Jump to content

Bangkok and Other Airports - Your Recent Experience - Busy, OK or Quiet. Please Add your Experiences.


john luke

Recommended Posts

Shows how variable this can be…I landed Friday 4pm and there was no queue at immigration! Saturday morning I flew to Danang so after reading about the departure queues I got to Swampy 3 hours before the flight and only minor queues, maybe 15 minutes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, nampla69 said:

Just got a message ...your Thai Air flight has been rescheduled ...... panic alarm fainting fit hysteria ..... 

Read the flecking message Namps ...... 35 minutes later departure ...I can live with that.

🤣😂

I have a flight booked for May and about a month ago there was a schedule and equipment change on one leg of the return journey. Think it was only about a 30 minute difference, but what got me pissed off is they dumped my seat selection on every leg. Fortunately I was able to quickly reselect my carefully selected seat preferences on every flight but the one with the equipment change. That's the final leg from NRT-BKK on ANA, a United codeshare, and still no joy on being able to pick a seat.

Sent United an email and all I got back after about two weeks was to call them. No way am I going to waste time on hold as I figure I'll deal with it when I check in for the outbound.

What also pisses me off is these are BC seats paid for with $'s not miles. I expect better customer service for the $'s I spent on those seats, but it seems United is living down to their less than sterling reputation.

  • Like 1
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, forcebwithu said:

I have a flight booked for May and about a month ago there was a schedule and equipment change on one leg of the return journey. Think it was only about a 30 minute difference, but what got me pissed off is they dumped my seat selection on every leg. Fortunately I was able to quickly reselect my carefully selected seat preferences on every flight but the one with the equipment change. That's the final leg from NRT-BKK on ANA, a United codeshare, and still no joy on being able to pick a seat.

Sent United an email and all I got back after about two weeks was to call them. No way am I going to waste time on hold as I figure I'll deal with it when I check in for the outbound.

What also pisses me off is these are BC seats paid for with $'s not miles. I expect better customer service for the $'s I spent on those seats, but it seems United is living down to their less than sterling reputation.

Pardon me if I misunderstood. My rule of thumb is always book directly with the airline that is doing the actual flying/equipment. If they are code share/air alliance group, you can still use your other airline member number to get/use points. If you are ticketed with the flying airline, you always have access to seat selection.

Most airlines open seat selection to all 24 hours prior to departure. I learned a little trick last year, the posted seat release was 24 hours prior, I logged in 72 hours prior, and all open seats released and available to me. So, I was able to pick 1k biz bulkhead prior to the mad rush.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, nampla69 said:

Just got a message ...your Thai Air flight has been rescheduled ...... panic alarm fainting fit hysteria ..... 

Read the flecking message Namps ...... 35 minutes later departure ...I can live with that.

🤣😂

Check the date as well ..... I had a flight rescheduled by 10 mins  23:55 to 00:05 ... I thought no problem... but when I arrived at the airport, they had put me on the flight an earlier day .. had to buy new tickets ..even thought I had onward flights with them .. no logic to it and BA wouldn't admit to any error ..

  • Surprised 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, CalEden said:

Most airlines open seat selection to all 24 hours prior to departure.

 

7 hours ago, Stillearly said:

BA wouldn't admit to any error ..

 

Once, only once and never again, paid for seat selection flying with BA.

I thought that I had loads of time but still arrived 3 hours before departure time at Heathrow.... and the fuckers had changed to a different airplane ... with a different seating plan.. My pre paid seat selection was null and void and I ended up in a centre seat LHR to BKK !!

Nobody at Heathrow would help me with a refund. NOBODY! I had to do it through their claims department ... I never did get my money back ....

  • Sad 3
  • Surprised 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, CalEden said:

Pardon me if I misunderstood. My rule of thumb is always book directly with the airline that is doing the actual flying/equipment. If they are code share/air alliance group, you can still use your other airline member number to get/use points. If you are ticketed with the flying airline, you always have access to seat selection.

Most airlines open seat selection to all 24 hours prior to departure. I learned a little trick last year, the posted seat release was 24 hours prior, I logged in 72 hours prior, and all open seats released and available to me. So, I was able to pick 1k biz bulkhead prior to the mad rush.  

Flight is booked with United, but BKK-NRT and NRT-BKK is on a code share/air alliance with ANA.

One of the perks of flying BC is I can pick my seats at the time of reservation. It's only the final leg back to BKK that is giving me fits. I chalk it up to a piss poor website/database design as I never had that problem in all the decades of flying with Northwest/Delta.

Only reason I'm not sticking with Delta this time is they are about $1,500 higher than everyone else.

As further evidence of their piss poor website, just noticed while my outbound final destination is MKE the description is "Flight to Houston". The return, "Flight to Bangkok", lists my arrival in MKE and after a 203hr layover I depart for DEN. How fcked is that. :default_1087:

image.png

  • Sad 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Stillearly said:

Left Pattaya at 07:15

Arrived Swampy 08:45

checked in , security , immigration and sat in the Lounge 09:00 

EVA check in was at gate T , so very handy for the fast track lane 👍

I'm guessing you used the EVA Lounge .. I'm looking at booking into the Air France/KLM Lounge for 32 USD ..

Do you have an opinion or any ideas that may help me ??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Derek Dangleberries said:

I'm guessing you used the EVA Lounge .. I'm looking at booking into the Air France/KLM Lounge for 32 USD ..

Do you have an opinion or any ideas that may help me ??

