Will You Resume Your Travel To Thailand Once The Airport Opens Up?

[doczenith83]

I guess this poll is pretty straight forward.

Many of us were unlucky to have booked tickets during the closing of the airport. My flight was to leave on the 26th of November from Dubai via Bahrain with Gulf Air. When flights got canceled, I was immensely angered by the situation and that the Thai government sat so helplessly watching PAD destroy Thailand's image. Now I'm not a political expert, nor will I try to be one by discussing who is right or wrong. I want this post to not be about your long term trips to Thailand, but your IMMEDIATE travel choices after the airports reopen. There are rumors that the airport will open again on the 29th, I for some reason have a bad feeling and doubt it will open so soon, but if it does! Good news for sure.

I've lived in Thailand for a period of 8 months in 2006 for studies and traveled there twice a year since then and have been there through coup and unrest, etc... Bangkok itself seemed pretty lax and I'm sure it still is now in the event of the airport closure in many areas of town. However this situation is by far the worst I've seen in the past 3 to 4 years and if the police forcibly remove PAD from the airport, the situation may escalate and spread throughout Bangkok. I'm sure many of you will cancel your trips in fear that the unrest could spread throughout the main tourist and shopping areas. Basically making the whole of Bangkok a war zone. I know many of you doubt this will happen, so do I, at least I hope it doesn't.

I hope I described myself clearly!

Please feel free to share with us your feelings and what you believe will happen in terms of the situation. Please try to avoid political info as much as possible, whether PAD or Somchai resign or not is not the issue here! Keep it simple!

Regards,

Martin

Edited November 27, 2008 by doczenith83

[Mossfinn]

Yes, the wife is due to fly out on the 2nd Dec, I will now move that even if the airport is open, I am due out on the 9th, if it is open and it is not chaos, will go.

Moss

[tw25rw]

I arrive next Friday. Looking forward to it being nice and quiet.

[Kerryd]

I won't be travelling for awhile yet, but if I had been, H3ll Yes !

It would take a lot more than what is happening now to scare me off (though britmaveric dancing in a g-string might do it !)

[doczenith83]

Glad to see a multitude of replies. Its quite interesting to read your opinions. I'm really hoping this will blow over before the 3rd/4th December so I as well can resume my travel. I agree with you Kerryd, it will require full out civil war for me not to go.

[phaethon]

(though britmaveric dancing in a g-string might do it !)

[londonthai]

I have a flight out booked on 2.12 - will go on that date, even if there is some chaos airside.

I will cancell my xmas in thailand, booked a long time ago, yet before the credit cranch, if there would be any chance of further problems - I just can't risk loosing my work back home

[STEELINOX]

I was in BKK Dec 06 for the New Years festivities along with about a dozen friends, all who traveled to BKK from points across the USA; we were astonished to experience our new years plans unfold as a bloody rise of terror as bombs throughout the city blew up. We were all in taxis traveling to WTC for the start of the evening and we heard over the taxi's radio that the city was under attack with the bombings. We were closest to Victory Monument and decided to turn around and head towards Lumpini to regroup. We were at a restaurant near the park when we saw His Majesty on TV asking for calm; and in finding out more details that the evenings events were ALL cancelled.

Now I dont know about the rest of you, but the feeling was, holy crap ~ lets eat ! Since food was still being served and it wasnt like the town was on fire, so we had our own New Years Eve Party at this seafood place near Lumpini and ate like kings. I remember at least having the best meal, and then moving ourselves to the Marriott to continue.

Today, we are witness to something quite different and if I had tickets to BKK now, I would first have to listen to the State Dept's recommendation and based on that would determine wether or not to go. More than likely I would still go if the State Dept said it was ok. But I would wait til the airports re-opened.

Thanks,

Randy

[machlad]

I will definately travel as long as the flight leaves, If not I will try to get my ticket transfered to KL or Sing and assess the situation when I reach there maybe trying the train to Thailand.

