Singaporean actress Cynthia Koh faced a series of travel problems before reaching Bangkok for a 10-day wellness retreat, after her Thai Airways flight was cancelled amid severe flooding and baggage disruptions at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The 52-year-old had already adjusted her travel plans after learning that flooding in Bangkok had disrupted airport ground operations. Concerned about long waits for checked luggage, she packed everything she needed for the trip into a 6.67kg carry-on bag, including her skincare products.
Her precautions did not prevent another setback. On the morning of Sept. 29, Koh discovered through the iChangi app that her Thai Airways flight had been cancelled. She said she received no text or email notification and was unable to reach the airline’s hotline.
Because the wellness retreat was still scheduled to proceed, Koh initially bought a Scoot ticket to Bangkok. She later learned that Thai Airways had arranged for her to travel on a Singapore Airlines flight instead, as both airlines are members of Star Alliance.
Koh eventually arrived safely in Bangkok and found sunny conditions at the airport. However, she saw numerous passengers still waiting for their baggage and said the luggage situation appeared to be gradually improving.
The disruptions came as Bangkok recovered from heavy flooding that affected airport ground operations. Thai Airways said around 5,600 pieces of baggage remained stranded at Suvarnabhumi, while the airline planned to cut about 30 flights, or roughly 30% of its planned Bangkok departures, as it worked to restore operations.
Koh later shared a practical lesson from the experience, advising travellers heading to Bangkok in the following days to consider packing light. Her own decision to travel with only hand luggage allowed her to avoid the airport’s baggage backlog after she eventually reached the city.
