Thread: Thai Airways chairman probed

Thai Airways chairman probed
Dec 18, 2009

BANGKOK - THAI Airways International said its board was launching an investigation into the alleged evasion of excess baggage charges by Executive Chairman Wallop Bhukkanasut after the affair caused a scandal in Thailand.

'The board has approved a plan to set up a committtee to examine the case, which expect to conclude within three weeks,' Ampon Kittiampon, chairman of the airline's board, told reporters after a meeting on Friday.

Newspapers have reported that Wallop and his wife got out of paying excess baggage charges on more than 40 suitcases on a flight to Bangkok from Tokyo. The luggage was said to contain mainly fruit.

They were also said to have bypassed Thai customs controls by having their baggage delivered to the lost-and-found section at Suvarnabhumi airport.

Union leader Jamsri Sukchotirat submitted a letter to the board on Friday morning asking for an investigation into the affair.

It comes at a time when the airline is restructuring after a huge net loss of 21.4 billion baht (S$902 million) in 2008. Its president told Reuters in November that it was not certain to return to profit this year. -- REUTERS

straitstimes.com

Who said it was fruit?

Nail the fucker to the wall. If the new President is to succeed he will have to. The guy was ratted out by fellow employees fed up with this shit. Now the unions members will wear black or a band until the fucker is indicted.

Set an example and nip it in the bud.

maybe drugs

An airline that charge tickets at world class prices and yet pay it staff at local Thai wages. And still loses billions defies belief!

ah, so no rubber gloves then

Hence its up to the new president. We all know the corruption there. It would be nice to set a precedent. Fuck it lets see.

lets hope he succeeds, its been a trough for the pigs to dip their filthy snouts for so many years that it will be a big task to turn it around

Ubon is to lose it's three times a day thai flight to Bangkok to be replaced with Nok air in Feb.

Originally Posted by Tom Sawyer

No medium size airline like that could lose 900 million Sing DOLLARS (around 800 million US) in one year in operational problems.

I think you're wrong, those airlines that hedged fuel charges when oil was at 147$ per barrel got their asses handed to them big style when oil went to 33$.

IIRC Thai was one such company that fucked up in this manner.

Could it be something to do fact that Thai on the 9th of this month filed a civil suit against 36 people, including Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, demanding 575 million baht in damages for the People's Alliance for Democracy's blockades of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports from Nov 24 to Dec 3 last year.

Or is it just a simple case that Wallop is another ignorant Thai elite bastard that is used to getting his own way?

About a month ago, the new head of Thai ( I forget his name) publicly discussed how cronyism, nepotism and outside interference were destroying the airline and how these had to be stopped if Thai was to be profitable, competitive or even survive. We had a long thread on it here. That's the real significance of this story. If this guy gets away with what he did, then any reform of the airline is obviously not going to happen.

^ and ^^

Yes to both above - I was also thinking there was probably no coincidence there. What a snake pit..

Originally Posted by Spin

Originally Posted by Tom Sawyer

No medium size airline like that could lose 900 million Sing DOLLARS (around 800 million US) in one year in operational problems.

I think you're wrong, those airlines that hedged fuel charges when oil was at 147$ per barrel got their asses handed to them big style when oil went to 33$.

IIRC Thai was one such company that fucked up in this manner.

Yes that's very true. But THAI has been doing this for years - so fuel hedging is a good excuse for only a couple of years.

I recall in the Thaksin years, or it may have been during the Army rule, that there was this multi-billion dollar debt news report in one of the papers. It was jaw dropping, then it disappeared and I have never seen another report about total debt - though I'm sure it could be found in an AGM report.

Originally Posted by gjbkk

Could it be something to do fact that Thai on the 9th of this month filed a civil suit against 36 people, including Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, demanding 575 million baht in damages for the People's Alliance for Democracy's blockades of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports from Nov 24 to Dec 3 last year.

Or is it just a simple case that Wallop is another ignorant Thai elite bastard that is used to getting his own way?

If you are going to call the crooks out you better make sure you are squeaky clean. And I guess that must make a lot of problems in a country where virtually all of the social/political hierarchy have taken advantage of the "privileges" their social status affords them.

Originally Posted by peterpan

lets hope he succeeds, its been a trough for the pigs to dip their filthy snouts for so many years that it will be a big task to turn it around

He'll get loads of support for a clean up, because that's good politics, but how long you reckon any CEO would survive once he brings out the Dettol?

Could be the suitcases of Takki...