Tag: Bogota

American Airlines and JetBlue Begin Joint Schedules and Codeshare Flights From New York and Boston

February 18, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

New service from New York (JFK) to Latin America and the Caribbean begins in May

New domestic service from JFK and Boston (BOS) begins in June

American introduces international flights from New York (JFK) to three cities in Colombia and to Santiago, Chile (SCL); new weekend service to St. Lucia (UVF) and Turks and Caicos (PLS) will operate this summer.
American and JetBlue collectively introduce 33 new domestic and international routes for customers in New York and Boston beginning in June.
Almost 50 codeshare markets are available for purchase on aa.com for travel beginning Feb. 25.

FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) and JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) are delivering on their promise to introduce better travel choices on routes to and from New York (JFK, LGA and EWR) and Boston (BOS), as they launch nearly 80 codeshare flights and enhanced schedules on key routes. American is also introducing 18 new routes beginning this summer, including six new routes from JFK to Latin America and the Caribbean. Codeshare flights are available for purchase today for travel starting Feb. 25, and American’s new summer flights from New York and Boston will be available for purchase Feb. 22.

“This is the first step to delivering the best customer proposition with the biggest network in New York and Boston,” said Vasu Raja, American’s Chief Revenue Officer. “In the months ahead, we’ll continue to create a seamless experience that’s easy for our customers, supports our communities and leads to more growth for our team.”

American and JetBlue announced their Northeast Alliance in July, followed by the airlines’ intent to introduce key elements of the alliance after review by the Department of Transportation in January.

“Our alliance with American opens the door for JetBlue to successfully enter into new markets, introducing more choices and our award-winning service and low fares to more customers,” said Scott Laurence, head of revenue and planning, JetBlue. “The alliance is also essential to getting our planes back in the air profitably and crewmembers working again.”

New routes

The Northeast Alliance opens up new growth opportunities for both carriers by finding ways to better utilize existing gates and slots in congested Northeast airports while offering customers a seamless travel experience.

International Growth

On May 6, American will launch three new daily routes from JFK to Colombia – Cali (CLO), Bogota (BOG) and Medellin (MDE) – and will begin flying three times per week to Santiago, Chile (SCL) from JFK on a Boeing 777-200, until flights begin operating daily in November. Sun-seeking customers can also look forward to new Saturday service from JFK to the soothing waves in St. Lucia (UVF) and the beautiful beaches in Turks and Caicos (PLS) beginning on June 5, complementing JetBlue’s existing service..

Domestic Growth

This summer, American will also launch 12 new domestic routes, from New York (JFK and LGA) and Boston (BOS), including the following:

Origin	Destination	Season
BOS	Asheville, North Carolina (AVL)	June 5 – Nov. 6
BOS	Columbus, Ohio (CMH)	Aug. 17, year-round
BOS	Jackson Hole, Wyoming (JAC)	June 5 – Sept. 4
BOS	Traverse City, Michigan (TVC)	June 5 – Sept. 6
BOS	Wilmington, North Carolina (ILM)	June 5 – Aug. 14
JFK	Orange County, California (SNA)	June 2, year-round
LGA	Kansas City, Missouri (MCI)	Sept. 8, year-round
LGA	Key West, Florida (EYW)	June 5 – Sept. 4
LGA	Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (MYR)	June 3 – Sept. 7
LGA	Pensacola, Florida (PNS)	June 3 – Sept. 7
LGA	Rapid City, South Dakota (RAP)	June 5 – Sept. 4
LGA	Savannah, Georgia (SAV)	June 3 – Sept. 7

Also launching this summer is previously announced service from LGA to Glacier National Park in Kalispell, Montana, (FCA) and to TVC. As part of the codeshare with JetBlue, all new routes will be operated by American, but available for booking on aa.com or JetBlue.com.

