How full do the Thai Airways flights get on the LHR-BKK route?

[Gus]

I always fly Eva from LHR to BKK but their flights are nearly always full, even on Mondays and Tuesdays and that means the seating is somewhat cramped.

Eva Airs fares are usually the lowest for direct flights, also the airline is now known and used by many families, couples etc, so with these combinations plus the down sizing of the aircraft I expect BR067/068 to be usually fulllish.

The Premium Economy (Elite) fares are about £400 more than economy and in my opinion not worth it.

 

Therefore I am assessing alternatives.

 

Thai fly twice a day to BKK from LHR, is the mid day flight less crowded than the night flight? Also is the midnight return flight less crowded than the mid afternoon flight.

I can book for any day of the week to help with the seat availability.

 

Emirates business class is only £1900 with free pick up and drop offs, plus a business seat on the A380 from Dubai to BKK, but it is nevertheless still money which would be better spent elsewhere. :-)

[bigmick]

Thai airways flights will be busier over the Christmas period and New Year. I have flown with them out of LHR many times and i have found the lunch time flights always less busier than the night time. This flight usually gets into BKK early morning and i find myself in need of a good sleep by lunch time, but that sets me up for the night time. I have always found the night flights back to the UK on any airline always busier because people (I think) use this flight to try to get some sleep. Now if i go back, and it looks like i may be going via LHR to Africa next year every month - i will try to use EVA or Emirates. I don't like Thai airways much and i find their service and planes are not very good. Have you looked at BA? They have lunch time and night flights usually the same sort of times as Thai.

[CheshireTom]

Have you looked at BA? They have lunch time and night flights usually the same sort of times as Thai.

 

BA has one daily flight nowadays - mid-afternoon from LHR and 11 a.m. from BKK.

 

 

[Fatboyfat]

Emirates business seats are not great on the A380. Quite narrow in fact. Etihad is a better product for Biz and should be of a similar price, and limo included as well. Oman Air is the one receiving all the favourable reports at the moment Gus from London. Haven't checked out their prices tho'.

[Gus]

I have just arrived back in the UK after a month in Hua Hin, too old for Pats now. :)

I will probably go to Thailand again in late January, I have just been accepted for a Tesco Credit card with 0% interest for 16 months, I would only use this card to pay for a Business class ticket and set up direct debit every month to pay it off within 12 months.

With Emirates free pick up etc plus lounge access that would save me the best part of £100 on my usual plans.

 

I have to do some careful sums because the air fare would be subsidised by only taking a TG say every 3 days, which would be enough for me now,both mentally and phyiscally :) if I hire a car for a week that is also subsidised by not taking a lady. I know that would be no good for you under 50s but after about 25 trips to Thailand the novelty of having a TG every day is wearing off a bit now.

Turkish have a good deal from Birmingham in business, I think they are an OK airline as well, just that the connecting times coming back are poor.

[marleyboy]

Ive never! been on a Thai Airways (or Eva come to think of it!) which has had many empty seats. I normally go in January, though in the past , Ive also gone in March. As I say though, NEVER! have I seen many empty seats! Maybe the odd one, but never seen many!

 

Im going with Thai, on the noon flight on January 16, last year I went about the same date.though that was on an A340 (I think!) In January its on a 747 (allegedly!). As I say. last year I went with Thai, for about the 8 ish trips before that I went with Eva. For me? I much prefer a noon flight leaving Heathrow, and then the early morning departure from Bangkok, getting into Heathrow 6 or 7 in the morning. "Hopefullly" I will get an empty seat next to me (not holding my breath though!) failing that? I nice fit thai bird I wont mind sitting next to! I normally get sat next to some "lager lout"! type though! lol

[marleyboy]

I prefer Thai to Eva personally (now that they have installed A.V.O.D. into their 747s)). Also the times (for me anyway!) are better. I also don't think £400 is worth it for economy deluxe on Eva. I just wish Thai would introduce a "deluxe economy" (reasonably priced!) on the LHR route! They do it on other routes...........obviously they don't want it on the London routes ,

 

As for which Thai flight (night flight or morning flight from LHR) is likely to have more empty seats? I don't know! I assume the morning flights would be less busy............but I have only my logic for thinking this!

