Oct 27 2011
The situation in and around Bangkok has deteriorated further with Friday night and Saturday morning suggested as the latest “mega-flood” days. At the same time The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has now advised “against all but essential travel to the city of Bangkok and the 26 provinces in Thailand affected by flooding.” So while, at least for now, Bangkok remains a viable hub to transit through, and while reports on the ground are saying, repeatedly, that most of downtown is bone dry, if you’ve decided to heed the warnings and steer clear, here is some planning advice.
The following is aimed at people booked to arrive in Bangkok in the next week to ten days. We’ll revise this post as matters develop.
If you have not arrived in Thailand yet
If you’re booked on a long-haul international flight into Bangkok, our advice is to reroute your ticket to either the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur (KL) or to Singapore.
KL is preferable because it is the hub for low cost carrier AirAsia, which has the most comprehensive network of flights into not only Thailand, but Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam as well. It’s also a far cheaper place to base yourself in for a few days than Singapore.
A second option would be to reroute into Phuket in Thailand’s south or reroute to Chiang Mai in the north, but these two airports are not served by the range of carriers that KL and Singapore are. Of course you can connect to these through Bangkok, but that assumes the airport remains open (the government insists it will but they aren’t proving awfully reliable).
Once you have landed in Bangkok you can then transfer into southern Thailand by bus, train or regional flight, or into northern Thailand by flight.
If you’d prefer to put your trip to Thailand off entirely, you can use KL or Singapore for flights into regional countries, as mentioned above. There is no need to completely cancel your holiday.
Most nationalities are able to arrive in Malaysia and Singapore without a visa.
If you’re already in Bangkok and want to get out
In summary, the situation is very changeable.
Last we’ve heard inter-provincial buses are still operating (though sometimes taking circuitous routes), especially heading north. Services to the south, east and northeast are largely unhindered. If the bus stations are hit by flooding then this would change quickly. The northern bus station is arguably the most at risk.
The southern train line is now terminating at Nakhon Pathom (about 60km west of Bangkok), so you will need to get there by bus first. The northern trainline to Chiang Mai is no longer operating. The trains to the northeast for Khon Kaen, Nong Khai and Ubon Ratchathani are still operating.
Thai low cost carrier Nok Air cancelled all flights till November 1 after Don Muang Airport closed, but we’ve now heard this morning they are operating out of Bangkok’s main international gateway, Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Your best best for domestic flights out is, in this order: AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, THAI. Flights are filling very quickly. The smart cookies at Adioso have put together some pages to check flight availability out of Bangkok. They are a good starting point.
Travelling within Thailand
Unfortunately it is little reported that the vast majority of Thailand has been unaffected by the flooding. The problem is that in most cases, all roads lead to Bangkok so if you’re on Ko Pha Ngan for example and want to get to Chiang Mai, you’ve got your work cut out for you.
Ideally, as long as Bangkok’s main airport remains open and it fits your budget, long north south transfers are best done by flight. In most cases though, we’d lean towards trying to avoid travelling through Bangkok, so spending more time in the south, or the north.
If you’re in Bangkok, the islands to the east are your closest bet and we’ve been advised the roads are fine heading out that way. Ko Samet and the Ko Chang group of islands are unaffected. If you’re on Twitter, IamKoChang is good for updates in that area.
Transitting in Bangkok
If, due to your flight arrangement, you must overnight in Bangkok, Agoda has a list of hotels near Bangkok’s airport. The jury is out regarding if you’re better to stay out near the airport (where you may get stranded if the airport is closed) or in town (where you’re further from the airport, but have mass transit options like the Skytrain to get out and about). There’s no right answer.
Transitting in Kuala Lumpur
If you reroute your flight to take you through Kuala Lumpur, take a look at the list of our favourite guesthouses and hotels in Kuala Lumpur.
Check with your airline
Each airline is treating the flooding differently and some may still levy fees for changing your flights. Here are a few of the policies we’ve actually been able to find:
Check with your travel insurance provider
Before making any flight changes and/or cancellations, be sure to check with your travel insurer provider to establish just what you are and are not covered for.
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