Flights to/from Pakse Airport will be suspended from 1 July – 30 August 2009 as the airport will be temporarily closed for renovation. During this period, the Lao Airlines will use Savannakhet Airport instead for flights originally scheduled to fly between Pakse and Siem Reap, Luang Prabang or Vientiane. The airlines will also provide shuttle services for passengers between Savannakhet and Pakse airports on the day of the flight. For any clients already booked or wishing to travel to Pakse during this period, Exotissimo will be sure to suggest and arrange alternative transportation as needed.

As of 29 March 2009, Thai Airways (TG) has ceased using Don Muang Airport for its domestic flights. All TG international and domestic flights are now operated from Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Dear Partners,

Bangkok – Thursday 4 December 2008: 17:00pm

Airport and flight situation
This will be the last airport and travel update since the situation is almost completely back to normal in Bangkok. Don Muang Airport has fully resumed normal operations, including check-ins since 06h00 this morning. Domestic carriers are using this airport for their regular scheduled flights. At Suvarnabhumi Airport, flights have been departing and arriving since yesterday while check-ins are still done at a location outside the airport. Starting from 1100 on Friday 5 December, check-in counters will open at Suvarnabhumi airport.

Some airlines are still using UTP airport (with check-in at Bitec convention centre) or CNX and HKT airports. Most of these airlines have announced the dates that they will start operating from the BKK airport again (most of them within the coming days). Thai Airways continues to use several airports (including Suvarnabhumi) for their international flights out.

All Exotissimo clients now have confirmed tickets in their hands for departure flights in the coming days (or hours). All Exotissimo Thailand staffs are exhausted but happy that we managed to take care of each and everyone of our clients. I am very proud of our Exotissimo Thailand Team for doing such a great job.

Since the airports are about to run normally again, airlines and hotels are now becoming stricter with cancellations. So in case your clients are hesitating about continuing their planned holidays to Thailand (although there is no reason to postpone the trip), please first check with our staff about the cancellation fees.

Promotional Package
Our product department has put together an interesting promotion package which gives more then monetary discounts to clients – click here for details. As always, we can customise the itinerary although the number of nights in each hotel is fixed and we cannot give breakdown quotations for this promotion package. Because of the great discount and the long validity period (11 Jan ? 31 Oct 09) of this promotion, we hope that it will give you exactly what you need to send out a promotion package to all your clients. Please inform our reservations department (achrawadee@exotissimo.com) if you are interested in this package for certain clients.

We value your opinions!
What kind of promotional packages would you need for your clients? Exotissimo values your opinions and we would like to hear from you on what you think is needed to get tourism back on track in Thailand. Please inform our product department (soonie@exotissimo.com or chakrawooth@exotissimo.com) if you want to make other promotional packages to send out to your clients. Thailand will be, more than ever before, a destination which offers great value for money and Exotissimo is ready to negotiate with all our suppliers to create the best value for your clients.

King’s birthday
Tomorrow, Friday 5 December is a public holiday in Thailand in celebration of the king?s birthday. The Exotissimo office will be partly open (operations, reservations and ticketing) for urgent cases.

Last of all, I would like to thank all the Exotissimo clients who showed so much patience while dealing with the fact that they had a forced extended holiday in Thailand (I would imagine that was hard and unexpected) and all our agents who showed such good cooperation with our Exotissimo staffs in working hard to make the extended holiday as short as possible.

Best regards,
Exotissimo Travel Team

Dear Partners,

Airlines are slowly succeeding in re- booking clients on alternative travel routes (from UTP, HKT and CNX) so more people have a confirmed flight reservation in the coming days. Some clients have decided to buy new flight tickets back to their home countries (if their own airline could not rebook their tickets). Some of the clients currently in the country (and scheduled to leave within a few days) already found their reservations automatically re-scheduled to another airport by the airline. For instance, clients planning to depart from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport on 5 December find their reservations changed to UTP (Uthapao airport).

Thai Airways

Most international airlines seem to have most of their bookings reasonably under control and are re-routing rather then cancelling their flights. Thai Airways (TG), the airline which handles by far the biggest number of passengers and had most of their airplanes stuck at Suvarnabhumi airport till yesterday, has encountered more problems. To re-book flights, TG clients have to go in person to the TG office in Bangkok and present their old tickets. Some of our agents managed to re-book their clients’ flights in the Amadeus airline system.

