Guest GaySacGuy Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Effective March 29, 2009 Thai Air will have all Bangkok domestic and International flights based at Suvarnabhumi Airport, saving a lot of transfer time and money. I received the following e-mail (I would have just put a link, but not sure how for an e-mail. Dear Travel Partner THAI AIRWAYS INTERNATIONAL Announces All domestic and international Flight operations at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Thai Airways International Public Company Limited announces that all its domestic flights will be operated from Suvarnabhumi Airport from 29 March 2009. Air Chief Marshal Narongsak Sangapong, THAI's Acting President said that from 29 March 2009, THAI will move its services, total of 23 domestic flights from Don Mueang Airport to Suvarnabhumi Airport. By shifting all flights to Suvarnabhumi Airport, THAI will achieve a strategic objective of promoting the airport as a major THAI and Star Alliance hub, which will play a major role in promoting economic growth for Thailand. The move will enable THAI to develop network of operations, improve handling efficiency and reduce operating costs. It will also increase convenience for passengers and cargo shippers, not only for THAI flights, but also for those of other Star Alliance member airlines operating to and through Bangkok. THAI is a founding member of the 22 members of Star Alliance Network, the world's largest airline alliance. Therefore, operating international and domestic flights from a single airport will improve airport connections to other Star Alliance carriers servicing Bangkok. Connecting times between domestic and international flights will be one to two hours less than previous minimum connecting time required for passenger transiting through Don Meaung to Suvarnabhumi. To handle the increased number of passengers, THAI will provide more check in counters for domestic passengers, counter B for premium/business class passengers and counter C for economy class passengers. THAI will also extend its lounge areas at concourse A by 300 square meters. Customers will also have access to a larger range of improved facilities, including, high-speed train services between Suvarnabhumi and Bangkok city center, scheduled to operate in August 2009. Once the new high-speed train starts to operate, traveling time will be approximately 15 minutes between airport and city, saving considerable time off the journey, which is currently 25 kilometers in distance by road. Suvarnabhumi offers customers a large range of shops and extra facilities such as spa lounge that are not available at Don Meaung. It is also a showpiece from many aspects of Thai culture. For further information on THAI's flights and reservations, please call our USA Reservations Department at toll-free 800-426-5204 or 310-640-0097 ext 730. You may also visit us on the web at www.thaiair.com for additional and updated flight infomation. Sincerely, THAI AIRWAYS INTERNATIONAL PCL Los Angeles District Sales Office 222 N Sepulveda Blvd Suite 100 El Segundo, CA 90245 Ph: 310-640-0097 ext 770 Fax: 310-640-8202 Email: laxsales@thaiairwaysusa.com Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 I have said before - and say again - I think this is totally idiotic! It all seems to to with land deals by various politicians and little with a one-airport policy alleged to improve the country's economy or the nonsensical claim of making Suvarnabhumi into Asia's regional hub. We have already seen the futility of having just one airport in Bangkok. The fact is that many national capital cities with international and domestic flights have 2, 3 or more airports. London has 5! Don Mueang can easily be a domestic airport for the millions of passengers travelling only within Thailand - or that and a low cost carrier hub, and still be a back-up in the event anything happens again to Suvarnabhumi. I suppose it might be more acceptable if there were signs that Suvarnabhumi's essential expansion might soon start. But this seems bogged down in the usual Thai bureaucracy. Although the media constantly refer to it, those in power conveniently forget that the airport had reached capacity less than 2 years after opening, and only the December closure and the world economic downturn has enabled it to cope efficiently since then. Don't the policy-makers recall the long lines of THAI passengers snaking way outside the terminal prior to the move of some flights to Don Mueang? Bringing all these passengers back is . . . nuts! As for being Asia's regional hub, this is also nonsense. Skytrax has just named Hong Kong airport the best in the world for the 7th time in 10 years. Singapore unsurprisingly came 2nd, Seoul's Incheon 3rd and Kuala Lumpur 4th. Suvarnabhumi is way behind all four in so many areas. Additionally, it will never compete with Hong Kong or Singapore because these airports handle only international flights. They require neither the space nor the complex infrastructure for both domestic and international. The occasional traveller may well find the experience of Suvarnabhumi a step-up compared to many of the older, decaying airports in other parts of the world. As a frequent traveller using it a few dozen times a year, I like it less and less, especially when I compare it to the experience of Kong Kong and the other Skytrax winners. Quote
Bob Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Having the same airline operate at two different airports is economically unwise. Thai Air doesn't want to operate at both airports for that very reason. Air Asia refuses to split its operations to both airports for the same reason. I, for one, am happy to see Thai bring all of its flights back to Suvarnabhumi. If other airlines want to stay at Don Muang, fine by me - and I can see some sense in letting the budget airlines stay there if they so desire (but none of them will want to operate at both airports). Although huge, I don't understand the gripes about Suvarnabhumi. To me, it's extremely easy to use. And - because I like to connect up an international with a domestic flight - it's far, far, superior to Don Muang (the Pattaya guys, of course, wouldn't care about that) in my opinion. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Having the same airline operate at two different airports is economically unwise I am sure this is true. Yet British Airways operates domestic and international out of London's two main airports. US domestic flights out of New York's JFK are severely restricted; so airlines operate most domestic flights out of La Guardia and Newark. Alitalia and many international airlines flying in and out of Milan have services to both Linate and Malpensa airports. Paris has Charles de Gaulle and Orly. And so on . . The airlines may not like it, but they generally do what governments dictate. As I said, for the occasional visitor, having everything under one roof may make sense. But over time, and with experience of what other Asian airports built in the last 2 or 3 decades have achieved, Suvarnabhumi's problems and faults become increasingly obvious. Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 As for being Asia's regional hub, this is also nonsense. Skytrax has just named Hong Kong airport the best in the world for the 7th time in 10 years. Singapore unsurprisingly came 2nd, Seoul's Incheon 3rd and Kuala Lumpur 4th. Suvarnabhumi is way behind all four in so many areas. Additionally, it will never compete with Hong Kong or Singapore because these airports handle only international flights. They require neither the space nor the complex infrastructure for both domestic and international. I think it is quite unfair to compare Hong Kong and Singapore as handling only international flights...They are the ONLY airports in their countries..which are tiny. There is no such thing as a connecting flight ot somewhere else in their country!!! If you fly out of them it is International!! Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 f you fly out of them it is International!! Totally agree (as I pointed out in my first post!) and this is just one reason why Bangkok can never get close to them as the region's main hub. I reckon it is also the best reason for keeping existing flights at Don Mueang. Trying to be more positive, if the government does decide to move scheduled flights away from Don Mueang, the only realistic solution is the addition of a new terminal at Suvarnabhumi and, pretty soon thereafter, a third runway. Hong Kong gets away with two runways because at least 90% of its flights are wide-bodied aircraft. The much smaller aircraft used for most domestic flights and the low cost carriers require many more take-off and landing slots each day and gobble up far more runway capacity. A dedicated terminal for low-cost carriers - as at KL - is the obvious answer, as this would take Air Asia, Thai Air Asia and others away from the main terminal, and help THAI to stay in one place. But where are the plans? There are none. There are just words! So once traffic numbers increase again, Suvarnabhumi will once more be beyond saturation point, with all the overcrowding, flight delays, longer immigration queues etc., which that will entail. Who wants that? Quote
