General Reports

[Robert Long]

That's just silly. Airlines in any country outside of sub-Saharan Africa are a few orders of magnitude safer than other modes of transport we routinely use (regular taxis, and don't even mention motorbikes), and life situations like crossing the street. Sure, an airline like Lion Air is statistically clearly less safe than Qantas or KLM, but in absolute terms, we're talking minuscule risks anyway.

If your tolerance of risk is so low that you'd avoid Air Asia or Lion Air due to unacceptably high risk, surely you're staying away from Bangkok taxis too, and cars in general? Not to mention dangerous activities like BBBJ or DATY?

By.

I am only sharing information that was presented on Aljazeria, if you have an issue with it, please google the documentary and see for yourself. I fly AA because there is usually no other or like the new Vietjet the seats are sold out because the tour groups buy them all because they are so cheap.

I had a customer many years ago that leased old planes to Indonesia. Planes that should be in moffballs, but there was a demand because they are so cheap. He said he would never fly in these. I remember flying Barac Air from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, that was an adventure. The plane shook and was so loud that you had to plug your ears.

You know you have a real problem with responding to posts. You do not need to criticize a person every time you respond. Suggesting I avoid Lion or AA was not mentioned by me, also why get on a rant about what I choose as for transportation? Many comments on this post and only you decide to make curt remarks. Chill out my friend, were all here to share.

RL.

[Chacal60]

Same here. And the exit row hot seats add room and are often unoccupied. The flight attendants in their tight red outfits are pretty hot as well.

I fly Air Asia all the time. Is it because of the cheaper price? It's not always a lot cheaper if you add in your checked baggage. The reason I fly is because over half the time I get 3 seats to myself including recent flights to Japan and Korea. People aren't willing to pay 300 or 400 baht for the Hot Seats so they are left empty. I think that's a fantastic deal to be able to sit in the comfort of 3 seats. Just make sure you keep an eye on how full the flight is. If you see your flight getting full change to another date. On a full flight they start loading up the Hot Seats with people who only pay regular fare.

[Banana Boi]

I fly Air Asia all the time. Is it because of the cheaper price? It's not always a lot cheaper if you add in your checked baggage. The reason I fly is because over half the time I get 3 seats to myself including recent flights to Japan and Korea. People aren't willing to pay 300 or 400 baht for the Hot Seats so they are left empty. I think that's a fantastic deal to be able to sit in the comfort of 3 seats. Just make sure you keep an eye on how full the flight is. If you see your flight getting full change to another date. On a full flight they start loading up the Hot Seats with people who only pay regular fare.

[Rob Jones]

Stay off of any Indonesian airlines. I watched a Aljazeera report today on how bad the Indonesian government is and how corrupt the department heads are for following up on any maintenance complaints. The Air Asia that crashed in the Java sea had a faulty rudder system that was reported a number of times and never repaired. Not only that the flight was not authorized to fly on the day it flew. They just let it go. Some one got paid, I'm sure.

I know Air Asia is Malay but sama sama. They are just not that well educated to do the right thing. If you have ever used AA then you know how they beat the shit out of those planes. Turn arounds are fast and never a stoppage to repair.

Also many times I've flown AA and the exit doors have no one in the high priced seats. If there is an emergency who will open those doors? AA charges High prices because of the extra leg room, but ignores the fact that the seats are empty. Who allows that?

The only Indo carrier allowed into the USA is Garuda, which is government owned.

RL.

Garuda is the only Indonesian airline I will travel with. For the sake of a few dollars I wouldn't risk my life or my loved ones flying with Lion, Meripati, Wings etc. They have a terrible track record with safety and regularly have incidents.

[CzarNicholas]

Stay off of any Indonesian airlines. I watched a Aljazeera report today on how bad the Indonesian government is and how corrupt the department heads are for following up on any maintenance complaints. The Air Asia that crashed in the Java sea had a faulty rudder system that was reported a number of times and never repaired. Not only that the flight was not authorized to fly on the day it flew. They just let it go. Some one got paid, I'm sure.

