Thai Smile, the new budget wing of Thai Airways, debuted on July 7, 2012, with its inaugural flight from Bangkok to Macau. This is the airline’s only confirmed international route and has a schedule of two flights per day.

In the coming months, Thai Smile will takeover domestic routes currently operated by Thai Airways. On August 16 Thai Smile will begin flying from its base in Bangkok to Chiang Mai and Krabi, on September 1 to Surat Thani, and on September 16 to Phuket.

Thai Smile operates a fleet of brand new A320 aircraft with an all-economy layout. Fares include a 20kg luggage allowance.

THAI Smile, the up-coming budget airline, has launched its official website. Online bookings also also available for its first route from Bangkok to Macau.

Thai Smile’s inaugural flight is set for July 7, 2012. Thai Smile will serve as the low-cost wing of Thai Airways and take over their domestic routes from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Krabi, Surat Thani, and Phuket starting in August 2012.

Visit the Thai Smile website at www.thaismileair.com for more information or to make an online booking.

Thai Smile Airline, the up-coming budget wing of Thai Airways, has announced its first destination: Macau. Direct flights from Bangkok to Macau will begin on July 1, 2012. The initial schedule will see two flights per day and ticket sales will begin in April.

Thai Smile will take delivery of its first aircraft in June 2012 and will begin operations shortly after. Chokchai Panyayong, the Thai Airways Executive Vice President for Strategy and Business Development, has said that the pilots and crew are ready.

Thai Smile is expected to have a fleet of four aircraft by summer 2012. Planned routes for August 1 launch are Bangkok – Chiang Mai and Chiang Mai – Phuket and international routes from Bangkok to Jakarta, Kolkata and Phnom Penh. By winter 2012 Thai Smile will take over Thai Airway’s flights Surat Thani and to Gaya and Varanasi, India.

Thai Smile, an upcoming budget airline, has announced plans to commence its first flight on July 1, 2012. This new budget airline will be based out of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and is wholly owned by Thai Airways.

Destinations have not yet been announced, but Thai Smile is expected to begin as a domestic airline then expand to being a regional carrier. Potential destinations include Kochi, Hyderabad, Luang Prabang, Yangon, Seoul, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau, Danang, Phuket, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.

As Thai Smile expands its fleet, it will also expand its destinations. The airline is expected to take delivery of four narrow-body aircrafts this year, the first in June. The airline plans to expand its fleet with six new planes in 2013, eight in 2014, and eleven by 2018.

Thai Airways International have made public a strategy shift for Thai Smile, their upcoming low-cost wing.

In a departure from initial plans which focused on domestic routes via Bangkok, the carrier will place an emphasis on regional destinations such as India, China and other SE Asian countries within three to four hours flying time.

One driving factor looks to be on the heels of an larger shareholding in Nok Air which is firmly entrenched in a Thailand network of flights.

Viewing the proposition from the outside, the move makes sense given the increasingly competitive low cost carrier sector, so Thai Smile look to position in the midscale segment.

This new budget airline is expected to begin operations in the middle of 2012.