Enhanced schedules in key markets

Customers will soon benefit from aligned schedules in key markets supported by the reciprocal codeshare. Beginning in April, American and JetBlue will offer more flights than any other carrier when they coordinate convenient schedules on the popular New York (JFK and EWR) to Los Angeles (LAX) route. Customers will have the most choices — 14 daily flights — between the two carriers and will have access to the state-of-the art Airbus A321T aircraft or JetBlue’s A321 aircraft featuring Mint. American and JetBlue will also provide enhanced schedules between the following markets:

Origin	Destination
BOS	Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
BOS	MIA
BOS	Washington, D.C. (DCA)
BOS	West Palm Beach (PBI)
LGA	BOS
LGA	DCA
New York (JFK and EWR)	Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
New York (JFK and EWR)	LAX
New York (JFK and EWR)	MIA
New York (JFK and EWR)	San Francisco (SFO)
New York (JFK and EWR)	West Palm Beach (PBI)

Codeshare flights begin next week

Codeshare on domestic flights are available for purchase today for flights beginning Feb. 25. American’s customers will have access to 49 codeshare routes on JetBlue, while JetBlue customers will have access to more than 25 routes on American. The airlines expect to begin codesharing sales on the new international routes soon.* As with all American-marketed codeshare flights, AAdvantage members will be able to earn miles.

Avianca Files for Bankruptcy Protection

May 11, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

(Reuters) – Avianca Holdings, Latin America’s second-largest airline, filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, after failing to meet a bond payment deadline, while its pleas for coronavirus aid from Colombia’s government have so far been unsuccessful.

If it fails to come out of bankruptcy, Bogota-based Avianca would be one of the first major carriers worldwide to go under as a result of the pandemic, which has crippled world travel.

Avianca has not flown a regularly scheduled passenger flight since late March and most of its 20,000 employees have gone without pay through the crisis.

“Avianca is facing the most challenging crisis in our 100-year history,” Avianca Chief Executive Anko van der Werff said in a news release.

While Avianca was already weak before the coronavirus outbreak, its bankruptcy filing highlights the challenges for airlines that cannot count on state rescues or on such rescues coming fast enough. Avianca is still hoping for a government bailout.

“This isn’t a surprise at all,” said Juan David Ballen, chief economist at Casa de Bolsa brokerage in Bogota. “The company was heavily indebted despite the fact it tried to restructure its debt last year.”

Avianca, the second-oldest continually operating airline in the world after KLM, had $7.3 billion in debts in 2019. The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in New York and said it would continue operations while it restructured its debts.

The Colombian Association of Civil Aviators (ACDAC), a union representing many Avianca employees, said it supported the move.

Avianca already went through bankruptcy in the early 2000s, from which it was rescued by a Bolivian-born oil businessman, German Efromovich.

Efromovich grew Avianca aggressively but also saddled the carrier with significant debt until he was ousted from the airline last year in a boardroom coup led by United Airlines Holdings Inc. He still owns a majority stake in the carrier.

United stands to lose up to $700 million in loans related to Avianca.

Efromovich told Reuters on Sunday that he disagreed with the decision to file for bankruptcy and that he was not involved in making it.

Click the link below to read the full story!

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/colombias-avianca-airline-files-bankruptcy-174035790.html

The logo of Avianca Airlines is pictured at a counter following the cancellation of an Avianca flight to San Salvador due to coronavirus fears in Mexico City

American Airlines Announces Additional Schedule Changes in Response to COVID-19

March 15, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) will implement a phased suspension of additional long-haul international flights from the U.S. starting on March 16. This suspension will last through May 6. This change is in response to decreased demand and changes to U.S. government travel restrictions due to coronavirus (COVID-19). The airline will:

Reduce international capacity by 75% year over year — from March 16 to May 6
Continue to operate one flight daily from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to London (LHR), one flight daily from Miami (MIA) to LHR and three flights per week from DFW to Tokyo (NRT)
Continue short-haul international flying, which includes flights to Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America and certain markets in the northern part of South America, as scheduled

In addition to the international changes, the airline anticipates its domestic capacity in April will be reduced by 20% compared to last year and May’s domestic capacity will be reduced by 30% on a year over year basis.

International Route Changes

By region, the new schedule changes include the following:

Asia, effective March 16

American will suspend all remaining flights to Asia, except for three flights per week from DFW to NRT

Australia and New Zealand, effective March 16

Suspending service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Auckland (AKL) effective March 16, which was slated to end seasonal flying on March 28
Suspending service from LAX to Sydney (SYD) effective March 16

