MAS stopping flights to Stockholm and NY?

[Azri M. 0]

Just got a twitter msg by @MAS

 

We r stopping flights to/from Stockholm & NY Oct'09. Pls contact ur agents, or us KL at 1300883000, LA 18005529264, Stockholm 08-50530050

http://twitter.com/MAS

 

Is this permanent or temporary?

 

EDIT: more Twit msg from @MAS:

 

We'll cont' 3x wkly KL-LA via Taipei. NY office will be maintained, & we'll cont' offer services to the Big Apple via airline partners.

Edited July 7, 2009 by Azri M.

[Mushrif A 3]

Looks like permanent until reinstated.

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

Positive. MH Rumour Departmet also leaking the same news moments ago. KUL-ARN-EWR vv will be terminated on 1 October 2009. Bye bye Sweden and New York!

[Alan B. 5]

Wonder why people don't want to fly MAS? I think because they prefer no star airlines like SQ and TG.

[Sing Yew 1]

Wonder why people don't want to fly MAS? I think because they prefer no star airlines like SQ and TG.

 

Or perhaps the prefer flying with airlins with 'hidden stars'.

Ironically SQ and TG are part of the Star Alliance.

[Tamizi Hj Tamby 1]

Codeshare flights with Skyteam,perhaps?

 

They do have codeshare agreement with KL (Correct me if i'm wrong here)

Edited July 7, 2009 by Tamizi Hj Tamby

[KK Lee 5]

With termination of EWR, KUL will never become a financial hub. If not because of electronic factories in Penang, MH would have suspend LAX also.

 

Believe in years to come, MH will be the 2nd airline of the country like Perodua overtaken Proton. Until MH decide what it wanted to be, it will continue to wander between 5 star and LCC.

 

[Kenneth T 0]

With termination of EWR, KUL will never become a financial hub. If not because of electronic factories in Penang, MH would have suspend LAX also.

 

Believe in years to come, MH will be the 2nd airline of the country like Perodua overtaken Proton. Until MH decide what it wanted to be, it will continue to wander between 5 star and LCC.

 

 

If such thing happen....Soon, US will be out of MH's network ...

[Georg Burdicek 1]

No...

what's wrong with them? Why can't they market high yield destinations like the US properly? Given the choice on the route ARN-NYC, I'd choose MH everytime... Like SQ on FRA-JFK, which is the far better choice then any other airlines on that route.

If you look at all the route cuttings of the past 2 years, MH will soon be like Garuda....

[affendi osman 0]

confirmed on TV3 news just now!

[Juergen Witte 0]

If such thing happen....Soon, US will be out of MH's network ...

 

 

Well, i suppose MH´s loads between ARN and EWR are too low. Most european and U.S. airlines had slashed their prices (Y-class as well as C-class) some time ago due to the economic situation combined with high competition ...

 

So, air got "too thin" for MH. It would be wiser to switch equipment to B777 and continue ARN (maybe even extend the KUL-FRA route to ARN) !!!

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

Just to share some after thoughts:

 

At present, MH serve ARN via 2 channels, one 3 weekly direct non stop flights to/from KUL, which continue on to/from EWR and 2 daily code share flights with KLM via AMS. So after the termination, travellers can still fly to/from ARN on a flight that use MH flight number (MH 9XXX). But tough battle for MH since TG fly their B744 daily into ARN.

 

With the demise of MH from New York, don't you think it opens up a golden opportunity for D7 to explore the route? I am thinking KUL-STN-New York (JFK/EWR) vv. I am not sure about the restrictions of the Open Sky agreement between the UK and the US, but since AF can ply the LHR-LAX vv route, I guess D7 can also fly from STN to the US vv after getting the necessary approvals.

 

MH fans need not to be worried. The termination of ARN is in line with MH's past hub and spoke strategy to focus on SkyTeam hubs in Europe, while the termination of EWR is still bearable since MH is still serving LAX and therefore will not jeopardise MH's current status as the airline that serve all 6 continents in the world. TG also closed their New York office not too long ago and only focus on LAX for their US market to remain profitable/competative, so it's OK.

 

A bit of a (history) recap, ARN and EWR were earlier terminated in 2006 during the implementation of BTP1 but MH's decision was overruled by the government using promoting Visit Malaysia Year 2007 as the reason MH need to fly to New York and the airline were then forced to reinstate the flights. Come October 2009, MH will finally get what it wished for since 3 years ago. I believe this route has been bleeding money very badly for so long but the management can't do anything about it since the earlier decision was interfered by the government, who directly own 70% of MH.

[Ivan L. 0]

MH will soon be like Garuda....

 

Hmm.. Considering that Garuda has upped their playing field recently, it's probably fairer to say that MH would soon be like UA or AA.

[flee 5]

I think the Middle Eastern airlines will benefit from this. It is a rather nice thing to make a stopover in the Middle East while on the way to NYC.

 

Back to MH - they seem to be re-opening and then re-closing routes this year. Macau is one of those routes. So I do wonder what their Ops team are doing (or not doing). Operating uneconomic routes should not go on forever. Plus their marketing team are also not on the ball as to which flights to push to make more sales.

 

As for D7 flying to US, that is what they are working on - but getting 5th freedom rights to fly from STN to the US will take some time, I think. But TPE to the US West Coast looks more doable...

[Albin And 0]

It's sad to see that MH is moving out from ARN and EWR, though it didn't come as a shock, the loads hasn't been very good.

