Stories tagged with airways
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Thai Airways drops flight to New Zealand
In a move that has shocked New Zealand’s tourism industry, Thai Airways announced a move to terminate its direct flight between Bangkok and Auckland as of October 2008. Thai Airways stated the decision was based on high fuel prices that have made the long-haul route unprofitable.
Damien O’Conner, New Zealand’s Minister of Tourism, issued an official statement condemning the move as a huge blow to tourism between the two countries. ''The flights have been very popular with New Zealanders holidaying in Thailand with more than 37,000 New Zealand citizens using these flights last year, fuelling healthy growth for the tourism sector in Thailand,'' he said.
New Zealand is also concerned that the termination of the flight from Bangkok will reduce the number of international travellers who use Bangkok as a hub for connecting flights. ''Europeans passing through Bangkok on their way to New Zealand have increased by a phenomenal 110% since 2005. There is also a high potential for growth in traffic from India to New Zealand via Bangkok,'' O’Conner stated.
The airline is also stopping its daily direct Bangkok-Los Angeles flight as of October. THAI will continue, however, to operate other existing flights to both Auckland and Los Angeles using a stopover.
Posted by: Andrew on 15 Aug 2008, 12:14 -
Thai Airways Joining the Airbus A380 Revolution
Thai Airways is the latest global carrier to add the new Airbus A380 super jumbo to its fleet of aircraft. Beginning in 2009, Thai Airways will operate the impressive A380 on its Bangkok to London route.
Thailand’s national carrier has signed a contract with Airbus to purchase six A380s in a deal worth around US$1.9 billion. Four of the A380s will begin their life on the popular London-Bangkok route once they are completed. Thai currently runs two flights a day from London’s Heathrow Airport to Bangkok, and will continue the same number of flights once the A380s come into service. The other two A380s will be used on other routes operating out of Bangkok.
The delivery dates for the remaining five A380s are still up in the air, as Airbus is experiencing huge demand for its popular super jumbo jet. Thai Airways will also be adding Airbus A330-300 planes to its fleet that boast more seat width and power outlets for laptops in its economy section.
Posted by: Andrew on 09 Aug 2008, 12:22 -
Bangkok Airways Holds Back on Plans to Expand Direct Flights
Reflecting the current downturn in regional air travel, Bangkok Airways has decided to put a hold on its plans to add direct flights between Koh Samui and various domestic and international destinations. Higher fuel prices were cited as the main reason for the delay in opening the new routes.
The initial plan of the carrier was to begin running direct links between Koh Samui and the Thai domestic cities of Hua Hin and Trat, both popular seaside travel spots. The airline was also planning to open new direct flights between Samui and Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai and Macau within two years.
Bangkok Airways vice-president Komkrich Sriyabhandha stated “within this year we should have a fairer idea on the trend of fuel prices and make decisions [on new routes] accordingly.” Komrich added that passenger traffic through Koh Samui was expected to remain sluggish but shouldn’t drop below last year’s level of 1.35 million passengers.
A recent expansion of its private airport on Samui means the island can now handle around 6 million passengers per year. The carrier plans to increase its services in August to 34 flights per day for the upcoming high-season on Koh Samui.
Malaysia Airline’s budget carrier, Firefly, announced it would add four flights per week to its popular Subang-Samui route as of October 26 in response to traveler demand. The low-cost regional carrier currently operates four flights per week between Penang and Samui.
Posted by: Andrew on 31 Jul 2008, 10:07 -
Bangkok Airways Decides to Cut Back International Flights
Despite having one of the strongest financial bases in the region, Bangkok Airways is feeling the pinch of higher fuel prices and a slump in regional air travel. To help the boutique carrier survive the current situation, it has suspended three of its international routes and reduced the number of flights to other destinations.
The three flights per week between Bangkok and Shenzhen (China) will be cut as of August 15, as will the four flights per week between Bangkok and Fukuoka (Japan) as of October 1. The carrier will also suspend its services between Siem Reap and Hong Kong in conjunction with its sister airline Siem Reap Airways International starting August 15.
Bangkok Airways is also reducing the frequency of flights on its Bangkok-Hiroshima (Japan) route from three per week to two beginning on October 1. These routes were chosen because they have proven unprofitable due to very low passenger volume.
The cut backs, however, have little impact on the overall operations of the airline. Bangkok Airways still services more than 100 flights per day with its fleet of 18 aircraft. Around 65 per cent of its flights are domestic and 35 per cent are international routes.
