USA: Facial Recognition Working Well And Fast At Mineta San Jose Airport

Mineta San Jose International Airport is one of several airports nationwide chosen by the United States Customs and Border Protection agency to use facial recognition to screen all arriving and departing international travelers.

The airport quietly began using the technology on arriving international flights June 25. International fliers leaving SJC will see it in use at departure gates in the coming months, according to the airport. The technology is also in use at airports in Orlando and San Diego.

Here's one of the biggest changes travelers can expect: all departing international passengers will be photographed at the gate before they board their flight.

The images give the government verifiable biometric proof that a U.S. visitor has left the country, and presumably, will also be used to match citizens when they re-enter the country.

When entering the United States off a flight, passengers are photographed at passport control.

Facial recognition software compares the image against passport or visa photos the federal government already has on file.

The process takes less than a second. It eliminates the need for agents to scan passports manually and visually compare travelers to their passport photos, both are time consuming tasks that slow down immigration queues.

Interviews and customs luggage inspections will still go ahead.

Travelers enrolled in Global Entry will see no changes in the way they enter the country since those kiosks already photograph and fingerprint arriving international passengers.

Travelers who use the Mobile Passport app to digitally fill-out immigration forms and customs declarations can continue to use it, but will also go through the same facial recognition process at passport control.

SJC will install biometric readers at each of the seven gates used for international departures to photograph travelers leaving the country. That's coming in the fall, we're told.

At SJC, the process has already expedited long passport screening lines which have grown to become unbearable for many travelers.

The airport has seen a staggering increase in the number of international flights in recent years such as Aeromexico, Air China, All Nippon Airways, British Airways, and Lufthansa have all launched flights to SJC in the last decade.

In 2017, the airport logged 438,800 international arrivals — more than double the number in 2015, when there were 199,900.

Simultaneously, airport officials said there has been a shortage of Customs and Border Patrol agents to staff passport control counters because the agency isn't able to recruit and retain enough people willing to put up with the Bay Area's high cost of living.

The airport hopes the new automated screening process will shorten wait times and put an end to a lot of the frustration.

The use of the technology has raised suspicions by civil liberties groups, which oppose the government's collection of the photographs of citizens.

The biggest danger is that this technology will be used for general, suspicionless surveillance systems, the American Civil Liberties Union warned.

State motor vehicles agencies possess high-quality photographs of most citizens that are a natural source for face recognition programs and could easily be combined with public surveillance or other cameras in the construction of a comprehensive system of identification and tracking.

Passengers who want to opt-out of the biometric screening will have the option to do so.

The federal government says photos of U.S. citizens might be stored for up to 14 days, but photos of non-U.S. citizens could be stored for decades.


Tourism Observer

More Airlines Expanding Routes

There’s a new entrant in the U.S.-Hong Kong market; Delta will put a new aircraft on a China route and will beef up transpacifc code-sharing; Cathay Pacific will add another U.S. gateway next year.

United is eliminating first class on many routes and cuts back China service; a Lufthansa affiliate is adding a new business class; LATAM is coming to Las Vegas; San Jose gets more service to Mexico; Copa begins Denver service; an Italian airline plans new U.S. routes.

Alaska ends its relationship with two European partners; and Norwegian revamps its U.S. schedules next summer, adding frequencies from the West Coast.

Hong Kong Airlines, a Hong Kong-based sister company of China’s Hainan Airlines, started service to the U.S. for the first time.

The carrier is using a new Airbus A350-900 on the Los Angeles-Hong Kong route, configured with 33 lie-flat business class seats, 109 premium economy seats with 34-inch pitch, and 193 regular economy seats with 31-32 inch pitch.

The new LAX-Hong Kong flights operate four times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), with a 10:45 a.m. departure from LAX. Hong Kong Airlines plans to add San Francisco service in late March, and New York flights later next year.

So far, all of Delta’s Airbus A350-900s have been scheduled for routes out of Detroit or Atlanta, but now the airline is planning to operate one of the new planes out of Los Angeles.

Delta plans to start flying the new plane from LAX to Shanghai Pudong on July 2, alternating days with a 777-200LR until July 18, when the A350 went onto a daily schedule.

Delta’s A350s – which feature the airline’s new Delta One suites and new international premium economy section – are already used on flights from Detroit to Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon, and are slated to start Detroit-Beijing service January 17.

Detroit-Amsterdam and Atlanta-Seoul March 24; and Detroit-Shanghai April 19.

Meanwhile, Delta will expand code-sharing with its transpacific partner Korean Air on January 10, putting the DL code onto Korean’s flights to Seoul Incheon from Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

In other transpacific news, Cathay Pacific has unveiled plans to add another East Coast gateway in mid-September 2018, when it will start flying from Hong Kong to Washington Dulles.

The carrier already serves Boston, New York JFK and Newark. Cathay reportedly plans to fly the route – which will be the longest in its system – four days a week with a brand-new Airbus A350-1000.

A couple of months ago, we reported on United’s plans to reconfigure its international long-haul 777-200s, putting in new lie-flat Polaris business class seats, taking out first class, and going from nine-across to 10-across seating in economy.

The reconfigured 777s will be deployed, based on the elimination of first class from seating availability. It shows the elimination of 777 first class in late April from San Francisco to London, and from Washington Dulles to Brussels, Frankfurt and Tokyo Narita.

At the end of August from Chicago O’Hare to Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo Narita, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Frankfurt and Munich.

Meanwhile, United’s seasonal summer route from San Francisco to Xi’An, China, which had previously been scheduled for three 787 flights a week from May 6 through September 4, has been eliminated for 2018.

Las Vegas is due to get its first non-stop service to South America next summer.

LATAM Airlines Brasil has filed plans to operate a 767 three times a week between Las Vegas and Sao Paulo from June 21 through August 31.

Lufthansa’s lower-cost leisure affiliate Eurowings plans to launch new transatlantic routes in 2018, including JFK-Dusseldorf starting April 28, Dusseldorf-Miami as of May 4, and Dusseldorf-Ft. Myers beginning May 3.

Now it appears that the airline will try to entice business travelers onto those flights by adding a new business class cabin.

The new Eurowings cabin, simply called Bizclass, will feature seats that recline fully and will include upgraded meals and other special amenities. Details of Eurowings’ new Bizclass were introduced in March at the big ITB Travel Fair in Berlin.

Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris, which already had service out of San Jose to Guadalajara, has now added two more routes.

