Thai Airways joins A350 club

Melbourne is counting down the days until it receives a second Airbus A350-900 flight, after Thai Airways took delivery of its first of the type on Wednesday.

The Star Alliance member accepted the aircraft, HS-THB, at a ceremony at Airbus’s Toulouse facility before it was ferried to Bangkok. It is the eighth airline to receive the A350-900.

Thai has ordered 12 A350s – four directly from the manufacturer and 12 via aircraft leases. They are configured with 32 business class and 289 economy class seats.

The aircraft, powered with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and named “Wichian Buri”, would first be deployed on domestic routes between Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket from September 4, the Airline Route website reported.

Flights from Bangkok to Melbourne were scheduled to begin on September 16. Thai’s TG465 service, the overnight departure from Bangkok and TG466, which takes off from Melbourne in the afternoon, were scheduled to switch over to the A350 from the Boeing 777-200ER on that day.

The A350 will also replace the 777-200ER Thai’s second daily flight to Melbourne, the TG461/462 rotation which leaves Bangkok in the morning and returns from Tullamarine as a red-eye service, from October 1.

Thai will be the third A350 operator to Australia and second at Melbourne Airport.

Qatar Airways started its A350 Adelaide-Doha service in May, while Singapore Airlines (SIA) commenced a short-season of A350 flights to Australia when its SQ207, operated by 9V-SME, touched down at Melbourne Tullamarine on August 10. SIA is keeping the A350 on the route until October 22.

Australian Aviation

Thai to fly double-daily Airbus A350s to Melbourne

Thai Airways plans to upgrade both of its daily Melbourne-Bangkok flights to the airline’s sleek new Airbus A350 by September.

And business travellers will be in for a treat with the quiet and comfortable new jets including not only Thai’s latest business class seats but also a ‘dine on demand’ meal service and free inflight Internet.

Thai Airways president Charamporn Jotikasthira told Australian Business Traveller that he aims for both the TG465/466 and TG461/462 flights to move to an Airbus A350 on the same day.

However, delivery of the airline’s first A350 is likely to be pushed back by one month.

“We expect to get it in July but we got a note from Airbus saying it is probably August, because they have problem with a seat manufacturer” Mr Charamporn said. “It’s not our seat manufacturer but as a result the pipeline moved, everyone’s order moved.”

Speaking to Australian Business Traveller at a meeting of Star Alliance airline CEOs in Zurich, Charamporn indicated the delay would mean that after one month of regional A350 flights from Bangkok, the simultaneous twin A350 launch on the Melbourne-Bangkok route would likely take place in September.

Thai’s Airbus A350s will sport 32 of the airline’s latest Royal Silk business class seats.

This is a lie-flat design with direct aisle access for each passenger, with the cabin dressed in ‘Thai Contemporary’ style.

Thai will also roll out its improved business class service which has already debuted on European routes, with ‘dine on demand’ meals and free inflight Internet for business class passengers.

“We believe our business class can be one of the best business class in the world, but in the past we did not package its accordingly” Charamporn noted of the program’s individual elements.

Better connections at Bangkok

Another part of the platform: arrival gates at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport would now be as close as possible to immigration. “Before the gates (seemed) a little more random but we have managed to work with airport authorities so now it has to be right near immigration.”

Thai has also adjusted its schedules to provide better connectivity at its Bangkok hub for onward flights to Europe.

A dozen “minor adjustments of timing between five minutes and 35 minutes” has opened up an additional 28 new connections.

More significantly, Thai has changed the departure of its Sydney-Bangkok flight from an afternoon to an evening timeslot.

“This hooks into the midnight hub at Bangkok, and of course we have 11 direct destinations in Europe which is a sizeable network which we can now feed” explains Bryan Banston, Thai Airways’ Vice President of Sales in Australia.

“So in addition to focussing on the core market, which is Thailand and the region, we can also really compete in the European market.”

“We’re very keen in the Australian market to really leverage our network as best we can, and we have to have a look at Sydney and how we can grow that to double daily at some point,” Banston added.

David Flynn travelled to Zurich as a guest of Star Alliance

 

Source : Australian Business Traveller

Boeing and Thai Airways International Celebrate 25th Direct 777 Delivery

Newest 777-300ER brings continued efficiency, reliability and flexibility for flag carrier

EVERETT, Wash., June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) celebrated the Thailand flag carrier’s 25th direct 777 delivery, a 777-300ER (Extended Range), from the Boeing delivery center inEverett, Wash.

