More Indian tourists in paradise

Thai AirAsia plans to start direct flights between Phuket and Kolkata [ formerly Calcutta] by mid-2012.

The Thai airline, part of the rapidly expanding, Malaysian based AirAsia low cost carrier group, has established an office in Kolkata based on figures showing 45 percent of passengers flying from Kolkata to Thailand came to Phuket.

In 2010 there were 24 direct weekly flights between Kolkata and Bangkok. the Thai AirAsia service will substantially increase Indian tourists to the island.

Also in 2010 Phuket hosted several large scale Indian weddings at 5-star hotels. The Tourism Authority of Thailand [TAT] is targeting Indian weddings as a rich source of tourist income as they often attract more than 500 people flown in from Indian for the occasion.

The TAT’s Mumbai [ formerly Bombay] office, for example, teamed with wedding organizer Red Events India Pvt Ltd to organise up to 400 Indian couples to get married in Thailand in 2010.

Indian couples like Thailand to get married in as it is renowned for its sense of grace and style, following customs and ceremonies rich in the Buddhist culture.

Secluded resorts, like those on Phuket and places like Khao Lak, are favoured. Indian weddings are lavish, glittering affairs. Last year the up-market Banyan Tree Phuket hosted the wedding of a Nagpur industrialist with 700 guests flying in for the occasion.

Another wedding, at the JW Marriott, Khao Lak Resort near Phuket was followed by a white wedding a the Laguna Wedding Chapel on Phuket.  When looking for a venue Indian wedding planners only look at the top level of hotels like Banyan Tree, the Sheraton, Le Meridien, JW Marriott and, for that completely different setting, the up-market Indigo Pearl Resort with its quirky, John Underwood sculptures and designs.

In 2009 Thailand had 614,000 Indian visitors, a 14.45 percent increase over the previous year.

In 2010 there were 125 direct weekly flights between Bangkok and major Indian cities, including Kolkata [24], Delhi [41], Mumbai [40], Bangalore [7], Hyderabad [4], Madras/Chennai [7] and Bagdogra [2] on airlines like Thai Airways International, Indian Airlines, Air India, Cathay Pacific Airways, Royal Bhutan Airlines, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Air India Express.

Thai AirAsia to start direct Kolkata-Phuket flights next year is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Kids fly kites at sundown on Kuta Beach, Bali.

AirAsia today opened discount ticket sales for its new “Paradise to Paradise” service between Phuket and Bali. Discounted tickets can be bought between today and next Sunday (November 14) for flights between December 17 and November 10 next year.

Official fares are B2,530 each way but, as usual, there are dynamic discounted prices, changing from moment to moment. Book right now and you can expect to pay around B1,490 (including  taxes) from Phuket to Bali, and around B1,890 in the other direction.

AirAsia already has flights between Bali and Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Singapore, Bandung and Perth, Australia. The new Phuket-Bali service will operate daily. The airline recently bought three new Airbus A320s, one of which is now based in Phuket flying the Hong Kong route. It is understood that it will be used also on the Bali route.

AirAsia opens ticket sales for Phuket-Bali flights is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

The view from the Preah Vihear temple complex is huge - if the complex is not ringed by Thai and Cambodian soldiers pointing guns at one another.

AirAsia is to  start direct flights three times a week between Phuket and Ubon Ratchathani. The new service, starting on October 12, will be available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Ubon, as the city is generally known, is tucked into the southeast corner of Isan, with Cambodia just to the south and Laos to the east.

Considering that it was founded 230 years ago, Ubon Ratchathani – the name means Royal City of the Lotus - is surprisingly lacking in attractions. WikiTravel remarks, “Ubon is a little short on must-see sights, although there are a few mildly interesting temples.”

Not far from Ubon, the Second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge links Mukdahan in Thailand with Savannakhet in Laos, across the Mekong. Photo by Premica Pata.

It is, however, close to the Mekong River, a truly majestic sight when in flood. A little to the north of Ubon is Mukhdahan, which is linked to Laos by a bridge across the Mekong. Visa-free entry into Laos for limited visits is possible across this bridge.

An hour or so to the southwest of Ubon is the ancient Khmer temple complex of Preah Vihear (Khao Phra Viharn is Thai). It’s been the centre of tensions between Thailand and Cambodia for the past year or so, and is therefore closed to the public.

However, when it is eventually reopened, it is well worth visiting, not only for the pre-Angkor ruins – which are still in pretty good condition despite being a battleground several times in the past 40 years – but also for the huge views of Cambodia from the top of the complex. (For more details and updates, try here.)

Wat Pah Nanachart. Photo courtesy of picasaweb.google.com/watnongpahpong

Also close to Ubon is Wat Pa Nananchart (the International Forest Wat), well known among the spiritually inclined for its meditation courses for foreigners.

As usual, AirAsia will kick-start the new Phuket-Ubon route with low fares, starting at 690 baht each way. Travelers can book online between August 25 and September 5 for travel between October 12 and September 11, 2011.

In addition, AirAsiaGo, the airline’s travel portal, will also offer a related four-day-three-night accommodation-and-tour package starting from 2,779 baht per person in both Phuket and Ubon Ratchathani. Details do not appear to be online yet.

