The U.S. FAA has awarded $27.8 million to Las Vegas Reid International Airport (above) for runway work.
The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
April 26
Etihad Airways says it will place an Airbus A380 aircraft on the Abu Dhabi (AUH)-Paris Charles de Gaulle route from Nov. 1. The announcement comes just days after Etihad placed an A380 on the AUH-New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) route. The carrier is now operating two daily flights between AUH and JFK, one with an A380 and the other with a Boeing 787-9. Etihad already operates the A380 on the AUH-London Heathrow route.
Vietjet will increase from 2X-weekly to 3X-weekly the number of frequencies it will operate between Phu Quoc, Vietnam, and Seoul Incheon. The rise will take effect on June 13. Additionally, from July 1 the carrier will boost frequencies on the Phu Quoc-Taipei, Taiwan, route from 7X-weekly to 11X-weekly.
Southwest Airlines, citing “significant challenges presented by Boeing aircraft delivery delays and the related reduction in second-half 2024 capacity,” says it has “made the difficult decision” to pull out of four markets from Aug. 4: Bellingham, Washington; Cozumel, Mexico; Houston Bush Intercontinental; and Syracuse, New York. Additionally, the carrier said it will implement “capacity reductions” at Atlanta and Chicago O’Hare.
The U.S. FAA has awarded $27.8 million to Las Vegas Reid International Airport (LAS) for runway work, including installing runway edge drains to prevent deterioration of runway and taxiway pavements, as well as aircraft parking area improvements. The funds headed to LAS are part of the latest tranche being allocated by the FAA to U.S. airports via the 2021 infrastructure legislation passed by Congress. The new round of awards total $76.1 million and are spread among 45 airports in 22 states.
April 25
U.S. carrier Avelo Airlines will operate flights between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Miami International Airport (MIA) from June 7. The service will be flown 2X-weekly on a seasonal basis through Aug. 18 with a Boeing 737NG aircraft. The service is notable because the carrier largely avoids routes connecting two major airports on which there is competition with major carriers—around 90% of Avelo’s routes are noncompetitive. Both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines operate multiple daily flights on the MCO-MIA route, which has a flight time of just over 1 hr.
Air Canada Cargo will open cargo flights between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The airline, which operates a dedicated freighter fleet, will operate the service 3X-weekly with a Boeing 767 freighter from June 7.
British Airways (BA) has relocated departures at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3. The move will enable the airline to use the same gates as Oneworld partner American Airlines, which has a hub at ORD. The carrier recently added a third daily flight on its ORD-London Heathrow route. Ben Humphrey, American’s vice president of ORD operations, says the “strategic move will help us deliver a more seamless travel experience for our customers nationwide who are connecting through ORD to London and beyond.”
April 24
U.S. ULCC Frontier Airlines will open service between Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Barbados from July 3. The route will be operated 3X-weekly with an Airbus A320-family aircraft. Barbados becomes a new destination for Frontier. The airline will also launch service between SJU and Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic from June 14, operating the route 3X-weekly. The airline will additionally commence 3X-weekly service between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Miami from July 5.
China Southern Airlines has launched flights between Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) and Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH). The route will be operated 4X-weekly with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Qatar Airways already operates the DOH-CAN route, and China Southern codeshares on those flights. The Chinese carrier is a new entrant at DOH; China’s Xiamen Airlines also serves the airport. Qatar Airways operates flights from DOH to seven Chinese cities.
British Airways (BA) has doubled frequencies on its London Heathrow Airport (LHR)-San Diego International Airport (SAN) route, operating the service 2X-weekly instead of 1X-weekly. The increase is seasonal and will be in place until Oct. 25, when service is expected to drop back to 1X-weekly for the northern hemisphere winter season. “While London is the final destination for roughly 60% of the passengers flying this route, 40% connect to other cities, including Edinburgh, Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Cairo, Rome and Mumbai,” SAN says in a statement. “Adding this second daily flight … is expected to help SAN attract some of the local San Diego-area passengers who choose to fly to London from other nearby airports.” The airport says BA will use both a Boeing 777 and 787 on the LHR-SAN route.
Shanghai Airlines will start service to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) in June, operating a Shanghai Pudong-Xi’an-Budapest routing. The route will commence June 22 and be operated 1X-weekly, according to BUD. “We are confident the reconnection to Xi’an will again be well received by both business and leisure travelers,” BUD CCO Balázs Bogáts says.
April 23
Philippine Airlines will resume service on a domestic route between Clark International Airport in Pampanga and Basco Airport in Batanes. Flights will operate 4X-weekly from July 2.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) says it is now enforcing access restrictions to the airport that had previously been in place only for overnight hours. According to the airport, access “will be restricted 24/7 to ticketed passengers, [airport and airline] personnel, individuals meeting or greeting passengers, those performing facility maintenance, and others who have legitimate business to conduct at the airport.” The new rules come after the Atlanta City Council passed legislation in February extending the access restriction requirements at ATL from 11:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. to 24/7. The restrictions cover the domestic and international terminals, ATL SkyTrain, the rental car center and parking areas. “The rationale for the legislation is, first and foremost, safety,” ATL says in a statement. “This legislation [passed by the council] enhances ATL’s ongoing work to maintain a secure and safe environment for passengers, workers and vendors at Hartsfield-Jackson. Violators are subject to arrest and prosecution.”
April 22
IndiGo unveiled two nonstop routes—one domestic and one international—to be opened in May from Chennai International Airport (MAA), India. The domestic route will be between MAA and Durgapur and operate 4X-weekly. The international route, which is a service resumption, will be between MAA and Bangkok, also to be flown 4X-weekly. The airline notes it will fly 28 weekly flights from Durgapur when the new route to MAA starts, including to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.
Spirit Airlines will start summer seasonal service between Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) from June 5. The route will be flown daily with an Airbus A320 aircraft. According to PIT, the ULCC last operated the PIT-IAH route in 2017. Southwest Airlines currently operates daily flights between PIT and Houston Hobby Airport. Spirit will directly compete against United Airlines, which operates the PIT-IAH route 3X-daily.
Fiji Airways and Canada’s Porter Airlines have signed an interline agreement. The accord will enable Fiji Airways passengers to book one ticket for travel to Los Angeles and San Francisco through Vancouver via Porter’s transborder Airbus A220 flights to the two California cities, according to Fiji Airways.
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