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Air-India operates first flight
with all women cockpit crew
Air-India, on the occasion of the World Women’s Day,
recently operated its first flight AI-470 at 0340 hrs. on the
Mumbai-Delhi-Singapore sector with all women cockpit crew. Capt. Rashmi
Miranda, who became Air-India’s first Commander in November 2003 and Capt.
Kshmata Bajpai, piloted the flight, operated with an A310 aircraft.
The flight dispatch activities relating to this flight
were also coordinated by a woman flight dispatcher, Vasanti Kolnad. The
safety dudit on board was also conducted by another woman, Harpreet D.
Singh. Air-India has 17 women pilots on its rolls, including five trainee
pilots.
TAT publishes Agro-tourism handbook for visitors
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) joined with the
Department of Agricultural Extension and Department of Agriculture to
publish a handbook for agro-tourism for the visitors who are interested in
the field of tourism. The book will give information on 21 routes of
agro-tourism all over the country.
Available in both a Thai and English version with
complete map of each route and full details, the handbook will give the
details on how to access to the tourist sites and point out the significance
of each tourism spot as well as the telephone number of the coordinators of
the area.
Information is also included on the best seasons to visit
the sites, the way of life of the farmers in different areas and the local
agricultural products.
The handbook is now available at TAT’s head office and
leading bookstores for 95 baht per copy. (TNA)
Hotels fully booked for ‘midnight Songkran’
It’s nearly two months away, but already hotels and
guesthouses in the southern city of Hat Yai in this southern province of
Songkhla are fully booked for what local tourist associations are billing as
one of the most exciting Songkran festivals ever.
With Hat Yai being the only place in Thailand where
Songkran revelers can indulge in water-throwing fun in the middle of the
night, tourists from far and wide are set to flock to the city for 12-13
April.
Nimitr Chaijeerathikul, President of the Songkhla
Provincial Tourism Association, said that this year’s ‘midnight
Songkran’ festival should be better than ever, and hoped that the festival
would bring at least 400-500 million baht in tourism revenue to the
province. (TNA)
Thailand casts Elite net in regional pond
Singapore-based Aktiv Elite (Asia-Pacific) has been appointed
by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to promote and market the Thailand
Privilege Card (TPC) in Asia-Pacific.
The company has set up its first Thai Elite Center at Clarke
Quay in Singapore and plans to open another in Kuala Lumpur by May. Indonesia is
also a target in the plan.
Managing director, Phun Teow Kie, who has so far invested
about S$200,000 (US$118,343) in the venture, said he was targeting more than 300
to 500 members in Singapore in the next six months.
The card is aimed at luring and rewarding frequent travelers
to Thailand and its privileges include full access and free green fees at over
25 golf-courses throughout the destination, free massage at more than 80 spas,
free annual medical check-ups at 14 hospitals, fast track immigration service at
the airport and free limousine transfers. At US$25,000, membership is lifetime
and cardholders are eligible to buy 16,000 sq. meters of land in Thailand for
residential purposes.
Phun said, “We are targeting business people and the
golfers. It is quite worth it for them considering that membership at some of
these elite golf courses in Thailand can be as high as US$70,000. The card also
allows them to purchase one-for-one deals for Thai Airways’ business class.”
It is transferable at US$1,000.
Since its conceptualization last year, the program has had
several teething problems and its international launch was delayed, but Phun
said the issues had been settled and the program was now ready “to move
outside of Thailand.” (TTG Asia)
EVA Air Agent Seminar’ 2004
Wanchai
Chatkunsathien (seated left), director/general manager of Green Siam Air
Services Co., Ltd.; Mrs. Jariya Phaetthayanon (seated right), passenger sales
manager of Green Siam Air Services Co., Ltd.; sat for a picture with staff from
Green Siam Air Services Co., Ltd.
EVA Airways Corporation, Taiwan’ s leading independent
airline, and Green Siam Air Services Co., Ltd., its general sales agent
organized “EVA Air Agent Seminar’ 2004" at Tawana Ramada Hotel on
Tuesday, March 09.
The objectives of holding this seminar were to update travel agents of
EVA’s latest operation and services so as to create EVA’ s customers
state-of-the-art services.
TCC wins bid for International AIDS Conference
Thailand Convention Connection (TCC), an alliance of
Thailand’s leading incoming travel companies, has been designated the official
travel agency for the XV International AIDS Conference to be held at IMPACT,
Bangkok from July 11 to 16.
TCC managing partner and Diethelm executive manager, David
Barrett, said this was the first major contract for the partnership of inbound
operators, Diethelm, SEA Tours, Turismo Thai and World Travel Service, which was
formed in 2003 to bid for this event.
“The six-figure contract took six months of negotiations
and it is the largest contract this year for all our members. The partnership
has since been developing and we are targeting more international conferences
together,” he said.
Hotel bookings for the expected 12,000 delegates will be
handled by event organizer, Congrex. Airport shuttles, hotel transfers,
sightseeing tours and additional transportation tasks are being divided between
TCC members, all of whom will provide pre- and post- event tours. (TTG Asia)
Lufthansa makes inaugural flight to Malaysia
Elfi Seitz
More than 60 years ago, Lufthansa’s’ first flight from
Berlin to Bangkok with the Junkers “Hans Loeb” took four and a half days to
fly, because several refueling stops were needed.
 (L
to R) Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President Marketing & Sales;
Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Dato Syed Norulzaman and Wolfgang E.
