An original FlyerTalk member whom I’ve known for nearly 25 years says he and his wife had $3,500 in cash stolen from their carry-on bags while they slept aboard Thai Airways flight TG900 from Bangkok to Istanbul. Another couple began shouting about their own missing money as soon as the aircraft door opened.
He then collapsed outside the airport police station and was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage. He believes that passengers were drugged, and that Thai Airways employees were working with the thieves.
He’s an extraordinarily experienced traveler. He’s taken more than 5,000 flights, and has been known to many well-respected people in the frequent flyer community for decades.
His family was returning home from Bangkok to Istanbul last month. They were seated in economy, and a female flight attendant began aggressively warning passengers in the surrounding rows not to leave valuables in the overhead bins. When one woman failed to comply, the crewmember demanded, “Show me your valuables.”
- That seemed like a real warning at first. There have been several reports of overhead bin theft on THAI (including on this specific flight) and on other airlines.
- But it not looks as though this may have been identifying which passengers had valuables and where they were storing it.
Credit: N509FZ via Wikimedia Commons
The family eventually fell asleep, which was unusual – they almost never sleep on flights even ultra-long haul. When the aircraft arrived in Istanbul and its door opened, an Australian couple seated across the aisle discovered that cash had disappeared from a bag stored overhead. They began protesting loudly and asked the crew to stop passengers from leaving and summon police.
The female flight attendant refused. Instead, she continued urging passengers off the aircraft. He immediately needed to use the restroom after deplaning. While his family waited for him, his wife and son discovered that approximately $1,500 in US currency was missing from her belongings. He searched his own bag and found another $2,000 missing.
They went to the airport police station. His wife spoke to police in Turkish, who told her that flight TG900 was repeatedly associated with similar complaints.
- “This flight is always a problem”
- “Thai does not cooperate with us.”
- But that little could be done without direct evidence.
He suddenly lost his balance and began losing sensation along the left side of his body. He was rushed to the hospital with blood pressure of 220 over 190. Doctors diagnosed a brain bleed measuring approximately 21 millimeters. He spent several days in intensive care, and then another 10 days still hospitalized. Medical bills exceeded 800,000 Turkish lira (~ $17,000). His brain hemorrhage has shrunk by half although he continues to have after-affects.
Meanwhile, his wife felt as though she had been “run over by a truck” after the flight and both their children had gastrointestinal symptoms. They believed they were drugged, but the focus of their care had been keeping him alive so no timely toxicological testing was done.
Despite contacts with Thai Airways offices in Istanbul and Bangkok, airline executives and whistleblower addresses, the Thai Embassy, tourism officials and the Royal Thai Police, he says no one has acknowledged his complaints.
Real, Organized In-Flight Theft Is A Growing Problem
Organized groups are really boarding commercial flights, wait for passengers to sleep, search overhead bags, remove cash, cards and other valuables, and return the bags before anyone notices.
IATA held a closed in-flight theft workshop in Doha in December 2025.
- Participating airlines concluded that the theft is often organized and transnational, involving coordinated groups whose behavior follows identifiable patterns at the airport, gate and onboard.
- They discussed crew training, behavioral detection, passenger warnings, better post-incident procedures and improved reporting.
- They also identified major legal obstacles to prosecuting people when the flight, airline, victim and suspect may each be connected to different countries.
Hong Kong reported 169 thefts aboard inbound flights during the first ten months of 2024, involving approximately HK$4.32 million in property. Seventy percent occurred on flights from Southeast Asia, including Thailand, while another 20% came from Middle Eastern points including Dubai, Turkey and Doha.
The stolen property was primarily cash, jewelry, watches and credit cards. Hong Kong police have developed suspect databases and share information with airlines about higher-risk routes and times.
There are also several cases specifically involving Thai Airways.
- In March 2025, a passenger on Thai Airways flight TG600 from Bangkok to Hong Kong had cash taken from a backpack in an overhead bin while he slept. His niece reportedly saw another passenger searching the bag. Police arrested and charged a 58-year-old man.
- In April 2026, passengers reported cash missing aboard Thai Airways flight TG571 from Laos to Bangkok. Crew had seen a passenger searching overhead luggage, police met the flight, recovered cash and arrested the suspect.