“This is a very special delivery for us – our 25^th 777 delivery from Boeing,” said THAI President Mr. Charamporn Jotikasthira. “The flexibility of the 777 family has played a significant role in our continued success and our latest 777-300ER will ensure we continue to expand our long haul markets efficiently and economically, while providing our passengers the best possible experience.”

THAI has operated nearly every model of the 777 over the last two decades and also currently operates five 787 Dreamliners. THAI Cargo was the first carrier in Southeast Asia to utilize the 777 Freighter and in January the two companies celebrated the airline’s 75^thdirect delivery from Boeing.

“Boeing is honored to celebrate this milestone delivery with Thai Airways International; it is a testament to the strong partnership between our two companies and the capabilities of the 777,” said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “With its superior economics and award-winning passenger interior, the 777 has been an outstanding airplane for THAI, and alongside THAI’s 787 Dreamliners, will ensure their success for decades to come.”

The 777-300ER is the most fuel and cost-efficient airplane in its class today with 99.5 percent reliability, making it the most reliable twin-aisle aircraft in the world. The flagship of the world’s elite airlines, the 777-300ER carries 386 passengers in a standard three-class configuration up to 7,825 nautical miles (14,490 kilometers), on non-stop routes.

The Bangkok-based airline has one additional 777-300ER on order.

Contact:

Joanna Pickup
International Communications
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
+1 425-879-6077
joanna.pickup@boeing.com

Jay Krishnan
Corporate Communications
Boeing Southeast Asia
+65 6800 5107
jay.krishnan@boeing.com

 

SOURCE : Boeing

Thai Airways upgrades London to A380, halves Heathrow flights

Star Alliance member Thai Airways will upsize its Bangkok-London flights to the Airbus A380 from July 1, but will drop from double-daily to daily service on the route come the same date.

Currently served by two of Thai’s refurbished Boeing 747s, the sole A380 flight will offer travellers 12 of Thai’s flagship Royal First Class ‘mini-suites’…

… and 60 fully-flat beds in business class, all with direct aisle access and similar to those aboard Thai’s newer Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Filling the entirety of the lower deck are 377 economy seats in the standard 3-4-3 configuration, plus 58 more at the rear of the upper deck in a less-crowded 2-4-2 setting.

Wherever you sit, you’ll also find both AC and USB power outlets from tip to tail to recharge your gadgets.

London flight reduction: impact on transit passengers

With one of Thai’s two daily Bangkok-London services axed from July, Aussie travellers bound for the UK capital may find themselves waiting for many hours in transit – and in some cases, almost an entire day – before their connecting flight departs.

The retained London service TG910 pushes back in Bangkok at 1:10am each day to reach Heathrow at 7:15am the same morning, while on the return TG911 departs London at 12:30pm, touching down in Bangkok at 5:45am the next day. Here’s how that slots in with Thai’s Australian flights.

Sydney, TG476/475: Sydney’s daily Thai flight gives a transit time of 6hr 50m for those London-bound and a lengthy 13hr 35m on the journey home – that’s roughly as long as the London-Bangkok flight spent in waiting.

Sydney, TG472/471: Travelling on Thursday, Friday or Sunday? Avoid Thai’s TG472 flight when connecting to London as you’ll be grounded in Bangkok for 21hr 20m. TG471 is more transit-friendly on the flight home, departing after a connection time of just 2hr 15m.

Melbourne, TG466/465: TG466 is the go-to flight for Victorians jetting to Heathrow, touching down in Bangkok ahead of a 4hr 25m connection. It’s not as great in the opposite direction: taking off after what would be an18hr 30m transit.

Melbourne, TG462/461: Likewise, skip TG462 and its 19hr 10m transit before the onward London leg, instead pairing that better TG466 flight on the journey out with TG461 on the return: departing after just 2hr 25m on the ground.

Brisbane, TG474/473: With one Thai Airways flight each day to Queensland, Brizzy travellers would spend 4hr 50m in Bangkok on the outbound journey but a staggering yet precise 18hr 14m on the way home.

Perth, TG484/483: The mining capital’s now-daily Boeing 787 services leave travellers waiting for 9hr 55m en route to London and the same18hr 14m wait as with Brisbane on the way back.

Australian Business Travelle

Emirates brings Airbus A380 to Perth

Qantas partner Emirates will begin flying its flagship Airbus A380 between Perth and Dubai from May 1 2015, less than 12 months after Qantas axed regular international flights from Perth.

Emirates will upgrade its daily EK420/421 flights to the superjumbo, which boasts private first class suits as well as inflight showers and a bar for first and business class passengers.

As an added bonus, there’ll be free wireless Internet on the A380.

