The announcement yesterday that TG will be cutting staff and axing routes is hardly new. It was all made public at the start of the year.

For some based in the US, the loss of the 1-stop LAX route may be a slight problem, the more so as it comes after the cancellation of the JFK route half a dozen or so years ago. Both started up with great fanfare as non-stop services. The real problem was that TG's management made a stupid mistake by purchasing a fleet of A340-600 aircraft to service these routes. With four engines, that plane is a gas guzzler compared to the ultra long range twin engine 777s that were introduced by many other airlines like Cathay Pacific on their non-stops to US cities. The TG A340s also had a very large business class which had to be close to full for the routes to be profitable. They never were. When TG suspended JFK and made LAX into a 1-stop they tried to sell their six A340-600s. They failed and the airline is still stuck with them.

The service to Rome is also being axed but London and Frankfurt will get additional flights. The logic behind that move completely baffles me. Emirates, Qatar and Etihad services into BKK have mushroomed in recent years. Not only are their fares cheaper than those offered by TG, their profit generating business class seats and service are years more advanced than TG. Whilst TG can offer non-stop between the capitals, it will still have just one UK and two German destinations. Emirates now flies in to five UK cities, Qatar to four and Etihad at least three. Given the choice of transit at Heathrow or say Doha, I'd take Doha every single time!

TG's management still has a mountain to climb!

Similar Threads: