Porter Stimulates Demand in Sudbury
Canadian carrier Porter Airlines has announced plans to introduce a fourth weekday flight between its Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Sudbury less than two years after launching the route. It inaugurated flights on the route in March 2010 initially with a daily schedule but has now subsequently increased capacity on three separate occasions to support rising demand and enhance the convenience of its schedules for business and leisure passengers alike. “By meeting passenger needs with convenient schedules and increased service, we’re continuing to demonstrate our commitment to Sudbury as a valued part of the Porter network,” said Robert Deluce, President and Chief Executive Officer, Porter Airlines. “The overwhelmingly positive response we’re seeing from travellers is a clear indication that we’re offering a desirable service within the market.” Sudbury is the largest city in the Northern Ontario region by population, and the 24th largest metropolitan area in Canada. By land area, it is the largest city in Ontario, and the seventh largest municipality by area in Canada. Formerly a world leader in nickel mining, Sudbury is now the major retail, economic, health and educational centre for Northeastern Ontario. It is also home to a large Franco-Ontarian population which influences its arts and culture. Porter Airlines is the only carrier providing service to Sudbury from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, although Air Canada offers up to seven flights per day from Toronto Pearson International Airport. An estimated 29,000 O&D passengers flew on Porter Airlines’ flights in the past year, while around 65,000 flew on Air Canada’s services. Porter Airlines uses a Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 on its flights with Air Canada using smaller Dash 8-100 and Q300 variants. Both airlines have a relatively strong yield in this market, with average one-way fares from $295 (Porter Airlines) to $315 (Air Canada). The additional frequency, which will be introduced from January 16, 2012 will facilitate same day travel between Sudbury and Toronto and will open other alternative markets including Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Windsor, Halifax, Moncton, St. John’s, Boston, Chicago and New York.
Gulfstream International Adds to its Bahamas Network
US regional carrier Gulfstream International Airlines has announced plans to expand its network in The Bahamas with new daily links to Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island from Orlando and to Freeport on Grand Bahama Island from Palm Beach from next month. The company already operates services on more routes to the Bahamas than any other mainland US carrier. The new link to Grand Bahama Island International Airport at Freeport from Palm Beach International Airport will start from November 8. Gulfstream International already serves the Island four times daily from Fort Lauderdalle, while flights to Marsh Harbour are already offered from Palm Beach. Two days later, from November 10, its Marsh Harbour offering will be extended with the introduction of the new flight from Orlando International. Marsh Harbour, is a small town in the heart of Great Abaco, is a well-known boating, fishing and sailing destination. Several protected underwater areas also make for excellent diving and snorkeling. Shopping and restaurant options are varied and plentiful, while the island’s idyllic weather and wealth of water sports activities – boating, fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking and more – form the main attractions. Like its present network, these flights will be operated using Beech 1900 turboprops under the Continental Connection carrier brand and under codeshares with United Airlines and with Panama City-based Copa Airlines. Gulfstream International currently has a fleet of over 20 Beech 1900 which alongside the Bahamas are used on flights within Florida and Ohio. “This new service underscores our commitment to offer the highest-quality service and flexible flight options in the Florida-Bahamas market,” said Darrell Richardson, Chief Executive Officer, Gulfstream International Airlines. “To help accommodate the leisure travelers who we largely serve to destinations like The Bahamas, we developed a schedule that allows our customers to maximize their vacation time through the convenience of early morning departures to their destination and late evening returns.” The network development community will get the opportunity to view the Bahamas air services first hand when they attend next year’s Routes Americas forum which will be taking place at Nassau, Paradise Island, between February 19 and 21, hosted by Nassau Airport Development Company.
Pluna to Launch Operations in Chile
South American operator Pluna Líneas Aéreas Uruguayas revealed earlier this month that it will inaugurate scheduled passenger flights within Chile during the first quarter of 2012, taking advantage of the Open Skies agreement between Uruguay and Chile. Pluna already offers flights to Santiago from its Montevideo base as well as a seasonal link from Florianopolis. The carrier will initially base a couple of its Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets in Santiago to offer daily flights to Calama, a city and commune in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, and Concepción, capital of Concepción Province, the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants. It also plans to serve the port city of Antofagasta as a stop on its flights to Calama. An estimated 6.6 million O&D passengers flew internally in Chile last year, a market that is currently dominated by LAN Airlines with a 66.3 per cent share and Pluna’s three proposed destinations in Chile will place it in direct competition with the national carrier. LAN currently offers almost 80 flights per week to Antofagasta, 50 a week to Calama and 65 a week to Concepción. All three routes are also served by PAL Airlines and SKY Airline. This will not be Pluna’s first foray into the Chilean domestic market. The airline previously operated flights between Santiago and Punta Arenas in as a continuation of its route from Montevideo.
New Caribbean – Florida Freight Link
Jamaican-owned and operated air freight company Exec Direct Aviation (EDA) is set to launch flights to the US using its cargo-configured Saab 340A turboprops after receiving approval from authorities to commence flights to Fort Lauderdale. The airline which offers links within the Caribbean, Central America and the northern countries of South America, plans to introduce the new link from November 1. "Having access to the Fort Lauderdale gateway in the US opens EDA cargo service to the world, assisting with commerce between the Caribbean and the large markets of North America, Central and South America and Europe,” Kamal Clarke, Chief Operations Officer, Exec Direct Aviation told the Jamaica Observer. “We are excited about being able to service the airfreight market in the Caribbean for the upcoming busy holiday season by providing additional options for customers.” The airline plans to offer links to Fort Lauderdale from both Kingston and Curacao.
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