Loaded! Thai Airways hostess faces sack after bringing in brand name haul from Italy

[webfact]

Loaded! Thai Airways hostess faces sack after bringing in brand name haul from Italy

 

Picture: Naew Na 

 

A senior manager at Thai Airways was obliged to admit that one of his staff had failed to heed warnings about bringing in brand name items from abroad to avoid paying tax. 

 

An air hostess was caught with a stack of items on her person and in her luggage. 

 

She even seemed to have some things hidden around her bosom that were circled in a picture on the Naew Na site.

 

Sutheerat Siriplanon said that the staff member had been dealt with by customs and would face Thai Airways disciplinary procedures that could mean losing her job. 

 

The unnamed woman had arrived back from a trip to Italy on Saturday.

 

The case is an embarrassment to the national carrier who had just announced a crackdown on their staff flouting customs rules, notes Thaivisa. 

 

Source: Naew Na 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-09-09

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[BuckBee]

perfect proof they need invest money in education rather than personal belongings .

[holy cow cm]

I'm sure she does not make that much money and subsidizes it by the goods. Unfortunately she may have to go get a job go go dancing or something. Would help her lose some weight too.

[Cadbury]

29 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thai Airways disciplinary procedures that could mean losing her job. 

Only could because it could be found she has a 'friend" within Thai Airways management who could protect her. 

[mtls2005]

There is a HUGE local market for luxury goods, and many, many, many Thais, incl. TG staff, have big businesses on FB and LINE. Many items are pre-ordered. This is done in part for lower prices, and in part for select items only available in Europe.

 

IMO, taxes (duty, excise, but not VAT) on luxury items should be removed. This would create more demand for high-end tourists to come to Thailand to shop (yes, the VAT would be sacrificed), and with locals buying here, and paying VAT, and more total tax revenue would be generated. 

[inactiveposter]

No use of the word “smuggling.” I would think it’s a criminal offense, yet the article says she has been dealt with by Customs. 

[ezzra]

In one of my earlier posts i have for many years now often noted and wondered why an air hostess need such a giant suitcase for what is suppose to be be an overnight flight, big enough, well, to bring back stuff one will presume...

[Peterbkk99]

This is probably not an isolated case.

Disciplinary procedures ok but i hope she can keep her job. She must be devastated already. Am sure she wont do it again.

 

[Orton Rd]

Sack her, they are way over staffed as it is

[fforest1]

They should stick to smuggling drugs,not so bulky....

[sammieuk1]

Wonder what will be deemed contraband when the unlucky farangs start getting their cases turfed out ????

[silverhawk_usa]

1 hour ago, Peterbkk99 said:

This is probably not an isolated case.

Disciplinary procedures ok but i hope she can keep her job. She must be devastated already. Am sure she wont do it again.

 

I dated a flight attendant in the U.S.  They had to bid (seniority, etc. not cash) for their schedules and flights.  Korea was an ultimate destination.  Shopping and bringing items back for themselves and friends was the norm.  I don't recall any selling though. 

[jackdd]

Salary in the big international airlines competes globally, so the the salary at such airlines is quite similar.

Afaik they usually earn about 100k THB a month, so they don't do this because they are in dire need of money, but just to make something on top of their already very good (for Thailand) salary.

[neeray]

1 hour ago, mok199 said:

She would be considered a hottie on Air Canada....

You just dissed my home country's flagship carrier !!!

 

But I totally agree. What a let down, after Asian carriers, if I connect through Vancouver and then onto Toronto.

[neeray]

5 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Salary in the big international airlines competes globally, so the the salary at such airlines is quite similar.

Afaik they usually earn about 100k THB a month, so they don't do this because they are in dire need of money, but just to make something on top of their already very good (for Thailand) salary.

Greed. Opportunism. Just like a politician.

[wreckingcountry]

One they caught out of the 100 cabin staff that get away with it on ALL airlines


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[PatOngo]

43 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Salary in the big international airlines competes globally, so the the salary at such airlines is quite similar.

Afaik they usually earn about 100k THB a month, so they don't do this because they are in dire need of money, but just to make something on top of their already very good (for Thailand) salary.

Is it possible she was one of the staff who agreed to a pay cut to save the ailing airline and she was just supplementing that pay cut?

[gunderhill]

2 hours ago, inactiveposter said:

has been dealt with by Customs. 

Including extracting the names of her customers so the corrupt  customs dept can now re sell them to the same customer. Be  honest they wont be "destroying" these items

[Nong Khai Man]

3 hours ago, inactiveposter said:

No use of the word “smuggling.” I would think it’s a criminal offense, yet the article says she has been dealt with by Customs. 

Probably Fined 500 Baht ??

[JamesBlond]

Isn't it okay if it's for personal use? What's the rule? Can't you buy a pair of shoes or a handbag when you are abroad?

[NanLaew]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Sutheerat Siriplanon said that the staff member had been dealt with by customs and would face Thai Airways disciplinary procedures that could mean losing her job.

Good to know that THAI doesn't do inactive posts.

[Vacuum]

3 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Sack her, they are way over staffed as it is

Easy to say now. How about when you want another beer on the flight? 

[JamesBlond]

31 minutes ago, JamesBlond said:

Isn't it okay if it's for personal use? What's the rule? Can't you buy a pair of shoes or a handbag when you are abroad?

Never mind, I looked it up. Personal use items are okay up to 80,000 baht limit.

The article didn't mention the value the goods so it's almost useless as a piece of journalism, but the stuff in the picture doesn't look more than 80,000 baht's worth to me.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

 Would help her lose some weight too.

 

I couldn't quite tell whether she natively is a bit on the chubby side, or, she's just weighed down and puffed out with all the import gear she's wearing... I'm thinking it's both, including the natively chubby part.

 

[Vacuum]

11 minutes ago, JamesBlond said:

the stuff in the picture doesn't look more than 80,000 baht's worth to me.

I'd say that those Gucci belts alone are worth 80K.

[Just Weird]

Some of the usual suspects making fatuous, derogatory remarks about the woman's body and weight, something that they know nothing about, and that they can't even see, apart from her hands and the tip of her chin! 

 

As the article, very clearly, pointed out she is bulked up with multiple leather belts and other items concealed in areas that would be considered indelicate to show.  

 

Just so pathetic.

[twizzian]

4 hours ago, mok199 said:

She would be considered a hottie on Air Canada....

Or British Airways!

[RichardColeman]

Been travelling a lot on BA recently as they worked out cheaper. Their trolley dollies weigh more than i do these days !

[ThomasThBKK]

1 hour ago, JamesBlond said:

Isn't it okay if it's for personal use? What's the rule? Can't you buy a pair of shoes or a handbag when you are abroad?

No you can't you have to register it at the customs but NO ONE does that anywhere in the world. The whole system is so outdated...

 

25 minutes ago, JamesBlond said:

Never mind, I looked it up. Personal use items are okay up to 80,000 baht limit.

The article didn't mention the value the goods so it's almost useless as a piece of journalism, but the stuff in the picture doesn't look more than 80,000 baht's worth to me.

 

No, it's 20 000 Baht, which is nothing: http://www.customs.go.th/list_strc_simple_neted.php?ini_content=individual_160503_03_160905_01&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individual_submenu_01_160421_01

 

In Europe it's 400 EUR, so about the same, think to remember in the USA it's 600 USD limit.

 

 

[legend49]

Typical Thai attitude. They were told only last week about this, why is they cant UNDERSTAND right from wrong. Internally : of the company the management should name and shame her then sack her after last weeks warnings. Maybe that might be a lesson they may learn from.