EK421 is wheels-up from Perth at 10:10pm, touching down in Dubai at 5:25am the following morning.

On the return, EK420 leaves Dubai at 2:55am to reach Perth at 5:35pm just in time for dinner.

This will be Perth’s first regular A380 service, following the airport’s completion of a superjumbo-friendly boarding gate fitted with two aerobridges to speed the transfer of passengers.

Emirates’ other two daily Perth-Dubai flights will continue to run on a mix of Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which offer angled lie-beds in business class rather than the fully-flat beds found aboard the A380.

Emirates is also building a new lounge at Perth Airport’s new international pier. The lounge will be located directly under Emirates’ current lounge, and substantially larger. Construction is expected to begin in January 2015 ahead of an opening by the end of May 2015.

Emirates’ competitor Etihad Airways began flying to Perth in July and has also earmarked the city for one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners down the track.

Rounding out the Gulf trio, Qatar Airways already runs a daily Boeing 777-300 service between Perth and Doha and has revealed plans to upgrade this to its new Airbus A350 in early 2015.

Thai Airways also debuted it own Dreamliner flights between Perth and Bangkok in September on the five-times-weekly TG483/484 services, with the aircraft set to return to the mining capital from January 17 next year.

Source : Australian Business Traveller

Australia’s boom in Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights

2014 looks set to be The Year of the Dreamliner in Australia as an increasing number of Boeing 787 services take to the skies.

Jetstar: Sydney, Melbourne to Bali, Phuket, Auckland

Jetstar this week launched one of its three Boeing 787s onto the Sydney-Phuket route running three times per week, following the mid-January debut of daily Dreamliner flights between Sydney and Bali.

Up next for Qantas’ low-cost offshoot will be a Boeing 787 Dreamliner being rostered onto Melbourne-Phuket from February 9 for one flight a week, stepping up to all three weekly return services as of March 30.

Jetstar has also scheduled a trans-Tasman Boeing 787 service between Melbourne and Auckland, although these flights will run for just one month from February 26 to March 28, 2014.

However, they do afford the opportunity for savvy travellers to book themselves into one of the Boeing 787’s business class seats at little more than economy prices.

From April 16 Jetstar will roster a Boeing 787 onto a new direct service between Brisbane and Bali, operating four days each week.

Royal Brunei: Melbourne to Brunei, London

But the bigger Boeing 787 news in April is likely to be Royal Brunei’s launch of a daily Boeing 787 flight on April 2 from Melbourne to Brunei and then on to London, adding a new twist to the Kangaroo Route.

Royal Brunei’s Boeing 787 carries 254 passengers in a conventional two-class layout, with 18 business class seats arrayed in a 2-2-2 configuration with a 79 inch seat pitch.

Each set converts into a fully lie-flat bed of just under two metres (or 6′ 5″ in the old currency), including a personal Ottoman.

Thai Airways: Perth to Bangkok

Thai Airways will debut its first Boeing 787 service between Bangkok and Perth on July 1.

The Dreamliners will be fitted with 24 seats in Thai’s Royal Silk business class and 240 in economy, and feature the new ‘Contemporary Concept’ design now being rolled out on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ERs, including the refreshed business class cabin shown below.

 

Air New Zealand: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth to Auckland

Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787-9 – a stretched and longer-range version of the original 787-8 flown by Jetstar and Royal Brunei – will appear ontrans-Tasman flights from Auckland to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane early in the second half of this year.

Air New Zealand chief flight operations officer Captain David Morgan tells Australian Business Traveller these flights will be “sometime in July or August, definitely in September”, ahead of the 787-9’s official debut on October 15 flying between Auckland and Perth.

“We will put the aircraft into service across the Tasman for crew training and also to ensure that the aeroplane is integrated seamlessly into our network” Morgan says, “we’re certainly not going to have it sitting around on the ground after the delivery in July!”

This first Dreamliner to join the Kiwi carrier’s fleet will be painted in a special ‘all black’ edition of the airline’s new livery (shown above) while the nine jets to follow will receive the more standard white-and-black treatment.

 

United Airlines: Melbourne to Los Angeles

United Airlines will begin flying its Boeing 787-9 to Australia in October with the launch of a new direct Dreamliner service between Melbourne and Los Angeles.

The direct flight will run six days a week from October 26, replacing the current daily dogleg route which sees United’s Melbourne-LA flights (UA839/840) go via Sydney with a one-hour stopover.

The new flights will be

• UA99, departing Melbourne at 10.15am to reach Los Angeles at 6.50am the same day
• UA98, which is wheels-up from LAX at 10.30pm to arrive into Melbourne at 8.15am two days later.

