Visa restrictions force Thais to spend night at German airport

[webfact]

Visa restrictions force Thais to spend night at German airport
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- SIXTY THAI nationals who were forced to spend a night at Frankfurt Airport in Germany are scheduled to arrive on board Thai Airways International Flight 921 this morning.

THAI said yesterday that the Frankfurt-Bangkok TG923 was meant to depart on Tuesday at 9pm local time but was cancelled because of some technical problems.

Since no flights are allowed to take off or land at Frankfurt Airport between 11pm and 5am, the 106 passengers and 20 crew members had to stay overnight. Some of them were provided full room and board at Sheraton Airport Hotel.

However, the visas of 60 Thai nationals expired on Tuesday, and so they were not allowed to leave the airport and were forced to spend the night in the transit area.

THAI provided them with meals, food coupons and blankets, and they were put on the next flight to arrive this morning.


-- The Nation 2014-05-01

[Patje]

Now they get the experience of feeling welcome , same same

[rkidlad]

Visa restrictions and cancelled flights

[skippybangkok]

I don't get it, visas are valid for a period ie one month. How can this happen based on a fee hours ?

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[doctorproc156]

I don't get it, visas are valid for a period ie one month. How can this happen based on a fee hours ?

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

I'm guessing they were leaving on the day their visas expired.

[JAS21]

I don't get it, visas are valid for a period ie one month. How can this happen based on a fee hours ?

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

Maybe they were having a months holiday ... visas run from the date that they are issued ... run out is run out, bad luck.

[skippybangkok]

Yeh. Thx.... Maybe on tour and over run visa.

I initially thought it was upon their arrival. Maybe I shud read more carefully

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[daveAustin]

Something tells me if this had've happened here, lots of people would be on overstay and fined despite remaining in departures

[White Christmas13]

Thai citizen need a schengen visa for Germany and you are not allowed

to leave the airport unless they have a airport transit visa which has

to be obtained before travel

[geriatrickid]

TG was rather generous in regard to the Sheraton. It is the most expensive of the 3 at the airport. I was just at the Hilton Garden next to the Hilton. 89 euro for a decent room and a peaceful view over the forest. It was as good as the BKK Novotel which costs more. this is the benefit of flying TG. Had it been a LCC , everyone would have been on their own.

FRA is an expensive airport to layover in, but oh how I love it. It's a wonderful airport. Clean and organized and friendly customs/immigration. No forms to fill and off you go. Took me 3 minutes to clear immigration. Hello- how long will you stay, well ok , have a nice stay all with a smile and I don't have an EU passport. For all the bad stick Germany gets, they have polite immigration and customs people. BKK could learn from that. If one was to be stranded, I suppose there are worst places to be than clean and safe FRA. At least they clean the lavs in FRA and it doesn't stink of piss like at LAX or CDG. I shudder what would have happened if my flight from FCO Rome would have caused a delay. Another dirty nasty airport.

[Confuscious]

It sucks when some other country outside Thailand (aka "the world") start to apply their Visa rules on the good, honest and faithful Thais.

Guess a lot of Thais will complain to their amulet provider once they arrive in Thailand.

[jacko45k]

Err... rather than blaming the Germans, what do Thai have to say regarding the technical issues?

Sixty were leaving pretty much the same day their visas expired... rather coincidental.

These things happen.....

Second thoughts..... well of course Germans do not need visas for Thailand, perhaps Germany should return the status. I wish the UK would, it would make my life easier, I would rather eat dirt than deal with the British Visa service.

Edited May 1, 2014 by jacko45k

[Mentors]

Bravo Germany.

[Sydebolle]

Well, in Thailand they would have been faced "overstay" which would either mean being thrown into the slammer or pay up.
Just wait for the local papers having a field day on this. Possibly the actual fault is:
a) the carrier to cancel the flight - for whatever reason

not flying out the passengers on alternative services (as most Europeans do in such a case)

c) the travel agent who did a "just-in-time-job" with the visas
The crew was covered by the "General Declaration" or GenDec which allows visa-free passing while on duty. 46 passengers made it to the Sheraton and with an able station manager they could have arranged collecting all passports for the night by the German immigration (done so in other countries)

d) did Thai eventually think of start saving money by putting their fellow country people into misery and save on the hotel expenses?

We'll never know the whole story - again ;-)

[Lupatria]

If THE NATION would write 12 lines every time foreigners were harassed, fined and falsely accused of 'overstay' the print edition would have 12 more pages and their web portal would need bigger server...

[chotthee]

It sucks when some other country outside Thailand (aka "the world") start to apply their Visa rules on the good, honest and faithful Thais.

Guess a lot of Thais will complain to their amulet provider once they arrive in Thailand.