I know Air Asia is Malay but sama sama. They are just not that well educated to do the right thing. If you have ever used AA then you know how they beat the shit out of those planes. Turn arounds are fast and never a stoppage to repair.

Also many times I've flown AA and the exit doors have no one in the high priced seats. If there is an emergency who will open those doors? AA charges High prices because of the extra leg room, but ignores the fact that the seats are empty. Who allows that?

The only Indo carrier allowed into the USA is Garuda, which is government owned.

RL.

I almost always research these things beforehand and I didn't with air Asia.

I just flew dmk to mnl and return.

Seems like a very shabby operation from flying with them.

I like to look for cheaper fares.

But sometimes (espec not always with hookers) you get what you pay for.

I just flew British airways round trip USA to Moscow.

I don't like anything about London, but I think they may have the best airline on the planet.

[Crocodilexp]

Stay off of any Indonesian airlines.

That's just silly. Airlines in any country outside of sub-Saharan Africa are a few orders of magnitude safer than other modes of transport we routinely use (regular taxis, and don't even mention motorbikes), and life situations like crossing the street. Sure, an airline like Lion Air is statistically clearly less safe than Qantas or KLM, but in absolute terms, we're talking minuscule risks anyway.

If your tolerance of risk is so low that you'd avoid Air Asia or Lion Air due to unacceptably high risk, surely you're staying away from Bangkok taxis too, and cars in general? Not to mention dangerous activities like BBBJ or DATY?

[Sunlover2]

Stay off of any Indonesian airlines.

There are plenty of airlines I will not fly. There are plenty of countries I will not transit. It does somewhat limit my options to and from Thailand, but IMO you got to stick with your convictions.

SL.

[Mr Enternational]

Stay off of any Indonesian airlines. I watched a Aljazeera report today on how bad the Indonesian government is and how corrupt the department heads are for following up on any maintenance complaints. The Air Asia that crashed in the Java sea had a faulty rudder system that was reported a number of times and never repaired. Not only that the flight was not authorized to fly on the day it flew. They just let it go. Some one got paid, I'm sure.

But it is also on the pilots not to accept an aircraft they think to be unsafe. If a faulty rudder system was reported then it would have been in the log book, so the pilots would have known what they were getting into.

[Robert Long]

Nope. Indonesian bureaucracy is alive and well in those embassies. I think it's probably fine if you are a local Indonesian, but if you are a visitor or expat, they rake you over the coals as always.

Stay off of any Indonesian airlines. I watched a Aljazeera report today on how bad the Indonesian government is and how corrupt the department heads are for following up on any maintenance complaints. The Air Asia that crashed in the Java sea had a faulty rudder system that was reported a number of times and never repaired. Not only that the flight was not authorized to fly on the day it flew. They just let it go. Some one got paid, I'm sure.

I know Air Asia is Malay but sama sama. They are just not that well educated to do the right thing. If you have ever used AA then you know how they beat the shit out of those planes. Turn arounds are fast and never a stoppage to repair.

Also many times I've flown AA and the exit doors have no one in the high priced seats. If there is an emergency who will open those doors? AA charges High prices because of the extra leg room, but ignores the fact that the seats are empty. Who allows that?

The only Indo carrier allowed into the USA is Garuda, which is government owned.

RL.

[Gargano19]

Currently there is no official limit to how many "visa exempt" entries one can obtain per year by air. I personally had 5 last year with a total stay of about 7 months in total. Once you go above 6 visa exempt entries you do get flagged within their system which may or may not be an issue.

If your cumulative stay goes above 9 months on "visa exempt" entries per year I would be a little nervous, although you shouldn't have an issue if you only do it for 1 year. If you do it for more than 2 years in a row you are really relying on how the immigration official is feeling on the day. Most people will still get in without an issue however some get denied.

There are many "denied entry" stories on the thaivisa forum. The commonalty for being denied entry is more than 9 months annual cumulative stay over 2 or more years. Some people have done it for years and only a few have been denied entry so it just depends on the immigration official you get at the airport. Although there is no official limit on how long you can stay per year the denied entry stamp basically says "doesn't have the means" to stay in the country. The "means" refers to not having the appropriate long term visa rather than how much money they have on them or access to.

