THAI STOPS DIRECT NEW YORK FLIGHTS
Thai Airways will end its direct Bangkok-New York service at the end of this month, citing higher fuel prices as the reason. I doubt that's the only reason; perhaps passenger numbers on the almost 18-hour flight have dropped too, although Forbes is quoting an unamed source as saying that "We have enough passengers". The airline is also planning to sell the four Airbus A340-500s.
There was a lot of media coverage and marketing when this route was launched. I've not used this route myself although my editor and deputy editor used it when they went to the Big Apple for editorial training last year. The closure of this route means Los Angeles is the only remaining US destination that Thai Airways will fly to.
2 comments:
The direct BKK-JFK flight is a great service and one I've used frequently. I would agree thatr load factor hasn't been an issue - the flight is consistently full. But the A340-500 is not the most economical jet to fly and Thai felt that fares couldn't be raised given ample competition from 1-stop alternatives. Add in punative Russian airspace fees on the way to New York and the economics just aren't there. A shame - at around THB 72,000, the Premium Economy seating was the best deal going to NY. I shall it!
What is interesting too is that Thai is also planning to reduce frequency on the London route. There's a lot of competition there so surely they'll only end up cutting costs but also reducing income?
Post a Comment