Originally Posted by
SAT Lawyer
There is no shortage of one-stop, single-carrier options between LAX/NYC and BKK. On the Star Alliance alone, SQ, NH, UA, OZ, LH, and LX spring to mind. How TG expects to improve its competitive position by axing the nonstops, especially if it coincides with a change to inferior equipment (from a passenger perspective), is beyond me. If the problem is a lack of capacity, the solution would seem to be supplemental flights (with one or more stops) in addition to the nonstops, no?
That seems very logical to me, and in fact was what TG was planning to do a few months ago. They even had the flights loaded in their system, but then axed it suddenly. Adding a couple of 747 flights with one stop would seem like a good solution which would allow them to carry a lot more passengers, with people who don't really care about which plane/route they take being able to use the 747s and the more discriminating passengers using the 345s. Tickets on TG to the States aren't exactly cheap when compared to the competition, but people are willing to pay the premium for the nonstop service.