Airports of Thailand offering big discounts on aircraft landing fees to airlines

Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) is adopting an incentive scheme to attract scheduled international air traffic to its four airports outside Bangkok through hefty reductions in aircraft landing fees, effective today.

The cuts, by as much as 95% of its normal fees, are essentiality aimed at luring newAirport Landing Fee carriers to operate through the four airports and encouraging those already operating to step up frequencies, said officials of the majority-state-owned firm.

The ‘aviation marketing incentive programme’ is applied to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Hat Yai where traffic volumes have been growing slowly.

It is also aimed at spurring tourism to those provinces where local industries have been urging Airports of Thailand to help attract airlines to their locations.

The concessions do not cover Airports of Thailand’s two Bangkok airports, the flagship Suvarnabhumi and the 93-year-old Don Muang serving non-connecting domestic flights.
But airlines have been critical of airport service charges that were increased earlier this year, including a 15% jump in landing and parking fees and concession fees levied by Airports of Thailand against ground-handling companies that are passed on to the airlines.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said that the higher charges have made turnaround costs at Bangkok higher than at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport.

Airports of Thailand’s newly introduced scheme is similar to what has been practised by Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Singapore Changi airport in their bid to attract carriers.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) offers new foreign airlines and existing airlines that add new destinations or frequencies to KLIA a three-year waiver on landing fees and then 75% and 50% discounts, respectively, for the next two years.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has introduced a similar scheme to attract traffic to Changi, under the Air Hub Development Fund. Early last year, it rolled out its second fund worth S$300 million.

Airports of Thailand’s landing fee discounts vary in accordance with different criteria.
A 95% reduction is offered for a carrier that operates more than one weekly scheduled flight through Airports of Thailand airports to a new overseas destination.
A 75% cut for an airline that operates one weekly scheduled flight from Airports of Thailand airports to a new overseas destination.

A 50% discount for new airlines that offer one weekly scheduled flight on routes already linked by Airports of Thailand airports and overseas ports.

A 75% decrease for new carriers that offer more than one weekly flight on the route already established by the Airports of Thailand airports and an overseas port.
A 50% reduction for an existing airline that increases the scheduled flight frequency by once a week on routes it is serving.

A 75% discount for an existing airline that boosts the scheduled flight frequency by more than once a week on a route it is operating.

The reduced fees are only applied to the incremental flights in the last two cases. Based on the same conditions, a 30% discount is given for domestic flights.

While the discounts are given throughout the year at the Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Chiang Rai airports, the concession is only applied for the summer flight schedule (April-October) for the Phuket airport, Airports of Thailand’s busiest provincial port.

The landing and parking fees for a Boeing 747-400 at Airports of Thailand airports total US$ 1,892 based on an exchange rate of 34 baht to the dollar.

For the year to September 30, 2007, passengers through Chiang Mai airport increased 9.5% year-on-year to 3.37 million; Hat Yai was up 3.28% to 1.33 million; Phuket up 22.61% to 5.47 million and Chiang Rai up 2.18% to 711,662, according to Airports of Thailand figures.

Source : http://www.airportsuvarnabhumi.com/ , Monday, June 25th, 2007

Suvarnabhumi » Suvarnabhumi Airport ready to be a gateway to Asia

Tourism Authority of Thailand Acting Governor Pensuda Priaram stated, ?The long-awaited opening of Suvarnabhumi is one of the most important landmarks in the history of Thai travel and tourism. We have no doubt that it will attract more visitors to Thailand, be it as inbound tourists or transit passengers who will become future tourists.?

The world?s newest airport opened in Bangkok in a relatively smooth fashion, and Thailand is gearing up for increased arrival numbers, with their 15 million target in 2007 set to grow even larger.

The new airport has been referred to as the new ?gateway to Asia?, boasting the world?s largest passenger terminal. Figures reveal that 80% of all visitor arrivals to Thailand enter through Bangkok, and the new airport is connected by expressway to all inner Bangkok city hotels, as well as the beach resort of Pattaya.

A live telecast shown across Thailand showed the move from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi throughout the early hours of September 28th 2006.

Suvarnabhumi is owned and operated by Airports of Thailand (AOT), a publicly traded company listed on the stock market, with the majority owned by the Thai government. The airport was built with the help of loans from the Japanese Government. The airport is designed for annual passenger movements of 45 million a year, and airport officials have stated that it is already close to the figure and that current growth rates project that it will hit the 60 million passengers mark within three years.

Source : http://www.airportsuvarnabhumi.com/. Monday, June 25th, 2007

Good News for Dry Skin sufferers: Airlines Relax Restrictions on Liquids.

Earlier this week, the Transportation Security Administration announced that passengers may now bring liquids and gels in carry-on bags on U.S. flights. Trial-sized containers holding up to 3 ounces will be permitted as long as they are in a quart-sized clear plastic bag and available for inspection at security checkpoints. This is good news for dry skin sufferers, who usually carry moisturizers to soothe their sensitive skin in the particularly irritating stale, low humidity air on planes. However, what many passengers do not know is that those moisturizers actually exacerbate the problem - which is why thousands of doctors now recommend a shielding lotion as the preferred dry skin treatment

Whether you have dry skin or are trying to prevent it, keeping the skin moist is a must. However, most moisturizers do not do what their name implies. Rather than supplying moisture, they simply layer the skin with a coating that makes the skin feel soft and moist, but, in fact, all you're really feeling is the product. Underneath that layer, the skin is still dry. To make matters worse, most moisturizers also contain harsh chemicals that irritate the skin and dry it. All in all, that's about the worst dry skin care treatment available.

In addition to the low humidity, the air on planes is heavily laden with residues from pesticides or cleaning products and the cabins are full of fumes from hydraulic fluid spills. This toxic environment has made many people ill, as is witnessed by the thousands of complaints and even legal suits from flight attendants and passengers, and is very irritating to the skin. Passengers slather on moisturizers thinking this will relieve the problem but the more it is applied, the worse the problem gets.

A shielding lotion, on the other hand, actually remedies the problem by bonding with the outer layer of the skin to form a protective barrier that locks in the skin's natural moisture and prevents contact with and absorption through the skin of the harmful air-borne chemicals on planes, and those that may be in the fabric of the seats.

It's great news for travelers that they can have dry skin care available to them while in flight. However, instead of taking along the usual moisturizers, try a good shielding-lotion. It will relieve your dry skin, keep out the toxins, and you'll have a much more comfortable flight!




Articles Source - Free Articles, on February 19, 2007


About the Author : Gloria MacTaggart, is a freelance writer who contributes articles on skin care for Gloves In A Bottle, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.glovesinabottle.com/