[CheshireTom]

I just wish Thai would introduce a "deluxe economy" (reasonably priced!) on the LHR route! They do it on other routes...........obviously they don't want it on the London routes ,

 

Does Thai still do premium economy? I thought they had binned it along with their A340-500 planes.

[marleyboy]

As far as I know they do. At least they still advertise it! (saying that? Thai have a history of changing things at the last minute!).

I even looked into flying via Helsinki with Thai, a few years ago, just to try out their premium economy!

[Nightrider]

I dont think you will see many empty seats in Dec / jan on any carrier from LHR / BKK , busy , busy , busy time of year , also Thai stopped doing PE on this route years ago , they make more money by sticking in extra BC seats instead....!

[Billions]

Thai airways flights will be busier over the Christmas period and New Year. I have flown with them out of LHR many times and i have found the lunch time flights always less busier than the night time. This flight usually gets into BKK early morning and i find myself in need of a good sleep by lunch time, but that sets me up for the night time. I have always found the night flights back to the UK on any airline always busier because people (I think) use this flight to try to get some sleep.

This.

 

The midday flight TG911 is usually much much less busy than the evening one out of Heathrow (TG917). It's often stuffed with retired couples off to Vietnam on a cheap package deal to avoid the cold UK winter. The evening flight carries more mongers though,guys who work the day they fly to get that extra days wages in and so be able to afford more little brown companions in the days ahead.

 

On the way back,the early afternoon one from Bangers is often underloaded,whereas the late night/early morning one is packed to the gills,often with regular tourists back from the Kohs,with their hair in braids and camera filled with photos of them drinking from plastic buckets on the beach under a full moon.

 

I always take the midday flights in either direction...less queues,often no-one in the adjacent seat,and the check-in staff often ignore excess baggage kilos.

[Fatboyfat]

I have just arrived back in the UK after a month in Hua Hin, too old for Pats now. :)

I will probably go to Thailand again in late January, I have just been accepted for a Tesco Credit card with 0% interest for 16 months, I would only use this card to pay for a Business class ticket and set up direct debit every month to pay it off within 12 months.

With Emirates free pick up etc plus lounge access that would save me the best part of £100 on my usual plans.

 

I have to do some careful sums because the air fare would be subsidised by only taking a TG say every 3 days, which would be enough for me now,both mentally and phyiscally :) if I hire a car for a week that is also subsidised by not taking a lady. I know that would be no good for you under 50s but after about 25 trips to Thailand the novelty of having a TG every day is wearing off a bit now.

Turkish have a good deal from Birmingham in business, I think they are an OK airline as well, just that the connecting times coming back are poor.

Beware also Gus; The Biz seat for the UK to Istanbul leg is just an ordinary economy seat with the middle seat of 3 left unoccupied. Edited December 18, 2013 by Fatboyfat

[Gus]

I have just checked out the WestEast web site and for late January the fare is £613 for Economy and £879 for Elite so that I am now considering buying the Elite ticket.

The Elite cabin is very basic and you need to be in a decently positioned seat but £260 difference is not too bad.

 

Why is it that when I fly, the first seat to be fully reclined is always the one in front of me?

[marleyboy]

I have used West East for every trip now for about the last 7 or 8 trips. "Once or twice", I have had a better price given to me over the phone? May well be worth giving them a ring Gus?

[Nightrider]

I have just checked out the WestEast web site and for late January the fare is £613 for Economy and £879 for Elite so that I am now considering buying the Elite ticket.

The Elite cabin is very basic and you need to be in a decently positioned seat but £260 difference is not too bad.

 

Why is it that when I fly, the first seayou can gett to be fully reclined is always the one in front of me?

 

Gus if you are in the UK , google a company called Skyscanner and set what your preferences are and they will email you almost everyday with the latest flight prices from every carrier that leaves from the uk , its a great system and your guaranteed the best deal they can find for you , and its free .

[jacko]

 

Why is it that when I fly, the first seat to be fully reclined is always the one in front of me?

It is in retaliation for you pulling on the back of the seat in front when you get up or sit down and banging into it!

