FlyingThai

Look at this from a logical perspective: For the vast majority of tourists such a "holiday" arrangement isn't attractive at all due to a multitude of factors.

1) Thailand has always been popular for being cheap/affordable. This solution is neither.

2) People go on holiday to relax and escape stress. This solution doesn't offer that - au contraire.

3) Most working folks and families especially from Asia don't have 3-4 weeks to burn to make this work.

4) Most countries have beach destinations of sorts available in their own country or continent (EU).

5) There are plenty of other destinations such as the Maldives and Seychelles that offer a real luxury vacation without the hoops Thailand has. At the same price or even lower.

Thailand really isn't really all that nice or attractive as a destination. It was fine as long as it was affordable but this is now off the charts.

The only audience I can see taking advantage of this scheme are some old geezers and punters who use the tourist entry (at any cost) to get a foot back into the country and then either modify their visa at Immigration to something else or simply overstay like in the past.

And as far as Emirates is concerned: EK requires every passenger to provide a Covid test before even getting a boarding pass. Not the best flight option if you ask me, no matter in which direction the plane goes. If I can fly other airlines without a Covid test then hell would freeze over before I'd take EK.

2 hours ago, audaciousnomad said:

Not true. Nothing in the letter suggests that the USA is trying to dictate policy. The letter essentially is an acknowledgement confirmation that a citizen of the USA desires to apply for extending their stay in the kingdom, and thanks to the immigration bureau for their consideration in the matter.

Correct and nothing else.

The letter doesn't certify that there are currently no flights available to the applicant or other obstructions that hinder them to return to their home country.

This was an issue previously because the last time Immigration expected the embassies to certify that the applicant can't go home. That's the reason why they stopped issuing these letters because they can't lie in the document and it's pretty pointless keeping the staff on their toes to issue useless letters.

If there was talk in the background that they now start accepting basic letters again then great. I wouldn't read too much into this though.

7 hours ago, whizzergo said:

Does anyone else have a backup plan or has been offered reassurances of any kind (perhaps a 30-day extension while waiting?)

If you're still eligible for a 30 day extension then why not if it helps you to sleep better until you get your TE Visa label.

Many have already done so before the first amnesty was announced are now out of luck since a second 30 day extension isn't permitted.

You could get an ED or Volunteer visa for a year. In that case I'd bin the TE option and reapply in 2021 if needed.

2 hours ago, David Bond said:

"Greetings from Thailand Elite Member Contact Center"
 

In response to your email, we are deeply sorry to inform you that Thailand Elite Members who are now allowed to come back to Thailand are those who already affixed Thailand Elite Visa in the passport. 

 

I don't see any reason to buy the Elite Visa now, I hope I can get a refund, I paid back in June and still can't enter.

If you paid in June, no refund. Did you pay by credit card? You could try a chargeback.

They do have a promotion however that gives you extra 6 months on top of the 5 years if you paid by September 30th.

Nevertheless, buying a TE Membership from abroad without knowing any details regarding future admittance was an extremely negligent idea IMHO. No way I'd have done that.

Contact TE liaison for this, all applications have to go through them and MFA directly.

2 minutes ago, mjakob007 said:

Could Emabssies issue CoE and follow Covid protocol for non-repat flights? 

Not until the CAAT authorizes that. And we're a far cry from such a scenario.

1 hour ago, DJ54 said:

 No dead heading... flying empty

None of these flights is going going empty anywhere. The outbound ex BKK can be booked commercially, the inbound must be reserved via the embassy/consulate.

9 minutes ago, elliss said:

     Meaning .

They repatriate Thai passengers , returning to Thailand ...

 

On the return to BKK they take everyone who has a COE from the Thai Embassy and that includes foreigners.

38 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

But how they get a flight to enter.

Look at number 2. Are there repatriation flight from here to Argentina.

 

And about the same as above.

It's possible to get a flight to Buenos Aires via Amsterdam, Doha/Sao Paulo and a connection through Madrid at the moment. Not daily though. South America is always difficult to reach from Asia.

3 minutes ago, CANSIAM said:

Cheers, yes pay for the elite abroad and who the hell knows maybe still can't get there for many months. You would leave Thailand now ???  I've got 150 days left on my Non O retirement, waiting with hope.  I'm 5 hours drive from Vancouver, I'll rent it from you! lol  Love Van. 

I've been here since February so quite frankly it's getting old. I got myself an Elite Visa as well while already in country so no problems regarding COE or quarantine requirement. Just payment directly at their office and a trip to immigration.

I'm sure I would regret going back to YVR in November at the latest. Only upside is that with one month of rental income I can live in Thailand for 4 months. And BC killed the cruise ship season this year so no Alaska cruises.

5 hours ago, CANSIAM said:

Thank you, yes I've noticed the Ottawa Embassy website has much more to read than Vancouver. Also calls to Vancouver seem to be one word answers not much help. I have 150 days left on Non O, nothing  really urgent yet to consider the Elite route. 

If my condo in Vancouver wasn't rented until spring of next year I'd have no problem spending some time back in Canada right now. I'd be very careful when it comes to investing 500k for Thailand Elite at the moment while staying abroad. In the very least pay with a credit card in case something funny is going on later.