Volaris has started twice-weekly flights from SJC to Morelia on Fridays and Sundays, as well as twice-weekly service from SJC to Zacatecas on Mondays and Thursdays. Next summer, Aeromexico is due to begin SJC-Mexico City flights.

Panama’s Copa Airlines, a member of United’s Star Alliance family, has added Denver as its 13th U.S. gateway.

The carrier has kicked off new non-stop service four days a week from Denver to Panama City, with Denver departures on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 10:16 p.m. Copa offers onward connections in Panama to 55 Latin American destinations.

Italian carrier Meridiana plans to add two U.S. routes next summer. On June 1, it will begin daily service from Milan Malpensa to New York JFK, followed up on June 8 by four flights a week from Malpensa to Miami.

The airline will use a 247-passenger, two-class Airbus A330 on both routes.

On April 30, 2018, Alaska Airlines ended its Mileage Plan partnership with Air France-KLM – not really a surprise considering that the European duo has a joint venture partnership with Alaska’s arch-rival Delta.

Alaska and Delta ended their own mileage partnership last spring. The Alaskan carrier notes that it still has partnership agreements to Europe in place with British Airways, Finnair, Icelandair and Condor.

The latest schedule updates from Norwegian show the low-cost carrier plans to boost service on several U.S. routes in late March, increasing its weekly Barcelona frequencies from three to four out of Los Angeles, from three to five out of Oakland, and from four to six out of Newark.

The carrier will also boost LAX-Copenhagen service from three flights a week to four.

At Boston, Norwegian plans to increase London Gatwick service from four flights a week to seven starting June 12, but it will discontinue its seasonal Boston-Oslo and Boston-Copenhagen flights.


Tourism Observer

USA: United To Fly New 737 MAX 9s From SFO And LAX To Hawaii.

United will drop a transcontinental route from San Jose, add some domestic regional markets, and start flying new 737MAX9s to Hawaii from the West Coast.

Delta will start service between two business centers, add a Mexico route and increase Havana flights; JetBlue expands Mint service to Central America; and British Airways targets a new U.S. gateway.

United Airlines is throwing in the towel on its daily San Jose-Newark service as of October 26, citing poor traffic numbers.

That leaves three carriers in the non-stop SJC-New York market – Alaska Airlines with a daytime eastbound flight to Newark and a new daily daytime flight to New York JFK; and Delta and JetBlue with eastbound red-eye service from SJC to New York JFK.

United continues to fly from SJC to its hubs at Houston Bush Intercontinental, Denver and Chicago O’Hare.

Elsewhere, United will add some new spokes from its Denver hub. On October 4, it will begin twice-daily service to Monterey, California with CRJ200s.

On December 19 United will launch seasonal daily service from DEN to Mammoth Lakes, California with a CRJ700, continuing through the end of March.

And on August 29, United will add Prescott, Arizona to its route map with daily CRJ200 flights from Denver and six CRJ200 flights a week from Los Angeles. All four of these routes will be operated by SkyWest.

To Hawaii, meanwhile, United is expected to deploy new Boeing 737 MAX9s on some west coast routes in the months ahead.

It will use the new planes to operate six to seven flights a week from LAX to Kahului, Maui starting August 21; daily flights from LAX to Kona as of February 14.

Daily service from San Francisco to Kona beginning March 8; and daily flights from SFO to Maui as of March 9. While efficient, the new planes have become quickly known for ultra-tight seating and teeny-tiny lavatories. Tough for a five hour flight.

Speaking of Hawaii when Chris was in Kauai recently, the word on the street was that production crews were on the island shooting commercials for Southwest Airlines' launch of new flights from the mainland.

Unconfirmed reports are that flights could begin as soon as November. The carrier is currently flying domestic simulations in the hopes of getting ETOPS certification for its 737s soon.

Delta is the largest airline at Raleigh-Durham, and it’s planning to grow there next spring with the addition of a key business route.

On April 1, the carrier will start flying three times a day from RDU to Chicago O'Hare , using 70-passenger E175s with first class, Comfort+ and main cabin seating.

Delta will be trying to pick up a piece of the RDU-ORD market currently dominated by United and American, and maybe a bit of the RDU-Chicago Midway market served by multiple daily Southwest flights.

Delta and Aeromexico will add another route top their joint venture operation on September 17 with the launch of new non-stop service between Detroit and Queretaro, a growing business center northwest of Mexico City.

The route will be served three days a week with a two-class Aeromexico E190. And on October 28, Delta will increase capacity between Miami and Havana by adding a second flight five days a week.

Citing increased demand from customers for its premium front-cabin Mint service with lie-flat seats, JetBlue said it will add weekly Mint-equipped flights to a pair of Latin America and Caribbean markets this fall.

On November 3, it will start Saturday service from Boston to St. Lucia, followed on December 15 by Mint-equipped flights from New York JFK to Liberia, Costa Rica.

Next February, it will resume Saturday Mint service from JFK to St. Maarten.

British Airways will add another U.S. gateway to its network on April 2 when it kicks off new service from London Heathrow to Pittsburgh.

The carrier will use a 787-8 Dreamliner on the route, which will operate four days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).


Tourism Observer

COLOMBIA: Avianca To Start Flights To Boston 2nd June

Starting on June 2, Boston will become Avianca’s 35 international destination from its Bogota.

The announcement came only three weeks after the airline announced its Bogota to Montevideo flight.

Boston will be served with four weekly flights, departing from Bogota at 14:40 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, arriving in Boston at 21:57.

The return leg will leave Boston on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 00:27, and will be back to the Colombian capital at 05:57, all local times.

The flight will be operated in a 120-seat Airbus A319, with 12 seats in business and 108 in economy class.

Avianca will become the third Latin American carrier at Boston, with Aeromexico that has five weekly flights to Mexico City and Copa Airlines, which offers daily flights from Panama City.

The Colombian airline announced an increase to a daily flight in the service to Los Angeles, effective from March 26.

The schedule will also be adjusted to an earlier departure from Los Angeles to Bogota, which currently leaves Los Angeles at 10:15, arriving at Bogota at 19:30.

The new schedule will be changed to leave at 02:29 from Los Angeles, arriving in Bogota at 11:44, all local times.

The Bogota – Los Angeles route is served by Avianca’s 250-seat Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with 28 seats in business class and 222 in economy class.


Tourism Observer

VENEZUELA: Airlines To Suspend Venezuela Operations,instability in the country and poor performing economics

A number of airlines, including Delta Air Lines and Avianca Airlines, intend to suspend their services to Caracas.

According to the letter submitted by Delta to the Venezuelan National Institute of Civil Aviation, the last flight DL781 from Atlanta to Caracas will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2017.

