Word on "the street" is that Ft. Lauderdale-Bogota flights may be loaded into the system as soon as October if American can succsesfully receive the route rights. They are held by defunct Aces and have yet to be given to another carrier. Avianca, AeroRepublica, and reportedly now American, are all fighting for them. The CAA (Colombian Aviation Authority) will hold a hearing on 20 September to determine who the rights go to. This would be the fifth international destination from Ft. Lauderdale, joining Caracas, Nassau, Port-Au-Prince, and Santo Domingo.
Fll-bog May Be Next...
- Thread starter MAH4546
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Cosmo
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- Aug 20, 2002
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MAH4546:
I'm puzzled by one aspect of your post above. I think that the addition of a FLL-BOG flight by American would be great, but since when does the Colombian Aviation Authority have any say over which, if any, U.S. carrier would serve the market? It seems to me that if the route is included in the U.S.-Colombia bilateral agreement as being available to U.S. carriers, then the U.S. DOT would be the appropriate governmental organization to approve American's (or any other U.S. carrier's) route authority, assuming that the route is limited entry. Since ACES formerly served the route, is it possible that the bilateral limits the availability to only Colombian carriers? Or is the FLL-BOG route not even explicitly listed in the bilateral and thus is now subject to political shenanigans and trade-offs?
Sorry for all of these questions, but any further insight you could provide would be appreciated.
I'm puzzled by one aspect of your post above. I think that the addition of a FLL-BOG flight by American would be great, but since when does the Colombian Aviation Authority have any say over which, if any, U.S. carrier would serve the market? It seems to me that if the route is included in the U.S.-Colombia bilateral agreement as being available to U.S. carriers, then the U.S. DOT would be the appropriate governmental organization to approve American's (or any other U.S. carrier's) route authority, assuming that the route is limited entry. Since ACES formerly served the route, is it possible that the bilateral limits the availability to only Colombian carriers? Or is the FLL-BOG route not even explicitly listed in the bilateral and thus is now subject to political shenanigans and trade-offs?
Sorry for all of these questions, but any further insight you could provide would be appreciated.
- Thread Starter
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The FLL-BOG route is not included in the original US/Colombia bilaterals. It is an exemption authority that is held by the now defunct Aces.Cosmo said:
Without a doubt, the Colombian aviation market is the most strict one in all of Latin America. Colombia is <i>very</i> protective of Avianca and thier other airlines and has a strong dislike for compietition. Continental Airlines has for years wanted Medellin and Cali; American would likely love Cartagena and a return to Baranquilla (which the CAA made them give up for Medellin), but until the CAA loosens up, it is not going to happen.
DOT would give American FLL-BOG rights in a flash, but the CAA won't, and American needs the rights from both ends.
It is highly unlikely American will get the route authority from the CAA. It will most definitley go to Avianca, but it is nice that they are at least trying. I would love to see American win it, though.
