Thai Airways Jan Passenger Traffic Rises

[george]

Thai Airways Jan Passenger Traffic Rises Despite Bird Flu

No in-flight chickens

BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--Thai Airways International PCL's (THAI.TH) passenger traffic rose in January, signaling that the country's tourism industry remains intact despite the potential fallout from the outbreak of avian influenza, the company's top executive said Friday.

"So far in January, the cabin factor has risen to 79%. We are not affected the outbreak," said Thai Airways President Kanok Abhiradee.

The cabin factor, which represents the percentage of seats filled by passengers, was 74.5% in last January and 78.2% in December.

Kanok said Thai Airways is still looking at details of its plan to set up a budget airline joint venture, but so far the bird flu outbreak hasn't altered his expectations that it will begin operations in the second quarter of this year. The planned low-cost airline will announce its business plan Feb. 10, he said.

Concerns over the bird flu outbreak didn't seriously intensify until a week ago, when the Thai government admitted that the disease was present in the country, and other Asian countries also reported more bird flu cases.

Kanok said any impact in the coming months will be limited, but he didn't explain further.

Thailand's tourism industry should survive the bird flu outbreak largely unscathed, provided the H5N1 virus doesn't mutate to a form capable of human-to-human transmission, economists and industry officials said.

They expect a temporary slowdown in regional travel, mainly for psychological reasons, but the risk to travellers from bird flu is considerably less than it was last year during the epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Thailand has culled more than 10 million chickens and the virus has been found in nearly half of the country's 76 provinces, but there have been only three confirmed infections of humans and two confirmed deaths.

The cargo volume of chicken products is seeing a decline due to bans on imports of Thai chicken by major markets including Japan and the European Union, Kanok said.

Thai Airways has stopped serving Thai chicken in its inflight meals, and it is launching a "Prawn Festival" with a variety of shrimp dishes, which should double the airline's purchases of shrimp to 20 tons a month.

The company said in a statement Friday that no chicken meals are being served on any flights. The carrier is also banning the transport of birds in passenger cabins in order to reassure passengers. Additional documentation for cargo shipments of bird or poultry, such as health certificates, transportation permits and verification of the animal's origin are required. Shipments of live birds from Thai provinces and other countries infested with the virus are banned.

Meanwhile, Kanok said Thai Airways has recorded "impressive" performance during the October-December period, but didn't elaborate. The airline will announce its quarterly earnings Feb. 15, he said.

--Yahoo! News

[sbk]

The carrier is also banning the transport of birds in passenger cabins in order to reassure passengers.

No more carrying your fighting cockerel onto the plane?? And why not? They are allowed on every other form of public transport in this country

[markt]

The carrier is also banning the transport of birds in passenger cabins in order to reassure passengers.

No more carrying your fighting cockerel onto the plane??

That would really hurt Aeroflot!

I can still remember getting pecked by some kind of bird as i queued for the toilet.

Jep!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The only birds I ever see on TG are the cabin crew ( and a few of them are boilers )

[ovenman]

It's a little premature to claim that THAI is/will be unaffected by the bird flu. Recall that the decline in travel due to SARS was not at the initial outbreak. Let's see what THAI's load factor is in February and March.

[Rinrada]

Just picked up a couple of tics on Thai for a london-bangers r/t (quicky) at the end of this month @£380 + tax which is only 20 quid more than my first time out in 1984 with Bangladesh international airways.

Not a bad flight...london > amsterdam >rome > athens >Calcutta/Bombay (forget 1 or both) and then a 4 hour stop in delightfull Dacca From then on in an old 707 would whisk? you down the bay of bengal to LOS while most of the light fittings fell out and the air con started to wash the inside of the plane.At that time you could get free booze on it (needed it) and if you like curry----wha..hey. Total flight time about 26 hours.

Anyway back to Thai...anyone going out soon should wait till after the half term hols when all the little rich Thai boys and girls return to their very expensive UK boarding schools in Somerset and around OXON.(Got some friends with 2 kids there and cost work out at @ 3 million baht a year..incl.som tam

Lets see how it goes.

Khun W.wants to bring out our pet budgie ....

[piet pompies]

This is a letter to The President of Thai Airways after a Colleague had a few problems!

The Staff in the Business lounge had the balls to call him a Black Heart and a Pig in Thai too!

6 February 2004.

The President

Thai Airways International Ltd.

89 Vibhavadi Rangsit Road

Bangkok

Dear Sir,

RE: (Name deleted)

Last week I was VERY DISAPPOINTED by your airline staff.

I was booked on 25th January on TG 602 with my partner, in Business Class. I had arrived in Bangkok at noon time the same day, from Myanmar, and had confirmed my flights. As I was unable to get an earlier flight, I went into Bangkok for lunch.

When I returned to “check-in” for the 7-00pm flight, I was told that there was only ONE seat available in Business Class. I was not offered a future upgrade or any other option, and was rudely told that I would have to get a refund from “my agent”!

