Seems perhaps sensible for check-in staff to ensure you are going to be able to get to the aircraft, ie get past immigration to the boarding gates in a reasonable time.

Is it possible some carriers do not want the hassles of a passenger failing to arrive at the gate and having to remove baggage.

Oh, in Bangkok I expect they're probably used to it.

BUT. If anyone needed another reason to NOT overstay ... 'Sounds like life is going to get more & more difficult for overstayers, and not sure that's such a bad thing.

I don't think this is anything new. Several times over the past few years at check-in in BKK I have had to explain why there is no permitted to stay until date in my passport so obviously they have checked for that.

I think it is similar to check-in for a flight heading to Thailand. Sometimes airline staff check for return/onward tickets or visa and sometimes not.

That is odd. I wonder what their protocol is for an over stayer?

Deny boarding? That doesn't make sense.

Hand over to Immigration where one is headed to next anyway?

Maybe they are just checking you have a re entry permit.

I had a similar experience flying Thai Air out of Melbourne, Australia, to Bangkok last weekend. At check-in the lady (Australian staff) asked me several questions about my passport, visa and 'return' air ticket. I explained I was on a Thai marriage extension with a single re-entry stamp. I had to show her the various stamps. I asked whether there was a new policy for people travelling to Thailand, but she said no, there was nothing new (I'm not so sure).

We had exactly the same thing happen to us. Showed her the METV visa and were questioned regarding length of stay and where our return ticket was.

After contacting a supervisor and conversing for a few minutes we were told no problem and that was it. Ve4y curious....

I had a similar experience flying Thai Air out of Melbourne, Australia, to Bangkok last weekend. At check-in the lady (Australian staff) asked me several questions about my passport, visa and 'return' air ticket. I explained I was on a Thai marriage extension with a single re-entry stamp. I had to show her the various stamps. I asked whether there was a new policy for people travelling to Thailand, but she said no, there was nothing new (I'm not so sure).

We had exactly the same thing happen to us. Showed her the METV visa and were questioned regarding length of stay and where our return ticket was.

After contacting a supervisor and conversing for a few minutes we were told no problem and that was it. Ve4y curious....

Young and inexperienced Check in Staff cannot be expected to know everything about visas etc which is why Supervisors are available to those who ask politely.

edit to correct typo