THAI jets home hundreds of Thais from abroad

[webfact]

THAI jets home hundreds of Thais from abroad

By THE NATION

 

 

Thai Airways operated five repatriation flights to fly home hundreds of Thai citizens from November 8 to 13, said Sqn-Leader Aniruth Sangrit, acting executive vice president of the Operations Department at Thai International Public Co Ltd (THAI), and head of the THAI Operations Control Centre.

 

The flights were operated under cooperation between THAI and the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Royal Thai embassies in London, Copenhagen, Seoul and Beijing, the Royal Thai Consulate in Shanghai and the Thailand Trade and Economic office in Taipei.

 

Flight TG917 brought home 171 Thais in the UK from London on November 9.

 

Flight TG951 carried 120 Thais in Nordic countries from Copenhagen to Bangkok on November 9.

 

Flight TG659 flew home 87 Thais from Seoul on November 12.

 

Flight TG8109 brought 16 Thais in China back from Shanghai on November 12.

 

Flight TG633 carried 215 Thais from Taipei on November 13.

 

The airline also delivered cargo on round-trip flights.

 

“THAI is always prepared to operate special flights to fly Thais home with strict security and hygiene standards as well as Covid-19 preventive measures,” the airline said in a press statement.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/biz-moves/30398189

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-11-19

 

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[4reaL]

Hope they all have Covid tests prior to boarding.

[madmen]

2 minutes ago, 4reaL said:

Hope they all have Covid tests prior to boarding.

Why, I don't know any country where nationals need a coronavirus test. 

I never needed it on flight back to oz recently 

[dcsw53]

Good news for them, but they are not going to solve the economic crisis here. When are we going going to get travel bubbles with "safe" countries ?

[ThailandRyan]

Thai Airways is Bankrupt and these flights are repatriation flights, so who is paying for the seats, crew and fuel.  I mean the Thai's fly free, so is the Government ponying up the money, but then that makes no sense as they are also a creditor and partial owner.  Guess this is why they keep going more and more into the red....

 

No Thai's are not required to be tested, they fly untested with just a fit to fly certificate, then tested on arrival like all others and placed into quarantine......

[Susco]

4 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

I mean the Thai's fly free,

 

 

Any source for that?

[DLock]

Thai Visa really is overrun with some miserable individuals.

 

Who really cares about the details, Thai's finally made it home to their families (and yes, quarantine).

[ThailandRyan]

12 minutes ago, Susco said:

 

 

Any source for that?

No source except they either pay up front if they can or they owe the Government afterwards just like the US citizens who could not afford to fly home from other countries and were repatriated back home after signing the waiver that unless repaid there passports would be voided.  However, I do not believe the Thai's loose there passports, but the quarantine is still paid for by the Government unless they choose to go to an ASQ.

[Susco]

13 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

No source except they either pay up front if they can or they owe the Government afterwards just like the US citizens who could not afford to fly home from other countries and were repatriated back home after signing the waiver that unless repaid there passports would be voided.  However, I do not believe the Thai's loose there passports, but the quarantine is still paid for by the Government unless they choose to go to an ASQ.

 

As far as I know the Thais pay for their flights and their quarantine, and unless you can provide a credible source for your claims, I consider them false

[stretch5163]

Its Great that they are doing this but why are these people or have these people waited so long to decide they need repatriation. I mean this pandemic has only been going on from March.....lol now it November and they suddenly decide its time to go.

[Tropicalevo]

23 minutes ago, stretch5163 said:

Its Great that they are doing this but why are these people or have these people waited so long to decide they need repatriation. I mean this pandemic has only been going on from March.....lol now it November and they suddenly decide its time to go.

Limited number of flights.

Repatriations have been going on since the airways opened up in July(?)

People that I know who are waiting to come here say that it is a long queue.

