BANGKOK, 26 October 2023: Thai Airways International warned Facebook fans earlier this week that scammers are faking the airline’s Corporate Communications Facebook page. 

“Don’t be fooled, don’t transfer, don’t share and check the likes and follows displayed, says the airline, noting that the genuine THAI Corporate Communications Facebook has 9.3k likes and 15k followers (as of 23 October), while the fake version has more – 51k likes and another 51k follows.

The airline explains that THAI Corporate Communication’s real page URL is THAI Corporate Communications, so if you see pages using other URLs, assume that they are all fake pages.

The airline has already reported the case to the authorities, but be aware the fraudsters have created fake content, adding posts on job recruitment designed to scam money off the unsuspecting. There are even news reports imitating real pages to build credibility.

Having gone through all the trouble of faking the page, the scammers hope to fool us into parting with cash through an online payment for an imaginary service or job application scheme cleverly disguised as coming from the airline. As the airline advises, flee the page fast; no shares, no transfers, no regrets.

BANGKOK, 26 October 2023: Asia Aviation Plc announced operating statistics for the third quarter of the financial year 2023 (3Q2023) this week, showing Thai AirAsia served 4.6 million passengers (Domestic 2.7 million passengers and international 1.8 million passengers).  

The owning company of TAA confirmed the airline strongly performed with a 93% passenger load factor during the third quarter, while

internationally, TAA represented 83% compared to 3Q2019. By the end of the third quarter, the airline operated 46 aircraft out of a total fleet of 54.

In the third quarter of 2023, the tourism industry in Thailand remained resilient, welcoming approximately 7 million international arrivals compared to 6.5 million each seen in the first and second quarters of the year. 

Thai AirAsia demonstrated substantial year-on-year progress, carrying 4.6 million domestic passengers, a 65% increase compared to 3Q2022 and a recovery of 86% t compared to 3Q2019. This was supported by the operation of 5.1 million seats in total capacity, representing a 78% recovery compared to 3Q2019 (pre-Covid).

Internationally, TAA saw a steady improvement, with 1.8 million passengers transported in 3Q2023, representing an 83% recovery compared to 3Q2019. This resurgence was primarily driven by the resumption of flights to East Asia, particularly  China. Passengers on flights to and from China continued to rebound, with 349,000 passengers carried in 3Q2023, an 8% increase from the preceding quarter (2Q2023). 

TAA optimised flights to China, ending the quarter at 71 flights a week, resulting in an improved load factor of 87%, up from 74% in 2Q2023. Furthermore, during this quarter, TAA reintroduced previously suspended routes and expanded its network by adding new routes, such as Chiang Mai to Macau and Don Mueang to Colombo (Sri Lanka). Overall, capacity flown to Hong Kong and Macau increased by 22% from 2Q2023 due to enhanced resources at local airports and travel demand.

Since China reopened in January this year, Thailand has welcomed 2.5 million Chinese tourists. The visa-free measure for Chinese tourists (effective from 25 September 2023 to 29 February 2024) should speed up the recovery of Chinese inbound tourists to Thailand. However, the Bangkok shopping mall killing has impacted arrivals from China due to security concerns. 

In the fourth quarter of 2023, TAA plans to capture the high seasonal demand by introducing additional routes to Ahmedabad and Guwahati in India while increasing the frequency of flights on existing routes, especially in the domestic market.

(1) Number of earned seats flown; earned seats comprise seats sold to passengers, including no-shows

(2) Number of seats flown

(3) Number of passengers carried as a percentage of capacity

(4) Available seat kilometres (ASK) measures an airline’s passenger capacity and is calculated from the total seats flown multiplied by the number of kilometres flown.

(5) Revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) measures passenger volume carried by an airline and is calculated from the number of passengers multiplied by the number of kilometres these passengers have flown.

(6) Number of flights flown.

(7) Number of total aircraft at quarter end.

STOCKHOLM, 26 October 2023: TripStack, a travel technology solutions provider and a member of Etraveli Group (ETG), is launching a Self-Connect product for airlines, also known as Virtual Interlining and has picked up Thailand-based subscriber Nok Air.

Self-Connect, or Virtual Interlining (VI), combines flights from the retailing airline with other carriers to create itineraries seamlessly serving a set of destinations worldwide. The concept allows airlines to expand their network by offering customers additional travel destinations they do not directly service.

Nok Air, a domestic airline in Thailand, has leveraged TripStack’s Self-Connect solution and recently announced the launch of a new service called “NokGo”. 

“We are excited to announce our partnership with TripStack, providing our Nok Air passengers with more flexible travel options worldwide. With this new platform, we can take flight connectivity to the next level for our passengers by offering them more flights to more destinations,” said NokAir chief executive officer Wutthiphum Jurangkool.

TripStack CEO Gabor Toth emphasised the significance of this collaboration:
”We look forward to further collaborating with Nok Air, expanding their service, and providing Nok Air with new commercial opportunities.”

As Virtual Interlining for airlines gains momentum in the industry, TripStack anticipates that more airlines will recognise the unique benefits of the Self-Connect solution to enhance their offerings and strengthen their competitiveness in the global aviation market.

TripStack identifies key features picked up by Nok Air as part of the collaboration.

• Expanded Network: Airlines can offer tickets to a wide range of destinations, even in regions where they do not operate flights, expanding their global reach using TripStack and Etraveli Groups air content capabilities.

• Seamless Booking Experience: Customers can book flights to multiple destinations in a single transaction across numerous payment options, making travel planning more convenient and efficient.

• Increased Revenue: Airlines can boost their revenue by further monetising traffic on their website and earning additional revenues from TripStack.

• Integrated customer service: TripStack provides worldwide customer support in multiple languages.

• TripStack Technology: Sophisticated flight itinerary analysis searches through billions of flight options to offer the best air content in the market (a combination of shortest duration and lowest priced) itineraries.

• Guarantee: TripStack and ETG offer a Self-Connect Guarantee to protect passengers in the event of delays, disruptions, or cancellations, ensuring a hassle-free journey.

About TripStack

TripStack, founded in 2016, is a global leader in Airline Integrations and Virtual Interlining (VI) technology. Virtual Interlining, also known as Self-Connect, seamlessly combines carriers without traditional interlining agreements into a single itinerary. Based in Canada, India, and Poland, TripStack is part of Etraveli Group. www.tripstack.com

About Etraveli Group (ETG)

Headquartered in Sweden, ETG is a global technology provider for flight content delivered through flexible tech solutions. The company caters to over 30 million flight passengers annually in 75 markets worldwide. 

About Nok Air

Nok Air is home-based at Bangkok Don Mueang International Airport. It operates Boeing 737-800 aircraft on domestic and regional flights, including routes to India and China.