BUT

I will not plan anymore trips for a while until things are well and surely settled.,

[hammockwoman]

i am sitting in a hotel room in taipei writing this -- i was in transit to bkk monday evening (or tuesday evening once i crossed the dateline from the states) and the connection in taipei was ready to board when the announcement was made about the airport being closed. we were taken to hotel #1 where we spent the rest of that night, a long long day, and another night. the airline still holds our passports and luggage, so i'm not on day five of the same clothes, and we are not allowed to leave the hotel. yesterday the hotel where we were needed to kick us out for other reservatoins, so the airline moved us to another hotel, which is actually rather nice, but we're still prisoners in dirty clothes.

they told us last night they would be flying a "chartered" plane into another old airport that is now military, south of bkk. but i have decided to return to the states, to the disappointment of many of my friends, but it simply feels like the right choice to make.

i lived in thailand 18 months in 2002-3, and spend 3-4 months a year in the land of smiles. i speak thai, and am comfortable wherever i go. my current base is chiang rai, which is a long trek overland. hanging out for several more days in bangkok hoping things quiet down and the domestic flights start again just does not sound like what i want to do. i come to thailand to relax, and i'm not thai, so i try to stay out of politics and even political opinions. this is, very obviously, not my fight, and i want to be safe and feel peaceful, so i surrender.

most of my co-hostages (as i like to call them ;^) are thai people returning home, or thais living in america who are coming to visit family. i wish them easy travel to get where they're going.

i look forward to coming in the spring, and send my thoughts for peaceful resolution of the conflict with the least amount of further damage to the thai economy, the huge cost to the airlines and travel businesses, and the international reputation of a country i love very much.

[BusyBee123]

for me i've travelled a lot to thailand but it is a trek and on the distance limits of a 2 week holiday which i normally take at any one time, if i was a backpacker or a retired person i would travel again without a second thought. However i'm not and this is a regular annoyance but no more than that but after these trips i will go back to india as it's a shorter distance shorter jet lag and full of the same beautiful people and food(in its own right) as has thailand. I will travel again as i've booked in feb and april already but what has changed over the last year is this bullshit loss off face and pacifist <deleted> thais seems to pride themselves on, that has been lost forever for me. The food will always be the best in the world but there are far better places to travel to and cheaper too which is a bonus.

[Rinrada]

Herd of Buffalos never stopped anyone..........

[thaiholiday]

I'm flying there in 2 weeks - fingers crossed!!

I'm still going because I've booked and paid for everything ages ago!! I have to admit that the airport situation is my only concern. I'm Thai living in Australia and I go home every year and I know for the fact that there are still so so so many places that you can escape this political craziness!

I've checked with friends and family in Bkk and everyone said everything in Bkk is absolutly NORMAL! People still go crazy with shopping, all the bars still serve beers and the traffic is still jam!!!

Bangkok, here I come!!

[BusyBee123]

nah this is more the tipping point, the last few years i've tried to get people past the sex tourist generalisation of thailand which is prevalent around the world whether you accept it or not, this is the nail in the coffin of the undecided for me, nothing to do with herd mentality, thailand does not have the best beaches, scenery, sights..... just that perception it is a beautiful country which has been ruined over the last few years in my view

[BusyBee123]

enjoy your holiday thaiholiday it will be excellent

[doczenith83]

Getting some good results for this post! Glad to see many of you will try to head back! Sadly I'm in a time crunch. I have to be back in Vienna for Xmas holidays by the 14th of December. If I can't be in Thailand for at least 8 to 9 days, lets say by the 4th or 5th of December... I'm canceling it totally.. What a shame, and by the looks of it, I feel the airport will be shut down for a lot longer than the 29th of Sept. Not to mention what the repercussions will be IF the police decide to raid the airports in the next hours, what will PAD decide of doing next? Occupying MBK and Paragon? Lol. I'm not religious at all, but I hope by some magical hand or act of God, this all gets solved in the next 48 hours. I'm desperate to fly in to Bangkok, oh yes and I am very selfish as well at the moment... >

[RCR]

I voted "Absolutely!" I'm booked to fly in on 23 December. Hopefully everything will be back to normal by then. Once I'm in the country, I don't really care if I'm trapped there - I'm retired - as long as Thai Airways pays for my hotel and food.

[doczenith83]

I voted "Absolutely!" I'm booked to fly in on 23 December. Hopefully everything will be back to normal by then. Once I'm in the country, I don't really care if I'm trapped there - I'm retired - as long as Thai Airways pays for my hotel and food.

