The Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) is urging the government to amend passenger protection regulations to extend coverage to associated costs beyond airfares in the event of flight disruptions, as massive flight cancellations by Thai Airways (THAI) are estimated to cost tour companies more than 10 million baht in damages.
Persistent rain caused severe flooding in Bangkok, particularly in eastern areas, preventing THAI staff from commuting to the airport. The insufficient manpower resulted in the airline experiencing major flight delays and cancellations since the past weekend.
The carrier announced on Tuesday it reduced flight capacity by 30% to ease ground handling burdens and improve punctuality.
TTAA president Kanlayanee Assanee said based on an initial assessment, tour companies were estimated to have lost tens of millions of baht due to THAI’s flight cancellations and delays over the past several days.
These losses include associated costs for services at destinations, such as hotels, transport, tour guides and restaurants, that were pre-booked but tour groups could not use.
Affected operators had to book new flights for customers and adjust tour programmes by coordinating with overseas partners, she said. In some cases, these additional efforts incurred higher costs.
“Managing group travel is more complicated than independent trips. Rebooking flights for all members of a group is not an easy task,” said Mrs Kanlayanee.
THAI and relevant agencies should set up a dedicated channel for tour operators to deal with the crisis to help resolve issues and better assist tourists, she noted.
The TTAA also called for amendment of Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) Regulation No.101, which sets out measures to protect passenger rights on domestic and international scheduled flights.
The regulation does not cover compensation for associated costs apart from airfares when flights are disrupted. Mrs Kanlayanee said these expenses should be taken into account.
TTAA vice-president Tassanee Kiatkamchornchai said the association has raised these concerns with the CAAT since the Middle East war erupted in March, as many tour groups were affected by massive flight cancellations due to a spike in jet fuel prices.
In many cases, when flights are delayed or cancelled, airlines tend to offer alternative flights only on their own services, which could be several days after the original flight, consequently affecting tour programmes, said Ms Tassanee.
Airlines mostly refuse to book new flights with other carriers for affected passengers, even though other airlines depart for the same destination at a similar time, she said.
During the initial months of the war in the Middle East, the CAAT asked airlines to cooperate in booking alternative flights for affected travellers, but this was not a strict requirement that compelled them to comply.