Stranded in Thailand after failure at airport

 

Thailand 

Power failure at Krabi airport - travelers stranded  

Unclear message from the airline: Force majeure 

Of: 

Anna Sjogren  

Published: Today 10.39  

Updated: Today 13.20 

Johan is stuck at the airport in Bangkok after an electrical fault at the airport in Krabi. Photo: Private 

NEWS 

About 80 Swedes are stranded in Bangkok after an electrical fault delayed their flight.  

One of those who have not yet received notification from the airline Thai Airways when they can be flown home is Johan Lindström. 

- It was a very busy atmosphere tonight. There were many families with small babies and crying mothers and crying children, he says.  

On Sunday, the airport in the Thai tourist resort of Krabi was hit by an electrical fault, which knocked out air traffic for a few hours. 

- There was a power cut at the airport so the runway had no lighting and no planes could land or take off, says Johan Lindström.  

Johan Lindström has been on a two-week holiday on Koh Lanta with his wife, two children, mother and mother-in-law. They were among the 80 or so Swedes who missed their plane to Bangkok and the flights home to Sweden.  

The message from Thai Airways, with which Johan Lindström and several other travelers fly, was that they would be helped by staff at the airport in Bangkok.

 

Johan's family has been on holiday on Koh Lanta for two weeks. Photo: Private  

Aggressive and panicky mood  

Once there, they received a completely different message from the airline. 

- They just said "we can't help you" because it happened in Krabi. You thought you would get help when there was a crisis, says Johan Lindström.  

The airline says that they are not responsible as the fault was at the airport. 

He has been stuck at the airport in Bangkok since three o'clock last night, Thai time. Pictures show people lying and sleeping on the floor and on benches. 

Johan Lindström testifies to a bad mood among the stranded Thailand travelers during the night. 

- It was almost an aggressive and slightly panicky atmosphere, says Johan Lindström. 

Photo: Private 

Classified as force majeure  

The airline has said that it will provide information to travelers at 6pm local time. Johan Lindström says that he has started to look into buying a new trip pending notification. - The first flight we have been able to find is on Friday with Finnair, possibly Wednesday if we are lucky. It would cost between SEK 80,000 and 105,000 for us and goes via India, Turkey and Frankfurt, says Johan Lindström.  

When Aftonbladet contacts Thai Airways in Sweden, we receive somewhat unclear information. Jonas Broström, sales manager at Thai Airways, first tells Aftonbladet that the travelers will of course get help with both hotels and new plane tickets. 

After a while he calls again. 

- I have been told that this is classified as force majeure and then it becomes an insurance matter. So I feel that I must be allowed to come back because I get somewhat contradictory information, says Jonas Broström.  

After a few minutes he returns and says that all travelers must be taken home. But the travelers who checked into a hotel can contact their insurance company for compensation.

"Many flights are full"  

How long it may take to get all travelers home cannot be said, many flights are generally full, according to Broström.  

- No, that's impossible. But we will make sure they get home as quickly and safely as possible, says Jonas Broström.  

In a comment field on Facebook, travelers rage against Thai Airways. Some say they will not travel with the airline again after what happened. 

 Johan Lindström has received different messages on site. The latest he has learned from his travel agency is that Thai Airways has changed its mind and will not fly them home.