HashBrownHarry

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Today, i was making a right turn into a favorite coffee shop of mine. Somchai in his small car had been about 200 metres behind me for a few kilometres. Next thing, he's nearly up my clacker and had to swerve violently to avoid a collision. Either texting or half asleep. I think he only missed me because I could see him coming in my rear view mirror ( You know, the things Thais only use to apply lipstick ) and turned my flashers on to supplement the right turn signal.

Beyond question, Thai drivers are on the Olympic podium as the world's worst drivers.

 

As much as i agree that Thai drivers are bad they're not the worst.

Try going to Middle east or Africa!

1 hour ago, Don Mega said:

covid free innocents are being infected though.... how  is it reducing the risk ?

 

The mind boggles.

You should never answer a question with a question.

I have no idea what your first sentence means?

7 hours ago, Don Mega said:

Im not debating anything but obviously social distancing and face masks is not REDUCING THE RISK.

Of course it's reducing the risk, how do you think it's NOT?

The mind boggles.

1 hour ago, OnTheRun said:

I don't think I do, a very soon to be expired retirement visa. Thanks for the tip mate but in my circumstances even if I do meet the criteria it means ASQ with the chance of another job assignment coming my way which puts me back to square 1. I work in the O&G industry on an on call basis with no fixed rotation.

Yes, unfortunately retirement visa's are not on the list of people required in yet, which IMO is wrong.

I also work in the OnG industry and have just done a 3 month trip, once i arrive back in Thailand i don't plan on going anywhere till at least next April / May or it becomes easier to travel ( whichever comes first ).

5 hours ago, paulikens said:

@HashBrownHarry but thats the problem hardly anyone meets the criteria 

If you have a child or are married ( and have the funds ) the criteria is not hard to meet, for the repat flights you need some degree of luck to get a seat, for Emirates it appears pretty straight forward if booked far enough in advance.

For those that only have partners or are retiree's then yes, it's not easy ( maybe not even possible ) to meet the criteria.

11 minutes ago, OnTheRun said:

All very well but in my case (and many others) who work outwith Thailand and travel back and fore it's not that easy. I left Thailand on 3rd June and obviously have not been able to return.

If you meet the criteria you are able to return now by other means than the repatriation flights, ie Emirates or KLM.

A friend of mine just booked Emirates flight to BKK for the 8th October, he already has his CoE.

17 hours ago, BritTim said:

To get the COE, you need to have an ASQ booking, insurance, Covid-19 test and all the other normal requirements .

The embassy does not require the CV test to issue CoE, they only tell you that's it's part of the criteria, it's the airline that want to see the negative CV test.

4 hours ago, mjakob007 said:

 

 

https://www.heathrowmedical.com/

Had responded to my email committing results in 24 hours. slightly pricey though.

I'm booked to do my CV test on the 18th ( for 20th flight ) at a cost of £350 ( including fit to fly cert and lab report ).

This is for same day results, i'm using this place.

https://www.one5.health

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I’d been issued the CoE based on all my documents marriage certs etc. I was holding a Thai Elite Visa (which had also been submitted) 

 

The night before I was due to travel down to the Airport I found out that only those holding Non Immigrant Visas were permitted entry (under the Emergency Decree regulations). 

 

After the initial SNAFU the staff at the Thai Embassy London responded excellently after I’d contacted them and highlighted the colossal error.

I was given instructions to apply online for the Non-O, submitted yet more scanned copies of documents and received the Visa Receipt. I travelled to London a few hours earlier than initially planned, stopped off at the Embassy and they affixed a Non-Imm O visa, I then travelled to the airport, checked in for my flight, found the only open bar inside the airport, drank heavily, boarded the flight then slept like a baby for 9 hrs of the journey !!!

 

If I thought the application process itself was emotionally draining enough this snafu took it to another level.

 

Two weeks in ASQ almost felt like a holiday !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks.

I'm due to travel on the 20th flight this month, likewise once checked in i'll be having a few tipples to celebrate / unwind!

20 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I’m not so sure of anything, but I do know the whole process is quite disorganised and the Thai Embassy are inundated and overloaded. Adding a ’stop off’ must add an additional level of complexity for them. 

 

I’m not sure why they would arrange flights with non-direct airline - but it appears thats what they have done. 

 

Having 'something in place’ ???  - I’m not so sure. I found out on the day I was supposed to be returning that I couldn’t enter on my existing visa (20 hrs before my flight !)... an outrageous scramble ensued to secure a Non-Immigrant Type O Visa on the same day I flew. 

 

Well informed, organised and clear the system is not. 

 

 

 

If you don't mind me asking, what was wrong with your visa?

Is sending a copy of valid visa not part of the criteria the embassy check prior to offering a seat?

I have a friend ( British ) he's just booked a flight on emirates on 8th Oct. 

He sent all his docs to Thai embassy in London 1st who then confirmed he had everything required, then he booked his own Emirates flight. Sent the booking back to Thai embassy who then told him to go ahead and book ASQ hotel.

The will issue him CoE, embassy is the only one that can issue CoE.

The negative CV test is only required by the airlines, embassy does not need to see the test results.

This is what i know, i beleive the emirates option is only good till 24th Oct but may be wrong?

1 hour ago, AndrewMciver said:

 

1) Is my departure classed when i leave the UK, or connect in Dubai?

