Thailand's furloughed airline staff make ends meet

When restrictions hit airline services in Thailand because of the new coronavirus, furloughed flight and cabin crew enacted their own emergency drill.

Over 200 airline staff formed a motorbike delivery service in Bangkok, earning vital money and winning fame on the doorstep.

Just a month ago, Kritee Youngfuengmont was flying commercial airliners.

Today he's a motorbike courier on the Thai capital's sweltering streets: from passengers to packages, from terminals to takeaway coffee.

In Bangkok, many people use delivery services for food and groceries to avoid going to the grocery store or leaving their homes.

In the city's usually notorious traffic, motorbikes make the fastest deliveries.

It's quite a comedown.

But for the 36-year-old pilot – on half-pay and with debts – the work is a financial lifeline.

The roughly 1,500 baht (46.20 US dollars) he earns per day just about keeps him going until post-pandemic normality returns.

"Life is unpredictable. The unexpected can happen anything time. You could be enjoying good times and all of the sudden, you're falling apart," he said in between motorbike deliveries.

"When that happens, you have to figure out if you are going to give up or fight and find something to hold on to while you figure a way out."

Thailand's airlines began slashing services in late March; a measure aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with mild or no visible symptoms.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.

Kritee and others saw the economic toll of the pandemic coming and set up "Delivery by Pilots and Crew" as a social media group, just before the shutdown hit.

Since then, around 200 of them have swapped their smart uniforms for the prosaic garb of couriers to shuttle food and goods round a Bangkok in semi-shutdown.

At a stifling suburban house in Bangkok, a three-person team is cleaning the air conditioners.

Their usual job: ground crew, maintaining the engines of Boeing 737s.

As soon as the suspension began, they decided to adapt their know-how and go into business.

They spent 10,000 baht (about 308 US dollars) on equipment and say they've worked every day since.

Chutiphong Sodvilai, 32 and father of two, was put on 10% pay and said he gets satisfaction from knowing the coronavirus crisis hasn't beaten him.

"Everybody has to adjust themselves. We can't change anything other than ourselves. I have to find something to do, to take care of myself and my family so that we survive this crisis."