Outbound Flights

[stephen tracy]

Hi all, with the looming 26-Sept departure deadline fast approaching, I've been looking at the AoT's website, and it looks like 99 percent of international flights are being cancelled. There are some closer to Thailand that have managed to depart but anything going west seems to be getting cancelled. Based on that, I'm reluctant to spend money on a flight that might not ever take off between now and the 26th. If this continues, how are people supposed to leave?

[stephen tracy]

Actually, just did some more checking an the AoT and Suvarnibhum flight schedules dont add up. For example, according to the airport's website, the EVA Air BR 67 BKK-Heathrow flight scheduled for 12;50 today departed at 12:52, but according to AoT it was cancelled. Googling the flight indictaes that it also departed pretty much on time. So now I'm a bit confused. 

[Val83]

Qatar airways has daily flights from Bangkok and will bring you to many destinations. Emirates started to fly recently. KLM & Lufthansa also operate a few flights a week ... so plenty of options for willing to leave 

[Sheryl]

Korean Air and Asiana are flying pretty regularly via Seoul.

 

It would help if you indicated where you are wanting to fly to.

[stephen tracy]

8 minutes ago, Val83 said:

Qatar airways has daily flights from Bangkok and will bring you to many destinations. Emirates started to fly recently. KLM & Lufthansa also operate a few flights a week ... so plenty of options for willing to leave 

I wonder why the AoT's site is saying that... weird. Anyway, thanks for the info. 

[stephen tracy]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

Korean Air and Asiana are flying pretty regularly via Seoul.

 

It would help if you indicated where you are wanting to fly to.

I was looking at anything going to Europe to be honest. I was checking the AoT's departure list for today and it looked like everything was being cancelled every time I refreshed the screen every couple of hours, but then the airport's website indicates that some of them did actually depart today. So judging from Val83's response, the airport site is more accurate. 

[Sheryl]

Best to call the airline directly.

[kimamey]

I've got a Gulf Air flight booked for the 20th. They seem to only have flights on Sundays and the one today was cancelled. The incoming flight at 6:05 this morning didn't arrive so that was a clue. I've checked next week and Gulf don't list it although they do for the 20th but I'm expecting that to disappear as well at some point. 

 

For me to get to the UK Qatar seems the best bet as they seem to be actually taking off. 

[Captain Monday]

Start trolling flightware.com there is much better data, real time flight tracking and departure arrival info. Easier to use. The next flight on Korean to ICN is Monday morning 12:15AM. You can connect many places from there. Just checked AOT site for BKK board shows nothing, nothing at all right now. CNX and HKT show some flights. I would reckon it is a naff site with bad updating best avoided.

[Upnotover]

1 hour ago, kimamey said:

For me to get to the UK Qatar seems the best bet as they seem to be actually taking off. 

THAI have special flights to LHR coming up, 13, 20, 27 Sep/4, 11, 18 Oct 2020.  EVA fly direct every Sunday.  Emirates flying daily now.  Plus others.  Shouldn't be any problem.

[edwardandtubs]

3 hours ago, stephen tracy said:

I was looking at anything going to Europe to be honest. I was checking the AoT's departure list for today and it looked like everything was being cancelled every time I refreshed the screen every couple of hours, but then the airport's website indicates that some of them did actually depart today. So judging from Val83's response, the airport site is more accurate. 

No problem at all to get to Europe. No Eva flights have been cancelled recently and once you're in London it's easy to get an onward flight anywhere. Depending on exactly where in Europe you want to go there are plenty of other options which have not been cancelled recently.

[BritTim]

When booking flights out, check whether the flight you are booking has been actually operating in recent weeks. It is almost a reliable rule that flights that have been operating will continue to operate, and those that have not been operating will be cancelled.

[mtls2005]

Where do you want to go? When?

 

LHR?

 

Qatar via DOH is probably the simplest, easiest, safest, most reliable. Two or three dailies, no cancelations. Cheap. Best refund/voucher/re-ticekt policy.

 

You could fly out of BKK in ~ 8 hours, arrive in LHR for lunch. QR 837 - QR003, departs 02:15 (Mon) arrives LHR 12:25 Monday, 14,440 THB all in. There is a QR flight out at 19:25 tonight as well, but it's too late to make that one.

