350 British Tourists Cause Near-Riot At Bangkok Airport

[webfact]

Like 'the last days of Saigon': Angry and stranded, 350 British tourists cause near-riot at Bangkok airport

By Mail Foreign Service

BANGKOK: -- Hundreds of angry and frightened Britons left stranded in Thailand by the volcanic dust cloud today were battling for plane seats out of the country's capital.

Many were left to sleep on cardboard mats in Bangkok airport after their money ran out.

Some were also without a meal or roof over their heads because non-European airlines - including Thailand's main air carrier - declined to offer customers hotel accommodation which must be offered by air carriers under EU regulations.

The problems in Thailand have been exacerbated by a violent attempted coup being mounted on the streets of the capital by 'Red Shirts', supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, which have left more than 20 dead.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has urged people to avoid Bangkok except for essential travel and elevated it to the No 1 destination from which to repatriate British tourists.

Today an estimated 350 Britons clutching 'promissory notes' angrily crowded around check-in desks after they were refused permission to board flights. One British official described the scene as like 'the last days of Saigon'.

Shouts of 'Tell us the truth!' 'Give us the information' and 'Get us out of here' went up as crowds surged in the main departure area.

Story continues: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/...ok-airport.html

Source: dailymail.co.uk

-- 2010-04-24

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[PhilHarries]

The source puts it all in perspective.

I never realised that EU regulations applied in Thailand.

What are the international rules for the situation where a national airline cannot fly to another country for reasons that are beyond their control?

[Loaded]

I caught the 12:50pm Bangkok to Chiang Mai Air Asia flight yesterday and didn't see the scenes that the 'Mail' describe in the check in area.

Edited April 24, 2010 by Loaded

[edgarfriendly]

RIOT? LIES..

why lie?

why would TV STORIES be so fabricated? outrageous? plain crap.

Funk this , im going out to play in the rain.

ef

[LeungKen]

'

Shouldn't the source read "The Daily Wail"

[haveaniceday]

I am not 100% sure, but my understanding is when a particular air carrier, in this case Thai Airways the story was alluding to, when they get permission to fly as a regular scheduled service into a country, part of the licensing rules will have thing s assoiated with those flights. Eg, to get permission to fly Bangkok to LA the Americans can say, all flights will have XYZ security checks and insurance for ABC when on this route. The EU says that when a person buys a ticket to a destination that the EU has given Thai Airways permission to operate, that in the even of a CXL over a certain number of hours a hotel room will be provided and food. These condition also cover this end for people on those flights. If Thai Airways says Mai Pen Rai, that's ok, the EU can fine them or simply not approve them to operate on those routes. These are the conditions Thai have to provide or stop flying to Europe. Just like they had to update their aging fleet to fly to Europe and other western countries that will ban of fine them so heavily in the coming years due to carbon controls. Again, simple, if Thai doesn't get new planes then they cant operate into EU.

I expect that the EU will fine Thai Airway Millions of Euros over this, and if they dont pay, they will ban them, like over 60 other airlines at the moment. Amazing Thailand. It's not like there is a shortage of hotel room in BKK at the moment like happened in Singapore.

(Edit) I don't know this news paper, sounds like tabloid trash though. Also, the BBC has been doing some pathetic bias reporting in the last year, (external to Thailand stories) that Fox, North Korea state TV and CNN would even be proud of !!!! I have actually found Al Jazeera English to be more reliable than the BBC now.

Edited April 24, 2010 by haveaniceday

[draftvader]

Sadly our "illustrious" BBC was playing the sensationalist card as well on this one....desperate for viewers rather than representing intellectual coverage of the news....Al Jazeera here we all come

[draggons]

I left for Singapore on the 14.25 yesterday and was in the airport from about 12.00 onwards. Never saw any sign of a problem.

"the last days of Saigon" ?????????????

[LennyW]

Sensationalist journalisim at it's best!

[Redsunset]

I am beginning to trust TWITTER and FACEBOOK more than mass media.... people are LYING to sell stuff and gain recognition.

