waiting list for flights from Europe to BKK?

[maqui]

What´s your experience with available flights from continental Europe to BKK, specifically from Zurich or Frankfurt?

Last week, the Thai embassy informally told my Thai wife that we should not rely on any flight offers shown online for the next few months, even those on official airline websites, because they were "fake". These online bookings may be invalidated when the flight date approaches because the embassies decide on which passengers will be prioritized for a seat. Though the embassy did not tell us how long the waiting lists are for getting an approved seat on a flight in September, October, etc.

Is each and every flight from Europe still a repatriation flight for which the embassies assign passenger names to seats?

I´d calculate: 3 Swiss Air flights per week = 450 - 600 passengers per week from Zurich alone. If we knew whether 2,000 or 20,000 people still are on those embassy waiting lists, we could estimate in which month we´d have a chance to reserve a normal commercial flight rather than sitting on our luggage for the next 2 - 3 months while waiting for an embassy approval: "You may take a flight next Thursday - take it or leave it." This kind of last-minute flight approval would not work for us as we would have to dissolve our household in Europe first.

 

[2 is 1]

I don't know way to coming here! Call custom service in airlane company and ask reculations! Many fligh here anyway!

Airlane company should not let you in flight if you not fill reculation about get in coundry! Yeah only should not! Even before covid Finnair and Gatar have watch my visa and coming back flight before departure! When i was whit only tourist visa.

[alyx]

I am waiting for some updates but from what I understand one does not have to be on the waiting lists for the flights.

One of my friends left Thailand last month and sent a request for return a few days ago with the Swiss Air return flight included which is planned next week.

Waiting for the final authorisation from the Thai Embassy in France which didn't address this issue (let's keep fingers crossed)

I will keep you posted as soon as I am told.

[maqui]

2 is 1, my question was not about the visa, Covid test certificate, etc. My question was about waiting times for getting on a flight after meeting all the requirements.

Edited August 10, 2020 by maqui

[alyx]

10 minutes ago, maqui said:

2 is 1, my question was not about the visa, Covid test certificate, etc. My question was about waiting times for getting on a flight after meeting all the requirements.

Normally you give your intended date of departure and you are confirmed 72 hours prior to the flight but, as mentioned above, I am not sure that one has to board a specific repatriation flight. 

[Nigel Garvie]

21 minutes ago, maqui said:

2 is 1, my question was not about the visa, Covid test certificate, etc. My question was about waiting times for getting on a flight after meeting all the requirements.

Apologies for posting this on two threads, but this one I discovered was more relevant.

 

"My Thai partner and I have been back in Scotland for 6 weeks, but she has to return to CM for work etc soon. Her KLM return flight was cancelled, and we are also told the only option is a repatriation flight. Endless attempts to contact the Thai embassy in London have failed. The phone menu options just lead you in circles, clearly like so many of them in business this was written by a sadist.

 

If anyone can offer any help or advice about how we should tackle this (Whilst we still retain some sanity!) I/we would be very grateful."

[moe666]

13 minutes ago, alyx said:

Normally you give your intended date of departure and you are confirmed 72 hours prior to the flight but, as mentioned above, I am not sure that one has to board a specific repatriation flight. 

How ar these flights landing in BKK as the airport is still lock down only to transports and approved embassy flights

[maqui]

Last week, my wife heard stories about Thai friends of friends who had cancelled their appartment rental contracts weeks ago and are hanging out on the couches of friends while they are still waiting for an embassy-approved seat on a flight. Granted, facebook stories. But this, in combination with the advice by the embassy employee to not make an online booking, made us wonder how cumbersome it might be to get on a flight.

[alyx]

1 minute ago, moe666 said:

How ar these flights landing in BKK as the airport is still lock down only to transports and approved embassy flights

As I wrote....wait

Now, you are aware that Swiss air is flying out (Qatar too maybe) meaning that they are landing and I am pretty convinced that they do not fly empty.

As soon as I can confirm/invalidate ....