Europe, phased suspension

American will continue to operate one flight daily from DFW to LHR and MIA to LHR
Suspending flights from New York (JFK), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), and LAX to LHR gradually over the next seven days to reaccommodate passengers and crew
LHR, Dublin (DUB) and Manchester (MAN) flights from Charlotte (CLT), Philadelphia (PHL) and Phoenix (PHX) will be suspended faster, as these airports are not approved gateways by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Final eastbound flights from CLT, PHL and PHX will be on March 15; final westbound flights returning from LHR, DUB and MAN will depart March 16
Continued suspensions in other parts of Europe, as previously announced, including the delayed start of some seasonal routes as well as flights to and from Amsterdam (AMS), Barcelona (BCN), Frankfurt (FRA), Madrid (MAD) and Munich (MUC) Paris (CDG) and Zurich (ZRH) through early May, or later, based on guidance from the U.S. government and customer demand

South America, effective March 16

Suspending service from JFK and MIA to Rio de Janeiro (GIG) and Georgetown, Guyana (GEO)
Suspending service from DFW, JFK and MIA to São Paulo (GRU)
Suspending service from DFW and MIA to:
- Chile: Santiago (SCL)
- Colombia: Bogota (BOG)
- Ecuador: Guayaquil (GYE) and Quito (UIO)
- Peru: Lima (LIM)
Suspending service from MIA to:
- Brazil: Brasilia (BSB) and Manaus (MAO)
- Colombia: Barranquilla (BAQ), Cartagena (CTG), Cali (CLO), Medellin (MDE) and Pereira (PEI)

These capacity reductions assume no slot waivers are in place other than those previously granted. At airports where demand exceeds airfield and/or terminal capacity, access is governed by slots that grant airlines permission to take off and land at specific times. Given the decrease in demand related to COVID-19, American has requested temporary relief from this usage requirement — otherwise known as requesting a slot waiver — to better align capacity with demand without the risk of losing valuable takeoff and landing slots for the future. American will continue to review its network and make adjustments as needed if waivers are granted.

Avianca Exchanges $475 mln in Bonds, Gets United Funding

September 12, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

BOGOTA, Sept 12 (Reuters) – Latin American airline Avianca announced the exchange of $475.2 million in bonds on Thursday, part of a plan to change its capital structure amid ongoing financial problems and enough to receive additional financing from United Airlines.

In a statement to Colombia’s financial regulator, Avianca said it would extend the deadline for bond holders to exchange their paper until Sept. 25, in a bid to exchange a total of $550 million worth of bonds coming due next year.

Investors can exchange the bonds for others also coming due in 2020, but with a $50 bonus per $1,000.

United Airlines and Kingsland Holdings Limited, which between them control Avianca, said in a joint statement that results of the exchange thus far were sufficient for it to give the airline up to $250 million in additional financing.

“We are also pleased to confirm that this achievement is sufficient to satisfy United’s requirement for the exchange of these May 2020 bonds, regarding our previously announced offer, together with Kingsland, to loan $250 million to Avianca Holdings,” said John Gebo, senior vice president of alliances for United Airlines.

“Our loan remains contingent on certain other conditions being met by Avianca Holdings, including certain commitments and waivers made by other stakeholders,” Gebo said.

United launched a management overhaul at Avianca in May, removing top shareholder German Efromovich from controlling the cash-strapped airline.

(Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Tom Brown)

Avianca Advances Plan to Manage Outstanding Liabilities

July 22, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

BOGOTA, Colombia, July 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Avianca Holdings S.A. (NYSE: AVH) today announced that, in connection with its previously announced re-profiling plan for its capital structure, the company has temporarily deferred payments on certain long-term leases and on payment of principal on certain loan obligations. Avianca Holdings has engaged in discussions with its main strategic lenders and other creditors to establish terms that will preserve current liquidity levels and enable Avianca Holdings to advance its re-profiling plan, which is aimed at strengthening the company’s financial position. Over the last two weeks, members of Avianca Holdings’ senior management team have met with more than 50 of Avianca Holdings’ strategic lenders and other creditors with the objective of reaching an agreement on the terms and conditions of the proposed deferrals. Importantly, obligations related to Avianca Holdings’ day-to-day operations remain current, and such operations, including flight schedules and other ordinary course operations, will remain unaffected.

Avianca Holdings affirms that it is current on all existing interest obligations and that Avianca Holdings actively seeks to arrive at a mutually satisfactory agreement with its strategic lenders and other creditors for a short-term deferral of principal amortization payments, as well as extensions of its credit facilities. Avianca Holdings intends to resume scheduled principal payments once these agreements have been successfully reached, as Avianca Holdings’ proposal is for all creditors to be paid in full, including principal and interest.

