The occasion saw industry leaders from the aviation and tourism industries come together to highlight the important role stakeholder support plays in air service development.
This year’s World Routes is set to be the biggest and the best ever, according to Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino, who has worked tirelessly with her team and partners over the past five years to bring the event to the USA for only the second time.
The HUB joined a highly informative special media preview tour of Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Friday afternoon and got up close to the aircraft.
Chicago’s 200 unique neighbourhoods, representing more than 100 countries, show the true value of global air connectivity and mean the city is a great example of the value airline service can have on a city and region's economy.
Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation, Rosemarie Andolino, talks to Joe Bates for our sister magazine, Routes News, about her delight at hosting World Routes and the economic benefits of new services to the Windy City.
Nearly 30 freighter carriers currently serve O'Hare, including many of the largest cargo carriers from China, Europe and the Middle East. In fact, Chicago is the leading national gateway for air exports to China, representing more than 25 per cent of the entire market.
Already serving both Washington Reagan National and Baltimore Washington International airports, the carrier will launch 68 weekly flights to 14 destinations from Dulles International Airport from August this year.
Under its revised Dallas schedule, Virgin America will move its existing links to Dallas/Fort Worth International from Los Angeles and San Francisco to the downtown airport from October 13, 2014 and will add multiple daily links with Chicago, New York, Washington DC.
US ultra low-fare carrier, Spirit Airlines, has announced it will expand its domestic to offering into Kansas City with the launch of five new routes this summer with daily flights to Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston and Las Vegas from August 2014.
As SAS Scandinavian Airlines celebrates the 50th anniversary of its first scheduled flight to Chicago, host city of this year’s World Routes forum in September 2014, the carrier has revealed it is to boost its flights to the Windy City, while also adding frequencies to other markets in the US.
United will initially introduce the aircraft on its route between Chicago O’Hare and Ronald Reagan Washington National from May 17, 2014 before launching the aircraft on its Chicago O’Hare – Boston Logan International link two days later on May 19, 2014.
