AirAsia lands in Phuket

PHUKET: The first no-frills AirAsia flight from Bangkok to Phuket landed at around midday today with all 148 seats filled. Thirty passengers aboard the Boeing 737-300 paid just 99 baht apiece for the one-way flight.The remainder forked out 1,900 each. AirAsia put 20,000 of the 99-baht tickets up for sale in mid-January for routes between the capital and Phuket, Chiang Mai, Haad Yai and Khon Kaen. All 20,000 tickets sold within three days. Another offer, which ends on February 5, sees a further 20,000 tickets on sale at 800 baht each. Marketing Manager of Thai AirAsia Co Ltd, Saharat Vanchompoo, said that this full first flight was a good indication of how successful the venture should be. He explained that Phuket was proving to be the most popular of the four domestic routes, with both Thais and foreigners taking advantage of the low prices. “Price, safety and convenience are all important to passengers,” he said. “We are currently flying this route twice a day and will increase our services in line with demand.” Travelers are advised to check with the airline’s call center at Tel: 02-5159999 to obtain the best price.