In connection with its re-profiling program, Avianca Holdings today made a separate announcement regarding an exchange offer for its outstanding 8.375% Senior Notes due 2020. Avianca Holdings is current on its interest obligations with respect to its outstanding senior notes and is not otherwise in default on its outstanding 2020 Senior Notes.

Avianca Holdings has the full support in this decision of its Board of Directors. Since May 24, 2019, Kingsland Holdings, through its ownership of ordinary shares of Avianca Holdings and authority to vote the ordinary shares of Avianca Holdings owned by BRW Aviation LLC, has effective control of Avianca Holdings. As previously announced, United Airlines and Kingsland Holdings have indicated that they would be willing to offer new financing to Avianca, if required and requested, of up to $250 million, provided that certain commitments are assumed by other interested parties.

With the announced temporary suspension of principal payments, as well as the previously announced proposed financing by United Airlines and Kingsland Holdings, and the continued implementation of Avianca Holdings’ 2021 transformation plan, Avianca Holdings expects to strengthen its cash balances in the near future, at which time, Avianca Holdings will resume normal payment of its obligations. Furthermore, Avianca Holdings has stated that the outstanding 2019 Colombian Peso-denominated corporate bond issued by Aerovías del Continente Americano – Avianca S.A. is not part of the deferral program and that such bond will be paid in accordance with its terms.

About Avianca Holdings
Avianca is the commercial brand that identifies the passenger, cargo transportation airlines and on ground services integrated in the Company with a team of more than 21,000 employees. The terms “Avianca Holdings” or “the Company” refer to the consolidated entity. The original source-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version, Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the source-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Turkish Airlines Expands With First Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

June 27, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Carrier to fly super-efficient, long-range 787-9 on new non-stop international routes

SEATTLE, June 26, 2019 – Boeing [NYSE:BA] today delivered the first 787-9 Dreamliner for Turkish Airlines, which plans to use the airplane’s fuel efficiency, range, reliability and size to operate new non-stop international routes such as Bali, Bogota-Panama, Washington and Atlanta.

“Turkish Airlines has been committed to continuously expanding its range of services on and off-ground as it grows in reach and flies to more international destinations than any other carrier in the world. With this goal in mind, we’re thrilled to reach new horizons with the addition of the 787-9 Dreamliner to our fleet flying from our new home, Istanbul Airport,” said M. İlker Aycı, Turkish Airlines’ Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee. “The aircraft’s advanced technology, fuel efficiency, and passenger-centric cabin design will all help us remain the first choice for travellers and provide our loyal flyers across the globe with a best-in-class experience for years to come.”

More than 80 customers around the world have ordered more than 1,400 Dreamliners since the program’s introduction, making it the fastest-selling widebody jet in history. The 787 Dreamliner allows airlines to reduce fuel use and emissions by 20 to 25 percent and serve far-away destinations. The combination of fuel efficiency and long range has helped airlines flying the 787 family of airplanes save more than 36 billion pounds (16 billion kilograms) of fuel and open more than 235 non-stop routes.

As part of the 787 Dreamliner family, the 787-9 is powered by a suite of new technologies and a revolutionary design. It can fly 7,635 nautical miles (14,140 km) in addition to carrying more cargo and allowing airlines to profitably grow routes. The airplane allows operators to achieve better fuel efficiency per seat compared to the previous airplanes in its class.

Turkish Airlines’ Dreamliner has seating capacity for 300 passengers, including 270 economy class seats and 30 business class seats. The carrier’s 787 includes long haul economy class seats and business class monuments produced in Turkey by Turkish suppliers.

“Turkish Airlines’ growth has been remarkable in recent years, both in expanding flight options and supporting Turkey’s aviation industry. We are honored that Turkish Airlines is embarking on its next chapter of expansion with the 787 Dreamliner,” said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing for The Boeing Company. “We are confident that the Dreamliner’s unmatched fuel efficiency, performance and passenger-pleasing comforts will contribute to the airline’s reputation as a five-star airline.”

About Boeing

Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. The company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. Boeing employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth. www.boeing.com

About Turkish Airlines

Based in Istanbul, Turkish Airlines carried 75,2 million passengers last year. The national flag carrier of Turkey currently operates direct flights to 311 destinations in 124 countries, as the only airline that flies to more countries and international destinations in the world. Turkish Cargo, the successful sub-brand of Turkish Airlines, is the world’s fastest-growing air cargo carrier considering the cargo volumes, new flight destinations, and expanding cargo fleet. It serves customers in more than 300 destinations including 88 dedicated direct cargo flights in over 120 countries.

