Govt Snatches Bogota Route From AA

[WingNaPrayer]

American Airlines is fighting a federal decision to take away one of its daily flights to Bogota and give it to another carrier.

The Transportation Department late Wednesday said it had granted preliminary approval to Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL), JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU), Spirit Airlines Inc. and Continental Airlines Inc. (CAL) to operate one new daily flight each between the U.S. and Bogota. If the DOT's tentative decision is finalized, Delta may begin its new services immediately, JetBlue and Spirit on April 1, and Continental on Oct. 1.

Those four airlines were picked over US Airways Group Inc. (LCC), which had applied for service from Charlotte, and AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American, which sought to retain its three daily flights between Miami and Bogota.

"We do not believe that it was legitimate for DOT to seize American's duly authorized frequencies for reallocation to another carrier," Tim Smith, a spokesman for Forth Worth, Texas-based American, said Thursday.

The company wants to keep the flight and on Jan. 22 filed a "petition for review" of the government's intended decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

But American last week began winding down service on the flight, which no longer operates daily, and stop offering it by the end of the month unless the appeal is granted, Smith said.

A DOT spokesman was not immediately available Thursday afternoon.

American manages 42 weekly flights, six daily, to assorted destinations in Colombia, 35 of which it acquired from Eastern Air Lines in 1990. The flight being taken away is among those acquired from Eastern, Smith said.

Besides reallocating the one daily U.S.-Colombia flight currently held by American, the government proposal would have 21 new weekly flights phased in by the end of the year. Three of the new daily flights were made available by a September aviation agreement that increased to 91 from 70 the number of weekly flights U.S. carriers may operate between the two countries.

Delta's flight will depart from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport; JetBlue's from Orlando, Fla.; Spirit's from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Continental's from Houston.

Objections to the government order must be filed within 14 calendar days and answers are due seven days later. The department will issue a final decision following the comment period.

LINK TO STORY

 

[JFK777]

AA got greedy and should have operated 3 Miami to BOG flights daily. They needed to down gauge from a 757 to a 737 or from A300 to either Boeing. An A300 and 757 is about the same seats as 3 737-800. Since AA says they are the frequency airline they should have practiced what they preached.

 

[WingNaPrayer]

Well, two a day and the flights aren't full. Unless they've got mondo-cargo, perhaps it's time to let someone else falter in the market.

 

[Skymess]

AA got greedy and should have operated 3 Miami to BOG flights daily. They needed to down gauge from a 757 to a 737 or from A300 to either Boeing. An A300 and 757 is about the same seats as 3 737-800. Since AA says they are the frequency airline they should have practiced what they preached.

AA should have started JFK-BOG. There are enough Columbians in NY to keep the flight alive. Delta obviously realizes that. Good luck to them.

 

[Boomer]

Looking through all the publicly sourced documentation, the following rings on target:

With Ecuador and Venezuela massing troops on the border in response to Colombia executing an operation against the FARC inside Ecuadorian Borders; it is no wonder that SOCOM requested extension of rights into an area that has grown from temperate to hot.

The CRAF regs require partcipants to dedicate a percentage of lift capacity in the event that is required.

Access demanded is payment for access requested.

 

[eolesen]

AA had JFK-BOG at one point. It didn't last more than a year or two if I recall.

 

[The Dissident]

its all those euros that they were shipping back for the drug cartels there.The govt wasnt getting their cut from AA.

Link to sotry is here

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Feb15/0,4...ngEuros,00.html


MIAMI — Every day, American Airlines Flight 914 takes off from Bogota, Colombia, at 8:20 a.m. and touches down at the Miami airport at noon. In the jet's cargo hold are usually bags and bags of euros that investigators say are part of a huge $1.4 billion cocaine money-laundering scheme.

 

[Maark767]

AA should have started JFK-BOG. There are enough Columbians in NY to keep the flight alive. Delta obviously realizes that. Good luck to them.

We once did fly JFK-BOG on a 767-200 , 3 cls. svc. It lasted about 3 months and was a T/A.

 

[MAH4546]

Well, two a day and the flights aren't full. Unless they've got mondo-cargo, perhaps it's time to let someone else falter in the market.

Nice to see babble on about more stuff you know absolutely nothing about, as you always do.

Not only are load factors healthy (obviously the flights aren't going out full in February and March, when traffic to Colombia is at it's typical year-round low point), but the route prints money like there is no tomorrow. One of the best performers in AA's entire South American network - amazing yields and awesome cargo loads.

 

[eolesen]

If that's the case, then what cause did DOT give to yank the slots?....

In 15 years of watching route authority proceedings, I don't recall seeing a significant number of authorities taken from one carrier and reallocated to another, so there has to be a little more to this. It sets a pretty dangerous precedent for carriers like NW and UA who have an inordinate number of frequencies to places like China...

 

[BoeingBoy]

The actual award is here

Jim

 

[WingNaPrayer]

Nice to see babble on about more stuff you know absolutely nothing about, as you always do.

Not only are load factors healthy (obviously the flights aren't going out full in February and March, when traffic to Colombia is at it's typical year-round low point), but the route prints money like there is no tomorrow. One of the best performers in AA's entire South American network - amazing yields and awesome cargo loads.

You need to find a new hobby. This stalking thing you have going on is not at all attractive.

American hogged and held the market at bay, simply to keep competition out. Finally, last fall, the DOT notified AA that it intended to put some of it's frequencies at issue for that very reason. THEN, and only then, did AA start to use the markets again in a vain attempt to deceive the DOT into thinking that they were going to continue to use them. The DOT, not being anyone's fool, least of all American's, knew all too well if they backed off of removing some frequencies from AA, that AA would just once again stop using them.

Enough! The DOT took them away and AA can complain all they like, they won't be getting them back. The DOT's say is final. AA pissed away the frequencies and it's their own fault. So your little rant about good load factors and awesome cargo are statements that obviously not even AA would agree with as if such were the case, they would have used all the frequencies they were allocated and they didn't. Even AA had over-saturated it's own routes, and they weren't using the seven frequencies at issue even during NON typical year round low points.

In essence, who gives a smelly poop what you think I know or don't know!

FROM THE DOT FILING: American previously allowed 14 of its 42 frequencies to become dormant for an extended time period, and contend that American only recently reinstituted service with those frequencies to keep competitors out of the restricted U.S.-Colombia market and thereby maintain its dominance. [emphasis added]

AA is lucky the DOT didn't take all 14 instead of just half of them!

The DOT obviously had it's fill with AA's bullsh|t excuses and decided to cut them off at the knees. They use two flights per day out of MIA to Bogota and yes, they are NOT going out full and I'll bow to your statement - at this time of year. They don't traditionally go out full most other times of the year either. This is one of the markets I fly on AA - and I know empty seats when I see them! There are times when the flight is full, but most times not.

Yes, cargo is good on the route. It has to be to bring back all that money that is being printed! Too bad it's all in Euros, eh?

 

[AirLUVer]

The Colombian government forced AA to give up the Baranqilla flights when they were given the route authority to go to Medelline.

 

[WingNaPrayer]

The Colombian government forced AA to give up the Baranqilla flights when they were given the route authority to go to Medelline.

Can you quote a source on that? I'd love to dig into it. The Columbian government historically doesn't give two hoots about competition and is begging for all the US Carrier access it can get. With AA's successful history of being the go-between for cash laundering (unknowingly of course) it would be hard to figure out why the Columbian government would do such a thing. (Provided of course, the Columbian government is in on the cash haul) Especially since AA is still flying both routes.

 

[AirLUVer]

I don't have the press release, but when AA announced Medellin service, they said in the release that they had to give up the BAQ flights.