The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has just issued regulations for airlines. Accordingly, passengers on international flights that are delayed for more than two hours will be provided with free food and drinks suitable for waiting time, as well as free use of phones and email, Bangkok Post reported.
For flights delayed for more than five hours, airlines must compensate at least 1,500 baht (nearly 1.2 million VND), which can be paid in cash, credit coupons, tourist tickets, flight times or equivalent, within 14 days.
If they need to stay overnight, airlines do not have to provide accommodation and means of transportation for passengers, and allow them to cancel their flights and receive full refunds.
For flights delayed for more than 10 hours, passengers enjoy similar benefits but with higher compensation, from 2,000 to 4,500 baht (1.5 - 3.5 million VND) depending on the flight distance.
In case flights are canceled, airlines will also have to provide the same support as flights delayed for more than 10 hours.
For domestic flights, cash compensation will increase from 600 to 1,200 baht for flights delayed for more than five hours and from 1,200 to 1,500 baht for canceled flights.
In addition, airlines can replace them with credit vouchers, travel vouchers, flight trips or equivalent forms.
New support regulations for delayed flights will also apply to passengers who are delayed while boarding a flight (ie being held back on the runway).
In this case, the passenger compartment must be ventilated and air conditioned, and passengers must use the toilet on the plane. Airlines must also provide immediate medical services to passengers in need of medical assistance.
If the waiting time on the runway exceeds three hours but there is still no specific take-off time, passengers must be allowed to leave the aircraft, unless that affects safety or air control.
However, these provisions do not apply if the airline has notified passengers at least 7 days in advance or notified later but has a replacement flight departing within 3 hours of the original time, or if the flight cancellation is due to unpredictable force majeure situations and cannot be avoided even though the airline has taken appropriate measures.
