Thai is getting VERY unattractive from London
Oct 16, 2012, 1:16 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 18
Thai is getting VERY unattractive from London
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.
After 15 years there still seems no logic to fares. Take for example my upcoming trips. I’m off to HKT in a few weeks and the ticket cost me Ł600 or so in Q class to get the miles. I want to now book for January and April, each a straightforward LHR/BKK/HKT return. Ł900 its showing for January and a stupid Ł4K full fare Y in April. I’ve invested in KVS which helps me avoid problems with busy dates … ie I can see where the busy days are and move to less busy ones to get a decent fare. But this isn’t possible for Jan and April … there aren’t any reasonable priced fares. My options in the past have just been to keep trying again and again as the dates draw closer, hoping that a decent fare comes up. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. There has to be a better way than this ! Am I going to be forced on to Qatar/Etihad/Emirates/EVA? Even SQ is an option with continued silly TG prices from London.
I often read on the forum “get a good travel agent”. Well I’d love to! Where are they hiding in the UK? My options are Airline Network/Gold Medal/e-bookers and the like. The staff know little and turnover is horrendous. If you are UK based and know of a decent travel agent … please share!
Returning to my problem with the A340. It pains me that 747’s are wafting regularly in and out of Scandinavian and German airports (all a short direct hop from my local airport BHX) and that there is potential here to kill two birds with one stone by travelling from BHX and thus (1) avoiding the hell that is London Heathrow (2) connecting on to a Thai 747. So try going to Airline Network and getting them to do something with this plan ... stem cell research is easier (and cheaper).
I’d really appreciate guidance from UK based TG travellers for better ways to get my trips booked ahead at reasonable fares and how to exploit the European network to better meet my needs. Thanks!
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.
After 15 years there still seems no logic to fares. Take for example my upcoming trips. I’m off to HKT in a few weeks and the ticket cost me Ł600 or so in Q class to get the miles. I want to now book for January and April, each a straightforward LHR/BKK/HKT return. Ł900 its showing for January and a stupid Ł4K full fare Y in April. I’ve invested in KVS which helps me avoid problems with busy dates … ie I can see where the busy days are and move to less busy ones to get a decent fare. But this isn’t possible for Jan and April … there aren’t any reasonable priced fares. My options in the past have just been to keep trying again and again as the dates draw closer, hoping that a decent fare comes up. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. There has to be a better way than this ! Am I going to be forced on to Qatar/Etihad/Emirates/EVA? Even SQ is an option with continued silly TG prices from London.
I often read on the forum “get a good travel agent”. Well I’d love to! Where are they hiding in the UK? My options are Airline Network/Gold Medal/e-bookers and the like. The staff know little and turnover is horrendous. If you are UK based and know of a decent travel agent … please share!
Returning to my problem with the A340. It pains me that 747’s are wafting regularly in and out of Scandinavian and German airports (all a short direct hop from my local airport BHX) and that there is potential here to kill two birds with one stone by travelling from BHX and thus (1) avoiding the hell that is London Heathrow (2) connecting on to a Thai 747. So try going to Airline Network and getting them to do something with this plan ... stem cell research is easier (and cheaper).
I’d really appreciate guidance from UK based TG travellers for better ways to get my trips booked ahead at reasonable fares and how to exploit the European network to better meet my needs. Thanks!
Oct 16, 2012, 3:22 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Singapore
Programs: TG Platinum, SQ Gold, Gold - you're indestructable...
Posts: 433
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.
After 15 years there still seems no logic to fares. Take for example my upcoming trips. I’m off to HKT in a few weeks and the ticket cost me Ł600 or so in Q class to get the miles. I want to now book for January and April, each a straightforward LHR/BKK/HKT return. Ł900 its showing for January and a stupid Ł4K full fare Y in April. I’ve invested in KVS which helps me avoid problems with busy dates … ie I can see where the busy days are and move to less busy ones to get a decent fare. But this isn’t possible for Jan and April … there aren’t any reasonable priced fares. My options in the past have just been to keep trying again and again as the dates draw closer, hoping that a decent fare comes up. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. There has to be a better way than this ! Am I going to be forced on to Qatar/Etihad/Emirates/EVA? Even SQ is an option with continued silly TG prices from London.
I often read on the forum “get a good travel agent”. Well I’d love to! Where are they hiding in the UK? My options are Airline Network/Gold Medal/e-bookers and the like. The staff know little and turnover is horrendous. If you are UK based and know of a decent travel agent … please share!
Returning to my problem with the A340. It pains me that 747’s are wafting regularly in and out of Scandinavian and German airports (all a short direct hop from my local airport BHX) and that there is potential here to kill two birds with one stone by travelling from BHX and thus (1) avoiding the hell that is London Heathrow (2) connecting on to a Thai 747. So try going to Airline Network and getting them to do something with this plan ... stem cell research is easier (and cheaper).
