Thai Airway First Class to USA: Shitty Food and Shitty Seats

[TotallyOz]

I love the direct flight but the seats are not as comfortable as Delta or American. I am not sure why they don't lay all the way back. It is disappointing when you think you will have a great and comfortable flight and end up with a bad seat. Delta is far superior IMHO. Are other airlines more comfortable as well?

 

I also had the lobster for the main course and got seafood poisoning. I went to the toilet at least 50 times during the flight (thus why I named this shitty). The flight attendants were nice and sweet but I was not a happy camper.

 

Upon arriving in LA, I knew I could not make another flight so I got a porter to help me get my bags to a local hotel. I then spent the rest of the night in the Emergency Room of a local hospital. The filled me with liquids and morphine. Not sure why they gave me morphine but as I thought it sounded cool, I said OK.

 

While they may not be many choices for me to travel to Thailand, this flight may have been the one that caused me to give up on Thai Air.

[Guest anonone]

I love the direct flight but the seats are not as comfortable as Delta or American. I am not sure why they don't lay all the way back. It is disappointing when you think you will have a great and comfortable flight and end up with a bad seat. Delta is far superior IMHO. Are other airlines more comfortable as well?

 

I also had the lobster for the main course and got seafood poisoning. I went to the toilet at least 50 times during the flight (thus why I named this shitty). The flight attendants were nice and sweet but I was not a happy camper.

 

Upon arriving in LA, I knew I could not make another flight so I got a porter to help me get my bags to a local hotel. I then spent the rest of the night in the Emergency Room of a local hospital. The filled me with liquids and morphine. Not sure why they gave me morphine but as I thought it sounded cool, I said OK.

 

While they may not be many choices for me to travel to Thailand, this flight may have been the one that caused me to give up on Thai Air.

 

Wow Michael. So sorry to hear about the food poisoning. Being stuck on an airplane while ill is not fun at all. Hopefully you are feeling better now (and not in a morphine-induced haze).

 

If you were on the Thai Airways direct flight, Bangkok to Los Angeles, you were not in First Class. The plane they use for that route only has Economy, Premium Economy, and Business Class...no First. (Airbus 340-500) And those Business Class seats really do not go all flat. That must have been a real disappointment if you were expecting a "bed" for the 20 hours in the air.

 

Thai Airways First Class has some really comfortable, lie-flat seats on all their long-haul international flights with a First Class cabin. Service and meals have always been great for me, though others have complained service can be spotty. Thai really shines on ground services for passengers in First. Awesome experience either leaving or arriving in Bangkok. They really take care of you.

 

If you really want the direct flight to the US, you are limited to Thai Airways with that previously mentioned plane. Any other options will involve a connection.

 

As I do not have the funds to always travel in First on my many trips to Thailand, I typically use United Airlines. Their new Business Class seats turn into a fully flat "bed", though obviously a bit more cramped then those in First Class. It is all I need to get some fairly decent sleep on the way over the Pacific. All United flights go into Narita (Tokyo Japan) and then you connect to a flight to Bangkok. Many options here, including United, Thai, and ANA. All Star Alliance members, so a lot of options with the code share flights.

**Disclaimer, not all United airplanes have the new Business Class seats. Some still have the old style recliners. You have to be careful which routes / planes you choose.

 

Hope you find this helpful. If you have questions or need specific information, feel free to PM me. After all the helpful information you have posted, it would be nice to return the favor with something I actually know about.

 

Good luck with your recovery and keep in touch.

[kokopelli]

I can sympathize with you Michael. But my ordeal was on a Delta flight from BKK to Tokyo and onto the USA. I did get food poisoning but I believe it was from some snacks at the lounge or something I may have eaten prior to the flight. Yes, spent most of the flight in the toilet and then vomited into the courtesy bag. Had to stay over in Tokyo.

I have been thinking of switching to Thai Air/Premium Economy since Delta upgrades too expensive and I have used all frequent flyer miles. For those who travel be sure to carry Azithromycin Capsules available in Thailand and elsewhere. Take 4 @250mg = 1000 mg. One shot deal for bacterial stomach infections and finished in 24 hours.

[Guest]

Well they say a dissatisfied customer tells 20 people.

So far, over 70 have read this thread, which is even better. Getting bad publicity tends to lead to loss of business, so the net effect is encouraging companies to get their act together.

 

I rarely travel in business class, however surely in this day & age, business seats sometimes fully recline & first class should be very comfortable?

 

 

Also, thanks for the Azithromycin recommendation Kokopelli.

[Guest thaiworthy]

Michael, I think what you experienced was actually a sudden withdrawal from all those burgers and pizzas. I hope you are all right now. Sorry for your incontinence. My experience was only minor compared to yours.

