The Business of Passenger Experience
By the time Summer 2022 rolls around United Airlines will serve more transatlantic destinations than ever in its history. The carrier announced five new transatlantic markets this week, plus increased service to another five. The company will also finally launch seven routes waylaid by the pandemic.
Oh, and the 737 MAX will join the oceanic fun.
How best to describe the seemingly limitless demand for air travel between the Northeastern United States and Florida? If the launch of Avelo’s new hub in New Haven does not provide sufficient evidence, consider another pair of new routes announced this week.
Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways now aims to launch service to the United States “at the end of December 2021.” The carrier previously indicated a goal of Q3 2021, but still awaits approval from the US Department of Transportation to operate flights to the USA.v
The British Airways A380 is officially coming back. The airline will use its largest aircraft to carry passengers to warm, sunny destinations as part of a significant rebound in long-haul service volume for the winter.
Aha! aims to take flight on 24 October from Reno. It is the third airline to launch operations in the United States this year.
Norse Atlantic Airways aims to replace a trio of Norwegian’s long-haul routes across the Atlantic Ocean next summer. In a filing with the US Department of Transportation the carrier indicated its intention to serve smaller, alternate airports in the New York City, Los Angeles, and South Florida regions from Oslo.
Airlines operating to some of the largest US airports won a reprieve from regulators, extending a waiver put in place as the COVID pandemic began in early 2020. But this time around the waiver comes with a change in terms, one that could prove significant for US airlines.
Norse Atlantic won’t launch service across the Atlantic until early next year, but competition is still on the horizon for Stockholm’s transatlantic traffic. Finnair announced plans to launch a trio of new routes this winter connecting the Swedish capital and the United States.
Add another 7 Caribbean island routes to the Frontier Airlines route map. The latest expansion is part of a 15-route growth spurt and includes a new island destination – Aruba – as part of the plans.
Air France plans a pair of new Caribbean routes this winter, but perhaps a bit outside the normal range of operations. The carrier will connect Montreal and New York City with its mini-hub at Guadeloupe.
