Thailand plans to resume international flights by November

[bermondburi]

1 hour ago, SamuiFan said:

So how do these people from overseas get here if there’s no international flights???? Mad. 

There are loads of daily flights.

1 hour ago, thai006 said:

cant wait to back home in November without quarantine ; i done the 14 days last year , 1 time enough ????????

Agreed. It's a1 time deal for me. Which is why I flew the family to me for the school holidays and they're going back in a couple of weeks.

18 minutes ago, Huckenfell said:

Is Air Asia not yet flying ?

That's doesn't count. ????

9 minutes ago, polpott said:

I didn't realise that they'd stopped international flights. I flew to Amsterdam at the end of April and fully intend to fly back at the end of July. Am I missing something?

Usual clickbait headline.

[TheFreqFlyer]

3 hours 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.

 

 

 

Having looked at all the evidence and all, I now concur with you 100%.

 

Tourism is finished. Not just in Thailand but many other parts of the world. Certainly throughout South-East Asia and South Asia. The glory days aren't coming back. Nor are we likely to see border hopping backpackers, full moon parties, Indian wedding parties, free and unrestricted business travel using Bangkok or Singapore as a base. 

 

There are several reasons for this, including the penchant for control that governments have thanks to Covid. I don't see governments ever fully lifting all these restrictions. Tourists simply aren't going to come, if they have jump through a myriad of hoops then once they're inside the country, face childish restrictions like not being allowed to have a beer, or confusion over mask rules.

 

People go on vacation to relax and have fun, not be threatened or treated like a child. 

Edited May 15, 2021 by TheFreqFlyer

[nkg]

22 minutes ago, Huckenfell said:

Is Air Asia not yet flying ?

 

There's a couple of flights arriving in Don Mueang

 

https://www.donmueangairport.com/flight-status/

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by nkg

[TheFreqFlyer]

13 minutes ago, polpott said:

I didn't realise that they'd stopped international flights. I flew to Amsterdam at the end of April and fully intend to fly back at the end of July. Am I missing something?

Yes - you need a COE, quarantine, health insurance, possibly a vaccination certificate, Covid free certificate and a ton of other hoops to jump through.

 

Flights are very limited. It's not like the old days. Hence why the people talking about "no flights" are almost correct. There are indeed very FEW flights. KLM is offering by far, the greatest number of flights between Europe and Thailand at the moment. Most other airlines, if they're flying at all, are down to 3 flights a week. During normal times, there would be at least a daily, if not twice daily service. 

[Captain Monday]

How can Thailand "resume international flights" while they are presently ongoing?

A very confusing article. Now way all covid-19 related restrictions will be dropped, for years.

 

There is nothing such as a semi commercial flight it is a word Thailand made up  nobody in the airline industry ever heard of. All countries have various rules and restrictions

.

[TheFreqFlyer]

31 minutes ago, Huckenfell said:

Rubbish, here in Queensland, life is completely free with no restrictions such as you have in Tailand.

Exactly.

 

No face muzzles, no lockdowns (granted, some weeks ago there was a brief 3 day lockdown in Brisbane and masks were required to be worn, but this lasted only 15 days in total. After the first 3 days, masks were only needed on public transport and malls, later only public transport before being lifted entirely).

 

A far cry from Thailand's totalitarian restrictions of mandatory masks even for (get this) news readers on TV!!!/mandates where residents of Buri Ram are being threatened with 2 years in jail for refusing to get vaccinated. 

[BritManToo]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand plans to resume international flights by November, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said on Friday.

How many times have they announced their plans to resume international flights?

And how many times did their plan fail.

 

Seems this announcement is made about every 3 months then quietly forgotten.

[the green light]

6 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

But alas no mention of which year ............................LOL

luring tourism in a country is always a wishful thinking for many countries.

tourists select travelling spot based on amenities on how they want to spend their money, and fun things to do , and most of all safety.

 

As long that there is any kind of quanrantine..no visitor will ever consider thailand.

the second main point is how safe thailand will before 70% of the population to be inoculated with the vaccine and which one.

