Gaybutton Posted November 28, 2008 Posted November 28, 2008 I think it will be interesting to see what the current problems will do to your plans to come to Thailand. Quote
Guest buaseng Posted November 28, 2008 Posted November 28, 2008 I've just been forced this week to cancel my travel plans and put them on hold. My airline cancelled the flight reservations I made for today (thankfully with full refund). I tried to divert via Kuala Lumpur or Singapore (always fancied the train trip up the Malaysia peninsula to BKK) but all flights that are not already cancelled from UK or adjacent EU countries are fully booked until after Xmas. Likewise no seats into Phuket from the UK over the next 7 days. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted November 28, 2008 Posted November 28, 2008 fully booked until after Xmas. Likewise no seats into Phuket from the UK over the next 7 days. This throws up the huge difficulty the Thai authorities will have in getting many thousands of people home. It's all very well saying they will lay on flights to Singapore and KL for sick people and those with children. How are those people then going to get on flights back to their homes when most scheduled airlines are already very full? I doubt if anyone in the Thai government has even thought about this problem! At least if delayed passengers are all stuck here, chartered flights can be laid on without the need to depend on scheduled services. Quote
Gaybutton Posted November 28, 2008 Author Posted November 28, 2008 I doubt if anyone in the Thai government has even thought about this problem! That's very likely the case. I would think the top dogs in the government are preoccupied right now with trying to save their own skins as their top priority. Right now, it's very difficult to get in or out of Thailand. Those of you trying to get into Thailand might want to check the possibility of getting to Vientiane or Phnom Penh and then taking a bus or hired car into Thailand. At the moment I can't think of any other way to get here any time soon. Getting out again might also be a problem if the shut-down of the airports continues very long. The police have announced they do not intend to use violence to try to disperse the demonstrators at the airports, so I don't know how they're planning to force thousands of people out. And if a coup does indeed occur, it will be anybody's guess as to what will happen next. I'm somewhat surprised that it's difficult to get seats on flights into other cities in Thailand. Given the present circumstances, who would want to come? Maybe the flights are filling with people, like Buaseng, who are trying to get home, and home is Thailand. Are any of you presently stranded in Thailand, trying to get back to your home country? Are any of you stranded in another country because you live in Thailand and can't get back here? Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted November 28, 2008 Posted November 28, 2008 I live in Thailand...Ubon Ratchathani..but need to get to Bangkok next week to get statement of income to renew my retirement visa, which expires Dec. 8th. I guess if the airports don't open I have three choices...train, bus, drive. The train is my first choice, but probably pretty full with no air available. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted November 28, 2008 Posted November 28, 2008 I'm somewhat surprised that it's difficult to get seats on flights into other cities in Thailand. Given the present circumstances, who would want to come? Not sure if you were referring to my post. If so, I had meant it will be difficult for those the government fly out of Bangkok to KL and Singapore then to get on to flights home from those airports. Quote
Gaybutton Posted November 28, 2008 Author Posted November 28, 2008 Not sure if you were referring to my post. Actually, I was referring to Buaseng's post in which he talks about full flights and the difficulty of finding seats to get into Thailand. Some of you might recall an earlier post of mine in which I was talking about my friend trying to get back to Thailand from the USA, but ended up in Hong Kong. He did make it back. Apparently he's very lucky to have found an available seat for a flight into Thailand at all. He managed to get a seat on a flight from Hong Kong to Ko Samui, and then a flight the next day from Ko Samui to U-Tapao. He did make it back to Pattaya. As a matter of fact we're having dinner together this evening. He's very fortunate, considering he was caught up in the middle of this mess, and he knows it. If he wasn't able to get that flight from Hong Kong to Ko Samui when he did, Lord only knows how long he would have been stranded in Hong Kong trying to get back to Thailand. In all the years I've been coming to Thailand, and for the length of time I've been living in Thailand, this is the damndest thing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, here in Pattaya, if it wasn't for the news media you wouldn't know anything is going on at all. Aside from the lack of tourist numbers, everything is open and operating normally. I feel very badly for those who wanted to come to Thailand now, but had to cancel their plans because of this. We're enjoying some of the most beautiful weather we've had here in ages . . . cloudless skies, very comfortable temperatures, nice breezes, and low humidity. It's a shame some of you can't get here. Quote
