American Airlines Provides Curbside Check-in Service at 28 International Airports

American Airlines said recently customers traveling internationally can now take advantage of curbside check-in at 28 airports that currently offer the service for domestic travelers.

Among the top markets offering the expanded curbside check-in service are Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O’Hare and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, American said in a release.

The service is also available to travelers departing Fort Lauderdale, according to the airline’s website.

With curbside check-in customers can check-in for their flights at home online and then drop their bags curbside with a skycap before moving on to the security check-point to their gate in a seamless manner.

“Offering Curbside Check-in for travel to international destinations is another way American is expanding its products and services to better meet the needs and desires of customers traveling abroad,” said Tom Del Valle, American’s Senior Vice President – Airport Services, in a statement.

Another 31 U.S. markets are slated to offer the international curbside check-in service starting in November.

An American Airlines spokesperson said given the fairly extensive nature of the curbside check-in program, it took longer to expand the offering to international travelers.

The airline also had to balance offering this program with other priority services it has implemented to enhance the customer experience from curbside to baggage claim.

U.S. Airlines Plans to Increase Flights to Cuba

More airlines are preparing to fly to Cuba, according to the Wall Street Journal.

With restrictions on travel to the Communist-ruled island loosened earlier this year, four large U.S. airlines – American Airlines, JetBlue, United Continental and Delta Air Lines – will operate about 25 weekly flights to Cuba for charter companies by the end of the year, the report says.

Charter companies estimate about 400,000 Americans will fly to Cuba this year vs. 250,000 last year, the report says. In January, President Obama liberalized travel rules to Cuba for students and religious and cultural groups.

American has been flying to Cuba for two decades. JetBlue arrived last month. United Continental and Delta are resuming weekly service to Cuba after a seven-year hiatus, the report says.

American Airlines Adds New Flight Service Between Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles

Departures from Fort Lauderdale up 30 percent next winter; New nonstop to Los Angeles

American Airlines will expand its presence in South Florida when it adds new service between Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles (LAX) as well as increase its service to Chicago O’Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth, further demonstrating its commitment to offer the broadest service levels possible to and from its cornerstone cities. Daily departures from Fort Lauderdale will increase by 30 percent to 17 flights next winter.

On Nov. 17, American will add new nonstop service to Los Angeles as well as one additional flight to Chicago. On Feb. 9, American will add another flight to Chicago as well as an additional nonstop to Dallas/Fort Worth. American will operate Boeing 737-800 aircraft on all of these routes.

The new Los Angeles nonstop complements the 10 new cities American added from its West Coast cornerstone last spring when the airline increased its departures from LAX by 28 percent.

European Aircraft Manufacture: Airbus and Boeing Compete to Win American Airlines Plane Order

European aircraft builder Airbus aims to win a large plane order from AMR Corp’s American Airlines by offering $6 billion in preferential financing to woo the American carrier away from rival Boeing , according to the Wall Street Journal.

Airbus wants to break Boeing’s monopoly at American Airlines and has assembled a team of lenders and leasing firms to help the European company win the deal, people familiar with the proposal told the newspaper.

Airbus’s offer has a catalog value of almost $23 billion, but that is being heavily discounted, the people told the paper.

The European plane maker is offering American, a unit of AMR Corp , 130 of the current-generation A320s and 130 of the more fuel-efficient A320neo, the new engine option slated to enter service in 2015, the newspaper said.

American Airlines, which currently operates an all Boeing fleet, might make a decision about its airplane order as soon as next Wednesday, the people familiar with the matter said.

Meanwhile, Boeing is offering 737-800s and 737-900 Extended Range planes, people familiar with the matter said. However, the price and financing terms were unclear, the paper said.

Boeing is also racing to develop a product strategy for its best-selling 737 model to compete with redesigns of the A320.

“Boeing does not discuss our ongoing talks or sales campaigns with our airline customers,” Boeing spokesman Jim Condelles told Reuters.

Official at American Airlines and Airbus could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside regular U.S. business hours.

American Airlines to Increase Daily Flights to Dominican Republic International Airports

American Airlines will increase to 25 its daily flights from the United States to the Dominican Republic’s major international airports.

From Miami to Punta Cana International Airport, American Airlines will increase to three its daily flights between both airports. It will also add a second flight from New York to this destination. American Eagle, a subsidiary of AA, will add a third flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Between the airports of La Romana and San Juan (Puerto Rico), the carrier will increase flights from two per week to two per day. There will also be two daily flights at the Santiago International Airport to and from Miami and one to San Juan.

From Las Americas International Airport, American Eagle will offer four daily flights to San Juan and one to Haiti. With all the new flights, AA will offer three thousand seats daily to passengers traveling between the United States and the Dominican Republic.

