CONFIRMED: Thailand extends ban on inbound passenger flights until May 31

[Geoffggi]

17 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Thailand has extended a ban on incoming passenger flights until the end of May in a bid to curb the coronavirus outbreak, the country’s aviation regulators said on Monday.

Too early, the resumption of international flights needs to be monitored, but the country should not be looking to open to any incoming passengers from overseas until August at the very earliest unless they want to go the same way as Singapore.....!!!

[yellowboat]

Wonder if Thailand was the only place to ban alcohol.  Vietnam didn't.  Doubt Cambodia did.  Thai government has some very odd, puritanical ideas since the military seizure of power.  The government can expect 0 help from the controlling duopoly for a long time to come.   

[Enzian]

After being in Vietnam for two weeks just before the lockdowns my impression is that the Vietnamese are not as heavy drinkers as Thais, but they certainly do share those tobacco bongs together at the sidewalk shops.

[Yadon Toploy]

17 hours ago, Jeff Simoneaux said:

I have health insurance, can get a fit to fly certificate and have a retirement visa. I have been held up in japan for over a month. Since they first banned foreigners from entering Thailand. I'm ready to go home. And I have been self quarantined for the last 3 weeks.

Not trying to be nasty, but Thailand is not your real home. 

 

Definition of home:

 

noun

 

1. 1.

   the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.

 

Bold is mine, for effect. You are only here temporarily, for purposes other than tourism (that the definition of is what your visa is valid for, with extensions).

 

Indeed, you are not even regarded as a resident, as the initial bans clarified, as is any foreigner without a work permit or permanent residency. 

 

I think the ramifications of this needs to be understood by the expat community.

[Enzian]

Home is where the heart (or hard?) is.

[Yadon Toploy]

15 hours ago, bergbear said:

Yes, I am in Europe. haven't seen my Thai wife in 3 months. It could be 3 more months. Somehow the very wise gov forget to allow spouses of Thai citizens back in!

I know it is tough but now you understand your status fully through the eyes of the Thais and the Thai system.

 

This is an opportunity to contemplate, adapt, prepare and change if necessary. 

 

As I have stated on here many times before if I was relying on education, marriage, retirement or kids to remain in Thailand I would be fully considering my options. Moreso if I was foolish enough to put all my eggs into this one basket, or had assets or investments it would be impossible to walk away from.

 

We really should be worried for the future but forewarned is forearmed as they say.

[Yadon Toploy]

1 minute ago, Enzian said:

Home is where the heart (or hard?) is.

Yes, it can be difficult to listen to the head rather than the heart.

 

Or the big head rather than the little one...

[Yadon Toploy]

35 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

Wonder if Thailand was the only place to ban alcohol.  Vietnam didn't.  Doubt Cambodia did.  Thai government has some very odd, puritanical ideas since the military seizure of power.  The government can expect 0 help from the controlling duopoly for a long time to come.   

Cambo didn't and the closures of bars and other venues was enforced in a rather lacklustre manner...

[Yadon Toploy]

43 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

Wonder if Thailand was the only place to ban alcohol.  Vietnam didn't.  Doubt Cambodia did.  Thai government has some very odd, puritanical ideas since the military seizure of power.  The government can expect 0 help from the controlling duopoly for a long time to come.   

In 2001 under the first Thaksin government, Purachai started his crusade against alcohol and vice... In came the 2am closings, bar raids, stops and searches and random pee tests... It was the beginning of the end for the pure expat hedonism that had existed since the GI invasion during the American War in Vietnam. 

When they started implementing all this nonsense, you knew then it wasn't going to stop, or ever roll back to the way it was.

 

God, I miss those days.

 

The only glimmer of hope was immediately after the coup in 2006... bars went back to closing when they liked, but it only lasted for a short while, and since the military got their foot back in the door again, it has gotten aggressively worse.

Edited April 28, 2020 by Yadon Toploy

[Isaan sailor]

18 hours ago, Why Me said:

China is pretty much back to normal now. Chinese are presumably climbing the wall for a bit of travel and adventure.

I think even the regime knows Chinese Wuhan virus numbers cannot be trusted.  China knows the trick—reduced testing begets reduced case numbers and deaths.

[BobBKK]

Yet daily domestic flights are ok?  but I can't walk in a park?  absurd

[cornishcarlos]

1 hour ago, Geoffggi said:

Too early, the resumption of international flights needs to be monitored, but the country should not be looking to open to any incoming passengers from overseas until August at the very earliest unless they want to go the same way as Singapore.....!!!

 

Singapore is not open to incoming passengers from overseas... What are you trying to say ??

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, hydraides said:

Billions of baht lost from potential tourism

Tourism is dead for the rest of this year.. but trade needs to get going again.

[Bangkok Barry]

18 hours ago, ukrules said:

I was looking at flightradar24 a week or so back during the flight ban and noticed a flight heading south as it flew over Bangkok.

 

This Learjet 25 took off from the city of Lucknow in India and landed at U-Tapao airport.

