Regional airlines adopt Thai greeting

Passengers stepping onto Indonesian or Malaysian planes can no longer assume that a welcoming "wai" reflects the cabin attendant's Thai origins or the carrier's link with Thai companies.

Airlines including the long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X, Malaysia's AirAsia, AirAsia Indonesia and, most recently, Garuda Indonesia have now all embraced Thailand's iconic way of showing respect or saying "hello", "thank you" and "goodbye" as a standard greeting for passengers.

The wai's globalisation started early this year with the Malaysia-base AirAsia X and AirAsia before the Indonesian flag carrier introduced the gesture in June, part of a major transformation aimed at joining the elite of Asian airlines.

The management of these airlines may have been impressed by how the cabin crew of Thai Airways International (THAI) have used the age-old custom for nearly 50 years ago as a personal touch.

But these airlines do not see themselves as copying the Thai greetings. In their view, Thais cannot claim an exclusive right to the gesture, which they see as a regional tradition.

Scholars believe the wai came to Thailand via India's Hindu culture. The wai closely resembles the Indian "namaste", the Cambodian "sampeah" and the Lao "kub".

In Indonesia, wai-like gestures are in use in various parts of the country, including Java, where Hinduism and Buddhism have been or still are practised.

Historically, in Malaysia and Brunei the gesture was used to convey thanks or salutations to a patron or higher personage, with the level of the hands raised in accordance with the rank or caste of the individual to whom it was addressed.

Nevertheless, in none of these countries has the wai become a national symbol or been deeply ingrained in tradition as it has been in Thailand.

A former senior THAI executive said Thai airlines should welcome the adoption of the wai by carriers from Thailand's southern neighbours.

In his view, the Thai wai is much more gracious and sophisticated than similar greetings in other Asian cultures, which will be apparent in how Garuda and THAI attendants greet their passengers.

THAI cabin crew should make this clear by performing the wai properly according to tradition, which would sustain the carrier's appeal among international travellers, he said.


www.BahtSold.com
Connecting People · Connecting Thailand