Here's the latest news from the world of travel around Southeast Asia.
THAILAND: A baggage-handling crisis brought on by catastrophic floods has forced Thai Airways to cancel 37 domestic and international flights.
The late-September floods prevented key workers from reaching both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang Airports. This delayed nearly 6,000 pieces of luggage and left ground operations struggling to recover.
Thai Airways has cancelled 59 flights since the flooding on September 26, while other services have been delayed. While the carrier’s CEO, Chai Eamsiri, apologised to passengers for long waits for luggage and a lack of information, the airline has been working to clear the backlog. Given the issues, passengers are urged to check their flight status if travelling via Bangkok.
VIETNAM: Asia’s rising star, Vietnamese carrier Vietjet has clinched an ambitious deal with Starlink to enable passengers to utilise high-speed satellite internet in flight.
Officials from SpaceX, which engineers and operates Starlink, and Vietjet signed an agreement in New York as a precursor to what is to come. The deal includes Starlink fitting 120 Vietjet aircraft for both its domestic and its fast-expanding international footprints.
Starlink's satellite coverage extends over oceans, polar regions, and remote areas, making it a suitable partner for an airline whose routes stretch from South Korea to Australia and Sri Lanka.
Vietjet will offer the service free on every Vietjet-branded flight, with the airline setting out an ambition to make fast inflight Wi-Fi an everyday part of air travel that every traveller can use.
"With Starlink, time in the air no longer has to mean time offline,” said Vietjet Chairwoman Dr Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao. “Vietjet passengers will be able to stay connected throughout their journey and matches our ambition to bring leading technologies closer to more people."
THAILAND: It appears Thailand is tired of disrespectful foreign nationals, and not before time, given that the few undesirables can spoil a country’s tourism image.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has instructed provincial governors to make full use of Thailand’s new deportation rules, telling officials not to delay action over the cost of removing foreigners or possible appeals.
Reported by the Bangkok Post in September, it highlights a hardening strategy towards foreign nationals, with Anutin citing several experiences, including aggression, intimidation, bullying and illegal businesses.
Thailand’s new Office of the Prime Minister’s Regulation on Deportation, effective August 28, establishes procedures covering six principal categories: illegal entry or overstaying, unauthorised employment, illegal business operations, forged official documents, offences carrying prison sentences of at least five years, and people acting as principals, instigators or accomplices in those offences. Those foreigners who obey Thai law and conduct legitimate business remain welcome.
JAPAN: Errant hikers who get into trouble on Mount Fuji could face charges related to their rescue.
Japan is tightening controls on off-season climbing, including a potential helicopter rescue charge for hikers who get into trouble.
Yamanashi Prefecture, which manages the popular northern route, plans to introduce measures in September 2027 as authorities respond to a rise in climbers attempting the mountain when conditions can be significantly more challenging.
Under proposed rules, anyone traversing above Mount Fuji’s sixth station at almost 2,400 metres between early September and July would have to submit a climbing plan in advance.
The document would include the intended route and equipment being carried.
Hikers rescued by helicopter during the off-season could also receive a bill for the operation. According to NHK, Yamanashi is considering a charge based on helicopter fuel costs, estimated at around $55 for every five minutes of flight time. The final fee has not yet been set.
Neighbouring Shizuoka Prefecture, which oversees routes on Mount Fuji’s southern side, is also preparing penalties for climbers who fail to register their plans during the off-season.
Mount Fuji’s official climbing season runs from July to early September, when 200,000 people attempt to reach the 3,776-metre summit each year.
ASIA: AirAsia has taken another step in expanding its international reach with a first-ever codeshare partnership with Türkiye’s largest low-cost carrier, Pegasus Airlines.
The deal will open up connections between Southeast Asia and Europe via Istanbul.
AirAsia’s extensive network across ASEAN and Asia will sync with Pegasus’ broad European network through its Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen hub.
The tie-up will further enhance AirAsia’s plan to become the world’s first low-cost network carrier, as the airline makes international travel more accessible and affordable, while strengthening Kuala Lumpur’s position as a key gateway between Asia and the world.
Kicking off with five European destinations - Stansted (London), Vnukovo (Moscow), Esenboga (Ankara), Zurich (Switzerland) and Athens (Greece) - the partnership connects guests from Kuala Lumpur via Istanbul, laying the groundwork for a much broader European network.
AirAsia will also increase its Kuala Lumpur-Istanbul frequency from four times to seven times weekly by February 2027. Travellers from Europe will also be able to connect through Istanbul and onward to Kuala Lumpur, where they can access AirAsia’s extensive Fly-Thru network across ASEAN, Asia and Australia.
JAPAN: Foreign tourists are literally being given the bullet by Kagoshima Prefecture. It is using the famous bullet trains in a pilot project, offering eligible overseas travellers a free one-way ride on the Kyushu Shinkansen from Hakata Station in Fukuoka to one of three stations in Kagoshima.
The subsidy covers a fare of up to about $73, with the journey taking roughly 90 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes depending on the destination. However, travellers must first arrive through Fukuoka Airport and book at least one night at participating accommodation in Kagoshima through travel platform Klook.
The promotion, which ends next February, is available to visitors from eight markets: the United States, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The aim is to spread international visitors to regional centres, and Kagoshima is hoping the free train ticket will entice travellers to venture further south after landing in Fukuoka. Kagoshima is home to attractions including Sakurajima volcano and the UNESCO World Natural Heritage islands of Yakushima, Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima.
VIETNAM: A new twist to cruising is being envisaged by Bhaya Soul in Vietnam’s Halong Bay, having joined Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), giving the new 20-suite vessel a place in the global luxury hospitality collection.
The recognition adds Bhaya Soul to SLH’s portfolio of more than 700 independently owned boutique properties across more than 100 countries. Bhaya Cruises says the vessel is the first wellness-inclusive cruise in Halong Bay, combining boutique accommodation, Vietnamese hospitality, and wellness programming.
The cruiser’s 20 suites each have a private balcony and sun loungers. Bhaya Soul is designed to explore less crowded areas of the two bays, positioning the ship as a floating retreat for travellers seeking a slower pace.
“We wanted to create something different on Halong Bay, a place where guests can experience the beauty of the bay while also having the space to slow down, reconnect and restore,” said Nam Tran, CEO and founder of Bhaya Cruises.
Andy Probert is a British-born, Cyprus-based journalist who covers aviation, hotels, travel, and various topics for publications worldwide.
