January 2009


Communiqué from HRG SINGAPORE
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Greg James
General Manager, HRG Singapore

A Message from Greg James:

As an important, valued customer of HRG Singapore, I am delighted to welcome you to read our monthly online newsletter, Communiqué.

Communiqué is designed to keep you abreast of the latest information and trends concerning travel in this region and popular destinations.

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Contact us at communique.sg@hrgworldwide.com.

 
Update on current Bangkok flight situation

Thai's ruling political party has been dissolved so this may bring the situation to a conclusion.

Thailand tourism minister Weerasak Kowsurat said the number of stranded tourists in the country has risen to more than 240,000.

Thai government has opened a makeshift international departure lounge at the Bitec exhibition centre in Bangkok in an attempt to clear the backlog of passengers who have been stranded by the forced closure of the city’s two main airports.

Tens of thousands of stranded passengers have been squeezing into the only terminal at Vietnam War-era U-tapao airport to catch flights out of the country.

Eyewitness accounts from U-tapao airports claim passengers with boarding passes found it difficult to enter the terminal building even after their flight numbers were called as others, some of whom did not hold tickets, blocked the entrance.

Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific and Russia's Oren Air have set up makeshift checking-in desks outside the terminal.

Tents have been erected outside the terminal to provide shelter to the passengers and more mobile toilets have been installed.

Traffic to the U-tapao airport has been backed up for several kilometers.

Transport Minister Santi Promphat said the air force base in Don Mueang has also been opened for commercial flights to help stranded passengers get out of the country.

He said authorities were also negotiating with neighboring countries to see if they can reroute passengers to their airports and send them home.

RESTARTING operations at Thailand's main airport will take at least a week once a sit-in by anti-government protesters ends.

 

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