Phuket-bound Tourists Stranded In Bangkok

[longman15]

Well two airlines are now gone, and people should have booked flights prior instead of assuming they could easily get flights down to Phuket.

Pretty smug comment to what could be a huge problem for tourism and business's here I think.

Correct me if I'm wrong, though isn't It only a couple of weeks or so that some Airlines have either suspended flight's here, or have gone altogether ?

If so, I think this might have caught a number of people unawares - not being local or fully aware of the situation here.

I know this issue is not just a local issue but a Worldwide one and some holiday makers would of booked their International and Domestic flights well in advance, but I think this has and will affect the more ' casual ' traveller. People who like the freedom to make their decision as to where and when they go to in Thailand, once they're here. I know I used to always travel that way as I'd move on somewhere else dependent on the weather, special occasions, or if I simply got bored with a certain city / place, I'd move on. There's also business people who are affected by all this. For example: I was due to meet with someone here in Phuket this week, though as his first meeting in Bangkok was delayed and overran, by the time he got to the airport, no more flights available that day ( or the next ). He then simply didn't have enough time and had no choice to sit out another couple of days in Bangkok, before his scheduled flight back home to the UK.

I totally understand the situation with the airlines and the financial pressure they are now under, but it does seem something of a knee jerk reaction in parts as there is still plenty of demand for flights here - in fact there's no an obvious over demand.

Cutting down on ( too many ? ) scheduled flights per day / week and increasing the fares quite a bit to try and accommodate the extra fuel charges might have been better for all concerned, as it's a pretty scary mess at the moment.

I know this is a Global issue and many more Airlines are or will be affected Worldwide, though there is still a desire / need for people to travel and if they simply can't ...... !?

sorry to ask as I never fly anywhere at present. Arent there insurances??? several airlines closed and NO insurance to cover tourists????

Hi,

I guess some people might be covered via pre-booking on bigger Airlines / travel insurance etc.

Though the smaller airlines, ones going out of business at the mo. - I'd guess not.

Though the chance of being successful on any type of insurance claim here is pretty remote to say the least, not to mention all the hassle / paperwork / time involved should you try.

Though that's not the point of my original post.

My point is that people still want / need to travel and they should have the option to come to Phuket should they wish / or need.

There is plenty of demand, though now with this sudden shortage of flights, that option has ( for now ) been taken away for many people.

Everyone knew there were escalating costs, ( mainly higher fuel charges ) , though it's affecting business's everywhere - not just the airlines - so while other people / business's were aware of this and tightened their belts etc. ready for this - it seems the airlines ( excuse the pun ) had their heads in the clouds.

And the sudden and drastic way they've handled this, cutting back on flights / routes etc. doesn't help anyone - tourists - people with business's or work here - locals who want ( need ) to travel to see family etc. - and not least the airlines themselves, as I think if they were more ' aware or proactive ' towards this issue, some still might be in business and still be able to run decent schedules.

The days of cheap fuel are gone, are never coming back and are certain to go even higher - everyone seems to be aware of that 'cept for a few muppets who "run" certain airlines !?

If Thai Airways are going to ( need to ) put up their prices and I'm sure they will once some of the 'competition' is out of the way - Nok Air etc. could have done the same - as long as their prices were somewhat below Thai etc. - they'd still be considered a 'budget' airline.

Though we might baulk at first as the next ' budget price(s)' start to filter through, it's just a reality of what's going on in the World at the moment and sadly something that looks pretty set for us for years to come.

Just my thoughts ( long winded I know ) and opinion on it all.

[samuibeachcomber]

Well two airlines are now gone, and people should have booked flights prior instead of assuming they could easily get flights down to Phuket.

i dont think so,surely it would have been in thai airways interests to have put more flights on,that to me makes sense.If thailand want to lose tourists to other asian destinations then they are going about it the right way...............dumb not to take up the slack.

[samuibeachcomber]

Longman & Lorin- Thank you, cuz I agree.

And now for my lament; If only good rail links were in place......

who wants to take 18 hours to get to another destination on a 10 day holiday

[britmaveric]

Low Supply = High Demand = More Dosh

Not a win for the flyer, but certainly the airline.

