Big increase in air fares

[Bandung_Dero]

Yesterday we tried 3 travel agents in Pattaya for a w/way ticket to UTH. First one quoted 3900 Baht. Second quoted 5000 baht. Called Thai and they quoted 5500 baht. Put phone down and went back to the first agent.
She looked on line and told us " price go up to 5000 Baht",
Then she said"No seats left sorry"
Now in Swampy awaiting the evening Vietjet flight.
Won't get caught again.

Have a friend caught at Swampy last Friday evening after an international flight, could not get a flight from either airport to Udon (do not know why he didn't prebook). Found a taxi = 6000 to Ban Dung.

Me! I would have just caught the shuttle to Don Muang, booked the 1st Nok flight then into the Amari Hotel and have a beer.

[tamada]

Yesterday we tried 3 travel agents in Pattaya for a w/way ticket to UTH. First one quoted 3900 Baht. Second quoted 5000 baht. Called Thai and they quoted 5500 baht. Put phone down and went back to the first agent.
She looked on line and told us " price go up to 5000 Baht",
Then she said"No seats left sorry"
Now in Swampy awaiting the evening Vietjet flight.
Won't get caught again.

Have a friend caught at Swampy last Friday evening after an international flight, could not get a flight from either airport to Udon (do not know why he didn't prebook). Found a taxi = 6000 to Ban Dung.

Me! I would have just caught the shuttle to Don Muang, booked the 1st Nok flight then into the Amari Hotel and have a beer.

Your mate must have had a damn hot date to fork out 6 grand for an ~8 hour taxi ride.

The Nok/Amari option would have been mine as well.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

My option pre-2016 would be to take the overnight bus, and sleep during the journey to Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen or Udon.

[tamada]

I went on the BA website and plugged in dates for a 2-week visit to the UK this summer. With the each-way airfare quoted at almost 11,000 baht, it's easy to see here what add-ons both governments, airlines and airports tack onto the base fare to make it over twice as expensive as first thought when picking the actual flights.

The biggest item is the mysterious "carrier imposed charge" which, after reading several travel articles about them, appear to be highly classified as to what they consist of. No airline came forth and explained how they were calculated, but since the airport and passenger facility charges and duties are already itemised separately, it's a bit of a blank check/cheque for the airlines. However, regardless of the country the airline comes from, no government or regulator appears to question these charges.

It's also strange that a 750 baht "Passenger Service Charge (Domestic)-Thailand" is being levied on an international flight.

Forcomparson, I plugged in the same route/dates using KLM and the fare breakdown came out like this.

I guess their "Carrier imposed international surcharge (YR)" is how they label their 'magic numbers'.

[sometimewoodworker]

It's also strange that a 750 baht "Passenger Service Charge (Domestic)-Thailand" is being levied on an international flight.

Forcomparson, I plugged in the same route/dates using KLM and the fare breakdown came out like this.

It looks as if the 730 Passenger Service Charge -Thailand is exactly the same for both (presumably all) airlines

That BA calls it (Domestic) and KLM doesn’t looks like a code error

The “carrier imposed charge” is likely to be the way the flexible pricing works and is probably highly variable and how demand is balanced against supply.

[tamada]

The BA "carrier imposed surcharge" is almost the same as KLM's "carrier-imposed international surcharge".

When asked, the airlines claim that these calculations and what operating costs or losses they serve to compensate them for are confidential and any disclosure may benefit a rival airline. To me, it looks like the airlines are already colluding on these arbitrary "travel taxes."

In the past, at least five major banks colluded on fixing LIBOR rates, right under the regulator's noses. Also, major steel producers have colluded in order to maximise their profits and force the smaller producers out of business. The OPEC cartel played the same game.

[sometimewoodworker]

The BA "carrier imposed surcharge" is almost the same as KLM's "carrier-imposed international surcharge".

Unless I am missing something
BA = 16,130 BAHT
KLM = 8,100 BAHT

Have I missed something? Isn’t it virtually double / half?

I don’t question the price fixing or other nefarious acts, they are probably as close to the line as physical possible and likely colluding or the algorithms are doing the similar job.

[tamada]

The BA "carrier imposed surcharge" is almost the same as KLM's "carrier-imposed international surcharge".

Unless I am missing something
BA = 16,130 BAHT
KLM = 8,100 BAHT

Have I missed something? Isn’t it virtually double / half?

I don’t question the price fixing or other nefarious acts, they are probably as close to the line as physical possible and likely colluding or the algorithms are doing the similar job.

