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#241
17-09-2007, 09:37 AM
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Ill-fated One-Two-Go aircraft not covered by local insurance
Report from The Nation dated Monday 17 September 2007 :-
Ill-fated One-Two-Go aircraft not covered by local insurance The One-Two-Go McDonnell Douglas MD 82 that crashed in Phuket on Sunday was not covered by local insurance, said Chantra Purnariksha, the head of the Office of the Insurance Commission. Chantra said it is not yet known whether the aircraft, which was leased by OneTwoGo from a foreign company, is covered by foreign insurance or not, something that the insurance commission still needs to find out. However, airline companies normally buy insurance to cover both the aircraft in operation and passengers. Chantra said foreign passengers usually have their own life and accident insurance, but Thai passengers, who are now being treated at local hospitals, will be able to get compensation from OneTwoGo, which will have to pay hospital bills immediately. The airline can claim those costs from its foreign insurers later. Chantra said that the General Insurance Association had confirmed that OneTwoGo did not have local insurance for the MD 82 that crashed. He added that he will try to find out whether the foreign owner of the MD 82, which had leased it to OneTwoGo, had insurance for the aircraft. Relatives of the deceased from the accident seeking to claim damages from the provincial insurance office can call 1122 for further information. Payment and compensation will only be delivered after DNA verification checks have been conducted. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork 
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#242
17-09-2007, 09:42 AM
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Slide show of the One-Two-Go tragedy
Report from The Nation dated Monday 17 September 2007 :-
Slide show of the One-Two-Go tragedy Watch the slide show of pictures from the accident scene :- http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007...s_30049147.php
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#243
17-09-2007, 10:01 AM
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Re: Plane breaks in two after crash at Phuket Airport
Quote:
It was reported later [about a few months] that the ATC [air traffic controller] who was the culprit to have allowed the Thai Airways to land; was killed in a road accident [apparently hunted down by those who had departed in the aircrash  ]
__________________
RETIRED 
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#244
17-09-2007, 10:06 AM
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Re: Slide show of the One-Two-Go tragedy
Quote:
 but not to be treated by them under such circumstances lah.
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RETIRED
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#245
18-09-2007, 09:49 AM
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Phuket Crash Kills 89
Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 18 September 2007 :-
PHUKET CRASH KILLS 89 A One-Two-Go Airlines passenger jet with 130 people aboard crashed and burned while landing at Phuket Airport in foul weather Sunday afternoon. The death toll rose to 89 on Monday with confirmation that both the Indonesian pilot and Thai co-pilot died. There were at least 42 survivors, including 11 Thais, six Irish nationals, six Britons, three Australians, three Iranians, two Swedes, one German and a Dutch national. They were admitted to various Phuket hospitals. "Five are in critical condition. Some have burns to 60 percent of their body," Bangkok Phuket hospital coordinator Piyannooch Anantakdee told the Reuters news agency. The pilot was said to be among the survivors, leading to a statement by Phuket deputy governor Vorapot Rajsima that 88 people were confirmed dead. On Monday, the airline said the pilot had died along with most of the passengers in the front part of the MD-82, a twin-engined jet evolution of the popular DC9 workhorse. However, the toll seemed likely to rise further, with an announcement on Monday that seven passengers still were missing and presumed to have perished in the burned-out fuselage. "We are deeply sorry about all the losses that have happened," said Dalad Tantiprasongchai, daughter of the Orient-Thai Airlines chairman which owns One-Two-Go, reading from a prepared statement. "We are doing our best to investigate and are working help the remaining survivors and families and relatives to get through this as quickly as they can." "Nearly half the passengers were foreign tourists," said one survivor, Nong Khaonuan. In a TV interview, he said. "I've flown on many airplanes before and I can say there was something strange about our landing. We seemed to drop down too fast." There was hope that many survived after TiTV showed two foreigners being carried away to local hospital. But the fire that ripped through the crashed aircraft apparently claimed dozens of lives. The MD82 plane of the budget airline skidded off the runway after landing on a flight from Don Muang airport in Bangkok, and crashed into trees, bursting into fire. "The fire was throughout the airplane," said Phuket Deputy Governor Worraphot Ratsrimaa. "We expect that at least 90 per cent of the passengers died." "The plane was landing and slid off the runway. We are rescuing people and carrying injured people to hospitals," said Pol Lt Sokchai Limcharoen, a police officer in the area in an early report. Chaisak Angsuwan, director general of the Air Transport Authority of Thailand said the aircraft broke in two as it attempted to land at Phuket airport in bad weather. Chaisak said that there was heavy rain when flight OG269 of parent Orient Thai Airways