With the high season for travel about to start, thousands of Thai people have booked flights for holiday getaways. For the vast majority who will be flying economy class, air travel is something to be endured, a quick means of getting from A to B — assuming your flight is on time and you don't have to spend hours sitting on the floor of an airport terminal.
For the fortunate few, first-class travel holds the promise of something better. Few carriers have a better reputation for first class than Etihad Airways, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. But even the best can be found wanting, as a Bangkok-based investment banker discovered recently.
Flying first class usually means that the passenger is immersed in a truly luxurious experience both on and off the ground and, most importantly, receives first-class care when a flight is delayed. Such treatment is expected even when an act of God — in the case in question, a heavy fog that shut down an entire airport and stranded 30 flights — puts a huge strain on airlines and airport operators alike.
Etihad has taken first class to new heights with the recent introduction of services that promise flyers their own "private universe" — for as much as US$30,000 — on Airbus A380 flights between Abu Dhabi and London. Its first-class offerings on other aircraft have also been widely praised.
Passengers are promised a memorable experience for all the senses, ranging from the supreme comfort of a fully flat mattress, fine dining from award-winning onboard chefs, vintage Champagne, silk pyjamas, and aromatic scents for blissful relaxation.
Unfortunately, the experience was less than blissful for Anuwat Ruamsuke, an investment banker with Phatra Securities, on his connecting flight from Munich via Abu Dhabi to Bangkok on flight EY004 and EY408 earlier this year.
Staying at the Mandarin Oriental Munich, Mr Anuwat was scheduled to be picked up by Etihad Limousine at 7pm on Friday, Jan 2 for his flight scheduled to depart at 9.55pm.
However, 15 minutes before the pickup time, he received a phone call — from the driver — saying that the pilot had "had an accident" and the plane was unable to take off.
"Apart from a call from the limousine driver to our hotel, we did not receive any call, e-mail or message in any form from any Etihad staff about the incident, the delay or the new flight time," Mr Anuwat told Asia Focus. "As passengers, we believe we should have been better informed."
The hotel concierge made some calls on Mr Anuwat's behalf and learned that the flight had been rescheduled to 7.30am the next day, so he had to stay one more night at the hotel. The airline offered no indication about providing accommodation or reimbursement.
The next morning when he arrived at the airport, there were further delays and no staff were able to provide him with any useful information. Mr Anuwat said that all he heard was the party line: "Sir, you don't have to be worried. As first-class passengers, we will treat you with priority and once landed, our staff will escort you to the transfer desk and arrange everything for you."
FOGGED IN
After nine hours onboard, he finally arrived at the airport in Abu Dhabi on Saturday evening for the connecting flight to Bangkok. But he was not picked up by a chauffeur as is normal procedure for first-class passengers; he took the regular bus with other passengers.
He later discovered that more than 30 flights had been delayed that day because of a heavy fog that made flying impossible, but still there were no signs of assistance from Etihad staff, he said.
"It was quite shocking to us and other passengers that the airport was so chaotic and packed. We had to find our own way to the transfer desk without any help from Etihad staff as promised," he said.
After waiting for 30 minutes, he and other first-class passengers were finally led to a packed business class lounge, where staff were unable to provide him with any information. "There has been a system interruption at the airport and we don't have any answer for you, sir" was the only response they received.
In addition, passengers who had been stranded overnight at the airport were not given any new boarding passes or hotel vouchers because "the printer was broken", airline staff said.
"To us this is not system interruption but a serious communication problem involving the whole airline, airport and all staff. This is unacceptable by any standard," said Mr Anuwat, adding that by that time he had experienced 14 hours of delays and other passengers 24 hours.
Finally, after a few more hours, he was able to board a flight to Bangkok, though it was delayed again for almost an hour before taking off.
When he asked for luggage tags, which he hadn't received, he was told, "Don't worry sir, everything is taken care of."
LUGGAGE LOTTO
Not quite. When Mr Anuwat landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, he went to get his luggage, knowing that first-class passengers' bags are always offloaded first. But he had to wait for almost one hour and discovered that none of the luggage was his.
He was told that 40 or 50 other passengers had also failed to receive their luggage. They were now thronging the Etihad counter, where a staff member said she couldn't tell them where their bags were or when they would arrive.
"Shockingly this is the first time in our flying experience that an airline and airport could not provide such information. We have experienced luggage delayed before and all other airlines and airports can definitely do this. Well, obviously Etihad cannot," he said.
Having received no follow-up contact by nighttime, Mr Anuwat decided to call the Property Irregularity Report centre and ask where his luggage could possibly be, but he was told to call again in an hour.
More than 24 hours after landing in Bangkok, he still had no clue where his two bags were, and no one from Etihad or Abu Dhabi Airport could provide any answers.
At that point he filed a complaint with the airline under the European Commission regulations governing civil aviation, since the flight had originated in Germany. He received a reply from Reshma Ketkar, a guest relations officer at Etihad, who said Mr Anuwat would not be entitled to any compensation as flight disruption was due to "extraordinary" bad weather conditions.