 

Vaccinated people from USA can travel but they require restriction coming back. they need to show a negative test 72 hr before departure. the fear is that more restriction may be added. It makes going out of the USA worrisome. You do not want to have the problem to be stuck overseas and unable to come back home.

 

From the Chinese survey done earlier, it shows that the Chinese tourists  will wait 4-6 month after 70% of Thai population are vaccinated before visiting Thailand.

 

As of July, Greece, Turkey and Spain are countries you can visit with no quarantine if vaccinated...Thailand should drop all kind of quarantine to be competitive with the rest of the world or just focus on inoculating their people.

 

There is a lot of work to be done before we can talk about tourism now

[BritManToo]

Just now, the green light said:

As long that there is any kind of quanrantine..no visitor will ever consider thailand.

the second main point is how safe thailand will before 70% of the population to be inoculated with the vaccine and which one.

More to the point is, how safe will a country ever be when their population is vaccinated by a 50% effective vaccine (even if they vaccinate 100% of the population)?

[scammed]

46 minutes ago, Huckenfell said:

Why ?

 

i have too severe back injuries, i can barely walk at all,

i will get into an elderly home

[soalbundy]

It's all been arranged with Buddha.

[TheFreqFlyer]

2 hours ago, geisha said:

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.

Correct. 

 

I'm often stunned by the childishness of people in Thailand (and neighboring countries like Cambodia and Myanmar) where people think we westerners earn unlimited amounts and are ready to drop everything to fly here on a whim. Sure, a few westerners with close ties to the country/region might book a last minute flight and come back as soon as restrictions are lifted, but this is because they've been waiting all this time to return. Perhaps because they have families, businesses or other interests here. Your average 2 week tourist isn't that desperate. Especially when there are alternatives. 

 

Granted, the Thai authorities probably recognize that we have decided not to destroy our economies as much as Thailand has and that we will recover much sooner than they will (particularly Australia, New Zealand and the United States...Europe isn't doing as well)...even so, many of us have suffered and thus won't have the funds or time to travel to Thailand as readily or easily as in the past...This means for roughly the first 12 months, even with some pent up demand, it will be a trickle, not an influx. 

 

Also...when it comes to dropping restrictions - the Thai authorities have to drop ALL restrictions before people will flock back. If they require mandatory vaccination to enter, this will deter a lot of people. Even those willing to get vaccinated will not put up with mask mandates, lockdowns or other silly nonsense. The Thai authorities will be left with egg on their face if tourists write bad reviews and threaten never to come back because tourists were arrested for not wearing a mask on a beach. 

 

If mandatory vaccination continues for more than 6-12 months after the borders "fully reopen" I think the country will be lucky to receive 50% of the visitor total that they could otherwise expect. Also, I don't expect them to allow vaccinated arrivals in without a Covid test and as you know...if you test positive off you go to a hospital, even if you're asymptomatic. No one in their right mind wants to risk that. It's basically medical jail. As long as that risk persists, then people aren't coming.

As Spidermike correctly stated - I don't think we're ever going to see even a small fraction of previous visitor numbers.

 

The 20 million prediction for 2022 is fairy tale wishful thinking. I think if 2 million come the TAT should be thankful. 

[bermondburi]

6 minutes ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

Yes - you need a COE, quarantine, health insurance, possibly a vaccination certificate, Covid free certificate and a ton of other hoops to jump through.

 

Flights are very limited. It's not like the old days. Hence why the people talking about "no flights" are almost correct. There are indeed very FEW flights. KLM is offering by far, the greatest number of flights between Europe and Thailand at the moment. Most other airlines, if they're flying at all, are down to 3 flights a week. During normal times, there would be at least a daily, if not twice daily service. 

Did it all when I came to Thailand in December and it was actually very straightforward, easy, and simple. 

 

1: Sent all docs to the embassy and arranged appointment time of my choosing within opening hours to apply for and collect the visa. Total time at the Embassy 20 minutes.

 

2: ASQ booking and insurance done online from the comfort of my sofa. 

