Flying to/from Thailand (Covid Era)

[Big Boy]

Isn't it a win/win situation for the airlines? They will be paid for what might previously have been empty seats. With the seat capacity reduced by half on all flights, people will be clambering for the remaining seats, so a guaranteed revenue stream. With only half the potential passengers, reduced crews will be possible. The airlines will be quids in.

[Dannie Boy]

Yes, that will go a long way to offset the millions they have lost!!


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[Big Boy]

Nothing will make up for the cash they and millions of others have lost during this crisis, but everybody now feels safer with buzz words such as social distancing, and that can only be achieved at additional cost.

[Henry 14th]

Isn't it a win/win situation for the airlines? They will be paid for what might previously have been empty seats. With the seat capacity reduced by half on all flights, people will be clambering for the remaining seats, so a guaranteed revenue stream. With only half the potential passengers, reduced crews will be possible. The airlines will be quids in.

Add to that the price of fuel right now......


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[HHTel]

It seems the airlines, in general, will not adhere to 'empty middle seats'. IATA has recommended against it pointing out that because of 'air cleaning', empty seats will not reduce the risk of infection.

https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2020-05-05-01/

[HHTel]

50,000 baht for government sponsored Thai Airlines flight. One way from Texas. Paid up front.

Ouch!

They are showing flights out on Travelocity. The price I wrote was round trip so one way would be cheaper. Do they have to fly the Government sponsored?

Currently, commercial flights are banned from entering Thailand. Only cargo and repatriation flights are allowed.

[migrant]

50,000 baht for government sponsored Thai Airlines flight. One way from Texas. Paid up front.

Ouch!

They are showing flights out on Travelocity. The price I wrote was round trip so one way would be cheaper. Do they have to fly the Government sponsored?

Currently, commercial flights are banned from entering Thailand. Only cargo and repatriation flights are allowed.

Yes, but is Thai Air the only ones allowed to do repatriation flights?

[Nereus]

I read an article from an aviation “expert” who was saying that (most) airplanes recirculate the air every few minutes so social distancing is almost irrelevant. Any empty seats will be just a token to make people feel safer without adding anything but of course, seriously reducing the income or need to increase fares.

Was that Jeffery Thomas!!!!

This is shown in figure 1, and is typical of modern generation airplanes. Approximately 20 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of air per passenger is provided, of which half is filtered recirculated air and half is outside air. This results in a complete cabin air exchange every two to three minutes (20 to 30 air changes per hour). The high air exchange rate is necessary to control temperature gradients, prevent stagnant cold areas, maintain air quality and dissipate smoke and odors in the cabin. High outside airflow rates are also necessary to maintain overall cabin temperature control and cabin pressurization: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/do ... 1&type=pdf

And without being completely anal:

https://www.aircraftsystemstech.com/201 ... stems.html

They are very complex systems, especially in pressurised aircraft. Not sure if it is mentioned but there is also an automatic overboard relief valve to ensure the cabin cannot over pressurise.

[HHTel]

Using my friend Google, it does appear that Thai Airlines is the only airline doing 'repatriation'.

[Big Boy]

I think you friend is wrong. At least when I listen to the Daily Brief, there has been mention that Thais are jumping on board flights coming to Thailand to collect nationals of other countries. They have often thanked the other government for allowing them to use their flight.

[HHTel]

I was specifically looking for repatriation of Thais back to Thailand. I know there are flights out of Thailand repatriating other foreigners back home. I wasn't aware that these flights were allowing Thais to use them on their journey into Thailand to pick up foreigners.

Google wrong???!! What is the world coming to?

[buksida]

Govt plans more repatriation flights
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) says all Thais stranded abroad will be repatriated, as the government prepares to welcome about 7,000 returnees who will arrive between Thursday and May 31.

CCSA spokesman, Taweesilp Visanuyothin, said on Wednesday the centre is working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and related agencies to bring more stranded Thai citizens home.

"Since April 4, we have already repatriated 4,637 Thais stranded in 27 countries across the world, and we are now planning to bring another 7,000 back by the end of this month," he said.

Dr Taweesilp said any Thai citizen abroad who wants to return must inform their Thai embassy of their plans, so quarantine arrangements can be made.

He stressed the 14-day state quarantine is mandatory for all returnees.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... on-flights

[handdrummer]

50,000 baht for government sponsored Thai Airlines flight. One way from Texas. Paid up front.

Ouch!

They are showing flights out on Travelocity. The price I wrote was round trip so one way would be cheaper. Do they have to fly the Government sponsored?

Currently, commercial flights are banned from entering Thailand. Only cargo and repatriation flights are allowed.

Round trips are cheaper than one way because with a round trip the airline is guaranteed to fill the seat. Airlines, like stock markets, don't like uncertainty. Of course it doesn't make sense but that's what I found when I was looking into a one way trip. If you buy a round trip and don't return, the airline sues you for the difference. Unless your dead or incapacitated.

[HHTel]

Cost differences of single vs round trips I'm sure is understood by everyone. The problem here is that we are talking about repatriation flights. No such thing as a round trip and you are not dealing direct with the airlines, you have to register/book with the Thai Embassy. Only when there are enough registrations, (500 according to what my daughter was told) will a flight be organised. Completely different set of rules.

[lindosfan1]

HHTel wrote

Round trips are cheaper than one way because with a round trip the airline is guaranteed to fill the seat. Airlines, like stock markets, don't like uncertainty. Of course it doesn't make sense but that's what I found when I was looking into a one way trip. If you buy a round trip and don't return, the airline sues you for the difference. Unless your dead or incapacitated.

If you pay for a round trip but do not use the return, how can they sue you? You have already paid for the seat.