The return and final farewell flight to Atlanta, DL802, will depart Caracas the following morning on September 17, 2017.

Delta has not published an official statement on the cancellation of the route.

Earlier Avianca also announced the suspension of its daily services to Venezuela.

The airline also suspended all tickets sales to and from Venezuela effective immediately.

In a press release, the carrier said the decision was taken last night in a meeting with the Colombian Aviation Authorities in Bogota, due to the great struggle the airline is currently dealing with to maintain service to Venezuela.

After 60 years of service in Venezuela, Avianca regrets this difficult decision, but our duty is to warranty the security of the operations,said Hernan Rincon, President of Avianca Airlines.

As a company, we have the disposition and will to return operations, once we have the required conditions.

Delta and Avianca claim that the current instability in the country and poor performing economics are the main drivers in such harsh decision.

Both airlines will now join the ever growing list of carriers that have already ceased flying to Venezuela: Air Canada, Alitalia, Lufthansa, LATAM, GOL, Insel Air, Dynamic, Aeromexico, and United.

The last standing U.S.-based carrier flying to Venezuela, American Airlines (AA), has also taken drastic measures ahead of the dramatic political situation the South American country is going through.

Initially flying to Caracas from Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW), New York (JFK), and Miami (MIA), AA decreased its connectivity to the Venezuelan capital to just two daily flights between Miami and Caracas.

Numerous frequent flyers based in Caracas commented on social media how this affects their connectivity to the United States, especially now that United is gone and AA remains with two daily flights.

No crew members are interested in flying to Venezuela. They say it is too unsafe.

If American decides to leave, chances to fly to the U.S. on reliable carriers are gone.

Airline Avianca says it will stop flying to Venezuela due to operational and security reasons.

The Colombian company is the latest to suspend its flights to the South American country amid a growing economic and political crisis.

US airline Delta also announced in a tweet that it was suspending services to Venezuela from mid September.

Aeroméxico, Air Canada, Alitalia, Latam, Lufthansa and United Airlines have already stopped their flights.

Avianca has operated in Venezuela for 60 years.

The airline, one of the biggest in Latin America, said customers who had bought tickets for flights departing after that date would be reimbursed fully.

Airlines still operating flights to Venezuela include Air France, Iberia, Air Europa and TAP, but Venezuelans have complained about the increasing difficulty of getting flights in and out of the country.

Many used Avianca's twice-daily Caracas to Bogota route to connect with other flights.

With fewer flights available those having to book at short notice sometimes struggle to get seats.

The Venezuelan women's volleyball team missed the world grand prix tournament in Canberra, Australia, on the weekend.

The team had to use chartered planes because a shortage of seats stopped them taking commercial flights to Australia, Venezuela's charge d'affaires Daniel Gasparri-Rey said.

But when the chartered planes were delayed and it became clear the team would arrive too late to take part in the tournament, they turned back, the diplomat said.

The Venezuelan Volleyball Federation could now face a fine of up to $30,000 (£23,800) for missing the matches.

Player María José Pérez said the team members felt frustrated because they had been robbed of the chance to make an impression at the tournament, for which they had qualified for the first time.

These are airlines that have opted to suspend flights to Venezuela:

- United Airlines, daily flight from Houston on June 30, 2017.

- Dynamic Airways, daily flight from Fort Lauderdale on August 13, 2016.

- LATAM, a weekly flight from Lima, twice weekly flight from Santiago on August 1, 2016.

- Aeromexico, thrice weekly flights from Mexico City on June 23, 2016.

- Lufthansa, thrice weekly flights from Frankfurt on June 17, 2016.

- LATAM, a weekly flight from Sao Paulo on May 28, 2016.

- Alitalia, a weekly flight from Rome on April 3, 2015.

- Air Canada, four weekly flights from Toronto on March 18, 2014.

Would you be happy to travel to Venezuela, with all that chaos and insecurity?

Think more than once.




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Aeromexico And Delta In Joint Agreement,Norwegian Air To Launch Subsidiary Airline In Argentina

Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico began a new joint cooperation agreement covering trans-border flights between the United States and Mexico.

The carriers first announced the partnership in December 2016 and recently announced the completion of regulatory steps required by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Mexico’s Federal Economic Competition Commission.

The two airlines will work together to enhance the customer experience on the ground and in the air by investing in airport facilities, boarding gates and lounges.

The joint venture allows the SkyTeam alliance carriers to coordinate fares and schedules, as well as jointly market and sell tickets in the Mexico–United States market.

The carriers will be able to implement joint sales and marketing initiatives in both countries.

Delta and Aeromexico will work together to enhance the customer experience on the ground and in the air by investing in airport facilities, boarding gates and lounges,Delta spokesperson said.

The two companies will also be able to implement joint sales and marketing initiatives in both countries.

Under the agreement, Delta provides service in the United States through connecting hubs in Atlanta (ATL), Detroit (DTW), Los Angeles (LAX), Minneapolis St. Paul (MSP), New York, Salt Lake City (SLC) and Seattle (SEA), while Aeromexico offers customers access to Mexico through hubs in Mexico City (MEX), Monterrey (MTY) and Guadalajara (GDL).

But, Norwegian is set to launch a subsidiary airline in Argentina with 10 Boeing 737 narrow-body jets by the end of the year.

The group established Norwegian Air Argentina in January 2017 with plans to operate domestic and international flights from a Buenos Aires base, pending government approval.

Norwegian’s chief executive officer said the airline would fly to Argentina (EZE) from its Gatwick (LGW) hub, linking the South American country with European cities like Paris (CDG), Barcelona (BCN), Oslo (OSL), Copenhagen (CPH) and Stockholm (ARN).

Argentina is an interesting market with great potential that fits Norwegian’s global strategy very well, combining affordable domestic and international flights, said Christian Melhus, chief executive officer, Norwegian Air Argentina.

We have been very well received by Argentinian authorities and look forward to a fruitful relationship going forward.

Norwegian applied for an Argentinian Air Operator’s Certificate and, if granted, the airline will announce and begin selling routes from Argentina by the end of 2017.

British Airways is the only current carrier to fly direct to Argentina with service between Heathrow (LHR) and Buenos Aires.

The airline plans to expand capacity to the United States next winter by allocating some of its short-haul operating slots at Gatwick to intercontinental operations, and will also start flights to smaller airports in North America using 737 Max aircraft this summer.

