Phuket Air Axes Phuket-hadyai Flights

[Ricardo]

We recently tried to check-in for the Phuket to Hat-Yai route operated by Phuket Air, having bought our tickets 3 weeks beforehand in PA's Chiang-Mai office, but were disappointed to find that they have apparently ceased flying this route, at least a week ago. BE WARNED

Not that one would normally contemplate flying with them anyway, given their reputation for safety, but they are the only airline on this minor domestic route, so what option does one have ?

Their airport-offices were totally unmanned, the airport-office said they hadn't seen any Phuket-Air employees in them, for at least a week. Great customer-service.

We were eventually offered a 6-hour night-time tranfer by car, on a winding road, with 2 small children who would have been car-sick all the way - but declined and will be trying to recover our money when next passing through Bangers. If I wanted a transfer by road, I would have booked one, at a 75% lower cost, than flying.

A normal airline would phone its passengers, when forced for operational or commercial-reasons to temporarily-suspend a route, but Poo-Air didn't bother to do this. Are they too cheap to spend the cost of a phone-call - to a customer who just spent B10,000 with them ? They would also normally offer transportation via the best available air-route , and pick up the tab. This is a normal & accepted part of the cost of running a scheduled-airline, or was when I was last a senior manager with one.

It will be a cool day in ###### - when we contemplate using this airline again, even if the owner(s) were to bring back professional airline-management and standards again.

It also bodes ill for Phuket's attempts to re-build tourism after the tsunami, and Thailand's image as an international-standard tourist-destination, when local airlines are run in such a sloppy manner.

[AsiaWolfie]

did you honestly expect it different ? well, thats a little bit naive, sorry to say....

Phuket air is in its dying period since a long time.....and its a long and slow death.... all the rats are leaving the sinking ship ...... and they are known for doing business that way since a very very long time..... I agree, there is no other option on that route, but u should have expected it that way..... you cannot judge them by international standard.....

[Ricardo]

did you honestly expect it different ? well, thats a little bit naive, sorry to say....

Phuket air is in its dying period since a long time.....and its a long and slow death.... all the rats are leaving the sinking ship ...... and they are known for doing business that way since a very very long time..... I agree, there is no other option on that route, but u should have expected it that way..... you cannot judge them by international standard.....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I admit I had my fingers crossed - but as I pointed out, there's no other option on tis route. And yes I do expect ALL airlines to reach international standards, otherwise what is the national air-safety body there for ? Apparently they were flying it until mid-June.

Another case of TiT