Air Canada Extends Calgary - Tokyo Narita to Year Round Operation
Star Alliance member Air Canada has confirmed that it will continue to operate its Calgary - Tokyo Narita non-stop link during the Northern Winter 2012/2013 schedule as it enhances the route to a year round operation to support increasing demand. It revealed in November last year that it intended to upgrade the seasonal route but it has now received the necessary approvals from Japanese regulatory authorities to upgrade the seasonal flight. Last summer, Air Canada operated three flights per week between Calgary and Tokyo Narita, complementing its flights to the Japanese capital from Toronto and Vancouver. From April 27, 2012 when the service resumes, it will increase the frequency of the route to five times weekly, but will revert back to the three times weekly schedule for the Winter. "Following our announcement last fall that we were increasing our summer flights to five times weekly, we are pleased to extend our non-stop flights from Calgary to Tokyo Narita year-round, reflecting solid demand to and from Canada's energy centre," said Ben Smith, Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer, Air Canada. "Since we launched this route in March 2010, demand has been strong from business and leisure travelers as well as freight forwarders. This is a great example of how the Calgary business community, the Calgary Airport Authority, Travel Alberta and our travel partners understand that our industry is a significant catalyst for economic growth and have all come together to enable sustainable, year-round, direct links to Asia," he added. An estimated 33,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in 2011. The figures show the clear need for additional frequencies as just 43 per cent of these passengers took advantage of the direct service, with a further 42 per cent connecting on Air Canada flights via Vancouver. This is the only direct scheduled link from Calgary to Asia, a market of around 320,000 O&D passengers a clear opportunity for additional traffic, as Ben Smith noted. “Tokyo Narita's international gateway offers a multitude of convenient flight options to Japan, China, Korea and beyond,” he said.
Silver Airways Adds to Florida Route Network
US regional carrier Silver Airways has announced plans to further extend connectivity within Florida with the introduction of flights from Gainesville Regional Airport to Orlando International and Tampa International from April 15. The Tampa link will be flown twice every weekday and once at weekends while the Orlando service will have a single rotation every day. Both routes will be operated on behalf of Continental Airlines under the Continental Connection franchise brand. There are currently no direct services from Gainesville to either Orlando International or Tampa International. The only non-stop links from the airport are important hub links to Atlanta by Delta Air Lines, to Charlotte by US Airways and to Miami by American Airlines. These are all operated by regional partners of the three US majors. Silver Airways, which until mid-December last year was known under the Gulfstream International Airlines name, is investing at Gainesville Regional Airport and announced earlier this year the relocation of its maintenance operation from its Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport base to a new 61,000 sq ft facility which is due to open in April. “This new service better connects the Gainesville community with the world,” says Darrell Richardson, Chief Executive Officer, Silver Airways. “Our codeshare agreement with United/Continental will enable travellers from Gainesville to connect seamlessly in Orlando and Tampa to non-stop flights covering much of the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe.” The new routes will be operated by Silver Airways’ existing 19-seat Beech 1900D turboprops as well as its new fleet of 34-seat Saab 340Bplus aircraft. The airline has already taken delivery of the first two of six Saab 340Bplus models it is due to acquire by July 2012 but these are undergoing a period of inspection and certification under US and Bahamian aviation regulations to ensure full compliance with all safety and operational requirements prior to initiating scheduled passenger service. The Saab 340Bplus turboprops will mainly serve the carrier’s routes between Florida and The Bahamas. Silver Airways was established from the assets of Gulfstream International Airlines after that carrier filed for bankruptcy in November 2010. Its corporate logo logotype is derived from the spinning propeller blades of a turboprop engine like those found on its Saab 340Bplus and Beech 1900D aircraft.