The best advice we can give to clients stuck in Thailand with a TG ticket is to buy a new ticket with a different airline and try to get a refund from TG for the unused sector. TG announced to give refunds to clients who do not use a sector. Attention: TG also announced that if a TG ticket is changed to another flight with a different final destination, TG will NOT pay for the additional travel costs between the destination you arrive in and the final destination mentioned on your TG ticket. For example, if you decide use your TG ticket with Paris as final destination for a TG flight going to Copenhagen you can not expect TG to pay for the additional stretch from Copenhagen to Paris.

Extra flights

Some budget airlines have scheduled extra flights in the region to give people the possibility to travel as planned – it means that clients have to buy a new ticket and try to get a refund at a later stage. Governments of some countries have decided to send extra flights to Thailand to get their people back home. These kinds of extra flights are usually not available for booking in the airlines reservations system. However, governments of most countries decided not to send extra airplanes simply because there is no security risk or negative travel advice against travelling to Thailand.

Postponing travel plans

If your clients feel nervous about travelling to Thailand at the moment, we understand their feelings. If your clients wish to postpone their travel plans to a later date (travelling dates up till 15 December), Exotissimo will rebook everything planned without any extra charges.

Outlook and Update

Today, the Thailand Constitution Court has dissolved the People Power Party and its coalition partners due to election irregularities and banned its executives from holding political office for five years. This means the Prime Minister has lost his job so technically the PAD protestors have got what they wanted. We are hoping this will allow the PAD to leave the airports. However, at the time of writing there is no movement.

Exotissimo sincerely hopes that the situation will be back to normal soon.

Best regards,

Exotissimo Travel Team

Dear Partners,

Bangkok – Monday 1 December 2008: 14:30pm

Over the weekend, Exotissimo office staff and guides have been working together with tour leaders to assist stranded clients as much as possible. Several groups and individuals have left Thailand via overland routes (e.g. to Kuala Lumpur), by buying new tickets out of the country or by having the luck that their own airline confirmed a flight back on their existing ticket with a diverted routing (from UTP = Pattaya airport or HKT = Phuket airport) – either because the guide and clients went to visit the airline office or because the airline called the clients directly and informed them about the new flight.

Thai Airways as well as other airlines have announced yesterday that all passengers should go to their own airline office in person and check if it is possible to re-book the ticket. Yesterday, people were queuing more then 10 hours before they could speak to somebody from Thai Airways. Some of our agents have managed to re-route booked tickets in the airline reservation system.

For all flight leaving from UTP airport, the check-in is done at several hotels in the city. Starting from Monday afternoon, the check-in will be done at Bitec Exhibition Centre. We strongly advise clients NOT to go to UTP airport unless they have a confirmed reservation – the capacity of UTP is 10 times smaller then the Bangkok airports so although overseas media are reporting some flights leaving – they are just a small proportion of the total number of flights needed.

How you can help?

The best way to help is to check the existing reservation in your airline reservation system and try to re-book your clients to another routing (this would probably mean that you also need to call your airline). Although overseas airlines sometimes refer to a telephone number in Thailand, it is not always possible to reach them in Bangkok since airlines are now overwhelmed by the number of rebooks and they do not always know yet if they will have an airplane and landing slots at UTP airport for the coming days. Once you have got a new seat confirmed, please inform Exotissimo and the client so we can arrange the transfers accordingly.

Advise your clients (if you speak to them) as well as visit their airline office in person so as to try to get a seat confirmed (our guides are assisting with this already).

Try to book new flight tickets (if your clients agree to pay for it)

All Exotissimo departments are assisting clients with all the above possible solutions but we have also encountered some difficulties. Sometimes we do not know where the clients are if the clients booked only a part of their total trip in Thailand with Exotissimo and other parts with another ground handler, overseas tour operator, online or travel partly on their own. Another problem we sometimes face is that some clients do not want to pay for new tickets or new ways to get out of the country, which means that they will have to wait till their airlines offer them a flight based on their existing ticket.

Exotissimo can arrange overland trips by private car from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur (about 13 hours drive) so in case you find a way to rebook your clients from KUL, please inform us and the clients so we can arrange the overland transfer.

Some good news….

Finally, some good news today. The demonstrators have allowed the airline companies which have their airplanes stuck at Suvarnabhumi airport to take their airplane out of Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi airports today. Thai Airways have many airplanes stuck at these airports so we hope they will start operating some additional routes soon.

The Thai government has also paid for the rooms at certain hotels to give stranded tourists free accommodation – however, most of these rooms are already occupied.

We still hope the protestors will leave the airports this week. There are rumours that they will leave before the King’s birthday holiday on 5th December but nothing is confirmed. However we understand that it will take at least another week to reopen the airport as all systems will need to be checked and tested before flights can resume.

