Airline strands 300 Chinese tourists at Phuket Airport

[axact]

This place never ceases to amaze me.  Ask almost any Thai and they can't stand the Chinese.

 

The restaurant people hate the Chinese. They are running all over Chiang Mai University like ants firebombed out of their ant hills. The University makes them sign in.  And yet the Thai governement is advertising on Chinese TV to come to Thailand; the Univerisity just bought a few new trams to shuttle them around the university so they can take a few selfies in front of a retention pond full of dead fish and now the pseudo dictator is giving them free visas.

 

Yep, let's take care of the cheapest tourists and p..s on the ones who really spend the money.  Makes sense to me..

 

Bad manners, no manners, loud talking, throwing trash in the street. It's all good.  Amazing Thailand.  LOL

Firstly I do not see a lot of diference between Thai and Chinese tourists, they are both noisy but in terms of spend the Chinese spend plenty more and do not ask about price. Maybe the tourists you see are cheap Chinese but that is not the real picture.

 

If you want to talk about cheap tourists, well the country is trying to clear them out especialy the Farangs who work illegally....but of course according to TV posters this is wrong ? but ok to slag off Chinese ?

 

A country promotes location filming, that is bound to encourage tourists, look at what happened to NZ after Lord Of The Rings or Thailand from 'The Beach'. So a popular Chinese movie filmed around Chang Mai is bound to increase tourists numbers.

 

At last the Chinese do not generally come to Thalland for sex tourism purposes unlike Farangs...... Seems to me Chinese are a better bet than hard up Farang tourists and are growing fast numbers wise.

 

Whether you like it or not the Chinese are the future of tourism (currently some of the biggest spenders in London) so to claim they are cheap charlies is just so incorrect, neither do I find them anymore offensive than rude narrow minded Russians or Falang ThaiVisa moaners.

 

Of course you can always go to another country if your unhappy.................... Google for directions to your nearest airport.

[catweazle]

Didn't know that they are copying Boeings too...

[MobileContent]

Farang inbound tourism to Thailand is not that important any more and we should just get used to it that we are a minority in this country. I really wonder why every time a post is done about Chinese tourists you see those Anti Chinese comments.

[mesquite]

 

 

The Chinese are well compensated by free hotels, free tour, and most important of all, FREE VISA for Chinese offered by Prayuth.

 

I expect Thailand  to now  increasingly align itself with China and begin dissociating itself with  the west.   Plan accordingly.

 

 

A good start would be for everyone to ignore your attempted scaremongering.

 

 

I wish it was scaremongering. 

 

It's just good advice.
 

[joshuatdixon]

What happens of the situation makes the tourist overstay? The airlines advances the money for overstay fees or is it waived?

 

A few months back I was on a flight that was delayed to BKK. I called customer service and explained the situation of making me late for an appointment I had the day I was to arrive in BKK. They immediately booked me another flight on Thai airways. What's to stop the airline from doing the same? I would think it may even be cheaper than sending them on free tours and covering hotel costs.

[BlueSkyCowboy]

Interesting. A 170 seat aircraft and 300 stranded passengers. There is more to this than technical breakdown - which usually takes a few hours to fix or re-position and aircraft.

 

I wonder if O....T... is involved in this airline??
 

[Pinot]

 

The Chinese are well compensated by free hotels, free tour, and most important of all, FREE VISA for Chinese offered by Prayuth.

 

I expect Thailand  to now  increasingly align itself with China and begin dissociating itself with  the west.   Plan accordingly.

 

 

And you based this nonsense on what now?

[stevenl]

What's all the crap about free visas for Chinese. I have never paid for my tourist visas!
Get over it!

I presume you always enter visa exempt, because there has always been a charge for visa.

 

Agree with you though, why are people complaining about Chinese free visa when they themselves can enter visa free already for a very, very long time.

[stevenl]

 

 

 

 

 

I expect Thailand  to now  increasingly align itself with China and begin dissociating itself with  the west.   Plan accordingly.

