United Airlines to Start Serving Doha
United Continental Holdings has confirmed that United Airlines will introduce a daily service between Washington Dulles and the Qatari capital Doha from May 1, 2012 as an extension of its existing flight to Dubai. The new connection remains subject to Government approval and will increase the US major’s coverage in the Middle East to four destinations, with existing links to Bahrain, Dubai and Kuwait City. An estimated 266,000 O&D passengers travelled between Washington Dulles and the Middle East region, with around 34.6 per cent travelling with United Airlines. To the wider US market the O&D demand increases to an estimated 3.9 million travellers, while O&D traffic between Doha and the US is an estimated 158,000 with around 22,000 O&D passengers traveling between Doha and Washington Dulles. "This new service will improve travel options for our customers at both ends of the route," said Andrew Buchanan, Director of International Planning, United Airlines. "The Doha flights are timed to provide convenient connections to and from destinations across North America." The new route will be flown using a 269-seat Boeing 777 configured for eight passengers in United First, 40 in United Business and 221 in United Economy, including 104 Economy Plus seats with added legroom. United is understood to also have local traffic rights on the Dubai – Doha sector, putting it into competition with Emirates Airlines, flydubai and Qatar Airways which together offer more than 170 return flights per week on the route.
JetBlue to Compete With American on Boston - Dallas
JetBlue Airways is to launch a three times daily service between its Boston Logan International Airport base and Dallas Fort Worth International bringing competition to a route currently operated by American Airlines. The low-fare carrier will begin flights from May 1, 2012; its first route to the Texan city, which is presently the largest metropolitan area in America not served by the airline. "We're excited to bring our Boston customers what they've been asking for – more options for their business and leisure travel to Dallas/Fort Worth," said JetBlue's Vice President Sales and Revenue Management Dennis Corrigan. "Our three daily nonstop flights are scheduled at optimal times to maximise convenience, and with the recent addition of new gates and ticket counter space at Logan, customers flying in and out of Boston will experience easier travel than ever before." Last year an estimated 481,000 O&D passengers travelled between Boston and Dallas, paying an average one-way of $412. The arrival of JetBlue on the route will certainly push down average fares on the route, which without competition has grown 2.4 per cent and 6.9 per cent in the past two years.
Air Jamaica Returns to Miami
Air Jamaica has resumed air services between Kingston and Miami launching a new four times weekly connection between the two cities on December 9. The carrier is using a Boeing 737-800 on the service, operated by Caribbean Airlines and plans to increase the frequency of the route to a daily schedule from February 1, 2012. “The resumption of direct service to Miami by our Air Jamaica brand solidifies our commitment to offering our customers better connectivity to North America,” said Robert Corbie, Chief Executive Officer, Caribbean Airlines. “As the only regional carrier to offer non-stop services from Jamaica to three of Florida’s major cities – Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and now Miami – we are a fundamental resource in Caribbean aviation.” An estimated 710,000 O&D passengers travelled between Jamaica and Florida in the past year, up 8.9 per cent on the previous 12 month period. Air Jamaica has seen its share of this market decline from 47.2 per cent to just 30.4 per cent during the same period, but the resumption of the Miami service will help it regain marketshare. American Airlines already serves the Kingston – Miami route, an O&D market of an estimated 104,000 passengers this past year, on a three times daily basis.
Hawaiian Airlines Continues Network Growth
Hawaiian Airlines has announced plans to boost its services between Los Angeles and Honolulu as it continues to expand its domestic network. The carrier has revealed that it will introduce a third daily rotation on the route from June 7, 2012, confirming what had been a seasonal capacity increase into a year-round service. “The growth of our long-haul fleet allows us to add this third daily flight on a permanent basis to better accommodate the strong demand for our service in southern California year-round and provide our customers with more schedule options,” said Mark Dunkerley, Chief Executive Officer, Hawaiian Airlines. The Honolulu – Los Angeles route is also served by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Continental Holdings partners Continental Airlines and United Airlines and Philippine Airlines, the latter as an extension of its Hawaiian flights from Manila. Together these operators provide more than 100 weekly rotations providing over 20,000 seats in each direction. According to Hawaiian, increasing the seasonal flight to a year-round service will add more than 70,000 air seats annually between the two cities. In the past year an estimated 1.12 million O&D passengers travelled between Honolulu and Los Angeles, up 1.8 per cent on the previous 12 month period. Average one-way air fares on the route have also strengthened from $313 to $345. Hawaiian Airlines currently dominates the market with a 25 per cent share of the traffic, up slightly on last year.
