Airlines cancel Bangkok flights over protests

Two major Taipei-based international airlines canceled a total of seven flights to or from Bangkok yesterday as anti-government protesters laid siege to the Thai capital's main airport.

China Airlines canceled four flights, affecting 1,300 travelers, and Eva Airways canceled three, spokesmen for the airlines said.

Both air carriers and Thai Airways International have decided to cancel many more flights to Bangkok today because the airport there has remained paralyzed by protesters.

More than 1,000 Taiwan travelers and passengers were affected by the massive protest and flight cancellations yesterday alone. Half of them were left stranded at Bangkok.

Officials at the Cabinet-level Consumers Protection Commission urged all travel agencies and airlines to safeguard the interests of their customers, including providing safety for those stranded and giving reductions in prices due to the change in itineraries.

Travel agencies as well as affected passengers and their families may dial phone No. 6681-666-4006 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) representative office in Bangkok for assistance whenever necessary around the clock, they said.

Those calling from Taiwan should dial 002-66-81-666-4006).

The Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transport and Communications is also ready to offer help via tel: 0800-211-334 and 0800-211-734.

The commission itself has maintained the "1950" hotline that can be reached from all around Taiwan.

People planning to depart for Thailand today should closely monitor flight schedules before going to the airport to avoid any unnecessary inconvenience, said Chang Chi-ping, deputy director-general of MOFA's Department of Information and Cultural Affairs.

According to the Taipei Association of Travel Agents, more 1,000 Taiwanese travelers were affected by the temporary closure of Bangkok's international airport yesterday, including some 500 who were set to leave from Taiwan for Thailand and 400 others who remained stranded in Bangkok.

The Taiwan-bound tourists may have to stay for one more day before heading home, while those who were prepared to depart for Thailand should probably postpone their schedules for one or two more days, said a spokesman for the association.

A total of 55 tourists in two groups from the southern port city of Kaohsiung were stranded at the Bangkok airport, according to the Kaohsiung Association of Travel Agents.

Tourism Bureau officials said all Taiwanese tourists stuck in Thailand's capital city were safe.

Chang Hsi-tsung, a section chief at the bureau, said that travel agencies are making arrangements to allow stranded tourists to fly back to Taiwan via other Thai airports, or stay in Bangkok another day until the international airport is reopened to service.

Those who had booked trips with travel agencies that were scheduled to depart for Bangkok Wednesday will have to reschedule their itineraries, Chang said.

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