I’d really appreciate guidance from UK based TG travellers for better ways to get my trips booked ahead at reasonable fares and how to exploit the European network to better meet my needs. Thanks!
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.
After 15 years there still seems no logic to fares. Take for example my upcoming trips. I’m off to HKT in a few weeks and the ticket cost me Ł600 or so in Q class to get the miles. I want to now book for January and April, each a straightforward LHR/BKK/HKT return. Ł900 its showing for January and a stupid Ł4K full fare Y in April. I’ve invested in KVS which helps me avoid problems with busy dates … ie I can see where the busy days are and move to less busy ones to get a decent fare. But this isn’t possible for Jan and April … there aren’t any reasonable priced fares. My options in the past have just been to keep trying again and again as the dates draw closer, hoping that a decent fare comes up. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. There has to be a better way than this ! Am I going to be forced on to Qatar/Etihad/Emirates/EVA? Even SQ is an option with continued silly TG prices from London.
I often read on the forum “get a good travel agent”. Well I’d love to! Where are they hiding in the UK? My options are Airline Network/Gold Medal/e-bookers and the like. The staff know little and turnover is horrendous. If you are UK based and know of a decent travel agent … please share!
Returning to my problem with the A340. It pains me that 747’s are wafting regularly in and out of Scandinavian and German airports (all a short direct hop from my local airport BHX) and that there is potential here to kill two birds with one stone by travelling from BHX and thus (1) avoiding the hell that is London Heathrow (2) connecting on to a Thai 747. So try going to Airline Network and getting them to do something with this plan ... stem cell research is easier (and cheaper).
I’d really appreciate guidance from UK based TG travellers for better ways to get my trips booked ahead at reasonable fares and how to exploit the European network to better meet my needs. Thanks!
What we do (as we are THAT geeky) is connect in Frankfurt. I know, insane, but I share your view that the 744 is the Queen of the Skies! So I'm happy to jump off and then take a BA or EU flight into Heathrow - or even City - as it's so much easier...
But that might be perceived as insane. But man, I share your view about my hate of the 346... I hear that the 380 will be on London next year - praise be (But I'll always love the 744)...
Oct 16, 2012, 4:02 am
#3
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: VZ
Programs: M&M, ROP, KrisFlyer
Posts: 1,028
the 747 will continue to be deployed on the BKK-MUC-route with perfect connections to BHX - but TG will most probably not offer any attractive fares from the UK via Germany as they are apparently not aware of the business opportunities and unfortunately instead only focusing on the direct routes between Thailand and the respective countries.
Oct 16, 2012, 4:07 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,656
I often read on the forum “get a good travel agent”. Well I’d love to! Where are they hiding in the UK? My options are Airline Network/Gold Medal/e-bookers and the like. The staff know little and turnover is horrendous. If you are UK based and know of a decent travel agent … please share!
Oct 16, 2012, 4:40 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold (and other non-status plastic)
Posts: 1,889
Ugh, no, not Trailfinders, great service but you pay a massive surcharge for the privilege - Ł100 or more on a J class ticket. Whenever I call and say, "why can't you match Expedia/ebookers/Netflights", I get some diatribe about good service and ATOL bonding etc etc
Anyway, back to the OP, for TG fares, I always use WestEast travel, in all classes of travel. And while the 747s are nice and spacious, surely the A340s are newer, quieter, fewer seats across and at least have AVOD? Much prefer the A340s (albeit I've never flown them in the back of the 'bus
)
However, for HKT, I'd definitely also be looking at QR/EK/MH as well as TG (albeit probably not QR in Y class until they do something about DOH airport)
Anyway, back to the OP, for TG fares, I always use WestEast travel, in all classes of travel. And while the 747s are nice and spacious, surely the A340s are newer, quieter, fewer seats across and at least have AVOD? Much prefer the A340s (albeit I've never flown them in the back of the 'bus
)However, for HKT, I'd definitely also be looking at QR/EK/MH as well as TG (albeit probably not QR in Y class until they do something about DOH airport)
Oct 16, 2012, 4:51 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Singapore
Programs: TG Platinum, SQ Gold, Gold - you're indestructable...