I think we have recently found out that Thai Airways will not pay for your hotel and food. No airline is liable for such costs unless the fault lies directly with the airline itself or it falls under the EU Airline Regulation. Meaning if your flights origin or destination is the EU, you may get compensation. Just google it EU Airline Regulation. However as I've been reading through this forum, I've read that many Thai Airways passengers were not given any compensation.

I'm sure the airport will be open by the 23rd of Dec!

[neverdie]

I have been enroute to Thailand in my small Cessna 350 aircraft, but unfortunately my radio has gone on the blink, again, anyway was due to touch down at Suvarnabhumi airport in approximately 30 mintues time, its now 1347 (local bangkok time), did someone just mention the airport was CLOSED???

Of course I always check my thai visa before making dodgy landings.....& I thought the broken up runway, the lack of decent toilet facilities and the possibility of a late night rape were the only issues at Suvarnabhumi!

[Addicted2Pattaya]

Booked everything for march, so they got 3 months to sort everything out !!!

[freitag1]

Unless there is a civil war I will fly next week.

[suegha]

I'm due to fly out on 22 december so I'm hoping everything will have calmed down by then, but you never know...

[MeShell]

I am suppose to fly out Dec. 1st, landing on Dec. 2nd (evening). Flying to Chiang Mai on the morning of Dec. 3rd. Does anyone know of any updates? Greatly appreciate any help that you can offer.

[Akamai]

Spent the Last eight Holidays in Thailand. Have booked for 20th December from London to BKK and hoping it will sort out by then.... though have no reason to believe it will.

If I cancel I will be down Baht 250K.

So I will get to Phuket somehow. If it's all still a Class 1 KlutterF*&$k and the police don't (police), the government cannot (govern) and the army is still sitting on it's hands then I will find a way via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. Will not a let a group of misguided, confused bananas ruin my vacation.

[doczenith83]

Haha i seriously think that if this all boils over and we all manage to get to BKK we should meet up and discuss our trials and tribulations over a nice cold Singha beer!

[Jupiter99]

I'm flying out from the states and supposed(?) to arrive in BKK on December 4. I'm still in contemplation. I cpuld go down to Sing. and hang with friends there (which i planned on doing later in the month) but I have a girlfriend in BKK and we were planning to go to Karon. Now I have to re-plan or cancel the whole trip. I've waited 3 long months to see her again and allotted this time from work to do it. I'm rather peeved about the ineptitude of the authorities and the selfishness of the opposing factions leaders. I love thailand and its people and it just breaks my heart to see the shambles it is.

[McFarang]

live in Phuket work in West Africa travel back and forth every month due back in BKK 4th Dec from CDG Paris with my old mum who is flying from Scotland and coming for Xmas and New Year.

If its not open by then will just go Paris Singapore Phuket even if its a couple days later and i have to pay 1st instead of biz class.

My home is Thailand now and there is no way I will spend any time in UK Civil War or not

[camo007]

I wish the answer was yes but sadly its now NO.

I can’t travel to Thailand as not only Qantas can’t get me out on Boxing Day as originally booked but I can’t get Insurance. My Company “Key Man” insurance will be void if I travel also. Many don’t realize that currently most insurance companies don’t cover the issues going on in Thailand. I can’t risk my insurance and I will not travel without reliable travel insurance.

I have a condo in Silom and many friends waiting for me but sadly I will not be coming this year.

[kurce]

Certainly will, ready to travel again for my bi-annual trip in April and heve no intentions of cancelling, unless of course between now and then it escalates to the extreme.

I chat to my girlfriend in Bangkok nightly, she says day to day life is normal, still work, eat, go out with friends, watch soaps (gotta love jungle girl ) and sleep. If she and her friends aren't concerned then there is no reason for me to be.

Cheers.

[doczenith83]

Seems like the situation is deteriorating, police and the army aren't doing squat and PAD are staunch in holding their ground. I think the airport closure will continue beyond the last date I have given for possible travel. I'm really saddened by all this and I guess I will have to wait to see my friends until April/May next year. Farrrck!