FLIGHT QUANDRY

[sayjann]

this is more directed to People in the Tourism business.....where are you Torneyboy?.

 

i booked my flight to BKK on-line (which was a first for me,normally deal with the Airline direct) and got a good price of £360 with Thai.

received my tickets from the Internet Company within Days and i was happy.

however.............

 

i now have another Week off from work and obviously would like to extend my stay in LOS instead of sitting at home for a Week doing nothing.

rang the Company that provided the Tickets and i cannot change my Flight details,they say i have to travel on the Dates i asked for in the first place and i expected this reply.

i could cancel and lose the £360 and get compensation of £57 so that is not really an option.

 

when i get to BKK i will have a wait of around 3 Hours before my flight (different Carrier) to Phuket and i was wondering if it was worth going to the Thai desk and see if i can change my flight home to the UK?.

in the past i have booked a ticket with Thai in person and twice have changed my flight details to get home with no problem.

 

do People think i might be in luck trying to chat to Thai direct as i am flying with them or might they say no chance as i have booked the tickets from another company even though i am flying with them?.

i'm flexible with flights as i have a Week to play with.

 

thanks for any help or ideas Guys..........

[BelgianBoy]

sayjann,

 

What class are you booked in ?

The cheapest classes are issued tickets = not refundable.....

 

BB

[SoiledCowboy]

Hi sayjann - it seems that you do indeed have Non-Refundable tickets but all may not be lost but it does depend on the flght dates, plenty of time left etc before departure, and dealing direct with your local Thai Air main office and their generosity in doing something kind for you, but they probably don't have to offer anything more so hope that they are approachable...they could ultimately reissue the new ticketing dates/classes, with you picking up any seasonal fare differences/reissue charges etc but really only if they think that there's no risk involved for them in reselling your original ticket in the remaining time left...get onto it straight away for the best result...good luck!

[..]

Just fly standby? That is where you go to the airport and check into a flight (same route as your original flight, just a different day) and get a seat on a space-available basis. I do it all the time because I usually do not know how long my biz trips are gonna last.

 

Of course, it will only work if you are sure that the flights are not full at that time of year (unless you have a gold card for that airline).

 

But anyway, deal with it in Thailand. Better custome rservice.

 

Cheers,

SD

[Guest]

As someone who used to work for a Far East Travel company in the UK. Your chances of changing the return date in this country are ZERO as the allocation for the return leg is held in Bangkok and not the UK.

HOWEVER

The main Thai office in Bangkok is usually quite accomodating and I have had dates on supposedly Non changeable-Non refundable flights changed. Onece I had to pay 100 baht and once it was done for free.

 

I would suggest you go to the Thai Main offices when you get there and explain/ Its 50/50 but dont go expecting them to change it, as rules, and managers change.

 

Good luck

[sayjann]

SD

i have the Tickets in my hand and i don't think trying the stand-by is an option.

but if i did try it,would i have to pay for the one-way flight home or would my original ticket (albeit the wrong date) still entitle me to get on the flight?.

 

have just got off the phone to Thai in London and explained things and the first thing they said was that i could change my flight in BKK.

then they asked me a few details and then said that as my ticket was a special cheap price i would not be able to change my return flight.

 

but when i arrive in BKK i will try the Thai desk and see if there is anything they can do.

i will also try my favourite travel agent in Patong as they have been very helpful in the past.

twicw before i have had such a good time in LOS that i decided to stay and they have arranged another flight for me with no bother.

as my time is limited in BKK and i will be busy i don't know wether i will be able to get to the main office but if i have to then i will make the effort 100%

the problem is that the only chance i will get to visit them is on the Day i am flying and the time factor might make it awkward.

but i can only try when i get to LOS and see what happens.

thankfully i'm travelling back home in June and as that is low season then that might help.

i'll check out the plane on the way out and see if it is full or if there are empty seats.

if empty seats then that might be a good omen for changing the return flight.

 

thanks for the advice Guys.......

[..]

sayjann said:

i have the Tickets in my hand and i don't think trying the stand-by is an option. but if i did try it,would i have to pay for the one-way flight home or would my original ticket (albeit the wrong date) still entitle me to get on the flight?.

Just use your tix. That is the point of standby. You gamble that there will be a seat available on the flight you want to take. If there is, you got it. No charge.

 

It is not that much of a gamble as you can call the airline a day or two ahead of time and get an idea of the passenger load.

 

Cheers,

SD

[Khun_Kong]

suadum said:

sayjann said:

i have the Tickets in my hand and i don't think trying the stand-by is an option. but if i did try it,would i have to pay for the one-way flight home or would my original ticket (albeit the wrong date) still entitle me to get on the flight?.

Just use your tix. That is the point of standby. You gamble that there will be a seat available on the flight you want to take. If there is, you got it. No charge.

 

It is not that much of a gamble as you can call the airline a day or two ahead of time and get an idea of the passenger load.

 

Cheers,

SD

 

Black Tiger-

 

I don't think using an expired ticket to fly standby is a good idea! That's the way I am reading these posts, anyway. Seems he wants to stay an extra week or so, but the return ticket cannot be changed without big fees

 

However... I do know somebody who got sick once (me!)- deathly ill with Brown Fever, felt like a great weight on my chest, parts of my body were very stiff, just could not make it to the airport from Pattaya, could barely get out of bed.

 

A call to the airline (United) and a 600 baht letter from a doctor at Pattaya General Hospital secured my free, delayed departure 3 or 4 days later, on a non-refundable, non-changeable ticket!

 

I've been told that many male tourists are afflicted with the same disorder.

[Hidy Ho]

Not every airline tickets are created equal ... for paid same amount.

 

There are many fare bade codes. Some (such as full fare) are much more flexible and thus cost more.

 

It wouldn't be fair to provide same level of flexibility for lower cost fare. If able to change, you might have to pay change fee or the difference between your paid-for flight and available fare code for the flight you want.

 

And, standby is subject to each airline's own rule. So check with 'em.

 

Somre discounted fare doesn't even allow you to get frequent mileage point.

 

I have been subject to all of above headaches before.

 

One needs to understand and review the fare rule before purchasing the ticket. Because of this, my old company had policy to buy only unrestricted fares (since my schedule can be very dynamic). This was pre 9/11 ... now no one will pay for my business class seat on Int'l flight Cheap bastards ...

 

Google on "fare base code" or similar will provide good information for you ... or ammo.

[Guest]

'Economy Reduced fare Tickets issued with a confirmed out bound and inbound date in the UK cannot be used as Standby.

Only 'Open return' tickets can be used that way.

If you arrive at the airport on a date other than your confirmed date (on a UK issued ticket) you will simply be turned away.

 

The Central Thai Airways International office in Bangkok is the only place that can change that ticket, and as I said before they may or may not do so depending on the occupancy rate for the required flight.