Continental to Moscow
 

According to The Moscow Times, it looks like EWR to DME could happen next year. This would be a great way to get into Russia's best airport (DME). See http://www.themoscowtimes.com/storie...11/02/042.html for details

Continental has yet to submit an application to Russian civil aviation authorities, but Gennady Chernov, deputy head of the Federal Air Transportation Agency, said the airline should not encounter any difficulty.

"They just have to submit their flight schedule. Under a bilateral agreement they have the right to operate to Russia," Chernov said. A 1994 agreement lets the United States designate up to six airlines and Russia up to nine to operate between the two countries.

how come they get 9 and we get only 6?? do they even have 9 national airlines? we should have shown more muscle ..

What US airlines would even be interested in the route? DL flies to SVO; now CO's going in. UA? AA? Maybe - but only both, not just one! NW? Why? US, WN, B6, F9?

The only way this hurts the US is if the cargo carriers count towards the 6. Then, with Fedex, UPS & DHL, it starts to tighten up.

Can you even name 9 Russian airlines?



EDITED 11/2 to remove the reference to DL abandoning SVO, since even after it was pointed out and acknowledged 2 other posters bulked up the thread by repeating it...

please...
 

Moscow is an up and coming city of Eastern Europe... FYI. Delta still flies the route once daily I believe, it was inherited from Pan American World Airways... (Although they do fly to SVO) I actually think for a short time they had a codeshare with Aeroflot in the early 90's. Currently they operate the flight with a 767-300. Continental has plans dating back to 1999 to operate to SVO or now SME with a 777, but I think they found more use for it somewhere else and the economic climate changed. Although They are planning on a 767 this time...


-Vincent

I really look forward to this. DME is far superior to SVO, and for EWR is preferable to JFK. Though I haven't flown CO internationally, I can't imagine it offering a worse combination of service and comfort than DL (DL 30/31 JFK-SVO rank among my least comfortable [coach] transatlantic experiences, to be avoided if there is any convenient alternative).

OOPS -- my bad. I searched SME, instead of SVO, and found that DL didn't fly JFK-SME...

Vincom - thanks for catching it.

DL didn't abandon SVO -- since Pan Am's demise in '91 they've always served the ex-PA run from JFK.

Excellent opportunity for CO. Moscow is a wonderful city.

9 Russian Airlines? I'll try...
 

1.Aeroflot
2.Pulkovo (based out of St. Pete and hopes to fly to the U.S. next summer)
3.Siberian Air (#1 domestic airline in Russia and #2 internationally, acquiring Airbus A310s as we speak)
4.Transaero (flies only Boeing aircraft and used to service NY, LA and one or two other US cities)
5.KrasAir (leasing non-Russian aircraft by the boat load right now, flies to numerous cities in Germany and charters all over)
6.DalAvia (not worth mentioning other than they do fly from the Far East of Russia into Japan)
7.Domodedevo Airlines (based out of DME with a nice network inside Russia)
8.Rossiya (President Putin's company of choice...flies only charters right now but will start some commercial flights in 05)
9.Vladivostok Air Company (flies only Russian Tupulovs but is trying to get permission to fly from Vladivostok to the west coast of the U.S, probably Los Angeles, which is only possible via Korean Air with a stop at ICN right now)

Delta has flown continuously from JFK to SVO since the Pan Am buy out in the early 90s. At one time they had daily flights from FRA to SVO as well as the non-stop from the US. They also flew some from Warsaw and FRA to LED. While they only fly from JFK to SVO right now, they only fly full aircraft. The article I mentioned above has the Delta station manager in Russia saying Delta is looking at expanding their service into Moscow.

In coach, it is the bottom of Delta's deep barrel. Shoot for J at all costs!

DHL is German. It is owned by Deutsch Post. It is not US owned. Airborne Express was US owned but DHL bought them, so they are now German.

Also Aeroflot plans to join SkyTeam, so CO may be looking to link up with the capital so that they can partner to Aeroflot's network.

- HF

I thought that US airlines could not be majority foreign owned. ISn't the DHL ownership structure such that it is still formally US owned, at least within the US?

Apparently, CO said today they would not start flying to DME until 2006. http://news.morningstar.com/news/DJ/...INE000480.html

Seattle-based Airborne Inc. said its shareholders have approved the proposed sale of its Airborne Express ground shipping business to DHL Worldwide Express Inc., the American subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Post.


Airborne said at least 30.9 million shares, or 63.4 percent of those outstanding, were voted in favor of the transaction.

The company in March announced the deal with DHL, which would pay Airborne shareholders $21.25 per share in cash, valuing the



DHL is completely controlled by Deutsche Post. You are right that they use the subsidiary to allow them to fly here, (through a sort of loophole.) Even that loophole required a horrific lobbying blitz in Washington in order for it to be allowed.

I think their populist/competition ads are cute, but do not let them fool you, the German people were abused for decades when Deutsche Post had a monopoly on the German market. (2$ for a local letter etc. etc... ) In reality
DHL is German "payback" for American incursion of UPS and FedEx in the '70s 80's and 90's.

CO has a business class fare 50day/7 day IAD-MOW for under $2500. Lots of partners take the second half from western europe.