Avianca Seeks To Cut Airbus Order In Half

December 11, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Airline Avianca Holdings SA (AVT_p.CN) will begin negotiations with Airbus (AIR.PA) to reduce the 100 planes it had agreed to purchase in a 2015 deal to as few as 50, the chief executive of the Latin American company said.

Avianca was also seeking a strategic alliance with German airline Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), CEO Hernan Rincon said late on Sunday, part of its bid to expand in Europe.

Avianca representatives will travel to France in the coming days for re-negotiations with Airbus, Rincon said. Avianca had agreed to buy 100 A320neo planes to modernize its fleet.

“Of those 100, we’ll probably receive between 50 and 80 planes,” he said. “We don’t have any doubt that we will keep growing, what has changed is the rhythm of the growth.”

Technological advancement is part of the reason for the airline wanting to reduce its purchases, Rincon added.

“The rhythm of technology is changing, it will take a while to get all of the order and we don’t want to have a commitment to planes with today’s technology which will be received by us in 10 or 15 years,” he said.

A reduction in the original order, which was set to cost $10 billion, will also give Avianca some financial breathing room, Rincon added.

At the end of last month Avianca, United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.O) and Copa Airlines of Panama said they had finalized a three-way joint venture that will allow them to plan routes and fares together and share revenues on those routes.

United, Avianca and Copa are already codeshare partners and Star Alliance members.

“We’ve started conversations with Lufthansa, but its very embryonic,” said Rincon. “We hope to reach an agreement to benefit our passengers in Europe, which is a relevant and growing market.”

The deal with Lufthansa would be similar to the one just agreed with United and Copa, Rincon added.

Under the United and Copa agreement, United said it would provide a $456 million term loan to cash-strapped Avianca’s top shareholder, Synergy Group Corp. Loss-making Avianca has a roughly $4 billion debt pile, of which 40 percent is due within the next two years, according to recent financial statements.

That deal still has to be approved by regulators.

Avianca will also start operating a regional subsidiary in Colombia in 2019, meant to serve medium and small-sized cities with 12 ATR 42 planes. The planes are already part of Avianca’s fleet, Rincon said.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Helen Murphy and Marguerita Choy)

Low-Cost Viva Air Looks To Expand In South America

November 2, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

BOGOTA, Nov 2 (Reuters) – Low-cost airline Viva Air, which operates in Colombia and Peru, is looking to expand its operations to a third country in 2020, its chief executive officer said late on Thursday.

The airline, owned by Irelandia Aviation LLC of Dublin , is spending $5.2 billion to buy 50 Airbus planes which it hopes will help make it the top low-cost carrier in Latin America, chief executive Felix Antelo said at an event in Bogota. It has already obtained seven of those planes.

“Our bases are Colombia and Peru. We’re looking at a third country that we can’t name. In 2019 consolidating Colombia and Peru will be the focus and from 2020 onward we could see a third country,” Antelo said.

Viva Air operates 32 routes in Colombia, Peru and to destinations including Miami with 19 planes and 800 employees.

It will have served 4 million passengers in Colombia and 900,000 in Peru by the end of the year, Antelo said, adding fares within Colombia can be as low as $10 including taxes.

Irelandia Aviation’s low-cost carriers – including Europe’s Ryanair, Asia’s Tiger Airways, Allegiant in the United States and Mexico’s VivaAerobus, have transported more than a billion people.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by David Gregorio)

Image from Airbus

Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Introduces Caribbean Shore Collection

September 13, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

MAKE MEMORIES BEYOND THE BEACH
With the newly revealed Caribbean Shore Collection, see how you can dive deeper into the adventure, history and culture of this carefree and easy region. Soar over barrier reefs, waterfalls and Mayan ruins for breathtaking views of Belize. Discover the healing powers of aloe at The Ritz‑Carlton Spa, Aruba, in one of the first places to cultivate the plant’s rejuvenating properties. Venture inland to explore the home of Colombia’s president in Bogotá and take a cooking class from a local chef. Five themed categories make it easy to choose richly rewarding experiences that match your interests — sugary sands and aquamarine waters are only just the start of a Caribbean voyage with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.

Click the link below for more info!

Ritz-Carlton Caribbean Shore Collection

Image from www.ritzcarltonyachtcollection.com