Low-season fare discounting is intensifying as the full-service airline Bangkok Airways has begun to offer ticket prices that may make no-frills carriers look a tad expensive. The airline has slashed ticket prices on eleven selected routes, three of them domestic, by as much as 60% to stimulate traffic demand during July and August.

For instance, a round-trip ticket, including fuel surcharges and taxes, on Bangkok Airways’ Bangkok-Chiang Mai flight goes for only 2,020 baht, compared to the normal level of 5,200 baht.

An all-inclusive return ticket on the Bangkok-Fukuoka route under Bangkok Airways’ ”Wow Fare” campaign costs 13,220 baht, a reduction of 12,500 baht from the normal rate.

The discounted round-trip fares are offered for the airline’s flights from Bangkok to Hiroshima (10,000 baht excluding extras), Ho Chi Minh City (5,000 baht), the Maldives (10,000 baht), Pakse, Phnom Penh, Shenzhen and Rangoon, each at 4,000 baht.

The return fares from Bangkok to Phuket are 2,800 baht and Trat 1,500 baht.

Bangkok Airways is not offering heavily discounted fares for its lucrative route to Koh Samui, a popular destination for European sunbathers.

The discounted fares are only available in limited numbers for booking online at www.bangkokair.com from now until Aug 31 with strict conditions attached.

Bangkok Airways’ reduced fares are aimed at aimed at filling aircraft seats to fend off competition from low cost carriers.

Thai Airways International is discounting fares by nearly 50% on 11 domestic routes under the ”Explorer Thailand Fares” campaign, for travel up to to Sept 30. The campaign aims largely to woo back passengers from budget carriers including Thai Air Asia, One-Two-Go Airlines and even from its own subsidiary, Nok Airlines.

A round-trip fare on Bangkok-Chiang Mai route on THAI is 2,400 baht, excluding passenger service charges and other fees.

Nok has recently sold out 33,000 seats, offered at at three baht for one-way travel on its all domestic services.

The fare does not include airport tax, fuel surcharges and other fees totalling about 600 baht, with travel restricted from July 6 to Sept 30.

Source: BangkokPost