- Another passenger posted an account of theft aboard TG900 in May 2025. He said roughly €500 was removed from his bag while he slept on the Bangkok–Istanbul flight and the bag was returned.
In the case of TG571 this spring, there was an arrest. So sometimes there is an effective response to this on THAI flights.
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Here we don’t have proof of drugging (just the reported health scares), and we don’t have proof that the flight attendant was casing passengers for the criminals. He suspects specific passengers who remained awake, moved through the cabin and behaved oddly.
The customer also points to the death of another passenger aboard an earlier TG900 flight. In that case the passenger reportedly had health problems before departure, and we don’t know a connection to theft or drugging. And while Thai Airways appears in several reports, Hong Kong and IATA data supports that organized cabin theft affects numerous airlines and routes.
I have reached out to Thai Airways for comment but have not received a response. I will provide an update if I hear back.
Keep cash on your person or in a small bag under the seat.
Personally I wouldn’t leave that to chance, if I was carrying a significant amount of cash, jewelry, or other valuables, I would keep them on my person or tucked under the seat in front of me where someone would have to be extremely adept or clever to move my sleeping feet, pull out my backpack or small case and open it in the middle of the aisle where everyone could see them. I certainly wouldn’t leave that type of luggage or cash in the overhead and then fall asleep. Seems like this is a problem on some of these routes. A growing segment of humanity is just trash and they deserve severe consequences when caught. Nothing worse than scammers and thieves.
>Nothing worse than scammers and thieves.
Except thieves who sneak life-threatening doses of drugs into your drinks.
I have a very nice tote and it attracts attention. However nothing of value will ever be kept in it. Also whenever possible , look poor. Travel is not the place to showoff your jewelry.
@nsx at FlyerTalk
Agree, assuming that is what happened here. It is rather sketchy that the stewardess was so interested in valuables and seeing where they were. The cabin crew would have to be in on it I think in order to dose your drink with a narcotic. But yes, that is grounds for life in prison in my book, beyond disgusting behavior.
I’ve known this person for more than 20 years. It’s a shocking story.
I understand some don’t want to touch the story because Thai laws for online defamation are very strict. That then gets tricky for getting legitimate stories heard.
I always wear a money belt and never put valuables in my bag.
I have to put the money belt in a locked bag going through security, but once through I wear it until I disembark. I also have a dummy bag which looks as if it may contain valuables (but does not) which goes under the seat in front. Nothing of any value goes in the overhead bin. Ever.
What bothers me here is that if the Thai folks aren’t cooperating, why doesn’t Turkey just ban the crew from entering again or threaten to ban Thai Airways from their airports?
There’s a solution: stop flying on Thai Airways until they do something about all the corruptions under their watch.
1. Who with a few brain cells would travel with that amount of money unless they had a “unique purpose.”
2. Who in their right mind would put $3.5K in a bag rather than on their person?
3. HTW would the crew know about the cash unless someone would be dumb enough to brag about having $3.5K in their bags? If some flight attendant started blabbing on about valuables I would either take down the bag and keep on the cash on me or certainly in no way let anyone know I have a loot of cash on me.
At minimum, not a very smart person. There are these new fangle things called credit cards and debit cards. And as someone that’s been to Thailand three times they actually can be used in Thailand (and Vietnam and Cambodia to boot).
I would reassure the flight attendant that my bags are fine- I have a surveillance camera rigged up that films anyone opening my overhead bin…
Speaking of ‘Thai Airways International,’ uh, they ever gonna fly to the US, again? Sure would be nice. I think it’s been since 2015 (BKK-LAX via ICN), and 2012 (BKK-LAX, nonstop). Fuel costs and safety rating. I really wish they’d bring back JFK-BKK service (ended 2008). Man, that’d be sweet. And, with everything going on in the Middle East, far better to not have to connect there to get to where you really want to be… just sayin’ (who was it that was ending their hot-takes with that line, recently? @Common Sense? @D Fray? …just sayin’)
I feel badly for this family and absolutely believe them.
BUT: Why is the world would anyone travel with that much cash ? It’s nonsensical for so many reasons. And if you HAD to take cash with you keep it on your person. My passport, wallet, and phone are always in physical contact with my body.
