Curfew Lifted in Trat: Flights and Buses Resume, Fees Waived, Hotel Deals

A mid-week sigh of relief rippled through Thailand’s travel community when the military lifted the five-district curfew in Trat on Tuesday night. While airlines and van operators had scrambled to shorten their days, most schedules are already inching back toward normal – though not every seat, gate or departure board is perfectly aligned just yet.

Planes taxi back to familiar hours

Bangkok Airways confirmed that its flagship turboprop on the Bangkok–Trat hop, an ATR-72 with 70 seats, is returning to the regular three-flight rhythm. The carrier briefly shifted its final rotation forward to 15:45 ex-Suvarnabhumi (PG307), but by Wednesday staff were re-selling seats on the usual 16:15 departure and a matching 17:45 return (PG308). Morning legs PG301/302 and the lunchtime pair PG305/306 resumed without change. The airline advises passengers to keep an eye on e-mail and the Bangkok Airways app because “rolling reconfigurations” may persist while crew rosters and parking slots are re-balanced.

Vans and buses stretch back to dusk

Minibus companies at both Ekkamai and Mor Chit terminals had pushed their last Trat-bound vehicles out as early as 13:00 to beat the nightly lockdown. With the order now rescinded, operators say they plan to re-adopt the more convenient 18:30 cut-off by Friday. Advance booking remains wise; many travellers whose trips were postponed over the weekend are re-entering the queue, and drivers must still pass an extra security checkpoint outside Laem Ngop.

Why did the curfew appear – and disappear – so quickly?

Border skirmishes north of Hat Lek erupted on 13 December when Thai marines traded artillery fire with Cambodian troops. The First Naval Area Command, citing intelligence about sabotage threats, slapped a 19:00-05:00 ban on civilian movement across five mainland districts. Holiday islands Koh Chang and Koh Kut were exempt to safeguard tourism cash flow. After two nights of relative calm and what officials called “satisfactory control of external threats,” the ban was repealed on 16 December to revive local commerce in the run-up to New Year.

Knock-on effects for travellers

• Ticket change fees: Bangkok Airways continues to waive penalties for itineraries through 20 December.• Insurance clauses: Some travel-cover providers treat curfews as force majeure; policyholders should request written airline confirmation when claiming.• Accommodation deals: Hotel occupancy in Trat town slumped below 30% during the curfew, and several properties are now dangling flash discounts of up to 50%.

Looking ahead

Security analysts caution that border tensions have not vanished, and another flare-up could reinstate restrictions with little warning. Residents driving back from the eastern seaboard should stock an extra tank of fuel and monitor the Highway Police radio network. For air passengers, the safest bet remains an early morning flight; even in the worst-case scenario, you land with daylight to spare if curfews return.

Travellers, in short, can fling open their Google Calendars again – just keep the alerts switched on. The eastern gateway is back, but vigilance is still part of the packing list.