traveling from Bangkok's Don Muang airport to Phuket attempted to make a landing. Planes in both Orient Thai and One-Two-Go livery use the OG flight identifier. "The visibility was poor as the pilot attempted to land. He decided to make a go-around but the plane lost balance and crashed,". he said. "The plane then fell onto the runway and broke into two. It is expected that there will be deaths. "The airplane asked to land but due to the weather in Phuket -strong wind and heavy rain -maybe the pilot did not see the runway clearly," said Chaisak. Witnesses said the airline was using its usual MD-82 twin-engine passenger jet aircraft, a model of the McDonnell-Douglas DC9. One-Two-Go owned seven such planes, which it used for frequent flights around Thailand, including six each day from Bangkok to Phuket and return. Airport officials and rescue workers are still working to help the victims from the plane which caught fire after it crashlanded and skidded off the runway. Authorities said there were 123 passengers and five crew members on board when the plane crashed at about 3:35pm Sunday afternoon. Weather in Phuket has been bad for several days, with thunderstorms and high wind gusts at times. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#246
18-09-2007, 09:51 AM
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Wind shear is top crash suspect
Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 18 september 2007 :-
Wind shear is top crash suspect According to a transcript of the conversation between the control tower and the plane, ground officials informed the Indonesian pilot, Arief Mulyadi, about wind shear at the airport, a senior official has said. The director general of the Air Transport Department, Chaisak Ungsuwan, said in a local TV intereview that the pilot decided to land anyway. "The last word the pilot said was 'landing'," said Mr Chaisak, who was one of the first senior officials to arrive at the crash scene on Sunday afternoon. Wind shear - a sudden change in either wind speed or direction in an aircraft's flight path - can destabilise a plane, as pilots compensate for the condition, which can then suddenly disappear and put the aircraft out of control. Phuket International Airport has no instruments which can pinpoint windshear, unlike many advanced airports including Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang in Bangkok, where the flight originated. The head of the airline involved in the crash agreed that wind shear is a prime suspect as the cause of the crash of One-Two-Go Airlines flight OG268. "It is possible that the plane crash was caused by wind shear," Kajit Habnanonda, president of Orient-Thai Airlines, which owns One-Two-Go. In addition, heavy rains could have contributed to the plane skidding off the runway. Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen cautioned that it was still to early to know what caused the crash of the McDonnell Douglas MD-82. "The officials have found the black boxes and will send them for analysis to the United States," he said. "Hopefully, we will learn in a few weeks the cause of the accident." Actually, it is more likely to take several months to a year. According to an AP report, aviation expert Tom Ballantyne, chief correspondent for Orient Aviation magazine, said the pilot had reportedly asked to abandon the landing and circle around again because he could not see the runway, but the plane was already too low. "It was hit by wind shear or strong winds and he didn't have time to react," he said. Ballantyne added that the bigger question was whether the airport should have been allowing planes to land in such weather. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#247
18-09-2007, 09:57 AM
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Probe looks at human error
Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 18 September 2007 :-
Probe looks at human error - Role of air traffic controllers and I'nesian pilot under scrutiny The role of the Indonesian pilot and air traffic controllers during the heavy rainstorm prior to the crash of flight OG 269 at Phuket Airport on Sunday came under intense scrutiny yesterday as authorities began their investigation into the tragedy that claimed 89 lives. Initial assessments pointed to a possible misjudgement by the pilot as a major cause of the crash. However the real cause would be determined by the two black box flight recorders which will be sent to the United States for analysis in the nest two days. Chaisak Angsuwan, director-general of the Air Transport Department, said the voice and flight data recorders of the One-Two-Go OG 269 flight were dug out of the charred debris of the plane yesterday. He expected the results of the analysis from the US would be available within next week. The Transportation Ministry yesterday also set up an investigative team to find the cause of the accident which claimed 89 lives, including 55 foreigners. "The objective is to seek the real reason and to prevent it happening again," said Chaisak, who is also deputy chairman of the investigative team. The OG 269 was carrying 123 passengers and seven crew, including the pilot and co-pilot, from Bangkok to Phuket when it slammed into the runway in driving wind and rain. The plane then caught fire and engulfed most of the passengers in flames. A source at the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai), which oversees air traffic control in the country, said the traffic controllers at Phuket International Airport had informed the pilot about the bad weather conditions. "The final decision on whether to land was made by the pilot, we only gave him the conditions," said the source who asked not to be named. According to the source, besides the heavy rain and bad visibility, there