Government restricts local and foreign air travel for officials



BANGKOK: -- Local and foreign travel on planes by government officials will be restricted from now after the cabinet yesterday endorsed an amendment to a legislation regarding expenditures of officials on official travels.

Economy class is now mandated for all levels of government officials in local travels, while foreign travel for high-ranking officials will be restricted to economy class in case of air travel time is less than nine hours.

Government spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the restriction on local and foreign travels was approved by the cabinet under the government’s policy to curb expenditures for government officials on air travels.

He said under this new restriction, all levels of government officials must travel on economy class on local travel by planes, a change from the earlier business class.

In case of foreign official trip, first class travel will be permitted only for travel time exceeding nine hours for top government officials at the level of director general or inspector general, or provincial governor, ambassador, deputy permanent secretary, he said.

Lower executive level officials will be allowed on business class travel for travel distance exceeding nine hours.

Foreign official trips with travel time less than nine hours, all top government officials are required to travel on economy class, the spokesman said.

He said the new legislation also mandated local administration organisation and state enterprises to apply the same restrictions as the central government on local and foreign travels for their executives.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/163608


-- Thai PBS 2016-05-17

look like more things start going into the right direction now

Yes, well there is economy , ie lowest fare available , and then there is economy Y, ie full fare economy which is about the same cost as discounted Business. There will be scrambling to organise guarenteed upgrades for those travelling in the latter. The bills will show economy but the passenger will be up the pointy end.

The regulation should require cheapest fare or cheapest flexible fare rather than (the open to rorting ) economy.

There should also be a requirement that frequent flyer miles are pooled to be used for official travel rather than be retained by the individual

To complete the picture, officials of government-owned enterprises should face the same rules.

Has anyone told the EC commisioners yet whereever they are in the world 'studying'.

As ever it will be a question of what's said will happen versus what will actually happen.

Makes sense when you are using public )i.e. taxpayers') money - I worked for a local authority and had first class rail but it was taken away latterly - didn't bother me in the least, especially as I sometimes travelled with lower graded colleagues in second class anyway.

Prbkk's suggestion regarding pooling the air miles into a travel budget is well worthwhile. Of course this ruling, along with many others, will be overturned as soon as things get back to what is taken as normal here.

But all government people are still allowed free travel that is the problem. It is not a matter of first or economy, it is a matter of these people flying free whenever they want.

I would rank this directive well above the Phuket beach chair directive.

And this would actually fit under the heading of Systemic Reform.

Small steps.

I wonder if the nine hour time is purely "flight time," or total "travel" time which would include ground travel to the airport, flight check-in time, flight time to include layover(s) time, and maybe even destination airport to hotel time. The article did say travel time.

If the later as in total travel time, then I expect travel time to/from the airport will increase as person needs to drive slowly, could be a traffic jam, arrive really early, etc. Even increase the travel time by including a layover versus direct flight. Various ways to game total "travel" time.

Traveling Thai Airways for example they have an OPPSAT (oportunity space travel) arrangement available to selected pers i.e monks and those more important types

An Economy booking is made, and when entering the aircraft, the selected lucky one is relocated to the better seats in First Class, as there are always a number of seats left vacant in the seating quota on every flight

While the PM and his entourage have just left for Russia,driving I suppose.

regards worgeordie

Ambassadors travelling economy...

But I suppose they will leave booking to the last minute when all economy tickets have been sold.

May be better that all travel should be organised by one office where the best deals could be negotiated.

They have always paid for economy, but use their positions to get free upgrades

Traveling Thai Airways for example they have an OPPSAT (oportunity space travel) arrangement available to selected pers i.e monks and those more important types

An Economy booking is made, and when entering the aircraft, the selected lucky one is relocated to the better seats in First Class, as there are always a number of seats left vacant in the seating quota on every flight

That's why long time ago I decided to never use Thai Airways again.

I don't like other people getting for free what I have to pay dearly

Edited May 18, 201610 yr by sweatalot

LOL. The doors are slowly closing on Thailand. Next vacation hot spot? North Korea!!