If a booking site has quoted you close to 28,000 baht for a return flight to Chiang Mai for Yi Peng, do not pay it before you have checked the airline itself. Thailand's aviation regulator says those eye-watering figures come from ticket agents and booking platforms, not from the airlines, and that some of the seats on show may not exist.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) set out its findings on 12 November after a survey by Thansettakij, reported by The Nation, found return fares of 18,000 to 28,000 baht on several leading booking sites for travel on 23 to 25 November. The Government's deputy spokesperson repeated CAAT's advice the same day through the Government Public Relations Department.
Why seats are so scarce
CAAT says demand for the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng period, 23 to 26 November, is higher than usual, and airlines have reworked their timetables around the sky lantern releases. The squeeze is sharpest on flights into Chiang Mai on 23 and 24 November and back on 25 and 26 November. When CAAT checked the airlines' own websites, many had nothing left to sell for those dates.
According to the regulator, the very high prices appear because booking platforms' automated pricing pushes quotes up when only a few seats remain. Seat counts on some platforms may also not match what airlines are actually selling. Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat told InfoQuest that online travel agencies are not covered by Thai fare rules, and that CAAT has written to the Commerce Ministry asking for them to be regulated.
What to do before you book
Check the fare and seat status on the airline's own website or app before buying, so the ticket is valid and the price sits within the legal fare ceiling. If you already hold a ticket, allow extra time and keep an eye on your flight times, because CAAT warns schedules may change again to keep lantern releases safe. Power banks must travel in your cabin bag, never in checked luggage.
If an airline does not honour your passenger rights, CAAT takes complaints at complaint.caat.or.th. If flights are gone, MEM's earlier report on the Chiang Mai airport schedule for Yi Peng lists the flight windows being cleared on 24 and 25 November.