Myanmar Airways International riperenderà la tratta Bangkok-Singapore

BANGKOK, 1 October 2012: Myanmar Airways International will resume its Bangkok-Singapore service from 28 October and is relying on a fare discount to draw passengers back to its services.
The deal, inclusive of taxes and surcharges, is Bt8,100 with 14 days validity. The sale period will end 16 November, while the actual travel period runs from 28 October to 31 December.
Cathay Pacific sells its lowest fare at Bt 8,630, THAI pegs its best fare at Bt11,370, while Scoot, the low-cost version of Singapore Airlines, undercuts everything in the sky with a Bt3,900 bare-bones offer with no in-flight meal, or baggage allowance.
MAI’s Bangkok services were suspended, 18 April, last year, due to an imbalance in traffic according to claims by the airline. In laymen’s language that means it was losing its shirt on the route, possibly for failing to tap the Singapore travel agents market.
Most of its problems were due to  heavy fare discounting on the Singapore to Bangkok route where competition was tough mainly to attract Singaporean tourists on shopping expeditions to the Thai capital. Leisure traffic out of Bangkok to Singapore was positive for the airline, but it was not enough to sustain a profitable two-way service.
MAI will operate a 148-seat Airbus A320 in one configuration and serve the route with a single daily service. This could be a downside especially for business travellers, who can make day-trip to Bangkok if they select their airlines carefully.
Other carriers, both full-service and low-cost, operate multi daily services.
Cathay Pacific Airways is the only other airline limited to a single day service on the Singapore route from Bangkok.
MAI will depart Bangkok at 1145 and arrive in Singapore at 1500. The return flight will depart at 1615 and arrive in Bangkok at 1730.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways, which operates the same frequency, sells its lowest fare, EcoSuperSaver at Bt8,630, about Bt500 more than MAI’s.
The CX flight departs Bangkok later at 1245 and returns earlier at 1400. Cathay sells a business class seat at Bt13,415, which is far less than those of Thai Airways International and Singapore Airlines.
Thai Airways International operates 32 flights a week — four daily flights plus four-weekly flight. It pitches online fares from Bt11,370 for an economy class seat and Bt22,600 for a business class seat.
Singapore Airlines has even more frequency — five daily flights quotes slightly higher fares at Bt12,315, but it has a Sweet Deal for two persons travelling together at Bt18,620 for two or down to Bt9,310 per person. The business class fare is double the CX’s quote at Bt26,775.
Also, there are abundant low-cost services, but with serious restrictions or additional costs on luggage. (A downside as most leisure travellers to Singapore are compulsive shoppers).
Thai AirAsia with five daily flights, currently quotes regular fares from around Bt5,380 with only carry-on baggage, while Jetstar, three daily flights, sells from Bt4,600 and Tiger Airways, five daily flights, from around Bt4,000.
The latest player, Scoot, SingaporeAirlines’ low-cost subsidiary quotes fares at Bt3,900 for seat and carry-on baggage; Bt4,550 with checked baggage and Bt5,300 with a meal. The carrier also sells ScootBiz fare, which is similar to the full-service carriers’ economy class at Bt7,380. The carrier only operates one daily service.
On the Phuket-Singapore route the options are: Thai AirSia (daily, from Bt5,000); Jetstar (three daily, from Bt3,200); Tiger Airways ( one to three daily flights depending on days, from Bt3,900) and Silk Air (four daily, from Bt7,970).
From Samui, Bangkok Airways and Silk Air, both have a daily service. PG sells fares from Bt13,630, while the latter is slightly cheaper at Bt12,680
Only Silk Air operates flights from Chiang Mai (daily, from Bt10,280), while Tiger Airways is the sole operator on the Hat Yai-Singapore and Krabi-Singapore routes (both daily service selling from Bt3,400 and Bt3,600 respectively).
All fares are inclusive of taxes and surcharges and are subject to change due to currency fluctuation and subject to availability.