Thailand plans to resume international flights by November

[Guderian]

They say that pride goes before a fall, but the arrogance and incompetence of these people is breathtaking.

[MasterBaker]

i was wondering when opening dates would come up again

[Pottinger]

38 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Don't know about how many tourists will come here, but this plan makes sense.  If you've been jabbed, have a negative CV19 test, why not allow them to come here?  The risk is really small and the money is desperately needed.

 

The fly in the ointment are the variants.  Look what's happening in India.  Could easily happen here also, especially as hardly anyone here is vaccinated.

 

Fingers crossed this works out!

 

All well and good, but....

 

I was initially interested in flying to Phuket in August/September, having been vaccinated, and despite not particularly liking Phuket, its usual prices and its tourism pushiness, as one route to finally reuniting with my belongings in Bangkok after a year and a half away. But that idea has now been scotched by a government minister saying he estimates the cost for quarantining on the island to be 150-200k Baht. Even at the low end, that would put the cost at more than 20k/day, way beyond my - and I suspect 99% of other people's - budget.

 

In addition it makes no sense whatever to do any planning, nor make any financial outlay, at the moment when inevitably there will further radical adjustments to this shaky timetable, leading to wholesale cancellations, expense and frustration.

Edited May 15, 2021 by Pottinger

[jimn]

51 minutes ago, Spellforce said:

What does it mean ? Because today we still have may internationals flights with passengers ?

Maybe is it a translation issue ?

 

Flightradar24 in real time:

 

Only Semi Commercial flights on this list are allowed to fly to Thailand. The example you showed made me laugh, because there are no flights carrying passengers from India at this time

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ijBJOTgFJPAuWUfkPIA60iniXB9j9Ba2XHafXzA6JCw/htmlview

 

[TheFreqFlyer]

1 minute ago, jimn said:

Only Semi Commercial flights on this list are allowed to fly to Thailand. The example you showed made me laugh, because there are no flights carrying passengers from India at this time

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ijBJOTgFJPAuWUfkPIA60iniXB9j9Ba2XHafXzA6JCw/htmlview

 

It's probably just carrying freight. 

[Cobby007]

Sadly all I can say is 

we can all dream ???? 

[terryofcrete]

2 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

it makes perfect sense

What ! that’s criminal ! Making sense is not a national tradition . Where there is peace … let me sow war… where there is understanding … let me sow confusion … and on and on…. 

[bermondburi]

What Thailand plans is immaterial really. It's what the airlines see as a viable route which is more important. 

[boogiewoogie]

1 hour ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

What are these jokers smoking? 3.5 million tourists, from where? Australia's borders are likely to remain closed until mid-2022 aside from travel to New Zealand (which opened last month) and a few other "low risk" countries. These could include Singapore, Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and possibly Taiwan and later, Vietnam. Thailand has not been mentioned in the first phase and thus we can probably assume it won't be part of any Australian travel bubble this year.

 

Secondly, in a country that is proving itself to be one of the most totalitarian in the world, what with Buri Ram forcing vaccines on it's residents, Phuket fining and threatening foreigners with deportation for hosting a friend over for a beer in their OWN homes, Surat Thani fining anyone who drinks alcohol at home, and every province issuing fines of 1000-20000 Baht for not wearing a face muzzle, what makes them think tourists will put up with this nonsense?

 

Even those willing to be vaccinated, are not going to put up with this. Isn't the vaccine supposed to allow all our freedoms to return? If tourists are still going to be required to be muzzled in public, including on a Phuket beach, despite being vaccinated, then Thailand can hammer the final nail in the tourism coffin. 

 

At this point in time, there is more liberty in China than in Thailand. I can't imagine the Chinese would be interested in coming to a country where there are no casinos, where the fun police nitpick every thing you do and can potentially deport you for not wearing a face mask. It's happening in Cambodia (Chinese nationals have been deported for not wearing masks or breaking lockdown orders), Bali is doing it and Thailand isn't far behind. 

 

China has tropical beaches too (in Hainan). Aside from Phuket being warm all year-round (whereas Sanya is a little cool between December and February), there is no reason for Chinese to want to come to Thailand. 

Straya the greatest! How would world move without australian tourists?China, mate. Chyna! China had 10mil visitors 2019. Australia had 400k. 4 time less than Russia.

They care only about chinese tourists. In general.

[ThaiFelix]

November........thats perfect!   It will be just in time for me getting back from Mars.????

[Lingba]

more vomit pouring from their mouths

 

[Excel]

1 hour ago, mr_lob said:

All of those TG planes sitting around being "maintained"...i'll let you go first

I would think the first one to go down will seal the end of Thai Airways permanently as they will be banned from almost all airspace.

[Cat Boy]

Grain of salt taken

[Burma Bill]

22 hours ago, webfact said:

Phuket ................. will act as a pilot for the project

 Very appropriate!

 

 

Edited May 16, 2021 by metisdead
Trolling image removed.

[RemyDog]

3 minutes ago, Cat Boy said:

Grain of salt taken

You will probably need more salt than that!!

[spidermike007]

Tourism is not returning to Thailand anytime soon. If you think about it, the group that comprised perhaps 70% of all arrivals (lower to middle income Chinese, Malaysians and Indians) are the ones who have been hardest hit by this idiotic worldwide economic shutdown. Tourism in Thailand will never recover to even close to it's former levels, and that leaves millions out of work. Most countries will still be required to have Covid vaccination letters, as the virus is still raging in many countries. Plus, will the mandatory health insurance still be required? Will it be even stricter than before? And just what are people returning to, or coming to? Will restaurants be open? How about nightlife? The islands are devastated, so what kind of quality of vacation can people look forward to?

