The Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) has complained that an unnamed airline attempted to overcharge its members, stranded by flooding in Hat Yai on Sunday, for tickets to Bangkok.
According to informed sources, the TCC had chartered two flights to bring its members back to Bangkok, after the cancellation of last weekend’s planned 43rd meeting of all chambers of commerce due to heavy flooding.
Most members managed to fly back to Bangkok on the two chartered flights. 26 officials and the TCC’s meeting organising committee stayed behind until Sunday, however, to arrange flights out of Hat Yai for their remaining colleagues.
Advance tickets were booked for the 26 people on two flights, which were scheduled to leave Hat Yai at 7pm and 10.40pm on Sunday. When the passengers arrived at the airport, they were, however, informed that their bookings had been cancelled.
They were not automatically transferred to an alternate flight, said the sources.
When the group contacted the check-in counter, they were told that they were waiting for instructions from the main office and to contact the travel agent’s ticket counter, who told them that the tickets would cost as much as 6,000 baht one way, which is double the normal fare, according to the sources.
The group waited without a response from the airline’s main office. At 7.30pm the flight departed with none of them on board, said the sources, adding that the group had agreed that they should not be overcharged and that the new ticket price was too expensive, insisting that they have the right to the seats on board since their bookings had been confirmed, only to be cancelled without a proper explanation.
The group spent the night at the airport and flew back to Bangkok this morning.
