Quote: Thai Airways International wants to almost double its flights to Australia and ramp up its profile in the market.
After lagging competitors such as Singapore Airlines, the airline is investing in new products, including sleeper seats and video on demand.
Thai executive vice-president commercial Wallop Bhukkanasut said Thai still had the biggest market share on routes between Thailand and Australia, with three flights a day from Sydney, daily services from Melbourne and plans to increase to daily flights from Brisbane and Perth.
Mr Bhukkanasut said Thai had 27 flights a week out of Australia last year and "our ambition is that by the end of maybe next year we need to go up to maybe 46 or 47 flights a week".
Mr Bhukkanasut said the airline was performing well in all three cabins and that Thailand already had the bilateral rights to expand its services.
"Perth has always been three or four flights but I would like to get it up to daily soon, as well as Brisbane."
The Thai executive said a daily Brisbane service would initially operate in conjunction with Melbourne because the airline was short of aircraft, but the intention was to ultimately operate separate flights.
As I posted elsewhere (wasn't able to provide a source), it appears the BKK-SYD-BNE-BKK triangulation service starting in June is due to an aircraft shortage, is only a temporary measure and shows TG's inability to operate daily standalone BNE-BKK services. Unless someone isn't telling us, Melbourne TG flights will not be linked with BNE, so the executive appears to be incorrect (BNE services will be via SYD).
I guess their aim would also be to make MEL 14x weekly (up from 12x)?
Good to see they want to increase PER services! 3/4x times weekly currently? Isn't one service via HKT?
9MMPD From Australia, joined Oct 2005, 262 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (6 years 1 week 14 hours ago) and read 1275 times:
Great news about Perth. Thai actually has 5 services a week to Bangkok and at this point of time they are as follows
Tuesday & Sundays TG997 from BKK 15:35 TG998 to BKK 16:50
Thursday, Friday & Saturday TG985 from BKK 07:05 TG986 to HTK, BKK 08:45
All flights are operated by A330 aircraft
I thought TG985 flew BKK to PER via HTK, but the Perith Airport website says otherwise.
To my knowledge Perth is the only airport in Australia which Thai sends their A330s. Hopefully Thai might consider PTVs for the A330 or upgrade the Perth service to a 777-200ER. Can't see that happening at the moment if Brisbane is having to have its flights routed via Sydney due to aircraft shortages.
ThaiA345 From Indonesia, joined Oct 2006, 814 posts, RR: 17 Reply 3, posted (6 years 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 924 times:
Quoting 9MMPD (Reply 1): Hopefully Thai might consider PTVs for the A330 or upgrade the Perth service to a 777-200ER
Yes please ...my beloved home, which is Perth is only served by the TG A333 in regional config. I mean, they even sometimes use the B772 retrofit on the short KUL-BKK-KUL sector, why not put that a/c also on the PER route which is 7 hrs. I have been screaming for an aircraft change or at least an upgrade, but no one ever listens to me and I always travel in J too.
Thats why as of late, MH is my preferred carrier to PER..at least all their B772 and B744 have alraedy been upgraded!
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and I always travel in J too.
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