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Air Passengers To Pay 35 Baht On Top Of Ticket Prices
3rd Aug 2015
AOT recently approved the purchase of a passenger screening system for six international airports but passengers will have to pay 35 baht over and above the price of their tickets.
The Airline Operations Committee (AOC) however, is opposing the December 2015 date, citing that it is much too soon. Moreover, some airline clients have already purchased their flight tickets in advance, making it burdensome to impose the new fees.
The committee is requesting the AOT to push the date further, giving airlines more lead time to act on this development.
Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, Chairman of AOT, disclosed that Advance Passenger Processing System (APPS) will be installed in the country's six international airports in three month's time. Another month will be allotted on testing the system.
Once in place, the APPS is expected to enhance overall safety since it allows retrieval of relevant passenger data.
Airport authorities, officials, and personnel may gain access to passenger data sourced from their respective countries. Info on the status of the passenger (whether he is blacklisted or not) can help alert airport personnel. Having these info on hand will also help facilitate immigration checks.
If plans push through as scheduled, international airports including Suvarnabhumi, Phuket, and Don Mueang will be reaping the benefits of the new system.
Only international passengers will be charged with the 35 baht which will be tucked in the ticket prices. To implement this, International Air Transport Association's (IATA) consent will have to be obtained first but this might take about two more months.
Meanwhile, the AOT recognises the issue raised on tickets already sold before the charges came about and is willing to further tackle the issue with airlines concerned.
Airlines have expressed their disinclination to shoulder the new screening fees for passengers who have already bought their tickets long before the new fees came about. Moreover, they opine that collecting these at the point of check in won't be a practical option.
The AOC is preparing to draft an appeal to the AOT to extend the December date for another three months.
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