HAWAIIAN AIRLINES UPS FREQUENCIES TO SYDNEY
Responding to increasing demand for its services to Hawaii from Australia, Hawaiian Airlines will increase its Honolulu – Sydney service to a year-round daily non-stop operation from December 14. The company in April increased its flight schedule from four days per week to daily for the peak winter season and, because of aircraft availability, will operate five days per week between August 3 and December 13, before starting year-round daily service on December 14. The route will be flown by a 164-seat Boeing 767-300ER configured with 18 Business Class seats. In the past year an estimated 144,000 O&D passengers have flown between Honolulu and Sydney, a route also served by Jetstar Airways and Qantas. This is an 11.9 per cent increase on the previous 12 months, a period that Hawaiian Airlines has increased its market share from 29 to 36 per cent. It remains the number two carrier on the route behind Jetstar Airways, but with a stronger yield than its Australian competitor. “Australians are increasingly finding great value in Hawaii vacations, and demand for our services has never been greater,” said Glenn Taniguchi, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Hawaiian Airlines. “The arrival of another aircraft later this year will allow us to meet the increased demand starting in December.”
VIVAAEROBUS TO OFFER MONTERREY – CHICAGO CONNECTION
Mexican low-cost carrier VivaAerobus is to introduce a link to Chicago Midway from its base at Monterrey’s General Mariano Escobedo International Airport. The new flight will operate twice weekly from October 14. This will be the airline’s third destination in the US with existing connections to Houston and Las Vegas, routes it has been serving since 2009. “Our arrival in Chicago is part of our international expansion plan here in the US. Offering our service to this city’s market represents a great opportunity for VivaAerobus,” said Roberto Valdez, Commercial Director, VivaAerobus. The airline has become known as the Ryanair of the South American market and is in fact a joint venture between Mexican bus operator IAMSA and Irish investment vehicle Irelandia, which is controlled by the Ryan family, the original founders of the Irish budget carrier. It launched flights in November 2006 and in its almost five years of operations has carried more than 8.5 million passengers. It now operates 15 Boeing 737-300s on a network that covers 54 routes. There are currently no direct links from Monterrey to Chicago Midway, although Aeromexico does offer a four times weekly service to Chicago O’Hare using an Embraer regional jet, a route that was previously operated by Mexicana prior to its closure. An estimated 37,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the last year, with more than three quarters having to connect via another US airport.
AMERICAN EAGLE TO SERVE ASPEN FROM DALLAS AND LOS ANGELES
US regional carrier American Eagle, a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Airlines, is to introduce new non-stop links to Aspen/Pitkin County Airport in Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado from both Dallas/Fort Worth International and Los Angeles International. The daily flights will operate between December 15, 2011 and April 2, 2012 and will then resume between June 14, 2012 and August 20, 2012. They will be flown using a two-class Bombardier CRJ700, including a nine-seat First Class premium product. "We are pleased to introduce seasonal jet service to Aspen/Snowmass from two of our cornerstone hubs in Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles," said Gary Foss, Vice President of Marketing and Planning for American's regional network. "Not only will it provide greater access to all the world-class ski resorts and recreation this beautiful and cosmopolitan area has to offer, but it will also provide Pitkin County residents with convenient connections to destinations throughout the American Airlines global network, as well as destinations served by our oneworld partners, including Sydney, Melbourne and Tokyo." These new flights are a major boost for travellers to Aspen/Snowmass and will offer various new connection opportunities for local residents. There are currently only limited services into Pitkin County with Frontier Airlines and SkyWest Airlines (for United Airlines) offering links to Denver and seasonal offerings to Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
JETBLUE TO OFFER HARTFORD –SAN JUAN SERVICE
US carrier JetBlue Airways is to introduce a daily flight between San Juan and Hartford, the capital city of the US state of Connecticut. The new service to Bradley International Airport will commence on January 5, 2012 and will be JetBlue’s third flight to the city adding to its daily schedule from Ft Lauderdale and twice daily link from Orlando International. The low-cost carrier will compete directly with American Airlines on the route. The US major already offers a daily service and accounted for around 66 per cent of the estimated 122,000 O&D passengers that flew between the two airports in the past year. The rest of the demand was supported by indirect flights via other US hubs, with passengers on average paying considerably less for the inconvenience of the one-stop service, a market that would certainly be attracted to JetBlue’s new offering. "We're happy to meet the great demand for travel between the closely connected communities of Connecticut and Puerto Rico," said Dave Clark, Director of Route Planning, JetBlue Airways. "And we are fortunate to have great partners in the Hartford and Puerto Rican communities who enable robust growth and route development, which benefits all parties and allows more travel opportunities for the public. We look forward to further growing these relationships and our network in these markets."
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