Showing posts with label Miami (MIA). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miami (MIA). Show all posts

Thursday, February 3, 2022

ROUTE UPDATES - January 2022 - Part 11 - Eastern Airlines, Flybondi, Jetsmart Chile, LATAM Chile

Route Updates - January 2022 - Part 11

The following airlines / flights are confirmed to have started or re-started on the indicated dates.  Most, maybe all, of the services are the resumption of flights that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Increases / decreases in flight frequency are not always verified.

Airline                      Origin                             Destination                 Eff Date      Type                  Frequency  

LATAM Chile           Santiago (SCL)               Cordoba (COR)           13Jan22       A320                 6x/weekly
Remarks: Increase from 4x/weekly

Flybondi                  Buenos Aires                   Ushuaia (USH)           15Jan22       737-800            3x/weekly 
                                 Ezeiza (EZE)

Eastern                    Miami (MIA)                     Montevideo (MVD)     16Jan22       767-300   
Airlines
Remarks: Discontinued service on this route, which was 1x/weekly.

Jetsmart Chile        Santiago (SCL)                Montevideo (MVD)      18Jan22       A320                4x/weekly
                                
Sources:

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Saturday, January 15, 2022

ROUTE UPDATES: December 2021 - Part 4 - American Airlines, Flybondi, Gol Linhas Aereas

Route Updates - December 2021 - Part 4

The following airlines / flights are confirmed to have started or re-started on the indicated dates.  Most, maybe all, of the services are the resumption of flights that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Increases / decreases in flight frequency are not always verified.

Airline                      Origin                             Destination                 Eff Date      Type            Frequency 

American                 Miami (MIA)                    Montevideo (MVD)      17Dec22      787-8           3x/weekly
Airlines
Remarks: Seasonal until 26Mar22

Flybondi                   Buenos Aires                  Florianopolis (FLN)     17Dec22      737-800       3x/weekly 
                                  Ezeiza (EZE)
Remarks: Seasonal until 30Mar22

Flybondi                   Buenos Aires                  Punta del Este (PDP)  18Dec22      737-800       4x/weekly
                                  Ezeiza (EZE)
Remarks: Seasonal until 30Mar22

GOL Linhas              Florianopolis (FLN)        Buenos Aires               19Dec22      737-800       2x/weekly
Aereas                                                             Aeroparque (AEP)

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Wednesday, December 8, 2021

ROUTE UPDATES: November 2021 - Part 1 - Aerolineas Argentinas, American Airlines, Boliviana

Route Updates - November 2021 - Part 1

The following airlines / flights are confirmed to have started or re-started on the indicated dates.  Most, maybe all, of the services are the resumption of flights that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Increases / decreases in flight frequency are not always verified.

Airline                      Origin                             Destination                 Eff Date      Type            Frequency   

American                 Dallas-Ft. Worth             Buenos Aires                01Nov21     787-9           1x/daily
Airlines                    (DFW)                             Ezeiza (EZE)

American                 Miami (MIA)                    Buenos Aires                01Nov21     777-300 /     2x/daily                Airlines                                                            Ezeiza (EZE)                                   787-8

American                 New York Kennedy         Buenos Aires                01Nov21     777-200      1x/daily
Airlines                    (JFK)                               Ezeiza (EZE)

Boliviana                 Santa Cruz (VVI)             Buenos Aires                01Nov21    737-800 /     1x/daily                                                                                           Ezeiza (EZE)                                   767-300                                         
Aerolineas               Buenos Aires                   Iguazu (IGR)                01Nov21    A330-200     5x/weekly
Argentinas               Ezeiza (EZE)
* Remarks:  A330 new on this route.  Increasing to 1x/daily January through March 2022 high season 

Sources:

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Sunday, May 16, 2021

ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina - United States - Nonstop Flights Status - April 2021

Regularly-scheduled airline flights in Argentina resumed in late October 2020 after a seven-month hiatus during which only "special" flights were approved, mostly for the purpose of repatriation of individuals that were stranded away from their home cities and/or countries when regular flights were suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   

In January 2021, the number of COVID cases surged in various parts of the world resulting in the Argentine Government's ANAC national aviation authority issuing an order on 26Jan21 requiring airlines to reduce the number of flights from Argentina to Europe, Mexico and the United States by 30% and to Brazil by 50%, effective 01Feb21.

Further cuts in service were mandated by the ANAC in late March with the goal of limiting international flights arriving at Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to one flight every two hours with no more than 2,000 passengers arriving from foreign countries each day. 

