Thai Air to drop non-stop flights from USA

[Guest travelerjim]

Hello GT Friends,

 

First, thank you GB for inviting me to post here on GT ...as you know there are some "posting" problems over at Sawatdee Forum....technical glitches of some sort I am sure - probably dealing with SPAM and the effort of Mods to manage )stop) the SPAM artists...

 

Now to my posting:

 

Thai Airways has announced it will "IS CONSIDERING" discontinuing

...their non-stop NEW YORK CITY to BANGKOK and the LOS ANGELES to BANGKOK flights this year...probably in the second quarter or summertime.

 

So if you are planning on taking a nonstop flight on Thai Air be sure to check back with them - they may be changing your reservations to include a stopover in Tokyo etc...

 

The non-stop flights have proven to be NOT profitable as they have had to compete with other airlines on this routing regardless of the non-stop flights.

 

TravelerJim

For affordable international health & travel insurance

Please visit http://www.tjinsurance.com .

[Gaybutton]

Travelerjim, can you tell us where this information is coming from? According to what I see on their own web site ( see http://www.thaiairwaysusa.com/EN/News/News...tion.aspx?Id=15 ) it appears that precisely the opposite is true.

 

[Guest travelerjim]

Travelerjim, can you tell us where this information is coming from? According to what I see on their own web site ( see http://www.thaiairwaysusa.com/EN/News/News...tion.aspx?Id=15 ) it appears that precisely the opposite is true.

 

The Bangkok Post reported it in a story early this week...January 16 - Business section.

 

http://www.bangkokpost.com/160107_Business...n2007_biz16.php .

 

From re-reading the story it appears Thai is "considering" dropping the non-stop flights due to financial reasons. so the flights are still being booked...but a change may be coming soon. I will watch for iit.

 

By the way, flyer talk and its airline discussion forums are very helpful resource and information tool for flyers.

 

Sorry if I have jumped the gun on this ....but if anyone is seriously considering the non-stop flights...be sure to watch your booking for possible flight changes.

 

Here is link to discussion thread about this from flyer talk...the Bangkok Post story link appears in the first posting"

 

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=648071 .

 

Thai Airways International is considering replacing its direct flights to the United States with one-stop services in the wake of losses and fierce competition.

 

The flag carrier's non-stop Bangkok-New York service is likely to be replaced with flights with stopovers in major Chinese cities such as Beijing or Shanghai, while Bangkok-Los Angeles flights would stop in South Korea.

 

The change in THAI's North American operation is part of a route revamp that could affect the forthcoming summer flight timetable, beginning in April. The new timetable was not expected to see any new routes being introduced, according to THAI president Apinan Sumanaseni.

 

Pressured by shareholders to improve yields, THAI is taking a hard look at the economics and viability of its entire system.

 

Fierce competition on the so-called Kangaroo route _ flights from Australia and New Zealand _ especially by Dubai-based Emirates _ may force THAI to cut flight frequencies, he said.

 

Part of the revamp also involves changing the type of aircraft used. For instance, it may use the B747-400 jumbo jet, A340-600 or B777-ER on US-bound services instead of the A340-500 that holds only 200 passengers.

 

The higher capacity aircraft and the stopovers would help THAI to shore up profitability on those routes.

 

Capt Apinan conceded that THAI stood to lose some appeal by dropping its non-stop North American flights, directed over the North Pole, but it was more worried about the financial burdens these services entailed.

 

THAI operates five direct flights a week to New York and the same number on its Bangkok-Los Angeles route. Its services to Moscow and Johannesburg introduced last year were doing fine, he noted.

 

THAI now serves 63 destinations in 35 countries with a fleet of 90 aircraft.

 

Along with making efforts to reduce operating costs and improve profitability, Capt Apinan said THAI would proceed with the previously proposed establishment of a new wholly owned airline subsidiary, tentatively known as Royal Orchid Airlines, or Euarng Luang in Thai.

 

The new airline would take over THAI's domestic operation, which has been suffering losses, using a more cost-effective and less complicated operating model.

 

The new carrier will be positioned between the conventional premium airline and the low-cost carrier.

 

With the creation of the new airline, THAI would become a fully-fledged international carrier.

 

THAI expects an 11% rise in 2007 net profit to reach 10 billion baht, due to lower fuel prices. Net profit for 2006 was 8.99 billion baht, up 32.6%.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/16Jan2007_biz16.php

 

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TravelerJim