More cheated plane passengers lodge complaints at CSD today
Credit : Thai PBS News
About 1,500 passengers were stranded when they couldn’t find the chartered flights of both Thai Airways international and Japan Airlines which the company, WealthEver, said would fly them to Japan and Taiwan on a tour package from April 11-16.
All the passengers had no tickets for their flights but said that they were told to arrive at the airport where the company’s guides would be on hand to take care of their trips.
But no guides showed up to facilitate the flight procedure.
These passengers initially told police that they are members of a direct sale company, WealthEver, and bought the tour package from the company for the tour to Japan.
They paid from 10,000 to 15,000 baht for a trip to Japan and Taiwan between April 11 and 16.
The arrival of these passengers had overcrowded the airport, leaving no space for other passengers to check in.
Both mentioned airlines also came out to say they have no chartered flights arranged for them to Japan as the firm claimed.
But before the situation turned more chaotic, Minister of Tourism Kobkarn Wattanawarangkul was alerted and stepped in by holding a meeting with authorities concerned at the airport.
The cheated passengers, swelling to almost 1,500, were them relocated to new floor instead, giving rooms to other passengers travelling out of the country during the long holidays of Songkran.
Five buses were last night arranged to ferry these cheated passengers to the CSD headquarters to file complaints.
Police said they were told more passengers travelling with the company were scheduled to arrived today.
Police are told that there would be a lot more of passengers, about 2,000 who are scheduled to travel with the firm in trouble coming to the airport on Wednesday.
Meanwhile the Office of Consumer Protection said there was no report of WealthEver being registered as either a direct sale company or a tour company, indicating that it is an illegal firm.
Royal Thai Police deputy spokesman Pol Maj Gen Piyaping Pingmuang asked all those who were cheated by the firm and live in Bangkok to lodge complaints at the CSD in Bangkok.
For those who have not arrived and live in the provinces, they were advised to file complaints at local police station.
He promised to bring the culprits to justice system as the offences are obvious.
