News

MAS retreats from North America

27 Jan 2014 by Alex McWhirter

After almost 30 years, Malaysia Airlines will cancel its Los Angeles service from April 30.

It means that globetrotters will soon find that the Kuala Lumpur-based airline will no longer be flying to any destination in North America.

MAS has been covering Los Angeles ever since 1986. Currently, it operates a three times a week service by B777-200 with an en route stop in Tokyo Narita.

The section between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo will remain. Only the lengthier transpacific sector is being cancelled.

According to the Malaysian media, the Los Angeles route has become unprofitable to operate. MAS, which is not in the best of financial health, has decided it is more economical to transfer its passengers at Tokyo onto a fellow Oneworld carrier such as Japan Airlines for the onward transpacific sector.

Flights between SE Asia and California have proved problematic for the local carriers in recent times, owing to lengthy flight distance and ever fiercer competition. 

The latter comprises carriers in the North Pacific region such as Cathay Pacific and Korean Airlines as well as the Gulf carriers who have begun to expand aggressively into North America.

Both SIA and Thai suspended their non-stop flights in recent years in favour of operating slower, one stop services.

malaysiaairlines.com

Alex McWhirter

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