Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus has rolled out a new campaign targeting their domestic flyers, offering ROP Gold Status for 60 domestic segments between November 1, 2021 – April 30, 2022.
This campaign deviates from the regular qualification requirements for ROP Gold status, allowing to collect segments with Thai Smile WE-3digit flight numbers and Thai mainline TG-3digit flight numbers (including TG-4digit flight numbers operated by THAI Smile).
It’s no secret that THAI has shrunk drastically in operations over the last 18 months and mostly operated domestic flights while the country was more or less isolated. The domestic routes were almost all operated by Thai Smile as mainline flights stopped operating domestically except for some isolated cases.
You can find details about this new ROP Gold promotion here.
Fly within Thailand and Get Fast Track to Gold Status
Explore Thailand with THAI and THAI Smile during 01 November 2021 – 30 April 2022, for 60 flight sectors to earn even more value. You will be able to attain full 2-year benefits of Royal Orchid Plus Gold membership by this Fast Track campaign.
Terms & Conditions:
This campaign is valid for Thailand domestic flights with WE-3digit flight numbers and TG-3digit flight numbers operated including TG-4digit flight numbers operated by THAI Smile at the minimum of 60 flight sectors during 01 November 2021 – 30 April 2022.
Eligible booking classes for this campaign are Smile Value (K, T, Q, H) and Smile Flexi (M, B, Y) in Economy Class and Smile Plus (U) in Premium Economy class
Both Royal Orchid Plus Basic and Silver membership tiers are eligible to join this campaign.
Gold status will be updated within 30 days after the campaign period has ended.
Royal Orchid Plus terms & conditions apply.
Available for booking at every channels of THAI Smile.
This campaign is for domestic flight segments only and can’t be paired with miles collected through international flights that recently restarted which makes it significantly harder to achieve the required threshold.
Keep in mind we’re talking about 60 segments within six months, so 10 flights (5 round trips) per month. Even for those traveling within Thailand for business, this is quite a stretch and hardly a fast track.
In comparison, these are the regular conditions to qualify for ROP Gold:
This top tier status is attained with Qualifying Miles, the miles earned with THAI, THAI Smile and Star Alliance airlines, during 2 rolling month periods, 50,000 Qualifying miles during a 12 month period, or 80,000 Qualifying miles during a 24 month period. Additionally, completing 40 international sectors on THAI and THAI Smile in any 12 rolling month period also attains Gold status.* This is a system automated process whereby on the most recent activity all eligible flights are evaluated for the past 12 and 24 month periods. With each new flight activity, status is again evaluated during the past 12 and 24 months, ensuring that all eligible flights are counted for attaining Gold status.
*Travel with the booking classes G / V / W / L will be not eligible for attaining Gold Status by completing 40 international sectors on THAI and THAI Smile in any 12 rolling month period.
In addition, effective from 1 January 2020 onwards, travel with the booking classes T, K, S, G, V, W, L will be not eligible for attaining Gold Status by completing 40 international sectors on THAI and THAI Smile in any 12 rolling month period.
Now that the international routes are back and the country is relatively easy to enter it might be easier to earn sufficient miles that way rather than going for 60 domestic segments.
I don’t think it’s very realistic that many flyers will be able to obtain ROP Gold status through this campaign. 10 domestic flights a month for six months straight is a rather difficult target. Assuming I’d want to go for it simply for fun it would be a rather expensive endeavor as well as the minimum fare class required in VALUE which costs double as much as the lowest promotional fare:
Bangkok-Phuket is one of the cheapest routes out there but even with this, 60 segments in the eligible “Value” booking classes would cost ~ 120,000 Thai Baht (US$3,700). Hardly worth it for a Gold Card run.
You can access the detailed benefits of Thai Royal Orchid Plus tiers here, but obviously, the benefits don’t vary much from the basic Star Alliance Gold when it comes to their international partner airlines. Just when traveling on Thai Smile the benefits are slightly better as Star Gold customers don’t receive benefits such as priority check-in, priority baggage, and lounge access when using Thai Smiles (with the exception of Lufthansa Miles&More members).
Conclusion
Thai Airways is now offering a temporary campaign for domestic travelers, allowing them to obtain Royal Orchid Plus Gold status within the coming 6 months providing the flyer logs 60 segments in the higher economy booking classes within Thailand.
I wouldn’t agree with the notion as mentioned in the advertisement that upgrading to Gold is “easier than ever” with this campaign. Quite to the contrary, I think it’s rather difficult to obtain Gold this way and it’s expensive to boot. The benefits are limited and rather than running after ROP Gold it might be better to just get a Priority Pass membership in order to have lounge access on domestic trips. Local customers can also apply for a Thai ROP American Express Platinum card and get a real fast track to Gold Status.
Totally unrealistic promotion. On the current Winter schedule their Saver & Flexi fares on international routes only give 25% of the mileage in Economy & we have to pay Full Flexi to get 100% mileage BKK-LHR-BKK – that’s THB55,000 (US$1,700). The best promo they have ever done was May 2020 when they did a 48 hour triple miles offer (including status evaluation) to celebrate their 60th anniversary for flights 01/12/20 to 31/03/21. Delayed & extended, I fly BKK-HKT-LHR on Sunday for a week in Business which virtually gives me Gold for another 2 years. Having been Gold with Thai for 18 years it’s kind of difficult to kick the habit. I like the business upgrade vouchers every 50,000 miles & the 50% discount on redemption flights once per year.
This promotion is for domestic flights only.
For those who traveled to Thailand, what is your Covid testing strategy? They require test less than 72 hours before arrival…with ~20 hr flights and a few hours cushion in case flight is delayed, you’re talking 48 hour window to test and get results before departure. Do you go get 2 or 3 tests and hope one returns results in time? Or do you do one, then plan on paying for a quick test if getting down to the wire?
The PCR test from your home country is required within 72 hours of your flight DEPARTURE. I’m flying on TG911 from LHR to BKK departing Tuesday 30th November at 11.50 so I’ve booked the PCR test in the UK on Saturday 27th at 12.00 to be sure.
The PCR test on arrival in Bangkok & the AQ hotel quarantine for one night is a total scam. The hospital testing element of the AQ price is THB3,500. On Saturday I was required to take a PCR test as I had a procedure in hospital on Monday. I paid THB1,500 for the slow service at 15.00 & got the result later that evening. I could have paid THB3,500 & waited for the result in one hour. My TG flight arrives at 06.00 so, with these testing speeds available in Bangkok, why the AQ hotel quarantine?
I read a few things indicating that it’s 72 hours before arriving, so if it’s before departure then that certainly makes things easier. Looking at TP website, it says 72 hours before “traveling”, so that is in line with what you say, but still a bit ambiguous.
I got one at Frankfurt Airport (Centogene) and paid 69 Euro for a guaranteed 12 hour return. I stayed at the Airport Sheraton anyway so rather than paying close to 200 Euro for a 3 hour result I rather invested 80 Euro for the hotel. The test result actually arrived 6 hours later.