The whole Exotissimo Team continues to give as much assistance as possible to our clients and hopes that both airports in Bangkok will re-open soon.

Best regards,
Exotissimo Travel Team

Bangkok – 28 November 2008: 16:30pm

Currently, the Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Muang Airport in Bangkok remain closed. Many rumours about the political situation and potential opening of the airports have been going around but nobody really knows when both airports will open.

The Thai Police have been ordered to open the airport but do not appear to be taking any real action yet. We are not optimistic that the airport will open before Sunday.

In the meantime, some international airlines have decided to use U Thapao Airport in Pattaya (1.5 hour drive away from Bangkok) for landings and departures. The following airlines have announced the temporary shift of their flight operations to U Thapao Airport:

Thai Airways (1 flight to India and 1 flight from Korea)
Cathay Pacific
Eva Air
Austrian Airlines
Air Berlin (LTU)
Nok Air (to Kuala Lumpur)

Attention – It is extremely difficult to reach airline offices in Bangkok due to the busy lines. Exotissimo CANNOT change flight dates in the PNR of clients if the booking is made overseas. This is only possible if the booking has been made by Exotissimo or if Exotissimo/the client manages to reach the airline office.

Please check the PNR of your clients and try to rebook in the GDS (airline reservation system such as Amadeus or Galileo) to another flight. We suggest you to try booking a flight from Suvarnabhumi Airport or Don Muang Airport that is not before 2 December. If you can rebook your clients for a departure flight from U Thapao (airline code: UTP) or from any other airport in Thailand (Phuket – HKT for example), please do so and let Exotissimo and your clients know immediately so we can arrange for their transfers to that airport).

Meanwhile Exotissimo will try to change tickets from our side but keep in mind that not all extra flights from UTP will appear in the GDS and not all airlines can be reached.

The situation in Bangkok and in the rest of Thailand remains calm. Most clients also seem to understand the situation and that they will have to bear the extra costs. Today, several clients decided to extend their holidays in Thailand by another 3-4 days to beaches such as Hua Hin or Ko Samed, hoping that the situation would be solved after their short holidays. As one French client put it, “While staying in Thailand, it’s better to make the best of it and enjoy the beach. That’s better than staying and waiting for day-by-day news in a hotel in Bangkok.” At this moment, we agree that this will be the best option – head to the beach for a couple of days and hope that the situation improves soon.

We are very sorry for the inconveniences caused and can only hope for your kind understanding.

The Exotissimo team will continue to inform clients about the situation and re-arrange their planned itineraries. The office will be open the whole day on Saturday and Sunday.

Best regards,

Exotissimo Travel Team

Dear Partners,

Bangkok – 27 November 2008: 16:00pm

Currently, the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport remains closed and Don Muang Airport in Bangkok was closed since last night. The atmosphere in Bangkok (and other places in Thailand) is normal. It is not clear when the airports will open and airlines will start flying again. Some airlines have cancelled their flights till at least 18:00pm this evening, while some till 18:00pm this Friday, 28 November 2008.

Exotissimo has been constantly in touch with our clients and most have opted to continue their sightseeing as normal. Clients who were supposed to use the Bangkok airports have been re-routed and offered alternative routes, for example Chiang Mai – Phuket direct flights, overland transfers between Siem Reap and Bangkok, night train from Bangkok to the border with Laos or overland transfers from Bangkok to Khao Sok or Phuket. This is definitely not the most ideal arrangement but the general mood amongst our clients is that they will just deal with it and adopt the Thai “mai pen rai (nevermind)” thinking. Several clients decided to cancel their Thailand or regional travel plans and instead opted to stay for a week at a beach near Bangkok like Ko Samed or Hua Hin.

Our guides, operations and reservations teams are staying in touch with our clients all the time and are assisting with booking additional services (like hotel accommodation). Our partner hotels have been very cooperative and understanding and are either waiving cancellation fees or offering special prices for extensions. We advise all clients to keep the receipts for the extra costs incurred so that they can try to claim these costs later from their airlines or travel insurance companies.

Clients who are staying in Bangkok or at one of the Thai beaches while waiting for a flight back home have given their flight ticket details to the Exotissimo ticketing team. We are now trying to re-book them for possible flights in the comings days. We urge clients who has gotten any news directly from their airline or those who have not given their ticket details to Exotissimo to contact our 24-hour operations emergency department (Tel: 0066-818672806 – when in Thailand call 08-18672806).

We hope that all international and domestic airlines will be able to resume their flights soon again.

Best regards,
Exotissimo Travel Team

Dear Partners,

Bangkok – 26 November 2008: 17:00pm

Currently, the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport remains closed and it is not clear when it will open again. Exotissimo Thailand has contacted all clients in Thailand to inform them about alternative itineraries of either flying to different airports or travelling overland.

