Originally Posted by
Creole Spirit
nothing more than a rumour, a (too) quick statement and mainly wishful thinking by their CEO, who is under heavy pressure and must deliver, because:
- Luang Prabang has never been served by TG but always by Thai Smile
- from which routes shall Smile withdraw in order to allocate 5 A320-aircraft for its new routes all at the same time during morning and evening peak hours?
- what is TG going to do with the five big aircraft to be withdrawn during morning and evening peak hour short haul legs?
- ground them? an aircraft can only earn money while it flies but not as long as it stands still on ground
- what is TG's cargo division to say about lsing five important Indochina destinations?
Spot on, if you ask me - but then again, who knows, they might be employing the good old "pee in your pants to keep you warm" tactic without thinking of the longer consequences
That said, I do not see this as more than a rumour either - it would take away much of the Southeast Asian network from both TG and Star Alliance.