Thai May Reduce BKK-JFK.

Thai Airways International is seriously looking at offering non-stop services from Bangkok to Los Angeles as soon as the end of this year while at the same time cutting back on its high-profile but costly direct flights to New York. The plan has surfaced as the national carrier moves to rationalise its North American operations which has become financially burdensome as the result of the launching of the expensive Bangkok-New York service in May.

Though THAI executives have been pleased with the load factor on the Bangkok-New York sector , reportedly at 70-80%, soaring fuel prices and competitive fare-setting have hit the airline's bottom line.

The airline may offer four direct flights a week between Bangkok and Los Angeles in December or January and reduce the non-stop Bangkok-New York frequencies to four a week from six at present.

Vasing Kittikul, THAI's executive vice-president for commercial affairs, said the plan was subject to approval from the airline's board of directors.

Like its New York-bound service, THAI would be the first carrier to fly non-stop between the two cities, a flight expected to take about the same time as the Bangkok to New York route _ 17 hours.

The planned direct Bangkok-Los Angeles service would avoid heavy competition from other airlines that fly to Los Angeles via Japan, either through Tokyo's Narita airport or Osaka's Kansai.

Furthermore, Bangkok-Los Angeles is a more mature route in terms of traffic density, given that the US city has the largest Thai community in North America, industry analysts said.

The direct Bangkok-Los Angeles service would replace the airline's existing Los Angeles-bound flights, also four times a week, which stop at Osaka's Kansai airport and are operated by B747-400 jumbo jets.

But THAI would maintain its services from Bangkok to Osaka, now 21 flight a week (seven of them via Manila), and the 21 flights a week from Bangkok to Tokyo's Narita airport.

The airline would use the new long-range 215-seat A340-500s to fly the direct Bangkok-Los Angeles services, similar to the Bangkok-New York operation.

As part of its new flight plan for the winter season that begins in November, the airline will also commence a new route _ Bangkok-Moscow, next month at three flights a week, using MD-11 aircraft. It will also step up frequencies from Bangkok to several European destinations, including Frankfurt.

bangkok post.