Let’s start with the obvious. All international travel right now comes with an asterisk of if’s and but’s. But with that said, Thailand has laid out a relatively clear path to opening international travel, and crucial to this offer, Phuket is a huge part of it. Qatar Airways has a great offer to get you there, with business class for £1166 (€1368) round trip.
Thailand plans to open international travel without quarantine for vaccinated people from July 2021, but that will only initially apply to arrivals coming into Phuket, and not Bangkok or other areas. If all goes to plan, other arrival cities for quarantine free travel will open up from October. In the meantime, here’s how to bag a great deal.
Qatar Airways Euro Cities To Phuket
Qatar Airways has some great offers to Phuket, which provides a fantastic solution for vaccinated people to return to Thailand without the need for quarantine, come July. The lowest prices can be found from Stockholm to Phuket, but Oslo, Paris, Warsaw and Vienna provide alternatives for a couple hundred more.
At the time of writing, Qatar Airways has scheduled a Qsuite equipped Boeing 777 to fly between Doha and Phuket, offering one of the best business class experiences in the world. You can read a review, here. Clearly, they’re expecting pent up demand.
Flights from European departure points into Doha Hamad International will either have Qsuites, or Qatar’s other seat, which is still a treat (review). With Qatar set to deploy its new 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, there’s even a chance you’d end up on the all new business class seat, which has remained a mystery!
The Dates You Can Travel
These flights will appeal most to vaccinated travelers, who will be allowed to skip quarantine. Other travelers who can present a negative test will still require 7-10 days of quarantine. Qatar has timed the offer perfectly with Thailand’s reopening plans, and these fares are truly wide open from July onward.
Some cities, such as Warsaw, see better availability from September onward, but the lowest Stockholm deals can be booked on virtually any day in 2021. These fares have a 5 night minimum stay, but it’s a long way to go these days to stay shorter anyway.
How To Book These Flights
These flights can easily be booked with Qatar Airways on their website.
Frustratingly to most, these ‘R’ fares no longer automatically include lounge access, unless you receive it anyway by being Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald. Even then, you don’t get access to the nicer Al Mourjan Lounge in Doha, you get a separate lounge.
In terms of on board experience, nothing else changes. You still get all the bells and whistles, as well as champagne and food (and lots of points). If you want to shave a few bucks off the price, you can use metasearch sites like Skyscanner to book via an online travel agency. This can add hassle if travel plans change, but some people prefer the savings.
