DESTINATIONS North America
build to 140 flights a day this winter, which JetBlue says is 75% growth. At Fort Lauderdale, it is impinging
on Spirit Airlines’ home base. Spirit, an ultra-low-cost airline, is also investing, with orders that will grow its fleet from the current 79 aircraft to 145 by 2021. Another major low-cost carrier, Denver’s Frontier Airlines, is being aggressive in 2016 with 56 new routes spread throughout the US from Seattle to Florida. Meanwhile, Las Vegas’s Allegiant Air, which has grown using older McDonnell Douglas’ series aircraft, plans 19 new routes in 2016, including a debut at Baltimore/Washington, where it will offer six routes by June. Cincinnati, New Orleans and San Diego will also see new services. These additions follow 22 new routes in 2015, mostly between smaller city pairs. All major US carriers, low-cost and
legacy, are eyeing the 2016 prize: Cuba. American Airlines is leading the charge, with applications for 142 flights a week, including
Budget carrier JetBlue flies to 22 countries
10 a day from its Miami hub to Havana, while United plans 11 a week to the Cuban capital, including a daily from Newark. JetBlue has asked for 15 a day, seven from Fort Lauderdale. Florida is also the focus of Southwest’s application. It wishes to serve Havana from Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and
Orlando, plus Varadero and Santa Clara from Fort Lauderdale. Expansion like this comes on the back of the fall in oil prices and a lower cost base that all carriers are enjoying and barring no major upsets, things seem set fair for 2016. £
Africa. Services from Dublin-Vancouver and Gatwick-Toronto will also be launched. The other big budget brand, Air Transat, must also face up to more transatlantic competition this summer. It is increasing its Gatwick frequencies to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver as WestJet enters the market and in mainland Europe it must now compete with Air Canada rouge to Budapest. Air Transat launches a new route from Toronto to Zagreb this summer. Air Canada’s mainline operation is bringing more Boeing 787s into the fleet, replacing 767s handed to rouge, and will finish a
Canadian budget carriers move in for the long-haul with expansion plans
Canada’s aviation story in 2016 is very much about expansion of the budget long-haul sector. The big news is the entry of Calgary-based WestJet into wide-body long-haul services, using four ex-Qantas Boeing 767-300ERs. These aircraft have four rows of premium economy standard seat pitch (38 inches) but otherwise continue the airline’s budget philosophy. WestJet launched transatlantic in June 2014 between St John’s and Dublin and then added Halifax to Glasgow in 2015. These flights both offer the same aircraft connections to and from Toronto. It launches year- round flights on the 767 from Calgary and Toronto to London Gatwick in May. It will also run summer-only Gatwick services to Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and St John’s and use the
44 ISSUE 3 ROUTES NEWS 2016
routesonline.com
aircraft on routes from Canada to Hawaii in winter. WestJet has more than 140
aircraft in service, with 80 narrow bodies on order from Boeing. WestJet’s regional subsidiary, Encore launched its first international route, from Toronto in March. Air Canada is using
its leisure subsidiary, rouge, to cement its position in Europe and expand into Africa. New services from Toronto to Prague, Budapest, Glasgow and Warsaw start this summer, plus Montreal- Casablanca, the group’s first venture into
refurbishment of its 777 fleet by June, updating them but making economy seating 10-abreast instead of 9. The fall in oil and gas prices may affect its mainline operations but it is also being aggressive in overseas expansion. Last year saw the launch of 787 flights to Dubai and Delhi and the carrier becomes double daily on Vancouver-London Heathrow this summer. Vancouver-Brisbane, with three flights a week, and
daily Toronto-Seoul launch in June plus a Montreal- Lyon flight. Three-quarters of Air Canada’s capacity is
international and recent aircraft
orders mean new routes – the first of 22 787-9s arrived in July and by the end of 2019, Air Canada will also have 15 787-8s.
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