Privileges for THAI board members scrapped

Privileges for THAI board members scrapped

The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) on Tuesday ended the free flying benefits for the board members of Thai Airways International (THAI).

The decision was made at the NCPO meeting on Tuesday and could set a precedent for board members of other state-owned agencies.

Ampon Kittiampon said after the meeting the perks were scrapped to save costs and improve the airline's performance.

The same policy of ending board privileges to save the state budget is also on the pipeline for other state-owned agencies, added Mr Ampon, a THAI board member and the cabinet's secretary-general.

As his cabinet's secretary-general position is not a political one, it did not end after the coup took over the administrative power from the Pheu Thai Party-led caretaker government.

ACM Prajin Juntong replaced Mr Ampon as the THAI board chairman in March after Mr Ampon had been forced to resign amid the union's protests. Mr Ampon still serves as board member.

Under current rules, a THAI director, together with his family members, gets 10 free round-trip domestic tickets and another 10 for international routes every year. The free tickets are for the business class.

The welfare policy was even more generous before October 2011 when a director could fly first-class with the 30 free air tickets for the domestic and international lines they got each year.

Former directors also received a 75% discount for 12 international tickets and six domestic tickets each year but this benefit was later scrapped.

THAI has been plagued by political interference as the winning political party always puts the person it trusts as president.

The airline has been in the red for several quarters, with a net loss of 2.6 billion baht for the first three months of this year.

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