The officer said bad weather had forced the closure of the operating runway at Abu Dhabi, preventing arriving and departing flights by all airlines, but Etihad was affected the most since Abu Dhabi is its home base.
"The problem was exacerbated by the fact that the airport closure occurred during a peak travel period, being a holiday weekend with major events occurring in the city, which had attracted large numbers of visitors," said the Etihad representative.
"These conditions together resulted in unprecedented congestion at the airport and significant delays to all of our flights through Abu Dhabi, and led to 'knock-on' delays and cancellations throughout our network."
In lieu of compensation, the airline offered Mr Anuwat 25,000 Etihad Guest Miles. Typically, the frequent-flyer mileage on a round-trip first-class ticket from Bangkok to Munich ranges from 20,000 to 56,000.
"I think it's totally irresponsible and unacceptable," Mr Anuwat said of the response. "Although the money is insignificant, they at least should have shown responsibility for my overnight stay at the uncomfortable airport hotel.
"Offering mileage is useless as I will never fly this airline again, and I guess for many other passengers who shared the same experience as I had. I am still proceeding with my complaint to the European Commission."
According to an Etihad spokesperson, other first-class passengers who were similarly affected by the closure of Abu Dhabi Airport on that day were also provided with 25,000 Etihad Guest Miles and a letter of apology for the weather-related disruption, which was a factor beyond airline's control.
The spokesperson told Asia Focus that the typical approach to handling such delays is to provide guests who do not require visas to enter the UAE with hotel accommodation, meals and round-trip transport between the airport and a hotel when they are able to leave the airport.
"Guests who were unable to leave — because they did not have the appropriate documentation — were provided with care and meals at the airport and for business and first -guests, an invitation to the premium airport lounge," said the spokesperson.
ROOMS LIMITED
The spokesperson added that given the nature of the disruption, families with children and the elderly would be the first to be provided with rooms at the airport hotel, which were limited in number. "Guests were also offered a refund of any costs they incurred such as for meals, toiletries, and ground transport, etc. They were also offered a letter to submit to their travel insurance provider to facilitate a claim."
According to Etihad's website, a return first-class ticket between Bangkok and Munich, departing and returning this month, costs 220,000 baht. Travellers who want to go all-in can spend 1,508,000 baht for a round-trip A380 flight with accommodation in The Residence, the world's only three-room private luxury cabin, from Bangkok to London.
The World Travel Awards has named Etihad the "World's Leading Airline for First Class" for seven consecutive years since 2008. Other carriers that consistently rank highly for first class include American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines.
On Emirates, first-class customers are promised "the ultimate travel experience" from fine dining to personal mini-bars and a shower spa. When delays or unforeseen events occur, "Emirates will inform our passengers via SMS or e-mail when there is a departure delay of more than 30 minutes if our passengers register to receive alert messages," Jabr Al-Azeeby, Emirates' manager for Thailand and Indochina, told Asia Focus by e-mail.
For first- and business-class passengers, he said, the airline may provide them with a hotel stay if a flight delay of six hours or more is due to a technical or operational fault.
"If the flight delay is four hours and above, Emirates' first and business class passengers can access their respective lounges where food and beverages are provided. These premium passengers are also handled at dedicated counters during delays," he added.
According to Emirates' website, a first-class round-trip ticket from Bangkok to Munich scheduled to leave this month costs approximately 214,000.
At Singapore Airlines (SIA), first-class customers are entitled to the use of SilverKris Lounges, available in 15 destinations worldwide, with the option of a private room in Changi Airport where an a la carte meal service is provided.
According to a duty officer in the Public Affairs Department at SIA, when delays or unexpected occurrences happen, "We will call to notify our first-class customers if there is ample notice of a delay. This will ensure that they do not wait too long at the airport.
"However, if the delay occurs after the customer is already in the airport, we will personally notify them. ... In the event that the first-class customer has to stay an extra night due to a delay, we will provide him or her with accommodation including meals. Transport will also be provided to the hotel from the airport, and vice versa, if the hotel is not located near the airport."
According to the SIA website, a first-class round-trip ticket from Bangkok to Munich scheduled to leave this month is approximately 301,990 baht.
At Lufthansa German Airlines, its first class has a top-tier five-star ranking from Skytrax. The first-class seat is ergonomically designed and can be transformed into a two-metre wide flat bed.
"As first-class passengers, they will always be our priority regardless," said Myriam Ziesack head of corporate communications for Asia Pacific with Lufthansa. If unexpected incidents occur, she said, "All the passengers will be contacted by phone or text messages should there be any changes to their flights. During the irregularity, they will be offered the next available flight out or hotel accommodation, whichever is preferred."
At the moment, a return Lufthansa first-class ticket starts from approximately 330,000 baht connecting to Bangkok from Frankfurt via Singapore. This is because the service from Singapore is the only one in Southeast Asia that operates with a first-class cabin.