Airlines alerted to Thailand’s new regulations for ‘Test and Go’, ‘Sandbox’ schemes

[jacko45k]

16 hours ago, baboon said:

In other news, British Airways will not be serving Bangkok until at least October 2022, basically on the grounds that they can't be ar$ed with the ever-changing regulations. Can you blame them?

They made the same decision wrt Hong Kong too didn't they? BA just looking for excuses.

[jojothai]

16 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

I hope they have also included the travel agents in this memo ....................LOL

Its not just travel agents. Hotels are booked through some of the biggest websites.
Whether notified or not, Agoda have recently sent to me the advisory below FYI. Good to see they are on the ball.

I have a return to Thailand booked with hotel, and wait to see what the clowns next act is. 

 

From Agoda

Dear valued customer,

Hope you are excited about traveling to Thailand! As you prepare for your trip, we wanted to share some recent updates made by the Thai government regarding entry to Thailand.

On 21 December 2021, the Department of Consular Affairs/Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Thailand Pass registration for Test & Go and all Sandbox programs (except for Phuket Sandbox) would be suspended from the following day.

If you registered for your Thailand Pass QR code before 22 December 2021 and are approved, you will be allowed entry into Thailand through the program for which you applied. However, new health control measures will be introduced. You can get the latest updates on these changes from the Tourism Authority of Thailand ( https://www.tatnews.org/).

If you were unable to register for your Thailand Pass QR code or if your application is rejected, you will need to contact Agoda’s customer support team to rebook your stay in compliance with the latest regulations:
Travelers to all destinations in Thailand except Phuket will require a pre-paid Alternative Quarantine booking for 7, 10, or 14 nights (8, 11, or 15 nights if arriving between 6:01PM and 12:00AM) depending on your vaccination status and country of departure
Fully vaccinated travelers to Phuket who plan to visit other destinations in Thailand will require an SHA Extra+ booking for at least 7 nights (8 nights if arriving between 6:01PM and 12:00AM)
Our agents are standing by via phone or email to help assist you in navigating these sudden changes. Kindly reach out to us as soon as possible to ensure you have the appropriate booking required to enter Thailand.

Note: Please be aware that due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, rules and regulations regarding entry to Thailand are often being reviewed or amended to adapt to the changing circumstances. These changes go into effect immediately once published in Thailand’s Royal Gazette.

Have a great trip, and thanks for letting Agoda serve your best journeys!

Best regards,
Agoda Customer Experience Group
 

[alphonse]

17 hours ago, baboon said:

In other news, British Airways will not be serving Bangkok until at least October 2022, basically on the grounds that they can't be ar$ed with the ever-changing regulations. Can you blame them?

Apparently it was because there were not enough First/Business class travellers to make it viable.

 

The income from Economy class passengers for long haul flights just cover expenses. Profit is from the amount collected from those turning left.

 

The 'pay more' passengers on BA to Bkk flights are notoriously thin on the ground.

[alphonse]

1 minute ago, alphonse said:

Apparently it was because there were not enough First/Business class travellers to make it viable.

 

The income from Economy class passengers for long haul flights just covers expenses. Profit is from the amount collected from those turning left.

 

The 'pay more' passengers on BA to Bkk flights are notoriously thin on the ground.

 

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, alphonse said:

The 'pay more' passengers on BA to Bkk flights are notoriously thin on the ground.

Hardly surprising.. they have to make the product attractive. My last BA flight was in Biz and it was very poor, the difference to say Emirates, Etihad or Qatar marked. 

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, smedly said:

not sure what this has to do with airlines

The airlines are responsible for the check-in procedure at departing airports.

The have to abide by any criteria that the destination country ask for. 

[Swampy999]

17 hours ago, smedly said:

not sure what this has to do with airlines

Might have something to do with the fact the airlines are the ones bringing people here ????????

[sungod]

17 hours ago, baboon said:

In other news, British Airways will not be serving Bangkok until at least October 2022, basically on the grounds that they can't be ar$ed with the ever-changing regulations. Can you blame them?

Is Thailand the only country in the world that changes travel regulations at the moment?

[Karma80]

16 minutes ago, alphonse said:

Apparently it was because there were not enough First/Business class travellers to make it viable.

 

The income from Economy class passengers for long haul flights just cover expenses. Profit is from the amount collected from those turning left.

 

The 'pay more' passengers on BA to Bkk flights are notoriously thin on the ground.

Must be all those high-quality tourists....????

[arithai12]

16 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Does anyone have a link to what guidance airlines have been given?