United’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners will carry 48 lie-flat business class seats, a sizeable Economy Plus cabin of 63 seats stacked in a 3-3-3 configuration and 141 standard economy seats.

 

 

 

Japan Airlines: Sydney to Tokyo on hold

However, Qantas partner Japan Airlines (JAL) won’t begin its planned Boeing 787 flights between Sydney and Tokyo until “well into the second half of 2014”, a spokesman for JAL told Australian Business Traveller.

That service was due to commence in December last year but was delayed due to safety concerns over flying the aircraft near thunderstorms, following a warning from Boeing that all 787s powered by General Electrics’ GEnx engines – which includes those in the JAL fleet – to avoid flying within 90 kilometres of thunderstorms.

“The issues with the GE engines on the 787 still has not been resolved” the spokesman added.

 

Source : Australian Business Traveller

Thai Airways Boeing 787 debut: Bangkok-Perth in July, Tokyo in August

Thai Airways will launch its first Boeing 787 service between Bangkok and Perth, making its inaugural flight on July 1st this year.

A PR spokeswoman for Thai confirmed the 787’s inaugural date and details with Australian Business Traveller, adding that this would be followed on August 1st by a daily Dreamliner service between Bangkok and Tokyo.

Thai expects to have four Boeing 787s to its fleet by year’s end with two more to follow in 2015. These will be joined in 2017 by a pair of the larger longer-range Boeing 787-9s.

The Dreamliners will be fitted with 24 seats in Thai’s Royal Silk business class and 240 in economy, and feature the new ‘Thai Contemporary Concept’ design now being rolled out on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ERs, including the refreshed business class cabin shown below.

 

Australian Business Traveller

Australia’s boom in Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights

2014 looks set to be The Year of the Dreamliner in Australia as an increasing number of Boeing 787 services take to the skies.

Jetstar: Sydney, Melbourne to Bali, Phuket, Auckland

Jetstar this week launched one of its three Boeing 787s onto the Sydney-Phuket route running three times per week, following the mid-January debut of daily Dreamliner flights between Sydney and Bali.

Up next for Qantas’ low-cost offshoot will be a Boeing 787 Dreamliner being rostered onto Melbourne-Phuket from February 9 for one flight a week, stepping up to all three weekly return services as of March 30.

Jetstar has also scheduled a trans-Tasman Boeing 787 service between Melbourne and Auckland, although these flights will run for just one month from February 26 to March 28, 2014.

However, they do afford the opportunity for savvy travellers to book themselves into one of the Boeing 787’s business class seats at little more than economy prices.

Read: Jetstar’s Boeing 787 – how to fly in business class at economy prices

From April 16 Jetstar will roster a Boeing 787 onto a new direct service between Brisbane and Bali, operating four days each week.

Royal Brunei: Melbourne to Brunei, London

But the bigger Boeing 787 news in April is likely to be Royal Brunei’s launch of a daily Boeing 787 flight on April 2 from Melbourne to Brunei and then on to London, adding a new twist to the Kangaroo Route.

Royal Brunei’s Boeing 787 carries 254 passengers in a conventional two-class layout, with 18 business class seats arrayed in a 2-2-2 configuration with a 79 inch seat pitch.

Each set converts into a fully lie-flat bed of just under two metres (or 6′ 5″ in the old currency), including a personal Ottoman.

Thai Airways: Perth to Bangkok

Thai Airways will debut its first Boeing 787 service between Bangkok and Perth on July 1.

The Dreamliners will be fitted with 24 seats in Thai’s Royal Silk business class and 240 in economy, and feature the new ‘Contemporary Concept’ design now being rolled out on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ERs, including the refreshed business class cabin shown below.

 

Air New Zealand: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth to Auckland

Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787-9 – a stretched and longer-range version of the original 787-8 flown by Jetstar and Royal Brunei – will appear ontrans-Tasman flights from Auckland to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane early in the second half of this year.

Air New Zealand chief flight operations officer Captain David Morgan tells Australian Business Traveller these flights will be “sometime in July or August, definitely in September”, ahead of the 787-9’s official debut on October 15 flying between Auckland and Perth.

“We will put the aircraft into service across the Tasman for crew training and also to ensure that the aeroplane is integrated seamlessly into our network” Morgan says, “we’re certainly not going to have it sitting around on the ground after the delivery in July!”

This first Dreamliner to join the Kiwi carrier’s fleet will be painted in a special ‘all black’ edition of the airline’s new livery (shown above) while the nine jets to follow will receive the more standard white-and-black treatment.