 

3: C19 test done at local clinic

 

4: Got CoE 20 minutes after emailing it to the embassy.

 

What other hoops did you have to go through. I was actually very impressed by the response of the Thai Embassy and the Charge d'Affaires guided me through the process very clearly at every step. 

 

As for flights, the big 3 ME airlines are still doing daily flights now as they were 6 months ago. 

[Sean60]

I guess this one will also get delayed by several months. 

But it dose not matter, we have time. it is only people that will get bankrupt and go hungry. one dose not have to think of them. 

After all miljons of Chinese are standing in line for coming to Thailand! opps even that prediction got delayed. !!

[TheFreqFlyer]

10 minutes ago, the green light said:

luring tourism in a country is always a wishful thinking for many countries.

tourists select travelling spot based on amenities on how they want to spend their money, and fun things to do , and most of all safety.

 

As long that there is any kind of quanrantine..no visitor will ever consider thailand.

the second main point is how safe thailand will before 70% of the population to be inoculated with the vaccine and which one.

 

Vaccinated people from USA can travel but they require restriction coming back. they need to show a negative test 72 hr before departure. the fear is that more restriction may be added. It makes going out of the USA worrisome. You do not want to have the problem to be stuck overseas and unable to come back home.

 

From the Chinese survey done earlier, it shows that the Chinese tourists  will wait 4-6 month after 70% of Thai population are vaccinated before visiting Thailand.

 

As of July, Greece, Turkey and Spain are countries you can visit with no quarantine if vaccinated...Thailand should drop all kind of quarantine to be competitive with the rest of the world or just focus on inoculating their people.

 

There is a lot of work to be done before we can talk about tourism now

Same with a lot of countries, Thailand included.

 

Even if you're willing to be vaccinated to travel, requiring a PCR test is a very risky proposition, especially if you test positive. You could find yourself forcibly detained in hospital for at least 2 weeks, even if not showing symptoms. This won't happen in a western country, but authoritarian countries like Thailand have such a policy in place. Unless this is lifted, the risk of visiting Thailand is too great for most potential visitors to bear. 

Edited May 15, 2021 by TheFreqFlyer

[TheFreqFlyer]

1 minute ago, Sean60 said:

I guess this one will also get delayed by several months. 

But it dose not matter, we have time. it is only people that will get bankrupt and go hungry. one dose not have to think of them. 

After all miljons of Chinese are standing in line for coming to Thailand! opps even that prediction got delayed. !!

Nah. I can assure you the Chinese aren't keen on coming right now. Why would they? To do what exactly? Everything is closed, they have to be muzzled...there is simply far more liberty in China than Thailand right now.

 

If it wasn't for the quarantine and anal swab, I'd dash off to China in an instant. 

[bermondburi]

2 minutes ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

Correct. 

 

I'm often stunned by the childishness of people in Thailand (and neighboring countries like Cambodia and Myanmar) where people think we westerners earn unlimited amounts and are ready to drop everything to fly here on a whim. Sure, a few westerners with close ties to the country/region might book a last minute flight and come back as soon as restrictions are lifted, but this is because they've been waiting all this time to return. Perhaps because they have families, businesses or other interests here. Your average 2 week tourist isn't that desperate. Especially when there are alternatives. 

 

Granted, the Thai authorities probably recognize that we have decided not to destroy our economies as much as Thailand has and that we will recover much sooner than they will (particularly Australia, New Zealand and the United States...Europe isn't doing as well)...even so, many of us have suffered and thus won't have the funds or time to travel to Thailand as readily or easily as in the past...This means for roughly the first 12 months, even with some pent up demand, it will be a trickle, not an influx. 

 

Also...when it comes to dropping restrictions - the Thai authorities have to drop ALL restrictions before people will flock back. If they require mandatory vaccination to enter, this will deter a lot of people. Even those willing to get vaccinated will not put up with mask mandates, lockdowns or other silly nonsense. The Thai authorities will be left with egg on their face if tourists write bad reviews and threaten never to come back because tourists were arrested for not wearing a mask on a beach. 

