The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has pointed out that demand for travel to Hat Yai has surged due to the flood situation, and has coordinated with airlines to ensure fair ticket pricing. It has also emphasized that if flights are cancelled, passengers will be protected under the regulations.
Sarun Benjanirat, Deputy Director General for Aviation Economic Development, CAAT, revealed that due to the rapidly improving flood situation in the southern region, there has been a significant increase in people and officials needing to travel to Hat Yai by air. Air travel is the quickest option, and services are still operating normally. This surge in demand is primarily due to people needing to care for their families and properties affected by the floods, as well as officials supporting flood relief efforts.
However, in recent days, many tickets have been purchased within a short time, causing both the budget and standard-priced seats to sell out quickly. As a result, the remaining seats are at higher prices, reflecting the dynamic pricing mechanism which follows international airline revenue management standards.
CAAT has coordinated with all airlines to consider expanding assistance measures for passengers and managing ticket prices to minimize the impact, in order to accommodate the urgent travel needs for flood relief.
For transparency and clarity, CAAT invited all airlines operating in the southern routes to clarify their practices. The airlines confirmed that if flights are cancelled, passengers will be protected under the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand Regulation No. 101, which requires airlines to offer full refunds or allow flight changes without additional charges.
Additionally, if flights are not cancelled but passengers choose not to travel on the scheduled day, airlines will allow changes to travel dates within a specified period at no extra cost. Passengers can contact airlines directly, and if they feel they are not receiving the protection specified in Regulation No. 101, complaints can be filed at complaint.caat.or.th.
Regarding a recent directive from the Prime Minister to investigate complaints about airlines cancelling original flights and requiring passengers to buy new tickets at higher prices, CAAT has reviewed all complaints filed in the past month. It found no such complaints for any flight routes and did not observe any exploitative behavior by airlines or airports during on-site inspections. However, CAAT will continue to work with other agencies that handle complaints to ensure that airline services comply with the law and do not harm the public.
Furthermore, CAAT will closely monitor ticket prices, travel volume, and complaints, and will take necessary action if any violations of the law are found. The agency will continue coordinating with all airlines to ensure the smoothest possible travel to southern Thailand during the flood recovery phase.