Latest from Thai Airways and Australia flights

[dallen52]

Thai Airways has just announced that flights from Australia to Thailand will not commence until July 31st. It was July 1st. They are still honouring the tickets and booking. 

 

Thai Airways

THAI has suspended flights across the network until 31 July and extended the special assistance to disrupted customers to allow travel within Dec '21.

 

International Response to COVID-19

In light of the current coronavirus outbreak worldwide and ever-increasing travel restrictions in place.
Thai Airways International (THAI) has had to make a difficult and unprecedented decision to gradually and temporarily suspend operations

We apologise for the disruption and inconvenience this is causing, and we would like to support you by offering the following 3 options to accommodate changes to your travel plans:
1. Ticket validity extension.
2. Travel voucher.
3. Refund for partially used tickets

If you have THAI ticket (ticket number starting with 217-) originally issued before 25 March 2020 for travel on THAI and/or THAI Smile flights (excluding group tickets) where one of your flights in your ticket have been cancelled, you have the following 3 options available to you.

OPTION 1. Extend the validity of fully-unused ticket and rebook later (ticket number starting with 217-)

• THAI will change the validity of your ticket to 31 December 2020. However, if you do not wish to rebook your flights by 31 December 2020, we will automatically extend the final validity date of the ticket to be 31 December 2021.
  
  When you are ready to rebook, please:
  a) contact your travel agent if your original booking was made through one
  b) contact your local THAI office if you booked directly with THAI
  Notes: All travel must be completed by 31 December 2021 on the same route (s) and the same class of service without the applicable rebooking fee
   

  OPTION 2. Travel Voucher for fully-unused tickets (ticket numbers starting with 217-)

  If you are holding a Thai Airways ticket, you can request a travel voucher for the equal value of the current ticket.
  Please note that if you booked your original ticket through a travel agent in Europe, Australia or New Zealand, you must contact your travel agent for assistance with travel vouchers.
  
  Notes:
  a) The Travel Voucher can be used as credit towards any future travel on THAI or THAI Smile to / from any worldwide destinations.
  b) The Travel Voucher will be sent to the email address you provide.
  c) The Travel Voucher is valid for 12 months from the date of issue.
  d) Please contact your local THAI Office to make a new reservation for issue a ticket against the travel voucher before it expires.
  e) Fare/tax/surcharge differences may apply to the new itinerary.
  f) The travel voucher can be transferred with proof of document presented at time of ticketing.
  g) The travel voucher can be refunded if not used at the end of its expiry date
   

  Option 3 Refund for partially used tickets ticket number starting with 217

  If some sectors of on your ticket have been cancelled by THAI and/or THAI Smile, and you have already used part of your ticket, a refund amount will be calculated and settled by issuing office at least 180 days from the submission request.
  In case you have a THAI ticket (217-) originally issued before 25MAR20 for travel on THAI or THAI SMILE flights but your flights have not been cancelled, then any rebooking of date , extension of validity or cancellation of the booking will have to follow the conditions of your ticket with fee to be applied accordingly.
  
  Please note that if you booked your original ticket through a travel agent in Europe, Australia, New Zealand or Japan, you must contact your travel agent for assistance with refunds.
  
  Important Remark : As THAI is currently undergoing rehabilitation proceedings through the Central Bankruptcy Court, the company regrets to inform our customers that it is temporarily prohibited from processing any refund requests at this time.
• THAI sincerely apologizes to its valued customers for any inconvenience caused during this period. Notwithstanding this, THAI remains committed to extending the utmost attention and care to all customers who have pending ticket refund requests.
• Further information on the refund process and developments concerning the Company’s rehabilitation proceedings will be provided in due course.
  
   

We are currently experiencing a high volume of requests, and the processing time is estimated to be longer than usual.

Please be assured that we will contact you as quickly as possible.

Our apologies in advance.

Thank you for your support and understanding during this challenging time.

Edited June 5, 2020 by dallen52

[kingofthemountain]

54 minutes ago, dallen52 said:

Thai Airways has just announced that flights from Australia to Thailand will not commence until July 31st. It was July 1st. They are still honouring the tickets and booking. 