Domestic flights
Our reservations and operations teams are trying to re-book domestic flights to other airports or arrange overland services for our clients. If the domestic flight ticket was not booked by Exotissimo (but by clients directly or by agents), we will advise clients to buy new tickets and try to get refunds for any un-used tickets at a later stage.

International arrival flights
Some international and domestic flights are being diverted to Don Muang Airport in Bangkok (which is still open), Oo Ta Pao Airport in Pattaya or other airports in Thailand or Southeast Asia). It is very difficult for us to get reliable information about re-routing from international airlines at the moment. Please inform our operations department (Tel: 0066-818672806) if you know of any changes in routing for your clients so as to ensure that we can pick them up at a different airport.

Transit
Exotissimo is not able to reach any clients who are currently in transit at Suvarnabhumi Airport (for example, on the way to Cambodia or other destinations). We hope that the ground staff of the affected airlines will give them as much comfort and information as possible.

International departure flights
Exotissimo is rendering full assistance to clients with international departure flights by contacting their airlines and checking when they can fly out. We are also assisting clients with extension of accommodation arrangements and negotiating with the hotels involved to keep the costs low.

Extra charges
If extra costs are incurred for accommodation extensions or purchase of new flight tickets, Exotissimo advises clients to pay themselves and keep the receipts for claims requests with their airlines or travel insurance companies later. Extra costs for short transfers and guides will not be charged.

Un-used services
Several airlines have already confirmed to give full refund for any cancelled services (to be claimed at the agent who issued the ticket). Several of our partner hotels are also showing flexibility in waiving cancellation fees. Exotissimo will always try to avoid cancellation fees and give refunds for unused services if our suppliers (hotels, airlines etc) give a refund.

We sincerely hope that the situation changes for the better and that the airport will open again soon. One of our operations staff is now stationed at Suvarnabhumi Airport to keep us informed of the latest developments and updates.

In general, clients have showed kind understanding to Exotissimo regarding the current situation and are cooperating very well with our suggested alternatives but of course nobody is happy with it.

The rest of Bangkok is peaceful and business is going on very much as usual away from the airport and government areas.

Best regards,
Exotissimo Travel Team

Dear Partners,

Bangkok – 26 November 2008: 10:00am

We are writing to inform you that the main Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport has had to close today due to political protests in Bangkok targeting the airport.

All flights out of Thailand from Suvarnabhumi Airport are temporarily suspended. However, many domestic flights have been diverted to Don Muang Airport which remains open. We remain hopeful that Suvarnabhumi will reopen later today.

Arrivals

There are still some flights arriving at Suvarnabhumi and also at Don Muang Airport. Our operations team have been working since yesterday evening and through the night to ensure that all clients arriving in Thailand are met safely and transferred to their hotels.

Departures and Onward Domestic Travel

We have been in contact with all clients in-country to discuss and find solutions to their travel arrangements.

We are assisting all clients departing Thailand today to extend their stay until their flights are rescheduled.

We are doing our best to reroute all domestic travel plans that were using Suvarnabhumi Airport by either going through Don Muang Airport or by land transfers if necessary. We have been in contact with guides / clients to organise alternative travel arrangements and will continue doing so for the coming days. Exotissimo operations and guides will also provide maximum assistance to clients and to ensure they receive as much information as possible.

As we have offices in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai, we have staff on the ground throughout the country communicating with our clients. We reassure all clients in Thailand that they are safe and Exotissimo is here to give our clients as much assistance as they need.

Please rest assured that all clients are safe and that in the rest of Bangkok, daily life is as normal. These protests are highly targeted and are aimed at dislodging the current government. Last nights’ protests were mostly non-violent despite the news reports and protest leaders have announced they do not wish to harm anyone especially foreigners in Thailand.

The rest of Bangkok is peaceful and business is going on very much as usual away from the airport and government areas.

We will let you know as soon as we have more news.

Best regards,
Exotissimo Travel Team

For groups needing a hotel for the night just before their departure from Bangkok, there is always the Novotel Suvarnnabhumi. Of course, some find the Novotel a little “too nice” for an evening’s rest before an early morning flight home, and for that, we would like to introduce the Miracle Hometel. Just open, the hotel is just a 10 minute drive from the airport and offers the full-range of facilities, like swimming pool, fitness, etc. as well as shuttle bus transfers between the hotel and the airport so you will not need to book a separate car and guide for your clients. But above all, they offer a quiet place to rest in comfort before your clients board their flights onward.