MEXICO: Interjet to Fly Cancun To Montreal In July,Air France To Increase Paris - Cancun Flights

The low-cost Mexican carrier announces new flights to Montreal from Cancun and Mexico City, to reach the Canadian travel market.

After a year of announcing that it would arrive in Canada in 2017, Interjet finally offers its clients on its website new routes Mexico City – Montreal and Cancun – Montreal, flights that will begin to operate in the second week of July (July 13).

At the beginning it was announced by Interjet and several news pages that Toronto and Vancouver could be the destinations to reach with these flights, but Montreal turned out to be the first destination to conquer by this low-cost Mexican carrier, with flights from Mexico City and Cancun.

On its website the airline has already announced a one-way travel promotion of $2,819 pesos, taxes included, from Mexico City to Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport in Montreal for an introductory fare, and on a round trip of just under $5,500 pesos.

From Cancun the rate that Interjet handles by introduction is $3,270 pesos in a single trip and $6,671 pesos in round trip.

Interjet comes to compete with Aeromexico and Air Canada, for a growing market. Canada is the second most important market for the country and the third for Cancun; from January to July 2016, 1,130,989 Canadians arrived in the country, of which 55% stayed in a hotel in Cancun, that is, 621,746 Canadians.

Air France increasing Paris-Cancun flights frequency. The flights previously were only available from October to April.

To celebrate its 65th anniversary in Mexico and in response to the strong Mexican demand, Air France-KLM announced that starting this year, the Cancun-Paris route will operate four weekly frequencies throughout the year. Previously the flights were only available from October to April.

Based on the electronic records of the National Institute of Migration (INM), at the points of aerial admission to Mexico, Cancun International Airport reached 93,726, from January to November 2016 (latest available), a figure that would increase with this new measure.

From Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, frequencies for the winter season were operated through a Boeing 777-300, with 468 seats; while weekly frequencies during the summer season 2017 will be aboard a Boeing 777-200, with seating capacity of 312, said Vincent Etchebehere, CEO of Air France and KLM in Mexico.

Winter frequencies were available from October 14, 2016 to March 25, 2017, on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; While from March 26 to April 30, 2017, for what is considered the summer season, on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays; and from May 3 to September 2017, flights will operate on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

With the direct flight throughout 2017 is projected a 40% increase, taking into account a 95% occupancy, which is what AirFrance has registered on their flights to Cancun and Mexico City.

These direct flights to Cancun offer French and European passengers direct access to the Riviera Maya, one of the most popular regions in Mexico.

In the Boeing 777-300, seats are divided into 14 for business class, 32 in economy premiun and 422 in economy. While the Boeing 777-200 aircraft are 26 seats for business class, 24 economy premiun and 260 for economy.

Great Britain, Spain, Germany, France, and Italy were the top five European markets for Cancun and Riviera Maya last year.

MEXICO: Mexico Wants More Asian Tourists As Lourdes Berho Quits As CEO Mexico Tourism Board

DRIVEN by the improvement of direct connectivity and tourism facilitators, such as the visa system, Mexico expects the number of inbound travellers to surge from 35 million last year to about 42 million by 2020, said Maria Teresa Solis, Mexico’s vice-minister for tourism planning and policy.

The number of Asian visitors to Mexico is expected to more than double by 2020 from 500,000 last year.

“In Mexico, we are doing several things. We are working with Mexican destinations and with the private sector to strengthen a sustainability certifications,” she said in an exclusive interview with The Nation.

“We have one destination, called Huatulco, which has been awarded Earth Check Platinum, due to its high standards in terms of energy use [and] water and waste disposal.

“We are also doing the same with hotel, restaurant, small and micro businesses. They are getting sustainability certification,” she said.

The “S” mark will be bestowed by the tourism secretary on any business with good sustainable practices.

The United Nations is promoting 2017 as the international year for sustainable tourism development. Mexico has launched a major campaign, including radio and TV shows, to build awareness among the public.

“In Mexico, our key challenge is to catch up with the rapid growth of tourism in some destinations, such as Cancun, Riviera Nayarit and Los Cabos, especially in the allocation of public services to both tourists and local people, including water supply, light, housing and schools,” Solis said.

“We are building a new airport in Mexico City as the existing airport is insufficient. At a cost of US$9.1 billion [Bt315 billion], the new airport will be ready by 2020, and once fully completed, it will handle about 120 million passengers a year.

“The new airport is designed by well-known British and Mexican architects, respectively Norman Foster and Fernando Romero.”

About 35 million tourists came to Mexico last year, of whom 58 per cent were from the United States, 14 per cent from Central and South America, 11 per cent from Canada, 13 per cent from Europe and 4 per cent from the rest of the world, including Asia.

The growth of the tourism industry in Mexico, which represents 8.7 per cent of gross domestic product, will be driven by the country’s continuing improvement of direct connectivity and such things as easier visa processing, Solis said.

However, 85 per cent of the country’s tourism is by domestic travellers.

All Nippon Airways as of February 16 began operating direct flights between Tokyo and Mexico City.

China Southern as of April 11 began flying directly between Guangzhou and Mexico City.

Aeromexico will launch on May 27 a direct service between Seoul and Mexico City.

“It costs about $170 for the multiple visa to come to Thailand. However, Thai citizens will pay only $36 for a multiple visa to Mexico, which will be valid for six months,” she said.

Guillermo Eguiarte, director of the Mexico Tourism Board, said that considering flight connectivity and growth of the market, a growing middle class and more people heading to long-haul destinations, by 2020 Asia’s share of the Mexican tourism market would double to 8 per cent.

Thailand is a hub for the Southeast Asian market, he said.

“Our objective is to begin to improve awareness of Mexico and each destination with the local travel industry and partner with the main airlines that have flights to Mexico with fewer stops, such as ANA, Aeromexico and China Southern,” he said.

Meanwhile,Lourdes Berho has stepped down as CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board after less than a year in the position to return to the private sector, according to a statement from Sectur, Mexico's tourism ministry.

Tourism secretary Enrique de la Madrid named Hector Flores Santana as her replacement, effective May 1. Flores has held various executive positions with Sectur.

Berho is the founder of Alchemia, a marketing communications company focused on travel and tourism, innovation and sustainability. From 2004 to 2008, she was CEO of Conde Nast for Mexico and Latin America.

De la Madrid thanked Berho for her efforts to streamline the country's tourism-promotion efforts, citing high-profile events such as last month's Tianguis Turistico expo in Acapulco and the National Football League's return to Mexico City last fall.

