Nok, Nok. Who’s there? It’s the wisecracking CEO
Patee Sarasin, chief executive of Thai low-cost carrier Nok Air is not afraid of having a go at his rivals – among them Tiger Airways, Air Asia and national carrier THAI Airways.
Patee, speaking at the Aviation Outlook Australia Pacific conference in Sydney, said Nok Air – unlike its rivals – was not trying to grow at all costs.
“Look at the example of Tiger Airways (currently grounded in Australia by the aviation safety watchdog), when you try to expand too fast you forget to do the small things you need to do.â€
Patee said Nok Air was succeeding by focusing on the domestic Thai market and “making a lot of money by connecting smaller towns using smaller ATR aircraft.
“This networking gives us domination of the towns we connect. And where we have new competition, we simply invite them to join us in an alliance. We use our brand and sell through our network – it helps our revenue and keeps competitors onside.â€
Nok Air distributes its products through 7Eleven stores and smart phones. And it the next few months, the CEO said the airline would use video conferencing to allow customers to talk to the person selling them a ticket, or see a hotel room before they booked it.
“Customers can see a room before they book, although the longer they look, the more the price of the room will go up.â€
Patee said Nok Air unashamedly employed “pretty young girls†as cabin attendants. “When was the last time you saw a pretty 25-year-old serve you in business class on a THAI Airways flight?†he asked the audience at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney.
AirAsia, he said, had tried to copy some of Nok Air’s attention-grabbing self-publicity. “There was talk of Tony Fernandes (AirAsia CEO) appearing naked for a promotion but, oh my god, would you want to see Tony naked?â€
Patee said Nok Air’s load factor had never been below 78 percent for the last two years and the airline was progressing “in a cautious wayâ€.
“That’s why Tony Davis (Tiger Airways CEO) is not here today,†he joked.
In reply to a light-hearted question from the audience, Patee said he had had nothing to do with getting Thailand’s new prime minister elected – “although she is very pretty and, if I may say so, much prettier than your prime minister in Australia.â€
Ian Jarrett
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