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Southeast Asia's fastest non-stop long-haul flight to
New York was
formally launched April 21 by national carrier Thai Airways International.
THAI president Kanok Abhiradee said the inaugural flight for TG790 on May
1 had already been fully booked.
He said the six-day-a-week service would be a major profit spinner for
THAI, which can now serve passengers inbound to Southeast Asia from Boston,
Chicago and Washington.
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THAI also expects to capture traffic from outbound passengers from India
and other Southeast Asian countries travelling to the US.
The route will use THAI's recently delivered Airbus A340-500, featuring
the latest inflight entertainment system and a new livery and cabin design.
Economy seats cost 34,000 baht return until June 30, with premium economy
45,000 baht and Royal Silk first class 111,000 baht. Flight time is 16 hours
and 50 minutes, the fastest in Southeast Asia.
THAI plans to move to daily service on the route in the fourth quarter,
and will also add a new Bangkok-Los
Angeles non-stop service late in the year.
According to THAI, some 200,000 passengers fly to Thailand from the US
East Coast each year, with total inbound passengers from the US of 460,000.
Mr Kanok said THAI expected an average of 70-75% of the seats to be
occupied in the first year of the new service, rising to 75-80% in the
second year.
''This new flight will not just support growth of tourism in
Thailand, but also our
trade and investment ties with the United States and serve the increased
demand for air travel from the US to the Asia Pacific region,'' he said.
Meanwhile, rising oil prices have led THAI to announce higher fuel
surcharges starting from May 1. Surcharges on domestic flights will double
to 100 baht a ticket, while regional flight surcharges will increase to $15
from $10, and long-haul surcharges will rise to $20 from $15.
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