Singapore-based airline Scoot, a low-cost carrier, announced its intention to expand its services into Cambodia and Laos.

 

Currently, Scoot has scheduled flight services to 65 destinations including Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand.

 

The company said that it has plans to include flights to Cambodia and Laos over the next few years, depending on market demand. It is also looking to finalise potential new routes to Thailand by next year.

 

source http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/singapore-carrier-plans-fly-cambodia-laos

 

 

-- © Copyright Phenom Pen Post 28/07

We can see the trend already. The airlines from other regional hubs are beginning to see that tourists might not want to fly through Bangkok because of visa restrictions - I mean, what would you do if the Thai immigration officer does not let you through to catch your Thai Smile or Air Asia flight to Laos or Phnom Penh because after all it is at his/her discretion or maybe you did not think you should have 20,000 baht in cash.

 

You cannot just connect straight through onto Air Asia or Thai Smile because they are point to point airlines and therefore do not accept checked through baggage. Maybe you forgot to print out your electronic ticket to prove to immigration that you are flying out within a few hours. Bad luck - now you go back to where you came from, no doubt with the airline fighting to get the money for the last-minute high-priced ticket out of you.

 

So better fly via Singapore, KL, Hong Kong or Hanoi, to mention a few alternatives to Bangkok, where they don't do this kind of nonsense.

 

Slowly, slowly, the Bangkok hub status begins to be eaten away, thanks to their crazy ever-changing visa policies.

17 hours ago, humqdpf said:

We can see the trend already. The airlines from other regional hubs are beginning to see that tourists might not want to fly through Bangkok because of visa restrictions - I mean, what would you do if the Thai immigration officer does not let you through to catch your Thai Smile or Air Asia flight to Laos or Phnom Penh because after all it is at his/her discretion or maybe you did not think you should have 20,000 baht in cash.

 

You cannot just connect straight through onto Air Asia or Thai Smile because they are point to point airlines and therefore do not accept checked through baggage. Maybe you forgot to print out your electronic ticket to prove to immigration that you are flying out within a few hours. Bad luck - now you go back to where you came from, no doubt with the airline fighting to get the money for the last-minute high-priced ticket out of you.

 

So better fly via Singapore, KL, Hong Kong or Hanoi, to mention a few alternatives to Bangkok, where they don't do this kind of nonsense.

 

Slowly, slowly, the Bangkok hub status begins to be eaten away, thanks to their crazy ever-changing visa policies.

yap, makes sense. Regional airlines staff are on TVF and other such forums realizing that there are many "tourists" being rejected from Thailand and see that as a great potential for more business coming their way