[Swiss1960]

OP @maqui

You are wrong in many statements:

1 Swiss airlines is not allowed to take passengers to Thailand. The only flights are repatriation flights organized through the various Thai Embassies in Europe

2 the THAI government has set a limit to the number of foreigners allowed into the country on a daily basis, I think currently this is 200-300 peopl, who all have to go to pre-defined and pre-paid quarantine hotels 

3 the Swiss Embassy in Thailand announced that waiting times for repatriation flights are up to 2-3 months. This is btw the reason why Thai nationals don't get any Schengen short time Visas. 

4 from your post, it seems that you are a first time mover to Thailand and you currently live abroad with your (Thai) wife. Therefore, you are not even in the list of eligible people who could get a CEO (certificate of entry) into Thailand 

 

Sorry for the bad news, I also had to cancel all my trips to Switzerland,  because I would not be able to come back for months 

 

[maqui]

6 minutes ago, moe666 said:

only to transports and approved embassy flights

Right, that´s the point. The airline booking websites offer plenty of flights in September. But will the embassies decide for every seat on every flight, just a few days before departure, whether a reservation might be reassigned to a passenger with a higher priority? The embassy employee indicated that we should not rely on flight bookings we make on our own.  Rather, the embassy, after checking our documents, would provide us with a "secret" link to the airline websites where we could book the flight. That´s the process for the repatriation flights. But is every flight to Bangkok such an embassy-controlled repatriation flight, for an unknown number of future months?

[alyx]

3 minutes ago, Swiss1960 said:

OP @maqui

You are wrong in many statements:

1 Swiss airlines is not allowed to take passengers to Thailand. The only flights are repatriation flights organized through the various Thai Embassies in Europe

2 the THAI government has set a limit to the number of foreigners allowed into the country on a daily basis, I think currently this is 200-300 peopl, who all have to go to pre-defined and pre-paid quarantine hotels 

3 the Swiss Embassy in Thailand announced that waiting times for repatriation flights are up to 2-3 months. This is btw the reason why Thai nationals don't get any Schengen short time Visas. 

4 from your post, it seems that you are a first time mover to Thailand and you currently live abroad with your (Thai) wife. Therefore, you are not even in the list of eligible people who could get a CEO (certificate of entry) into Thailand 

 

Sorry for the bad news, I also had to cancel all my trips to Switzerland,  because I would not be able to come back for months 

 

Thanks for the update: I am sure that you are correct and will confirm all this once my friend's situation is in the clear.

On the other hand, I would disagree with you regarding your third assertion: my partner has applied and just obtained a short stay visa for a trip planned in November....

[howerde]

3 hours ago, Nigel Garvie said:

Apologies for posting this on two threads, but this one I discovered was more relevant.

 

"My Thai partner and I have been back in Scotland for 6 weeks, but she has to return to CM for work etc soon. Her KLM return flight was cancelled, and we are also told the only option is a repatriation flight. Endless attempts to contact the Thai embassy in London have failed. The phone menu options just lead you in circles, clearly like so many of them in business this was written by a sadist.

 

If anyone can offer any help or advice about how we should tackle this (Whilst we still retain some sanity!) I/we would be very grateful."

Currently, this is the only way out of UK to Thailand,  there were onlt 2 flights in Jul and 3 in Aug sept is not known yet, dont bother phoning, you need to email them with the documents they want and then wait, the did have a list where you could register for a flight, good luck

http://www.thaiembassy.org/london/en/services/7742/119247-Requirements-for-Certificate-of-Entry-during-trave.html

[unheard]

3 hours ago, maqui said:

Right, that´s the point. The airline booking websites offer plenty of flights in September. But will the embassies decide for every seat on every flight, just a few days before departure, whether a reservation might be reassigned to a passenger with a higher priority? The embassy employee indicated that we should not rely on flight bookings we make on our own.  Rather, the embassy, after checking our documents, would provide us with a "secret" link to the airline websites where we could book the flight. That´s the process for the repatriation flights. But is every flight to Bangkok such an embassy-controlled repatriation flight, for an unknown number of future months?

The embassies and airlines decide in advance which flights they will assign a status of the repatriation flight.