USA: Delta Air Lines Is A Leading Global Airline

Delta customers in Greater Boston will have more flights and new destinations this summer as the airline adds new nonstop service to Austin, Texas; Kansas City, Mo.*; Jacksonville, Fla.*; Buffalo, N.Y.*; and Norfolk, Va.*; – a new nonstop destination for Bostonians - as well as a second daily flight to Nashville, Tenn.*, from Boston Logan International Airport beginning Sept. 10.

“Delta is committed to being Boston’s global carrier of choice with service that meets the needs of both business and leisure travelers,” said Bob Cortelyou, Delta’s Senior Vice President – Network Planning.

“Our growing network is built to support the diverse travel demands of our customers with unparalleled overall operational performance, and innovative products and services.”

On Dec. 21, Delta will expand weekend West Palm Beach, Fla., and Fort Myers, Fla., flights to daily, as well as increase weekend Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., flights to twice daily. Delta will also continue to support strong holiday travel demand with nonstop flights to popular Caribbean destinations including Montego Bay, Jamaica; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas; beginning Dec. 21.

“Delta’s new flights and growing presence at Logan Airport are welcome news to the Commonwealth as we strive to strengthen our economic environment and create more connections across the country and globe,” said Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker.

“Not only will these new flights increase options for travelers coming to and from Boston, but the planned increase to more than 100 daily flights out of Logan is a clear indication that connecting to the Commonwealth continues to be in demand."

Delta’s previously announced nonstop service to Dublin, beginning May 25, and transcontinental service to San Francisco, beginning June 8, combined with the other eight routes, complements existing trans-Atlantic service to Amsterdam, London-Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

When paired with additional joint venture partner and SkyTeam flights to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, London-Heathrow, Manchester, Rome and Mexico City, the combined group of Delta, Air France-KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Alitalia and Aeromexico offers customers seamless, one-connection access to 174 destinations in Europe and Latin America.

Delta offers more capacity to Europe from Boston than any other U.S. carrier, and is the only U.S. global carrier to offer full flat-bed seats in Delta One.

In addition, Delta One customers enjoy Westin Heavenly In-Flight Bedding featuring a full-size pillow and quilted comforter, chef-designed cuisine, a wine program curated by Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson, a TUMI amenity kit featuring Kiehl’s Since 1851 skincare products and an Alessi-designed collection of serviceware.

Customers flying in Delta Comfort+ will benefit from up to four additional inches of legroom and 50 percent more recline than Main Cabin seats, as well as priority boarding, and every customer will enjoy Delta Studio, which includes hundreds of complimentary movies, TV shows, songs and games, and the ability to connect with Wi-Fi on every flight.

Delta offers the most first class seats of any airline from Boston, and by this fall will operate more than 100 peak day departures to 32 destinations. The airline’s rapid growth includes 12 new destinations since November 2016.

“Logan International Airport has seen tremendous growth over the past decade and we are pleased that Delta is continuing that streak with this exciting announcement,” said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. “Over 36 million people traveled through Logan last year, many of them on Delta, and with this new milestone, we are looking forward to serving even more.”

Delta is the No. 1 carrier between Boston and New York connecting business travelers with the Delta Shuttle, operated by Delta and its connection partner Shuttle America, with hourly service 16 times daily between Logan Airport and New York City’s LaGuardia Airport as well as offering eight daily flights to JFK.

Delta Sky Club operates two locations in Terminal A providing customers with several healthy and fresh food choices and a number of complimentary drink options including local Samuel Adams craft beer and Starbucks coffee. THE BAR at Delta Sky Club offers wines and premium spirits.

SkyMiles members can use miles for premium drinks with a swipe their boarding pass.

Delta offers Delta Studio, the airline’s industry-leading suite of onboard entertainment, free for all customers on two-class aircraft. Delta operates the world's largest Wi-Fi-equipped fleet, with more than 1,000 connected Delta aircraft, including the airline’s entire fleet of 680 domestic mainline aircraft, Delta Connection two-class regional jets and all of its widebody international fleet.

*Flights operated by Delta Connection carriers Republic Airline or Endeavor Air.

CANADA: British Columbia International Tourists Shoot Up

British Columbia saw a huge increase in international tourists for the first half of 2016, up just over 12 per cent from the year before.

Statistics Canada tracked the number of overnight visitors to the province between January and June, counting over 2.3 million people.

It’s a 12.4 per cent increase from the same period in 2015.

The biggest increases came from the United States, China, and Mexico. Visitors from south of the border increased by 12.4 per cent, from China by 22 per cent, and from Mexico by 38.6 per cent.

“Tourism is off to a spectacular start this summer,” said Destination B.C. CEO Marsha Walden in a statement.

“With particulary high numbers from China and Mexico, and steady increases from the rest of our key markets, we expect international visitor arrivals to remain strong. Tourism businesses around the province are having a great season and are reporting strong bookings into the next. Our international visitors are discovering something we already know-it’s a great time to #exploreBC!”

June was one of the biggest months for tourism with 656,676 visitors in total, up over 8 per cent from June 2015.

The tourism agency thanks the low Canadian dollar, increased air service to Vancouver, and Destination B.C.’s new marketing strategy, for the rise in visitors.

A new Aeromexico route between Mexico City and Vancouver that began in December 2015, alongside Air Canada’s service to the region, likely helped boost travel from Mexico. Vancouver Airport also added new service to Osaka, Japan and Kunming, China, and increased service to Taipei, Taiwan and Soeul, South Korea.

A sixth mainland China-based airline, Capital Airlines, also just announced they would begin to service Vancouver in December.

All these new international routes were made possible in part due to the government’s elimination of an international jet-fuel tax in 2012, said a release from the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training.

The ministry says tourism in B.C. has supported 127,500 employees and 19,000 businesses in the province.

Meanwhile, YVR is hoping to hit a record year with an expected 21-million passengers passing through the airport by year’s end.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is on track to break another passenger number record by the end of 2016 with 10.5 million visitors so far this year.

It’s an 8.1 per cent increase over the January to June period last year, largely thanks to a surge in traffic from Latin America, according to numbers released by YVR.

Visitors from Central and South America increased by 20 per cent, marking the strongest year-over-year growth for all international destinations into and out of YVR.

It’s in part due to a new Aeromexico route between Mexico City and Vancouver that began in December 2015, alongside Air Canada’s service to the region.

Traffic to and from Asia also saw a boost of 12.9 per cent with new service to Osaka, Japan and Kunming, China, and increased service to Taipei, Taiwan and Soeul, South Korea.

The airport also expects the new non-stop service to Brisbane, Australia and Delhi, India will lift numbers even further by the end of the year.

