nationmultimedia.com — Thai Airways International has reinstated captain Chakri Chongsiri who was earlier suspended for his alleged refusal to let three MPs of the People Power Party board the flight. THAI President Apinan Sumanaseni said yesterday that the pilot had been cleared of the allegation after an investigating team found that he did not breach the protocol. Chakri has resumed his work as pilot since early November. Apinan said Chakri had vowed in writing not to repeat the incident. On October 8, the three MP members filed complaints after they were not allowed to board their flight to Khon Kaen and Udon Thani. Eyewitnesses said the captain came out of the cockpit and announced that his flight would not allow "tyrants, PPP MPs or politicians who harm people" to board. Chakri was consequently subjected to investigation. Capt Kathathong Suwannathat, deputy chief of Boeing 737-400 pilots, said Chakri was issued a written warning and told to control his emotion. Chakri was also placed under surveillance to see if he would follow instructions. Kathathong said five pilot trainers resigned as trainers after Chakri was reprimanded, saying the order was unfair. Chakri was also reinstated as a trainer in mid-October. read more...
bangkokpost.com — Bangkok Airways has cut fuel surcharges on its domestic and international flights by 11-16%, effective yesterday, in line with the drop in fuel prices and the precedent set by Thai Airways International. The charge for international flights between Thailand and Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Vietnam has dropped to US$40 from $45, while that on domestic services is down to $25 (around 800 baht) from $30. read more...
bangkokpost.com — Airports of Thailand (AoT) reported that it will promote Suvarnabhumi Airport as one of the world's top ten international airports in terms of outstanding service within the coming year. Speaking on the occasion of the second anniversary of the airport's opening, AoT acting president Serirat Prasutanont said more than 80 million people had used the service in the past two years. Of this, 41.9 million are passengers traveling during October 2006 to September 2007 and 38.5 million during October 2007 to August 2008. read more...
bangkokpost.com — The low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia (TAA) has received a windfall in passenger numbers and cargo loads from the suspension of rival One-Two-Go Airlines and dramatic cutbacks by Nok Airlines. TAA has seen the average cabin factor on domestic routes rise by about five percentage points to 85%, enabling the carrier to turn its balance sheet around by the end of this year, said chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld. read more...