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Thai Airways opting for simpler A380 design(Bangkok Post (Thailand) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Oct. 30--There won't be any luxurious private suites with real beds and huge flat-screen televisions or bench-sized business-class seats on Thai Airways International's future Airbus A380 megajet. Unlike its archrival Singapore Airlines (SIA), which has extravagantly fitted its first gigantic double-decker aircraft and upgraded inflight offerings, THAI is adopting a more tame approach for its fleet of six A380s. "We have a different positioning from SIA. Ours is based on an operating philosophy that largely maximises on the bottom line economics; the plane's ability to generate revenue,"said Pandit Chanapai, who assumed the post of executive vice-president in charge of commercial affairs at THAI on Oct 1. While SIA is capitalising on the novelty of the superjumbo as a premium product to herald "a new chapter in the history of aviation," the Thai national carrier will merely use its mammoth jets to replace its retiring Boeing 747 jumbos. THAI's decision to buy the world's largest civil aircraft reflects a strategy based on passenger profiles, revenue earnings and a realistic view of the market, says the company. "The bulk of our passengers are tourists (who do not travel on first and business class)," Mr Pandit said in an interview. Economy-class passengers contribute about 80 percent of THAI's revenues, which are expected to reach 168 billion baht for the year ending on Sept 30, he said. "Space and weight taken up by the suites and business-class seats in an aircraft could well be utilised for the money-spinning economy class in our case," he told the Bangkok Post. At a price tag of about US$300 million for each A380, THAI needs to be extremely cautious on how to utilise these aircraft to ensure that they provide a good return on investment, he added. THAI's A380s are scheduled to be delivered to the airline in two batches of three aircraft in October 2010 and June 2011, 18 months behind schedule due to production problems at the European plane maker, Airbus. THAI is adopting a more standard configuration, a three-class layout with first, business and economy sections in common with those in THAI's existing aircraft. Inflight amenities will be on par with those offered by most airlines at the launch dates. Tentatively, each of THAI's A380s would be designed to carry 500 passengers, compared to 471 on SIA's first A380, which made its maiden flight from Singapore to Sydney last Thursday. An A380 could accommodate up to 853 passengers in an all-economy configuration. The upper deck of THAI's A380 caters to premium passengers, with 14 first-class seats in the front section and up to 68 business-class seats behind. The 418 economy-class seats would occupy the entire lower deck. "Our A380 concept is zeroing in on our hallmark -- passenger comfort and services with the touch of Thai-ness, without being too lavish," Mr Pandit said. The first- and business-class seats on THAI's A380s can be turned into flat beds. By comparison, each of SIA's suites on its A380, enclosed by sliding doors, is fitted with a leather-upholstered seat, a table, a 23" flat-screen TV, laptop connections and a range of office software. A separate bed folds up into the wall. Two of the suites can be joined to provide double beds with sheets by the French designer Givenchy. On the upper deck of SIA's A380, the business-class seats can be turned into wide flat beds. There is also a bar area for business-class passengers. The economy class area on both decks boasts more leg and knee room. While the basic principles on the configuration and interior fitting have largely been agreed on, THAI would have to decide on the details over the next three to six months, said Mr Pandit. What is definite is that all the airline's A380s would be flying on lucrative long-haul intercontinental routes, from Bangkok to London, Frankfurt and Paris. These routes are currently served by Boeing 737-400s. "We still have time to fine-tune our A380 strategy," Mr Pandit said. Ticket prices on THAI's A380s could be higher than on other aircraft that fly the same routes as part of the company's production differentiation plan. An economy class seat on the A380 could cost 5-8 percent more than the standard rate, he said. To see more of the Bangkok Post, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bangkokpost.com. Copyright (c) 2007, Bangkok Post, Thailand Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |