News From The Americas

Richard Maslen April 07, 2011

CONTINENTAL AIRLINES TO RESUME GUAM - OKINAWA SERVICE

US carrier Continental Airlines has outlined plans to resurrect flights between Guam and Okinawa, a route last served over 15 years ago. The US major plans to offer a four times weekly link between the two destinations from September 28, using a Boeing 737-700. It currently offers flights from Guam to Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Okayama, Osaka Kansai, Sapporo, Sendai, Tokoname and Tokyo Narita, carrying around 791,000 O&D passengers and accounting for 43.6 per cent of the traffic between Guam and Japan in the past year.

AEROLINEAS ARGENTINAS TO LAUNCH MENDOZA – SANTIAGO DE CHILE

Argentine flag carrier Aerolineas Argentinas is to add a daily link between Mendoza and Santiago de Chile from July 1. The new service represents an extension of one of the airline’s existing flights to Mendoza, located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes, from Buenos Aires Aeroparque Jorge Newbery. The airline will bring competition to the route with existing operator LAN Airlines currently holding a monopoly between the two cities. It operates up to three flights per day on the route using a mix of Airbus A318 and A320 aircraft. In the last year more than 113,000 passengers travelled between the two cities, up 5.8% on the previous year, with each paying an average one-way fare of $138.

DIRECT AIR EXPANDS ITS PRESENCE AT MYRTLE BEACH

Independent US carrier Direct Air has announced plans to inaugurate flights from Myrtle Beach International Airport to Hagerstown and Lakeland bringing its network from the South Carolina coastal resort city to ten destinations. The airline will offer two flights per week initially but Bill Keilman, a Managing Partner and Chief Financial Officer, Direct Air, suggested additional frequencies could be added. "We'll check our demographics, and if it's successful, we'll increase service," he said. The new links will commence from June 23 with the Hagerstown flight serving the Washington and Baltimore area and the Lakeland service the Orlando and Tampa-St. Petersburg areas. The latter will also target South Carolina visitors who want to vacation in Florida with Bill Keilman claiming both areas are underserved by airlines.

LAN ARGENTINA TO ADD BUENOS AIRES – BAHIA BLANCA LINK

LAN Argentina, part of the South American LAN Airlines group, is to add flights from Buenos Aires’ downtown airport Jorge Newbery to Bahia Blanca, an important trans-shipping and commercial centre in the south west of the country. This will be LAN’s 12th domestic link in Argentina and is a route already served by Aerolineas Argentinas with up to twice daily services during weekdays. LAN Argentina will offer 13 flights per week, with a double daily service every day except Sunday. Around 80,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year, a 27 per cent fall over the previous rolling 12 months, although average fares have grown from $104 to $118 each way during that period.

DELTA TO PROVIDE SEASONAL MINNEAPOLIS – RENO LINK

US major Delta Air Lines is to offer a daily seasonal link between Minneapolis and Reno this summer. The carrier will offer service between July 1 and September 6 using a Boeing 737-800. Approximately 35,000 O&D passengers travelled between the two destinations in the past year with around 37 per cent of these using existing Delta Air Lines flights, mainly connecting via Salt Lake City.

LUFTHANSA TO LAUNCH A380 SERVICE TO MIAMI

German national carrier Lufthansa has confirmed that it will start using its Airbus A380s on flights to Miami this summer after the delivery of its eighth aircraft. From June 10, the Super Jumbo will replace a Boeing 747-400 on the airline’s Frankfurt – Miami link, representing a small increase in capacity on the route. This will be Lufthansa’s sixth destination to be served by the type and the third in North America after New York JFK and San Francisco. Miami will additionally be served daily from Zurich by Lufthansa’s partner Swiss International Air Lines with an Airbus A340, while during the forthcoming Northern Winter schedules Lufthansa will resume direct flights to Miami from Dusseldorf with an Airbus A330-300, initially with three weekly rotations from October but growing to a daily service from November.

AIR TRANSAT TO ADD ISTANBUL LINK THIS SUMMER

Canadian carrier Air Transat is to offer seasonal services to Istanbul this summer with a weekly flight between May 29 and October 9. This will originate in Toronto but will also serve Montreal and will be operated by an Airbus A330-200. In the last year Air Transat accounted for an 18.2 per cent share of the 7.4 million O&D passengers travelling between Canada and Europe. It is currently offering over 100 flights a week to 25 destinations in the continent from Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto and Vancouver. Turkish Airlines (THY) already provides a three times weekly service between Istanbul Ataturk and Toronto Lester B Pearson International, a route launched in July 2009 and operated by one of its new Boeing 777-300ERs. Approximately 48,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year, with just over half using the THY service.

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