THAILAND TRAVEL NEWS: As many people know, Thailand is affectionately known world-wide as the Land of Smiles, or simply LOS, and the country’s latest airline follows that theme with its moniker of Happy Airways.

Happy Airways will commence operation between the resort island of Phuket and Hat Yai on October 26, followed by daily services between Phuket and Langkawi, and Hat Yai and Langkawi commencing on October 29.

Operated by Happy Air Travellers, the new airline will commence operation with two leased Saab 340A turboprop aircraft capable of carrying 34 passengers each.

The one-way, all-inclusive fare for the Phuket to Hat Yai sector will be Bt2,300 (about $US68), with the flight taking about one hour. The alternative by road generally takes about seven hours.

The Phuket to Langkawi sector will cost Bt3,500 (about $US104), while the Hat Yai-Langkawi fare will be Bt2,100 (about $US63).

Phatcharapon Sontipun, sales and marketing manager at Happy Airways, said the company’s research led it to believe there was sufficient demand for the sectors, with as few as 20 passengers per flight required to operate a profitable service.

In November 2007 Nok Air suspended its Hat Yai to Phuket service after failing to attract sufficient passengers for the 150-seat Boeing 737 jet aircraft it operated on the flight.

However, Mr Phatcharapon said “our studies show that about 40 to 60 people will fly the route daily which correspond to our Saab 340A’s capacity”.

Happy Airways is also currently examining other flight sectors, including opening a new service from its Phuket base to the Indonesian island of Medan.

By John Le Fevre

Thailand Travel News for October 5, 2009