 

 

A good start would be for everyone to ignore your attempted scaremongering.

 

 

Its not- have a look around at the facts and points he stated- its true that it is quickly headed that way.

 

 

What's the big deal about Visa? I am western farang with FREE Visa.

 

No you're not.

[Kru Baa]

 

The Chinese are well compensated by free hotels, free tour, and most important of all, FREE VISA for Chinese offered by Prayuth.

 

I expect Thailand  to now  increasingly align itself with China and begin dissociating itself with  the west.   Plan accordingly.

 

This is why the west is pushing for this ASEAN. They believe that if all these SEA countries are unified than they will be less vulnerable individually to Chinese influence. Will it work?

[wvavin]

Lets face it mates. The Chinese are wealthier than the west now!

[Wat dee]

Overstay! overstay! overstay!

"Warning warning warning

Fines fines fines

Black listing bla.......

Oh wait a minute, they're Chinese, we're kissing their ass,

We waive any fines and welcome back anytime."

Where are those who bleat they should have got the correct visa?

It is nice change for always kissing American ass.Warning may cause jealousy tantrums. 

[BestBitterPhuket]

The Chinese are well compensated by free hotels, free tour, and most important of all, FREE VISA for Chinese offered by Prayuth.

 
I expect Thailand  to now  increasingly align itself with China and begin dissociating itself with  the west.   Plan accordingly.

Anyone who knows China also knows that it is a bad idea.

[Wat dee]

 

 

The Chinese are well compensated by free hotels, free tour, and most important of all, FREE VISA for Chinese offered by Prayuth.

 

I expect Thailand  to now  increasingly align itself with China and begin dissociating itself with  the west.   Plan accordingly.

 

This is why the west is pushing for this ASEAN. They believe that if all these SEA countries are unified than they will be less vulnerable individually to Chinese influence. Will it work?

 

Don't know if it works. Comparing numbers and it seems last thing SEA needs is Western influence .

[webfact]

Chinese tourists left stranded at Phuket International Airport

PHUKET, 13 August 2014 (NNT) - Phuket Airport authorities are now helping more than 300 Chinese holidaymakers who have been left stranded at the airport due to technical problems of their flight.

According to the airport’s Fraud Prevention and Tourist Assistance Center, this group of tourists has been left behind the airport since August 10th by the City Airways airline operator. They were scheduled to return to Hong Kong after their holidays, but the aircraft that were supposed to pick them up broke down in Bangkok due to a technical malfunction.

Reports indicate that the passenger aircraft failed to meet international safety standards, making it unable to fly overseas to Hong Kong. However, the airlines did not take action to quickly designate a replacement aircraft to pick up the stranded passengers, causing the upset tourists to file complaints to the Chinese Embassy in Thailand.

Meanwhile, the airline has decided to solve the problem by dividing the stranded tourists into three groups comprising 100 people each at this point. The first group are put up at a hotel in Phuket at the airlines’ expense to wait for an available flight, whereas the second group is waiting at the airport for a connecting flight to Bangkok. The third group has decided to extend their trip in Thailand since no flights could be arranged at this point.

[nnt]2014-08-13[/nnt]

[RIJoe]

So group three has to pay their own way? I would think they are equivalent to the first group...


Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[thailand49]

Another start up airline on borrow money and borrow time, typical cutting cost by contracting out every phase of operation including maintenance! I've seen it done in the U.S. in the 90's and early 2000's at least in the U.S. you have someone looking over their shoulders. A time bomb ready to go off a potential death trap but I'm sure the flight attendants are young and hot?

[jakobvarming]

Thai Airways isn't much better.

 

I was stranded 39 hours in Manila back in 2010 and my latest flight from KL with Kwai Airways two weeks back ended with me being delayed 5 hours and rebooked to Malaysian Airlines - we were three passengers with CONFIRMED tickets who didn't get on the morning flight as the unprofessional company had overbooked the plane or they allowed some VIPs to take our seats.