In June you can already be prepared to an announcement that

flights from Australia to thailand will not commence untill August 31

and so on....

Of course they are still honouring the tickets and booking

the only question is ''when?''

[dallen52]

2 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

In June you can already be prepared to an announcement that

flights from Australia to thailand will not commence untill August 31

and so on....

Of course they are still honouring the tickets and booking

the only question is ''when?''

Was just saying to the wife that until the government opens up the borders its all hypothetical. 

(Her government)

She is in Thailand and I'm stuck here in Australia. 

Call it over cautious or similar...

But i personally don't think the numbers warrant the borders staying in lockdown. 

(60 deaths a day every day, but you don't see the government putting an embargo on riding bikes)

70 odd deaths from covid19 or similar cases and the whole country is shut down for 3 month and 26 million people out of work, plus no tourist possibilities. 

[DoctorG]

With most OZ States shutting their borders to fellow Aussies, I doubt that July 31 looks feasible for international travel.

[steven100]

OP ;  as with THAI airways, there is also a cash flow problem being played out here. They don't have any cash to run daily operations domestically, let alone internationally. 

They are currently in the hands of receivership or voluntary administration.

 

I seriously doubt they will be even operating in August.  Why do you think they keep pushing the date back ?

 

" In any case, the rehabilitation plan must be approved by creditors before it can be carried out. If the plan is not approved, the court will issue an order canceling the rehabilitation process, and the automatic stay will lose its validity. "

"It is therefore unclear how Thai Airways will emerge from this process," 

[dallen52]

22 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

With most OZ States shutting their borders to fellow Aussies, I doubt that July 31 looks feasible for international travel.

I'm optimistic. 

Basically because i didn't want to be stranded here.

I had done the requirements. 

Then Thai Airways pulled the pin March 25th. 

I was on the 27th flight.

Its still totally illogical what rational they are applying. 

But until someone has a brain spark and then decides to allow some safe travel, it is what it is.

But the medical evidence is not supporting the continued closure. 

Perhaps a political flexing of muscles?

 

What they have to remember is that people will go elsewhere, if they wait too long. 

(The ones with partner's and family members too).

[kingstonkid]

33 minutes ago, steven100 said:

OP ;  as with THAI airways, there is also a cash flow problem being played out here. They don't have any cash to run daily operations domestically, let alone internationally. 

They are currently in the hands of receivership or voluntary administration.

 

I seriously doubt they will be even operating in August.  Why do you think they keep pushing the date back ?

 

" In any case, the rehabilitation plan must be approved by creditors before it can be carried out. If the plan is not approved, the court will issue an order canceling the rehabilitation process, and the automatic stay will lose its validity. "

"It is therefore unclear how Thai Airways will emerge from this process," 

Steven I think you hit the nailon the head.

 

While there is an issue with people going to countries due to the virus this is more about the fact that THAI 

a. has no money

b. has no credit

 

Therefore has no way to pay bills at other countries airports.

 

No one is going to give Thai any credit service until they go through receivership.

 

To put it in ways people will understand.  

 

If you were at a bar with a guy and he said I will buy the next round if you buy this round but he is completely skint and has no money the atm machines laugh at him when he tries to get money.

 

Would you believe him? 

 

[LukKrueng]

14 hours ago, dallen52 said:

Was just saying to the wife that until the government opens up the borders its all hypothetical. 

(Her government)

She is in Thailand and I'm stuck here in Australia. 

Call it over cautious or similar...

But i personally don't think the numbers warrant the borders staying in lockdown. 

(60 deaths a day every day, but you don't see the government putting an embargo on riding bikes)

70 odd deaths from covid19 or similar cases and the whole country is shut down for 3 month and 26 million people out of work, plus no tourist possibilities. 

 

1 hour ago, dallen52 said:

I'm optimistic. 

Basically because i didn't want to be stranded here.

I had done the requirements. 

Then Thai Airways pulled the pin March 25th. 

I was on the 27th flight.

