Air Fares to Thailand 2022

[Guest]

31 minutes ago, scott456 said:

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.

I certainly see higher price increases in the Premium Economy than Economy.

I wonder what's behind this. 

If it is something like good investment performance in stocks, property, or even more speculative investments, then there ought to be some reversion in demand before long.

 

 

[Londoner]

Yes, I noticed that, although I think pressure is on all classes.

Here are some possibilities. Many of us missed out on trips- in my case six- and promised ourselves that the Great Return would be special with so much money saved. For me, that meant Business Class instead of Premium Economy.

EVA's Business Class prices (£3000 now and £2500 in November) are good value; consumer surveys rate it very highly. I've experienced it on up-grades and can vouch for its comfort..

And I was also aware  extra space in EVA's Business Class with each seat protected by a sort of retractable barrier for privacy....I considered this an extra anti-Covid precaution. 

By the way, I think EVA's Business Class has been expanded....but this is only an impression. Other airlines may have made similar changes. 

.

[vinapu]

3 hours ago, z909 said:

I certainly see higher price increases in the Premium Economy than Economy.

I wonder what's behind this. 

 

I think Sky above may be right , people want more space because of Covid. Whether Business or premium seating make that much difference I very much doubt but that's me.

Another reason may me that after 2 years of sitting at home people are luxuriating a bit to make up for lost time. I know the feeling myself

[vinapu]

3 minutes ago, Londoner said:

 

And I was also aware  extra space...I considered this an extra anti-Covid precaution. 

.

it's just an impression to calm our nerves.

Extra covid precaution is to minimize contact with breathing and coughing people. This is best done by staying at home, shopping early and taking strolls late in the evening when nobody's there.

Travel with is crowded planes and airport is risk taking, I haste to say riski many of us gladly take even is using that extra space excuses

[gerefan]

8 minutes ago, vinapu said:

Another reason may me that after 2 years of sitting at home people are luxuriating a bit to make up for lost time. I know the feeling myself

Plus, as said before:

1. July and August are European holiday periods. Price hike.

2. Fuel prices.

Hopefully, when you’ve all spent your money, things will return to normal!

[fedssocr]

I think for sure we've all been sitting home missing travel for the last couple years. So we've been saving the money we would have spent on travel during that time and are ready to spend it now. So splurging on a higher class, especially for long haul flights, seems like a reasonable idea. My bank account is much fuller now for not having taken the 4 or so big trips I would have taken.

As for the costs related to booking with miles, it really depends on the program.  My trip from Washington to Bangkok on Qatar was only $45 in taxes and fees, but it is costing me 110,000 AA miles, which admittedly is a lot for one way business class.

Some airlines are more aggressive than others with the fuel surcharges. I've been looking at return flight options from Seoul for my trip and there are lots of options between $2500-3500 in business class. Again for one way that's not super cheap but it's not exorbitant. I'm still looking for mileage options.

[scott456]

41 minutes ago, fedssocr said:

 My bank account is much fuller now for not having taken the 4 or so big trips I would have taken.

 

I suppose you didn't invest much in stock market during the last 2 years.  

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Londoner said:

And I was also aware  extra space in EVA's Business Class with each seat protected by a sort of retractable barrier for privacy....I considered this an extra anti-Covid precaution.

The best anti-covid protection is probably to wear an FFP3 mask the whole time.       Which is exactly what I did with PCR tests on arrival on the last 2 trips. 

Also, order special meal.   This will usually be delivered first, you can eat it and replace the mask before the other passengers remove their masks to eat.

Covid protection is slightly less important now they have abolished the tests.   I might just wear a more comfortable FFP2 mask. 

 

1 hour ago, scott456 said:

I suppose you didn't invest much in stock market during the last 2 years.  

After recent falls, the so-called "All World Index" is up about 11.8% in the last 2 years.    Which isn't that far ahead of inflation.    

Obviously some investors do better than this, some do worse and others might have already booked the flights before their portfolios dropped in value.