 

For not too long there was a campaign, ARN-EWR-ARN for around 2500-300 SEK. That is around 250-300€ and that is really cheap.

 

Another problem was that it was only 3x weekly, for example: TG has 1x daily to ARN.

 

I really liked MH at ARN and had plans to visit Australia again next year with MH, though now it will probably be another airline..

[Cheng Kit 0]

Just like Thai Airways stopping the route to JFK with their A345's last year.

Edited July 7, 2009 by Cheng Kit

[KK Lee 5]

If MH joined an alliance years ago, code share between Europe and EWR like SQ out of AMS/EWR and FRA/JFK might have worked for MH.

 

With EK, EY, etc aggressive expansion plan, doubt MH can compete with them or reclaim previous glory in the next 5 years.

 

[Seth K 3]

I believe the main problem is the 3x weekly service while most airlines offer one stop service from KUL, with multiple flights DAILY(how convenient)....sad to see MH out of EWR.

I guess moree 777 flight to SIN now

Edited July 7, 2009 by Seth K

[mokhzani 0]

Its confirmed.....

 

MALAYSIA Airlines will suspend its thrice-weekly services from Kuala Lumpur to New York via Stockholm vice versa effective October 2009.

 

In a statement here today, the airlines said the last flight from Kuala Lumpur to New York will be on Sept 30 while the last flight departing New York will be on Oct 1 and Stockholm on Oct 2.

 

Malaysia Airlines commercial director Datuk Rashid Khan said the airlines has been serving New York since 1998 and Stockholm since 2004.

 

He said Malaysia Airlines has decided to suspend the services as demand has dropped due to the global economic crisis.

 

"The suspension is part of our continuous review to ensure that we retain the correct balance in network and fleet utilization given supply and demand.

"We are making arrangements to notify all who are affected. Customers holding tickets issued prior to today for flights from Kuala Lumpur to New York/ Stockholm vice versa and Stockholm to New York vice versa will be eligible for a refund, without any fees. We can also make arrangements for them to fly with our partner airlines should they wish to continue with their journey," he said.

 

Rashid said Malaysia Airlines will continue to offer its thrice weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to Los Angeles via Taipei.

 

It will maintain an office in New York and continue to offer services to the Big Apple via its airline partners.

 

Malaysia Airlines will also maintain an office in Stockholm, and customers can continue to connect to Stockholm via Amsterdam with Malaysia Airlines’ code share partner, KLM.

 

For further information, customers can contact their travel agents. Those who purchased their tickets via Malaysia Airlines' offices, call centre and website can contact Malaysia Airlines' call centre at 1300 88 3000 (Malaysia).

 

Customers in North America can contact the Los Angeles' office at 1 800 552 9264 while those in Sweden are to call the Stockholm office at 08-50530050.

[Isaac 0]

With termination of EWR, KUL will never become a financial hub. If not because of electronic factories in Penang, MH would have suspend LAX also.

 

Believe in years to come, MH will be the 2nd airline of the country like Perodua overtaken Proton. Until MH decide what it wanted to be, it will continue to wander between 5 star and LCC.

 

MAS is a GLC. We can't expect much from them

 

 

With the demise of MH from New York, don't you think it opens up a golden opportunity for D7 to explore the route? I am thinking KUL-STN-New York (JFK/EWR) vv. I am not sure about the restrictions of the Open Sky agreement between the UK and the US, but since AF can ply the LHR-LAX vv route, I guess D7 can also fly from STN to the US vv after getting the necessary approvals.

But the thing is that D7 is neither a European nor an American carrier. Besides, London/New York is like a golden route, believe they will be many objections from those British carriers.

Edited July 7, 2009 by Isaac

[Rozhan 0]

How come so few people want to fly Malaysia Airlines, the mega bestest airline the world has ever seen? Surely people would be clamouring to fly on a 5-star carrier, no?

 

So all those knighted (and knights wannabe)people at the supreme high command can't make things work eh??

[Fairul 0]

I think the Middle Eastern airlines will benefit from this. It is a rather nice thing to make a stopover in the Middle East while on the way to NYC.

 

Back to MH - they seem to be re-opening and then re-closing routes this year. Macau is one of those routes. So I do wonder what their Ops team are doing (or not doing). Operating uneconomic routes should not go on forever. Plus their marketing team are also not on the ball as to which flights to push to make more sales.

 

As for D7 flying to US, that is what they are working on - but getting 5th freedom rights to fly from STN to the US will take some time, I think. But TPE to the US West Coast looks more doable...

 

i dont get it...how will MH suspend flight to New york will benefit Middle Eastern airlines? didnt MH quit the DXB-EWR route when EK started to fly from Dubai to New York? correct me if im wrong..

[Pieter C. 5]

Codeshare flights with Skyteam,perhaps?

 

They do have codeshare agreement with KL (Correct me if i'm wrong here)

 

Indeed, MH code-sahres with KL between KUL and AMS and v.v.

KL & DL would be able to offer connecting flights to EWR as well as JFK from AMS...

CO (soon to become * Alliance) still offers AMS-EWR flights too...

[mohd sukri abd hamid 0]

is only temporary until the global economy back to normal..get news from my friend working at mh..

[Ja Singh 2]

Temporary in Mh terms means :10 years at least".

 

Example: they said they dont need to upgrade those J seats on 738 as they were on temporary leases.

They did it after some severe back lashing on their backsides from MW members as Ryan put it.