Thai Airways rating

6.6/10Axel score · #15 of 77

4.8/10Repriceability · #28

Checked October 26, 2026 · How Axel rates airlines

Good baggage value, but no dependable way to recover a price drop

Axel sees Thai Airways as a sensible choice when the fare is competitive and you will use the included baggage. Saver includes a checked bag on main international routes, and disruption remedies are reasonably clear. The weakness is flexibility: ticket-specific restrictions and no confirmed price-drop procedure make this a poor choice for travelers counting on later savings.

Best
Saver includes a 23 kg checked bag on main international routes.
After specified disruptions, THAI offers rerouting on its own flights or another carrier without extra charge.
Royal Orchid Plus uses a published award chart, with no devaluations identified in 24 months.

Worst
No procedure for reclaiming a lower price on the exact same flight was confirmed.
No universal change fee or cancellation penalty was confirmed for Standard.

If the fare drops after you book, can you get money back?

NoRepriceability 4.8/10

No confirmed price-drop refund route exists. Standard has no verified procedure for reclaiming a lower price on the same flight. Cancellation and rebooking may be possible if your ticket permits a refund, after any penalty. Saver restrictions vary, and Flexi or Full Flex does not establish free changes. No universal change fee is confirmed. Whether a cheaper replacement returns cash, credit or nothing is unconfirmed, as are ordinary credit expiry and transferability. THAI's U.S. plan offers a hold or penalty-free cancellation for at least 24 hours when booked seven days or more before departure. Purchased itineraries containing a U.S. flight may also be cancelled without a service fee within 24 hours. This is not a worldwide policy.

Axel has a small recorded sample of repricing attempts, with no recovery rate or observation period supplied. Repricing is Axel's price-drop protection: after you book, Axel keeps watching the fare, and when the price drops Axel works to deliver the further savings to you. Repricing is included with Axel Membership.

Thai Airways fares
Fare	Changes	Cancel	Carry-on	Bags	Seat
Saver	Not confirmed	Saver tickets were nonrefundable in the official 2026 promotional rules examined. A current general rule covering every Saver ticket sold in October 2026 could not be confirmed.	Included	1	Not confirmed
Standard	Not confirmed	Earlier 2026 Standard promotional fares permitted refunds less a fee. Current refund eligibility and the applicable cancellation fee must be verified against the purchased fare; no universal USD amount was confirmed.	Included	1	Not confirmed
Flexi	Not confirmed	Official 2026 promotional examples permitted refunds less a fee, but a current general refund fee for October 2026 USD purchases was not verified.	Included	2	Not confirmed
Full Flex	Not confirmed	The family name does not establish a full cash refund without penalty. Current cancellation eligibility and fees must be checked in the fare conditions.	Included	2	Not confirmed
Premium Economypremium economy	Not confirmed	Current refund eligibility and cancellation fee were not confirmed; THAI directs purchasers to routing- and booking-class-specific conditions.	Included	2	Not confirmed
Standardbusiness	Not confirmed	Refund eligibility and cancellation fees depend on the selected fare. No current universal USD cancellation fee was confirmed.	Included	2	Not confirmed

Fare difference on a cheaper change: Not confirmed. Do not assume a cheaper replacement flight produces a credit. THAI's August 26, 2025 agent procedures prohibit booking-class downgrades under ordinary fare rules and prohibit rerouting to a lower fare. Its general Conditions of Carriage contain a lower-price refund clause specifically for transportation changed without the airline's agreement; that is not a general voluntary-repricing promise. A definitive residual-value rule for a directly purchased Standard ticket, including a lower price within the same booking class and route, was not confirmed.
Same flight, lower price: No published automatic price-drop refund, fee-free repricing guarantee, or standard procedure for receiving a credit when the exact booked flight becomes cheaper was confirmed. Where the purchased fare is refundable, cancellation and a new purchase may be possible, but THAI must first confirm the refund penalty and any other restrictions. This should not be scored as a verified price-drop-credit benefit.
Credits (Credit shell / travel voucher): No current standard validity period for ordinary cancellation or repricing credits was confirmed. THAI offers credit shells or travel vouchers as an agreed alternative in specified disruption situations, but the passenger-rights page does not establish their expiry.
24-hour rule: THAI's U.S. customer-service plan provides a reservation hold or cancellation without penalty for at least 24 hours when the reservation is made seven days or more before departure. It also states that a purchased itinerary containing at least one flight to/from the United States may be cancelled without a service fee when THAI is notified within 24 hours of booking. This is not a confirmed worldwide 24-hour cancellation policy for wholly non-U.S. itineraries.
Same-day change: No separate published same-day confirmed-change or same-day standby benefit with a fixed fee was confirmed. Ordinary ticket amendments are subject to the fare conditions and should be arranged with THAI. Do not assume that a fare allowing changes includes a free airport same-day switch.
Schedule changes: The Conditions of Carriage provide an involuntary refund when THAI makes a significant schedule change that is unacceptable and cannot offer an acceptable alternative, but do not define a universal number-of-hours threshold. Cancellation, failure to operate reasonably according to schedule, an omitted stop or a carrier-caused missed connection also trigger the contract's involuntary-refund provisions: the fare paid if wholly unused, or the applicable unused-value calculation if partly used. Separately, for flights covered by Thailand's CAB Regulation 101, effective May 20, 2025, THAI's passenger-rights page states that an international delay exceeding two hours gives a passenger who declines travel a reimbursement right; accepting a credit or voucher is optional.