Posted by: Andrew on 28 Jul 2008, 09:48 -
Snazzy New Terminal Opens at Samui Airport
After nearly three years of construction, Samui Airport’s new terminal is officially open. The development expands the island’s existing airport infrastructure by more than four times and includes a trendy shopping venue called Samui Park Avenue.
The new facility is made up of six buildings that encompass a passenger area of 7,300sqm within two international terminals and four domestic terminals. That adds up to more than four times as much passenger space as before, making Samui Airport capable of handling around 6 million travellers per year, or 16,000 travellers per day.
Prasert Prasartthong-Osoth, CEO of Bangkok Airways who privately owns Samui Airport, was on hand to conduct the opening ceremonies. The environmentally-friendly design of the six new terminals carries on the airport’s previous architectural style that aims to blend the structures into the surrounding island scenery.
In addition to the new terminals, a shopping centre was also unveiled. The shopping street called “Samui Park Avenue” is located adjacent to the new development and houses a number of high-street retailers. It has already emerged as a popular hang-out spot for residents of Samui island.
Samui Airport currently handles more than 40 flights each day. The overwhelming majority are operated by the airport’s owner Bangkok Airways. But other carriers such as Thai Airways, Malaysia’s Firefly Airlines, and Berjaya Air also run regular flights to the island, helping to boost tourism.
Posted by: Andrew on 28 Jul 2008, 09:33 -
Direct Flights from Japan to Phuket Resumed
Thai Airways resumed direct flights from Narita, Japan to the Thai resort island of Phuket after a 3-year hiatus. The once-popular route will fly two days a week with the hope that services can be expanded as demand warrants.
A group of 300 Japanese tourists arrived at Phuket International Airport from Narita aboard a Thai Airways Boeing 777. It was the first direct flight from Japan to Phuket since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami put the brakes on tourism in the region. The year before the tsunami, around 206,000 Japanese visited Phuket. But 2007 saw only 115,000 Japanese tourists come to the island.
Tourism Authority of Thailand Southern Region 4 Office Director Suwalai Pinpradub and representatives from tourist businesses in Phuket greeted the arriving tourists with jasmine garlands. Pinpradub said that Japan is one of Phuket’s most important sources for tourists, and the newly reopened flights would give local business a much-needed boost during Phuket’s “green season”.
Thai Airways will begin by operating direct flights from Narita to Phuket on Thursdays and Sundays.
Posted by: Andrew on 24 Jul 2008, 09:23 -
Bangkok Airways to Offer Web Check In
In order to improve the quality of its services to passengers and ensure a smooth experience all-around, Bangkok Airways will be launching a Web-based service for flight check-in service this July.
Ping Na Thalang, vice president of Bangkok Airways' Information Systems Department commented that the company would provide the Web service to passengers who are not travelling with checked baggage.
These passengers will be able to print their boarding passes from their computer, without having to stop at the airport check-in counters.
Na Thalang said further that passengers can take advantage of the new service by logging on to the carrier’s website at bangkokairways.com. Once they have accessed the site, they can purchase e-tickets, select their seats and then check-in and print out their boarding pass from their home computer. The boarding pass that is printed contains a readable barcode. The Web check-in option is available beginning 48 hours before the time of a flight’s departure.
The airline is planning to initially launch the service for customers that are travelling from Koh Samui to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, before expanding to cover 23 additional destinations. In the future, the airline is also planning to provide the check-in service through smartphones.
Posted by: Andrew on 30 Jun 2008, 21:00 -
Thai Airways will raise fuel surcharge
With oil selling at record prices, many airlines have recently announced that they must raise fuel surcharges on their flights to combat the unprecedented costs of fuel. Thai Airways is the latest major airline to announce that it will be raising the fuel surcharge on most of its flights. In an announcement by the company, it said the surcharge for international fights would increase by an average of 20% and for domestic flights the number would be about 15%.
Thai Airways president Apinan Sumanaseni said yesterday that with fuel at record highs, the only way for the airlne to remain viable was to charge for the new gap in its operating costs.
As it stands now, Thai’s surcharges on flights less than two hours long is $25, $30 for flights two to three hours long, $35 for four to eight hours, and $95 for long haul flights between 8 and 14 hours.
Other carriers in Thailand can be expected to follow suit at any time.
Posted by: DaveB on 19 Apr 2008, 18:26