JetBlue Airways will launch daily flights from Fort Lauderdale to Santo Domingo (aboard an A320) and Cancun (E-190) in May. Romavia yesterday launched a twice-weekly Bucharest Otopeni-Vienna service aboard a BAe 146-200.
Southwest Airlines won US Bankruptcy Court approval to purchase ATA Airlines' 14 slots at New York LaGuardia for $7.5 million ( ATWOnline, Nov. 20), Bloomberg News reported. Sale will be finalized when ATA's bankruptcy plan is approved. SWA currently flies to Chicago Midway, Baltimore, Las Vegas and five Florida destinations from Long Island Islip. SWA flew 5.26 billion RPMs in November, down 8.3% year-over-year. Capacity rose 0.4% to 8.33 billion ASMs, dropping load factor 6.1 points to 63.2%.
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi's week-long siege by antigovernment protesters appeared to be at an end yesterday after Thailand's Constitutional Court banned Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from politics for five years, forcing his resignation. The protesters announced they would leave BKK and domestic hub Don Muang, both of which shut down after being stormed on Nov. 25 ( ATWOnline, Dec. 2). An estimated 100,000-300,000 foreign passengers have been stranded in Bangkok.
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International remained closed yesterday, but antigovernment protesters who seized the airport allowed 37 aircraft carrying no passengers to take off late Sunday and early Monday. While an estimated 100,000-300,000 foreign passengers remain stranded in Bangkok, airlines are trying to get aircraft out of the facility. There reportedly were 88 aircraft at BKK when protesters seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat stormed it on Nov. 25 ( ATWOnline, Nov. 27).
US Airways was selected by the US Dept. of Transportation to operate daily Washington National-Akron/Canton service beginning by Jan. 25. Slots became available when AirTran Airways ceased operating DCA-Milwaukee on Sept. 3. Midwest Airlines also applied for the slots.
British Airways will resume service to Jeddah (aboard a 767) and Riyadh (777) with five-times-weekly flights from London Heathrow beginning March 29. BA suspended the routes in March 2005. Ryanair will begin a daily London Gatwick-Dusseldorf Weeze service on Jan. 7. The new route switches from Stansted, where the LCC has reduced winter capacity 20% ( ATWOnline, Sept. 24). Shenzhen Airlines launched four-times-weekly Nanning-Singapore service.
Lufthansa opted not to wait for a decision on a foreign partner for the restructured Alitalia and will be launching its own subsidiary at Milan Malpensa, called Lufthansa Italia, in February. Six former Germanwings A319s will comprise the venture, designed to take advantage of AZ's cutbacks in Lombardy. LH originally had planned to base Air Dolomiti E-195s at MXP but instead has decided to pursue its own Italian Air Operator Certificate ( ATWOnline, April 29).
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International, which suspended takeoffs Tuesday after antigovernment protesters stormed the airport ( ATWOnline, Nov. 26), was closed completely yesterday as the political crisis deepened and governments throughout the world warned citizens against traveling there. The protesters, calling themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy, claimed they had taken control of BKK and that airlines would have to seek their direct authorization to land.