The above changes taken together have resulted in a frequently-changing international air transportation scene in Argentina.  As an example, nonstop flights between Argentina and the United States by Aerolineas Argentinas, American Airlines, Delta and United have evolved in recent months as noted below:      

* Aerolineas Argentinas 

The Argentine national airline reportedly restarted service from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Miami (MIA) in late October 2020 with 3x/weekly flights, increasing frequency on the route to 5x/weekly by early December.  

Frequency was increased again in early 2021 to 6x/weekly with a further increase to 9x/weekly flights planned to start on 03Jun21 in response to the strong demand for travel to Miami (MIA) for the purpose of being vaccinated against COVID-19 (limited vaccine availability in Argentina).   

* American Airlines

Profile of Pre-COVID Service
 
American's service from Argentina to the United States reached an all-time high in late 2019 with 35x/weekly flights, as follows:

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Miami (MIA) - 21x/weekly flights (including 7x/weekly for the southern hemisphere summer season) using 777-200 / 777-300

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) - 7x/weekly flights using 777-200

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - New York Kennedy (JFK) - 7x/weekly flights using  777-200

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Los Angeles (LAX) - 3x/weekly flights using 787-9

* Cordoba (COR - Miami (MIA) - 4x/weekly flights using 767-300

COVID-era Service Suspensions & Reinstatements:

Cordoba (COR)

Cancellation of the Cordoba (COR) service due to a lack of profitability was announced in early December 2019 to take effect in May 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic saw the last COR-MIA flight take place on 16Mar20.  

Los Angeles (LAX)

The Los Angeles (LAX) service was a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic but it was rumored among aviation observers that the flight was not profitable so it might not have lasted much longer anyway.

Service to the three other destinations from EZE - DFW, JFK and MIA - was halted in mid-March 2020 when all domestic and international flights operating in Argentina were suspended by the government-imposed quarantine to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Miami (MIA)

American resumed regularly-scheduled service from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Miami (MIA) in October 2020 with 7x/weekly flights using 777-200's but the equipment used on this route has changed several times since then.  

The airline upgauged to 777-300's on the route, effective 12Feb21, but with the Argentine  government wanting to reduce the number of international travelers, the MIA flight reverted to 777-200 operations in April with a few flights still operated by 777-300's due to the high demand for vaccination travel to Miami (MIA).  Because of the unceasing demand for travel to Miami, the airline is scheduled to once again regularly operate 777-300's on the EZE-MIA route, effective 04Jun21, 7x/weekly.              

Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW)

American restarted regularly-scheduled flights on the Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) route on 02Dec20 using 787-8's, 7x/weekly, upgrading to the 787-9 on 04Jan21.  Due to the increasing restrictions on the number of international travelers allowed to travel to/from Argentina, these flights were cut back to 3x/weekly, effective 01Feb21.  Further cuts to 2x/weekly flights in the first half of April and just 1x/weekly flight in the second half of the same month were made but with an upgauge to the larger 777-200 on the route.  

New York Kennedy (JFK)

American has apparently been selling seats on flights from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to New York Kennedy (JFK) in the hope that the flights would eventually receive approval but this has not happened with the result that passengers have been accommodated where possible on the flights to DFW and MIA, connecting on to New York.    

* Delta Air Lines 

Delta restarted regularly-scheduled flights from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Atlanta (ATL) on 19Dec20, 3x/weekly, using 767-400s.  The airline changed equipment to the A330-300 on 05Jan21, still maintaining 3x/weekly flights until 02Feb21 when the frequency was reduced to 2x/weekly flights.  

Further changes occurred on 04Mar21 when Delta changed the aircraft type to the 767-300 and again in early May to the A330-200, the fourth different type or subtype since service resumed in December 2020.  Frequency dropped to 1x/weekly for a period in April and was then increased back to 2x/weekly in May.  

* United Airlines

United restarted regularly-scheduled flights from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH) on 10Oct20, 1x/weekly, using 787-9's but quickly increased this to 3x/weekly, reportedly on 17Oct20. 

The airline continued to fly with the same frequency and equipment but, effective 01Feb21, only two of the 3x/weekly southbound flights (from IAH to EZE) were approved for passenger travel due to the limits on international arrivals outlined by the Argentine government.  The one other southbound flight carried only cargo.  All 3x/weekly northbound flights (EZE to IAH) carried passengers.      

The latest development for May is that the carrier is flying 2x/weekly on the route without the third flight that was pax/cargo northbound and only cargo southbound.      

Sources:

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Saturday, March 6, 2021

ROUTE UPDATES: February 2021 - Part 1 - Aerolineas Argentinas - Cancelled 50 International Flights

Route Updates - February 2021 - Part 1

The Argentine Government's ANAC national aviation authority issued an order on 26Jan21 requiring airlines to reduce the number of flights from Argentina to Europe, Mexico and the United States by 30% and to Brazil by 50%, effective 01Feb21.

