News Forum - Come fly with me in Thailand, with a face mask – OPINION

[Thaiger]

July 1 is looming as the day Thailand really opens up again, with all the ‘Covid’ paperwork (aka. The Thailand Pass) being binned. They’re even scrapping the TM6 form, at least in the short to medium term (maybe permanently?). But if you want a reminder about some of Thailand’s more hypocritical and absurd Covid restrictions, just go for a flight, domestically. Now, I have been a frequent flyer, domestically, almost exclusively out of BKK (Suvarnabhumi) to HKT (Phuket) over the past 20 months. I’ve totalled 138 domestic flights in Thailand in that time. Although my experience has been limited to […]

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[rc1]

Great piece. Exposes the absolute absurdity of the illogical measures.

Allow people to eat and drink and flights again immediately.

Remove the Xs on seats at the airports. 

Stop blasting the announcements about mask wearing.

All these things must be done to move forward. 

 

[KaptainRob]

1 innocuous post removed along with the off-topic response.  Please read the rules please and stay on topic with relevant commentary.

[Dancbmac]

Myself and my wife has had a couple of domestic flights the past couple of months and I was thinking same thoughts about the masking & distance spacing rules.  Then after waiting to board we get packed in close on a bus then the plane for an hour or so flights and most people don’t even stand at each floor markings, so they seemed useless.

[HolyCowCm]

 

I just did 6 flights in a total of 11 days and kept it to 3 carriers with the majority being the national sub one. I think Tim hit all the points and how ludicrous the airports are and how the air travel is, but one thing I saw on one carrier is how more far it goes. For the up above the seat's storage units, one carrier will have a little show having the flight attendant carrying an alcohol bottle and rag wiping the handles off on every unit. The funny thing is they only wipe the exterior outside part of the handle and not the under lip to where everyone must put their fingers to pull the handle in order for it to open. Ridiculous. And Tim is correct, on one carrier they enforce the masks being over your nose and mouth on your face like a guard dog. Just seemed bent.

I am ok for wearing a mask on an airliner, but everything in one way or the other unless you are super super careful to protect yourself will just cancel itself out because it is all just ridiculous once you are in motion to go fly whether queuing up to ticket id check, walk on to the plane, get bussed to the plane and actually be in any line at anytime. Just being on the jet bridge or in line on the plane resembles a Copacabana locomotion konga locomotive train line with everyone touching each other. 

To me it all just seemed a bit way way off.

 

[HolyCowCm]

12 minutes ago, Dancbmac said:

Myself and my wife has had a couple of domestic flights the past couple of months and I was thinking same thoughts about the masking & distance spacing rules.  Then after waiting to board we get packed in close on a bus then the plane for an hour or so flights and most people don’t even stand at each floor markings, so they seemed useless.

They are completely useless.

[rc1]

Further on this, relating to the other post today on 'what's hindering visitors coming to Thailand"  -

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/july-1-thailand-more-open-than-ever ,

This type of insanity is one examples of the measures that frankly scare tourists off , and give a bad impression of the country on the the ones that do come .

Dropping these, at the latest July 1 is essential. 

[Cabra]

I've had maybe 8 flights domestic in the last 9 months, and while it's all quite silly, I almost don't notice anymore. Don't hate me, I'm as bored or COVID rules as the next. I truly believe/pray that on 1 August all of this will be moot.

[Highlandman]

37 minutes ago, Cabra said:

I've had maybe 8 flights domestic in the last 9 months, and while it's all quite silly, I almost don't notice anymore. Don't hate me, I'm as bored or COVID rules as the next. I truly believe/pray that on 1 August all of this will be moot.

Hopefully, but most of it should have been moot months ago. Are they not even serving drinks on the flight? What a joke, they're using Covid as an excuse to save a few Baht on catering. The rest of the world re-instated their in-flight meal service months ago.

I hope that at minimum, July 1 will mark the end of all measures, except mask wearing, which I'm sure they'll keep going for at least another month. This would mean re-instating the meal service, ending social distancing, temperature checks have already been confirmed will be scrapped so it makes sense everything else will be too.

Edited June 20, 2022 by Highlandman

[Highlandman]

Yeah it's time to move on.

Thailand as usual is stuck in a time warp, which is not just embarrassing, it makes the country look like a dystopian Covid autocracy that just doesn't want to let go and this is scaring off tourists. It's also making the country a laughing stock in the eyes of the rest of the world, most of whom have moved on from this months ago. Many countries don't require masks anymore in the terminal buildings either and this list seems to grow by the week.

