"Our additional flights also challenge us to compete with other major airlines on the same routes, especially Thai Airways International and Lufthansa," Markus Moschner, Asia manager for LTU, said yesterday.

"In the past, we operated only in the high season. But now we are ready to serve all year round," he said.

The private carrier also wants to change its corporate image for the Thai market from a charter airline to a regular airline.

"With this plan, the airline aims to be known as a scheduled carrier," he said.

The airline will focus more on the Thai market as its sees good potential for growth of arrivals from Germany and outbound travellers from Thailand.

Since November 1, LTU has been running nine flights per week - four on the Bangkok-Dusseldorf route, three on Bangkok-Munich, and the remaining two flights on Phuket-Munich.

LTU is now the only airline providing a direct connection between Phuket and Munich, Moschner said.

LTU has inked a code-sharing agreement with Bangkok Airways.

Passengers from Germany can book a connecting flight to Samui Island directly from LTU. They will fly from Germany to Bangkok by LTU and then on to Samui by Bangkok Airways.

The German airline is offering special fares from Bangkok or Phuket to Munich or Dusseldorf beginning at Bt22,000, excluding fuel surcharge, insurance and tax.

It says the fares undercut all other airlines operating on the same routes.

With the high season now on, the carrier's average cabin factor has reached 90 per cent. 

Suchat Sritama

The Nation