03 December 2008
KUWAIT: "At least three Thai Airways flights bound for Bangkok from Kuwait have been cancelled," revealed Alberto Mikhael, Thai Airways Head of Sales talking to the Kuwait Times yesterday at the airline's sales office in Kuwait City. Among the cancelled flights scheduled to travel on Nov 27, 29 and Dec 2 was Flight Number TG520. Anti-government protesters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) last week occupied Bangkok's main international airport, prompting many flights from all over the world to either divert to smaller domestic airports or neighboring countries' airports, although many opted to simply cancel all flights instead until the situation stabilizes.
We do have flights on Dec 4 and 6 and those flights are still tentatively on hold. We do not know yet whether we'll cancel them. But what I heard is that maybe the situation will be stabilized shortly and as soon as we get the green signal from the home base, we'll carry on with our flights schedule," he said.
As of late Tuesday, the protesters reportedly agreed with airport authorities to reopen the airport, where over 300,000 foreign passengers are still stranded, to incoming flights, according to a report on the Bangkok Post website. The first incoming flight to the international airport was expected to arrive within 24 hours.
Mikhael admitted to have received thousands of complaints since the start of the unexpected flight cancellations, but he noted that passengers' actions were expected since they have their own timetable to follow. "Things happened in Bangkok unexpectedly. We cannot use the domestic airport in Bangkok suburb. First, we want to serve our customers the best way possible as we have promised, and any inconveniences are deemed unacceptable. Second, the domestic airports available in Thailand are not fully equipped if I am not mistaken the available airports are those used by the military and I am sure they're not capable of handling huge passenger numbers, so we preferred the cancellation of flights instead," he said.
Mikhael apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers by the chaotic situation, but stressed that any concerns will be handled accordingly by Thai Airways personnel. "Our office in Kuwait is ready to handle all your concerns regarding cancellation, transfer or refund. We want to help in any way possible. We call upon our clients to bear with us and if they think it necessary to transfer, we will help them find another airline. They can refund their tickets without any charges or we'll help them re-book flights," he promised.
Asked about the specific number of passengers from Kuwait affected by the situation, he said, "Thousands - until now we are receiving cancellations or rebookings. My appeal to our passengers is to remain calm and not to panic; we can refund your ticket if that's your decision, but I am also sure that the situation will normalize soon.
It was reported by Kuwaiti National News Agency KUNA that Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) would be operating a flight to Thailand's Pattaya Airport on Thursday to bring home Kuwaitis who are still in the country. KAC's Director of Public Relations and Media Adel Buresli said that the flight will leave the country at 6:00 a.m. (Thailand time) on Thursday.
The Kuwaiti Embassy in Bangkok has coordinated with Kuwaitis wishing to return home, and 220 will be returning home on Thursday's flight, he said, adding that an earlier flight brought other stranded Kuwaitis back home on Saturday.
KUWAIT: "At least three Thai Airways flights bound for Bangkok from Kuwait have been cancelled," revealed Alberto Mikhael, Thai Airways Head of Sales talking to the Kuwait Times yesterday at the airline's sales office in Kuwait City. Among the cancelled flights scheduled to travel on Nov 27, 29 and Dec 2 was Flight Number TG520. Anti-government protesters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) last week occupied Bangkok's main international airport, prompting many flights from all over the world to either divert to smaller domestic airports or neighboring countries' airports, although many opted to simply cancel all flights instead until the situation stabilizes.
We do have flights on Dec 4 and 6 and those flights are still tentatively on hold. We do not know yet whether we'll cancel them. But what I heard is that maybe the situation will be stabilized shortly and as soon as we get the green signal from the home base, we'll carry on with our flights schedule," he said.
As of late Tuesday, the protesters reportedly agreed with airport authorities to reopen the airport, where over 300,000 foreign passengers are still stranded, to incoming flights, according to a report on the Bangkok Post website. The first incoming flight to the international airport was expected to arrive within 24 hours.
Mikhael admitted to have received thousands of complaints since the start of the unexpected flight cancellations, but he noted that passengers' actions were expected since they have their own timetable to follow. "Things happened in Bangkok unexpectedly. We cannot use the domestic airport in Bangkok suburb. First, we want to serve our customers the best way possible as we have promised, and any inconveniences are deemed unacceptable. Second, the domestic airports available in Thailand are not fully equipped if I am not mistaken the available airports are those used by the military and I am sure they're not capable of handling huge passenger numbers, so we preferred the cancellation of flights instead," he said.
Mikhael apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers by the chaotic situation, but stressed that any concerns will be handled accordingly by Thai Airways personnel. "Our office in Kuwait is ready to handle all your concerns regarding cancellation, transfer or refund. We want to help in any way possible. We call upon our clients to bear with us and if they think it necessary to transfer, we will help them find another airline. They can refund their tickets without any charges or we'll help them re-book flights," he promised.
Asked about the specific number of passengers from Kuwait affected by the situation, he said, "Thousands - until now we are receiving cancellations or rebookings. My appeal to our passengers is to remain calm and not to panic; we can refund your ticket if that's your decision, but I am also sure that the situation will normalize soon.
It was reported by Kuwaiti National News Agency KUNA that Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) would be operating a flight to Thailand's Pattaya Airport on Thursday to bring home Kuwaitis who are still in the country. KAC's Director of Public Relations and Media Adel Buresli said that the flight will leave the country at 6:00 a.m. (Thailand time) on Thursday.
The Kuwaiti Embassy in Bangkok has coordinated with Kuwaitis wishing to return home, and 220 will be returning home on Thursday's flight, he said, adding that an earlier flight brought other stranded Kuwaitis back home on Saturday.
By Ben Garcia
© Kuwait Times 2008
