Stay updated even on air

Thai Airways has introduced Live TV and Wi-Fi on selected flights to help travellers remain abreast of the latest news and developments while on board. The airline also has high hopes from the Indian market.

Karishma Khanna from Bangkok

The new Live TV on board is only available in some of the aircraft, especially the long-haul ones, informs Viset Sontichai, Director—Indian Subcontinent Department – Commercial, Thai Airways. The facility is available on the European, Australian and New Zealand routes. Passengers from India connect the flight from Bangkok to Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

Touted as a unique technology, the Live TV on board helps the traveller to understand what’s happening round the world in real-time and enables passengers to watch broadcast television programmes, such as news channels and sports competitions. Speaking on how it would enhance the experience of passengers on board, Sontichai explains, “If a businessman wants to know about the world stock market, he can instantly check out the updates. He can also find out the world gold price or the world oil price in real-time. Even during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, everyone could enjoy it in real-time.”

We have introduced W-Fi technology and a new aircraft. We usually operate Boeing 787 in Delhi on the late-night flight. We hope to increase the frequency to Delhi and Mumbai in the future

Sontichai was also vocal about the Indian market. “We have introduced W-Fi technology and a new aircraft. We usually operate Boeing 787 in Delhi on the late-night flight at 3:00 am in the morning. But since there was a problem with the 787, we have withdrawn it and replaced with Boeing 207. I believe, in near future we can increase the frequency to Delhi and Mumbai. As our latest addition to our fleet, we will operate our brand-new aircraft Boeing 350 to India and it includes the Live TV and Wi-Fi,” he said.

Thai Airways has set targets for this year in the India market. “The target for India is 20 per cent compared to the previous year. That means that in the key cities, we can increase more frequency,” Sontichai said. The airline is however planning to start new routes in Tier-II cities of Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Kochi and Guwahati. In the last one year, the airline had approximately only 5 per cent of passenger increase from the Indian market.