Bangkok Airways extends flight suspension to August 11

In a post to Facebook this afternoon, Bangkok Airways announced that they will be extending the suspension of their domestic flights until August 11. They will ground all flights except flights connected to the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus international reopening programs.

The announcement comes following Covid-19 outbreaks in both Koh Samui and Phuket that threaten the international programs and have tightened entry restrictions to both the gulf island and the Andaman island. The airline declared the postponement of flight resumptions to be following the prevention measures enacted by the government to curb rising infections and outbreaks around the country.

The post specifies that, as of now, flights that are transitting international travellers that arrive into Bangkok and then connect to Koh Samui as part of the Samui Plus program are still operating as scheduled. The airline was not as decisive about the fate of Phuket Sandbox flights, asking customers to standby for updates on the Phuket flights as the situation unfolds and the new ban on domestic travellers entering Phuket goes into effect August 3.

Affected ticketed passengers are being offered several solutions including the option to rebook their flight for another date without any booking fee or a travel voucher for the full value of the original ticket. They can also request an open ticket – one that postpones their original date of travel but does not confirm a new travel date yet by filling out a form online. Any of these options need to be done at least 24 hours before the originally scheduled departure.

On a related note, Bangkok Airways announced just 3 days ago its plan to resume its first international flight since the Covid-19 pandemic with unfortunate timing. The Singapore to Koh Samui flight intends to relaunch on August 1, but the announcement was released just a few hours before news broke of the Black Bamboo Club Covid-19 outbreak that has infected 40 people so far and propelled the island from a nearly Covid-19 free zone to a new infection hotspot. Bangkok Airways intends to run flights on Monday, Thursday and Sunday, travelling to Singapore in the afternoon and returning to Samui in the evening.

SOURCE: Bangkok Airways Facebook