Flight costs rise due to increasing air traffic

[webfact]

Flight costs rise due to increasing air traffic

By The Nation

 

 

Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam has directed the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) to cope with the problem of air traffic, which has resulted in planes waiting for landing space, hiking flight costs by more than Bt100 million per year.

 

Thaworn said that Thailand has become the hub of airlines because of the increase in the number of travellers. In 2019, more than one million fights landed in Thailand.

 

He urged Aerothai to focus on aviation safety to support the increasing number of flights, predicted to increase to about two million within the next 15 years.

 

In the past, it was reported that circling and indirect flying, such as by Thai Airways that uses traffic routes to fly from Phuket Airport to Suvarnabhumi Airport indirectly, cost up to Bt100 million per year. If Aerothai can adjust traffic routes, it will help cut the extra cost, he said.

 

Aerothai is currently looking for a parallel airport for domestic flights to reduce the density by creating routes for connecting flights to neighbouring countries such as Bangkok to Malaysia and Singapore so as to support international flights and fly-throughs, which are growing at 3.8 per cent and 2.8 per cent respectively.

 

Thaworn added that Thailand is developing into an air transport hub in Asia. The air traffic volume is now quite dense and tending to increase.

 

The current traffic averages around 3,000 trips per day, or some one million trips per year. In the next 15 years, by 2036, the International Air Transport Association estimates that Thailand will be ranked in the world's top 10 in the aviation industry.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30380793

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-01-20

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[englishoak]

Theres a perfectly Perfectly good old international Airport they could utilise much better and for  transits, if they just stopped abusing it for certain elites and military excuses. 

[mike787]

Price is what you pay, value is what you get....i'm sure the increase is justified, besides there is nothing we can do if we disagree except to talk, but talk is cheap because it exceeds the demand...so i just accept it.

[holy cow cm]

Well the other day I purchased an economy Thai airways CM - BKK - CM and was told no lower fares available and it is for weekday @ 7215 baht. Gouging? This is the most expensive off holiday season ticket I have ever paid for. Then asked about Japan for April and the price RT 29700+ and am not allowed to use miles to upgrade to business as all those so to say using points or using points to upgrade were capped and unavailable to use. Business class was 77000 baht + RT. At these prices you can fly all the way to North America. 

[saengd]

6 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Well the other day I purchased an economy Thai airways CM - BKK - CM and was told no lower fares available and it is for weekday @ 7215 baht. Gouging? This is the most expensive off holiday season ticket I have ever paid for. Then asked about Japan for April and the price RT 29700+ and am not allowed to use miles to upgrade to business as all those so to say using points or using points to upgrade were capped and unavailable to use. Business class was 77000 baht + RT. At these prices you can fly all the way to North America. 

Chinese New Year travel dates maybe?

[RichardColeman]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

In 2019, more than one million fights landed in Thailand.

If that is true, and Thailand counts people in and out as tourists then Thailand has a really big problem. 40 million tourists - would mean less than 20 tourists on each plane !! (and that's being generous for no land crossings !)

[legend49]

29 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Well the other day I purchased an economy Thai airways CM - BKK - CM and was told no lower fares available and it is for weekday @ 7215 baht. Gouging? This is the most expensive off holiday season ticket I have ever paid for. Then asked about Japan for April and the price RT 29700+ and am not allowed to use miles to upgrade to business as all those so to say using points or using points to upgrade were capped and unavailable to use. Business class was 77000 baht + RT. At these prices you can fly all the way to North America. 

Thai airways last mob I would pay to travel with. Their competition who fly to DM charge about 2600 baht return, I just had to use one of them to go to an embassy in BKK also live in CNX.

[saengd]

3 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

If that is true, and Thailand counts people in and out as tourists then Thailand has a really big problem. 40 million tourists - would mean less than 20 tourists on each plane !! (and that's being generous for no land crossings !)

That's a mix of domestic and international flight arrivals.

