Flights to/from Thailand status, news, and updates

[2/cb]

Does anyone have an idea when or if BA will fly to BKK again direct from London?

[Dannie Boy]

It remains one of BA’s best kept secrets - I’ve tried all the search options and come up with a blank. I’ve flown to and from the UK on Thai twice in the last year and the lowest occupancy (returning over the weekend) was about 95%, the other three sectors appeared to be 100% full, so I can’t see why they're so reluctant to return to this route unless they have problems like plane and staff availability, because traditionally they always undercut Thai and Eva prices, so would draw some of their customers automatically?

[sateeb]

/\ Maybe AOT are not giving any landing slots to BA. Just a thought.

[buksida]

Passed through Swampy yesterday coming in. The foreign immigration queue was its usual long shitfight so I went through the Thai passport section on "Thai wife" allowance which had twice as many officers and no queues, and was through in five minutes.

Another thing that was new was the very long walk and train ride from the gate (Air Asia gets the furthest terminal away) to the main building which is something to be aware of, adding more time if you have onward travel connections (getting a seat at the arse of the plane doesn't help). Maybe the new terminal has opened and been given to the bucket airlines?

[STEVE G]

Passed through Swampy yesterday coming in. The foreign immigration queue was its usual long shitfight so I went through the Thai passport section on "Thai wife" allowance which had twice as many officers and no queues, and was through in five minutes.

Another thing that was new was the very long walk and train ride from the gate (Air Asia gets the furthest terminal away) to the main building which is something to be aware of, adding more time if you have onward travel connections (getting a seat at the arse of the plane doesn't help). Maybe the new terminal has opened and been given to the bucket airlines?

Yes, a new terminal opened in September:
https://www.tatnews.org/2023/09/suvarna ... 20Code%20E.

[buksida]

Travel demand drives Q3 airfares
Average airfares in the third quarter this year continued to surge even though it was the low season, with the increases driven by strong travel demand.

Thai AirAsia reported a 22% year-on-year increase in airfares in the third quarter, while Bangkok Airways recorded a 15% uptick.

For the period, Thai AirAsia's average price surged to 1,720 baht, up from 1,404 baht a year earlier. The fare also exceeded the 2019 level, which was 1,457 baht.

Santisuk Klongchaiya, chief executive of Thai AirAsia, said the airline increased airfares by 15-20% for the current quarter to accommodate the tourism high season as it prioritises a return to profitability.

Thai AirAsia served 4.56 million passengers in the third quarter, accounting for 86% of the 2019 level, with an average load factor of 90%.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/ge ... 3-airfares

[buksida]

Passenger service charge at six Thai airports to be hiked
From April next year, the charges for international departure passengers will increase from 700 to 730 baht per person, while for domestic departure passengers it will rise from 100 to 130 baht per person at six AOT airports — Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, and Phuket.

AOT director Kerati Kijmanawat said on Friday that the proposed price adjustment had already been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of Transport.

He said the 30-baht hike was necessitated by increased costs following the installation of Common Use Passenger Processing Systems at six airports, which have significantly improved service quality, safety and convenience for airport passengers.

...

The AoT will raise the charge from 700 baht to 730 baht per person for international departures and from 100 baht to 130 baht for domestic departures starting April 1 next year.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand ... l/40033200
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2691949

[Dannie Boy]

I don’t think anyone will notice!!


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[buksida]

It all gets rolled into the flight prices, which have all gone up anyway!

[Dannie Boy]

Exactly - what’s 30 Baht when international fares have gone up by maybe 20,000 over the past 2-3 years


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[usual suspect]

Yesterday I arrived back in the kingdom, & like most of us, I landed at Swampy. I was the last person off the A380, & I'm slower at walking thanks to a dodgy leg...So, when I got to the end of the travelator/walkway I simply could not beieve the sheer volume of people waiting to be proccessed thru' the passport control..AoT had introduce the now mandatory 'snake fence' as I call it to channel more passengers into the area, but it was a solid mass of people all the way down to the end of the walkway!..At which point was a Thai man in some uniform of other waving everyone along to the next immigration area 500m further on...As I got there it was the same scene as I'd seen previously..masses of folk waiting! At this point a Thai 'airport lady' spotted me with my NHS walking stick and ushered me to the 'priority' lane, where I was the only passenger there...
...OK let's skip forward 15/20 mins..I'd been to the washroom, freshened up and ambled along to the baggage belt to retrieve my bag..Well, the belt was FULL..The cases etc were 3 deep, and there was no space on this belt all the way around it..This was because no-one had taken any bags off it..everyone was STILL queueing for passport control!
I saw my bag, plucked it off the top layer of bags just before the feed-belt automatically stopped. I sat down nearby to change sim card, & check my messages..As I left the belt was still full & only a handful of folk there looking for their bags.
I'm sorry but IMO this is a farce..After you've flown 13 hrs & then have to queue for well over an hour is just not acceptable...Every so often AoT release reports of upgrades to Swampy airport..Well this is the biggest area for attention!...Rant over.

[buksida]

Yep, it was a shitfight when I came through earlier this month. The foreigner immigration section had about four people working and an epic queue but the Thai/ASEAN area had twice as many and most were empty - I went through the Thai side. You get the impression its done on purpose.

[PeteC]

It may be done on purpose. Wouldn't surprise me if they photo every foreigner in those lines and run all through a facial recognition program to see if any Interpol wanted or Blacklist people are trying to get in. Thus giving the desk people a heads up before they get there.

[migrant]

Like the other posters we arrived Nov 30th to the same pile of tourists. Luckily I was with Mrs M so we went to the Thai side with one in front of us.

Has anyone tried the Thai line without their Thai spouse? Using a long term visa as a reason?

Last year coming back a falang couple questioned a imm officer and he pointed to the Thai passport line which they went through.

[Big Boy]

I thought they had this same problem last year (?) and they vowed to open more desks to eliminate the problem. Reports at the time suggested it was working.