New routes launched in the Americas (21 June – 4 July 2011)

• Aerolineas Argentinas on 1 July connected Mendoza (MDZ) in the western part of Argentina with the capital of neighbouring Chile, Santiago (SCL). The route of merely 200 kilometres across the Andes is now operated daily with 128-seat 737-700s, competing with LAN’s 31 weekly flights.

• AeroMexico launched three new international routes on 4 July, all of which used to be operated by Mexicana prior to the airline’s bankruptcy last year. From Cancun (CUN) on the Yucatan Peninsula, the airline now flies twice-daily to Miami, FL (MIA), competing with American Airlines’ 35 flights a week. From Guadalajara (GDL), the SkyTeam airline began operating daily to San Francisco, CA (SFO), facing Continental’s also daily flights, and from the country capital Mexico City (MEX), AeroMexico now flies twice-daily to Guatemala City (GUA) in competition with LACSA’s also twice-daily flights as well as Interjet’s daily service. All three routes are operated with 124-seat 737-700s.

• Air Europa on 1 July launched another transatlantic service as the Spanish SkyTeam airline connected its Madrid (MAD) base with Mexico City (MEX). Flights operate four times weekly with 299-seat A330-200 aircraft. Competition comes from Iberia’s twice-daily services as well as daily flights with Air Europa’s SkyTeam partner AeroMexico. This is Air Europa’s 11th transatlantic route and its second to Mexico, after flights to Cancun.

Air France arrived in Lima for the first time in 16 years. The airline now serves the Peruvian capital non-stop five times weekly from its Paris CDG hub.

• Air France expanded its South American network on 21 June as the SkyTeam carrier added Peru’s capital Lima (LIM) to its list of destinations served from its Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) hub. Five times a week, the airline flies 309-seat 777-200ER, for the first time linking the two capitals non-stop in both directions, although Air France did serve Lima through Quito on the outbound sector in 1994-1995.

Expressing delight at linking Wilmington, and the white sand beaches of the Cape Fear Coast, with American Airline’s cornerstone Chicago hub: New Hanover County Chairman Jonathan Barfield; Paige Teel, Manager Business Development & Sales at American Eagle Airlines and Dale Morris, Managing Director, American Airlines; and Bill Saffo, Mayor of Willmington, watched (far right) by Jon Rosborough Wilmington Airport director.

Dale Morris, Managing Director, American Airlines, leads Wilmington’s civic leaders in the ribbon cutting.

• American Eagle, the regional subsidiary of American Airlines, added a new destination to its network on 2 July. The airline now flies to Wilmington, NC (ILM) from its Chicago O’Hare (ORD) hub. The 1,225-kilometre route is operated twice-daily with 44-seat ERJ140 aircraft. Other airlines serving Wilmington are US Airways (Charlotte, Philadelphia, New York LaGuardia and Washington Reagan), Delta (Atlanta) and Allegiant Air (Orlando Sanford).

Cutting the cake for Arkefly’s arrival at Orlando Sanford were Steven van der Heijden, CEO TUI Netherlands/Arkefly, and Tim Donihi, Vice Chairman Sanford Airport Authority Board, while a SeaWorld mascot was on site to welcome the children. Passengers were served cookies and Florida orange juice. Posing in front of the aircraft were Angelique Nijmeijer, Manager Destination and Tour Support, TUI Netherlands; van der Heijden; Jantine Beil, Channel Management Third Parties Sales, TUI Netherlands; Tom Sutherland, Commercial Planning Manager, ArkeFly; and (kneeling) Gregory Dull, VP Marketing, Orlando Sanford International Airport.

• Arkefly, the Dutch airline in the TUI Travel group, launched a new route to Florida from Amsterdam (AMS) on 24 June. The airline now operates twice weekly to the Sunshine State with 283-seat 767-300ERs. On Mondays, flights operate first to Miami (MIA), continuing to Orlando Sanford (SFB), while the Friday flights are operated to the two Florida airports in the opposite order. While non-stop services between Amsterdam and Miami also are operated by KLM four times weekly, this is the first time the Dutch airport is connected with Orlando Sanford. Up until last year, however, now cargo-only carrier Martinair did serve Orlando International.

Cake of the Week:
Condor’s Frankfurt to Seattle and Calgary

As Condor’s 767 arrived in Seattle, the airline got a proper welcoming. Cutting the ribbon were Mike Ehl, Director of Operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; Jens Boyd, Head of Revenue Management, Condor; Charles Hughes, VP Americas, Condor; Captain Michel Brinkerink, Condor; Silvia Funke, Manager Airport Services, Condor; and Petra Walker, German Honorary Consul. The first flights were full in each direction and, reportedly, bookings far exceed expectations.