Interestingly most people that get denied entry usually fly back into a neighbouring country and then enter by land without issue. On thaivisa there is a whole list of friendly land crossings that will let you in even with a denied entry stamp in your passport and have stayed for years on simple short term visas. Visa exempt entries by land are limited to two per year. Smaller areas don't always follow the policy from Bangkok.

Even when you have a proper Tourist Visa obtained through an embassy in either single entry or multi entry form it still won't guarantee you can stay forever. It will probably lower the probability of getting denied entry however there have still been cases of people being denied entry on these visas on the basis of staying too long in the country. The embassy and immigration are different departments and immigration ultimately has the last say when entering the country.

If you are staying only up to 6 months per year then entering on a visa exempt basis won't be a problem. If anyone ever asks at immigration what you are doing in Thailand so often, just say holidaying. Any work, even as a digital nomad is strictly illegal, the answer is always "I am a tourist. I do no from of work here at all". If you are working remotely in Thailand no one will know or care. But never mention it at immigration as they will deny you entry at any mention of any form of work. Play along with what they want to hear. Do not mention that you even answer some emails while there. You do zero work or even think of it while in Thailand.

If you want to stay for more than more than say 8 months per year in Thailand on a long term basis then you need to look at a long term visa. If you are over the age of 50 then a retirement visa. THB 800 k in a Thai bank or verified income of THB 65 k per month into that account is a rough guide to what you need. If you aren't 50 or don't want to go through that BS, then the Thai Elite Visa program will get you a stay of 5 years for a one off payment of THB 500 k or 20 years for THB 1 million.

Thanks for such a detailed info.

[Kickoffs]

LOL. A "handful" sprinkled over the day and night shifts of two BJ Bars would hardly qualify as a "bevy" of anything, much less beauties. In total, I'm guessing 25-30 girls work in those two bars, day and night shift.

Of course, the 1-2 acceptably cute or pretty girls working the day shift at Kasalong Bar might have been busy with other customers when you arrived at 4pm. I think that hour is more popular than most during the dayshift, btw.

That said, I don't recall the day shift at Kasalong Bar, which ends at 6pm when the night shift comes in, being a time when any of the newer and more appealing faces I have seen showing up lately. It would probably have been the evening shift there and both shifts at L0litas next door. And even then it is all in the timing for the 30-60 minute timeframe you arrive or walk by.

It stands to reason the better looking girls at any place like this will not be the ones lingering around outside with nothing to do as often as the less attractive ones. Actually, if ONLY 50% of an 8 or more girl line up at any time of the day or night at a BJ Bar are chubby or fat enough to be considered "fatties" but not grossly obese, that's a darn good line up.

Wow, that is a bummer. Haven't been to a BJ bar in ages since there's much else to do. But it's reports like these that don't have me curious.

[Bubba Boy]

Currently there is no official limit to how many "visa exempt" entries one can obtain per year by air. I personally had 5 last year with a total stay of about 7 months in total. Once you go above 6 visa exempt entries you do get flagged within their system which may or may not be an issue.

If your cumulative stay goes above 9 months on "visa exempt" entries per year I would be a little nervous, although you shouldn't have an issue if you only do it for 1 year. If you do it for more than 2 years in a row you are really relying on how the immigration official is feeling on the day. Most people will still get in without an issue however some get denied.

There are many "denied entry" stories on the thaivisa forum. The commonalty for being denied entry is more than 9 months annual cumulative stay over 2 or more years. Some people have done it for years and only a few have been denied entry so it just depends on the immigration official you get at the airport. Although there is no official limit on how long you can stay per year the denied entry stamp basically says "doesn't have the means" to stay in the country. The "means" refers to not having the appropriate long term visa rather than how much money they have on them or access to.

Interestingly most people that get denied entry usually fly back into a neighbouring country and then enter by land without issue. On thaivisa there is a whole list of friendly land crossings that will let you in even with a denied entry stamp in your passport and have stayed for years on simple short term visas. Visa exempt entries by land are limited to two per year. Smaller areas don't always follow the policy from Bangkok.

