
Oct 21, 2012, 11:52 am
#32
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 368
Just a quick note.
I tried a dummy booking,LHR/BKK/LHR out 27/12/12 back 14/01/13. Using the "Chose seats" feature for both daily flights only one seat in F available going out,full on both returns.
In J only 2 seats free LHR/BKK and 3 on the returns.
OK it is peak,peak season but it looks as if by using the 340,with more J seats than the 747 (and only 2 less in F compared to refurb 747) has paid off.
Price in J was about Ł2600 return-Ł4100 in F.
I tried a dummy booking,LHR/BKK/LHR out 27/12/12 back 14/01/13. Using the "Chose seats" feature for both daily flights only one seat in F available going out,full on both returns.
In J only 2 seats free LHR/BKK and 3 on the returns.
OK it is peak,peak season but it looks as if by using the 340,with more J seats than the 747 (and only 2 less in F compared to refurb 747) has paid off.
Price in J was about Ł2600 return-Ł4100 in F.
Could mean anything I have been on F & 6hours before take-off the flight is showing full.But once on the flight I have been ,or maybe just one other,passenger in F.Happens the other way as well flight showing empty on F & the flight is full. TITS
Oct 21, 2012, 1:45 pm
#33
Join Date: Jul 2004
Programs: DL; AA; UA; CO; LHLX; NZ; QR; EK; BA
Posts: 7,409
http://www.aviationweek.com/Article....p20-501718.xml
".....As a consequence, “Thai no longer plans to deploy its A380s to London, although it will still operate the aircraft to Frankfurt, where it links up with Star Alliance partner Lufthansa. To increase utilization, Thai plans to also operate its 507-seat A380s on some Asian sectors.
“Thai will not compete head-to-head with the Gulf carriers in the crowded Kangaroo route from the U.K. to Australia. Instead, we have put our luxury Airbus A340-600 aircraft twice-daily to Heathrow targeting the premium segment of the market,” says Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development Chokchai Panyayong....."
Oct 21, 2012, 9:12 pm
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Hong Kong, France
Programs: FB , BA Gold
Posts: 15,570
I have stopped flying TG between HKG and Europe for business, because their booking management is crazy. iI is often impossible to change a flight/date on revenue tickets F, P or A (which are discounted F) because the flights appear full in F (F0P0A0) while they are mostly empty. Without flexibility not possible to use TG for business. That happens long before the flight and/or a few days before.
Some time ago, a guy who seemed extremely knowledeable and said that he helped install a sophisticated (and common) yield management software a few years back. He mentioned that TG seldom used the system but rather did a manual management of each flight! Hence, zero open seats with zero actual bookings is quite possible. Some employee might have set the availability one day and never revise it for a long time.
On the other hand, when the F load seems quite low, it can be that pax upgrade at airport and that TG "friends" get seated in F. So the F cabin gets filled.
Oct 22, 2012, 4:08 am
#35
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK & Phuket
Programs: TG Plat
Posts: 314
I’m UK based and have used Thai some 4 or 5 times a year over the last 15 years to travel between London and Bangkok. It’s been a long slow decline from “delighted” to “hanging in there”.
The consistent unhelpful ways of the majority of the London office staff and unbelievable acidity of several of the (non Thai) LHR checkin agents I can handle … I just ignore it.
What is getting increasingly difficult to deal with is fare pricing and putting up with the wretched A340-600. I loathe this characterless tube with a passion. It has all the charisma of a pencil. The 747 is the queen of the skies for me and nobody will change my mind. I can only be grateful that we won’t be getting the wafer thin seats and 2 inches less legroom that constitute “improved service” on the purple whale. At least in the near term. Ah yes … save when the miles kindly place me up front once a year, I’m afraid the majority of my travel is down the back, and so my opinions are formed in respect to those cabins.
The consistent unhelpful ways of the majority of the London office staff and unbelievable acidity of several of the (non Thai) LHR checkin agents I can handle … I just ignore it.