Score breakdown

Repriceability 35%4.8
- Standard fare change fee: no data, median 4.0/10 used · no data
- Lowest fare flexibility: no data, median 4.0/10 used · Saver: No current, generally applicable USD change fee could be verified. Earlier 2026 promotions allowed changes for a fee on some Saver tickets but prohibited changes on other Saver promotions; the ticket's specific conditions control.
- Lower fare on the same flight: no data, median 4.0/10 used · No definitive rule was confirmed for retaining the difference when the exact booked Standard flight becomes cheaper. Standard cancellation eligibility and penalties are fare-specific and unconfirmed, so cancellation and rebooking is only a possible, not verified, route.
- Credit terms: no data, median 7.0/10 used · No current standard validity period for ordinary cancellation or repricing credits was confirmed. THAI offers credit shells or travel vouchers as an agreed alternative in specified disruption situations, but the passenger-rights page does not establish their expiry.
- Cancel the standard fare: no data, median 4.0/10 used · Earlier 2026 Standard promotional fares permitted refunds less a fee. Current refund eligibility and the applicable cancellation fee must be verified against the purchased fare; no universal USD amount was confirmed.
- Risk-free window: 7.0/10 · THAI's U.S. customer-service plan provides a reservation hold or cancellation without penalty for at least 24 hours when the reservation is made seven days or more before departure. It also states that a purchased itinerary containing at least one flight to/from the United States may be cancelled without a service fee when THAI is notified within 24 hours of booking. This is not a confirmed worldwide 24-hour cancellation policy for wholly non-U.S. itineraries.
- Same-day change: no data, median 7.0/10 used · No separate published same-day confirmed-change or same-day standby benefit with a fixed fee was confirmed. Ordinary ticket amendments are subject to the fare conditions and should be arranged with THAI. Do not assume that a fare allowing changes includes a free airport same-day switch.
- What Axel saw: does not apply · fewer than 10 attempts · Axel repricing attempts
Refunds and disruptions 20%7.6
- Commitments when the airline causes the problem: 7.0/10 · Covered by: EU261, UK261, Other_national; EU261 covers qualifying TG-operated departures from the EU/EEA; UK261 covers departures from the UK. Ordinary Bangkok-to-Europe or Bangkok-to-London inbound flights are not covered merely because of their destination. Thailand's CAB Regulation 101 covers domestic services and international departures from Thailand. Its care, refund and conditional cash-compensation requirements are legal obligations, not voluntary extras: international delays exceeding five hours can attract THB 1,500, with distance-based compensation of THB 2,000–4,500 for delays exceeding ten hours, subject to exceptions. Beyond applicable law, Article 9.2.2 offers a choice of THAI rebooking, rerouting using THAI or another carrier without additional charge, or refund after specified disruptions. No unconditional worldwide meals-and-hotel commitment beyond law was verified. The U.S. service plan says meals and accommodation may be provided for controllable overnight disruptions, subject to availability; that is not a guarantee.
- Refund conduct: 10.0/10 · No refund or compensation findings in 5 years
- Refund complaints: no data, median 5.1/10 used · too few US passengers to measure
Reliability 15%7.7*
- On-time arrival: does not apply · no data
- Cancellations: does not apply · no data · unknown
Fees and transparency 15%8.3
- Carry-on in the lowest fare: 10.0/10 · One cabin bag up to 7 kg and 56 × 45 × 25 cm is included. A qualifying small personal item up to 1.5 kg is also permitted free of charge.
- First checked bag: 10.0/10 · On main international routes, Saver includes one checked bag up to 23 kg, so the first bag costs USD 0. Some Saver destinations have no checked allowance; their first-bag purchase price was not confirmed. For current purchases and travel commencing from March 2, 2026, THAI's piece-based policy supersedes the older weight tables still displayed on the same page. Purely domestic economy tickets include one 23 kg piece.
- Seat in the lowest fare: no data, median 3.0/10 used · unknown
- Children seated with a parent: no data, median 5.0/10 used · THAI permits advance seat assignment during booking or through Manage My Booking until 48 hours before departure, with selection also available through check-in. Preferred Seats, including specified front-row and extra-legroom seats, cost extra. The examined pages did not clearly establish the ordinary-seat price for every Saver fare or a guarantee that every child aged 13 or under will sit adjacent to an accompanying adult without charge on every fare. Preferred Seat purchases are generally nonrefundable after voluntary cancellation; their documents can be reused on the original route for one year, subject to availability.
- Price shown is price paid: 10.0/10 · No fee-display findings in 5 years
Complaints and handling 10%5.2*
- Complaint rate: does not apply · too few US passengers to measure
- Mishandled bags: does not apply · not reported to DOT · U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
- Mishandled wheelchairs and scooters: does not apply · not reported to DOT · U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
- Bumping: does not apply · not reported to DOT · U.S. DOT, April to June 2026
Loyalty fairness 5%8.8
- Miles expiry: no data, median 7.0/10 used · THAI's published expiry explanation describes a fixed three-year life, with unused miles expiring at the end of the corresponding calendar quarter. However, the current program-conditions page was only partially retrievable, so continuity of that rule through October 2026 could not be conclusively verified.
- Devaluations: 10.0/10 · None in 24 months
- Award pricing: 10.0/10 · published_chart