 

BR just has the one weekly flight - Sunday.

 

KL and AF may be options via AMS or CDG.

 

Emirates and Etihad have a daily via DBX AUH, but they require a COVID-19 PCR test.

 

Many, many, many, many flights out.

 

27 intl departures today, 17 of which have departed already. The other 10 have metal on the ground or in the air to BKK. Sunday's are the busiest, normally there are 12-18 intl departures. All figures exclude code-shares, cargo-only (like BA 10 currrently over Turkmenistan https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/g-zbje#256c7efd ).

 

BR 67 is over Afghanistan now, BKK-LHR direct, non-stop.  https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/b-16731

 

 

Edited September 6, 2020 by mtls2005

[tso310]

If you are travelling to the UK Qatar are flying into LHR, LGW, MAN and EDI. Not sure about Birmingham.

[kimamey]

3 hours ago, Upnotover said:

THAI have special flights to LHR coming up, 13, 20, 27 Sep/4, 11, 18 Oct 2020.  EVA fly direct every Sunday.  Emirates flying daily now.  Plus others.  Shouldn't be any problem.

I had seen some EVA flights and some Thai although I wasn't so sure Thai was flying. As those are direct flights I'd probably only use them if I went premium economy. If the British government were to show some sense and stop strict quarantine from Thailand then I'd definitely go for a direct flight. 

[edwardandtubs]

9 minutes ago, kimamey said:

I had seen some EVA flights and some Thai although I wasn't so sure Thai was flying. As those are direct flights I'd probably only use them if I went premium economy. If the British government were to show some sense and stop strict quarantine from Thailand then I'd definitely go for a direct flight. 

That doesn't make any sense. You can't avoid quarantine just by taking an indirect flight. 

[samsensam]

46 minutes ago, kimamey said:

I had seen some EVA flights and some Thai although I wasn't so sure Thai was flying. As those are direct flights I'd probably only use them if I went premium economy. If the British government were to show some sense and stop strict quarantine from Thailand then I'd definitely go for a direct flight. 

 

the routing, direct or indirect, is irrelevant, you are traveling from a country that is making no effort whatsoever to understand the number of infected people in the population. quarantine is not an administrative exercise it is there to to protect your family, friends and anyone else you may come into contact with. why on earth would't you quarantine?

[treetops]

22 hours ago, tso310 said:

If you are travelling to the UK Qatar are flying into LHR, LGW, MAN and EDI. Not sure about Birmingham.

Not all the Qatar flights to the UK are operating daily, so if you see an excessively long transit time, look at another day.  QR to Edinburgh for example is currently Monday, Wednesday and Friday (with a 4th to be added soon I understand).

[tso310]

7 minutes ago, treetops said:

Not all the Qatar flights to the UK are operating daily, so if you see an excessively long transit time, look at another day.  QR to Edinburgh for example is currently Monday, Wednesday and Friday (with a 4th to be added soon I understand).

Yes you are correct regarding the EDI flights. The LGW flights are as follows -

01:35 →   06:50 DOH - LGW QR329 Tues Fri

08:20 →  17:05 LGW - DOH QR330 Tues Fri

 

07:15 →   12:30 DOH - LGW QR 327 Mon Wed Sun

14:00 →  22:45 LGW - DOH QR 328 Mon Wed Sun

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by tso310

[maimeephom]

I have recently met a number of Thais in the UK. 

Who have travelled Bangkok-Hong Kong-London, with Cathay.

[FlyingThai]

The AOT site is absolute craptola. Forget it.

 

Lufthansa, Qatar, EVA, KLM all operate reliably at the moment.

[kimamey]

On 9/6/2020 at 7:19 PM, edwardandtubs said:

That doesn't make any sense. You can't avoid quarantine just by taking an indirect flight. 

You've got it the wrong way round.  If Thailand were to be put on the exempt list meaning quarantine wasn't required when entering the UK from Thailand an indirect flight transiting through a country not on the exempt list would mean quarantine would be necessary and the 14 days would start when you leave that country. 

 

My point was that my flight transits through Bahrain so if Thailand were to be put on the exempt list I would change to a direct flight to avoid transiting through Bahrain.  That's assuming Bahrain isn't exempt of course. 

