Japanese Keen For Direct Phuket Flights

Japanese keen for direct Phuket link

BANGKOK: -- Japanese travel agents have urged Thai Airways International to resume its direct flights between Kansai and Phuket because they are finding it difficult to sell Phuket packages via Bangkok.

Vasing Kittikul, executive vice-president of THAI, said it had been necessary to suspend the service because of rising oil prices and lower passenger numbers.

“The airline had to shoulder higher fuel costs,” he said.

During the second Mega-Fam Trip last week – in which Japanese tour operators and journalists were invited to Thailand to monitor the readiness and safety of destinations – Vasing said tourist arrivals in Andaman coastal areas were still in decline since the tsunami.

“THAI needs more time to monitor how much demand there will be as the load factor is not encouraging,” he said.

Kansai travel agents wanting to sell tour packages to Phuket have to offer customers flights to Bangkok, and then transfer them to Phuket.

But Vasing told the travel agents that the airline could resume the service if the situation improved. He urged the agents to help sell Phuket or organise charter flights similar to those organised by South Korean agents.

“THAI will operate charter flights from Korea from October 1 to March 31 on the Incheon-Phuket route. Two major agents in Korea have helped us to promote the flights,” Vasing said.

If Kansai travel agents can fill flights to Phuket for at least three flights a week, he added, THAI would resume its regular flights.

--The Nation 2005-08-30