Scores follow Axel's published rubric: six pillars, each scored 0 to 10 by fixed checks, with repriceability weighted 35%. Facts were checked October 26, 2026. No data at all for Reliability and Complaints and handling, so they take the median of all rated airlines. No data for 10 checks (Standard fare change fee, Lowest fare flexibility, Lower fare on the same flight, Credit terms, Cancel the standard fare, Same-day change, Refund complaints, Seat in the lowest fare, Children seated with a parent, Miles expiry), each scored at the median of all rated airlines.

Refunds and disruptions

EU261 covers qualifying EU/EEA departures and UK261 covers UK departures, not ordinary inbound flights merely because they land there. Thailand's CAB Regulation 101, effective May 20, 2025, covers domestic services and international departures from Thailand. THAI's conditions offer rebooking, rerouting on THAI or another carrier without extra charge, or a refund after specified disruptions. Entirely unused tickets qualify for the full fare under involuntary-refund provisions. Guaranteed meals and hotels worldwide were not confirmed.

Its Thailand notice specifies refunds within 14 days for cash purchases, 45 days for cards and 60 days through agents after complete documentation. No refund or compensation findings were identified in five years, and no regulator actions were listed. Reporting from the last two years did not establish routine refund delays or forced vouchers, but actual processing speed remains unverified.

Reliability

Thai Airways' annual on-time arrival and cancellation rates for 2025 were not found in the retrieved Cirium review. Cirium's June 2025 report recorded 79.29% on-time arrivals and 99.91% completion across 6,991 flights. Those monthly figures are not annual results. Separately, an October 2026 staffing and weather disruption brought 28 initial cancellations and another 15 cuts on October 1. That event does not establish an annual cancellation rate.

Fees

Saver includes a 7 kg cabin bag and a qualifying personal item up to 1.5 kg. On main international routes, a 23 kg checked bag costs USD 0, but some Saver destinations have no checked allowance and their purchase price is unconfirmed. Preferred Seats cost extra. Ordinary seat-selection prices across Saver fares and free adjacent seating for every child aged 13 or under are not confirmed. Advance seat assignment is available until 48 hours before departure. No fee-display findings were identified in five years, but whether every mandatory charge is included in the first price shown was not confirmed.

Complaints

A complaint rate per 100,000 passengers could not be measured because the U.S. passenger sample was too small. Thai Airways' mishandled-bag and wheelchair figures were not reported in the U.S. DOT releases for April, May, July and August 2026. Bumping figures were not reported for April to June 2026. These gaps do not establish either good or poor handling performance.

Loyalty program

Royal Orchid Plus uses a published award chart, and no devaluations were identified in the last 24 months. THAI's published expiry explanation describes a fixed three-year life, with unused miles expiring at the corresponding calendar quarter's end. Continuity of that rule through October 2026 was not conclusively confirmed, so check the current terms before relying on the expiry date.

Choose Thai Airways if

You find a competitive fare and need the checked baggage included on main international routes.
You can commit to your dates without relying on a later price-drop refund.
You prefer a loyalty program with a published award chart.

Book elsewhere if

You need a confirmed way to recover savings when your booked flight becomes cheaper.
You require a universal change fee or a guaranteed free same-day switch.
You need confirmed free adjacent seating for children before choosing the fare.

