UK repatriation flights gone in 4 minutes?

[banglay]

I have just checked Skyscanner.net ..... lots of daily flights to London  available .. just book direct via the internet problem solved .

I even did a dry run right to the pay and confirmation  page  to see if one  was available  and yes it was  

[AndrewMciver]

9 minutes ago, banglay said:

I have just checked Skyscanner.net ..... lots of daily flights to London  available .. just book direct via the internet problem solved .

I even did a dry run right to the pay and confirmation  page  to see if one  was available  and yes it was  

 

From London to Bangkok. 

[AndrewMciver]

35 minutes ago, tso310 said:

As I said on the first page "The talk in the UK community was that 3000 had registered for the July flights. There have been attempts to get more flights arranged but to no avail." 

I think it was also interesting that the main International schools organised an EVA flight to return to Taiwan via Bangkok a couple of weeks ago. Obviously not much faith in the Thai gov to organise something for the teachers waiting to return, which they now have done. Currently on its way to London.

 I heard about this education flight. What's even more galling is Thai embassy in London weren't really telling people about it - despite knowing some could get on it. 

 

What type of incoherant nonsense is that?

[banglay]

15 minutes ago, AndrewMciver said:

 

From London to Bangkok. 

plenty of flights in both direction ...   London > BKK    &  BKK >London 

[AndrewMciver]

Just now, banglay said:

plenty of flights in both direction ...   London > BKK    &  BKK >London 

 

 

Oh man ... give me strength. 

Edited August 31, 2020 by AndrewMciver

[CorpusChristie]

31 minutes ago, banglay said:

I have just checked Skyscanner.net ..... lots of daily flights to London  available .. just book direct via the internet problem solved .

I even did a dry run right to the pay and confirmation  page  to see if one  was available  and yes it was  

He is in London at the moment 

[tso310]

11 minutes ago, AndrewMciver said:

 I heard about this education flight. What's even more galling is Thai embassy in London weren't really telling people about it - despite knowing some could get on it. 

 

What type of incoherant nonsense is that?

I believe this flight is restricted to teachers only. There is a thread about it somewhere, in Thai News I think. Something about many English language teachers needing to get to Thailand. I suspect contact was done for those guys that had the appropriate visa.

Edited August 31, 2020 by tso310
more info

[AndrewMciver]

8 minutes ago, tso310 said:

I believe this flight is restricted to teachers only. There is a thread about it somewhere, in Thai News I think. Something about many English language teachers needing to get to Thailand. I suspect contact was done for those guys that had the appropriate visa.

 

Yes a few friends were eligible for this flight. But Thai Embassy in London were still towing the line that flights were closed, and to wait till September. 

 

I know i am emotional here, but the Thai Embassy in London is is just horrendous beyond belief. 

[PeterRoy]

I feel for you Andrew, that was a shambles.

 

Last month I missed out on a flight but using the same registration today I was able to grab a single seat.

 

Four separate accounts with four tabs open may be your best bet for for next time given the previous error. With that said, I hope you can get some kind of clarity from the embassy.

 

The demand for flights is enormous and there will be hundreds of disappointed farang out there. I'm yet to see my son, he'll be 4 months old when we meet. It's heartbreaking to think others are facing a similar situation with an indefinite wait. 

 

 

[tso310]

1 hour ago, AndrewMciver said:

 

I know i am emotional here, but the Thai Embassy in London is is just horrendous beyond belief. 

Their Facebook page is busy again this morning. Over 400 posts in the 2 announcements yesterday by the embassy for Sept flights.

[Ticu]

I had registered in August and lost my password which didn’t help things this morning.

when i managed to get in, the site was declaring many seats available but although i could click the date i wanted, i couldn’t click either business or economy.  I guess i was too late or the site was buckling under the volume of others trying to book.

so I’ve missed the boat this month.  Don’t really understand the logic since I’ve reserved and paid for ASQ this month in Bangkok - you would have thought the number of rooms is the limiting factor not the flights.

if emirates really are flying to BKK and i have all the paperwork and ASQ, then surely!

[leicesterguyuk]

3 hours ago, banglay said:

I have just checked Skyscanner.net ..... lots of daily flights to London  available .. just book direct via the internet problem solved .

