NokAir:Bounces back?

[ttaaee]

"Thailand's Nok Air To Announce New Partners By Mid-April" on Yahoo News (http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/040331/15/3j64g.html)

Nok Air official website (http://www.nokair.com/) is kinda cool. Check it out.

By the way, nok is bird, in Thai.

(Note: It'd be really really cool if they actually paint its planes like the plane cartoon on the website, with those cute beaks and funky colors. :D)

[ConorBracken]

CCN had an interesting interview with their CEO recently.

Seems to me that they are really doing things differently (inspired by RyanAir) and might end up standing out from the crowd.

Thai TV is running a reality TV game show like Survivor where the winners win the right to work as air-hostesses! Now that is clever marketing...

[jerryfin]

It just keeps on getting better! Earlier this year I flew to Chiang Mai on Nok Air with no problems. Last Wednesday I did the trip again, but the early afternoon flight was cancelled for "technical" reasons and so we were transfered to a Thai Airways flight that left 5 minutes earlier than the scheduled Nok flight. So far so good. When I went to the airport in CM to return on Saturday, again the afternoon flight was cancelled for the same reason. They offered me an alternative flight on Orient Air 3 hours later, but as I was in no hurry, I asked to me transferred to Nok the next day. As compensation for the cancelation, they upgraded me to "Super Nok" class(or whatever it's called). The next day I showed up but alas the flight was again cancelled for the same reason, but they put me on a Thai Airways Boeing 747 flight 20 minutes later and in Business Class! The 49% Thai Airways investment in Nok certainly pays off.

[jpatokal]

That's actually pretty good service for an LCC! Air Asia won't lift a finger if they run into problems... although, while often delayed, I haven't seen them do the cancellation trick yet.

[Errajane]

I've always been impressed with Nok Air. It's an amazing coincidence that all the stewardesses' names start with 'Nok'.

[GWR]

http://www.asianewsdesk.com/category/nok-air/


Nok Air to launch Phuket to Hat Yai flights
Posted in Nok Air by Prahok on the April 24th, 2007

The Phuket Gazette reports that Nok Air plans to begin flying between the southern Thai cities of Phuket and Hat Yai from May 15, 2007. Fares will be around the 1,500B mark (including all taxes and surcharges).


Although I heard a figure of 1,900 baht today.

Nok Air to fly to Bangalore

Budget airline Nok Air is to launch its first international route between Bangkok and Bangalore in India.

Starting from June 1, it will operate daily flights using a Boeing 737-400 with a capacity of 150 seats.

"We did extensive research before launching our international route to India, and with Bangalore being one of the most dynamic and prosperous cities in the country, we expect to see excellent traffic," said chief executive Patee Sarasin.

The Nation



http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30034274

[jpatokal]

Nok Air to fly to Bangalore

Budget airline Nok Air is to launch its first international route between Bangkok and Bangalore in India.

Starting from June 1, it will operate daily flights using a Boeing 737400 with a capacity of 150 seats.

"We did extensive research before launching our international route to India, and with Bangalore being one of the most dynamic and prosperous cities in the country, we expect to see excellent traffic," said chief executive Patee Sarasin.
Good to see this finally happen, but I can't help but wonder if they'll go the way of Jetstar, who were forced to discontinue their Sing-Bangalore and Sing-Kolkata flights due to low loads. Selling cheapo international flights to Indians isn't evidently all that easy...

[Ganyc]

Dear All,

Did anybody lately travel with Nok Air? Is the new Inflight Magazine, JIBjib, available on Nok Economy Class seats, or only distributed at ticketing booths?

Ganyc

[FarangBha]

Nok Air called me the other day to offer free membership to their upcoming club.

Offer supposedly only open to freq fliers but I reckon anyone who sent in the attachment would get in:

... oops, dont see an attachment button - so email them at: Nokfanclub@nokair.com

[GWR]

Thursday, July 31, 2008
Nok Air ceases Phuket flights

PHUKET: From August 1, low-cost carrier Nok Air will no longer operate flights between Phuket and Bangkok, the Gazette has confirmed.

The move follows Nok Air ceasing its services between Krabi and Bangkok on July 1.

