Qantas passengers forced to surrender passports in Bangkok (video)
Confused tourists caught in immigration limbo as late-night cancellation sparks airport uproar
Aussie travellers were left fuming in Bangkok after their Qantas flight was cancelled at the last minute—forcing them to choose between handing over their passports or sleeping on the airport floor.
The service from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Sydney was initially delayed for six hours before being officially cancelled late on Monday night, July 21, stranding dozens of passengers overnight.
Footage posted by frustrated travellers shows a cardboard box filled with Australian passports placed directly on the terminal floor. Around it, confused passengers crowded as airport staff appeared to fill out paperwork, also while sitting on the ground.
In a scene that left social media stunned, passengers were reportedly asked to hand over their passports before being allowed to leave the airport and transfer to hotel accommodation arranged by Qantas.
@ramyatheaussie Apparently keeping your passport is an immigration concern in Thailand when your international flight is cancelled. It’s been 18 hours and we still don’t know when we will leave. It could be tonight or in 2-3 days. . . . #qantas #cancelledflights #passport ♬ original sound – SHOTTAWORLD🌍🩸
A Qantas spokesperson explained the move, saying: “Local border authorities are required to hold passengers’ passports during significant delays in line with immigration regulations.”
Qantas clarified that asking passengers to surrender passports is not part of their standard policy but is instead a requirement enforced by Thai immigration to legally permit foreign nationals to exit the airport after a cancelled international flight, Daily Mail UK reported.
Still, the passport handover sparked concern and outrage online.
“Is this normal to take away your passports? Never heard of anything like that! What was their reasoning??!” one user posted.
“They’d have to cut my arm off to take my passport,” another fumed.
“I wouldn’t have let them take my passport; that’s not standard practice for flight cancellations,” a third person wrote.
The airline apologised for the chaos.
“We sincerely apologise to customers for the disruption and understand the inconvenience this would have caused to their travel plans,” a Qantas spokesperson said. “Our teams worked hard to get passengers on their way as quickly as possible, and all passengers have now arrived in Sydney.”
Despite the resolution, the viral footage and mixed messages have left many passengers rattled—and questioning the rules that allow such a scenario.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Suvarnabhumi Airport for further comment.
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