Thai Airways reduces flights to Australia

THAI B747-4D7 HS-TGP (CN 26610)        File Photo     

Thai Airways has drastically reduced capacity to Australia over the Australian summer with flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane all cut from this month. Thai has also downsized the aircraft operating on the Perth-Bangkok route. The changes came into effect from 28 October 2018, which is the start of the northern winter scheduling period. It was previously reported that this capacity reduction would be re-instated at the end of March 2019, but this is no longer the case. The reductions appear now to be permanent.

Sydney will lose four of its eleven weekly Thai Airways flights, with the loss of TG 471 and TG 472. TG 471, operated by a 747 is the morning flight from Bangkok, while the latter is the 4pm departure from Sydney to Bangkok. 

THAI B787-8 HS-TQA (CN 35315)       File Photo

Brisbane loses 3 of its 7 weekly Thai Airways flights to Bangkok. TG 477 and TG 478, operated by 787 aircraft, are being suspended, meaning the loss of a day flight from Bangkok to Brisbane and an overnight flight back to Bangkok. 

Melbourne currently has 2 x daily flights to Bangkok. After 28 October, TG461 and TG462 will be trimmed back to 4x weekly. TG 465/ 466 will remain daily. 

Perth will be downgraded from a Boeing 787 to an Airbus A330. 

While Australia will be hit particularly hard by the reduction in Thai Airways flights, the airline is also reducing flights to many other cities across Asia and Europe during the northern winter. Thai Airways will continue to use a Boeing 747 on its daily flights from Sydney to Bangkok. But the 747s will have been withdrawn from Europe completely once the Bangkok-Munich route switches from a Boeing 747 to a Boeing 777 next month. The Thai Airways 747s have an outdated Business class product but a nice First class cabin. 

Qantas, Jetstar and Emirates also fly from Australia to Thailand. Qantas and Emirates both have daily Sydney-Bangkok flights, while Jetstar flies various routes to Bangkok and Phuket.




Story sourced from here.
https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/thai-airways-reduces-australia-flights/