Like Asia, traffic from Europe also increased 12.9 per cent thanks to new flights to Rome and Dublin and increased service to London.

Despite the low Canadian dollar – an incentive from American travellers to head up north – U.S. traffic only increased 3.8 per cent year-over-year. YVR says it was the new non-stop service from Air Canada to San Jose, San Diego, and Chicago, and new WestJet service to Orlando and San Diego, that bumped up the passenger numbers.

They expect the new 787-7 Dreamliner service between Vancouver and Newark, New Jersey that started in June will grow the U.S. market further by year end.

While not making a huge impact on U.S. traffic, the Canadian Dollar might be keeping people at home. Domestic numbers moved up 7.6 per cent.

President and CEO of Vancouver Airport Authority, Craig Richmond says YVR is expecting to surpass a record 21 million passengers in 2016, slightly up from the record-smashing 20 million counted in 2015.

“We have an ambitious goal of 25 million passengers by 2020. We will achieve this by working together to support new and existing services, connecting British Columbia proudly to the world,” said Richmond in a release.

According to the airport, reaching 25 million passengers by 2020 would add 5,000 to 7,000 more jobs at YVR, generate $2.7 billion in GDP, and add more than $800 million in tax revenue to all three levels of government.

Aeromexico Reports $9 Million Net Profit

Grupo Aeromexico reported first-quarter net income of MXP161 million ($9 million), down 12.6% from a net profit of MXP185 million in the year-ago period.

The Mexico flag carrier cited the positive aspect of lower fuel costs and the negative impact of the Mexican peso depreciating against the US dollar for the results. During the first quarter, the peso depreciated 20.9% relative to the dollar.

First-quarter revenue increased 12.9% to MXP12.06 billion, while expenses rose 12.4% to MXP11.4 billion, producing an operating profit of MXP641 million, up 24.4% from a MXP515 million operating profit in the prior-year quarter.

System traffic rose 7.8% to 7.9 billion RPKs on a 9.3% increase in capacity to 10.4 billion ASKs, producing a load factor of 76.2%, down 1 point.

RASK rose 3.3% to 1.049 pesos and CASK increased 3.2% to 1.110 pesos. CASK ex-fuel was 0.907 pesos, up 11.6%.

During the first quarter, Aeromexico added one Embraer E170 and an E190, both leased. It also operates Embraer ERJ-145, Boeing 737-700/800, 767, 787 and 777 for a total of 126 aircraft in its fleet.

Aero Mexico Reviews

Terrible, terrible, terrible service!!! Terrible airline!!! They leave the counter one hour before flights so there is no customer service available for travelers who are delayed. Then they cancel return flights for "no shows" (when there was no help to get on the initial flights) and ask for exorbitant fees to rebook. There is no way of calling customer service. You just have to send an email and then they never respond. My daughter had to pay $950 one way to get to Chile because she was only one hour early for her initial flight and there was no one at the counter to help her. So her flight took off without her. She then rebooked to the tune of $950. Then they cancelled her return flight because they said she was a "no-show" and are charging her an additional $1800 to get back to the US. We will NEVER use this airline again.
*****

Their customer service was terrible. Everyone we interacted with was entirely unhelpful and frequently rude. I understand airlines generally are rigid in their rules but AeroMexico takes it to a level of absurdity. We weren't able to take our flight to our destination, and they used that as justification to not allow us to take our return flight.
*****

We will never use Aeromexico through Mexico, City again or anywhere else, because they charged us for the same ticket to Lima twice. They are all very unprofessional and rude for the most part. Beware in Mexico City or maybe avoid them altogether!! We were very disappointed with them. It cost us a lot money because of what they did!!
*****

ATL-MEX-ATL, this was the worst experience I have ever had with an airline. I was on time (1.30pm for a 3pm flight) at the check in counter and was sent to another counter, Delta. When I was turned away there as well and sent back my flight had been closed for 5 minutes and nobody could help to get me on or even rebook me to the next available flight. After being stuck at the terminal for over 5 hours hanging on the phone with travel agent and Aeromexico I had to leave home again. I was told to go the next day to the check in counter where I again was told to pay a penalty to get rebooked. I redeemed my skymiles and booked another ticket. And because of an internal policy they also cancelled my reservation for the flight back. I had to buy another ticket to get back. Sky Team should choose more wisely their partners. Customer Service Hotline is a bad joke as well. They are not helping and only want you to pay a penalty for their mistake. NEVER AGAIN !
*****

Please see below email that i received one month ago and still didnt not receive my money ?? Please help AEROMEXICO | Mr. Guay | Case 529032 [ ref:_00D301HUqw._500a0dvHp9:ref ] Dear Mr. Guay. I have requested authorization to do compensation, but they have not answered yet, I do apologize for the delay, as soon as I receive an answer, I will let you know. Appreciate your patiece on this matter. Regards. Octavio Bustos. Customer Service.
*****

I will never flight with aeromexico even if they offer me free ticket. they created situation that i paid double for worst flight in my life.
13 April 2013 Guest
I transferred mileage from my American Express account into AeroMexico to cover the mileage allowance for a trip I had reserved. Before I transferred the mileage I was told there would be a booking fee of $130. When I went to book the ticket and pay the fee I was told it would be $430, almost the cost of one ticket. I was not allowed to transfer the mileage back to American Express. The airline is a complete rip off.

CUBA: 9 Million Tourists, But Is Cuba Ready?

A year after restoring diplomatic relations, the U.S. and Cuba are on the verge of an agreement to resume regularly scheduled commercial flights between the two nations.

U.S airlines say they are ready.But is Cuba?

More than 100,000 U.S. visitors have been to Cuba in the year since the Obama administration announced it was restoring diplomatic ties with the island nation – all of them still on charters. Commercial airline service might be imminent but the amount of U.S. tourists it will bring to Cuba could overwhelm an infrastructure that might not be ready for an increase in numbers.

From an airline standpoint, American, United, Southwest and JetBlue have all said they are not only interested in starting service to Cuba, but ready to go. Fortunately, this is the one place where Cuba is the strongest.

Because Cuba has been off the radar – almost literally – of people in the United States for two generations, the general tourist thinks of Havana and Jose Marti International Airport as the only place to fly into. But Cuba actually has 10 airports scattered throughout the country servicing flights from 32 airlines including such major carriers as Air France, Air Canada, Aeromexico, and Virgin Atlantic.

The facilities are older, but certainly not decrepit, having served some of the world’s biggest carriers for decades.