Aerolineas Argentinas 

Cancelled 50 international flights in February, including some frequencies on these routes:

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Cancun (CUN)   

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Lima (LIM) 

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Madrid (MAD)

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Miami (MIA)

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG) 

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) 
  
Sources:
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Wednesday, March 3, 2021

ROUTE UPDATES: February 2021 - Part 4 - American Airlines, Level, Swiss, Air Europa

Route Updates - February 2021 - Part 4

The Argentine Government's ANAC national aviation authority issued an order on 26Jan21 requiring airlines to reduce the number of flights from Argentina to Europe, Mexico and the United States by 30% and to Brazil by 50%, effective 01Feb21.

Airline                      Origin                             Destination                      Eff Date     Type          Frequency   

American                 Dallas - Ft. Worth            Buenos Aires                    01Feb21     787-9        3x/weekly
Airlines                    (DFW)                              Ezeiza (EZE)
*Remarks: Reduced frequency from 7x/weekly to 3x/weekly, still using 787-9.

Level                        Barcelona (BCN)             Buenos Aires                    02Feb21     A330-200  2x/weekly
                                                                          Ezeiza (EZE)
* Remarks: Reduced frequency from 3x/weekly to 2x/weekly, still using A330-200.

Swiss                       Zurich (ZRH)                    Buenos Aires                    05Feb21    777-300     1x/weekly
                                                                          Ezeiza (EZE)
*Remarks: Resumed passenger flights using 777-300 1x/weekly.   

Air Europa               Madrid (MAD)                  Buenos Aires                    08Feb21    787-9         2x/weekly
                                                                          Ezeiza (EZE)
* Remarks: Reduced frequency from 3x/weekly to 2x/weekly, still using 787-9.

American                  Miami (MIA)                     Buenos Aires                   12Feb21    777-300     1x/daily
Airlines                                                              Ezeiza (EZE)
* Remarks: Upguaged equipment from 777-200 to 777-300 on their 1x/daily flight on this route.  

Sources:
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020

ROUTE UPDATE: American discontinued Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) in March 2020 (announced on 05Dec19)

American Airlines announced on 05Dec19 that it would drop its six-month old Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) service, effective 06May20, although the last flights were actually operated in early March 2020, shortly before all domestic and international flights in / out of Argentina were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic on approx. 20Mar20.

The service linking Cordoba, Argentina's second-largest city, with Florida's largest city had been years in the planning but the flights turned out be unprofitable, apparently due to the following factors:  

* Little business traffic which pays higher fares

* Few sales of business class tickets, even at discounted prices

* Fewer inbound tourists from the US than anticipated

* Cordoba passengers choosing to fly from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) when airfares were lower from there, even when saving only $ 100. 

* American's morning departure from Cordoba (COR) arrived too late in Miami (MIA) to connect with many points beyond.    

* The Argentine peso experienced a significant devaluation in August 2019 with the economy in a deep recession leading to much less international travel by Argentine travelers. 

* Cargo traffic was apparently healthy but was not enough to make up for disappointing passenger results.     

Overall load factors were reported to be between 50-70%, depending on the source, generally not enough to make for a profitable operation, especially with most passengers travelling on lower airfares.  The revenue for some flights was rumored to not be enough to even cover the cost of fuel.  

Some sources have speculated that the route might eventually be resumed when American takes delivery of the Airbus A321XLR's that it has on order, aircraft that are much more efficient than the 767-300's that the airline used on the route and with many fewer seats to fill for a profitable operation.

Sources:


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Friday, June 7, 2019

ROUTE UPDATE: American started Miami (MIA) - Cordoba (COR) service on 06Jun19


American Airlines introduced regularly scheduled flights between Miami (MIA) and Cordoba (COR) when American 767-323ER, N398AN (c/n 29605/748), took off from the Florida airport to Argentina at 10:57pm on the evening of 06Jun19.  The aircraft landed in Cordoba (COR) at 7:52am local time on 07Jun19 to a traditional "water salute" from the airport's fire engines.  

 The first southbound flight had 176 passengers on board, making for an 86% load factor, including a youth choir from San Francisco consisting of 70 teenagers and adults traveling to Argentina and Uruguay on a concert tour.  

 After two hours on the ground, the aircraft took from Cordoba (COR) at 10:23am for the return journey to Miami (MIA) with 180 passengers on board (88% load factor) plus 15 tons of Chilean salmon.  Indeed, the flight is expected to offer logistical cost savings to exporters of perishable goods, such as producers of blueberries and cherries based in the "interior", many of whom currently rely on lengthy and costly ground transportation to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to fly their goods to destination markets overseas.     