 

Concern being that they may have been  told to look for full prepaid quatantine even among oeople already approved for T &  G

Good question. I am afraid only the CAAT has that info, however one could ask a specific airline in the country of departure. For example, I checked what the Emirates site has to say about entry requirements to Thailand. It's a very detailed, very long page, and it does distinguish between T&G, Sandbox, Quarantine, and all the different countries of applicability. I pity the poor check-in employee who has to verify each case!

[Reigntax]

17 hours ago, smedly said:

not sure what this has to do with airlines

Because if the airlines allow a passenger to enter a country without the correct documentation they are responsible for returning the passenger to the original departure destination.

 

This was the same situation pre Covid

[khunjeff]

48 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

18 hours ago, smedly said:

not sure what this has to do with airlines

The airlines are responsible for the check-in procedure at departing airports.

The have to abide by any criteria that the destination country ask for. 

The very valid point that @smedlywas making is that essentially nothing has changed as far as the airlines are concerned: if you have a valid QR code from Thailand Pass (and contrary to what another poster implied, the code can easily be verified by anyone with a smartphone, no special app or software required), you can enter. The fact that Thailand has halted issuance of future Thailand Passes under Test & Go is irrelevant to a carrier looking at one that has already been issued. 

[khunjeff]

17 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Does anyone have a link to what guidance airlines have been given?

 

Concern being that they may have been  told to look for full prepaid quatantine even among oeople already approved for T &  G

The actual NOTAM (which, incidentally, stands for Notice to Airmen, not Notice to Air Missions...) doesn't appear on the websites of the CAAT or Aerothai, but some access requires registration and a username and password, so maybe it's there but hidden.

 

This seems to be yet another in a long series of pandemic-related publicity grabs by CAAT, since it appears to be entirely for public consumption and not for actual use by airlines.

 

CAAT's Facebook post on the subject is about the most "official" information they've released to the masses, and it essentially says nothing other than recapping the recent news about TP and then finishing with "In this regard, CAAT has urged all airlines to inspect, scrutinize, and strictly monitor documents. including requiring the airline to notify passengers to strictly comply with such revised measures" - which is just useless blather.

 

https://www.caat.or.th/th/archives/62138

[ThailandRyan]

2 hours ago, jojothai said:

Its not just travel agents. Hotels are booked through some of the biggest websites.
Whether notified or not, Agoda have recently sent to me the advisory below FYI. Good to see they are on the ball.

I have a return to Thailand booked with hotel, and wait to see what the clowns next act is. 

 

From Agoda

Dear valued customer,

Hope you are excited about traveling to Thailand! As you prepare for your trip, we wanted to share some recent updates made by the Thai government regarding entry to Thailand.

On 21 December 2021, the Department of Consular Affairs/Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Thailand Pass registration for Test & Go and all Sandbox programs (except for Phuket Sandbox) would be suspended from the following day.

If you registered for your Thailand Pass QR code before 22 December 2021 and are approved, you will be allowed entry into Thailand through the program for which you applied. However, new health control measures will be introduced. You can get the latest updates on these changes from the Tourism Authority of Thailand ( https://www.tatnews.org/).

If you were unable to register for your Thailand Pass QR code or if your application is rejected, you will need to contact Agoda’s customer support team to rebook your stay in compliance with the latest regulations:
Travelers to all destinations in Thailand except Phuket will require a pre-paid Alternative Quarantine booking for 7, 10, or 14 nights (8, 11, or 15 nights if arriving between 6:01PM and 12:00AM) depending on your vaccination status and country of departure
Fully vaccinated travelers to Phuket who plan to visit other destinations in Thailand will require an SHA Extra+ booking for at least 7 nights (8 nights if arriving between 6:01PM and 12:00AM)
Our agents are standing by via phone or email to help assist you in navigating these sudden changes. Kindly reach out to us as soon as possible to ensure you have the appropriate booking required to enter Thailand.

Note: Please be aware that due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, rules and regulations regarding entry to Thailand are often being reviewed or amended to adapt to the changing circumstances. These changes go into effect immediately once published in Thailand’s Royal Gazette.

Have a great trip, and thanks for letting Agoda serve your best journeys!

Best regards,
Agoda Customer Experience Group
 

+1, received the same Agoda  email for my return booking which lays it all out quite well.

[worrab]

19 hours ago, baboon said:

In other news, British Airways will not be serving Bangkok until at least October 2022, basically on the grounds that they can't be ar$ed with the ever-changing regulations. Can you blame them?

Not true. Passenger numbers have dropped significantly so as it is a code shared route, Qatar now have the Bangkok to London Heathrow route via Doha until at least October 2022. 

