Six airlines have agreed to add over 73,000 seats over the New Year period to ensure prices don't surge out of control during the end-of-year holiday season.
Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the ministry has asked Thai Airways International (THAI), as well as carriers under the Airlines Association of Thailand (AAT) -- namely Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air, and Thai Vietjet Air -- to boost the number of seats available between Bangkok and 14 key destinations, including Chiang Mai, Phuket and Udon Thani, during the New Year period.
He said the airlines have agreed to boost seat capacity by increasing the number of flights and/or adjusting the type of aircraft used. The decision, Mr Suriya said, was made to ensure ticket prices don't spiral out of control like they did during last year's New Year holiday period.
The minister said AAT carriers will add 247 additional flights between the target cities between Dec 26 and Jan 5, adding 48,244 seats during the period. The extra flights will be available for bookings from Monday.
Thai Airways, meanwhile, will operate larger aircraft on key routes between Bangkok and Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, adding 25,144 seats from early next month to early January. "With the cooperation from the airlines, there will be 73,388 additional seats available for people who want to travel during New Year," he said.
In addition, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) will work with Airports of Thailand (AoT), the Department of Airports (DoA), and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) to extend service hours of airports nationwide so the six airlines can operate the additional flights beyond usual operating hours, especially on Dec 27-28 and Jan 1-2, 2025.
"There will be higher demand for travel than usual during the long holiday. So, we advise people to purchase tickets in advance and directly from the airline's website to avoid being scammed or hit with additional charges," he said.
