USA: American Airlines Opens New Routes

American Airlines launched 26 routes between 18 December and 6 January, with the airline’s Charlotte Douglas (CLT), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Phoenix (PHX) and New York LaGuardia (LGA) hubs all seeing new services.

The carrier has also begun a route from Las Vegas (LAS) to Tokyo Narita (NRT), although this route will only operate on a daily basis for the duration of the technology show CES 2019, taking place in Las Vegas between 8-12 January.

The route is also operated by Delta Air Lines during this period. Of the other 25 routes launched, six face direct competition. See how the FTWAs from Oaxaca and North Eleuthera compare to other entries from around the globe.

American Airlines launched a three times weekly service between Los Angeles and Buenos Aires Ezeiza on 19 December, with the first flight touching down in Argentina the following morning.

On arrival, a gift exchange took place, which was conducted by: Gonzalo Schames, Manager of Operations Argentina, Chile & Uruguay, American Airlines; Martin Eurnekian, President, Aeropuertos Argentina 2000; Guillermo Dietrich, Minister of Transport of Argentina; and Andrés Duncan Paterson, Sales Manager Argentina and Uruguay, American Airlines. No other airline operates the city pair.

American Airlines commenced flights between Dallas/Fort Worth and Oaxaca on 19 December, with a press conference being held at the Mexican airport on the day of the route launch.

Among those taking part in proceedings were: Juan Pablo García Luna Gutierrez, Administrator of the Airport of Oaxaca; Juan Carlos Rivera Castellanos, Secretary of Tourism of Oaxaca; Alejandro Ismael Murat Hinojosa, Governor of Oaxaca; and José María Giraldo, Director Mexico and Canada, American Airlines. The 1,765-kilometre route will operate daily.

American Airlines launched a daily service between Philadelphia and Mexico City on 5 July, with the US airport baking this fantastic cake to commemorate the new service, with the culinary masterpiece having been made by Night Kitchen bakery, a company with over 30 years baking expertise.

Seen posing with the route launch party showstopper are Olympia Colasante, VP Philadelphia Operations, American Airlines and Chellie Cameron, CEO of Philadelphia Airport.

American Airlines launched another international route from Philadelphia (PHL) on 5 July, beginning a daily service from the Pennsylvania hub to Mexico City (MEX).

The oneworld member will operate the 3,212-kilometre connection between Philadelphia and the Mexican capital daily utilising its fleet of A319s, with the carrier not expected to face any direct competition on the sector.

With this launch, American now serves two destinations in Mexico from Philadelphia, with it already operating to Cancun 15 times weekly this summer.

The USB3 carrier already serves Mexico City from Charlotte Douglas, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami. In total American will offer 97 weekly departures to Mexico City across its six routes from the US in S18.

American Airlines has commenced flights from three different hubs, all launched on 15 February. New A320 services from the carrier’s second-largest operation, at Charlotte Douglas (CLT) were started to Tucson (TUS).

Additionally, the oneworld airline kicked off a 2,403-kilometre link between Philadelphia (PHL), its fifth-biggest base in terms of weekly seats, and San Antonio (SAT), which is flown by its 128-seat A319 fleet.

Approximately 120,000 travellers fly between San Antonio and Philadelphia each year, so this new service answers the need for many travellers and is a highlight to our economic progress, said Russ Handy, Aviation Director for the City of San Antonio.

Finally, again on the same day, American began the airport pair from Washington Reagan (DCA) to Tallahassee (TLH), operated by its CRJ 900 aircraft. None of the new route trio has any direct route competition, and all will be operated on a daily basis.

American Airlines commenced six new US domestic connections on 3 April, with its bases at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), New York JFK (JFK), New York LaGuardia (LGA), Phoenix (PHX) and Washington Reagan (DCA) all gaining at least one new service.

Of the six airport pairs which launched, only two face no direct competition, namely the sectors between Phoenix and Amarillo (AMA) and Reagan to Little Rock (LIT).

The average sector length of the six services is 949 kilometres, with the distances ranging from the 150-kilometre hop between JFK and Philadelphia (PHL) to the 2,338-kilometre route from Dallas/Fort Worth to Oakland (OAK).

American Airlines over the past seven days has launched 27 new routes, of which 24 were domestic. The only international connections inaugurated included a weekly (Saturdays) service between Miami (MIA) and Bonaire (BON), an airport pair which began on 9 June.

The others were between Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Calgary (YYC), plus Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Rekyjavik/Keflavik (KEF), with the latter two having launched two days earlier.

