Bangkok Airways Snafu
 

Dealing with the Indian call center guys for Bangkok Airways is impossible. I randomly looked up my flight out of Luang Prabang to Siem Reap in a few weeks to confirm the departure time and it wasn't showing up - so after an hour of trying to communicate this with the call center operators and to see what my options might be, all I can get is that the flight is "showing up as unconfirmed" (without any explanation of what that means) and they will have to check with "the head office in Bangkok" on Monday. Has anyone run into this type of problem before?

I had a different problem but it may console you to get some responses, even if they are not on point.

When I asked our Luang Prabang hotel on August 5 to confirm our forward going flight to Bangkok -- something they routinely do -- I unleashed a torrent of misunderstandings and confusion. Apparently our paper tickets issued in the states in June for August travel were no longer acceptable and had to be switched for e-tickets. Go figure why this was a huge problem. We spent a ridiculous amount of time untangling the problem. Bangkok Air seemed over- matched by a routine challenge but it worked out.

I hope that someone else can be more helpful than I and that you straighten this out. The few times that I have flown Bangkok Air, they have been quite delightful. They have very hospitable post check-in lounges, for example.

Nontaco-you might try calling Bangkok Air in Thailand.

i think they still have a CA office, so if you call at hours when a CA office might answer, you might have better luck....also try e mail

tell them in india that you wish to speak to the usa office...

Call when the California office is open - you should get them.

I don't think that Siem Reap Airlines (Bangkok Air) flies this route in the summer months. This year they start this on Nov/1.

During the summer months Laos Air partners with Vietnam Air for daily flights except for Tues/Sun.

If you are travelling in Aug/Sep then it can only be with Vietnam Air.

I, too, had trouble wtih Bangkok Airways and the Discovery Pass. Every time I called, I got a different response. I spent hours on the phone trying to sort out the flights. On the last attempt, the guy kept trying to pressure me to go and fax my credit card info immediately. When I suggested that my travel companion could take care of it in Singapore, he insisted that I'd have to pay a higher price. He also told me that there would be a charge to change the dates even though the website said otherwise. In the end, my friend went to the office in Singapore and booked it in 20 minutes. We were able to change the flight dates with no charge. Sometimes it helps to call back or try a different number.

my experience with the indian call centers is that you don't ask them questions....you call and make your res based on your reviews of the flts they have available on line....have flt #'s and times and days when you call and things work pretty well that way...

Well all's well that ends well. I got a call this morning from the NYC Bangkok Air office - apparently the Lao Airlines flight to Siem Reap (connecting through Pakse) isn't running right now - so I'm either going to get on a direct flight on August 30 on Vietnam Air to Siem Reap from Luang Prabang (if they can swing this since apparently its not on the Discovery Airpass but seem like they'll try since I'm already being screwed a bit) or leave a day earlier and connect through Bangkok to Siem Reap. Of course, it was through detective work/random luck I found out that this flight was in question anyway!

did they give you a direct number thru to the NY office??

No - not sure if it was the Indian call center actually following up with the Bangkok office, which followed up with the NYC office - or if a random email I sent to the customer service email did the trick. But I randomly got a call from the NYC office regarding my problem - they are supposed to send someone over tomorrow to exchange my old paper ticket for a new one (don't ask me why they can't just issue me a new e-ticket).