 

I had a similar problem one time leaving Tokyo on a connecting flight to USA. It hit me just as they closed the door. That meant no access to the toilet until they are well into the air. Every second was agony. It seemed like they taxied for hours and wouldn't turn off the seat belt sign, so I climbed over 2 people from my window seat and made a mad dash for the lavatory. Fortunately for me, the problem was short-lived. I came back to my seat and apologized to the other passengers.

 

It was not food poisoning, but I have had that on other occasions and an airplane is the last place I would want to be when it strikes. Kokopelli is indeed a seasoned traveler and knows his stuff. It helps to be prepared, so I'll bring the Azith medication next time. I also like sitting in an aisle seat now, much better than climbing over laps and legs if you're in a terrible hurry. It is well worth the extra precaution, especially if your one of us older folks, or in my case, older and a bariatric patient.

 

"You are now free to move about the cabin," he announced politely. Thank you Captain, sir!

[Guest]

I also like sitting in an aisle seat now

 

An emergency exit window seat is usually the best option within the economy section.

[kokopelli]

An emergency exit window seat is usually the best option within the economy section.

 

Wow! I've heard of a toilet emergency rush but never out the window exit. 55555

[Guest thaiworthy]

Wow! I've heard of a toilet emergency rush but never out the window exit. 55555

That would present a new source of jet propulsion then and Boeing would be all over my ass, literally.

[Guest fountainhall]

I went to the toilet at least 50 times during the flight

Happened to me only once, but I got the food poisoning at a lunch just before taking Lufthansa to Frankfurt and on to Bangkok. Thank goodness I was in an aisle seat as, like you, I was up and down to the loo too may times to remember. A pretty ghastly experience.

 

According to seatguru.com, THAI has no fully flat business class seats. I flew their relatively 'new' angled flat business class seats a year ago and also find them quite uncomfortable. (Quite why they are installing this type of seat when most other airlines are into the fully flat bed seats, beats me!) When flying THAI, it's also important to remember a point made on http://www.seatplans.com -

 

Thai Airways is known to change its aircraft roster with very little notice, and out of line with the published timetabling. Unfortunately this makes it hard to predict which aircraft type you'll be on.

Frankly, I'd much prefer to take the short flight to Hong Kong and change there to be sure of getting a fully flat bed seat on to the USA. Alternatively, if you are going to the southern part of the USA, Singapore AIrlines now has a flight to Houston via Moscow.

[Guest xiandarkthorne]

I gave up flying Thai Air quite a few years ago, after one of their ground staff treated me like sh@#*%t,

[Guest HeyGay]

I love the direct flight but the seats are not as comfortable as Delta or American. I am not sure why they don't lay all the way back. It is disappointing when you think you will have a great and comfortable flight and end up with a bad seat. Delta is far superior IMHO. Are other airlines more comfortable as well?

 

I also had the lobster for the main course and got seafood poisoning. I went to the toilet at least 50 times during the flight (thus why I named this shitty). The flight attendants were nice and sweet but I was not a happy camper.

 

Upon arriving in LA,. I then spent the rest of the night in the Emergency Room of a local hospital. The filled me with liquids and morphine. Not sure why they gave me morphine but as I thought it sounded cool, I said OK.

.

 

You

[Guest fountainhall]

My friend had very similar horror story to tell with Cathay Pacific, after a lot of wrangling they settled out of Court for a fortune, they hate this sort of publicity, its far better to settle then lose a fortune with bad publicity.

HeyGay is 100% correct. Airlines hate these sort of cases and will eventually settle if you threaten to take them to court.

 

It worked once for me when the Cathay Pacific ground staff at London effectively told me a lie (technically it's called "deliberate misrepresentation") and I found them out. It took six months of writing and being fobbed off, first with sincere apologies, then the offer of a subject-to-load upgrade on my next flight (next to useless). Finally, I wrote them a registered letter to the effect that if they did not settle to my satisfaction by "close of business on Friday" (I love that phrase!), I had a meeting scheduled with my lawyer at 10:00 am Monday to institute legal action against the airline. By Friday morning I had an email, a fax and a registered letter offering me compensation that I was prepared to accept!

 

But you have to be persistent. Airlines' complaints departments are trained to fob you off in the expectation that you will finally just get bored and give up. Don't! Have your facts straight - i.e. make sure the doctor puts in his report that you got food poisoning from the plane meal and not from something you ate before boarding - and then write them a strong, but respectful letter stressing your personal pain, hospital costs and other financial losses. Let them come back to you (give them a few weeks), then reply with a sum you are prepared to accept in damages. A few weeks later they will weakly respond. That's when you really turn the screw!

