-
Hi,
Does anyone have any insight into the likelihood of British Airways restarting their direct London-Bangkok route? I read tourism in Thailand is now up to 30%ish of pre pandemic level..This is getting to be one of the most asked questions here!
Not that any of us are privy to BA route planning it is going to be quite some time before BA even considers returning to BKK when there is more money to be made flying other routes.
It is alleged that the route is a long expensive low margin flight. Mostly flown for many years with the worst and oldest planes,very little cargo and the “wrong type of passengers”.
This winter would actually have been the year to run it, flights were very full and fares highest I’ve ever seen in all classes. But it was already going to be seasonal pre COVID as it’s a tough one for BA to make money on due to the high competition / lack of lots of high yielding business traffic.
But now with the reduced long haul fleet I doubt we’ll see it back for a while, same as Kuala Lumpur. Aircraft can get to the USA and back nearly twice in the same time frame and they’ve got Qatar to handle the bulk of demand going East
Thanks all for sharing. I did try searching for ‘bangkok’ on the forum but strangely it comes back empty. Looks like I’ll be flying other airlines to Thailand then, would have been a great use of my new companion voucher otherwise.
One option is to go via Singapore or Hong Kong and buy/redeem tickets separately for Thailand. Particularly if you’re headed to an island or doing a tour around anyway this can work out well. There was even someone on here who did it via the Maldives !
I’ve booked Hong Kong next year for onward travel and I think the airlines have cottoned on a lot of people are doing this as the connecting flights are 5x what they were last time I flew this route
Travel costs in the region are nuts at the moment – huge amounts of pent up demand playing through against capacity cuts by some local players. Hopefully it’ll settle down into next year. I wouldn’t rush to book local flights if the cost looks toppy unless it’s a local holiday etc
Travel costs in the region are nuts at the moment – huge amounts of pent up demand playing through against capacity cuts by some local players. Hopefully it’ll settle down into next year. I wouldn’t rush to book local flights if the cost looks toppy unless it’s a local holiday etc
LatAm the same: LHR-GRU-LHR is GBP1100 in economy in July!!!
I think there may be some over optimism about prices being nuts “at the moment”. Airlines and hotels are returning to pre-covid pricing plus inflation so there hasn’t really been such a big change. Talking to people in both industries, they struggle with younger managers who are under pressure to raise revenue and proudly tell the centre they have lifted prices to 2019 levels only to be told, actually you haven’t because of a little thing called inflation. Some of the increases are really baked in unless we see a serious recession of a nature that affects the travelling classes. Aircraft deliveries may help increase capacity, but demand continues to grow in a manner that suggests it is no longer a post covid catch up.
This winter would actually have been the year to run it, flights were very full and fares highest I’ve ever seen in all classes. But it was already going to be seasonal pre COVID as it’s a tough one for BA to make money on due to the high competition / lack of lots of high yielding business traffic.
But now with the reduced long haul fleet I doubt we’ll see it back for a while, same as Kuala Lumpur. Aircraft can get to the USA and back nearly twice in the same time frame and they’ve got Qatar to handle the bulk of demand going East
Can add Calgary to that list.
Thanks all for sharing. I did try searching for ‘bangkok’ on the forum but strangely it comes back empty. Looks like I’ll be flying other airlines to Thailand then, would have been a great use of my new companion voucher otherwise.
Search is broken, so it’s unreasonable for anyone to have expected you to have found previous discussions on this topic, don’t worry.
I think there may be some over optimism about prices being nuts “at the moment”. Airlines and hotels are returning to pre-covid pricing plus inflation so there hasn’t really been such a big change.
I agree – this is the new ‘normal’.
If/when Qatar join the 241 therea going to be absolute pandemonium in Oneworld “world”.
I think APAC / Aus etc it’ll come down a little – my recent business trip cost to the Far East was more than double what a pre-COVID trip would have been and my expat friends have said the same about trips home / in the region. But I’m already seeing some seat sales / London on SQ spontaneous escapes etc and locally inflation in most countries hasn’t been quite so raging so the local carriers don’t have that pressure.
But agree for Europe / USA. Perhaps it’ll stop rising so much and some specific items like car hire will come slightly off the boil a litte too, but not expecting any reductions!
