Solar Air to fly Bangkok (Don Muang) Hua Hin route

[hhfarang]

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN, March 24 - Thai domestic airline Solar Air is opening a new route from Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport to the seaside resort of Hua Hin in this southern province, according to managing director Jirathit Aungaree.

He said the auspicious flight is set before the soon to come Thai new year, or 'Songkran Festival'.

A 19-seat twin engine propeller aircraft will be used. In the first phase, with four flights to be operated on Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends, with each flight costing at Bt2,700 (US$90), leaving Don Mueang Airport at 4pm and arriving the destination at 4.30pm. The return journey is at 5pm and arrives Bangkok at 5.30pm.

The new route will be convenience for travellers wishing to visit Hua Hin and its surrounding areas of Cha-Am, Pran Buri and Sam Roi Yot.

The target groups are foreign holiday travelers, businesspersons, Thai travellers, and civil servants.

Prachuap Khiri Khan Governor Weera Sreewattanatrakul said the route will enhance Hua Hin's image as an international destination. Currently, the various modes of transport to this resort town include travel by private cars, taxis, vans, bus, train, private jets and helicopter. (MCOT online news)

[PeteC]

Sounds like a good time for someone to set up a rent-a-car office at the airport. Pete

[Nereus]

Erm-I wonder how long this will survive.
......................................................................

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/avi ... muter-fray

Published: 23/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

Solar Air enters commuter fray

A new commuter airline, known as Solar Air, has emerged to take advantage of the inter-provincial air traffic opportunities left by the demise of PB Air in November last year.

Solar Air is owned by Solar Aviation, a four-partner firm chaired by politician and businessman Prachuab Chaisarn. It aims to take to the skies by the middle of next month.

The airline has procured four old Dornier DO-228s, twin-turboprop aircraft from the German manufacturer Dornier GmbH, to enable it to start scheduled flights from Don Mueang airport in Bangkok.

The first of the planes, each with 19 seats, is due for delivery by the end of this month, with the second scheduled in September and the third and fourth in December.

Solar Air bought the planes, with an average age of 20 years, from the German firm for US$1.3 million each, according to Jiratid Ong-Aree, managing director of Solar Aviation.

He said the carrier would initially start with flights to Roi Et and Mae Sot, before adding Nan and Lampang as additional aircraft arrive.

Its maiden flight will be to Roi Et on Aug 15, with four flights a week. By September, he said Solar Air would be able to operate the four planned routes.

There will be four flights a week to and from Mae Sot and Lampang, while the service to Nan will be three times a week.

All these routes were once served by PB Air, founded by Boon Rawd Brewery baron Piya Bhirom-Bhakdi, which had struggled for 19 years with an accumulated loss of 2 billion baht due to the poor business environment.

Other routes to Loei, Phetchabun, Phrae, Hua Hin and Chumphon are also on Solar Air's radar screen.

Solar Air will become the sole airline to serve Mae Sot, Nan and Roi Et. Bangkok Airways also has a service to Lampang, but it flies from Suvarnabhumi Airport with a stopover in Sukhothai.

Solar Air's passenger base will be primarily local business and government travellers. It has positioned itself as a full-service carrier offering on-board snack and beverage for passengers.

The airline currently has 30 employees including nine cockpit staff, some of them are undergoing training for the Dornier aircraft.

It plans to offer a promotional fare of 2,490 baht, one-way all inclusive, on the Bangkok-Roi Et route.

Mr Jiratid, 33, recently worked for Happy Air, a Phuket-based airline with just one leased Saab 340A turboprop with 34 seats which started service in October last year.

He was earlier involved with the launch of Air Phoenix whose services were suspended just months after its launch in early 2009 due to rising fuel costs.

[Meow]

With those prices and flying out of Don Muang(so no good connection for international travelers), it will survive Songkran period only..

[pharvey]

With those prices and flying out of Don Muang(so no good connection for international travelers), it will survive Songkran period only..

Nope, doesn't do much for me either - pity though, I'd have taken advantage of it from Suvarnabhumi, but Don Muang simply does not cater for the vast majority of international travellers.

[hhfarang]

Sounds like a good time for someone to set up a rent-a-car office at the airport. Pete

I was thinking about that too Pete and thought of an idea some enterprising Thai should try. Rental tuk tuks; Have a fleet of tuk tuks made up for rental in the smaller provincial airports like Roi Et and Loei. Not everyone can ride a bike and and even a small fleet of cars may be too expensive to leave sitting at these small airfields waiting for planes that only come two or three times a week, but some slightly customized rental tuk tuks may be perfect for rural towns.

[barrys]

Sounds like a good time for someone to set up a rent-a-car office at the airport. Pete

I was thinking about that too Pete and thought of an idea some enterprising Thai should try. Rental tuk tuks; Have a fleet of tuk tuks made up for rental in the smaller provincial airports like Roi Et and Loei. Not everyone can ride a bike and and even a small fleet of cars may be too expensive to leave sitting at these small airfields waiting for planes that only come two or three times a week, but some slightly customized rental tuk tuks may be perfect for rural towns.

Good idea in principle but ........

You need a special licence to drive a tuk tuk and, apparently, it's all but impossible for a farang to get one.
On top of that, they won't allow any more tuk tuks to be registered here.
We can't even get a road licence for our newly developed e-tuk tuk, which is totally eco-friendly !!!!!!

Sorry for straying off topic a bit ........

[Nereus]

I have flown into several provincial airports, and there is never a problem getting a local song toew into town. The local mafia has it well in hand!

[buksida]

3_solar_air_1.jpg (29.12 KiB) Viewed 2501 times

Thai domestic airline Solar Air is opening a new route from Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport to the seaside resort of Hua Hin in this southern province, according to managing director Jirathit Aungaree.

He said the auspicious flight is set before the soon to come Thai new year, or 'Songkran Festival'.

A 19-seat twin engine propeller aircraft will be used. In the first phase, with four flights to be operated on Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends, with each flight costing at Bt2,700, leaving Don Mueang Airport at 4pm and arriving the destination at 4.30pm. The return journey is at 5pm and arrives Bangkok at 5.30pm.

The new route will be convenience for travellers wishing to visit Hua Hin and its surrounding areas of Cha-Am, Pran Buri and Sam Roi Yot.

The target groups are foreign holiday travelers, businesspersons, Thai travellers, and civil servants.

Prachuap Khiri Khan Governor Weera Sreewattanatrakul said the route will enhance Hua Hin's image as an international destination. Currently, the various modes of transport to this resort town include travel by private cars, taxis, vans, bus, train, private jets and helicopter.

Source: MCOT

[jimmy40]

Just went to there website, and it still says future route Hua hin on it.....

[canthai]

Does anyone know if Solar Air will actually be flying to Hua Hin or not in the not to distant future?

[buksida]

Try calling them, the website hasn't changed - but we know these companies are usually lax with updating websites: http://www.solarair.co.th/solar-aviatio ... lt_en.aspx