Read: Air New Zealand gears up for Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner’s debut

Japan Airlines: Sydney to Tokyo on hold

However, Qantas partner Japan Airlines (JAL) won’t begin its planned Boeing 787 flights between Sydney and Tokyo until “well into the second half of 2014”, a spokesman for JAL told Australian Business Traveller.

That service was due to commence in December last year but was delayed due to safety concerns over flying the aircraft near thunderstorms, following a warning from Boeing that all 787s powered by General Electrics’ GEnx engines – which includes those in the JAL fleet – to avoid flying within 90 kilometres of thunderstorms.

“The issues with the GE engines on the 787 still has not been resolved” the spokesman added.

 

Source : Australian Business Traveller

Thai Airways to launch Boeing 787 onto Bangkok-Perth in July

Thai Airways will debut its first Boeing 787 service between Bangkok and Perth, making its inaugural flight on July 1st this year.

A spokeswoman for Thai confirmed the date and the details withAustralian Business Traveller, adding that this would be followed on August 1st by a daily 787 service between Bangkok and Tokyo’s Haneda airport.

Thai expects to have four Boeing 787s to its fleet by year’s end with two more to follow in 2015. These will be joined in 2017 by a pair of the larger longer-range Boeing 787-9s.

The Dreamliners will be fitted with 24 seats in Thai’s Royal Silk business class and 240 in economy, and feature the new ‘Thai Contemporary Concept’ design now being rolled out on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ERs, including the refreshed business class cabin shown below.

However, it’s not yet known if the longer Boeing 787-9 will also contain a small Oasis first class cabin based on the design of the upgraded Boeing 747s (shown below).

This will be Perth’s first Dreamliner service, coming 14 weeks ahead of the October 15th debut for Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787-9 on the Auckland-Perth route.

Read: Air New Zealand gears up for Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner’s debut

All eight of Thai’s Dreamliners will be leased on a 12 year basis from aircraft leasing specialist International Lease Finance.

The US company is Boeing’s largest customer for the 787 with 74 planes on order, slightly ahead of Etihad’s pledge to buy 71 of the next-gen jetliner.

 

Australian Business Traveller

hai Airways set to launch Sky Connect inflight Internet service

Thai Airways is gearing up to launch its Sky Connect satellite Internet service in the coming months, which will no doubt result in a surge of mile-high Twitter updates and Instagram snaps of inflight meals.

Sky Connect “is planned to be introduced in the near future”, a Thai Airways spokeswoman confirmed to Australian Business Traveller, across the airline’s Airbus A380 and A330-300 fleet. This will include selected regional flights around Asia as well as Thai’s long-distance international routes.

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commissions (NBTC) has recently granted Thai a ‘WiFi license’ which is required to begin inflight service, the spokesperson said.

The required hardware has already been fitted into the aircraft by specialist provider OnAir, with passengers able to choose between the Internet OnAir and Mobile OnAir systems.

Internet OnAir works like any pay-to-use WiFi hotspot you’d find in an airport or cafe: enter your credit card details and start surfing with your laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Mobile OnAir is more akin to global roaming on your phone for making and receiving text messages, email, mobile data – and, yes, phone calls. (So unless you want to return home to a hefty data bill, make sure your phone’s roaming function is switched off before you step on that plane.)

Thai hasn’t yet revealed how much you’ll pay for a shot of sky-high surfing.

However, as a ballpark figure, Emirates’ plans range from US$7.50 for 5MB to US$25 for 100MB; Singapore Airlines charges US$10 for 10MB of data and US$25 for 30MB; while Etihad’s Wi-Fly service is billed according to time, with US$14 for one hour and US$25 for a 24-hour pass.

Qantas trialled inflight Internet on selected Airbus A380 routes for nine months in 2012 but decided against introducing the satellite-based service, citing a lacklustre response from travellers.

“Whilst customers who used the Wi-Fi service told us that they valued the option to connect in flight, overall the trial has demonstrated a lower than expected take-up of the service, particularly on overnight flights where sleep was their priority” a Qantas spokeswoman told Australian Business Traveller at the time, with average take-up during the trial sitting at “less than 5 per cent.”

“Naturally, the costs associated with offering a reliable internet connection in-flight are significantly higher than on the ground, particularly when you are flying over vast expanses of ocean and can’t connect to ground towers.”

AusBT reader Andrew Hazelton, who tested the Qantas inflight Internet service from Sydney to Los Angeles, reported it was “fine for Facebook chat and allowed reasonable downloads for emails on the iPhone and laptop.”

 

Australian Business Traveller