EVA Air NO SHOW

[thanuhak]

When I was single and had a bit more disposable income - and travelled alone - I used to love EVA's Economy Deluxe, or Evergreen Class, or Elite Class - there seem to be many names for this in-between class.

Closer to Economy rates than Business rates, and the legroom was wonderful, as was the service, the condition of the aircraft, the food, and the lovely, accommodating staff. Really.

Now travelling with 4 to the US, I looked for the cheapest fares, forgetting you pretty much get what you pay for, or thinking it wouldn't really matter that much. Actually looking for the cheapest fares, OK.

Enter China Eastern Airlines. THB 30,000 BKK - Shanghai - JFK - Shanghai - BKK. R/t for under $1000. Hoo-rah. Kids go for 25K.

Well, you know those movies where the dude wakes up in like, Nazi Germany, or in this case, say, during the Cultural Revolution. Shianghai Pudong is a lot like that. They have no clue what "in transit" should mean, or be. I've never seen anyone actually ask my wife or daughter to come closer so they could compare their face more closely with the passport picture. And then be excited to find an "h" in the name in the passport that wasn't on the ticket. On & on.

And the Li Yen pickled radishes and Original Onion Cookies with Best Taste are to die for, literally. Disgraceful snack tray full of 3 Baht items on the 4.5-hour flight BKK - Shanghai. All I can say is: better living through chemistry.

And thank god my family had a row to ourselves, so that I could get my knees out of my face.

And I don't think I've ever flown any airline that was late on every leg of the journey. Watch those connections, people; AmTrak doesn't wait for you at Penn Station.

And and and. But I digress. This is the Eva Air No Show topic.

Let's just say I will be thrilled to fly EVA, or THAI, or Qatar, or Emirates, or SING, or any airline that doesn't have China in the name - or in the itinerary! And what's a few thousand extra baht really when you're on a 36-hour odyssey between BKK and Smalltown, USA, with 2 children in tow? "Daddy, I can't eat these things!"

EVA never let me down, BTW. Long live Taiwan.

[arjay]

Thanuhak, interesting anecdotes on your trip with China Eastern airlines.

Yes, I've always found EVA very good, and have just booked with them - out Economy class and back Elite class - at a cost of 40K baht.

They had a particularly good promotion on the BKK -LHR route presumably to fill those Economy seats for the return leg.

Current promotion: circa 28000 baht Economy return BKK -LHR.

[Nick@AUA]

On a similar theme with the OP on EVA...
I was due to fly back on the 14th. I have a 3 month ticket & when I obtained had no idea when I would actually be able to fly back. As it turns out the 14th. is too early so I phoned EVA to change.
No problem.....but had no available seats from 28th. July to 4th. August. So I am on stand by for which flight they can get me on. The London office said 'This is the busy season'....well yes, holiday season in UK for sure, but to Thailand???
So passengers in June are told 'No demand', passengers in July 'Too much demand'....wonder which is correct
The office would have been happy to upgrade me - if I paid as much for the upgrade as I paid for 1 way anyway... Told them I would kindly reject that offer...

Yes June is low season and therefore low demand. July is high season (always has been - school holidays), so high demand.

Seems pretty straight forward to me.

[Nick@AUA]

we should point out to people without a current Visa stamp in there passport, that an airline can refuse to take you on a single ticket.

I always fly back on the second piece of a BKK-LHR-BKK ticket - so, in effect, a 'single' when i am returning to BKK. EVA always check my passport for the visa stamp. I am reasonably sure that they would not let me on the plane without it.

Sorry Bob - I'm not picking on you. But the return part of a BKK-LHR-BKK ticket is not a single. It is the inbound leg of a return ticket.

a single ticket is just a one-way deal.

[BobHelm]

It is a 'single' to the airline in as much as it does not provide proof of further travel after Thailand & so, without the evidence of a visa to enter that country, would result in the airline with the problem of removing the passenger elsewhere if entry was refused.

Yes you are correct Nick July is a peak time for holidays in the UK. it is not, however, a peak time for travellers from the UK to Thailand - that is December.

