Thanks to reader PHXGter for providing a few juicy items from the latest US Airways employee newsletter. As follow-ups to employee questions, US Airways President Scott Kirby discussed future African routes, European route strength, and further expansion in Asia:
“Miami would serve as a great gateway to Africa. We have done some looking at points in Africa, but this is speculative and probably a little further down the road.”
“We feel that we are on par to Europe with Delta and United.”
“Asia is the one region in the world that when we merge we’re a little bit behind. We have a lot of focus on the right places to grow in Asia. We’re behind United and Delta because they have old networks that are part of a post- World War II treaty with Japan so Asia’s been our focus of growth.”
According to PHXGter, a question was also asked about the New American’s flights to Israel given the still unsettled severance dispute with the previous TWA Israeli employees. No response was provided.
- Building Up US Airways Miles for the AA Merger – Time to Take AAdvantage, Full List of Offers!
- The New AA to Tel Aviv from JFK and MIA
- Sneak Peek of the American A319 Interiors
- American Previews Upgraded Fleet Plans & Interiors – Steps It Up A319, A321, B737-800, and B777-300ER
- AA Classes It Up – More New Pics of the 777-300ER
- A Further Steps-Up First & Business Class
- American Plans Only 36 Traditional Economy Seats on A321 Transcon Jets
- AA’s New Boarding Pass
- AA Updates American Way In-Flight Magazine with New Fleet & Destination Graphics & Details
- AA’s New Look Unveiled – 1967 Livery Replaced
- AA Livery Changes Possible Post-Merger as per SEC Filing & Doug Parker Comments
- New AA Livery No Longer Definite? Plus Delta’s Advice for the New AA
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
5 comments
Any American flight to Africa should fly out of its southeasternmost US destination, SJU, reducing by 2.5 hours the fuel load needed to reach the farthest reaches of Southern Africa. Unfortunately, AA dehubbed SJU several years ago and its artificial “hub-and-spoke” rules would not allow it to do so.
SJU would be an absolute nightmare for inbound immigration and customs, would be a pain in the ass to carry the traffic load, and is only about 1,000 miles different in terms of trip length, well within the operating distance limits of today’s aircraft. MIA as an airport is much better prepared to handle the traffic, immigration staffing and facilities needed to handle this route.
If “SJU would be an absolute nightmare for inbound immigration and customs”, are you implying that MIA is not??? I know many who avoid flying back from Europe into MIA simply to avoid its immigration and customs mess! For many who hate 8+ hr flights (and who choose flying to Asia from West Coast, rather than farther gateways, cutting 2 hrs off flights to Africa would be a blessing. However, neither will AA fly to Africa from MIA soon nor will they rehub SJU, which has been taken over by JetBlue, so this is all very theoretical.
@Kenneth
By that logic, United should run all of their 20+ Asia flights from SFO, because those require the least fuel. Even if SJU were still a hub, it wouldn’t have nearly the network of DFW or MIA, thus passengers would often have to double connect, nobody wins in that situation.
[…] New American – Flights from Miami to Africa “Down the Road” – Employee Newsletter […]