Thai Airways Goes For The Gizmos

[george]

THAI goes for the gizmos

National carrier upgrades inflight products and service to stay in the forefront of competition

The A340-500, equipped with latest inflight technology and enhanced seats, is the latest addition to the THAI fleet.

Every seat on the A340-500 is fitted with a personal screen for interactive games and entertainment.

BANGKOK: --Thai Airways International (THAI) is spending seven billion baht to upgrade inflight amenities and service in the face of intense competition from Singapore Airlines, and to differentiate itself from low-cost carriers.

According to Mr Vasing Kittikul, its executive vice president for commercial affairs, THAI has been slow in tapping new inflight technology and as a result has lost some ground to Singapore Airlines, its main rival.

"It costs a lot of money. So we had to do it gradually, step by step," said Mr Vasing, but he added that all inflight upgrade will be completed by the year's end and that some of the upgraded planes were back in service already.

"Inflight products are now a key factor in the survival of full-service airlines in the increasingly competitive industry. Besides, they help differentiate them from no-frills airlines," he said.

The upgraded planes are meant to ply medium- to long-haul destinations and are equipped with modern amenities such as VDO-on-demand for personal entertainment and more comfortable seats incorporating the latest cushion technology.

These facilities will also be extended to aircraft connecting popular destinations such as Phuket, Narita in Japan and Hong Kong.

Thirty-one aircraft comprising eight A330-300s, six B777-300s, eight B777-200s and nine B747-400s have already been fitted with the enhanced version of seats in business and economy class. The seats in B777-200s and B747-400s will also come with a personal screen for interactive games and other entertainment such as VDO-on-demand.

Apart from upgrading its existing fleet, THAI has bought new aircraft supporting latest inflight technology and enhanced seating. It's placed orders for three new Airbus A340-500s with more comfortable business and premium economy seats and wider screen for personal entertainment.

The first A340-500 went into service last March and the remaining two will become operational by October this year.

Five new A340-600s have also been bought, with the first expected to be pressed into service next month, and the last not later than December. And next year it will add the A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world, to its growing fleet.

Meanwhile, THAI is studying the option of providing passengers internet access onboard. On the reservations front, it's contemplating a total overhaul of operations by switching to e-ticketing to encourage online booking and boost its appeal among travellers in the FIT (frequent independent travellers) segment of the market.

At the same time, it also hopes to cooperate and coordinate with travel agents to attract corporate clients.

The already cut-throat competition among airlines is set to heat up further as the industry becomes more liberalised.

"We have to be proactive in such a challenging situation," said Mr Vasing.

As such, THAI is planning to increase flight frequency on major European and regional routes, and open new ones as well.

Currently, it's exploring the possibility of operating flights to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Moscow and connecting to promising new destinations in China and Japan.

--Bangkok Post 2005-05-26

[Greer]

I am glad to see that TG has decided to catch up with other airlines in the region and upgrade facilities to match them. Our national carrier has been falling further and further behind as SQ, CX and others have improved passenger in-flight entertainment options. Overseas companies such as BA and QF have been keeping up with upgrades in facilities over the years, and it was sad to see an airline that was once touted as one of the best in the world falling so far behind the competition.

Another area of some concern is in-flight service, and while I am the first to say that the cabin crew are definitely NOT a bunch of waiters and waitresses there to keep the passengers fed and provide them an endless supply of drinks, one thing that I have noticed and heard of from colleagues flying Thai is that some of the crews attitudes to passengers, especially Thai passengers, really needs to be improved; again this is sad to see when the airline had always been promoting the level of attentiveness and service provided by the Thai crew - if other airlines can do it, so can ours.

Thai International is a very well known and respected carrier in the international market, and I truly hope they can address the current issues properly and resolve them. Our national carrier is the first contact point that many travellers and tourists have with the Thai people, so although I know the majority of crew on TG flights work very hard at doing the best they can for the passengers, within the time and other constraints placed upon them, there are some who must be weeded out and given the training and attitude adjustment necessary.

I am sure Daveyo and others will say that it takes a lot more than just the cabin crew to make an airline work properly, and that is for sure. There is an army of support necessary for aircraft operations and safety, and all must be made to feel part of the effort, and to do their best as well. It is definitely a goal that will not be easy to achieve, but if TG is to survive in the current and new markets, it is a worthy goal for which to strive.

It will be a hard slog for them to grab the title "Best in the World" from airlines like Emirates and the like, but given time and hard work, I am sure that it can be achieved.

[taxexile]

and while I am the first to say that the cabin crew are definitely NOT a bunch of waiters and waitresses there to keep the passengers fed and provide them an endless supply of drinks,

then what are they then ?

they may like to think that they are more than just waiters and waitresses , but mostly they are just that .

they are there to help the passengers relax and keep them sedated and bloated . and enjoy the so called glamour that goes along with a job like that.

and on most airlines they do a difficult job well in difficult circumstances dealing with difficult people.

although on the occasions that i have flown with thai (the last one being 4 years ago) it would have been pushing it to even call them waiters and waitresses.

they were seemingly trained in the british rail school of customer service circa 1985 and treated, or should i say ignored , passengers with disdain whilst they giggled and gossiped like schoolchildren. they behaved with a measure of self importance that was hard to believe.

the verbal and racist abuse , snobbery and humiliation that these jumped up airheads served up to one elderly indian gentleman who wanted to retrieve his heart medication from the overhead locker was just plain nasty and even with 20 inch plasma screens on every seat and free soapy massages upstairs , nothing would get me on to a thai airways plane again.

[Greer]

Well you are right about the attitude of the cabin crew on many flights - and exactly my point that they can be very racist - especially, and strangely, when dealing with Thai passengers (or as you mentioned, other Asians).

This is exactly why they need a good dose of proper training and discipline, to stamp out this sort of thing.

I had a very close friend who worked for an airline (not Thai) and the real job for cabin crew is ensuring the safety of passengers within the cabin.

They undergo a lot of overall safety and related training (such as how to handle certain medical emergencies etc), and also must have training specific to the types of aircraft they will operate - this training is updated regularly as new aircraft and new services and facilities are added to the fleet.

Each cabin crew member also must sit for regular tests to make sure their knowledge of each aircraft for which they are certified, is correct and up to date, otherwise they lose that certification and may not operate as crew on that aircraft - it also of course may cost them their job.

As you correctly point out, the crew have a very stressful job dealing with the general public, and although it can be very rewarding much of the time, there are days when the frustration of having to put up with some a*hole passenger who demands to be treated like a little wanna-be-king for the day really does get to them.

I have seen both sides of the argument, but I admit, Thai have developed quite a bad reputation for customer service over recent years...even among other airline crew.

Edited May 29, 2005 by Greer

[The Coder]

I am glad to see that TG has decided to catch up with other airlines in the region and upgrade facilities to match them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

To me this is the most embarassing announcement TG has made. They are admitting this year they are finally starting to match what other airlines have offered for a decade or more. While Thai is busy putting yesterday's technology on board, other airlines such as JAL, ANA, SIA, Lufthansa, China, Korean, and Asiana are offering hi-speed wifi internet access on board. And the price to flyers is an optional in flight $30US, not hundreds of dollars added to every ticket like TG is doing with planes they are retrotting the obsolete equipment onto. The other airlines are betting people want cheap tickets and wifi. Someone's strategy will be proven wrong. Will it be TG or the everyone else?