Economy flyers get a lounge at airport
Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) will provide its first economy-class lounge at Suvarnabhumi Airport, consisting of entertainment facilities, shower rooms, e-service and resting corners.
At the new airport, passengers will be surprised with several new services never before available in the Kingdom. The economy-class lounge is rare among airlines, most of which operate only first- and business-class lounges. But THAI is following a trend at other new airports which have started offering economy-class lounges. Charnchai Singtorij, vice-president of the cargo and mail commercial department of THAI, said the airline faced tough competition in the aviation industry, forcing it to find new ways to please customers. The lounge, he said, would include televised entertainment such as films, music videos, sports, documentaries and world news, in addition to Internet services. Passengers will also have a rest area that includes plenty of seating and showers in 18,000 square metres of space. Apart from the economy class lounge, the airline will offer first-class and business-class passengers a traditional Thai spa, private movie theatre and shower rooms. "We hope that all the lounges will convince passengers to use THAI," said Charnchai. Although there is reason to feel excited about these innovations in Bangkok, Singapore's Changi Airport already has them. THAI hopes to solicit feedback from travellers on how to improve services. The carrier predicts that the number of transfer passengers going through Bangkok will increase 20 per cent in the first year of operation. Each year, Don Muang Airport receives three million transit passengers. To reach that projection, THAI plans to add more international flights, such as a Bangkok-Johannesburg route, by the end of the year. The airline also plans to start operating more flights to India and long-haul destinations. THAI will operate a few international flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport on September 22 to Seoul, Beijing, and Guangzhou. The company begins domestic flights from the new airport on September 15. All other international flights will officially operate on September 28. Today THAI will start flying from Suvarnabhumi to Phitsanulok, Chiang Mai and Ubon Ratchathani. Not only will THAI start using the new airport today, Australian budget airline Jet Star will commence flights to it from down under. Suchat Sritama The Nation
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