American Adds Codeshare with BA Premium Venture
American Airlines and OpenSkies, the premium subsidiary of British Airways, have signed a new codeshare agreement that enhances travel options between Europe and the US. The agreement allows American to place its code on OpenSkies flights between Newark Liberty International Airport and Paris Orly Airport and also extends connecting opportunities for OpenSkies passengers via Newark Liberty to Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles and Miami on American’s own flights. "This new codeshare relationship will give our customers more opportunities to seamlessly connect to Europe while enjoying the premium experience OpenSkies has to offer," said Kenji Hashimoto, Vice President - Strategic Alliances, American Airlines. "American and OpenSkies are looking into additional opportunities to enhance our relationship and offer our joint customers further benefits in the future." OpenSkies offers an all premium service using a fleet of four specially configured Boeing 757-200s that offers Business Class seats that convert to fully flat beds as well as others that recline to 140 degrees. "This codeshare agreement will further develop into OpenSkies joining the joint business agreement between American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia effective January 1, 2012, bringing added benefits for transatlantic travel," added Patrick Malval, Managing Director, OpenSkies.
Alaska Airlines to Resume Long Beach – Portland Link
Alaska Airlines has confirmed it will resume non-stop services between Portland, Oregon, and Long Beach, California from March 12, 2012. The airline previously flew the route for around a one year period up until April 2010 and will offer a daily rotation between the two cities using a 70-seat Bombardier CRJ700 of regional partner SkyWest Airlines. The route is already served by JetBlue Airways on a twice daily basis, but Alaska Airlines’ prior knowledge of the market will give it the confidence that it will be able to compete with the low-fare carrier. JetBlue launched its own services on the route in October 2008 originally using Embraer 190s but it is now flying Airbus A320s. An estimated 9,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year. "The addition of Portland-Long Beach gives our customers another conveniently timed alternative for traveling between the Pacific Northwest and Southern California," said Joe Sprague, Vice President of Marketing, adding that the service augments the carrier's existing three times daily Seattle-Long Beach link.
JetBlue Launches Links to US Virgin Islands
US low-fare carrier JetBlue Airways has this week inaugurated flights between San Juan and the US Virgin Islands further strengthening its position in the Puerto Rican market. The airline has introduced twice-daily flights between San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) and St Thomas International Airport (STT) and daily flights between San Juan and St Croix International Airport (STX), expanding its non-stop network from San Juan to eleven destinations. "Since our inaugural service to the Commonwealth nearly a decade ago, Puerto Ricans have consistently made JetBlue their carrier of choice," said Scott Laurence, Vice President of Network Planning, JetBlue Airways. "It is thanks to their loyal support we've been able to maintain steady growth on the island, adding even more destinations for visitors and residents of Puerto Rico alike.” “This additional airlift, estimated to bring over 70,000 passengers a year, strengthens Puerto Rico as the hub of the Caribbean region. The added service to both St. Croix and St. Thomas will allow us to maximize the market potential as the US Virgin Islands are our top source of passengers from the Caribbean,” said Mario Gonzalez Lafuente, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. “It will be an economic boost to important inbound tourism segments such as corporate, leisure, medical, entertainment, groups and conventions among others.”
Hamilton International Airport Adds CanJet Flights
Hamilton International Airport has bolstered its winter schedule with a selection of new flights being marketed by tour operator Transat Tours and operated by CanJet. The Canadian tour operator will be offering flights to Varadero and Holguin in Cuba, Cancun in Mexico and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. “We are delighted to introduce the new flights and to welcome Transat Tours to Hamilton International,” said Karen Medweth, Director of Air Service Development and Marketing, Hamilton International Airport. “The addition of another operator offering winter schedules from Hamilton International demonstrates the airports pledge to develop a route network that best serves the extensive catchment area in the region.” The total number of destinations served by Hamilton International for this winter season now stands at six. The new CanJet flights will operate between December 2011 and April 2012 and will see extra capacity being introduced to Cancun and Punta Cana, which are also being served during the same period by WestJet. The low-cost carrier is also serving Orlando (launched in November) and will double frequencies to twice weekly on this route in February 2012, as well as domestic links to Calgary.
