Thai woman demands justice after taxi takes her to wrong airport

A Thai woman is seeking justice after an app-based taxi driver took her to the wrong airport in Bangkok, causing her to miss her flight.

The woman, whose identity was not revealed, shared her story on Facebook, expressing frustration that both the driver and the ride-hailing app refuse to take responsibility for her losses. The driver blamed her for not paying attention to the route.

In an interview with Channel 7, the woman revealed that the incident took place in February. She booked a flight at 7.45am to go to the northern province of Phitsanulok for a business trip.

She used an unnamed app to schedule a ride from her Sukhumvit condo to Don Mueang International Airport, leaving at 5.30am. After getting into the taxi, she began using her phone for work and also checked her social media feeds.

When she looked up, she was shocked to realise they were nearing Suvarnabhumi International Airport, not Don Mueang. She asked the driver to rush to Don Mueang but it was already 7am and she missed her flight.

The woman included a video of her discussion with the taxi driver on her Facebook post. They were engaging in a conversation below:

Passenger: I’ll have to book a new flight. This is definitely too late.
Taxi driver: Well, what do you want? Do you still want to go to the airport?
Passenger: Yes, but you have to pay for my new flight.
Taxi driver: What?
Passenger: I booked a car to Don Mueang Airport. I needed to arrive by 7am, even earlier for check-in.
Taxi driver: You should have told me if the route was wrong.
Passenger: I was on my phone. You’re the driver. You should focus on the destination. Does a passenger need to do that?

The woman disclosed that she arrived at Don Mueang Airport at about 7.30am and was unable to make her original flight. The driver did not charge her but refused to pay for the replacement flight.

The victim said she waited five hours for the new flight and this caused significant work and financial losses. She reported the matter to the application and also the Land Transport Department but there has been no development.

As of now, neither the app nor the government department has offered compensation.