Thai Airways Fires Executive over Baggage Snafu at Suvarnabhumi

[Gaybutton]

The following appears in THE NATION:

_____

 

THAI Executive Pays the Price

 

Airline Cracks the Whip over Baggage Bungling at Airport

 

Thai Airways International Plc yesterday sacked an executive over the hours-long luggage delays on the opening day of Bangkok's new international airport.

 

"The problem was caused by internal management problems at Thai Airways. We have already sacked a top person in charge of handling luggage," said airline president Apinan Sumanaseni.

 

THAI's board members held an urgent meeting yesterday to discuss the luggage problem and decided to reshuffle several executives.

 

The board has removed Pethai Boonyaves as vice president for ground equipment services and appointed Chokchai Panyawong, director of project investment, to replace him.

 

The board said that Pethai had failed to deal with the luggage-handling problem.

 

Suvarnabhumi airport officially opened on Thursday, with more than 800 flights carrying 120,000 travellers passing through the glitzy US$3-billion (Bt120-billion) airport on the first day.

 

However, the new airport was flooded with complaints from disgruntled international passengers who had to wait several hours to collect their luggage.

 

Airports of Thailand (AoT), which operates Suvarnabhumi, blamed Thai Airways for causing the long delays.

 

"Luggage-handling equipment from Thai Airways did not arrive on time, and some luggage-handlers from the airline did not even show up at the airport," said Chotisak Aspaviriya, president of the airport operator.

 

"The airline must take responsibility for these problems," he said.

 

Chotisak said services to passengers on Thursday night and early yesterday morning had significantly improved even though there were larger numbers of passengers on both inbound and outbound.

 

He added that AoT and THAI staff had remained on duty overnight to ensure smooth service to passengers.

 

The general manager of Suvarnabhumi, Somchai Sawasdeepon, said all operations, including luggage-handling, had improved yesterday.

 

"So far we have had smooth operations on the second day. The problems experienced on Thursday were normal and acceptable for a new airport," Somchai said.

 

He said an extra 10 X-ray machines would be installed to make checking in faster and THAI would separate its domestic and international check-in areas. Domestic passengers must now check in at counter C, international passengers H and J.

 

Meanwhile, the airport is to increase the number of seats in both the departure and arrival areas.

 

The AoT also extended free passenger parking for a month.

 

The airline's chief, Apinan, said he had received no reports of problems yesterday, when another 800 flights were expected to pass through.

 

Ministry of Transport Director-General Wanchai Sarathoontat said he was 80 per cent satisfied with the first two days of the airport's operations and expected that all services would soon be running smoothly.

 

Sopin Deangteth, president of Airlines of Committee (AOC) said any problems would be sorted within a week.

 

THAI has apologised in a statement to all THAI passengers for the inconvenience caused as a result of delayed baggage, saying it will ensure that every item is delivered to the home address of the passenger as soon as possible.

 

The company will also pay compensation for any delayed luggage, $100 a piece for economy class and $200 for business and first class.

 

Vice president of Thai Airports Ground Services (TAGS), Sonthi Amaruji, said: "At the new airport, checking in is taking only two to three minutes per person, down from four to five minutes at Don Muang."

 

The airport, 25 kilometres east of Bangkok, replaced the creaking Don Muang, which was handling about 37 million passengers per year, two million more than it was designed for.

 

Suvarnabhumi has annual passenger capacity of 45 million, making it Southeast Asia's largest aviation hub. Once the new facility becomes fully operational, Thailand plans to expand it to accommodate 100 million per year.

 

Suvarnabhumi, which means "Golden Land" in Sanskrit, has been under development for more than 40 years and suffered repeated delays due to construction problems and graft allegations.

 

Thailand hopes the new airport, which opened at the start of the peak tourist season, will boost the country's $12-billion-a-year tourism industry.

 

However, industry officials have voiced concern that some of the 14 million visitors expected this year may delay their travel plans, scared off by last week's bloodless coup, which ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

 

Suchat Sritama

 

The Nation, AFP