After the 14-day operations and baggage meltdown Thai Airways experienced due to a shortage of ground-handling labor at the Bangkok BKK Hub, the airline is now dealing with the financial fallout of compensation.
Thousands of compensation claims have reached THAI, and many more are expected to flood in (all pun intended) in the coming weeks for the company to evaluate and pay out.
The compensation is for three specific groups of passengers: those who experienced flight delays, flight cancellations, or delayed baggage.
As a preview of what’s to come, all compensation will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and you can submit claims for flight delays or cancellations online via the airline’s website. You can imagine how long that is going to take.
According to The Nation, passengers with claims are requested to contact Thai Airways with their receipts and individual claims for damages, expenses and refunds to be contacted by an agent in the coming weeks (months?).
Thai Airways International announced on October 17 that its board had approved compensation measures for passengers affected by flight delays, cancellations and delayed baggage during the heavy rain and flooding between September 26 and 30, 2026.
The announcement follows disruption to the airline’s services at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Earlier reports said the baggage backlog peaked at approximately 20,000–25,000 bags, with more than 200 flights affected during the flooding.
Thai Airways apologised for the hardship and inconvenience experienced by passengers, describing the compensation measures as an effort to take responsibility and alleviate the impact.
The board-approved measures cover passengers affected by three types of disruption during September 26–30:
– Flight delays
– Flight cancellations
– Delayed baggage delivery
Thai Airways will assess compensation individually, taking account of the facts and losses incurred in each case, in accordance with applicable requirements and laws.
Passengers affected by delayed or cancelled flights can submit compensation requests through Thai Airways’ Flight Disruption webpage.
Passengers can also request certificates documenting the disruption to support claims with their insurers.
Thai Airways’ published online guidance sets out the following steps:
1. Open the Thai Airways website
2. Select Contact Us from the top menu
3. Choose Flight Disruption
4. Select the required service, such as Compensation or Flight Certificate
5. Complete the requested information, check the details and select Submit
The airline advises passengers to prepare their booking and passenger information before completing the form and to check that all details are correct before submission.
Thai Airways said it would expedite the handling of compensation requests and contact applicants with the outcome of its assessment as soon as possible.
I’m not exactly sure what the board needs to “approve” in terms of compensation because the airline is liable for most of these claims under the Montreal Convention (Baggage) and invidual passenger right legislation depending on the origin/destination of the disrupted flight.
Unless THAI wants to provide passengers with additional compensation beyond what is mandated by regulation, the board has very little to say in the matter.
The disruption certificate passengers can request might be required by some insurance providers:
I have only ever claimed with Amex for my insurance benefits, and they did not request any such thing, but I know that some companies do want an official certificate from the airlines.
If Thai Airways refuses to pay you adequate damages (which you can prove) and gives you the runaround, I strongly advise you to familiarize yourself with your coverage under the Montreal Convention, which I mentioned previously.
You are eligible but limited to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights (~ USD 2070,00) and receipts need to be provided.
However, in order to claim compensation, you also have a duty of properly reporting your bags as missing or damaged:
Damaged baggage: Must be reported within 7 days of receipt (via a Property Irregularity Report). Delayed baggage: Must be reported within 21 days of the date it should have arrived.
I have previously noted that impacted passengers should obtain a proper PIR from the airline with a valid reference number. Solely entering your details in the MS Cloud form provided by THAI is not enough.
Thai Military Deploys to Suvarnabhumi Airport To Assist Thai Airways With Baggage Backlog
Hopefully passengers have all received their property back by now and kept all receipts for expenses and replacement purchases to claim with the airline, hold them liable, and request every cent!
Conclusion
Thai Airways has confirmed that the company will pay compensation to passengers impacted by the baggage and operations meltdown during the Bangkok Floods earlier this month.
While that is nice to hear, compensation entitlement due to disruptions is generally governed by regulation, and THAI has little say in the matter if push comes to shove. Also keep in mind that this wasn’t force majeure, as other airlines were operating just fine, and THAI themselves decided to concentrate manpower on their contract partners rather than their own customers to avoid contractual fines.
If you’re due compensation from Thai Airways, feel free to keep us updated as to how expediently they are processing your claim. If you run into trouble definitely remind them of their liability under existing regulations, especially the Montreal Convention.