The increased demand for travel has caused ticket prices to skyrocket.
Phuket, a tourist destination in Thailand, has received complaints from travelers about expensive tickets during the peak season, which lasts from November to March. Bangkok Post said that the regional economic development council had issued a warning to airlines not to offer costly tickets to the well-liked vacation spot.
Prices are below the reference price.
Even though they found evidence that the ticket costs are currently lower than the usual level, the Province Public-Private Joint Economic Development Committee of Phuket announced that they would move to resolve tourist complaints about expensive airfares.
Amnuay Pinsuwan, the deputy governor of Phuket, claims that there are two distinct airfare pricing restrictions for Phuket routes set by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), one for full-service carrier services and the other for low-cost carrier services. Seats with a 20-kilogram baggage allowance, including onboard food and beverages, can cost up to 13 baths ($0,37) per kilometer on full-service airlines. Low-cost carriers, though, have a maximum kilometerly rate of 9,40 baths ($0,27).
All airlines are required to publish a monthly report of their fare rates, according to Thailand’s aviation regulator, in order to avoid the illegal pricing of tickets. According to Amnuay, those who overcharge tourists may be sentenced to at least six months in prison and a fine of up to 20,000 baht ($572) for their actions.
increased demand for air travel
Due to the relaxation of COVID-19 pandemic limitations, Thai airlines are currently seeing an increase in demand for air travel.
Thai Airways, the national carrier of the nation, has released its fourth-quarter financial figures. The airline’s income has increased greatly by 367% to 36,902 million baht ($1.1 million) due to the constant rise in travel demand.
The nation’s flag carrier will fly more frequently on intercontinental and regional routes like those to Tokyo (Narita and Haneda), Osaka, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kolkata, and Mumbai during the summer of 2023. It will also fly to 39 locations throughout the world.
Thai Airlines also announced that it would resume service to Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Chengdu, and Guangzhou, among other Chinese destinations. The news was released in reaction to China relaxing its travel restrictions due to the pandemic.
According to its fourth-quarter financial report, Thai Airlines now has a fleet of 64 aircraft. Yet, according to data from ch-aviation.com, the airline has a total of 67 aircraft, including eight Boeing 787s, twelve Airbus A350s, ten Airbus A330s, eight Boeing 747s, and six Airbus A380s.
Only 41 of them have aircraft that are flying right now. The airline claimed that it is expanding its fleet, which will enable Thai Airways to operate at 80% of 2019 levels once it is finished.
