Insel Air Introduces Link to Barquisimeto
The acquisition of four Fokker 50s earlier this year has enabled Insel Air to expand its activities in the Caribbean. The 50-seat turboprops are currently used on twice daily flights from Curaçao to Aruba and up to five flights per day between Curaçao and Kralendijk. From next month they will also be used to launch a new connection to Venezuela, the airline’s fifth destination in the country. From November 16, Insel Air will offer a four times weekly service between Curaçao and Jacinto Lara International Airport in Barquisimeto, the capital city of the State of Lara located in west central Venezuela. The city currently has no international links with Aeropostal, Aserca Airlines and Avior Airlines offering just domestic links to Caracas.
Fontier Airlines Increases Options from Kansas City
Republic Airways Holdings’ subsidiary Frontier Airlines has confirmed the introduction of a seasonal service between Kansas City and Orlando from January next year. The new route will be launched on January 5, 2012 and will operate until April 15, 2012. There will initially be four flights per week, increasing to six from February 23, 2012; all operated by 99-seat Embraer 190s. The airline will compete directly with Southwest Airlines on the route. The budget carrier already offers at least two flights per day although with an estimated 333,000 O&D passengers travelling between the two cities in the past year there is clear demand for additional flights. The new service increases Frontier Airlines’ offering from Kansas City to 19 destinations. It is the fourth largest operator from the US city with around 10.3 per cent of the seat capacity on offer during November when it will operate over 130 weekly flights providing almost 150,000 seats from Kansas City. On November 1 it will inaugurate services between Kansas City and Las Vegas and even before its launch the carrier has already upgraded the route from a 99-seat E190 to a 138-seat Airbus A319 due to demand. Away from Kansas City, Frontier Airlines will also launch two new routes from Washington Reagan at the start of next year, with services to Grand Rapids and Madison. Both flights will be operated using Airbus A319s and will be flown three times weekly. The airline already has links to both destinations from its Denver base and also serves Grand Rapids from Milwaukee. Delta Air Lines already provides six times weekly flights to Grand Rapids and Madison from Washington Reagan with its regional partners. These services are mainly targeting business passengers flying to Washington or connecting on to other destinations in the US or across the globe and Frontier Airlines arrival with larger Airbus equipment will inevitably lead to lower fares on the routes, stimulating demand further. “Our new nonstop service to Washington Reagan provides Grand Rapids and Madison travellers the choice of flying a large jet on their travels to our nation’s capital,” explained Daniel Shurz, Vice President of Strategy and Planning, Frontier Airlines. An estimated 29,000 O&D passengers travelled between Grand Rapids and Washington Reagan in the past year, each paying an average $241 each way, while 49,000 O&D passengers travelled between Madison and Washington Reagan, paying an estimated $218 in each direction. Frontier Airlines is also to make some amendments to its network in several markets during the first quarter of 2012. This includes the closure of its Milwaukee - Pittsburgh service from January 4, 2012; the seasonal suspension of Milwaukee - Boston services for the first quarter of 2012; and other frequency and day-of-week adjustments. “In these times of continuing high fuel prices, we’re continuing to fine-tune our schedules to match capacity to demand in what is historically the weakest travel quarter of the year,” Shurz said. “These adjustments, along with other recent schedule changes, are part of Frontier’s ongoing efforts to return the airline to sustained profitability.”
Delta and US Airways Receive Green Light for Slot Swap
Delta Air Lines and US Airways said in a joint statement last week that they “welcome the decision” by the Department of Transportation to approve their proposed slot transaction at New York LaGuardia and Washington Reagan National airports, subject to certain conditions. The DOT's final order represents a clear recognition by the Obama Administration that the slot transaction is in the public interest and will provide service benefits at both New York and Washington DC. Under the new agreement, Delta will acquire 132 slot pairs at LaGuardia from US Airways and US Airways will acquire from Delta 42 slot pairs at Reagan National, as well as the rights to operate additional daily service to Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2015. Delta also will pay US Airways $66.5 million in cash. In addition, the airlines will divest 16 slot pairs at LaGuardia and eight slot pairs at Reagan National to airlines with limited or no service at those airports.
Porter Airlines Adds Timmins, Vermont and Mont Tremblant Links
Canadian regional carrier Porter Airlines is to introduce links to Timmins and Burlington, Vermont this winter from its base at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, as it enhances its winter activities. The new three times daily route to Timmins will commence on January 16, 2012 and continues Porter’s successful Northern Ontario expansion, which has included Thunder Bay, Sudbury and Sault Ste Marie services. The seasonal link to Burlington, Vermont will operate twice weekly between December 15 and April 8, 2012 and supports a growing ski demand. Porter already offers flights to destinations such as Mont Tremblant and Quebec City and is launching its ski season one week earlier than last year. “Our Mont Tremblant route is one of our most popular,” said Robert Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines. “Canadians know that winter isn’t a time to hibernate, it’s a time to take advantage of the many outdoor attractions that are available at this time of year.” This winter Porter will also offer its first non-stop route from New York to Mont Tremblant, with weekly roundtrip flights from Newark International Airport available from December 22 until April 12, 2012.
Delta Awaits Green Light for Pusan – Saipan Route
US major Delta Air Lines is awaiting a decision on an application to inaugurate flights from the Korean city of Pusan to Saipan, the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean. Delta is planning to offer a short-time twice weekly Pusan – Saipan link during January and February next year, adding to its existing twice daily flight from Tokyo Narita. An estimated 26,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year on the seasonal services of Asiana Airlines.
Ethiopian Airlines Still Considering Toronto Launch
Ethiopian Airlines is still considering introducing flights to Toronto, a market it is has been studying for the past five years. The carrier has an agreement in principle with Canadian authorities to launch a three times weekly rotation from its Addis Ababa base, but its new aircraft have subsequently been allocated to other routes, raising uncertainty over the proposed flight. However, the airline’s latest in-flight magazine, Selamta, still lists Addis Ababa – Rome – Toronto in its network plans and a company official confirmed that it remains an option, alongside other points in the North American market. Ethiopian Airlines currently only serves a single US market with a six times weekly link to Washington, but is also considering resuming flights to New York, as well as adding the key oil markets of Atlanta and Houston.
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