Austrian Airlines To Fly Direct From Vienna

[george]

New flight service to Phuket

Austrian Airlines to fly direct from Vienna

VIENNA: -- Austrian Airlines is doing its bit to help revive the struggling tourism industry in Phuket - Thailand's best-known destination among Europeans _ with plans to launch a direct flight service between Vienna and the resort island on Nov 4.

Buranat Limjitti, Austrian Airlines' country manager for Thailand and Indochina, says the flight service will help increase the number of European tourists to Phuket, which has plunged since the tsunami struck the Andaman coastline in Thailand last December.

The airline will initially offer the service once a week using a Boeing 767 with 24 business-class and 234 economy-class seats.

It expects to carry at least 14,000 passengers to Phuket and generate 50 million in revenue annually from the service.

Going into the height of the Phuket's peak season in December, the carrier plans to increase the service to two flights a week.

Austrian Airlines expects full bookings for the Vienna-Phuket flights, said the 38-year-old country manager.

``We will be the only gateway between Eastern Europe and Phuket. At Vienna International Airport, we will offer passengers the convenience of checking in quickly though the use of more than 10 counters.''

Meanwhile, passengers from outside Austria will be able connect with the flight with a minimum transit time of only 25 minutes.

In October 2003, Austrian Airlines began a two-year rebranding campaign using a ``Refreshing Flight'' concept under a theme entitled ``Flying with Friends''.

``Our customers will now get more attentive service from our staff until they reach their destinations and our airplanes have been redecorated with bright colours to give them a more modern look,'' Mr Buranat said.

Five months ago, Austrian Airlines began redesigning both the interiors and exteriors of its aircraft. It plans to complete the project by April 2006.

Currently, the carrier, which flies to 166 destinations around the world, has a fleet of 101 airplanes. It is now the fourth largest airline flying between Europe and Asia.

In 2003, Austrian Airlines increased its size through the purchase of three carriers _ Austria-based Lauda Air, Tyrolean, a domestic Austrian carrier, and Rheintalflug, which flies within Europe.

During the first eight months of this year, the Austrian Airlines Group carried 6.742 million passengers on its scheduled and charter services, 5.8% more than in the same period last year.

In August alone, it had 1.088 million passengers, a double-digit increase from the same month a year ago.

--Bangkok Post 2005-10-03