A Thai government official says he was denied boarding on a domestic flight from Trang to Don Mueang on August 10, despite holding a confirmed booking, a locked-in window seat and a pre-ordered meal.
Staff told him the flight was full after 189 passengers had already checked in, and he turned down the airline’s 1,500 baht compensation offer to buy a 3,800 baht ticket with another carrier instead.
At check-in at Trang airport, staff first told him the flight would be about 40 minutes late. Then they asked him to wait, as 189 passengers had already checked in.
Then airline staff told him there was no seat. The airline offered to put him on another carrier and to pay 1,500 baht in compensation, plus a 150 baht meal voucher.
He refused, stating that he had an appointment and had to be at Don Mueang before 6pm, so he bought his own ticket on another airline for 3,800 baht, leaving Trang at 5.35pm and late for his appointment.
Staff initially put the problem down to a system error, he said. In a separate conversation, another member of staff reportedly told him the airline oversells by two or three seats per flight to cover no-shows, then reallocates them if the booked passengers do not turn up.
He is now asking how those oversold seats get reassigned when someone does not appear, and how the revenue from them is recorded. He wants a transparent investigation and an explanation from the airline.
Overbooking is legal and routine worldwide, and it is regulated in Thailand.
Under Civil Aviation Board rules, a passenger who holds a confirmed booking, is denied boarding against their will and is not at fault is entitled to set compensation and care, not just their money back.
On domestic flights, that means an immediate cash payment or its equivalent, rebooking or a refund, and care such as meals while waiting.
Where the airline reroutes you, and you still arrive with only a short delay, the required payment is lower. That is most likely the tier the 1,500 baht offer came from.
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