Schmidt, General Manager Passenger Sales Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar –
Regional Director Vietnam and Philippines toast to the inaugural flight from
Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur.
Since then, everything has changed. Lufthansa operates 10
times a week between Bangkok and Frankfurt and offers convenient connections to
all important cities in Europe. Now, Lufthansa shares with Thai Airways ten
flights per week between Frankfurt and Bangkok and four between Munich and
Bangkok.
Last year 510,000 flights took place, among them 142 a week
from Asia to Europe. No other airline has so many flights between Asia and
Europe. A twofold service to Bangkok will be introduced to extend the existing
service.
The inaugural flight from Frankfurt to Bangkok and then on to
the new destination Kuala Lumpur took place on March 18. The Malaysian
ambassador, HE Dato Syed Norulzaman was present for the arrival of the inaugural
flight. On board flight LH 782 were the LH VIP delegation and Thierry Antinori,
the executive vice-president of sales for Lufthansa German Airlines.
Antinori said during the reception in honor of the inaugural
flight that he was very happy about the daily double service between Thailand
and Germany. “This indicates our reaction to the growing number of trips and
our obligation to accommodate increased traffic with Thailand,” he said.
Antinori continued, “This service acknowledges Thailand’s
growing economy and the development progresses in many branches of the industry.
With this service, Lufthansa is the only European airline between Bangkok and
Kuala Lumpur. Therefore, we are in a position to boost tourism and extend our
leadership.”
Dato Syed Norulzaman, the ambassador of Malaysia also gave a
speech. He expressed his gratitude and joy, especially towards Wolfgang Schmidt,
to be able to take part in the event. He praised the excellent partnership of
Lufthansa with Asia, expressing his confidence that a new bond of friendship
between Lufthansa and Malaysia was established. He explained that besides all
its other advantages, Malaysia is a conference center, and a shopping paradise.
But like any other hub, Malaysia needs the help of the airlines to become
well-known worldwide. He concluded, “I am proud and happy that Lufthansa has
started the service to Kuala Lumpur.”
Wolfgang Schmidt concluded, “This inaugural flight was done earlier than
planned to be able to offer this service for the Formula 1 race in Kuala
Lumpur.”
Finnair best
in Europe
Finnair has received the Swedish travel industry Oscar. Some
600 Swedish travel professionals chose the Finnish airline as the best European
airline in a survey conducted by the industry magazine Travel News. The
magazine’s panel had proposed six airlines for which travel sales staff gave
points from one to six.
Finnair was the clear winner with 4.59 points compared to
OneWorld partner British Airways which received 4.18 points and got second
place.
Finnair was inches away from being chosen the best airline on
intercontinental routes as well. Finnair lost by only one hundredth of a point
to the winner, Lufthansa.
AirAsia starts second daily flight from Bangkok to Singapore
AirAsia, Thailand’s largest low-fare, no-frills airline
will launch from March 28th a second daily flight from its Bangkok hub to
Singapore Changi airport. The flight will depart from Bangkok at 5.50 in the
afternoon. The return flight from Singapore will depart at 11.59 p.m.
“With our second daily flight, we want also to target the
business travelers market from both Thailand and Singapore. Business travelers
will be able to spend a working day in both cities and save a considerable
amount of money thanks to our extended choice of flights and low fares
structure,” said Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO Thai AirAsia Co. Ltd.
In Singapore, AirAsia flights depart from Terminal 1.
Check-in procedures occur at row 11, counters 8 to 11. Flights can be booked on
internet or by calling the number in Singapore at 02-67 33 9933.
In Bangkok, all AirAsia international flights depart from the
terminal 2, check-in rows 14 or 15. AirAsia recently opened two sales counters,
in both international and domestic terminals. The sales counter for
international flights is located at Terminal 2 and faces row 9 of the check-in
area of the departures hall. Both counters are opened from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
every day. AirAsia guests can directly purchase their tickets and pay with a
credit card or cash.
Flights can also be booked on AirAsia’s website under
www.airasia.com or by calling the call center in Bangkok at 02-515 9999. The
call center is open every day from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Payments can be made by
credit card or by cash at any branch of bank partners Bangkok Bank and Siam
Commercial Bank. Bookings and payments can also be made at any AIS customer
service counter nationwide.
Phuket proposes expansion of local port for yacht marina
The southern resort island of Phuket has requested an
additional budget allocation of 45 million baht to expand its Ao Chalong tourist
port into a marina, as part of an overall bid to catapult the island into the
forefront of global marine tourism.
Deputy Provincial Governor Winai Buapradit said that the
creation of a yachting marina was vital to the overall plan, and while Phuket
already had several private marinas, these were not sufficient to meet current
and future tourist demand.
The proposed marina expansion will provide facilities for 250
small and large yachts. At present Ao Chalong Port can only accept smaller
vessels, while larger yachts have to use private port facilities. However,
tourists do not tend to use the Ao Chalong Port, as the facilities there do not
meet international standards. (TNA)
Free bubbly on Air Andaman
Air Andaman is planning to introduce a daily
Bangkok-Singapore service and a Bangkok-Phuket-Singapore service four times
weekly, with all flights to feature free champagne. A Boeing 747-400 configured
single class with 169 seats will be used on both new services which will be
launched on May 1, subject to Department of Aviation approval.
Newly-appointed president Dean Mills confirmed the airline
will continue to be a full-service carrier but fares would be competitive. He
added that additional routes within the region are being planned, notably to key
destinations in China in India. (TTG Asia)
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