Eva Air have also cancelled all flights from Bangkok to London Heathrow for Jan, Feb and March 2022 because of low passenger numbers not making it viable.  

[Rimmer]

A baiting post and a reply have been removed

[Mansell]

18 hours ago, poskat said:

so what are the new regs?

 

do the tourists now have to have a 7 day reservation at an approved hotel

in which they are jailed until their 2nd test comes back neg?

 

I was planning to go the the usa over xmas/NY

but didnt due to having a hard time finding affordable flights

 

I am glad I am not heading out of here now

 

hello, phuket....

“Jailed in a hotel!” Obviously you’ve never been in a jail or you wouldn’t make such an asinine comment.

[Mavideol]

18 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

The Saudi authorities control the Haj so it was their decision. Perhaps they are not panicking. They are experts in the mass movement of people and contagion. I was there during the MERS Crisis, Swine flu epidemic and the Avian flu outbreak.  The Saudis can be ruthless and effective administrators

and when convenient they can chop you off in small pieces and bag you out, that's how ruthless they are  555

[brucegoniners]

Pretty soon no international airlines will fly to Thailand. We may have to fly to Vietnam to get a decent flight.

[The Hammer2021]

19 hours ago, baboon said:

Thai bashing? What, the UK haven't been changing their rules and regulations frequently too, causing a nightmare for the airlines? 

I am just saying I don't blame any airline flying between the two countries just to throw up their hands and say '<deleted> this for a game of soldiers'.

The comment I referenced was aimed at Thailand not the UK. The Thai bashers only ever criticize Thailand omitting the fact that all countries are changing their rules and procedures. This selective criticism is unbalanced.

[The Hammer2021]

4 minutes ago, brucegoniners said:

Pretty soon no international airlines will fly to Thailand. We may have to fly to Vietnam to get a decent flight.

You do understand the contradiction in your statement..lol

[The Hammer2021]

47 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

and when convenient they can chop you off in small pieces and bag you out, that's how ruthless they are  555

Your point is?

[ThailandRyan]

6 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

The comment I referenced was aimed at Thailand not the UK. The Thai bashers only ever criticize Thailand omitting the fact that all countries are changing their rules and procedures. This selective criticism is unbalanced.

Again your view that the truth is Thai bashing.  

[ThailandRyan]

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

They made the same decision wrt Hong Kong too didn't they? BA just looking for excuses.

It is after all based upon restrictions being put in place that have reduced those that would be booking anywhere including coming to Thailand so why loose money by flying with few passengers.  Doing the math and such other actuarials has given them what they needed to make the decisions.

Edited December 23, 2021 by ThailandRyan

[spidermike007]

11 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I thought the news-blip was rather straightforward.

 

The replies on the other hand, mostly completely irrelevant, and obviously from people who didn't read what the policy changes actually are, not that it would affect them anyway, unless they planned on utilizing the T&G scheme.

 

Doubt very much if it's a major surprise to any of the airlines, and they'll quickly adjust.

 

It really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.  Only surprise was Thailand once again, opened back up, and again, paid the price for it.  

 

   

How on earth do 70 cases of Omicron and no deaths from it, qualify as paying the price? 

 

It feels like cowardly over reaction, to the extreme. 

[smedly]

3 hours ago, khunjeff said:

The very valid point that @smedlywas making is that essentially nothing has changed as far as the airlines are concerned: if you have a valid QR code from Thailand Pass (and contrary to what another poster implied, the code can easily be verified by anyone with a smartphone, no special app or software required), you can enter. The fact that Thailand has halted issuance of future Thailand Passes under Test & Go is irrelevant to a carrier looking at one that has already been issued. 

exactly, it might be different if they were to cancel existing issued passes but that is not what they are doing 

[KhunLA]

30 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

How on earth do 70 cases of Omicron and no deaths from it, qualify as paying the price? 

 

It feels like cowardly over reaction, to the extreme. 

For a whole year, they kept the country closed to tourist.  And death count under 100, then opened, and now death count in the 1000s.  Probably just a coincidence, if you believe in such things.

 

Nothing to do on Omicron.

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Your point is?

that they are ruthless 555

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

How on earth do 70 cases of Omicron and no deaths from it, qualify as paying the price? 

 

It feels like cowardly over reaction, to the extreme. 

The price seems to be being forced to lock up shop again. Cowardly is not the word I would use..... 

[KhaoYai]

I just hope they've given the airlines the correct information. When my wife flew back to Thailand in October, we had a hell of a fight with KLM who's interpretation of the rules was completely wrong.