TRANG: Former prime minister Chuan Leekpai has warned airlines not to take advantage of southern travellers by overcharging them at a time when flooding has limited their transport options.
Walk-in airfares are being quoted at 3,000 to 4,000 baht for one-way trips between Bangkok and his southern home province of Trang.
Normally the fares are 1,300 to 1,800 baht. Nok Air and AirAsia operate six daily flights at Trang airport.
Because the airport in Nakhon Si Thammarat has been closed due to flooding, people travelling to and from Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phatthalung have been flocking to Trang airport which is the closest facility. All flights at Trang airport are fully booked as a result.
Mr Chuan, 78, said on Saturday he had planned to fly to Bangkok last Tuesday but delayed the trip because the ticket was priced at 4,000 baht. He acknowledged that the high fare might also have reflected peak travel demand as it was the end of the New Year holiday.
But now that the holiday has passed and people are unable to travel by road or train because of flooding, airlines should have sympathy for people in trouble, the former prime minister said.
He said he had already phoned the transport minister to complain about the matter.
Mr Chuan said high fares at Trang airport had been a problem he had been trying to solve for a long time. He expressed hope that when Lion Air started its service there next month, travellers would have more choice and price competition would bring fares down.
Unseasonal storms across the South have been responsible for 18 deaths in the past week, according to the Interior Ministry, with thousands of villages partially submerged in water that is roof-high in some areas.
The government has mobilised more resources including navy vessels and specialised equipment to help more than 700,000 flood victims in 10 southern provinces, where heavy rains are forecast to finally start easing on Sunday.
Military bases across the region have been mobilised to help evacuate flood victims, provide temporary shelters and distribute emergency aid.