was 30-knot crosswind at the airport at the very moment the plane attempted to landing. "It was a very strong crosswind. The pilot should not have landed," said the source. The bad weather conditions in Phuket on Sunday were confirmed by the Meteorological Department. Chamnong Jitphakdee, director of southern meteorological office, who said that Phuket was affected by severe storms around 3pm and he had to update the traffic control tower every 30 minutes. Chaisak, who is also chairman of Aerothai, reckoned the pilot of OG 269 might have thought the landing would not a problem as another aircraft, also belonging to Orient Thai airlines, had landed just minutes before. Chaisak said he was informed the OG 269 pilot had tried to land twice. On the second attempt, he said, the pilot again informed air traffic control that he would go round again. "It happened very fast. Just minutes after he talked to the traffic controllers, the plane crashed as it lost balance and the fuselage tilted to the right," said Chaisak, adding that the landing gear "was not down" when it crashed heavily on the runway. However, some passengers said the landing gear was lowered to prepare for landing because the plane had skidded off the runway. Some witnesses said they heard a series of explosions before the plane crashed. Chaisak admitted that he heard a conversation between the pilot and air traffic controllers which was recorded by air traffic controllers. However, he hadn't released the recording, saying there was "nothing special" about the conversation. "It was just normal conversation that every pilot has when talking to air traffic controllers before landing," he said. Udom Tantiprasongchai, founder and chairman of Orient Thai Airlines, which own One-Two-Go, said it was too early to point the finger at the pilot. "He is chief of the One-Two-Go's pilots with long term experience flying passenger planes," he said referred to the Indonesian pilot "Ariff", as many Indonesians use only one name. Udom said all parties should wait for the results of the black boxes. "I've heard someone questions about why we use an Indonesian pilot. I beg you all not to focus on the nationality of any pilot. The most important thing is their skill and experience," he said. Ariff, an experienced passenger pilot with several Indonesian airlines, had reportedly worked with One-Two-go for almost three years and had flown to Phuket many times, said Udom. A source from Aerothai said all air traffic controllers stationed at Phuket airport when the crash took place have been temporarily moved to ground staff positions. "From the control tower they saw everything and broke into tears the moment the plane crashed," said the source. Kanit Phromsatit, a pilot with THAI Airways, said the judgement of a pilot when landing in bad weather condition was crucial and admitted that Phuket Airport was a difficult place to land being encircled by mountains. "The plane had been is use for 12 years. Normally, any plane should have at least 15 years good service," he said. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#248
18-09-2007, 10:03 AM
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Survivors say crew gave no warning
Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 18 September 2007 :-
Survivors say crew gave no warning - One man credits quick reactions for survival, another vows never to fly Revealing the critical moments before a One-Two-Go airliner crashed into the runway of Phuket International Airport on Sunday, a Phang Nga native said he and his girlfriend survived only because he thought quickly about what to do. Chatree Suksawas, 26, who was taking his Canadian girlfriend, Mildred Anne Furlong, to visit his family in Phang Nga, was the first passenger to kick the emergency door open moments after the crash. The couple was among 41 survivors of Flight OG269 from Bangkok. Eighty-nine others died, most of them foreign tourists from the United States, Europe, Australia, Iran and Israel. From his hospital bed, Chatree said there was no warning from the pilot. It appeared that the pilot wanted the passengers to believe that the situation was under control, he said. However, Chatree sensed something was wrong as the plane came in to land during a heavy storm. He felt the plane hit the ground hard, causing it to bounce violently before sliding to the left and crashing into an earthen wall that tore off the left wing. "I saw flames from the front of the plane and me and my girlfriend took off our seatbelts. We ran to the mid-plane emergency door, which I kicked open, and we jumped out. Looking back, we saw the plane was on fire. Although we narrowly escaped, we could imagine how much grief and loss there would be afterwards," Chatree said. Chatree and Furlong, 23, suffered slight injuries. He said that after they were admitted to Krungthep Phuket Hospital, One-Two-Go airline officials informed them the airline would cover their medical bills. "It will take us a while before we board a plane again," he added. As Chatree's parents rushed to Phuket yesterday, Chatree said he was grateful to be able to perform the Thai tradition of bowing down and touching their feet in a sign of respect. "I felt like I almost died; I didn't know if I would ever be able to greet them like this again," he said. Furlong said the journey from Bangkok went well until the landing, when it felt like the plane was diving and the pilot was trying to pull up. Surviving was unbelievable because everything happened so fast, she said. Other survivors said the plane landed hard and went out of control. "You could tell we were in trouble because it landed then came up [off the tarmac] a second time," said John Gerard O'Donnell from Ireland, who was speaking from his hospital bed. "I came