Bangkok News: Suvarnabhumi Baggage Chaos

With the backlog still growing, around 100 Royal Thai Air Force personnel were sent in to help move luggage, although airline specialists are still needed to sort and identify bags. Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn visited the airport and said the incident had negatively affected the country’s image.

Thai Airways chief executive Chai Eamsiri apologised and said flight operations had recovered to more than 90 per cent of normal capacity, with a full schedule expected within about a week. Passengers are offered either airport pickup or delivery of recovered bags to their final address, and compensation is under review. Lost or damaged items are to be handled under the airline’s insurance rules.

The airline also paused all cargo acceptance at its Suvarnabhumi warehouse from 30 September to 6 October, saying that a shortage of staff had delayed both handovers to customers and transfers to flights.

Beyond the water itself, attention has turned to how the airport’s luggage workforce is organised. Reports say much ground-handling labour is supplied by an outsourcing company set up in 2010, owned 49 per cent by Thai Airways and 51 per cent by Phuket Airport Catering Company. Some workers are said to be hired daily or as freelancers without permanent contracts, which means lower pay and little leverage when management needs them to show up in a crisis.

When the floods came, temporary staff did not report and the company had limited power to compel them. Thai Airways shrank its own workforce during its business rehabilitation, which increased its reliance on outsourced labour. Questions have also been raised about links between some company directors and former airline staff. ThaiThuk has seen no finding of wrongdoing, and these remain matters for the authorities and the airline to answer.

Thai Airways has published three relief options for passengers with Bangkok flights between 26 September and 11 October on tickets issued by 29 September. You can move to another date on the same route within ticket validity with change and no-show fees waived, switch routes without a change fee (paying any fare difference), or claim a full refund if a flight is cancelled or delayed more than three hours.

If your bag did not arrive, file a report before leaving the arrivals hall. The airline says baggage status can be checked through a QR code system or by phone on 02-134-5373-74 for domestic and 02-134-5466-68 for international. Keep receipts for essentials, because they matter for any claim. Carry medicines, chargers and a change of clothes in hand luggage, a sensible habit on any Thailand trip.

Anyone stuck at the capital’s airports will find a Thailand travel guide more useful than usual. If you are delayed in the city, the best things to do in Bangkok that stay dry include the museums and temples, covered markets and Bangkok food courts in the big malls, and our Bangkok guides list more. If the plan was a beach break, the things to do in Pattaya do not change much, and a taxi or bus south is straightforward once your luggage is found. See also our Thailand travel pages and the latest Pattaya news in our report on the indictment of two suspects.

This also touches on the best time to visit Thailand. The rainy season runs to roughly October, and flood risk around Bangkok is highest at its tail, so travellers heading to the Thailand islands or planning budget travel in Thailand may prefer November onwards. Residents living in Thailand know to build slack into connections in September and October. Check your Thailand visa dates too, as a rebooked flight can affect your permitted stay. And if you want to try Thai food while waiting, the airport’s own food courts are cheaper than most people expect, and Thai festivals such as Loy Krathong, due next month, are a good reason to come back.