the latest happenings at bangkok airways

ON THE ROAD

Bangkok Airways recently kicked off its annual Public Relations Roadshow in Madrid, followed by Milan, Rome, Moscow and London. The tour took place in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s overseas offices. Its aim was to update local press and travel agents of Bangkok Airways’ latest news as well as to promote tourism to Thailand. Vice President for Corporate Communications, ML Nandhika Varavarn revealed the airline’s plans for 2006, which include the expansion of its fleet with the delivery of one new 120-seat Boeing 717-200; while Bangkok Airways’ regional network is set to be strengthened with the introduction of new destinations to its route map, namely Fukuoka, Japan and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in the near future. She also highlighted that in terms of both passenger carriage and revenue, the airline had grown at an average of 25% per year.

BEST REGIONAL AIRlINE

Bangkok Airways was recently announced as the Best Regional Airline for S.E. Asia by Skytrax, following its award for All-Round Service Excellence from the same institution earlier this year. This is the third consecutive year that Bangkok Airways – known as “ASIA’S BOUTIQUE AIRLINE” – has won this distinction for being best in the region, having secured the title in 2004 and 2005. The achievement under this new category, which had not previously existed, coupled with the All-Round Service Excellence Award, is a clear reflection of the airline’s ability to sustain high service standards under its “BOUTIQUE” brand.

FIRST FLIGHT LANDING

Bangkok Airways celebrated its first landing at the new Bangkok International Airport, more commonly known as Suvarnabhumi, on 29 July. The event took place in cooperation with the Airports of Thailand (AoT) as part of a large-scale trial in servicing passengers on commercial flights in and out of the new facility. Joining other Thai airlines taking part in the trial, Bangkok Airways flew its A320 plane in from Phuket and back. Following this inaugural landing, the airline also landed its ATR flight from Trat before the plane continued onto Koh Samui. Each passenger received a limited edition certificate which commemorates the new international airport’s first commercial test flight prior to its official opening, slated to take place on 28 September 2006.

A FACE LIFT

The new terminal at Samui Airport is going to be six times bigger than the current facility, with an exotic touch of local design and trendy personality. Roomy passenger areas render a cosy atmosphere amidst the airport surroundings, set in the tropical vista of hilly coconut plantations. Currently, the Balinese-inspired structure is already complete and its décor is being put in place. Its spectacular open-aired concept makes it a “BOUTIQUE” asset among its counterparts in Sukhothai and Trat. With interior works underway, the new terminal is slated for a soft-opening before the end of the year.

E-TICKETS TO LUANG PRABANG

Following Bangkok Airways’ successful introduction of paperless ticketing for all domestic routes as well as Cambodia, E-Tickets are now available to and from Bangkok and Luang Prabang in Laos. Bangkok Airways currently operates daily service to Luang Prabang, with more than half of its passengers connecting to the World Heritage township through Bangkok. Vice President for Marketing, Peter Wiesner says that with the implementation of the E-Ticket, he hopes the airline’s service will be enhanced and more interline-agreed E-Tickets with long-haul carriers will be created to better connect international passengers to Bangkok Airways’ flights. “Our E-Tickets have been well-accepted for their practicality. Since we introduced them two years ago, we have noticed a steady increase. Presently, 80% of the tickets issued by travel agents in Thailand are E-Tickets,” he says. Travel agents can issue Bangkok Airways’ E-Tickets through all GDS systems. At present, E-Tickets which are issued at BSP agents worldwide account for 55% of all the airline’s tickets. Bangkok Airways also intends to put E-Tickets in place for its existing routes to Hong Kong and Singapore later this year, which will include the service between Hong Kong and Cambodia by Siem Reap Airways International. “By then, Siem Reap Airways will be fully operating with E-Tickets. Its Phnom Penh-Bangkok and Phnom Penh-Siem Reap routes already have E-Tickets up and running,” adds Wiesner.

Bookmark This Post     Print This Post    Email This Post

Other recent features: