News From The Americas

Richard Maslen June 02, 2011

DELTA READY TO LAUNCH ADDITIONAL BRASILIA ROTATION

US major Delta Air Lines has this week added a sixth weekly flight between its Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport base and Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek Airport in the Brazilian capital Brasilia. The additional flight was launched on May 31 and is being operated using a Boeing 757-200 seating 162 passengers: 15 in First Class and 147 in Economy Class. "Delta's continued growth in Brazil has been quite significant, and this new flight will further support our strategy in this market," said Nicolas Ferri, Vice President for Latin America and Caribbean, Delta Air Lines. "The new frequency between Brasilia and Atlanta will offer more convenience to our customers who need better access to the country's capital city and its surrounding areas." The airline dominates traffic on the route as the sole carrier offering direct flight options. There was a market of around 4,000 O&D passengers in the past year but yields are particularly strong with average one-way fares of more than $700. Delta currently offers 32 non-stop flights between the US and Brazil, including flights to São Paulo from Atlanta, Detroit and New York as well as between Atlanta and Rio de Janeiro. It also has a codeshare partnership with local carrier GOL on flights to 15 domestic Brazilian markets and plans to expand this across 15 more destinations this summer, pending government approval.

ULTIMATE AIR SHUTTLE TO OFFER CINCINNATI – WASHINGTON SERVICE

US regional carrier Ultimate Air Shuttle is to introduce a third domestic route from Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Field Airport. The venture will add a four times weekly flight to Washington Dulles International Airport from June 6 using its 30-seat Dornier 328Jets. The airline is a subsidiary of Ultimate Jet Charters which provides ad hoc services to private customers across the country. Ultimate Air Shuttle began offering scheduled flights from Cincinnati in July 2009 with links to Moristown, an alternate gateway to New York. In September 2010 it expanded to include flights Chicago Midway and it is currently looking at adding services to additional destinations over the coming months.

JAMAICA INCREASES EXPOSURE WITHIN SOUTH AMERICA

The Jamaica Tourist Board has formalised important contracts with key tour operators across South America to bring additional tourist visitors to the Caribbean island. According to Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism for Jamaica, an additional 10,000 seats will be available over the remainder of the year, including the first flights to Brazil which will commence in November or December. Alongside these links an arrangement has been reached with Principales Air Lines (PAL) to operate direct flights to Montego Bay from Chile and and PRL Colombia SAS which will operate charter flights from Bogota and Medellin in Colombia. “The key value of the South American market for us is that their winter is our summer and so during our shoulder months like September, October, November we can be assured of good traffic coming in during that time,” Edmund Bartlett said after confirming the new deals.

AIR CANADA JAZZ BRAND ENTERS HISTORY

With effect from June 1 all flights flown for Air Canada by Jazz Aviation have been placed under the Air Canada Express umbrella as part of the operator’s ongoing rebranding of its regional services. The first Jazz Aviation aircraft to feature the Air Canada Express livery is a new Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 NextGen aircraft that will enter service later this month, with the remainder of the Jazz fleet adopting the new livery as additional aircraft are delivered or existing aircraft are repainted under their regular paint schedule. Already, Air Canada Express’ new flights operated by Sky Regional Airlines between Montreal and Toronto City Airport at Toronto Island, operate under the revised brand and livery. Fellow regional partners Central Mountain Air, Air Georgian and EVAS will also begin to use the Air Canada Express name and livery in the near future. "The name Air Canada Express conveys efficient, rapid service and assures customers that whether their flight is operated by Air Canada mainline or Air Canada Express they can expect a consistently high-quality travel experience. Where previously our regional services used different names depending on the operating carrier, by adopting the name Air Canada Express for all our regional services we are making it easy for customers to identify when they are booked on a regional carrier," said Ben Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Air Canada.