Jet Airways fishes for World Cup traffic
February 19, 2010 by Rapeepat Mantanarat
Filed under News
Mumbai-based Jet Airways will start a new daily service, 14 April, to Johannesburg in South Africa. Passengers from Thailand will be able to connect with the new flight using the airline’s Bangkok-Mumbai service.
The airline’s CEO, Nikos Kardassis said: “South Africa’s reputation as a leading tourist and business destination and the fact that it will play host to the 2010 FIFA World Cup presents a huge opportunity for Jet Airways.”
Jet Airways will operate the Mumbai-Johannesburg route with an Airbus 330-200 aircraft, configured in two classes. It features 30 seats in business class and 190 seats in economy.
The airline’s South African service could potentially compete with Thai Airways International’s non-stop flight from Bangkok, scheduled to start 16 May.
While Jet Airways will fly daily, THAI will fly just four times a week, but it will be a non-stop service and Thai passengers will not need to take the precaution of having an Indian visa if the connection in Mumbai fails. The connecting time on the outbound trip is long at two and half hours, but just one and a half hours on the return journey.
Passengers from Thailand can catch the 9W’s night flight to Mumbai departing Bangkok at 2055 and arriving in Mumbai at 2340. The Johannesburg flight departs two hours and a half later at 0205 and arrives at 0735.
On the way back, the flight will depart Johannesburg at 1100, arriving in Mumbai at 2330 to connect with the Bangkok flight departing at 0110, and arriving on the following morning at 0705.
On its website, Jet Airways has already posted Bangkok-Johannesburg fares, via Mumbai, at Bt43,135, all inclusive during May. Thai Airways International has yet to announce its fare.