The new flights are perhaps the most significant new airline service ever to be introduced from an airport in the Argentine "interior" (the entire country outside of the federal capital of Buenos Aires and the province of Buenos Aires).  

 While other airlines fly from "interior" Argentine airports to South American points and offer connections to several of the most important cities in the United States and Europe, American's new service connects to dozens of destinations in the US, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, Canada and Europe directly through Miami (MIA), including the carrier's hubs in Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW), Chicago-O'Hare (ORD), Charlotte (CLT), Philadelphia (PHL) and Los Angeles (LAX) with further connections to another 80+ cities in the US and beyond. 

American's new flights between Cordoba (COR), Argentina's second-largest city, and Miami (MIA), will operate 4x/weekly in both directions, joining the carrier's service between Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) and Miami (MIA), 2x/daily year-round plus a third frequency during the southern hemisphere summer, New York Kennedy (JFK) 1x/daily, Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) 1x/daily and Los Angeles (LAX) 3x/weekly, this last service having been introduced on 20Dec18.     

 Despite the new service, American Airlines aircraft are no strangers to Cordoba (COR), with approx. two dozen planes having been diverted from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) during the last 20 years, mostly due to weather, including a DC-10-30 and several MD-11's, 767-300's, 777-200's and 777-300's.    

Sources:

 https://www.lavoz.com.ar/negocios/vuelo-de-american-de-cordoba-miami-debuto-con-180-pasajeros-y-fernet-con-coca
https://www.lavoz.com.ar/negocios/turismo-y-cargas-focos-de-american-airlines-para-conexion-cordoba-miami
http://aeropuertocordoba.blogspot.com/2019/06/american-airlines-se-suma-la-historia.html
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL223
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/aa223#20cc7e44


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Saturday, April 21, 2018

Aerolineas Argentinas: Feeder Carrier for Domestic Flights ? - Austral New Aircraft by end 2018 - Long-Haul Aircraft to Oceania - Intercon Routes to Stay


Aerolineas Argentinas President Mario Dell' Acqua spoke at the recent World Travel & Tourism Council conference held in Buenos Aires stating four particular points of interest:   

 * FEEDER AIRLINE PARTNER ? 

 With Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral steadily transitioning to larger aircraft, service to many of the Argentine domestic airports currently served by the group will no longer be commercially viable, not being able to produce enough passengers to operate larger aircraft profitably.  To remedy this situation, the Aerolineas group is looking to organize a network of feeder routes with "a serious and solvent" carrier operating smaller aircraft, presumably connecting smaller cities to Buenos Aires and AR's Cordoba (COR) hub. 

 There has been speculation in at least one Argentine blog about which carrier this might be:

 Flyest with its CRJ-200's is possible with its connection to the well-established Spanish commuter carrier Air Nostrum but Flyest is also a reincarnation of the now-defunct Sol Lineas Aereas that had a feeder agreement with Aerolineas' management under the previous Argentine presidency that was widely regarded as a sham.

 LASA, the new Neuquen-based carrier that is scheduled to start service soon with EMB-145's is also possible. 

 Avianca Argentina with its two ATR-72-600's, with more expected to be added to the fleet soon, would seem like a natural candidate to be a feeder carrier fro Aerolineas, both because it is "serious and solvent", having a major corporation as its backer, and operating an appropriate type of aircraft for feeder operations
possessing both a moderate number of seats and fuel-efficient propeller engines.       

 * AUSTRAL NEW AIRCRAFT TYPE BY END 2018

 Similar to what Aerolineas Argentinas has been saying recently, the new aircraft type that will eventually replace all of Austral's 26-strong E190 fleet is planned to have 180 seats, which appears to eliminate the E195 E2 new-generation jet from Embraer that is replacing the corresponding first generation E170/175/190/195 series of aircraft.       

 The first example of the new type will likely be flying for Austral before the end of 2018, which suggests that a contract to buy or lease the type will be agreed to soon.  How long it will take to replace all 26 E190's is still unknown but previously it was suggested that the process would conclude in about 2-3 years time.  

 * NEW LONG-HAUL TYPE REQUIREMENT TO OPERATE PROFITABLY TO OCEANIA

 Aerolineas is actively considering the new type that will replace its current long-haul fleet of 10 A330-200's and 2 A340-300's with a decision expected before the end of the year.  A newly-revealed requirement is that the new type must be able to operate profitably to Australia and New Zealand, which would suggest that the aircraft chosen will need to fly long distances nonstop with a full payload.

