Emirates Brings A380 Flights To Bangkok

[george]

Emirates brings A380 flights to Bangkok

A380 service seen as confidence-builder

BANGKOK: -- Tourist arrivals from the Middle East should get a noticeable lift from the start of Airbus A380 megajet service to Suvarnabhumi Airport by Emirates airline on June 1.

"This launch reflects how much the airline expects visitors to increase to Thailand," said Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa, who met Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Maktoum, the chairman of Emirates Group, during the Arabian Travel Mart in Dubai last week.

Sheikh Ahmed confirmed the airline would operate the world's largest commercial passenger jetliner through Bangkok as scheduled.

Normally, large aircraft are used only for long-haul flights. The Bangkok-Dubai flight is considered short-haul at six hours.

Mr Chumpol said that other Thai international airports, notably Chiang Mai and Phuket, were also ready to extend services to Emirates.

Emirates' A380 can carry 489 passengers and features luxurious facilities such as onboard shower spas, lounges, flat beds, massage-equipped private suites in first class and a new generation of intelligent seating and flat beds in business class.

Juthaporn Rerngronasa, a deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said the daily flight from Dubai was a positive sign for Thai tourism. Emirates has been operating in Thailand for more than 18 years. It currently operates 21 flights per week to Dubai.

Mrs Juthaporn said Emirates recently launched a holiday programme in Thailand. The package includes air tickets and accommodation at the Rose Garden, JW Marriott Hotel, Mandarin Oriental, Centara Grand, Amari Boulevard Hotel and other leading hotels in Phuket, Phi Phi, Phangnga, Samui, Chiang Mai and Hua Hin.

Seni Puwasetthawon, president of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui, said visitors from the Middle East had great potential because of their high levels of spending, they travel in large groups, and they like Thailand's medical services.

The TAT expects Middle East visitors to grow by 6.5% to 500,000 this year from 470,000 in 2008. Mr Seni expected visitors from the Middle East to Koh Samui will double to 10,000 this year.

The association expects one million foreign visitors to Samui this year, down from 1.1 million in 2008, with revenue down by 30-40% from 20 billion baht.

Hotel occupancy rates on Koh Samui are expected to average 40-50% this year, a drop from 70-80% in previous years, mainly because of visitor concern about Thailand's political tensions and the world economic recession.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-05-18

[khaosai]

Hi,

good to see some more seat capacity on the route as it can get fairly busy. Carries 124 more passengers than the B77W in a 3 class config. Will do the flight a bit faster too.

I hope that a few more route options become available in Thailand, Phuket would be great !

Rgds.

[bkkjames]

Hi,

good to see some more seat capacity on the route as it can get fairly busy. Carries 124 more passengers than the B77W in a 3 class config. Will do the flight a bit faster too.

I hope that a few more route options become available in Thailand, Phuket would be great !

Rgds.

Unlikely unless they lengthen the runway in Phuket mate. You can land a wide body at Phuket, but you can't take off fully fueled one.

[khaosai]

Hi Bkkjames,

I should have been more clear. I hope that a few more options become available in Thailand departing from Dubai.

no problems for large widebody aircraft landing or departing at Phuket airport. Its 3000 metres which is more than adequate runway length to enable an aircraft to reach Dubai. There might be some restrictions on the A380, but for the B777 no problems.

It does happen from time to time, but more often than not wide body aircraft depart with less than full fuel thanks. Most departures are made with less than full thrust too, to preserve engine life.

Rgds.

[PhilHarries]

Emirates' A380 can carry 489 passengers and features luxurious facilities such as onboard shower spas, lounges, flat beds, massage-equipped private suites in first class and a new generation of intelligent seating and flat beds in business class.

Anyone care to explain "intelligent seating" to this burnt out old mekkie?

Is this just more technobabble for a seat with more buttons to press to get to see the cr@p movie on show?

[bkkjames]

Emirates' A380 can carry 489 passengers and features luxurious facilities such as onboard shower spas, lounges, flat beds, massage-equipped private suites in first class and a new generation of intelligent seating and flat beds in business class.

Anyone care to explain "intelligent seating" to this burnt out old mekkie?

Is this just more technobabble for a seat with more buttons to press to get to see the cr@p movie on show?

Crap movie Phil - Emirates Ice system consistently wins best in the industry with an in-flight entertainment system featuring over 1200 movies and music channels.