[Nick@AUA]

[arjay]

Here's an interesting one for you.

I took my good lady back to the UK a couple of years back, for a visit on a "UK visit visa". She isn't Thai, but comes from another "Asean" group country.

At the end of our stay in the UK when checking-in at Heathrow for our return flight to Thailand, she was challenged by the check-in guy that she didn't have a Thai visa (or re-entry permit) in her passport, therefore he wasn't sure she would be allowed to enter Thailand. (I had a re-entry permit, though like her would have been given a 30 day stamp on arrival anyway!). I pointed out to him that she came from another of the Asean group of countries and that they can enter each others countries with an automatic 30 day stay, no visa required.

He insisted he had to go and check, which he did,...... ............ and then came back and checked us in OK. I can remember thinking at the time, had they denied her boarding, it could have been quite amusing (or not!!). .... Not allowed to return to the UK, nor fly back to Thailand. There could have been a sequel to the Steven Spielberg film: "The Terminal"!!

[Nick@AUA]

It is a 'single' to the airline in as much as it does not provide proof of further travel after Thailand & so, without the evidence of a visa to enter that country, would result in the airline with the problem of removing the passenger elsewhere if entry was refused.

Not really. It is the inbound part of a return ticket, as I said before. The airline will know that the ticket originated from Thailand in the first place and this would affect the status of the passenger.

Completely different from someone arriving on a SINGLE, one way ticket. Originating in ANOTHER COUNTRY.

Where are you getting your information from Bob, experience of travelling?

[BobHelm]

Where are you getting your information from Bob, experience of travelling?

Yes Nick - exactly the point. Every time a return to Thailand via EVA Air on the return part of a ticket bought in Thailand they want to check my visa. When I queried the staff about this the last time they replied as per the jist of my post above - that it was necessary for them to ensure that I had a valid visa for Thailand as I was not showing onward travel from there.

If you have a different pratical experience of this then I will be interested to know of it.

[JimboPSM]

For those based in Thailand with regular requirements to fly overseas, this is something that may work to save on airline ticketing costs - I used this some years ago to save very substantial amounts on multiple flights in Europe to fly in a specialist that we needed for an extended spell.

Using Bangkok and London Heathrow as an example:

• 1. Buy a return ticket covering an extended period of time for BKK - LHR return.
  
  2. Then buy multiple return tickets at a lower price for LHR-BKK return for use between the outbound and return dates on the first ticket.

In all cases the the outbound part of the ticket is used before using the return section, the only expensive ticket is "Ticket 1" starting in Thailand which brackets the cheaper tickets which all start in the UK (Tickets 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 & 2.4).

Air Ticketing.jpg (40.64 KiB) Viewed 1688 times

[Jai]

As Promised the result

I would like to think this result would have been the same--if I had not contacted AUC (the consumers Ass for UK air travelers) or wrote letters on 9 blogs both here and in the UK--and sent the registered letter to the president of EVA Air.
I do think they are well let down by the attitude of the Thai company that takes care of there interest in Thailand .
But I will fly with them again---and for my part of the blame I will always phone to confirm the day before even though there Webb site says this isn't necessary.

Dear Mr. XXXX,
(Your reference number is XXXXX) First of all, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for your loyal patronage during past years and sorry for delay responding. We would like to extend our sincerest apology for the uncomfortable experience that you faced regarding to the problem at Heathrow airport. For this incident, we have internal reviewed and requested the relevant department for immediate improvement. However, to express our sincerely apologize of the inconveniences that you experienced, we will proceed the refund amount THB 26,630 for unused portion(LON-BKK) under ticket number XXXXX as goodwill. Therefore,please kindly provide us a copy of your bank book account in Thailand and a copy of your passport in order that our accountant would be able to process the refund. You may send the supporting documents by attachment or by fax at+66 (XXXXX, attention to 'commercial department'.
With great hope, this arrangement would meet with the most of your satisfaction. Once again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and thank you for understanding. Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely, EVA Airways Corporation (Bangkok Office)