.. CHEAPER FLIGHTS - R/T Flights ORIGINATING Out of BKK

[brutox]

One of the mystifying black box quirks in international flight-pricing calculi, R/T flights originating in BKK to elsewhere are less expensive than the reverse flight from elsewhere to BKK .. more so than in other airports.

A lot goes into flight pricing, but an airline industry exec (who did not know for sure the reason himself) explained to me that it has to do with BKK as an international connection hub benefitting all international airlines .. not passenger volumes, but the combined long haul, regional, and local destinations served by Suvarnabhumi .. BKK is sort of like Atlanta Hartsfield Airport the US (busiest airport in the world) .. "The only way to get to Heaven, is through a connection in Atlanta [and BKK]".

I believe the gnarl of international airline flight matrices that make this anomaly possible remain unchanged after Covid.

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The workaround:

• Assumes you plan to make return trips to BKK, and that you have reasonable control over your future travel schedules between home and BKK
• Buy Ticket #1:  R/T from wherever you live to BKK
• Make sure Ticket #1 return flight from BKK back home can be changed with minimal cost (if any), as necessary if you do not have firm control over your distant travel plans .. [there are conditions as to how long you are given to change the return trip, and there might be a cost]
• Use Ticket #1 to get to BKK, and then reserve using the return portion of Ticket #1 to sometime in the distant future
• Buy Ticket #2:  R/T passage to your home ORIGINATING from BKK .. cheaper
• Use Ticket #2 for your return trip from BKK to home, and then back to BKK
• Depending on how much flexibility you have to defer use of Ticket #1 to return home, repeat .. buy Ticket #3, ORIGINATING in BKK and others, as many times as changing the return portion of Ticket #1 allows

For some years, I flew business class 2-3 times annually between BKK and the US in the late 90s and early 00s, at a tremendous savings .. for LESS cost than a R/T US>BKK business class ticket, I was buying round-the-world tickets originating out of BKK, doing my business in the US, and then on my way back to BKK stopping elsewhere in the US, Europe, MENA to visit colleagues, friends, and tour about .. made my HR guys (responsible for travel) back in the States crazy, but nothing they could do.

Colleagues based in SIN who travelled to the US did the same thing .. booked R/T SIN>BKK>SIN .. and separately booked BKK>US>BKK, at a cost far less than SIN>US>SIN, and gave themselves a few days in BKK.

This probably works very well for men making multiple trips per year, and in control of their own travel schedules.

Maybe some of you men can report what you are seeing from your own home markets.

Edited May 22, 2023 by brutox

[Kandinski]

It's a well know fact premium ticket origen from the US are far more expensive  than the other way.  Did a test reservation after reading post: BKK - CPH and CPH - BKK, JUNE 6th-27th  BIZ, and prices from Europe came out a couple of thousand cheaper. 

 

[semi-retired member]

I disagree with the OP, I find prices from Thailand to the UK are invariably significantly more expensive, than UK-Thailand-UK !

Prior to Covid, I was buying tickets UK-BKK return vis OTAs, and reckoned to be saving £100-£200 per ticket  ...  well worth the trouble, if you were willing to commit to travel-dates several months ahead.

And while UK-Thailand returns appear to be slowly getting cheaper now, Thailand-UK is still much more than before Covid, I'm still waiting for them to start to fall !

[brutox]

37 minutes ago, semi-retired member said:

I disagree with the OP, I find prices from Thailand to the UK are invariably significantly more expensive, than UK-Thailand-UK !

Prior to Covid, I was buying tickets UK-BKK return vis OTAs, and reckoned to be saving £100-£200 per ticket  ...  well worth the trouble, if you were willing to commit to travel-dates several months ahead.

And while UK-Thailand returns appear to be slowly getting cheaper now, Thailand-UK is still much more than before Covid, I'm still waiting for them to start to fall !

Hey, @semi-retired member.. I can't comment on the UK-BKK pricing you cite.. never did that route.. I have no reason to doubt it. 

A member responded to this question on another topic and mentioned that this applied to "premium" ticketing.. I was flying business class, which might explain it.

I recently saw a R/T business class BKK>US>BKK for next month at USD 1,500 (a Star Alliance mix)! .. holy crap, happy days are here again!.. I do not fly often anymore, so I don't keep up with it all, but I think that is a great fare!

Maybe members flying to BKK from source markets other than wherever you fly from in the UK, are seeing something better.. in economy fares. 

Anyone?.. especially in the US?

[semi-retired member]

1 hour ago, brutox said:

I recently saw a R/T business class BKK>US>BKK for next month at USD 1,500 (a Star Alliance mix)! .. holy crap, happy days are here again!.. I do not fly often anymore, so I don't keep up with it all, but I think that is a great fare!

Agree absolutely, that certainly is an amazing fare, for a long-haul business-class ticket ! 

Perhaps aviation ex-Asia is slower to recover, across the Pacific, hence spare capacity & lower fares ?

[Kandinski]

12 hours ago, brutox said:

A member responded to this question on another topic and mentioned that this applied to "premium" ticketing.. I was flying business class, which might explain it.

As OP clearly stated fares in Biz Premium tickets should OFC be read as First and Biz.  

[jaynewcastle]

Thought I'd posted a reply on here, but obviously not

 

Just going to say that if in the UK, economy return flights from the UK to Bangkok are cheaper, than the other way around

Not sure why ?, but then even Einstein couldn't fully explain airline pricing anyway 

[Bonkabit]

Some years ago I had enough reward points for a one-way Melbourne to Bangkok on ThaiAir. In Bangkok I bought a return BKK-MEL-BKK, and repeated this several times over the next years; this was before the time when Thai Immigration ever asked to see one's return ticket home. 

Was a good saving on price of same ticket bought in Oz. Saved reward points to use for upgrade to Business class on overnight flights.

Good news: Skyscanner today showed Melbourne-Bangkok return on Royal Brunei in November at $A731 (brief layover each way*); ThaiAir direct on Google Matrix was $1060. Prices seem to be moving the right way!

*Journey time 10hr 35 min out, 11hr 30 min return. No grog flights, not for dipso's.

[KyleReading]

23 hours ago, semi-retired member said:

I disagree with the OP, I find prices from Thailand to the UK are invariably significantly more expensive, than UK-Thailand-UK !

 

Yes and have been for at least 35 years