 * INTERCONTINENTAL ROUTES TO STAY    

 There has been much speculation in recent years that Aerolineas would dump its intercontinental routes due to their lack of profitability but the airline's flights from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Miami (MIA), New York Kennedy (JFK), Madrid (MAD) and Rome Fiumicino (FCO) will apparently continue. 

Sources:

 https://aviacionline.com/2018/04/aerolineas-argentinas-en-la-wttc-2018-tarifas-mas-bajas-y-comentarios-sobre-flota-long-haul-y-alianzas-en-cabotaje/
https://aviacionline.com/2018/04/aerolineas-argentinas-analiza-hacer-una-alianza-con-una-compania-de-cabotaje/
http://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2018/04/aerolineas-argentinas-hablo-de-una-premium-economy-para-los-vuelos-internacionales/

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Wednesday, March 28, 2018

ROUTE UPDATES: American announces Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Los Angeles (LAX) eff 19Dec18 + Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) eff 02Apr19


Rumors had been circulating for about two weeks in the Argentine travel and aviation blog "Sir Chandler" that two big route announcements would be made soon and they were released today with both new routes to be operated by American Airlines.

 * Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Los Angeles (LAX) - eff 19Dec18 - 3x/weekly

 To be operated with 787-9's.  It is expected that connections to Asia via American's Los Angeles (LAX) hub for business travelers is one of the main rationales behind the new service.  

 This route was previously flown by Aerolineas Argentinas with A310's in the 1990's via Lima (LIM) or Mexico City (MEX).  

 Some readers of other blogs have commented that the new service might take away passengers from American's existing daily service from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) and recall AA's flights between EZE and Chicago O'Hare (ORD) that operated for a couple of years in the late 2000's before being suspended.       
     
* Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) - eff 02Apr19 - 4x/weekly

 To be operated with 767-300's.  This route has been flown off-and-on several times by Aerolineas Argentinas over the last few decades using 707's, 727-200's and 737-200's on routings that included stops in Argentina and airports in other countries along the Pacific coast on the way up to Miami, also nonstop with 747's, and most recently using A340-300's between 04Jul15 and 29May16.   

 Speculation by the editor of this blog about the viability of Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) service by American:

 http://argentina-airline-news.blogspot.com.ar/2016/07/route-updates-american-airlines-from.html

 History of service on the COR-MIA route by Aerolineas Argentinas:

 http://argentina-airline-news.blogspot.com.ar/2016/07/route-updates-history-of-aerolineas.html

 Summary of the most recent Aerolineas flights between the two cities:

 http://argentina-airline-news.blogspot.com.ar/2016/07/route-updates-aerolineas-argentinas.html

 COPA and LATAM currently offer service from Cordoba (COR) to approx. 25-30 destinations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean through their respective hubs but American will connect Cordoba (COR) with approx. 100 destinations in the same regions though Miami (MIA) with the vast majority of them being in the US.
   
Summary

 American Airlines currently operates from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Miami (MIA) 2x/daily, to New York Kennedy (JFK) 1x/daily and Dallas-Ft. Worth 1x/daily for a total of 4x/daily flights and 28x/weekly.  Additionally, in the southern hemisphere summer high season from October or December (has varied by year) to March, the carrier operates a third daily flight between EZE and MIA. 

 The new EZE-LAX and COR-MIA services will add another 7x/weekly flights for a total of 35x/weekly year-round flights by American between Argentina and the US.     

Sources:

 https://aviacionline.com/2018/03/american-airlines-anuncia-sus-nuevas-rutas-cordoba-miami-y-buenos-aires-los-angeles/
http://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2018/03/habra-vuelos-directos-a-los-angeles-con-un-787-de-american-airlines/
http://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2018/03/american-airlines-volara-directo-a-cordoba-desde-miami/
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Friday, March 9, 2018

Aerolineas Argentinas to make decision on replacement of A330 long-range fleet by end of 2018

Aerolineas Argentinas A330-200, LV-FVH (c/n 1605), Aerolineas' first factory-delivered and owned aircraft taxiing at a European airport.  (Phil Perry Collection)

Aerolineas Argentinas will reportedly make a decision on the replacement of its intercontinental jet fleet by the end of 2018.

 Aerolineas Argentinas - Intercontinental Flights - First Decades

Aerolineas Argentinas has flown several types of long-range jet aircraft from  Argentina to Europe and North America since it first introduced the de Havilland Comet 4 into service in 1959.  Since then the Boeing 707, 747-200, 747SP, 747-400 and Airbus A310 have all flown long-range services for Aerolineas with even some smaller regional types, such as the 727-200 being pressed into service occasionally on multi-stop runs from Argentina to Miami, for example.

