Keeping you abreast of what's going on in the
Japanese travel and tourism industries.
News consolidated by Travel Vision, Inc. updated every week.
Thai to Resume Direct Flight to Phuket in July from Narita;
Late-evening Flight to Bangkok Planned from Nagoya in March February 2008
Thai Airways International informed that it will resume a direct
service to Phuket from Tokyo's Narita Airport in the 2008 summer
schedule. The operation will start from July 3, 2008. TG643, which
currently operates from Narita to Bangkok daily, will operate via
Phuket on Thursdays and Saturdays. It will depart from Narita at
10:00 a.m., arrive at Phuket at 4:30 p.m. and arrive at Bangkok at
5:55 p.m. The airline had reduced Japan/ Bangkok/ Phuket service from
April 2007 on account of weakened demand.
The travel demand to Phuket has been making a recovery but it is
far from its peak period. Thai, reflecting the request of local
travel agents and hotels, has been positively evaluating a resumption
of direct service for the Japanese market.
Wiwat Piyawiroi, Area General Manager, Japan for Thai Airways
International quoted last summer, "We have been reviewing the service
resumption either sometime during the middle of the current winter
schedule or from the next summer schedule." Travel agents in Japan
likewise have asked for the resumption of direct service in view of
better convenience as compared to connecting flight to Phuket from
Bangkok.
The airline has also released a plan to inaugurate a late-evening
flight from Nagoya's Central Japan International Airport from late
March. The new flight is scheduled to depart Nagoya at 1:00 a.m. and
arrive at Bangkok at 5:00 a.m. This is going to be the first
scheduled late-evening flight at this airport.
On the domestic front, it will operate twice daily between
Bangkok and Samui from February 15.
MLIT Notified Airlines of Abolishment of International Airfare Lowest
Price Limit; No Fare Applications Received from Other Than JAL February 2008
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism revised
the rules and regulations of the international airfares applicable
from Japan as of January 28 and accordingly informed the airlines
concerned. The revision includes; (1) PEX Fares: the lowest price
limit, set at the maximum discount of 70% of IATA PEX fares, is
abolished and (2) IT Fares: On the route, where IATA IT fares are no
longer published, the highest price limit of the carrier IT fares
will be revised to the IATA PEX fares from the previous IATA IT fares.
Japan Airlines meanwhile filed new fares for certain routes while
All Nippon Airways intends to do so for each and every route by
February. JAL set its lowest price limit for some areas at more than
70% discount of the IATA PEX fares. By contrast, ANA, according to
its public relations office, will introduce its IATA PEX fares with
an eye on traffic demand for respective route.
Some foreign carriers made inquiries to MLIT about the
abolishment of the lowest price limit, but so far none of them filed
new fares with MLIT, commented an international air transport
division of MLIT. Foreign airlines are expected to pour in
applications of airfares for approval from this weekend to the next
week.
The abolishment of the lowest price limit will allow the airlines
to enjoy greater flexibilities for pricing strategy; however it is
inevitable for the airlines to determine a capacity balance between
supply and demand and not to set fares below a break-even point. The
IATA PEX fares applicable from Japan filed by Japan Airlines will be
a benchmark for market fares, but JAL's fares are not necessarily
lowered in every fare category. In the future, it will be definitely
imperative for the airlines to place more emphasis on yield
management.
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