Fly for free with AirAsia

AirAsia is giving away free seats from now until Sunday to several destinations across its extensive network. Travellers can book seats at Bt0 through the AirAsia mobile phone application to Krabi, Hat Yai, Udon Thani, Buriram, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Sakon Nakhon, Narathiwat, Roi Et, Nan, Phitsanulok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Ubon Ratchathani, Surat Thani and Trang. Tickets at attractively low prices are also being offered to Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Bali, Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Yangon, Ho Chi Minh City, Mandalay, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Shantou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Wuhan and Hangzhou. This promotion is valid for travel February 6 and October 28.

Offerings for the departed

Si Sa Ket province in Thailand northeast is gearing up for the Saen Donta Festival on September 27 and 28. Best described as “dinner with the departed”, Saen Donta has been practised by the province’s Khmer-speaking communities since time immemorial and honours ancestors and hungry ghosts. The local people dressed in their unique tribal |costumes carry baskets full of roasted chicken, barbecued fish, fried meats, mainly pork, vegetables, cigarettes and jars of rice wine to the public park in front of the town hall where the offerings are made.

New Airbus delivery for THAI

Thailand’s national flag carrier Thai Airways International recently took delivery of 12 Airbus A350 XWB craft to boost its increasingly modern fleet. The planes are configured in a premium two-class layout with a total of 321 seats, 32 of which are in Royal Silk Class and convertible to fully lie-flat beds, and 289 in the main cabin. After an initial period flying on regional services between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the aircraft will be deployed on long-haul flights, starting with the Bangkok-Melbourne route. The A350 XWB features the latest in aerodynamic design, carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines.

Island in the sun

Santiburi Beach Resort & Spa on Samui Island introduces its new “Beach Butler” service to ensure guests make the most of tropical paradise. The staff are on hand to make sure there is always a sun lounger available for guests along the resort’s 300-metre beach frontage and they also provide |two clean beach towels per person, plus complimentary iced bottled mineral water and daily servings of tropical fruit and ice cream, all to be enjoyed by the water’s edge. Santiburi beach butlers are also trained to keep a discreet eye out for how much sun guests have been exposed to and offer informed recommendations on sun protection. They can also be called upon to take orders for food and drink, which can be served on the beach.