 

Kind of strange during times like this. I wonder who the special people were on this flight?

 

I also wonder if these special people were subject to the quarantine period.

 

There's been a big fuss in the UK about private jets being allowed free access to UK airports with no health checks made at all. As usual, it's one rule for the rich and different rules for the rest. T'was always so and forever will be.

[Tropposurfer]

21 hours ago, sprq said:

Lots of measures don't make sense, e.g. ban on alcohol sales, ban on foreign exchange services by banks (yes, really), bookshops closed (my peeve), etc. This Is Thailand.

The alcohol sale ban makes perfect sense if you’re trying to contain control and limit human interactions. Alcohol is a part of socialising here and in many other societies. If you offer booze people will congregate thus social distancing ideas are at risk of being made mute. Add to this the effect alcohol has on impulse control and other initiatives put in place to contain and limit contact and movement are also jeopardised.

[treetops]

14 hours ago, edwarda909 said:

I saw a video of te government quarantining Thais being repatriated here, being put two to a tent outdoors, no AC.  Nobody, tourist orwhatever, is going to want to send 14 days in those conditions.

There's been several media articles mentioning the hotels in Bangkok being used as quarantine centres for returning Thais.

[Guderian]

So all inbound international passenger flights are banned at the moment, right? Can somebody explain to me what all the international arrivals expected at Swampy today are doing, are they all cargo flights? They can't all be emergency or repatriation flights.

 

https://www.bangkokairportonline.com/flight-status-arrivals-departures/

 

Only one flight from outside Asia, the one from Madrid, but a number from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, not to mention Dhaka, Doha and Muscat.

[Mavideol]

21 hours ago, hydraides said:

The Chinese are the biggest market to Thailand

 

Chinese have hardly had any or no cases last few weeks. Chinese would be able to get health certificates

 

China's schools are going back, cities are opening back up. So low to no numbers might be fairly truthful.

 

Dosen't make sense to have a full blanket whole month ban on international flights. They could accept flights from certain countries

and since when do you believe Chinese reporting numbers to be correct

[Henryford]

21 hours ago, Why Me said:

China is pretty much back to normal now. Chinese are presumably climbing the wall for a bit of travel and adventure. And the best welcome they can expect is here. Chinese tourists will not be greeted with smiles in Europe/USA any time soon.

 

So question: does anyone know the prebooking numbers for China-Thailand flights and hotel rooms starting June? My guess through the roof.

Do you believe a single word the Chinese say about their CV status?

[Mavideol]

21 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

The costs of this are starting to amount with the incoming International tourist market held over for another month at least .. And put's a block on ex-pats caught outside of Thailand from returning for the same time span .. 

but maybe this will make Thailand hungry for cash as the closure is running down their reserves... if hungry for cash need foreigners to visit, but foreigners only visit if Baht is weak thus only option for Thailand is to lower the Baht 555

[Mavideol]

21 hours ago, cyril sneer said:

so they've gone and cancelled May 1st and May 4th public holidays

 

i'm sure workers who thought they had a 4-day weekend will be delighted

but look at it on the bright side.....instead of 4 day week end they have a (forced) 30 day vacation

Edited April 28, 2020 by Mavideol

[Thomas J]

22 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Thailand extends ban on inbound passenger flights until May 31

Oh and do they expect the airlines to fly here empty to pick up outbound flights.  

[RichardColeman]

Fully expect them to open for China first and Europe many months later

[treetops]

5 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

Oh and do they expect the airlines to fly here empty to pick up outbound flights. 

Some empty, some cargo and some repatriating Thais, same as it's been for a while now.

[Barley]

Hm, why can I book on Lufthansa for May Fra-Bkk or Bkk-Fra if all incoming flights to Thailand are canceled? 

 

And if I search on Skyscanner I see all kinds of international flights available. 

[treetops]

3 minutes ago, Barley said:

Hm, why can I book on Lufthansa for May Fra-Bkk or Bkk-Fra if all incoming flights to Thailand are canceled? 

 

And if I search on Skyscanner I see all kinds of international flights available. 

Skyscanner is not entirely accurate, but as has been said many times on here, if you want to leave Thailand by air there are plenty of options

[Aussieroaming]

22 hours ago, lkv said:

What international tourist market?

 

Here in Europe in my country there is a partial lockdown until mid May, Indonesia 22 May, Singapore June 1st.

 

We need to be technically allowed to get out of the house before we can make it to the airport ????

True, same here. My May flights to BKK were cancelled and I'm not sure whose lockdown is responsible. I'm well over it, would love to get home to see my wife, even if things arent quite back to normal. 

[Geoffggi]

3 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Singapore is not open to incoming passengers from overseas... What are you trying to say ??

I would have thought obvious but what I am saying is don't open up too early to the outside world

[cornishcarlos]

2 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

I would have thought obvious but what I am saying is don't open up too early to the outside world

 

I know that's what you were trying to say, but used Singapore as an example as to what happens if they do open up.. A bit misleading..

[natway09]

Incoming domestic flights from overseas ?