7 hours ago, baansgr said:

Good value at 16k...

Economy is priced fairly, Business a bit pricey. Other airlines sell C Class for ~ US$1.6-2k per one way.

51 minutes ago, CANSIAM said:

Its worldwide I assume, email stated New member visas will be sent to 'perspective Thai Embassy abroad'.  British Columbia, Canada.

The Thai Consulate down at the Sheraton in Vancouver is very small and not open much. Not surprised that they don't have up to date information. Contact the Embassy in Ottawa if you need something really urgent!

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

They are scheduled as repatriation flights to here that are tied to available slots for them when they arrive.

The are not intended to be for those wanting to leave Thailand.

Applying for a extension and getting 7 days to leave the country would work for the one on the 30th.

I wouldn't even bother to apply for an extension just for a 4 day delay. Waste of time and money. But it'd still make more sense to give them a more workable slot. It's not like there is a run on Thailand at the moment. More and more ASQ hotels are opening too.

The main issue here is that these TG flights can be used with existing tickets and credits from previously cancelled flights. Sure one can leave almost any day but if you hold an old ticket and TG so far refused to rebook this to Lufthansa then these special flights are your only choice to go.

12 minutes ago, anchadian said:

What's odd in my eyes is that the Frankfurt flights leaves on September 30th, 4 days after the Amnesty is supposed to end.

_____________________________________________

Then go for the Munich flight

I'm not going on any flight. But if TG wants to sell additional tickets then it would be prudent to schedule the flight for the 26th IMHO. Nothing keeps those on the amnesty from just leaving on the 30th though, the worst that can happen is a small fine.

3 minutes ago, steven100 said:

what do you think ?   they are bankrupt  !!  they owe billions,  they don't have cash for daily operations. Yes,  they will take your money because they are hanging on by a piece of cotton so every baht will keep their staff on the payroll.  They may stop all flights tomorrow .. who knows  ???

Buy a ticket at your own risk.   imo  

These flights will be operated at 100% certainty because they're sent out by the government to pick up Thais and other repatriates abroad. Hence the term "special flight".

Just now, ubonjoe said:

Those will be repatriation flights when they return to Thailand.

Thai is selling tickets out of the country on them to make a little extra money.

Correct but why would they schedule it in a way that is several days beyond the official expiry date of the amnesty?

Doesn't make much sense to me.

2 minutes ago, steven100 said:

good luck with that one .... 

Good luck with what? Care to be more specific?

1 hour ago, leicesterguyuk said:

Embassies around the world seem to know nothing about any of this and still say that Elite holders, existing and new, are not allowed entry. I hope they get the memo soon. 

This will all be arranged through TE and the Foreign Ministry which in turn will notify the respective Embassy.

This thread is about Elite Visas and not vaccines or medical discussion. Take it elsewhere guys!

Thai Airways has published a new schedule with additional "special flights" to Frankfurt, Munich & London in the month of September.

https://www.thaiairways.com/en_TH/book/offers/special_offers/special_flights.page

Prices start at 16,215 THB in Economy for the one way up to 87,000 THB in Business Class.

What's odd in my eyes is that the Frankfurt flights leaves on September 30th, 4 days after the Amnesty is supposed to end.

• Terms and conditons are vary upon fare selection. Please read ticket terms and condition which will be shown in the booking process.
• Existing ticket and ROP award ticket can be used on this flight.
• THAI reserves the right to change fares and conditions without prior notice.

I'd take something else into the consideration as well. With all these anti government protests going on and some foreigners apparently have nothing better to do other than inserting themselves into the masses it's not unreasonable to think that the PM and his cabinet will take this prima facie personal. In the very least it'll rub them the wrong way.

The more foreigners are making headlines in the BKK Post with taking part in protests the sooner they want those people out of the country.

Foreigners in the country aren't really the primary focus of the government anymore. Covid in the country hasn't spread for 3 months.

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

The only thing to watch is ensuring that the extension does come from the correct immigration office. Agents have a nasty habit of processing extensions through offices where compliant officials are cheaper. Ask the question directly: "will my extension be processed through the Bangkok office (presumably Chaengwattana)". Actually, what you should expect from a good agent is transport to and from immigration, with VIP queuing so you do not need to hang around long. The extension is not strictly proper if you do not briefly attend immigration in person.

I wouldn't expect it to be "proper" to begin with if I have to go through an agent and they charge me an amount where I already know it includes a bribe.

3 minutes ago, Caldera said:

That's a lot of nonsense. Firstly, those on automatic extension granted by the government aren't "illegal tourists" - there is nothing illegal about staying for as long as it's permitted. Secondly, nothing stops that group from purchasing medical insurance and I'm sure many have done so - I know I have.

Technically they are illegal. But the amnesty shields them from being prosecuted/fined/deported.

What medical insurance can a non-resident tourist buy for his stay in Thailand while already in the country? I know it's possible to purchase a police for example from World Nomads while already traveling but it has a short period where you can't claim to prevent fraud.

7 minutes ago, PatrickC said:

 

That travel insurance will have long expired.

 

I pay the same at the hospital as Thais do, although I do have Thai medical insurance.

Depends on the policy. Those with a max of 30 days have expired yes. Many can be extended against payment while abroad as I did for my gf who is Japanese.