Airport And Curfew

[andaman4]

Willl people arriving at the airport tonight be able to get into town with the curfew or will they have to sleep at the airport?

[IPMI]

Hi

You can leave airport to downtown even it is not advisable at this time.

At the security check point (by army) you may be required to present your passport & traveling document such as boarding pass or etc..

Check with airport information center about area you should avoid..

Good Luck.

[Mario2008]

Given the situation, it might be advisable to find a hotel near the airport and travel to Bangkok during the day. There is no telling what will hapen to night.

While it seems to be OK to travel to and from the airport if in possession of passport and proof of a ticket, it will be a major problem to find transportation.

[Mario2008]

The airport curently has a help center for stranded passangers because of the volcano asshes:

yesteday press release: http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/detail_news_70_en.php

Suvarnabhumi Airport is using the Basement (Floor B1) of The Passenger Terminal Building to accommodate the stranded passengers choosing to stay at the Airport.

Mr. Nirandra Theeranartsin, the General Manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT), explained that since the closing of northern European airspace on Thursday, caused by the dangerous clouds of ash from the eruption of an Icelandic volcano, 115 flights to and from Suvarnabhumi Airport have cancelled (from 15th -18th April 2010). Many passengers have been stranded and around 200 of them, mostly foreigners, chose to remain at the airport. Therefore, to provide as much assistance as we can and to accommodate stranded passenger needs, the airport has set up Suvarnabhumi Airport Assistance Center at the basement floor B1 of the Passenger Terminal Building. This floor is currently not in-used, as it is the floor linking the Airport Link station. The facilities provided include 24-hr Information Counter, Notice boards for airline updates, Food and Beverage desk with tea, coffee, drinking water, sandwiches and ready-to-eat meals, 20 (free) internet stations, power sockets for charging mobile phone and laptop computer, televisions screening news channels, and blankets and chairs for passengers wishing to rest. The Assistance Center will remain opened until all the stranded passengers can fly-out. For flight enquiries, passengers should contact their airlines directly or Suvarnabhumi Airport 24-hr Call Center at 0-2132-1888.

[wpcoe]

This is part of an e-mail sent by the U.S. Department of State Warden last night:

Warden Message: Curfew Announced Throughout Thailand

May 19, 2010

This warden message alerts U.S. citizens traveling to and residing in Thailand that the Royal Thai Government through the Center for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) has announced that a curfew is in place from 8:00pm to 6:00am starting tonight, Wednesday, May 19. This curfew applies to the Bangkok metropolitan area and to all Thai provinces under the State of Emergency (see details below). Early morning flights may be impacted because of the curfew and the inability of crews and passengers to arrive at the airport before their scheduled flight. If you will be flying out of Bangkok in the next several days, we recommend that you confirm your flight with your airline before you leave for the airport. Reports indicate that troops have authority to shoot on sight in response to acts of inciting unrest. American citizens should maintain a low profile and refrain from nighttime outside activity until the situation improves.

[Taggart]

Advice from the British Embassy in Bangkok:

"The Thai Government have said that travel to and from the airport is permitted in curfew hours provided you are able to show officers at checkpoints your passport and airline ticket. However, in view of the risk of violence, we advise any British nationals currently in Bangkok to remain indoors during the curfew period. If you need to travel to the airport, we advise you to do so outside the curfew times even if this means starting your journey earlier than planned."

[JimGant]

Out of curiosity, any evidence flights (particularly early morning ones) are being delayed because aircrews are being affected by the curfew? Any evidence some passengers are also missing these flights due to curfew?

Real life, my flight will get into BKK around midnight. Normally, our nephew picks us up, but we plan to scratch that in lieu of a cab. Are the cabs running per normal? If not, is there a real scarcity of available cabs around midnight -- and arriving passengers are having to wait until the curfew ends to get a cab?

Thanx.

[321niti123]

Passengers can get there, they just have to present a passport and a boarding pass. Anyways, the CRES already announced that anyone with a late night job, e.g. airport can go to work if they can provide evidence that they work at the airport, although there will be a lot fewer taxis during curfew time and you might just have to take an airport limo if you dont have your own car.