It is an awful story – but one thing hits me hard – Seems like the bag was not stolen, just contents out of it? How does one take 5,000 flights in their life, put $3k in a bag overhead and not use a lock? Yes I wouldn’t keep that much cash in a bag not attached to me, but if you were going to, I mean a lock?!?! Maybe its the New Yorker in me but I always lock my carry on when I put it overhead, and I NEVER have $3k worth of anything on me when I travel! TSA locks can maybe be maniuplated easily, but if this is a carry on, but a real masterlock on it with a combo or something if you are carrying that kind of money.
Stereotypes exist and remarkably, white American/Canadians get targeted FREQUENTLY for things like this. Its one reason I never wear super nice clothing / things blaring a name brand “hey, look at me, I’m rich cause I’m wearing Donna Karan” or these Nike shoes/ etc. And lets not even get started on jewelry and watches. I yelled at my partner for wearing his Cartier watch a few weeks ago while on a cruise, it should have been put in the safe.
Always dress for your environment. Sadly, this now includes airplanes.
Experienced travelers often travel with a fair stash of cash. Get stuck someplace that doesn’t take plastic like on an island in Asia where the only ATM is busted/empty or a place where credit card processing is down (happened to my wife in Cambodia) and you’ll see the wisdom of keeping a wad of cash on you. Hell, there are many places in first world countries like Germany that don’t take plastic.
To be honest, it happened to me as well. I’m talking about June 2019, I flew HKT BKK DXB in Business class on the same day. At Dubai Airport I wanted to buy a sim card, when I pulled out my wallet, I found out that my credit cards and AED were missing, as well as SAR currency I had in a separate wallet. This is something that really disturbed me.
Who carries cash anymore besides drug dealers criminals and those who can not bank?
There is a thing called atm that puts out cash. Many banks are wiorldwide
@Tomri — Mr. “wiorldwide” (sic) Dale? 305?
Like Christian said. Experienced travelers find that carrying a wad of cash is wise.
–Cambodia, they like American dollars and ATM fees are high. Much of the society is cash oriented.
–Galapogos Island, it is better to pay for boat trips with American dollars rather than credit cards. The ATM has really small limits. Bring cash. But be careful, because the rest of Ecuador has gangs.
–Macau, the bank might decide to block your ATM card, for any number of reasons. Happened to me.
–Mondova. I was on a day tour from Dubrovnik. We at lunch. They pretended that their credit card machine was broken. They refused to accept Croatia money. They walked me to an ATM, where I withdrew Euros. The scary thing is that I had not informed the bank that I was going to be in Mondova.
–Argentina. It is like a $10 fee to take our $100. However, the shops love getting crisp American Money, which does not depreciate nearly as much.
–Nagoya, Japan train station. The ATMs there would not accept my American ATM card. I was getting worried, until someone told me to use the ATMs in Seven Eleven.
@Other Just Saying — You sure get around! Pardon my ignorance, but, you said, “Mondova. I was on a day tour from Dubrovnik…” Did you mean, Moldova (pretty far for a day tour) or Montenegro (neighbor of Croatia). Hopefully you didn’t mean Maldives or Mongolia (really far).
Watched a tv show once that posted a sign on a well-travelled sidewalk: “protect your valuables.” Every single guy who walked past it patted the pocket containing his wallet.
I do carry emergency cash accross a number of currencies. I’ve never needed it. I’m certainly not in places where ATMs would be down for long, and all now accept and expect plastic. Post-Covid in Oceana, France, and the UK (at least London) I can’t remember a cash-only place ( though a few have a small minimum charge amount). The only place that was cash only in a recent trip to Ireland was the barber I used.
@This comes to mind — Oh, so, the thieves put the sign up, right? So that the passersby would identify for them where to take from? Is that what you were implying? Wait, I forgot, you pretend to ignore me… (and I no longer think it’s just an Ohio thing. A different, more thoughtful, less insecure Ohioan was actually engaging earlier on here.)
When I travel overseas I have a lot of cash on me. The key point is that it is on me and goes with me everywhere. I don’t depend on the kindness of strangers.
I think I will happily stay off star alliance thank you.Decades ago this airline won numerous Freddie Awards for stellar customer service but unfortunately there are to many coincidences here so something smells more than rotten and criminal.Scary
@jns — Ooh lala. Tell us more about your travel habits. Big wallet and a tough guy. Niccce.
Plenty of clues in my past posts.