Luckily I own a car and don't have to fly domestically hence why I've never had to face this lunacy.

I did pick up a friend from Suvarnabhumi earlier this month (my first time at the airport since the end of 2019) and after walking around the terminal for a bit, trying to find his friend who would pick up a box he brought along that was too impractical to take on his onward flight with him, we went to check-in for his Vietjet air flight to Isarn.

We weren't wearing masks (we weren't the only ones) and that was OK, although 100% of the staff were and maybe 90-95% of the people in the airport were (about 5% were wearing masks on their chin). He put his mask back on, on the aircraft but wasn't wearing it properly so got asked a few times, but it wasn't too bad apparently.

Still, recent reports from aviation bloggers and travelers in Vietnam (dating back up to 2 months) suggest that there are locals flying domestically without masks and the cabin crew aren't saying anything to them. Why Thailand is so much stricter on this beats me. It makes me worried about the future, since it seems that future pandemics will see similar over the top measures imposed.

We did notice the x's on the back of the seats, which I thought was ridiculous. They got rid of that in America and the UK about a year ago.

The lack of inlight catering is simply an excuse to save money in the name of Covid. With most domestic flights having now resumed, it's ridiculous to keep this charade up.

Ideally, all measures should be scrapped but at minimum, effective July 1 it should be no more restrictions except mask wearing on the plane for another month.

If I understand the new rules on mask wearing correctly, technically, one won't really have to wear a mask in most indoor settings anymore effective July 1 either, but it could still be a requirement imposed by private businesses or for that matter, the Airports Authority of Thailand in the case of airports. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I suspect at least as far as airports are concerned, there won't be any changes but we might see less mask wearing than now, regardless.

Hopefully all mask mandates will be scrapped by August 1, which would include on board domestic flights and international flights to/from Thailand, except for destinations that still require them then (probably Singapore, China, Hong Kong/Macau, South Korea and Taiwan).

[Thommo]

I flew bkk-cph and return last week  on Thai  and although on the return we were asked to wear a mask on boarding by a danish guy not wearing a mask it was not enforced at on either flights, unlike my flight in January Brisbane to Thailand on singapore.

What a joy it was to be in a country were mask were not required at all :)

[Cg66]

 

https://rumble.com/v18t85q-mattias-desmet-and-the-psychology-of-totalitarianism.html
 

what people should be asking, is why all this is happening. It’s something called mass formation, or the psychology of mass formation by others. The narrative is formed and 90% of the population goes with it, (10% don’t believe it, 30% take it hook line and sinker, and 60% realise that something is wrong, but go with it anyway) turning on those that don’t go for it in a ridiculous fashion, attacking people that aren’t wearing masks, wearing masks outdoors, insisting that you must take an experimental medical intervention despite not needing it, and complying with all manner of ridiculous rules.

these events have happened throughout history, the burning of witches for example, and your level of intelligence doesn’t matter, indeed, often the more intelligent are susceptible, and it’s also compounded by isolation , loneliness and detachment from society. I’d be interested to know opinions of those who can be bothered to open and watch my link.

 

[TheDirtyDurian]

I noticed on my last flight out of Thailand early May the experience had changed. 

At the start of the flight passengers were told that it was recommended to wear a mask, but no enforcement, and up to the individual. 

About half took off. 

The whole thing seems silly really, because transiting in Bahrain no mask requirements, and now on arrival in Saudi no mask requirements indoors. 

Flying next week to Thailand and I won't be going anywhere near a mask till I arrive at Soyouwannaboomboom. 

I may not even bother then just to see what happens. Easy enough to keep one in my pocket and wear it on arrival if asked. 

[Chaimai]

11 hours ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

I noticed on my last flight out of Thailand early May the experience had changed. 

At the start of the flight passengers were told that it was recommended to wear a mask, but no enforcement, and up to the individual. 

About half took off. 

The whole thing seems silly really, because transiting in Bahrain no mask requirements, and now on arrival in Saudi no mask requirements indoors. 

Flying next week to Thailand and I won't be going anywhere near a mask till I arrive at Soyouwannaboomboom. 

I may not even bother then just to see what happens. Easy enough to keep one in my pocket and wear it on arrival if asked. 

 

I flew back last week with SCOOT and mask wearing was obligatory  -  and enforced.

 

Having spent 8 weeks in Europe where mask wearing was around the 5% mark, it was weird seeing 80% of Thais routinely wearing one.