[vinapu]

55 minutes ago, z909 said:

 just wear a more comfortable...mask. 

 

there's no such thing

[fedssocr]

5 hours ago, scott456 said:

I suppose you didn't invest much in stock market during the last 2 years.  

that's a completely different pot of money that I won't be touching for many years other than sticking some money into the account every paycheck. Dollar cost averaging and all of that

[Min]

18 hours ago, scott456 said:

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.

18 hours ago, z909 said:

I certainly see higher price increases in the Premium Economy than Economy.

I wonder what's behind this. 

14 hours ago, Londoner said:

Here are some possibilities. Many of us missed out on trips- in my case six- and promised ourselves that the Great Return would be special with so much money saved. For me, that meant Business Class instead of Premium Economy.

14 hours ago, vinapu said:

I think Sky above may be right , people want more space because of Covid. Another reason may me that after 2 years of sitting at home people are luxuriating a bit to make up for lost time. I know the feeling myself

It's not just people wanting to treat themselves on vacation. How about travelers who purchase business class because they actually travel on business? They have to travel in comfort, Covid or not, and the company pays for it anyway so they are less cost-minded. If business class sold out, then they move to the next best thing - premium economy. So with the number of inter-continental flights still being quite limited, demand simply far exceeds supply, and therefore, these price hikes. 

[stijntje]

For my last trip before covid, in January 2020, I paid 515 euro with Finnair for the round trip Brussels-Helsinki-Bangkok-Helsinki-Brussels. The flight Helsinki-Bangkok was overbooked, so I voluntary denied boarding and changed to a flight with an extra connection, making me arrive only 2 hours later in Bangkok. I got a 500 euro voucher for my help  Call me very naive, but I was hoping to have a free round trip a few months later.

For my next trip with Finnair, in order to be able to use my voucher, I was looking at current prices in 2022. I now pay 520 euro for the one way trip Brussels-Helsinki-Bangkok. The returning flight in economy would have costed about 1.000 euro, so I'm flying home with another airline.

[stijntje]

On 7/1/2022 at 4:23 PM, vinapu said:

I think Sky above may be right , people want more space because of Covid. Whether Business or premium seating make that much difference I very much doubt but that's me.

I used business class with Emirates a fe months ago and I had no-one within 1 meter distance from my seat.

[reader]

From Bangkok Post 

Lack of flights, rising fuel costs mar revival

Insufficient inbound international flights and surging airfares are challenging the recovery arc for the Thai tourism industry as the country pins its hopes on the upcoming high season in its quest to welcome 10 million tourists this year, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the number of international flights stands at only 30% of the pre-pandemic level. He said to help revive the whole industry, the country should have at least 55% of the airline seat capacity recorded prior to the pandemic, which could happen during the fourth quarter as Korean Air and Air Canada have confirmed their schedules for non-stop services.

Air Canada plans to commence its first direct route from Vancouver to Bangkok with four flights a week using Boeing 787 jets from Dec 1, 2022 until April 17, 2023. Korean Air made a commitment to the TAT during its recent visit to Seoul that it would resume flights to Thailand in the fourth quarter.

However, many airlines are reluctant to expand their routes or increase frequencies as several global uncertainties threaten profit prospects, including hefty operational costs caused by soaring fuel prices as well as the longer flying time required to avoid the skies above the Russian-Ukraine combat zone.

“Tourists face higher travel costs, particularly from inflation and airfares, which have increased by 20-40%. The TAT is working with airlines, both scheduled and chartered services, to roll out joint promotions to help offset those costs. However, for Europe's summer season in August, it might be too late to prepare any stimulus packages," said Mr Yuthasak.

Hotel operators indicated the average occupancy rate should reach 55% to benefit the whole supply chain, but the current flow of tourists is not strong enough to persuade more hotels to reopen and bring back their employees.

According to the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), the average occupancy rate in Thailand stands at 34%, while 80% of properties have revenue of less than 50% of the level recorded before the pandemic.