What could be happening is airlines, especially those slot-restricted and aircraft-limited, moving fleet to US routes. BA & Virgin are already guilty of this, but not surprising as the yields are higher and more J seats are sold on these routes, compared to Asia.
BTW Oman air fly Muscat-BKK, they join the Oneworld alliance in 2024.
I am looking at Qatar now for BKK In business class using Avios, pitty i can’t use Barclay upgrade voucher but I’m sure ill find somewhere else to use it on
I am using 375k Avios for 2 x QR flights with the outbound DOH-BKK in first as a 75k upgrade.
Note that QR has a lot of double Avios dates where yes, you can use Avios but it would be 300k return for one ticket in business.
My Amex 241s are rotting in cyberspace and I may as well ditch the BAPP as until they bring back LHR-BKK it has no meaning.
The real problem is finding availability day by day. There is a way but it is laborious and none of the checking sites can access AR availability.
Also, you cannot book a mixed business and first fare with Avios on BA.
As for BA bringing back LHR-BKK, then now the Oz routes go through SIN and QF are in bed with Emirates there is less reason.
Concerning Bangkok hotels and travel, top end hotels are at their highest prices ever, up to 50% ahead of a previous high and literally 200/250% of their norm pre covid. It cannot last as people are now avoiding the city.
You can mix J and F on BA award bookings – as long as there’s a F cabin!
“Note that QR has a lot of double Avios dates where yes, you can use Avios but it would be 300k return for one ticket in business.”
There are definitely blackout dates for premium cabin award seats – the entirety of the school summer holidays for instance.“Also, you cannot book a mixed business and first fare with Avios on BA.”
Not only that, but quite often the price for the very same QR flight is higher on BA site than on Qatar’s website/app, e.g. 93k avios on BAEC instead of 75k avios on Qatar site.“Concerning Bangkok hotels and travel, top end hotels are at their highest prices ever, up to 50% ahead of a previous high and literally 200/250% of their norm pre covid.”
Is this actually true though? Yes, prices are higher than Covid times for sure, but “literally 200/250% of their norm pre covid.” sounds unlikely across the board.“Note that QR has a lot of double Avios dates where yes, you can use Avios but it would be 300k return for one ticket in business.”
There are definitely blackout dates for premium cabin award seats – the entirety of the school summer holidays for instance.“Also, you cannot book a mixed business and first fare with Avios on BA.”
Not only that, but quite often the price for the very same QR flight is higher on BA site than on Qatar’s website/app, e.g. 93k avios on BAEC instead of 75k avios on Qatar site.“Concerning Bangkok hotels and travel, top end hotels are at their highest prices ever, up to 50% ahead of a previous high and literally 200/250% of their norm pre covid.”
Is this actually true though? Yes, prices are higher than Covid times for sure, but “literally 200/250% of their norm pre covid.” sounds unlikely across the board.I just came back from 2.5 months in Thailand and yes, for most of the spring and summer hotel rates were crazily expensive and they remain so, though a few provincial hotels have relaxed prices marginally.
There has been a lot of demand from Asian and middle east tourists and I also noticed more Europeans staying longer than I have seen previously. I myself weas there for 10 weeks.
QR in first was good. In hindsight, I should have booked the return in first as well but business in the A380 was ok.
The lack of ability to use the Amex 241 is hugely frustrating. I have lost 2 or 3 already and another one expires on 1st November with no chance to use it. I have two others, one already in the account and another I’m holding off triggering until later but if they don’t bring back Bangkok before then, I’m dropping the BAPP.
Rob talked about it a few weeks back. BA appears to have withdrawn from many eastern routes to focus on Atlantic ones and the demand will in turn be picked up by QR.
Either Singapore or Hong Kong aren’t bad BA options for Bangkok as they’re a short flight away with plenty of options and make for a nice stopover for a night or two as well. On the way home if you flew “full service” they’d check your bags to BA and I’d personally be comfortable with Singapore Airlines / Cathay Pacific ability to get me there on time by taking an afternoon flight.
India is another option that makes for an interesting stopover and availability is usually plentiful. Also has Virgin Atlantic options
My strategy is the same, HKG or SIN for a few days before moving on to BKK especially when staying for longer. I see it as a positive rather than a negative as I like both places and the 241 from the regions works well.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
