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AA to start MIA-TLV and JFK-TLV (maybe LY too)

AA to start MIA-TLV and JFK-TLV (maybe LY too)

Old Mar 15, 2013, 2:15 pm
  #1  
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AA to start MIA-TLV and JFK-TLV (maybe LY too)

According to one of the administrators at exmiami.org
"American Airlines intends to begin nonstop service on the Miami to Tel Aviv route following the planned merger with US Airways.

A well-placed source at US Airways tells exMiami that American will add flights to Tel Aviv from both Miami and New York's JFK airport.

The Miami-Tel Aviv route is one of the busiest transatlantic routes currently without nonstop service. El Al discontinued the route in 2008 due to high fuel prices, but is said to be near a decision on reinstating the route."
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 3:26 pm
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Originally Posted by ly787

The Miami-Tel Aviv route is one of the busiest transatlantic routes currently without nonstop service. El Al discontinued the route in 2008 due to high fuel prices, but is said to be near a decision on reinstating the route."
It's too bad that another airline will be able to capitalize on this traffic. If LY had enough fuel efficient a/c they could have made this route work and/or operated it themselves while getting AA's connecting traffic from Latin America.

I wonder what a/c AA will use on MIA-TLV...will it be the A330 or 772/3?

Last edited by ELY001; Mar 15, 2013 at 3:36 pm Reason: Spelling
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 4:28 pm
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Originally Posted by ELY001
It's too bad that another airline will be able to capitalize on this traffic. If LY had enough fuel efficient a/c they could have made this route work and/or operated it themselves while getting AA's connecting traffic from Latin America.

I wonder what a/c AA will use on MIA-TLV...will it be the A330 or 772/3?
I doubt that there's lots of paid J traffic to TLV.
(On an AC flight 2 years ago I was able to UG as an Elite, and that route is one of the easier routes to upgrade if you compare it to HKG/PVG/SYD)
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 5:34 am
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Does Anyone have info about a decision to re-open ORD-TLV? I've read in the press a few times in the past several months that it is being considered.
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 1:04 pm
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Flying,

I read the same thing. The situation is interesting because when AA merged with TWA they assumed TWA's debts, including those owed to former TLV based TWA employees. Once the merger with US goes through, AA will have to make a decision whether to continue flying to TLV and pay back the past TWA debt to its employees or cut services to TLV. The fact that MIA-TLV and ORD-TLV are being discussed indicates to me that AA will make good on TWA's past debt to its TLV employees and continue flying to Israel.

JUst about every airline executive and middle management people Ive spoken to have told me that TLV is one of their top 5 money making routes. Its a BIG shame that EL AL cannot seem to make a profit flying to/from it's home base while just about everyone else can. But I've discussed in great lengths on here why that is the case and won't bore all of you with repetition =)
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 2:50 pm
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A330 or 772/3
AA could use the 787-8s they are receiving them starting in 2014 as long as boeing's grounding gets lifted. I believe any AA TLV Routes won't be started before spring 2014 at the earliest the merger is not closing until Q3 2013 and then there is still the integration. So my thinking is spring 2014 will probably be when these services are launched once the integration is well on its way.
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 3:00 pm
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Really hoping this is true but not sure I believe just yet
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 3:09 pm
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Your title is misleading. I'm not saying it's not going to happen. However, AA and US haven't even finalized their merger, so the chances that they have already finalized new destinations is not likely; the chances that one of those destinations is TLV considering AA's legal liabilities is less likely; and the chances that both of those are true AND they leaked that is so remote that it'd be more accurate to say "AA to POTENTIALLY start MIA/JFK-TLV service"

Last edited by yosithezet; Mar 17, 2013 at 12:05 am Reason: Adjustment
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 4:10 pm
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Originally Posted by J_Fleish
So my thinking is spring 2014 will probably be when these services are launched once the integration is well on its way.
With LY's multiple dailies from the US to TLV, and UA double daily from EWR, DL's daily from JFK, and US daily from PHL, I wonder how much longer till the US-TLV market becomes over-saturated.

I think the first sign of that potential over-saturation occurred when DL reduced its ATL-TLV frequencies.

Last edited by ELY001; Mar 16, 2013 at 8:02 pm Reason: Changed "CO" to "UA"
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 4:13 pm
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Originally Posted by ELY001
With...CO's double daily from EWR...
<snipped> (Bolding mine)

*UA
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 5:05 pm
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Originally Posted by ELY001
The situation is interesting because when AA merged with TWA they assumed TWA's debts, including those owed to former TLV based TWA employees.
American Airlines never assumed the obligations owed by TWA to its Israeli employees.
Globes - Delaware Court to decide today whether to allow American Airlines takeover of TWA

American Airlines management said that one of the reasons it decided to halt TWA flights from New York to Tel Aviv is its fear of having to pay high compensation to its employees in Israel.

<snip>

American Airlines announced it was examining Israeli labor law and TWAs obligations to its employees if they are laid off. American Airlines reached the conclusion that if it continues operating the Tel Aviv line and later decides to halt flights for financial reasons, it would have to provide severance pay to TWA employees in Israel.

American Airlines claims the cost would amount to $9-18 million, which would represent an unacceptable risk for its management. American said that TWA had reported that the New York-Tel Aviv line lost money in each of the past two years. According to American Airlines, the high cost of the flights and the low ticket prices for the line have made it unprofitable. By contrast other TWA flights to and from Israel have operated at above-average capacity until recently.
The TLV route was excluded from the assets purchase (Link).
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 8:01 pm
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Originally Posted by joshwex90
<snipped> (Bolding mine)

*UA
Josh,

Thanks for pointing that out. Even though it's been a while since the merger, I still have a tenancy to refer to Continental and not United, and I know of others in the NYC area who were big fans of CO doing the same. The vast majority of the planes UA flies out of EWR are CO a/c with CO BF and IFE hard products.

Funny thing is that a few days ago when I flew back from PVG, upon landing at EWR the IFE screens had written "Thank You for flying Continental Airlines." Guess LY isnt the only airline not to update their IFE consistently

I went ahead and change the "CO" from the original post of mine to "UA".
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 8:10 pm
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TWA,

Whether or not AA actually reaffirmed TWA's debt to its former TLV employees during their merger/acquisition of the company through a written instrument (and therefore made an affirmative assumption of such) is immaterial. There exists significant legal precedent requiring AA to assume TWA's debt to its former TLV employees regardless of whether they themselves actually acknowledge such simply by virtue of the merger/acquisition.

Even the article you copied and pasted clearly states that upon review of Israeli Labor Law, AA themselves believe they are likely responsible for this debt. Hence, without delving extensively into semantics, for the purpose of this specific debt, AA likely assumed it from TWA by virtue of it's merger/acquisition of TWA according to Israeli labor law.
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 8:35 pm
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If this route were to come to fruition, AA and El Al would now be competing. Wouldn't that end the FF and domestic connections arrangements?

Ex, JetBlue and AA offer reciprocal earning on BOS-EWR, since AA doesn't fly there. But they compete directly on BOS-JFK, and hence no FF benefits.
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Old Mar 16, 2013, 9:12 pm
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Originally Posted by Auto Enthusiast
If this route were to come to fruition, AA and El Al would now be competing. Wouldn't that end the FF and domestic connections arrangements?
Why should it? There are countless routes out there where alliance and codeshare partners fly both their metals. On the other hand, right before DL started flying to TLV a few years back, their codeshare with LY ended.

Can someone shed light as to what specifically happened in the instance of the DL codeshare arrangement with LY?

Last edited by yosithezet; Mar 16, 2013 at 11:44 pm Reason: Fixed quotes
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