Guest buaseng Posted November 28, 2008 Posted November 28, 2008 Actually, I was referring to Buaseng's post in which he talks about full flights and the difficulty of finding seats to get into Thailand. I forget to mention in my previous post that I asked the airline customer services why everything appeared to be so fully booked when I assumed that there would be extra seats on later flights with other people cancelling or delaying their holidays because of the turmoil and not having flexibility in their holiday dates. They said that some people who had been on cancelled flights had asked and opted to be put onto short-notice waiting lists over the next couple of weeks for the faint possibility of getting one of the few vacant seats that might be available once the airlines knew when flying into Thailand would again be possible and they could be sure that they could provide a service. Incidentally, the c/s rep readily admitted that flight over-booking was likely to be even more severe than it normally is. I opted therefore to sit it out and renew my plans once everything had calmed down and got to some semblance of normality. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted November 28, 2008 Posted November 28, 2008 Meanwhile, here in Pattaya, if it wasn't for the news media you wouldn't know anything is going on at all. Exactly the same here in Bangkok. I just came home and there is nothing at all out of the ordinary happening in the city centre. Quote
Guest walter42 Posted November 28, 2008 Posted November 28, 2008 I think it will be interesting to see what the current problems will do to your plans to come to Thailand. My flight was scheduled to arrive in Bangkok on Monday, December 1. IMHO Suvarnabuhmi will not except any flights very soon, defenitely not on Monday. I cancelled all my reservations (air, hotels and transfers) today. Sorry, to miss Pattaya Street Party on Tuesday. As soon as the situation changes, I will make new travel plans to LOS, however this can take months or more. Quote
Gaybutton Posted November 28, 2008 Author Posted November 28, 2008 As soon as the situation changes, I will make new travel plans to LOS, however this can take months or more. Unfortunately, you're by no means alone in that. It's a sad situation for so many people and none of the powers-that-be seem to know what to do about it. No matter what any of them do now, it will be the wrong thing to do. On the one hand, the authorities can't do anything to jeopardize the safety of the innocent people trapped in the airports. On the other hand, they also can't allow a protest group to literally destroy the economy of the entire country. The number of people who will be adversely affected economically, both directly and indirectly, could reach many millions by the time this is over. No matter what happens now, it's a crushing blow to the tourist industry that is going to last for years. By now, there has to be a significant number of people who were considering a holiday in Thailand who now will never consider a holiday in Thailand. The thing I keep wondering about is once the airports are cleared, whether done by force or not, what's going to happen next? Quote
Guest Posted November 29, 2008 Posted November 29, 2008 I met a man at my hotel in Bangkok who needs to get to Singapore. He has a wife and 3 kids. Their only option was to go to Utapao and fly from there. The cost for one is 2600 USD. So, his family will be out almost 15,000 USD. He made clear that he would never return to Thailand and that the experience here has been a nightmare for him and his family. Quote
Guest laurence Posted November 29, 2008 Posted November 29, 2008 Meanwhile, here in Pattaya, if it wasn't for the news media you wouldn't know anything is going on at all. When I say this I am not trying to be a wise ass! But in August 1945, in Hiroshima, Japan, the residents may have thought the same, until the bomb exploded. What I am saying is there is potential for major disruption throughout Thailand such as the financial system, internet services, transportation services. Hopefully that will not be the case. Quote
Gaybutton Posted November 29, 2008 Author Posted November 29, 2008 What I am saying is there is potential for major disruption throughout Thailand such as the financial system, internet services, transportation services. I suppose it's possible, but so far there is no indication that any of those things are likely to happen, other than air travel. As a matter of fact, I've seen each one of those things happen even when there is no trouble at all. As far as the general populace is concerned, life is going on as usual and it almost seems as if most of the people, if they're paying attention to it at all, are just about indifferent to the whole thing. It reminds me of the civil rights protests that took place in the USA in the 1960's. As I recall it, most people in the USA who were not directly involved would watch the news about it on television and would say, "Isn't that terrible?" That was about all. Once the news was over, that's the last time they even thought about it that day. From what I'm seeing, the financial system seems to be in more danger than anything else. This crisis certainly isn't going to help Thailand's economy. For farang, the silver lining on that cloud is that the exchange rate is rapidly moving in our favor. I'm definitely sorry for the reasons for the current exchange rate movement, but I'd be lying if I said I'm sorry about the exchange rate windfall it's producing. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted November 29, 2008 Posted November 29, 2008 The cost for one is 2600 USD. This must be a private jet. The most expensive one-way first class ticket to Singapore is around US$560. Quote
Guest Posted November 29, 2008 Posted November 29, 2008 I shall be travelling as originally planned, providing my airline is running flights to BKK, Utapao or a suitable alternative. Quote
Guest Steve1903 Posted November 29, 2008 Posted November 29, 2008 I think this will sort itself fairly soon but having said that I am glad I have no immediate plans to come anyway. Would have been a serious bummer. Quote
Guest topjohn5 Posted November 30, 2008 Posted November 30, 2008 I simply rerouted myself and bypassed BKK.....Singapore to KUL to Phuket to Pattaya........ and I would have been willing to go by land through Cambodia if need be.......but it wasn't.... Love a good challenge but this one didn't provide enough YET....Now I have to get out when i get there, lol! Quote