This is exactly why I do not visit Germany.

Could top think of it, there isn't many country I can visit, apart from Peru, Brazil, and a few others.

[smileydude]

Rules are rules and despite inconveniences they need to be strictly adhered to.

Thats what makes a big difference between developed and underdeveloped countries.

I don't know how often it happens around the world but airports might consider providing capsule hotels for such cases.

[stickylies]

I don't get it, visas are valid for a period ie one month. How can this happen based on a fee hours ?

single entry visa for shengen. they got stamped out when entering non-shengen departure zone of german airport. technically they left shengen. doesn't it work like that?

[NanLaew]

Something tells me if this had've happened here, lots of people would be on overstay and fined despite remaining in departures

Something tells me that you are totally ignorant of Thai Immigartion laws or, more likely, are aware that it is normal for Thai Immigration to waive the first day (24-hours) of any overstay and you are just so happy to have had a Thai bash, albeit a p!ss poor one.

[captspectre]

Visa restrictions and cancelled flights

there is only ONE person to blame! not the germans, not the thai tourists! but Thai Airways who ghas let their airlines deteriorate to such and extent that they break down! Thai has degenerated into a third word airline and NO ONE should be dumb enough to fly Thai "smiles" don't think there were very many smiles that night! YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

[Richard Hall]

Rules are rules and despite inconveniences they need to be strictly adhered to.

Thats what makes a big difference between developed and underdeveloped countries.

I don't know how often it happens around the world but airports might consider providing capsule hotels for such cases.

May I ask, are your German? At least you sound German.

Life needs to be TUEV certified in Germany. Not my world. That's why I eventually left the country. A bit too overdeveloped as this thread proves as well.

Pragmatism or call it the middle way is always the wise approach rather than strictly adhering to any rules except one wants to enslave oneself. The Germans are masters in this discipline. No, not pragmatism I mean enslaving themselves.

[Pattaya Pat]

What an amazing story.

WOW!!

[dddave]

TG was rather generous in regard to the Sheraton. It is the most expensive of the 3 at the airport. I was just at the Hilton Garden next to the Hilton. 89 euro for a decent room and a peaceful view over the forest. It was as good as the BKK Novotel which costs more. this is the benefit of flying TG. Had it been a LCC , everyone would have been on their own.

FRA is an expensive airport to layover in, but oh how I love it. It's a wonderful airport. Clean and organized and friendly customs/immigration. No forms to fill and off you go. Took me 3 minutes to clear immigration. Hello- how long will you stay, well ok , have a nice stay all with a smile and I don't have an EU passport. For all the bad stick Germany gets, they have polite immigration and customs people. BKK could learn from that. If one was to be stranded, I suppose there are worst places to be than clean and safe FRA. At least they clean the lavs in FRA and it doesn't stink of piss like at LAX or CDG. I shudder what would have happened if my flight from FCO Rome would have caused a delay. Another dirty nasty airport.

One of the few airports where I want to have an extended layover.

The Lufthansa Star Alliance lounge there is one of the best. First class private shower rooms, fully supplied with soaps, lotions and shaving gear, a dorm style room where you can nap on a real bed, very comfortable lounge area with a wide variety of seating choices and an endless supply of very decent food and beverages; including great sausages

[mrblue]

I'm not german, but I come from europe, and I would rather live in a well organized society instead of this "joke" that is thailand...

they can change their mind according to their mood and (mostly) to their benefit in a blinking of an eye!

"pragmatism" or "the middle way" can be acceptable, but the truth is that in this country there is not even the seed of middle way

[lee b]

If visas are expired or not valid, there is no entry. Simple the Germans were doing there job. 1 night at the airport, not the end of the world now is it...

[marko kok prong]

I wonder what they gave them to eat,and how much,like every two hours or so as seems to be the case inThailand.

[tingtongteesood]

Hahaha, I had a problem once with my visa and I couldn't deal with it for 4 days because all government offices were closed. When they reopened I was forced to pay 4 days overstay beccause ''Rules are rules''. It sucks they overstayed because the planes screwerd up, but ''rules are rules''.

[MantisMan]

"Some of them were provided full room and board at Sheraton Airport Hotel."

Something tells me it was the staff in those rooms and not the passengers.

How nice of them.

[Charlie1]

Happened to my (Thai) wife years ago in Munich. Upon leaving, the plane was broke and another plane could be provided only the next day. As her Schengen-Visa had expired the same day, she got a visa (or permit to stay, can't remember) for that one night, was brought to a nice hotel and finally departed the next day.

Nothing to blame on the Germans, It's all depending on the airline. That's for sure!!

[stickylies]

1 night at the airport, not the end of the world now is it...

mai bpen rai-attitude works in germany too.