Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,743
Most Asian routes require only one aircraft. They leave HEL day 1, arrive in Asia, spend about 2 hours on the ground, fly back to HEL and arrive a couple of hours before their take-off time on day 2 (assuming it's on the same or similar route).
But the midnight departure to Bangkok requires two aircraft: departure HEL at 23:40 on day 1, arrival 10 hours later, 10,5 hours at BKK, a 10,5-hour-flight back to HEL and arrival again at HEL at 6:40 on day 3. In the meanwhile, another plane has left to BKK at 23:40 on day 2.
Doesn't a schedule like this make the route a lot more expensive to operate? Or is the pattern motivated by servicing the planes at BKK, thus cutting costs (when comparing to servicing at HEL)?