Malaysia Airlines has not served the US since 2014, opting to leave its code on fellow oneworld partner carriers’ flights. In 2019, the country of Malaysia was downgraded to a Category 2 status by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and at that point, was not allowed to launch any services to the US. This was only true for three years, as Malaysia regained its Category 1 status in 2022.
Ten years without US flights
Malaysia Airlines last flew to the US in April 2014, when it had a fifth-freedom route from Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) to Los Angeles. Coincidentally, this was the same month that MH370 disappeared with nearly 240 lives onboard. According to Webintravel, the airline cut its flights to the US because it was not economically feasible.
Related MH370: Debris From Missing Boeing 777-200ER Confirmed In New Report A scrap once dismissed as marine debris may have been part of MH370.
Data from the US Department of Transportation (DOT)shows that during the last twelve months of operations at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Malaysia Airlines managed to fill just over 80% of its seats. The Asian carrier used its now-retired Boeing 777-200ERs for the 5,451-mile flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles. These planes only had two cabins – business and economy.
Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock
The breakdown of the last twelve months of the Tokyo-Los Angeles load factors is shown below:
Month Load factor April 2013 73.24% May 2013 82.26% June 2013 89.51% July 2013 83.89% August 2013 88.58% September 2013 87.02% October 2013 82.70% November 2013 79.18% December 2013 86.50% January 2014 77.23% February 2014 72.38% March 2014 77.07% April 2014 61.19%
During the same period, the
Why Doesn’t Malaysia Airlines Fly To The US?