“Nok Air has no official statement regarding its marketing strategies, but if one looks carefully at what we are doing they might be able to figure it out,” a source at the budget airline told the Gazette.

“Since Nok Air started flying to Phuket and Krabi, the number of competing flights increased dramatically, making these routes very competitive.

“There is, however, little or no competition to many less-popular destinations and Nok Air has most probably taken the initiative to exploit this niche by providing more lucrative services to other destinations in the South, such as Haad Yai, Trang and Nakhon Sri Thammarat,” the source said.

Phuket, Thailand
18:06 local time (GMT +7)

http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=6670

Nok Air recently dropped their route to Krabi and 2 other Thai cities:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=1389

[GWR]

I'm sort of wondering if the business plan for this owes more to some fag packet calculation than an in-depth survey. It almost looks they have been panicked into doing something by AirAsia's substantial sideways movement into real budget hotels:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=3100

I just don't see the connection between a low-cost airline and the awfully poseurish concept of 'boutique' hotels. Is it just because AirAsia have already made a headlong dive into budget hotels, so that boutique hotels are the only real new game left to consider? Would potential boutique hotel guests really want to travel by low-cost and stay in a hotel with an extremely cheesy moniker? The name is cheap & cheerful. If you want to take it up market (even slightly), you probably need a new name.

AVIATION
Nok may be reborn as boutique hotels
BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA

http://www.bangkokpost.com/040808_Business/040808_bus02.jpg

The little yellow-beaked bird hatched by the budget carrier Nok Airlines in 2004 wants to see itself as the phoenix, the mythical bird that never dies.

Nok (bird in Thai) is hoping for life after a near-death experience triggered by skyrocketing fuel prices and plummeting traffic demand. Some observers believe the budget carrier could eventually go under, despite having Thai Airways International as a major shareholder.

But Nok could also be resurrected as a brand for other diversified products or businesses such as hospitality services.

In the eyes of Patee Sarasin, the chief executive of Nok Air and a former advertising executive, Nok has goodwill and brand value that can still be exploited in the future.

That view is giving rise to a business development plan that would involve Nok becoming a symbol of a chain of boutique hotels, a hip on Thailand's hospitality landscape.

Now on the drawing board and due for completion in two months, the plan envisages the development of three-star hotels, each with 30-50 rooms, in major Thai cities.

"We are looking at hotels with simple but hip designs, very clean with very reasonable prices at locations with easy accessibility to public transport systems," Mr Patee explained.

Conceptually, the Nok hotels would not be situated in central business districts, he told the Bangkok Post. They would accommodate tourists and businessmen, both local and foreign, who spend a lot of time outside hotels.

Rooms would be priced affordably, in the range of 1,500 to 2,000 baht per night. The first hotels could see the light in Bangkok, according to the plan.

Mr Patee sees the development of Nok hotels as a risk-management exercise, spreading risk and diversifying business beyond airline operations.

"We cannot put all our eggs in one basket," he said.

Nok Air is struggling desperately to stay afloat with cumulative losses exceeding 110 million baht. Budget carriers generally have been hit harder than their full-service counterparts by fuel prices, which now account for up to 70% of operating costs, against 40% for mainstream carriers.

Nok recently grounded six of its nine leased Boeing 737- 400s, slashed flights to 25 a day from 79, and cut salaries of senior staff by 20-25% and 10% for others.

It remains unclear how the existing shareholders of Nok Air would respond to the proposed hotel plan, or whether other investors would be sought.

THAI, the single largest shareholder with a 39% stake, has seen the budget airline's management as too rebellious for its mother bird.

The national carrier would like to see Nok Air work help protect its market share on domestic and regional routes, particularly against other budget carriers.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/040808_Business/04Aug2008_biz001.php

[GWR]

Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Nok Air resumes Phuket service


http://www.phuketgazette.net/newsimages/bull862008-6692-1.jpg
[Photo: Phuket Gazette - Flamingo-faced plane to fly to Phuket again.]

PHUKET CITY: Nok Air is resuming twice-weekly flights to Phuket from Bangkok following media reports of Phuket-bound tourists stranded in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

The Phuket Gazette's report as well as other media reports were used by the board in their decision making, Nok Air media and public relations representative Dechavut Vuttisilp told the Gazette.