 

2) Who obliges me to carry out the test once i arrive? I ask because my hotel will be doing a test on the first day.

Where / how are you getting your CoE?

20 hours ago, Greghuntleyuk said:

Does anyone know if you can use the NHS test? Although it would be a risk pushing it for a turn around in 72 hours.

When the embassy confirmed my flight they advised of these clinics below, they will issue 3 documents, Negative CV result ( hopefully ) / fit to fly cert / lab report, all will have you name and passport number on them. I'd suggest not using one that the embassy does not recommend.

16 hours ago, keith101 said:

Why isn't his Embassy helping him getting a flight back to his country on medical grounds , its one of the things they are here for and should be doing all they can to make it happen .

From everything i have read about the British Embassy here they are an absolutely waste of space and dont seem to want to do their job just get paid for being here .

I've been to British embassy's all over the world and they're all equally bad as each other, it's disgusting!

On 9/2/2020 at 8:02 AM, ubonjoe said:

As far as i know if tested positive you are sent to a hospital for further testing and treatment.

If in quarantine and test + with no symptoms there is no need for hospital admission, you're putting more people at risk of infection, your quarantine room is the safest option for everyone.

If you have severe symptoms that's another story.

9 hours ago, AndrewMciver said:

 

Would not a waiting list with paid deposits - not be better than the luck of the draw who can press click click the fastest?

 

If a thousand people had registered before me, i simply would accept the situation. What really hurst me is i have been beaten and hurt by what i believe to have been an IT glitch and literally seconds of having to go back and forth. 

Waiting list would have sure made the most sense IMO too.

My fried who went through the process for August 9th flight said the same things happened then when it opened, website crashed due to overload of traffic, he managed to get lucky and get a seat.

What surprises me is i've been offered a seat and they've not even checked my documents yet to make sure i meet the criteria......If they had a waiting list this is one of the things they could have used the time to do the checking, all very haphazard really.

9 hours ago, AndrewMciver said:

 

How did you register a few weeks ago?

 

Registration had been closed for weeks. 

 

Also, do you think there is a limit of the number you can process on one registration? I was basically into the booking system at 9:01 a.m. but it wouldn't let me book everyone in my group. 

I went to the same page and clicked on the register tab and went through the process, there was not much to it. This was the 1st week in Aug ( flights already full ).

No idea if there would be a limit, i'm pretty sure when i registered it asked if i was travelling alone.

8 hours ago, tso310 said:

I think it was showing 254 economy available. Only 1 seat was red when my wife got in.

I was the same, registered a couple of weeks ago and one click, likewise it only showed 1 red seat in economy, logged in bang on 0900, whole process took less than one minute.

Now waiting for instructions from embassy for payment then book hotel.

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

They don't in Thailand. Anyone positive, even asymptomatic, is put in hospital quarantine and released only after confirmed negative.

noted

Did not know you were transferred to hospital if + test and no sypmtoms - totally unessasary IMO.

On 8/12/2020 at 10:57 AM, Sheryl said:

People in quarantine have no direct contact with hotel staff.

 

It is well known that people often test negative in the early days of COVID infection.

 

The final test is I think usually done on day 13 of quarantine. Takes a day to get the results back

 

 

 

i know one guy personally in quarantine for 44 days ( not in Thailand )

The country i was in ( working ) the health dept released you 14 days after 1st positive test if you showed no symptoms irrespective of whether or not you'd received a negative result.

On 8/11/2020 at 10:52 AM, Stevemercer said:

 

I use it when checking into a hotel and they ask for my passport. Has worked every time so far (saves any potential grief from Immigration).

Driving license achieves this.

1 hour ago, SnipTheCat said:

On my flight there were a family with 2 kids + one couple of foreigners going to economy class, they didn't accompany thais, beside that all but 2-3 seats in business were for foreigners, the few thai accompanied foreigners. I was proposed economy class ticket for a flight from Frankfurt 2 days later, but I already had the ASQ booking and it was impossible to find another, get a refund when they announced that economy was full and I had to take Business (6 days before the date of the flight)

 

i also know one guy that's just arrived BKK for quarantine who got an economy seat, travelling without a thai.

His case proves there's not wait list as he just started trying end of July and got a flight 9th Aug.

On 8/12/2020 at 1:06 PM, KhaoYai said:

He is refering to the Thai embassy in London Joe - there is no waiting list, even for Thais. When they announce flights its forst come, first served - that's why there are still some Thai's in the UK that have been trying to get home since March. Absolutely crazy situation.

this is how i understand it too.

Come the 1st Sept or whenever new flight dates are announced there's just a stampede online of people trying to grab a seat, as you mention first come / first served.

A wait list would be much more civilized.

6 hours ago, AndrewMciver said:

 

1) As a non Thai, who has to get tested 72 hours before the flight, you would have to research that the Thai you may be sitting next to did not have to go through a test. Most would assume everyone went through the testing process.

 

2) It's also a risk to fellow Thai's on that flight.

 

3) There are risks in everything, but surely a responsible decision would be to mitigate certain risks. A test for EVERYONE 72 hours beforehand would not catch everyone with the virus, but it would catch some. Those people can then take the next flight when they are recovered. 

I have the anti bodies, i would not be concerned.