Thai authorities overwhelmed - Airline leaves passengers standing in Zurich

[heiri007]

Auto-translate from Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger 

https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/edelweiss-laesst-passagiere-in-zuerich-stehen-531152304262

 

Thai authorities overwhelmed

Airline leaves passengers standing in Zurich

Passengers despair at the formalities surrounding the entry form: Those affected report that they were unable to board their flight in the first place.

 

For Manuel Simon (name changed), the long-awaited dream vacation in Thailand has become a nightmare: At Zurich airport, the airline Edelweiss won't let him on board because he can't show a QR code for his "Thailand Passport". This document has been required since the beginning of November so that foreign tourists can enter the popular vacation destination without restrictions in Corona times.

 

Edelweiss stands firm, the plane to Phuket takes off without Simon. It is Sunday, November 7. The following day, the vacation should have begun in the faraway country. Simon discovers that other passengers also share his fate.

 

The entrepreneur from the canton of Zurich, who does not want to be mentioned by his real name in this article for fear of harassment for upcoming trips, no longer understands the world. He had applied for the passport in time and submitted the necessary documents on the Internet.

The website certifies that he has successfully registered for the document, as shown by screenshots obtained by this newspaper. But Simon's passport has not been assigned a QR code.

 

Simon desperately turns to the passport hotline in Thailand and by phone to the Thai embassy in Bern. He can't get through to either of them. He also writes an e-mail to the embassy with an urgent request to organize a QR code for him.

 

Because on the following Wednesday, three days after the first planned flight, there would have been another possibility to fly to Thailand with Edelweiss. The vacation would then have been somewhat shortened. But at least he would have been able to relax in the sun and by the sea.

 

Embassy takes its time with answer

 

Simon did not receive an answer until Tuesday of last week. The embassy had no control over the registration system and therefore could not assign QR codes. However, the request was forwarded to the responsible authorities in Thailand. And so it happened that Thailand fan Simon remained in Switzerland on Wednesday.

Edelweiss confirms the practice of not even allowing passengers without a valid "Thailand Passport" to board. "We are aware of cases in which we have had to turn away passengers because of this, which we regret," says a spokesman for the airline. Edelweiss does not reveal how many people have been affected by this since the introduction of the new entry rules in Thailand.

 

Passengers on flights with Swiss - which flies to the capital Bangkok in Thailand - are also urged to have all the necessary documents with them. "Quite generally, we are not allowed to transport passengers if they do not meet the entry requirements," says a spokesman for the airline. Airlines therefore recommend that passengers apply for the necessary travel documents in good time.

 

It is also advisable to have the documents with you in printed form. "Certain countries have a hard time with digital proofs," Edelweiss says. In addition, there are pitfalls with digital documents in practice: empty battery, no Internet connection, defective smartphone.

 

Major tour operators are equally aware of problems with the "Thailand Pass". "Kuoni and our Asia specialist Asia365 are observing that individual teething problems are delaying the transmission of certain Thai Passports to travelers," says a Kuoni spokesperson. Meanwhile, the passports Kuoni has requested in recent days have arrived in time for departure, albeit some at short notice.

 

Travel insurance refers to "force majeure"

 

To the annoyance of the burst vacation comes still further Ungemach for Manuel Simon. His travel insurer does not want to cover the costs incurred, referring to "force majeure".

 

"Third party fault" is more accurate in this case, says Simon Sommer, expert for air passenger rights at the online portal Cancelled.ch. A distinction must be made between the failure of the Thai authorities and the airlines' General Conditions of Carriage (GCC), he said.

 

"The ABB of most airlines stipulate that the passenger is independently responsible for obtaining and carrying the documents that allow him to enter the country at his destination," says Sommer. If he or she is unable to do so - regardless of whether it is his or her own fault or not - the airline is authorized to refuse boarding.

Sommer advises passengers to thoroughly check the respective insurance conditions and, above all, the exclusions. It may also be helpful to talk to the insurer about goodwill.

 

The Thai embassy in Berne informs on request that in the meantime "many considerable technical difficulties have been solved". It is now possible to track the status of the QR code. So far, 206,131 people have successfully applied for the passport. The authorities in Bangkok were surprised by the rush, which is why the system was overloaded.

 

Manuel Simon is unimpressed by this answer. He is considering to sue the embassy.

 

[damascase]

You can’t blame the airline for denying boarding to a passenger without a QR code. The passenger in question shouldn’t even have tried - the outcome was extremely predictable,

[Mentors65]

Lucky i left from there with CoE a few Days ago...

 

Edited November 17, 2021 by Mentors65

[thaivisareader]

Manuel Simon has pre paid initial expenses for his dream vacay. That's all they wanted. You wouldn't have spent much here anyway. Not much is open. Good luck with your thai embassy lawsuit.

[Chivas]

The overall message is perfectly clear

 

Until Thailand drops all these restrictions from outset (bar Insurance documentation at immigration) than 98% are simply not going to bother with arriving in the first place

[Swiss1960]

That are the stories needed to attract quality tourists to book a vacation somewhere, but NOT in Thailand 

[treetops]

The only thing I take from this story is that Manuel Simon is too stupid to be allowed out on his own.  No wonder he doesn't want his real name used.

[OneMoreFarang]

A business refused a service because a required document was not supplied.

Is that news?

It's like going to a mobile phone shop without identification and then being surprised that they don't work with that document. 

[GeorgeCross]

19 minutes ago, treetops said:

The only thing I take from this story is that Manuel Simon is too stupid to be allowed out on his own.  No wonder he doesn't want his real name used.

you spelt "simple" wrong ????

 

[Jingthing]

Thailand tourism is not ready for prime time!

[bojo]

21 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

you spelt "simple" wrong ????

 

you're on fire.............................!!