T-Bird76
2007-02-20, 07:36 AM
Fuel prices force Thai to drop A340-500 non-stops to USA
By Leithen Francis
Airline axes New York and Los Angeles direct services but agrees A380 reparations
Thai Airways International is abandoning its non-stop services to Los Angeles and New York, which it operates with Airbus A340-500s, due to high fuel costs. Meanwhile, the airline has reached a deal with Airbus to acquire eight A330-300s at a discounted price as part of compensation for the delay to its A380 order.
Thai confirms that it will revamp its five-times weekly non-stop services from Bangkok to Los Angeles and New York Kennedy into one-stop services, and is considering either Seoul or Shanghai for the stopover point, although it gives no timeframe for the move. The confirmation comes in response to public remarks made by the airline's president Apin Sumanaseni.
Although the stopover will enable the airline to pick up passengers, it denies that poor passenger loads are the reason for the change. "The cabin load factor is very good. Before we flew to Los Angeles [via Osaka] using Boeing 747s which have 400-plus seats," which is more capacity than the 215-seat A340-500s used today, it says. The main reason for the change is that the "cost of having direct flights to the USA is very high" in terms of fuel and other costs, it adds.
Thai has three A340-500s in service (plus one on backlog), which it originally ordered specifically for non-stop ultra-long-range services. The flag carrier's first non-stop service to the USA started in May 2005.
By Leithen Francis
Airline axes New York and Los Angeles direct services but agrees A380 reparations
Thai Airways International is abandoning its non-stop services to Los Angeles and New York, which it operates with Airbus A340-500s, due to high fuel costs. Meanwhile, the airline has reached a deal with Airbus to acquire eight A330-300s at a discounted price as part of compensation for the delay to its A380 order.
Thai confirms that it will revamp its five-times weekly non-stop services from Bangkok to Los Angeles and New York Kennedy into one-stop services, and is considering either Seoul or Shanghai for the stopover point, although it gives no timeframe for the move. The confirmation comes in response to public remarks made by the airline's president Apin Sumanaseni.
Although the stopover will enable the airline to pick up passengers, it denies that poor passenger loads are the reason for the change. "The cabin load factor is very good. Before we flew to Los Angeles [via Osaka] using Boeing 747s which have 400-plus seats," which is more capacity than the 215-seat A340-500s used today, it says. The main reason for the change is that the "cost of having direct flights to the USA is very high" in terms of fuel and other costs, it adds.
Thai has three A340-500s in service (plus one on backlog), which it originally ordered specifically for non-stop ultra-long-range services. The flag carrier's first non-stop service to the USA started in May 2005.