AirAsia made Phuket a regional hub in November last year. In addition to Ubon, the airline now has direct services linking the island to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Udon Thani, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh and Kuala Lumpur.

Air Asia to launch Phuket – Ubon Ratchathani direct route is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Soon to be a much more familiar sight in Phuket? A Tiger Airways Airbus A320-200.

There can be little doubt that AirAsia has had an effect on the bottom line at Thai Airways International, offering discounts that the Thai flag carrier has not even tried to match.

Thai did try to claw back some of the revenue that was heading for AirAsia through its involvement in Nok Air, in which it has a 39% stake.

But this, apparently, is not enough. Nok Air has not been exactly a roaring success; it did make forays into India and Vietnam but has since pulled back to concentrate entirely on the domestic market, flying from Bangkok to 13 destinations in Thailand.

Thai’s president, Piyasvasti Amranand, laid out the problem plainly. “Our market share used to be 82%. But as air travel [has grown] our share has diminished. Even with Nok Air, together our market share is now 50%,” he said.

Nok is a great deal smaller than Thai AirAsia; it has just five aircraft compared with Thai AirAsia’s 18.

But now Thai has pencilled a deal with Singapore’s Tiger Airways to create a new airline, Thai Tiger Airways, to go head-to-head with AirAsia.

Hard times make for strange bedfellows. Tiger’s biggest shareholder is Singapore Airlines, Thai’s biggest rival in the region (yes, they are both members of the Star Alliance but there is no code sharing between the two, which says something about their relationship).

The important element, however, is the involvement in Tiger of RyanAsia Ltd, the regional offshoot of the highly successful European low cost carrier (LCC) RyanAir, which now carries more international passenger than any other airline in the world.

Tiger is also no stranger to Thailand. It has been flying to Phuket for six years, and also serves Udon Thani and has, from time to time, flown into Krabi and Haad Yai.

A memorandum of understanding, which foresees Thai and Tiger establishing the new joint-venture airline was signed on August 2.

The announcement of the signing, with the partners planning to have the new LCC off the ground early next year, ruffled not a few feathers in Bangkok. The Thai Ministry of Finance is Thai’s biggest shareholder, with 43%, followed by the government’s Vayapuk Fund with 15.5%  and the Government Savings Bank with 11% – for a total of just under 70% government ownership.

Transport Minister Sophon Saram harrumphed that things were moving far too fast. While he said that his ministry would do nothing that might be seen as interference in the airline’s decision-making, he warned that if the proposed new airline fails, Thai executives “must take full responsibility”.

So far there is no sign that Thai execs plan to back away. Piyasvasti rushed around the day after the MOU signing, visiting Sophon, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij, power broker Newin Chidchob and Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban to “clarify” the need for the new airline.

So far, thing still seem to be on track, with the new airline to be owned 51% by Thai and 49% by Tiger.

If and when it does get off the ground, expect to see the lucratively busy Bangkok-Phuket route becoming one of the main battlegrounds between Thai Tiger and AirAsia. That’s got to be good for passengers’ wallets.

Thai Tiger to go toe-to-toe with AirAsia is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Phuket to Singapore for B1,838; Thai AirAsia Airbus at Changi Airport, Singapore. - Photo by Terence Ong.

Travellers to and from Phuket have three more days to book special cheap flights with AirAsia during the period from August 9 to November 15.

People booking travelling during that period and booking before August 2 can get one-way flights from Phuket to Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Udon Thani for B990, Jakarta for B1,590 and Singapore for B1,838.

The flights are part of a network-wide promotion by AirAsia that ends on August 1. For details, see here.

Thai Airways International is also trying to get in on the discount game, offering a two-for-one deal during August. The deal, titled “Buy 1, Get 1 Free for Your Mom” is, the airline explains, “part of the ‘Love for the Nation’s Mother’ project that the Government initiated to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s Birthday” (which falls on August 12).

The deal applies only to round-trip tickets in economy class. This gives a an effective price of B4,500 per return ticket Phuket-Bangkok-Phuket or vice-versa. Oddly, the deal does not appear to be listed on the airline’s website.  Not yet, at any rate, so you may need to visit a ticketing office if you and Mom plan to take advantage of it.

In any case, Phuket Observer is more impressed with the AirAsia deal, which works out at B1,980 return. Even Nok Air, Thai’s budget offspring, beats the parent, with fares in August ranging from B1,300 to B1,800 each way, or around B3,000 return.

Thai’s only winning argument is the frequency of its Phuket-Bangkok service, which makes it a lot easier to get convenient connections via Bangkok to elsewhere in Thailand, or the world.

But it must be hard being the flag carrier in these days of budget airlines.

AirAsia offering Phuket deals – but not for long is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

The shut-down is pretty much all-encompassing. The airline warns it includes service online, at AirAsia sales offices and counters, and through the call centre.

Travellers are therefore “strongly encouraged” to make bookings today or tomorrow to “avoid disappointment”.

