bertheike

I remember last year we flew with TG to Maccau, actually I can not find anymore flights with TG to MFM, only Air Asia FD ( but them now fly 4 services per day ! ) Why TG not could fill 1 aircraft and FD can establish 4 ?

TPJ

IIRC they only had code-shares with Air Macau... I do not recall TG metal operating to MFM.

jimyvr

THAI Smile plans to start BKK MFM operation as early as 01JUL12, currently planning 2 daily flights.

Aussie_flyer

I do believe your memory must be wrong.

Marah

Confirmed - Macau has never been a TG route. The only terminated TG metal destinations in the PRC/Taiwan are Jinghong and Kaohsiung.

bertheike

I almost sure we booked an *aliance award which was .....BKK-MFM (Maccau) // HKG-HKT-BKK-......
But may be Iam wrong.
But anyhow, I wonder that Air Asia can fill 4 planes per day, and TG is not present on this route ?
This "new" airline Thai smile, will it be part of TG ? belong to *aliance ?
If not, this will be very bad for *aliance award bookings ( same like SILK AIR with SQ ). This is not the sense of an aliance. Why airlines open new airlines and outsource flights ? TG already did with NOKair a few years ago.

Aussie_flyer

Itll be in star alliance with TG flight numbers from what I can tell. It's like Qantas operating fully owned subsidiary Jetconnect for trans-tasman flights, makes their costs lower but basically operates as Qantas

eponymous_coward

Looks like all-economy and the flights are showing in ANA for MFM (and soon after for KBV, and even later for HKT).

This isn't a bad idea, to go to an LCC+ model for shorter flights...

Aussie_flyer

particularly for those places which are mostly holiday makers rather than business folk.

eponymous_coward

Yeah, that was what I was thinking too. Though I imagine they might have one or two HKT/etc. widebody flights just to help out with parking too many birds at BKK.

Creole Spirit

Yes, Thai Smile is supposed to be fully integrated into TG's other produces.
But see below this very interesting article concerning expected overcapacity on that route:

Thai AirAsia, Thai Smile tussle over Macau route
(Published: 28/04/2012 in Bangkok Post)
Just when Thai Airways International was staging the launch of its new budget offshoot Thai Smile at Siam Paragon shopping centre yesterday afternoon, low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia introduced its own lively marketing offensive in the neighbourhood to steal its thunder.
Thai AirAsia offers free rides around Ratchaprasong to upstage Thai Smile.
While Thai Smile paraded its shapely cabin attendants in tight orange uniforms, Thai AirAsia offered free chauffeur-driven rides on 15 Toyota Camrys to eight landmarks in the area including CentralWorld and Chamchuri Square. The cars were painted with the airline's red and white livery.
Thai AirAsia's gimmick was to promote heavily discounted fares on one of its most lucrative routes - Bangkok-Macau - to take the initiative ahead of Thai Smile's liftoff on July 7.
Thai AirAsia is moving to protect the Bangkok-Macau route, where it dominates, since Thai Smile chose the same flight for its launch.
The leading local budget carrier is offering 10,000 seats from 1,650 baht net one-way, compared to Thai Smile's current lowest offering of 3,365 baht, one-way.
Its travel division, AirAsia Go, also offers a three-day two-night package including return air ticket, two nights accommodation and taxes for 5,919 baht, as part of the market offensive.
Price has been at the heart of Thai AirAsia's rise to market dominance, and it is using it to "teach a lesson or two" to Thai Smile in the same way it forced Bangkok Airways, the full-service airline, out of the Bangkok-Macau route in 2009, said an industry analyst.
Thai AirAsia offers four daily flights on its A320 jetliners (180 seats) on the non-stop Bangkok-Macau route. Its only competitor is the full-service Air Macau, which has twice-daily flights.
Thai Smile, which will offer more services than a budget airline, plans to offer two flights a day on the route.
Thai AirAsia chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld said yesterday the frequent flights, low prices and a completely new fleet all make the airline confident it is the best choice.
A Thai AirAsia official, who asked not to be named, said the airline has other "tactical marketing campaigns" up its sleeves to address Thai Smile's launch.

NW-A332

I have a Star Alliance award reservation with a segment on Thai Smile from BKK to MFM in August. It shows a TG number only and nothing that says it is Thai Smile, although I know that it definitely is Thai Smile because it shows an A320.

gradsflyer

In an article a month or two back that I can't find right now, in an interview with the director of the Thai Smile sub brand it was indicated that while service will be all Y, the front section of the cabin will be a light premium service with more perks than the rest of the aircraft. This was at least in terms of soft product, though I think it indicated there may even be some sort of physical divide between the cabin sections. It was unclear however in what way bookings would differ or if all bookings and pricing might be the same with either buy-ups or the front section being prioritized for ROP and *A status.

Creole Spirit

This soft "light" premium product will be branded "Smile Plus", offering a similar seating concept as LH and other European carriers do by leaving the middle seat empty in their front cabins. A complimentary hot meal and (limited) selection of drinks plus 30 KG free baggage allowance and a certain lounge access are also in the package, while newspapers and mags and other free-bees are taken off.
Nothing special, but a little bit more for the prestige

IAN-UK

... and considerably more for the airline's operating cost side of the equation.