Stefan Schulte, CEO Fraport, and Ralf Teckentrup, CEO Condor Airlines, cut the ribbon for the airline’s two new routes to North America from Frankfurt. The thrilled gentlemen then cut pieces of the aircraft cake to display.

• Condor, the German leisure carrier in Thomas Cook Group analysed this week, launched two new North American routes from its Frankfurt (FRA) base in the last week; one to the US and one to Canada. On 23 June, the airline began serving Seattle, WA (SEA) and the following day, it launched flights to Calgary (YYC). Each of the two routes is operated twice-weekly with 270-seat 767-300ER aircraft. In Seattle, Condor partners with locally based Alaska Airlines for onward connections. Competition on the US route comes from Lufthansa’s daily flights, while Calgary already is served by Air Canada daily, Lufthansa six times weekly and Air Transat once a week.

• Continental Airlines, operated by ExpressJet, on 30 June launched 11 weekly flights from its Houston Intercontinental, TX (IAH) hub to Hobbs, NM (HOB) with 50-seat ERJ145s. This is the second commercial scheduled service at the New Mexico airport after commuter services to Carlsbad.

• Copa Airlines Colombia, the airline previously known as AeroRepublica, on 4 June launched 13 weekly flights between its base in the Colombian capital Bogota (BOG) and the capital of neighbouring Venezuela, Caracas (CCS). The airline has operated the route in the past, for one year until May 2009. Flights are operated with E-190s, competing with Avianca’s three flights a day and daily flights with Conviasa.

• Delta Air Lines launched two new routes on 1 July; one domestic and one intercontinental. From Minneapolis/St Paul (MSP), the airline now flies daily to Reno, NV (RNO) with 160-seat 737-800 aircraft. Flights operate seasonally until 6 September. From Detroit (DTW), the airline on the same day launched its third route to Beijing (PEK). Already serving the Chinese capital from Seattle and Tokyo Narita, Delta now also offers five weekly flights from the Motor City with 269-seat Boeing 777-200E/LR aircraft. Vinay Dube, Delta’s SVP Asia Pacific, commented: “With our new nonstop service between Detroit and Beijing, Delta continues to build our industry-leading trans-Pacific network, which provides convenient travel choices for our customers travelling to cities across Asia. As a major gateway to the region, our Detroit hub is a key part of our Asian network, and our new flight to Beijing will mean even more opportunities for economic development and job growth in the city.”

• Hellenic Imperial launched an historical new route on 24 June when the airline launched four weekly flights between Athens (ATH) and New York JFK (JFK) with 249-seat A340-300s. The 7,950-kilometre route, which departs the Greek capital on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, competed with Delta’s daily flights as well as indirectly with Continental’s daily flights from Newark. Further services operating between the US and Greece are US Airways’ daily Philadelphia service and Delta’s four weekly flights from Atlanta, however, this is the first time a Greek airline serves the US since Olympic dropped its JFK service in 2009.

In Curacao, the new connection with Charlotte was celebrated with a cake. Speaking to the gathered press was Insel Air’s Chief General & International Affairs Edward Heerenveen. In Charlotte, the airline’s CEO A. Kluyver took a stand behind the podium, welcoming passengers on board the new service.

• Insel Air launched its third US route after Miami and Orlando on 22 June when the Caribbean airline connected its Curacao (CUR) base with Charlotte, NC (CLT). Flights operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with 152-seat MD80 aircraft.

First route to Canada: Speaking at Qatar Airways’ Montreal press conference were Bart Vos, SVP Americas; Akbar Al Baker, CEO; and Mohammad Riyaz Saduddeen, Country Manager Canada. The fast-growing airline is anxious to get more traffic rights to Canada and expand its operations.

• Qatar Airways on 29 June launched its first route to Canada and its fifth to North America as the fast-expanding airline connected its Doha (DOH) hub with Montreal (YUL). 259-seat 777-200LR aircraft are operated three times weekly – on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays – to Canada’s second-largest city, however, Qatar Airways’ CEO Akbar Al Baker commented the frequencies at the inaugural event: “With the oil and gas industry being a key connection that naturally aligns us, we hope that as soon as our thrice-weekly service is well-established and boosts the Qatari and Canadian economy to receive additional traffic rights for a daily operation to Montreal. Qatar Airways would look to expand its presence in Canada with additional capacity in response to a growing passenger base here, who travel to many destinations we serve across the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.” Aéroports de Montréal’s President and CEO James Cherry said: “The entire team at Aéroports de Montréal is delighted by the arrival of a carrier as prestigious as Qatar Airways and the addition of such a major destination as Doha, with connections to some one hundred other cities, including eleven in India alone. The arrival of Qatar reinforces our vision for Montréal–Trudeau, which is to accentuate the airport’s role as a hub for travel between North America and Eurasia.”