[roiethome]

I did'nt realise that the ousted PM had so much influence to get western media to fabricate such events. Probably was just a few louid mouths who did'nt know better. I hardly think repatriation is even a remote thought at the moment.

[chadintheusa]

If you can't get the flight you want just sharpen some bamboo and pile up some tires and someone eventually will give you what you want.

[eurasianthai]

I actually was there a few hours earlier and the French almost started a riot also, they had to call the airport security.

They made the people queue from one counter to another one from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and at 11 p.m they annouced, sorry the flight is full, nobody on waiting list can leave today.

And there must have been about 2000 very tired stranded passengers in front of the counters at that time.

Edited April 24, 2010 by eurasianthai

[somtom]

I'm one of these stranded passenger but fortunately a calm one not joining the Brown shirts at the airport. My flight was cancelled Tuesday night by my Asian airline and the earliest guaranteed return seat Ive been offered is May 5th - two weeks later. My airline have a waiting list for getting people back earlier if seats are free but it's long. They tell us it's better to stay at hotels and not go to the airport.

I'm lucky enough to know Thailand, to have a local SIM with Internet access and have relatives here - so dealing with this situation is easy enough for me. I'm staying at a £20 a night hotel in On Nut (with pool), keeping updated with the web and not going near the reds (except our airline office is in Silom). Staying longer here is great in some ways but still not ideal. I'll overstay my visa and the Thai gov are only waiving the fees until the end of the month so that's no good for me. My travel insurance will only pay £15 a day up to £250 which is hardly cover for 2 weeks is it? Plus my work will make me take more of my annual leave AND send me work to do here.

But I'm in a better situation than others Ive met and frankly far more clued-up. Most people are tourists needing to get back to university exams or jobs who have no way of keeping up with events except texts their Daily Mail reading mums are sending them everyday. Imagine that! The news they're getting is so wrong half the time that they must be in such confusion. Outside the EU they have to pay their own way while they wait to be rescheduled. Most don't know this so are camping at the airport or airline offices feeling unjustly uncared for. "Mum back home says it's a right!"

Still, despite the hardship and stress it does annoy me the way my fellow Brits act in these situations and Ive seen it myself at the airline office this week. We've adopted this culture in the UK in the last 15 years of "He who fusses the most gets the most back". I hate this attitude and it's so far from Thai ways it's a recipe fo disaster.

I doubt it's a near riot like the last days of Saigon (stupid journo) but I can see how 500+ people stressed out and trying to make the biggest fuss to 30 Thai girls is not a good situation. It only took 2 rude Australian ladies to queue-jump the hour wait at our airline office to nearly start a protest movement.

(the other topic was locked so I thought I'd post my perspective on this here)

[kevbap]

NEAR RIOT ! now there's a buzz word for you.

Maybe the Thai's could learn something from 'our' 'near riot' !

joking aside the European press has never been kind to Asia, something about spending our Euro's outside of Europe, me thinks.

I personally have two very friends 'stranded' here, one's gone to Samui to, and i quote 'get out of Thailand' ! and the other is swimming in his pool drinking gin and tonic.

Both have businesses in London and they need to be back there, but they both said 'no planes, what can we do?'

[givenall]

'

Shouldn't the source read "The Daily Wail"

How many times we are told don’t believe what you read on internet

[Bobr]

No handouts? I find it difficult to have sympathy for people who travel without money or other resources such as a credit card or someone at home who can wire them money. I flew in from Singapore on Thursday and most of the "tourists" I saw sleeping in the airport or walking aimlessly around looked like low class trashy types who spent all their money while on the other side of the World, the same type of alcoholic sex tourists who ruin Songkran in Pattaya with their drunken low life behavior. Running out of money far from home is not a very intelligent thing to do. The "danger" in Bangkok is also greatly exaggerated since the confrontation is happening in a very small part of a large city. When the EU comes up with silly laws requiring airlines to reimburse passengers for incidents which are not the airlines fault, such at this, it only drives up the cost of travel. Also the sad reality of business is that there is little reason for the airlines to show "loyalty" to these economy class passengers since most will fly any carrier that happens to have the cheapest price on the day they want to go.