Of the 27 routes commenced by the oneworld member this week, only 15 are presently not served by another carrier. Of those which do face competition, 11 will go head-to-head with Star Alliance carrier United Airlines, including all nine routes introduced to American’s network from Chicago O’Hare.

The average weekly frequency of American’s new routes is 7.5, while the mean sector length is 1,627 kilometres.


Tourism Observer

USA: Delta's Dog Troubles Continue After Pomeranian's Death

Delta's difficulties with transporting animals continued, following the death of a dog traveling in the cargo hold of one of its planes during a cross-country flight.

Delta Air Lines Inc. said its investigating the death of a Pomeranian named Alejandro, who was found dead after traveling from Phoenix to Newark via Detroit.

The Atlanta-based airline issued a statement saying: We know pets are an important member of the family and we are focused on the well-being of all animals we transport.

Delta is conducting a thorough review of the situation and have been working directly with Alejandro's family to support them however we can.

As part of that review, we want to find out more about why this may have occurred to ensure it doesn't happen again and we have offered to have Alejandro evaluated by a veterinarian to learn more.

Delta and other airlines have struggled with the surging number of animals being transported in their cabins. The company altered its service animal policy on March 1, saying a lack of regulation that has led to serious safety risks involving untrained animals in flight.

The airline then drew the ire of two Boise, Idaho families later that month, when their puppies were allegedly inadvertently flown thousands of miles around the country.

Chicago-based United Airlines has also faced scrutiny for its publicized mishandling of animals, including the death of a French bulldog puppy that died after being placed in an overhead bin.

The airline, which is a unit of United Continental Holdings Inc., said last month it would no longer accept animals other than cats and dogs, and banned dozens of dog breeds from its cargo hold.


Tourism Observer

CANADA: Air Canada Rouge Goes To Bucharest From Montreal And Toronto

Air Canada Rouge inaugurated new service from Montreal to Bucharest on Thursday and events were held on both sides of the Atlantic to celebrate the new service to the Romanian capital.

Air Canada Rouge president Duncan Bureau and his team flew on the inaugural flight.

Air Canada Rouge is the only North American airline flying to Romania, the largest European market without trans-Atlantic flights.

And so the new, seasonal route from Montreal to Bucharest, as well as seasonal Toronto-Bucharest service which launched on June 9, are the only direct air links between North America and Romania, and the first from Canada in over 16 years.

In the departure lounge at Montreal-Trudeau, passengers sampled Romanian treats, while a troupe of Romanian dancers in traditional costume entertained.

Several dignitaries then addressed the room including Adrian Ligor, Romanian Ambassador to Canada, Ioana Gabriela Costache, Romanian consul general in Montreal, Stephane LaPierre, Aeroport de Montreal’s vice president operations, and Adina Georgescu, president of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce of Quebec.

This new link will make it easier for investors and tourists from both Romania and Canada to travel either for business or pleasure. said Ambassador Adrian Ligor.

It also brings closer families and friends of the large Canadian-Romanian community in the Montreal area. I wish Air Canada every success with its new direct service to Bucharest.

This direct connection with Romania comes at the right time. At a time where Europe is at our doorstep and where the business relationships between Canada and our European neighbours will only get stronger with the coming into force of the CETA Agreement - Canada EU Trade Agreement, said Adina Georgescu.

It paves the way for the deepening of bilateral trade between Romania and Canada, be it commercial, personal, cultural or tourist.

I congratulate Air Canada and Aeroports de Montreal for their initiative and efforts to put this service in place. Air Canada can count on our support to help make this new direct air link a success.

Duncan Bureau, who was recently named president of Air Canada Rouge, welcomed and thanked passengers.

Thank you for joining us today on our inaugural flight to Bucharest. Bureau said.

We're extremely proud of this new route…This route opens up new economic ties between Canada and Romania, also tourism, cultural exchange, and a great opportunity for people to get home to visit their friends and family.

He then introduced the crew on the flight, saying We have a tremendous crew, one of the best crews in the world, and some of them are here, they’ll be with you today and I’ll be joining you as well, so I’m looking forward to flying over to Bucharest with all of you on this very, very first flight.

Following cake cutting and ribbon cutting ceremonies, it was time to board the aircraft for the eight hour and 55 minute flight from Montreal to Bucharest, the nonstop flight cutting three hours off the typical travel time between the cities when you factor in connections.

Following a smooth flight, we touched down just a few minutes early at Bucharest’s Henri Coanda airport, and what a welcome we received.