[samuibeachcomber]

They can go to Samui

yep good idea.bangkok a/ways maybe expensive but they are reliable and have god service

[PoorSucker]

They can go to Samui

yep good idea.bangkok a/ways maybe expensive but they are reliable and have god service

And now they maybe can charge the same fare to Phuket as to Samui.

[samuibeachcomber]

are days of the cheap flights over?i hope not cos i just spent 10 hours getting back from krabi to samui via mini bus/ coach/ferry and finally taxi..................total cost 650 baht,should n't complain!

[chuang]

Phuket-bound tourists stranded in Bangkok

. I have no problem with money, it is just that there are no tickets to Phuket available for now at any price,” he said.

-- Phuket Gazette 2008-08-02

Well if money is not a problem why not charter a private jet..

[samuibeachcomber]

I feel sorry for businesses in phuket,its so typical of tourism in thailand(they dont plan,they dont forsee,and they dont take advantage of opportunities in the right way)tourists will start looking for other destinations,like cambodia,laos and vietnam,and thailand will suffer.It was very quiet in Krabi as it is in samui.and yet august is when europe and the uk take their holidays(factories and schools closed for summer break).mind you enough problems in the uk at the moment maybe people there cannot affod a holiday right now.

[Richie1971]

Good news for Pattaya!

Are you saying that Phuket bound tourists will find Pattaya a suitable alternative?

'Darling, our romantic holiday to Kata Noi beach has been postponed due to lack of flights but Pattaya is just as good.'

Pure class

[BusyBee123]

it is tough for the average traveller on a package holiday to get their heads around the cancellations, traveller numbers are down 20% anyway so it would be nice if the travel agencies and airlines kept in touch with their customers and let them know what was happening and at the very least gave them alternatives

[cloudhopper]

it is tough for the average traveller on a package holiday to get their heads around the cancellations, traveller numbers are down 20% anyway so it would be nice if the travel agencies and airlines kept in touch with their customers and let them know what was happening and at the very least gave them alternatives

Dream on....

[yulypis]

Hi everybody,

I need some help, I can't see the content of any of the forums...

I can't see anything but the title and the names of the repliers.

Can anyone help me?

Please email me the answers to [email protected] because I can't read it in the forum.

Thanks in advance,

Yuly.

[brahmburgers]

I never quite went along with the reasoning that airlines are folding due to high cost of fuel.

As long as there are customers willing to pay to get from A to B, then the airlines can charge accordingly.

If it gets to a point where clients arene't willing to pay the higher adjusted prices for flights, then I guess it's back to the horse and buggy.

Anybody want to start a biz making horse whips?

[BusyBee123]

it is tough for the average traveller on a package holiday to get their heads around the cancellations, traveller numbers are down 20% anyway so it would be nice if the travel agencies and airlines kept in touch with their customers and let them know what was happening and at the very least gave them alternatives

Dream on....

not sure what you mean but when you have a few kids to look after when on holiday the last thing you need is problems with airlines and flight bookings, my dreams do not involve airlines

[jpc8685]

Well, better doing it without Nokair.

I planned a 4 days trip on 15 june for departing to Phuket on 17/07 and return on 20/07.

3 days before they call me to tell me that the flight was canceled and put me on an air asia flight in the other airport at a different time of course.

1 day before, they call me in the afternoon to tell me that my return flight was canceled but they arrange return with a minivan.

Without any apolagizing of course and laughing on the phone because i was upset (stupid farang behaviour).

So I told them I want them to refund my credit card. Seems like they are used to that. They answer in 20 sec that my card will be refunded in 30 days but only 50% because the first flight was ok.... and hang up.

You call back... no answer or they let you wait and hang up every time. Till now no Email to confirm and no refund of course.

Low cost ???? It cost me 4800 Baht for the flight and I lost 3000 Baht for my hotel reservation.