out on the wing of the plane ... the exit door was crushed and I had to squeeze through. I saw my friend outside. He had just got out before me. Next thing, the plane really caught fire and I got badly burned on my face, legs and arms," he said. Marcel Squinobal, a 33-year-old restaurant owner from Vorarl-berg Bregenz in Austria, said that as the plane landed it bounced and swerved dramatically to both sides. He said there were no warnings or instructions from the cockpit or crew on how to evacuate. "I don't understand why we didn't re-route to Krabi. We could have taken a bus to Phuket," said Squinobal. The restaurateur and seasoned traveller said it was his first time in Thailand. He said he would never be back, and that once he flies home, he would never set foot on a plane again. "I love flying, but now, no more," he said. Both pilots and three of the five cabin crew were killed in the crash, according to the airline. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#249
18-09-2007, 10:09 AM
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Impact of crash 'will be short'
Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 18 September 2007 :-
Impact of crash 'will be short' - Tourism in Phuket tipped to recover Sunday's One-Two-Go air crash in Phuket will affect tourism to the resort island for only one or two months, Tourism and Sports Minister Suvit Yodmani said yesterday. Tourism should recover by end of the year, which is the peak season, he said. "The incident will surely hit the tourism industry, but for a short time. I hope it will rebound before the coming high season," Suvit said. Phuket, which last year welcomed over five million tourists, generates one-third of the country's tourism income. Suvit urged authorities to conclude investigations into the mishap as soon as possible in order to restore confidence in air travel to Phuket and nearby attractions. The minister went to the island with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Phornsiri Manoharn yesterday to monitor the situation, and console relatives of the victims and offer assistance. Apichart Sankary, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, also believes the impact will be only short-term. "Tourists all over the world understand that it was an accident. So there should no doubt over the issue. But if this is a human error, the damage could be greater," said Apichart. He urged the airline and state agencies to make full disclosure about the crash, which killed 89 people, mostly foreign tourists. The tourism ministry has ordered all TAT offices overseas to provide correct information and assistance to victims' families and travel agents. Charoen Wangananond, president of the Association of Domestic Travel, said the overall number of air travellers could decrease because many people would put off their trips, especially to Phuket. However, he too believed that tourists would return to the island. Imtiaz Muqbil, executive director of Bangkok-based Travel Impact Newswire, told online travel magazine eTurbonews that he did not think the accident would dent air travel to Phuket. "Air disasters can happen to anyone, any time. This incident will not deter tourists from flying into the island," he said. "This is purely bad luck, with the airplane running into severe weather and getting hit with a down draft. [One-Two-Go CEO] Udom [Tantiprasongchai] is one of those guys who have the least safety and security concerns due to the company's excellent history." Muqbil believed that whatever the findings of the investigation into the crash, one air disaster would not affect tourism to Phuket, which has now recovered from the deadly tsunami that killed thousands of locals and tourists in December 2004. Thailand's extensive air links, both domestic and regional, have ensured a plentiful if not always adequate supply of seats, Muqbil stressed. "The country has gradually dismantled the reciprocity-based aviation policy to give more leeway to international carriers while also seeking more international access for national airline Thai Airways International. Charters were also given liberal permission to fly in during the high-density winter seasons, especially on routes not flown by the scheduled airlines," he said. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#250
18-09-2007, 10:13 AM
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Backlash for budget carriers
Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 18 September 2007 :-
Backlash for budget carriers Budget airlines could suffer a 20 per cent drop in the number of passengers over the next few months as travellers become more concerned about aviation safety following the tragic crash of a One-Two-Go plane in Phuket on Sunday. "Passengers on low-cost airlines will worry about safety and security measures after the crash," a source in the aviation industry said, adding that these airlines were now suffering from a bad image. Though all airlines are insured, travellers need full assurances about safety, the source said. He urged airlines and authorities to provide more information, particularly about the condition of aircraft, service standards and pilot qualifications. "I think people need to hear about the standards of low-cost airlines, from agencies and operators, before they start boarding their planes again," the source said. The crash pushed down the share price of Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia as analysts said travellers were likely to shun flying due to safety concerns. At close of trading yesterday, AirAsia fell 0.05 ringgit, or 2.6 per cent, to 1.85 ringgit (53 US cents) while the Kuala Lumpur composite index was down 0.9 per cent. OSK Investment Bank said the Phuket crash would affect low-cost carriers, particularly after