UK travellers to thailand

[geespot]

Im off home for a couple of weeks, so have been looking at flights and prices

Im plumping for Emirates (heard really good reports about them)

They are now flying to Bangkok via Dubai (usually about a 3 hour stopover) from Glasgow, Birmingham & Manchester as well as London

My quote to Glasgow 29400 baht return, seem really good to me

G

[river]

Good Airline great prices flown them plenty of times.

[butterflyblonde]

Originally Posted by geespot

Im off home for a couple of weeks, so have been looking at flights and prices

Im plumping for Emirates (heard really good reports about them)

They are now flying to Bangkok via Dubai (usually about a 3 hour stopover) from Glasgow, Birmingham & Manchester as well as London

My quote to Glasgow 29400 baht return, seem really good to me

G

Iv'e used them twice now Gee and would generally say they are decent.

Good choice of entertainment on the TV screen on the back of the seat in front of you, comedy,sport,movies & games.

Food ain't too bad either but I rate the food on Thai air a little more.

The leg room is slightly less than Thai air as well, but at this time of year I found the plane had empty seats both ways so you may find it easier to get those seats by the exit doors for extra comfort.

Dubai airport is pretty cool if you haven't seen it and had some pretty good shopping when you go down the escalators. Also has UFO's on the ceiling with steam bellowing out ????

Dubai airport also seems to be the largest refugee camp you ever seen in your life, many travellers dressed in robes from various countries around the world all huddled together sleeping on the floors. ??

Only think to watch out for is the flight between Dubai and the UK can get a little bumpy, both times Iv'e used this airline this has been the case and the last time things got a little crazy on the journey out. Something about the air pockets over those middle eastern areas.

Hope you have a good flight & in general they are as good an airline as you can get.

[Paddy]

Hi Geespot.

I fly Emirates a lot, they're pretty good, but I can't work out the pricing structure.

The price you paid for your ticket means that it costs less to fly BKK-Dubai-Glasgow than it costs to fly BKK-Dubai!

I called them the other week for a price and they were asking 3,300 dirhams (that's about 33,000 baht), so I flew Etihad which charged about the same as that to fly Business Class.

It's crazy. I'm actually going to speak to someone at Emirates and try to find out how this works. I'll let you all know if I can make any sense out of it.

[Hep]

Originally Posted by Paddy

Hi Geespot.

The price you paid for your ticket means that it costs less to fly BKK-Dubai-Glasgow than it costs to fly BKK-Dubai!

.....

It's crazy. I'm actually going to speak to someone at Emirates and try to find out how this works. I'll let you all know if I can make any sense out of it.

That can easily be true Paddy. Airlines offer what is called "through-fares" and they are often cheaper than flying just from A to B.

Basically airlines offer cheaper fares away from their homemarket to get customers. A BKK-DXB would be once price and a BKK-DXB-GLA (Glasgow) would be another lower price becuase Emirates would be able to fill a seat on the DXB-GLA route.

This is very common with airlines and it can be a very good idea to "shop" around before you buy your ticket. Every airline are interested in getting customers outside of their homemarket so they usually have some very competitive fares away from home.

As an example I had to go from Copenhagen to San Fransisco some months ago. I checked Scandinavian Airlines webpage and found that a business class fare out of Copenhagen was € 4000,- Now that was a bit over the top so I checked the price for a Helsinki-Copenhagen-San Fransisco ticket because Finland is a market where SAS is in competition with Finnair so they offer some good deals. I got my business class ticket from Helsinki - Copenhagen - Finland for € 2500 by buying it from SAS in Finland.

The catch is that you have to fly out of Helsinki though.. You cannot just board the plane in Copenhagen because you would violate their rules and not be allowed on the plane. Therefore I had to buy a Copenhagen - Helsinki return ticket on the side, but that was like € 180 so I saved € 1320 by doing this.

I saved money like this on all major airlines..

[geespot]

Well here's another little teaser got a quote on line with emirates, like this:

log in as located in thailand and fly BKK-DXB-GLA return - price incl tax 29,800 baht
log in as located in UK and fly GLA-DBX-BKK return - price £570 incl tax

ok so convert price of TB to £ @ 29,800 baht, est = £408

Its pretty obvious as has been going on for a number of years, UK citizens are easy targets to rip off, hence the title rip off Britain

G

[Paddy]

I know a bloke who works for Emirates. He's quite senior, although not actually in the ticketing department, he's in the sales and marketing side - which you would think would have some sort of handle on pricing as it affects their side of the operation. But I saw him in the bar the other night and asked him how they fix their prices. He said he's often wondered that himself and that it baffles him as much as anyone else!

