Passengers Scramble as Flights Canceled
Thai protesters closed two airports in Thailand Tuesday, leaving some travelers in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap stranded. (26 November 2008)
Hundreds of passengers were left looking for alternatetravel plans in Phnom Penh and Siem ReapWednesday, after protests in Bangkokclosed an international airport. Flights for Bangkok Airways, Thai Airways and Asia Air werecanceled Wednesday morning, and passengers were given the chance for refunds topurchase other tickets out or were allowed to change their flight dates. The cancellations followed the closure of Thailand’s DonMuang and Suvarnabhumi airports Tuesday, after pro-opposition protestersstormed their terminals in a bid to unseat the ruling government. “The flights to Bangkokwere temporarily delayed indefinitely, because of the anti-Thai protestersoccupying the airports of Don Muang and suvarnabhumi,” Leang Preng, a spokesmanfor Thai Airways, said. Thai Airways typically has four flights a day to Bangkok, two from PhnomPenh and two from Siem Reap. Each flight has up to 170 passengers, Leang Preng said. “I not only missed my flight, but I’m missing my job,” LongRemy, a Cambodian-French citizen, said at Phnom Penh InternationalAirport Wednesday. “Ihave to work on Friday, and I cannot leave my job.” He was visiting his family in Cambodia and hoped to fly viaKorean Air on Thursday. Pen Samnang, a resident of Australia,said he would seek a refund and fly by Singapore’s Silk Air. “I have a lot of jobs in Australia, and I have booked hotelsfor them,” he said. “We are concerned that the delay of the flight to Bangkok will affect tourism to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap,”general director ofCambodian Civil Aviation. “The flights from Bangkokto Phnom Penhare four flights, and to Siem Reap are five flights. Some flights between 70seats for a small plane and more than 100 seats for a big plane.” Hopefully tourists will change their transit destinationaway from Thailand, through Vietnam, Singaporeor Malaysia,for example, he said.