[Rogie]

A few weeks later they will weakly respond. That's when you really turn the screw!

Yes, there are times when tenacity is a useful virtue.

[Guest fountainhall]

. . . and being a stubborn bastard helps, at least in my case

[Guest HeyGay]

You're so right fountainhall just what I was going to say get all your evidence together and your be well in pocket soon.

 

I have just had dinner with a friend who is an executive with Virgin Airlines and he says go to a lawyer quick hang on no matter what they try to minimize your story and they will pay out of Court No problem that Morphine you wondered about will be so good for your case the lawyers can build the story to the max.

 

Keep us Informed and if you go to the newspapers let us know I just googled it nothing yet that will terrify them if you threaten bad publicity. Don't back out now

 

 

 

 

 

[TotallyOz]

Thanks for your concerns guys. I am feeling better only today. It has taken a while but I think the meds are finally working. I was able to eat today without the use of a nearby toilet.

 

I have no intention to sue the airline. Shit happens. I am alive.

 

I appreciate all the e-mails and PM's for my recovery. It meant a great deal! thanks.

[Guest fountainhall]

I have no intention to sue the airline. Shit happens. I am alive.

Delighted you are feeling better. i really suggest you reconsider. Not perhaps suing, but first writing to them, telling them your tale, the dreadful flight, the stay in hospital, the costs to yourself (or your insurance company) - and then let them respond. I promise that eventually you the least you will get will be a guaranteed upgrade to first class or a free return business class ticket anywhere. It may be a bit of a hassle, but it will be worth it.

[Guest]

I promise that eventually you the least you will get will be a guaranteed upgrade to first class or a free return business class ticket anywhere.

 

That seems fair. I don't exactly approve of excessive litigation in society, however if you are poisoned on a journey, it would only be reasonable for the airline to at the very minimum provide another free flight. Also, such costs might persuade them to improve their catering arrangements.

[Rogie]

If the food you are given on a flight has gone bad then you're just unlucky. In an ideal world 'luck' would have nothing to do with it, but maybe airline food is that bit more likely to cause an upset than when you're eating on terra firma.

 

I came across a useful tip on Bao Bao's Blog. On his entry for the 14/9/11 he wrote

"wash your hands before eating, as everything you've touched along the way has been previously touched by a thousand others", and in the entry linked below he gives some general advice:

 

Staying Well On Vacation: Planes

 

http://khunbaobao.blogspot.com/2010/04/staying-well-on-vacation-planes.html

[Guest]

"wash your hands before eating, as everything you've touched along the way has been previously touched by a thousand others"

 

I usually carry one of those tiny bottles of hand sanitiser on the flight. In fact, I'm using them a couple of weeks before the holiday, to try & avoid going down with any illness before the start of the holiday.

[Guest HeyGay]

Its also beyond me also why your not going to take it further, I have spoken to quite a few guys in Pattaya and they all say there is something not quite right here, are you telling us all the story, just to protect other passengers to start with, its obvious they are doing something wrong even handle the food wrong or worst, you could be saving others going though the same hell and eating fish can kill next time, yes of course you must bring it to their attention, if this has happened!!

 

No one in their right mind would not at least leak it to the news papers, if not get a solicitors letter to Thai Airways 'to warn them it happened, but it's your duty to complain, even if its to save the next persons life.

A good friend of mine who is an executive for Virgin Lines, I told him he contacted his counter part at Thai Airlines and he even agrees, you should send a letter to them and make your case known, you may be phoebe off with a round the World ticket, but at least you have done something he says, even if its to protect others and get Thai Airways to stop being so slack with certain things, he can do nothing about, but a complaint would shock them into stop cost cutting all the time, putting as he says, "passengers safety in jeopardy".

 

 

I'm sure this is not the Michael I know, if it is no wonder those boys of yours, seem to rule your life now and get away with almost anything, knowing they will be forgiven,

 

I’m just flabbergasted, from a man who admits to eating in every Hamburger joint in Bangkok, (even though I’m still not sure, which one is the best to visit) then going to do a marathon, when you write about these things:- this is a man of actions, now your acting as you’re a passive observer.

 

With this Thread being one of the most popular in recent times over 500 views already I'm sure most of those guys are like us' can't not believe your not going to complain, just to get your substantual medical bills paid alone. No matter how much any one has why on earth would you now just send a letter to thai Airline for heavens sake.

[Guest thaiworthy]

Its also beyond me also why your not going to take it further . . .

 

HeyGay, I think you have gone way off the deep end here.

[TotallyOz]

Its also beyond me also why your not going to take it further, I have spoken to quite a few guys in Pattaya and they all say there is something not quite right here, are you telling us all the story,

 

Well, maybe that is your problem. Speaking to guys in Pattaya will only cause your mind to be confused. Please don't speak to them. There is only one guy in Pattaya who knows me really well and you don't know him. So, those that you talk to are talking about something they have no idea.

