Thailand's Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) restated on 4 October 2026 that passengers hit by flight delays or cancellations are covered by Civil Aviation Board Regulation No. 101, which sets what airlines must provide at two, three, five and eleven hours of delay. The reminder followed the baggage backlog and service delays at Thai Airways, but the rules apply to every airline on the flights they cover. This briefing, from a Thailand DMC for travel agents, sets out what the rules say, what they do not cover and how to plan a programme around them.
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What was said on 4 October
Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat said the ministry had instructed airlines to care for passengers affected by flight delays or cancellations in accordance with the prescribed rules, as reported by The Nation on 4 October. The statement set out the entitlements by length of delay for domestic and for international flights, and noted that compensation depends on the applicable rules, conditions and facts of each case. Our briefing on the Thai Airways baggage backlog covers the airline's own relief terms for affected tickets, which are a separate matter.
Domestic flights
- Delay of more than two hours: food and drinks, or vouchers, and access to communication, free of charge.
- More than three hours: the same, plus the choice of a full refund or a replacement flight.
- More than five hours: all of that, plus cash compensation of 1,200 baht, or travel credit or vouchers instead.
International flights from Thailand
The rules were extended to international flights departing Thailand from 20 May 2025, when CAAT briefed 106 airlines on them. As reported this week:
- More than two hours: food and drinks, or vouchers, and communication.
- More than five hours: 1,500 baht in cash, plus a hotel and transfers where needed.
- More than eleven hours: a hotel and transfers, plus cash set by distance: 2,000 baht up to 2,500 km, 3,500 baht from 2,501 to 3,500 km, and 4,500 baht above 3,500 km.
For a cancellation or denied boarding, the airline must provide food and drinks, communication, a room if the replacement flight leaves more than a day later, and 1,500 baht in cash, with the choice of a full refund or a replacement flight.
Two limits matter. The international rule covers flights leaving Thailand, so the inbound leg falls under the rules where it departs and the airline's own conditions. And when the 2025 rules took effect, CAAT said airlines are exempt from compensation for adverse weather, aircraft malfunctions or other circumstances beyond the airline's control. Food, drink and a room are a different question from cash, so read the two separately.
Refunds and advance notice
A separate agreement between CAAT and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), reported on 29 April 2026, set timelines for cancellations. Airlines are to give at least seven days' notice of a cancelled international flight and three days for a domestic one, except in force majeure. Refunds are to be processed within 14 days for cash purchases, 45 days for credit cards and 60 days for bookings made through an online travel agency. The same agreement says passengers may seek compensation for consequential losses such as hotel nights, with disputes handled by the OCPB under the Consumer Protection Act of 1979. Complaints go to CAAT at complaint.caat.or.th.
What it means for your programmes
The airline rules cover the passenger and the ticket. They do not move a transfer, re-time a guide or hold a first-night room, and on a group the cash, where it is due, goes to each passenger rather than to the operator. So the ground plan still has to absorb a late arrival. Three things help:
- Put the rule in the joining instructions. A client who knows care starts at two hours, and which flights are covered, is less likely to accept a voucher they did not need to.
- Keep the paperwork. Boarding passes, the airline's delay notice and receipts are what a claim, or a consequential-loss complaint, rests on.
- Tell the ground handler early. Ask your Thailand DMC to hold the transfer and the room the moment a delay is posted, not when the flight lands.
Our Thailand DMC transport team tracks arrivals into Bangkok and the resort airports and re-times pick-ups around delays, and our briefing on delayed luggage covers what to do when bags do not arrive with the client. A Thailand DMC on the ground can also re-plan a first day if a flight is cancelled, which matters more than the cash for most programmes. Weather cancellations of tours are handled differently again, as our briefing on weather calls explains. The full range is on our Thailand DMC services page, agents in other markets can browse our source markets page, and the trade desk is on our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Which Thai rule covers flight delays?
Civil Aviation Board Regulation No. 101 on measures to protect passenger rights on domestic and international scheduled flights, enforced by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. The Ministry of Transport restated it on 4 October 2026.
When does a delayed passenger get cash compensation?
After more than five hours: 1,200 baht on a domestic flight, or travel credit or vouchers instead, and 1,500 baht on an international flight departing Thailand. Delays of more than eleven hours on international flights carry 2,000 to 4,500 baht depending on distance.
Does compensation apply when the delay is caused by weather?
When the rules took effect for international flights in 2025, CAAT said airlines are exempt from compensation for adverse weather, aircraft malfunctions or other circumstances beyond their control. Each case depends on its facts, so check the airline's stated reason for the delay.
How long does a refund take after a cancellation?
Under the CAAT and OCPB agreement reported in April 2026, airlines are to process refunds within 14 days for cash purchases, 45 days for credit card purchases and 60 days for bookings made through an online travel agency.