Don't even look at any airline booking websites (the available flights are all bogus and will be cancelled) unless directed to do so by the embassy that will tell you which specific flight has been assigned to carry passengers into Thailand.

The multiple flights you currently see landing in Bangkok do not carry passengers, just cargo.

Airlines would be happy to sell you tickets on any flight that appears on their schedule but they will not carry passengers on those flights, those flights will be cancelled and you get stuck with the airline's credit or often a lengthy refund process.

[Nigel Garvie]

23 minutes ago, howerde said:

Currently, this is the only way out of UK to Thailand,  there were onlt 2 flights in Jul and 3 in Aug sept is not known yet, dont bother phoning, you need to email them with the documents they want and then wait, the did have a list where you could register for a flight, good luck

http://www.thaiembassy.org/london/en/services/7742/119247-Requirements-for-Certificate-of-Entry-during-trave.html

Thanks for the help. As usual it is a bit of a mess. One of the documents is "Fit to fly". Seems like not much point in paying for one now, and having to get another a few days before you depart! Fortunately it is more easy for her I guess, as I can't travel till later in the year. 

[dougiemac52]

15 hours ago, Nigel Garvie said:

Apologies for posting this on two threads, but this one I discovered was more relevant.

 

"My Thai partner and I have been back in Scotland for 6 weeks, but she has to return to CM for work etc soon. Her KLM return flight was cancelled, and we are also told the only option is a repatriation flight. Endless attempts to contact the Thai embassy in London have failed. The phone menu options just lead you in circles, clearly like so many of them in business this was written by a sadist.

 

If anyone can offer any help or advice about how we should tackle this (Whilst we still retain some sanity!) I/we would be very grateful."

You do it online, that's the only way

[Max69xl]

18 hours ago, 2 is 1 said:

I don't know way to coming here! Call custom service in airlane company and ask reculations! Many fligh here anyway!

Airlane company should not let you in flight if you not fill reculation about get in coundry! Yeah only should not! Even before covid Finnair and Gatar have watch my visa and coming back flight before departure! When i was whit only tourist visa.

This is about repatriation flights, not commercial. 

[bill014]

19 hours ago, Nigel Garvie said:

Apologies for posting this on two threads, but this one I discovered was more relevant.

 

"My Thai partner and I have been back in Scotland for 6 weeks, but she has to return to CM for work etc soon. Her KLM return flight was cancelled, and we are also told the only option is a repatriation flight. Endless attempts to contact the Thai embassy in London have failed. The phone menu options just lead you in circles, clearly like so many of them in business this was written by a sadist.

 

If anyone can offer any help or advice about how we should tackle this (Whilst we still retain some sanity!) I/we would be very grateful."

 

[bill014]

I'm afraid the Thai Embassy in London staff are as ignorant and unhelpful as the Brit Embassy staff in Bangkok. Never get an answer on the phone, emails are a generic load of <deleted> that do not address my questions. I am still waiting to see my wife and son since March, when my original flights were cancelled, and am no further forward in resolving this.

[treetops]

The airlines are selling flights to Thailand in anticipation of regular incoming passenger flights resuming so that they'll have passengers when they start up and to get some cash in to repay those already cancelled.  At the start of August when flights were cancelled late July as the airlines realised they wouldn't be allowed to fly, so it'll happen again towards the end of this month, unless the government changes its tack.

 

The airlines are gaambling and so are the passengers that buy them.  I hope it comes off as it means travel will getting easier.

[NanLaew]

26 minutes ago, bill014 said:

I'm afraid the Thai Embassy in London staff are as ignorant and unhelpful as the Brit Embassy staff in Bangkok. Never get an answer on the phone, emails are a generic load of <deleted> that do not address my questions. I am still waiting to see my wife and son since March, when my original flights were cancelled, and am no further forward in resolving this.

Meanwhile at least one TV member has managed to negotiate the slightly tortuous way back into Thailand via the RTE in London. Why do you need to talk with anyone when their posted instructions are clear.

