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Bad Experience With Thai Airways (children policy)


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Seats are not fixed absolutely until you check-in. A nice word with the check-in staff should net you seating together (IIRC you can't do online if you need bassinet seats).

Get to the airport early for the best chance!

Crossy you are right and, as its them that will have to deal with the consequences of my screaming kid for 12 hours if they dont, I`m pretty sure they will oblige and move us all together, regardless of "promo" sections of the plane or not.

It still doesnt excuse customer service that implies a farrang peasant like myself with a promo fare should just be happy to be on the plane at all, and not make any additional requests.

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If you selected the seats at time of booking I can understand how you feel. Though of course the airline reserves the right to move you around if they deem it necessary. As for first/business class - your tickets would have cost more if it wasn't for these passengers.

They selected seats for me - not together.

Don`t really know what you are getting at with the first/business class thing. I fly both regularly and didn`t mention them in my post as a main point. Economy class passengers still need a decent level of service.

I was just responding to your comment that first/business class get all the service. Seems fair enough to me since they're helping keep your seat cheap. Perhaps the reason you didn't get to choose seats was due to the nature of the tickets bought.

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Wow... now who's derailing his own thread?

In my much more vast experience of traveling everywhere, there's quite a few airlines with websites that are comprehensive enough to allow seat selection; Thai's website does allow seat selection AFAIK. How did the OP book these tickets? I assume either a travel agency or online with a consolidator hence not knowing where the <deleted> are parked until after the fact? If you called THAI to complain about a ticket they didn't issue directly, they can't do anything and said as much but I guess they could have been a bit more polite about it. Depends on how polite the OP was maybe.

Either way, as Crossy pointed out, the place to negotiate seat allocations is at check-in so get in early. Also skip feeding the kids and rub sand in their eyes so that they are obviously cranky and blubbery looking and the counter staff will do whatever it takes to keep you all together in one place.

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I also have had issues with TG seating (in Business Class)... TG could and should be doing things much better... especially regarding their call centre.... and particularly the quality of English on the recorded messages, the grammatical inaccuracies are no longer cute when you are waiting 30 mins on a international call !...

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We have flown Thai economy several times with our child. When she was a baby, we always got bassinette seats, and when she was a toddler, we got window bulkhead seats so I had leg room, and the bub could play on the floor. The staff were always wonderful, both on the ground and in the air.

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I had 2 bad experiences with Thai International.

1. My wife and I were bumped out of business class just before boarding when some big Thai HiSO and family showed up, forcing us to economy with refund.

2. My wife asked for help in putting a bag in the overhead bin. She was told by the Thai Airline Steward that "We all have bad backs.", and walked away.

These 2 issues have melded a permanent impression in my mind of Thai's trying to run a airline.

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I have found that being reasonable always worked. As in a reasonable demeanor when dealing with Thai Airways. The are Thai after all. Just calmly present your situation at check in an they will sort you out. Relax. When we fly with our child we always have to either go to airline office or wait till check in. Same in other airlines. Since you have a new baby this may be your first time. It's normal procedure. You'll be fine.

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

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To be fair, Joe Bloggs paying a full Y fare isn't going to be selecting a bassinet row seat in the first place...

And it's too bad you're flying from LHR, I'd pay good money too see you kick off at the check-in staff if you don't get your way...

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Furthermore it wasnt an APEX fare. (it was booked yesterday for a journey next week)

£2,500 booked a week in advance is a good price on Thai, which is why you booked...

Yesterday I broke that mould and decided to book with Thai, who finally seem to be offering competitive pricing again

You haven't even taken off yet, and you're already stressed so just as well you aren't upsetting both the children instead of just the one. You've been advised half a dozen times to approach check-in as soon as they open and this is good advice.

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I also have had issues with TG seating (in Business Class)... TG could and should be doing things much better... especially regarding their call centre.... and particularly the quality of English on the recorded messages, the grammatical inaccuracies are no longer cute when you are waiting 30 mins on a international call !...

