Air Fares to Thailand 2022

[Guest]

Rather than take Traveller Dave's thread even further off topic, here we go.

1 hour ago, gerefan said:

Yes.

Just look at Emirates website. 15 Nov return 15 Feb

London to Bangkok Economy £758. Bizzo £3890. (Not as bad  as £5747) but higher than last year.

https://www.emirates.com/uk/english/
 

 

 

Yes, so up a couple of hundred for economy class, but that shouldn't stop most of our members from travelling.     A ridiculous increment for business class, particularly when considering the cost per hour, or whatever else one might spend the money on.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a look at  the Emirates Premium Economy class and think it was something like £1800 return, with the Premium Economy just for one leg & the "wrong" leg at that, since it's the 777 Dubai-BKK leg where getting out of the peasant class seats is most critical & the other leg that has Premium.      So again, a ridiculous increment.

 

Sample Fares Using your dates:

Peasant Class

EVA direct £597       (Neither you nor I would book EVA until Flightradar24 shows them operating a regular service, due to previous failed promises)

Thai direct, £681

Finnair £595

 

Premium Economy

EVA £1469.    Some nasty inflation here.

 

Business

Eva £2663

Finnair £1970~2002 (but departure times iffy)

 

(Source: Skyscanner.  Not checked through to payments page, but price creep is usually negligible)

 

1 hour ago, gerefan said:

return 15 Feb

Surely some mistake ?    😉

Remember, it will be bollock freezing cold back in England in mid-Feb.   If I understand correctly, travel to Cambodia for visa runs etc is already almost hassle free, so the 90 day limit is out of the window.

 

For my winter trip, I'm slightly undecided about booking early to lock in prices, or waiting for more flights to be scheduled, which ought to help prices.

 

 

[gerefan]

No mistake!

The original poster asked about airfares from November so I chose the middle of the month.

The return date is 90 days later...based on a 90 day visa.

Agreed freezing but it was only an example. Wouldn’t  catch me returning mid Feb!!

[scott456]

What was the business class fare before Covid?  EVA £2663 doesn't seem too outrageous.

[vinapu]

3 hours ago, scott456 said:

What was the business class fare before Covid?  EVA £2663 doesn't seem too outrageous.

round the world or just London- Bangkok ?

[tm_nyc]

z909, I share the pain of anyone looking at airfares to Thailand right now.  I am looking at departure dates from New York in September.  Premium Economy is a bit more than pre-Covid but business class fares are much, much higher.  The good news for you is that airlines may start adding flights between now & November, which might lower the prices.  The bad news is that your dates are peak season & the airlines are taking maximum advantage of the pent-up demand for air travel & the higher fuel costs.

[billyhouston]

In mid-April I booked my Premium Economy flights MAN-CDG-BKK and return as soon as the last week in March became available for the return. Outward flight at the end of August came in at £700. This was done, even though my wanted return was not yet available, to set a marker down knowing that I had complete flexibility. Having recently decided to change my return flight to April, which has been available for some time now, it seemed worthwhile to check the current price of the outward trip with Air France. On exactly the same day, with the same flexibility, it came in at £1400. Glad about the mid-April booking!

[Guest]

17 hours ago, tm_nyc said:

z909, I share the pain of anyone looking at airfares to Thailand right now.  I am looking at departure dates from New York in September.  Premium Economy is a bit more than pre-Covid but business class fares are much, much higher.  The good news for you is that airlines may start adding flights between now & November, which might lower the prices.  The bad news is that your dates are peak season & the airlines are taking maximum advantage of the pent-up demand for air travel & the higher fuel costs.

Actually, the change in economy fare ought to be a small percentage of any holiday cost & I doubt it would deter many members from visiting.

The pain comes when instead of a choice of a £600 economy fare & a £900 premium economy fare, the premium fare  is now about £1400~1800.   So I'll probably be back in economy again, since it's like being paid £50 per hour, post tax.   The painful part of this is the 777 economy seat.    A small price to pay for a long holiday.

[reader]

Worth keeping in mind that it’s the carrier and not the manufacturer that specs the seats, pitch and width. Seats are add-on costs and it’s up to carrier to decide on configuration it desires.

[ggobkk]

Checking around for a three week visit in September.  Until recently from the west coast of the US the routings were unsure or via Europe or the Gulf and the travel times were predicted to exceed 30 hours.    Airfares were significant.

Just this week there has been some air fare drops beginning n September and Eva has restored its SFO to BKK via a short stop in Taipei.  Air Canada has also announced plans for a direct flight from Vancouver to BKK.

 

[tm_nyc]

I am looking at a return to Thailand from New York in September.  I'd say that the airfares I am seeing are 'challenging' so it's good to hear that things are opening up elsewhere. 

EVA has always been my default option but I understand that there is current requirement that transit passengers at Taoyuan Airport (TPE) show a Covid PCR test just to change planes.  This is a complication that I am definitely trying to avoid. 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, tm_nyc said:

 transit passengers at Taoyuan Airport (TPE) show a Covid PCR test just to change planes.  This is a complication that I am definitely trying to avoid. 

not only complication but also substantial expense

[traveller123]

I am looking at fares originating in Thailand to England and return.

Fares seem to be reducing for departures from mid September with Qatar flights to Manchester departing 19th September returning 24th October costing around 32,000 baht.