AirTran Network Cuts Open New Frontier From Orlando
The decision by AirTran Airways to end commercial passenger services to a number of US regional markets from August 2012 as part of its continuing merger with Southwest Airlines is opening the door for a number of its rivals to expand their own domestic networks. The latest carrier to profit from AirTran’s strategy is Frontier Airlines which has confirmed new routes from Orlando International to the Pennsylvanian cities of Allentown and Harrisburg. AirTran Airways will end its flights between Orlando International and Allentown’s Lehigh Valley International Airport from August 26, 2012 alongside seasonal routes to the facility from Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale. Frontier Airlines plans to enter the market from May 26, 2012, initially offering a twice weekly service alongside its low-cost rival, although it is likely to up capacity once AirTran leaves the market and potentially match its daily operation. An estimated 178,000 O&D passengers travelled between the two airports in 2011, a route that up until recently was also served by Allegiant Air – the carrier has since switched its flights from Orlando International to Orlando Sanford. It is a similar story for the link between Orlando International and Harrisburg International. AirTran Airways will end its double daily flights from August 12, 2012, but again Frontier Airlines will enter the market ahead of the carrier’s departure, initially offering a four times weekly schedule from May 24, 2012. An estimated 110,000 O&D passengers travelled on this route during 2011. “We’re very pleased to provide travelers in eastern Pennsylvania with Frontier’s low-fare, customer-pleasing service to Orlando,” said David Siegel, President and Chief Executive Officer, Frontier Airlines. “We’re confident they will appreciate our nonstop flights to Orlando International Airport – the closest airport to Orlando's world-class attractions, the Orange County Convention Center and the downtown business district.” Allentown is a brand new destination for Frontier, while the carrier recently announced that it will begin serving Harrisburg from Denver in May. The airline already offers flights from Orlando International to Denver, Des Moines, Kansas City, Knoxville, Madison, Milwaukee and Omaha. The two new routes will both be operated using 138-seat Airbus A319 equipment.
United to Open Chicago - Sarasota Service
United Continental Holdings has announced it will introduce a daily non-stop service between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and the Florida city of Sarasota from November 4, 2012. The new flight will be operated using a Boeing 737-800 configured with 154 seats - 16 in United First, 48 in Economy Plus and 90 in Economy. "This new route complements United's existing service between Chicago and eight other cities in Florida," said Martin Kammerman, Senior Manager of New Markets and Analysis, United Airlines. "In addition to providing Midwest travelers with easy access to Florida's southwest Gulf coast, this new service will give travellers from the Sarasota-Bradenton area convenient connections to United's global network from our Chicago hub." In the past year an estimated 3.94 million passengers flew between Florida and Chicago O’Hare. Approximately 2.67 million of these were O&D passengers with around 804,000 connecting to other domestic US destinations from Chicago and a further 467,000 transiting in Chicago to international routes. There are currently no direct flights between Sarasota-Bradenton International and Chicago O’Hare International, although AirTran Airways does currently offer a double daily link to Chicago Midway Airport, a route on which around 141,000 O&D passengers travelled during 2011. As part of its ongoing merger with Southwest Airlines, AirTran will be suspending all of its routes to Sarasota-Bradenton International from August 12, 2012 and this is likely to have played a major role in United’s entry into this particular market.
American to Offer Additional Seasonal Rotation to Jamaica
American Airlines has announced it will add an additional non-stop flight between Miami International Airport and Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica this summer. The flight will operate between April 4, 2012 and August 20, 2012, bringing the total number of daily non-stop flights offered by American between Miami and Kingston to four during the peak season. The new service will be operated with a 160-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft. "With its beautiful scenery and rich culture, Kingston is a very popular destination, especially in the summer months," said Peter Dolara, Senior Vice President for Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America, American Airlines. "We are pleased to offer our customers more options for their travel to and from Jamaica this season with the addition of a fourth daily service between Kingston and Miami." In addition to this seasonal flight and its existing three daily round-trips between Miami and Kingston, American also serves Montego Bay in Jamaica from Miami International, Dallas/Ft Worth International and Chicago O’Hare International. An estimated 2.78 million O&D passengers travelled between the US and Jamaica in 2011, slightly down on the previous year. The Miami – Kingston route is also served by Caribbean Airlines which currently offers four rotations a week, also using a Boeing 737-800. In the past year an estimated 108,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route, up 7.4 per cent on the previous year with American Airlines holding a 98 per cent share of the traffic.
Related Content
