BinSabai

thanks wordchild for your facts!
THBE claimed that he had also 3 flights with Thai VVIP but still has not delivered any details about the impact on his flight experience

wordchild

for me no real issues with the flight experience , if anything the staff seemed to try a bit harder to make sure i was looked after. there were a couple of things that i guess must be standard with travelling the most senior VVTIP that may irritate some but did not bother me; 1) one of the toilets was reserved for the exclusive use of the VVIP , and 2) i was asked to remain seated on landing untill the VVIP and party had got off, probably around 5/6 minutes delay, for the LHR arrival and a little longer at BKK. All of this was explained to me clearly , with apologies from the CSD, at the beginning of the flight. May have bothered some. Living in Thailand i understand the special status of the person concerned so i understood, had it been a lesser TVIP (eg a mere politician!) i might have been a little irritated by this. The main thing for me was that my flight was not changed and i was not downgraded (though my seat was moved, to be further from the VVIP 3k not 1k as i remember), and i felt the staff handled everything very well.

BinSabai

for "mere politician" they don't do this. Have seen ministers sitting beside normal passengers (westerners), who probably did not even know

transpac

I confess to not following this ZRH kerfuffle, even though it has been all over the TV news, social media and print media here.

The current stance of the company seems to lay blame upon the station chief and the captain.

One can easily comprehend why the "authorities", and the ruling military junta, dislike social media and have further reinforced the Computer Crimes Act. In the past, these sorts of incidents would have been brushed under the carpet.


THAI to discipline staff over seating fiasco

Thai Airways International (THAI) has found that the flight captain and the Zurich station chief acted unethically in causing the delay of a Zurich-Bangkok flight during a pilot-passenger seating row. The...

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/gen...seating-fiasco


In other news, the Guangzhou cock-up last week also has people roiled up...but at least it beats running off the runway, which TG flights from Guangzhou are prone to do.

THAI again under fire after Guangzhou flight cancelled

Thai Airways International (THAI) on Tuesday issued another statement apologising and insisting its passenger care meets all international standards.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/gen...ight-cancelled

Thai-Kiwi

In this case TG668 BKK-CAN was a 77W HS-TKR. Once the fault was rectified it returned to BKK the following day 29 Oct as TG6699 (or TG669D).

Interestingly, the next 2 BKK-CAN-BKK TG668/669 flights were operated by 744 (on 29 and 30 Oct) - perhaps to help recover stranded pax? That said, this route seems to have a real mix of types operating - 744, 773, 77W, 359 ...

oh_lol

What are some examples of Thai VVIP? Do they only extend to the royal family?

BinSabai

i do not think that those of us living in thailand would like to discuss such a subject on a public board. It might be possible to identify the person behind a certain handle,,,

Creole Spirit

http://www.orientaviation.com/articles/3982/thai’s-sumeth-faces-first-leadership-test

Thai Airways International (THAI) new president, 53-year-old Sumeth Damrongchaitham, received a dictum from Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister, Somkid Jatusripitak, when he took over at the carrier in September: complete a new rehabilitation plan for the airline within three months. ....

Creole Spirit

THAI's loss doubles in Q3

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/tra...-doubles-in-q3

BinSabai

in the Bangkok Post, some figures seem to be mixed up (operating costs); this article gives some more details:
https://www.marketscreener.com/THAI-...ntent=20181108

andyptrav

My experience when flying F LHR-BKK with Princess Ubolratana was exactly the same: moved to 3K but only 2 or 3 F seats were taken, the rest in business and seemingly some in Y as they went down the stairs at the front. I also have to say the princess was absolutely charming and addressed us all on departure.

Creole Spirit

Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) is restructuring its salary system as it seeks to retain pilots.

The “pay per box” system is expected to take effect from the start of next year.
THAI president Sumeth Damrongchaitham, said that following an October discussion, the airline’s pilots have agreed with the firm to adopt the pay-per-box system to set fair pilot salaries.
An identified source from THAI said that, the pay-per-box system will combine the allowances and overtime pay of all pilots, with the combined amount then allocated to each pilot according to the actual hours worked. The new system, proposed in the hope of slowing down the departure of pilots from the airline, is expected to take effect on January 1, 2019.
(source: PILOT RETENTION INCENTIVE)

tg911

Plane shortage leads to THAI’s 10 percent loss of market share in past 3 months.

Thai Airways International has lost 10 percent of its market share in the past three years due to a shortage of aircraft and if it wants to restore the market share it needs to have at least 125 aircraft, said THAI president Sumeth Damrongchaitham.

The national flag carrier has recently submitted its business plan which includes the procurement of a new fleet of aircraft to the board for consideration and if the business plan is approved by the board, then the plan is likely to go to the Cabinet in December, he added.

While THAI is awaiting the arrival of the new fleet which is to be delivered in two years, Sumeth said the airline has Plan B to rent aircraft to supplement its current fleet in order to accommodate passengers especially during the high season.

He indicated that the number of aircraft to be rented is yet to be determined but it must correspond with the number of planes under maintenance.

Regarding the business alliance plan, the THAI president said the national flag carrier planned to join hands with its ally to expand flights to the United States after the US FAA has upgraded the status of Thailand from Category 2 to Category 1.

Lately, he disclosed that THAI had partnered with Spring Airlines, China’s biggest low-cost airline, to accommodate Chinese tourists who want to travel to Thailand during the high season from December to next February.

THAI’s load factor during the October-November period stood at 78 percent due to 10 percent drop in tourist arrivals from China.
https://www.thaipbsworld.com/plane-s...past-3-months/

dsquared37

Which is it, 3 years or 3 months?

CPH-Flyer

Another question, how much did the market grow in the same period, and what is their definition of market? There is a certain market growth fuelled by LCCs, which I doubt should be in the sights of TG to gain shares in. But then again they do seem to want to work with an LCC for Chinese tourists, so maybe they do see the full market as their market.