[noahvail]

Hmmm...they are expecting an upswing in tourism. Well, good on 'em. Nice to see a contrarian position.

But wasn't the guy who owns the Oriental saying his occupancy rate is only 20% ? It would be great to see a large influx of tourist dollars, but I reckon the jury's still out on that one.

[bkkjames]

check out these prices !!! business is 28k return

Flight 1 Passenger, Economy THB 12615.00 total

Total price in Thailand Baht Convert currencyTotalTHB 12615.00Flights

OUTBOUND Bangkok, Thailand to Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Flight Depart / Arrive Time Airport Duration / Stops Class / Aircraft

EK373 Mon01 Jun 09 21:25 Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) 6hr 5min

0 Stops Economy

Airbus A380-800

Tue02 Jun 09 00:30 Dubai International Airport (DXB)

INBOUND Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Bangkok, Thailand

Flight Depart / Arrive Time Airport Duration / Stops Class / Aircraft

EK372 Mon08 Jun 09 09:40 Dubai International Airport (DXB) 6hr 20min

0 Stops Economy

Airbus A380-800

Mon08 Jun 09 19:00 Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK)

Included in your fare

Award-winning gourmet cuisine and beverages

Friendly, attentive service from a multilingual cabin crew

A great range of entertainment, including movies, music and TV.

Comfortable, reclining, ergonomically-designed seats

Select your own seat at any time prior to check-in

Save time at the airport by checking in online

Terms and Conditions

Fare Conditions

Online Booking Terms & Conditions

Conditions of Carriage

Useful Information

Children travelling alone

Skywards Miles for this itinerary AirfareTHB 11155.00Taxes and FeesTHB 1460.00

1 Passenger, Economy Fare breakdown Flight total THB 12615.00

Business

Summary of ChargesService Description Cost

Flight 1 Passenger, Business THB 29105.00

Total price in Thailand Baht Convert currencyTotalTHB 29105.00Flights

OUTBOUND Bangkok, Thailand to Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Flight Depart / Arrive Time Airport Duration / Stops Class / Aircraft

EK373 Mon01 Jun 09 21:25 Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) 6hr 5min

0 Stops Business

Airbus A380-800

Tue02 Jun 09 00:30 Dubai International Airport (DXB)

INBOUND Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Bangkok, Thailand

Flight Depart / Arrive Time Airport Duration / Stops Class / Aircraft

EK372 Mon08 Jun 09 09:40 Dubai International Airport (DXB) 6hr 20min

0 Stops Business

Airbus A380-800

Mon08 Jun 09 19:00 Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK)

Included in your fare

Award-winning gourmet cuisine and beverages

Friendly, attentive service from a multilingual cabin crew

A great range of entertainment, including movies, music and TV.

Comfortable, reclining, ergonomically-designed seats

Select your own seat at any time prior to check-in

Save time at the airport by checking in online

Terms and Conditions

Fare Conditions

Online Booking Terms & Conditions

Conditions of Carriage

Useful Information

Children travelling alone

Skywards Miles for this itinerary AirfareTHB 27645.00Taxes and FeesTHB 1460.00

1 Passenger, Business Fare breakdown Flight total THB 29105.00

[sushi5734]

I am booked to fly on an Emirates A380 in August, I managed to get a real bargin as well!! Birmingham to Bangkok via Dubia return flight for £400 thats 21,500 Baht including taxes. very short stopover times in Dubai so pretty good deal as far as I'm concerned.

I couldn't get a cheap price for flying BKK-BHX-BKK but I already have a ticket back to the UK with Jet Airways, who I would recommend, they are a subsiduary of Air India and I was very impressed with their service, good seat comfort, large seat back screens, tasty food etc.

[Brown1950]

I am booked to fly on an Emirates A380 in August, I managed to get a real bargin as well!! Birmingham to Bangkok via Dubia return flight for £400 thats 21,500 Baht including taxes. very short stopover times in Dubai so pretty good deal as far as I'm concerned.

I couldn't get a cheap price for flying BKK-BHX-BKK but I already have a ticket back to the UK with Jet Airways, who I would recommend, they are a subsiduary of Air India and I was very impressed with their service, good seat comfort, large seat back screens, tasty food etc.

Jet Airways are not a subsiduary of Air India.

While the company is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, 80% of its stock is controlled by Naresh Goyal (through his ownership of Jet’s parent company, Tailwinds, and has 10,017 employees . Many people in the airline industry are saying the only way Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airways can survive the present economic climate is to merge.