Its still totally illogical what rational they are applying. 

But until someone has a brain spark and then decides to allow some safe travel, it is what it is.

But the medical evidence is not supporting the continued closure. 

Perhaps a political flexing of muscles?

 

What they have to remember is that people will go elsewhere, if they wait too long. 

(The ones with partner's and family members too).

You make it sounds as if Thailand is the only country in the world under lock down and closed borders. This is not the case. Australia is under lock down as well. AFAIK Australian citizens must get a government approval if they want to travel OUT of OZ.

 

And where will people go instead of coming to Thailand? Who will go ANYWHERE at all when there is a need for quarantine of 2 weed at each end of the travel?

 

If there is any political game here, it is playing the safety first card. Thailand will not be the first 1 to open up, so when it eventually opens up people (and foreign government) will view Thailand as a safe place and not a reckless place - or at least that's what the government is hoping for, and that in turn will help restore tourism faster.

[Mises]

"Thai Air will not be flying to Europe before October 1st." A friend working at Thai Air tells me.  I suspect they have been tipped off that there will be no tourist entry for Europeans before then.

 

This is bad news for me and so many others. Sorry.

[madmen]

3 hours ago, dallen52 said:

I'm optimistic. 

Basically because i didn't want to be stranded here.

I had done the requirements. 

Then Thai Airways pulled the pin March 25th. 

I was on the 27th flight.

Its still totally illogical what rational they are applying. 

But until someone has a brain spark and then decides to allow some safe travel, it is what it is.

But the medical evidence is not supporting the continued closure. 

Perhaps a political flexing of muscles?

 

What they have to remember is that people will go elsewhere, if they wait too long. 

(The ones with partner's and family members too).

Thai will be flying long before oz Opens its borders

[umlungu2012]

15 hours ago, dallen52 said:

Was just saying to the wife that until the government opens up the borders its all hypothetical. 

(Her government)

She is in Thailand and I'm stuck here in Australia. 

Call it over cautious or similar...

But i personally don't think the numbers warrant the borders staying in lockdown. 

(60 deaths a day every day, but you don't see the government putting an embargo on riding bikes)

70 odd deaths from covid19 or similar cases and the whole country is shut down for 3 month and 26 million people out of work, plus no tourist possibilities. 

The road death comparison is nonsense. Please don't dish it up for the umpteenth time. Road deaths are not contagious.

 

Your own country is in total lockdown, even the states themselves. And we're talking an entire continent with 25 million people. So don't complain about 70 million in a vastly smaller area and denser living conditions.

 

It's good policy to keep the borders shut for as long as possible. 

[umlungu2012]

3 hours ago, dallen52 said:

What they have to remember is that people will go elsewhere, if they wait too long. 

(The ones with partner's and family members too).

And where will you go, then? An Aussie and a Thai. Nothing personal, but with international migration being what it is, my guess would be that you could possibly go to NZ. But please share your options.

 

As you might be aware, current policies in Thailand are somewhat indicative of the sad fact that "they" have no inclination whatsoever to "remember" (or even contemplate) that you "will go elsewhere." Simply not interested.

[Straight8]

Op, you're dreaming if you think you will be flying international anywhere by 31st July.

[StevieAus]

Obviously Thai Airways hasn’t  been following or listening to what the government in Australia have been saying about International travel.

Unless it has changed in the last few days Scott Morrison the Prime  

Minister has stated on a couple of occasions words to the effect of “not in the foreseeable future” “ not on our radar” and there is nothing in the stage three recovery plan.

Even the issue of domestic travel and the so called bubble between Australia and New Zealand hasn’t been resolved.
 

[Max69xl]

21 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

In June you can already be prepared to an announcement that

flights from Australia to thailand will not commence untill August 31

and so on....

Of course they are still honouring the tickets and booking

the only question is ''when?''

Thai Airways went bankrupt and are under reconstruction. International flights are grounded.Refunds have to wait maybe 6 months according to an article in The Nation. Imo,the question is not when you get a refund, it's if you get one. 