[crazymenace]

I'm flying Emirates, Manchester - Dubai - Bkk return : Bkk- Dubai - Birmingham

cost me £560 BUT i can extend my flights up to 3 months i think for an extra £75 i think which aint too bad. then again it's my first flight to Thailand so i don't really know if i'm getting a bum deal. Still i sold my P.O.S. Motorbike and make enough for the tickets any way

[Tyfon]

Originally Posted by geespot

Its pretty obvious as has been going on for a number of years, UK citizens are easy targets to rip off, hence the title rip off Britain
G

Used to be the case with US-UK flights - much cheaper to buy US airline tickets direct through their US website than UK agent. Not so much now since the Internet 'took-off' and company's like Expedia and Lastminute etc. pulled prices down. Also the cooperation between airlines on either side of the Atlantic has levelled the field. Perhaps this will come to other destinations soon as well (e.g. Emirates and Thai share between LON and BKK via Dubai).

Cheers,

K.

[LivinLOS]

Originally Posted by geespot

Well here's another little teaser got a quote on line with emirates, like this:

log in as located in thailand and fly BKK-DXB-GLA return - price incl tax 29,800 baht
log in as located in UK and fly GLA-DBX-BKK return - price £570 incl tax

ok so convert price of TB to £ @ 29,800 baht, est = £408

Its pretty obvious as has been going on for a number of years, UK citizens are easy targets to rip off, hence the title rip off Britain

G

Nearly always the way that asia -> Europe -> asia is cheaper than the reverse.. Hence why my brother (who is constantly back and forth with him and his girl) did a single and ever since then run open returns out of asia and back..

[LivinLOS]

Originally Posted by geespot

Well here's another little teaser got a quote on line with emirates, like this:

log in as located in thailand and fly BKK-DXB-GLA return - price incl tax 29,800 baht
log in as located in UK and fly GLA-DBX-BKK return - price £570 incl tax

ok so convert price of TB to £ @ 29,800 baht, est = £408

Its pretty obvious as has been going on for a number of years, UK citizens are easy targets to rip off, hence the title rip off Britain

G

Nearly always the way that asia -> Europe -> asia is cheaper than the reverse.. Hence why my brother (who is constantly back and forth with him and his girl) did a single and ever since then run open returns out of asia and back..

[Sirgezza]

Originally Posted by geespot

Well here's another little teaser got a quote on line with emirates, like this:

log in as located in thailand and fly BKK-DXB-GLA return - price incl tax 29,800 baht
log in as located in UK and fly GLA-DBX-BKK return - price £570 incl tax

ok so convert price of TB to £ @ 29,800 baht, est = £408

Its pretty obvious as has been going on for a number of years, UK citizens are easy targets to rip off, hence the title rip off Britain

G

I remember a thread a few weeks ago where I said I paid £470 for a flight to BKK return from Heathrow. You said that it was expensive compared to the flight you paid BKK - Glasgow - BKK. I guessed at that point that there was ''dual pricing''.

The same happens in the UK with trains. When I lived in London it was more expensive to travel London - wales - London, than it was Wales - London -Wales.

[Dodger]

Another option is to fly as a courier for the airline, I have done this a few times for BA. You give them a return date, they check to see if they require a package bringing back, usually they do most days, the only gamble you take is the nearer the time you wish to fly the lower the cost but you risk someone else booking the date. Prices alter all year but as a rule of thumb direct return flight to BKK from Heathrow approx £400ish reducing to £300 if left nearer the time. This was the cost in September last year and again in December. I'm next going in August and have already telephoned for current cost, they quoted £480 but then its 2 months before and it will reduce as said. Telephone number 0870 3200301. Before you get suspicious there is nothing dodgy, the parcel/envelope is checked in BKK and passed through customs and sealed, you pick it up at last check in desk and drop it off in Heathrow. I have noticed most other airlines offer courier flights but have not given it much research yet, the only thing that baffles me is why don't they just give the parcel to the air stewardess and get her to drop it off? when I got my flight for £300 they were quoting almost £700 for the same seat normal price, just don't make sense.

[Dodger]

Just telephoned around today to arrange for next tour. BA direct was £767, Thai was £629, Quatar with 2 hour stop over in Dohar was £519, BA courier direct flight was £450 in august £390 in July, both will reduce if leave it to closer the time. Does anyone have any experience of courier flights with other airlines?