Flying during the shut-down will be rather more tedious than normal. For a start, the entire check-in procedure will be done without benefit of computers, so travellers are advised to check in at least three hours before departure to avoid missing their flights.

Passengers will not  be able to self check-in – through the web, by mobile phone or at the kiosks – or manage bookings online. The self check-in service was suspended today (July 7).

In addition, your plastic won’t work. AirAsia will be accepting cash only for purchase of any ancillary products, including excess baggage fees, at the check-in counters during the shut-down.

The upside of all this, the airline says, is that the new system, once up and running, will “a huge improvement” on the current booking system, and will allow almost a million flight bookings to be made per day.

Kathleen Tan, the airline’s Regional Head of Commercial, said that “guests” (ie, passengers) can expect “countless benefits” as a result, though in the event, she counted only one: “savings that will come as a result of the more efficient operational processes”. Does that mean cheaper flights? We’re not sure.

AirAsia’s website is here. The notice about the booking system upgrade is here.

AirAsia to shut down bookings for 2 days as part of upgrade is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Dawn breaks over the Mekong at Nong Khai, close to Udon Thani, with Laos on the far bank. - Photo (c) by Alasdair Forbes.

AirAsia, which recently set up a regional hub in Phuket, today launches its new direct service between Phuket and Udon Thani.

The biggest group of passengers is likely to be people from Udon working  in Phuket. They can now get home in a couple of hours, as opposed to having to fly via Bangkok with the usual couple of hours’ wait in Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The new service also makes it convenient for tourists to get from Phuket to Laos. From Udon to the Lao capital, Vientiane, is a short bus journey via Nong Khai and the Friendship Bridge across the Mekong river.

Better yet, the flight is currently priced at B690 for the less-than-two-hours one-way trip. Compared with the 10-hour drag by overnight bus from Phuket to Bangkok, costing B500 or more, then another 10 hours to Udon, costing an additional B260, it’s a no-brainer.

The AirAsia service takes off from Phuket at 14:40 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving in Udon at 16:20. The flight in the other direction takes off at 16:50 on the same day, landing in Phuket at 18:30.

For those contemplating a visit to the old capital of Laos, Luang Prabang, Lao Airlines has daily flights from Udon, taking about 50 minutes. However, Lao Airlines is no budget carrier – this flight costs around B2,800 one-way.

AirAsia launches Phuket-Udon Thani direct flights is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

The Hotel de Ville (City Hall), an architectural confection preserved from the French colonial days, is just one of the delights of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by Thomas Schoch

AirAsia has added yet another destination linked by direct flights to its Phuket regional hub – Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The service, launched on November 4, consists of one flight a day each way, leaving Phuket at 19:20 and arriving in HCM City at 21:10, with the return flight leaving at 21:40 and landing in Phuket at 23:35.

To celebrate the official announcement of the new route, AirAsia is offering special promotional fares from as low as USD25 (from HCMC to Phuket)  and B999 (in the other direction), for bookings for the travel period from December 3 this year to April 30 next year.

Guests may book through the AirAsia website or by pointing their phones to mobile.airasia.com.

Ho Chi Minh City, often referred to by its pre-Communist name, Saigon, has a mass of historical sights, a vibrant night life, good food and great coffee. It’s also close to such wonders as the Viet Cong tunnels of Cu Chi and the vast rice fields of the Mekong delta.

AirAsia launches Phuket – Ho Chi Minh City flights is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

AirAsia launches flights from Jakarta and Medan to Phuket is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Thai AirAsia Airbus at Changi Airport, Singapore. - Photo by Terence Ong.

Thai AirAsia has been giving more details of its plans for its new regional hub in Phuket, including a decision to base in Phuket two of three new Airbus A320s it has on order. That number may rise to four later.

The airline’s chief executive, Tassaporn Bijleveld, said that, from mid-November, AirAsia will add direct daily flights from Phuket to Hong Kong and Jakarta to its existing services to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, and its eight daily flights to Bangkok.

New AirAsia route Phuket to Hong Kong from November 15th 2009. Introductory one way fare 999 baht. Book from October 5th to 11th. Travel from November 15th to July 31st, 2010. Book online at www.airasia.com

In April last year, Airports of Thailand, which owns Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Phuket airports, along with three other international airports in Thailand, offered discounts of up 95% off its landing fees at the non-Bangkok airports. Parking and landing fees are still considerably lower in Phuket than they are in Bangkok, Tassaporn noted.

Reports quoted him as saying that later on, AirAsia plans to link Phuket direct with other regional points such as Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Siem Reap in Cambodia and Vientiane in Laos, as well as other Indonesia cities.

The direct service between Phuket and Hong Kong is being welcomed by the local tourism industry and by Hong Kongers who are regulars in Phuket or have vacation homes on the island. There are other airlines on the direct route, notably Dragon Air, but competition from a low-cost carrier will definitely be applauded.

Meanwhile, the Bangkok Post reports that AirAsia will begin scaling back its existing services between Bangkok and Hanoi, Macao and Penang in October.

An increasing number of airlines, especially from Australia, are flying direct to Phuket. See here and here for earlier stories.

AirAsia daily flights from Phuket to Hong Kong and Jakarta in November is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.