[stephen tracy]

1 hour ago, FlyingThai said:

The AOT site is absolute craptola. Forget it.

 

Lufthansa, Qatar, EVA, KLM all operate reliably at the moment.

Thanks dude.

[BlueScouse]

I just arrived Manchester today.Flew Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam with KLM. Plane landed at Bangkok around midnight Sunday. Crew change and refuel but no passengers got on. Plane was less than one third full.

[kimamey]

On 9/6/2020 at 7:58 PM, samsensam said:

 

the routing, direct or indirect, is irrelevant, you are traveling from a country that is making no effort whatsoever to understand the number of infected people in the population. quarantine is not an administrative exercise it is there to to protect your family, friends and anyone else you may come into contact with. why on earth would't you quarantine?

I did say 'strict' quarantine but I should have given a better explanation. 

 

I was originally due to fly back to the UK on the 15th March but since I stay with my mother whilst there and she was 91 (92 now) I decided to play safe and stay once I'd checked I could get an extension. That's despite my mother insisting it wouldn't be a problem and to be fair she's pretty fit and you'd never guess her age. I now have the use of an empty bungalow offered by a relative otherwise I'd have to isolate in my mother's flat so I'm lucky in that respect. I fully intend to take up that offer but I'd rather not be completely confined so I could at least take some exercise without coming closer to anyone. Is also like to go shopping whilst keeping this to a minimum and wearing a mask as I'm used to doing that anyway.

 

Even without symptoms I could be infected but that goes for anyone else either in Thailand or the UK so there's no more reason for me to be quarantined than anyone else without symptoms. The difference is that I'm prepared to sensibly avoid contact for 14 days. I understand that the Thai infections and deaths figures are to some extent inaccurate but then that's possibly the car in the UK as well or at least it was. However I doubt the Thai numbers are so dubious as to make the true picture anywhere near the UK. If we don't accept the accuracy of the Thai figures why would we ever accept travellers from Thailand as we will never know how there infection rates compare to ours. 

 

From what I can tell the UK has set up travel corridors with countries that are prepared to let in UK holidaymakers in return for not forcing quarantine.  Since Thailand isn't allowing that then there's exemption. I can't see why Thailand would want to accept travelers from the UK given the much higher infection/death rate at the moment. 

 

The other issue according to an article in the Guardian recently and also taken up by the Daily Mail is there seem to be some people coming into the country and either not giving their contact details or giving fake ones and little being done to stop this plus not a great deal of follow up. In the end is the law abiding people who are affected even though they are the most likely to act responsibly. 

 

Quarantine requirements are based not only on your departure airport but also on any transit airport so there could be a difference if Thailand were to become exempt. 

Edited September 7, 2020 by kimamey

[treetops]

3 minutes ago, kimamey said:

From what I can tell the UK has set up travel corridors with countries that are prepared to let in UK holidaymakers in return for not forcing quarantine.  Since Thailand isn't allowing that then there's exemption. I can't see why Thailand would want to accept travelers from the UK given the much higher infection/death rate at the moment. 

That is not the case and reciprocity is not a requirement to be on the UK "safe" list.

[kimamey]

1 hour ago, treetops said:

That is not the case and reciprocity is not a requirement to be on the UK "safe" list.

If that's the case and I don't doubt that you're correct what are the requirements?

[treetops]

4 minutes ago, kimamey said:

If that's the case and I don't doubt that you're correct what are the requirements?

I doubt they're published anywhere - perhaps numbers (% of population) being tested is one that might rule Thailand out.  Or belief in their published figures?

[Phillip9]

1 hour ago, treetops said:

I doubt they're published anywhere - perhaps numbers (% of population) being tested is one that might rule Thailand out.  Or belief in their published figures?

Thailand's tests per % population are much higher than many countries on the quarantine free list. 

 

I have a feeling that there is some other political reason behind this that we aren't being told.

 

It is simply absurd that a country that has so much covid that the prime minister got infected would require a quarantine for people traveling from thailand.

[FlyingThai]

First time I had a look on the UK's list of quarantine (exempt) countries and it's total craziness.

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors

 

There are countries on there with TONS of Covid yet others such as Thailand have to go into quarantine? Nuts!