A Russian tourist spent two weeks homeless at the airport and was treated kindly by Thai flight attendants

On Friday, a Russian arrived home safely after being homeless for two weeks in the literal sense of the word at the airport on the Thai island of Phuket. Alas, now this can happen to anyone: for the period from November to March, Russians purchased a record number of tickets to Phuket, and Russian carriers decided to tighten measures against those who are late.

Today, the Phuket press proudly tells how the compassionate staff of the Phuket airport not only fed and watered a tourist from Russia for 14 days, but even dressed him and treated him. The 38-year-old “aviation homeless” himself thanks the airport staff for their understanding and support and promises to come again.

“This tourist got separated from his group already in the duty-free zone,” explains Mr. Mongkut Narong from the island’s tourist assistance office. “He was checked in for the flight and went through border control, so his luggage was loaded and he flew off with the plane. And the tourist himself ran to the exit when the landing was already completed. Thus, they could neither let him back nor put him on the plane. And he remained in the “clean” zone. There is a Hollywood blockbuster with a similar plot.

– But why couldn’t he be put on the next plane to Russia, now the flight schedule from you to us and back is quite tight!?

– Because he didn’t have money for a new ticket.

As it turned out, once in a tropical paradise, the 38-year-old Russian squandered all the cash he had, and spent the last of it at the airport before missing his plane. And, faced with the fact that his plane took off with his luggage, but without him, he was at a dead end. In his own words, the Thai ground flight attendants were the first to take pity – they sat him down, calmed him down, brought him some water and let him call his mother in Russia. And only then other air hub employees arrived, including the tourist police and customs. Everyone quickly realized that nothing could be done about this tourist, they had to wait for money from Russia, fortunately, the vacationer asked his mother to collect it.

“His mother is an elderly woman and, apparently, not very wealthy,” suggests Mr. Mongkut Narong. – It took her two weeks to collect a little over $300. And all this time your citizen was waiting at the airport. They looked after him there.

According to the Phuket press, the Thai flight attendants even brought clothes for the poor fellow. He had four meals a day, and when he got sick, doctors were called directly to his home – to the terminal where he was staying.

– Of course, I had to sleep on public seats, and that’s why I got conjunctivitis! – the elderly mother, who could barely get her son enough money for a ticket to his homeland, is indignant.

Thai doctors also admit: if we caught it, we came. But he can’t be taken to the hospital, his visa has expired. But everyone, including the tourist support office, was shocked when, after the unfortunate traveler flew home 14 days later, it turned out that this was the second time he was on vacation like this. Exactly a year ago, he also “rested” at Phuket airport for a week on full board, missing his flight.

“And this time I decided to stop by for two, it’s bad, everything is included, even the Thai flight attendants,” Runet users joke.

And jokes aside, some of them are deeply indignant that a 38-year-old vacationer behaves worse than an 8-year-old – he doesn’t calculate the budget or time, and just complains to his mommy. The other part of those discussing the “Phuket case” is trying to at least a little justify their compatriot.

“This is not the first time I’ve heard from friends who flew to different places and on our different airlines,” says Victoria from Moscow, “that boarding is closed ahead of time. And the flight attendants stand straight up in the aisle, although technically it is still possible to pass, nothing has changed except that she closed the door.

“The more expensive the tickets, the more often this happens,” clarifies Muscovite Boris, who found himself in a similar situation with a Russian carrier when transferring in Minvody. – They close the boarding ahead of schedule, even knowing that in the “clean” zone there are transit passengers with a triple ticket, so you won’t be able to fly much today. And still they don’t let me in. Your luggage, if you checked it in immediately to your final destination, flies away, but you stay behind. Considering the problems with the cards, it is possible that he will be without money. So nothing surprising. And that the second time a person was late – well, what’s the big deal, it happens.

Meanwhile, according to the domestic tourism industry, for the period from December 15 to January 15, our citizens bought up all tours to Phuket, including luxury ones at 1 million 300 thousand rubles for two for a week. Despite the fact that these hotels, unlike the Phuket airport, are not even all-inclusive.

“For the New Year period, many hotels in the segment from 1.2 million rubles for two per week are already “at capacity,” confirms the office of a Russian tour operator specializing in Phuket.

The domestic carrier, meanwhile, is tightening measures against latecomers. As the carrier explained, for the last 4 years, citizens who were late for a flight could change their ticket within half an hour after the scheduled departure time, which cost them 2,800 rubles for domestic flights and 46 euros for international flights – plus an additional payment up to the ticket price valid on the day of departure . This made it possible to “save” the ticket, albeit at great expense. But now this indulgence has been canceled: those who were late did not fly away.