Flights to/from Thailand status, news, and updates

[STEVE G]

Yes, I arrived on Thursday afternoon and had the largest queue at immigration that I've seen since Covid.
At least they've got a bit quicker since they did away with the arrival card, most passengers seem to get cleared pretty efficiently.

[Dannie Boy]

I forgot to mention that just ahead of our flight must have been a flight from India as there were many in the queues with reams of paperwork that they were handing in with their passports - these queues were definitely slower moving than those without any Indian’s in them.

[derek60]

We left Thailand via BKK airport 3 weeks ago and there were queues at every stage. Luckily we allowed 3 hours.

[2/cb]

Thanks for these posts. I’ll definitely give myself the full three hours next time I leave BKK.

[buksida]

Must have had the fastest-ever transit through Don Meuang airport a few days ago. The flight landed at 10.15 am, and there was nobody at immigration, the bag was already on the conveyor, and the customs people were asleep. From plane to cab was less than 20 minutes.

Looks like the tourist season is well and truly over unless Swampy is still a shitfight.

[deepee]

We arrived into Swampy few days back.
Immigration B was chaotic with mobs of Indians filling in those immigration entry cards.
We got sent down to A where there was a couple
flights worth of folks waiting.
A young attendant walked up to us and directed us up to the empty VIP area and we got thru in minutes only to wait 20 minutes for our bags.
Our flights transfer in Singapore to the BKK leg of our journey was hectic. We and a big bunch of fellow transiters used up the whole transfer hour high tailing it and arriving breathless to our flight departure lounge.

[Nereus]

="deepee"Our flights transfer in Singapore to the BKK leg of our journey was hectic. We and a big bunch of fellow transiters used up the whole transfer hour high tailing it and arriving breathless to our flight departure lounge.

Which airline was that deepee?

[Dannie Boy]

="deepee"Our flights transfer in Singapore to the BKK leg of our journey was hectic. We and a big bunch of fellow transiters used up the whole transfer hour high tailing it and arriving breathless to our flight departure lounge.

Which airline was that deepee?

On the previous page he mentions Singapore Airlines.

[Nereus]

="deepee"Our flights transfer in Singapore to the BKK leg of our journey was hectic. We and a big bunch of fellow transiters used up the whole transfer hour high tailing it and arriving breathless to our flight departure lounge.

Which airline was that deepee?

On the previous page he mentions Singapore Airlines.

Yeah thanks. I just want to be sure.

[buksida]

Airlines juggle demand as fares skyrocket
Global aviation has experienced a promising start to the year as travel restrictions have been lifted, allowing people to fly with fewer barriers.

Even countries with strict Covid-19 policies, such as China, lifted their restrictions earlier than expected.

The World Tourism Organization predicts Europe and the Middle East will reach pre-pandemic international tourist levels this year, forecasting an 80-95% overall recovery, while the Pacific Asia Travel Association projects a growth rate of at least 71%.

Yet the aviation industry faces a manpower shortage as demand for air travel surges, while seat capacity remains limited. This has resulted in a significant increase in airfares as supply struggles to keep up with pent-up demand from eager travellers.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/25 ... -skyrocket

[buksida]

Airfares could spike after Opec cut
Airlines are expecting higher airfares than usual during the upcoming low season as oil cartel Opec and its allies announced production cuts.

Opec plans to lower oil production by 1.16 million barrels per day, starting next month, which has led to a surge in prices.

Pinyot Pibulsonggram, head of commercial at Thai Vietjet, said the situation could affect ticket prices in the market during the next 3-6 months, with the low tourism season typically between June and September.

Airfares could potentially become more pricey than during the cool season and the upcoming Songkran holiday, as airlines downgraded ticket prices for those periods because of lower fuel surcharges, he said.

Mr Pinyot said fuel prices typically comprise a large portion of airlines' operational costs, around 20-30%.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/25 ... r-opec-cut

[Big Boy]

I thought airlines bought their fuel 2 years in advance, so why such a steep spike? Surely, they should be able to flatten the curve considerably over a 2 year year period.

Or is the 2 years in advance story just a myth?

[buksida]

Profit must come first I guess, stuff goes up, but it rarely comes back down!

What gets me is that inflation is around 8-10% yet shit is going up 50% - there are some greedy people out there.

[Big Boy]

Yet the price of diesel in Thailand is about to drop for the 3rd time in a few months. It just doesn't make any sense.

[deepee]

Was chatting to a recently retired Thai Airways engineer.
He often hitched a ride down to his favourite destation Perth pre C19 on a freshly serviced plane.
He sees a choppy future for Thai Airways now with the biggest challenge being a world wide shortage of qualified ground and air staff.
The longer those planes are sitting around Swampy the greater the recusitation costs to fly them once again.
Now this staff shortage issue seems to be the excuse all over the world so my question is just where are all these very specialised people hanging out now?