 

https://www.airportthai.co.th/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Annual-Airport-2018.pdf

[RotBenz8888]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand has become the hub of airlines 

Thailand is definitely the hub of hubs.

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, saengd said:

Chinese New Year travel dates maybe?

The Thai rep was flustered a bit knowing the amount I fly with them, then said sorry as she really expected me to walk out. We all know the routine of when flights are high and med to low cost, but this doesn't fit the bill. My daughter also works for Thai and was taken back. So seems they just tightened the screws a bit more which in the end is going to blow back up on them. My guess is they scaled back on the amount of promos and then the next level of medium cost seats and stuck it to you on the rest available which there were actually quite a lot. Maybe instead of messing with the free elite seats they are pushing it on all else.

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, legend49 said:

Thai airways last mob I would pay to travel with. Their competition who fly to DM charge about 2600 baht return, I just had to use one of them to go to an embassy in BKK also live in CNX.

I prefer to fly Thai domestically and I really only like Suvarnabhumi to fly into. Second choice is Viet Jet from CM and not unless have to is Bangkok air as they are always in a delays state. But the two things they have going are the seats have good space and good service. But honestly much more of this gouging then I will definitely turn tail and fly on any of the all of others. It's like being slapped by them, and the them are the same as the you know who. 

[Enzian]

People talking about Thai Air so I want to say that myself and the gf fly BKK-CNX (CM to you) a lot, and I still like Thai Air, but you have to try to book at least 2 weeks out if possible, and look at alternate dates. That said, those 1300 baht flights per way do seem to be getting more scarce lately.

In a week I'm taking Thai Air RT direct to Kolkata from BKK for $305, which I personally consider cheap. A couple of other carriers had similar flights for 60% of that but the arrival times were terrible.

[kevin612]

Air traffic is an excuse, because it is another beginning of year, inflation drives up the prices.

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

He urged Aerothai to focus on aviation safety to support the increasing number of flights, predicted to increase to about two million within the next 15 years.

That increase should NOT start at Suvarnabhumi Airport any time soon until the third runway has been built and operational. Otherwise the airport is 'an accident waiting to happen.'

Suvarnabhumi Airport has been operating above its designed capacity for years now with arrivals and departures per hour currently at 64 versus approx. 45 as per original plan using two runways.

The newly approved 21.7 billion baht runway project will increase the combined capacity of Suvarnabhumi international airport’s runways to 94 arrivals and departures per hour. 

https://thethaiger.com/news/bangkok/third-runway-for-suvarnabhumi-airport

If there's a focus on aviation safety, Aerothai should be reducing the current number of flights. But that's apparently not politically correct to the "current" government. Tic-toc, tic-toc.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Flight costs rise due to increasing air traffic

Every price has a ceiling, when that's reached people vote with their money.

[KenKadz]

More problems caused by Bad Management?

Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam 'directing' does not make it so.

[Chazar]

10 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Well the other day I purchased an economy Thai airways CM - BKK - CM and was told no lower fares available and it is for weekday @ 7215 baht. Gouging? This is the most expensive off holiday season ticket I have ever paid for. Then asked about Japan for April and the price RT 29700+ and am not allowed to use miles to upgrade to business as all those so to say using points or using points to upgrade were capped and unavailable to use. Business class was 77000 baht + RT. At these prices you can fly all the way to North America. 

I  bought a   business  class  ticket to the uk Air  France  cheapest ever.. 64k  baht  A350 lie  flats, best ever  was  Turkish airlines 2  years  ago  54k usually 85-140k

[tjo o tjim]

8 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Suvarnabhumi Airport has been operating above its designed capacity for years now with arrivals and departures per hour currently at 64 versus approx. 45 as per original plan using two runways.

 

Seems odd; isn’t 2-minute spacing typical?  I thought I remembered from the original plans that the two runways would accommodate 60MAP, but it has been a long time. 