I've never used that one , I wasn't impressed with the Miracle Lounge last trip , EVA lounge is very nice 

sorry can't be more helpful 

  • Great Info 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Stillearly said:

I've never used that one , I wasn't impressed with the Miracle Lounge last trip , EVA lounge is very nice 

sorry can't be more helpful 

Yep.. I've used the Miracle Lounge once and could only handle one glass of warm Mont Clare..

I can't bloody remember the name of the Lounge I used last time (5 bloody years ago!!) but if the server saw that my glass was almost empty she went to the fridge and automatically refilled it .. Jacobs Creek I think!

It had a cooking station between us and the First Class Lounge and they knocked up some amazing food ..

Damned if I can remember the name of it though !!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Derek Dangleberries said:

 

 

Once, only once and never again, paid for seat selection flying with BA.

I thought that I had loads of time but still arrived 3 hours before departure time at Heathrow.... and the fuckers had changed to a different airplane ... with a different seating plan.. My pre paid seat selection was null and void and I ended up in a centre seat LHR to BKK !!

Nobody at Heathrow would help me with a refund. NOBODY! I had to do it through their claims department ... I never did get my money back ....

I worked in Customer Relations for a few months and you were certainly entitled to a refund if BA changed the aircraft and you were dissatisfied with the new seat given when you had previously paid for a particular seat. 

I can't say too much but I had my eyes opened to many issues when working in CR. In social media, especially, I couldn't believe the vitriol that was evident. A lot of the ex BA staff, who helped out for a while like me, were quite shocked at how our service offering had changed and how we were being castigated by long term Executive Club members who would normally have been singing our praises.

I stopped working for BA, in December, after my 3 month contract ended. 

 

  • Great Info 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Stillearly said:

EVA air flight delayed, I could have had a couple of hours extra in bed .. 555

Been having a look at departures from Heathrow with both EVA and Thai evening flights this last few days, nearly always both well over an hour late take off. I remember a half hour was pretty standard for both, and mostly arrived on time anyway. But near 11pm at the moment ffs!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Horizondave said:

I worked in Customer Relations for a few months and you were certainly entitled to a refund if BA changed the aircraft and you were dissatisfied with the new seat given when you had previously paid for a particular seat.

Yes mate, by the time I landed at Suvarnabhumi I just couldn't be bothered with the emails, phone calls and faffing around to get my 25 quid back... I just never flew with them again..

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Krapow said:

Been having a look at departures from Heathrow with both EVA and Thai evening flights this last few days, nearly always both well over an hour late take off. I remember a half hour was pretty standard for both, and mostly arrived on time anyway. But near 11pm at the moment ffs!

Mine was an hour late. Chaotic scenes at boarding gate as everyone just stormed forward at once. Then a large Indian lady started shouting at everyone and formed into proper channels.

On the plane - Biz Class ....nice !! No more free champagne until after take off some bollocks about tax ??? Not like it used to be even a couple of months ago ....... much as you wanted once chocks away.

Swampy was great and straight through and then .............. 2 out of the last 3 times had to wait a good 30 minutes for the first bag to arrive. December waited an hour ...... but blimey its HOT!!!! Nice .......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, nampla69 said:

Mine was an hour late. Chaotic scenes at boarding gate as everyone just stormed forward at once. Then a large Indian lady started shouting at everyone and formed into proper channels.

On the plane - Biz Class ....nice !! No more free champagne until after take off some bollocks about tax ??? Not like it used to be even a couple of months ago ....... much as you wanted once chocks away.

Swampy was great and straight through and then .............. 2 out of the last 3 times had to wait a good 30 minutes for the first bag to arrive. December waited an hour ...... but blimey its HOT!!!! Nice .......

Aye, i'm not really worried about Heathrow, hour late or whatever, just more Swampy. But Sa will be sent to go find someone to direct us to the child or Thai line, whichever is shorter. 

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Arrived at BKK about an hour ahead of schedule at just after 12 noon.  Next to no queues at immigration as far as I could see.

Carried on to Fast Track but it was closed off and we were directed to what seemed like a temporary area to the right of the second immigration hall (if arriving from the E, F, G gate direction).

  • Like 1
  • Great Info 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quite a big queue at the EVA 'line'. 

Many people were just going past the self service portals dotted along the queue. They were then directed to a larger and slower final queue. 

Anyone like ourselves who took the 2mins to print off the baggage tags, stick them on, were directed to a much smaller and quicker final queue.

@Derek Dangleberries the self service portals were no bother, scan passport, confirm how many travelling and bags, that was it really.

@Bazle the machine gave us an error slip of flimsy paper instead of the boarding passes, showed it when giving bags, got the usual hard paper ones. 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

EVA flight Wednesday 29, notified of reschedule from 12.50 to 12.15. Unfortunately it was late arriving and took off at 14.10.

At checkin I spotted a desk for invalids and old codgers, asked could I join as have a problem standing for a long time (not true haha). Only 1 in front of me , agent told me to go to fast track for security and immigration. 15 minutes from door to departures

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, bob lt said:

EVA flight Wednesday 29, notified of reschedule from 12.50 to 12.15. Unfortunately it was late arriving and took off at 14.10.

At checkin I spotted a desk for invalids and old codgers, asked could I join as have a problem standing for a long time (not true haha). Only 1 in front of me , agent told me to go to fast track for security and immigration. 15 minutes from door to departures

I'm sure you just gave Mr Dangly Bits some ideas.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bkk, outbound, 00.30hrs.

Checkin, no queues

Security, I had fast track access, and was alone in the area with what appeared to be several hundred workers, who were almost fighting to do some work...

Immigration,  3 officers and me. They all waved my up, and actually laughed when I made a pretence of chasing one.

The normal Immigration appeared to be busy, but everyone was moving

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...