I even did a dry run right to the pay and confirmation  page  to see if one  was available  and yes it was  

There may be lots of flights from London to Bangkok, but they won't be flying. No commercial flights are allowed to enter Thailand until October 1st at the earliest. 

 

And all flights need a certificate of entry from your embassy. It seems that these are only being issued for passengers on the very limited Thai Airways flights. But with the news of daily Emirates flights, maybe CoE's will be issued for these flights too, who knows. 

 

Dare I say it, it might be worth trying to ask the embassy for clarity around this. 

[SVC Porter]

I've completely given up.  How folks are managing to find the money for these extortionate flights and then ASQ is beyond me.

 

I'm also fuming about the Teacher flights as I probably should have been on one.....How the hell are you supposed to find out about them?

 

Anyone else not able to even access the London Embassy site?

Edited August 31, 2020 by SVC Porter

[howerde]

Looks like they have just revamped the website

[SVC Porter]

1 minute ago, howerde said:

Looks like they have just revamped the website

Do they have a new web address as I am just getting this!

[leicesterguyuk]

2 minutes ago, howerde said:

Looks like they have just revamped the website

It looks like a downgrade to me. 

 

 

[howerde]

Using Google chrome   https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/index  works for me

 

 

[howerde]

The previous photo on the homepage, has been changed

[richard_smith237]

6 hours ago, banglay said:

6 hours ago, AndrewMciver said:

 

From London to Bangkok. 

plenty of flights in both direction ...   London > BKK    &  BKK >London 

 

banglay - don’t muddy the waters with ignorance and stupidity....   you’re late to the party and clearly have no idea what you are discussing. 

 

 

The only flights carrying passengers from UK to Bangkok are MFA / Embassy authorised repatriation flights.

 

Thailand is under Emergency Decree, no commercial passenger flights permitted to carry passengers into Thailand. 

 

What you are seeing on the Airline Websites and Sky Skanner are airline which will sell a flight you can’t travel on, the flight will be cancelled 2-3 days before travel, it will take months to get a refund. 

 

FlightRadar and the Suvarnabumi airport page also shows ‘other flights’ landing - these are flights landing in Bangkok as Cargo and returning with cargo and passengers (out of Bangkok). 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

6 hours ago, AndrewMciver said:

I know i am emotional here, but the Thai Embassy in London is is just horrendous beyond belief. 

 

Thats outrageous...  you’ve been trying to get back for a while now. Just awful. 

 

The only thing I can recommend is to e-mail directly again and explain your situation.

 

 

Another alternative option may be to e-mail the Thai Consulate in Frankfurt. 

Albeit over a month ago, however, I did hear that repatriation flights from Frankfurt to Thailand were quieter, i.e. there is less demand. 

 

I’m not sure if that is a viable option or if they will entertain the CoE application from someone in the UK - worth a try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SteveK]

Sounds like booking Glastonbury tickets. If you want to log in quickly, put one person's details in and pay, you might get lucky. But by the time you've entered 3 peoples' details you've got no chance because the site is so slow and there's so much demand.

 

Listen to Richard Smith; there appears to be loads of flights into Suvarnabhumi, but as a passenger your chance of getting on one is somewhere between Bob Hope and Pee-Wee Herman. I hear there are still boats you can get on.

Edited August 31, 2020 by SteveK

[pazienza]

Has anyone heard of the "secret" TG917 flight out on 31st August from London? It was apparently a farang only flight - I have a screenshot with details but as it contains sensitive name information I'd rather not post it, but it confirms the flight name/date and some of the passenger list - all very western names. Anyone can PM if they want to see. I cannot verify if the flight actually departed, but I heard about it from Thai-written Facebook circles

 

What I'm trying to say is, it may well be worth trying to contact the London embassy and seeing what can be done. 

[SteveK]

6 minutes ago, pazienza said:

What I'm trying to say is, it may well be worth trying to contact the London embassy and seeing what can be done. 

Terrible advice. They don't answer their phones and ignore emails. I've never had a response to an email that I've sent them. 