In addition to a water cannon salute from the airport’s fire department, which is customary when an airline begins flying to a new destination, Henri Coanda Airport also rolled out the red carpet, with a host of Romanian and Canadian dignitaries on hand to welcome the flight.

Also on hand were throngs of local media, who literally swarmed the tarmac, interviewing passengers as they deplaned on a hot, bright, sunny day. The arrival of Air Canada flight 1928 was big news in Bucharest, with the arrival even featured on that evening’s TV news programs.

Once all passengers had deplaned, and following another ribbon cutting ceremony, a press conference was held with local media.

Responding to a question from one reporter asking if Air Canada Rouge planned to expand service, Bureau responded We’re very happy with the advanced bookings and for the month of June we have a 90 per cent load factor and for the rest of the summer we’re very, very strong.

Typically what happens with these routes, we’ll start out with a few flights a week and then we’ll grow that operation as we start to see the market react.

Nothing would please us more if we could go to daily service if we get the support from the markets. So we’ll wait and see how the market reacts.

While most of the passengers between Canada and Romania will be VFR - Visit Friends and Relatives, Bureau said Canada that the Canada-Romania business communities are behind the new service and that there’s still a significant tourism opportunity as well.

Kevin Hamilton, Canadian Ambassador to Romania, was also on hand and had the opportunity to speak with him one-on-one about Air Canada Rouge’s new service and what it means for Canadians and Romanians.

First of all, it reinforces those people-to-people ties, which are already so strong. We have 200,000 Canadians of Romanian descent, and so the family ties across the ocean are already very strong and so this will make it that much easier for family reunifications.

For people to visit one another’s country. So that’s the most immediate impact over the summer.

Of course we hope that business-to-business ties are going to grow as well. We’ve got the new Canada-EU Trade Agreement, which is effectively in force right now, and so with Visa free travel especially, this is going to provide an opportunity for Romanian and Canadian business communities to get together more often.

In November 2016, Canada dropped the Visa requirement for Romanian nationals visiting Canada, although Visa-exempt travellers like Romanians must still obtain an eTA - Electronic Travel Authorization, prior to travelling.

From a tourism perspective, Hamilton seconded Bureau’s remarks adding Canadians more and more are looking for that sweet spot, between adventure tourism and all the comforts of home at the same time.

You get that in Romania. You’ve got a lot wild parts of the country, in Transylvania for example, but you’ve got larger, really dynamic cities with great nightlife and food.

And so I think you’re going to see Canadians attracted to that sense that Romania is still a little bit exotic. It’s an up and coming country for tourism and there’s lots to do and lots to see.

Air Canada Rouge’s service from between Montreal and Bucharest will operate twice weekly until October 4, 2018, while their twice weekly Toronto-Bucharest service will end on October 6.

Flights will operate using Air Canada Rouge Boeing 767ER aircraft equipped with 24 Premium Rouge seats and 258 seats in Economy class.

Schedule details:

- AC1928 departs Montreal on Mondays and Thursdays at 6:00 PM, arriving in Bucharest at 9:55 AM the following morning, until October 4, 2018. Flight duration is approximately eight hours and 55 minutes.

- AC1929 departs Bucharest on Tuesdays and Fridays at 1:45 PM, arriving in Montreal at 4:20 PM the same day, until October 5, 2018. Flight duration is approximately nine hours and 30 minutes.

- AC1964 departs Toronto on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 5:30 PM, arriving in Bucharest at 9:55 AM the following morning, until October 6, 2018. Flight duration is approximately nine hours and 30 minutes.

- AC1965 departs Bucharest on Wednesdays and Sundays at 1:45PM, arriving in Toronto at 5:00 PM the same day, until October 7, 2018. Flight duration is approximately 10 hours and 15 minutes.

Air Canada Rouge’s new Montreal-Bucharest service is one of ten new destinations launching from Montreal in 2018, alongside domestic flights to London, Windsor and Victoria, transborder service to Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and International flights to Tokyo-Narita, Dublin and Lisbon.


Tourism Observer

USA: Alaska Airlines Will Hire 2,300 Frontline Jobs In 2017

A forecasted more than 2,300 frontline jobs will be up for grabs at Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air throughout 2017.

The growing airlines are looking for candidates to fill hundreds of flight attendant, pilot, reservations and customer service jobs throughout the airlines’ route network.

Jobs will be posted to alaskaair.jobs and horizonair.jobs throughout the year.

More than 2,000 of the positions do not require previous airline experience.

“This is an exciting time for our airlines – we are growing and that means more new job opportunities in the communities we serve.” says Laura Fowler, Managing Director Talent Acquisition & Inclusion.

