Lufthansa considering routes to Burma, Laos, Cambodia
Lufthansa German Airlines is studying the feasibility of opening routes to Burma, Laos and Cambodia by using Thailand as a hub after those three countries started opening their doors for foreign investment.
However, Dirk Grossmann, Lufthansa’s general manager for passenger sales in Thailand, said it was too early to know when would be the right time to do this. The airline needs more time to make sure that the development of those nations is stable, both economically and politically.
Most important, there should be a steady flow of both inbound and outbound passengers, not just foreign arrivals.
Grossmann, 47, was promoted as a key executive in November to look after Southeast Asia including Thailand, Burma, Laos and Cambodia. Lufthansa regards Southeast Asia as one of its important markets.
He said Southeast Asia showed big business potential driven by economic development. Especially in Thailand, the evidence is clear that there is room for a lot of hotels to be opened. Multinational companies have started coming here |to set up their office bases. Also, the outlook for the tourism industry is optimistic, especially with |an influx of businesspeople. These are business opportunities for Lufthansa, which wants to grow in line with the development of the country.
From Bangkok, Lufthansa operates daily non-stop flights to Frankfurt. Also, there are four weekly onward flights to and from Kuala Lumpur and three a week to and from Ho Chi Minh City.
Given that Thailand is an important market, Grossmann plans to differentiate his airline’s service from rivals’. Yesterday, the firm launched an in-flight initiative, the Star Chefs programme, for first- and business-class passengers travelling to Frankfurt from Bangkok or Singapore. It offers a menu by award-winning chef Leonardo Concezzi, who works with the St Regis Hotel in Bangkok.
On board, the firm also plans to increase the number of Thai crew from two or three currently to four or five on the flight from Bangkok to make passengers feel in touch with Asian culture and Thai smiling service. Currently, the airline employs 85 Thai flight attendants.
Grossmann acknowledged that the aviation industry in Asia had seen fierce competition. However, the firm is confident of its survival through on-board service quality and route connections. Importantly, he said, the firm has had a foothold in Thailand for 50 years and understands what Thais want.
Currently, Lufthansa German Airlines is part of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, which also operates Swiss International Air Lines and Austrian Airlines.
