AirAsia cuts Colombo flights
June 8, 2012 by TTRweekly Staff
Filed under Aviation, News
BANGKOK, 8 June 2012: Thai AirAsia will reduce flights to Colombo from 14 June to shift capacity to routes that have higher traffic demand.
The carrier will reduce the current daily flight, from Bangkok to Colombo, to three a week from 14 June, due to low traffic pick-up than it expected and requires to sustain a daily service
The carrier launched the service, 1 March, this year and its decision to reduce service indicates that interest in travel to Sri Lanka in the Thailand market is not as high as was anticipated.
Thai AirAsia CEO, Tassapon Bijleveld said: “We aim to add more flights to our popular routes that have high demand.”
Passengers who purchased tickets for travel after 13 June can contact the AirAsia call centre at 02 515 9999 for a full refund or flight change.
Currently, there are three airlines serving the Bangkok – Colombo route offering nonstop services – Thai Airways International (thrice weekly), Sri Lankan Airlines (twice daily) and Cathay Pacific Airways (thrice weekly).
Air Asia flights on the CMB-BKK route would be more popular if they re-sheduled the flight times.
Presently the flight to BKK leaves around 0900hrs and arrives there arond 1430 and the flight to CMB from BKK leaves around 0800 or0900 hrs which means the passengers have to check out of their Hotels around 0500 hrs which results in spending for the room fot that night. Also on day of arrival hardly anything can be done as its around 1630 hrs when one gets into the BKK city.
All other carriers have flights that arrive in BKK between 0600 and 0700 hrs. The departures from BKK are usually between 2000 hrs and 2300 hrs BKK time.
Quote – ” BKK leaves around 0800 or0900 hrs which means the passengers have to check out of their Hotels around 0500 hrs which results in spending for the room fot that night. ”
which means that we have to awake at 400am….
now try to find a Taxi at 500am….I spent more than 45 minutes on a major road….trying to get a taxi willing to take me to airport at that hour…
taxi charge is more than DOUBLE….
actually,….now I remember…
BKK – CMB flight left BKK at 715am….
I had to be at check in about 515am…
was in hotel reception at 415am…to check out…
hotel unable to get a taxi…waited outside on road….
in a panic…the few taxi’s out were not interested in going to BKK…
I fly AirAsia alot within Asia…
but never again….BKK-CMB-BKK…
unless AirAsia change flight times…
to late mornings / afternoon/ evening flights
It will be very useful to srilanken when we compare with other airlines.