a similar crash in Indonesia in January involving budget airline Adam Air. AirAsia has a 49-per-cent stake in Thai AirAsia, one of three budget airlines operating in Thailand. "Although Thai AirAsia has not suffered a significant incident of this nature, we believe it will be affected as well, and it will reduce its fares in an effort to sustain its load factor," OSK said. MIMB Investment Bank head of research Pong Teng Siew said that in the short term passengers would be suspicious of budget airlines, although this was unlikely to last. "People might get a little worried now after the One-Two-Go crash," he said. "Generally, AirAsia has a good reputation and no record of problems, so there will be little impact on the company in the longer term, " he said. Srihaphan Chumsai, deputy CEO of low-cost carrier Nok Air, agreed. He said the incident would affect the tourism industry only in the short term. "People might stop travelling on low-cost carriers, but not for a long time," said Srihaphan. He added that the One Two Go accident could have happened on any airline, not just a low-cost carrier. Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia, declined to comment on the incident and its impact until further information was available from crash investigators. Thai AirAsia and Nok Air are expected to gain from the incident because tourists will shift to these carriers if they cannot afford the more expensive fares quoted by higher-quality airlines like Thai Airways International. Andrew J Wood, Asian Area director of development for the Skal International Council - an organisation that brings together all sectors of the travel and tourism industry - said the incident was shocking but added that flying was still the safest mode of transport anywhere in the world. Phuket would suffer some short-term impact but the effect would be minimal, he said. Most travellers understood that the chances of the same type of accident happening again were minimal. "Our estimate is that business will be off 3 per cent in arrival numbers as a result, but it should quickly recover as services normalise and the airport gets back on its feet," he said. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#251
18-09-2007, 10:16 AM
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34 of 89 victims of Sunday's plane crash identified
Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 18 September 2007 :-
34 of 89 victims of Sunday's plane crash identified Partial list of victims/Updated list of injured passengers/Full list of passengers/Useful telephone numbers Thai authorities have released more list of victims of the Sunday's plane crash. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007...s_30049142.php
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#252
19-09-2007, 05:48 PM
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Airline chief defends pilot of doomed Phuket flight
Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 19 September 2007 :-
Airline chief defends pilot of doomed Phuket flight The Indonesian pilot of the no-frills jet that crashed and killed 89 people on the resort island of Phuket over the weekend was defended Tuesday as a calm, experienced commander by the chairman of One-Two-Go Airlines that operated the plane. Several of the surviving passengers have criticised the pilot, 56-year-old Arief Mulyadi, who died in the crash along with his Thai co-pilot, as foolish to attempt to land in hard driving rain and strong crosswinds rather than divert to another airfield. The pilot appeared to attempt a landing, only to change his mind when the plane was about 100 metres from the runway. According to witnesses, the 25-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-82 jet appeared to rise slightly before crashing into the ground, skidding, breaking in half and bursting into flames. "He was not hot-headed by character and had plenty of aviation experience under his belt... The pilot who flew the doomed aircraft was one of our best. He was very experienced, patient and very decisive," One-Two-Go Airline chairman Kajit Hapananont told the Bangkok Post. "There was no way of knowing in advance what sort of obstacles lay ahead for any pilot. What do people who have reached their own conclusions on the crash use as facts on which to base their presumptions on? The black boxes are still here and have yet to be sent to the United States for experts to examine," he added. The dead pilot worked for two now defunct Indonesian airlines before joining the budget carrier, according to reports from Jakarta. The air traffic controller on duty at Phuket airport at the time of the crash, who talked the pilot down, has been sent to Bhumibol Aeronautical Hospital to be tested to see if he is mentally fit to continue duty, said Kamthorn Sirikorn, deputy director of the Thailand's Aeronautical Department. There was no suggestion the controller did anything wrong, it was merely routine, he added. The transcript of the conversation between the control tower and the pilot shows that the pilot was warned about wind shear but had decided to land anyway, said the air transport department's director general Chaisak Ungsuwan on Thai television. "The last word the pilot said was 'landing'," he added. The authorities and officials of the airline have so far blamed the severe weather conditions, leaving many puzzled as driving rain and high winds are common during the typhoon season. Several aviation experts said it was likely the crash will lead to a temporary turning away by customers from low-cost airlines, which have expanded rapidly in Asia in recent years. There have been veiled suggestions that in the scramble to capture market position in a young "no frills" industry some carriers may have been tempted to take safety