Extra flights, airfare checks in place for New Year travel rush
Airlines lay on an extra 247 flights to popular destinations, but govt warns of congestion and price hikes amid shortage of planes
The government is coordinating with local and international airlines to ensure sufficient passenger capacity during the peak travel period over New Year, while keeping a close on ticket prices to prevent unfair increases.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has urged airline operators to increase flights and seat availability to avoid passengers being stranded at airports over the holidays, government spokeswoman Sasikarn Wattanachan said on Friday.
Six members of the Thai Airlines Association have agreed to provide an additional 247 flights totalling 73,388 extra seats between December 26 and January 5, Sasikarn said. These would include low-cost seats, she added.
Meanwhile, Thai Airways International will use larger capacity aircraft for flights to popular destinations including Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai throughout December and early January, increasing seat capacity by 25,144.
The CAAT will also monitor airfares, which are expected to spike on December 27-28 and January 1-2 due to high demand and a limited number of available aircraft.
Sasikarn said the number of aircraft plying domestic routes is still 25% lower than pre-pandemic levels, which could affect travellers.
She cautioned the public to plan their travel carefully over the festive season, when high demand is expected to result in fare increases.
Booking well in advance and purchasing tickets directly from airline websites can help mitigate higher costs, she advised.
