TAA waits for virus 'phenomenon' to pass

The head of Thai AirAsia does not see the pandemic as a catalyst for new trends, instead considering the disease a phenomenon that requires "temporary extras" to cool down a panic wave for a period of time. Santisuk Klongchaiya, chief executive of TAA, said at the beginning of the outbreak, the company had a hard time managing uncertainties, such as flight status, partially because of fast-changing rules and regulations for each destination. This resulted in passenger confusion, followed by chaos as droves of people wanted reservation changes. TAA's call centre, which normally has 6,000-7,000 calls per day, recorded a new peak of 100,000 incoming calls, exceeding its capacity. He said leaving middle seats empty and a 14-day quarantine on arrival are acceptable for short period of time, but not practical in the long term for businesses or sustainability. "The airline business has been faced with uncertainty because of the virus for five months, but high operation costs continue as usual," said Santisuk. "We have to efficiently manage cash flow as no revenue came in, especially during April when we did not have flights." While there were reports that AirAsia (based in Malaysia) may lay off its workforce by 30% to streamline operation costs amid the crisis, TAA chose to maintain its fleet size and workforce. Some 30% of domestic flights have resumed. He said even though forecasts projected aviation businesses would collapse, he rejects these because he expects the tourism industry in Thailand to rebound with strong demand from inbound tourists. <br/>