Bangkok (NTT/VNA) - With Covid restrictions having been mostly lifted in many parts of the world, the number of passengers using airports in Thailand has noticeably increased.
The Airports of Thailand Plc. (AOT) now expects Thailand’s top 6 airports to service 96 million passengers next year. To better accommodate travelers, the company is now making the ‘Sawasdee by AOT’ app available.
AOT President Nitinai Sirismatthakarn expects the combined passenger handling figure at 6 airports to rise to 96 million next year. This would represent an expansion of 68%. The 6 airports include Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, and Hat Yai airports. The AOT predicts there will be 142 million passengers in 2024 when air travel is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
To best serve tourists, the AOT has been bringing in digital technology to improve services. The AOT and partners have developed the ‘Sawasdee by AOT’ mobile application that it hopes will become a travel ‘super app’ in Thailand. Users are now able to check flight schedules, find the statuses of arrival and departure flights and get alerts for flight changes. Users can also get information on wait times at check-in counters, security checkpoints, and passport control points. This information will make it less likely for travelers to miss their flights. The app also comes with a taxi booking function. It is available in Thai, English, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Russian.
The app integrates a digital wallet developed in collaboration with Krung Thai bank under the name ‘Sawasdee Pay’. This function enables a user to make payments from Visa and MasterCard debit and credit cards. Payments via the wallet will earn the user ‘AOT points’ when making purchases at partner stores. The points may then be exchanged for rewards with AOT partners.
Sawasdee by AOT is available on the App Store and Play Store./.
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(Photo: //thainews.prd.go.th/) 