You're correct. How about KLM's "Government taxes and fees" at 8070 baht that isn't mentioned by BA. You add that to their (YR) charge and miraculously, it comes close to BA's completely anonymous "carrier imposed charges". Which government?

The end result is a final airfare that's close to a competitor's. It's all too obscure.

https://www.businessinsider.com/airline ... ery-2018-7

[Udon Map]

You're correct. How about KLM's "Government taxes and fees" at 8070 baht that isn't mentioned by BA.

Every government imposes different taxes and fees on airline passengers. The city of London, for example, imposes its own tax/fee on all passengers, in addition to any U.K. taxes/fees. In economy, the fee is a little over USD $100 for a roundtrip. In business, it's something like double that.

[sometimewoodworker]

The BA "carrier imposed surcharge" is almost the same as KLM's "carrier-imposed international surcharge".

Unless I am missing something
BA = 16,130 BAHT
KLM = 8,100 BAHT

Have I missed something? Isn’t it virtually double / half?

I don’t question the price fixing or other nefarious acts, they are probably as close to the line as physical possible and likely colluding or the algorithms are doing the similar job.

You're correct. How about KLM's "Government taxes and fees" at 8070 baht that isn't mentioned by BA.

As a single line item it isn’t but from line 7 their are 5 or 6 itemised taxes and fees

Again I’m not saying that the final fare isn’t suspiciously close but the taxes and fees don’t explain it.

[tamada]

You're correct. How about KLM's "Government taxes and fees" at 8070 baht that isn't mentioned by BA.

Every government imposes different taxes and fees on airline passengers. The city of London, for example, imposes its own tax/fee on all passengers, in addition to any U.K. taxes/fees. In economy, the fee is a little over USD $100 for a roundtrip. In business, it's something like double that.

There's absolutely no clarity or consistency in how these are reported. The two examples given show disparity. The key issue, as reflected in the media link I posted, is there's no requirement for airlines to define what these significant lump-sum fees are actually paying for. If these "carrier imposed surcharges" include airport or security fees or government taxes, then there already seems to be some duplication.

The linked article suggests these extra charges first appeared around eight years ago to address costs related to volatile fuel prices. They're not so volatile any more. Despite the wars, oil prices have been flat-lining.

When an airline levies a lump-sum charge that can be almost 50% of the final ticket cost, that's a significant, unexplained mark up.

[Udon Map]

You're correct. How about KLM's "Government taxes and fees" at 8070 baht that isn't mentioned by BA.

Every government imposes different taxes and fees on airline passengers. The city of London, for example, imposes its own tax/fee on all passengers, in addition to any U.K. taxes/fees. In economy, the fee is a little over USD $100 for a roundtrip. In business, it's something like double that.

There's absolutely no clarity or consistency in how these are reported. The two examples given show disparity. The key issue, as reflected in the media link I posted, is there's no requirement for airlines to define what these significant lump-sum fees are actually paying for. If these "carrier imposed surcharges" include airport or security fees or government taxes, then there already seems to be some duplication.

The linked article suggests these extra charges first appeared around eight years ago to address costs related to volatile fuel prices. They're not so volatile any more. Despite the wars, oil prices have been flat-lining.

When an airline levies a lump-sum charge that can be almost 50% of the final ticket cost, that's a significant, unexplained mark up.

Agreed. I always considered them nothing more than a stealth fare increase.

[deankham]

Slightly off topic but looking for advice;

Will arrive into Swampy at 7pm so likely 8pm by time have collected bags and want to hear to Udon Thani.

What would you do to get up to Udon as hassle free as possible?

I'm assuming no flights to Udon at that time?, so some thought are;
1. Get a Driver to Udon from Swampy - Only me and teenage daughter with couple bags. Have got a pre-booked Van during Covid and cost about 8k baht from memory.
2. Stay near Swampy and get early flight following morning - Never stayed near Swampy so do not know hotel options
3. Taxi to Dom Muang area, stay overnight and early flight next morning - Have done this before and stayed at Amari. Is it worth the hassle over just staying near swampy?
4. Bus / Train - Not interested in this.

thanks

[Doodoo]

Go to Booking .com and for location put in Suvarnabhumi Airport
Loads of hotels 700 to 1400 baht for the night Some will have pickup service and breakfast

[tamada]

If you've done the Amari stopover before, then that should work ok. That hotel is super convenient with only a 10-15 minute walk to your early morning flight check-in for UTH. Getting a metered taxi from Suvarnabhumi should be a breeze.

