THAILAND: Thai Smile Intstalls Wheelchairs In Cabins On All 20 Of Its Aircrafts

Thai Smile sets out to provide greater convenience to passengers with disabilities and special needs with the installation of wheelchairs in cabins on all 20 of its airliners.

The safety instructions are now also in Braille in order to facilitate the visually impaired and the crews have been trained to sign safety regulations to the hearing impaired.

This comprehensive service is designed for the disabled who cannot walk. We have long provided a wheelchair within the airport until boarding and a High Lift service to take passengers with wheelchairs.

Now we also have wheelchairs in the cabin to facilitate the movement of passengers within all aircraft, says Nednapang Teeravas, chief customer service officer.

A manual on air safety regulations is also provided in both Thai and English versions for the visually impaired.

It also offers sign language through a service-minded crew to convey the safety regulations for the hearing impaired.

This is to allow both groups to understand and learn self-safety practices.

It also creates a feeling of care for the passengers who needs special treatment.

Other special services for passengers include pre-ordering of special meals - vegetarian, for children to be served on board.

Notification should however be made a minimum of 48 hours prior to taking off.

The airline is also teaming up with Kasetsart University’s Institute for Food Research and Product Development (IFRPD) to help farmers under the project - Bring Smiles to Thai Farmers- by buying surplus agricultural products for beverages and snacks.

The service will come into effect around the middle of this year.

About Thai Smile Air

Thai Smile Air is the regional airline and wholly owned subsidiary of Thai Airways.Based in Thailand, it began operations in July 2012.

On 20 May 2011, the Thai Airways board announced plans to create a new lower-cost airline, at the time dubbed Thai Wings.

The creation of the airline was announced by Ampon Kittiampon, the chairman of Thai's board of directors, on 19 August 2011.

According to Ampon, Thai Smile serves the market gap between low-cost carriers and full service airlines.

The name Thai Smile was chosen from a pool of 2,229 entries in a contest to name the airline.

Thai Smile currently flies to the destinations below. The airline consolidated its Bangkok operations at Suvarnabhumi Airport in January 2017, ending services from Don Mueang airport.

Destinations

Cambodia

- Phnom Penh - Phnom Penh International Airport

- Siem Reap - Siem Reap International Airport

China

- Changsha - Changsha Huanghua International Airport

- Chongqing - Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport

- Zhengzhou - Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport

- Guangzhou - Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport

India

- Gaya - Gaya Airport

- Jaipur - Jaipur International Airport

- Lucknow - Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport

- Mumbai - Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

- Varanasi - Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport

Laos

- Luang Prabang - Luang Prabang International Airport

- Vientiane - Wattay International Airport

Malaysia

- Kuala Lumpur - Kuala Lumpur International Airport

- Penang - Penang International Airport

Myanmar

- Yangon - Yangon International Airport

- Mandalay - Mandalay International Airport

Thailand

- Bangkok - Suvarnabhumi Airport

- Chiang Mai - Chiang Mai International Airport

- Chiang Rai - Chiang Rai International Airport

- Hat Yai - Hat Yai International Airport

- Khon Kaen - Khon Kaen Airport

- Krabi - Krabi International Airport

- Narathiwat - Narathiwat Airport

- Phuket - Phuket International Airport

- Surat Thani - Surat Thani Airport

- Ubon Ratchathani - Ubon Ratchathani Airport

- Udon Thani - Udon Thani International Airport

Taiwan

- Kaohsiung - Kaohsiung International Airport

Future destinations

- Surabaya - Juanda International Airport

- Medan - Kualanamu International Airport

- Manila - Ninoy Aquino International Airport

Closed Destinations

- Ahmedabad - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport

- Macau - Macau International Airport

- Kota Kinabalu - Kota Kinabalu International Airport

- Chittagong-Shah Amanat International Airport

THAI Smile's fleet consists of the following aircraft:

- Airbus A320-232 - 6

- Airbus A320-232(SL) - 14

- Total - 20

Thai Smile Airways is currently an official sponsor of Thai Honda Ladkrabang and Ratchaburi Mitr Phol



Tourism Observer

THAILAND: AirAsia Began Daily Direct Flights From Da Nang To Don Mueang Airport

AirAsia began daily direct flights from Da Nang to Bangkok’ s Don Mueang Airport on Friday (June 9) with a promotional fare starting at Bt1,090.