Edited August 31, 2020 by SteveK

[howerde]

6 minutes ago, pazienza said:

Has anyone heard of the "secret" TG917 flight out on 31st August from London? It was apparently a farang only flight - I have a screenshot with details but as it contains sensitive name information I'd rather not post it, but it confirms the flight name/date and some of the passenger list - all very western names. Anyone can PM if they want to see. I cannot verify if the flight actually departed, but I heard about it from Thai-written Facebook circles

 

What I'm trying to say is, it may well be worth trying to contact the London embassy and seeing what can be done. 

I believe this was arranged by the schools in Thailand, and is not a repatriation flight as such, but a charter flight for teachers it was departing today 

[pazienza]

Hardly terrible - I've visited the embassy for the last 3 Fridays in a row, all with pre confirmed appointments I made on the phone and email. 

 

If you're that desperate to fly then maybe take a trip down there, you can pick up a queue number and wait. 

[SteveK]

13 minutes ago, pazienza said:

Hardly terrible - I've visited the embassy for the last 3 Fridays in a row, all with pre confirmed appointments I made on the phone and email. 

 

If you're that desperate to fly then maybe take a trip down there, you can pick up a queue number and wait. 

So you've traveled there every Friday for the last three weeks, and you're singing their praises? From my home in the UK, it's a 4 hour round trip at least.

 

It's a bit like saying you've been to your local Domino's pizza for the last three Fridays in a row, and you're still expecting your pizza at some point in the future, but you still don't know. It's a shambles. 

Edited August 31, 2020 by SteveK

[leicesterguyuk]

15 minutes ago, pazienza said:

Hardly terrible - I've visited the embassy for the last 3 Fridays in a row, all with pre confirmed appointments I made on the phone and email. 

 

If you're that desperate to fly then maybe take a trip down there, you can pick up a queue number and wait. 

Needing to go there 3 weeks in a row is terrible in itself. What could you possibly need 3 trips for? 

[torturedsole]

4 minutes ago, leicesterguyuk said:

Needing to go there 3 weeks in a row is terrible in itself. What could you possibly need 3 trips for? 

Maybe the Embassy staff need to break the query down into bite-sized chunks to fully understand the situation.  

[richard_smith237]

14 minutes ago, SteveK said:

18 minutes ago, pazienza said:

What I'm trying to say is, it may well be worth trying to contact the London embassy and seeing what can be done. 

Terrible advice. They don't answer their phones and ignore emails. I've never had a response to an email that I've sent them. 

 

It definitely seems very hit and miss. 

 

I received 19 e-mails from the Thai Embassy in London over 12 days while organising my CoE and return. 

 

I suspect I may be one of the first applications. As soon as Spouse Applications for CoE was announced I e-mailed the Embassy. 

 

E-mailed on 22nd June - No reply

E-mailed on 28th June - (forwarded same message) - received generic response - list of requirements. 

E-mailed on 29th June - E-mailed all requirements - received generic response - list of requirements !!! (brilliant!)

Nothing for a week. 

Received e-mail on 7th July - All Documents received and in order - we will let you know.

Received e-mail on 10th July - Advised of 2 possible flights - I immediately chose

Numerous continued e-mails back and forth arranging flight, Visa, Confirming ASQ etc

 

I found the Thai Embassy in London to be extremely helpful but terribly disorganised - some of the e-mails were to send the same document I’d sent in the previous e-mail !.

 

Some of the e-mails I was receiving at midnight, others I’d receive at 5am - it was clear to me the Embassy Staff are incredibly over run and working around the clock. 

 

I think the system must have been ‘automated’ in an attempt to ease the burden on the Embassy Staff who in all reality simple cannot handle hundreds or even thousands of phone calls and e-mails each day. 

 

Thus: Its worth a try e-mailing them - but its a long shot. 

 

Put Urgent in the subject header - tell them you need to get back for a family emergency and you’ve been trying for nearly 2 months.

 

 

Find out which other Embassies in nearby countries are also organising repatriation flights, especially if you already have your visa issued. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[leicesterguyuk]

2 minutes ago, torturedsole said:

Maybe the Embassy staff need to break the query down into bite-sized chunks to fully understand the situation.  

I assume you're being facetious ????