AirAsia expands services in Thailand

Thailand Het laatste Thailand nieuws
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BANGKOK, 9 November 2010 – Thai AirAsia reported Monday it intends expand its Chiang Mai-based operations by January next year.
Also, the airline will begin services on the Phuket-Bali route, 17 December and is planning a new Bangkok-Hangzhou. Additions services out of Chiang Mai will be launched during the last week of January soon after the airline takes delivery of its 20th A320.
http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/AirAsia.jpgInitially, Thai AirAsia will fly daily services to two destinations — Hat Yai and Singapore.
The carrier already links Chiang Mai with Phuket Island twice daily and with Bangkok, six daily.
Thai AirAsia announced it will also start a service between two beach destination rivals — Thailand’s Phuket and Indonesia’s Bali — from 17 December.
The airline will operate four weekly services Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday departing from Phuket at 0630 and from Bali at 1140. The flight time will be three hours and 40 minutes.
A promotional fare has been set at Bt2,280 roundtrip until 14 November for travel from 17 December this year to 10 November next year. The standard roundtrip fare is Bt5,760.
A Bangkok-Hangzhou service will follow in January, although time slots have still to be finalised.
Earlier, the carrier announced new services to Indian cities beginning 1 December — four weekly services to Delhi and daily to Kolkata.
From 2 December, frequency on the Bangkok-Singapore route will be lifted from 21 flights a week to 24. Three additional flights will operate on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Bron: TTRweekly

Theo

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AirAsia to launch Phuket - Bali flights

http://phuketgazette.net/newsimages/phuket-1-fqeZntB.jpg

**AirAsia is launching the service with promotional fares of 1,490 baht, one-way.

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PHUKET: AirAsia will operate four flights weekly between Phuket and Bali starting December 17.

“I know it’s a challenging route, but with the high number of people visiting Bali, I believe that some of them may want to visit Phuket, too,” Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijileveld said at the launch yesterday.

“I also believe that Scandinavian tourists in Phuket want to visit Bali, and that Australians, who visit Bali all year long, want to come to Phuket, as well,” he added.

The average load factor for December through January, the peak tourism months for both Phuket and Bali, is expected to be 85% to 90%, Mr Tassapon said.

Passenger seating capacity on each flight is 180.

If the route proves successful, the service could be boosted to daily flights within two months, the CEO said.

“We still don’t know what the load factor will be during the low season. We need to do a lot of marketing in the first three months. If it is about 70% to 75%, then it will be okay,” he added.

The direct scheduled flights are the first ever between the rival resort islands, both of which have had their share of ups and downs over the years.

In 2005, then-Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura reacted with indifference to an offer to link Phuket with Densapar, the capital of Bali, made by Indonesian Ambassador Ibrahim Yusuf during a courtesy call to the island. The perceived snub came just two months after the terrorist bombings that left 20 people dead at two sites in South Bali.

Regarding domestic services, CEO Tassapon said the number of flight reservations within Thailand had returned to normal, except in Songkhla and Ubon Ratchathani, which were affected by the recent floods.

“Reservations fell to 50%-60%, but we did not cancel any flights because many items needed to be delivered to flood victims. I think 15 days from now the number of reservations made in every province will be better,” he said.

Also at the launch was Phuket Vice-Governor Nivit Aroonrat, who pointed out that the new route would bring more tourists to Phuket and add pressure to resolve long-standing infrastructure problems.

The “taxi problem” and lack of public parking at beaches and other tourist destinations were among the matters that require action, he said.

Bron: Phuket Gazette

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