Flight news

Once again, Singapore-based Air Andaman has had to cancel its plans to commence flights from Singapore to Bangkok and Phuket. The reason: the airline’s president, Dean Mills has been missing and cannot be located. Services are cancelled indefinitely.

Bangkok

On 1^st July, AirAsia Malaysia added one more daily flight between Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.

All Nippon Airways will soon begin offering twice daily flights between Bangkok and Tokyo, once in the morning and once in the evening, up from the once daily flights currently being offered.

Blue Panorama Airlines

Blue Panorama Airlines will add Bologna as a stopover to its existing twice weekly flight service to and from Bangkok and Milan.

Nok Air officially began flying on 23^rd July, after having had to cancel its June opening due to unforeseen complications. The airline will be flying from Bangkok to Chiang Mai five times a day, to Udon Thani three times a day and to Hat Yai twice daily. Customers can book tickets on the Internet or by telephone and make payments at any local 7-Eleven store.

Earlier this year, flights to and from Bangkok and Udon Thani became available through One-Two-Go.

Mid-June saw the commencement of Thai AirAsia non-stop flights between Bangkok and Penang once a day, as well as daily flights to and from Bangkok and Udon Ratchathani. On 5^th August the airline began flying between Hat Yai and Kuala Lumpur. In the third quarter of this year, the airline will add more flights to its service from Bangkok to Macau and Singapore. The airline has expressed an interest in flying to Chengdu, Hainan, Ho Chi Minh City, Kunming, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Yangon by the end of the year. The service to Nakhon Ratchatsima was cancelled due to poor customer response. 

Japan Airlines is increasing its flight service to Bangkok from thrice weekly to once a day.

On 21^st August Qatar Airways added two extra flights to its service to and from Bangkok and Doha, raising the total number of flights per week to eleven.

Krabi

Thai International Airways (THAI) has adjusted its flight times on the service between Bangkok and Krabi, due to runway construction that occurs at the Krabi Airport from 20:30 till 08:00. THAI has also announced plans to expand its fleet of aircraft by purchasing 14 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, in addition to the eight Airbus aircraft already on order.

Staff at Thai Pacific Airways (TPA) were probably surprised when they arrived to work a few months ago and were informed that the airline owed money to its landlord and also to its employees. With the airline’s president and founder missing in action and declining to make a statement, it can be assumed that TPA has closed down its operations.

Singapore-based Tiger Airways began offering inaugural flights from Singapore to Bangkok, Phuket and Hat Yai, and vice versa, in September. Three times daily flights are available to Bangkok, while flights to Phuket and Hat Yai will be once daily. Tickets can be purchased on the airline’s Website, at post offices in Singapore, or at call centres in Thailand and Singapore.

A fuel surcharge has been introduced by a number of airlines in response to an increase in fuel prices, which has risen to a 10-year high. Some carriers who cannot absorb the higher fuel fees and will be introducing the surcharge on airline tickets include Thai International Airways, Lao Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Siem Reap Airways and Bangkok Airways. Please note that these new surcharges, which range between 5 and 15 USD, will be levied on all existing bookings when flights are booked. Airlines that have not yet added the surcharge are keeping a close eye on fuel prices and may join the surcharge bandwagon if prices do not decrease in the coming months. Please contact thailand@exotissimo.com for more information.

Traditional ethnic Tai textiles exhibition

Thai textiles

Traditional Thai textiles embody the artistic and imaginative creation of the weaver and reflect a way of life, culture, traditions and folk wisdom handed down through the generations. Weaving methods, patterns and colours of silk vary by region reflecting the geography, landscape, traditional values, culture and religious beliefs of each area.

A permanent exhibition of traditional Thai textiles and costumes of Tai ethnic origin on display at the Office of Agricultural Museum and Culture at Kasetsart University in Bangkok highlights this cultural diversity. The collection initiated by Orathai Pholdee, Deputy Director of the Office of Agricultural Museum and Culture, features 96 magnificent traditional costumes and ancient textiles of Tai ethnic origin from countries around the region and reflects the styles of dress of the Tai people, one of the world's oldest cultures, pockets of which can be found throughout present-day Southeast Asia. Over 90 million people speak various dialects of the Tai language and represent a total of 80 different groups of Tai ethnic origin.