 

1. Your passport copy and your spouse's or child’s or your parent's passport copy

2. A copy of your Thai visa (if already expired, you have to apply for a new one)

3. Copy of marriage certificate or birth certificate

4. Copy of health insurance policy which covers COVID related medical treatment and coverage of no less than 100,000 USD

5. A copy of a hotel booking for Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) at one of the hotels approved by the Thai authorities 

6. Other supporting documents (if any), such as if you own a property in Thailand

7. Declaration form, duly completed and signed

 

Forget about any and all pre-existing flights, canceled or otherwise. They are irrelevant at this juncture. The RTE assigns you a seat on a flight after your petition to re-enter (by email) has been approved (by email) and the priority Thai repatriation quota has availability.

 

3 out of 10

Must try harder (and stop wasting time trying to call)

 

PS: The Brit Embassy in Bangkok can't help you either so why even mention them?

Edited August 11, 2020 by NanLaew

[Letseng]

22 hours ago, alyx said:

As I wrote....wait

Now, you are aware that Swiss air is flying out (Qatar too maybe) meaning that they are landing and I am pretty convinced that they do not fly empty.

As soon as I can confirm/invalidate ....

Richard Barrow mentioned ppl coming back on flights which had a stopover in Bkk. 

[pazienza]

3 hours ago, bill014 said:

I'm afraid the Thai Embassy in London staff are as ignorant and unhelpful as the Brit Embassy staff in Bangkok. Never get an answer on the phone, emails are a generic load of <deleted> that do not address my questions. I am still waiting to see my wife and son since March, when my original flights were cancelled, and am no further forward in resolving this.

I was given an alternative number to the Thai embassy in London as nobody was picking up on their main (advertised) number and the email inbox was full so mail wasn't getting through. Called them yesterday afternoon and someone picked up straight away.

 

PM me if you'd like it.

[Jumbo1968]

On 8/10/2020 at 10:19 AM, Nigel Garvie said:

Apologies for posting this on two threads, but this one I discovered was more relevant.

 

"My Thai partner and I have been back in Scotland for 6 weeks, but she has to return to CM for work etc soon. Her KLM return flight was cancelled, and we are also told the only option is a repatriation flight. Endless attempts to contact the Thai embassy in London have failed. The phone menu options just lead you in circles, clearly like so many of them in business this was written by a sadist.

 

If anyone can offer any help or advice about how we should tackle this (Whilst we still retain some sanity!) I/we would be very grateful."

 

On 8/10/2020 at 10:19 AM, Nigel Garvie said:

Apologies for posting this on two threads, but this one I discovered was more relevant.

 

"My Thai partner and I have been back in Scotland for 6 weeks, but she has to return to CM for work etc soon. Her KLM return flight was cancelled, and we are also told the only option is a repatriation flight. Endless attempts to contact the Thai embassy in London have failed. The phone menu options just lead you in circles, clearly like so many of them in business this was written by a sadist.

 

If anyone can offer any help or advice about how we should tackle this (Whilst we still retain some sanity!) I/we would be very grateful."

In a similar position but closer to London but still 250 miles away, from what I know you are informed 72 hours when you have a seat. We would have to travel to London on public transport arrange all the tests prior to the flight. Do the Embassy not realise not everyone lives in London, I have sent several enquiries via email about this but all they do is send a form to apply for a seat.

 

My other option is for my partner to overstay her visa, are Passports checked and stamped when departing Heathrow?

Edited August 11, 2020 by Jumbo1968
Addition

[86Tiger]

On 8/10/2020 at 12:26 PM, maqui said:

Last week, my wife heard stories about Thai friends of friends who had cancelled their appartment rental contracts weeks ago and are hanging out on the couches of friends while they are still waiting for an embassy-approved seat on a flight. Granted, facebook stories. But this, in combination with the advice by the embassy employee to not make an online booking, made us wonder how cumbersome it might be to get on a flight.

My bride insists she we can return any time she likes because her sister said.  In fact she will get absolutely angry if I talk of the actual process and just say "you not Thai person you not understand Thai person can do."

 

But she will not contact the embassy to ask either.  Because she know......