Edited November 19, 2020 by Tropicalevo

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, Susco said:

 

As far as I know the Thais pay for their flights and their quarantine, and unless you can provide a credible source for your claims, I consider them false

Here is a link for you

Here is another link and story as well,  more out there if you care to look on the free government quarantine for Thai Nationals.

https://sawadeesiam.com/thailand/returning-thais-asked-to-pay-for-quarantine-expenses/

 

Thai citizens returning to the country on repatriation flights have been urged to seek stays in alternative state quarantine facilities rather than the free government quarantine facilities as the cost of putting up returning citizens takes its toll in government finances. The number of returning Thai citizens is increasing continually, with more than 60,000 people entering the country on repatriation flights to date. Due to demand, the government is planning to increase Thai returnees’ quota from 200 per day to 600 per day. However, as more citizens are repatriated, the government is concerned about the growing expense of placing each returnee in a 14-day quarantine facility. The cost per person for a stay at a government venue is approximately 14,000 baht, excluding medicines. To alleviate the strain on government quarantine facilities, the spokesperson for the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, has asked those who can afford it to stay in an alternative state quarantine facility. He said:

“Those who can afford to stay at alternative accommodation, such as upscale hotels, are encouraged to do so.”

Presently, Thai citizens arriving in the country can choose from a free government quarantine facility or pay for an alternative state quarantine facility. No such option is afforded to foreigners who must stay in an alternative state quarantine facility upon arrival. 

 

Written by: Vanessa Lane

 

Source: Sawadee Siam

Published on 21 July 2020

 

Edited November 19, 2020 by ThailandRyan

[Susco]

 

Link you posted is old and doesn't work

 

 

This link works

https://www.thaiembassy.com/travel/alternative-state-quarantine-asq-in-thailand.php

 

Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) in Thailand

Oct 06, 2020 Travel 54

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Thai Ministry of Public Health has required that any Thai or foreign nationals traveling to Thailand must secure a COVID-19 PCR test with a negative result, COVID-19 health insurance and they must undergo a mandatory quarantine at Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facilities.

Edited November 19, 2020 by Susco

[ThailandRyan]

52 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Presently, Thai citizens arriving in the country can choose from a free government quarantine facility or pay for an alternative state quarantine facility

@Susco http://www.mekongmigration.org/?p=8975

The Government is paying for those that go to the Government quarantine facility and the Thai's wishing to go to an ASQ and get better accommodations are paying for their own ASQ.

 

Maybe in the last few weeks it has changed, but I have seen nothing of the sort.  Two of the Thai restaurant owners I know from the US have just returned and, repatriated their funds from abroad, but chose to stay in State quarantine which they did not pay for.  They did pay for their flights but they flew in on Singapore Air and that was during the last two weeks of October.  We just had dinner last week at one of their restaurant's here in Bangkok on the river near Icon Siam. They pretty much have closed up the US shops they had as the restrictions in California were just to much and they were doing delivery service instead and paying big amounts for rents, so they closed and returned here.   

[Olmate]

2 hours ago, Susco said:

 

As far as I know the Thais pay for their flights and their quarantine, and unless you can provide a credible source for your claims, I consider them false

Thais from Oz pay the same as Oz from here to fly home,so around 23k,so yes,false.

[Mops59]

And they all can travel without Covid -19 testing before departure.

[giddyup]

3 hours ago, madmen said:

Why, I don't know any country where nationals need a coronavirus test. 

I never needed it on flight back to oz recently 

Because you still have to do 14 days quarantine.

[chilli42]

5 hours ago, 4reaL said:

Hope they all have Covid tests prior to boarding.

Thai citizens don’t require a COVID to obtain a flight back.  However, when they are back and in state quarantine the must have two COVID tests.

[HashBrownHarry]

6 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Limited number of flights.

Repatriations have been going on since the airways opened up in July(?)

People that I know who are waiting to come here say that it is a long queue.

There's no queueing system, or there wasn't before....

[MikeyIdea]

7 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

No source except they either pay up front if they can or they owe the Government afterwards just like the US citizens who could not afford to fly home from other countries and were repatriated back home after signing the waiver that unless repaid there passports would be voided.  However, I do not believe the Thai's loose there passports, but the quarantine is still paid for by the Government unless they choose to go to an ASQ.

No, Thai's don't fly home for free, Thai embassies process the CoE (certificate of entry) for them regardless of if they have money or not but they're not getting on a plane if they don't have a ticket. Source: My daughter who asked the Thai embassy that issued her CoE. 

Edited November 19, 2020 by MikeyIdea

[lmxcredt]

7 hours ago, stretch5163 said:

Its Great that they are doing this but why are these people or have these people waited so long to decide they need repatriation. I mean this pandemic has only been going on from March.....lol now it November and they suddenly decide its time to go.