Posts: 433
Ugh, no, not Trailfinders, great service but you pay a massive surcharge for the privilege - Ł100 or more on a J class ticket. Whenever I call and say, "why can't you match Expedia/ebookers/Netflights", I get some diatribe about good service and ATOL bonding etc etc
Anyway, back to the OP, for TG fares, I always use WestEast travel, in all classes of travel. And while the 747s are nice and spacious, surely the A340s are newer, quieter, fewer seats across and at least have AVOD? Much prefer the A340s (albeit I've never flown them in the back of the 'bus)
However, for HKT, I'd definitely also be looking at QR/EK/MH as well as TG (albeit probably not QR in Y class until they do something about DOH airport)
Anyway, back to the OP, for TG fares, I always use WestEast travel, in all classes of travel. And while the 747s are nice and spacious, surely the A340s are newer, quieter, fewer seats across and at least have AVOD? Much prefer the A340s (albeit I've never flown them in the back of the 'bus
)However, for HKT, I'd definitely also be looking at QR/EK/MH as well as TG (albeit probably not QR in Y class until they do something about DOH airport)
In J the 744 is much better (better seat with proper legrest not springy) and has avod (actually so do some refitted 744 in Y too)... More space in J on 744 for sure and i think better software and service flow (snack bar set up etc.)
Oct 16, 2012, 6:03 am
#7
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: SYD & 35K ft.
Programs: UA Gold, *A Gold - Qantas Club/Silver - Virgin Atlantic Silver
Posts: 1,911
I LOVE the 747! And do love the UD C and nose F...
But, I also enjoyed the A346 birds during their short deployment to SYD... They are a quiet, smooth ride... And there was never a concern about boarding an 'old' 747 iron bird!
But agree, sad to see the queen of the skies fading away... Hopefully more airlines will buy the 747-8!
Cheers,
AG. :-:
But, I also enjoyed the A346 birds during their short deployment to SYD... They are a quiet, smooth ride... And there was never a concern about boarding an 'old' 747 iron bird!
But agree, sad to see the queen of the skies fading away... Hopefully more airlines will buy the 747-8!
Cheers,
AG. :-:
Oct 16, 2012, 9:33 am
#8
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: KKC/TPA
Programs: All statuses lapsed; now I'm just a free-agent, and loving it!
Posts: 1,245
Can't offer anything regarding your complaints about the fares. But with respect to economy cabin 744 vs A346, I have to say that unless you travel in groups of 3 or 4, A340 is the way to go. With the 3-4-3 seating in the 747, either me or the gf is going to be stuck in a center seat, with a stranger next to us. If traveling alone, I'm either in an aisle with possibly a couple next to me, or in a window, two seats away from the aisle with (possibly) a couple next to me.
In the A340, it's 2-4-2 seating. Much better for couples and singles.
Don't know who coined the term "Queen of the skies", but it always made me wonder what aircraft was the King? A-380?
Characterless tube? Subway carriage? Try riding in a Swearingen Metroliner. Noisy, and seats like sitting on a milk crate. Now that was like getting a ride in a sewer pipe with windows and wings!
As for the 744, this article helps explain a few things, and even quotes THAI Airways:
Boeing's 747-400: A faded queen of the skies?
In the A340, it's 2-4-2 seating. Much better for couples and singles.
Don't know who coined the term "Queen of the skies", but it always made me wonder what aircraft was the King? A-380?
Characterless tube? Subway carriage? Try riding in a Swearingen Metroliner. Noisy, and seats like sitting on a milk crate. Now that was like getting a ride in a sewer pipe with windows and wings!
As for the 744, this article helps explain a few things, and even quotes THAI Airways:
Boeing's 747-400: A faded queen of the skies?
Oct 16, 2012, 9:49 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold (and other non-status plastic)
Posts: 1,889
More importantly, the A340 has way more J seats than the 744. Most pax seem to want to pile into the front J cabin, generally leaving the smaller rear J cabin empty. I've always had a spare seat (in fact, often a spare row) next to me on the A340, both to LHR and SYD - but rarely (in fact, never) on the 744
So, I'm definitely with the A340, but YMMV, obviously...
Oct 16, 2012, 10:10 am
#10
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: most of them
Posts: 3,283
with regard to the prices....of course Jan is still high season, so no surprise there that fares are a bit higher since demand is greater. Likewise, April is Songkran. Flights are busy that month. It could also be the case that they just haven't loaded discount fare classes yet for 6 months from now.
Oct 16, 2012, 10:19 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Warks.England
Programs: Thai Silver,Skywards Silver,Gulf Silver, Interconti Prority Platinum, FR Priority Q!
Posts: 697
"and a stupid Ł4K full fare Y in April."
That is the price I have paid,online to TG, for an F LHR/BKK/LHR fully flexible return,peak period over New Year. Quite happy to travel down from BHX for that-I tried the EK connection on my last trip and arrived in BKK truly knackered after a change in Dubai.
That is the price I have paid,online to TG, for an F LHR/BKK/LHR fully flexible return,peak period over New Year. Quite happy to travel down from BHX for that-I tried the EK connection on my last trip and arrived in BKK truly knackered after a change in Dubai.
Oct 16, 2012, 4:31 pm
#13
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: SYD & 35K ft.
Programs: UA Gold, *A Gold - Qantas Club/Silver - Virgin Atlantic Silver
Posts: 1,911