 

If mandatory vaccination continues for more than 6-12 months after the borders "fully reopen" I think the country will be lucky to receive 50% of the visitor total that they could otherwise expect. Also, I don't expect them to allow vaccinated arrivals in without a Covid test and as you know...if you test positive off you go to a hospital, even if you're asymptomatic. No one in their right mind wants to risk that. It's basically medical jail. As long as that risk persists, then people aren't coming.

As Spidermike correctly stated - I don't think we're ever going to see even a small fraction of previous visitor numbers.

 

The 20 million prediction for 2022 is fairy tale wishful thinking. I think if 2 million come the TAT should be thankful. 

Mandatory vaccination will be a precondition to fly on some airlines in the future, just as it will be for visas, and just as it already is for employment in some countries.

[TheFreqFlyer]

3 minutes ago, bermondburi said:

Did it all when I came to Thailand in December and it was actually very straightforward, easy, and simple. 

 

1: Sent all docs to the embassy and arranged appointment time of my choosing within opening hours to apply for and collect the visa. Total time at the Embassy 20 minutes.

 

2: ASQ booking and insurance done online from the comfort of my sofa. 

 

3: C19 test done at local clinic

 

4: Got CoE 20 minutes after emailing it to the embassy.

 

What other hoops did you have to go through. I was actually very impressed by the response of the Thai Embassy and the Charge d'Affaires guided me through the process very clearly at every step. 

 

As for flights, the big 3 ME airlines are still doing daily flights now as they were 6 months ago. 

"Very simple".

 

I never went through these procedures. If I were outside of Thailand, no way in hell would I go through this nonsense. I'm not insane. 15 nights imprisoned in a hotel, carted off to the hospital if you test positive. Must wear a mask throughout the flight. God no thanks. 

[kynikoi]

6 hours ago, KannikaP said:

So 'From October' coincides with 'by November'. Well I guess so!

 

Came here to say this.

 

Opening actually been pushed back a month. Selling it as a positive. 55555

[bermondburi]

14 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

How many times have they announced their plans to resume international flights?

And how many times did their plan fail.

 

Seems this announcement is made about every 3 months then quietly forgotten.

International flights never stopped. Just the frequency and viability of the route which is determined by the airline, not Thai government.

[TheFreqFlyer]

1 minute ago, bermondburi said:

Mandatory vaccination will be a precondition to fly on some airlines in the future, just as it will be for visas, and just as it already is for employment in some countries.

That's not a foregone conclusion. Mandatory vaccination is much more likely to apply to Thailand than western countries. Employment in some countries? Depends on the industry, but people are fighting back. It's not an across the board thing.

 

Also, medical exemptions will be accepted, though I can already foresee Thailand having a totalitarian "one size fits all" no exemptions allowed policy, like they do with PCR testing.

 

Thailand is the only country in the world that PCR tests newborn babies. It's criminal and a violation of human rights.

 

Most other countries don't test children younger than 3, or 5, or even 12 (depending on the country). 

[Captain Monday]

When will Certificate of Entry and required insurance covid-19 $USD 100,000 dollars be abolished?

[pookondee]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

More to the point is, how safe will a country ever be when their population is vaccinated by a 50% effective vaccine (even if they vaccinate 100% of the population)?

 

 

Well, hopefully, it might FINALLY sink in to people of all countries, that a huge number (is it still 99.5%?) of people recover from this virus with no major issues.

 

The idiocy right now is to many people seem to be carrying on as if this is a death sentance for one all infected.

 

And these are the same people who will quote figures from the past 12 months (say, in USA) and carry on as if no-one ever recovers and those figures are still somehow relevant.

 

People dont seem to fathom that the bulk of the infected numbers they quoted have now recovered and TRYING to get on with life.

 

That is TRYING to deal with all the silly over-reactionary stuff even AFTER they've beat the virus.

 

To crazy for words all this irrational fear.

[bermondburi]

3 minutes ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

"Very simple".

 

I never went through these procedures. If I were outside of Thailand, no way in hell would I go through this nonsense. I'm not insane. 15 nights imprisoned in a hotel, carted off to the hospital if you test positive. Must wear a mask throughout the flight. God no thanks. 