 

Students. My girlfriend is heading back on one soon as she has now graduated. They kinda have to have the repatriation flights running otherwise they cut off options for Thais to return home. There may be other commercial options but if they take them, they cannot be granted a place in govt funded quarantine which is too expensive for most Thais. No reason for all Thais to return home in March if they didn't have a reason to and needed to be in the UK.

[NanLaew]

8 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

8 hours ago, Susco said:

 

 

Any source for that?

No source except they either pay up front if they can or they owe the Government afterwards just like the US citizens who could not afford to fly home from other countries and were repatriated back home after signing the waiver that unless repaid there passports would be voided.  However, I do not believe the Thai's loose there passports, but the quarantine is still paid for by the Government unless they choose to go to an ASQ.

My mate who flew home to Scotland via Hamsterjam last June had his repatriation ticket paid by HM Government with a signed proviso that he repay the money within a certain period or forfeit future overseas travel enablements. Nobody took his passport off him at Aberdeen airport.

 

Correct in that SQ is provided to Thai nationals at no cost but like foreigners, they have to pay if they opt for ASQ.

 

Just to clarify, foreigners do not have any option except ASQ.

[treetops]

23 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Limited number of flights.

Repatriations have been going on since the airways opened up in July(?)

People that I know who are waiting to come here say that it is a long queue.

Why are the flights mentioned in the OP so empty then?

[Olmate]

35 minutes ago, treetops said:

Why are the flights mentioned in the OP so empty then?

Daily caps on arrival numbers due to quarantine capacity I think ???? 

[treetops]

2 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Daily caps on arrival numbers due to quarantine capacity I think ???? 

 

There were almost 15,000 state quarantine places approved or under assessment back in June so probably more now.  If we use 15,000 as the number available, with 15 day stays they have room for 1,000 admissions per day between them, or 30,000 per month.

 

The flights listed in the article show 609 entrants in 6 days, equivalent to 3,000 per month so only a tenth of their capacity, if my arithmetic and assumptions are correct.

 

There must be more to it than that, or in reality there are no long queues as claimed.

[Olmate]

1 hour ago, treetops said:

 

There were almost 15,000 state quarantine places approved or under assessment back in June so probably more now.  If we use 15,000 as the number available, with 15 day stays they have room for 1,000 admissions per day between them, or 30,000 per month.

 

The flights listed in the article show 609 entrants in 6 days, equivalent to 3,000 per month so only a tenth of their capacity, if my arithmetic and assumptions are correct.

 

There must be more to it than that, or in reality there are no long queues as claimed.

Got me wondering then why Oz has a limit on returning numbers then if its only available airline seats as the criteria. It’s also the ability to handle the associated health and other logistics . Perhaps there is a link somewhere to the weekly cap?

[Artisi]

On 11/19/2020 at 10:41 AM, Susco said:

 

 

Any source for that?

Who cares, doesn't make any difference to you or anybody else. 

[Susco]

3 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Who cares, doesn't make any difference to you or anybody else. 

 

And so does your rude post

[scorecard]

On 11/19/2020 at 3:15 PM, stretch5163 said:

Its Great that they are doing this but why are these people or have these people waited so long to decide they need repatriation. I mean this pandemic has only been going on from March.....lol now it November and they suddenly decide its time to go.

I'm aware (outer Thai family) there's been long waiting lists to get seats and sometime many weeks between each flight from some departure cities. 

 

Some also wanted to time their repat. flight, if possible, to take best advantage of large amounts of paid ovetime avaialble in certain months. 

 

One family member shared that he had worked for his employer abroad for several years and was requested by his employer to delay going back to Thailand and offered higher rates of overtime for the additional time spent abroad, and 50% of the cost of the repat. ticket, plus 50% of cost of ticket if he spent 60 days in Thailand then came back (when flights available of course).

 

Everybody has their own circumstances. 

Edited November 20, 2020 by scorecard

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, Olmate said:

Got me wondering then why Oz has a limit on returning numbers then if its only available airline seats as the criteria. It’s also the ability to handle the associated health and other logistics . Perhaps there is a link somewhere to the weekly cap?

Seating / distancing on the flight? I've read on other media some repat. flights are full, every seat, and on others serious distancing between seats. From memory flight Bkk to Sydney total passengers about 35 (incl., economy and bus seats).