Even when you have a proper Tourist Visa obtained through an embassy in either single entry or multi entry form it still won't guarantee you can stay forever. It will probably lower the probability of getting denied entry however there have still been cases of people being denied entry on these visas on the basis of staying too long in the country. The embassy and immigration are different departments and immigration ultimately has the last say when entering the country.

If you are staying only up to 6 months per year then entering on a visa exempt basis won't be a problem. If anyone ever asks at immigration what you are doing in Thailand so often, just say holidaying. Any work, even as a digital nomad is strictly illegal, the answer is always "I am a tourist. I do no from of work here at all". If you are working remotely in Thailand no one will know or care. But never mention it at immigration as they will deny you entry at any mention of any form of work. Play along with what they want to hear. Do not mention that you even answer some emails while there. You do zero work or even think of it while in Thailand.

If you want to stay for more than more than say 8 months per year in Thailand on a long term basis then you need to look at a long term visa. If you are over the age of 50 then a retirement visa. THB 800 k in a Thai bank or verified income of THB 65 k per month into that account is a rough guide to what you need. If you aren't 50 or don't want to go through that BS, then the Thai Elite Visa program will get you a stay of 5 years for a one off payment of THB 500 k or 20 years for THB 1 million.

[Syzygies]

From https://www.us-passport-service-guid...irements.html:.

"The duration of stay in Thailand for persons who enter Thailand without a visa cannot exceed 90 days during any six-month period, counting from the date of first entry. ".

Your link does not work properly. However the point is valid. Suppose you have been in for 60 days already. Next time stay another 30 days and attempt to extend, to 60 days. That might be refused due to the 90 days total rule.

I would be surprised if I never violated the 90 days per 6 months rule in the past, not being aware of it, and coming and going often. However would have to check my travel history.

If have clocked up 80 days so far, and come in again, not sure if will give you 30 days or just 10 days before having to leave.

The moral is simple. If you want to stay in Thailand for serious amounts of time, you best be thinking Visas. 6 months multi-entry Visa is a good option (and actually provides a max of 6 months plus 90 days if last entry is close to end of the 6 month).

[Syzygies]

An actual rule is that you are limited to 2 border crossings by land per year. Arriving by air without a visa has no official limit. However that experience is the luck of the draw.

They are in fact suggesting you get only 2 free entries per year now (guaranteed). I asked the Thai Consul and he is a friend of mine, and he admitted the Thai government wants to collect more money than before. That is why more than 2 free entries is frowned upon, but possibly. It is discretionary. The rule may not be spelled out clearly in writing, however officials start to ask questions when you try for too many freebies, as I experienced before. They should not be able to stop you, I was told by a guy who does it regularly, provided certain things, like you have a return ticket (ticket to leave Thailand), have hotel booking to show, and have 20000 Baht in cash on you. However exactly how many free entries will be allowed is not clear. You are safe on 2 per year, then gets more and more iffy.

In general you are expected to apply for a Visa after 2 entries because they want your money.

Border crossings are fine if you have a Visa allowing reentries (more than 2 possible I believe). Not recommended if you want to do free entries without a Visa. For free entries, I would suggest fly out and in (to be safe). I have certainly heard of border crossing guys refused entry, yet I have done it O.K. myself with a multi-entry Visa.

The big problem with all this stuff, is the rules are not spelled out clearly in writing officially to the level we would call clear. They often talk about rules for certain Visa which don't apply. Ask your Thai consulate to be sure. Better to be safe than sorry is my view. I want to maintain a spotless record, so am even loath to overstay a day or two and pay the fine. Habitually doing the wrong thing could get a red stamp on the passport. Not to be readmitted for some period.

[FL Hawk]

I've heard there is a limit on amount of entries per year? Is this true?

If so? How many?

From https://www.us-passport-service-guid...irements.html:.

"The duration of stay in Thailand for persons who enter Thailand without a visa cannot exceed 90 days during any six-month period, counting from the date of first entry. ".