Samui airport welcomes the first ever flight from mainland China

[spidermike007]

 

 

What about all the other airlines trying to get landing rights there? How did they get this? Why can't other airlines get this? What about the maximum flights in out that needs to be considered? How did they get around that?  Who and what are they paying for this privilege? How come for years this has not been possible and now all of a sudden it is?

 

 

 

Nobody seems to know. One thing is certain. No matter how much cash BA put up to build the airport, they should not be allowed to control it. It is a grievous error on the part of the government to allow this. A horrendous lack of judgment. Prayuth should wrestle control back from BA, and open it up to competitive airlines. BA should be compensated for money spent, but allowing them to operate this monopoly, and charge the prices they do for this route is a travesty at best, and a heinous offense at worst. Any additional airlines allowed to fly into this BA franchise airport is a good thing, and I welcome it.

 

Seems a bit harsh.

BA took the initiative and developed the airport so why should they had it over to the government now that it is a bit of a golden goose.

 

 

 

Because the government had neither the vision, nor the ability to see that BA was going to abuse its power, and break the public trust. It was built on land leased from the government, from what I understand. So, they have an obligation to make sure BA does not behave like a criminal organization. So, what do you do in a case like that, to protect the billions that have been spent on the five star resorts? You do what you have to do, to protect your investors, and your tourists. Taking over the airport would not be a rash thing to do. It would be a reasonable, and sensible thing to do. Pay BA a fair amount for what they have invested in it, and show them the door. No, allow them to continue landing there, but at rates that they would have to charge to compete with the more reasonable airlines. 

 

[Tropicalevo]

Personally I have no problem with Chinese tourists.

 

They come here. Keep themselves to themselves and just try and enjoy their break whilst spending what money they can afford. On the whole they are well behaved and polite. (With certain obvious exceptions - like the two rich twatts that beat up Jack in Soi Green Mango.)

 

Let me see - Europeans drinking/drugging themselves silly in the bars of Chaweng making lots of noise in the wee hours of the morning and then driving back to their places smashed out of their minds - or Chinese? No contest.

 

Oh, and by the way. I would estimate that person for person, the Chinese spend more money with the local businesses in their short stay here than a lot of the westerners that I see sitting on the steps of a 7/11 drinking bottles of Chang until they fall over and stagger home.

 

To avoid any criticism about racial profiling etc, I will say this. There are good and bad people in all nationalities. Thankfully, we see mostly the good here on Samui, but to say that a few planeloads of Chinese tourists is the end of Samui is a pretty dumb statement.

 

Yes - Samui is different to how it was 20 years ago. Thank goodness I say.

[Absolut]

 

Welcome, you quality tourists with your free visas in Lala-Land

My visa exempt has always been free, why is it such a big deal for the Chinese to get a free visa for a short holiday?
 

 
They are not given visa exempt stamps, they receive free 60 day tourist visas.

Yeah I understand that but I don't understand why so many people on TV seem to have a problem with it.

Visa exempt is in reality a 'free' 30 day tourist visa, so why do people keep mentioning the horror of a 60 day free tourist visa for Chinese when the absolute vast majority will be in and out in probably 2 weeks or less.

China is a regional partner for Thailand, to me it makes sense for them be afforded free tourist visas. Edited August 13, 2014 by Absolut

[Samui Coconut]

I am glad I do not live on Koh Samui!!

 

I am glad too

[96tehtarp]

 

I am glad I do not live on Koh Samui!!

 

I am glad too

 

 

I'm also glad to not live on Samui and it has nothing to do with Chinese tourists or the addition of 3 scheduled weekly direct flights from China.

[spidermike007]

The reality is, that Samui is getting busier, and busier all the time. Recently, I had to wait about 6 minutes to cross the ring road, due to heavy traffic. Since the number of flights in and out are regulated, I am not sure that opening the airport up to discount carriers will increase traffic to the island by much of a margin. This almost feels like BA RP. Sure, it will lower BA's profits. This is not my concern, on any level. It will bring in more budget travelers. I do not consider that to be an issue. Already the quality of tourists on Samui is not exactly something to brag about. So, who cares? For those of us who either live on Samui, or visit often, it represents a huge convenience. Hence the original statement about the governments moral obligation to wrestle control of the airport from BA, which has very obviously abused the honor it has been given. Abuse equals revocation of your rights. At least in my dream world. 

 

[outsider]

Mainlanders on Samui... there goes the island. Hope the pests stay there and don't spread to the mainland. Goodbye Samui.

[Rooo]

Nothing wrong with that. Variety is the spice of life.

[PoorSucker]

Mainlanders on Samui... there goes the island. Hope the pests stay there and don't spread to the mainland. Goodbye Samui.

I don't get it.
Are you mainlander or islander?

[outsider]

 

Mainlanders on Samui... there goes the island. Hope the pests stay there and don't spread to the mainland. Goodbye Samui.

I don't get it.
Are you mainlander or islander?

 

 

'Mainlander' is a slang/nickname for people from Mainland China. You may/may not have heard of it, but it exists. Don't worry, there's no ethnic slur to it whatsoever, so it's safe to use here in TVF.
 

[PoorSucker]

As an Islander we call everyone else mainlanders (except the highlanders)

To distinct the mainland Chinese we say PDRC.

[khrab]

 

What about all the other airlines trying to get landing rights there? How did they get this? Why can't other airlines get this? What about the maximum flights in out that needs to be considered? How did they get around that?  Who and what are they paying for this privilege? How come for years this has not been possible and now all of a sudden it is?

 

 

 

Nobody seems to know. One thing is certain. No matter how much cash BA put up to build the airport, they should not be allowed to control it. It is a grievous error on the part of the government to allow this. A horrendous lack of judgment. Prayuth should wrestle control back from BA, and open it up to competitive airlines. BA should be compensated for money spent, but allowing them to operate this monopoly, and charge the prices they do for this route is a travesty at best, and a heinous offense at worst. Any additional airlines allowed to fly into this BA franchise airport is a good thing, and I welcome it.

 

 

So British Airways built Samui airport. This is really new to me.
 

[spidermike007]

 

What about all the other airlines trying to get landing rights there? How did they get this? Why can't other airlines get this? What about the maximum flights in out that needs to be considered? How did they get around that?  Who and what are they paying for this privilege? How come for years this has not been possible and now all of a sudden it is?

 
 
 
Nobody seems to know. One thing is certain. No matter how much cash BA put up to build the airport, they should not be allowed to control it. It is a grievous error on the part of the government to allow this. A horrendous lack of judgment. Prayuth should wrestle control back from BA, and open it up to competitive airlines. BA should be compensated for money spent, but allowing them to operate this monopoly, and charge the prices they do for this route is a travesty at best, and a heinous offense at worst. Any additional airlines allowed to fly into this BA franchise airport is a good thing, and I welcome it.
 

 
So British Airways built Samui airport. This is really new to me.
 

Bangkok Air.

[96tehtarp]

 

So British Airways built Samui airport. This is really new to me.

Bangkok Air.

 

Bangkok Airways = PG

[Tropicalevo]

 

 

So British Airways built Samui airport. This is really new to me.

Bangkok Air.

 

Bangkok Airways = PG

 

 

Well done   and flights for Malaysian Airlines are MH or MY but we are talking acronyms.

 

eg Malaysian airlines is MAS and guess what. Bangkok Airways is BA (as most of us living on Samui know it.) Mind you, BA is also known locally as Bandit Airways sometimes. . Same acronym though.