Cheaper fares with Swiss/Austrian/ Lufthansa/Air France/KLM but they don't included a checked bag

[kokopelli 2]

2 hours ago, tm_nyc said:

I am looking at a return to Thailand from New York in September.  I'd say that the airfares I am seeing are 'challenging' so it's good to hear that things are opening up elsewhere. 

EVA has always been my default option but I understand that there is current requirement that transit passengers at Taoyuan Airport (TPE) show a Covid PCR test just to change planes.  This is a complication that I am definitely trying to avoid. 

You may wish to try Singapore Air with flights in Premium Economy and Business from JFK  and Newark  to Bangkok. 

[scott456]

3 minutes ago, kokopelli 2 said:

You may wish to try Singapore Air with flights in Premium Economy and Business from JFK  and Newark  to Bangkok. 

@tm_nycdidn't say he was looking into premium economy or business.  

[kokopelli 2]

Singapore Air offers flights from NYC/Newark with only PE and Biz Class seating; no Economy except on the leg from Singapore to Bangkok. I don't recall that @tm-nyc specified only Economy. That said, there are some flights with multiple stops, via Europe, which include Economy seating.  @tm-nyc does not provide enough info to give any good estimates as to costs, such as one way, round trip, departing date/return date. Round trip prices in PE can be quite reasonable at $1500 all depending on the dates. Economy about $1100.  Hope this helps.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, tm_nyc said:

EVA has always been my default option but I understand that there is current requirement that transit passengers at Taoyuan Airport (TPE) show a Covid PCR test just to change planes.  This is a complication that I am definitely trying to avoid. 

A useful reminder.   I think the trend is towards removing transit PCR tests, but it's still something to check.   Who wants to pay for that AND take the risk of failing ?   

[tm_nyc]

Thanks, Kokopelli!  Singapore is a great airline but that non-stop NY-SIN flight, as you probably know, is 18-19 hrs long.  Might be OK in (very expensive) business class but, to me, that seems like a long flight, even in PE.

9 hours ago, traveller123 said:

Cheaper fares with Swiss/Austrian/ Lufthansa/Air France/KLM but they don't included a checked bag

Traveller123, I have been hearing about crowded conditions at European airports so I would plan carefully.  Schiphol in particular has been experiencing 'airport chaos', with massive security queues & flight cancellations, owing to 'staffing shortages'.  So, KLM might not be the best option.

[reader]

Singapore also has an A380 out of JFK that stops in Frankfurt before continuing on to Singapore.

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, reader said:

Singapore also has an A380 out of JFK that stops in Frankfurt before continuing on to Singapore.

not a bad thing if they let passengers out to stretch their legs even  if that means going back to the plane through security almost right away. I had it once in Osaka and still liked it.

On another hand sitting in the idle aircraft while refueling  is  torture and should be reported to Hague or wherever International Criminal Court seats now

[fedssocr]

Yes, the SQ A380 does let you get off at FRA. I actually think they require it to service the aircraft.

While the summer is a mess, hopefully by autumn (after the school holidays are over) will be better at the airports. Frankly if you can afford it, it's another good reason to book in business class since you get shorter queues and more assistance if things go haywire at most airports.

I just booked IAD-DOH-BKK using AA miles on Qatar Airways. But not until early next year. If you have the points though it's also a good option.

[reader]

ANA has service (currently with sales in all classes) out of Chicago, Houston and Vancouver with Tokyo connections to BKK. 
 

Having flown both multiple times, I consider ANA and Singapore the best Asian carriers for quality and reliability. 

[kokopelli 2]

ANA also offers flights from JFK to Bangkok via Tokyo ranging from $1200 Economy to about $2000 Prem.Economy.

[Sky]

When I spoke with the airlines reservations department the agent told me that people have not traveled for two years and that many do not care about the price.

And she added that more than ever want business class for the additional space/ distancing due to Covid.

[CurtisD]

Up until early June I have got good deals with airmiles. Great flights, similar cost to pre-Covid. Not anymore.

With increased demand colliding with reduced schedules, fares are significantly increased.

I only use airmiles if I can get business or first, otherwise it is better to pay cash for economy as the taxes due when using airmiles are usually roughly equal to a no-discount economy fare. 

I have just spent an hour with a very helpful person from my favored airline trying to use airmiles (any combination of airlines on their network) to get to Bangkok business/first for any two-week period in January/February 2023. 

Finally, success (I owe the agent big time for their expertise and persistence), but a more complex route at an approximately 60% increase in cost (both cash and airmiles) above my trip in May/June.  

$1000 above current economy (in the past it has been roughly equivalent), $1100 above my May/June trip but $12,000 below the business/first fare if I paid cash (for the convoluted route). 

I must really like Bangkok Guy. (Yes, I do). 

[scott456]

5 hours ago, Sky said:

When I spoke with the airlines reservations department the agent told me that people have not traveled for two years and that many do not care about the price.

And she added that more than ever want business class for the additional space/ distancing due to Covid.

I am seeing an interesting phenomenon on my recent flights (asia-europe, U.S.-europe), business class all sold out(even with the high prices), premium economy class nearly sold out, but plenty of availability in economy class.  This is a total reverse of preCovid market.