Getting In To Thailand

[jayne123]

Does anyone know how easy it is to get a flight in to u-tapao from manila, KL, or singapore right now? Given the huge number of people needing seats to come out there must be a lot of available seats in.

[dumball]

My first stop would be at a travel agents , they seem to have a finger on the pulse of flights .

[RouxTheDay]

Does anyone know how easy it is to get a flight in to u-tapao from manila, KL, or singapore right now? Given the huge number of people needing seats to come out there must be a lot of available seats in.

After spending nearly the entire day working on this yesterday, I hope I can give you a little insight:

1. It is not possible to get into UTP direct from Manila. For that matter, even under *normal* conditions, it's difficult to get anywhere from MNL, so hey. My fiance has been stranded in MNL since last week, so you can rely on my information.

2. There are flights from SIN and KUL but they are difficult to get. For instance, if you want to use THAI, you must already hold a Thai ticket. And even then, good luck. Fiance is holding a Thai ticket, and tried to get on an inbound UTP flight from SIN or KUL, but all Thai would offer him was a flight to Phuket, which did him no good.

3. The easiest way we found into UTP was on an EVA flight from Taipei. If that connection works for you, give it a try. They are flying into UTP at least once daily, and possibly twice. You need to deal with EVA directly OR you need to get assistance from a travel agent. EVA has rescue flight information posted on its website. Note, however, that the flight times posted there are NOT accurate, and the flights cannot be booked online. If you cannot get through on the phone (extremely difficult), and if you do not have access to a reliable travel agent, try a hotel concierge. My fiance finally had great success with the assistance of a competent concierge at one of the 5-stars in Manila.

4. Cathay Pacific is also running daily flights from HKG into UTP, so if that hub works for you, try connecting thataway. Again, you need to deal directly with the airline or a travel agent.

5. Even if you get booked on a flight from SIN or KUL into UTP, be prepared for it to fail. Because those airports are the least distant from UTP, their flights have been getting turned away or cancelled whenever it's necessary to alleviate air traffic congestion problems. It's harder to turn away an inbound long-haul flight, so the ones from nearby get sent home first.

6. If you have the time, I strongly encourage you to consider flying into Chiang Mai. This was fiance's backup plan. Depending where you're coming from, some of your options for direct flights into CNX are Korean Air out of Incheon, China Air out of Taipei, and SilkAir out of S'pore. But there are reports that other major airlines are diverting some of their regular BKK flights to CNX to help rescue stranded travelers, so you might find new options by dealing with the airlines or a travel agent. Once you arrive in Chiang Mai, get a ticket on the overnight express train to Bangkok (departs something like 1700 and arrives around 0600). It will save you a lot of heartache, as the traffic and chaos around UTP is so bad, that's almost as hard to get out of there as it is to get in!

Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you want any of the specific information I was able to learn.

Edited November 30, 2008 by RouxTheDay

[rogerdee123]

For those desperate to get back home (to Thailand), you may also consider flying via Vientiane (via Vietnam or Cambodia). You can cross the river to Nong Khai and take the train to Bangkok or elsewhere.

[jayne123]

Thanks very much for your helpful comments. Things have developed so rapidly today, with luck it will be possible to get back into bangkok directly within a few days.

[Los78]

Anyone have an idea when the earliest flights back to Bkk will start? Tomorrow night?

[EvilDrSomkid]

Don't hold your breath about BKK starting regular service anytime soon. Like Roux said, try to fly into Chiang Mai. That's what a friends' wife did from the Netherlands. With China Airlines. They have a flight AMS-BKK-Taipei. BKK now switched to CM.

[WAERTH]

I did the same I flew AMS>CM (CNX). Busses that deliver pax from BKK to CM are willing to take you to BKK. Faster than the train (only 9 hours).