Chamnan Srisawat, president of the TCT, said a labour shortage could be a major hindrance during the upcoming high season if arrivals do reach government targets

He said hotels that need to recruit more workers will find hiring difficult if offering similar wages as before, given inflation, the likelihood of a higher minimum wage this year, and the insecurity of hospitality jobs.

Mr Chamnan said companies and the TAT are joining to offer a "Booster Shot" project along with the Centre for Economic Situation Administration, aiming to create a million jobs in the tourism sector this year by offering airline seats and room nights in smaller hotels with discount prices.

 

[reader]

Moved to Airbnb post in same forum by poster.

 

 

 

 

[fedssocr]

Seems like 1 Air Canada flight 4x per week isn't going to make much of a dent.

Of course another problem is the current lack of pilots and crew that is wreaking havoc on summer air traffic especially in the US and Europe.

[alvnv]

1 hour ago, fedssocr said:

Seems like 1 Air Canada flight 4x per week isn't going to make much of a dent.

Of course another problem is the current lack of pilots and crew that is wreaking havoc on summer air traffic especially in the US and Europe.

It seems that Air Canada is doing a trial/feasibility study of a new seasonal destination. If it proves profitable, they may add more flights, i.e. increase them to daily flights and tweak the season to include November. It should make a difference for West Coast travelers in the North American markets that Air Canada serves with non-stop flights to Vancouver. There are just a few carriers there that offer flights to Thailand with only one connection.

[Londoner]

Good news for UK travellers. The EVA  LHR-BKK flight, suspended for heaven knows how long and now scheduled to fly just once a  week  for a few weeks, is actually in the air as I post.  Delayed.... but who cares? I must admit that I feared another cancellation after two disappointments and an enforced change of date.

 

[Londoner]

Double posting; sorry.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Londoner said:

Good news for UK travellers. The EVA  LHR-BKK flight, suspended for heaven knows how long and now scheduled to fly just once a  week  for a few weeks, is actually in the air as I post.  Delayed.... but who cares? I must admit that I feared another cancellation after two disappointments and an enforced change of date.

Scheduled 3 times a week according to this link:   https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/br68

 

[Londoner]

Not yet. Tuesdays only... and that's from the horse's mouth! Three times a week was indeed the plan a few weeks ago , starting in July. I booked for Monday11th and within a few days, EVA called me,  said that it would be one a week- Tuesdays only- and transferred me.

But more flights soon, apparently.

 

[Guest]

51 minutes ago, Londoner said:

Three times a week was indeed the plan a few weeks ago , starting in July. I booked for Monday11th and within a few days, EVA called me,  said that it would be one a week- Tuesdays only- and transferred me.

But more flights soon, apparently.

That's interesting.   Certain airlines promising flights and then cancelling them is exactly why it's a good idea to book with an airline that's got a recent track record of operating the flights.

Oddly, Flightradar24 shows an EVA flight also departed on Sunday.  

However, the EVA website hardly any availability for dates this month

 

Meanwhile, Flightradar 24 showed 3 flights a week with Scoot from LGW to BKK & it's down to 2 a week recently.    If I try to make enquiries for leaving in August and returning in September, there is no availability showing in September.

[gerefan]

I also used to fly Eva.

Unfortunately  they have blotted their copybook with all these changes.

I now fly with Emirates and accept the stop in the Sandpit as their service is reliable.

If I am going on holiday the last thing I want is flight cancellations with all the ensuing complications.

If Eva become more reliable then I may return to them, but not now.

 

[thaiophilus]

Going with an airline that has lots of flights also helps in case an aircraft is grounded for technical issues. If they only run a few flights a week they are unlikely to have a spare aircraft at the departure airport, nor the spare capacity to carry you on another flight. If they have several flights a day there's a better chance that they can find either replacement aircraft or seats  on another flight.

[fedssocr]

According to Thaiger the government is reporting arrivals are up by 10% since the beginning of the month