We were trying to fly from Bangkok to Phuket Island in Thailand, but had to abandon our plans because Thai Airways refused to allow our adorable little cat in the plane’s cabin. This was in direct conflict with what was stated on the Thai Airways website. Their solution was to put her on the conveyor belt with our checked luggage and transport her in the plane’s baggage hold. They wanted to let the airport baggage handlers (and you know how gentle they can be) toss her around like a piece of luggage. Then, after a trip all alone in an unfriendly airplane hold she’d have the baggage handlers in Phuket to look forward to.
Afterwards, we checked the pet policies of other Asian airlines and discovered that none of them allowed small pets in the cabin with their families. If you’re traveling with a small pet that you love dearly remember to fly with an American or European airline and remember to check and re-check their pet policy. Because, Thai Airways obviously doesn’t stand behind the statements they make on their website. It gives new meaning to “let the buyer beware” and “false advertising”.
After arguing with them for two hours they finally agreed to refund our tickets, minus a 17% cancellation fee. Basically they were able to still make a profit from their misleading statements and false advertising on their website. They felt no obligation to stand by the statements on their website which is the face of their company for many travelers like us. On top of that we were very stressed by the situation, out the taxi fare to and from the airport, and had to scramble to cancel our hotel reservations in Phuket while finding pet friendly accommodations during rush hour in Bangkok. Thai Airways, of course, felt no obligation for our situation. Please remember this when you choose an airline.
One positive note, Agoda (www.agoda.com) worked hard to get us a full refund for our hotel fare in Phuket, because they were very understand of our situation. We’ve used them a few times to book hotel rooms and can highly recommend them..
