Vietnam Airlines helps stranded passengers return home

Vietnam Airlines said, in the late afternoon Thursday, that the authorities of Bangkok-based Suvarnabhumi Airport announced that the airport would be closed until 6pm on November 29. Arpproximately 330 passengers of Vietnam Airlines are now stuck in Bangkok, including 162 Vietnamese nationals.

Stranded passenger at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok (photo: AP)

Vietnam Airlines will have to cancel its flights from Hanoi to HCM City on November 28 and 29. The airline said it would increase flights and provide bigger planes to bring stranded passengers in Bangkok to Vietnam through three gateways, namely Vientiane (Laos), Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. It will allow passengers to change air routes without collecting any other fees.
Today, November 28, Vietnam Airlines will use an Airbus A321 to conduct three flights, including VN 840 from Vientiane to Hanoi at 6.10pm, VN 822 from Siem Reap to HCM City at 5.30pm, and VN 800 from Phnom Penh to HCM City at 9pm (local time).
Passengers can use road vehicles to move to Vientiane and Siem Reap to catch flights to Vietnam or contact the Vietnam Airlines office in Bangkok through hotlines: 662 6554137/38/39/40 or +6....
The office’s chief, Do Nguyen Khoi, will help passengers to contact travel agents or road transport companies. If necessary, Vietnam Airlines will arrange more flights to Vientiane, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh to help passengers.
In case passengers arrive in Vientiane, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, but are not able to catch a flight on that day, Vietnam Airlines will subsidize part of the accommodation and food expenses, at the level of $30 per person.
If passengers need assistance in these cities, they can call +856 205526374 in Vientiane, +85512357866 in Siem Reap, and +855 12809694 in Phnom Penh.
Vietnam Airlines is also in collaboration with the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok and its representative office in Thailand to provide information regarding flight timetables and immigration procedures for passengers. According to the Thailand news agency (TNA), on the night of November 25, civil aviation authorities in Bangkok closed Suvarnabhumi Airport after hundreds of anti-government protesters broke through police lines and flowed into the busy terminal, disrupting airport operations, in an attempt to prevent Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from returning home from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Peru. The current conditions at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport are still strained, and have forced Vietnam Airlines to cancel four flights from the country to Thailand since November 26 to ensure the safety and security of its flights and passengers.
(Source: Tien Phong)