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Bangkok bound. The longest queues at Phuket airport this week are at the bus ticket counter.

Bangkok Airport Closures: Help for the Stranded

Saturday, November 29, 2008
Nov 30: A Singapore-bound Qantas Airbus A330-300 flight carrying nearly 300 passengers stranded in the Bangkok airport closures left Phuket tonight. The Australian Government and airline had arranged bus transport for passengers from Bangkok to Phuket. - Australian media reports

PHUKET RESORTS are joining forces with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and other tourism businesses to offer immediate assistance to tourists who have had to extend their stay in Phuket due to the Bangkok airport closures.

In an interview with AFP, deputy premier Olarn Chaiprawat said repatriating foreign passengers stranded in Thailand could take up to a month. About 30,000 passengers a day are missing flights, while as many as 50,000 Thais were trapped overseas. The government's program to repatriate foreigners and Thais would cost one billion baht.

Resorts in Phuket are co-operating with the TAT to offer to cover the hotel and meal expenses for stranded tourists up to 2000 baht a day per person, says Somboon Jirayus, president of the Phuket Tourist Association.

Participating resorts will offer the coverage to tourists on the spot, says Methee Tanmanatragul, president of the Thai Hotels Association Southern chapter, then will be reimbursed later by the TAT. He says that both THA members and non-members are involved with this offer, so best to check with the hotel in advance.

A Canadian Embassy bulletin says, "TAT has indicated that they will not reimburse for bills already settled. Please speak with your hotel for further details regarding whether you might be eligible for this relief program."

Embassy officials have also been scrambling to help their country's citizens.

Hundreds of Australians have been unable to catch scheduled flights out of Thailand, says Larry Cunningham, Australian Honorary Consul for Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi. At least 100 in Phuket have called him this week, in desperate search of alternative ways out.

Before Thai Airways set up alternative routing through U-Tapao, a number of Australians had to shell out premium prices on other airlines when their THAI flights were suddenly cancelled. Those who could not afford to change airlines have had to wait while THAI sets up more flights out of the country.

The Australian Embassy in Bangkok has opened a 24-hour hotline specifically to help stranded Australians. The number is: 02 344 6300.

Phuket airport has set up a special bus ticket counter for coach trips to Bangkok. Yesterday, about 155 passengers caught four buses out of Phuket airport for the 12-hour, 885km journey to Bangkok. The price of a bus ticket is 800 baht.

The airport is also operating travel hotlines: 076 351595, 076 351593, 076 351561, 076 351152.

The Phuket City bus station on Phang Nga Road is also doing a brisk trade in Bangkok-bound buses. Air-conditioned buses to the capital leave about every hour.

Airline Update


Thai and foreign airlines are continuing to add or reroute flights through Phuket, U-Tapao, Chiang Mai and other airports to assist domestic and international travellers. Here are the latest announcements.

Thai Airways ticketing office in Bangkok will be open tomorrow, November 30, 8am-5pm. Tel: 02 356 1111 or 02 545 4000. The airline is continually adding new/rerouted flights. THAI also announced it will extend ticket validation, travel related documents as well as the Royal Orchid Plus mileage redemption period.

Dragonair will operate an additional flight from Phuket to Hong Kong on Monday, December 1. Dragonair also doubled the capacity of its scheduled flights to and from Phuket from November 28 to December 2 by using A330 aircraft instead of the usual A320. Ticketing office Tel: 02 263 0367.

Finnair transported nearly 300 stranded Finnair passengers overland from Bangkok to Phuket, then flew them out from Phuket to Helsinki on Friday night (November 28). A total of four flights from Phuket in the coming days are planned.

SilkAir has added Phuket-Singapore flights for Saturday and Sunday specifically for stranded passengers that were transported from Bangkok.

Bangkok Airways and AirAsia have been adding Phuket routes daily to cope with the closures, but are only posting cancelled flight details on their websites. Best to check with agents or the airlines in person or by phone for updates.

Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, announced it is running extra flights connecting Subang Airport, Kuala Lumpur, to Phuket and Koh Samui, in addition to its current four times weekly Penang-Phuket return flights and eight weekly flights between Koh Samui and Penang/Subang. Four extra afternoon flights are running on Sunday, November 30: Subang-Koh Samui, Koh Samui-Subang, Subang-Phuket and Phuket-Subang.

Qantas is working with the Australian Government in seeking approval for an A330-300 with a capacity of 300 passengers to depart from Phuket to Singapore on Monday night, the AAP reports. Qantas and British Airways ticket holders will get first priority for seats, followed by other Australian nationals.

Air France-KLM announced that it will run two flights out of Phuket. The first will fly from Phuket to Amsterdam Monday and a second one will leave for Paris late Tuesday, the airline said in a statement.

Phuket Airport Situation: Day by Day


Bangkok Airport Crisis: Phuket Air Traffic Down Sharply
Phuket airport is suffering a shortfall of more than 3000 passengers a day while Bangkok's airports remain closed.
Bangkok Airport Crisis: Phuket Air Traffic Down Sharply

Stranded Tourists on the Hunt for Tickets Out
The national air travel crisis saw thousands in Phuket waiting and watching as their flight plans rested on events in the capital.
Stranded Tourists on the Hunt for Tickets Out

Phuket Airport Flights Cancelled
Phuket's tourism industry is reeling from flight cancellations as anti-government protesters tighten their grip on both Bangkok airports.
Phuket Airport Flights Cancelled

Phuket Airport Open but Tourists Trapped
Photo Album Thousands of tourists cannot reach Phuket today as Suvarnabhumi airport's closure has forced inbound flights to cancel. Resorts offer 70 percent discounts for stranded passengers.
Phuket Airport Open but Tourists Trapped

Comments

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This is very interesting but my daughter (21) was in the Bangkok airport on Tuesday and had to get out when it was invaded. She has been to the Thai offices in Bangkok repeatedly and they would do nothing to help. She has had to pay for her own hotels and they never mention re routing flights as a possiblity. They just told her to sit in her hotel and watch the news for information. We have now got her out to Krabi airport and are trying to get her out via KUL. We asked Thai Airlines to get her onto a flight with another airline from KUL to her destination & were told to get a form stamped by Bangkok Airport or it wouldn't be possible and we would have to pay the fare for a new ticket. How rediculous is that!!! We are now up to our eyeballs in debt paying for hotels, trains, aeroplanes and it will still be days before we can get her out of Thailand! At no stage has the NZ embassy or Thai Airlines indicated that there was any help available. Obviously as she is young they think they can just ignore her.

Posted by Margaret on November 30, 2008 16:17


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