Airlines Getting Smarter? Travel Insurance with ticket. pricing to Thailand

[maump]

I hope this is a trend. shopping for trips to Colombia, with a hopeful addition of Thailand for Songkran. I found this on Etihad website.


insurance cover

COVID-19 global wellness

Introducing our COVID-19 global wellness insurance cover – just one of the ways we promise to keep you protected with Etihad Wellness. Book with Etihad Airways and you'll automatically be covered for COVID-19 medical or quarantine expenses for 31 days from the date of your flight. So wherever you’re flying to, you can travel there with confidence.

Included with every Etihad Airways ticket for travel up to 31 March 2022.


I wonder if Thai pass will accept this insurance?

Additionally, the flight price from USA (Dulles in wash DC with 3 hr plane change in Abu Dhabi) is $520 USD from now well into April (except weekends).

If you want ticket only to Abiu Dhabi its over $1000usd (go figure). Airline pricing is weird.

Price USA to Manila on Etihad $980.

Direct flight price to Bogota from Dulles as low as 100$ (no baggage)....

My plan.... maybe if I'm brave Bogota one month, fly back to Dulles (there does not appear a way to get from Bogota to BKK) then to Bangkok

Anyone else seeing anything good for flights?

[goji]

You need a COVID test with Etihad.

Not a major problem on the way into Thailand, although you need to satisfy whatever time rules both Etihad and Thailand have. The Thai requirement to have a result issued within 72 hours of the first flight departing is quite flexible.

However, if you were flying from Thailand to a country that doesn't need a COVID test, the Etihad rule gives you the additional expense of a test at the end of the trip, not to mention the risk of having to quarantine in Thailand instead of going home.

As for insurance being accepted, well get a copy of the policy documents and read them to see if they explicitly mention coverage for COVID and a sum insured. If OK, you stand a good chance.

[gerefan2]

Additionally, the flight price from USA (Dulles in wash DC with 3 hr plane change in Abu Dhabi) is $520 USD from now well into April (except weekends).

If you want ticket only to Abiu Dhabi its over $1000usd (go figure). Airline pricing is weird.


Standard practice nowadays. Airlines charge more if the flight starts or ends in their own country.

For example last year I flew London to Bangkok via Zürich with Swiss and the fare was about £1500 (business). Someone I know did the flight from Zürich to Bangkok only and had to pay £3000.

Another example. I put a dummy flight in Emirates website and London to Dubai and back is £4100 (business) ....but if you fly London to Dubai and then on to Bangkok it’s £3800 on the SAME flights in and out of London.

You can of course use this to your advantage as many people are now flying Europe to Bangkok via Norway and getting very good deals.

[StevieWonders]

Standard practice nowadays. Airlines charge more if the flight starts or ends in their own country.

For example last year I flew London to Bangkok via Zürich with Swiss and the fare was about £1500 (business). Someone I know did the flight from Zürich to Bangkok only and had to pay £3000.

Another example. I put a dummy flight in Emirates website and London to Dubai and back is £4100 (business) ....but if you fly London to Dubai and then on to Bangkok it’s £3800 on the SAME flights in and out of London.

You can of course use this to your advantage as many people are now flying Europe to Bangkok via Norway and getting very good deals.

As I understand it (not that I care as I always fly via Munich), flights originating in the UK are more expensive because of the long-haul flights tax that Gordon Brown introduced. The longer the direct flight the greater the tax. In gerefan’s example there’s less to pay Dubai to Bangkok because that flight doesn’t begin in the UK even though it may be the same aircraft. So any ticket ex UK to Bangkok via a European or Middle Eastern airport will be less expensive than a UK to Bangkok direct ticket

[NitNoi]

Airline pricing is reasonable. Direct flights are faster and more convenient. If I want to fly from BKK to SYD there are several direct flights. If PAL has extra capacity and wants to tempt me to fly via MNL they need to make it worth my while.

In normal times I would book BKK SYD with PAL. There was no penalty for an extended stop-over in MNL so I would stay for a while reach way. Bonus!

The same probably applies for Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, HK etc. If you enjoy visiting the intermediate city, it is worth a look at pricing.

[gerefan2]

Stevie
You may be correct about the expensive UK AirportTax but that doesn’t account for the extra flight from Dubai to BKK and back which almost doubles the distance flown.

[StevieWonders]

Stevie
You may be correct about the expensive UK AirportTax but that doesn’t account for the extra flight from Dubai to BKK and back which almost doubles the distance flown.

You want a detailed explanation of how ticket costs are determined? Become a travel agent

[Andaman!]

The longer the direct flight the greater the tax. In gerefan’s example there’s less to pay Dubai to Bangkok because that flight doesn’t begin in the UK even though it may be the same aircraft. So any ticket ex UK to Bangkok via a European or Middle Eastern airport will be less expensive than a UK to Bangkok direct ticket

Incorrect Stevie. Long haul flights leaving the UK are categorised as Band B and the tax is a fixed amount - Currently £180 for First / Business / Premium Economy or a reduced rate of just £82 for those prepared to fly long haul in Cattle Class.

The principal driver behind sector flight pricing is convenience. Consumers will pay more for faster direct flights so airlines have to discount to persuade customers to take a slower connecting flight when a direct flight is available.

[goji]

Rishi has added a new tax band. That's not yet implemented, but Thailand will be in it.

[StevieWonders]

Incorrect Stevie. Long haul flights leaving the UK are categorised as Band B and the tax is a fixed amount - Currently £180 for First / Business / Premium Economy or a reduced rate of just £82 for those prepared to fly long haul in Cattle Class.

The principal driver behind sector flight pricing is convenience. Consumers will pay more for faster direct flights so airlines have to discount to persuade customers to take a slower connecting flight when a direct flight is available.Excellent news but, more importantly will the new tax band of which goji writes approvingly act to keep more of the UK riff-raff out?