[Nio]

I am not 100% sure, but my understanding is when a particular air carrier, in this case Thai Airways the story was alluding to, when they get permission to fly as a regular scheduled service into a country, part of the licensing rules will have thing s assoiated with those flights. Eg, to get permission to fly Bangkok to LA the Americans can say, all flights will have XYZ security checks and insurance for ABC when on this route. The EU says that when a person buys a ticket to a destination that the EU has given Thai Airways permission to operate, that in the even of a CXL over a certain number of hours a hotel room will be provided and food. These condition also cover this end for people on those flights. If Thai Airways says Mai Pen Rai, that's ok, the EU can fine them or simply not approve them to operate on those routes. These are the conditions Thai have to provide or stop flying to Europe. Just like they had to update their aging fleet to fly to Europe and other western countries that will ban of fine them so heavily in the coming years due to carbon controls. Again, simple, if Thai doesn't get new planes then they cant operate into EU.

I expect that the EU will fine Thai Airway Millions of Euros over this, and if they dont pay, they will ban them, like over 60 other airlines at the moment. Amazing Thailand. It's not like there is a shortage of hotel room in BKK at the moment like happened in Singapore.

(Edit) I don't know this news paper, sounds like tabloid trash though. Also, the BBC has been doing some pathetic bias reporting in the last year, (external to Thailand stories) that Fox, North Korea state TV and CNN would even be proud of !!!! I have actually found Al Jazeera English to be more reliable than the BBC now.

Please don't suspect and hypthosize over a field you no nothing about.

I expect that the EU will fine Thai Airway Millions of Euros over this, and if they dont pay, they will ban them

Do you research and find out how many passengers the EU is sending here to Thailand versus Thailand is sending to EU each year

Thailand is the cash cow destination for many EU airlines and will never be fined or banned

Airlines and economics. The airlines will never do anything to hurt the bottom line any more than it is already hurting

Do you honestly think the EU would risk Billions of Dollars in travel business to Thailand over 350 stranded tourists?

If you stranded yourself in any worldwide destination with no cash, ATM, credit card that tells me these are the kind of travelers the airlines could care less about.

Running out of money in a foreign country?

If you are that broke, why are you traveling in the first place?

[Xonax]

why are people with no money going on vacation?

and why dont they bring a few credit cards for emergency situations. Were these Cheap Charlies really so stupid to travel and get drunk for their last pennies??

The airport is not a nursery and neither a hostel. Let them sleep in the parking lot, not in the departure hall, so they are not blocking the way for travellers with valid tickets.

Why am I not surprised that those Cheap Charlies are Britons?

[phutoie2]

From the good ol Beeb

Here

[Andyman]

No handouts? I find it difficult to have sympathy for people who travel without money or other resources such as a credit card or someone at home who can wire them money. I flew in from Singapore on Thursday and most of the "tourists" I saw sleeping in the airport or walking aimlessly around looked like low class trashy types who spent all their money while on the other side of the World, the same type of alcoholic sex tourists who ruin Songkran in Pattaya with their drunken low life behavior. Running out of money far from home is not a very intelligent thing to do. The "danger" in Bangkok is also greatly exaggerated since the confrontation is happening in a very small part of a large city. When the EU comes up with silly laws requiring airlines to reimburse passengers for incidents which are not the airlines fault, such at this, it only drives up the cost of travel. Also the sad reality of business is that there is little reason for the airlines to show "loyalty" to these economy class passengers since most will fly any carrier that happens to have the cheapest price on the day they want to go.

Couldnt agree more, too many people expect hand outs for nothing.

[KKvampire]

Thai airways are an incredibly corrupt badly run airline, fact is if they operate flights to EU they are obliged to offer flights and compensation.the same goes for EVA. Thai Airways is up to its ears in debt and only a government bailout would save it and that aint coming yet, just another reason not to visit Thailand the hel_l hole .