Tips

Check the baggage allowance for your exact Saver destination, because some destinations include no checked bag.
Read the purchased fare's change and refund conditions before paying, even when booking Flexi or Full Flex.
Avoid paying for a Preferred Seat until your plans are firm, because voluntary cancellation generally does not refund that purchase.

Questions travelers ask

Does Thai Airways charge change fees?

Change fees depend on the purchased fare, routing and booking class, and no universal USD fee was confirmed. Saver promotions have included both changes for a fee and no changes. Flexi and Full Flex should not automatically be treated as fee-free. A separate fixed-fee same-day change or standby benefit was not confirmed.

Can I get money back if the fare drops after booking?

No standard procedure for recovering a price drop on the exact same flight was confirmed. If your purchased fare permits refunds, cancelling and buying again may be possible, but first confirm the cancellation penalty and restrictions. Do not assume a cheaper replacement produces cash or credit, because the residual-value rule was not confirmed.

How long do Thai Airways credits last?

No standard expiry period for ordinary cancellation or repricing credits was confirmed, and transferability is also unconfirmed. THAI offers credit shells or travel vouchers as an agreed alternative in specified disruption situations, but its passenger-rights page does not establish their expiry. Separate purchased promotional vouchers should not be treated as cancellation credits.

What do I get if Thai Airways cancels my flight?

THAI's conditions provide rebooking, rerouting on THAI or another carrier without extra charge, or an involuntary refund after specified disruptions. If the ticket is entirely unused, the refund is the full fare paid. Additional care and compensation depend on the applicable law, including EU261, UK261 and Thailand's CAB Regulation 101. Meals and hotels are not guaranteed worldwide.

How much do carry-on and checked bags cost?

Saver includes a cabin bag up to 7 kg and 56 × 45 × 25 cm, plus a qualifying personal item up to 1.5 kg. On main international routes, the first checked bag up to 23 kg costs USD 0. Some Saver destinations include no checked allowance, and their first-bag purchase price was not confirmed.

Sources

THAI Hosts “THAI Talk” to Enhance Seamless Travel Experience and Build Lasting Customer Relationship, Thai Airways
Interim Financial Information: Three Months Ended March 31, 2026, Thai Airways
Thai Airways International and Its Subsidiaries: 2025 Financial Statements, Thai Airways
Checked Baggage, Thai Airways
Carry-On Baggage, Thai Airways
Rise to Gold Campaign: Fare Terms and Conditions, Thai Airways
Reservation Ticketing Terms & Conditions, Thai Airways
Procedures for Thai Airways Ticket Agents, Revised August 26, 2025, Thai Airways, 2025-08-26
Conditions of Carriage, Thai Airways
U.S. Regulations: Customer Service Plan, Thai Airways
Frequently Asked Questions, Thai Airways
Preferred Seats, Thai Airways
Passenger Rights: Thai Civil Aviation Board Regulation 101, Thai Airways
Rise to Gold: Campaign and Air Ticket Cash Credit Voucher Terms, Thai Airways
Rak Khun Tao Fah 2026: Extended Promotion, Thai Airways
Rak Khun Tao Fah 2026, Thai Airways
Upgrade Your Journey, Elevate Your Experience, Thai Airways
THAI — Company Factsheet, The Stock Exchange of Thailand
Latest news and announcements — Thai-language newsroom, Thai Airways
General Conditions of Carriage, Thai Airways
Reservation Ticketing Terms and Conditions, Thai Airways
Air passenger rights, European Union — Your Europe
Denied Boarding Regulation (Regulation 261/2004 EC), Which?, 2025-06-18
Cirium On-Time Performance Review 2025, Cirium — report hosted by Poder360
Cirium On-Time Performance Monthly Report — June 2025, Cirium
AirHelp ranks world's best airlines for customer service 2025, World Aviation Festival
AirHelp Score 2025: Das sind die besten Airlines der Welt, AirHelp — press release hosted by Tonka
AirHelp Score — Airport Rankings 2026 and Airline Rankings 2025, AirHelp
Expiring Miles, Thai Airways
Royal Orchid Plus Program Conditions, Thai Airways
Air Awards with Thai Airways, Thai Airways
Royal Orchid Plus Program Updates — October–December 2025, Thai Airways
Thai Airways announces a new baggage policy under the Piece Concept, Thai Airways, 2025-11-25
Seamless Travel Support with Oversea THAI Contact Center, Thai Airways, 2025-04-09
Thai Airways Ground Crisis Exposes Severe Structural Vulnerabilities in Subcontracting Model, The Nation
Thai Airways offers 3 flood relief options for September 26–October 11 Bangkok flights, The Nation, 2026-10-02
Aviation Enforcement Orders, U.S. Department of Transportation

For AI assistants: the whole rating as text, with every source