 

Also when Thai Airways are late they ALWAYS announce it AFTER the time when they are late, not before. 

 

Lastly the staff can't handle problematic passengers as they all shy away from trouble.

 

Useless company.

[Lite Beer]

Flights booked to assist stranded Chinese passengers in Phuket
By Digital Content 
 

 

PHUKET, Aug 13 -- Thailand's Transport Ministry has arranged two flights of R Airline for the 300 Chinese passengers stranded at Phuket Airport bound for Don Mueang today, to await their next flight to Hong Kong.

Phuket Tourism and Sports Office representative Santi Pawai said that the 300 Chinese passengers were left at Phuket since Saturday, as their chartered City Airways Airline from Hong Kong has not been approved by the Thai Department of Civil Aviation to make the return flight as scheduled.

As the latest move, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has coordinated with the Permanent Secretary of Transport to set up flights for the stranded passengers.

The Transport Ministry has organised two flights by the R Airline to provide the Chinese travelers a return journey to Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, where they would wait for their next flight back to Hong Kong.

The first flight leaves Phuket at 12.55pm, while the second will depart at 5.25pm.

Once all the passengers return to Don Mueang, City Airways is responsible for booking their flights back to Hong Kong, and if all 300 passengers could not be put on a flight back to Hong Kong today, the airline would provide free accommodation for the passengers to wait for their flights the next day. (MCOT online news)

 

[tna]2014-08-13[/tna]

[tonypace02]

 

Interesting. A 170 seat aircraft and 300 stranded passengers. There is more to this than technical breakdown - which usually takes a few hours to fix or re-position and aircraft.

Maybe this company allow 130 people to stand for the flight  

 

They may have added overhead hand straps (at least in first class). It's not a very long flight.

[Maestro]

Removed an abusive post.

[HerbalEd]

Thank god I don't have the customer relations job of dealing with these Chinese tourists. They're not exactly the cheery type. 

[khunken]

Thank god I don't have the customer relations job of dealing with these Chinese tourists. They're not exactly the cheery type. 

 

I'd strongly suspect that any group left behind by a charter airline would not be a happy bunch. Loss of job earnings by not returning to work on time being a factor.

 

I've seen it happen in Europe - same problem, not enough replacement aircraft - with customers becoming violent. Far too many ignorant anti-Chinese rants on TV.

[arisaje]

 

The Chinese are well compensated by free hotels, free tour, and most important of all, FREE VISA for Chinese offered by Prayuth.

 

I expect Thailand  to now  increasingly align itself with China and begin dissociating itself with  the west.   Plan accordingly.

 

Why would you say that....just because 300 tourists are stuck here for 3 days?

 

Maybe you didn't realise that the majority of the wealth and controlling families here in Thailand are already from Chinese origin. That hasn't altered much in the past few hundred years.

 

I don't think anything will change much to be honest, what can China offer Thailand...they have everything they need in China including cheap labor. China are more interested in Myanmar and Vietnam because of their oil and gas reserves.

 

The Japanese with all their industrial might are the ones that associate themselves with Thailand more and more, due to the low cost of labor for all their products and logistically closer to the major shipping lanes to middle east and europe.

[gbswales]

 

What's all the crap about free visas for Chinese. I have never paid for my tourist visas!
Get over it!

 

Really? Pray tell how you get a tourist visa for free? 

 

 

The only time I was ever required to pay for a visa in advance was when I knew I planned to stay 40 days - other than that I have always just turned up at the airport and been  given a tourist visa stamp  and have never been charged - have things changed recently?  The only payment I recalled was the exit tax for tourists on return

[khunken]

 

 

The Chinese are well compensated by free hotels, free tour, and most important of all, FREE VISA for Chinese offered by Prayuth.

 

I expect Thailand  to now  increasingly align itself with China and begin dissociating itself with  the west.   Plan accordingly.