Edited April 24, 2010 by KKvampire

[Nio]

No handouts? I find it difficult to have sympathy for people who travel without money or other resources such as a credit card or someone at home who can wire them money. I flew in from Singapore on Thursday and most of the "tourists" I saw sleeping in the airport or walking aimlessly around looked like low class trashy types who spent all their money while on the other side of the World, the same type of alcoholic sex tourists who ruin Songkran in Pattaya with their drunken low life behavior. Running out of money far from home is not a very intelligent thing to do. The "danger" in Bangkok is also greatly exaggerated since the confrontation is happening in a very small part of a large city. When the EU comes up with silly laws requiring airlines to reimburse passengers for incidents which are not the airlines fault, such at this, it only drives up the cost of travel. Also the sad reality of business is that there is little reason for the airlines to show "loyalty" to these economy class passengers since most will fly any carrier that happens to have the cheapest price on the day they want to go.

I agree 100% with this.

[ozzieman05]

Thailand has caused its own big mess

But please do not blame them for something that has nothing to do with Thailand

No wonder thai's mistrust Farang

[vicco]

No handouts? I find it difficult to have sympathy for people who travel without money or other resources such as a credit card or someone at home who can wire them money. I flew in from Singapore on Thursday and most of the "tourists" I saw sleeping in the airport or walking aimlessly around looked like low class trashy types who spent all their money while on the other side of the World, the same type of alcoholic sex tourists who ruin Songkran in Pattaya with their drunken low life behavior. Running out of money far from home is not a very intelligent thing to do. The "danger" in Bangkok is also greatly exaggerated since the confrontation is happening in a very small part of a large city. When the EU comes up with silly laws requiring airlines to reimburse passengers for incidents which are not the airlines fault, such at this, it only drives up the cost of travel. Also the sad reality of business is that there is little reason for the airlines to show "loyalty" to these economy class passengers since most will fly any carrier that happens to have the cheapest price on the day they want to go.

Very good post and right on the money (no pun intended) These people come from a culture of entitlement...they have grown up without being made responsible for anything.

I was stuck in Tokyo for 3 days when the PAD occupied the airport in 2008. I had flown in from Vancouver and was just dumped at Narita along with thousands of others from many different airlines. I have to say that the much maligned Thai Air were very helpful and found me a nice hotel room (at aircrew rates!) None of the other passengers I chatted with over the next few days received any help for their carriers. There were people there who did not have the resources to stay in Tokyo hotels so I'm not sure where they ended up. People have to smarten up and realize that the airlines will not and cannot afford to babysit them when things go wrong that are beyond their control. If you don't have money...stay home. It was annoying, frustrating and quite expensive.. but that's life sometimes. We did not have any riots...but then there were no British tourists there, maybe that explains it...

[DP25]

same, same in that paper... so-called "Western journalism"... phfft

Western "journalists" in Thailand are constantly desperate to have their stories published and will basically write complete and utter sensationalist fabrications to get noticed. No one really cares about or is interested in Thailand in the outside world so it is a constant struggle for them to get printed.

And given how cheap Thailand is I have difficulty understanding how they can't afford 500 baht for a hotel or 30 baht for a bowl of noodles.

[somtom]

same, same in that paper... so-called "Western journalism"... phfft

Western "journalists" in Thailand are constantly desperate to have their stories published and will basically write complete and utter sensationalist fabrications to get noticed. No one really cares about or is interested in Thailand in the outside world so it is a constant struggle for them to get printed.

From my run-in with British papers, I'd blame the editor rather than the journalist. Editors love cross-over stories like this one which bring together two different recent stories that every other paper had thought couldn't be done from any other angle.

When my friend wrote for the Daily Express in 2006, the Editor specifically asked for his journalists to try and come up with a Sudoko/Dieting cross-over story.

[Declan]

I AM AT THE AIRPORT ALMOST EVERY DAY AS THAI AIRWAYS INTERNATIONAL IS MY MAIN CUSTOMER. "NEAR RIOTS" COMPLETE GARBAGE.

COME ON GUYS, DONT START THE SAME TYPE OF BULL_ _ _ _ AS THE THAI PRESS.

[siampolee]

Diversionary tactics via the fourth estate.

Lucky that the Brits were not Millwall fans !!!

Edited April 24, 2010 by siampolee

[safeandsound]

You would get more sense from a patron to the Den then some of the crack pots residing here.