Welcome to AMAZING THAILAND

[spacebass]

So everyone knows Thai business mentality short term gain long term irrelevant, so why do farangs write all the above? Time after time in fact all the time the farangs ignore what keeps Thailand an available place for the masses with flexibility, its complete lack of doing much that the average Joe can relate to.

TiT all that counts in analysis!!

[Sturbuc]

They can go to Samui

Sure: BKK - USM - HKT

[Felt 35]

Personally do I think it’s a bit on the step side nowadays to expect that an flight is available without any advanced booking, when arriving Bangkok from abroad.

That was something you with a bit luck could expect some 5+ years ago.

Regarding cancellation of flights and complete airlines stop flying it seems its all due to less demand. Since May I have returned to Phuket on three different flights from abroad and no one was even near half filled with passengers.

[petedk]

Good news for Pattaya!

Are you saying that Phuket bound tourists will find Pattaya a suitable alternative?

'Darling, our romantic holiday to Kata Noi beach has been postponed due to lack of flights but Pattaya is just as good.'

Pure class

Maybe not but there is a letter in Postbag (Bangkok Post) from a tourist who claimed he was on a trip around Asia and had booked a hotel in Phuket but on arriving in Bangkok couldn't get a flight to Phuket. Instead he went to Penang.

This is just one case that gets mentioned. How many others are there that don't get mentioned?

[Governor]

Has anyone driven from Bangkok to Phuket, if so how long does it take?

I suppose that a leisurely drive might be fun, but I doubt if it would be that leisurely though.

[anthonyu]

Has anyone driven from Bangkok to Phuket, if so how long does it take?

I suppose that a leisurely drive might be fun, but I doubt if it would be that leisurely though.

That answer depends...do you like to drive?

I've done the trip there twice and back once, and probably will never do it again. Parts of the drive are great and sceneic whilst in other parts you get stuck on a 1 lane road behind 10+ trucks. If you've got a sense of adventure and a lot of patience then go for it. Personally, 3 times is enough for me.

[sykdevil]

i think thailand needs a high speed rail system now! it would be good for it to run back and forth from bkk to south of thailand and bkk to chiang mai ... it would probably take around 4-5 hrs which isn't bad

[g00dgirl]

Has anyone driven from Bangkok to Phuket, if so how long does it take?

I suppose that a leisurely drive might be fun, but I doubt if it would be that leisurely though.

I have driven from Phuket to Bangkok and back a couple of times and the time it took depended mainly on the weather.

Heavy rain will slow you down a lot because of visibility, general slow traffic and the roads are not that great so the water often stands in the lanes and aquaplanning can be a real problem.

I never had a rain free drive, each time I had rain for at least half the way, for 5 hours or more, so my times would be very bad I wouldn't even quote anything as a reference.

Once I had a front tyre blow not long after going over some serious potholes at high speed so I was stuck half a day near Chumphon.

My Garmin Sat-Nav quotes 11 hours from the South of Phuket to North-East Bangkok, so if you leave from the North of Phuket, it would be about an hour less and also depending where in Bangkok you are headed, it would be less if you don't have to cross all the way through Bangkok. I would say 9 - 11 hours depending on starting and ending points in Bangkok / Phuket is doable if there is no rain and you only stop for fuel.

[LaoPo]

who wants to take 18 hours to get to another destination on a 10 day holiday

14,4 Million tourists to Thailand....

because the average tourist stays 9,66 days; but not all of them fly 18 hours, only a minority of the 14,4 million.

LaoPo

[barryofthailand]

High season gonna be one big mess this year with lack of flights....

With the increase in air fares world wide, and the increase in fuel costs, there might not be a high season this year. Frequent travelers might just forego their vacations and holidays to pay for their fuel for thier cars.

Barry

[JetsetBkk]

Has anyone driven from Bangkok to Phuket, if so how long does it take?...

Several times - 10 to 12 hours depending on vehicle/weather/time of day/traffic and, of course, stops for refreshments.

[JetsetBkk]

High season gonna be one big mess this year with lack of flights....

Nok Air is back at weekends now.

[lifeisrandom]

why dont they go to pattaya according to thai visa there is plenty to do there and its an amazing place culturally