On Monday, dozens of travellers shared their experiences on social media; some flew to Thailand and were not asked to show any documents, while others were stopped from boarding flights after failing to show Covid-19 vaccination documentation. Many claimed they were unaware of the rule until they reached the airport.
Around 15 tourists were denied boarding a Turkish Airlines TK64 flight that left Istanbul last night, according to one traveller.
“About 15 tourists on [a] Turkish Airlines TK64 flight that left Istanbul last night were refused boarding,” said Thailand-based journalist Richard Barrow, who has reported extensively on the changing requirements.
“Some airlines are not asking for documents. Others are being very strict such as refusing boarding to vaccinated people who didn’t have their certificate on them,” Barrow added in a subsequent tweet.
One traveller told Barrow over 20 passengers had been turned away from a Kualar-Lumpur flight to Thailand after failing to provide vaccination documentation.
Government’s pivots following tourism response
However, just hours after the requirement was resumed, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced vaccination certificates would not be checked for entry to Thailand.
The call was made by the ministry’s health committee early on Monday, he said during an emergency press conference at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday afternoon.
Charnvirakul said the vaccine certificate requirement would not be enforced as it had become apparent it would deter tourists.
Dropping the requirement is good news for travellers planning a trip in the future, but Barrow said it was little help for those who were travelling now or had already been turned away.
“In the real world foreign tourists are still being refused boarding as CAAT still hasn’t informed airlines,” he wrote on Twitter, explaining that information like this takes time to circulate.
One traveller claimed they tried to board a flight following the updated entry requirements but were still asked to show vaccination requirements. After showing airline employees Barrow’s tweets, they were allowed to board.
“I checked in no problem at FlyDubai desk. I then got followed to the departures asking for my insurance & Vaccine cert,” they wrote.
