Thai Airlines Cancellation Policy

[piari]

Booked on Flight from Frankfurt to Bangkok after a connecting flight from Venice with Lufthansa.

Arrived in frankfurt and there was not a cart available for us the next gate was over a kilometre away.

The guide was a former Olympic sprinter so I failed to keep up and had a respiratory problem by the time I finally arrived in the lounge.

The assistance I received from the ambulance and the clinic was exemplary - could not have wanted for anything better.

Unfortunately we then missed the flight to Bangkok with Thai.

With a considerable amount of help from Lufthansa (not Thai - no one available anywhere) we were rescheduled on a later Lufthansa flight - meanwhile we were taken - in a cart to the 1st class lounge and treated like honoured guests by all the staff.

Arrived for the stopover in Bangkok - great place for this.

Went early to the airport for our flight back to Brisbane.

The trouble then started.

Thai had cancelled our confirmed tickets to Brisbane because we had not flown the previous sector with them - no on a connecting flight but a stopover.

There were no seats available for at least two to three days.

At this point panic took over - no help at all from Thai - we were told to sit in chairs outside the checkin point and wait - they may be able to help us a half hour before take off or not at all. This is at 11 pm at night.

No choice but to wait 20 minutes before take off we were allocated seats and were rushed through customs and screening to the gate where the plane was ready for boarding.

The Thai personnel stated that it was their policy to reallocate seats when a sector is missed even if the stopover is a month or a week or a day.

I am not sure if this is a general policy but it certainly makes for an uncomfortable journey.

Lufthansa were so efficient in comparison.

The Thai manager in Frankfurt told me that to try United - no idea why. Great help he was. NOT!

 

[markis10]

Its standard practice for many airlines to cancel all onward sectors if one is not flown regardless of it being a connection or stopover.

 

[piari]

It may be standard practice but there was no attempt by Thai to communicate to me in Bangkok.

Standard doesn't make it right.

 

[markis10]

Standard doesn't make it right.

Its clearly mentioned in the conditions of carriage (3.3.6), and there is no mention of any need to communicate what was done when they are clearly saying this is what happens! While its unfortunate what happened and the circumstances, making the effor to contact Thai could have resulted in a smoother experience I suspect.

Did you make an effort to formally communicate to Thai the issues once missing the flight became a reality, while there may not have been anyone around at the airport, they do have 24 hour service centre for such things, their contact info is also clearly advertised: + 49-69-69070931. Fax : + 49-69-692981. E-Mail : [email protected] ?

 

[piari]

Thai were contacted by the Clinic at Frankfurt as they had to take my luggage off the aircraft, they were contacted by the German federal Police telling them where I was and why I was unable to catch the flight.

Following discharge thy were contacted by the Special Services section at Frankfurt Airport informing them of where they had taken me.

Finally I rang Thai in Frankfurt personally to try and find out what they could do for me - he said "Go talk to United they may be able to help" - exact words.

I am sure Thai knew exactly where I was as they picked me up from the Lufthansa flight and took me in a wheel chair to where my driver was waiting to take me into the Hotel in Bangkok.

Not sure how many other avenues of contact there is for Thai really.

 

[mannej]

Were your tickets booked through United by any chance or through Thai? I am just trying to get the relevance of UA here.

 

[piari]

United were the only counter open and they were very good handing me over personally to a Lufthansa person.

I am unsure as to who the tickets were booked with - they were 1st class Bangkok to Rome and Frankfurt to Bangkok.

The other sectors were business class as Thai don't offer 1st class Bangkok to Brisbane.

The connecting flight from Venice was through Lufthansa business.

 

[travelislife]

They are the airlines you flew with. How did you pay for the ticket? Cash at an agency? Online with cash? With frequent flyer points?

 

[Aussie_flyer]

I am unsure as to who the tickets were booked with -

This seems odd. You don't know who you booked the ticket with??

I am starting to suspect an online site selling discounted J/F tickets for cash but using FF points and pocketing the difference

 

[piari]

Bank deposit to an agent

 

[ftm]

My guess is that when LH took over the ticket, they only fixed the sector to BKK and missed the connection to Brisbane. Someone else might clarify this, but because LH couldn't deliver you to the TG flight (should have provided the buggy etc), you were their responsibility.

That is assuming that the BKK to BNE leg was on the same ticket. If they were on separate tickets, then they haven't done anything incorrectly.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Bank deposit to an agent

Registered travel agent ? (no need to name)
And where - what city ?
Or some other "agent" ?

Did you have travel insurance ?

 

[piari]

Travel agent did the whole thing as we were cruising on QE2. That is why our arrival and departure was from different airports.
Thai knew where we were the whole time as they organised a welcome committee with the wheel chair when we arrived in Bangkok.