Thailand's Nok Air takes to the sky

[think_too_mut]

Thailand's Nok Air takes to the sky

 

Friday, July 23

 

 

By Sapa-AFP

 

Bangkok - Budget carrier Nok Air launched its maiden commercial flight from the Thai capital on Friday, becoming the latest Asian airline to join the increasingly crowded and cut-throat no-frills flying market.

 

The airline, a venture of flagship carrier Thai Airways International, began three daily routes from Bangkok to the northern city Chiang Mai, Hat Yai in the deep south and Udon Thani in the north-east.

 

"The flights went off just a few minutes late, (which was) more to do with all the attention and crowds surrounding the first flight. Otherwise they went off without a hitch," a Nok Air spokesperson told reporters.

 

Company bosses have touted the airline as being the world's first to allow passengers to book flights through a network of convenience stores across the country.

 

Chief executive Patee Sarasin, who flew on the inaugural flight to Chiang Mai, said Nok's "truly Thai" service and ownership should encourage a new segment of the Thai citizenry to take to the skies.

 

"We aim to take Thais to see the beauty of their country, to see families and family members that they haven't seen in years, to allow Thais to travel long distances quickly and comfortably, and to do all this at prices that are affordable," he said in a statement

.

 

Nok Air is the third budget airline in Thailand where One-Two Go, owned by Orient Thai, is already in fierce competition with Thai AirAsia for the low cost market.

 

The Nok Air spokesperson said there was more than enough room for a third Thai budget carrier, given that affordable air travel could spur millions more Thais to take to the skies.

 

Domestic passengers could surge from seven million this year to 20 million in the next few years, Thai department of aviation deputy director Chaisak Angkasuwan said in the Bangkok Post.

 

Nok Air is 39 percent owned by Thai Airways but will maintain a measure of independence from the national flag carrier.

 

Patee was quoted by local media as saying that Nok Air fares were 30 percent lower than its parent company but between five to 10 percent higher than its low cost rivals.

 

The airline, currently operating two Boeing 737-400s, would receive six more aircraft within the next year and is expected to operate on international routes of less than two hours flying time, he added.

 

Nok means "bird" in Thai, and the airline has mined a playful theme by depicting a golden bird's beak for the nose of the purple and white aircraft.

[soongmak]

Interesting. I didn't know flying in LOS was this cheap. ::

 

2 economy return tickets to chiang mai will set you bacl 3,187 baht incl. tax + insurance.

 

Beats the bus IMO.

[Khun_Kong]

Funny, I was just at AirAsia's website (airasia.com) and got this error:

 

 

We're sorry.

The online reservations system is currently down for maintenance. We

apologize for any inconvenience. This service will be unavailable from

Saturday evening, April 28, through Sunday morning, April 29, 2001.

 

Thank you for your patience while we upgrade our systems.

 

Click here to return to our homepage.

 

 

2001! Hell of a maintenance program. Plus, didn't they just open maybe 2-3 months ago?

 

I'd make a snide comment about an airline's reliability being related to the quality of its website, but- United Airlines = decent quality US carrier, but absolutely crap website!

[dean]

I've got my ticket from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in January. I can leave later than the 7:00 A.M. flight that Asia Air has and return earlier than midnight (which is the only return flight that Asia Air has). I also got to choose my seats for the round trip flight (which is nice but not that big a deal on a one hour flight). They allow 15 kilos of checked baggage and 7 kilos of carry on, which is alright for a low cost airline.