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Thais to fly to Samui cheaper.


steffi

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Hi steffi,

 

Don`t know if you read the NG soc.culture.thai, but I just read this comment on SCT.

 

> However, to deal with criticism of its fares, Bangkok Airways will

> offer discounts for Thai nationals starting on Jan 15. The reduced

> fare will be 6,000 baht in the high season and 5,000 baht in the low

> season, compared with the normal fare of 7,100 baht

 

 

I e-mailled them about this & received this gobbly-gook:-

 

"We would like to apologize you for your incorrect information of our

services. We serve all passenger over the world in the same, and they

can use all the same as Thai Passenger. However, our special promotion

or any marketing fare will be applicable to use ( reservation and

Ticketing ) in Thailand only. Moreover, if you would like to employ

our promotional fare ticket, you can contact us directly by phone or

e-mail. Or you can contact anyTravel Agencies in Thailand so that you

can use our promotinal fare. "


 

Cheers

Hua Nguu

 

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>>I hope there is a backlash against this. It's totally unacceptable that Thais can fly on cheaper fares.<<

___________________________________________

Well, my panties, for one, are unknotted. In short, the airport doomed Samui. Too many farangs jetting in. (93%! of traffic according to your source). A dearth of natives, other than servicers. Anything which encourages this to change, the better. Such pricing occurs everywhere. In Hawaii, for instance, kama'aina fares for residents for inter-island travel is discounted up to 50%, not the piddly 15% you're enraged about. Consider it a rebate for being held hostage in your own land.

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THAI to begin flying to Samui despite landing safety concerns

 

Aims to compete with Bangkok Airways

 

Boonsong Kositchotethana

 

Thai Airways International will break into the Samui skies long dominated by Bangkok Airways starting next month, even though the island's airport cannot safely accommodate the type of aircraft it intends to use.

 

According to industry sources, THAI has been pressured by certain figures in the Thaksin Shinawatra government to embark on two return daily flights on the Bangkok-Samui route using Boeing 737-400 jets. The aim is to break the dominance on the route by the country's largest private airline, they say.

 

Under the licence granted by the Department of Aviation, the Samui airport _ built, owned and operated by Bangkok Airways _ can handle aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of 57.715 tonnes, wingspan of 36 metres and maximum approach speed of 141 knots.

 

The airport, which has cost one billion baht to build and upgrade over time, has a runway 2,060 metres long and 45 metres wide.

 

The largest plane it can handle is a Boeing 717, the smallest in its passenger jet family, which Bangkok Airways operates along with smaller ATR72 turbo-prop aircraft.

 

THAI's B737-400, with 149 seats, has a maximum take-off weight of 68 tonnes, or about 20% over the airport's existing capacity.

 

Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, president and chief executive of Bangkok Airways, said landing a 737-400 at Samui airport could pose safety problems.

 

He said his firm had no objection to allowing THAI to land the bigger jets as long as the Department of Aviation agreed, though he warned of prohibitive costs related to runway repairs and maintenance.

 

Chalor Kotcharat, director-general of Department of Aviation, said yesterday he opposed using aircraft exceeding the size limit for Samui.

 

``The department only supports the use of small aircraft for Samui. There are also questions of the short runway and noise pollution (associated with bigger aircraft),'' he said.

 

However, an aviation expert said THAI could reduce the weight of cargo, passengers and fuel on the 737-400 to meet the limit.

 

Sources say political figures have been pushing Thai Airways to serve Samui to create competition with Bangkok Airways and bring down fares on the latter's cash-cow route.

 

Bangkok Airways, which turned the little-known southern island into a global tropical destination since launching regular air service in 1989, has been criticised for excessive fares.

 

Dr Prasert said the criticism was unfair, and that foreign tourists, who make up 93% of the Samui passenger traffic, rarely complained about the fares.

 

However, to deal with criticism of its fares, Bangkok Airways will offer discounts for Thai nationals starting on Jan 15. The reduced fare will be 6,000 baht in the high season and 5,000 baht in the low season, compared with the normal fare of 7,100 baht.

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I tried a few of those too good to be true KSR VIP long distance deals & especially if youy actually live near KSR those deals can't be beaten full stop! B100 to CM in VIP bus that the thai passengers buying ticket in terminal will pay around B500 for(I had no idea untill one onboard told me). From KSR the shuttle to pinklao is inclusive :bow:

Flipside is that almost half of the backpackers I stayed with at the the GH we we're dropped at had been robbed more'less during the overnight coach :dunno:

 

Now travelling in vietnam on the other hand had clearly posted transportation prices for locals & foreigners with us paying up to 5x for a similar seat than a viet :eek: I doubt I'll ever be back in that country... :o

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