Cathay Pacific Airways and American Airlines Expand Codeshare Relationship

American Airlines and oneworld-alliance partner Cathay Pacific Airways have expanded their codeshare relationship.

The expanded codeshare relationship includes Cathay Pacific’s new daily service between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport, as well as the carrier’s existing daily service between Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City. American Airlines says the new Ho Chi Minh City codeshare gives it a stronger presence in Southeast Asia.

With the addition of these flights, which will feature American’s ‘AA’ flight prefix from September 1 (the day that Cathay Pacific Airways begins its Chicago-Hong Kong service), the codeshare agreement between American and Cathay Pacific Airways includes 23 markets in North America and eight markets throughout Asia.

“Our partnership with Cathay Pacific gives American’s customers expanded access to destinations in China and the rest of Asia,” says Virasb Vahidi, American’s chief commercial officer. “With this codeshare expansion, our customers now have more options for travel between North America and Asia.”

American Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways have been codesharing since 2003 on several transpacific, U.S. domestic and intra-Asia flights.

Recently, Cathay Pacific expanded the agreement by adding its code on domestic services between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and 11 U.S. markets served by American or American Eagle. This expansion was made possible because of Cathay Pacific’s new service to Chicago, and the increased connectivity it offers to customers travelling on the networks of both carriers.

Japan Airlines and American Airlines Increase International Cargo Flight Destination and Cargo Capacity

Airlines to Utilize Worldwide Networks to Offer Customers More Routing Choices and Increased Cargo Capacity Between Asia and the Americas.

Japan Airlines (JAL) and American Airlines (American) have embarked on a closer cooperation aimed at strengthening international cargo operations for the two airlines. Their agreement, concluded in April this year, provides cargo customers with more routing choices, new destinations, and increased cargo capacity by more effectively utilizing the combined worldwide network of both airlines, covering some 300 distinct destinations worldwide, while maximizing the value of their combined routes between Asia, the United States, and Latin America.

The two airlines have begun using Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York and Honolulu as key transfer points for cargo traffic in the United States and Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya as transfer points in Japan. The agreement enhances the significance of Honolulu as an important transfer point for cargo between Asia and the Americas. The tighter cargo relationship is expected to enable both airlines to provide their respective customers with additional value, while maximizing the utilization of cargo capacity for both airlines.

In addition, new synergies between the carriers’ express products will now provide seamless transfer of express shipments between the airlines. Shipments which do not exceed 100kg will now receive immediate confirmation of space on both airlines, when customers select JAL’s J-PRIORITY and American’s EXPEDITE(SM) product for the routing.

The joint business agreement between JAL and American which began April 1, 2011, is expected to benefit customers on many levels, including cargo. Both airlines continue to explore ways in which closer cooperation can bring increased benefit to customers.

About JAL Cargo

JAL Cargo, a division of Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., (JAL), provides cargo transportation services within Japan and to 17 countries and regions or 33 overseas airports utilizing the airline’s operations of approximately 1,000 flights a day on 109 domestic routes and 47 international routes (as of May 1, 2011). JAL, awarded the most punctual major global airline in 2009 and 2010, is a member of the oneworld® Alliance and has a global passenger network reaching more than 225 airports in 38 countries and regions together with its codeshare partners. With a fleet of some 220 aircraft including Boeing 777s, 767s, 737-800s, and Brazilian-made regional jets, Embraer E170, JAL serves destinations in Asia, Europe, and Oceania, as well as in North America including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and Vancouver. JAL CARGO, which carried 897 thousand tons of payload in fiscal year 2010, offers a series of high-quality, tailored services collectively known as J Products that cater to the unique needs of various shipment that make all kinds of transportation possible. For more information, visit: www.jal.co.jp/en/jalcargo/.

About American Airlines Cargo

American Airlines Cargo(SM), a division of American Airlines, Inc., provides over 100 million pounds of weekly cargo lift capacity to major cities in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia. American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection® regional airlines serve more than 250 cities in over 50 countries with more than 3,600 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft. American provides one of the largest cargo networks in the world, with cargo terminals and interline connections available across the globe.

Emirate Airlines Group Concerned Other International Flight Destination as Increase Passenger Number and Earning

Dubai-based Emirates continues to cause concern for other international airlines as it announces a 14 per cent increase in passenger numbers and a 52 per cent jump in profits. While other carriers are being hammered by rising fuel prices, the Middle Eastern carrier appears to be weathering the storm remarkably well.

