Bangkok - what will happen to my booking if FCO advise against travel

fifeken

It might not help the OP as booked a package, but in case it helps anyone else, Emirates are offering free changes or waiving cancellation fees for departures this week.

Also an option of changing to Phuket flights instead of BKK.

Details currently available here:
http://www.emirates.com/uk/english/about/operational_updates/operational_updates.aspx

totallybored

lesley74 wrote: »

Yes, I was meaning Visas for other destinations. We don't need an advance visa for Thailand.

As for moving out of the city, the purpose of our visit is to see Bangkok, and we have a hotel booked as part of our package at the Riverside. I don't want to go and pay for another hotel and stay outside the city and not be able to see it. If we don't go it will be because FCO advise against travel to Bangkok, so in that case we won't be using our flight there either.

I did look up Vietnam, and discovered there were Visa issues. It also seems that you can get a letter authorising you to collect a visa at the airport on arrival. Still takes time though, and something I worry too much about doing within 48 hours of travel.

We've started organising for packing assuming that we are going, but unfortunately we will just have to see what the situation is over the next week or so, and more specifically in the 48 hours prior to departure. Feels like terribly short notice for a long haul trip.

Cambodia is easier than Vietnam for visas as you can get them on arrival. It takes a few days for the letter for the Vietnam visa so you wouldn't be able to do it in 48 hours.

I'm not sure about Cambodia flights as the cheap Air Asia ones fly from the other airport in Bangkok but you could get a taxi to the Cambodia border. I've done this twice from the Cambodia border to Bangkok and it costs about £40. You then get another taxi to Siem Reap.

vegasvisitor

totallybored - thanks for the info and the suggestion. Emirates don't fly there I don't think so it might rule it out for us as well. Because we are flying from Glasgow Emirates is ideal. Otherwise we'd have to go via London and somewhere else and it makes it more then one stop which I prefer not to do.

I've read on Tripadvisor that they are already setting up these roadblocks this evening. So it looks like there will be lots of news tomorrow.

When I looked at the Vietnam visa/letter thing earlier I thought it was meaning that you apply online and receive a letter by email. Did I pick that up wrong? Are we definitely talking 2 days? I'm just wondering in case Emirates start to open up changes for next week as it might give us an option.


Fifeken - I'll keep an eye on the Emirates updates. That's interesting that they are offering changes already for this week. FCO advice only triggers 48 hour ahead cancellation, so that's a good help to folk that want to plan a bit ahead and make the change.


I didn't mention before but we have a stopover in Dubai on the way home and had to book a hotel separately for that. It's only an Ibis at the airport though, so not too much out of pocket anyway...and perhaps even claimable on insurance.

totallybored

For the Vietnam visa you apply online and a couple of days later you get the letter emailed back. Mine took 2/3 days as Vietnam issue letters in batches with a list of people all on one letter.

Have you tried calling emirates about a change of destination? They might be willing to switch your flight. I know you've not booked direct but occasionally airlines will help (I've had successes with Delta and Virgin even though I've booked via Expedia in the past).

vegasvisitor

No, haven't called Emirates. As we have a package with ebookers we have a hotel tied to it, so we can't really change unless ebookers allowed us to either (hotel is probably worth almost as much as the flights so I wouldn't want to lose that either). So even if Emirates allowed it, without the FCO advice I can't really change/cancel the hotels so I'm still stuck. That along with planning this trip for months and really wanting to go to Bangkok. I'm really crossing my fingers and hoping FCO don't issue any adverse advice and that we'll be able to go (and hopefully feel safe and still enjoy the trip!).

It's all a bit of a mess. Only times anything like this has happened before was when I was unwell before a trip and it took till the week before for me to be declared 'fit to travel', and then we were in Egypt when the uprising kicked off, but we were in Sharm and it really didn't affect our holiday (we had decided not to book the pyramids trip that we had been looking at fortunately).

globalds

I know not really to do with your concern ..
But as this is a Money saving site ..here is my top tip

when you arrive at Bangkok airport don't just walk out and grab a taxi at arrivals.
Take the escalators upstairs to departures and walk outside and get a taxi that has just dropped off and tell them to use the meter ..you will pay a couple of quid to use the express way ..but this taxi will be at least half the price of anything you jump in outside arrivals.

If the first taxi refuses ,just ask another ..there are lots dropping off.

NiftyDigits

globalds wrote: »

I know not really to do with your concern ..
But as this is a Money saving site ..here is my top tip

when you arrive at Bangkok airport don't just walk out and grab a taxi at arrivals.
Take the escalators upstairs to departures and walk outside and get a taxi that has just dropped off and tell them to use the meter ..you will pay a couple of quid to use the express way ..but this taxi will be at least half the price of anything you jump in outside arrivals.

If the first taxi refuses ,just ask another ..there are lots dropping off.

This is quite wrong and I don't suggest that you try it unless you are in a perverse hurry to get to your destination.
The only saving that you will make is perhaps the time in the official Taxi Meter queue and the 50 baht Airport Fee added to the metered fare.
With the official taxi queue, your journey is recorded for your protection.
Otherwise no one will know quite which taxi you used or where you went. All this to save 50 baht.

Not just this, but I think they have put barriers up to stop people from doing this very thing, for much longer negotiated journeys.

littlereddevil

TBH there has been unrest in Bangkok for quite some time

DKLS

littlereddevil wrote: »

TBH there has been unrest in Bangkok for quite some time

For 1000s of years!, I was out with the wife during the red shirt protests, this was the first week before things became lively.


We had just returned to the hotel after exploring and spending a few hours drinking beer with both protesters and the Riot police who where there.


When we went to the reception there was an American couple asking if it was safe to leave the hotel, I advised them to stop watching Fox news and enjoy the city.


The only hassle we had was one night we couldn't get to the Suan Lum night bazar due to congestion.

richardw

DKLS wrote: »

... I advised them to stop watching Fox news ...

That's pretty good advice!