Thrice-weekly Non-stop Flights To Los Angeles

[george]

Thrice-weekly non-stop flights to Los Angeles started this month

Six months after launching a non-stop service from Bangkok to New York, Thai Airways International Plc yesterday started non-stop flights from Bangkok to Los Angeles, utilising an Airbus A340-500 aircraft on the 14-and-a-half-hour route.

Acting THAI president Somchainuk Engtrakul said the service was the fastest from Southeast Asia to the west coast of the United States. He added that THAI would operate three flights a week - on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

-- The Nation 2005-12-03

[lopburi3]

See this thread for more details.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=51801

[cdnvic]

I wonder what effect these new long range aircraft like the A340, 777, A380, and 787 will have on common stopover airports like Anchorage, or Narita?

cv

[think_too_mut]

I wonder what effect these new long range aircraft like the A340, 777, A380, and 787 will have on common stopover airports like Anchorage, or Narita?

cv

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was wondering that too.

For NRT itself, it has reached it's maximum of 200K slots per year and there is a long queue of requests waiting on another runway to be built (that would add 20K more slots). Biz for NRT won't suffer but choice for travellers might.

[lomatopo]

What's strange is that TG originally planned to fly BKK-LAX direct, non-stop daily (i.e. seven days per week), replacing and expanding the four weekly flights via KIX. When they first announced the scaled back BKK-LAX direct non-stop service to three weekly flights they said the BKK-KIX-LAX flights would fly the other four days. Now, after a quick review of the schedules it looks like TG dropped the four weekly flights via KIX as of 30 Nov.?

Narita will continue as a viable hub for a long time; not enough people fly betwen every city pair, that could be serviced by a long range aircraft, to justify operation of non-stop service. Note that SIN-EWR/SIN-LAX operated by SQ and BKK-LAX/BKK-JFK are the few long, thin routes currently operated. (There may be others?)

Last night my flight from NRT to BKK was full (747), as was my connecting flight from ORD. However only ~ 35 people from my ORD flight connected on to BKK, the rest ended their journey in Japan or continued on to SIN, HKG, TPE, ICN. And passengers originating in Japan, or from JFK, ORD #2, SEA, SFO(2x), LAX, HNL filled my BKK flight.

The A380 will certainly help to relieve some of the capacity issues (flight operations, not passengers) at airports like NRT and LHR. It's easy to imagine that TG would operate their A380s on routes where they operate two or more widebodies today (SYD, NRT, FRA, LHR).

I did see an article yesterday about ORD preparing for LH's A380 flights expected in 2008. They need to widen some taxiways to accomodate the A380.

Not sure how many people tranit/stopover in ANC? I think FedEx has (had?) a big operation there?

[mandl]

Just checked the price for Feb - Mar. About US $1100 for round trip from LAX to BKK.

[britmaveric]

Just checked the price for Feb - Mar. About US $1100 for round trip from LAX to BKK.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hmmm $300 or so more than China Air. Me thinks they need lower the price if they want to be competitive - mind you - you eliminate a stop over so perhaps its's worth it.

[cdnvic]

Try travelocity.ca mandl. I'm getting the same quote in Canadian dollars (.86 to 1US).

The A340-500 at extreme range can't be packed to the max with passengers so the result is much more comfortable seating, and a 37in pitch in economy class.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=4882...RFP&photo_nr=16

cv