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Support for SOS Foundation
Pierre
Andre Pelletier, general manager of Amari Watergate Hotel, together with
Rungphan Burootcharti, artist, recently donated funds raised from the
exhibition titled “Re-Trace” to Runcha Boribalburibhand, member of the
board of SOS Foundation of Thailand under Royal Patronage Her Majesty the
Queen for support to the Foundation at Amari Watergate Hotel. Shown from
left are Nichaya Chaivisuth, director of Public Relations of the hotel;
Pierre Andre Pelletier; Runcha Boribalburibhand and Rungphan Burootcharti.
Lufthansa resumes services to Kuala Lumpur in 2004 summer timetable
“Selamat Datang - Welcome to Malaysia!” This warm
greeting awaits Lufthansa passengers as of March 2004. With the introduction
of the summer timetable on 28 March 28, Lufthansa will be offering four
flights a week to Kuala Lumpur. The service will be operated by a Boeing
747-400 and include a stopover in Bangkok.
“The key growth markets of the future are in Asia -
that’s where it’s all happening,” said Ralf Teckentrup, Executive Vice
President Network Management, IT & Purchasing, explaining Lufthansa’s
decision to resume services to the Malaysian capital.
The new service to Kuala Lumpur will operate on Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. A Boeing 747 with the flight number LH 782
will take off from Frankfurt at 22.20 hrs and - after a stopover in Bangkok
- reach its destination on the west coast of the peninsula of Malaysia at
21.05 hrs. Return flights will take off at 21.05 hrs, make a stopover in
Bangkok, and arrive in Frankfurt at 5.20 hrs.
PM denies allegations the “Thailand Elite Card” is a flop
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is downplaying
allegations that his ‘Thailand Elite Card’ scheme to attract the
world’s rich and famous to the kingdom had proved a spectacular flop,
expressing confidence that the establishment of exclusive golf clubs,
entertainment complexes, and hotels for cardholders would enable the
government to reach its target of 100,000 members by the end of this year.
Responding to accusations that the government had failed
to sell many of its Elite Cards - priced at 1 million baht each and aiming
to procure privileges for wealthy visitors - Tourism Authority of Thailand
(TAT) Governor Juthamas Siriwan conceded that there had been some
‘misunderstandings’, often caused by the cardholders failing to
coordinate with the relevant agencies. Nonetheless, she said, the
cardholders had been unanimous in their praise for the manner in which the
cards afforded them a fast track passage through immigration at the Don
Muang Airport.
The TAT governor noted the need for Thailand Privilege
Card Co., the private sector agency running the Elite Card scheme, to
establish a ‘city club’ with golf courses, entertainment venues, and
hotels exclusively for the use of Elite Card members.
“Once the cardholders come, they’ll have somewhere to
stay. We won’t ask them to buy their cards and then wander off here and
there. There should be things to attract sales, or attractive golf clubs for
the members which offer first class services. There could be takeovers in
order to give something special to the members. The prime minister wants
such things established as soon as possible,” Juthamas said.
Nonetheless, she stressed that the construction, or
takeover of golf courses, and other venues would be the responsibility of
Thailand Privilege Card Co., rather than of the government, and admitted
that construction could take a couple of years. She said that until the new
complex was completed, the cards would continue to be sold as normal. (TNA)
Thai AirAsia may give other airlines a bumpy ride
Thai AirAsia is likely to give Thailand’s aviation industry
a run for their money by offering 99-baht one-way flights when it takes off in
February. Thai AirAsia, which is 51 percent-owned by Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra’s Shin Corp Plc, said its Phuket and Chiang Mai flights from or to
Bangkok would each cost 99 baht for the first two months. The offer would apply
to 25 percent of seats.
Thai AirAsia initially plans round trips twice daily to each
destination. The airline was due to take off on January 8 but delayed its launch
to February 3 because of internal reorganization and government regulations.
Shin Corp executive chairman Boonklee Plangsri said, “The
airline will continue to offer cheaper fares than its competitors. The intense
competition will probably change the face of the travel industry in Thailand but
we are determined to all segments of society the chance to travel.”
The 25 percent allocation will be booked on a first-come
first-serve basis. The remaining 75 percent of seats would cost 999 baht each.
The discount will depend upon the timeframe in which passengers booked their
flights.
Travelers can make reservations through its call center at
02-5159999 and then pay for the tickets at Krung Thai Bank branches. The fare
does not include free food and beverages, although snacks and drinks can be
brought on board. (TNA)
Tourists flock to see 800,000 year-old trees
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Prapat
Panyachatraksa expressed concern for the fate of fossilized Malabar ironwood
trees thought to be over 800,000 years old discovered in Tak Province.
Prapat said that reports from the Department of Mineral
Resources suggested that the fossilized Malabar ironwood logs, discovered in
the Mae Salit-Pong Daeng Forestry Reserve, were the largest and most
complete of their kind ever to have been found in Thailand.
The giant logs have a diameter of around 1.80 meters, and
are 20 meters long. They are buried in sediment, believed to be from an
ancient river which preceded the Ping River, and are thought to date back
800,000 years.
Prapat said that other fossilized logs of varying sizes
had also been discovered in the same area, and that the Department of
Mineral Resources and the Botanical Gardens Agency had now been asked to
carry out a thorough review of the area, but is concerned that the fossils
could face threats from local residents and tourists.
“I’m worried that the release of this news will cause
more crowds of local residents and tourists to come and see the fossils, as
the place where they were discovered is only three kilometers from Baan Tak
district, and is also near the tourist area of Khao Phrabat. Unwitting
tourists will touch the ancient wood and take pieces home with them for
themselves. This could damage the fossils.”
Stressing that the fossilized logs were extremely rare, he called on
local people to protect the fossils as part of the nation’s natural
heritage. (TNA)
Emirates upgrades seating for more legroom
Emirates is currently refitting the First and Business
class cabins on its 29-strong fleet of Airbus A330-200s to provide more
leg-room for greater passenger comfort.
In Business class, seat pitch increases from 47/48 inches
to 55/60, depending on two- or three-class aircraft configuration,
respectively. On two-class A330s, which offer Business and Economy, one row
of seven Business seats will be removed. The new Business cabin will seat 27
instead of 34.
First class seat pitch on the three-class A330s will be extended to an
ample 71-73 inches. One entire row of six seats will be removed, lowering
First class capacity from 18 to 12 seats. On these aircraft, the Business
cabin’s 42-seat capacity will not change.
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