 After the 747-400 was retired from active Aerolineas service on 01Feb12, the airline remained with an exclusive Airbus fleet for its intercontinental scheduled flights.  Aerolineas has operated a total of 13 different A340 series aircraft, including three A340-200's and ten A340-300's, two of which remain in service plus 10 A330-200's, all of which are currently flying for the carrier.

 Airbus A340-300

 The two remaining A340-300's, LV-FPU (c/n 170) and LV-FPV (c/n 193), the latter painted in Skyteam colors, will soldier on until 2019 or even 2020, presumably flying mostly the Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Madrid (MAD) route as they do now.

 Airbus A330-200

 Aerolineas Argentinas started taking delivery of the backbone of its current intercontinental fleet, the A330-200, in 2013 with three examples joining the fleet that year, one in 2014, two in 2015, three in 2016 and the final A330-200 being acquired in early 2017 for a total of 10 of the type.     

Two of these aircraft, LV-FNI (c/n 290) and LV-FNJ (c/n 300), were delivered to SABENA with both going on to also fly for VG Airlines and Malaysia Airlines before joining Aerolineas. 

Another two A330-200's, LV-FNK (c/n 358) and LV-FNL (c/n 364), were delivered to Air Afrique and proceeded to serve an identical sequence of operators; Calliope, Eurofly, Atlas Jet, Saudi Arabian, and Atlas Jet again before going on to Aerolineas.

 Yet another pair of A330-200's had identical service histories before joining Aerolineas, LV-GKO (c/n 587) and LV-GKP (c/n 634), which were delivered to EVA Airways prior to going to Argentina.

 Finally, Aerolineas Argentinas bought four factory-new A330-200's directly from Airbus in February 2013, with the first example, LV-FVH (c/n 1605), being delivered on 28Feb15 followed by LV-FVI (c/n 1623) on 30Apr15, LV-GHQ (c/n 1737) on 05Aug16 and LV-GIF (c/n 1748) on 02Nov16.

 Aerolineas deploys its A330-200 fleet on its intercontinental network radiating out from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Miami (MIA), New York Kennedy (JFK), Cancun (CUN), Punta Cana (PUJ), Rome-Fiumicino (FCO), and Madrid (MAD) 2x/weekly with the other 5 days being operated by A340-300's.  The carrier  flew to Barcelona (BCN) until recently too.   

 Recent European Route Changes

 Aerolineas dropped Barcelona (BCN) because it was unprofitable, especially in the face of competition from Level, an LCC belonging to the IAG Group, but it plans to restart service to the Catalan city when it has more efficient lower-cost aircraft in its fleet that will make the airline more competitive on the route.  

 The Rome-Fiumicino (FCO) route was also a money-loser but it apparently became a much more attractive product when Aerolineas added frequencies to make it a daily service because the route is now profitable. 
   
A330-200 Replacement

 Aerolineas will reportedly start retiring its A330-200's after it has completed replacing Austral's E190 fleet, probably in 2021 or soon thereafter.  

 The leading candidate aircraft include the 777, 787, and A350 with no further indication thus far of which models of each type might be under consideration. 

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Sunday, March 12, 2017

ROUTE UPDATES: Conviasa, Gol and Qatar Airways Cargo

Conviasa


* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Porlamar (PMV) - eff 07Jan17

Operating 2x/weekly to Porlamar on Venezuela's Margarita Island until the end of the southern hemisphere summer in late March using 747-400, EC-KXN (c/n 25703/1025) leased from the Spanish charter carrier Wamos.  


 * Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Manaus (MAO) - eff 04Feb17

   Operated 1x/weekly using 737-800's

 * Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Belo Horizonte (CNF) - eff 05Mar17

   Operated 1x/weekly using 737-800's

QATAR AIRWAYS CARGO

 * Doha (DOH) - Luxembourg (LUX) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - Buenos Aires Ezeiza    (EZE) - Quito (UIO) - Miami (MIA) - Luxembourg (LUX) - Doha (DOH) - eff 02Feb17

   Operated 2x/weekly using 777-200F's

Sources:

http://www.qatarairways.com/qa/en/press-release.page?pr_id=pressrelease_cargodestinations
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Thursday, February 16, 2017

FLEET & ROUTE UPDATE: Third 767-300 rejoins LATAM Argentina Fleet to increase Ezeiza - Miami Flights to 11x/weekly



LATAM Argentina added a third 767-300 to its fleet on 17Nov16, LV-CFV (c/n 34629/944).  It joins sister ships LV-CDQ (c/n 35229/949) and LV-CKU (c/n 34628/945), enabling the carrier to add four new frequencies to its Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Miami (MIA) route for a total of 11x/weekly flights between the two cities.  The aircraft entered service on 24Nov16.  