short cuts. The Sydney-based Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation reported earlier this year that no frills airlines in the region were struggling to find planes and pilots to keep up with burgeoning demand. The consultancy had a policy of not commenting on airline crashes. Indonesia has acquired a poor reputation because of several air crashes in recent years following the rise of dozens of apparently poorly regulated small airlines. But the fact that in the Phuket crash the pilot was Indonesia means nothing, said One-Two-Go's Kajit. "The reason why more than half of our pilots are non-Thais is because not very many (pilots) can fly an MD plane. We are the only company using this type of aircraft, and that's why we employ several Indonesian pilots because they have lots of MD's there," he said. This is Thailand's worst air disaster since 1998 when a THAI Airways International jet ploughed into a field at the Surat Thani airport in southern Thailand with the loss of 101 lives - also in driving rain. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#253
19-09-2007, 05:54 PM
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Phuket service resumed by One-Two-Go
Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 19 September 2007 :-
Phuket service resumed by One-Two-Go One-Two-Go resumed air services to Phuket yesterday, following Sunday's disastrous crash, but the two flights made the trip only half full. The airline normally has five daily flights to the resort island. Passengers travelled in the same model jet, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82, that flew the ill-fated flight OG-269 on Sunday. The 172-seat planes carried 100 and 72 passengers on the two flights. Most passengers had been transferred from Monday's cancelled flight, said an employee at the airline's check-in counter at Don Mueang airport. The number of passengers One-Two-Go has carried overall has decreased by 10% since the crash, the employee said. Flights to Phuket will be increased to four today, but most seats had still not been booked, the airline's call centre said yesterday. A passenger travelling on Flight OG-269 yesterday which departed at 2.30pm, the same time as the ill-fated flight, said he had no fear and believed the airline would step up safety standards after the tragedy. Wutthichai Saiyuket, another passenger, said Sunday's crash was a rare event and he had not lost trust in the airline. One-Two-Go CEO Khajit Hapnanont, however, said passengers had not decreased and the crash had not affected the airliner's safety image. He also said One-Two-Go is not a low-cost airline as reported, but a budget airline. Unlike low-cost airlines, which charge high prices for booking seats on short notice or when fewer seats are available, a budget airline offers flat ticket prices, regardless of booking time. Budget airlines also offer more benefits, such as seat numbers, free snacks and drinks on board and more allowed baggage, said Mr Khajit. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#254
19-09-2007, 06:01 PM
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Sunday's plane crash victim to get Bt4.5 million compensation
Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 19 September 2007 :-
Sunday's plane crash victim to get Bt4.5 million compensation Each victim of One-Two-Go flight that crashed on Sunday would receive compensation of US$130,000 (Bt4.5 million). The conclusion was reached during the Wednesday meeting between Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen, Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongchaum, Transport Permanent Secretary Chaisawat Kittipornpaibul, Civil Aviation Department DirectorGeneral Chaisak Angsuwan and One-Two-Go CEO Khajit Hapnanont. Theera said at the press conference after the meeting that the compensation figure was a result of One-Two-Go negotiation with the insurer. He noted that for the injured passengers, the budget airline would initially handle compensations for all medical bills as well as expenses that their relatives shouldered while travelling down to Phuket. "Though the insurer agrees to pay compensation of $130,000 for each victim, we're not quite satisfied with the figure. We are negotiating to raise the compensation to $150,000," Khajit said. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#255
20-09-2007, 06:09 AM
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Airline begins compensation payments
Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 20 September 2007 :-
Airline begins compensation payments Phuket – One-Two-Go, operator of the airliner which crashed in bad weather Sunday, has paid the first compensation to relatives of those who died in the air crash at Phuket International Airport. Phuket deputy governor Vorapot Rajsima met with One-Two-Go airline executives Wednesday on compensating relatives of the dead. The airline agreed to pay 100,000 baht to the family of each victim. More than 10 relatives of the dead victims received the money from the airlines, but they will later receive more -- about five million baht -- from the insurer. Relatives of Kaninnart Martmuang, one of 89 passengers killed in the air crash, said the compensation payment was delayed. They said they received an initial sum of 20,000 baht in compensation. Meanwhile, out of 89 bodies, 41 bodies including 36 Thai nationals and five foreigners were returned to their relatives. All 32 bodies of Thai passengers and 26 bodies of other nationalities have been identified while the remaining 31 bodies of international passengers remain unidentified as forensic officials are waiting for evidence from their relatives. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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