Competitors have been accusing Emirates and its neighbouring UAE airlines of effectively being subsidised for some time now and are also worried that fleets of superjumbos based in the Gulf will draw traffic away from their hubs. Emirates currently has an order for 90 additional Airbus A380s with the European manufacturer. Airline experts are warning that once in service this fleet will force a radical restructuring of the industry.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, the airline’s chairman, admitted that the carrier’s growth was likely to upset the competition. He added that the market was there and that Emirates would continue to grab its share because it had the right product with which to do so. He went on to say that the airline intended to concentrate on Asia and the Americas.

A number of European and North American airlines have already voiced their concerns about Emirates’ rapid expansion. Germany’s Lufthansa has requested that landing slots are denied to the Dubai giant when a new airport opens in Berlin. Last year, Canada refused to grant permission for greater access to Emirates and Etihad.

Tim Clarke, Emirates’ president, has shrugged of complaints from competitors pointing out that if they used the energy they were putting into attacking his airline into running their own companies, they would probably make some money.

US Airline Domestic and International Flight Traffic Rise 3.5 percent in January

US airlines’ January scheduled domestic and international traffic rose 3.5% year-over-year to 60.7 billion RPMs on a 2.3% rise in capacity to 79.3 billion ASMs, according to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Load factor was 76.5%, up 0.8 point from January 2010. Total passengers carried numbered 53.7 million, up 2.2% year-over-year but still 6.9% below the 57.7 million carried in January 2008.

Southwest Airlines carried the most total passengers among US carriers in January, transporting 8.3 million, up 9.7% year-over-year. The LCC was followed by Delta Air Lines (8 million passengers, up 1.6%), American Airlines (6.7 million, up 0.1%), US Airways (4 million, up 3.7%) and United Airlines (4.1 million, down 5.5%).

American Airlines and British Airways Take Flight in Tokyo

American Airlines and British Airways have launched their new Tokyo Haneda International Airport flights.

Both airlines’ inaugural services from the Japanese capital’s newly expanded gateway departed within minutes of one another yesterday morning.

American is now offering the only flights between Tokyo Haneda and New York, with its daily JFK schedule complementing Japan Airlines’ established service between Haneda and San Francisco. Both services carry the codes of both airlines.

British Airways is operating Haneda’s only route to the UK, serving the airport an initial five times a week non-stop from its London Heathrow hub, in addition to its established daily Tokyo Narita schedule.

Yesterday’s debut services were marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Tokyo Haneda hosted by American’s VP and managing director Asia/Pacific Theo Panagiotoulias and British Airways’ area GM Asia Pacific Jamie Cassidy, joined by Japan Airlines president Masaru Onishi.

American’s VP and MD Asia/Pacific Theo Panagiotoulias said: “We are very excited by this new flight that links two of the world’s largest financial markets and offers passengers the ability to fly from New York to Haneda, the closest airport to downtown Tokyo, and which hasn’t had service from the USA since 1978 when Tokyo’s Narita International Airport opened. We also are pleased to be offering this new service as part of our new transpacific joint venture with our valued oneworld partner, Japan Airlines.”

British Airways’ Area GM Asia Pacific Jamie Cassidy added: “Today is a historic day for British Airways as we start our new route from Haneda which compliments our existing service from Narita. The start of this route allows us to offer our customers greater choice and flexibility. We are proud to be the only carrier operating from Haneda direct to the UK. The start of this service demonstrates our commitment to Japan and the deepening of our growing relationship with JAL.”

Japan Airlines president Masaru Onishi stated: “Japan Airlines began operating on new international routes from Haneda at the end of October last year. Passenger numbers have been very encouraging and are a good indication of the demand for flights to and from Haneda. The launch of

American’s and British Airways’ flights today is undoubtedly great news for the traveling public in Japan and is certain to strengthen further oneworld’s service offerings to customers.”

In addition to the new flight from Haneda to New York JFK, American and its partner Japan Airlines also offer non-stop daily service from Tokyo’s Narita Airport to JFK. American flies between the US and Tokyo using Boeing 777 aircraft with 247 seats – 16 in First Class, 37 in Business Class and 194 in Economy Class.

Flight AA135 will depart JFK daily at 6:10pm, arriving at Haneda at 10:15pm the following day. The return AA134 will depart Haneda at 6:40am daily, landing at JFK at 5:15 am the same day.

With the launch of the its new five-a-week service from Haneda in addition to its daily Tokyo Narita schedule, British Airways will operate 12 flights a week between Tokyo and London Heathrow.

Flight BA7 will depart London Heathrow on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8am, landing at Haneda at 5am the next day. The return flight BA8 will depart Haneda on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 6:25 am, arriving at Heathrow at 10am the same day.

Next Page »