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PC Air, the airline that launched last year amid publicity for it transgender flight attendants, has been ordered to halt flights by the Civil Aviation Department after it stranded Thai tourists for two days in South Korea when it could not pay its fuel bill. After being stranded at Seoul's Incheon International Airport since Tuesday, the Thais returned to Bangkok yesterday after PC Air paid its outstanding fuel and airport fees. Civil aviation chief Voradej Harnprasert said his department will need a week to investigate what happened and warned that PC Air could be stripped of its licence if such an incident happened again. The PC Air flight returned to Bangkok at 4am yesterday morning with 228 passengers. It left behind around 170 more passengers, who were assisted with accommodations and meals by the Thai Embassy, tour agencies and Thai Airways International. They were to return to Bangkok at around 10 last night. PC Air president Peter Chan apologised for the inconvenience and assured that the airline had paid the fuel charges. He said he would go to South Korea to further investigate the problem. Deputy Transport Minister Chatchart Sithipan said he would discuss the matter with Voradej today.(Oct19) PC Air has a licence to operate charter flights to Seoul and Hong Kong from October 1 to 30. Chatchart said he wanted to determine whether the airline had violated aviation regulations and if its licence needed to be revoked or not. When the licence expires on October 31, authorities would assess again whether it should be renewed, he added. The Bureau of Prevention and Assistance in Tourist Fraud set up registration points at Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports to gather the affected tourists' complaints. The Tourism Department's Bureau of Tourism Business and Guide Registration would inspect the tour agencies' licences. In addition to stranding tourists in South Korea, PC Air's flight delay also left 32 Thais grounded in Bangkok. They had bought South Korean tour packages and were due to leave on Tuesday night. The tourists and representatives of nine affected tour agencies yesterday urged the Crime Suppression Police to help negotiate for compensation with PC Air. A passenger who asked not to be named said she bought a five-day tour package worth Bt21,900 and was scheduled to depart from Don Mueang on Tuesday night but couldn't because of PC Air's fuel-bill problem. She said she later learned that the airline has only one plane. She said the tour agencies helped arrange accommodations for the travellers from upcountry. Police interviewed the tourists and tour agencies and have coordinated with PC Air to send representatives to talk with those affected. The tour agencies have also issued refunds to some customers who no longer wished to take the trip. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/PC-air-ordered-to-suspend-flight-30192607.html
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A new Thai airline is hiring transsexuals as flight attendants, aiming at a unique identity to set itself apart from competitors as it sets out for the skies. Known as 'katoeys' or 'ladyboys,' transgenders and transsexuals have greater visibility in Thailand than in many other nations, holding mainstream jobs in a variety of fields. They are especially common in cosmetics shops or health stores, which almost always have a ladyboy shop assistant. PC Air, a charter airline set to start operations on Asian routes in April, originally planned only to hire male and female flight attendants. But it changed its mind after receiving more than 100 job applications from transvestites and transsexuals. Four were chosen, along with 19 female and 7 male flight attendants. While the airline strives for equality, PC Air president Peter Chan, who chooses the transsexual cabin crew himself, said he needed to spend longer with interviews for such applicants. 'For male flight attendants, if I don't want to hire them, it's because of their attitude or their characters, like the way they walk and smile. 'When I knew that I got this job, I burst into tears because I'm very happy,' said 24-year-old Chayathisa Nakmai. 'I had sent many applications to different airlines.' The airline said that the qualifications for the ladyboy flight attendants were the same as for female flight attendants, with the additional provisos that they be like women in how they walk and talk, and have a feminine voice and the right attitude. Though there is very little discrimination against ladyboys in Thailand, they are not officially recognised as women and their identification cards will always say 'male'. 'For female flight attendants, if they have no patience and their character does not qualify, we won't hire them,' he added. 'For transsexuals, we can't just spend five or 10 minutes with them, we have to spend the whole day with them to make sure they have feminine characters.' The airline said it may hire more flight attendants from the 'third gender' in the future since the Department of Civil Aviation has no objections. Though excited by the opportunity, the transsexual flight attendants said they were aware they needed to prove themselves. 'People will keep their eyes on us... There will be more pressure,' said Dissanai Chitpraphachin, 23, who was crowned as Thailand's most beautiful transvestite in 2007. 'We have to prepare ourselves more than the women.' The airline is initially set to fly to South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and China.
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Comfort is always a passenger's number 1 priority, especially if we have to travel long hours by air. This is why a lot of our favorite airlines have upgraded their services, food and facilities to suit every passenger's needs. The traveling experience for me begins at the check-in counter and extends to the getting my luggage safely back in the shortest waiting time. My best experience so far is "Thai Airways".