A British holidaymaker said he was blocked from boarding a flight to Thailand despite queuing for two hours in a mix-up over Covid testing. The man was turned away when he tried to board an aircraft flying from Manchester Airport to Bangkok.
The passenger was attempting to fly to the Thai capital via Dubai, but after a lengthy wait to board he was refused permission to fly by staff from airline Emirates because he was unvaccinated. Thailand no longer requires British passport-holders to have a negative Covid test to enter the country if they are fully-jabbed, but unvaccinated tourists still have to take tests, BirminghamLive reports.
The man blamed the UK government website for not specifying the need for tests. He said: "I thought I could fly to Thailand and take an ATK test upon arrival. But after queuing for two hours at Manchester Airport, the Emirates check-in staff told me 'there is no way you’re getting on this flight.'
"They turned me away [and] told me to rebook my flight, stay in a hotel, and take a test the next day if I wanted to travel to Thailand.”
The UK government website currently states: "From July 1, you are no longer required to apply for permission to enter Thailand. You still need to show proof of either a vaccine certificate or negative Covid-19 test results. Vaccine certificate or pro-ATK/RT-PCR results (within 72 hours) will be checked by airline staff at check-in and once again when you arrive in Thailand."
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