January 15, 2010
BANGKOK (AFP) - Thai Airways has charged its former executive chairman 6,000 dollars for excess luggage that he failed to pay for on a flight in an incident which led to his resignation, the flag carrier said Friday.
Wallop Bhukkanasut quit the airline earlier this month after being accused of exploiting his position by transporting 30 pieces of luggage weighing 398 kilos (876 pounds) from Japan to Bangkok in November.
The airline launched an investigation and documents showed Wallop had travelled with his wife and a friend on first-class tickets, which would only have permitted them to carry luggage weighing 170 kilos for free.
The baggage was delivered to the airline's "lost and found" office, bypassing usual customs procedures, without Wallop paying the full excess fee.
"The net excess baggage that was not paid for was 228 kilos, so the company has decided to charge Wallop 200,000 baht (6,000 dollars)," said Ampon Kittiampon, chairman of the company's board.
He did not say how the company would pursue Wallop for the cash.
Wallop has admitted the baggage belonged to him but denied he sought to transport the goods for commercial gain. The case received widespread coverage in the Thai media.
Thai Airways posted a loss of 21.3 billion baht in 2008 and was hit hard by the global financial crisis and political protests that closed Bangkok's airports in November-December 2008.
But Ampon said the company turned a profit in 2009, though it would continue its cost-cutting policy.
The airline's president, Piyasvasti Amranand, said last year that he wanted to end freeloading by current and former executives of the airline, many of whom claimed free first-class seats as a matter of course.