 

I guess my mind is not right for not wanting to get the issue in the papers. But, that is life. I prefer to live a quiet simple life. Some need drama to survive. I don't. I much prefer a quiet time and no drama. Thus, why you rarely, if ever, see me speaking to those that have the desire for major drama. I am just an honest simple man from Tennessee. Give me my spittoon, a pack of Red Man chewing tobacco and a copy of the good book and my afternoons are a delight.

 

For this issue, I consulted with my pastor and my gay therapy group and he told me better to forgive and to turn the other cheek. He also said something about sex with men, but I forgot what he said. Marcus B. and I were chatting about what he is going to wear when he makes it to the White House as soon as the Rev started talking about sinful things.

[Guest HeyGay]

.Well, maybe that is your problem. Speaking to guys in Pattaya will only cause your mind to be confused. Please don't speak to them. There is only one guy in Pattaya who knows me really well and you don't know him. So, those that you talk to are talking about something they have no idea.

Heygay says: - You don

[Rogie]

I also had the lobster for the main course and got seafood poisoning. I went to the toilet at least 50 times during the flight (thus why I named this shitty).

 

Upon arriving in LA, I knew I could not make another flight so I got a porter to help me get my bags to a local hotel. I then spent the rest of the night in the Emergency Room of a local hospital. The filled me with liquids and morphine.

 

Food Poisoning from Marine Toxins

Seafood poisoning occurs after eating contaminated fish or shellfish containing a toxin made by dinoflagellates. These small marine organisms are found throughout the oceans and especially in and near coral reefs. The toxins accumulate in shellfish or are passed up the food chain as smaller fish are eaten by larger fish.

 

Symptoms of seafood poisoning vary with the toxin ingested and may be gastrointestinal, neurologic, or allergic. Marine toxins are tasteless, odorless, and not affected by cooking or any food preparation. The risk of seafood poisoning is increasing as we add more seafood in our diet; as the number of toxic algal blooms increase in frequency, intensity, and geographic distribution; and as more people travel to coastal areas and tropical islands.

 

Shellfish Poisoning

 

Description

Shellfish poisonings occur after eating mollusks or crustaceans, such as oysters, clams, cockles, scallops, mussels, crabs, and lobsters, that contain a toxin. These poisonings are rare and are named after the unique symptom the toxins produce: paralytic, neurotoxic, diarrheic, or amnesic. Several small marine plants called dinoflagellates or diatoms produce the toxins responsible for these poisonings. Shellfish either eat or filter these marine animals and concentrate the toxin in their bodies. Symptoms occur when shellfish containing these toxins are ingested.

 

Occurrence

Contaminated shellfish are usually found along the coast of countries with temperate and tropical marine waters and typically with or shortly after algal blooms ("red tides"), which are favored by warm weather.

 

Clinical Presentation

Eating shellfish with marine toxins produces a variety of symptoms in a few minutes to several hours. In paralytic shellfish poisoning, symptoms appear 10 to 120 minutes after eating the contaminated shellfish and are usually mild. They begin with a tingling or numbness of the face, arms, and legs, followed by headache, dizziness, nausea, and loss of muscle coordination. In cases of severe poisoning, paralysis and respiratory failure occur, and death may follow in 2-25 hours.

 

Symptoms of neurotoxic shellfish poisoning occur within a few minutes to a few hours but do not last long. Symptoms include numbness, tingling in the mouth, arms and legs, loss of coordination, stomach upset, and severe muscle aches. Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning is not known to have ever caused any fatalities, and patients normally recover in 2-3 days.

 

Onset of diarrheic shellfish poisoning usually occurs 30 minutes to 3 hours after eating and includes symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, which resolve within 2-3 days. This disease is not generally life threatening, and patients recover with no long-term sequelae.

 

Symptoms of amnesic shellfish poisoning occur within 24 hours of eating contaminated shellfish and include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, headache, disorientation, and possible permanent short-term memory loss. In severe poisoning, seizures, paralysis and death may occur. Persons found to be most susceptible are the elderly and those with kidney problems.

 

Prevention

Avoidance of eating mollusks locally harvested from areas known to be experiencing red tides is the only method of prevention.

 

Since these diseases can occur throughout the world, travellers should be aware of local conditions before eating shellfish abroad. Marine shellfish toxins cannot be destroyed by cooking or freezing.

 

Treatment

Treatment for all shellfish poisons is supportive and tailored to symptoms.

 

http://www.medic8.com/travel/marine-food-poisoning.htm