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, Chazar said:

I  bought a   business  class  ticket to the uk Air  France  cheapest ever.. 64k  baht  A350 lie  flats, best ever  was  Turkish airlines 2  years  ago  54k usually 85-140k

Sometimes you can get them for 65 RT or 80k RT to t he US. My last one 2 months ago was 120K on EVA and it was wonderful.

[StayinThailand2much]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

In 2019, more than one million fights landed in Thailand.

Haha... I believe that!

[new2here]

14 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

If that is true, and Thailand counts people in and out as tourists then Thailand has a really big problem. 40 million tourists - would mean less than 20 tourists on each plane !! (and that's being generous for no land crossings !)

Don’t forget that this figure also includes cargo operations... and BKK (and to a lesser degree DMK) has a fairly sizable air cargo operation with several all-cargo carriers such as China Airlines Cargo and NCA both serving Bangkok (and often to HKT/CNX as well) either daily or close to daily.

 

so, I suspect the movement count cited is probably close to accurate when *all* non-military, air movements are included- passenger, cargo and private.

[tifino]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

by 2036, the International Air Transport Association estimates that Thailand will be ranked in the world's top 10 in the aviation industry.

get right to the end, for the joke punchline 

 

 

top 10 traffic jams maybe

 

[Tounge Thaied]

Yet another example of the growth of Thailand... costs are going to really start ramping up in all sectors, whether it is justified or not. Most industries can simply point to some similar reason, call it progress, to up their fees.

[NanLaew]

22 hours ago, englishoak said:

Theres a perfectly Perfectly good old international Airport they could utilise much better and for  transits, if they just stopped abusing it for certain elites and military excuses. 

The subject matter isn't about passengers exceeding the capacity at Suvarnhabhumi airport though. The clue is in such statements as;

 

22 hours ago, webfact said:

...to cope with the problem of air traffic

and...

22 hours ago, webfact said:

...so as to support international flights and fly-throughs, which are growing at 3.8 per cent and 2.8 per cent respectively

It's congestion in the air that Aerothai are being asked to address. If it was lack of space for passengers, they would be lambasting AoT.

 

18 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Well the other day I purchased an economy Thai airways CM - BKK - CM and was told no lower fares available and it is for weekday @ 7215 baht. Gouging? This is the most expensive off holiday season ticket I have ever paid for. Then asked about Japan for April and the price RT 29700+ and am not allowed to use miles to upgrade to business as all those so to say using points or using points to upgrade were capped and unavailable to use. Business class was 77000 baht + RT. At these prices you can fly all the way to North America. 

Meanwhile, I can still get a Thai Smile r/t Bangkok - Udon Thani for around 1400 baht. And if I ever get a hankering for some of what Don Meuang has to offer, I can get r/t's for around 800 baht on the LCC's.

 

As they say in Hollywoood, "Location! Location! Location!"

[holy cow cm]

Yeah but you don’t have all the Chinese tourists to keep you happy too!

[NanLaew]

5 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Yeah but you don’t have all the Chinese tourists to keep you happy too!

Good point. Greater Isaan hasn't been cursed by the yellow horde quite yet and long may that be the case! Up in Udon, our 'quality' visitors are easy to see... every weekend as they come over the bridge from Laos in their Lexus's, Ferrari's, Lambo's and Rolls Royce's for their ritual trawl at HomePro, Central and Tops.

[NanLaew]

For those inveterate Thai bashers among us that took this news story as just another validation of their perpetually jaded opinion that Thailand and the Thai people in general are totally, hopelessly incapable of doing anything proactive, practical and sensible ever, it does appear that the lack of space for aeroplanes in the air which is what this OP is all about, is a global issue.

 

Flight paths to be redrawn for first time in 60 years to cut air congestion

Britain’s flight paths are set to be redrawn for the first time in 60 years as the Government warned growing congestion in the skies will add half an hour to journey times in the next decade if nothing is done.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/25/flight-paths-redrawn-first-time-60-years-cut-air-congestion/