Trouble may be on the horizon for leading airline Thai Airways Internationals. It seems that their route from [Chiang Mai] [1] to Mae Hong Son has such a positive effect on local business that tour companies and other local companies are planning court action if the company decides to scrap the route. Thai Airways International (THAI) announced a few months ago that they were considering discontinuing the route as part of a scheme to cut loss-making secondary domestic routes. However, according to a report by the [Bangkok Post] [2], they plan to allow budget carrier Nok Airlines to take over the service. In a recent press statement, the chairman of the Mae Hong Son chamber of commerce, Supot Klinpranit, announced that the tourism industry were distressed by THAI’s comments and that a number of tour operators were already starting to exclude Mae Hong Son from their programs. However, it seems that there is a demand for the route as last year around 92,000 tourists travelled by plane to the province, generating a total of two billion baht per year in tourism. With so much at stake, it seems that the service may continue a little longer. [1]: http://1stopchiangmai.com [2]: http://bangkokpost.com 2009-08-13T09:23:00+07:00 1414 2009-08-12T10:43:02+07:00 5 true 1414-travel-to-northern-thailand-still-proving-popular Andrew