Delta and US Airways Close Slot Swap Deal
Delta Air Lines and US Airways have announced the closure of their agreement to transfer take-off and landing rights at New York's LaGuardia and Washington’s Reagan National airports. The deal was approved by the US Department of Transportation in October but could not be completed until the terms of the contract, namely the sale of some slots at both airports to competing carriers, was completed. Under the agreement, Delta acquired 132 slot pairs at LaGuardia from US Airways and US Airways acquired from Delta 42 slot pairs at Reagan National, as well as the rights to operate additional daily service to Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2015. The two airlines are now working on their expanded schedules at the respective airports. "US Airways has been a solid operator for travelers utilizing the easily accessible service at Ronald Reagan National Airport for many years," said Doug Parker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, US Airways. "Our expanded presence at Reagan National enables us to add more frequencies in existing markets so customers have more travel choices; it also allows us to expand our service so more smaller communities have access to non-stop service to this very important market and beyond." "Now that we have closed our agreement with US Airways, we can begin taking steps to expand our schedule at New York LaGuardia, greatly increasing travel choices for our New York customers and increasing competition in the market," added Richard Anderson, Chief Executive Officer. "We also look forward to expanding and modernising our LaGuardia facilities as we create a Delta hub operation at LaGuardia."
American Eagle to Fly Kitchener Connection from Chicago
American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, has announced it will introduce a daily link between Chicago O'Hare International and the Region of Waterloo International Airport in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. The airline will operate a 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145 on the route from June 14, 2012. "We're pleased to introduce new service to Kitchener from our cornerstone hub in Chicago," said Gary Foss, Managing Director Network Planning, American Airlines. "This schedule will allow customers from the Waterloo Region to make a day trip to Chicago for business or connect through this key international gateway to destinations throughout the American Airlines and oneworld global network." The new route and a first link to a major US hub is a key development for the small Canadian airport. Currently the airport is linked to only three domestic destinations by Bearskin Airlines (Montreal and Ottawa) and WestJet Airlines (Calgary), although Sunwing Airlines does offer a seasonal winter charter link to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. "Daily jet service to Chicago is what our business community asked us for, and we are pleased to be here today announcing just that," said Chris Wood, Airport General Manager, Region of Waterloo International Airport. "There are almost 800,000 passengers a year traveling between the Waterloo Region and the United States who will now be able to fly through Chicago to cities like San Diego, Salt Lake City and San Antonio, while enjoying the convenience of flying from home."
Airports Welcome US/Canada Border Accord
Airports Council International North American (ACI-NA) and the Canadian Airports Council (CAC) have both welcomed the ‘Beyond the Border Action Plan’ announced by US President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper this week, as a good step forward in bi-national relations between Canada and the US, and ultimately a positive move for North American aviation. “North America’s airports will see tremendous benefit from this new commitment to our Canada-US relationship,” said Greg Principato, President, ACI-NA. “The border agencies of Canada and the US have a great track record of working together. This accord reinforces this great work.” Among the new measures announced were the planned elimination of baggage security rescreening requirements for Canadian originating bags at US airports by the Transportation Security Administration; expansion of US pre-clearance for cargo from Canada, and the expansion of Nexus benefits to travelers. Also included was a commitment “to identify and develop solutions to operational impediments to the effectiveness of US Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) pre-clearance operations at Canadian airports by June 2012.” The subject of improved staffing levels at CBP has been a priority for Canadian airports for several years. “The US is Canada’s biggest trading partner and Canada’s airports strive to make travel between Canada and the US as easy and hassle free as possible for business and leisure travelers alike,” said Bill Restall, Chairman, CAC. “We hope the new accord will lead to more Canadians visiting the US, more Americans visiting Canada, and increased cross border trade for the benefit of both countries.” The US CBP provides customs and border services to travellers departing for the US from eight Canadian airports that have US pre-clearance facilities. However, travellers from other Canadian airports need to be cleared on arrival in the US and resources have not kept pace with the healthy growth in air traffic between the two countries (up 4.5 per cent in first six months of 2011). ACI-NA and the CAC have been long-time proponents of initiatives that ease the facilitation of passengers and goods at the Canada-US air border from CBP and the Canada Border Services Agency, including technology-based trusted traveler programs like Nexus and Global Entry. “Canada and the US enjoy an important longstanding relationship,” said Daniel-Robert Gooch, President, CAC. “Our airports welcome initiatives that ultimately make the experience of travelling between Canada and the US easier and more hassle free.”
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