New Colombia flights: what happen, man?

toneloc24 says on Apr 17, 2008, 16:18:

Slow down a sec and read this. Of these 4 new routes, none of the 4 airlines have commenced operations on these routes.

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot3108.htm

DOT 31-08
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Contact: Bill Mosley
Tel.: (202) 366-4570

DOT Proposes to Award New U.S.-Colombia Flights to Four Airlines
For Service from New York, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Houston

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today proposed to grant four U.S. airlines the right to operate one new daily flight between the United States and Bogota, Colombia. In today’s tentative decision, the Department selected Delta Air Lines from New York’s JFK Airport, JetBlue Airways from Orlando, Spirit Airlines from Fort Lauderdale, and Continental Airlines from Houston.

Three of the new daily flights were made available by a September 2007 U.S.-Colombia aviation agreement which increased, from 70 to 91, the total number of weekly flights that U.S. carriers may operate between the two countries. Twenty-one new weekly flights will be phased-in by the end of 2008. In addition, the Department proposed to reallocate one daily U.S.-Colombia flight currently held by American Airlines.

DOT noted that air travel between the United States and Colombia increased by approximately 200,000 passengers between 2002 and 2006, with more than 750,000 passengers traveling between the two countries a year ago.

In its tentative decision, the Department said the award to Delta would provide the heavily-traveled New York-Bogota market with additional service and would increase competition and consumer choices. The services of JetBlue and Spirit would introduce two new carriers to the U.S. Colombia market, and provide Orlando and Fort Lauderdale with their first direct service to Colombia operated by a U.S. air carrier. Continental’s service from Houston would address the need for additional convenient service options to Colombia for travelers from the central and western United States, the Department said.

If the tentative decision is made final, Delta may begin its new services immediately, JetBlue and Spirit on April 1, and Continental on October 1. In addition to the four carriers receiving awards, US Airways applied for service between Charlotte, NC and Bogota, and American sought to retain the frequencies it currently holds for additional service between Miami and Bogota/Medellin.

Objections to the show-cause order must be filed within 14 calendar days and answers to objections seven calendar days afterward. The Department will issue a final decision following the comment period. The Department’s show-cause order and other documents in the case are available on the Internet at www.regulations.gov, docket DOT-OST-2007-0006.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

NJ C Rep says on Apr 17, 2008, 18:51:

What happened was that American airlines has filed an appeal and is crying foul over the whole thing. This may drag on for a few (weeks or months... who knows).

Neonovo says on Apr 17, 2008, 22:47:

Aún no despega, pero Spirit Airlines ya vendió 8.000 pasajes, 3 semanas antes de iniciar operación en Colombia

http://www.portafolio.com.co/economia/economiahoy/2008-04-18/ARTICULO-...

El próximo 8 de mayo ingresará al mercado nacional la compañía aérea de bajo costo, con un vuelo diario entre Cartagena y Fort Lauderlade (E.U.), ruta para la que ya vendió los pasajes.


La compañía asegura que, aunque aún tiene sillas disponibles, en Cartagena se han hecho reservas para viajar desde mayo hasta octubre del 2008. La buena acogida ha radicado en las tarifas de la compañía, desde los 29 dólares y prometen nunca superar los 170 dólares por tiquete (sin impuestos).

Para enfrentar la crisis de combustible, Spirit, bajo la fórmula de hedging o compra por adelantad, aún goza de la reserva que tiene para los próximos meses sin tener que aumentar los precios, como viene sucediendo en el mercado.

Adicionalmente, el hecho de operar sin intermediarios y con ventas por Internet le representa a la empresa un costo de 5 centavos de dólar por cada milla volada (sin incluir el precio del combustible), mientras que para sus competidores más próximos este se sitúa entre 8 y 11 centavos de dólar.

Luego de entrar a Cartagena, Spirit comenzará a operar, a partir de julio próximo, entre Bogotá y Fort Lauderdale, con un vuelo diario. Esto, gracias a que la Aeronáutica Civil le otorgó dicha frecuencia.

"Todas las frecuencias que nos den en Colombia las queremos tener", dijo Juan Arbeláez, director de Comunicaciones y Negocios de Spirit en América Latina.

Ante la asignación total de las frecuencias a ciudades principales como Medellín y Cali a otras aerolíneas, Spirit le apunta a aterrizar en aeropuertos pequeños, pero de ubicación estratégica como el de Armenia, para lo cual ya se están adelantando gestiones.

muchacho_escondido says on Apr 18, 2008, 11:04:

In July to Bogota, then?

I wonder why they still aren't selling the tickets, though.

But Spirit has very poor domestic network so I personally wouldn't fly them (would need a second carrier to get to where Spirit does fly them). JetBlue would be more interesting, however.

nine inch nails says on Apr 18, 2008, 12:07:

M E,

I think it is just a matter of cementing the final agreements with Colombia. They proly only pushed so much paper before the first approval and now they must gain one or more other approvals. Tipico bureacracy but would expect to see more flights added on piecemeal over the next several months even with sky high fuel. They think fuel will dramatically reduce down in price also once summer is over.

get down, get down