Hotels could be an issue in the near-term, although it is likely American companies will become more involved once the trade embargo with Cuba is lifted. For the moment, however, it is less about quality than quantity. According to Cuban officials, there are 63,000 hotel rooms in Cuba, almost 70 percent of which are four- and five-star properties. By some estimates, capacity will increase to 85,000 rooms by 2020.

Will it be enough for an expected increase to 9 million tourists by then from the current 3 million or so tourists annually? That remains to be seen. By comparison’s sake, Las Vegas has 124,000 hotels rooms and draws 41 million tourists a year. Yet travel experts say there are big differences between Havana and Las Vegas.

“It’s a big problem,” Omar Everleny, an economist at the Centre for the Study of the Cuban Economy, told the Toronto Globe and Mail. “Havana is 100 percent full.”

Cruise ships already regularly visit Cuba … but there are issues. Havana’s docks cannot handle the 3,000- and 4,000-passenger superships. Investments will need to be made there.

There’s also the question of currency. It has been less than a month since the first U.S. debit card was approved for use when MasterCard and Fort Lauderdale-based Stonegate Bank announced an agreement. MasterCard can be used now at more than 10,000 locations in Cuba; Stonegate guarantees the payment.

But few other U.S.-based companies are willing to make the same commitment until the Obama administration lifts the economic trade embargo with Cuba.

MEXICO: Aeromexico Announces New Route For 2016, Amsterdam

Aeromexico, Mexico's global airline, announced three weekly nonstop flights between Mexico City and Amsterdam starting on May 29, 2016, making the city its fourth destination in Europe.

This new route will be operated using Boeing 787 aircraft with 243 seat capacity, including 32 seats in Clase Premier, Aeromexico's Business Class Cabin. The Dreamliner is considered one of the most advanced commercial aircraft in the skies, offering benefits that include extra legroom, more storage space for carry-on bags, bigger windows that can be dimmed at the touch of a button, personal entertainment system, Sky Interiors LED lighting, and new in-flight menu services.

Anko van der Werff, Aeromexico's Chief Revenue Officer, said, "Aeromexico is extremely proud to add Amsterdam to its European route network. The Netherlands is the fourth largest Mexico's trading partner in the European Union, and nowadays, an average of 200,000 annual passengers travel between both capital cities".

"With this flight, Aeromexico will be able to offer a quality service to all of its customers traveling from the Netherlands on board our Boeing 787 aircraft with greater connectivity options to the main cities in Mexico, such as Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Puerto Vallarta, and in Central and South America, including San Jose, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama.", he added.

One of the key factors in establishing this new route is Amsterdam's status as a major SkyTeam hub where KLM offers a significant number of flights within Europe. Aeromexico is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance.

Aeromexico is proud to crown the year 2015 by announcing the addition of a new route, just as it did at the beginning of this year, thus allowing the airline to increase the economic, commercial and tourist exchange between the two nations, as well as the number of passengers carried between Mexico and Europe.

About Grupo Aeromexico

Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries are engaged in commercial aviation in Mexico and the promotion of passenger loyalty programs. Aeromexico, Mexico's global airline, operates more than 600 daily flights and its main hub is in Terminal 2 at the Mexico City International Airport. Its destinations network features more than 80 cities on three continents, including 46 destinations in Mexico, 16 in the United States, 16 in Latin America, three in Canada, three in Europe and two in Asia.

The Group's fleet of about 130 aircraft is comprised of Boeing 787, 777 and 737 jet airliners and next generation Embraer 145, 170, 175 and 190 models. In 2012, the airline announced the most significant investment strategy in aviation history in Mexico, to purchase 100 Boeing aircraft including 90 MAX B737 jet airliners and 10 B787-9 Dreamliners.

As a founding member of SkyTeam, the airline alliance which this year celebrates its 15th anniversary, Aeromexico offers customers more than 1,000 destinations in 179 countries served by the 20 SkyTeam airline partners rewarding passengers with benefits including access to 636 premium airport lounges around the world. Aeromexico also offers travel on its codeshare partner flights with Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, Avianca, Copa Airlines and Westjet with extensive connectivity in countries like the United States, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia and Peru

CANADA: YVR Now Offers More Flights To Mexico

-- The airline will start operating a nonstop service from Mexico City to the Dutch capital in May 2016

-- The route will be operated using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, regarded as one of the most advanced commercial airplanes in the skies

-- Aeromexico is the only Mexican airline to offer direct flights to Europe

Flying to Mexico from YVR just got easier.

If celebrating the holidays in the snow and gloomy Vancouver rain is “nacho” idea of a good time, Mexico is the perfect, convenient, sunny, destination to escape our winter weather. This past year, about one million Western Canadians vacationed in Mexico. So it would only make sense for Vancouver to strengthen its ties with Mexico, and improve travel between the two countries.

This past week, YVR welcomed Mexico’s global airline, Aeromexico, to Vancouver. The airline will have daily flights between Vancouver and Mexico City, as well as 46 connecting destinations within Mexico and 40 international destinations.

Not only will the partnership with Aeromexico mean more flights to get you beach side and stuffing your face with more tacos than you ever thought possible, but it will also strengthen and advance B.C.’s economy.

“Mexico is currently one of Vancouver’s star tourism markets,” Tourism Vancouver President and CEO Ty Speer said. “The increased flight capacity from Aeromexico will allow us to continue to cater to this important market.”

Speer predicts Vancouver will welcome over 85,000 Mexican and South American guests by the end of the year. In addition to the increase in visitors, the new service will add 160 jobs to the B.C. economy and $9.9 million in Gross Domestic Product, $3.4 million in taxes and $2.9 million in wages to B.C.

“This new service creates opportunities for business, tourism and trade,” said Craig Richmond, President and CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. “The exciting addition of Aeromexico service opens up the Latin American market with great onward network connections and helps strengthen our position as gateway hub between Asia and the Americas.” Guess it’s time to get packing.

Bienvenido Aeromexico!

MEXICO: Mexico Papal Visit, Aeromexico Will Fly His Holiness Pope Francis

At an internal event held to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe, Aeromexico announced that it will fly His Holiness Pope Francis during his first apostolic journey to Mexico.

Aeromexico will use two different types of aircraft for the papal flights, including a Boeing 737-800 Sky Interior with 160 passenger seats to fly His Holiness and his entourage to the cities of Morelia and Tuxtla Gutierrez, and a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 243 passenger seats for the trip to Ciudad Juarez, and from there to Ciampino Airport in Rome.