“Our team is on the lookout for people who want to be a part of a great culture and help create an airline people love.”

Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air 2017 hiring forecast:
- 300 pilots
- 900 flight attendants
- 540 customer, ground and passenger service agents
- 600 reservations agents (call center and work-from-home positions)

At least 250 of the jobs are earmarked for the Seattle area, with about 150 based in Boise, Idaho and another 100 in Phoenix, Arizona. The rest are spread throughout Alaska’s route network.

In addition to frontline and customer-facing roles, the growth of the company will require us to grow our corporate and support teams as well. Look for opportunities this year in information technology, revenue management, human resources, finance and other corporate roles.

Reasons you should apply to work at Alaska Airlines this year

Generous bonuses: Last month $100 million was distributed to nearly 16,000 employees throughout Alaska’s route network for meeting or exceeding company-wide goals for safety, customer satisfaction, cost control and profit.

For most employees, this equated to about an additional month’s pay, and is in addition to $15 million in quarterly bonuses paid for achieving monthly on-time and customer satisfaction goals.

Flight privileges: Alaska employees enjoy unlimited standby travel for themselves, as well as their spouses, parents and dependents.

Culture: When Alaska’s and Horizon’s recruiters set out to fill positions, they’re looking for people who are passionate about creating remarkable experiences for our guests by going beyond expectations and doing the right thing.

Since acquiring Virgin America in December 2016, Alaska has adopted the younger airline’s purpose statement: Creating an airline people love.

It’s also an airline that people love working for. See for yourself by browsing the hashtag #iamalaska.

Growth: 2017 is an exciting year for Alaska Air Group.

The recent acquisition of San Francisco-based Virgin America, the new Embraer E175 jets that will be delivered to Horizon beginning this spring and Alaska’s new flights to Havana, Cuba are just a few of the major developments creating new opportunities in 2017.

There has never been a more exciting time to join the team.

USA: Tourism Commission To Revisit Awarding Of Grants

The Nevada Commission on Tourism will review how it awards grants to rural tourism entities that seek state help expanding their markets.

Board members also will consider whether it will expand how much it provides to promote some urban special events.

The department is entitled to three-eighths of 1 percent of collected room tax revenue, but rarely does it receive the full amount from the state. In the current budget, legislators appropriated the department $16.7 million, even though its cut of room-tax revenue was $20.5 million in 2015. When room tax revenue comes in over the budgeted amount, it automatically is transferred to a reserve account.

Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, who chairs the commission, tasked the commission’s marketing committee with exploring how other states distribute grant money and how the state can get its best return on investment.

The action came at a Tuesday quarterly meeting at which the board unanimously approved allocating $238,000 in grants to 24 rural entities after receiving 31 requests totaling $511,997. The commission also has $100,000 available to promote urban special events, such as Hot August Nights, the Reno Air Races and the Great Reno Balloon Races in Northern Nevada and the Red Rock Rendezvous in Southern Nevada.

Organizations within the state’s largest cities — Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Reno and Sparks — aren’t eligible for rural grants, but one Clark County entity was among the 24 that won approval.

The Moapa Valley Revitalization Project, which requested $16,756, half the amount needed to undertake the entire project, was awarded $12,200.

Funds will be used to build a visitor information kiosk, install benches, a shade shelter and trash receptacles in downtown Overton.

Moapa Valley Boulevard is the main street through Overton consisting of five blocks of storefronts, restaurants and commercial properties. The three-phase revitalization program is designed to make the street more accommodating for tourists.

The commission acknowledged that the purpose of grant system is to assist rural entities that don’t have resources such as the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority to turn to for marketing assistance.

Longtime commission member Ryan Sheltra, general manager of the Bonanza Casino in Reno and an advocate for rural programs, said the commission should analyze what events provide the best potential return in room-tax revenue. Added to the marketing committee Wednesday, Sheltra said he also wants to evaluate the special events the commission supports.

“It’s not a question of whether these are good events,” Sheltra said. “It’s a matter of whether we can afford all of them.”

In other business Wednesday, the board unanimously approved the department’s $2.3 million spring-summer marketing campaign, which runs May through August in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Boise, Idaho.

Commissioners were encouraged with results from the fall-winter campaign, the first featuring the “Go home with more stories than souvenirs” theme behind the backdrop of the Las Vegas band The Killers singing “Don’t Fence Me In.” Department marketing experts said in some markets, television ads scored well while digital content online was better in other markets.