The limited service, which resumes on August 9, is scheduled to operate on Saturdays and Sundays only. Flights depart from Don Muang airport in Bangkok to Phuket International Airport (PIA) at 9.15 am, with the return leg taking off from PIA at 11.05 am.

However, the Sunday flight for this week will be moved to Tuesday, August 12 to accommodate those wishing to enjoy Mother's Day in Phuket. For the rest of August the flights will be on Saturdays and Sundays.

Many Phuket-bound tourists who already faced limited flight options following the suspension of One-Two-Go's services on July 22 were stranded in Bangkok when Nok Air suspended its Bangkok-Phuket service on August 1. The move followed Nok Air's halt of its Krabi-Bangkok service on July 1.

At that time, Nok Air issued no official statement regarding its marketing strategies, but a source at the budget airline told the Gazette that people would be able to figure it out if they looked carefully at what the airline was doing.

Nok Air also suspended its loss-ridden Phuket-Haad Yai service November last year after a six-month trial period found there were not enough passengers to continue it. It now remains impossible to fly between the South's two major airports, which for decades had regularly-scheduled services.

Angry Finnish tourist Arto Tiitinen called from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on August 2 to inform the Gazette that many other irate Phuket-bound tourists were awaiting standby flights.

"I'm surprised that there are not extra flights; now my family must holiday elsewhere. I have no problem with money, it's just that there aren't any tickets to Phuket available for now at any price," he said, adding that he would instead take his family to Chiang Mai for a holiday.

The Gazette checked the AirAsia website that day, which showed that the airline's seven daily flights to Phuket from Suvarnabhumi were fully booked until Tuesday, August 5. Thai Airways continues to fly two or three flights daily to Phuket from Don Meuang and six flights a day from Suvarnabhumi.

Nok Air, which used Don Mueang International Airport as its main base, started operations in July 2004. Owned 39% by Thai Airways International, the low-cost carrier was set up to compete with the aggressive expansion of rival low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia.

As it celebrates its 4th anniversary, the carrier has also relaunched its "Nok Gives Life" project.

With "Nok Gives Life" the airline works to raise funds for the Cardiac Children Foundation of Thailand, established Under the Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana. Funds raised enable life-saving surgery and treatment for young heart patients.

Phuket, Thailand
19:07 local time (GMT +7

Non-specific link:
http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=6689

[GWR]

Nok Air submits restructuring plan to transport minister
BANGKOK, Aug 10 (TNA) -- Nok Air, a main Thai low cost airline, has submitted a financial restructuring programme to Transport Minister Santi Prompat after suffering losses amounting to some Bt114 million, according to CEO Patee Sarasin.

Mr. Patee said his airline had recently presented a reorganisation plan to the minister, citing major losses due to the soaring global oil prices which also affected all other airlines.

In a bid to reduce its losses, according to Mr. Patee, Nok Air has cut its daily flights to 20 from 70, reduced salaries of senior executives and some junior staff, and terminated the employment contracts of outsourced employees.

The airline executive said the actions were implemented a month ago, but have not yet produced tangible results, as the current falling oil prices would produce a result in September. At present, Nok Air passenger capacity is about 88-90 per cent per flight.

The airline started operations on July 23, 2004, and began its first international service to Bangalore, India, on May 31, 2007 on a daily basis but suspended operations to that route in November the same year, citing non-availability of aircraft and to allow service to other lucrative routes in Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam. (TNA)

Business News : Last Update : 14:20:04 10 August 2008 (GMT+7:00)
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=5678

[GWR]

Nok Air's operation improves after fares increase

(BangkokPost.com) - Nok Air has raised its fares because of the fluctuating fuel price, which is half of the airline’s operating cost, according to Nok Air’s CEO Patee Sarasin.

He said Nok Air has come up with a restructuring programme after experiencing major financial loss. The airline has lowered its number of flights from 70 to 20 flights per day, reduced the compensations of some of its staff, and dismissed a group of contract workers, the CEO said.

However, Mr Patee said the current situation is deemed acceptable and believed the low cost carriers in Thailand can survive only if they manage their operations carefully.

He said the low cost airlines would face greater problems and may go out of business, should the crude oil price move up to 170 US dollars per barrel. The current price is 116 US dollars a barrel.

Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=129624