 LV-CFV has flown its entire career for the LAN/LATAM group of companies since its initial delivery in 2006 with two previous stints in LAN Argentina service between 2010-11 and 2012-15.  It flew for LAN Airlines and LATAM Chile during all other periods. 

Sources:

 https://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2016/12/latam-argentina-presenta-un-767.html
http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2016/12/latam-argentina.html
http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-b767-34629.htm
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Saturday, July 16, 2016

ROUTE UPDATES: American Airlines from Cordoba (COR) to Miami (MIA) ?

American Airlines 787-8 aircraft.  The carrier currently has 17 examples in its fleet. (American Airlines Photo)  

 Use of the above photo is subject to the following American Airlines copyright notice: 

 https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-service/support/american-airlines-copyright.jsp

The rumors of the last ten years or more that American Airlines will start flying from Cordoba (COR) to Miami (MIA) continue, even with Aerolineas Argentinas having recently discontinued service on the route for the fifth time in the last 40 years.     

 The possibility of American serving the Cordoba route appeared strong in the late 1990's when the Argentine economy was doing well but the country soon entered recession culminating in the late 2001 economic crisis and ensuing deep recession that Argentina endured for several years.   

 Advancing Technology & Improved Aircraft Economics 

 However, with advancing aviation technology and especially the much greater of efficiency of the newest aircraft, such as American's 787-8, "long, thin routes" (long-distance with relatively little passenger traffic), such as Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA), are much more economically viable as fewer travelers are necessary for the routes to be profitable.   

 Until the advent of the 787, the only aircraft with sufficient range for long routes were planes such as the 767 / A330, with approx. the same number of seats as the 787 but more expensive to operate or the 777 / A340 with many more seats and considerably more costly to fly.  

 More economical aircraft, such as the 737-700/800 or A320/A321 class, with fewer seats and cheaper to fly are more suitable to fly from Cordoba (COR) to Miami (MIA) from a cost point of view but cannot fly such a long sector non-stop, which would be necessary for passenger convenience.

 American's Miami (MIA) Hub

 One important difference between a prospective American Airlines service out of Cordoba (COR) and that of Aerolineas Argentinas is that the latter carried point-to-point traffic with passengers terminating their journeys in Miami (MIA) while, in contrast, American would offer travelers connections to dozens of US cities through its massive Miami (MIA) hub operation.  

 Currently, passengers can travel from Cordoba (COR) to US cities other than Miami (MIA) only on LATAM to Los Angeles (LAX), New York City (JFK), Orlando (MCO), and Washington-Dulles (IAD) or on COPA to about a dozen US cities through its Panama City (PTY) hub.  Those wanting to travel to all other points must first go to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to fly on American, Delta or United to connect via their major US hubs.  

 "Triangle" Route ?

 There has been talk of American possibly flying from Miami (MIA) to Cordoba (COR) on a "triangle" basis, which the editor of this blog assumes would be something along the lines of Miami (MIA) - Asuncion (ASU) - Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA).  American flew from Miami to Asuncion for several years, recently discontinuing the service when tax moratoriums that had been granted to the carrier by the Paraguayan government as an incentive to fly the route expired.  

 Another possibility would be Miami (MIA) - Puerto Iguazu (IGR) - Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA), which could be popular with tour operators that include the spectacular Iguazu Falls in their South American tour programs. 

 Until such time that American possibly starts flying from Cordoba (COR), Argentina's only non-stop flights to the United States will be from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE), in contrast to some other South American countries that have flights from more than one city, such as Colombia (Baranquilla, Bogota, Cali, Cartagena, Medellin and even Armenia), Ecuador (Guayaquil and Quito) and Brazil, which has flights from approx. 7-8 different airports to the US.   

 Source:

 http://www.carlospazvivo.com/negocios/29550-american-airlines-evalua-un-vuelos-desde-cordoba-a-nueva-york-y-miami via http://aeropuertocordoba.blogspot.com.ar
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Thursday, July 14, 2016

ROUTE UPDATES: History of Aerolineas Argentinas' Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) Service - 4 Previous Attempts

Aerolineas Argentinas recently discontinued its Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) service for the fifth time since 1979.  The previous four attempts had mixed success, with some attempts lasting much longer than others.    

 The blog Aeropuerto Internacional Cordoba outlined the history of airline service between these two cities, which is summarized below (see link below "Sources" at the bottom of this posting for full details in Spanish):
   
First Attempt - 1979 - 1983  

 Aerolineas flew the 707 from Cordoba (COR) to Miami (MIA) for four years until 1983, the longest that the carrier has ever maintained service on this route. 

 Departures were on Wednesdays and Sundays with the Wednesday flight stopping twice, in Jujuy (JUJ) in northern Argentina and Bogota (BOG), with the Sunday flight being nonstop.  