Department director Claudia Vecchio also confirmed that this year’s Governor’s Global Tourism Summit would be Oct. 11-12 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno.

USA: United Airlines Reduces Non-Stop Flights From Cleveland Hopkins International Airport

United Airlines, the world’s largest airline when measured by number of destinations served, is eliminating two more non-stop destinations from Cleveland Hopkins, Las Vegas and St. Louis, starting in early May.

The reductions will leave United airlines with just 15 non-stop destinations from Cleveland, down from 58 just two years ago, when the airline still operated a hub at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE).

United Airlines spokesman Jonathan Guerin said:

“We continually review supply and demand for service in all of our markets. We made the difficult decision to end service between Cleveland and our St. Louis and Las Vegas routes because they didn’t meet our expectations and are no longer sustainable.”

The last day for both routes will be May 4. Cleveland travelers, however, have, or will soon have, alternatives to both destinations. Frontier, Spirit and Southwest airlines all fly non-stop between Cleveland and Las Vegas.

United airlines is currently the only carrier flying from Cleveland to St. Louis, offering twice daily flights on 50-seat Embraer jets.

Southwest Airlines, however, announced in December a new daily flight to St. Louis, which begins June 5.

These most recent cuts leave United Airlines with a fraction of the service it had two years ago, when Cleveland was still one of the airline’s eight hubs. Since the airline’s downsizing announcement in February 2014, United Airlines has cut more than 40 nonstop destinations from Cleveland, including Baltimore, Atlanta, Kansas City, New Orleans, Phoenix and many others.

United Airlines spokesman Jonathan Guerin said Cleveland was not the only United Airlines market to experience cuts in the airline’s latest round of schedule adjustments.

USA: Pilot Dies During Flight From Phoenix To Boston

An American Airlines pilot died mid-flight on Monday en route from Phoenix to Boston, forcing his co-pilot to make an emergency landing while trying to summon medical help for the stricken captain.

“Unfortunately our pilot passed away. We are incredibly saddened by this event, and we are focused on caring for our pilot’s family and colleagues,” an American Airlines spokesperson told the Guardian.

Flight 550 was diverted to Syracuse Hancock international airport after the pilot became ill. The plane landed safely shortly after 7am EDT with the co-pilot in control.

There were 147 passengers and a crew of five on board the Airbus A320.

Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for the airline, said a replacement crew was sent to Syracuse and the plane later completed its trip to Boston.

Before the flight landed at Syracuse the first officer called the airport tower and said in a calm voice: “American 550. Medical emergency. Captain is incapacitated.” He requested a runway to land.

In a recording of his exchange with the tower, the officer expressed concern whether ambulance medics could get on the plane quickly. He was assured they could and told to go into a gate where the medics would meet the plane.

The pilot’s medical emergency and identity were not disclosed.

Aviation experts said there was never any danger to passengers because pilots and co-pilots are equally capable of flying the aircraft.

Former airline pilot John Cox, an aviation safety consultant, said when one pilot became unable to fly the other could rely on help from the plane’s automated systems and get priority treatment from air traffic controllers.

“The passengers were not in danger, absolutely not,” he said.

Passenger Louise Anderson, who was heading from Reno, Nevada, to Boston via Phoenix, said she had dozed off on the flight.

“What I woke up to was the flight attendant telling us we were making an emergency landing because the pilot was ill,” she said.

She said rumours of the pilot’s death circulated in the Syracuse airport but were confirmed only by an announcement on their makeup flight to Boston.

Anderson said the mood on board then was somber but she commended the crew’s handling of a tragic situation.

Airline pilots must pass physical exams every 12 months – or every six months for captains 40 or older.

Steve Wallace, who led the Federal Aviation Administration’s accident investigations office from 2000 to 2008, said it was rare for a pilot to become incapacitated. According to the FAA seven pilots for US airlines and one charter pilot have died during flights since 1994.

Captains and co-pilots usually took turns flying and doing takeoffs and landings, said former airline pilot James Record, who teaches aviation at Dowling College in Oakdale, New York.

“The advantage to that is the co-pilot gets an equal amount of experience and the captain gets to see how the other guy flies,” he said.

Record noted the co-pilot remained calm while describing the emergency and requesting permission from air traffic controllers to land.

“He was doing what he’s trained to do fly the plane,” Record said. “He was probably more concerned with the health of his buddy, his crew member [than whether he could land on his own].”

Modern airliners are capable of largely flying themselves but there is debate in aviation circles about whether over-reliance on automation is eroding pilots’ flying skills.