 

 

8 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

 

In a similar position but closer to London but still 250 miles away, from what I know you are informed 72 hours when you have a seat. We would have to travel to London on public transport arrange all the tests prior to the flight. Do the Embassy not realise not everyone lives in London, I have sent several enquiries via email about this but all they do is send a form to apply for a seat.

 

We have to all understand, they do not care the difficulties in meeting the requirements.  Actually, they do not care if we ever go to Thailand.  They have a policy, up to you to check all the boxes.  Can't?  No care, up to you.

[Jumbo1968]

8 minutes ago, 86Tiger said:

My bride insists she we can return any time she likes because her sister said.  In fact she will get absolutely angry if I talk of the actual process and just say "you not Thai person you not understand Thai person can do."

 

But she will not contact the embassy to ask either.  Because she know......

 

 

 

We have to all understand, they do not care the difficulties in meeting the requirements.  Actually, they do not care if we ever go to Thailand.  They have a policy, up to you to check all the boxes.  Can't?  No care, up to you.

I would imagine the Embassy will be inundated with requests for the Repatriation Flights, I have sent countless emails with various enquiries but all they do is send a form in Thai to register for a flight. I would like some answers to my queries before registering 

[Mavideol]

On 8/10/2020 at 4:26 PM, maqui said:

Last week, my wife heard stories about Thai friends of friends who had cancelled their appartment rental contracts weeks ago and are hanging out on the couches of friends while they are still waiting for an embassy-approved seat on a flight. Granted, facebook stories. But this, in combination with the advice by the embassy employee to not make an online booking, made us wonder how cumbersome it might be to get on a flight.

very, extremely very cumbersome as no international  flights are allowed to land..... this was repeated over and over

[Chongalulu]

4 hours ago, treetops said:

The airlines are selling flights to Thailand in anticipation of regular incoming passenger flights resuming so that they'll have passengers when they start up and to get some cash in to repay those already cancelled.  At the start of August when flights were cancelled late July as the airlines realised they wouldn't be allowed to fly, so it'll happen again towards the end of this month, unless the government changes its tack.

 

The airlines are gaambling and so are the passengers that buy them.  I hope it comes off as it means travel will getting easier.

Indeed, my return flight with BA scheduled September has just been cancelled and they offered rebooking option despite no indication of when flights will resume 

[BritTim]

On 8/10/2020 at 4:55 PM, maqui said:

But is every flight to Bangkok such an embassy-controlled repatriation flight, for an unknown number of future months?

You can only catch a flight to Thailand with a COE (certificate of entry) from the embassy. This is likely to remain true for many months yet. Some flights operate into Bangkok carrying only cargo. Some are carrying passengers, but only when the flight has been designated a repatriation flight, and seats assigned by the embassy.

[alyx]

On 8/10/2020 at 4:53 PM, Swiss1960 said:

OP @maqui

You are wrong in many statements:

1 Swiss airlines is not allowed to take passengers to Thailand. The only flights are repatriation flights organized through the various Thai Embassies in Europe

2 the THAI government has set a limit to the number of foreigners allowed into the country on a daily basis, I think currently this is 200-300 peopl, who all have to go to pre-defined and pre-paid quarantine hotels 

3 the Swiss Embassy in Thailand announced that waiting times for repatriation flights are up to 2-3 months. This is btw the reason why Thai nationals don't get any Schengen short time Visas. 

4 from your post, it seems that you are a first time mover to Thailand and you currently live abroad with your (Thai) wife. Therefore, you are not even in the list of eligible people who could get a CEO (certificate of entry) into Thailand 

 

Sorry for the bad news, I also had to cancel all my trips to Switzerland,  because I would not be able to come back for months 

 

As I have stated you are mistaken regarding the part 3 of your statement.

 

And now you are wrong regarding part 1.

 

The Thai embassy has asked my friend to confirm the booking with the airline for which the return has already been bought. The authorisation by the Thai Embassy will reach the applicant 4 days prior to their flights.

 

Unless I have gotten something lost in translation I will inform you but I would hate to be wrong.

Let's wait a bit more before rejoicing as I am waiting for the written account of this assertion.