New route announcements and returning services across the Americas region.
JetBlue Airways will commence service to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) from June 29, its first destination in mainland Europe. Service between its New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) base will be operated daily with an Airbus A321LR. “JetBlue will play a unique role in disrupting high-fare legacy carriers that have dominated this route for decades,” the airline said in a statement.
Canadian ULCC Flair Airlines has released its winter 2023-24 schedule, which includes new routes to Las Vegas (LAS) and Puerto Vallarta (PVR), Mexico. The airline will begin serving Toronto Pearson (YYZ)-PVR on Oct. 29, offering 4X-weekly flights, and Kitchener-Waterloo (YKF) to Puerto Vallarta on Dec. 16, flying 3X-weekly. Daily Calgary (YYC) to Las Vegas service begins on Oct. 30 and Ottawa (YOW) to Las Vegas on Oct. 13, operating 2X-weekly. Flair will also launch a 4X-weekly Calgary-Phoenix route from Oct. 30. Existing service from Vancouver (YVR) and Edmonton (YEG) to Phoenix Mesa Gateway (AZA) will move to Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) for the season, along with the new service from Calgary to Phoenix.
Panama's Copa Airlines will launch service to Baltimore/Washington (BWI) in the northern summer, growing its US network to 14 airports. Flights between Panama City Tocumen (PTY) and BWI will commence from June 28. The service will be operated 4X-weekly using a Boeing 737-800. The route will be exclusive to Copa. The Star Alliance carrier already serves Washington Dulles (IAD), located 58 mi. to the southwest of BWI. Copa VP and CCO Dennis Cary said in a statement that Baltimore is “a city with great history and tourism appeal.”
Transatlantic carrier Norse Atlantic Airways has unveiled four new routes from London Gatwick (LGW). Flights to Washington Dulles (IAD) will launch on June 1, operating up to six times per week, with a daily route to Los Angeles (LAX) starting on June 30. Service to San Francisco (SFO) will start the following day, operating 3X-weekly, and a 5X-weekly link to Boston (BOS) will be added on Sept. 2.
NORTHERN PACIFIC AIRWAYS
Alaska-based Northern Pacific Airways will launch inaugural operations with service between southern California and Las Vegas (LAS) from June 4. The startup will operate from Ontario (ONT), a secondary airport in the Los Angeles area some 60 mi. from LAX, to LAS 1X-weekly using a Boeing 757-200. Northern Pacific’s originally outlined plans had called for using refurbished 757-200s to connect secondary airports in the continental US to Asia.
Italy’s ITA Airways is increasing frequencies between Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and New York John F Kennedy (JFK). From June 1, service will rise to 3X-daily using Airbus A330s. The airline said North America is “at the center” of its investments for summer 2023. A new route from Rome to Washington Dulles (IAD) will start on June 5, operating five times per week that will rise to daily in August, while service to San Francisco (SFO) starts on July 1 with 3X-weekly frequencies, growing to 5X-weekly in August.
Air France is adding flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and Nice (NCE) ahead of the Cannes Film Festival. Service on May 15, 22 and 29 will be operated by Airbus A350-900 equipped with 324 seats. The airline will also operate four special flights between New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Nice for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, taking place between June 19-23. The flights will depart JFK on June 17 and 18 using Boeing 777-300ERs, returning on June 23 and 24.
Air Serbia has expanded an interline partnership with American Airlines. The Serbian carrier plans to launch Belgrade (BEG)-Chicago O’Hare (ORD) flights on May 17 and said the agreement would allow passengers to connect via ORD to more than 70 destinations in the US on American’s network.
Transborder partners Air Canada and United Airlines are adding new routes between Canada and the US for summer 2023. Beginning June 1, Air Canada will operate 5X-weekly Washington Dulles (IAD)-Vancouver (YVR) service aboard a Boeing 737-8, while United will operate daily Calgary (YYC)-IAD service beginning June 2 aboard an Airbus A319. The airlines will codeshare both flights and plan to operate more than 260 daily transborder departures in summer 2023, a year-over-year increase of approximately 20%. “This summer, customers will have even greater choice and convenience with our joint summer schedule made possible by our airlines' new enhanced transborder agreement,” said Mark Galardo, SVP network planning and revenue management at Air Canada.
VIVA AEROBUS
Mexican ULCC Viva Aerobus is launching a domestic route between Monterrey (MTY) and Mexicali (MXL). Operations will begin on June 1 with six frequencies per week. The airline last served Mexicali in January 2021, flying from Monterrey and Guadalajara (GDL). However, the airport has been absent from its network for the past two years.