[kiwikeith]

19 hours ago, steven100 said:

OP ;  as with THAI airways, there is also a cash flow problem being played out here. They don't have any cash to run daily operations domestically, let alone internationally. 

They are currently in the hands of receivership or voluntary administration.

 

I seriously doubt they will be even operating in August.  Why do you think they keep pushing the date back ?

 

" In any case, the rehabilitation plan must be approved by creditors before it can be carried out. If the plan is not approved, the court will issue an order canceling the rehabilitation process, and the automatic stay will lose its validity. "

"It is therefore unclear how Thai Airways will emerge from this process," 

I am currently stuck in NZ we have 2 thai students with us. They’re flying back to Thailand on Thai airways on 17th June to reunite with their parents . Cost 3600$ nz each,so thaiair are still flying plane Limited to120 passengers 

[steven100]

4 hours ago, kiwikeith said:

I am currently stuck in NZ we have 2 thai students with us. They’re flying back to Thailand on Thai airways on 17th June to reunite with their parents . Cost 3600$ nz each,so thaiair are still flying plane Limited to120 passengers 

It's not 17th June yet. But good luck.

[steven100]

4 hours ago, kiwikeith said:

I am currently stuck in NZ we have 2 thai students with us. They’re flying back to Thailand on Thai airways on 17th June to reunite with their parents . Cost 3600$ nz each,so thaiair are still flying plane Limited to120 passengers 

That is extremely expensive .... $6,723 A$   They are really gouging customers if that's the price.

[Don Mega]

6 minutes ago, steven100 said:

That is extremely expensive .... $6,723 A$   They are really gouging customers if that's the price.

Sounds like a repatriation flight as Thai airways has suspended commercial services until June 30th, Flights in July from NZ to BKK are $1400 NZD

[steven100]

6 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Sounds like a repatriation flight as Thai airways has suspended commercial services until June 30th, Flights in July from NZ to BKK are $1400 NZD

yes .. agree, probably a special repat' flight that has been arranged. As I mentioned previously, i seriously doubt TG will be flying from August as they have no cash. But of coarse they won't let on, they'll take money for tickets. It's a very brave person who buys a forward ticket from TG from here on. imo

[sitti]

Just for clarification, many people seem to misunderstand about THAI bankruptcy. It is not that they went bankrupt because they just completely ran out of cash. They had to take the bankruptcy because they are no longer able to pay the debt payments. There were going to be totally out of cash in a few months if they had to pay the debts. Now that THAI have filed bankruptcy, they now don't have to pay the debts at least for quite a while, which frees up their cash-flow. They still do have adequate cash for normal operations. When borders are opened, they will continue to fly as normal.

[dallen52]

22 hours ago, Max69xl said:

Thai Airways went bankrupt and are under reconstruction. International flights are grounded.Refunds have to wait maybe 6 months according to an article in The Nation. Imo,the question is not when you get a refund, it's if you get one. 

So far its just a lot of hype and behind the scenes restructuring. 

Supposed to be August before they get serious. 

Maybe thats what they are stalling for?

Anyway, at this time i have a one way credit. 

If it goes belly up we start again..

[dallen52]

On 6/6/2020 at 2:45 PM, umlungu2012 said:

The road death comparison is nonsense. Please don't dish it up for the umpteenth time. Road deaths are not contagious.

 

Your own country is in total lockdown, even the states themselves. And we're talking an entire continent with 25 million people. So don't complain about 70 million in a vastly smaller area and denser living conditions.

 

It's good policy to keep the borders shut for as long as possible. 

Your a sad man..

[dallen52]

11 hours ago, kiwikeith said:

I am currently stuck in NZ we have 2 thai students with us. They’re flying back to Thailand on Thai airways on 17th June to reunite with their parents . Cost 3600$ nz each,so thaiair are still flying plane Limited to120 passengers 

Repatriation flights will still continue until the demands are too low.

Lets hold on the the hope that repatriation of thai and farang partners may happen sometime soon too.

Otherwise we will all be as bitter and twisted as a few posters on here are.

I haven't given up...