This is the first time a pontiff will travel on board a Boeing 787, an aircraft widely regarded as the most advanced commercial airplane, on his way back to Rome that will last approximately 13 hours.

Aeromexico CEO Andres Conesa spoke at the event and said, "We thank the Holy See and the relevant authorities for trusting us with this special operation. I can assure you that everyone involved will work with the utmost enthusiasm and dedication to make sure that His Holiness Pope Francis enjoys the natural warmth and hospitality that characterize the Mexican people, and the excellence of our service as Mexico's global airline."

This will mark the fourth time a pope has flown with Aeromexico, as the carrier served as the official airline for Pope John Paul II on his visits to Mexico. The first and most symbolic of these visits was held in January 1979 when a DC-10 called "Mexico City" carried the Pope from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to Mexico City, before taking His Holiness back to Rome.

During Pope John Paul II's second visit, Aeromexico flew the pontiff to different cities in Mexico including Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Durango, Monterrey, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Veracruz, and Zacatecas with one of its MD-88 airplanes, and took the Pope back to Rome on its DC10-30 called Chapultepec Castle.

Lastly, on August 1, 2002, a Boeing 767 christened "Mexico Siempre Fiel" (Mexico, Always Faithful) flew Pope John Paul II back to Rome after his fifth visit to Mexico.

As on previous visits, a team formed by representatives from different Divisions within Aeromexico is working together with the authorities and the pastoral visiting team to make sure that all of the flight services scheduled for the trip are provided with the highest possible level of efficiency and safety.

About Grupo Aeromexico

Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries provide commercial aviation services in Mexico and the promotion of passenger loyalty programs. Aeromexico, Mexico's global airline, operates more than 600 daily flights from its main hub in Terminal 2 at the Mexico City International Airport. Its route network spans over 80 cities on three continents including 46 destinations in Mexico, 16 in the United States, 16 in Latin America, three in Europe, three in Canada and two in Asia.

The Group's fleet around 130 aircraft is comprised of Boeing 787, 777 and 737 jet airliners and next generation Embraer 145, 170, 175 and 190 models. In 2012, the airline announced the most significant investment strategy in aviation history in Mexico, to purchase 100 Boeing aircraft including 90 MAX 737 airliners and ten 787-9 Dreamliners.

As a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, Aeromexico offers customers more than 1,000 destinations in 178 countries served by the 20 SkyTeam airline partners rewarding passengers with benefits including access to 636 premium airport lounges around the world.

Aeromexico also offers travel options through its code share partners Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, Avianca, LAN, TACA and TAM with extensive connectivity in countries like Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Peru and the United States.

MEXICO: Aeromexico Launches New Santo Domingo Services

The expanding world class carrier and Skyteam member, Aeromexico, has announced the launch of a new service between its home base in the nation's capital, Mexico City and the first city of the Domincan Republic, Santo Domingo.

Starting in mid March 2016 and flying four times a week on Sunday,Tuesday,Thursday and Saturday from Mexico using a Boeing 737-300 aircraft., the new service is part of AeroMexico's continuing development into a leading airline in a region of continuing passenger growth.

Currently with a fleet of 62 all Boeing aircraft and three major hub cities at Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, Aeromexico continues to be a favourite of passengers visiting Latin Amerca.

Santo Domingo is the capital of the tourist country of the Domincan Republic which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with its neighbour, Haiti. Alternative airlines provides an easy and transaprent way to book flights on Aeromexico for those passengers who enjoy flying with a carrier that embodies the spirit of Latin America.

ECUADOR: Quito Airport In Ecuador Traffic Growth Of 9.1% In 2014

Tame – that controls 37% and 40% of seats and flights respectively at Quito Airport – celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a press conference, the launch of daily flights to Fort Lauderdale, its second US destination after New York JFK.

Located in the Tababela parish, about 18 kilometres east of the capital of Ecuador, Quito Airport (perhaps better known as Mariscal Sucre International Airport) is the primary international gateway to the country. Established in February 2013 to replace the old gateway, the airport caters for a population of three million and serves as the largest hub of tame, the flag carrier of Ecuador that operates around 200 weekly departures this May. Operated by Quiport, the airport controls 46% of the country’s scheduled seat capacity (being followed by Guayaquil with 36%) and offers non-stop flights to 25 destinations in 11 countries within the Americas and Europe (according to OAG Schedules Analyser data for this May).

Analysis of data provided by the airport authority indicates that Quito’s traffic has grown impressively during the 2003-2014 timeframe, with an average annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18% over this period. The airport handled around six million passengers in 2014 (a new record high), a number that increased from the 800,000 recorded 12 years ago. In addition, when compared to 2013 figures, Quito’s traffic increased by 9.1%. Interestingly, the airport continued to grow even in the worst years of economic recession, experiencing a double-digit growth of 24% in 2010 when compared to the previous year.
tame controls 37% and 40% of seats and flights

Evaluation of OAG Schedules Analyser data for this May indicates that a total of 11 airlines are serving Quito, with tame maintaining its top position. The largest airline of Ecuador accounts for 37% and 40% of weekly seats and flights respectively and operates a total of 16 airport pairs from Quito, of which the domestic route to Guayaquil is the most frequently served airport pair with 64 weekly departures, being followed by the sector to Cuenca with 19 weekly flights. Ranking second with a weekly seat share of 19%, LAN Ecuador (LAN Airlines’ subsidiary established in July 2002) connects Quito to Guayaquil (67 times weekly), Cuenca (17 times weekly), Miami (daily) and Baltra Island (five times weekly).

Total weekly seat capacity at Quito has gone done 11%, with five of the top 11 carriers recording growth, when comparing data from this May with the same week last year, while American Airlines and Aeromexico saw their operations unchanged. Following the integration of Aerogal’s operations as part of their merger, Avianca is the fastest growing carrier, with a net increase of 2,310 weekly seats over the last 12 months. By comparison, LAN noted the greatest capacity decline (-51%), due to having reduced its frequency on the sector from Quito to Guayaquil from 10 times weekly to thrice-weekly, but also owing to having withdrawn its four times weekly departures to Medellin as well as thrice-weekly flights to Cali.

Furthermore, two European carriers (highlighted in bright green) are serving Ecuador’s capital, namely Iberia which links Quito to Madrid with thrice-weekly non-stop flights, and Quito to Guayaquil with eight weekly departures, with the latter being served as part of its 9,007-kilometre airport pair between Quito and Madrid via Guayaquil. Besides Iberia, KLM also flies daily from Quito to Amsterdam via Guayaquil, using its 318-seat 777-200s.