When I again questioned this at the reception desk in the lounge, the attending staff too, were very rude to me. I happen to speak rudimentary Thai and also understand a lot of spoken Thai- I would like to suggest that your staff of the Business Class Lounge are taught NOT to speak Thai in front passengers they are helping, especially if they are being extremely rude. These are your best customers in the Lounge and I am appalled that I was subjected to this rudeness in a language I was presumed to not understand.

If you would check your records, you will see that I have just traveled this year London to Bangkok, Economy Class on 5th Jan, then Business Class, Hong Kong to Bangkok to Zurich on 13th January and return Zurich back to Bangkok on 18th January.

Then on 20th January to Myanmar, return trip with 5 friends.

On my FINAL leg back to Hong Kong, I am told that due to “overbooking” I will be flying Economy Class and that the Airline can do nothing for me and that I will have to get a refund from my travel agent. This is atrocious service for what I believe to be a Frequent traveler on your Airline and Star Alliance.

Attached is a newspaper cutting from the same day, The Sunday Nation, 25th January 2004. On the front page are suggestions of WHAT IS NOT SAFE TO EAT, due to the current bird flu. Specifically it states “LARB GAI” is not safe!

On the Business Class menu that same day (also enclodsed) the First course has “Larb Gai”. I do understand that the menus are prepared well in advance for a company as large as yours, however, I do believe that in the interest of better public relations, this should have been CORRECTED due to the risks involved!

While I am making the effort to point the above out to you I would like to also mention that Thai Airways Business Class Seats are the worst of all the Star Alliance Carriers and I feel that they do not MERIT to be in the Star Alliance, when compared with the other International Business Class service AND seats.

Unfortunately, like a number of other Business Travelers I am in contact with, I am seriously considering changing my travel arrangements to EXCLUDE your Airline if possible!

This is troubling to me, as I do enjoy Thailand and all it has to offer on my travels and I am a loyal Star Alliance Flyer.

I urge you to please take note of the above and a reply would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,

(name deleted)

Cc: United Airlines 1 K desk, Lufthansa Airlines and Singapore Airlines.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

This is a letter to The President of Thai Airways after a Colleague had a few problems!

The Staff in the Business lounge had the balls to call him a Black Heart and a Pig in Thai too!

6 February 2004.

The President

Thai Airways International Ltd.

89 Vibhavadi Rangsit Road

Bangkok

Dear Sir,

RE: (Name deleted)

Last week I was VERY DISAPPOINTED by your airline staff.

I was booked on 25th January on TG 602 with my partner, in Business Class. I had arrived in Bangkok at noon time the same day, from Myanmar, and had confirmed my flights. As I was unable to get an earlier flight, I went into Bangkok for lunch.

When I returned to “check-in” for the 7-00pm flight, I was told that there was only ONE seat available in Business Class. I was not offered a future upgrade or any other option, and was rudely told that I would have to get a refund from “my agent”!

When I again questioned this at the reception desk in the lounge, the attending staff too, were very rude to me. I happen to speak rudimentary Thai and also understand a lot of spoken Thai- I would like to suggest that your staff of the Business Class Lounge are taught NOT to speak Thai in front passengers they are helping, especially if they are being extremely rude. These are your best customers in the Lounge and I am appalled that I was subjected to this rudeness in a language I was presumed to not understand.

If you would check your records, you will see that I have just traveled this year London to Bangkok, Economy Class on 5th Jan, then Business Class, Hong Kong to Bangkok to Zurich on 13th January and return Zurich back to Bangkok on 18th January.

Then on 20th January to Myanmar, return trip with 5 friends.

On my FINAL leg back to Hong Kong, I am told that due to “overbooking” I will be flying Economy Class and that the Airline can do nothing for me and that I will have to get a refund from my travel agent. This is atrocious service for what I believe to be a Frequent traveler on your Airline and Star Alliance.

Attached is a newspaper cutting from the same day, The Sunday Nation, 25th January 2004. On the front page are suggestions of WHAT IS NOT SAFE TO EAT, due to the current bird flu. Specifically it states “LARB GAI” is not safe!

On the Business Class menu that same day (also enclodsed) the First course has “Larb Gai”. I do understand that the menus are prepared well in advance for a company as large as yours, however, I do believe that in the interest of better public relations, this should have been CORRECTED due to the risks involved!

While I am making the effort to point the above out to you I would like to also mention that Thai Airways Business Class Seats are the worst of all the Star Alliance Carriers and I feel that they do not MERIT to be in the Star Alliance, when compared with the other International Business Class service AND seats.

Unfortunately, like a number of other Business Travelers I am in contact with, I am seriously considering changing my travel arrangements to EXCLUDE your Airline if possible!

This is troubling to me, as I do enjoy Thailand and all it has to offer on my travels and I am a loyal Star Alliance Flyer.

I urge you to please take note of the above and a reply would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,

(name deleted)

Cc: United Airlines 1 K desk, Lufthansa Airlines and Singapore Airlines.

Please post the reply....if you get one