It's also cheaper than the Novotel at BKK which is the closest hotel to that airport: either 10 minute walk through the tunnel or 10 minute minivan ride. It's my first choice if the client is picking up the tab but sometimes it's full at very short notice if/when there's a flight delay or cancellation. Breakfast buffet is good but you'll miss it if you're keen on the first flight home. I opt for a long lie-in, breakfast and catch the mid-day flight north.

As Doodoo suggests, there's plenty other 2, 3 and 4 star hotels that are within 20 minutes of BKK that can be booked online but check to see if ground transport is complimentary or even an option. Most were complimentary before Covid but it's a different game now. I also found seeking out their rep with your name board from the dozens of reps lining the meeting point isn't something you want to be doing after a long flight. More so if the hotel has 'pooled' the minivan with other hotels and you're either waiting for another passenger, the van is full, or you end up on a milk run. Of course you can always cut to the taxi rank and bypass that shambles.

Also note not all of them have a kitchen or dining but in the age of Grab, that's no longer a minus.

[sometimewoodworker]

If you've done the Amari stopover before, then that should work ok. That hotel is super convenient with only a 10-15 minute walk to your early morning flight check-in for UTH. Getting a metered taxi from Suvarnabhumi should be a breeze.

You probably qualify for the free shuttle bus service to DMK, I’ve used it a couple of times once I was the only passenger.
If you don’t qualify you will probably only have waisted 5 minutes checking.

[Bandung_Dero]

You probably qualify for the free shuttle bus service to DMK, I’ve used it a couple of times once I was the only passenger.
If you don’t qualify you will probably only have waisted 5 minutes checking.

Just need proof of forward travel from Don Muaeng. I have used the shuttle on many occasions, easily accessible and leaves every 30 mins. Stay over at the Amari (been upgraded to a suite on a number of times). Unfortunately the "Farang" styled restaurant on the lower ground floor at the back end of the hotel has closed now. Having a nice meal with a few beers was a great unwind after many hours of travel. Not really fussed with their in house restaurant.
In saying that the breakfast is good.

[tamada]

If you've done the Amari stopover before, then that should work ok. That hotel is super convenient with only a 10-15 minute walk to your early morning flight check-in for UTH. Getting a metered taxi from Suvarnabhumi should be a breeze.

You probably qualify for the free shuttle bus service to DMK, I’ve used it a couple of times once I was the only passenger.
If you don’t qualify you will probably only have waisted 5 minutes checking.

I can recommend the Canalis Hotel on Lat Krabang Soi 13 for an overnight at Suvarnabhumi. Took the taxi from the airport rank on level 1 and was in the room within 20 minutes. Four year-old hotel, clean and modern and way nicer and cheaper than the aging Novotel. I had an early check-out for a red-eye flight so didn't get a chance to sample breakfast. The staff got a taxi in 5 minutes, an 85 baht fare (the taxi from the airport has a 35 baht surcharge).

[deankham]

Slightly off topic but looking for advice;

Will arrive into Swampy at 7pm so likely 8pm by time have collected bags and want to hear to Udon Thani.

What would you do to get up to Udon as hassle free as possible?

I'm assuming no flights to Udon at that time?, so some thought are;
1. Get a Driver to Udon from Swampy - Only me and teenage daughter with couple bags. Have got a pre-booked Van during Covid and cost about 8k baht from memory.
2. Stay near Swampy and get early flight following morning - Never stayed near Swampy so do not know hotel options
3. Taxi to Dom Muang area, stay overnight and early flight next morning - Have done this before and stayed at Amari. Is it worth the hassle over just staying near swampy?
4. Bus / Train - Not interested in this.

thanks

Change of plan, well change of flight actually, and we now arrive at 06.10 into swampy.

In the good old days would have taken my time and been on the noon flight to Udon. Just went to book and Thai Airways only have the 7am and 7.45pm flights available! 7am is no chance and no way I'm wiaitng 12 hours to fly to Udon.

So other option is Thai vietjet but the flight is at 8.30am or 3.30pm.
...Should we risk the 8.30am flight? Is only doable if no delays to incoming flight or just book the 3.30pm and waste half a day..
My added worry is if we miss the 8.30am then the 3.30pm is likely to be fully booked and if we book 3.30pm and do arrive nice and early we'd not be able to change to earlier flight as will be fully booked.

Wonder if we can book both options and cancel whichever we don't make, although likely means we are paying over the odds for the flights to get fully refundable tickets.

Any words of wisdom from those who have up to date info on how long it takes to clear customs, get bags and check in for the udon flight?

Thanks,

[jackspratt]

You could look at what is available from Don Muang, and if anything suits, take the free shuttle bus that runs regularly between BKK and DMK.