 This routine changed a little in 1980/81 with the Wednesday flight originating at Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) and stopping in Cordoba (COR) and Bogota (BOG) before arriving in Miami (MIA).  The flight was the same on Sundays but without the stop in Bogota (BOG).  Jujuy (JUJ) still had its own flight to the US 1x/weekly via Bogota (BOG).

 Second Attempt - 1985

 The second try at service from Cordoba (COR) to Miami (MIA) was in 1985 as part of a marketing plan to establish Cordoba (COR) as a national hub for Aerolineas, given the city's central location in Argentina and being the city with the country's second largest population.    

 "Conexion Cordoba" involved flights to approx. 17-18 Argentine cities plus a couple of foreign destinations too.

 The Miami (MIA) service had an inconvenient circuitous routing and even a change of aircraft, which probably explained its limited success.  

 The service operated 1x/weekly on Fridays using a 737-200 from Cordoba (COR) to Tucuman (TUC) and Jujuy (JUJ) where there was a change of plane to a 727-200, which proceeded northward to Guayaquil (GYE) and Bogota (BOG) before finally arriving in Miami (MIA).  This service only lasted a few months being discontinued in 1985.

 Third Attempt - 1994 - 1995

This was the most short-lived of all the Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) services, lasting only 10 1x/weekly flights between 23Dec94 and 10Mar95 in the southern hemisphere summer.      

 The flights followed a Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) routing operated with 747-200's.  Rarely did as many as 150 passengers board in Cordoba (COR) which apparently was considered not enough to justify operating the route again the following summer. 

 Fourth Attempt - 1998

 This service flew 4x/weekly from Cordoba (COR) to Miami (MIA) nonstop with 747-200's from 01Jul98 to December when it was discontinued.  

Source:

 http://aeropuertocordoba.blogspot.com.ar/2016/04/el-deja-vu-de-los-cordoba-miami.html
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Tuesday, July 12, 2016

ROUTE UPDATES: Aerolineas Argentinas' Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) service discontinued for 5th time since 1979

Aerolineas Argentinas A330-223, LV-FNI (c/n 290), is the aircraft from the airline's fleet that operated the fewest number of the total 141 flights between Cordoba (COR) and Miami (MIA), only 4 legs.  (Phil Perry Collection)

Aerolineas Argentinas' Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) flights, which started on 04Jul15, were recently discontinued with the last flight departing Cordoba (COR) on 29May16.  This was the fifth time that service between the two cities was attempted but abandoned since 1979, once again leaving Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) as the only Argentine airport with nonstop flights to the United States.

 The service operated 2x/weekly on Saturdays and Sundays with the aircraft operating the flights departing Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) early on Saturday morning on a ferry flight to Cordoba (COR) where they departed in the late morning to Miami (MIA) arriving there in the early evening.  Once in Florida, they turned around to fly back to Cordoba (COR) overnight arriving back in Argentina on Sunday morning where it started the same circuit again, finally ending with a ferry flight from Cordoba (COR) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) on Monday morning.       

 A total of 141 sectors was flown between the two cities during the 11 months of operations with A340-300's operating 109 of the flights and A330-200's the remaining 32 legs (for full details on the number of sectors flown by each of the aircraft in Aerolineas' long-haul fleet, see the link below "Sources" at the bottom of this posting).  

 Passenger loads ranged from a low of 88 travelers on the last Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) leg, which was to be expected given that it was an "orphan" leg with no corresponding return to Cordoba (COR).  The largest number of passengers was on the very first flight from Cordoba to Miami (MIA) on 04Jul15 with 292 people on board.  

 In all, there were 15 flights with more than 250 passengers aboard and the average load of all the flights was over 200 travelers.  However, Aviacion News claimed that the load factor was below 70% and there was very little high yield traffic in Business Class.    

 Only a few of the Ezeiza (EZE) - Cordoba (COR) - Ezeiza (EZE) legs were open for public sale, which meant that nearly all such flights were a "dead" operating cost burden to the overall profitability of the route. 

 In the opinion of the editor of this blog, the repeated failures of the Cordoba (COR) - Miami (MIA) service have been mostly due to its having been operated as a point-to-point route, with no feed to other flights on either end, a situation which would be much different with American Airlines flying the route feeding into its massive Miami (MIA) hub with connections to approx. 100 destinations in the United States.             

 Sources:

 http://aeropuertocordoba.blogspot.com.ar/2016/05/cordoba-se-quedo-sin-vuelos-miami.html
http://aeropuertocordoba.blogspot.com.ar/2016/04/cordoba-se-queda-sin-vuelos-miami.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160407/avn-160407.html
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