Cynthia Koh’s Bangkok flight cancelled, buys Scoot ticket before learning she was rebooked on SIA

SINGAPORE – Local actress Cynthia Koh’s trip to Bangkok got off to a rocky start when her Thai Airways flight was cancelled, prompting her to buy another ticket – only to discover that she had already been rebooked on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight.

The 52-year-old, who arrived in Bangkok on Sept 29 for a wellness retreat, documented the travel hiccups on Instagram Stories.

Before the trip, she learnt that the baggage handling operations at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport were severely impacted after the flood in the Thai capital over the weekend. She reposted a video of a Thai influencer sharing the situation at the airport.

“Looking at the situation, I had to pull out Plan B,” Koh wrote, as she decided to catch the flight with hand-held baggage only.

“Normally, I don’t bring much on board, but this time, no choice,” she wrote.

“I don’t want to join the BKK airport chaos.”

She said in a video that she managed to squeeze everything she needed on the 10-day trip into a duffel bag weighing 6.67kg.

“But don’t worry. I’m going to find a place to put my laundry because my second hotel has a washing machine,” she added.

However, Koh revealed on the morning of Sept 29 that her Thai Airways flight has been cancelled.

“No text, no e-mail... I key in departure into my iChangi (app) and I got this rude shock,” she wrote.

She called Thai Airways’ hotline, but there was no one answering the phone.

She revealed later that the Thai airline had posted about the flight cancellation while she was sleeping, even though she had checked the flight status at midnight.

Koh promptly booked a ticket with budget airline Scoot as the retreat would still be held as scheduled.

“I’m not upset though I think it’s good that one must experience this (to learn how) to handle such a situation,” she wrote.

Koh learnt later that she did not have to buy another air ticket.

“It was quite silly of me. Next time, I know the protocol,” she said in another Instagram Stories video.

“If your flight (is) cancelled, and they are on an alliance, like Star Alliance, they will probably put you on a Star Alliance flight.”

Thai Airways rebooked Koh on an SIA flight.

“But, at the same time, because I am so kiasu, I went to buy a Scoot flight,” she said, adding that the newly bought ticket was wasted. Kiasu is a Hokkien term referring to a fear of losing out.

Koh eventually arrived in Bangkok, where she said the weather was bright and sunny.

While she did not encounter flooding, she noticed many passengers waiting for their luggage at the airport. She also said the baggage situation seemed to be clearing up.

Her advice to those going to Bangkok in the coming days was to travel light, as it would help if passengers “want to get out (of the airport) ASAP”.