What is getting increasingly difficult to deal with is fare pricing and putting up with the wretched A340-600. I loathe this characterless tube with a passion. It has all the charisma of a pencil. The 747 is the queen of the skies for me and nobody will change my mind. I can only be grateful that we won’t be getting the wafer thin seats and 2 inches less legroom that constitute “improved service” on the purple whale. At least in the near term. Ah yes … save when the miles kindly place me up front once a year, I’m afraid the majority of my travel is down the back, and so my opinions are formed in respect to those cabins.
I fly LHR-HKT about 8 or 9 times a year and have been in all 3 cabins, I cannot afford F or even C more than a couple of times particularly as I pay out of taxed income. Like many others I prefer F in a 747 but Y and C are way better in the A340-600 for reasons others have already stated.
There is another great advantage: the A340 has 20 more C seats but 100 less Y so as an ROP gold card holder the chances of a free upgrade are very much increased as Thai rightly will oversell Y. Earlier this year I was flying with my mother and we both got upgraded at the gate.
The A380 will not be used on the London route, there is no way they could fill it (profitably) unless they only flew once a day and no one is going to give up a Heathrow slot. They may put the 747s back on the route next year. Flying twice a day also means I can fly both ways as night flights, I am lucky, I can sleep 7 hours of the flight even in Y. Y can be awful on a day flight if you happen to be near the wrong people and you won't get much sleep in Y on a day flight.
To Phuket the alternatives such as Etihad, Qater and Emirates are just not viable because of the extra stop which can be several hours as well. SQ is possible which I have done including on the fine A380 but you fly one hour past Phuket on the way there and then have to put up with the awful Silk Air and no use of a lounge before the Silk Air flights. Changi is so much better though. Finally you have to do immigration at Phuket which is no fun if you are last off the plane and another international one landed just before you, possibly from Russia and full of people who get to the desk without completing the arrival card. Finally, have you checked out the prices of SQ lately? Everytime I look it is over Ł1000 for the flight times I would use.
The problem with the increased prices is, as ever, the thieving UK government which is a good part of the reasons I like to spend so much time away from the UK. Check out the UK tax element of your next booking.
Oct 22, 2012, 4:48 pm
#36
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 368
Please PM me the details of this star.
The SAS check-in staff are terrible.I am a Platinum card holder & I want to be fawned over till I'm sick
.The SAS lounge staff are slightly better at this.But I use the SQ F lounge anyway where they take care of my every whim.
Oct 22, 2012, 5:05 pm
#37
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 368
Very true.
Once on a 747 in F I was in seat 1A,where I always sit, & the captains wife wanted that seat but TG duty manager at LHR told her I was more important than her.She recounted this story to me when we shared the buggy to immigration at BKK.She was impressed.We later had dinner together but that's another story............
Oct 23, 2012, 4:07 am
#39
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 236
Very true.
Once on a 747 in F I was in seat 1A,where I always sit, & the captains wife wanted that seat but TG duty manager at LHR told her I was more important than her.She recounted this story to me when we shared the buggy to immigration at BKK.She was impressed.We later had dinner together but that's another story............
Once on a 747 in F I was in seat 1A,where I always sit, & the captains wife wanted that seat but TG duty manager at LHR told her I was more important than her.She recounted this story to me when we shared the buggy to immigration at BKK.She was impressed.We later had dinner together but that's another story............
Oct 23, 2012, 11:57 am
#42
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: BA, AA, SQ, UA, AC, WS, MR TIT
Posts: 8,661
Oct 23, 2012, 12:13 pm
#43
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 368
Oct 23, 2012, 5:33 pm
#44
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: SYD & 35K ft.
Programs: UA Gold, *A Gold - Qantas Club/Silver - Virgin Atlantic Silver
Posts: 1,911
I'd gladly take it back... And F is not bad on the A346... But the nose of the jumbo had a certain exclusivity about it!
Cheers,
AG. :-:
Oct 23, 2012, 9:34 pm
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