[Gus]

Jacko, No, that is afterwards :)

Nightrider, I have looked at skyscanner before and maybe it is a good idea to have alerts sent to me.

marleyboy, Yes, I thought about doing that, maybe get a cheaper price and see what seats are available before paying.

[Gus]

I have just joined expertflyer.com on a free 5 day trial, this web site shows seat class availability.

Eva yesterday bumped their Elite fares by £80+ for when I want to travel so I have looked at Thai availability.

 

An example of Economy availability shows the different seat fare bucket classes, Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 T9 K9 S9 V9 W0, to me this indicates good availability in Economy but obviously not the 81 seats as shown.

 

Eva flights for my out and return flights do not have such a good availability as TG, so I may go Thai economy. Probably TG910 and 911 with the 747 will be better as they have more economy seats than the A340-600, plus I like 747s more than the A340s.

[CheshireTom]

I have just joined expertflyer.com on a free 5 day trial, this web site shows seat class availability.

Eva yesterday bumped their Elite fares by £80+ for when I want to travel so I have looked at Thai availability.

 

An example of Economy availability shows the different seat fare bucket classes, Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 T9 K9 S9 V9 W0, to me this indicates good availability in Economy but obviously not the 81 seats as shown.

 

Eva flights for my out and return flights do not have such a good availability as TG, so I may go Thai economy. Probably TG910 and 911 with the 747 will be better as they have more economy seats than the A340-600, plus I like 747s more than the A340s.

 

Gus F9 C9 J9 Y9 V9 etc means at least 9 seats in each of those fare classes - it could be 9, 25 or100. It should show exact availability if it is fewer than 9.

Edited January 4, 2014 by CheshireTom

[Gus]

Cheers Tom.

The expertflyer site is pretty good as under flight availability it shows the different seat fare bucket classes and under the seat map section it shows which seats are already booked.

Whilst this is not written in stone it gives you a good idea on how full the flight will be, there is definitely better availability on TG910 and 911 because of the bigger aircraft and many passengers like the evening outbound flight on TG917.

 

I am still a little confused about which 747 is used on the TG910/911 flights, is it one with the AVOD entertainment system or is it still the large screen in the centre, or can it even change?

At least BR has AVOD and also aisle row G doesn't have an entertainment box in front, but having said that, if there is no AVOD then there won't be a box to worry about. :)

[marleyboy]

Im "hoping!" it will be A.V.O.D.

From what Ive read up on..all Thais jumbos out of L.H.R. "should" be refitted with the A.V.O.D...................That said.......Thai are notorious for last minute changes! This is the reason (lack of A.V.O.D.0 why I changed from Thai onto Eva.

 

Im flying with Thai on the mid-day flight from LHR in less than 2 weeks...........hopefully it will have A.V.OD. if not Im taking my ipad and kindle anyway! Im really hoping the flight isn't too full though.........................but every time Ive flown Thai..........they are rammed!

Edited January 4, 2014 by marleyboy

[Gus]

I looked on Planeplotter for todays TG911 and the aircraft was HS-TGZ, a bit of Googling and I saw that it was a retro fitted 744 with AVOD.

I understand that sometimes ops problems can lead to changes, as long as it's not a Dan air Comet, then I'll be OK.

[Fatboyfat]

Gawd! Dan Air… Now there's a nightmare from the past !

[Gus]

The first time I flew on an aeroplane was in a Dan Dair Comet, a Genoa to Gatwick charter flight. I don't think that I was asking about entertainment boxes on those aircraft. :)

[Gus]

After all my huffing and puffing I have today booked my flight to Bangkok.

I booked through WestEast with Thai Airways, I phoned the agents up on a normal landline 0208 7418988 and the £12 price match that saved me covered my £12 C/C charge.

I wanted to use my credit card rather than my debit card as I have 16 months interest free on that card.

 

I am going on TG911/910 which is the 747 aircraft and there tends to be more empty seats on those flights than the 916/917.

Thanks to my expertflyer seat plan and a very helpful chap at WestEast I have booked the seats which I wanted.

Whether my plan works , who knows? :)

Once I arrive in Thailand I then just have to overcome the protests, and the bars closure for the election and Maccha Buddha day.

Thanks to the BMs who have given me some tips.