You said,"Yes - you need a COE, quarantine, health insurance, possibly a vaccination certificate, Covid free certificate and a ton of other hoops to jump through."

 

so what other hoops do people have to go through?

 

because like I said, obtaining the ...

 

1: Visa

2:ASQ booking.      

3: Insurance

4: C19 test.

5: CofE.

 

...... Was very simple.

 

maybe I'm a clever guy though. ????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pookondee]

32 minutes ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

 

Having looked at all the evidence and all, I now concur with you 100%.

 

Tourism is finished. Not just in Thailand but many other parts of the world. Certainly throughout South-East Asia and South Asia. The glory days aren't coming back. Nor are we likely to see border hopping backpackers, full moon parties, Indian wedding parties, free and unrestricted business travel using Bangkok or Singapore as a base. 

 

There are several reasons for this, including the penchant for control that governments have thanks to Covid. I don't see governments ever fully lifting all these restrictions. Tourists simply aren't going to come, if they have jump through a myriad of hoops then once they're inside the country, face childish restrictions like not being allowed to have a beer, or confusion over mask rules.

 

People go on vacation to relax and have fun, not be threatened or treated like a child. 

Sadly, one must come to the eventual realization that there is a world-wide war against fun, or more so, a war against any type of decent quality of life, not just Thailand.

 

Can it seriously be all just about a virus that the high 90%'s will recover from without any major problems??

[bermondburi]

6 minutes ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

That's not a foregone conclusion. Mandatory vaccination is much more likely to apply to Thailand than western countries. Employment in some countries? Depends on the industry, but people are fighting back. It's not an across the board thing.

 

Also, medical exemptions will be accepted, though I can already foresee Thailand having a totalitarian "one size fits all" no exemptions allowed policy, like they do with PCR testing.

 

Thailand is the only country in the world that PCR tests newborn babies. It's criminal and a violation of human rights.

 

Most other countries don't test children younger than 3, or 5, or even 12 (depending on the country). 

I wasn't referring to countries requiring mandatory vaccination, but airlines. Qantas, Singapore, and Emirates have all said they'll do it in the future. 

 

Some countries will undoubtedly require it for working visas etc, or to remain working in a country. There will be subtle pushes such as mandatory weekly PCR tests at your own expense if you don't, like in UAE right now. 

 

Western countries are small in number, and even in the good old bastion of democracy the UK, there are already companies with mandatory vaccination policies in place and this number will only grow. 

 

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.bbc.com/news/business-56113366.amp?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#aoh=16210792014015&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fbusiness-56113366

 

Agree with you that there will be medical exemptions..???????? Neglible number though so insignificant.

 

Why is a simple swab test inside the mouth on a baby criminal? 

[Magenta408]

I was going to say that the story changes by the day but I guess I will abstain. 

[sandhurstmolonski]

Ohhhh ...And I just want my pool open in May ....

If international is oppening , surely it's not too much to ask ..

 

Gee , all these people are going to have an awesome time , after quarantine 555555 . Nice thought , just a dream at this point .

[Rocking Robert]

30 minutes ago, bermondburi said:

Did it all when I came to Thailand in December and it was actually very straightforward, easy, and simple. 

 

1: Sent all docs to the embassy and arranged appointment time of my choosing within opening hours to apply for and collect the visa. Total time at the Embassy 20 minutes.

 

2: ASQ booking and insurance done online from the comfort of my sofa. 

 

3: C19 test done at local clinic

 

4: Got CoE 20 minutes after emailing it to the embassy.

 

What other hoops did you have to go through. I was actually very impressed by the response of the Thai Embassy and the Charge d'Affaires guided me through the process very clearly at every step. 

 

As for flights, the big 3 ME airlines are still doing daily flights now as they were 6 months ago. 

I had exact same experience as you

[bermondburi]

4 minutes ago, Rocking Robert said:

I had exact same experience as you

And yet the poster I replied to freely admits that he hasn't been through the process.????????