 

Why would you say that....just because 300 tourists are stuck here for 3 days?

 

Maybe you didn't realise that the majority of the wealth and controlling families here in Thailand are already from Chinese origin. That hasn't altered much in the past few hundred years.

 

I don't think anything will change much to be honest, what can China offer Thailand...they have everything they need in China including cheap labor. China are more interested in Myanmar and Vietnam because of their oil and gas reserves.

 

The Japanese with all their industrial might are the ones that associate themselves with Thailand more and more, due to the low cost of labor for all their products and logistically closer to the major shipping lanes to middle east and europe.

 

 

What can China offer Thailand? Many things.

 

Starting with no interference into whatever type of government the country has. Cheap labour? Yes that too as China rapidly (much more rapidly than Thailand) moves up the GDP & GNP chains, they will be looking to do exactly what the Japanese have done - manufacture & assemble goods here.

 

They have already offered Thailand their HSR (at a price) and Thailand is getting ready to link up to the Chinese rail system via Laos & later via Myanmar.

 

As you mentioned, most Thai businesses are owned & run by Thai-Chinese business people, some of whom have retained their family's Chinese (Mandarin?) speaking ability and are expanding into China. CP for example. It's a two-way exchange of businesses whereas the Japanese one is only one-way. 

 

IMO there's no doubt that Thailand and China draw closer due to ethnic, trading and tourism ties.

 

[EBlair48]

 

 

The Chinese are well compensated by free hotels, free tour, and most important of all, FREE VISA for Chinese offered by Prayuth.

 

I expect Thailand  to now  increasingly align itself with China and begin dissociating itself with  the west.   Plan accordingly.

 

 

A good start would be for everyone to ignore your attempted scaremongering.

 

 

 So please tell us how Thailand is reaffirming its relationships with the west and disassociating itself with China then?   Every time I read Bangkok Post I see about 5 articles that tell me Thailand is going toward China in way of  government and  most worrying, particularly  the new  attitude toward freedom of speech.

 

 The happiness crap of late is right out  the Little Red Book. The new Parliment has more military  in it than Burma's.  There's some interesting literature just out  on the new constitution which my comments about would be deleted.

 

Scaremongering , or the canary coughs?

[SaintLouisBlues]

 

The Chinese are well compensated by free hotels, free tour, and most important of all, FREE VISA for Chinese offered by Prayuth.

 

I expect Thailand  to now  increasingly align itself with China and begin dissociating itself with  the west.   Plan accordingly.

 

The symptoms of this should start showing up almost straightaway. English language schools in Thailand will be replaced by Chinese language schools. The tens of thousands of Thais who go abroad to study at both secondary and tertiary level to places like Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US - where of course they learn English - will start going to China for their education, and they will learn Chinese.

 

Or perhaps not. When in doubt, follow the money. I don't see anyone yet providing mass-marketing of Chinese language classes, do you?

[LivinginKata]

Profane post removed.

[EBlair48]

 

 

The Chinese are well compensated by free hotels, free tour, and most important of all, FREE VISA for Chinese offered by Prayuth.

 

I expect Thailand  to now  increasingly align itself with China and begin dissociating itself with  the west.   Plan accordingly.

 

The symptoms of this should start showing up almost straightaway. English language schools in Thailand will be replaced by Chinese language schools. The tens of thousands of Thais who go abroad to study at both secondary and tertiary level to places like Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US - where of course they learn English - will start going to China for their education, and they will learn Chinese.

 

Or perhaps not. When in doubt, follow the money. I don't see anyone yet providing mass-marketing of Chinese language classes, do you?

 

 

No I don't but I also don't think  it is relevant to a system of  restrictive governance that I see Thailand emulating.

  Hasn't China taken pains to teach its  higher educated  populace English, but it certainly isn't aligned politically and it certainly restricts information in that language, and its own. And we are seeing that increase alarmingly now in Thailand.

 

However you have posed an interesting question; I wonder if more Thais speak English or Mandarin?