The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has given advice on assistance for air passengers whose flights are affected by airspace closures caused by the Iran war.
The CAAT said travelles should check their rights in the event their international flight from Thailand is delayed or cancelled. Those who face service problems can file complaints at complaint.caat.or.th.
According to CAAT, Iran completely closed its sky while Israel closed its airspace to commercial flights. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait closed parts of their sky for security reasons and that could affect flights to European, Asian and Asia-Pacific destinations.
Many airlines must reroute their flights and this could impact international flights via the Middle East. Travellers heading to Europe and the Middle East should keep checking for updates from their respective airlines.
If outbound travellers arrive at the airport without having been informed their flight was cancelled or delayed, they have the right to assistance.
If their flight is delayed for over two hours, the airline must provide them with food and beverage, or food and beverage coupons, as well as communication devices free of charge.
If flights are delayed for more than five hours, travellers have right to the above-mentioned food, beverage and communication assistance and also to accommodation and 1,500 baht in cash, credit shells, travel vouchers, frequent flyer miles or equivalents.
If flights are delayed for more than 10 hours, airlines must offer food, beverages, communication devices as well as accommodation and another compensation of choice -- cash ranging from 2,000 to 4,500 baht depending on flight distances, credit shells, travel vouchers, frequent flyer points or equivalents.
If travellers cancel their trips, airlines must let them choose from three options. The first is a full refund, credit shells, travel vouchers, frequent flyer points or equivalents. The second is to change flights to reach their destination or a nearby destination. The third option is to take another kind of transport to reach their destination or nearby location.
If flights are cancelled without prior notice and optional flights, airlines must provide affected travellers with the same compensation for flights delayed for more than 10 hours, CAAT said.