The special price is available until June 18 for travel from today until January 14 via all ticketing channels and www.AirAsia.com.

The route marks the first time Thai AirAsia has introduced a third destination within one country and it now offers flights to the north, central and southern regions of Vietnam.

We believe the route will be to the liking of both Vietnamese and Thai travellers as it offers great savings in both time and cost and we will be promoting it heavily to both Thai and international travellers interested in visiting Vietnam for tourism or investment.

We are proud to be able to play a role in supporting the economy and tourism of both countries, said its director of commercial operations, Santisuk Klongchaiya.

According to the Da Nang Department of Tourism, Thailand has been among the top international tourist markets for Da Nang in recent years with more than 24,300 Thai tourists visiting the city in 2016.

With Bangkok being one of Southeast Asia’s major trade and tourism centres and the hub of a wide international network, the opening of the Bangkok-Da Nang route helps connect Da Nang tourism to a global market and should allow tourists, especially from Western European countries such as England, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy who have been visa-free since July 2015, to reach Da Nang more easily via Bangkok.

At the same time, the new route offers greater convenience for Da Nang residents to experience tourism in Thailand or seek investment opportunities.

AirAsia travellers from Da Nang can enjoy its Fly Thru service at Don Mueang Airport which allows them to easily continue to destinations both domestic and international across Asean and Asia.

At present, AirAsia boasts the most routes in Asean with flights going from Thailand to 13 destinations in 7 ASEAN countries, offering a total of 17 routes.

The airline currently serves direct flights from Vietnam to Bangkok (Don Mueang Airport) on two routes, Hanoi-Bangkok two flights a day and Ho Chi Minh-Bangkok three flights a day.

The airline also offers direct flights from Da Nang to Kuala Lumpur with the route recently increasing its frequency from four flights weekly to daily in December 2016 and 10 flights weekly starting this month.

THAILAND: AirAsia To Launch Flights To Luang Prabang

AirAsia's Thailand affiliate will launch flights to Luang Prabang in Laos from next month.

Thai AirAsia will begin the one-hour flights from Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport to Luang Prabang from March 24.

The carrier will be the first no frills operator to serve Luang Prabang.

"Luang Prabang has many distinct travel features. This latest route also creates new investment opportunities. We are confident that as a friendly destination, Luang Prabang will quickly grow to be a popular place to visit for both Thai and international travellers," said Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia.

Bijleveld said the airline had long coveted the route.

"It's been a long time coming, eight years since asking Laos for the rights to operate flights there."

Although the route is already served by Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia is targeting at least 80% load factor.

It has launched a special introductory fare of THB990 for travel through February 2017, and regular fares will be around THB2,000, which the airline says is about half what the two full-service airlines currently charge on the route.

CHINA: Thai Flight Forced To Return After Unruly Chinese Passenger Threw Hot Water At Cabin Attendant

A flight from Thailand to China was forced to return to Bangkok after a Chinese passenger threw hot water at a cabin attendant, the airline said yesterday.

Thai AirAsia Flight 9101 departed Bangkok's northern airport Don Mueang for Nanjing at 5.55pm on Thursday with 174 passengers and six crew on board but was forced to turn back after one of the passengers attacked a steward.

"During the flight a Chinese female passenger was not satisfied with the service and when the cabin attendant came she threw hot water at the cabin attendant," the airline said.

An official said the woman and her travelling companion were initially angered at not being seated together.

Other passengers moved seats allowing them to sit side by side but the pair started to argue with each other before the attack took place.

The captain of the flight, which was still in Thai airspace at the time, decided to return to Don Mueang, where four Chinese passengers were ejected and detained at a police station.

The flight departed Don Mueang again at 10.45pm on the same day and arrived in Nanjing on Friday morning.

The airline official said police fined the Chinese passengers, adding that they left Thailand on Friday. The cabin attendant received first aid on board from colleagues and was now fine, the official added.

China has seen rapid growth in outbound trips in recent years, and Chinese travellers are now the biggest source of international tourism cash in the world, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

But the behaviour of some Chinese tourists overseas has occasionally caused embarrassment at home.

In May last year a Chinese tourist was tracked down by furious internet users after it emerged he had defaced an ancient Egyptian monument.