The following is a dispatch from Rob Cotter, a frequent One+ contributor, who is attending the IT&CMA conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

At this yearʼs IT&CMA event, Thai Airways International announced a new route connecting Bangkok to Europeʼs leading MICE destination and capital of Belgium, Brussels. Starting on November 17, it will be the only carrier operating non-stop flights to the heart of the European Union.

“We anticipate the international communities in Thailand and the European Union will appreciate the advantage of the direct route,” said Ruangyos Pamon-Montri, vice president of the sales and distribution department for Thai Airways International. “We have made it that much easier for the leisure travelers to expand their travel beyond Bangkok and Brussels.”

In addition to this new route, the airline also announced that they will be adding three super jumbo Airbus A380s to their fleet by the end of 2012 and have recently begun to operate a new sub-brand airline—THAI Smile Air—offering more choice and increase levels of passenger luxury.

The national carrier is following their forward track for growth and expansion: should you need a tropical break after a heavy meeting at the heart of the EU, Thai Airways can whisk you off and have you there in time for breakfast.

—Rob Cotter

Flight attendants for Thai Airways International who failed to meet weight/shape requirements are asking the country's labor department to help and are threatening to lodge a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission, according to an article in the Bangkok Post.

In May 2010, the airline told female attendants they must limit BMI to 25 points and their waistlines to 32 inches, while male attendants must limit BMI to 27.5 points and waistlines to 35 inches. They were given six months to comply with the regulation (beginning in June), and those who failed were shifted to domestic routes or single-day round trips (ineligible for international flights).

A spokesperson for the airline says the regulation was intended to improve the personality of flight attendants, and that their health had an impact on services and the safety of passengers. He also noted that attendants must be able to evacuate passengers from a plane within 90 seconds following an accident, and that the BMIs required by the airline are more forgiving than those suggested by the World Health Organization.