Has Thai Air Lost Its Mind?
 

Just a few hours ago, there was yet another message on my answering machine that said to call Thai Air due to ANOTHER schedule change. Now, those of you who've been following this saga, know the headache this has all been...to say the least.
So, on the phone I went and on hold for about 15 minutes. Then I was told that there's been an aircraft change and a time change...AGAIN? I really didn't want to hear what the new time was as I had just contacted my serviced apartment building around week before last and asked if I could have my apartment a day early...as Thai Air had changed things around so and scheduled me to arrive the night before my original arrival date.

Plus, I will also have to miss a
day's work and lose a day's salary to leave on an afternoon flight instead of a night flight and then also pay for another night in BK at my building.

So, I thought...what now? Well, thank goodness the NEW time change was only about an hour difference from the last time change which was nearly an 11 hour difference, I think it was, from the ORIGINAL time change. A mess!
Then, I was told that I had been put in Business Class to BK and Economy from BK. You remember when I was told that I had been put in Business Class both ways and then 6 days later found a machine message saying that it was a computer error and that I'd really been bumped from the now non-existent Premier Economy down to regular Economy.

So, I just basically won't believe
anything until I'm on the plane.
I've flown them for nearly a decade, but this has been more than irritating and I've really about had it. Happy Travels!

So you have what you had before only an hour different.

Guen, I'm curious what the schedule change is?

We're booked on the same flights in December in Biz Class and I don't see any changes to the schedule at all on their site.

Still shows as departing at 12:10 PM from LAX and departing from BKK at 7:30 AM (on the return) on Thai's website.

Filmwil...I don't have the old paperwork in front of me, and didn't have it in front of me when I talked with them. But, I said to the person, on the phone, that it sounded like there might have been a change of time of about an hour and she said, "yes". The schedule you just mentioned sounds like the schedule I was just given today. They've called so much that who knows what they're talking about. Happy Travels!

Guen
You fly out of LAX don'y you? have you ever considered EVA? we have found them GREAT value for money (i guess the routing for you would be TPE-BKK?)and their Buisiness class product is way cheaper than Thai and we found it to be excellent. Their prem economy (Elite) looks great too and a friend of mine who has flown Thai Biz for 10 years said he will now switch to Eva after using them this year (and he flew prem ecconomy on Eva)

I have flown EVA (Evergreen) on every flight over so far. This last time I tried Thai (Prem Econ)

Frankly, I preferred EVA. That long haul is just too long. I think I need the little walkabout in Taipei.

Thai changed my flights a bunch of times and it ain't over yet.

I'm not necessarily holding that over them....I know the airlines are all having to make some adjustments to stay in business. But I don't think I'll fly them again.

In the past whenever I needed to deal with Thai on the telephone, I found it a lot more worthwhile to call them in Bangkok, and not their US number. The Bangkok people are enormously more knowledgeable than the US counterparts, at least in my experience.

As for switching to another airline, I'm with United and Delta, so need partners of those two airlines.

Plus,the mileage that I get on these S.E. Asia vacations,usually twice a year, is what adds up and gets me my free plane tickets to Europe in the spring. Happy Travels!

Smeagol...Funny you should mention Eva. I said to the person, on the phone, that folks are irritated with Thai Air and are switching to Eva. There was dead silence for quite a while. Happy Travels!

well lets hope they get the message and stop all this swapping about with flights.....

As for calling Thai Air in BK, it's good that it works for you, but I'm not running up my phone bill calling them plus having to deal with the time difference. They need to get their act together here...or else they'll be losing customers.
They have told, me a few times that they didn't have an answer to a question because they had to wait for BK to contact them which is understandable, but other times I can ask several people the same question and get different answers. Happy Travels!

Guenmai, sounds like a mess! Hope it all works out for you in the long run. Hope you get BIZ both directions for all the trouble they've put you through.

Aloha from HNL, by the way.....

Carol

I forgot the Honolulu GTG is this weekend. It's too bad that I couldn't make it this year. I'll really miss you all. I was wondering where the regulars were on this forum. I guess Bob and Karen are over there,too.

I'll also miss dragging you to the Shanghai Tang store in Ala Moana like last year. But, we can always drag each other into the one at Paragon when we hook up in Bk in December.

guenmai
We miss you out here in the islands. B and K and DS and I spent the day together yesterday, driving around the island. It was lovely!

Yes, I'll make it to the mall without you this year, I guess. But Paragon awaits...

Carol

You certainly have lots of Star Alliance options from LAX.

Who flies from LAX that's hooked up with either United or Delta? I know Singapore Air does, but do you know, off the top of your head which other ones do? I don't have time to research it now. Happy Travels!

Guen, I believe (flying West from LAX) your options are:

Thai
Singapore
ANA
Asiana

There are, of course, other options if you fly East via Europe, but who wants to do that?

Sure: All Nippon Airways, Asiana, Air Canada, and of course United, Thai, and Singapore. I think China Airlines too. You could even fly SWISS or Lufthansa.

Air China not China Airlines.

A stopover in Zurich enroute to BKK sounds like it might be fun. I think it is about 6 hours more flying than going west. Higher priced, tho.

Oh, Air China connects in Beijing. I think a Chinese visa would be required just to transit PEK.