Maybe you'll Skype next time.coffee1.gif

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I have found that being reasonable always worked. As in a reasonable demeanor when dealing with Thai Airways. The are Thai after all. Just calmly present your situation at check in an they will sort you out. Relax. When we fly with our child we always have to either go to airline office or wait till check in. Same in other airlines. Since you have a new baby this may be your first time. It's normal procedure. You'll be fine.

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

I agree that being reasonable almost always allows the other person to be reasonable, but not ALWAYS. Just because you did not eat the lion does not mean the lion won't eat you. Kindness given is not always returned, but sometimes viewed as a weakness and taken advantage of. Sad truth in life. Please don't blame the OP for not being polite when you don't know that he wasn't. Also, show me a sign anywhere there says "If you purchase our cheapest product, we can treat you like crap". This should not be any companies slogan.

I am responding to several of the posts in this thread, not just yours. Sorry.

Edited by stoli
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I have found that being reasonable always worked. As in a reasonable demeanor when dealing with Thai Airways. The are Thai after all. Just calmly present your situation at check in an they will sort you out. Relax. When we fly with our child we always have to either go to airline office or wait till check in. Same in other airlines. Since you have a new baby this may be your first time. It's normal procedure. You'll be fine.

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

I agree that being reasonable almost always allows the other person to be reasonable, but not ALWAYS. Just because you did not eat the lion does not mean the lion won't eat you. Kindness given is not always returned, but sometimes viewed as a weakness and taken advantage of. Sad truth in life. Please don't blame the OP for not being polite when you don't know that he wasn't. Also, show me a sign anywhere there says "If you purchase our cheapest product, we can treat you like crap". This should not be any companies slogan.

I am responding to several of the posts in this thread, not just yours. Sorry.

This becomes a circular argument, I've seen confrontations on aircraft when passengers poach reserved seats. There's a set of people out there who take the attitude that their boarding pass is a basis for negotiation.

In this case the passenger that requires the bassinet seat is getting it. Full stop.

The airline is fulfilling it's obligation, the airline has no obligation to block off entire rows to facilitate one passenger.

No one is being treated like crap.

.

Edited by theblether
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My last long haul flight I had the luck to be sat next to an extremely drunk, smelly and chatty (worst combination ever?) middle aged man from birmingham. The chat would have been okay had it not been his desire to talk almost exclusively about "thai birds".

This was much more painful than any occasional cries ive heard from an infant in the past.

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Toddlers and babies shouldn't be in airplanes really. I find it selfish to think that a plane full of people should be held hostage by a screaming child. If anything, there should be separate areas for screaming children, as many package tours already do. This of course wouldn't be needed if parents raised their children properly and didn't think that THEIR little precious deserved special treatment.

Yes, how about those of us with small children just stay inside our house and not travel anywhere incase we might upset other travelers like yourself? Children do not fly for free, we still have to pay for their airfares.

I find it selfish that I have paid for a full price adult ticket and people feel the need to use my armrest, or drink the entire flight and get drunk or keep their light on all night or open the window at night time when those of us are trying to sleep. You obviously do not have children! I am a mother and I live in Thailand as my husband works here, but we fly home often to visit my family... next time I'll just leave my kids at home so they dont get to see their grandparents etc so we don't upset people like you. I ask for no special treatment for my children.

To the OP:

My family and I ONLY fly Thai and I always fly with my children (second one due any day now) and Thai Airways staff (ground and in flight) are excellent and only provide excellent service. I was always given a bassinet when my 1st born was younger and they always make sure that we are comfortable, even moving me to my own row of seats so my child can sleep the entire flight.

I will be flying home in December to Australia (9 hour flight, and it is very much hard for the parent of the child who is upset not just for the other travellers) and I know I will get the same service again. As I know we are travelling with kids, I always make sure to have my seats booked and reserved at least a week before the flight and will stay up at night to online check in to make sure me and my children are comfortable. As a parent its your duty to make sure all this is not left to the last minute.

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