Sebastian has covered the inns and outs of Thailand’s Sandbox program (several pieces) that was first introduced to Phuket and later in July extended to cover Koh Samui as well.
As it is soon two years since I was in Thailand last time, and a year since I returned from Japan to Europe, I decided to purchase competitively priced Singapore Airlines business tickets ex-Europe to Phuket and return from Bangkok.
Singapore Fares
I rarely purchase Singapore Airlines business class fares, as they tend not to be competitively priced. Their fare from Paris to Phuket is an excellent one, however.
Routing
The routing rules allow connecting flights between select cities to/from the Singapore Airlines long-haul flights, and I had to return through Zurich due to fare availability.
Itinerary
There is always some difficulty with availability when it comes to discounted fares that are often market-specific (married segment availability too).
I emailed the dates that I was looking for to my usual travel agent, who is also a friend of mine, and he was able to put together the itinerary above that was soon ticketed.
Miles Earned & With Whom?
Singapore Airlines is a Star Alliance member but also has a partnership with Alaska.
Most Star Alliance member airlines credit SQ D-fare class at 125% of flown miles, but Alaska credits 200%, plus I would get an additional 50% elite member bonus.
The miles flown per GCMAP are 14,554. This should earn roughly (+- few hundred miles at max) 36,385 redeemable Mileage Plan miles and 14,554 elite qualifying ones. When you combine this with the rollover from 2020 (14,908), it would easily requalify me for AS MVP (their entry-level tier) for 2022.
I wish that they just follow Delta and extend tiers by an additional year and roll over the miles earned from 2020 and 2021 to 2022.
Sandbox
There has been plenty of news coming out of Thailand and Phuket lately. The island is essentially sealed off from the mainland while keeping the Sandbox open for now.
The weekly Covid-19 numbers (90 or so WAS the limit) have surpassed the limits set to the Sandbox, but these have mainly been local or arrivals from elsewhere from Thailand.
Looking at the test numbers, 33 foreign arrivals have tested positive for Covid-19 out of 14,055 for the entire month of July, representing 0.23 percent of all international arrivals (roughly one-quarter of a percent).
Conclusion
I would give it a fifty-fifty chance whether this Phuket Sandbox is alive and well come September 1st, when I am supposed to arrive on the island on a Singapore Airlines flight.
The program is mainly used by returning residents and nationals to enter the country without having to do the mandatory two-week hotel quarantine in Bangkok, but instead roaming two weeks in Phuket before entering their intended destination.
I would also avoid flights from destinations where Covid-19 is rampant because you may end up in forced quarantine at a high cost if someone inside the plane ends up testing positive during one of the tests.
I’ll probably start the COE process tomorrow (you can do it up to 30 days of arrival) and then have another two weeks to observe the situation before committing to prepaid hotel reservations (I have reservations done, but they are not prepaid) to finalize the process.
I plan to stay two weeks in Phuket and then hop to Koh Samui to check some hotels before entering Bangkok, likely around October 1. Hopefully, the situation is then better at the capital.
Let’s see how this plan pans out over the next month.
I’m not sure you will be able to fly from HKT to BKK, because you ve to stay 14 days b4 movig out of Phuket. By the way i’m here in phuket with the same itinerary but via AMS. I arrived yesterday July 31st
Yes. I’ll stay two weeks in Phuket first.
for now, there’re no flights inside Thailand. And the only way to go from HKT to BKK is buy 14hrs bus ride
Do you know if booking flights/hotels with points would satisfy the “prepaid” requirements for the sandbox?
Flights definitely. I cannot see why the hotel wouldn’t issue the SHABA for point reservation(s).
The paid rates, however, are mostly so low in Phuket that it makes very little sense to use points.
Actually Hiltons are not a bad deal at all in general in Thailand especially with 5th night free, pretty consistent cpp, nothing earth shattering, but my philosophy is burn points whenever greater than currency floor value of cpp.
Get your money back now, situation deteriorating rapidly in Thailand, I haven’t been back to see my family in nearly 2 years and I don’t see much chance anytime this year.
Well. I have been in Mexico and Brazil for an extended period during pandemic and I doubt that the situation is any worse in Thailand.
I’m doing the same trip to Phuket out of Barcelona. I leave in 15 days. Singapore Business on an A350 for less than 1.900€ return was too good a deal to pass up.
I think Phuket is as safe as anywhere else, in reality maybe more safe.
Maybe, is the key word here. Things have changed how many times in Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK? If this Delta variant, goes crazy worldwide as predicted, I would not want to be in any other country other than my own.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/thethaiger.com/coronavirus/as-the-highly-infectious-covid-19-disease-spreads-thai-pbs-world-reports-that-the-citys-expatriate-population-has-reason-to-be-nervous/amp
Your linked article is from TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2020 1:53 PM!
https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/phuket-sealed-off-from-tomorrow-in-bid-to-curb-virus-spread-save-sandbox
Also there was no Phuket sand box in 2020.
Hi John,
I live in phuket and took part in the sandbox project. I can reassure you that phuket like Singapore is easier to manage as its an island. If you wanna see more about the sandbox project and how people are living the experience, go on the instagram page of phuket sandbox. It is true that the current situation outside of the island is not good… especially Bangkok..
Phuket has inoculated more than 70% of the locals.
We look forward to see you on the Pearl of the Amandan.
I am contemplating doing the same thing, am by no means a rookie in traveling to Thailand, have been going for over 30 years and was there from March to September in 2020.
But my first question is this…you’re not worried about getting your money back if you can’t go, due to either a change in Thai policy or testing positive on the mandated test within 72 hours before departure or some other reason ?
United canceled my July return from BKK to the US last year, since air travel was by then shut down….THEY canceled not me but I still had to pay almost the amount of another round trip ticket to fly back to the US in September. They had me over a barrel, pay up or swim home. I disputed the charge with my credit card and after much hassle, much to my surprise the charge was refunded, months later. But here’s how blatantly dishonest the airlines are…United and others were offering tickets for every day of they week in April, May, June etc of 2020 to and from BKK on their websites while all international travel to BKK was shut down. You could pay for a ticket, but they sure as hell weren’t going to get you there or out. Now i notice they are doing it again, offering multiple flights into Bangkok every day of the week when they won’t possibly actually be running nearly that many flights.
But same goes for covid insurance, covid hotel in Phuket…you have to pay up front, wait many days for your COE to be processed…what if by then you can’t go ? Some hotel or insurance agent 10,000 miles away is going to give us our money back ?
I am Thailand’s most devoted customer but after starting to look more into it, starting to jump through the hoops, I might have to say no. I call the Thai embassies and consulate, I can’t get a human by phone for advice. Emails to them or the covid insurance companies are so far unanswered. Very frustrating and disillusioning.
7+7