HB-IWC From Greece, joined Sep 2000, 4414 posts, RR: 76 Posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 1748 times:
Last night marked the start of KLM operations to its newest gateway in China, Chengdu (CTU). For the rest of the summer schedule, KLM, in cooperation with codeshare partner China Southern, will be operating twice weekly B772ER services on the AMS CTU route according to the following schedule:
KLM will be the first European carrier into CTU, and it is a sure thing that Lufthansa and others will be closely following the performance of the new route. LH has been known to be actively looking into service to secondary Chinese cities.
Last night's inaugural flight was operated by B772ER PH-BQC "Cichen Itza" and the aircraft is meanwhile on its way back to AMS as KL892 with an ETA of 18.34LT.
Joost From Netherlands, joined Apr 2005, 3128 posts, RR: 4 Reply 1, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 1727 times:
Wasn't it posted recently on the forum that this winter already, the frequency will be reduced to one weekly? And if so, what's the use of a one-weekly flight? Of course, through their codeshare they offer daily (?) connections, but still it surprised me.
UpperDeck79 From Finland, joined Feb 2005, 1139 posts, RR: 2 Reply 2, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 1705 times:
Quoting Joost (Reply 1): Wasn't it posted recently on the forum that this winter already, the frequency will be reduced to one weekly? And if so, what's the use of a one-weekly flight? Of course, through their codeshare they offer daily (?) connections, but still it surprised me.
Seriously, only 1 weekly during winter? The loads must look really bad then... I wonder how AY's plans for secondary Chinese cities look like after this?
HB-IWC From Greece, joined Sep 2000, 4414 posts, RR: 76 Reply 3, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 1672 times:
Quoting Joost (Reply 1): Wasn't it posted recently on the forum that this winter already, the frequency will be reduced to one weekly? And if so, what's the use of a one-weekly flight? Of course, through their codeshare they offer daily (?) connections, but still it surprised me.
During the slowest weeks of the winter season, KLM will reduce frequencies on all AMS-China routes for about six weeks from late January until early March only. AMS PEK will reduce to 3 weekly, AMS PVG to 4 weekly and AMS CTU to 1 weekly. Apart from that, frequencies wil remain as before (daily to PEK and PVG, twice weekly to CTU) for the rest of the winter season. It's far too early to call CTU a failure.
Joost From Netherlands, joined Apr 2005, 3128 posts, RR: 4 Reply 4, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 1651 times:
Although I'm sure that there is a logic behind this, I can not really see it yet. Is there such a significant drop in traffic in just that couple of weeks, that they reduce an important city as PEK from 7 to 3? Are they doing this every year? And what will the a/c do? They must save out 2 747s by this - is heavy maintainance planned in these weeks?
And for CTU, I expected cargo to be an important market rather than pax, especially on a low-frequency flight. So why no 747-combi?
HB-IWC From Greece, joined Sep 2000, 4414 posts, RR: 76 Reply 5, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 1559 times:
Quoting Joost (Reply 4): Although I'm sure that there is a logic behind this, I can not really see it yet. Is there such a significant drop in traffic in just that couple of weeks, that they reduce an important city as PEK from 7 to 3? Are they doing this every year? And what will the a/c do? They must save out 2 747s by this - is heavy maintainance planned in these weeks?
These reductions are happening next winter for the first time and as far as I can see, it is because of a combination of low loads during those weeks and reinforced maintenance operations. The entire MD11 fleet is supposed to be undergoing a retrofit over the winter months.
Lamedianaranja From Venezuela, joined Nov 2004, 1246 posts, RR: 23 Reply 6, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 1534 times:
Does that mean the crew gets to stay there for one whole week? I can't believe that. They'll probably have to position to some other city but is there a T7 destination close by? This it is not profitable for KL crewwise.
EK156 From United Arab Emirates, joined May 2005, 765 posts, RR: 3 Reply 7, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 1491 times:
I thought KLM flies to CAN as well??? Was I mistaken?
HB-IWC From Greece, joined Sep 2000, 4414 posts, RR: 76 Reply 9, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 1451 times:
The CTU flight has in today's CRS update again been loaded as a twice weekly operation for the entire winter, but the operational days have changed to Tuesdays and Sundays from Amsterdam. For PEK and PVG, flight reductions are still planned in February 2007, although the flights are basically daily and will be before and after February.
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