Thailand Travel Update 02/12/2008
BANGKOK, Thailand (Todaytravelasia.com) December 2, 2008 -- The situation in Bangkok has improved slightly and there is now an increase in outbound flights however, approximately 240,000 are still stranded. The PAD have freed up 88 planes now from the Suvarnbhumi Airport which are now being used to evacuate stranded passengers via regional airports.
Today Travel Asia is working hard to ensure our customers are rerouted out of the country in the most efficient way available. The office has been open both Saturday and Sunday and our hotline has been managed 24/7. We are assisting with advice regarding hotels, Visas, flights and overland travel to suitable airports.
Exit Options
Travelers transiting or traveling from Bangkok have been hit and are unable to exit via Suvarnabhumi or Don Muang International Airports. However, Travelers entering or exiting the country via Phuket International Airport have been able to enter and exit the country as normal. All flights exiting Thailand via Phuket are now fully booked for at least the next two weeks. Many airlines are now diverting into:
- U-Tapao (Bangkok)
- Chiang Mai
- Phuket
- Kuala Lumpa, Malaysia
Please Note:
U-Tapao is a small regional airport 1/10 of the size of Suvarnabhumi. It does not have the infrastructure to manage large numbers of passengers. It is located 2 hours from Bangkok.
Kuala Lumpa International Airport is a 12 hour bus journey and is only open to passengers who possess a valid Visa or are exempt from requiring a Visa to travel into Malaysia.
Check-In
The authorities are urging individual tourists / travellers to refrain from attempting to check-in at various airports, or designated in town check-in centres in hotels on their own prior to receiving official notification or flight confirmation from airline representatives. This will help to minimize confusion and delays at the airport. For travellers in Bangkok, the Tourist Authority of Thailand has recommended that travelers check-in at the offices of the airline concerned. We are getting reports of significant delays at airline office locations with stories of passengers waiting longer than 10-12 hours to check-in at Thai travel desks.
Thai Airways – Special Non-Scheduled Exit Flights
TG is beginning a special exit strategy for stranded tourists from U-Tapao. 35 Thai Special Non-Scheduled Flights will be available for Thai passengers. Scheduled Thai tickets can be exchanged for tickets to one of the Special flight destinations.
Key points to note:
- The flight destinations are limited
- Thai will not pay for onward flights to original (as listed in ticket) destinations – ie at time of writing a London destination is not available. Passengers flying to London have a choice of taking a Special flight to Europe and then paying themselves for a connecting flight to the UK)
- Thai cannot guarantee that ticket classes will be honored (ie if you booked Silk Class you may have to travel back in economy depending on availability)
- All flights will leave from U-Tapao Airport
- THAI requests passengers with confirmed reservations, departing from U-Tapao to check-in at BITEC Exhibition and Convention Center, Bang-Na, seven (7) hours prior to their flight departure. THAI will provide transportation between BITEC and U-Tapao Airport.
For further detail regarding these flights please see:
www.thaiair.com/Homepage/announce/sbia_situation.htm
For an application and waver form please download the attached pdf.
All other airlines are running a piecemeal schedule from U-Tapao. Please see individual Airlines for more details.
The Thai Government has made some concessions and has started to contribute towards hotel and subsistence costs for stranded tourists. While this has been a welcome start to piecing back some good will with passengers this scheme has also not run smoothly. Many hotels working under this scheme have been filled and are full and the government has been slow to define alternatives. We are certain Government offers will improve and more hotels will be available shortly.
Rumors
It is hoped that with the King’s birthday coming up shortly on the 5th December that this may be reason enough for the PAD to vacate the Airports. This would make sense as any protest on the King’s birthday would be construed as an insult to the King by the Thai people and would be frowned upon.
The law courts will be deliberating today whether the existing governing party, PPP will be disbanded due to corruption charges (paying for votes). It is like this may be the case, in which the the PAD will disbanden.
However, even if the airport is freed from PAD protestors the airport will need to be security and safety checked and a new international airport certificate issued before normal business could return. It is estimated that this can take between 2-5 days.
Further, the back log of some 240,000 stranded tourists may take up to another week to two weeks to resolve. This means normal service for the airport is unlikely to resume until the 18th-20th December.
We are all hoping for a swift peaceful resolution to this impasse and that the airports will open as soon as possible. In the meantime be confident that Today Travel Asia will continue to do all it can to ensure passenger safe transit and comfort.
Please check our website www.todaytravelasia.com for further information.
Should we be able to assist you further please contact us directly on inquire(at)todaytravelasia(dot)com.
