Star Alliance member Thai Airways is shrinking its Australian route network – at least, for now – with all flights to Brisbane and Perth withdrawn from sale over the coming yr.
The airline’s Brisbane office may also shut on December 18 2020, with all employees there made redundant.
Flights to Brisbane and Perth, in addition to Melbourne, “are suspended till March 27, 2021,” a Thai Airways spokesperson said
“Scheduled past that has not but been confirmed.”
However, flights between Melbourne and Bangkok have already returned to sale for journey from March 28 2021, with Thai Airways scheduling a every day Airbus A350 service:
The same can’t be mentioned for Brisbane and Perth, for which no Thai Airways flights are loaded for sale through to late 2021, being as far forward as the airline sells tickets on its community.
Sydney-Bangkok flights set to proceed
On the subject of Sydney, Thai Airways expects to function a weekly flight to Bangkok between January and March 2021.
Day by day Sydney-Bangkok services is then scheduled from March 28.
Even so, the airline’s web site warns against making flight bookings right now, noting that prompt refunds shouldn’t be expected if flights are cancelled.
A Thai Airways spokesperson said that “we count on there will be some finalisation of the 2021 schedules as soon as the court process in Thailand is finalised in Q1 2021, and (when) international borders are reopened.”
Earlier this yr, the airline had resorted to court protections under Thailand’s Bankruptcy Act to help save its future – a transfer that was followed last month by all of Thai’s Boeing 747s being put up for sale.
Australia’s international journey restrictions have also now been prolonged a 3rd time, persevering with till no less than March 17, 2021.
Thai Airways’ Australian community
Prior to COVID-19, Thai Airways offered common flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
Its Sydney route was home to these Boeing 747s, which got here with not only the feted upper deck for business class passengers, but also the airline’s refreshed first-class suites down in the jumbo’s nose.
Without the Boeing 747 in its fleet, Thai’s Sydney flights are at present scheduled with Airbus A350s and Boeing 777-300s going ahead, each of which prime out at business class.
Till March 2020, Sydney-Bangkok was also served every day by Qantas.
Melbourne-Bangkok had another in Jetstar, and Brisbane had Thai AirAsia, albeit with flights into Bangkok’s secondary Don Mueang airport, rather than the city’s Suvarnabhumi hub.
Perth-Bangkok was a monopoly for Thai Airways and was also Perth’s eighth-busiest international route in 2018.
