Thai Airways International

Thai Airways International is the national airline of Thailand. The airline operates domestic, regional, and intercontinental flights to destinations around the world. The main hub of Thai Airways International is Bangkok International Airport. In 2006, Thai international was credited with the award of 'Worlds Best Cabin Staff and The Best Airline in the World' by Skytrax. In 2009, Thai Airways International's first class lounge at Suvarnabhumi Airport was honored as the 'best First Class Lounge in the World', by Skytrax.

History
Thai Airways International was formed in 1960, as a joint venture between Thailand�s domestic airline, Thai Airways Company (TAC) and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). The airline commenced its operations in 1960, with flights to nine overseas destinations within Asian continent. In 1971, Thai Airways started its intercontinental services, with flights to Australia, followed by flights to Europe in 1972 and to North America in 1980. In 1988, Thai Airways International merged with the domestic airline, Thai Airways Company. In 1991, Thailand Government approved a resolution authorizing Thai Airways to list its shares on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). Subsequently, listing of Thai Airways shares was commenced on July 19, 1991.

Destinations Covered
Thai Airways has an extensive network in India. Presently, it flies to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bangalore. By the end of October 2006, Thai Airways added Bodhgaya, Varanasi, and Hyderabad to its list of destinations. In Asia, it also serves China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Kuwait, Oman and UAE.

The other international destinations covered by Thai Airways International are Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweeden, Switzerland, U.K, U.S, Australia, and New Zealand. The domestic destinations catered to by the airline include Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phuket, Phitsanulok, Hat Yai, Mae Hong Son, amongst many others.

Fleet
As of April 2009, Thai Airways International had a fleet of 90 aircrafts. This included 18 Boeing 747-400, six Boeing 777-300, eight Boeing 777-200, nine Boeing 737-400, four Airbus 340-500, six Airbus 340-600, 14 Airbus 330-300, 17 Airbus A300-600, and 2 ATR-72.

Frequent Flyer Program
Royal Orchid Plus is the frequent flyer program of Thai Airways International, with a membership of over two million members. The program has three levels: Entry level status, Silver status (which requires 10,000 Q Miles in one calendar year) and Gold status (which requires 50,000 Q Miles in one calendar year).

Codesharing Agreements
Thai Airways International has codeshare agreements with Air Canada, Air Madagascar, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, Bangkok Airways, China Airlines, Egypt Air, Emirates Airline, Japan Airways, Jet Airways, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Qatar Airways, Shanghai Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Myanmar Airways International, Gulf Air, amongst many others.