There are so many unanswered questions, it boggles the mind. One thing is for certain. Thailand will be feeling the effects of this for a very, very long time. So will the rest of the world.

 

 

[AlfHuy]

9 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Tourism is not returning to Thailand anytime soon. If you think about it, the group that comprised perhaps 70% of all arrivals (lower to middle income Chinese, Malaysians and Indians) are the ones who have been hardest hit by this idiotic worldwide economic shutdown. Tourism in Thailand will never recover to even close to it's former levels, and that leaves millions out of work. Most countries will still be required to have Covid vaccination letters, as the virus is still raging in many countries. Plus, will the mandatory health insurance still be required? Will it be even stricter than before? And just what are people returning to, or coming to? Will restaurants be open? How about nightlife? The islands are devastated, so what kind of quality of vacation can people look forward to?

There are so many unanswered questions, it boggles the mind. One thing is for certain. Thailand will be feeling the effects of this for a very, very long time. So will the rest of the world.

 

 

Relax Mike.

Nice roadwork on photo 4.

 

I can easily do without the hordes of CH..I;Nese.

[Cadan]

Read the Seychelles news ????

[Excel]

Just now, Cadan said:

Read the Seychelles news ????

Why, do they have a good crossword ?

[clivebaxter]

If this means Thai Air it's a bit premature as they might not exist then, pending next weeks meeting

[10baht]

2 hours ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

Secondly, in a country that is proving itself to be one of the most totalitarian in the world, what with Buri Ram forcing vaccines on it's residents,

First off, I do not want to be considered a “China lover” if anything I am closer to the opposite for all the bad things they have done and continue to do to the general Chinese population and the world’s environment, and the world by not telling the truth about CV-19 back in Oct 2019. BUT look at the number of cases and deaths since they got their own totalitarian religion. If you only knew what they really do, including worse than jail if you do not do as they say—quarantines, masks, vaccine shots, etc. But with 1.4 billion people and only 90,000 cases (less than little old Thailand) their draconian measures have worked. Sometimes the ends, does justify the means. This sh*t is not over. And there are billions of people around the world suffering from the collateral damage of CV-19 (job losses, loved ones dead, starvation, etc.). Not to mention the 162 million people who have had the virus and the 3.37 million dead. Go look back at history, do you want another Black Plague?  The world needs to take unprecedent measures and China needs to be held responsible. These measures need to be VERY temporary but these Anti-vaxxers and crybabies over personal right need to “Spoke up”: “… The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. “and I add temporally.

Not only should Thailand but my own country and all countries needs to destroy this virus anyway they can. Good for you governor of Buriram. And shame on the chicken governments who care more about money, power , and PR.

[Puccini]

2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Don't know about how many tourists will come here, but this plan makes sense.  If you've been jabbed, have a negative CV19 test, why not allow them to come here?  The risk is really small and the money is desperately needed.

 

The fly in the ointment are the variants.  Look what's happening in India.  Could easily happen here also, especially as hardly anyone here is vaccinated.

 

Fingers crossed this works out!

What do you mean with CV19?

 

I know CV as acronym for Curriculum Vitae.

[madmitch]

https://www.bangkokairportonline.com/flight-status-arrivals-departures/

 

I am confused by this announcement. Are they talking about a full schedule? As you can see from the link above, plenty of International flights arrive and depart daily.

Edited May 15, 2021 by madmitch

[natway09]

How about telling the Transport Minister not to worry about flights too much, but make the place safe so people will want to come. Private Enterprise Airlines are more tha capable of organizing flights if the demand is there

[0815]

And I expect to win the jackpot ...

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

There's gonna be alot of flipp flopping before November....????

All hinges on Siam Bioscience coming out with their AZ production, and the willingness of Thais to have it.

But with it being the only thing in bulk on offer it's that or nothing.

[khunjeff]

2 hours ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

What are these jokers smoking? 3.5 million tourists, from where? Australia's borders are likely to remain closed until mid-2022 aside from travel to New Zealand (which opened last month) and a few other "low risk" countries. 

 

Australia isn't even in the top 15 of source countries for Thai tourism, so I don't think its unique policies will have much impact on any restart here.

 

1 hour ago, jimn said:

Only Semi Commercial flights on this list are allowed to fly to Thailand. The example you showed made me laugh, because there are no flights carrying passengers from India at this time

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ijBJOTgFJPAuWUfkPIA60iniXB9j9Ba2XHafXzA6JCw/htmlview

 

 

He's correct, though, that they can't "resume" international flights when in fact international flights never stopped; saying that they'll resume unrestricted international flights would be more accurate. (Don't even get me started on the wholly invented term "semi-commercial flights", which seems to mean "commercial flights that are operating even though we supposedly banned commercial flights".)

[Optomist]

3 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

 

To make it even worse. If you fly into Phuket, do your 7 days on the island then travel to the mainland, you need to do another 14 days self isolation as its in the red zone. That's how I understand it anyhow...

 

Wrong

[ukrules]

2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Look what's happening in India.

 

What do you think's happening in India that hasn't happened everywhere else?

 

Be specific....

Edited May 15, 2021 by ukrules

[geisha]

Thai authorities and the people in general have no idea of how the western world works. ( hence the stupid questions of how much millions of € you earn a year). 
i get the impression they think that one day , without warning, they’ll open the borders , and people will flock to Thailand on the next available flight! Doesn’t happen like that. Most people have jobs, and don’t book last minute holidays. Then , what will they need, special insurance, etc ? Very important seeing as they run a risk coming to Thailand.

I think maybe the longstayers, snowbirds, might consider coming and spending a few months , if the conditions permit.